Scootaloo leaned out from behind a tree, covertly gazing at Rainbow Dash while she was drilling through her forms. This pastime never grew tiresome for Scootaloo; Rainbow was such a supremely skilled kung fu practitioner that no one could mistake her for anything other than a powerful, beautiful artist. Seeing Rainbow slowly shift between poses was like watching a master calligrapher dip his brush in ink and make a stroke over a sheet of paper, or listening to a world-class violinist play a piece of such exquisite perfection it drew tears from your eyes. Everything she did was utterly deliberate, and her magenta eyes were narrowed with complete focus. When she made a strike with her fist, it seemed faster than a bolt of lightning; when she leapt up and kicked, it seemed as powerful as an elephant's stomp; when she cried out, it seemed fearsome enough to crumble mountains.
It came as little surprise to Scootaloo that Rainbow Dash was among the most adapt martial artists in the entire world; her master was her father, Rainbow Blaze, a Dragon Imperial who even at his mere thirty-three years of age was already an advanced kung fu master. He shared this title with only a handful of other Beings; to be an advanced master was to be only one rank below that of a full-fledged Grandmaster, a title achieved only by one or two mortal Beings every generation. Rainbow Blaze was the youngest advanced kung fu master currently living; many regarded him as a martial arts prodigy, though some said his talents were due only to being raised and trained by his father, a Grandmaster who was universally regarded as one of the greatest martial artists of all time. Rainbow Blaze's fans, of which there were many, wished desperately for him to prove them wrong by becoming a kung fu Grandmaster by the age of forty-seven, thus becoming the youngest one the world had ever seen and leaving no more doubts about his genius.
Rainbow Blaze had trained his daughter well; at fifteen she was already a lower-intermediate master, a mere three tiers below himself. Scootaloo could have watched Rainbow Dash train all day; her tan, toned body moving and sweating like this had the grace of a ballerina and the deadliness of a cobra. She was so magnificent and stunning that Scootaloo almost didn't want to stop her.
Alas, Scootaloo was here to train, as well. This made interrupting Rainbow every Sunday worthwhile, as Scootaloo had the privilege of calling Rainbow her own master.
Scootaloo grinned. She was enormously glad she'd asked Rainbow to become her kung fu teacher; Rainbow Dash was strict and demanding, but at the same time enormously inspirational, encouraging, patient, and gentle. She had warned Scootaloo that kung fu was not something she could achieve proficiency in within two, ten, or even twenty years, and that she'd have to work hard every day if she wished to be her student. Scootaloo had accepted, and once she began training Rainbow was quite pleased with her; true to her word, Scootaloo never gave up, even after two years of ceaseless, daily training.
Were there times Scootaloo wanted to give up? Sure. However, whenever the thought of doing so so much as vaguely whispered in the back of her mind, she would ask herself if she was going to let Rainbow down.
"No," she firmly told herself each time.
"So what are you gonna do?" she would then whisper.
"I'm gonna make Rainbow proud."
Thus, Scootaloo practiced her stances, strikes, drills, forms, and meditations for several hours every day between her trips to the skate park and her club meetings with the other Cutie Mark Crusaders. Rainbow had been impressed at how much progress she'd made in that short time span, and praised her by telling her that she was an amazing student. Scootaloo was unspeakably flattered at this, and allowed it to drive her to become even more determined in making her journey through the art of kung fu.
Once Rainbow had completed a monkey-style form, Scootaloo stepped out from behind the tree and called to her, "Hey, Rainbow!"
Rainbow turned and smiled at her. "Oh! Hey, Scootaloo!" she replied.
Both Scootaloo and Rainbow were wearing sleeveless kung fu uniforms; Rainbow's was blue, and Scootaloo's was orange. Both uniforms were relatively new, but heavily stained with sweat and a little frayed from use. Once Scootaloo was standing before Rainbow, she stood straight, placed her fist in the palm of her other hand, then bowed to her, saying, "Good morning, Master."
Rainbow made the gesture and bowed as well, smilingly replying, "Good morning, my student."
Once they were standing back up, Rainbow placed her hand on her hip as she cheerfully said, "So, you ready to get started?"
"Yeah!" Scootaloo enthusiastically answered.
Nodding, Rainbow stepped forward and turned around before crouching to the ground. Scootaloo stepped up behind her, wrapped her arms around her shoulders, and gripped her waist with her legs. Rainbow then stood back up, unfurled her wings, and took to the air.
In only a few minutes they arrived at Rainbow's house. After setting Scootaloo down on the house's cloud foundation upon their landing, Rainbow opened her front door and led Scootaloo to her home's private dojo.
Rainbow's dojo was small, but very high-end and beautiful; the floors were built of real, solid bamboo; the walls were plastered with red Oriental wallpaper etched with intricate, delicate golden designs; and the Dragon Imperial-style wooden ceiling was held up by black Storm Marble pillars, around which roaring green jade Eastern dragon statues were wrapped. In a corner Rainbow had stacked wrestling mats, punching bags, bows, arrows, staffs, and a large assortment of other weapons and pieces of equipment. But Scootaloo's favorite feature of the dojo were two large windows in its outside wall, which always allowed an astonishing view of the vast sky outside. The dojo was the perfect size for two people to train in; for this, Scootaloo wouldn't have had it any bigger.
"You ready, kiddo?" Rainbow said, smirking at Scootaloo.
With a grin, Scootaloo answered, "Yes, Master," while making another bow.
Rainbow nodded in approval. "Alright then," she said. She began circling her arms as she said, "First is stretches. You know the drill."
Scootaloo nodded, then began mirroring the motions that Rainbow made.
After they had sufficiently stretched their arms, shoulders, legs, backs, and necks, Rainbow said, "Great work, Scoots. Now, warm-ups. Let's start with twenty sit-ups."
Scootaloo nodded, sat on the ground, and began doing sit-ups. As Rainbow vocally counted them off, Scootaloo reflected on the fact that these exercises were far easier than they had been when she started; Rainbow had taught her to always remind herself how much progress she made.
Because sit-ups and push-ups and running laps were so easy now, Scootaloo was free to let her mind wander wherever it desired during warm-ups. Today, she again admired the beauty of the dojo all around her, and that coupled with the fact that Scootaloo was doing warm-ups caused her to be reminded of and slip into a private fantasy she often indulged herself in:
She'd enter the dojo with Rainbow, then once they had finished their stretches, Scootaloo would say, "What are we doing today, Dash?"
Rainbow would hold her own chin and softly smile as she replied, "I think we're going to try something different for warm-ups today."
"Wha-what do you mean?" Scootaloo would reply.
Rainbow's eyes would narrow slightly, then she'd say, "It's somethin' that'll get you sweating and warm really fast, and you'll be working all sorts of muscles you don't often use."
Scootaloo would blink. "R-really?" she'd say.
"Yeah," Rainbow would reply. "In fact, you don't need any equipment to do it. But having a mat wouldn't hurt...."
Scootaloo would nod. "Okay!" she'd say, before running to the corner to get the wrestling mat.
Once the wrestling mat was unrolled and Rainbow and Scootaloo were both standing on it, Rainbow would say, "Alright," then begin slowly unfastening her top.
"Wha-what are you doing, Dash?" Scootaloo would stammer, her eyes widening slightly as a blush crept into her cheeks.
"Trust me, clothes are just gonna get in the way," Rainbow would reply as she let her top fall to the floor, leaving her small but intoxicating breasts bare.
After staring at Rainbow for a moment, Scootaloo would mutter, "O-okay...." before beginning to unfasten her own top, as well.
Once her own top was off, Scootaloo would look back up at Rainbow. Rainbow would be completely naked, and slowly walking towards her with a sultry smile.
Scootaloo's blush would intensify as she stammered, "R-Rainbow...?"
Rainbow would step right up to her, slide her thumbs over the hems of her pants, then slowly pull them down, as well. As she was removing the lower half of a shivering Scootaloo's uniform, she'd whisper in her ear, "Here's what ya gotta do, kiddo: make both of us cum."
Scootaloo was widely grinning as she finished her sit-ups. She was immensely glad she wasn't a boy; otherwise, her enormous excitement would be very obvious to Rainbow right now.
Once they had gone through some push-ups, shadow boxing, and two minutes of jogging in place, as well, Rainbow said, "Alright, Squirt; we're gonna be sparring today, so get out the mat."
Scootaloo grinned as she went to unroll the mat. Her favorite form of training to practice with Rainbow was wrestling (obviously), but sparring was a close second; it allowed Scootaloo to put the forms and strikes she'd rehearsed over and over again into practice, and she also got to have the best view of Rainbow's nearly-flawless performance anyone could have when she did so.
In addition, Scootaloo absolutely loved Rainbow's method of sparring.
They stepped onto the mat, faced each other, bowed, then assumed combat stances.
"Begin," Rainbow muttered, then Scootaloo rushed towards her with a high kick.
Scootaloo directed several strikes at Rainbow, all of which Rainbow easily blocked. After a few seconds of passively blocking her attacks, however, Rainbow suddenly swept her leg beneath Scootaloo and tripped her, causing Scootaloo to cry out and fall to the ground. Rainbow grabbed her hand and pulled her back up, then Scootaloo began striking at Rainbow again. After a few more seconds, Rainbow suddenly thrust her palm out towards Scootaloo's head. However, Scootaloo was prepared this time; she held her arm up and swung it to the side of her head, parrying Rainbow's strike.
Rainbow smiled. "Good work, Squirt," she said.
Scootaloo smirked back at her.
This was how Rainbow sparred with Scootaloo; she allowed Scootaloo to practice her strikes on her, occasionally making a surprise attack to refine her student's reflexes and test her mastery of her blocks and counter-strikes. Scootaloo had never landed a single strike on Rainbow during these sessions, but that wasn't the point; she wasn't ready to have a no-holds-barred fight with her master yet. Instead, Rainbow was gently pushing her to the edge of her abilities so that little by little, Rainbow could increase the power in her blows and the swiftness of her techniques so that their sparring sessions became gradually more intense and more resembling of a true battle.
At this point, Rainbow was still able to quite easily respond to anything Scootaloo attempted, but she could tell that her student was improving; she was growing stronger and more flexible, and her stances were becoming more refined and natural while her techniques increased in accuracy every day. Sparring Scootaloo was easy for Rainbow, but was becoming slightly more difficult each time they did it. This was exactly what Rainbow wanted; her goal was to one day train Scootaloo to the point that they could duel as equals. This was a philosophy she'd learned from her father, who was training her in exactly the same way.
Scootaloo was delighted by this method, as well; Rainbow had such complete control over herself that she never did anything that Scootaloo couldn't handle, albeit with a bit of exertion. Scootaloo had a dream teacher, and Rainbow had a dream student; their training sessions together felt as perfect and natural to the both of them as breathing.
After a good hour of sparring broken up only by a handful of short breaks, Rainbow pantingly nodded as she said, "Nice work today, Scoots. In just a few more weeks, I think you'll be ready to take your next examination and advance to the next rank."
Scootaloo pantingly nodded back, crying, "Yeah! Thanks, Dash!"
Rainbow mussed Scootaloo's hair up, then walked with her back out of her house. She carried Scootaloo back to the ground, then Scootaloo waved at her as she flew up to a cloud to take a nap.
Scootaloo walked back to her own house, where she greeted Stephen before taking a shower. Once she was dressed in her street clothes, she strapped on her helmet before riding her scooter to the Cutie Mark Crusaders clubhouse.
Her friends were waiting for her; upon her entrance, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle turned to her and cried, "Hey, Scootaloo!"
"Hey, guys!" Scootaloo replied, grunting as she stretched her arms over her head before yawning.
"Are ya tired?" Apple Bloom said.
"Yeah," Scootaloo replied. "I've been sparring with Rainbow Dash."
Scootaloo excitedly grinned as she continued, "She said I'm almost ready to take my next examination! I'm gonna be a seven-kyuu soon!"
"That's great, Scoots!" Sweetie said, beaming.
"Were ya able to beat her?" Apple Bloom asked curiously.
Scootaloo shook her head. "Of course not!" she said. "Dash is a lower-intermediate master! It's gonna be years before I can even make her break a sweat!"
"It's really that hard?" Apple Bloom said surprisedly.
"Yeah!" Scootaloo said. "Most people are only able to become masters when they're, like, eighteen! But Rainbow became a master when she was twelve!"
Apple Bloom's eyes widened. "How'd she do that?" she said.
Scootaloo grinned. "She says it's because she got started when she was two," she said. "Her dad started training her as soon as she could walk, and Rainbow trains really hard. She's the coolest, strongest girl ever!"
Apple Bloom's eyes narrowed as she smirked. "Are ya sure?" she said. "Ah mean, my sister's pretty strong, too...."
"Yeah, but not as strong as Rainbow," Scootaloo replied, folding her arms. "Can Applejack do one-handed upside-down push-ups?"
"Can Rainbow carry a hundred-kilogram bag of feed over each shoulder?" Apple Bloom said.
"Rainbow Dash can top anything Applejack can do!" Scootaloo said, stepping towards Apple Bloom.
"Are ya sure?" Apple Bloom said. "Ah mean, my sister works at a farm every day...."
"Weren't you listening?" Scootaloo replied. "Rainbow's been training since she was two years old."
"Uh, girls?" Sweetie Belle said, drawing their attention to her. "You two aren't gonna prove anything by arguing about it. We're here to get our Marks, remember?"
Scootaloo smirked. "Yeah," she said. She turned back to Apple Bloom as she added, "Just you watch, Bloom; not only am I gonna prove you wrong about Rainbow and AJ, I'm also gonna get my Mark first!"
"We'll see...." Apple Bloom muttered, smirking back at her. They turned back to Sweetie as Apple Bloom said, "What's the plan today, Sweetie?"
Sweetie pulled open a large paperback book titled Over One Thousand Things to Do During Summer and flipped through it until she reached a dog-eared page. She then placed her index finger beneath the page's title as she read aloud, "How to Play Liar's Dice, the Perfect Super-Fun Dice Game for Lazy Summer Days. It says we're going to need five dice and a cup each."
Nodding, Scootaloo went to their wooden storage box at the back of the clubhouse, where she retrieved a large leather pouch of dice and their three plastic drinking-cups. Once they all had some dice and their cups, they began playing the game with the aid of the book.
After a few hours of playing Liar's Dice, which Scootaloo openly declared to be boring when they all found that none of them had gotten Marks in it, the Crusaders all bid each other farewell and made their way back to their homes. Apple Bloom didn't have to go far, of course; after all, her house was only a short distance away.
When Apple Bloom entered the Apple farmhouse, she called out, "Ah'm home!"
"Hey, Apple Bloom!" Applejack called back from the dining room. She set down the silverware she was holding, walked to Apple Bloom's side, and ruffled her hair. "How was your meeting?" Applejack asked pleasantly.
"It was great!" Apple Bloom said. "We played Liar's Dice, but none of us got our Mark in it...."
Applejack shrugged. "Oh well, Ah think it's all for the best. Ah mean, Ah doubt ya'll wanna be earnin' your keep rollin' bones at the tables of Pegasus City...."
"Ah don't think so, either," Apple Bloom replied, smiling. Her smile faded, however, as she said, "Sis... why do you think Ah can't get my Mark yet? Ah mean, Sweetie has trouble with school and Scootaloo has her wings crippled, but Ah can't see anything wrong with me."
Applejack smiled warmly as she replied, "Ah don't think there's anythin' wrong with ya, Bloom. You're probably just a late bloomer, like Big Mac and Ah are, that's all."
"But... didn't ya'll and Big Mac just have a hard time learnin' that you wanted to be here?" Apple Bloom said. "But Ah don't have that problem. Ah love it here in Avalon, and Ah can't imagine livin' anywhere else. Ah'm good at cookin' and harvestin' apples, but Ah still haven't gotten my own Mark yet...."
Tears welled in Apple Bloom's eyes before she looked up at Applejack and said. "Do ya... do you think Ah might never get my Mark, Sis?" she said as tears streamed down her cheeks.
"No, of course you will," Applejack said, kneeling down and stroking her cheek reassuringly.
"But some Beings never get their Marks, right?" Apple Bloom said, her face twisting with grief. "And... and Ah know that things can go wrong if cousins have a kid together. What if... what if Ah can't get a Mark, 'cause our parents are...?"
Here Apple Bloom broke down and began sobbing. Applejack was still for a moment, her expression blank, before she embraced Apple Bloom and comfortingly whispered, "Shh, shh... hush now, Sis... don't you fret about that...."
"What if Ah am a freak?" Apple Bloom sobbed. "What if there's somethin' wrong with me, and... and-"
"Now look, Apple Bloom," Applejack said, holding Apple Bloom out by her shoulders and gazing sternly right into her eyes. "Your ma and pa are also my ma and pa, right?"
"Right...." Apple Bloom said, sniffing.
"Do ya'll think Ah'm a freak?" Applejack said.
"Well, no...." Apple Bloom replied.
Applejack brushed some of Apple Bloom's hair behind her ear and comfortingly smiled as she said, "There ain't nothin' wrong with ya, Bloom. Trust me; Ah've known you my entire life, and you're growin' up just like any other girl. Sure, things can go wrong if cousins have families together, but ya'll don't have to worry about that, 'cause nothin' went wrong with you."
Apple Bloom smiled. She hugged Applejack again, then Applejack stood up and said, "C'mon; supper's almost ready."
Apple Bloom nodded. "Alright," she said.
As they returned to the dining room and began setting up the table, Apple Bloom looked up at Applejack and said, "Hey, Sis?"
"Yeah, Bloom?" Applejack said.
"Do ya... do ya think you're gonna marry Braeburn?" Apple Bloom said. Applejack looked surprisedly at her, then Apple Bloom said, "Ah mean, you two are closer with each other than you are with any of our other cousins, and everybody says you two look good together, and...."
Applejack smiled, then shook her head. "Nah," she said. "Ah don't reckon Ah will."
"Really?" Apple Bloom said surprisedly. "But... you like him, don't you?"
"Yeah, but not in that way," Applejack said, chuckling. "He's my favorite cousin, but Ah don't think of him as any more than that."
"So who are ya gonna marry?" Apple Bloom said.
Applejack shrugged. "Ah don't reckon Ah plan on marryin' anyone," she said.
Apple Bloom's eyes widened surprisedly. "You don't?" she said.
Applejack shook her head.
"Why not?" Apple Bloom said.
"Ah suppose Ah just don't want to," Applejack replied simply. "Ah'm perfectly contented with things just as they are. Ah don't feel any need to change anything."
Apple Bloom nodded. "Ah understand," she said.
Apple Bloom leaned against a wall, thinking. She knew that she wasn't the only member of her family who had seen chemistry between Braeburn and her sister, or who thought it natural that they would end up together; after all, not only were they best friends, but the two of them were considered the handsomest members of the Apple clan (a position they shared with Big Mac). Apple Bloom knew that some of her other female cousins had tried flirting with Braeburn, who many Apples called "the prime example of a fine young country man", but he seemed to be uninterested in them; thus, they had all seemed to conclude that he had his heart set on Applejack, and had given up on trying to woo him. But Apple Bloom guessed they'd been wrong; after all, Braeburn and Applejack were only friends.
So Apple Bloom wondered: who would Braeburn marry? He might've wanted to remain single like Applejack, but somehow Apple Bloom doubted it; Braeburn struck her as the sort of boy who would get married the instant he'd found a suitable girl. But if it wasn't going to be Applejack, who else would it be?
Then, Apple Bloom suddenly remembered something Scootaloo had said to her one time:
"You're really hot, Apple Bloom."
It was a few months ago, and Apple Bloom had been complaining to Scootaloo that she was worried something was fundamentally wrong with her due to being inbred. Scootaloo had responded by saying this sentence to her, which had caused Apple Bloom to gaze confusedly at her and say, "... Huh?"
"If something were wrong with you, you wouldn't be as pretty as you are," Scootaloo had said. "You're the prettiest girl at our school. Your red hair, your peach eyes- trust me, Bloom, when we're older you're gonna be swimmin' in guys."
Scootaloo had then made a mysterious smile at Apple Bloom as she added, "If that's what you're into, of course."
Apple Bloom blinked confusedly. She'd never seen Scootaloo look at her this way before, and she wondered what she meant by "If that's what you're into." However, after a few moments, she concluded that Scootaloo meant that she could have any boy she wanted if she decided to pursue them, and that Scootaloo's strange smile was meant to be one of reassurance. Apple Bloom had sadly smiled back at Scootaloo and said, "Thanks, Scoots, but... givin' me complements ain't gonna change what Ah am...."
Scootaloo had stopped smiling, blinked at Apple Bloom for a few moments, then rolled her eyes and groaned with tremendous annoyance. Apple Bloom had stared at her with greater confusion then ever as she did this.
Perhaps, Apple Bloom thought.... Perhaps, she might have a chance at marrying Braeburn. She was surprised at herself for coming up with the idea, but found herself begin flushing, then made a small smile at it. Yeah, it wasn't such a bad idea... walking down a path between her friends and family, wearing a white dress and carrying a bouquet of roses as red as her hair. A beautiful little fifteen-year-old bride in a sunny outdoor wedding, marrying the most gorgeous young man she knew....
Well, aside from Spike, of course.
Apple Bloom's eyes shot wide open, then she gasped and covered her mouth. Her face flushed as red as a tomato, as her mind reeled with the realization:
She had crushes on Braeburn and Spike.
Apple Bloom had never before noticed such feelings in herself in her entire life. She had always scoffed at other girls who tittered over how "cute" their crushes were, all the while not noticing that her own nervousness towards boys was driven by the exact same emotions. Maybe she'd never deduced this because her nervousness was indistinguishable from that she felt towards other girls....
Apple Bloom was enormously confused and distressed for a few moments, but then she remembered one distinct difference between the nervousness she had felt towards her friends and the nervousness she had felt towards Spike: she had grown perfectly comfortable around her friends, while there remained a "forbidden" aura around Spike, even now that they'd been friends for some time. Come to think of it, Apple Bloom thought, the same "forbidden" aura surrounded Braeburn in her mind, too.
Apple Bloom smiled. Ah, Ah see, she thought. So that's what a crush is; when someone feels "forbidden." Ah get it.
Apple Bloom grinned, then finished setting up the table. She wasn't allowed to marry Spike, of course; after all, the Apple rule was that she had to marry another Human farmer. Nonetheless, she could still admire him all she liked, and even if she couldn't be with him, she seemed to have a shot with Braeburn now.
Apple Bloom ate corn bread and egg salad with her family at supper. Apple Bloom was smiling blissfully all the while, which caused Granny Smith to say, "What's on your mind, Sugar?"
"Ah just realized today that Ah have a crush on Braeburn," Apple Bloom replied cheerfully.
After a moment of surprised silence, her siblings and grandmother all burst into laughter. "That so?" Granny Smith said. "Yeah, he's sure a strappin' young feller. Ah would hold my horses, though; you're a little young for him, and ya'll have some purty stiff competition fer him." With this last statement Granny Smith cast a quick, wry glance at Applejack, who continued smiling down at her food.
Apple Bloom noticed this, chuckled, and shrugged. "Ah don't know...." she said. "It's only gonna be a few years 'till Ah'm fifteen, and my friends tell me Ah'm mighty pretty."
Granny Smith chuckled. "'Course you are, Apple Bloom," she said. "But lotsa other little Apple ladies are mighty pretty, too...."
"Ah guess we'll just have to see, then," Apple Bloom said matter-of-factly. She closed her eyes, picked up her silverware and began daintily cutting her honeyed cornbread, causing her relatives to softly laugh.
After a few minutes of idle conversation, Apple Bloom remembered the conversation she'd had with Scootaloo earlier that day, and said to Applejack, "Hey, Sis."
"Yeah, Apple Bloom?" Applejack said.
"Scootaloo was trainin' with Rainbow Dash today. She said that Rainbow could beat ya at just about anything."
Applejack smirked and narrowed her eyes. "She did, did she?" she said.
"Yeah," Apple Bloom said.
"Well, then," Applejack said, taking another roll of bread from the bread bowl, "Ah guess we're just gonna have to see, huh?"
Apple Bloom blinked. "What do you mean?" she said.
"You'll see...." Applejack muttered with a mysterious smile.
The next day, Applejack walked around Avalon until she found Rainbow Dash's house, then stood under it, turned her head up to it, and shouted up, "RAINBOW DASH!!"
In a few seconds Rainbow peeked out over the cloud's edge, then smiled and called down, "Hey, AJ! What's up?"
"Come down here for a sec!" Applejack shouted.
Rainbow nodded, jumped over the cloud's edge, and fluttered down to the earth. "What's up?" she asked again with a friendly smile.
Applejack folded her arms and smirked. "Apple Bloom told me that Scootaloo said ya'll could beat me at anythin'."
Rainbow nodded. "Yeah, and?" she replied, smirking back.
"Ya'll are sure about that?" Applejack said. "Ah mean, Ah've carried pigs and calfs my entire life...."
Rainbow scoffed. "Yeah, well, I have been working out with specialized equipment for my entire life," she replied.
"So ya'll think you could press more than me?" Applejack said, leaning forward.
"No," Rainbow Dash admitted. "But I could still kick your ass at bein' the best athlete in Avalon."
"Really? How so, little missy?" Applejack replied with a slightly mocking tone.
Rainbow pointed at Applejack as she answered, "'Cause lifting weights is all you've ever done. Me, I can also wrestle, jump, throw, and run circles around you."
"Really?" Applejack said back. "Ya'll sure you could beat me in a footrace?"
"Yeah," Rainbow Dash said. "Circles."
"Alright then," Applejack said, standing up straight. "Prove it, then. Tomorrow."
Rainbow nodded. "You've got it," she said. "You and I each pick five athletic events, and whoever can win the most will get declared by the other to be 'the best athlete in Avalon.'"
"You've got a deal," Applejack said. She spit into her hand and offered it to Rainbow, who spit in hers as well before taking it. They shook hands, smiling with fiercely narrowed eyes at each other.