Applejack nearly spat out her drink. “So you described my brother?!”
“I panicked, ok?” Rainbow protested. “I couldn’t let them win!” She pounded her hooves together. “I had to get the last word!”
Applejack chuckled and shook her head. “Rainbow, you sure are something,” she said. “Ah, well. No harm, no foul, right?”
Rainbow chuckled lightly, if a bit nervously. “Maybe slight foul,” she corrected. “They think I’m bringing him to this gala thing this weekend.”
Applejack rolled back in her chair and laughed. “Rainbow, bless your heart,” she mumbled, rubbing a hoof across her face.
“No, I mean, I could, right?” Rainbow said. “He’s single, isn’t he?”
“Far as I know,” Applejack said with an easy shrug.
“You don’t know?”
Applejack took a swig of her drink. “My brother’s love life is his deal, not mine,” she said airily. “I ain’t his mother and he’s a grown pony. You can ask him yourself if you want,” she suggested.
“Yeah. Maybe I will.” Rainbow stood up. “Shouldn't be too hard, right?” She nodded, psyching herself for this. “I bet he'd like to go.”
Applejack shrugged. “Maybe, maybe not. Only one way to find out.” She pointed a hoof towards the west orchards.
Rainbow nodded and turned to leave; but Applejack’s voice made her pause.
“Word of warning,” Applejack said, examining her mug as she mindlessly swirled it. Her position was still lazy, but her voice had gained an oddly steely quality. “Mac’s really good at reading ponies. Better’n me, anyway. If you try any funny business, he’ll shut you down harder than a late freeze in an orange orchard.”
Rainbow bit her lower lip. “Thanks?” she said. She shrugged and flew off.
* * *
Finding Macintosh wasn't that difficult. He was a big stallion, and his red coat stood out clearly above the green leaves. She circled once, letting him see her shadow, before dropping to the ground. “Hey, Mac!” she called.
Macintosh, calm and unruffled as always, turned to face her. He dipped his head respectfully.
“What’s up?” Rainbow asked.
Macintosh shrugged and tossed his head towards the trees.
“Just working?”
“Eeyup.”
“Want to take a break?”
Macintosh glanced up at the sky. “Nope.”
“O- ok. We can just talk here, then.”
Macintosh nodded, and returned to his work. WIth an easy one-hoofed buck, the apples dropped into the waiting baskets below.
Rainbow blinked. That was actually pretty cool. She shook her head. “Ok, so the Wonderbolts are throwing this fancy party thing this weekend. Want to come?”
“Nope.”
“Great. I’ll come pick you up at sev… en…” Rainbow’s voice trailed off. “Wait. Did you say ‘nope’?”
“Eeyup.”
Rainbow’s ears perked up. “So…”
“Nope,” Mac insisted.
“Nope?” Rainbow asked, her ears dropping again.
“Eeyup.”
Rainbow paused, holding up a hoof and circling it as she tried to figure this out. “And that’s the ‘yep’ that means ‘nope’, right?” she asked to clarify.
Mac grinned. “Eeyup.”
Rainbow frowned. To be perfectly honest, this was one of the first times she’d ever been turned down for something. She wasn’t sure how she felt about it. Mostly annoyed. “Why not?”
Mac shrugged. “Why would I?”
Rainbow blinked. “Because I’m going to be there?” she tried.
Mac raised an eyebrow.
“Because I want you to be there?”
Mac’s eyebrow went higher.
“You’ll get to see all the Wonderbolts in their jumpsuits?”
Mac’s eyes narrowed.
Rainbow Dash sighed. “Fine,” she said, conceding defeat. “The truth is I ran into some idiots from flight camp and I kinda told them I had a special somepony and I kinda described you.”
Macintosh snorted in amusement and cracked a half-smile. “Flattered.”
Rainbow looked sheepishly up. “So could you come? Just as a favor to me?”
Macintosh chuckled. “You want me to come?” He leaned in and smirked. “Then woo me.”
“What?”
“Woo me,” he repeated. “Make me want to come.”
Rainbow bit her lower lip. “Uh…” She slowly rotated so more of her body was visible. “You want some of this?” she asked hesitantly as she reached back and lightly tapped over her cutie mark.
Macintosh burst out laughing. He buried his face in the crook of his foreleg, laughing uproariously. He eventually regained somewhat of a hold of himself, looked up, met Rainbow’s eyes, and then burst out laughing again.
Rainbow’s eyes narrowed. If it hadn’t been directed at her, she might have found it impressive that he had made so much noise at one time.
He finally managed to regain complete control of himself, and shook his head, unable (or unwilling) to meet her eyes again. “I said ‘woo’, not ‘seduce’. Better luck next time.” And with that, he picked up the bucket of apples and turned and walked away, his short tail seemingly swishing behind him.
Rainbow scowled. Oh. He wanted to play this game, did he? Well, she’d show him. Forget the party. Forget the Wonderbolts. Forget those three featherbrains. When she was done, he’d be the one begging for a date with her.