//------------------------------//
// 01 
// Story: Punching Is Magic 
// by destinedjagold 
//------------------------------//

It was a dark and quiet night.

At least outside it was, but it was totally the opposite inside Sugarcube Corner, with one of Pinkie Pie's infamous parties. Lights and confettis and streamers everywhere, with laughter and music bouncing off every corner of the bakery's walls.

Applejack sat by a table on her lonesome, smiling at the happy and energetic ponies. She took a sip of her drink as the party mare bounced by, waving at her to join in on the fun. The farm mare just waved her off. She can't get too tired or else she won't wake up early to tend to her family's farm.

Speaking of...

It was starting to get late, so she emptied her glass and started worming her way towards the exit, stopping a few times to engage in small talk with a few ponies she passed by.

"Are you suuuuuure you don't want to stay just a liiiiiiitle bit longer?" Pinkie Pie asked as the two stood by the swinging doorway of the bakery. "It's almost time for the adult part of the party."

Applejack chuckled and shook her head. "I'd love to, sugarcube. Really, I do, but I can't get too wasted else Mac and Granny are gonna tear my ear off when they see me crawling like a slug in the morning."

Pinkie Pie chuckled, and smiled a sad smile. "Okie-dokie. But I still think you need to take it easy just a tiiiiiny bit. I mean, we can't be young all the time, and you're spending it all on the farm." She smiled a bright smile. "Live up a little every once in a while."

Applejack shrugged. "Eh, I'll keep that in mind." She tipped her hat. "Have a good night, Pinkie."

"You, too, Applejack," the pink mare said, waving a hoof at her retreating friend. "Thanks again for coming!"

After the swinging doors swung to a close, the party mare bounced back to center stage. It was time for the main event to start, after making sure no little colts nor fillies were still there. After all, it was way past their bedtime already.

Outside, Applejack couldn't help but shiver. Winter was fast approaching, and that meant she needed to harvest the late apples before the Running of the Leaves a few days from now.

Leaning on the vibrating wall of Sugarcube Corner, she took a few seconds to get used to the coldness, and smirked at the party mare's loud voice from inside as she announced that the 'real' party was about to start, and was followed with a loud chorus of cheers.

Shaking her head a bit, she was about to trot back home when she noticed a pony trotting on the dirt path, about to pass her.

Smiling, she greeted the pony. "Howdy—"

She reeled back, and quickly regained her balance, yet her mind was still blank. Her muzzle hurt like Tartarus. She saw her hat landing on the ground.

She slowly looked back at the blue pony, with an outstretched hoof.

Did...

Did she just punched her?

"Uh, whoops?" she said.

Blood boiling, and teeth grinding, Applejack threw a quick jab, hitting the other mare square in the face. She saw a wing, and said wing slapped her. Eye twitching, she threw another punch, and was met by a blue hoof.

They continued exchanging blows, unaware of the crowd watching and cheering them on from inside the bakery.

The fight continued on, hoof punches and wing slaps and tail whips—

Until a powerful pair of pink hooves broke their fight—

"STOOOOOOOOOP!!!"

—and a powerful scream.

Both fighting mares blinked. Both looked like shiet.

"Stop! Just stop!" Pinkie Pie yelled at the both of them, glaring daggers, ignoring the disappointed groans from the bakery. She threw a glare at the crowd, who immediately turned around and pretended like nothing happened.

Meanwhile, Applejack picked up her hat, all the while glaring daggers at the blue pegasus with a prismatic mane, who couldn't seem to look her in the eyes. "What the hay is wrong with—"

"Hush, you!" Pinkie Pie suddenly interrupted her, her glare making the farm mare choke on her words. She then looked at the pegasus. "Rainbow Dash! I thought you promised not to pick up fights anymore!"

Rainbow winced. "I-I can explain, promise!"

Pinkie Pie arched an eyebrow. Applejack glared and waited.

"Um..." Rainbow shifted in place.

"Well?" the pink mare pressed on.

Rainbow groaned in annoyance. "Okay, look. My bad, alright?" she said, finally able to look at the farm mare. "I thought you were somepony else."

Pinkie Pie's arched eyebrow arched even higher. "...so you punched her in the face?"

"Look, the guy pissed me off, okay? I thought she was him." Rainbow then looked away. "I, uh, realized I was wrong after I punched her, but then she hit me back and I panicked, so I kept going, and um..." She lamely gestured the three of them with a hoof. "...here we are."

Applejack kept glaring at her, but her story made her chuckle, making the two other mares to give her odd looks. Her chuckles turned to laughter as she swung a hoof around the nervous pegasus' neck. "Hoowee... Ain't that the stupidest reason to hit a random stranger."

"Y-yeah..." Rainbow stammered, blushing and looking away. "Sorry..."

"Don't worry about it, sugarcube,” she said with an earnest smile. She then turned to the party mare. "Hey Pinkie, party's still going, right?"

"Uh... Yes?" Pinkie Pie answered uncertainly. "So uh, what? You guys are okay now?"

This wasn't really what she thought when her friend suggested that she should live it up a little. She shrugged. "Pretty much. Right, sugarcube?" Applejack asked as the two followed the pink mare back to the bakery.

"I'm fine," Rainbow said. "But grounded parties aren't really my thing. No offence."

"Don't knock it 'til you try it. Also, Rainbow, right?"

"Yeah. Don't wear it off," Rainbow said with a small smirk.

"You owe me for that punch back there."

Her smirk turned into a frown. She sighed. "I guess I do, huh?" She eyed a large bowl on a table. She grinned. "Want some punch?"

Applejack blinked, saw the bowl, and groaned, ignoring Pinkie Pie's laughter.