In the heat of the moment, a poor choice of words is all the difference between pragmatism and spite. Especially when spoken out of anger.

Three weeks without a word to her girlfriend has nagged at the back of Applejack's mind. But she's not in the wrong, she's sure of it.

She was only trying to look out for Rainbow's future.

Preread by Jondor.
Vector posted by SlayerBVC on Derpibooru.

Entry for the AppleDash Contest. Soak it in, Tcherno. You absolute heathen.

Applejack has had it up to here with Rainbow Dash's sleepflying. Rarity attempts to lend a hoof.

In an attempt to help her school's losing soccer team finally bond, team manager Twilight Sparkle takes the whole team to a ranch over spring break. Already uncomfortable being around her otherwise entirely male team, Rainbow Dash is dragged along reluctantly for the ride. However, finding herself in sunny, open fields, Rainbow realizes she is quickly falling for one of the farm hands, a freckle-faced blonde teeming with southern charm. AppleDash, human. Rated T for use of language and suggestive themes.

Applejack has always been a patient pony; it came with being a farmer. So when the farmer found herself falling head over hooves in love with her best friend, she was content to wait for the right moment to tell Rainbow Dash how she felt.

But now time is running out, and Applejack is left scrambling not to find the perfect time, but any time at all.

An entry for the AppleDash Content

Applejack and Rainbow Dash have been close friends for a long time and, for some reason Rainbow Dash has never been able to understand, it seems as if everyone she knows expects them to get together eventually. To Rainbow Dash's surprise, Applejack abruptly decides that their friends are right and asks her out on a date. To Applejack's surprise, Rainbow Dash immediately turns her down.

Unfortunately for Rainbow Dash, Applejack is nothing if not stubborn, and she declares that she won't give up until Rainbow Dash has agreed to go on a date with her, no matter what it takes.

Winner of the second AppleDash group contest.

Look, I heard you the first time! Yeesh, I wish you'd stop staring at me, as if you're reading my thoughts. 'Cuz if you could, then you'd know that while this is the first thing I'd want to do, it's also the last! I mean, horseapples, things would be a heck of a lot easier if I'd known ahead of time that Twilight and the rest of the girls had only packed three sleeping bags instead of six for this mountain hike! For realsies, if you had any friggin' clue how many restless nights I've spent thinking about you, fantasizing situations like this, then you'd know... you would freaking know how impossible it is for me to actually... sh-share a sleeping bag with my totally not-sexy-in-any-way best friend... (*ULP*) ... overnight... s-so that we could keep our bodies warm in the cold, cold forest. Grnnnng! Alright... alright! I'll do it! Of c-course I'll do it! I'm awesome! I'm not afraid of anything! Okay... I can do this... I can totally do this... I can... I can... I-I...

It is the day after Applejack and Rainbow Dash made their relationship official, and Rainbow is giddy with excitement to see her new-borne mate. However, Applejack doesn't seem to share the same sentiment, and in the hours that follow, strange behaviour and hushed secrets make Rainbow Dash desperate for the truth. But soon, she finds out just how life can change... in just one day.

Receiver of a Honourable Mention for the AppleDash competition! Hooray! =D

Extreme thanks to TheShadow, TwilightFox and HerpyDerpy for the help and support!

Competition. It drives us all one way or another. Whether it’s to be the fastest flier, the best team, the greatest magician, to steal a land in jealous fury, or simply to beat that other pony to the stall for the last carrot; competition is in all of us.

Some claim that a competitive nature is healthy, and keeps a pony sharp and fit. Others claim it drives ponies apart and should be avoided as much as possible.

Rainbow Dash and Applejack don’t care about any of that. They just don’t want the other to win. Theirs is an unending game of friendly one-upmanship, a constant striving to prove their superiority to one another for no other reason than they can.

Neither of them thought it would ever bring about romance in their lives.

--------

Written for (and winner of) the 3rd AppleDash competition. Prompt by bookplayer.

Thanks to my friend, Radoh from the Escapist, for making some small, but very good, points.

Cover art by nekokevin.

When friends have a little cider, sometimes internal thoughts become external. When Applejack and Rainbow Dash both accuse each other of being lazy, they decide to settle that argument by recruiting changelings to imponyate each other.

Originally written for AppleDash Competition 3.

Since dating Rainbow Dash, Applejack's ordinary days are few and far between, especially when Rainbow comes to her asking her to help her find her cloud house which had blown away in a storm just over a week ago.

There's a little more to Rainbow's problem than meets the eye, however, and it's not just where the house landed that's the problem: her own feelings are starting to get involved too...

Contains Appledash, rated teen for mild sexual themes