//------------------------------// // Chapter 9: Competitive Spirit // Story: Rainbooms On the Mind // by Kevinltk //------------------------------// Natalya and Applejack went right in through the front door when they reached the farmhouse. They had barely taken a step towards the kitchen when the house was filled with a loud moan that would make other ponies blush. “Uhh…” Natalya had stopped moving, still processing what she had just heard. “Yep, Rainbow’s already enjoyin’ the cider,” Applejack remarked, undeterred by Rainbow’s indecent noise. They walked into the kitchen to see Granny Smith standing firm in front of the refrigerator with a wooden spoon in her hoof, while Rainbow was trying to get past the elderly mare. “Come on, Granny Smith,” Rainbow begged, holding out an empty wooden mug. “Can’t I get anoth—Ow!” Granny Smith waved the wooden spoon she used to whack Rainbow’s head. “Now listen here, missy, I already gave you three helpins. Ah need others to taste test this batch.” “But… But… Cider,” Rainbow whined. Granny Smith tossed her wooden spoon to the side and somehow brought out a frying pan from behind her. “No. More. Cider,” she warned, waving the frying pan menacingly in Rainbow’s face. Rainbow immediately sobered up and backed away. “Yes, ma’am.” Applejack chuckled, walking toward Granny and Rainbow. “Guessin’ our cider is a hit with you, huh, Rainbow? Then again, you would love our cider even if we put dirt in it.” Rainbow glanced at Applejack with a raised eyebrow. “Hey, I like cider, but I’m not that desparate.” Applejack smirked. “Sugarcube, Ah’ve seen you literally eat dirt when you spilled your cider in it.” Natalya’s eyebrow rose, aiming a smirk of both incredulity and amusement at Rainbow. “Seriously?” Rainbow’s face became more red than blue. “N-no!” She tried to look away from Applejack and Natalya, but her eyes kept on flicking back at them, and she squirmed under their inquisitive gazes. She soon let out a loud groan. “Alright, fine! I-It was one time, but give me a break! I was really thirsty after standing in line for hours for it!” Even though she was snickering, Applejack nodded in agreement. “Yeah, yeah, Ah know how crazy cider season gets. Hopefully you won’t have to resort to that anymore. We’ve been workin’ on things so that we’ll have more cider available. Now, would you mind movin’ over so that maybe Natalya and Ah can have a taste before you drink it all?” Rainbow sighed and reluctantly nodded. She moved away from the refrigerator, dragging her hooves with her head slightly hung. Granny Smith followed Rainbow, keeping a watchful gaze on the pegasus. Applejack opened the refrigerator, revealing the prized treasure inside. Occupying almost the entire middle shelf by itself was a big pot, and a fresh wave of apple aroma swept the kitchen. Grabbing two mugs and a ladle from a cupboard, Applejack quickly filled up the cups from the pot. “Here you go,” Applejack said with a smile, presenting one of the mugs to Natalya. “Sweet Apple Acres famous cider, now with a little something extra!” Natalya took the offered mug, careful to not get any of the froth that was creeping over the edges of the mug onto her claws. This was going to be her first time tasting cider, but given Rainbow’s fanatic craze over them, she figured that the amber liquid was at least decent. She brought the mug to her beak and took a small sip. Immediately, she could taste why Rainbow loved the drink so much. The apple drink had just the right amount of sweetness with a hint of tartness that amplified its flavor, and it was made all the more better by quenching her thirst after being in the sun for so long. There was also a different type of lingering sweetness dancing on her taste buds, and while she enjoyed it, she could not identify it. “WOO WEE! That was good!” Applejack cheered after taking a gulp from her own mug. “Just what Ah needed after all that applebuckin’. Ah would say this recipe is a success, Granny.” “It better be!” Granny Smith voiced. “Ah spent so long fiddlin’ with it until Ah got it just right. What do you think about it, Natalya?” “It’s good,” Natalya answered simply. “Just good?” Applejack asked. She had an amused smile as her eyebrow rose. “It’s really good?” Natalya retorted with a raised eyebrow of her own. “If you’re looking for some sort of detailed review, you’re going to be disappointed. I’m not some fancy food critic.” She took another sip of her drink, and as she slowly lowered her cup, she added, “But I guess I could also say that I wished I had discovered cider a lot sooner.” Applejack chuckled. “Guess it looks like our new recipe is two for two now.” “So what’s new about this cider anyway?” Rainbow asked. “Just tryin’ some different blends of spices,” Granny Smith replied. “The big difference is that we added in some maple syrup to the mix.” “We recently started doin’ business with some ponies who harvest maple syrup, so we got a whole batch of it as a gift.” Applejack explained. “We’ve been addin’ the stuff to some of the other things we make, and we figured that puttin’ some in our cider was worth a try as well. From the looks of it, it’s gonna be a big hit once cider season rolls around.” Natalya brought up her mug for another sip, but she stopped short of her beak when she noticed out of the corner of her eye that Rainbow was staring at her. However, when she lowered her mug, she found that Rainbow’s eyes were glued to her drink instead. She quietly snickered as she slowly moved her mug up and down, making Rainbow’s eyes follow the cider vessel. “Dude, you have problems,” Natalya remarked when she saw Rainbow clutch her empty mug between her forehooves even tighter and a strand of drool dripped from the pegasus’s mouth. “Ah swear, Rainbow…” Applejack sighed and shook her head with a soft smile. “Alright, alright, give it here.” She took Rainbow’s empty mug, filled it up with cider, and hoofed it back to the thirsty pegasus. “You did help out a bunch today. But this is your last one, you hear?” “Thank you!” Rainbow hastily grabbed her mug with both forehooves and took a big chug. When she brought her mug down, her cheeks were slightly puffed out. “Again, you have problems,” Natalya reiterated as she watched Rainbow blissfully swish the cider around in her mouth. “Well, Ah’m gonna take a quick nap,” Granny Smith informed, slowly trotting towards the kitchen entryway. “Ah also made stew for you lot, so feel free to help yourselves. Just make sure there’s enough for Apple Bloom and Big Mac later.” “We will!” Applejack assured. “Thanks, Granny!” After Granny Smith left, Applejack went back to the cupboard and took out three bowls, setting them down next to the stove where Granny Smith’s pot was simmering. With her mouth, she picked up another ladle and used it to start filling up the bowls. Once the three bowls were brimming with steaming stew, she spat out the ladle and announced, “Soup’s on, everypony!” Natalya, Rainbow, and Applejack each took a bowl and moved over to the nearby table. Rainbow and Applejack sat on opposite sides, directly facing each other, while Natalya sat on the side between the two. Natalya’s mouth watered when she looked down at her bowl. Granny Smith’s stew was a creamy soup chock-full of potatoes, onions, carrots, and other vegetables. While the cider did a wonderful job in relieving her parched throat, Natalya was eager to have something more filling in her stomach. Seeing that Applejack and Rainbow already had their faces literally in their bowls and making loud slurping sounds, Natalya went ahead and raised her bowl in her claws, taking a gulp of her stew. As expected, the stew was delicious and quickly filled her body with a pleasant warmth. Between the refreshing cider and the hearty stew, Natalya almost completely forgot about the disappointment she felt about her applebucking. Almost. “Oh man, I so needed that,” Rainbow stated, raising her head from her now-empty bowl. She let out a burp. “Yep, nothin’ like Granny Smith’s homemade stew to recharge after a full mornin’ of work,” Applejack agreed. “In fact, Ah could sure go for seconds.” “Me too!” Rainbow promptly declared, following Applejack to the stove with her bowl. “I’m starving! I bet I could eat more than the both of you combined!” Applejack stopped just right before she grabbed the ladle in her mouth and slowly turned her head back to Rainbow. “Oh really? You think you can out-eat an Apple?” “You bet I could!” Applejack grinned. “Well fine! If it’s an eatin’ contest you want, then it’s an eatin’ contest you’re gonna get!” Her grin disappeared when she turned back to look back into the stew pot. “Er, scratch that…” “What? Scared?” Rainbow prodded. She was grinning widely as though she had already won. “Well, yeah. Scared of Granny. There’s not enough for an eatin’ contest between the two of us. Granny would tan both of our hides if we didn’t save any for Apple Bloom and Big Mac.” Rainbow’s grin swiftly vanished, mollified by the looming danger of Granny. However, it returned a moment later. “Okay, then we’ll see who can finish their bowl first. Sound good?” “You’re on!” Applejack swiveled her head toward Natalya. “You want in on this, Natalya?” Natalya rolled her eyes. “No, I’d rather enjoy my lunch instead of guzzling it down,” she replied before resuming her meal. “Fair enough.” Applejack hastily filled up hers and Rainbow’s bowls. The two ponies rushed back to the table with their stew. Both of them gripped the sides of their bowls with their hooves while they intensely glared at each other. “Natalya, can you count us off?” Rainbow asked. Natalya glanced at the ponies with a bored gaze. “You two are really doing this, aren’t you?” “Yep,” both ponies promptly replied, not taking their eyes off each other. Natalya grumbled about ponies being weird. She cleared her throat, and in a hasty, half-hearted tone, she called out. “Ready, get set, go…” As soon as she uttered “Go,” Natalya winced when Rainbow and Applejack almost slammed their faces into their bowls. The contest only took a few seconds, but it was a few seconds of horribly obscene noises and food splatters that would be forever etched into Natalya’s mind. Rainbow and Applejack both lifted their heads at the same time, slamming their forehooves on the table and yelling out “Done!” They blinked at each other before jerking their heads to Natalya “Who won?!” they demanded. Natalya huffed with annoyance as she grabbed a rag from the table and wiped a splotch of stew that had landed on her beak. “I just want to say that what I just witnessed was both disgusting and nauseating. I don’t think I’m ever going to see anything so revolting for the rest of my life.” “Yeah, yeah, we traumatized you for life. We get it,” Rainbow dismissed. “Stuff like that tends to happen quite a bit with us. More importantly, who won?” Natalya rolled her eyes. “I don’t know. It looked like you both finished at the same time.” “Oh come on!” Rainbow and Applejack complained loudly. Natalya shrugged. “Not my problem.” “Then we need a tiebreaker to show that I’m the best!” Rainbow proclaimed. “You mean to show that Ah’m the best,” Applejack amended. “No, me!” “No, me!” Natalya’s eyes shifted back and forth as Rainbow and Applejack argued. After a moment, she cut in by asking. “You two have a thing going on or something?” That got the two ponies to stop and stare at Natalya with raised eyebrows. “Really?” Rainbow asked incredulously. “Me and Applejack?” Natalya shrugged. “Just a wild guess. You seem like one of those bickering couples.” “Well, we’re not.” “You know, you’re not the first one to say somethin’ like that,” Applejack pointed out. “AJ and I are just friends,” Rainbow explained. “It’s true that we tease and argue with each other a lot, but it’s all just for fun. We just really like hanging out and trying to one up each other.” “Yeah, we have a ton of fun with our competitions. Some of them can get pretty crazy like a starin’ contest while covered in bees or seein’ who can stay the longest in a haunted castle. Of course, we do normal stuff as well like horseshoes, eatin’ contests, or our favorite, hoof races.” “Hoof races?” Rainbow blinked. “Hey, that’s it! We should do a hoof race!” Applejack nodded eagerly. “Oh yeah, we haven’t done one for some time.” “And we used to love doing those.” Rainbow turned to the griffon who was picking at the last of her stew. “Hey, Natalya, I think you should run with us as well.” Natalya raised an eyebrow. “And I want to be dragged into this, why?” “Well, since you think applebucking might help with the Sonic Rainboom, I figure the same could be said for running. I’ve raced with Applejack loads of times, so maybe you could add that to your training.” “Running, huh?” Natalya mulled over the idea. She slowly nodded after a moment. “I guess that seems like a viable idea.” “Cool, so that means you’re in, right? I’ve never got to do one with Gilda, and I want to see how fast griffons can go on land.” “So you want me in a hoof race… with you two…” Natalya repeated slowly. Rainbow cocked her head. “Um, yeah? I think I said that like two or three times now.” “Somethin’ wrong, Natalya?” Applejack asked. “Don’t feel like racin’?” Natalya hastily shook her head. “No, no… It’s just…” She paused for a second and took a breath. “I’ll do it.” “Cool!” Rainbow excitedly got up and flew over to the entryway. “Let’s go!” Applejack kept her gaze on Natalya for a second before shrugging. She calmly trotted after Rainbow. “Ah guess Ah can squeeze in beatin’ you in a race before Ah get back to work.” “More like me beating you! I’m going to smoke you so hard!” “We’ll see about that. Now come on, you two, Ah know the perfect spot to have our race.” Natalya quietly followed behind Rainbow and Applejack, content on letting the ponies continue to jeer at each other. In truth, Natalya felt uneasy with the prospect of a hoof race. While she had participated in and won many competitions, they all involved flying. She could not recall a time when she did any serious running. It took her a few moments to accept it, but she knew that the chances of her actually winning the hoof race were very slim. Still, she figured that a top athlete like herself would be able to at least make it a close enough race. Applejack led the other two racers out of the house and through the orchard. A short walk later, they came to a wide dirt path with apple trees bordering its sides. “See that lone tree at the end?” Applejack pointed to an apple tree in the distance that was slightly taller than the others. “That’s the finish line.” “Taking it easy with a short race today, Applejack?” Rainbow teased, flashing a cocky grin at the farmer. A short race… Right… Natalya drawled in her head. The tree Applejack pointed out seemed to be the size of a speck at this distance. She had a feeling the runners in the Equestria Games did not have a course this long. “You sure you alright, Natalya?” Rainbow asked, getting Natalya’s attention. “You’ve been quiet since we stepped outside, and you’ve kind of got that faraway look or something like that.” “I’m fine,” Natalya tersely. “I was just thinking about things.” “You can sit this race out if you’re not up to it.” “I don’t back down from a challenge.” “What about that eating contest a little while ago?” Rainbow asked with a slight smirk. “I don’t back down from a challenge that is not disgusting and makes you look like a fool,” Natalya rephrased. Rainbow chuckled. “Sure, if you say so…” Natalya rolled her eyes. “Can we just get this race over with?” Rainbow and Applejack nodded and moved to either side of Natalya. “Alright, rules are simple,” Applejack stated. “First one to touch the tree, wins. No pushin’, shovin’, or anythin’ else of that sorts. We’re runnin’ a clean race. Also, if it wasn’t obvious, no flyin’ for you winged folk.” Natalya scoffed. “Obviously…” Applejack grinned. “You’d be surprised how many times Ah had to tie Rainbow’s wings up until she finally learned her lesson.” “Not like I needed them to beat you in just about anything,” Rainbow shot back. “Anyway, I think we’re all ready to go now. Natalya, would you like to do the honors?” “Sure, I guess.” Natalya turned her gaze toward the finish line tree and lowered herself into a starting position. A quick glance to her sides showed that Rainbow and Applejack had poised themselves into similar stances, their eyes also on the figurative prize. Taking one final deep breath, Natalya began counting down in an even voice. “Three… Two… One… Go!” Natalya rushed forward to try and get an early lead, but that quickly failed when she was left in Rainbow and Applejack’s dust, literally. The ponies had kicked up a cloud of dirt and dust when they blazed past Natalya, catching the griffon off-guard. Off to a bad start, Natalya was already beginning to regret agreeing to the hoof race. Quickly recovering, she shut her eyes, tilted her face toward the ground, and charged straight through the cloud. When she cleared the dust, she raised her head to see how far behind she was. Natalya’s breath hitched when she saw that her opponents not only had a healthy lead over her, but they were also increasing their distance at a steady rate. Gritting her teeth, Natalya tried to pump her legs even faster in a desperate attempt to regain some ground. Alas, all that did was halt the gap between them from widening even further. She soon felt her legs starting to burn with the sudden exertion that was demanded of them, but she had weathered through worse. Knowing that she was capable of pushing herself a bit more, she mustered as much speed as she could out of her legs. Her efforts were rewarded as she noticed that she was managing to slowly, but surely, close the gap. A win was definitely out of her reach at this point, but at least she could keep some of her dignity intact by making it a narrow loss. Her hopes were dashed when her opponents put on a sudden burst of speed and sprinted toward the finish line. Natalya slowed down to a stop as she watched the ponies rocket away from her at a speed she knew that she could not match. Panting heavily and feeling her legs wobble slightly with exhaustion, she knew that she could not maintain her sprint for the rest of the course. While she likely had the stamina to finish the race at a more sedate pace, what was the point? She lost, plain and simple. She never stood a chance. It was not the loss that was bothering her though. It was how much she had lost by. She had been running on full steam right from the start and was barely able to keep up, while the ponies were easily able to reserve their energy for that last push during the final stretch. Taking a quick glance behind her, she saw that she had passed a bit over the halfway point. With the ponies reaching the finish line, that meant that Rainbow and Applejack had almost covered twice as much distance as her. Natalya knew that she was going to get less than desirable results from the race, but she did not realize that it would be this awful. Even though this was her first real attempt at running, the skill gap between her and Rainbow staggered her. Not even bothering to watch who finished first, Natalya turned around and launched herself into the air. Flying away from Sweet Apple Acres, she heard someone yelling from behind, which she assumed was Rainbow calling for her. She ignored the calls and kept on flying. To her relief, the yells soon stopped, and there was no sign of anyone coming after her. Natalya went straight back to the castle, flying into her room through the window. After locking the window and the door, she plopped herself onto the bed. It was still early in the afternoon, but her sore muscles and foul mood declared that she was done for the day. Her time at Sweet Apple Acres did not go according to plan. What was supposed to be an attempt at some new training had turned into a showcase of how much more Rainbow could do than her. Natalya had prided herself over her flying skills, and she had spent all of her time refining that. It was hard enough to accept that Rainbow was possibly a better flyer, but now she saw that the pegasus had her beat in other areas as well. She had set out today in hopes of finding something new. She definitely learned something alright. Natalya learned that she might not be as good as she thought.