Appledashery

by Just Essay

Belle of the Ten Thousand Feet Above Sea Level Ball

"F-first thing's first," Apple Jewell stammered, dragging in her glittery heels. "I-I need to grab a 'lil somethin'."

"Unnngh... for real?" Rainbow looked back, her tail flicking impatiently. "Just what?"

"I can't very well leave my chambers without it!" Apple Jewell sashayed towards her vanity, flanks swaying in her gown.

Rainbow bit her lip, having to tilt her gaze up by a few degrees.

Apple Jewell reached the ornate vanity, grasped a crystalline tiara, and planted the fancy headdress atop the front of her mane.

"Mrmmmffff..." Rainbow Dash face-hoofed. "You gotta be kidding me," she murmured aloud. "Are we sure Shindig didn't just foalnap Rarity?"

Apple Jewell turned around, blinking. "I beg yer pardon?"

Rainbow sighed. "Nothing. Are we good now?" She bore a weary, coy smile. "Do we have to put on eyelashes too?"

"Just because I'm being abducted doesn't mean I need to forget proper etiquette!" Apple Jewell said in a huff.

"Proper etiquette?! Girl, Shindig taught you all the horse hockey you believe in, and she's totally evil!"

"That has yet to be objectively proven," the mare said, shuffling over. "Lest we forget, I'm simply going with you as a means of peacefully solving this dilemma."

"Are you for real?"

"Well, erm..." Apple Jewell's orange cheeks blushed. "Yer the Blue Jay, and I'm just a fair maiden. I can't very rightly fight you off, now can I?"

"... ... ..." Rainbow gulped. In a dry voice, she turned and murmured. "Now I really miss 'em."

"Miss what?"

"Nothing," Rainbow grunted, approaching the door. "Follow me. I'll get us out of here quick. I promise."

She felt a soft hoof gracing her fetlock. Rainbow looked back to see Apple Jewell grasping her hoof with hers. The Cider Princess smiled. "It's only proper, y'all reckon?"

"Eh... eheh... yeah, sure." Rainbow gulped, then threw the door open. "Celestia, help me..." And she bolted out of the chamber, tugging a breathless Apple Jewell along with her.

"Eeep!"

---

Thankfully, Shindig was long absent by the time the two exited the royal quarters. Rainbow Dash wasted little time, all-but-dragging Apple Jewell along with her as she tugged the princess down several luxurious corridors lined with flickering candles. At one point, they had to press themselves up against the wall and wait for a few nobles to trot on by. Once more, Rainbow was quite alarmed at the lack of guards. This was starting to get easy.

"Too easy..." Rainbow murmured.

"I beg yer pardon?" A faintly sweating Apple Jewell panted.

"You really like saying that, don't you?" Rainbow Dash remarked. "She's got you brainwashed pretty hard."

"Who does?"

"I rest my case," Rainbow sighed. "Don't worry, AJ. I'll get you to the tower and then—I dunno—I'll get Epcot to look at you or something. She should know how to get you back to normal."

"Erm... if you insist, darlin'..."

"Still, thanks a ton for—like—not yelling your head off and alerting Shindig's subjects."

"Oh, I'd rather not do that." Apple Jewell shuddered, clinging to "the Blue Jay" as they paused by another hallway corner. "As much as I object to this situation, I do very much hate conflict."

"Okay, for real, just what did Shindig do to you?!" Rainbow frowned. "Did they cram cider through your brain noodle or subject you to a Nickelbuck marathon?"

"I beg y—..." Apple Jewell winced. "Would you... erm... care to explain, sugarcube?"

"The Applejack I know is... y'know... stronger than this!" Rainbow's voice cracked as she snuck the two of them past a final chamber and towards the balcony where the pegasus first entered. "She takes a licking and keeps on ticking!"

"My goodness!" Apple Jewell blushed like a beet. "How uncouth!"

"Rrrrrgh!" Rainbow snarled. "We're going to get to the bottom of this! I swear!"

"I really don't know why you're so worked up, darlin'," Apple Jewell said.

"No..." Rainbow sighed, ears folding back. "Of course you wouldn't."

"Maybe if you just surrendered to Queen Shindig, she would have mercy on you and the rest of the Blue Jay's gang!"

"Uh uh..."

"She'd even extend a hoof of welcome to the Red Rook—!"

"There's only one way we're achieving grace." Rainbow Dash burst the two of them out onto the balcony. The nightly wind of the canyon blew at their manes. "We gotta take a leap of faith and find it."

"I do truly hope you are being figurative," Apple Jewell stammered. She pivoted around, squinting at the edges of the balcony. "Where, pray tell, is your gyrocopter, ruffian?"

Rainbow held Apple Jewell close. "I've got your gyrocopter right here." With that said, she extended her leather wings and plunged the two of them over the edge.

The heights of Philanthropy echoed with the Cider Princess' distressed screams as Rainbow Dash dove the two of them past several skyscrapers and towards the other edge of the suspended maretropolis.

Comments

[Sharp Quill]

"... ... ..." Rainbow gulped. In a dry voice, she turned and murmured. "Now I really miss 'em."

"Miss what?"

Wing-boners.

[zaponator]

Yeah, definitely a Rainbow Dash fantasy.

[WhitewolfStormrunner]

Well, they're now out of Shindig's Tower, at least.

Now all they gotta do is round up EPCOT and the rest of the gang, wake AJ up and get her back to normal again, and get the hay outta Cider Space so they can give Her Royal Nutiness "Queen" Shindig the old What For!

(Anyone besides me think that that ain't gonna be as easy as it sounds?)

(Yeah, I thought so.)

Although did anyone (again, besides me) notice that AJ still has her propensity toward head-gear? Tiaras, Stetsons, or otherwise?

[Sam the Anti-Ninja]

Apple Jewell reached the ornate vanity, grasped a crystalline tiara, and planted the fancy headdress atop the front of her mane.

Even in dream form, AJ needs the hat.

"The Applejack I know is... y'know... stronger than this!" Rainbow's voice cracked as she snuck the two of them past a final chamber and towards the balcony where the pegasus first entered. "She takes a licking and keeps on ticking!"

Not even gonna touch that one.

[WhitewolfStormrunner]

5750715 As to that first, that what I said, too.

Applejack ain't Applejack without her trusty headgear!

No matter what it is.

And definitely agreed there.

[Mister Saxon]

Plot twist: Rainbow Dash was somehow captured by Shindig, and this is just a dream (within a dream) used to interrogate the notorious Blue Jay for the location of her entourage.

What? Skirts did the same thing in Innavedr when Nightshade captured Bellesmith in Blue Nova.

[Aatxe360]

5750740

Applejack's headgear is best headgear. I wonder what she'd look like in a pair of goggles.

[Lightning Bearer]

"Too easy..." Rainbow murmured.

I agree. Something feels off about this whole thing.

[Aatxe360]

5751274

Shindig will swoop in with her sons when they're all together. She knows they are there, but she wants to deal with all of them at once. She can't control others, just what she is able to present to others.

Hmmm.... Apple Jewell not actually Apple Jewell....?

...

5748110

This doesn't sound like Applejack.
Any research in a land where most ponies don't bother with clothes can figure AJ has some special attachment to headgear.

IT'S A TRAP!

[WhitewolfStormrunner]

5751270 Yep.

And...that's a very good question.

She'd look pretty darned hot, I'll bet.

At least Dash would think so, too, I'm thinking.

[Salad king]

5750702 nah, there's no barn and rope involved...

[Leftover of Saikano]

Princess Accent.

[Lord Dragon]

God, the dislikes are killing it.

[WhitewolfStormrunner]

5751895 Oo - kay.

I have no idea what you're even talking about, as I never mentioned either of those anywhere in my comment, but I'll go along with you on it.

Sorry if this is a bit late, but I was sound asleep in bed when you posted that.

[Sharp Quill]

5751274 Looks like no one is prepared for the ending of this arc.

Oh wait…

[Salad king]

5752789 looks like I replied to the wrong comment, I'm a diggidy damn genius. Meant to reply to zaponators about it being rainbows "fantasy".

[WhitewolfStormrunner]

5753077 Okay. No harm done, hon. We all do that upon occassion.

[Weehawk]

Ok so far I like that she hasn't had any problems. But that just never bodes well

[arancaytar]

"Well, erm..." Apple Jewell's orange cheeks blushed. "Yer the Blue Jay, and I'm just a fair maiden. I can't very rightly fight you off, now can I?"

"... ... ..." Rainbow gulped. In a dry voice, she turned and murmured. "Now I really miss 'em."

Look at it this way, Dashie. At least without your wings, you don't have to worry about fitting through doors right now.

[SnowOriole]

She felt a soft hoof gracing her fetlock. Rainbow looked back to see Apple Jewell grasping her hoof with hers. The Cider Princess smiled. "It's only proper, y'all reckon?"

I am so going to make fanart after this.