Clean Slate
By Alaborn
Standard disclaimer: This is a not for profit fan work. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is copyright Hasbro, Inc. I make no claim to any copyrighted material mentioned herein.
Chapter 9: Running
I awoke to the morning sun. All traces of the previous night’s thunderstorm had passed. I could hear birds chirping outside. But I didn’t hear anything else.
I looked around the room. Apple Bloom was already gone. I didn’t hear the normal activity downstairs, either.
I checked the mirror. My mane was a mess, and I really needed a shower. But something felt wrong. I headed downstairs. Just as I suspected, nopony was there.
I looked outside for a sign of my family. I didn’t see them, but the trail of hoofprints in the muddy ground was easy to spot. It looked like multiple sets of hoofprints; possibly everypony had headed out the back door.
Eventually, the tracks split off, but I spotted somepony by the barn. A large section of its roof was missing. Over by the barn door, a pegasus I didn’t know, with a coat of a lighter yellow color than Apple Bloom’s, was talking to the cows and pigs, who looked shaken but unharmed. Applejack and Apple Bloom were over by the damaged section of the barn. Next to them, I saw Rainbow Dash. She was leaning forward, forelegs nearly parallel to the ground, her head bowed so low that she was getting mud in the orange part of her mane.
I crept closer, trying to hear what was going on.
“I’m sorry. I screwed up. I’m sorry,” Rainbow Dash said, lowering her head again. Then she repeated that. Judging by Applejack’s expression, she had said that phrase many more times.
“Rainbow Dash, get up!” Applejack yelled. “You’re a good mare. You’re a good weather pony. Mistakes happen. I’m not blaming you!”
Eventually, Applejack took matters into her own hooves, lifting her up and giving her a comforting hug. “I don’t want to hear another negative word out of you,” she said quietly.
Big McIntosh came out of the barn, a tall ladder and a rolled-up canvas tarp on his back. Applejack turned to face him, and noticed me standing there. “Morning, Diamond Tiara,” she said.
“What happened?” I asked.
“Just a little bad weather last night. It’s nopony’s fault,” Applejack said, looking pointedly at Rainbow Dash. “We’ll deal with it,” she said to me.
“But I...” Rainbow Dash started.
“But nothing,” Applejack interrupted. “If you want to help, the best thing you could do is help Big McIntosh nail up that tarp.” Rainbow Dash nodded.
“Now, as for you two, you’ve got school,” Applejack told us. “Now get going!”
“What happened last night?” I asked over breakfast.
“The storm turned worse than expected,” Applejack said. “Rainbow Dash is blaming herself. Something about not doing another check of the weather over the Everfree, and something about a feedback loop that made the storm clouds about half again as strong as they were supposed to be.”
“Is that because she spent so much time over here the last week?” I asked.
“I suppose that could be it,” Applejack answered. “In that case, she really shouldn’t feel bad. I’m the one that asked her to help.”
“How bad is it?” Apple Bloom asked.
“Well, you saw the barn. The farmhouse is okay, as is the shed. We lost a lot of branches and a few trees.”
“Oh,” Apple Bloom muttered.
“Don’t you two worry. We’ll manage. We’ll turn the fallen trees into planks, and then repair that old barn. I’m sure it will pass Keen Eye’s next inspection.”
I picked at the oatmeal in front of me, the apples in it suddenly tasting bitter. Rainbow Dash messed up because she was tired. She was tired because she was working here. She was working here because Applejack was behind on her own work. And Applejack was behind because....
This is all my fault.
I felt down all day. My school participation was minimal, my play at recess halfhearted. I must have said that nothing’s wrong a dozen times that day.
When I got home, I told Apple Bloom that I wanted to get started on my homework right away. She nodded, heading outside. I, on the other hand, headed to our room, burying my face in my pillow, staring into the fabric.
I must have zoned out, as I didn’t notice anypony walk into the room before I felt a sturdy hoof on my withers. I looked up to see Applejack. “Something wrong, sugarcube?” she asked.
“Nothing’s wrong,” I lied.
Applejack, of course, would have none of that. “I know something’s wrong,” she said, taking a seat on the bed next to me. “And I’m not leaving until you tell me about it.”
“It’s the storm, and the damages. If it wasn’t for me, it never would have happened.”
Applejack facehoofed. “Not you, too,” she muttered.
That wasn’t the reaction I was expecting.
“Look, sugarcube. You can’t beat yourself up over what ifs. Did you ever think that, maybe, me taking you to the hospital saved me from a timber wolf attack?” Applejack asked.
I shook my head.
“A million different things could have happened,” Applejack said. “Some strange magic out of the Everfree. A changeling invasion. Another crash by our mailmare. We Apples don’t worry about the blame. We work together, fix what’s wrong, and move on.”
This isn’t a what if. It’s what actually happened.
“You could take some money for the repairs and replanting out of the trust fund my father left me. I’d feel better if you did that,” I offered.
Applejack paused. “That’s not ours to take,” she said. “We can handle it as a family.” I was seeing signs of that stubbornness that led her to try to handle a harvest by herself.
“But we are family,” I said. “This isn’t charity. It’s family.”
“We are family,” Applejack replied, agreeing with me on this point. “I’ll love you and protect you just like my sister, but that can’t change the fact that you’re the daughter of Filthy Rich. You can do whatever you want in life, but your special talent will probably have you running your father’s business one day. And I refuse to do anything that will hurt your future, and that includes taking from your nest egg.”
There’s that stubbornness again. She wasn’t going to accept my help.
“Did someone talk to you?” Applejack asked.
“No. I found some papers in that crowded cupboard while looking for recipes,” I said truthfully. “I think I’d like to learn more, if you don’t mind.”
“Well, it might help you uncover your special talent,” Applejack mused. “And Celestia forbid Apple Bloom hears I’d stop a filly from earning her cutie mark. I think I know somepony you can talk to.
“And don’t you worry about the money. I know a way your father will help us out. Follow me, and I’ll show you.”
Curious, I followed Applejack downstairs. She sat down, and opened the day’s copy of the Ponyville Express. “Take a look at this,” she said.
“The First Annual Ponyville Running of the Leaves Race,” I recited. “500 bit prizes for fastest time and for most leaves felled.” The advertisement mentioned other prizes as well.
“See that? Those prizes are there because of a grant your father made in his will, to help Ponyville grow. And I have no problem with taking your father’s bits if I earn it in an honest competition.”
“Did you want to help out at the Running of the Leaves?” Applejack asked me as the week neared its end.
“I don’t think it would be a good idea for me to run,” I said.
“Not like that,” Applejack said. “We need somepony to sign up the racers. And I talked to Mayor Mare. I suggested you be the one to award the prize for the fastest racer.”
That sounded... very nice. “I’ll do it.”
That Saturday, I rose early, and headed with Applejack to town hall. A makeshift stage had been assembled for the day’s activities. Next to it was a smaller table, labeled Registration. It looked like I wouldn’t be handling registration alone. A lavender unicorn was already seated. Wait, she had wings, too. I stopped, my knees locking. A princess! But that’s not a princess. There are only three alicorns! But... but... horn and wings!
“Twilight, I think you’d better introduce yourself, before Diamond Tiara drops dead of fright,” Applejack said.
The alicorn stood up and approached me, kneeling to bring herself to my eye level. “It’s just me, Twilight Sparkle,” she said.
“P... princess?” I stuttered.
“Yes, but you can call me Twilight if you want. I’m still the mare you knew.”
“I’m sorry, but... I lost my memory from before the accident,” I said quietly.
“I know, Diamond Tiara. If you want to hear my story, I’m sure you could ask anypony in town. Today, though, I’m just here to cast a spell on the runners,” Twilight Sparkle said.
“A spell?” I asked.
“Yes. It will track each runner’s speed as well as the number of leaves they drop with their steps. It might not be completing a masterpiece of an ancient spell by Star Swirl the Bearded, but I still enjoyed creating this new spell.”
“Hello? Is this where I sign up?” an earth pony mare asked. Like everypony, I didn’t recognize her. Her coat was the color of cream, and her curly mane was blue and pink. She looked up at the sign above us. “Oh, I guess it is.”
“Good morning, Bon Bon,” Twilight Sparkle said. “Would you like to sign up for the traditional Running of the Leaves, or the competitive race?”
“What’s the difference?” she asked.
“The competitive race has a ten bit entry fee, and is eligible for these prizes,” Twilight Sparkle said, motioning to a list. “The entry fee benefits the Ponyville Improvement Fund, established through the generosity of Diamond Tiara’s father.”
“From Filthy Rich? I’m not much of a runner, but for him, I’ll do the competitive race,” Bon Bon said.
“Excellent! Now I’ll just need to cast a quick spell,” Twilight Sparkle said.
As Twilight Sparkle’s horn glowed, an aura briefly surrounded Bon Bon’s hooves.
“Did you know my father?” I asked Bon Bon.
“A little,” she replied. “He always liked my candy. One day, we started talking business. He thought there was a market for candy somewhere between mass produced junk and hoofcrafted delicacies. I worked on it, and he always encouraged me. Eventually, I came up with the gourmet chocolate bars that are now sold in Barnyard Bargains across Equestria.”
It looked like my father’s efforts helped this local mare.
“You can sign me up for the big race, too,” Applejack said. Turning to Bon Bon, she continued. “Don’t think I’ll go easy on you, Bon Bon. I can’t forget the year you finished before me.”
“But everypony beat you that year,” Twilight Sparkle said.
“Don’t remind me,” Applejack muttered.
Twilight Sparkle repeated the casting of her spell, and Applejack was ready to go.
Soon afterward, a line formed at the registration desk. Twilight Sparkle greeted each local by name. Most of them chose to participate in the traditional race. However, there were a few dozen other ponies, who I suspected were from other cities, since Twilight Sparkle greeted them all with “Welcome to Ponyville!” All came for the competitive race. Most possessed cutie marks that suggested a talent in running or athletics.
We registered all of the runners. Ponies milled around Town Hall while waiting for the race to start. Vendors with their carts tried catching everypony’s attention, hoping to sell snacks and souvenirs. Applejack waited with me by my booth. Finally, the mayor stepped onstage.
“Welcome, everypony, to Ponyville’s annual Running of the Leaves,” Mayor Mare announced. “To help usher in the end of autumn, we, the citizens of Ponyville, run a path through town, and then into the nearby Whitetail Wood, dropping the leaves from the trees. This year, we’re adding a competitive race to the Running. To explain the rules, let me welcome Princess Twilight Sparkle!”
Twilight Sparkle stepped to the podium. “Thank you, everypony, for coming, and a special welcome to all of our first time visitors! All of you with the yellow numbers on your flanks are registered for the competitive race. Prizes will go to the fastest runners and to the ponies responsible for dropping the most leaves. There are minimum requirements for both speed and leaves, so to all you pegasi, don’t think you can just fly the course! You’ll need to make each hooffall count!
“Ten minutes after the racers depart, the rest of the runners, that’s all of you with the white numbers, will take off. Working together, we’ll get the entire Whitetail Wood ready for winter!”
I thought by now that Applejack would be raring to race. Instead, she was scanning the crowd. A concerned expression had crossed her face during Twilight Sparkle’s speech.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“It’s Rainbow Dash. We always race,” Applejack replied.
I looked around, knowing the mare’s rainbow locks would be easy to spot in a crowd, but I couldn’t see her either.
“Racers, to the starting line!” Twilight Sparkle called.
I nudged Applejack. “Please, go out there and run. Do our family proud!”
With a heavy heart, Applejack joined the rest of the racers, her rival still nowhere to be found.
“And go!”
A light cloud of dust was raised as the racers departed, the thundering of hundreds of hooves slowly fading. Ten minutes later, a larger yet quieter crowd departed. And then, the town was quiet.
Most of the spectators took the opportunity to walk around Ponyville, as they would any other day. It would be a while before the racers returned, so why not go shopping? A few other ponies came up to talk to me. They wanted to know how I was doing, and they mentioned how much they admired my father for his love of Ponyville. I smiled politely, but I was lost. How should I respond? I couldn’t remember anything about my father. Did they want me to be like him? Was he some mythological figure I couldn’t hope to emulate?
I was very grateful to see Apple Bloom and the Crusaders approach. I waved to them.
“Howdy, Diamond Tiara. Did you get your cutie mark in registering ponies?”
“No,” I responded, not even bothering to look at my flank.
“Apple Bloom said you’d be over here today,” Sweetie Belle said.
“So what’s up?” Scootaloo asked.
“Nothing right now. Just waiting,” I said. “A lot of ponies have mentioned my father, saying he was a good pony.”
I heard nothing but three ponies nervously scratching the ground with their hooves.
“I’m sure they meant well,” Apple Bloom offered.
“I guess it should make me feel good that so many ponies liked my father,” I said. “But it’s hard to feel anything.”
Apple Bloom suddenly hugged me. “It’s harder when you do feel it,” she whispered.
Again, there was silence.
“Scootaloo, have you seen Rainbow Dash?” I asked, breaking the silence.
The pegasus filly scratched her head. “No, not since our flying lesson last week. Why? What’s going on?”
“Isn’t she racing right now?” Apple Bloom asked.
“That’s just it. Applejack was expecting her to race today, but she didn’t show up,” I said.
“Think she’s still upset?” Apple Bloom asked
“Upset over what?” Sweetie Belle wondered.
“The storm did a little damage to the farm,” Apple Bloom said.
“No way Rainbow Dash caused it,” Scootaloo said confidently.
“She’s blaming herself, wrongly, I think,” I said.
“Then we need to get Applejack and Rainbow Dash together so they can make up!” Sweetie Belle suggested.
“CUTIE MARK CRUSADER MAKE-UP ARTISTS, YAY!” the others screamed in unison.
“Wait, that doesn’t sound right,” Scootaloo observed.
I heard a low rumble in the distance. “It’ll have to wait until the race is over.”
The spectators also heard the sound of the returning runners, and gathered along both sides of the marked finish line. I followed the Crusaders and tried to get a good view of the finish line. We crowded between the legs of the adult ponies in time to see the lead racers. Two stallions were neck and neck. Their coats glistened with sweat. Their nostrils flared, greedily taking in as much oxygen as they could. Each spared a brief glance at the other before setting their gazes straight ahead. They forced themselves to the limit of their endurance, but the pale orange stallion had just a little more energy. He surged ahead of the light blue stallion, winning by a length.
Over the next ten minutes, the racers with the yellow numbers all crossed the finish line. Volunteers greeted them with mugs of water and towels, which were gratefully accepted. Applejack wasn’t among the fastest runners, but she finished in a respectable time. Apple Bloom raced up to her, embracing her sister despite the sweat dripping from her barrel.
The excitement of the crowd had just begun to die down when the first of the second group of racers approached the finish line. The townsfolk looked tired, though not to the extent of the competitive racers. Over the span of twenty minutes, everypony completed the run.
Twilight Sparkle gently placed a wing over me, causing me to raise my head, attracting my attention to an envelope floating in front of me. “Here are the winning racers. Their medals are waiting at the podium. Mayor Mare will be calling you up shortly.”
“Okay,” I replied, walking to a seat near the stage.
Mayor Mare took her position at the podium. “Fillies and gentlecolts, good morning to you all! Thank you for coming to this year’s Running of the Leaves, and special thanks to all of this year’s runners. With your help, the Whitetail Wood is ready for winter. Now, as much as I know how long you’ve been waiting to hear me speak....” Mayor Mare paused, allowing the crowd to chuckle at her joke. “You’re all waiting to know who won the race. For that, I’d like to call Diamond Tiara to stage.”
I trotted up the stairs and to the podium. Thankfully, somepony had placed a stool by the podium, allowing me to stand on it and see over the podium. I opened the envelope, and used my hoof to slide out the paper inside it.
“Thank you, Mayor. I hope everypony has made some beautiful memories of Ponyville today.” None more than me. “Here are the results. In third place, with a time of 47 minutes, 38 seconds, from Manehattan, Silverhoof.” A silver mare stepped onto the stage. I placed the medal around her neck and shook her hoof.
“In second place, with a time of 46 minutes, 13 seconds, from Fillydelphia, Lightning Tracer.” The light blue stallion smiled, despite his close loss, as he accepted the medal.
“And in first place, with a time of 46 minutes, 11 seconds, from Canterlot, Dawn Runner.” The fit stallion, his coat now recognizable as the colors of his namesake, beamed as he took the gold medal.
Mayor Mare stepped up to the podium. I stepped down and headed offstage, taking a seat by the Crusaders, as she addressed the crowd again. “And now, Princess Twilight Sparkle will show us the names of the ponies responsible for felling the most leaves this morning.”
Twilight Sparkle walked up the stairs, despite having wings. Her horn flared, and swirls appeared above her head. There were three rows, each a different color, and two columns. Each character was identical, like the pattern of a firework captured at the peak of its beauty.
“Thanks to the spell cast on each of the racers, I have tracked how many leaves each racer shook from the trees of Whitetail Wood, all while maintaining an incredible pace. Without further ado, here are the results.”
The swirls in the bottom right changed shape, forming a number in the hundreds of thousands. “In third place, Shoeshine!” As she announced the name, the swirls on the bottom left formed into her name. The process repeated itself as second place was announced, Golden Harvest.
I found myself holding my breath as first, the swirls in the upper right were replaced by a number, twenty percent higher than second place. Then, I heard it and saw it simultaneously. “Applejack!”
I joined the Crusaders in jumping with joy, screaming our heads off. She did it!
I felt a pair of strong forelegs embrace me. “Told you I’d win,” Applejack said, smiling.
“How did you know?”
“Trust me, I have lots of practice with dropping leaves from trees.”
We let Applejack go, claiming Crusader business. Once she was out of earshot, I asked if anypony knew where to find Rainbow Dash. Three heads shook no.
We tried asking around town. Nopony had seen her.
“I guess... she’s at home?” Scootaloo suggested.
“Let’s check there,” I said.
“But she lives in a cloud house,” Apple Bloom pointed out.
We all sighed. But our brief contemplation was interrupted by a rope ladder falling among us.
I looked up. There was a hot air balloon, and Pinkie Pie was waving to us. “Looks like somepony needs a lift!” she yelled down to us.
“But how?” I uttered.
“That’s just Pinkie being Pinkie,” Sweetie Belle said.
“Well, what are we waiting for?” Scootaloo said, starting up the ladder.
I tested climbing the ladder. I didn’t feel any strain, so I climbed the twenty rungs. Pinkie Pie helped me into the basket. Soon afterward, we were joined by Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom.
“So how...” I started.
“I got a twitchy tail, floppy tail, then a twitchy and floppy tail, followed by three ear itches! That told me somepony was looking for a lift into the clouds. It’s a good thing I had this balloon to report on today’s race!” Pinkie Pie said, all without taking a breath.
“Hey, now we can try to get our cutie marks in hot air balloon piloting!” Sweetie Belle said.
“Sure thing!” Pinkie Pie said, passing Apple Bloom a rope.
“Uh, what do I do?” she said uncertainly.
“First, we need to turn up the fire, and then we use these ropes to control the balloon!” Pinkie Pie said. The baker and party pony also seemed to be good at handling flying machines as well. She let us each put our hooves on the controls, but I observed she remained in control the whole time.
“This is a lot faster with a pegasus towing it,” Pinkie Pie ruminated.
I looked to my friends. They shrugged.
It didn’t actually take that long until we spotted a rather large cloud house. Its most striking feature was the liquid rainbow flowing in multiple fountains. It was quiet, but then again, we were far above Ponyville.
“I’ll go check on Rainbow Dash,” Scootaloo suggested. That was probably a wise decision, since she was the only pony in the balloon who could walk on clouds.
She jumped into the clouds, trotting to the cloud mansion’s front door with a bounce in her step. I watched as she knocked, knocked again, and finally pressed her ear against a cloud wall.
Dejected, Scootaloo returned to the balloon. “I don’t think Rainbow Dash is home,” she said.
“At least we got a chance to get our cutie marks!” Sweetie Belle said. We all looked at our flanks. Of course, they were still blank.
“Thanks for your help, Pinkie Pie,” I said.
“I’m sure you’ll find Rainbow Dash!” Her smile never left her face.
Our latest crusade a bust, Apple Bloom and I headed home. I thought about all the good things people said about my father, the good he was still doing. I remembered the mare, Bon Bon, whose own life was improved by knowing my father. That reminded me of something.
“Hey, Apple Bloom? Do you remember a year when Applejack finished behind Bon Bon in the Running of the Leaves race?”
Apple Bloom thought back. “That was probably the year Applejack tied for last with Rainbow Dash. They spent the whole race trying to trick each other, so much that they didn’t focus enough on the actual running!”
“They must really have some friendship,” I observed.
“Yeah, they go way back,” Apple Bloom said.
“Do you think they’re going to be okay?” I asked.
“Yeah, if they’ll just talk.”
We returned to find Applejack and Big McIntosh both working on repairs to the barn.
“Howdy, girls,” Applejack said. “Did you have fun?”
“No cutie marks,” Apple Bloom said.
“Applejack, did you find Rainbow Dash? Are you two going to be okay?” I asked.
“Don’t worry. Rainbow Dash is tough,” Applejack replied.
That wasn’t an answer to my question. “But you’re worried,” I stated.
“Yeah, but maybe she just needs time.”
“We tried to talk to Rainbow Dash, but we couldn’t find her, and she wasn’t home either,” Apple Bloom said.
Big McIntosh climbed down the ladder and dropped the hammer from his mouth. “Sis, I don’t like seeing you when you’re worried about your friends. The barn will be here tomorrow. Go find Rainbow Dash.”
“All right,” Applejack said, conceding defeat.
“Can we come too?” Apple Bloom asked. She gave Applejack a look with those irresistible puppy dog eyes. I really have to learn how to do that.
Applejack sighed. “Okay.”
Together, we returned to central Ponyville. We asked around, but it proved to be as fruitless as before. Nopony had seen Rainbow Dash all day, not even the pegasi who worked on the weather team with her. “She always takes a day off for the Running of the Leaves,” one said.
“Yeah, but the only thing she’s running from is me,” Applejack muttered.
“You really think she is?” Apple Bloom asked.
“That mare can be as stubborn as me,” she replied. “If she got it in her head that she hurt me and mine, she’s going to have a hard time getting that out of her mind.”
“How did she get over that fight you had over the race?” I asked.
“Being told we tied for last place, that told us how foolish we both were,” Applejack said. “I wonder...” she muttered. We both looked at Applejack expectantly.
“You two up for a little walk?”
“This is the Whitetail Wood,” Applejack said. An impressive forest, the Whitetail Wood stretched to the horizon. Those trees that weren’t evergreens had branches completely stripped of leaves, with the thick carpet of fallen leaves a testament to the work done earlier that day.
After about ten minutes, I started feeling tired. I tried not to show it, but Applejack noticed. She ordered me onto her back. I complained, but actually felt relieved to get off my hooves.
“So we’re following the route I ran earlier. I think we’ve got the ideal route through these woods identified, as you can see from the lack of leaves,” Applejack said. After a few moments, she started looking around.
“Here’s where Rainbow Dash and I accused each other of tripping the other, but it was just rocks and stumps,” Applejack observed. She pointed further down the trail. “There was a beehive over there that year.”
After another ten minutes, we came across a painted wooden arrow. Applejack kicked it, spinning the arrow to point it in another direction. “Here’s where Rainbow Dash changed the sign, and I got fooled. Even though I’ve run this race since I was your age, I was so caught up in our competition, I didn’t notice I was running uphill, away from the trees.”
“Do you think she might be up there?” I asked.
“Well, if she didn’t want to be found, that would be a pretty good place to go.”
Taking my suggestion, Applejack headed up the rocky trail. The ground was untouched, but I suppose it’s hard to look for tracks from a pegasus. After a careful climb, we spotted the errant pegasus, or at least her rainbow-colored tail. She was resting on the edge of a rocky outcropping, gazing out at the woods beyond.
“Dash,” Applejack said.
The pegasus came out of her reverie. “Hi,” she said, without much enthusiasm.
“So,” Applejack started.
“So,” Rainbow Dash replied.
“Race wasn’t the same without you,” Applejack said.
“I just wasn’t in the mood for the race.”
“You’re never not in the mood for a competition,” Applejack asserted.
Rainbow Dash stared off before speaking again. “You know? I haven’t touched that cider.”
“That’s not like you either,” Applejack said.
“I don’t think I could drink it without remembering what I did.”
Applejack lowered herself to her knees; I took the cue and jumped off. Then, Applejack walked over to Rainbow Dash. “Sugarcube, you’re still my friend. You’re still a darn fine weather pony. And your loyalty is unmatched. You need to stop running from whatever is bothering you. You can talk to me about anything.”
Rainbow Dash looked from Applejack to us fillies.
“Think you two can step away for a moment?” Applejack asked. We nodded and departed.
“You think we’ll get our cutie marks in ponies making up now?” Apple Bloom whispered.
“I hope they make up,” I responded, “but we probably won’t get a cutie mark.”
“Yeah,” Apple Bloom admitted.
We were far enough away from the two mares that we couldn’t hear them clearly. Words were lost to the distance, but their tone managed to carry. Some of the words sounded rather heated. Then, they stopped.
Apple Bloom and I waited with bated breath.
Applejack and Rainbow Dash came down the hill, smiling and nudging each other. “Don’t you two worry,” Applejack said, “we know how to handle this.”
“We’re going to settle this with a race back to Ponyville,” Rainbow Dash said. “And when I win, I’m going to....”
“Now hold on partner, you think you can beat me in a hoof race?” Applejack countered.
“With ease!” Rainbow Dash boasted.
“We’ll see about that. Diamond Tiara, you hop on. Apple Bloom, get on Dash and keep her honest.”
“Are we getting in over our heads?” I whispered to Apple Bloom.
“Just keep your eye out for tree sap, and we’ll be okay,” she whispered back.
I climbed on Applejack and held on tight. Apple Bloom steeled herself as Rainbow Dash counted down. “Three... two... one... GO!”
They were running again, but running together. Whatever trouble still existed between Applejack and Rainbow Dash was being worked out in the way they knew best. Everything would be fine, just as long as I could hold on.