//------------------------------//
// Rainbow Dash's Goal 
// Story: Pilotwings64: My Little Pony 
// by HumanSVD 
//------------------------------//

Ponyville was experiencing great weather; the pegasi at the weather factory was rather generous for the small town this week. Rainbow Dash had no problem flying in the very clean, fresh air as she sped high in the sky. Nothing felt better than having a good stretch of her wings, gliding in the sky. 

"It's the little things you appreciate. Like having wings!"

She did a few flips and a summersault here and there before flying away from her home and down towards Ponyville. The ponies were already walking through the roads and meeting and greeting their fellow ponies in the town square. With a quick pass over, Rainbow Dash spotted Applejack setting up a stand. The rainbow maned pegasus mare figured it would be a good time to say to hello to one of her good friends. She aimed towards the ground and expertly landed a few hoof steps away from Applejack. 

The country mare adjusted her stetson hat and waved hello to her friend, "Mornin' Rainbow Dash! You're up mighty early today. There a reason you ain't sleeping in?"

Adjusting her wings before folding them back, Rainbow Dash said, "Yeah, actually there is. I'm trying to get some practice in before the Grand Galloping Gala. I wanna impress the Wonderbolts since last year's party was a bust. I think I have enough tricks this time to catch their attention."

Applejack nodded as she set up her stand. The country mare replied, "Ah hope it works out for you. Last year certainly stank more than outhouse. Ah'm still irritated Ah only managed to sell one pie."

After hearing that, Rainbow Dash remembered that Soarin was the pony who had purchased her pie. She had helped saved his desert treat, which gave her an in to the Wonderbolts. A grin formed on her face as she rubbed her hooves together and thought up an idea.

"If I can hook Soarin up with an apple pie, I might be able to hang out with them again. Then show them my tricks and BOOM! Wonderbolts, here I come."

Applejack noticed Rainbow Dash rubbing her hooves together and had a bad feeling. The country mare raised an eyebrow and asked, "Woah nellie! What are you up to? You're looking a mite creepy right now."

The pegasus mare snapped out of her trance and said, "Huh? Oh, well I just had an idea. It's about-"

Applejack held up a hoof and said, "If it's about the Gala, count me out. Ah ain't selling more food at the gala. Mah family lost money on that and Ah can't afford to do it again."

Rainbow Dash shook her head and said, "No, I just want you to bake a pie for Soarin. Since he liked it last year."

Applejack raised an eyebrow and replied, "Trying to bribe your way in with food? That might make it a bit obvious, you know." 

"C'mon AJ." said Rainbow Dash, "I'm kinda desperate here. I'm not sure what else to do."

The country mare sighed and said, "Ah guess Ah can, if it's just one pie. But no more than that. If he takes it and you get nothing, you're out of luck."

Rainbow Dash pumped a hoof before saying, "Thanks AJ, you won't regret it."

"Uh-huh, sure I won't.", said Applejack as she shook her head.

Before either mare could continue their conversation, Twilight Sparkle and Spike came around the corner. The two noticed their friends walking up as the unicorn was talking to her number one assistant. The little dragon was scratching off a list of items on a scroll while Twilight Sparkle said, "Did you scratch off our appointment with Mayor Mare?"

"Eeyup. That's done." said a bored Spike.

"And what about the grocery list? I was certain we needed to buy some food.", said Twilight Sparkle.

Spike nodded and replied, "We do."

Twilight then continued, "I figured as much. Starting in alphabetical order, list the first item and we'll go buy it."

Spike saw Applejack and Rainbow Dash watching them and shook his head. The two mares silently giggled as Twilight Sparkle wasn't paying attention to them and wholly focused on the list Spike held. The young dragon then said, "You mean A? As in apples?"

To drive his point home, he put the list away and pointed towards Applejack's apple stand. The unicorn noticed her friends and blushed before saying, "Oh, hello girls. I got a tiny bit focused on the checklist."

Applejack nodded while Rainbow Dash said, "We could tell. Another minute later, you'd be crashing into us."

While Twilight Sparkle blushed, Applejack added, "Says the mare who crashes all the time."

The pegasus sat on her haunches and crossed her forelegs with a pout. Spike started laughing but quickly shut up as Twilight gave him a disapproving look. The dragon shrugged and said, "What?" before he knocked off his laughing completely. The pegasus mare then said, "Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up now, but you'll see! I'll be a Wonderbolt one day! Just you wait!"

Rainbow Dash got back on her hooves before Twilight Sparkle added, "Well, you might get a chance to see the Wonderbolts again. Princess Celestia informed me that the Wonderbolts are doing a tour across Equestria. They're going to do a show a month from now, right here in Ponyville."

Time seemed to stop entirely for the pegasus mare, as her friend's words echoed in her brain. 

"The Wonderbolts are coming here?! To Ponyville?! I might have a chance!"

Putting her hooves to her mouth, Rainbow Dash suddenly said, "Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh!"

"Well, would you look at that! Looks like you'll have a chance to impress them after all without an apple pie."

Spike and Twilight looked at each other confusedly while Rainbow Dash said, "Hang on AJ, I might need one, just in case."

"What does an apple pie have to do with meeting the Wonderbolts?" asked Twilight Sparkle.

"It's a long story." said Rainbow Dash as she tried her best to dismiss her friend's question.

Applejack, however, gave a quick answer by saying, "She saved Soarin's apple pie that I sold him last year at the Gala. That's how she got an audience with the Wonderbolts."

The pegasus snorted at the earth pony mare and said, "Okay, it's a short story then. Whatever. My point is, I'm trying to show them I'm Wonderbolt material."

Twilight quickly added, "Well, I wouldn't worry about that. I heard a rumor the tour is to see if there's new talent for their ranks. They need reserve members and some of the current ponies in their line-up might possibly retire. I'm not sure how the show is going to be organized but they might do audience participation games. If you do well, you might catch their attention again."

"Really?!" asked Rainbow Dash. 

Spike then replied, "Really, really! That's what Princess Celestia wrote in her letter."

The rainbow maned pegasus did a flying back flip and shouted, "Woo-hoo! Yeah!".

As she landed back on the ground, Rainbow Dash said, "I got a plan! Sweet! I'll practice my skills, get a routine made, and boom! I'll win whatever contest or game they have, and I'll be in! See you guys later! I got some tricks I need to practice."

In a flash, she took off into the air and was gone. Spike then spoke up, "You still going to make her an apple pie?". 

The country mare nodded, "Eeyup. Just in case. You never know what crazy stuff Ponyville might get." 

Twilight Sparkle giggled before saying, "That's very nice of you, Applejack. She's lucky to have a friend like you."

Applejack nodded before taking out a few clean apples and setting them on the stand. She continued, "She sure is. Ah got no doubt she's gonna need my help making a landing pad of hay later today. Sometimes Rainbow Dash's crashing makes me worried she'll hurt herself more than she usually does. Anyway, how many apples do you need?"

The unicorn tapped her chin and turned to Spike. The dragon quickly checked the list and said, "You wrote eight."

"Ah! We'll take eight apples, please."

Applejack picked out eight good apples and put them in a paper bag for her. Satisfied of her purchase, Twilight Sparkle waved her friend goodbye and said, "Tell your family we said hello!"

"Later, Twi! Later Spike!"

As the unicorn and dragon walked away, Applejack sighed and said to herself, "Ah gotta feeling this week is gonna get mighty interesting and strange."

Just before Applejack could continue about her day, she spotted Pinkie Pie walking across the street. Without any warning, the pink earth pony mare started shaking and twitching her tail. Several backflips were made before the mare stopped. Not taking any chances, Applejack took shelter under her apple stand. When nothing happened, the country mare shouted across the street to her friend and asked, "Hey! Pinkie Pie! What pinkie sense was that?!"

The pink mare looked around confused before shrugging her shoulders and shouted back, "I dunno! I wanna say something is gonna fall from the sky, but I've never had that one before. It might be later though! It was a certainly a strange doozie!"

An earth pony mare, whom Applejack recognized as Berry Punch, opened her window and said, "Hey, would you ladies keep it down? I'm trying to take a nap."

"Sorry!" said Applejack, "Pinkie had a strange pinkie sense moment. Something might fall from the sky."

Berry Punch put her hooves to her mouth and gasped before closing her windows and covering it with curtains. Pinkie Pie kept looking around before saying, "Okay, I guess it means later. First time on the later part and not immediate. Still strong on the vague, though. Later Applejack! La-la-la-la-la!" 

As Pinkie Pie trotted away, Applejack came out from under her apple stall and said, "Land sakes! That got me mighty scared! Now Ah'm really expecting something crazy will fall from the sky."

The country mare looked up at the sky and asked, "Now just what could it be?"

"Look out below!"

With out a moment to spare, Applejack dodged out of the way. Rainbow Dash rolled on the ground and made kick up some dirt. The pegasus mare got back up and said, "That doesn't count, I didn't crash, you didn't see me crash, can't prove a thing!"

The country mare sported a bemused look before saying, "Rainbow Dash, later this afternoon, Ah want you to meet me at the barn. Ah'm gonna build a landing pad for you. Ah can't have my friend possibly breaking another wing like you did months ago. And Ah can't have you crashing into my stall. You hear me?"

The pegasus mare lifted a hoof and pointed it at her friend, as if she was going to argue. Instead, she rubbed the back of her head and said, "Okay, I guess that's a better idea. I'll see you later around 3:00 PM, if that's okay with you."

Satisfied, Applejack nodded with a smile and said, "See you later, Dashie!"

Rainbow Dash saluted and took back off into the sky. Applejack sighed and said, "Phew! Glad that's over. Was worried something else was gonna fall out of the sky. Back to selling apples."

As more ponies started coming out of their homes, they went about their daily lives. All of them, however, were unaware that the signature strangeness of Ponyville, was just beginning.