Rainbow Dash carefully flew through the humid forest, trying to find the tell-tale flash of her crystalline quarry, all while occasionally repositioning her rest-cloud.
She wiped some sweat off her brow. "How hard could it be to pass just one trial? It's been hours now. Maybe I should choose something else." She sighed and dropped on her rest-cloud, remembering all the times when Applejack did something special for her.
"No way. I don't care how many tricks that tree uses, I said I'd find her one and I will. You hear that, tree?" Rainbow Dash got up and continued her search.
This is it Rainbow, you can do this, Rainbow Dash thought, as she flew to Sweet Apple Acres. She landed at the gate and continued on hoof, trying to find Applejack. I hope she's here.
When she spotted Applejack carrying a basket of apples into the barn, she slowly trotted towards her. As she did, Applejack put down her basket, turned and greeted her. "Howdy, sugarcube."
"Hey, uhm, Applejack," Rainbow shifted from side to side, not meeting Applejack's eyes. What was I supposed to do with the feather again?
"Yeah?" Applejack asked.
Rainbow Dash plucked one of her largest feathers from her wing.
"Uh, Rainbow? What are you doing?" Applejack raised an eyebrow.
She tugged at her rainbow mane until seven hairs came out, one for each colour in her hair, and tied it around the blue feather. "We've been dating for a year now and, I wanted to ask," Rainbow Dash took a deep breath. No turning back now. "Will you marry me?" Rainbow Dash quickly blurted out, while presenting Applejack with the feather. Please say yes. Please say yes.
Applejack stood there, stunned. She blushed and broke into a smile worthy of Pinkie Pie. She took the feather, and said, "Of course, sugarcube." She placed the feather in her Stetson and pulled in the cerulean mare for a kiss.
Ohmigosh she said yes, thought Rainbow Dash.
"Congratulations you guys,” a pink pony suddenly sprouted between the two mares. “This calls for a party!"
Both Applejack and Rainbow Dash jumped away from each other. "Pinkie!" Rainbow Dash shot an unamused look at Pinkie Pie, who was still covered in leaves and twigs from her time in a nearby bush. A bush which had a distinctly pony-shaped hole in it.
"Oh, and you did the feather thing Dashie, but don't forget the fruit," said Pinkie, writing something down on a piece of paper. She then put it in a file which had a picture of Applejack and Rainbow Dash on it.
Both Applejack and Rainbow Dash watched her pronk away. "...What fruit thing?," Rainbow asked.
"It's an old tradition, where the two ponies get each other a fruit that represents what they mean to each other. It's part of the marriage ceremony for us earth ponies. Ah think ah already know what I'm gonna get you."
"What?" Rainbow Dash quickly asked.
"Ah can't tell you. It's bad luck to reveal it before the dawn of the wedding. Anyway, do you know what you're gonna get me?"
What do I get her, thought Rainbow Dash.
"Uh, IgottaseeTwilightbye." Rainbow Dash took off and darted to the Castle of Friendship.
Rainbow Dash flew through the window to the library, where Twilight was reading the latest Daring Do novel on a pillow. "Hey Twilight, do you have any books about apples?"
Twilight closed her book. "They should be at… section 634." She flew up to the mentioned section and pulled out a few green books. She levitated them over to Rainbow Dash, who snatched them out of the air.
"Thanks, Twilight."
"No problem, Rainbow. Why do you need them, anyway?"
"It's for Applejack." Rainbow Dash took off and zipped through the door.
But wouldn't she know all the stuff in those books, Twilight wondered. Oh well, she must have a reason. Twilight shrugged and went back to her reading.
--------
Rainbow Dash flipped through the books in her cloud-home.
"Too common."
"Too lame."
"Not awesome enough."
Rainbow Dash stopped at a page with a translucent Apple with light dispersing through it. "Now this looks awesome!"
Why won't she just give up? The crystal tree thought to itself. There's no way her love is that strong...right? The tree 'looked' at its crystalline fruit, lying on the soil near it.
As Rainbow Dash moved her rest-cloud for the millionth time, she caught a flash of prismatic light through the treetops. "I hope it's not another trick." She thought back to the times where she'd thought she had finally found what she was looking for, but had been tricked by the tree and its magic.
Rainbow Dash caught a flash of light out of the corner of her eye. She quickly flew to where she saw it.
"Oh come on! There isn't even anything shiny here. I know it's you, tree." Rainbow Dash glared at the trees around her.
Rainbow Dash jumped off her rest-cloud and flew to where she saw the prismatic light. As she flapped her wings, she saw more flashes of light, causing her to speed up. Could this be it?
Just as she arrived, Rainbow Dash saw the tree. "Oh great, what do you want?"
In response, the tree just lowered the branch with the Crystal Apple on it.
Rainbow Dash glared at the tree distrustfully. "So, you had me chase all over the forest, only to give it to me? Argh."
As Rainbow Dash moved to grab the Crystal Apple, she accidentally touched a softly glowing root. She immediately heard a voice, which faded away as she jumped away from the root.
Rainbow Dash tried to touch only the Apple, when plucking it, but accidentally brushed against a leaf.
"You've proved to me that your love is strong enough for my child."
"Woah woah woah, hold up. What are you talking about?" Rainbow Dash touched the tree again.
"My child can only grow strong, if there's love around it."
"So, why are you telling me?" asked Rainbow, touching the tree again.
"The Apple, what you're searching for, is my child."
Rainbow Dash just stood there, her jaw dropping and her eyes widening. "Hold up. You're telling me that I was trying to take your child away from you?"
"This must happen, but I must make sure the pony who took my child would care for it, and make sure it grows into a strong tree. You've proved to me that your love for this Applejack is strong enough for my child to grow. So please, take my child, so it can grow into a strong tree."
"Are you sure?" asked Rainbow Dash.
"Yes."
Rainbow Dash carefully plucked the Apple from the tree. As she did so the sunlight dispersed through it, causing the rays of coloured light to dance about, forming ever more beautiful scenes. "Wow!"
She quickly flew up, grabbed her rest cloud, and flew to Ponyville.
Rainbow Dash left the apple at her cloud-home, and flew to Sweet Apple Acres. Applejack's gonna love what I got her.
"Hey Applejack, I found an awesome Apple which represents how special you are to me. It's the-"
Applejack's eyes widened. She immediately put a hoof to Rainbow Dash's mouth.
"Hey! What gives?" Rainbow Dash pulled away from Applejack's outstretched hoof.
"You're not supposed to tell me what you're going to give me until the dawn of the wedding, sugarcube. It's bad luck." Applejack lowered her hoof. "And to answer the question I know you're gonna ask, I have the fruit for you, too."
"So, what else do we have to do for the wedding?" Rainbow Dash landed next to Applejack.
A few weeks later...
In the cool air of the pre-dawn sky, Rainbow Dash carefully flew to the tallest hill of Sweet Apple Acres, trying not to drop the cloth-wrapped Apple or ruffle her translucent, violet dress. She spotted Applejack, who was watching her fly closer and closer.
"Are you ready, Rainbow?" asked Applejack, dressed in a white gown with gold accents.
Rainbow Dash immediately replied, "I am."
"Let's begin, then." Applejack moved in front of Rainbow Dash. She unwrapped the fruit she had brought, a Zap Apple. "Ah brought you this fruit because Ah believe it represents you best. You're always here one minute, and gone the next, but you always come back, just like how the Zap Apple always comes back each harvest season."
"To make something good out of a Zap Apple, you need to pay attention to what they want. If you do that, you get an outstanding product that's second to none. If someone spends some time getting past that tough shell of yours, they'll have a friend for life, or maybe more."
Rainbow Dash blushed. She unwrapped the Crystal Apple. "I brought you this apple, because of how special it is, and how special you are to me. I had to go through a lot to get it. But it's all worth it. All because you're worth it, Applejack."
Applejack's eyes widened and she blushed. "Tha-That's the Crystal Apple. Ah never thought I'd see it ever. Ah... thank you Rainbow."
Then, they took a bite out of each apple at the same time. As they bit the Crystal Apple, a ray of sunlight hit it, dispersing into a rainbow of colours on their faces.
"If that ain't a good sign, Ah don't know what is," said Applejack as she hugged Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash quickly darted forward and kissed her on the lips. They pulled apart and turned to look at the sunrise.