//------------------------------//
// Ready 
// Story: Off To The Races 
// by applejackofalltrades 
//------------------------------//

Dating was, of course, new to Applejack. She hadn't slept the whole night and instead spent the time thinking about what she should even do on a proper date. The hours she spent staring at the ceiling and imagining unrealistic scenarios until she drove herself to blush took a toll on her. She was tired and by golly did she know it. It was her own fault though. She should have just gone to sleep, but she didn't. 

Instead, she found herself waiting for the call of the rooster to signify work to be done. Luckily, there wasn't much to do. Most of the work had been done the day before, so all Applejack had to do was feed the livestock, water the still growing crops and check if they were doing okay. Can't have another case of crop blight, she thought irritably. 

With an unenthusiastic groan, she lifted herself off her bed. She took her hat off of her bedpost and put it on her head, then walked over to her window and opened it. The cool, early morning breeze hit the fur on her muzzle and gave her goosebumps. In the face of the familiar feeling of being awake early, she smiled. The sun was just beginning to creep up into the horizon, and Applejack could feel some of the farm animals begin to stir. 

It was quiet, the kind of quiet that could only be found on a farm in the morning. Not completely quiet because a farm was never silent, but the only noise was of the wind rustling through the trees, and the crops moving in the breeze. The silence lessened as the farm animals began to stir and make noise. She looked down on the view of the farm she had and observed the animals as they began to wake up. The rooster climbed up to the top of the coop and crowed, signifying the break of dawn. Really, Applejack thought it was funny. Most of her family must have already been awake, and so the rooster crowed for the other animals more than for the Apples, although she knew that sometimes Apple Bloom needed the extra reminder. 

After deciding that she had spent too much time lollygagging, she stepped out of her room and looked down the hall. Just as she thought, Big Mac was getting out of his room looking only slightly drowsy, and Apple Bloom was nowhere to be seen. Even Granny Smith was up and about. Applejack rolled her eyes and knocked loudly on Apple Bloom’s door to which the only response was a muffled groan. She knew her sister would get up though and made her way down to the kitchen.

Once there, she already had a plan. The easiest thing to make was pancakes, and since she still had to care for the animals, some of whom had a strict schedule, she decided easy was the way to go. Of course, they would be apple pancakes. Big Mac came down the stairs and opened the fridge and took out a jug of orange juice and placed it on the table. “Mornin’, Big Mac,” she greeted as she mixed eggs, milk and butter together in a bowl. “Sleep well?”

“Eeyup.” Big Mac brought four cups to the table and poured orange juice in each of them. 

As she mixed her dry ingredients in with her wet ones, Applejack heard the unmistakable sound of Apple Bloom stumbling down the stairs. Eventually, her thoughts were confirmed as Apple Bloom appeared and mindlessly headed to the kitchen to help Big Mac set the table. Applejack rolled her eyes in amusement, not at all surprised at the robotic state of her younger sister. Apple Bloom definitely was not much of a morning pony. 

Granny Smith was the last to come down, but at least she didn’t look as drowsy as her grandchildren. With a small smile, Applejack finished making the pancakes and stacked them in a tall tower. She grabbed it between her teeth, made her way to the table and set the plate down carefully on the middle of the table. Apple Bloom licked her lips in anticipation, looking a lot more awake all of a sudden. 

Applejack took a seat at the table and waited for her family to take their share of pancakes before she took hers. She poured cinnamon syrup on hers, tore off a piece, and took a bite. It was nice and warm, the feeling of freshly cooked pancakes being a more than welcome sensation. “So, I thought I’d let y’all know I’ll be out ‘til tomorrow,” she said before taking another bite.

“Again? Ya were out yesterday too,” Apple Bloom pointed out. She took a big bite of her pancake and grinned from ear to ear. “Where are ya even going?”

Applejack rolled her eyes. “I still get my work done,” she rebutted. “And I’m not goin' anywhere specifically, I’m just hangin' out with Rainbow Dash. She told me I wouldn’t come back tonight.” It wasn’t a lie, per se. It just wasn’t the whole truth, but she’d rather not talk about it. “I’ll do double chores when I get back, promise.”

Granny Smith took a big swig of her orange juice. “Are ya sure that’s a good idea? You’ve been missing a lot on the farm,” she said dubiously. “And I reckon that Rainbow Dash filly might not be a great influence.”

Apple Bloom snorted into her cup, causing orange juice to explode all over her face. “Don’t let Scootaloo hear you say that!” She looked around as if her friend was hiding somewhere. “She’s her hero,” she whispered loudly as she wiped the juice from her snout.

Applejack bit her lip. “Well, I dunno why you’d say that, Granny. Rainbow Dash is not only the most loyal pony I know, but she's helped save Equestria a bunch." She took an uncomfortable sip of her juice. "Besides, like I told Apple Bloom, I've been doin' all my work anyway." 

Granny Smith shrugged and made a noise of indifference. "Honestly you young ponies have all lost all sense of responsibility," she complained. "Now, when I was your age, I didn't have time to…" 

Applejack let her words fade into the background as she continued eating her breakfast. She was eager to get her work done so she could get ready for her date. Her date! With Rainbow Dash! She felt like a little filly for being so nervous over something. For Celestia's sake, she was an adult, and she'd been one for a few years. There was really no reason for her to be so nervous. 

Except for the fact that she was going on a date with Rainbow Dash, that is. She felt butterflies in her stomach and because she was eating, that resulted in mild nausea. She frowned uncomfortably at the sensation, parting her lips to take in some more air as if that would help. Weirdly, it kind of did. 

What did ponies even do on dates? She knew sometimes they went out to eat, or went somewhere romantic, but she sure as hay knew that she and Rainbow weren't completely into the whole romance thing. Besides, it was only the first date after all. Would it be the same as hanging out? What even was the difference between a date and just hanging out? Heck if she knew. She knew nothing about dating. They had hung out every day since they confessed their feelings for each other, even if it was just four days ago, but today it was going to be a real date. Which she knew nothing about doing. 

Oh sweet Celestia. Applejack's heart dropped. What if she thinks I'm not good enough at dating? She toyed with her food as she entertained the unwelcome thoughts. Most other ponies her age had at least been on a date before. Even Fluttershy had been on one, and she was the shiest pony that Applejack knew! She needed to ask somepony, but who? She didn't want to ask any of her friends because then they'd want to know the details. She could ask Big Mac. He was great at advice, but then she realized that she'd have to explain to him why she needed to know. 

She couldn't have that. While Big Mac was definitely trustworthy enough, she couldn't help but fear his opinion. What if he didn't think it was a good idea for Applejack to date Rainbow Dash? They were certainly an unusual pairing, and definitely an unorthodox one at that. Not only were they both mares, but they were a pegasus and an earth pony. The belief of the importance of "pony types" in a relationship was an old one, and most ponies didn't even worry about it anymore.Sometimes, she couldn’t help but think that her family might want her to be with an earth pony who could help with the farm. 

Some parts of Cloudsdale were a lot more traditionalist than Ponyville. Especially with a top flier like Rainbow Dash, they'd want the bloodline to keep going and get more top notch fliers like her. Too bad Applejack would disappoint them in more ways than one. She chuckled dryly at the thought and pushed her cup of orange juice with a hoof. 

"What's so funny?" Apple Bloom inquired curiously, mouth full of pancake still. "We were just talkin' about harvest season. I don't see why you'd laugh at that." 

Applejack popped back into her surroundings. Right, breakfast. "Oh nothing, I was just thinkin' about something." 

Granny Smith pressed forward. "Is it nothin', or is it somethin'?" 

Applejack shook her head. "Well it's nothin' worth saying. Just something Rainbow Dash told me the other day." Technically, it wasn't a lie, Rainbow Dash had been telling her about the class system in Cloudsdale. It seemed needlessly complicated, which Rainbow Dash was in agreement with. 

Her family decided to drop the subject, much to Applejack's delight, and they finished breakfast quickly. Applejack was the first to spring out of her seat and bring her dishes to the sink. She gave them a quick wash, then set them to dry. "I'm gonna go do my chores now," she said as she trotted to the front door. 

Post-apple-buck season was always a lot of work, rivaling the apple-bucking season itself. After she dealt with the animals, Applejack checked the trees on the north and east sides of the orchard to make sure no branches needed pruning. She knew Big Mac would do the other side, and after confirming that the trees were in good shape, she moved on to the rest of her chores. The rest of the crop was coming in nicely, and she figured that there would be good selling due to the quality of the crops. 

In the barn, she finished packing bottles of cider into boxes and loaded them into a wagon for delivery the following day. Applejack decided to take two bottles for herself since there were a few extra that were left over. These will be nice for my date, she figured as she placed them into a saddlebag that was left in the barn before slinging it on her body. 

Applejack had, of course, let Rainbow Dash pick where they were going and, unsurprisingly to Applejack, she picked a race. Being a Wonderbolt herself, Rainbow Dash got access to great seats for a good price. Not that that was any issue for her. Rainbow Dash always had a fair bit of money, but the added income of being a Wonderbolt was nothing to sneeze at either. 

Not that Applejack was complaining, of course. She loved attending races. The only real difference is that the pony she normally cheered for was now her date to a race she wasn't even competing in. The racers weren't ponies Applejack exactly knew, either. She had definitely heard of at least some of them in passing, or from Rainbow Dash since some of them happened to be Wonderbolts as well, but she had never really met them. I guess I'll just cheer for whoever Dash cheers for. 

When she thought about it, it was rather strange. Obviously the pegasi who raced in big races like the ones they would be attending were excellent fliers, but it was still weird that they allowed non-Wonderbolts to race Wonderbolts. That didn't really seem fair. Applejack made a mental note to ask Rainbow Dash about it later. 

In the meantime, she made her way back out of the barn. Rainbow Dash said she’d meet her around this time, but didn’t exactly say where. Applejack figured that Dash shouldn't be too hard to find, especially if she was up in the air as she usually was. She only managed to take a few steps out of the barn before Rainbow Dash's location hit her. 

Literally. 

"AJ! Incoming!" 

Applejack barely had time to look up before Rainbow Dash barreled into her from the sky in a streak of blue and rainbow. The two mares rolled with the impact before ending up on the floor, each of them groaning groggily. 

Applejack sat up and put a hoof to her head, making sure that her hat was still on. "Rainbow Dash, what the hay was that?" This was not exactly how Applejack intended on meeting up with the pegasus. 

Rainbow Dash sprung up to her hooves. She chuckled awkwardly and dipped her head apologetically. "Sorry about that. I was going to land in front of the barn but you came out all of a sudden and I was going too fast to stop." 

Applejack shook her head, flinging specks of dirt and rocks off of it. "'S'fine. I was gonna try and find you anyway. Guess I don't exactly have to do that now." She grinned and craned her head to look at her side satchel. Nothing appeared to be broken, although she probably would have noticed cider dripping down her legs. "Aren't ya a Wonderbolt? Figured you'd've been able to stop on a whim." 

Rainbow Dash shrugged, a blush slowly creeping up her face. "Well, yeah, but I didn't really warm up or anything.” She turned away from Applejack momentarily before looking back with an embarrassed smile. "I didn't want to risk hurting myself by trying to stop so quickly, you know?" 

Applejack nudged Rainbow Dash with her shoulder. "So ya decided to crash into me? Not sure if that was much better, Dash." 

Rainbow Dash nudged her back and then rose into the air, hovering next to Applejack. "Well you do make for a comfy landing pillow.” She pointed a hoof in the direction of Ponyville. "Come on, we're going to miss the train!" 

Applejack followed after Rainbow Dash, who flew at a moderate pace in the direction of the train station. "So, where is this race you're bringing me to, anyway?" 

"Appleoosa, actually," Rainbow Dash said, and Applejack understood why they wouldn’t be back until the following day. "They set up a whole racing track and everything!" She smiled eagerly and did a quick flip. "It's going to be so awesome!" 

"Appleoosa, huh? Wonder if I'll run into Braeburn there." Applejack pondered as she continued to walk. "Oh, who am I kiddin'? 'Course I will. He loves races." She couldn't decide if she was annoyed at the prospect of running into him, or nervous. She'd rather be annoyed. 

As they walked, Applejack couldn’t keep her head completely in the conversation she was having with Rainbow Dash. Every time they walked by somepony they knew, they’d give each other a friendly wave and move on. Rainbow Dash seemed confident as she flew alongside Applejack, who could not say the same for herself. Sure, they used to hang out a lot, but this time was different. Even though no one else knew that, Applejack did, and that was enough to make her nervous. It was irrational, but it felt like everypony’s eyes were on her and Rainbow Dash.

Nope, it ain’t true. She forced herself to just look ahead of her as they reached the centre of Ponyville. Still, there was the occasional wave and greeting as they walked by the ponies that were out, but at least it didn’t feel like everypony’s attention was on her. What would they even think if they knew? There were already plenty of pairings like them in Ponyville, and most ponies were indifferent about it, but those ponies weren’t public figures like Rainbow Dash and Applejack. They had a reputation to uphold after all. What if their dating sparked a big controversy? No, that’d be silly. Surely, Ponyville would be happy to hear the news. She shook her head and jumped back into the conversation as they finally arrived at the train station.

Rainbow Dash walked up to the ticket vendor and retrieved her pre purchased tickets from the stallion working the booth. “Okay, I got us a private room on the train. Perks of the Wonderbolt paycheque,” she said with a sly grin.

Applejack stood at the train platform, smiling absentmindedly at Rainbow Dash. “Yeah, I bet that pays pretty nicely. Although, ya did already have a big house up over Ponyville, didn’t ya?”

Rainbow Dash shrugged with a slight nod. “That’s true, but now I can take you to even nicer places!” She smiled from ear to ear as Applejack blushed. 

Despite being flustered, Applejack kept her composure. “So what you’re sayin’ is there’ll be more to come in the future?”

“Well, yeah. Duh,” Rainbow Dash said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. She craned her neck to look behind an extremely flustered Applejack and her eyes lit up. “Oh, here comes the train!”

Applejack snapped out of her near stupor state and looked behind her to see that the train was indeed coming. Her heart rate accelerated as the train pulled into the station. The doors opened, and some ponies exited the train before the ones waiting were allowed to step on. Rainbow Dash led the way into the train, giving one of the ponies who worked on the train the tickets. She observed them, then motioned for them to follow. The pony led them to a spacious room near the back of the train and wordlessly began to walk away.

“Thanks a lot,” Rainbow Dash called after the worker pony who turned back briefly and nodded at her. Rainbow looked inside the room where there was a set of bunk beds, a desk, and a window. She whistled and stepped in. “Sweet digs.”

Applejack followed Rainbow Dash in and looked around the room. It was nothing short of impressive, and Applejack knew that. “You said it. At least the ride to Appleoosa will be comfortable.” She took the opportunity to sit on the bottom bunk of the bed. It was almost as pleasing as her own bed. She tried not to think about how much the whole day had cost Rainbow Dash but ended up thinking about it anyway. She had to find a way to make the next date as good as this one would be. 

Rainbow Dash flew up to the top bunk and laid down with a muffled thud. Applejack craned her head up to catch a glimpse of the rainbow-coloured tail that hung off the edge of the bed. She grinned and rolled her eyes. “Too early for ya or somethin’, Dash?”

The colourful tail disappeared as Rainbow Dash shifted on the bed above Applejack. After a moment, her head swung down from above as she glared at Applejack, their noses practically touching. “No,” she said flatly. “Well, maybe. But I had to make sure we got there on time."

Applejack blew air into Rainbow’s mane which hung from her upside-down head. “We'll get there pretty early. No need to worry about that," she pointed out. She looked at Rainbow Dash's eyes for a moment before she blushed and forced herself to look away. It was then that she realized how close the two were, and she scooted back a little bit into the bed. "Well, it'll be a few hours before we get there. You should try to get some sleep. I know you'll be tired if ya don't." 

Rainbow Dash's gaze on Applejack lingered for a brief moment before she exhaled and pulled herself back up. "I'd say you're wrong, but you're not. Wake me up in a bit, I still want to catch the view." 

Applejack nodded in agreement as Rainbow Dash went silent. She couldn't help but feel the tiniest bit confused since the train ride to Appleoosa wasn't exactly the most visually stimulating unless you were a fan of the dry, desert climate. That didn't stop her from getting up and taking a seat next to the window, though. They were still closer to Ponyville, which meant that the view was a lot nicer than it would be later. 

The train moved at a steady pace, and Applejack let herself get sucked into watching the trees. Occasionally, they'd go through a shaded spot and she'd catch her reflection in the window. She frowned and looked away, focusing her attention on the room they were in instead. Rainbow Dash had fallen asleep rather quickly, not to Applejack's surprise. She eyed the saddlebag for a moment, but reminded herself that the cider was for the date. 

There was a bar in the train, though, and while it was still far too early to drink anything major, Applejack decided that she could use a drink. She was getting far too worried for her own good. She made her way quietly out of the room and shut the door silently behind her. Applejack took a note of the room number, then made her way down the long train car past most of the other passengers. She arrived at a bar with a few stools bolted into the floor and took a seat. Next to her was a dark blue pegasus stallion with bright yellow freckles and a golden and orange mane that almost reminded Applejack of Rainbow Dash's. 

The stallion seemed to take notice of Applejack and turned to look at her with a friendly smile. On top of his mane were a pair of flight goggles, and his eyes were a dark rose colour that contrasted with the rest of his body. "Say, isn't it a bit early to drink?" 

Applejack eyed the stallion, then looked at the glass in front of him. "Doesn't seem to be stopping you," she pointed out as she matched his smile. 

"Hah, true." He downed the bit of liquid in his glass and motioned to the bartender for another glass. "Get her one too," he added. He turned to Applejack. "What do you like to drink?" 

Applejack furrowed her eyebrows. She wanted something light, but enough to make her a bit less worried. "Just a glass of soda with a shot of whiskey," she said to the bartender who nodded and began to prepare their drinks. "You seem like ya had a rough night." 

The golden maned stallion chuckled. "You could say that," he said. He stared directly ahead into the countertop of the bar they sat at. "My marefriend dumped me last night." 

Applejack winced slightly. The mare who mixed their drinks put them in front of them and he immediately took a sip. "Sorry to hear that," Applejack said. "If ya don't mind me askin', what happened?" 

Another sip. "She said that she wanted to be with somepony who didn't have to travel as much as I did." He frowned and looked down into his glass as he swirled the brownish liquid around. "I guess it's some kind of stupid fate that I'm stuck on this damn train to the middle of nowhere. Wish I could get wasted, but I still have work to do later." He sighed and pushed his glass a bit further away. "And now, here I am, talking to some mare I just met about it. I really am pathetic." 

Applejack took her first real sip of her drink. It wasn't as good as cider, but it'd get the job done. "Well, buck that. If it's yer job, then you deserve to be with somepony who appreciates the hard work you do." She shot the pegasus an assuring grin. "And ya ain't pathetic. You're just going through a hard time." 

To her surprise, the stallion smiled a genuine smile. "Thanks. I'll keep that in mind. I really love what I do, and I don't want to have to give it up for the pony I'm dating." His smile faltered. "That doesn't make me selfish, does it?" 

Applejack shook her head. "I don't rightly think so. If ya love something, ya shouldn't have to stop doing it for somepony else." She gazed into her drink for a moment. "Whoever you’re with should encourage you to do what you love, not try and make ya stop." 

"You seem to know a lot about this." 

Applejack huffed in amusement. "Not really. I mean, not about dating. I know a lot about being passionate for my work though. I live on an apple farm and I love it so much." She smiled as she took a sip of her drink. "I'm just fortunate to be with somepony who appreciates that." 

The stallion hesitated before taking his glass and held it out towards Applejack. "Cheers to that," he said. "You're lucky. I hope to find that as well." 

Applejack clinked her glass against his and they both downed the last of their drinks. "Well, it was nice to meet ya," she said as she stood up and placed a few bits on the counter. 

"Likewise," he responded. He looked at the bits Applejack placed on the counter and shook his head. "No, it's on me." 

Applejack snorted and adjusted her hat. "Well, I guess I'm just leavin' a generous tip. Thank ya kin'ly for the drink..." she trailed off once she realized she never caught the stallion's name. 

"Hot Shot," he filled in. As he said the name, he turned to look at the countertop of the bar and forced a short laugh, seemingly embarrassed by the name. "I know, my parents hate me.”

"Applejack." She tipped her head. "See ya, Hot Shot. Best of luck to ya." 

Hot Shot nodded in response. "Back at you." 

Applejack turned to walk back to her room and entered as quietly as she could. Rainbow Dash was still sleeping on the top bunk which caused Applejack to smile. She threw herself on the bottom bunk and stared upwards. 

I guess I am pretty lucky.