Her Frontier

by FromTheMoon

Welcome To EverGlade

Chapter 3: Welcome to EverGlade

"Come on RD wake up! We're bout to arrive at the station any minute now." Rainbow Dash felt something nudging her in the ribs and let an annoyed grunt. Slowly she opened her eyes and saw that it was much darker than before she had fallen asleep. What amazed her was the fact that she had actually managed to fall asleep in the first place. She made a mental note to remember that trick that Apple Jack had taught her.

"You were asleep for almost six hours sugar cube, did you have a nice dream?"

"Not really, no. Just reliving an old memory I guess." Rubbing the back of her neck with her hoof Rainbow Dash tried to lessen the tension in her muscles. "Feel like I slept on Tank's shell again. Damn did they ever change these seat cushions?"

Apple Jack had a facial expression that suggested that she was considering the question before shrugging her shoulders moments later. "Beats me. So you were reliving an old memory, mind telling me which one it was? You know ah tend to be as curious as a cat."

"I'd really rather not talk about it Apple Jack. It wasn't exactly a good memory, actually its been one I've been trying to forget over the past couple of years." Rubbing her eyes with her hooves Rainbow tilted her head to look out the window again and saw that the sun just a few feet over the horizon. "So I was really asleep for six hours?"

"Yes m'am. Oh and between you and me RD you really should see a doctor about yer...a'hem...snoring problem."

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes at this. "Why does every pony say that I snore. All you girls have told me that I snore. The only pony I think who hasn't told me that I snore is good old Scootaloo."

"Gee, ah wonder why that filly wouldn't say anything that could upset you RD." Apple Jack had a sarcastic tone in her voice.

Waving her hoof Rainbow Dash changed the subject. "Whatever but that filly is going places in her life. Hey wait a minute, what were you doing for six hours while I was asleep?" A mischievous grin appeared on Rainbow's face. "Most of been awfully tempting for you AJ to have a sleek, sexy, helpless athlete just laid out in front of you. Come on you can't just sit there and tell me you weren't tempted to try something."

Apple Jack smiled and shook her head. "Ah thought ah told you Rainbow that I don't trot that way. Besides, no offense RD, but yer kinda getting up there in years. Ah think ah'd prefer a mare with a more...youthful spirit."

"Shut up Apple Jack."

"Haha hey ah'm just answering yer question Rainbow. You ever hear of the phrase the truth honesty hurts? Now come on grab yer saddle bag. Ah see the station coming up and my cousin said he'd meet me or ah guess us at the station. Didn't really have time to tell him you were tagging along."

---

"Cousin Apple Jack!"

Rainbow Dash and Apple Jack had just gotten off the train and stepped onto the platform. They turned their heads but Apple Jack had been quickly wrapped in a tight hug by an Earth Pony stallion. He had a silver blue coat with a dark golden mane which along with his tail was combed and kept short. "Ah know its been a long time cousin but geez come on. You starting to embarrass me in front of friend here."

The stallion let Apple Jack out of the hug and turned his head to look at Rainbow Dash who had been staring the whole time. "Apple Jack you didn't tell me that you were bringing a friend with you."

Apple Jack started to blush. "Sorry about that but this was kinda last minute. Ah hope there won't be a problem." The stallion embraced Apple Jack in another hug, "Nonsense cousin! Any friend of yours is a friend of mine! Well go on, aren't you going to introduce me to her?"

Apple Jack's blush got brighter. "Oh shoot! Ah guess I forgot with you wrapping me up in one of your world famous hugs. Rainbow Dash this here's my cousin Top Notch."

"Pleased to meet you Rainbow Dash! You good friends with my cousin Apple Jack?" Top Notch walked over and offered his hoof to Rainbow Dash. She warily took it and shook it before answering. "Uh yeah but I guess you could say we're like more than just friends though.

Top Notch at first had a confused look on his face but then smiled and turned around to face Apple Jack again. "Heck cousin, I thought you told me last time I visited you that you didn't trot that way. Congratulations to the both of you!"

Behind the group a tumble weed slowly pushed by the wind made its way across the scrub land as a hawk somewhere up high let out a call.

Apple Jack being the first to realize what Rainbow Dash had said put a hoof to her face. A few moments later and Rainbow Dash soon caught on to what she had just implied and her face turned a bright shade of red. "No no no no no! It's not like that at all. What I meant to say is that we've known each other for such a long time that we're like best friends. Not those types of friends but just best friends that like to do stuff together a lot and wow I'm just going to stop talking right now."

A loud laugh escaped Top Notch as he wiped away a tear from his eye. "You two don't have to explain yourselves, I was only fooling with ya. Personally though it wouldn't bother me the slightest if you were fooling around with mares cousin. I know how our family can be with most of them being old fashioned and all that."

"Uh thanks Top Notch, ah think. Now if'in you wouldn't mind cousin me and Rainbow Dash are pretty much starved, the last time we ate was this morning at the trains breakfast service and..."

Top Notch put his hoof to Apple Jacks mouth. "Say no more cousin. I know the perfect place to get some good eats. Just follow me and I'll take you there and give you a tour of the town at the same time. Two birds with one stone and all that."

---

"Allow me to be the first to introduce you both err well actually maybe just Miss Rainbow Dash to the town of EverGlade!" Top Notch stood under the town's sign waving his hoof above his head.

Rainbow Dash looked up at the sign which hanged between two posts.

EverGlade est. 1756 B.C.

"So this town's been around since before the Princesses came to power?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Darn straight Rainbow Dash, this little town of ours has weathered the worst that the world has thrown at it and its still standing strong. Hopefully it be here for a while longer." Top Notch's smile faded from his face and he began to stare at the ground.

Both Rainbow Dash and Apple Jack looked at each other confused before Apple Jack spoke. "Top Notch is something wrong?"

The stallion quickly raised his head and put on his smile again. "Don't worry cousin there ain't nothing wrong that we EverGladers can't fix ourselves. Damn it look at me, here I am supposed to be showing you two gals a swell time and getting your stomachs filled but all I've done is caused you to worry." Turning around he began to make his way into town before calling back to them. "Come on you two! Let me give you the grand tour of the town."

---

The grand tour of the town had taken a little less than fifty minutes. While most of the buildings were old and made of wood there were some newer buildings around town. The group stopped in front of what looked like to be a new building but had its doors and windows boarded up. Apple Jack stepped next to Top Notch meaning to ask him a question but he spoke first. "I know your wondering what this building was Apple Jack, you've always been a curious one. This here building believe or not opened up just a few months ago and honestly closed down just last month. It was called The Honey Comb and was one of those new fancy pants type of health restaurants. As you can see it didn't do so well. To be honest the food was crap and the prices were outrageous. Too rich for the folks around here. I mean honestly, thirty bits for a simple salad? Whats up with that?"

Rainbow Dash and Apple Jack looked at each other before nodding. "Yeah we know what you mean Top Notch. This restaurant also opened up back home in PonyVille with pretty much the same crap food. Me and AJ over here ate there, biggest waste of forty bits right AJ?"

"Sure was Rainbow though ah didn't think it was a franchise. Oh and don't you go thinking that ah've forgotten that you owe me for that lunch."

Rainbow Dash patted Apple Jack on her back. "Come on Apple Jack, I told you I'm good for it. So Top Notch, wheres this place you're taking us where we can get some grub? Your treat, am I right?"

---

THE FOOD TROUGH

"Ah reckon that this is the place your were talking about Top Notch?" The group of three stood in front of a two story building located on the small towns main boulevard. From the outside it looked liked a run down old parlor. It even had the double swinging doors leading inside.

"Sure is cousin, it just opened up a couple years back and the whole town loves it. My good buddy owns the whole place and boy oh boy I can't wait to introduce you two girls to him. He's a pretty swell guy." Top Notch made his way to the door and held it open signaling for the two mares to step inside.

The two friends felt like they had stepped through a portal to another city. The building on the inside was completely different. It was completely clean and dust free with tables lined with silver ware which made the whole establishment look like it was taken straight from Manehatten. The only thing that gave the place a rustic feel was a jukebox sitting in the corner that was currently off. Paintings of other cities in Equestria lined the walls and at the back of the restaurant stood what looked like a bar. Rainbow Dash and Apple Jack followed Top Notch to the bar and took their seats on the bar stools. "Hey buddy you back there? Come on out I got some ponies here I want you to meet!" Top Notch banged his hoof against the counter and a few moments later Rainbow Dash heard what sounded like a pony coming down a flight of stairs. The jukebox in the corner seemingly turned itself on and started playing a song at random. A door behind the bar opened and an Earth Pony stallion appeared through it.

"Whats up Top Notch and who are these fine ladies you brought with you?" The stallion definitely had suave surrounding him. The pony had a tan red coat and he had a long purple mane and tail .Rainbow Dash found it interesting though that like Top Notch he didn't have an accent either.

"Cousin Apple Jack, Miss Rainbow Dash let me introduce you to the owner of this fine establishment Whiskylifa but every pony in town just calls him Whisky for short." Whisky offered his hoof to both Rainbow Dash and Apple Jack and they shook it.

"So what can I get for you three? We have the finest food and drink for hundreds of miles." Whisky took out three menus from under the counter and handed them to his customers. "I'll be back in a minute to take your order." He turned around and went back through the door into the back of restaurant. Four minutes later he came back out with a tray held in his mouth containing three glasses of water. He handed each a glass before asking what they'd like to order.

"I'll have what I always do Whisky, one bottle of Green Apples Ale with an order of hay fries." Top Notch closed his menu and handed it to Whisky.

"Ah reckon ah'll have just a glass of apple cider with a sliced apple salad on the side." Apple Jack did the same with her menu.

Rainbow Dash began grinning when she found an interesting name for a drink in the menu. "I think I'll have the cucumber sandwich."

"What about to drink Miss Dash? The suns been roasting the land for five weeks straight now. Surely you'd like something cool to drink." Whisky asked.

"Well Whisky, when you put it that way I guess to drink I'll have the apple jack." Rainbow Dash closed the menu and handed it to Whisky. Apple Jack put both hooves to her face while Top Notch and Whisky both shared a laugh. Whisky moved to stand in front of Rainbow's seat. "You sure about that? That's some pretty strong apple cider and with you being a Pegasus and all that you technically a lightweight."

"I'm a lightweight huh? Well then I guess I'll have two glasses of apple jack." Rainbow Dash arched her brow before patting Whisky on the shoulder.

Whisky smiled and shook his head. "Who am I to say no to a pretty mare? Sit tight for a bit, I'll get your food out as fast as I can."

Fifteen minutes later Whisky came out from behind the door and brought with him their drinks and food. The food was surprisingly good and both Rainbow Dash and Apple Jack stated that it had been perhaps the best food they had in almost a week. "If'in y'all don't mind ah got to go and use the little mares room. Um which way to it Whisky?"

"Its that door at the end of the counter to the left." Whisky pointed her in the direction of the door and Apple Jack pushed herself away from the table and made her way there. Now that Apple Jack was gone Rainbow Dash wanted to ask both Top Notch and Whisky a few questions that had been bugging her. "Hey Top Notch, Whisky, you mind if I ask you two a few questions?"

"Go right ahead Miss Rainbow Dash, I'll be happy to oblige. I'm sure Whisky here would too."

"Right first off you two can stop calling me Miss Rainbow Dash. Its just Rainbow Dash, Rainbow, RD, or if you're tired of living Dashie." She gave both of them a stern look and they nodded their heads.

"Now on to the real questions. Don't take this the wrong way Top Notch but you weren't exactly what I was expecting when I imagined AJ's family."

"What, did you imagine me being less handsome and stunning? I'd be pretty okay with that."

"Yeah, you're definitely AJ's family. No, what I mean is that you don't have an accent like she and most of her family does and your cutie mark is...ummm...whats your cutie mark supposed to be anyway?" Rainbow Dash pointed her hoof at the stallions flank. It looked like a light bulb with a screw driver and wrench crossing behind it. "I thought that all of AJ's family had apples as their cutie mark?"

Top Notch looked at his cutie mark and then laughed. "Haha a common misconception but I understand how you came to that conclusion. E'hem first off the reason why I don't have an accent is because I just simply don't. True most of my family has it but there are those of us that actually don't. Whisky here and most of the town don't have accents either. My cutie mark signifies repairs since well I'm the towns fix-it pony. Something breaks and they call me to fix it. I do run a dairy ranch though which is where most of my income comes from."

Rainbow Dash wanted to speak but Top Notch cut her off. "I know what your going to say next Rainbow. You're wondering why my special talent doesn't have anything to do with apples? Well that's misconception number two since well while apples are technically the family business we don't all work on apple farms. My Uncle Orange in Manehatten is a successful banker and my auntie Apple Seed is a professor that teaches Agriculture at the University of Baltimare."

The jukebox finished playing its current song and switched to a new track. Whisky got up from behind the counter and made his way to the jukebox. "Sorry I know most of you don't like this type of music, especially you Top Notch, but would you mind if I let this song finish? For some reason I genuinely like it. Maybe because it reminds me of home."

"Heck I don't mind Whisky. Although if that song reminds you of home I can see why you left in the first place." Both stallions laughed.

"Hey Top Notch I got one more question for you. How come the towns called..." A loud flush interrupted her and Apple Jack emerged from the restroom. "Whew! Y'all might one of give that around twenty minutes." Apple Jack made her way back to the table counter and took her seat. "So what were y'all talking about while I was occupied?"

Top Notch waved his hoof in front of his face trying to push the smell away from him. "We were just answering some questions that Rainbow Dash had for us."

"Really, what type of questions was she asking y'all?" Apple Jack looked at Rainbow Dash quizzically with the Pegasus trying to hide behind Top Notch.

"Nothing much really, I was just clearing up a few misconceptions is all. Actually I think Rainbow here had one more question." Top Notch leaned back allowing Apple Jack to see Rainbow Dash clearly.

"Is that so? Well go ahead RD ask yer question so that my cousin can answer you already."

Rainbow Dash thought about the question in her mind before deciding it was safe to ask. "I was going to ask how come this town is called EverGlade if its an old western town in the middle of scrub land and plateaus? The name EverGlade makes me think about rivers, grass, ponds, trees, etc..."

"I'll answer this one if you don't mind Top Notch." Whisky walked around from the counter and took a seat next to Rainbow Dash. "If that's alright with you buddy."

"Uh sure Whisky, go for it." Top Notch took another sip of his drink as he got himself more comfortable.

Whisky took a sip from his own drink before answering Rainbow Dash. "Now you see Rainbow I don't know if you already figured this out yourself but I'm not from around these parts, I was born in the lower Manehatten districts and moved here a couple years ago."

Rainbow Dash scratched the back of her head. "Right, that much I managed to figure out but whats that got to do with anything?"

"Right, well when I arrived here fresh off the train I also asked the same exact question. See originally I was planning to move to a nice grassy area and the name EverGlade screamed that to me. You could imagine the look on my face when I arrived literally in the middle of no where." Whisky took another sip before continuing. "Apparently around a little more than a thousand years ago this guy named Discord came into power and he just loved making life miserable for ponies. EverGlade used to be a beautiful grassland with rolling green hills, cool rivers, and a gentle breeze. One day Discord came to town and well...I think you can figure out the rest."

What Rainbow Dash had just heard made sense but there was still one thing bugging her about the story. "Wait but Discord was overthrown by Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. Why didn't they just like fix the land again?"

"If you don't mind Rainbow Dash that's actually sort of a sore subject around these parts." Top Notch spoke before Whisky had a chance to say the same thing himself.

Rainbow Dash shrugged her shoulders. "No problems here, I was just curious."

"If'in you don't mind RD maybe we should change the subject." Apple Jack had gotten up and walked next to Rainbow Dash.

"I'm all for that cousin! Heck I got a few stories I've been dying to tell you and I'm sure you do to." The group spent the next four hours taking turns telling stories. Eventually though the group of four ponies each shared a yawn and that signaled the end of the night.

"Don't think I'm kicking you ladies out or anything but I gotta close down the place for the night." Whisky got up from his chair at the counter and began putting away all the silverware.

"I understand Whisky. Just put the bill on my tab and I'll get around to paying it eventually." Top Notch got up and started stretching his legs.

"No need old buddy of mine. Consider the food and drink on the house tonight."

"Any special reason for comping our meals Whisky? I'm sure the drinks that we ordered weren't cheap." Top Notch looked at the his cousin and friend and started to develop a faint idea for his friends generosity. "Your sudden generosity wouldn't be because of these two mares here, would it?" He finished he sentence with a quick wink of his eye.

Whisky simply chuckled. "Maybe, just don't get used to free food Top Notch. I'm keeping an eye on that tab of yours and I'm calling it in by the end of the month."

Both Rainbow Dash and Apple Jack walked up to Whisky with the latter speaking first. "That's mighty kind of you Whisky. Ah always knew my cousin had good taste in friends."

"I'll say!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed loudly. "Talk about being one pretty cool dude! Not as cool as yours truly but still, you know what I'm getting at." She gave Whisky a playful punch on the shoulder.

Whisky started to blush. "My mother raised me well under threat of a six foot leather belt. What else can I say?"

"Right well thanks again Whisky for the great food as always. I got to get my cousin and her friend to some comfy beds over at my place. Come along gals, its sorta a long walk." With that the group of three ponies made their way out of the building with each good waving bye to the owner.

Whisky watched as they walked down the street. "Have a great night you three!" He yelled. Curiously though he found himself rubbing the shoulder that Rainbow Dash had punched. "Well I'll be." He muttered under his breath before stepping back into the restaurant and locking the doors behind him.

Author's Note:

B.C. = Before Celestia. Just some clarification

Comments

[Slate the Pegasus]

Wow cool chapter can't wait till more

[Rainbow87dash]

*slicks hair back then sticks hands out in front of him* aaayyyyyyeeeee

Sorry, For some reason I read Whiskeys lines in 'The Fonz'z voice....

[Aqua Shimmer]

Awesome story dude. Can't wait til update. + = &

[Skeeter The Lurker]

That's a hell of a song that Top Notch likes.

~Skeeter The Lurker