//------------------------------// // Chapter 8 // Story: A Matter of Pride and Honor // by bahatumay //------------------------------// Rainbow Dash looked around and adjusted the hat she wore. It really didn’t do much to disguise her (it wasn't like she could wear a hat over her tail), but she definitely felt like she was fitting in. Everywhere around her, ponies wearing similar hats milled around her. There were so many things to do! Activities ranged from bobbing for apples to hayrides to ring toss (mouths only) to games of skill and feats of strength; and sideshows. Rainbow paused and watched two ponies dressed as rodeo clowns proceeded to have a silent argument about a single apple, and she couldn’t help but chuckle along with the foals as one pulled a large foam hammer and began hitting the other with it. She moved on and was stunned to recognize a light blue unicorn standing on a small box. She was holding a small knife and was using it to slice an apple. “But really, we all know what’s happening next. Trixie will cut open this apple and will find your ticket…” She paused and squinted at the apple, as if confused at what she saw. “No,” she said, prying it open and pulling something small and curled tightly out of the core. “It’s the ten of cups!” “That’s my card!” a foal shouted. Rainbow got the feeling she’d missed the setup to this trick; the other ponies stomped and seemed a bit more appreciative of this act than she did. She smiled and kept moving. Among all these ponies, though, she hadn’t seen- There! She caught a glimpse of Soarin’s tail. She slipped through the crowd to see him standing next to a very excited Clean Sweep. Her ears were up, her eyes were bright, and she was smiling as widely as Pinkie Pie, head swiveling to take it all in. Rainbow waved, and Soarin gave her an approving nod. Something caught Clean Sweep’s eye, and she squealed and dragged him off; and Soarin did not seem to mind at all. Rainbow couldn’t help but grin. That’s right. She was good. Her smile slipped slightly as her stomach growled. She had been keeping away from the food section in a bid to stay ready for the pie-eating contest, but she was starting to doubt that that had been a good strategy. Everything here just smelled so good… She glanced up at the clock. The smile quickly returned. It was time. * * * Speed. She was speed. The pie-eating contest was one of speed. One pie in as short a time as possible. As much as she’d been hoping for a number of pies eaten contest, perhaps it was best this way. She did have a show coming up in a couple weeks, and getting sick on pie would probably guarantee worst flyer of the evening awards for a week. Also there’d be less pies they needed to make. That was probably part of it, too. She glanced around her. She was surrounded by earth ponies, but down near the end she recognized one pegasus. She whistled to get his attention, and made an ‘I’m watching you’ gesture with her hoof. Soarin tipped his head towards Clean Sweep, and shrugged lightly. His actions and little smile clearly said ‘She put me up to it’; but he didn’t seem to mind this, either. Rainbow chuckled and looked back at the crowd around her- Wait. She squinted. Was that Mac? Rainbow barely heard the starting whistle, and so started a split second behind everypony else. Soarin, in particular, tore into his pie with reckless abandon; and Rainbow Dash could hear the squealing protests of a pony who was probably too close and ended up in the splash zone. She was fast, but the early delay cost her. It was only a slight consolation that Soarin did not win, either (though by the way Clean Sweep was cleaning up some of the pie off his face with her tongue, he probably thought he had won). She scanned the crowd again, and for a brief moment, locked eyes with Macintosh. He gave her a brief approving nod, and then faded back into the crowd. Rainbow suddenly felt as though she had won something, too. * * * Rainbow Dash was not a huge fan of turkeys. Sure, they were fat and kinda funny; but they just kinda sat there and gobbled. At least it wasn’t geese. Geese were the worst. Ever since she’d been flying under a formation and one had happened to drop a little white bomb right on her mane, she’d hated geese. Thankfully for all pegasi present, there weren’t actually any birds around. This competition was only for ponies. And none looked prouder than Macintosh, up there with ribbons and even a medal or two all up on his chest like some sort of rockstar. To be perfectly honest, Rainbow Dash had no idea what made a good turkey call. All of these ponies looked different, different sizes; there was even one precutiescent filly standing in line (though, in all fairness, she did look as if she were a bit lost and unsure how she had gotten there). As it turned out, Macintosh was very good at turkey calls. Rainbow had no idea what they were even judging on, but somehow or other, he ended up with another ribbon pinned to his chest. Rainbow put her hoof to her lips and tried to whistle. She liked it when ponies did that for her. Unfortunately, she’d never actually learned how to do it; so after a few failed attempts, she settled for stomping as loudly as she could. * * * The day was just starting to cool down, which meant that it was time for the race. Why the race wasn’t early in the morning when ponies were rested, Rainbow had no idea. Still, Rainbow mused as she rolled out her neck, there was no reason to not win anyway. Applejack came up behind her and nudged her. “Hey, Rainbow. Figured you’d be here.” “There’s a race to win,” Rainbow said with more than a hint of pride. “Of course I’m going to be there.” Applejack chuckled. “You ain’t gonna be taking things too far this time, though, right?” she asked playfully. “Nah,” Rainbow said. “I just have one speed: the speed…” she paused for dramatic effect, “of awesome.” Applejack barked a laugh. “Sure, sure,” she said. “Just remember, this is a ‘fun run’. For fun, not for glory or anything.” Rainbow looked around. Now that she took some time to look at her competitors… “Is that why there’s all these ponies dressed up as apples?” “Pretty much,” Applejack said, ducking under a passing oversized flag of Equestria attached to somepony’s saddle. “Psh.” Rainbow grumbled, kicking her hooves out. “Takes all the fun out of competing. Not even worth it to try anymore.” “Yeah, well, just don’t come in last place,” Applejack said, nudging her playfully again in the ribs. “Seems you’ve got somepony watching you.” Rainbow looked over at the stands. She had expected to see maybe her friends, maybe Apple Bloom waving from the benches. She saw Macintosh, lazily chewing on a wheat sprig. When he made eye contact with her, he may have cracked a half-smile, then looked away. Rainbow turned to pre-emptively glare at Applejack, sure she was going to turn this into a joke of some sort; but Applejack seemed to be in earnest. She patted her on the shoulder. “Good luck, sugarcube,” she said as she trotted over to her place on the starting line. The fun run itself wasn’t bad. Rainbow Dash found herself more intrigued by the costumes of some of the participants. One particularly tall mare had donned a wig reminiscent of Celestia’s flowing mane, and Rainbow smiled wide when she saw a young filly wearing a rainbow-colored wig. She met her eyes and winked, and the filly's jaw dropped. Heh. Even in Apploosa, she had it. Her amusement at the other racers (and the fact that she stopped for a lemonade halfway through the run) meant that she didn’t cross the finish line first. But, seeing as how the prize winner got a bucket of water dumped on him by the exuberant master of ceremonies (much to the applause of the audience), Rainbow figured that was just as well. She was about to go look for Applejack when she felt somepony’s eyes on her. She looked over her shoulder and saw Macintosh. “You did good,” he said. Rainbow grinned impishly. “Thanks. Wait until I actually try.” Macintosh held out a large cup. “Brought you something,” he offered. “Thanks.” Rainbow picked it up and took a drink, and her eyes widened. That wasn’t water in the cup. It was sweet, crisp, and just the right amount of tangy. “You brought me cider. And this is the good stuff,” she said slowly. “Eeyup.” “I didn’t know they were selling this here,” Rainbow said, almost reverently. “They’re not,” Macintosh said, one side of his face curling up in a smile. “Brought it to share.” “How many lucky ponies get to share?” “So far?” Macintosh made a show of tapping on his chin, as if thinking. “One.” Rainbow grinned. “You’re the best, Mac,” she said. “Eeyup,” Mac said modestly. Rainbow Dash finished her drink, and then looked around. Ponies were moving, and she had a pretty good idea of where they were going. She looked back. “You know, I’m not much for dancing, and I’m starving after that run. You wanna go get a hayburger or something?” Macintosh smiled, that same, easy smile. “I’d like that.” * * * Rainbow Dash flew back towards her house. Hayburgers with Macintosh had been pretty fun. Really, they hadn’t had much conversation; but they hadn’t needed much. After being outside in the sun all day, it was actually pretty nice to just… chill. She landed on her doorstep and slid her way inside. After greeting Tank and getting ready for bed, she slipped under the covers and closed her eyes. And then they snapped open. I think I just had my first real date.