//------------------------------// // No Sweat // Story: Appledashery // by Just Essay //------------------------------// One hoof after another, Rainbow Dash trotted her way behind the barn. There, an orange figure with freckles and sweat was busy heaving baskets of apples into the back of a cart. Rainbow's heart jumped—only to sink upon the next breath coming out of her muzzle. She shuddered, eyes locked on Applejack's lithe figure... her fluid movements as she flexed her muscles and filled the cart. With a gulp, the mare coiled her wings and strolled forward. She came within whimpering distance, her nostrils full of the scent of sweat and hayseeds. "Erm... uhhh..." Rainbow gulped. "Hey... uhm... Hey there, AJ—" Applejack spun about, green eyes streaking. "Rainbow Dash!" "Gnnngh!" Rainbow flinched back, squinting. "I'm sorry! I'm so—" "Well, gouge my galloshes!" A sweaty... hot hug enveloped the pegasus. "Haven't seen you in ages! Ha-HA! How've you been, girl?" "Uhhhhh..." Rainbow Dash quivered in the mare's embrace. She opened her eyes to confirm that she was—in fact—surrounded in sweat and orange fuzz. "Uhhh-uhhhh..." "Oh, shoot. Where are my manners?" Applejack leaned back, wiping her brow and smiling breathily. "I'm more sweat-soaked than a hog at a truffles factory! And Goddess knows yer probably havin' to go deliver all sorts of thangs all across Equestria today. It'd be a shame for you to smell up a doorstep on account of my funk. Hah! If you catch my drift." "Uhhhh... no?" Rainbow Dash gulped. "Wow, AJ. You're kinda... kinda..." "Busy? Pfft. I know." Applejack rolled her emerald eyes, returning to the cart. "I mean, that's the nature of the beast, Rainbow. We've been so far behind on account of... well... you know what." She tossed her blond mane and heaved another basket into the cart. "Gnnngh... whew! But I do think I've just about made up for the lack of labor this past week and a half. I've had Big Mac's help, of course. That is—when he ain't off fraternizin' with everypony's favorite pink-maned stallion-killer. Hah!" "Yeah... uh..." Rainbow wheezed. "That's our Flutters, h-huh?" "You bet! Grnnngh!" She heaved again, pausing to lean against the wagon and breathe. "But dun mind me. I'm just puttin' in the extra mileage today so I can have my afternoon free." "Good to know that... uhm... you've got your stride back...?" "Heehee! And how!" "So... uhm... I g-guess..." Rainbow Dash rubbed one leg against the other. "You're... n-not mad at me?" Applejack fanned herself with her hat, glancing over. "... ... ...now why on earth would I be mad at you, sugarcube?" "Errmm..." "...!" Applejack's eyes widened. "Hey..." She slapped her hat back onto her blond crown. "That reminds me. I've been meanin' to ask ya about somethin'." "Oh Applejack..." Rainbow Dash shook in place. "I'm so... so sorry. You've g-got to believe me." "What do ya think..." Applejack strolled over to a table, grabbed a mug, then trotted back to Rainbow Dash. "...of this?" Rainbow glanced at the container. Nervously, she clasped it—using two hooves so that her numb limbs wouldn't drop it. "Uhm... is this what I think it is?" "Heehee! Give it a sip, ya silly horse!" Rainbow took a breath, leaned in, then sipped the cider heartily. Her ruby pupils shrank, and her ears twitched. "Well?" Applejack beamed. "What do ya think?" Rainbow Dash exhaled. "... ... ...it's the most delicious thing I've ever tasted." Applejack let loose a good-natured guffaw. "Hahaha! Ohhhhhh... I dunno about that. But I'm mighty flattered either way." She tipped her hat back and pointed proudly at a few barrels. "Right after Apple Bloom got cured, I had three straight days where I couldn't sleep. So I scrounged up an old recipe that Granny Smith had hidden away, and I dun improved on our apple cider formula! What do ya think?" "It's... it's..." Rainbow Dash licked her muzzle, smiling drunkenly. "...awesome." "Hmmmf..." Applejack rolled her eyes with a smirk. "Leave it to you to give it some straight-forward vocabulary description." "Well, I mean it. It's super great, AJ." Rainbow Dash swirled the mug. "Is this—like—going to be your new product for the upcoming cider season?" "Mmmm... maybe. Maybe not. It's a bit too tangy for my liking." "Tangy?" "Look, I didn't invent the word. Blame the pony who gave me the idea to jazz it up a bit." Applejack strolled back towards the table full of barrels. "But I want him to have a taste too. See if he thinks it's worth puttin' his money where his muzzle is. Hehehe... if you get my drift." "I... uh... I really don't. But sure." Applejack giggled again. Rainbow smiled. "It's... it's super cool seeing you in such a good mood." She instantly winced. "Er... I mean..." "Dun sweat it, sugarcube," Applejack said, pouring herself a mug and enjoying the smell. "I intend to enjoy it while it lasts. Life is just so... miraculous at times, ain't it?" "Heh. Sure thing." "I intend to capitalize on it somethin' proper." Applejack took a strong sip, then exhaled. "Startin' this week and onward. No more standin' all still and lettin' time get the best of me... of all of us!" "Hey. Yeah. That's the spirit, AJ!" "I'd lurve to stand and chat, RD, but we'll have to continue this samplin' another time," Applejack said. She slapped a cork in a barrel and tossed it into the back of her cart. "Rrnnngh... right now, I've got somewhere to be." "Right." Rainbow pointed. "You said you were trying to free up your evening." "Eeyup." Applejack threw a tarp over the cart. "Right now, I'm takin' a good warm shower and then headin' into town to grab a bite at the Daisy Den Restaraunt." "Oh yeah?" Rainbow Dash took another sip. "Mmmff... that's a fancy place to be going by yourself." "Hahah! Dun be silly, sugarcube!" Applejack smiled, trotting off. "I'm meeting Stu there." "Heh. Cool beans." Rainbow Dash sipped. Rainbow Dash blinked. Rainbow Dash dropped the mug to the ground. "What."