//------------------------------// // Active - Callisto // Story: AppleDash Group Collab // by DbzOrDie //------------------------------// Rainbow Dash flitted around town like a little hummingbird, her wings 'vrring' with a mission - find something to do while she hid from her parents, and by extension, avoided chores. The filly hovered over SugarCube Corner, where she managed to pick a cupcake off of somepony's tray when he wasn't looking. All fuel for her little wings to keep zipping her around town. Over to the fountain. Nothing interesting there. Then to City Hall. The sheer weight of the politics stagnating over the building practically bounced the filly off of the invisible force and in another direction. Something to do, something to do... She had to keep moving, or her parents might manage to catch up with her. The longer she stayed away, the angrier they got. By now, they must have been fuming. Might as well enjoy her time while it lasted. Then something red caught her eye. "Hmm, apples," Rainbow Dash said, tapping a hoof to her chin. "Yeah, I could go for an apple!" -=-=-=- Macintosh tossed the bits from their latest sale to Applejack. Their new puppy, Winona wagged her tiny tail so hard, it nearly toppled her over. "Not now, Winona," Applejack said as she placed the coins away. The colt felt a tap on his shoulder. He looked to the side, but nopony was there. After a few seconds, an apple core dropped out of the sky, catching everypony's attention. "What was that?" Applejack asked, looking up. A small blue Pegasus was hovering over them holding as many apples as possible in her tiny limbs. "Did she pay for that?" Applejack asked her brother. "Did ya pay for that?" "These are pretty good!" the Pegasus said. "Next time, make them sweeter." Another apple core dropped to the ground. Applejack scoffed. "If ya wanted a sweeter apple, ya shoulda just asked! Now git down here and pay for those!" "Eh," The Pegasus tossed down the remaining apples she had so they landed in the basket. "They're only two apples! How much is that going to cost? An eighth of a bit?" "No!" Applejack said to the Pegasus, before looking back to Macintosh. "Right? They don't make those, right?" Macintosh shook his head. "That'll be one bit for the two apples!" "One bit?" the Pegasus said. "For kinda-sweet apples? In your dreams!" Applejack furrowed her brows. She reached under the table, pulled out a rope, and twirled it like her father taught her. She could barely keep the lasso swinging in circles over her head. "Oh, great. What are you gunna do? Lasso me? GYAH!" The Pegasus dropped to the floor between the Apple siblings. Winona bounded up to her and started licking her face. "UGH! Get this thing off of me!" "Ah will when ya pay for those apples you ate!" "There's no way - blegh - I'm paying one bit -ugh, yuck! - for TWO apples! EW! It licked me in my mouth!" "Well, if ya didn't have such a big mouth, that wouldn'ta been a problem!" Applejack placed a few more apples near the Pegasus. "There, now you're gettin' your money's worth. One bit!" "I don't HAVE any bits!" said the filly, trying to back away from the puppy. Applejack exchanged a look with her brother. "You know what that means, right?" The Pegasus' eyes went wide. "You're gunna feed me to the dog?" -=-=-=- Rainbow Dash hovered over the apple stand, a rope tied around her waist to keep her from flying away, holding a sign that read 'Ten Apples for Two Bits'. "Ya gotta smile, Rainbow!" Applejack called up to their new mobile sign. "Yeah, yeah." Then the Pegasus filly went pale when she heard a familiar voice call, "RAINBOW DASH!" "Eek!" She dropped the sign and hid behind the young earth filly. "Hide me!" Two Pegasi landed in front of the apple stand. "We've been searching all over for you! When I say, 'we want you to clean your room,' we expect you to clean your room! Not go gallivanting around Ponyville!" "Sorry, mom..." "Ah'm sorry 'bout that, ma'am," answered Applejack, all bright eyes and smiles and freckles. "She was just helpin' us out with our stand!" "Oh," said the mare, taking in the filly she hadn't noticed before. "And you are?" Applejack remembered her manners as she introduced herself, her brother and her puppy. The mare smiled, looking to her husband. "I'm glad to see Rainbow is making friends here in Ponyville! You seem to be getting along well." "Well," Applejack wasn't sure how to answer that. "She has helped with business." "Oh!" To her husband she said, "A business. Responsibility?" The two nodded in understanding. "Well...I suppose you can wait until you get home to clean, but no excuses tonight, young lady." Rainbow Dash looked up, unsure of what just happened. "O--okay, mom..." Applejack and Macintosh kindly waved to Rainbow's parents before Applejack looked back at the filly. "You...got me out of trouble. How did you DO that?" "Well, ya needed to work off those apples, right?" "Ah'm sure she's worked it off by now," Macintosh said. "Right," Applejack nodded, taking her brother's silent suggestion and untying the rope from around the filly. "Now, maybe you'll think twice before stealin' mah apples." "Yeah, yeah, lesson 'learned'." she said, rolling her eyes. -=-=-=-=-=- The Earth pony mare glared at the Pegasus hovering in the air. "Rainbow DASH!" The mare in question had a mouth full of apple, a smug smile on her face. Every day that Applejack ran the apple stand, she had to be on 'apple thief' watch. Rainbow Dash always defended that she needed the energy for all the flying she did. What's more, she learned over the years the best way to annoy the apple farmer. Rainbow raised an eyebrow to challenge the earth pony. Applejack flicked her tail to get the lasso spinning in the air. Rainbow was prepared for any punishment Applejack could dish out...