Appledashery

by Just Essay

Freckles Down

Rainbow Dash burst through the small door and reentered the cider mill factory. She froze in place, hovering on limp wings.

An orange body lay slumped on the floor beneath the table with the pitcher of cider.

Rainbow's jaw dropped. She had to fight cold tears from squeezing out the sides of her unblinking eyes.

She barely registered Stu Leaves as he rushed back in, standing breathlessly beneath her. "She just collapsed! Nothing I can do is enough to wake her—"

FWOOOOSH! In a blink, Rainbow Dash was squatting by Applejack's side. She cradled her upper body, a very difficult feat with numbing forelimbs. Nevertheless, Rainbow propped Applejack upright enough to gaze at her unconscious muzzle.

As Rainbow's breaths evened out, she found the time to concentrate on Applejack's features. The mare's nostrils flared and her chest rose and fell in slow, subtle motions.

Without a second thought, Rainbow plucked the mare's hat off and tossed it to the side. Seconds later, she craned her ear and pressed it directly to Applejack's face. She felt warm breaths issuing in and out of the mare's muzzle. Rainbow held her forelimb to Applejack's forehead, and then her neck.

"She's..." Rainbow Dash's fuzzy blue face contorted in confusion. "...she's sleeping?"

"It's a deep sleep unlike anything I've ever seen!" Stu was trembling visibly. He steeled himself just long enough to speak without chattering teeth. "She just dropped like a rock! One moment she was talking about cider tasting, and then the next—"

"Applejack?" Rainbow Dash lowered her muzzle and spoke loudly into the mare's fuzzy orange ears. "Yo! Applejack!"

"It's no use, Rainbow!" Stu exclaimed. "I tried!"

Seething, Rainbow slowly... gently laid Applejack back down in the middle of the floor. She peered up at Stu, brow furrowed. "What happened?"

"Like I said—"

"What did she do?!" Rainbow Dash hovered up, glaring in Stu's face. "Did she drink from the friggin' cider?!"

"Well... yes!"

"Celestia dang it..." Rainbow seethed, spinning to face the table and its pitcher.

"B-b-but I did too!" Stu flapped his wings and darted over so that he hovered across the table from her. "You even saw me! I drank more than a mouthful!"

Rainbow Dash picked the pitcher up in a trembling hoof. She squinted at the liquid contents. The container was half-full at this point. She had seen Stu drink, but it wasn't nearly that much. Applejack must have ingested a lot more.

"Applejack and I were admiring the cider mill, talking about Shindig's business and how Applejack would plan to master her mechanical operations, assuming she got the j-job. And then she realized that she might as well have a sample of the same cider I did. So... she poured herself some, and after drinking..." Stu shuddered, gazing melancholically down at Applejack's dormant figure. "...she just collapsed. Without warning! Without even saying a word about how it tasted or anything!"

Rainbow daringly tilted the pitcher until she poured a tiny trickle of the orange liquid over her fetlock. Then, placing the pitcher down, she raised the forelimb to her muzzle and lapped at the cider, giving it a little taste. Her eyes narrowed as she concentrated on the sensation. Alas, nothing happened to her body.

"It... it doesn't taste funky, and I know my cider," she said with a shudder. She glanced over at the stallion. "Poison? I dunno..."

"But I drank a whole bunch of it!" Stu exclaimed. "And look at me! I'm still up and at it!"

"Right.. r-right..." Rainbow nodded dazedly.

"Maybe... m-maybe there's some—I dunno—secret ingredient that only Applejack's allergic to or something!"

"An allergy that conks her out onto the floor?!"

"Look, I've no clue!" Stu suddenly barked, red-in-the-face. "I have no damned idea why this happened to our friend—!"

"Hey... hey!" Rainbow floated over, placing both hooves on the hovering stallion's shoulders. "Calm the freak down, guy."

"I'm... I-I'm sorry..." Stu sniffled, glancing down at Applejack with glistening eyes. "This is all my fault. I should have figured there was something fishy about the drink. I just... I-I just don't understand, Rainbow Dash! Why'd she kerplunk and not me?! It doesn't make any damned sense..."

"What's important right now is that we not panic. Obviously there has to be a reason why it's had an effect on her and not on—" Rainbow's eyes twitched, and her muzzle hung agape. She turned in mid-hover, gazing at the table.

The dark chalice rested on its side, dribbling its contents across thet able and onto the concrete floor of the factory.

"Wh-what is it?" Stu stammered.

"You... you said that Applejack poured herself a drink of the stuff, right?"

"Well... yes. Yes she did."

"She didn't drink straight from the pitcher like you did?"

"No." Stu gulped and pointed with a trembling hoof. "The mug—"

Fwoooosh! Rainbow soared over, hovering just above the table. She lowered until her eyes were squinting hard at the overturned goblet. Carefully, she tilted the thing up with her hoof so she could get a better look at it.

The obsidian surface of the chalice was polished, but upon close inspection Rainbow could spot dozens if not hundreds of tiny fissures and fractures—the signs of age-old antiquity. The handle of the chalice was ridiculously ornate, with ornamental sculpting that resembled feathers and tail-hairs. At last, the very lid of the chalice was flanked on opposite sides by winged pony effigies. However, now that Rainbow Dash was staring at them up close, she saw the unmistakable stubs of pointed "horns" on each equine's crown.

"Alicorns..." Rainbow Dash murmured.

"For real?" Stu hovered in close, his eyes narrow. "But... but what does it mean?"

Rainbow Dash lifted back up, exhaling heavily through her nostrils. Her mind's eye swept back to the dust-laden house and the chaotic scribblings of maps and notes she had found inside. "It means that Applejack's in serious trouble..." She spun about. "And we need to get her some help. Pronto."

Stu nodded. "There's gotta be a village with a doctor around here somewhere. You and I could fly in opposite directions—"

"Or we can just fly!" Rainbow Dash blurred towards the tiny door and flung it open. Stu Leaves wasn't too far behind. "The longer we wait here, talking about it, the longer Applejack has to—"

There was a black stagecoach looming right outside. A small, gangly stallion hopped off the thing and made his way slowly towards the door of the factory.

With a gasp, Rainbow Dash slammed the door shut and shoved herself and Stu back.

"Wh-what?!" Stu gasped "What is it?!"

"...we're not alone," Rainbow droned, breathless.

Comments

[North Bound]

Somebody please calm this rookie down.

[aleistergreynight]

5479964

When did we see his thoughts? I'm curious since this story generally doesn't peek into characters' heads.

It would be terribly hard to try and find the exact chapter, but shortly after RD hooks Fancy Pants up with Sweet Apple Acres, (after the buffalo arc,) in a business agreement; you do get a look into Fancy Pant's thoughts. He was thinking about how RD deserved some kind of recognition or reward, for her efforts; this despite the fact that RD said she needed no recompense for her actions.
Later when RD runs into him in Manehattan, you get a second look at what he thinking, (which still involves rewarding RD for what she did.) So we pretty much know that Fancy Pants is on the up and up.

[Lightning Bearer]

Hmmm...

*thinks back a few chapters*

Applejack panted and panted. Slowly, her muzzle curved. Rainbow Dash was almost relieved, but then the mare foalishly cooed, "Bedtime story?"

"I... nngh..." Rainbow Dash face-hoofed. She would have laughed her head off if she wasn't so busy wanting to crack her own skull open. "I... don't know any off the top of my head, Applejack..."

"Mmmmm..." Applejack nuzzled and nuzzled her cheek against the sleeping mat. "The one where... Pr-Prince Charming kisses his sweetheart awake."

[RoboRed]

5486465

[Sam the Anti-Ninja]

Hello Shit, have you met Fan?

[aleistergreynight]

5486465
If you are right then... Awesome!

[YoshiFawful64]

BEWARE THE MUG!

[Fishberry]

Oh no! Not the muggy goblet-chalice of unending nap slumber-sleep!

[TwilightUCrazy]

5486465

Beat me to it...

[Shipmun]

Is this the part where Rainbow Dash's two lives converge and the secret gets out? I guess she could handle the situation without revealing anything. I mean, sure she failed at that back in Dredgemane, but maybe she's gained a bit of experience with that.

Actually none of RD's enemies should know she's here. These ponies are after Applejack alone. If that's the case, then they're in for a prismatic surprise!

[BabySkittleMonster]

Oh, just kiss her already!

[BabySkittleMonster]

5489656
Oh, I hope that happens. Please, JE-Sama, let that happen.

[Salad king]

Seriously, every time he doesn't upload for a day I have a huge panic attack.

I have been spoiled by daily updates.

[Aatxe360]

5486465
5486531
5487701

It has to be Stu to kiss AJ.

[DrEggnog]

This shit's tense.

[LucyHorseThing]

.portland5.com/sites/default/files/events/Home%20Alone.jpg

[arancaytar]

So... she poured herself some, and after drinking...

IT'S THE GLASS.

Stu drank from the pitcher.