Chapter 1

Rainbow Buckin’ Dash

By Paul "Monty" Montgomery

"C'mon Applejack, Climb on!"

"Rainbow, now ain't tha time fer you ta be givin' rides! Ya said ya were gonna help with tha apple buckin'!"

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes in mild annoyance at the stetsoned mare, how could she set her plan in motion without ruining the surprise? The pegasus had come up with the idea this morning and knew it was one of the most awesome ever... At least 75 percent cooler than her last stunt.

"Just get on AJ and I'll show you just how much help I can be..."

Applejack did as she was told and wrapped her legs tightly around the cyan pegasus. Before she knew what was going on, she was airborne, clutching at her hat tightly to keep the powerful gusts from blowing it away. The Earth pony cursed inwardly, what the hay was she thinking, leaving Applebuck season so late. Last years stubbornness in trying to do everything herself and now this?

"AJ open your eyes; you're totally missing the view!" Rainbow Dash yelled, above the sound of the rushing wind. The Earth pony could hear the excitement in her friend’s voice, only then realizing she did indeed have her eyes tightly shut. Slowly her apple green eyes opened and she gasped. Applejack looked down upon Sweet Apple Acres, hundreds of hooves below her. It took her aback to see her home from this amazing perspective; which to Rainbow Dash was the norm.

"Oh mah stars… It’s... it's so big..." AJ gasped in total awe.

"Now you see just how much work you and Big Macintosh do..." Dash said with a smile "…you guys do so much work and ask for so little in return."

"We just do what we can fer Ponyville" AJ replied, "Why we can't have folks starvin' an all..."
"Yeah, but even you need help sometimes… especially from somepony as awesome as me!"

Applejack sighed as she rolled her eyes, Rainbow Dash could be so full of herself sometimes. But she knew that her heart was in the right place.

"Ah' reckon yer right" she smiled, "…But what good are we gonna do all the way up here?"

It was at that moment that Applejack noticed that Rainbow Dash had a familiar glint in her eye … a dangerous, reckless glint. The Earth pony gulped loudly; she knew exactly what that look meant and that she was in for a bumpy ride.

"Hey! Did Applebloom and Big Mac follow my instructions?" Asked the pegasus, her prismatic mane flowing in the wind. AJ squinted as she looked down at the ground and almost instantly she spotted a couple of blobs, one yellow and a larger red one moving about the orchard. The small yellow blob was rushing about, while the red one was plodding slow and steady.

"Ah' think so… But why did you want them to surround all the trees with barrels? Ya know we won't be able ta buck all of em...”
"Hey… who said anything about bucking?" Rainbow said with a smirk. At first, Applejack gave her friend a rather puzzled stare, but within a split second did she then catch onto what Dash really meant… and the thought of it made her heart pound with a combination of total adrenaline and fear.

"Oh no no no no ya can't be serious!" she yelled, showing more of her nerves than she was happy with.
"Don't worry Applejack, I'll be gentle..." Rainbow Dash turned and smiled softly to the earth pony on her back. There was something in her tone that Applejack couldn't ignore… through all Rainbow Dash's bluster and showponyship, she heard a genuine, sensitive tone. Applejack always knew she trusted Rainbow Dash, but she sensed her friend was almost begging for something more. AJ sighed softly and looked her friend in the eye with a nervous smile.

"Okay Rainbow, Ah trust ya..."
Rainbow Dash then felt Applejack’s grip tighten as she braced herself for what was to come. Now was the time to show her, this farm pony, who had been her friend, rival and somepony she wished was so much more, she was going to show her exactly what it was to be the great Rainbow Dash!
Before Applejack knew it, they were heading towards the ground in an incredible burst of speed. She clenched her teeth as she held on for dear life to her cyan steed. She felt the intensity of the wind increase, the pressure building and building, threatening to throw her off.
This was what Rainbow lived for, the joy of flying, the thrill of adventure, the knowledge that even IF somepony else managed this she would always have been the first to achieve it, the absolute best!
The ground was looming ever closer at an alarming rate; the treetops closer still. Applejack gritted her teeth even harder as the pressure built, she clutched tighter to Dash, Closer than she ever had to another pony. She felt the tight, athletic muscles of the pegasus, her heart pounding faster than it has ever pounded before.
Rainbow’s wings were stiff, weather from the exhilaration of what she was about to do, because of her passenger, or some combination of the two she could not say, she had wanted for so long to share this with the pony she felt closest to.

BOOM!

Within a second, she had release; the pressure of the wind seemed to disappear. Applejack felt slightly giddy; Euphoric even, as the sheer force of the Sonic Rainboom battered her body. She looked down to Rainbow Dash; glistening with sweat, she too had a look a euphoria as well as a hint of triumph as she caught eyes with her passenger.

"Look AJ, the Sonic Rainbuck, we totally nailed it!"
Applejack then looked down to the ground. The two blobs; much closer now and clearly her siblings, were surrounded by barrels full of sweet ripe apples and very empty trees.
"…You did it ya mean... Ah' was just along fer the ride" she smiled. As Dash felt her passenger’s grip tighten, she turned to give her a huge, confident grin.
"Just call me Rainbow Buckin' Dash!" she said proudly as she then raced back to Sweet Apple Acres at top speed...

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