“And so as long as I keep the north orchard apples separated from the ones bucked out of the eastern fields, then I can properly keep track of ‘em while I prepare to send them to market. I like to mix the whole lot of ‘em up, ya see. It’s a trade secret that our Ma and Pa taught us. ‘Cuz the apples from the eastern fields are ripest, believe it or not. We figure it’s on account of receivin’ the sunlight soonest. Anyhow, the rest of the orchards’ apples are just a might bit less sweet… but not by a long shot, mind you! Heh… every single morsel that comes out of the Acres’ fruit is the damned finest in all of Equestria, and don’t let nopony ever tell y’all different! Even still, we gotta impress our customers. So long as we mix a heapin’ helpin’ of the east orchard apples into every barrel that we sell, we make sure that at least one in every four apples bought is guaranteed to be a teensy bit sweeter than all the rest.”
“My goodness!” Rarity cupped a hoof around her chin as she smiled in wonder. “I had no idea that it could get so intricate!”
“Betcha didn’t think I threw my head into the process as much as my hooves, huh?” Applejack said with a smirk.
“It certainly makes a lot of sense to me,” Twilight said as she sipped from a mug of cocoa. She leaned forward from her seat at the table while the rest of the marefriends listened intently. “So, did you spend all afternoon doing this… ‘sorting?’”
“Heh, as if. There was lots of wagon-pullin’ and basket-haulin’ before we got to the culminatin’ events, ya see. But Big Macintosh have this system that we run by so that everything stays orderly--” Applejack stopped in mid-sentence. She rolled her eyes and chuckled. “Awwww shucks. This is just borin’ ol’ farmtalk. None of y’all wanna hear this…”
“No, by all means!” Fluttershy remarked with a smile.
“Mmmmf!” Pinkie stuffed her face with another muffin. “Farmtalk away, Farmtalker: Talkative Ranger!”
“Well, Big Mac is the best at pullin’ the wagon, but he ain’t invincible, y’know. The big guy’s gotta rest from time to time.” Applejack leaned forward. “So, we’ve devised a rotation schedule…”
All the while, Rainbow Dash stared, leaning her mushed blue muzzle against a rigid forelimb propped upon the tabletop. As the conversation continued, with Applejack’s words dominating the moment, Rainbow gazed at her eyes, her freckles, her genuine smile as the farm filly related the details of her unassuming day.
Look at her…
She looks totally, genuinely happy…
What is it that makes her tick? What is her secret?
She lives on a friggin’ farm for Celestia’s sake. She spends all day slamming into apple trees and making fruit fall. There’s nothing awesome about that. Nothing even remotely cool.
But… she’s really into it. I mean, she gets so excited. Her green eyes light up and her blonde bangs flounce.
And her smile… friggin’ A…
Applejack loves what she does. It’s plain and simple.
I wish I loved what I did. I mean, kicking clouds is great and all…
But I don’t feel about it the way Applejack feels about kicking apples.
Maybe if I spent a day not obsessing over what I wanna be and just focus on what I am… or what I have…
Ungh.
No…
That would be like… like…
Settling.
And a pony as awesome as me doesn’t settle for anything. Especially not this pegasus. Nosiree.
But… friggin’ look at her.
She’s just so happy to talk about apples. She falls asleep around them and wakes up to them and she’s still got the same smile on her face as when she’s chatting with us about them now.
I wish I felt that happy when I went to sleep and woke up.
Maybe if I wasn’t such a friggin’ moron about… y’know… stuff…
Like routine stuff, work stuff… money stuff.
I totally have the talent and badflankitude to get anything I want, to do anything I set my mind to.
Then… like…
Why is it that I always find myself in the same spot? Don’t I fly enough? Can’t I make sonic rainbooms blindfolded while my wings are weighed down by… I dunno, fat armadillos or whatcrap?
I’ve kicked a dragon in the face and swept parasprites into a killer tornado. That enough is something to put on my gravestone for ponies to eternally drool at. And the list goes on, darn it! It goes on and on and on…
But… somehow it just feels so short… so stupid…
Compared to her. How much she’s smiling. How proud she is of herself. How… self-assured.
Celestia, when did I turn into such a wuss? I’m the most awesome pony in town. Mares and stallions look up to me. Foals worship me. I’ve given motivational speeches and coached flight teams. I’m on top of my game.
Then why does it feel so… lame lately?
Applejack spent the entire day doing something she believed in. So did all of my friends for that matter.
What did I do? Kick clouds to dust then fly around like I had nowhere to go?
I have everywhere to go. The world’s just a springboard that was built for me.
Why am I so afraid of taking the leap?
What’s keeping me here?
What’s keeping me anchored?
A year ago, everything felt different. I could have taken off at anytime. I didn’t need rules. I didn’t need friends. I didn’t need…
That smile.
That silly, deep guffaw.
That way the whites of her eyes light up whenever she’s smiling, like her blood’s made out of friggin’ fire.
No wonder Applejack doesn’t ever notice me… n-noticing her. She doesn’t need anything that would weigh her down more.
She doesn’t need me.
She doesn’t need any of it.
So…
Stop staring.
Stop being lame.
Stop being lame…
Just… stop…
Those smiling lips. Moving. Imploring--
“You alright over there, sugarcube?”
Rainbow jerked back, her wings instantly arching. “Uhhhhh…” She blinked like a dumpster raccoon caught in a flashlight. “I… uhhh…”
“You looked like you had something on your mind.” Applejack took a sip out of her own mug of cocoa, swallowed, and said, “Had somethin’ to add to the conversation?”
“What… w-were we talking about?” Rainbow Dash stammered, on the verge of imploding.
“Apples and oranges darling,” Rarity said with the wink. “Well, our dear friend with the homely orange coat was regaling us about apples, but… ahem…” She blushed slightly as she hid behind her mane. “Alright, t’wasn’t the most creative pun…”
“I was just… uhm…” Rainbow Dash’s voice squeaked, taking on a fractured tone. “Just… thinking… thinking…” She felt her sweat glands quivering. Her muzzle paled as her wings drooped limply on either side. The ends of her hooves went numb, and--try as she might--she couldn’t wrench her eyes from Applejack’s innocently smiling expression. “That… that I should… should be telling you--”
“Rainbow Dash has an exciting flight story to tell us all about!” Fluttershy said, grinning pleasantly.
“Oooh!” Pinkie leaned forward, her muzzle covered with muffin crumbs. “I love those!”
“I could certainly do with an adventure yarn right about now!” Twilight said.
“Oh, fabulous!” Rarity scooted forward. “This, I have to hear!”
In the meantime, Rainbow was squinting across the table. “Flutter… shy…?”
“You remember, Rainbow...” Fluttershy looked back. “The one you told me the other day? The one you were dying to tell us all at dinner?”
Rainbow blinked. “I was?”
Fluttershy snuck forth a wink.
Rainbow’s lungs instantly exhaled with relief. “Oh! Yes!” She flapped her wings and hovered above the table, having taken the spotlight suddenly.
Just where she was most comfortable.
“Right… I’ve got a story that will totally knock your horseshoes off!”
“Well…” Applejack leaned back with a patient expression. “This should be a real treat! Go on and thrill us, sugarcube!”
“Oh… you bet I will, AJ!” Rainbow Dash glanced aside. She caught Fluttershy’s gaze. Stealthily, between the shutter-flaps of her wings, she mouthed “Thank you.”
Fluttershy gently nodded her head, then leaned forward with a placid smile.
“So… this one’s a real doozie…” Rainbow rolled up sleeves that weren’t there and flew up so that the candlelight cast menacing shadows across her devilishly smirking muzzle. “Two summers ago, during a harvest moon, I set upon a grueling dare… to become the first winged pony to fly the full length of Ghastly Gorge…” She sneered. “...at night!”
The air of the room instantly filled with adoracute gasps.