//------------------------------// // Journey North // Story: The Season's Upon Us // by flutterdash1 //------------------------------// The faded purple walls of Ponyville’s train station vanished in a sudden burst of steam and with a lurch, the train began to move forward. Rainbow Dash was looking out the window, waving her hoof at her friends. Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Twilight, and Fluttershy had all come to see her and Applejack off for their trip. Applejack was tucking her saddlebags under the seat when the train lurched. Knowing they were now leaving, she jumped to the window and opened it up. Leaning out the window, Applejack lifted her hat in one hoof and shouted “See y’all in a few days!” before coming back into the cart and shutting the window. “Y’all sure ah shouldn’t bring anything?” Applejack asked, glancing down at the floor where a corner of her saddlebags was visible. All she had packed was an apple pie and a coat in case it was colder than she was comfortable with up north. “I’m sure,” Rainbow Dash said with a groan, having repeated that five times already, “My mom insists on doing all of the cooking and we don’t exchange gifts for Hearth’s Warming Day. My family isn’t exactly...traditional.” “Heh, y’all talkin’ to me ‘bout ‘traditional’ families? Mah Hearth’s Warmin’ Day parties have third ’n fourth cousins attendin’. Basically as big as the Apple Family Reunion.” “Yeah...well...you’ll see.” Rainbow Dash said. Applejack fidgeted a little on her seat and looked down at her hooves. “Ah still feel weird.” Applejack said, “That spell Twilight used to let me walk on the clouds...ah feel like ahm made of straw. Like ahm gonna get blown away in a gust of wind.” “Well, it worked well enough when you guys came to visit Cloudsdale.” Rainbow Dash said. “Doesn’t make it feel any less funny now.” Applejack said. “So! Can we go over yer family’s names again? I got that yer ma is Rainbow Shine and yer dad is Sky Prism, who else is gonna be there?” “I’m not sure, exactly.” Rainbow Dash said, “It’s not much of an ‘RSVP’ sort of affair. If someone can come, they’ll come.” She shrugged, “Usually my grandparents are there; Latte Drop and Moon Drop are my mom’s parents and Sergeant Breeze and Spring Breeze are my dad’s parents. Then some mix of my sisters, brothers, aunts, and uncles.” “Ya never told me you had brothers and sisters!” Applejack said, a glimmer of excitement in her eyes. “Well-” “Are any of’em like you?” Applejack asked, “Ah always figured if you had brothers you’d be the one to make sure they don’t think girls are sissies.” “Ehh...” Rainbow Dash said, lifting her hoof and making a ‘so-so’ gesture. “My sisters and I outnumbered my brothers. Seven girls, including me, and two brothers.” “Yer folks had nine kids!” Applejack exclaimed, "How the hay did y'all fit in one house?" She put on a false suspicious expression. "Are your parents millionaires?" "What? No!" Rainbow Dash said, grinning a little despite her passive unease. "Heh, no. There's just a lot of room in a house full of pegasai. I mean...we're not all stuck on the floor." "Ah, that makes sense then." Applejack said as she envisioned a house full of little Rainbow Dashs, flying everywhere and all over the place. "Yeah, so my brothers never really tried to pull any of that macho crap. Violet and Sapphire are the oldest, then Straight Song and Pearl Pop. They're twins. Then me, then Rhyming Shine, then Vic then Cloudy Day. She's the youngest." "Middle child?" Applejack said with a pop of her eyebrow. "That explains-" "Shut up," Rainbow said, reaching across the gap between their seats and pulling Applejack's hat down over her face. "I've heard that enough to tell you that that's complete horseapples." "Really now?" Applejack asked, looking bemused. "Yeah!" Rainbow Dash said, "Of everyone in my family, I'm the -most- successfull. I'm the Ponyville Weather Team Leader, don't forget." Applejack knew that. If it wasn't for Dash's job, Applejack wouldn't be able to get forewarnings of upcoming weather changes and, she suspected, get preferential weather treatment duringvital times of the harvest. "What does the rest of yer family do?" Applejack asked. Rainbow Dash turned and looked out the window at the passing scenery. She rested her elbow on the arm of her seat and put her chin on her hoof while shrugging. "Dad works at the Vanhoover Rainbow Factory and mom stays at home. Last time I talked to my brothers and sisters, half of them were unemployed and the other half were involved in some get rich quick scheme with my uncle Soda Craft." Applejack felt an odd sensation. She wasn't sure if she should be feeling pity for Rainbow Dash and her family situation, or if she should just accept it as it was. Was her own idea of what ponies did with themselves presumptuous? She considered herself as open-minded as the next pony, but having eight siblings who were just layabouts didn't sound like something she'd be as okay with as Dash seemed to be. "So...uh..." Applejack said, "How long of a train ride are we lookin' at?" "Six hours." Rainbow Dash said. She looked back at Applejack and frowned a bit. "Listen, AJ, my family isn't really...functional." "You told me that already." Applejack said, "And ah told you that if you care for 'em enough to visit, ah'm goin' to." "Yeah, yeah, I know." Rainbow Dash said, "I just wanted to tell you that if at any point you want to leave, just tell me and we'll go. I won't ask any questions and I won't be offended at all. Seriously. And neither will any of them." "Well that just ain't gonna happen." Applejack said, crossing her forelegs and upturning her head. "Yer just gonna have to accept that ahm going to get to know yer family and love'em as much as ah love my own." Rainbow Dash sighed and rolled her eyes. "I never said you weren't going to love them. But you might not like them." "Ah ain't followin' ya." "Well...that's kinda how I feel about them. I love them all, but I don't like any of them." "How can you not like your family?" Applejack asked. "It's hard to explain." Rainbow Dash said, turning around to lay down on her seat, stretching her legs and wings while yawning. "You'll see when we get there though. I'll give you...hrm...ten minutes." "Wanna make that a bet?" Applejack asked. "Heheh, okay." Rainbow Dash said, "I bet that before the end of the day, you won't like one member of my family." "Yer on." Applejack said. "Loser takes the winner out for dinner." "It's a bet." Rainbow Dash said, grinning. She spat on her hoof and held it out to Applejack who mirrored the gesture. The clopped their hooves together to seal the bet.