3708884 Whoops, forgot to add you in the initial message.

Yeah, that sounds as good an idea to me as any other.

3708949 But it is cute!!!

3708949
Marriweather is also the name of one of the fairies in Sleeping Beauty. Though she does have my favorite line in the movie, she's still a fairy, and that's the first thing I thought of

Merryweather: I'd like to turn her into a fat ol' - hop toad.
Fauna: Now, dear, that isn't a very nice thing to say.
Flora: Besides, we can't. You know our magic doesn't work that way.
Fauna: It can only do good, dear, to bring joy and happiness.
Merryweather: Well, *that* would make me happy.

3708986 Perhaps, but Rainbow has an image to maintain, after all.

3708988 I've never seen that movie, so I never made the connection. Makes me wonder how many times authors have made coincidental references to things completely unintentionally...

3708988 They change her name to: Primavera (spring) in Latinamerica version! jejeje That was funny!

3708996 That is what make it so much funny!!!

3708888

500-word limit? HAH! Never stopped me! I wreck that shit!

3710011 See, I typed it out here and thought I wasn't doing too bad, but then I copied it into Gdocs to do a word count and I sad-faced. Minimum word fics I don't have a problem with. Maximum word fics, it seems, I can't stick to.

3710399

Seriously, though, go back and look at my contributions. Find more than one or two where I DIDN'T break the word limit.

3710623 I believe it.

3707169

Claiming Principles. Will post tomorrow.

3708888
I love the Merriweather thing. Do you mind if I use it as Dash's middle name in a fic I'm working on?

3719914 Knock yourself out.

That's actually how I first conceived the name, way back when I first wrote Firedance. If you look in (the frankly terrible) third chapter, you can see it in there. Which reminds me, I should really get Princess Twi done, so I can go back to FD and edit the hell out of it.

3719914

Merriweather could almost pass as Dash's actual name. Rainbows tend to invoke feelings of merriment, and she's pretty good at the whole weather control thing. It could be that she had her name legally changed to Rainbow Dash. That, however, wouldn't account for all the bullies in her school NOT calling her Merriweather, so I guess that's a dud of an idea.

Ahem -- anyways... 3707169

Prompt: Principles

"Sugarcube, really, it's okay. You ain't gotta hover over me like I'm some foal in a manger. I ain't gonna die if'n I'm left alone for a couple hours."

"Yeah?" Rainbow asked, looking inquisitively at her friend. "And what if you wanted something? How would you go get a glass of water without killing yourself on the stairs?"

"Okay, first of all, this little sling thingamahoosit is goin' a tad bit far. It's just a split hoof," Applejack said, wiggling her cast rear leg. "I just need to stay off it a couple weeks and I'll be fine. I sure don't need some fancy stretchy-string, bars and wheels doin' it for me. 'Sides, the bathroom's right there. I can go get a sip whenever I want."

"Really... and what if you get hungry while I'm gone?"

The earth pony sighed, and spoke over the sound of her friend smoothing out her bed covers. "Pretty sure I could live a couple hours without eatin'..." She paused. "Wouldn't be fun, but I could manage..."

"Save your breath, AJ," the pegasus said, fluffing and plopping the pillows down by the headboard. "I'm staying."

"Yer more stubborn than a mule with a broken leg, y'know that?"

"Yeah, well, you are the mule with a broken leg. So what now?"

Snorting, Applejack watched her friend put the finishing touches on her bed, stretching it out military-style just like the Wonderbolt training had taught her. It looked tight enough to bounce a gold bit off of.

"Okay, all done," the pegasus said after inspecting her work. "Ready?"

"Sugarcube, when am I ever not rea--"

She froze mid-sentence as Rainbow Dash stared at her with a raised eyebrow.

Applejack blushed. "D-don't answer that."

Unable to shake her smirk, the pegasus hovered in a circle around the bed and placed her hooves on her flanks, sending a shiver through her.

"One, two, three, giddyup!"

Applejack took the cue and stood as tall as she could, lifting her wounded leg out of the sling and feeling her friend's hooves wrap gently around it for support. Rainbow used a spare hoof to kick the walker out of the way and pushed.

The farmpony rolled onto her back with a grunt and a sigh of satisfaction, but was interrupted when the pegasus slid a pillow beneath her hurt leg.

"Rainbow, it's okay. Really. Go say hi to the girls for me. Pinkie went through a lot of trouble gettin' that party together, and I'd for ya to miss it just for my sake. Besides, the Equinenox don't happen every day, and it ain't like Princess Celestia and Princess Luna come to town all that much either."

"The Princesses can take care of themselves, AJ." Rainbow grabbed a blanket from a drawer and draped it over her, earning a smile from her hostess in turn. "I've got a bossy little apple-queen laying in bed right now, though, that can't," she said, sticking her tongue out.

Applejack raised her eyebrow. "'Queen'?" She couldn't hide the smirk creeping onto her face.

Immediately realizing her error, the pegasus shrugged, though she couldn't hide the blush invading her cheeks. "Or... boss... y'know. Whatever..."

"You called me a Queen."

"Yeah, yeah... Queen of Apples and being the monkey on my back..." her friend said, ears sagging and eyes narrowing.

Applejack hiked herself up onto her side, trying and failing to fight the grin spreading across her freckled cheeks. "Rainbow?"

"What?!"

The farmgirl bit her lip. "Am I your Queen?"

"Oh, for feather's sake..."

Applejack clutched her gut and rolled onto her back, cackling and kicking the air.

"Sheesh. You're even more annoying when I'm trying to help you out..."

The farmpony probably would have kept on laughing if her injured leg hadn't collided with the hoofboard of her bed. A sharp pain like she had stepped into an electrified puddle shot up her leg and jolted her brain with blinding agony. Sucking in a sharp breath, she clutched her hurt limb and choked out a pained shout.

It was Rainbow's turn to smirk. "Hah! See? Karma, baby!" Her chuckles were shortlived as she took hold of the orange mare's leg and slowly set it back down on the pillow. "I'll go get some ice."

With a flash of blue and color, her friend was gone and back just in time for the angry throbs to set in. It felt like Applejack's heart had migrated into her hoof, and every pulse was aching misery.

"Here," Rainbow said, pressing the cold bag against her wrapped hoof.

The relief was instantaneous. Applejack likened it unto a pony with a fever jumping into a bathtub full of ice. The numbing sensation was heavenly, and the earth pony finally released a thankful sigh of relief and stared at the ceiling.

"Better?"

"Oh, you got no idea..." the earth pony said with a chuckle.

"See, that'll teach ya to make fun of your friends, Your Majesty!" Rainbow said with a giggle.

The two sat in silence for a moment, before the pegasus left the ice bag beneath Applejack's sore hoof.

"Thanks, darlin'."

"Eh, no biggie." Rainbow looked her over. "Anything else you want?" she asked, fixing the covers that had gotten ruffled.

The pegasus suddenly found herself gripped by a pair of powerful hooves and receiving a nuzzle under her chin.

"Nah. I've got everything I need right here, sugarcube."

So it turned out a little lousier than I thought it would. Eh...

Next prompt: Violence

3721169 That was a'ight. Little same ol', same ol', what with Rainbow's loyalty and all, but not bad, either way.

Not gonna claim that tag, though, not sure I could pull something like that off.

3719914
3719972
3721169

I do believe it's older than that. I know I've seen merriweather as a name in older fics... along with stranger names like Jennifer.

3722900

I just go with some kind of embarrassing middle name. "Juniper" is my accepted headcanon.

3722900 And here was me, thinking I was being original. Nowt new under the sun.

Also, "Jennifer"? Really? Why would someone apply real names to poni? That's just... wrong, dude.

3723178 would like to have a word with you!

3723178

"Juniper" dude... not "Jennifer". As in "Juniper berries". Besides Merriweather is a common human last name too.

3723191
He was replying to my post. I've seen a fair number of fics with her name being Rainbow Jennifer Dash :P

3723285

...I must be showing my age. I can't believe I didn't see that. I R a jerkface.

3723420

3723450

3723182 Eh, I suppose. Still, it sounds wrong.

3723420 Silly filly.

3723762

3725812 Hooch Twilight is crazy.

3726196

What gave you that idea?!

3721169
INCOMING NEWCOMER! Yeah, I saw the story(?) on the updates, so I thought I'd join. Partly because improving writing, and partly because I haven't written anything AppleDash-centric before. Like, ever! As a result, some of this might seem... OOC? No, I'd say inexperienced myself, but I'm not the best when it comes to this pair. I'm unsure if I'll continue though; the pairing isn't my favourite (though I still kind of like it), I've been in quite a writing mood today, and I could always improve on these two (especially Applejack). And speaking of the farmer, I'm still unsure on the accents, so I'd guess CC on this, as well as this snippet would be nice. I also whipped it up in little time too, so there may be proofing errors, grammar mistakes, parts of redudancy or bits that could be omitted altogether. Heck, some things may not even make sense! Still, I rather enjoyed writing it, so there's that.

With that said:

Prompt: Violence

The two mares stood back to back, stiff in place, continuously scanning their fields of vision. One of them held a look that would scare off even the toughest of tough ponies.

Just a good morning exercise to work up the muscles, jogging through the forest—or a gallop. That’s all it was, and that’s all it should have been; some friendly competition blended into the mix, but, by the end, no harm was done.

Instead, now, they were faced with a bigger problem. Where had they come from anyway? Sure, timberwolves thrived within the Everfree Forest, but whenever ponies came by, they turned docile in an instant. They had their limits, of course, and would defend their kin with their lives (which happened quite often), but setting a sudden swarm on two innocent ponies without any quarrel was unexpected.

And foolish, in Rainbow Dash’s eyes.

The pegasus glared intensely at all of the creatures she could see, trying to pinpoint their potential ringleader or figure out weak points. “Come on AJ, we can take ‘em!”

Applejack, while empathetic to Dash’s so-called ‘plan’, quickly pushed it to the back of the pile in the quick-thinking cap. “Listen up,” she said, amplifying her voice, “We don’t want any trouble.”

Rainbow Dash quickly jerked her head around. “What?!”

“Work with me here,” Applejack whispered, Rainbow growling in response.

“Look, Ah don’t know what we’ve done to set y’all off, but we don’t mean harm. If y’all let us leave without any trouble, we’ll go and forget this mix-up ever happened.”

Rainbow Dash snorted.

Applejack ignored her, and waited for a response. The only thing that happened after a few seconds was a step towards them both. She rearranged her stetson gingerly. “H-Hey now, don’t get—“

“Oh, for crying out loud! Applejack, look! They’re not paying attention!” Rainbow Dash furiously stabbed and dragged her hoof across the dirt, and a dark grin formed on her muzzle. “And if they don’t want to, then that’s fine with me!”

Applejack’s irises widened. “Rainbow Dash, surely—“

“What? They’ll listen to reason?” Rainbow Dash said, still leering at the wooden creatures. “Look at them; they’re not responding!” She smashed her forelegs together furiously, sending off a clear and audible message. “That means business!”

Applejack swallowed the load of confidence that had formed in the back of her throat upon eyeing the timberwolves, and backed up into the pegasus. “A-Are ya sure? I don’t want a fight...”

“Oh yeah? Tell that to them!” Rainbow Dash shouted, directing her voice towards the creeping creatures.

Applejack’s heart rate rose with each slow, taunting step the timberwolves on her side took, closing in like darkness. Her emerald orbs locked looks with the green, spectral glows of the timberwolves’, and for a brief moment, she saw nothing but rage instilled inside of the creatures.

She had next to nothing as to what provoked their aggression, or why they were so full of fury. But she recognised that flame the timberwolves had; it wasn’t too dissimilar from how Rainbow Dash got sometimes. Just maybe—

A howl was emitted. Applejack’s ears went limp as a timberwolf leapt from its place, aiming right at her with its maw wide open. Her eyes clamped shut. Her body went cold.

“Applejack!”

The next thing Applejack heard was the clashing of flesh with wood, followed by various clunks. Rainbow Dash’s stone cold stare filled her vision, being offered her hoof. Gingerly, Applejack took it and got off the ground, winding up face to face with Rainbow Dash.

“You know what happens now,” Rainbow said softly, maintaining her icy look, and then turning around.

Applejack nodded in affirmation.

But... that wouldn’t change the regret that would fill her afterwards.

When Applejack heard the beginning of a malicious charge coming from behind her, she hastily dropped that thought and steeled herself.

She had something else more important to deal with. "Why did it come to this?"

As for a next prompt, I've got no clue. There's over 220 prompts on this or something, so I'd have no idea on what's already taken. Still, I'll list a few and hope that these aren't, and if they aren't, there you go!

Country
Barrel
Hole
Wallow
Machine

3726310

You could just Ctrl + F to find out if the prompt you want to post has already been used. It's happened a couple times, and Dbz just appends a (2) to it.

Interesting chapter. I think I'll take Country.

3726310 Because it's the ciiiiircle of life!

3726851 And darn it, I wanted machine. curse your lightning fast response time.

3727052

Nothing's stopping you from writing it.

You just don't get to choose the next prompt, bucko.

3727064 Well, in that case...

Prompt: Machine

Crrk! “Come in, Applejack! Come in, Applejack!”

The farmpony groaned as the little red light began flashing again. She turned the small metal box over onto it's side. The red light just kept on glaring at the grass, flashing slowly. So matter how hard she tried to block the light out of her mind, Applejack knew that it was still there, waiting for her.

If she kept on fighting her instincts, it would only get worse. She put the basket down half heartedly, and picked the device up, saying goodbye to productivity.

“I swear, Equestria ain't ready for this...” she mumbled to herself as she flicked a series of small switches and dials. When she the light turned green, she forced a smile. “Hi, sugarcube!”

Fisssshhhh... “Hi there! How's it going?” Rainbow's cheerful voice crackled from the speaker, putting a very strong emphasis on 'going', drawing the word out like it was her whole sentence. Her voice was distorted, and somehow grainy. It was no substitute for the original, Applejack thought.

“I'm workin' hard, just like the last two times you called,” Applejack replied, hoping the hint would translate into binary without hindrance. Ever since Twilight had given them that darn radio, Rainbow had been calling incessantly. At first it had been wonderful to hear her voice on a daily basis, but the calls just kept on coming.

“Uh, okay. Is that you telling me to buzz off?”

Applejack sighed. It seemed that ones and zeroes could convey tone. Unfortunately, a little too well.

“I didn't mean it like that, sugar'," she said. "I just have a lot to harvest today is all."

“Naw', it's okay. I guess I've been a little over-enthusiastic,” Rainbow replied. Applejack could tell she had deflated slightly. “I just thought it would be cool to be able to talk and stuff more. Since we're both so busy most of the time.”

Applejack smiled. “Yeah, we are. Weather don't stop just cause' it's night-time, right, partner?”

“You're telling me. When night shift comes I'm usually falling down tired. In fact, I'm always falling down tired: what's up with that?”

Applejack smiled. She wasn't sure she had ever seen Rainbow when she wasn't either working, training, or sleeping like a log. Just like the communications device Applejack held, either Rainbow Dash was active and awake, or asleep. Utterly, completely binary.

“I don't mind too much, though,” she confessed. “I don't think I've seen you in my crops for days.”

“Yeah, I've been at home all day since I finished with the altocumuli,” Rainbow said. She paused, as if deep in thought. “Hey, do you mind if I come over and nap in one of your trees?”

Applejack grinned. She had been hoping Rainbow would say that. “Never seemed to bother you before, sugar'. I'll see you in a bit.”

Speaking of binary, ponies can count to sixteen using their hooves. Suddenly Pinkie doesn't seem so special, huh?

Good luck with country.

3726310
I've written a guide all about Applejack's accent. It might be what you're looking for.

Just to avoid confusion, and because TwilightUCrazy is taking an awfully long four hours, I'm deciding that the next prompt is still country.

3726310 3735273

I could have sworn I'd posted this already...

Prompt: Country

Rainbow Dash sniffed the late afternoon breeze and stared at the flat expanse of green that opened up before her. She hovered a few hundred feet above the ground, giving her a fantastic vantage point of the surrounding landscape. The mountains gave way on either side to gently-sloping foothills and flat grassland even further to the south.

And beneath her, trotting stubbornly that direction, was Applejack.

Nosing over, Rainbow dove and kited to a halt next to her friend, flapping just a few inches off the ground. "Lots of grass, but no temple that I can see. You sure you're reading that map right?"

"'Course I am, darlin'. We should be about right... here..." she said, pointing at the scroll and skimming the papyrus carefully.

"Well, you're wrong... somehow."

"I don't get it," the farmpony said, furrowing her brow and looking around. "We should be able to see it by now. Ain't a hill from here as far as the eye can see..."

"Well, I don't know what to tell you, AJ." Rainbow shrugged and floated down to a rest, leaning back on her haunches and against a dead log. "I flew way up. Sky's clear, and I could see for miles, and I'm telling you right now, if there was a temple out here somewhere, I would've seen it."

"But that can't be right!" the farmpony insisted, laying out her scroll. "Princess Celestia wouldn't've sent us all the way out here if she knew we weren't gonna find nothin'."

"You sure about that?" Rainbow pulled an apple out of her saddlebags and took a bite. "Twilight always told me she liked pranking as much as the next pony." A pause, and flipped out a pair of sunglasses and settled them on her muzzle. "It'd be cool if I wasn't the one getting pranked..."

"It's got to be here somewhere..." her friend continued. "We should be here by now, starin' it straight in the--"

She was rudely interrupted by the sudden sensation of smashing face-first into a brick wall.

"Staring us right in the...?" Rainbow asked from her position a few yards away.

"...in the face..." the farmgirl finished, eyes widening and lips curling upward. She reached up with both hooves and leaned against the invisible barrier, whatever it was. She felt its stone-like surface, pawing at its angles and poring over the details she felt. Pressing her cheek against it, she felt a cold sensation, much like exposed rock. "I think we were closer'n we thought."

"You find something?" the pegasus asked, looking up from her log. She stared a moment, blinking over her glasses. "How are you leaning against thin-air like that?"

"'Cause this here..." Applejack said, tapping on the surface, "is a hidden temple."

Rainbow flipped up her glasses and stowed them away in her bag. "Lemme see..." She hovered forward and held out her hoof, making contact with something firm and rock-like. "Holy balls..."

Her friend grinned and rolled up the map, running back to her saddlebags. "See? I told ya! It was here all this time, and you didn't believe it!"

"Well, bully for you! But what the crap are you doing over there?! The Hall of Rock is right here!"

Applejack dug into the depths of her bags and produced a large amethyst-colored gem that slotted perfectly into her hoof.

"Oh."

"If I can just find the right spot to slot this here sucker in, the temple should be visible again and we can get in!" she said excitedly, running back over to where her pegasus friend hovered.

"Well, what're we waiting for?! Let's find us a... slot... thingy!" Landing, Rainbow Dash began feeling along the base of the structure.

It was smooth, for the most part, with whatever it was constructed of holding up well over the centuries. Only the occasional crack marred the surface, but otherwise the base of the invisible structure was flawless as a cut diamond.

Applejack worked her way around the temple from the opposite side, finding the same flawless surface that her friend did, and before long the two met on the opposite side.

"Anything?"

"Uh uh," the pegasus shook her head.

"Horseshoes..." the farmgirl cursed, scowling at the invisible behemoth. "C'mon, sugar! Ya gotta work with us a little bit!"

Without thinking, Applejack lashed out at the invisible wall with her gem.

A flash of ancient wall appeared around the stone. Startled, the pair stumbled backward, gaping as the cloak enveloped the visible portion of the monument again.

Applejack looked at her hoof, then to Rainbow. The two stared at each other. Respective grins formed on their muzzles.

“You thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?”

“Lemme see that.”

Rainbow snatched the gem from her friend's hoof and pressed it against the invisible temple once more, skimming along the base.

It took a few moments of searching, but at last, Applejack heard her friend shout from the opposite side. “Hey! Over here!”

Cornering around to the opposite end of the monument, the earth pony looked skyward. Her friend hovered a several dozen meters in the air, maybe more, and was examining some kind of indentation closely.

She bit her lip and pressed her hoof over a slot.

The energy in the air changed and became filled with what felt like static. Applejack's hairs stood on end, and Rainbow yelped, backpedaling in mid-air as a bright light emitted from the gem.

Then the light grew brighter, blindingly so, and both had to cover their eyes with their hooves.

Gradually, the energy subsided, and a cool, calming wind drifted by. Rainbow uncovered her eyes cautiously and cracked an eyelid.

“Holy Towheato!”

Applejack looked, and gaped as a large, stacked pyramid stood where once there had been only open air. Rainbow Dash hovered near the top of a stack of stairs, leading straight to a closed door. The gem had become lodged in a carved channel specifically designed for it by all appearances.

The “door” ground inwards and lowered, becoming – what Applejack could only guess – was some kind of fancy elevator.

“Wow, AJ... you were right...” the pegasus said, hovering down next to her.

“When're you gonna learn to trust me?” the farmgirl asked smugly, dusting her friend's muzzle with her tail. “I'm tellin' ya, bein' stubborn pays off.” She started up the staircase and bit her lip, admiring the ancient stonework, and how well it had weathered the elements.

She felt like she had traveled higher than she had. The temple could only have been two hundred feet high or so to the platform, but she felt as winded as she had crossing the Great Flats to reach this point.

“So now what do we do?” the pegasus asked, hovering up next to her and eying the opening.

“What do we do?” Applejack repeated. “Well... I reckon we go inside and have a looksee...”

“Whoa! Are you sure that's a good idea?”

The farmgirl turned back to look at her friend.

Rainbow regarded the structure with a nervous suspicion. “I mean... Daring Do's books say these temple places are always full of traps and stuff to protect the treasure that's in 'em.”

Applejack put on a smirk and stopped mid-step, looking over her withers. “Why, Rainbow! I never noticed 'til now that yer belly was yella'!”

Her friend glared at her, her face turning rosy. “It is not!” She flopped to the ground on four hooves and trotted ahead of the earth pony, straight to the threshold of the lift. “I just... do we even know what we're looking for in here... or how we'll get out?” She looked at her friend and fidgeted. “And what if there are traps?”

Smiling at her, the farmgirl nudged her friend onto the lift and stood next to her. “Well, then I guess all that Darin' Do nonsense ya read'll come in handy for a change, won't it?”

Rainbow mumbled a rude reply and looked at the walls of the lift.

“So how the hay do we even work this thiIIII—!”

The pegasus's voice was suddenly drowned out by the sound of stone grinding against stone as the floor dropped out beneath the pair.

The last thing that echoed out of the maw of the temple entrance was their startled yelps before a large, heavy block slid into place, closing off the monument entrance...

Next Prompt: Power

3735327 Power... now that's a prompt I can really work with.

As the words left Rainbow's lips, their eyes locked, and the temperature in the room dropped several degrees at once, sapping the air dry of energy. A sickening grin spread across Rainbow's lips, her sharpened teeth glinting brightly in the sunlight.

“What was that about again, sugarcube?” Applejack asked slowly. Twilight interposed herself between the pair, obviously sensing the argument that was about to go down.

“Now, now, girls... this isn't how friends are supposed to behave...”

“I said that I'm probably stronger than you. I do train all the time, after all.”

Applejack seethed. Their fight seemed to be getting more and more regular as time went by, Twilight thought. She could only guess as to why they decided to prod that particular hornets nest. Twilight braced herself for Applejack's inevitable comeback...

“Well, I can make apples fall from trees... just by kickin' 'em!” Applejack retorted. “Seriously. Who else does that?”

After all, it was only last Tuesday that they argued about who was fastest... and the day before that it had been who could eat the most pears...

“Well, I once pushed a whole cart, loaded to the brim with lumber, for a whole five minutes, just to prove I could! Down Sugar Street, too! That isn't easy, let me tell you.”

Rainbow Dash had won, of course. Pears didn't agree with Applejack...

“Draggin' Bloomberg all the way t'town weren't no picnic, neither! That took me a half hour!” Applejack retorted proudly.

“Oh, please. Cart beats tree, ten times out of ten. The cart was way heavier! It had, like, five trees' worth in there.”

Twilight wondered why their lumber carrying capacity was so important to those two. And why did they feel the need to do this every half hour? Why vent their own frustrations in front of everypony? No matter what they had done to each other, it was very inconsiderate, Twilight thought.

“Tree beats cart when I drag it over a longer distance!”

“Yeah, but it took you twenty times longer!”

Twilight finally exploded, wishing to high heaven that they would move their fight some place else.

“Well, maybe you two should try a physical activity over a prolonged period of time in private and stop annoying everypony else with your constant bickering!”

Applejack and Rainbow both went quiet for a moment, as if they had been caught with their hooves in Celestia's private cake stash. It took Twilight a second to realize that she should have perhaps phrased her sentence better. Despite blushing furiously, it was Rainbow who spoke first.

“Uhm... watt?”

The next prompt is moment.

I'll be extra impressed if you take it about a point.

Nice prompt... I still don't get it the last one. but I like it!

3721169 New to this thread, but since it has lain unclaimed so long, I suppose no one will mind if I give it a shot.
Claimed.

Edit: damn it, it wasn't showing me page 27 for some reason, and I just wrote a response to violence. Ah well, went a little bit over, so posting it anyway because I might as well.

Prompt: Violence
Word Count: 616
________________________________________________________________________

The cheer, loud and raucous, boomed in with the sunlight. It followed Applejack with every step, plodding along on weary hooves. Her ears lay flat, as if that might block the noise of the crowd. Their hooting, howling cries seemed to dog her as she descended, sand soon replaced by old, worn stone. Suspicious eyes watched her, unkind talons freeing her of her burden. Piecemeal armour returned to its well-guarded store, and blunt axe liberated from her mouth by claws more squeamish about saliva than blood, before she was finally allowed to slump onto her threadbare cot.

"It's not gonna get any easier, ya know," remarked a bored voice, a whisper compared to the shouting that filled in the corridors much the way the stench of blood and desperation did.

Applejack's eyes cracked open. She couldn't even remember getting sleepy. Exhaustion had simply claimed her. She shook her head as she stood, frowning tiredly through the bars. A bowl of slop was thrust through the slim space beneath, hard enough that some of spilled to the floor.

"Ya say that like Ah don't know it." She took the bowl gratefully, setting to devouring it. The tasteless goop slid down her throat with all texture of gritty oatmeal. Applejack ate it anyway. She had never been one to complain, even when she'd had the option. It made it easier to endure when she didn't.

"I don't get you," the griffon grumbled, shaking her head. She idly tapped a claw against the bar. "You're not gonna make it. If you don't get knocked down soon, they'll start throwing even more things at you. Bigger too. I heard they've got a full grown hydra on the way to the city."

Applejack began to stretch, working a cinch out of her neck. "Wonder if the heads regrow it ya smack 'em hard enough," she mused.

The griffon outside her cell shook her head, sighing in disgust. "You won't reach it. No one, nogriffion, nopony, notaur, has ever made it to one hundred. You're only halfway there, and you look more than half-dead."

The farm-pony gave her an infuriating calm, determined smile. "Then Ah guess Ah better get my A-game on, don't Ah?"

Staring at her, eyes clouded with incomprehension, the griffon finally just sighed and turned away. "You won't make. No one does...."

Applejack just shrugged and kept on stretching, preparing herself for the day's trials.

"Still..."

Something bounced off Applejack's head. She blinked, picking up the apple in one hoof before she looked up, curious, to see the guard stalled a few feet away. Another apple landed next to her, a third joining it as the guard emptied her satchel.

"Good luck. You're on at midday again." The guard all but fled, embarrassed by her sentiment. "She'll be watching, dweeb."

Applejack's smiled. It was a weary smile, her eyes showing the scars her orange coat hid, but a faint warmth grew that not all the stones in this bloody kingdom could cover. She still wore it as she was taken, once more, and garbed in ill-fitting armour. Even as her teeth found the familiar grooves in the handle, that spark of light and warmth remained. When she stepped into the burning midday sunlight and looked up, that warmth hardened into determination at the splash of six colours in the grandest seat, and the glint gold collar that bound the blue beneath.

Axe ready, Applejack faced the beasts now.

One hundred days soaked in violence for a single prize. Endless scars and bruises and beatings, for a single slave's freedom. Anything Applejack could pay, to snap that collar from her lover's neck, she would. One hundred days, or one thousand, it didn't matter.

3750073
We have a new thread for the AppleDash prompts, because the thread count was bugging out for people.

Also, you might want to work in a bit 'more' of AppleDash in the future. Just a mention of 'her lover' isn't much :p

3750134 Ah, damn, missed it somehow. Cuuuuuuuurses! Thanks for letting me know.
EDIT: Also, I sort of felt the general build up, the implications she was doing all of that FOR Dash, was the AppleDash there.

3750137

I agree, that implication was pretty powerful. I just wish it was a full fic...

3750073

Fantastic. So Rainbow's a slave, huh? Hell, even if Applejack and she weren't specifically stated to be lovers, I think what she's going through just to get her friend out of whatever bondage she's found herself in more than qualifies to make that sentiment. Saying she's her lover is, in my opinion, superfluous, actually. Most people wouldn't go through a hundred days of bloody battle against impossible odds, knowing they probably will die, for just a mere friend. The implication is more than enough.

That said, I feel like this is more Rainbow Dash's role. Show off her loyalty to freeing Applejack. Regardless, this is certainly a powerful little piece. Well done.

3750134

Might want to lock this thread and post a link to the new one.

New Prompt Tag Thread Here!