Applejack jumped onto her bed with an audible grunt. It was a very hard day for her on the market. Although the work was nowhere as exhausting as the chores out in the orchard, the monotonous nature and mind-numbing boredom sucked all the energy out of Applejack. She took of her Stetson and hung it on her bed post, and proceeded to unbutton her shirt, without moving from the bed. She winced as the shirt touched her scraped forearm. It stung considerably whole day, but Applejack felt even worse about the girl she fell on when sustaining this injury. Her rib cage was seriously bruised and must have caused a great deal of pain to that kid. Maybe not a kid... she must have been roughly the same age as AJ, but she was much shorter, making her appear younger. What in the world did she do to hurt herself so much? She thought.
Applejack let her mind wonder as she gave up on taking off any more of her clothes and just laid in her bed, letting herself drift off to sleep. However, just as her eyelids began to close in peaceful slumber, the cellphone in her jeans loudly rung, causing AJ to jump. She moaned while thinking It better be ‘bout world crisis, or Ah’m gonna make them regret wakin’ me up. She sat up and answered the call.
“Who is callin’ at this time of the night?”
“Hi Applejack!” Answered a slightly cracking feminine voice. “It’s Rainbow Dash from this morning; you know, we crashed into each other on the market.”
“Ah, it’s ya, Sugarcube! Ah’m sorry for shouting. How can Ah help ya?”
“Well... my friend who lives here is too busy tomorrow to show me around Ponyville and I still don’t know my way around. She said that if I asked you really nicely, you’d give me a tour. I mean, if you don’t wanna it’s fine.”
“Nah, sugarcube, it’d be a pleasure to show ya around mah hometown.” Applejack said while falling back onto her bed.
“Sweet, it’s a date! What time do you want to meet up?”
“Depends how early ya can get up. Ah have to do some work on the Sweet Apple Acres tomorrow afternoon, but Ah’m free in the mornin’.”
“Cool. I’ll be at there at 7.” And with that Rainbow Dash hung up.
Applejack spent half a minute longer still listening to the signal before she realized what just happened. She jumped back on her legs when she ran through the conversation in her head. A date? Nah, it was probably just a joke. Hey, does she even know where Sweet Apple acres is?
***
Just before dawn Rainbow went outside once again with her hair still dripping with water. She wore skin tight gray jeans ripped throughout, but the mostly on her knees, a cyan tank top and her favorite leather jacket. It was black and well worn, but she loved how it fitted around all her curves like a second skin. She shook her head sending the water into the air and sat on her motorbike not bothering to put on a helmet, instead opting for a pair of goggles she always kept in her pocket. She fired up the Sonic Rainboom and let the wind dry her hair while speeding towards the Ponyville outskirts.
It was 4 in the morning, still plenty of time to meet Applejack, so Rainbow took the opportunity to go for a drive in the empty roads leading out of Ponyville. Rainbow twisted the throttle and felt her machine purr underneath her. The Sonic Rainboom took off even faster, cutting through the distance and leaving the landscape as a blur far behind in a cloud of dust. Rainbow looked at the speedometer, 80 mph, 90, 100... the speed climbed higher, causing a mad rush of adrenaline to shoot through her veins. The wind whipped her hair, causing water from it to disperse into nothing. Unfortunately, the roads changed from asphalt to beaten dirt, forcing Rainbow to slow down, but not by a lot. She continued to cut through the roads, leaning with her bike at every turn so deep, her knees occasionally grazed the ground.
She smiled like a madman. Nothing comes anywhere near the excitement caused by speed. No one could ever understand Rainbow’s need for the wind in her hair. She did not think about anything, just how to increase her speed and all her worries were left behind in the dust. She loved the smell of petrol, the burning of the steel, the cries of every fiber of her body, begging to slow down. This is what she was born for.
Finally, Rainbow stopped on the roadside and admired the view that came to her eyes. The sun rose enough to illuminate the forest growing a couple of miles from Ponyville. The town itself was a small speck in the green hills Rainbow has just rushed past. It made the place look so insignificant, but so beautiful it took her breath away. The windows reflected tiny sun rays like a kaleidoscope. Small streams and rivers cutting the countryside similarly threw the light back, creating their small shows. It felt similar to Rainbow’s home city at night, when the streets were illuminated by neon lights and billboards, but this nature made landscape was so much more innocent and touching, Rainbow felt for the first time in a while like at home. Of course she wouldn't ever admit that she loved to look at such disgustingly romantic views. It was Rainbow’s guilty pleasure that not even Gilda knew about. She’d say it was stupid and ride off on her bike every time.
She had spent few more minutes admiring the view before the sun moved further in the sky, dispelling the earlier magic. A quick look at her watch confirmed it was time to start looking for the Sweet Apple Acres if Rainbow wanted to make it on time to pick up Applejack. She turned around and once again drove at breakneck speed towards the town.
After half an hour of reckless fun, Rainbow reached the town square. Fluttershy told her how to reach her destination from there, but she still did not know in which direction she should head. Ponyfeathers... Rainbow cursed under her breath. How hard can it be to find a huge farm? She slowly rode past some shops where owners were preparing for their day.
***
In one of the shops a girl dressed in pink poncho and even pinker leggings spotted a cyan motorcycle stopping in front of her window. She scratched her head thinking who could possibly drive such a bad ass looking machine. Then she noticed a rainbow colored head of hair and it clicked. It was that girl from yesterday morning. Wait, I don’t know her name! That is unacceptable for you Pinkie! Get your shapely ass over there and introduce yourself to that stud, you stud. With that thought she skipped towards the mysterious stranger.
“Hey there!” Pinkie shouted right next to Rainbow’s ear, causing her to jump high in the air.
“Whoah!” She looked at her attacker and broke into laughter. The combination of Pinkie’s clothes and her dyed pink hair caused a sensory overload to Rainbow and created nothing short of a comic fashion crime. “Let me guess, You must be Pinkie Pie.”
“Ooooh! How did you know? Are you a mind reader? That’s sooo cool! What am I thinking now?”
“Let me think... You’re thinking about my awesome hair, wondering about why a talented mind reader is in the tiny town that is Ponyville and from what Fluttershy told me about you... probably also about a welcoming party.” Rainbow looked in satisfaction as the pink tornado’s eyes grew wider and a grin spread across her face.
“O my gosh! You are a mind reader! That is soooo awesome. Hold on, you even know Fluttershy?! So you are like already my friend, ‘cuz if Fluttershy likes you, you must be at least half as awesome as your indeed fabulous hair.” Pinkie replied, winking at the last part of the sentence. “But you did miss out some parts of my thoughts. When you stared at me I was also thinking about cupcakes and Gummy and while looking at your hair I thought about rainbows and then Skittles. Still, you gave it a pretty good shot, Hun. What’s your name?”
“Rainbow Dash. Genus racer, athlete extraordinaire, a ruthless heartbreaker and of course the craziest party animal around.”
“Well handsome, I think you might have met your match. Meet Pinkamena Diane Pie, known as sugar maestro, the embodiment of chaos, the craziest party animal in history or also as Pinkie Pie. I am not planning on releasing my title yet, but from your introduction I can tell you’re going to become a worthy opponent.”
“Well, I guess Fluttershy did not predict just how well we’d click.” Rainbow said showing her signature grin. “Now with the introductions over I was hoping to ask for your help Pinkie.” The pink girl jumped in excitement. “I need to get to the Sweet Apple Acres but I seem to be temporarily lost.”
“You’re going to meet with Applejack? You know her too? It’s like you’re one of my best friends already! I can show you the way, but it will cost you a ride on this mother of all motorbikes. Is it a custom build?”
“Yeah, I call it Sonic Rainboom. Built and painted it with my own hands.” Rainbow looked at her watch and immediately turned to the pink companion. “Look man, I’m gonna be late. How do I get to that orchard?”
“Silly filly, it’s easy. Go past the furniture and quills store over there and turn left. After that there is a straight road all the way to Applejack’s front gate.”
“Thanks Pinkie!” Rainbow shouted while firing up her baby. “If you want a ride, I’m pretty much free every day right now. See you at the ‘surprise’ welcoming party!” And with that Rainbow dash was gone in a cloud of dust, leaving behind smell of petrol and roar of her engine.
“Wait a minute... How did she know about the surprise party?! She is a mind reader!”
***
Applejack did not know what to expect in the morning. She went through her morning routine like every day, not bothering to dry herself before putting on her clothes. The orange shirt clung to her body, soaking up the moisture. She got downstairs at 6:55 and headed towards her fridge. Applebloom had a day off school and Big Mac was already out in the orchard collecting apples, meaning a nice and lazy morning for AJ. At some point Applejack began to hear a quiet buzz, which quickly turned into a deafening roar of an engine, which stopped abruptly, by the sound of things, right in front of the front door of the Apple Family. She looked at the wall clocked which just struck 7 o’clock. At least she’s punctual. She stepped towards the door and opened it before her guest had a chance to knock.
“Howdy partner. Ya sure made a grand entrance with all that noise.”
“What can I say, a guest as awesome as me needs to announce their presence. Are you ready to rock the town today?”
“Sure thing Sugarcube. Let me just grab mah wallet and we can make run for it.”
“Cool. Mind if we take my motorcycle for the tour?” Applejack looked apprehensively at the cyan monster parked behind the strong, but tiny girl in front of her. “I promise not to rev the engine so loud and we can get around much faster than in a car.”
“Fine. Got any places you wanna visit in particular?” Applejack retreated back into the house while Rainbow waited near the door. She soon returned with a small red leather walled in her hand. She shoved it in the back pocket of her jeans and walked outside with her prismatic companion.
“Not really. I wouldn't know where to start, seeing as I have never been to Ponyville. You can say my move was quite abrupt. I could kill for a breakfast though. My treat.”
“That’s mighty kind of ya Rainbow Dash. Ah’m sure we can find something out there.”
“Sweet. Are you ready to rock, Sugarcube?”
Applejack cringed slightly hearing her signature phrase used by the city girl in front of her. She shook that off quickly and sat behind her new friend. She received the previously neglected by Rainbow helmet and wrapped her hands around Rainbow’s waist.
“Which way do I go?”
“Head to the market. We can eat there.”
And with that Rainbow sped off towards Ponyville. The initial burst of speed scared Applejack, causing her to grasp at Rainbow’s waist for her dear life. She relaxed soon though when she felt Rainbow's chest shaking in laughter through the thin leather jacket, and realized the awkward position she had put herself in; thankful for the helmet covering an apple red blush. The hair of the driver danced in the wind in front of Applejack, distracting her from the quickly shifting landscape by their colorful dance. After what seemed like hours of holding to Rainbow Dash, she felt the bike slowing down until becoming completely stationary.
“Well, where do we eat? I’m starving!”
“Let’s go to the Sugarcube Corner. Pinkie Pie will fix ya a breakfast that will keep ya on a sugar rush ‘till Monday.”
“Sounds like my kind of food.” Rainbow replied, grinning at her guide. AJ took off the helmet and returned it to Rainbow, who hung it from the motorbike handle. She took off the goggles and let them hang from her neck instead of putting them back in her pocket.
They both walked towards a building that looked as though made out of gingerbread. It took every ounce of self control from the hungry Rainbow Dash not to take a bite out of the door, which was decorated with absolutely delicious looking frosting. If the wicked witch lives here, hell, I’ll let her fatten me up.
They were welcomed by a small bell fixed above the door, followed by rib-crushingly strong hug from a pink tornado. Rainbow yelped in pain and was quickly released and she held her battered sides again. Don’t get me wrong. She was used to batterings and injuries through her colorful past and dangerous hobbies, making her able to deal with the constant ache of broken ribs, but even a healthy person would struggle if captured by a Pinkie Hug.
“Upsy daisy. Sorry about that Rainbow Dash. Long time no see. Did you miss me that much?”
“Of course Pinkie. Can’t get enough of your charms.” Rainbow replied, winking at her attacker.
“Ya both know each other? Are ya the friend Rainbow knew before comin’ here?”
“Nope, we’ve met today morning silly. Rainbow is actually Fluttershy’s bestie.”
“Wha?” Shocked Applejack gave Rainbow Dash a look-over, failing to believe that the girl in front of her could possibly have anything to do with the shy and fragile creature that is Fluttershy. I mean look at her! She might be quite short and slim, but the skin tight trousers revealed chiseled muscles and tendons made for running. She had many piercings, including one silver stretcher in her right ear and one black ring in her bottom lip; and the quite eye catching shoulder length hair was styled by the wind into a chaotic thunder of color. She had one of the most beautiful eyes AJ ever saw, bordering between purple and rose. They must be contacts she thought. Applejack had to agree that the sight was breathtaking, from a purely objective point of view, but it also seemed to define the type of person Fluttershy would usually avoid.
“How have ya met?” Applejack asked while taking a seat at one of the scattered tables.
“In middle school. After she moved I haven’t seen her face for what, 2 years? But we kept in touch and she’s still my best gal. Anyway, Pinkie, what’d you recommend for a person that has not eaten for two days? I am about to die from hunger.”
“On it, handsome!” Pinkie seemingly disappeared from the table and returned in less than a minute with tray full of cupcakes, pancakes, and other cakes, topped with two humongous milkshakes.
“Whoa...” Both AJ and Rainbow looked at the food with the eyes of a famished predators, waiting for the first opportunity to pounce upon the prey. The instant the tray touched the table, they both attacked the treats, with a mumbled thanks aimed roughly where Pinkie stood.
“Glad to see you both like it.”
“You kidding me? Those are the best cupcakes I have tasted in whole life! What did you add to them? An extract of awesome or something?”
“Well, you really are a mind reader Dash. But a magician cannot reveal her secrets like that. Let’s say you are pretty close.”
“Ah don’t care how ya make them Pinkie, so long as ya keep ‘em comin’.”
After couple more minutes of scoffing the food presented to them, Applejack and Rainbow Dash sat back in their chairs, both with a content smiles across their faces.
“Man Pinkie, will you marry me?”
“Oh Rainbow Dash, this is so sudden... Fine, but it’s going to cost you. Which reminds me, Applejack, are you free this evening?”
“Ah suppose. But it’d be mighty late Pinkie.”
“That’s okay. The party would last until the morning anyway. Rainbow, can you show up here at nine?”
“Yeah. Want me to pick up Flutters too?”
“Perfect. Your welcoming party is officially on tonight then.” Pinkie said while chuckling and rubbing her hands in a sinister manner. Oh boy. It’s gonna be a night to remember, or rather one everyone will forget Applejack thought. Pinkie’s parties were famous, for all the good and bad reasons. No denying, everyone was always catered to, and all the nights were a blast, but Pinkie Pie’s famous bar tending skills meant many guests would fail to remember what good fun they had. Not that anyone complained.
“Ah think it’s time for us Rainbow. Ah wanna show ya around before Ah have to come back to the orchard. Thank ya kindly for the breakfast Pinkie.”
“Yeah, how much do I owe you?” Rainbow said while taking a battered wallet from a hidden pocket in her jacket.
“Nothing Sweetie. Consider this a welcome gift. Plus, you really looked starved, and I couldn't let a new best friend walk around like an angry zombie, giving hungry eyes to all the people of Ponyville. But how awesome would it be if you were actually a zombie! You would be all green and with brain and guts sticking out. It would be sooooo funny!”
“I’ll take your word for it, Pinks. Thanks for breakfast.”
“See you later guys!” Pinkie Pie shouted, causing many customers in the Sugarcube Corner to cover their ears in an attempt to protect them. She watched her guests leave with a wicked smile on her face. This night is going to be beyond legendary.