One apple. Two apples. Three apples. Four? Would there be a fourth? No. That last buck had only loosened three of the dozen or so fruits stuck up in that tree. Rearing up once more, Rainbow Dash kicked her hind legs back against the tree trunk as hard as she could. The branches rattled, but no more apples fell out into her buckets. “Oh come on!” She cursed. Sweat dripped down her forehead, through her mane and into her coat. She'd been at this same stupid field for hours now, and had only managed to get a third of the trees harvested. “How’s it this hard to kick a few stupid apples out of a few stupid trees?!” She groaned.
As if to answer her question, Winona, who’d been observing Dash’s every movement, barked energetically and wagged her tail. Applejack had sent her loyal dog to watch over Rainbow Dash to ensure the pegasus followed the rules of their competition to the letter. Of course, it’d been Dash’s big mouth that had gotten her into this mess to begin with. When her mare-friend had mentioned harvesting season and how busy she’d be, Rainbow Dash had spat out a series of words she’d quickly come to regret: “Oh please, like kicking apples out of trees is hard! With as fast as I am, I could buck circles around you if I wanted.” Applejack, being the sly earth pony that she was, responded with those two magic words that had long ago captured Rainbow Dash’s heart, “Prove it.”
Yeah, she was proving it alright. Proving just how much of a fool she was and how much of a big mouth she had. Rainbow Dash stopped. She wiped away the sweat that started stinging her eyes. Waiting to catch her breath, the pegasus stared out over the field. How on earth did she have so many trees left to go? It just didn’t make any sense. Surely if Applejack could do this for hours on end, then she could too!
Winona barked again, and when Dash glanced down, she’d seen the dog had brought her some bottled water. “Thanks,” she said, and uncapping her drink, took a nice long swig. The cool water hit the spot just where she needed it to, and after downing the bottle, tossed it back to Winona and went back to work. Another kick. Another buck. Two apples fell, then three more. Still, some remained. “Really?!” Rainbow Dash shouted. She almost had half a mind to climb up that tree, and throw those stupid apples into the buckets herself. Not against the rules, as she just wasn't allowed to use her wings. The problem though, she’d already tried that; and got a nasty sliver for her troubles.
Rainbow stared out over the tree, heaving for breath. Only a few more apples and she could move on to the next pain in the flank. Just before Dash could get into position, a familiar egghead sounding voice chirped from behind, “Hey Rainbow Dash! What are you doing?”
Turning around, Twilight Sparkle stood only a few feet from the wagon that held Dash's apple buckets.
“I'm bucking apples! What’s it look like I’m doing?” Rainbow Dash said. The pegasus slammed her hooves against the tree yet again, and finally, the remainder of the apples poured out into her buckets. “Oh thank Celestia!” She praised, grabbing a bucket with her teeth and carrying it on over to the wagon.
Twilight, being the observant princess that she was, giggled and said, “It looks like you’re well on your way to pulling a muscle if you keep kicking the trees like that.”
Dropping the bucket of apples onto the wagon, Dash just shrugged. “Pfft, and what do you know about apple bucking?”
“A lot actually,” Twilight announced, the cyan pegasus felt her friend following her back to the tree. “Applejack had me help last season when Granny Smith was visiting family in Appleloosa. I spent a great deal of time studying Applejack’s muscle movements and positioning before and after kicking the apples down.”
Dash just nodded along, but something about what she’d said didn’t quite sound right. “Wait.” She said, and processed those words a few more seconds. “You were studying her what?!” Suddenly Dash’s face had heated up and turned about as red as the apples she was picking. The image of Twilight’s face pressed right up to AJ’s flank burned into Dash’s retina.
Twilight however, only giggled at the question. “Oh relax! I was only studying how Applejack bucked apples so that I could better assist her with the harvest.
Walking the final bucket to the wagon, Dash rolled her eyes, “Right. So, I suppose there’s a whole science thingy now to bucking apples.”
Never missing a beat, the alicorn trotted right alongside Rainbow Dash while she moved the wagon on to the next tree. “Actually, there is. It has a lot to do with leveraging your weight as you kick for the strongest impact, and also hitting the tree’s core to maximize the vibrations which shake the apples loose and into the buckets. Of course, bucket placement is also critical and I don’t think Applejack realizes just how precise she’s gotten with . . .”
“Okay okay! I get it! Sheesh” Rainbow Dash fully expected an earful from her mare-friend when she found out just how little Dash had accomplished, but to get it from Twilight too! “Well if you’re so skilled, why don't you show me?!”
Twilight considered it for a moment. “Alright.” And grabbing a couple buckets with her magic, she moved over to the nearest tree. What followed were four agonizing minutes of Twilight measuring and scooting her buckets into the what she claimed to be the “optional dropping zones”.
“Now, I haven’t done this in a while, so I might be a little rusty . . .”
“Just do it already. Can't possibly do better than me . . .” Dash started, but stopped once Twilight’s hind-hooves slammed into the tree. The branches rattled, the apples wobbled, and within a couple seconds, every apple had rained down from their cloud of leaves and into the buckets below. Not one spilled onto the ground.
Without one word, Rainbow Dash watched as Twilight used her magic to scoop up the fruit filled buckets and load them carefully onto the wagon.
“Uhhh Dash? You can close your mouth now.”
It was then that the pegasus had realized she’d stood agape when the apples fell. Quickly pulling herself from her stupor, she rushed alongside her friend. “Twilight! You have to teach me how to do that! I-I’ll do anything . . .”
“Sorry Dash.” Twilight said. “But I only stopped to drop off your tickets for the upcoming fishing tournament. I’m supposed to be dropping something off at Fluttershy’s for Pinkie.”
Dash quickly counted over the remaining trees in the field. “I’m sure Fluttershy can wait. I have to . . .”
“I’m sorry Dash.” Twilight repeated. “But Pinkie said it was important. And besides, I’ve got some last-minute questions for Fluttershy regarding the fishing tournament. I’ve already stayed too long.” Then setting the tickets under a bucket of apples to keep them from being carried off by the wind, Twilight said, “Cheer up! You’ll win the next date bet.”
Rainbow Dash’s face flushed as her gaze shot over to the princess. “How did you . . .” but Twilight had already trotted off out of sight. Yes, this was the underlying wager behind the whole apple bucking competition. The winner would get the privilege of treating the loser to whatever kind of date the winner wanted. This included deciding upon the locations, activities, and even what the loser would be wearing.
Their dating bets had become somewhat notorious amongst the other mane six, that and Dash’s record. She hadn't won a single bet yet. This apple bucking competition had been a mistake of the mouth as it were, done out of desperation.
“Why couldn’t you have stopped when we started Twilight?” Dash bemoaned. Oh well, this was lost. But at least she could give Twilight’s advice a go. Picking herself back up off the ground, Dash snatched up some buckets and at the nearest apple tree, did her best to replicate Twilight’s positioning of the buckets. Spreading them out, Dash lined herself up for the shot, again mimicking Twilight as best she could, and with a strong thrust of her body, kicked the center of the tree as hard as she could.
The apple tree vibrated up to its tallest of branches, and much to Dash’s surprise, just over half the apples in the tree dropped out onto the ground. Only one or two found their mark with the buckets though. Still, it’d been the most bountiful kick all day. Even Winona, whom Dash had forgotten was even here, barked happily at her achievement.
“Nice bucking Dumpling!”
Rainbow Dash winced. “H-Hey Applejack!” She said, turning to face her lover. She opened her mouth to again speak, but instead let out an, “oooffff” when a loose apple fell from the tree and smacked her on the forehead.
The resulting giggles from Applejack only reddened Dash’s face. “So not funny,” Dash complained, rubbing the bump on her head where the apple had hit.
“Sorry Rainbow. Ya alright?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.” Dash said, but her words didn’t stop her lover from trotting up for a closer inspection of the bruise. Suddenly, Applejack was close enough for Dash to press her face into the mare’s neck. She could smell the sweat in her lover’s coat. “A-Applejack . . . I-I’m fine. Really.” She stuttered out.
“Just checking is all,” Applejack said, kissing Dash's cheek before pulling away. “Wouldn't want my special some-pony all bruised up just before our date.”
Rainbow Dash sighed. She knew it was over. “Could we at least skip the dress this time?”
“Nope!” Applejack said. “I ain’t taking my mare-friend on a date unless she dressed up all nice and proper like.”
“You're a mare too, ya know!”
Applejack just laughed off Dash’s retort. “That don’t mean I gotta go dressing like one. You on the other hoof . . .” And Applejack leaned in. Her sparkling emerald eyes bore into Dash’s. That endless green prairie that could yank Rainbow Dash out of the thickest of clouds. It was a gaze that weakened her knees, and cramped up her wings. “Unless . . .” Applejack’s voice whispered through her like a cool breeze under the pegasus’ wings. “. . . You don’t want to go on a date with me?”
That was it. Rainbow Dash was officially grounded. “Oh please,” she said, “you know I want one. We’ve barely had any time together cause of all the work.”
Applejack had her. Dash knew this. And the farmer’s giggle only reinforced just how well she knew it too. “Then stop yer belly-aching, and kiss me already.”
Rainbow Dash didn’t need to be told twice. She closed her eyes and leaned in, pressing her lips up to Applejack’s soft mouth. Their lips entwined and before she knew it, Dash had pressed herself up against Applejack’s body. And throughout the whole kiss, Rainbow Dash kept her eyes closed. She’d been too embarrassed to look Applejack in the eye.
Oh well, at least the kiss was good. Guess it wasn't too big a deal losing if she got to enjoy kisses like this. But then again, those tickets to the fishing tournament danced in Dash’s head. Rainbow Dash would enjoy a victory kiss yet. She could feel it.