“Eyes up, sugarcube. We’re here.”
Rainbow jolted awake, rubbing sleep from her eyes. A town lay in front of her, it's wooden buildings sprawling into the distance. Everything seemed to glow in the bright luminescence of the sun above, making the browns and tans vibrant and colorful.
“Welcome to Appleoosa,” Applejack said. “Home of the Apple Family and everythin’ you could ever need.”
Rainbow gaped at the sheer size of the town in front of her. This was miles from the dinky little township she had envisioned when she first planned her escape. The town sprawled across the desert, looking like it had always been there, blanketed by sand and dust.
“You guys built this? Way out here?” she asked, awestruck.
“Eeyup!” replied Applejack with a smile. “We laid the foundations down ourselves, did everythin’ with our own hooves.”
Rainbow blinked, jaw still open. “That’s… really cool, actually.”
“I know it is,” Applejack said with another wink. “And trust me, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.”
Rainbow sat back on her haunches, taking in the frontier-scape ahead of her. A few stray cacti dotted the sands, with a few rock croppings and desert fauna mixed in as well. As they drew closer down the main road Rainbow saw ponies going about their business, hauling wagons and scurrying off deeper into the town.
As Applejack approached, the townsponies paused in their tasks to nod or wave in her direction. She returned each greeting with a nod or a tip of her hat, along with a bright smile and a shorty ‘howdy.’
Rainbow lay on her stomach, trying to shrink down onto the roof as if she could disappear. Her earlier anxieties returned with full force, as she scanned the crowd of strangers nervously. She felt as if each one of their eyes were boring into her soul, seeing her for what she truly was. A shiver ran down her spine at the thought.
A high-pitched whistle made her ear twitch. She glanced to her right and saw a pony in a brown duster trotting towards them. Rainbow eyed him warily as he made a beeline directly towards Applejack. “Howdy, cuz! Welcome back! How was the market?”
“Hey Brae,” Applejack replied with a smile. “It was just fine, sold all our crop.”
The pony nodded, adjusting his hat. “Great to hear… you reckon it’s gonna be enough?”
Applejack sighed, her smile faltering. “I dunno, Braeburn… I’m still behind on my market dues and Strawberry called me out for it. Says she can’t keep lettin’ me get away with it…”
Rainbow peered over the top of the wagon, furrowing her eyebrows. Something wasn’t quite adding up…
Before she could mull on the thought, Applejack turned around to face her. “Oh, before I forget. Rainbow Dash, meet my cousin Braeburn.”
“Howdy!” Braeburn said, tipping his hat at her. “Welcome to Aaaaaaaaaapleoosa!”
Rainbow blinked before offering a small wave. Her eyes locked onto the patches Braeburn had sewn onto his jacket.
“Braeburn’s a captain of the Rangers here,” Applejack explained. “Keeps the town safe.”
“Anythin’ you need, don’t you hesitate to ask,” Braeburn replied with a wink. “What brings you ‘round these parts?”
“Applejack offered me a spot on her farm,” Rainbow replied cautiously.
Braeburn blinked at her, tilting his head in confusion. Before he could speak, Applejack grabbed him and pulled him aside, whispering something in his ear.
“Well… if you’re sure,” Braeburn muttered to her, shooting a strange glance at Rainbow. “But I dunno if Mac is gonna be happy with this.”
“Let me handle him,” Applejack insisted. “Just… trust me on this one, Brae.”
Braeburn gave one last look at Rainbow Dash before he lowered his head and nodded. “I do, cuz. I do. Just… be careful. Please.”
“Always, Brae. Always.”
Rainbow pushed herself out a little farther onto the roof, squinting. Something seemed strange about Applejack, now that she thought of it.
Braeburn tipped his hat and trotted away, shaking his head and sighing to himself.
“What was that about?” questioned Rainbow. “Does your brother not like pegasi or something?”
“Nah, he just… ain’t keen on hirin’ outside help,” Applejack said with a breathy smile. Maybe it was the heat, but Rainbow swore that a line of sweat had formed on her brow.
“Uh… alright then,” she said, hopping off of the wagon and landing at her side. “If you say so…” Rainbow kicked at the dust beneath her hooves. “I mean, if it’s too much, I could go somewhere else, you know.”
“No, no!” insisted Applejack, tugging on her harness. “It’s gonna be fine, sugarcube. Come on, we’re almost at the farm.”
Rainbow watched as the wagon lurched forwards, before letting out a worried sigh and following behind.