Chapter 26 – A Day with Applejack
Chapter 26 – A Day with Applejack
Two Months and One Week Remaining…
~ Mid of April (35th Week) ~
On a train ride from Ponyville, Applejack and Rainbow Dash are chillaxing in one of the passenger cars as the latter looks out from her window to see the change in scenery. Despite the resemblance of a desert with its yellow, sandy landscape and colorful canyons, they are a variety of apple orchards spread throughout the sunny location. From recognizing the familiar settings, Rainbow turns to her Earth Pony friend as she is resting very casually with her Stetson hat over her eyes.
“So… we’re getting really close to Appleloosa.” Rainbow emphasizes.
“Eeyup.”
"And you’re still not going to tell me on what’s over there?"
“Nnnope.”
“Ah come on, AJ! Tell me already!” Rainbow whines very childishly.
“Nnnope. Ah ain’t sayin’ one word until we get there.” Applejack responds firmly as she tips her hat up.
Seeing how there’s no point in convincing the steadfast farmpony, Rainbow impatiently crosses her forelegs and reclines back on her seat as she faces her smirking friend with a mild glare, “Hmph! You’re having a lot of fun with this, aren’t you?”
“Eeyup.” she nods with a continuous grin.
As Rainbow Dash resumes her pouting, she thinks back to how it all led up to this. A few days ago, she was busy trying to think of a good activity to share with AJ. The closest thing she could think of was a rodeo show. Then one day, Applejack came by to her house and invited her on a special trip they can take together. It was very strange that her friend will be the one to plan out their surprise trip for them, but considering that she couldn’t think of anything solid just yet, she’s more than happy to go along with it.
Eventually, the two friends from Ponyville arrive at Appleloosa’s train station, and they get their saddlebags ready before they exit the train. Once they make their way to the town’s main entrance, Applejack stops Rainbow from advancing as she reveals the western-style town’s big activity.
“Rainbow Dash, welcome… to Cider Fest!”
From the grinning mare’s opening greeting, Rainbow Dash freezes in place as her flabbergasted mouth drops like it weigh a ton of bricks and her astonished eyes bulge excessively. In the midst of her over-the-top speechlessness, Rainbow takes the time to examine her surroundings. The townhouses and stores are decorated with lots of colorful signs and flashy neon-lights. The packed streets are lined with dozens of booths that sell a wide variety of frosty beverages and other souvenirs. And the main banner has big, bold words in fancy, Western-style letter reading “Cider Fest.” And right in-between the two words is a picture of a foamy mug with a slice of an apple sticking out from its froth.
Once the wide-eyed Rainbow Dash regains most of her senses, she stammers out her immense surprise, “C-C-Cider Fest? As in an entire festival where I drink nothing but cider all day long--?!”
Suddenly, the beaming mare pauses on her exclamation as a startling thought crosses her mind. For festivals like these, they usually focus on alcoholic beverages like beer and wine. And for an event that focuses on cider, it could be very likely that they serve hard cider instead of the non-alcoholic variety. This terrible consideration causes Pegasus to drop her once-overjoyed smile as she restates herself in trembling hesitation.
“W-Wait a minute, Applejack! They don’t serve only hard cider here, do they?! I-I can’t drink any form of alcohol here! You know that, right?!”
A bit surprised from seeing Dash quivering in fear, AJ shakes her head with a soft giggle to herself before she pulls the panicky Pegasus in for a one-forelegged hug and eases her worries with a lighthearted grin, “Rainbow Dash, really! Do you honestly think Ah would drag ya all the way out here just so we can turn around empty-hooved over something like that? Cider Fest is a family event here in Appleloosa. No alcohol allowed whatsoever, Ah promise.”
Upon that friendly reassurance, Rainbow’s initial fear disappears from her mind as she picks up her earlier perkiness in an instant before she takes the lead ahead of Applejack.
“Oh, well in that case, what are we waiting for?! We’ve got some cider that needs drinking!”
----------------------------------------------------------------
Hours of frivolous fun later, and Rainbow Dash still hasn’t her fill when it comes to trying nearly every sampled beverage available. Whether it’s a mixed-fruit variation, sparkling cider, or cider made out of specific apple. But at her latest stop at a different stand, Rainbow develops a very mischievous smile as she hopes to share this latest sample with her orange pony friend.
“Hey, AJ! You’ve got to try this!”
And after Rainbow hands her free commemorative mug that came from the purchase of her ticket, Applejack eyes the borrowed cup while asking her friend, “Whatcha got there, RD?”
“Here, see if you can figure it out yourself and then I’ll tell you.” she insists with a persuasive grin.
With a casual shrug, Applejack takes a quick sip of the sampled drink, much to Rainbow’s grinning satisfaction. And after smacking her lips a few times, the impassive Earth Pony makes her call with mildly sour face for some reason.
“Hmm… Ah can’t quite point my hoof on it, but it’s definitely not like any cider Ah’ve ever had before.”
“Oh, that’s because it isn’t cider at all.” Rainbow clarifies with mockingly casual smile.
“It’s not? Well what is it?”
And after taking a moment to suppress her snickering, Dash answers with a proud smirk on her face, “Sparkling pear juice.”
Upon the mention of that forbidden fruit, the flustered farmpony instinctively tosses the rest of the atrocious substance like it was made out of the foulest thing on earth. And as the cackling Rainbow Dash carries on with her personal amusement, the greatly aggravated Applejack shoves the foul mug back to her snickering friend.
“Dagnabbit, Rainbow Dash! Will ya stop tryin’ to poison me with that stuff?!” she screeches in unbridled rage.
Once her chuckling begins to die down, Rainbow feels compelled to ask the story behind such fury. “Seriously, Applejack. What is the deal with you and pears anyhow?”
After letting out a heavy sigh to cool off her anger, Applejack then shares her backstory with Rainbow. “When Ah went to Manehatten as a lil' filly to see my Aunt and Uncle Orange, Ah attended one of their fancy parties. At their dessert table, they had what looked like to be a scrumptious apple pie. And Ah was really lookin' forward for a slice of home. But once Ah took that first bite, Ah was gravely deceived by the lack of apples as they were replaced with the awful, mushy taste of… ugh… pears!” she shivers from that unpleasant memory before continuing her story. “Of course, with everypony watchin', Ah couldn’t just throw it away, so Ah had to suck it up and eat the rest of that deceptive treat. And that’s why Ah never want to touch another pear ever since then! Of course, my mouth will be forever tainted thanks to jokers like you!” she ends with an intense scowl at her grinning listener.
Unaffected by her friend’s repeated glare, Rainbow simply responds with a witty smirk, “Knowing you, Applejack, I’m sure you’ll live another day.”
Afterwards, they walk around town a little bit longer to see what to do next. But right in front of them, a major event is underway as participants and spectators gather around together at one of the festival’s stages.
“Hey, look at that.” Rainbow points it out. “There’s something big going on down there.”
“Huh, must be some kind of cider drinking competition.” Applejack adds once they see the flyers that are sponsoring the upcoming event.
“Whoa whoa whoa! You mean they actually have a contest where you can chug as much cider as you want?!” she gasps in disbelief before displaying an enthusiastic smile over such a rare opportunity. “Come on, AJ! This sounds too good to pass up!”
As Rainbow Dash hovers excitedly in mid-air, Applejack however isn't too enthusiastic herself as she shares her concerns with the ever-so eager Pegasus, “Ah don’t know, RD. Are you sure wanna do this to yerself? No offense sugarcube, but yer about as bloated as the country fair’s most prized watermelon.”
With her excitement taken down a notch, Rainbow looks down at her eight-month pregnant belly as Applejack observes her friend’s expressionless face to see what her reaction might be. To AJ’s surprise, Dash then looks up and bears a wide grin before she shares her own opinion.
“Oh I see… you just want me to call it quits before the competition even begins, huh?” she states it shrewdly.
“What?! That’s not it at all!” Applejack retorts over that provoking response.
“Hey, it’s okay, Applejack.” the Pegasus shrugs with a sly smile. “If you’re that scared to go head-to-head with yours truly, I understand.”
Following up on that goading remark, the Earth Pony glares at the instigator and responds with a confident smirk, “Oh really? You think ya can outdrink me?”
“Yeah! I mean, who else enjoys cider more than me?” she boasts strongly.
"Hey, Ah practically grew up on that stuff way before you even tried your very first sip at Ponyville!” the farmpony states that with pride. “If anything else, yer the one who’s out of my league!”
“Ha! You can’t even hold your own drink during my birthday party two years ago!” Rainbow chuckles lightly with a roll of her eyes. “Heck, I bet you didn’t have the nerve to woo Rarity without some liquid courage in you first!”
Aggravated even further by Rainbow’s constant teasing, Applejack narrows her irritated eyes as she inquires in a low growl, “Ya callin’ me yellow?”
Without losing her cool, Rainbow nods with a teasing smirk, “As yellow as your mane.”
“Alright, that’s it!” she snaps with a firm stomp on the ground. “Ya wanna throwdown? Then let’s throwdown! But you gotta promise me that if they forbid you from enterin’, then you’ll leave it at that for yer own good!” she adds in a more serious tone. “Ah’ll even withdraw my own application if it comes to that. Besides, it would be easy pickings for me if Ah didn’t have my biggest competitor around to keep me at the top of my game. Deal?”
With an audible spit on her orange fore hoof, AJ extends a friendly yet drenched foreleg forward while Dash is speechless by how very considerate Applejack was to look out for her health despite their playful rivalry. So in return, Rainbow mimics her friend’s gesture by producing a wad of spit on her own fore hoof, and with a bold grin matching that with AJ’s, they seal their agreement with a wet smack of their hooves.
“Deal!”
After their agreement is settled, the two walk towards the table upfront to sign up for the drinking competition. Once the Ponyvillians answer the attendant’s questions as well as receive approval regarding with Rainbow’s pregnancy, the latest competitors sign up their names as well as pay their entry fees before joining the others.
On stage, there is a very long table filled up with other contestants. The competition is not only made of various ponies, whether they’re local or out-of-town, but it also includes a couple of massive buffalo, whose intimidating sizes may pose as a challenge to the smaller contestants. But Applejack and Rainbow Dash didn’t care much on who the rest of their competition is as they are more focused on each other due to their extensive rivalry.
With all of the participants’ seats filled up, several helpers get on stage as they get the cider ready for the competition by providing tons of barrels and dozens of mugs on standby. Every massive barrel is stocked with freshly preserved cider and comes with a dispenser for easy-access pouring. And each of the contestants has three mugs already filled up with the good stuff and a large, empty bin in front of their station for disposal and to keep track of their emptied cups, which will help tally up the scores in the end.
Once everything is all set and there is a big enough crowd swarming around the prepped platform, an announcer gets on stage to welcome everyone present as well as telling the contestants the rules, such as drinking one mug at a time or being disqualified if they don’t completely finish their latest cup before moving on to the next one. With all of the rules explained, the announcer gets an hourglass ready, which is designed as a three minute timer that features marked lines to indicate each passing minute. And after declaring a standard, three-second countdown, he flips the hourglass upside-down and thus the cider drinking contest begins.
All at once, the aggressive competitors chug down their first cup while the attentive crowd holler in all of the excitement. As expected from Ponyville’s biggest cider fanatics, Applejack and Rainbow Dash start off strong for themselves as they take big, rapid gulps before they simultaneously slam their first finished cups down and immediately grab the next one. Right away, the frantic helpers for the face-paced contest push the empty mugs into the contestants’ respective bins and replace them with more cider for the persisting participants.
One minute later, and AJ and RD are still in the lead as each of them has finished five cups of cider. As the spectators continue their wild cheering, a few of the contestants begin to drop out of the race. More specifically, they couldn’t stomach on the endless amounts of cider as they either call it quits, keel over in agony, or run to the nearest trash can. Halfway through the race and already half of the competitors are eliminated.
One by one, more contestants drop out of the competition, and by the time they hit the two-minute marker, only a handful remain. But in the final stretch of the race, all eyes are turned towards the two leads, who are still neck-and-neck since the beginning of the event, Applejack and Rainbow Dash. Considering they are way ahead from everyone else, they each have consumed nine cups of cider and are still going strong. With one minute left, the spectating ponies constantly chant out the word “chug” in fanatic fashion, and the two rival mares keep on their never-ending drinking feverously. It is an intense duel to behold, all the way down to the hourglass’s very last grain of sand.
“TIME’S UP!”
And with that said, the contest is over as Rainbow Dash and Applejack cease their fifteenth mug at the same time before they placed them on the table. As their latest cups are left aside, the announcer approach the two finalists as a couple of helpers bring forth a scale to measure the remaining contents. First, Applejack’s mug is placed on the scale before the judge writes its weight down. Then, they switch it with Rainbow Dash’s to do the same thing. Once he have noted the individual weights, the recorder takes a moment for final calculations as everyone else wait in restless anticipation for the ultimate tiebreaker to be announced. At last, with the final scores all tallied up, the announcer is ready to make the call.
“From a total of 14.97 cups of cider with a mere difference of .02 from the runner-up, the winner of the First Annual Cider Drinking Competition goes to… RAINBOW DASH!”
As Applejack and Rainbow Dash are stunned in their own ways with the announcement of the latter’s victory, the crowd cheer tremendously over the Pegasus’s triumph and on such an amazingly close finish between the two. And once Rainbow fully processes on her latest achievement, she flaps and yelps wildly in joy as she embraces her friendly rival, Applejack, who is also happy for her friend’s recent victory as well as for sharing this wonderful occasion with her.
----------------------------------------------------------------
After being presented with their respective medals and prize money, the two finalists slouch over to a picnic table nearby to bask in the glory of their latest achievements… and to take a breather from the heavy amounts of cider they just ingested. For Rainbow Dash, it’s quite hard to tell a significant difference on how big her belly has grown since she is over eight-months pregnant with two kids on the way. As for Applejack, her stomach is more noticeable before the contest began due to the slight bulge she developed.
“Ahhhh… Now that was a fierce competition!” Rainbow sighs with a very contented smile as she lightly pats her very exposed belly.
“You said it, Rainbow. Congratulations on your win once again, sugarcube.” Applejacks says with a modest smile before it shifts into a very sly grin. “Though granted, it was only thanks to the fact that you had some inside help in all of this.”
From that meaningful hint she just received, Dash rolls her eyes while responding with a wide, amusing smirk, “Oh, here we go again! You’re never going to let this go, are ya?”
“Ah’m just sayin' that you were able to narrowly win this time ‘cause ya had three stomachs to fill in there.” the witty farmpony points it out with a foreleg aiming at Rainbow’s big, blue belly.
“Hey, those buffalo we faced earlier have like four stomachs each, and they still didn’t have what it takes to beat the two of us!”
Surprised by that piece of information, AJ abides with an awestricken smile, “Huh, Ah didn’t even considered that fact. Well said, RD.”
“Thank you. And besides, my babies are growing foals, and they need their proper nutrition.” she comments heartily as she lightly rubs her occupied belly to show her affection and praise for the twins inside of her.
“Sigh… let’s just hope for their sakes, they don’t inherit your crazy fixation on cider either.”
But just as they are sharing a good laugh over their playfulness, an overwhelming urge coils Rainbow’s insides tightly as she groans over her sudden discomfort, “Ooohhhh… and now my babies need to use a proper restroom, like right now!"
Despite imagining the awful feeling from her friend, AJ can’t help but chuckle over Dash’s plight, “He-he-hee! Looks like all that cider you drank up is hankerin’ for a way out! Oh-oh-ohh! Ah spoke too soon!” she remarks frantically as she too experiences the excruciating agony between her hind legs.
“Just help me look for a bathroom already!” she snaps impatiently, and they immediately gallop to the nearest set of restrooms they can find.
Once they find them however, they gape in agony and horror as all of the lined-up porta potties are currently occupied at the moment. As the suffering pair become increasingly agitated on whether they should wait for one or hurry for different bathroom somewhere else, a mare casually steps out of one of the bathrooms as it is now vacant for use.
With one bathroom finally available, Rainbow and Applejack share a blank look with each other before the blue Pegasus boldly declares out loud, “Race ya!”
“Yer on!”
At first, Rainbow gets a good head start once she made that declaration, but out of the blue, the orange Earth Pony begins to pass her as the struggling Pegasus tries to gain some more speed, but due to her pregnancy and the fact that she drank several pints of cider recently, she can’t push herself any further. And much to Dash’s dismay, Applejack reaches for the opened stall first, and Rainbow nearly runs into the door that’s slammed right in front of her.
“NOOOOO! I was so close!” Rainbow whines immaturely from having to endure the tightening feeling for a bit while longer.
“Too bad~! Ah win~!” Applejack boasts childishly from within her recently secured sanctum.
Unable to accept that tremendous lose, Rainbow paws at the door like poor puppy trying to going outside as she begs in desperation, “Come on, Applejack! Show mercy on me!”
“Just wait until the next stall is available, Rainbow!”
“That’ll take forever! Seriously, AJ! I’m gonna explode out here!” she exclaims she bounces frantically in place.
“Just take deep breaths and think on calm things… like fountains… and waterfalls… and ice, cold lemonade… or cider if that’s more to your likin'.”
Knowing full well that AJ is purposefully mocking her as well as making her unbearable discomfort worse, Rainbow Dash immediately becomes red-hot, boiling mad as she angrily knocks on the door while yelling out to her cruel, jeering friend, “APPLEJACK! YOU GET OUT OF THERE RIGHT NOW!”
“Can’t hear ya, sugarcube! Too busy enjoying the moment right now!” she goads in pure bliss and mocking ignorance. “Hoo-wee~! Ah can’t even describe on how relieved Ah am to be here!”
“Then hurry up already!”
“Ah will if somepony can learn some manners and keep themselves from interrupting me!”
“AJ! If you don’t hurry it up in there, I’ll… I’ll bust down the door!”
“Pfft! You’re bluffin’! Ain’t no way yer gonna pull off a crazy stunt like that!”
“Wanna bet?!”
“Try me!”
“Okay, that’s it! On the count of three then! One… Two… THR--!”
But before Rainbow could make a move on her threat, she hears a door opening, not from the stall Applejack is still using, but from the one next to her as a mare steps out of there. With fortune finally smiling upon her favor, Dash’s immeasurable wrath disappears in an instance as she restates to her preoccupied friend in a hasty manner.
“Oh wait! Never mind!” And unable to contain herself in so many ways, the overjoyed Rainbow Dash rushes to the next vacant bathroom while nearly bumping the exiting pony aside, “Gangway! Pregnant mare coming through!”
SLAM!
----------------------------------------------------------------
Moments later, the portable lavatory’s door is swung wide open as a much lighter Rainbow Dash exits out there with an immense smile of unimaginable relief plastered on her face. And waiting for her silly-smiling friend is the smirking Applejack, who finished her needs minutes ago.
“Heh, took ya long enough.” she says with a chuckling grin.
“Shut up, you.” the glaring Pegasus growls with a mild blush consuming her face.
Having enough fun with her, Applejack lightly nudges her winged friend and makes a suggestion in a friendlier manner, “Come on. Let’s go hang out on that hill over there.”
Seeing how they still feel a bit wobbly from drinking all that cider from the contest, as well as from their desperate need to use the restroom afterwards, Rainbow nods with a grin, and they walk over to a hill where a big tree sits on top. Then, the two sit comfortable underneath the shady tree as they set their individual saddlebags aside. From there, they take a moment to enjoy the view on the ongoing festivities in Appleloosa as the sun casts a lovely sunset while its rays bathe the town in a warm, orange glow.
“Thanks a lot for taking me out here, Applejack.” Rainbow Dash says in modest gratitude. “This has been a really nice surprise for me.”
“No problem, Rainbow Dash.” she responds with the ever-so humble smile. “Figured that you of all ponies would enjoy this as much as Ah would.”
“And I’ve never been happier.” Rainbow assures with a lighthearted grin.
Then, there is silence between them as they resume their viewing of Appleloosa. In the midst of the calm quietness, Rainbow figures that this will be the right time to go through the usual procedure as she braces herself on breaking the bad news to the only friend that hasn’t received it yet.
“AJ… there’s something I need to--!”
"Ah… Ah already know, sugarcube.”
From AJ’s soft interjection, Rainbow’s eyes shot wide-open as she is shocked on what she just heard from the solemn farmpony. “Kn-know what?”
“About yer… ahem… passing.” she delicately clarifies as she continues to avert her half-lidded eyes away in shame.
“H-h-how did you find that out already?!” she inquires in stuttering surprise.
“Well, Ah’ve been aware on how you’ve been spendin’ some time with each of our best friends, so when Ford came by Sweet Apple Acres one day, Ah… asked him on what was really going on.” She answers sheepishly.
“So you made him spill the beans, huh?” Rainbow deadpans with a skeptical eyebrow.
“Hey, Ah didn’t force it out of him, if that’s what yer implyin’!” Applejack retorts over that blunt remark.”
“Heh, could have fooled me.” she shrugs sarcastically.
“Why do think Ah would do something like that to him?”
“Remember that time when he knocked down your precious apple tree by accident?”
From that stern reminder, AJ feels a little flushed on how carried away she was and how her outrage deeply troubled Mustang back then, so she expresses her regret while reassuring Rainbow with a sheepish smile. “Okay, Ah may have lose my cool there, but that’s water under the bridge between us.”
“Maybe, but I think he fears you more than Arrogon himself.” She states with an amusing grin.
“Anyway, once Ah got the gist of the story, Ah reckon that Ah should be the one to treat you this time.”
“Ah shucks, AJ. You didn’t need to do all that for me.” Rainbow says with an appreciative smile.
“Think nothing of it, sugercube.” she insists humbly as ever.
Despite how surprised she was that Applejack was able to figure this out beforehand, Rainbow is amazed on how the Earth Pony is taking the distressing news so unbelievably well. But as she is admiring the farmpony’s inner toughness in the situation, Dash nearly forgets on one thing she has to do as she reaches for something important in her saddlebag.
“Oh here, AJ. I want to give this to you before we call it day and head on home.”
“For me?”
Once the item is located in her bag, the Pegasus pulls it out and hands it to Applejack. With the item in hoof, the Earth Pony looks down and sees a marvelous horseshoe that’s made out of pure gold metal.
“Well, if it ain’t the prettiest horseshoe Ah’ve ever did see.” Then, AJ notices engraved letters on the shiny trinket and begins to read them out loud, “Hey, what does this say? ‘For the 1st Annual Iron Pony Champion in Ponyville… Applejack!’ ”
Her face is frozen with shock on the polished horseshoe’s lettering before she tips her still-gapping head up to stare speechlessly at the smiling Pegasus responsible for such an unexpected gift.
“I figure since we never came up with an award in our first Iron Pony Competition, I might as well as well make one up myself.” Rainbow explains nonchalantly while bearing a warm yet awkward smile for her flabbergasted friend.
“B-but why does this have my name on there instead of yours?” AJ stammers in response. “You were declared the winner in the end.”
“Well… I have come to realize … that maybe… I might have bent the rules just a bit.” she admits sheepishly as she lightly scratches the back of her mane.
“You mean how you cheated by using your wings, right?” she verifies sharply while raising a knowing eyebrow at the guilt-ridden Pegasus.
“Hey, I already told you, we didn’t set that up as a ground rule to begin with!” she retorts as a desperate excuse.
“Considered that you weren’t grounded in the first place.” AJ harrumphs mildly.
“Anyway, I realized how unfair that was to you, so… I’m revoking my title and giving it to somepony who truly deserves it more than me, somepony who is a more worthy athlete than myself, especially when that pony is one of my closest and honest friends.”
From that sincere and humble gesture, Applejack is astonished to hear such kindhearted words from one of her best friends, especially from one that is willing to swallow her pride with no regrets. Speechless as ever, AJ looks at her remarkable trophy and then back at Rainbow Dash before she takes a moment to respond with heartfelt gratitude over such a splendid gift she just received.
“Thanks, Rainbow Dash. That’s… mighty thoughtful of y-you--!”
But as she stumbles over her appreciativeness, her body starts to trembles as her lips begin to quiver slightly. Then, her emerald eyes are diluted to the brim as several tears make their escape from their tear ducts. Once she realizes on how rampant her shaky emotions are acting up, Applejack does her best to conceal her grief-stricken face with the use of her hat as she apologizes to her stunned friend in an increasingly sniveling tone.
“Ah’m… sorry you have to see me like this, sugarcube. A-Ah thought Ah’d be strong enough to bear of all this in for ya, but Ah just… Ah just can’t stand the thought of losin’ you someday!”
As Applejack continues her poor sniffling, the understanding Rainbow Dash walks up to her miserable friend and brings her in for a much-needed hug. As the struggling farmpony timidly accepts the Pegasus’s warm embrace, Rainbow reassures her sobbing comrade in a soft, sympathetic tone and a pat on the back.
“Hey, no need to hide that from me, Applejack. You’re the Element of Honesty for pony’s sake. You shouldn’t bottle up your true feelings like that.”
From the gentle reassurance, AJ begins to feel a whole lot better after letting it all out. Once she wipes most of her tears away, she then asks in a modest manner, “Hey, RD?”
“Yeah?”
“I-If by some miracle you make it out of this one, we should… have another Iron Pony Competition someday. Y’know, for old times’ sake.”
“…I think that sounds awesome.” Rainbow replies with a warm smile before her boastful nature takes hold. “And then once I kick your butt, I’ll be the next Iron Pony Champion!”
“Just be sure to restrain yer wings next time, otherwise Ah’ll restrain them for ya.” Applejack advises with a sharp smirk.
Ignoring the playful threat, Rainbow simply responds with a chuckling grin, “Promise.”
With the day coming to a close, Applejack and Rainbow get themselves up from their personal hilltop with her saddlebags strapped and secured, and they casually walk back to the train station. Along the way, the Pegasus has one little request in mind that she would like to ask from the farmpony.
“Say umm… AJ? When we get back home… can I have some of your cider please?”
Surprised at first to hear such an adorable plea from Rainbow Dash out all of ponies, Applejack responds with a hearty chuckle over how unquenchable her friend’s thirst really is when it comes to cider. “Rainbow Dash, you drank nearly every kind of cider today and you still haven’t enough?”
“Yeah, but their drinks pale in comparison to yours!” she retorts with a bit of whine. “They just lack the one important thing that you won’t find anywhere else, not even at Cider Fest!”
“And what would that be, Rainbow?” she asks with an amusing smirk.
“…They don’t taste like… home.”
Applejack is dumbfounded to hear such a simple yet strong response from Dash’s admiration over one of the Apple Family’s signature commodities. Either way, since they may be one of Rainbow’s final requests, AJ is more than happy to grant that wish as she answers with a very earnest smile, “Sure thing, sugarcube. You can have as much as ya like when we get home.”
From hearing those magic words, Rainbow’s magenta eyes brighten up significantly as she grins uncontrollably over Applejack’s most charitable offer. But then, her nonstop grinning becomes more devious as she seeks to make good on that one-in-a-lifetime deal.
“I might have to take your word on that, AJ.”
Stats
Page generated in 0.113 seconds
Total duration
858 users online
798,697 hits today, 2,571,732 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Please.... PLEASE don't let Rainbow bite the dust.
Another touching/comedic read. I love the bathroom scene! LMAO!!!
I don't know why but for every of Rainbow Dash friends she have hangout for a day and then tell them about her conditions closes to the end it me sad too see them crys
No tragedy tag, no death! Stop trying to fool me you heart-wrenching jerkwad!
I swear, if Arrogon comes back and stops Dash from dying, due to him realizing he was an arrogant asshole to Ford, I will love him. He would become my favorite villain. Maybe even become anti-hero
this is making me so depressed, but i can't stop reading
stayclassy
...
I know RD Dad is going to be reacting badly at this...
I see...Her fate is sealed...
in the next chapter is a day with twilight that is the next one after a day with applejack
Hmmmmm....
6046294
YOU ARE ON TO SOMETHING!!! Lets get to the resurrection and reform it is the only way to stave off the impending tragedy tag.
6046773 I hear ya
This chapter was great, I tell ya. The feels... Just right. The setting was almost perfect for RD and AJ's attitudes for this. Great chapter. The feels are perfect. The bathroom scene was hilarious
Good one
Also AJ, you have no idea what you have gotten yourself into thanks to the last promise aye?
wow i actually caught up only took me like 2 weeks to speed read
This story reminded of me and my girlfriend's oc. I'm loving it already.
Another great Chapter. ONWARDS!
6046294 Love your profile pic
7422753
What about this
vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/mlp/images/c/c0/FANMADE_Rarity_rage.gif/revision/latest?cb=20140404172751 or cdn-img.fimfiction.net/story/toe7-1496952628-374991-medium
I half expected Rainbow to pull an Austin Powers move and start leaking out the same mug she was drinking due to a compressed pregnancy bladder.. “Pregnant mare. Don’t stare.”