The One Week Year

by HapHazred

Winter to Spring: Day 2 and 3

Winter Wrap Up in a day. Well, that's doable, Twilight Sparkle thought to herself as she reviewed her plans. We did that before. But... and this is a big but... last time I had all of Ponyville to work with. She cupped her head in her hooves. About twenty stallions, a dozen weatherponies, and nearly thirty farmers from Appleoosa. That's a lot. It's not enough, though.

She had to clear the snow. That was the most important task. But there was also the clouds to deal with too, and the ground had to be churned up a bit so they could fertilize it later on. Twilight tapped her desk. Could that wait until summer? No. No, because summer was when the plants grew. It had to be fertilized by then. There wasn't time to...

She heard a knock on her door. Twilight craned her neck to face Spike, standing in the doorway with a bowl of cereal.

"Breakfast," he said. Twilight smiled.

"Excellent. Thank you, Spike," she said, taking the bowl from him and digging in. "What time is it?"

Spike rubbed his eyes. "Four in the morning," he said. "Y'know, last time you were up this early for Winter Wrap Up, you had to wait for hours until everypony got ready."

Twilight nodded.

"I know, Spike. But they're counting on me to have a plan of action ready by dawn." She gave Spike an apologetic look, her eyes softening. "We'll need as much sunlight as we can get."

Spike sighed. "Well... that's all right then."

Twilight pored over her notes once more. "I've arranged the orchard into a grid, see? Splitting the ponies up, we can work on several parts of the orchard in parallel," she explained. "It's just that... the orchard is so big. We could clear it in a day if we had twice as many ponies, but with what we've got... We'll have to work well into tomorrow." She tapped her hind hoof against the leg of her desk. "But tomorrow we need to work on churning the ground up."

"So it's not possible?" Spike asked.

"...Maybe," Twilight confessed. "But I still have a few tricks up my sleeve. It just takes a bit of creative thinking."

Spike raised his eyebrow. "Oh? Like what?"

Twilight pointed to two little markers she had placed on a map of the orchard. Spike clambered onto the desk to get a better view. One of them was orange, whilst the other was blue.

"Applejack and Rainbow Dash, for starters. With proper direction, I can double their productivity," she said, nudging their markers. Spike sat down heavily on the edge of the table, a suspicious eyebrow raised.

"And that'll be enough?" he asked. "They're just two ponies."

"No. There's always my third marker," Twilight said, and gestured towards the edges of the map.

Spike frowned. He backed away, and his eyes dropped to the corners of the large sheet of paper. His eyes widened.

"That's not a marker," he said. "You've just drawn on the map."

Twilight nodded.

Spike breathed in sharply. Twilight had drawn in felt tip pen a ring that encompassed the entire farmland, from the orchard entrance to the border of the forest. It was huge.

It was drawn in bright, fluorescent pink.

"There's always my ace in the hole," Twilight said. "Spike, I'm going to need you to pop by Sugarcube Corner."

"Okay!" Applejack shouted, her hooves crunching the snow beneath her as she strode in front of the ranks of ponies before her. "You've all been divided into squads of two. One shovel, one wheelbarrow. We'll have to get rid of the snow by dumping it out of the orchard, 'cause the sun won't have time to melt all of it even by tomorrow... And we need the ground clear by then." She held up a printed sheet of paper. "Twilight Sparkle has printed out maps of the orchard, set up in a grid. Read 'em. You'll need 'em."

"How are we supposed to do all this in one day?" Braeburn asked, slapping the paper with his hoof. "I ain't one to complain, but this... How're we supposed to..."

Applejack swallowed.

"We're not trustin' the grid or the schedule," she said. "We're trusting Twilight Sparkle. If anypony can organize a Winter Wrap Up in these conditions, she can." She wiped her brow with her hoof, clearing the sweat from her forehead. How am I sweating if it's so cold? "Twilight assured me she had a plan. She just needs a minute to get it to work. And don't forget the weatherponies!"

Braeburn nodded. "Right. Rainbow Dash'll still be in the skies, right?"

"Yup. Rainbow's the fastest pony in Equestria. As soon as she gets those clouds cleared... and she will, she'll be down here helpin' us."

The light on the horizon began to light up. The dome of clouds above them was a strange sight... It let in the sunlight when it was low in the sky, but would block anything and everything from above. The mountains were still visible on the horizon, and from behind them, the light of dawn approached. Applejack turned on her heels.

"All right, everypony! Get your shovels ready!"

Every single Earth pony and unicorn readied their grip on their respective tools. Many of them gave each other looks of confidence, reassurance, excitement, and worry. The atmosphere was thick with anticipation. It was dripping with expectation.

The sun rose over the horizon.

"Go!" Applejack bellowed, and stuck her shovel into the snow. "Winter Wrap Up starts now!"

"Okay! That's our cue!" Rainbow screamed, slamming her hoof into the cloud she stood upon, smashing it to pieces. "Team Thunderlane! Clear the West sector! Team Cloudchaser! Take North!" As the ponies rushed into their teams, she turned away, facing away from the sun. "I'll take care of the East."

Wings buzzed like a swarm of hornets, and all at once, dozens of clouds began to crumble into tiny fragments. What little snow they had left showered the orchard below. Not enough snow to make a difference, Rainbow thought. Just enough to irritate Applejack.

Rainbow leapt into the air, her wings beating against the wind, forcing as much lift as she could from her little muscles. She shot up, up, straight up like an arrow, high into the sky. She slowed, paused, hung in place. Usually, at times like these, she'd allow herself a smile. Not this time. Today, this was just business.

She tipped back, facing the ground again. She began to pick up speed, slowly at first, as gravity remembered its job. The ground sucked at her, pulling her in.

Then she beat her wings once more. Like a cannon-ball, she was fired from the sky, spat back towards the clouds she had come from. Below, her weatherponies were already hard at work clearing their sectors.

Rainbow sank into the clouds, sending ripples of force through the clouds... And then shot straight back out the other side, tearing through the blanket of white.

The hole she left behind was enormous. Thunderlane stopped in his tracks, his hoof hovering in the air, halfway ready to keep pummelling his cloud. His jaw was dropped in amazement.

Rainbow gave him a look.

"Quit gawking and get back to work!" she shouted.

It was several hours before Ponyville woke up. By then, Applejack's ponies were already hitting their stride. Eyes and ears turned towards Sweet Apple Acres, and the strange noises that could be heard even from this far away.

Every cloud burst was like mortar-fire. Every bellow, a battle-cry.

At nine o'clock sharp, Dinky Hooves stepped outside the schoolyard, her little school newspaper in hoof. Even though she barely reached the ponies waists, she captured the attention of anypony and everypony who passed her by.

She bounced up and down, waving her newspapers with enthusiasm. Featherweight was counting on her, and she wasn't about to let him down.

Rumble had been gathering intelligence all night long from his brother. Applebloom had illuminated them about the rest. And the article Featherweight had written...

The aspiring journalist had said that it was the best he had ever put to paper. Dinky didn't doubt it.

"Sweet Apple Acres to come to Fillydelphia's rescue!" she shouted. "Only at the school newspaper! Read all about it here!"

Eyes were drawn towards the little filly. Their attention was in her grip. Although selling papers wasn't her ambition, Dinky allowed herself a smug moment of self-satisfaction.

The first paper traded hooves. One bit went into Dinky's saddlebag.

"The One-Week Year begins! An entire harvest to be sent to Fillydelphia! Read all about it in your local school newspaper!"

More papers passed from pony to pony. More bits went into Dinky's bags. One bit, two bits, three, four...

Dinky was quivering with excitement. This was a new personal record.

She wondered how the others were doing. All around town, a small army of fillies and colts were hard at work selling their papers.

"Winter Wrap Up, Winter Wrap Up..." Applejack chanted, tossing yet another shovelful of snow into her designated wheelbarrow. She was well ahead of everypony else. Big Mac, the pony in charge of her wheelbarrow, could barely keep up. Applejack was so engrossed, she had stopped singing the full song. Instead, she just chanted the chorus. Over, and over, and over...

Mountains of snow were still in front of her, and the sun kept on dipping lower in the sky. Twilight's plan was only half as effective as it needed to be...

"Hey, Applejack!"

As if by magic, Twilight materialized before her, a broad smile on her face. Applejack paused mid swing.

"Twilight! You turned up!"

"Yup. I just needed to run some errands," she said. "I see the grid scheme is working perfectly."

Applejack spun her shovel around, digging up another massive chunk of snow. "Sure 'bout that?" she asked. "I don't mean to sound ungrateful... but I ain't finished clearin' a fraction of my orchard yet."

Twilight looked up at the sky. Yes, Rainbow's section was cleared... all was going according to plan.

"Well, Rainbow Dash is well ahead of her schedule," Twilight remarked. "She's practically burning through her parts of the grid. I was going to assign her even more sections to compensate for how unbelievably fast she is."

Applejack's shovel froze mid-swing. From beneath her hat, Applejack gave Twilight a suspicious look. "That ain't possible. She's been busy clearin' clouds all mornin'." Applejack frowned. "She ain't ahead of me, is she?"

"Almost," Twilight replied. "She's been catching up all morning."

Applejack grit her teeth.

"Well, I never..." she growled. Furiously, she slid her shovel back into the snow, soliciting a startled jump from Big Macintosh. "Big Mac! Move that wheelbarrow faster! I don't care how fast that featherbrain is in the air, she ain't beatin' me down here!"

Twilight smirked as Applejack tore through the snow, twice as fast as before. Perfect. Now all I have to do is give Rainbow a similar treatment.

As she trotted away from the zealous Earth pony, she flicked her mane out of her eyes in a self-congratulatory manner. Their little rivalry can finally be put to some use.

"Well, duh she's dug up more snow than me," Rainbow snapped. "I've been busy in the air all morning!"

"Oh, I wasn't trying to make you feel bad," Twilight said, holding her hooves up to ward against her friend. "I'm just saying Applejack has been digging up more snow than you'd think was equinely possible!" She leaned inwards conspiratorially. "In fact, she might just set the world record."

Rainbow blanched.

"World... record?"

"Yes," Twilight said, and held up a chart she had hastily scribbled beforehand. "I checked how much snow she was moving on average over time... and I'm pretty sure it's unprecedented."

Rainbow's grip on her shovel tightened.

"Forget Applejack! I'm not letting her take the record just 'cause I was too busy busting clouds!" She jabbed her hoof at Twilight. "Tell AJ I'll move through twice as much snow as she will. And I'll look way cooler doing it!"

Twilight smiled. "I'm sure she'll be happy to hear that! Getting the job done is all that matters, after all!"

"Like hay it is!" Rainbow snorted, rising to Twilight's bait. "And be sure to tell her in a way that makes it sound like I'm way better than her. Like, emphathise 'twice' and the 'and' parts. She'll know what I mean."

Twilight nodded, feigning hesitation. "Um, certainly."

Rainbow grunted, and turned to Flitter, the weatherpony she had requisitioned (with characteristic bluntness) to serve as her wheelbarrow-pony. "Flitter! Get me another shovel! I'm gonna' use two at a time!"

Twilight was already gone. She had done all she needed to do.

Now she was just counting on one last pony...

Lunchtime had come and gone, and Featherweight was blissful. This was the best paper he had printed. The best paper he had sold. It was the greatest feeling he had ever felt, and he wanted more.

"Guys? Can we get more ponies at the farm after school is over?" he asked his friends. "I'm thinking we can get more out of this story. Every problem they have, every challenge they have to go through... ponies are eating it up!" He waved his stick-thin hooves in the air. "Better yet, we're getting publicity out for a great cause! This is everything a school newspaper should be!"

Dinky and Peach both nodded their heads. "I agree," Dinky said. "My mom was talking all evening about how working with Rainbow was the hardest she'd ever worked, and how much she loved it." She beamed. "She's so happy she's making a difference!"

Peach bounced up and down. "We can too! We can get help for them! We can put out an article about supporting the orchard!"

"Excuse me?" came a voice.

Featherweight nodded to Peach. "I agree. There's so much potential... so much we can do..."

Yes, he thought. This is journalism.

"Excuse me," the voice repeated, this time with a familiar, haughty edge. Featherweight finally looked over to the former editor of the school newspaper. He widened his eyes.

"Diamond Tiara? What do you want?"

Diamond held out the paper. "I want to talk to you about the 'one-week year'."

Applejack leaned on her shovel, panting. It was too much. Each muscle ached. Even though the air was still brisk, sweat poured off of her coat like she was standing in the rain. Big Mac looked a little worse for wear as well.

She panted, dropping her flanks into the freshly cleared ground. She felt unable to stand.

A flash of purple light brought her to her senses. Applejack stood up as straight as she could manage.

"Excellent work!" Twilight exclaimed. "You know, we might just be able to make it."

Applejack shook her head. "Well... I hate to say this, but I hope Rainbow's still got some juice in her," she said. "I can't... I need a rest."

Twilight nodded. "Oh, she's exhausted as well." She pulled out her map of the orchard, complete with grid. Applejack couldn't help but notice many of the boxes had been crossed off. The ones that were successfully emptied, Applejack assumed. Unfortunately, it looked like they had only gotten through half the required amount.

"She's beat too?" Applejack asked, despair tinting her voice. She collapsed into the soaking wet soil. "I don't... Then we can't..."

"I just need you to fill in the areas on the map you've cleared," Twilight said. "Then we can move on."

Applejack groaned. "Twi', it's hopeless. We're runnin' out of ponies with the energy to get this done!" She held her head in her hooves. "If this were some big open field, we could get the ploughs out... but we can't. If we had more ponies, we could go on... but we don't. If we..."

Twilight picked Applejack up from the ground. "That's quite enough of that. Now, here." She shoved the map into Applejack's chest. "Fill it in. Trust me."

Applejack took a deep breath, and filled in her sections of the grid with a pen. "There," she said, crossing out the last box. "I cleared all those bits."

"Goodness," Twilight said. "That's just a little bit more than Rainbow managed to clear. I suppose that's only natural... you did have a head start."

Applejack shrugged. "What good'll it do? We've still got a whole third left! And it's almost evening." She looked up at the sky. "We're runnin' out of daylight."

Twilight smiled. "Tell all the ponies to evacuate the orchard. And I mean everypony. If you thought the snowstorm was bad, just wait 'till you see what's coming next."

Rainbow, still panting, hovered above the orchard, gesticulating wildly. "Everypony! Get out of the orchard. We've got reinforcements incoming!" Orderly lines were formed, and slowly but surely, the orchard became quiet and still. Rainbow wiped her brow. "Anypony left in the forest is going to get hurt. Move it, ponies!"

Applejack trotted up to her, looking at least as tired as Rainbow felt.

"You gettin' everypony out?"

"Yeah! Fluttershy's doing a head-count on top of the hill." Rainbow landed next to Applejack with a thump. "Apparently, Twilight's got some crazy scheme to get this all done on time."

Applejack ran her hoof through her mane. "She better. I don't know what to do any more," she said. She tapped the ground, which squelched with little to no resistance. "Darn, look at this. If it ain't dry by tomorrow, we might have a problem."

"Rainbow! Applejack! Get out of there!" Twilight screamed from on top the hill. "Pinkie's coming!"

Both ponies went white as sheets as they considered what, exactly, Twilight's scheme involved.

"Pinkie?"

"Here?!"

The hill overlooking the orchard was covered in ponies. Each of them looked more tired than the next. But something... somethings... were moving. Rainbow and Applejack both darted up the hill, their muscles straining and their bones feeling like they were made of lead.

Four large, metal tubes began to rise over the hill. They glinted in the setting sunlight, flashing bright and nearly blinding both ponies.

Party cannons.

"Hello~o~o~ everypony!" Pinkie screamed at the top of her lungs. "The Pies have arrived!"

As Applejack drew nearer, she recognized the ponies pushing the cannons. Limestone, Maud, and Marble. Each came with a cannon of their own. Each cannon varied in size. Maud's was the smallest, but its longer, thinner barrel told Applejack all she needed to know about it. It packed some serious fire-power. Marble and Limestone's were nothing to sniff at either.

"What the...? Why're they here?" Applejack asked, catching up to them. Limestone gave her an aggressive growl.

"Way to say hello," she grunted.

Pinkie exploded between the pair. "Did'ja know that my family has a rock farm? Did'ja? Did'ja?"

Applejack nodded. "Y-yes. We went there together?"

Pinkie displayed a predatory grin. "Did'ja know that salt is a mineral? And that we grow it?"

Applejack widened her eyes. "...Salt?"

Salt melts snow...

"Twilie!" Pinkie sang. "Present us your targets!"

Twilight handed the map over to Pinkie. "Fire at any square that isn't crossed off." As Pinkie looked at the map, Twilight bit her lip. "Do you have enough ammunition?"

Pinkie handed the map over to her sisters. "Whaddya think, girls? Did we pack enough salt?" To Twilight's relief, all three sisters nodded. "Looks like we've just got enough!" Pinkie exclaimed. "You guys sure got through a lot!" To her sisters, she added, "See? Oh, this'll be so fun! Usually, I just use this old thing for confetti and streamers!"

Each cannon was tipped back, aiming at the sky. Applejack took a few steps back as entire sacks of salt were loaded into their gargantuan barrels. Heck, you could fit an entire pony in Marble's cannon alone.

"Take aim! Let's blast that snow straight into next season!" Limestone shouted.

"I've already taken aim," Maud pointed out, matter-of-factly.

Pinkie leapt onto her cannon, fuse in hoof. "In that case... bombs away!"

Rainbow widened her eyes as all four ponies lowered their fuses. Applejack realized the danger, and leapt onto her friend, slamming her down onto the ground, much to Rainbow's surprise. "Get down!"

The shockwave as four powerful cannons all fired at once blew Applejack's hat clean off. Salt bags flew into the air, dispersing grains of rough salt into the sky, only to fall down as gravity sucked them back. Each grain whistled as it fell, and everypony but the Pies covered their ears. Applejack couldn't help but close her eyes, still lying atop Rainbow Dash, who was so stunned she couldn't move.

Just one of those cannons was enough to shock an unprepared pony. All four firing at once had them definitively spooked.

"Reloading," Maud declared.

"Whee! Betcha' I can hit more targets than you can, girls!" Pinkie exclaimed, firing away at will. "Boom!"

The smell of powdered salt and burnt powder was thick in the air. Applejack pulled Rainbow away from the terrifying machines, coughing and covering her mouth. How come they don't seem to even mind?

Twilight had known this had been coming, but even her eyes were wide with fright. To think, if those had been fired at a pony with anything other than confetti...

"Rainbow! Snap out of it! It's just loud noises!" Applejack shouted over the din.

"Bang! Bang!" Pinkie shouted. "Gee, this is fun! Best Winter Wrap Up ever!"

"It's so loud!" Rainbow screamed, clutching her eyes and face. "My ears hurt!"

Applejack gripped her friend by the shoulders. "So do mine!"

Communication wasn't a problem for the Pie sisters. They knew where they were firing, so they fired. Not once did they hit the same spot twice, or get in each others way. In fact, they didn't aim so much as know where the salt was going to land, without any estimation or guesswork required. Limestone’s furious growling and yelling was scary. Maud's expressionless professionalism was worse.

After what seemed like forever, the smoke cleared. Pinkie blew the barrel of her cannon, still sporting a broad, innocent smile.

Applejack looked over at the orchard. Nearly all the snow was gone. History. A thing of the past.

She chuckled. She broke into laughter.

She had done it.

"Everypony! We cleared the snow!"

Pinkie did a twirl, wrapping her hooves around Twilight's waist and spinning her around. "Celebration time!" she screamed.

'Celebration time' didn't last long. Any remaining salt had to be washed away to avoid upsetting the trees. Of course, the weatherponies were in charge of getting them the necessary rain-clouds for the job. The Earth ponies, in the meantime, were sat around the edge of the orchard, observing their handiwork.

"The soil is all wet," Braeburn commented, poking his hoof into the mud. "It might be hard to churn it up around the trees if it doesn't dry out some."

Applejack nodded. "It'll have had all night. Not to mention, hard ain't impossible." She gave Braeburn a determined look. "If it gives us trouble, we'll work harder." Rain formed little miniature rivers in the soil, washing the salt away but unfortunately soaking the ground even further. Applejack turned to Twilight. "You sure the salt won't hurt the trees?"

"It was only a thin scattering. Enough to melt the snow, but not enough to do them harm," Twilight replied. "The rainclouds are just for safety."

Applejack nodded. I'm close. I bet nopony's ever come this far before. She looked up at the sky, and at the rainbow trail darting from raincloud to raincloud. I've got some great help.

Twilight gestured towards the sky. "She's working almost as hard as you are," she commented. Applejack chuckled.

"It wouldn't have made a difference without you. Your lil' scheme really got us out of a tough spot, y'know?"

Twilight nodded, stifling a yawn. "Thanks. It was... a fun challenge." She turned to leave. "Now, excuse me, but I've been awake all night, and all day. I really need some sleep."

"Sure thing," Applejack replied. "You did real good today. I promise we can handle tomorrow on our own."

"I'm sure you will. I am going to go to sleep for twenty-four hours straight."

Applejack leaned against a nearby tree, her hooves sinking into the mud beneath her feet. She suppressed a frown. It looked like the speed they were changing the seasons at was having some unexpected side-effects. Hopefully there wouldn't be too many. Granny's warning rung in her ears.

She looked back up at the sky, and snorted. For all Rainbow's wonderful qualities, she had some strange quirks.

"Scared of loud noises," she muttered to herself with a smile. "Who'd have thought?"

As the last of the rainclouds emptied itself of water, Rainbow allowed herself a moment to relax, and take in the orchard. She could still hear the tell-tale whoops and chatter of the Appleoosan ponies hard at work preparing for tomorrow. Rainbow sat down on her raincloud, letting out a long, agonizing sigh of fatigue.

Must be nice, being able to rely on family like that, she thought. It's amazing how Applejack can conjure up a small army of ponies just by snapping her hooves. She got as many ponies as Rarity did, without using extra-long eyelashes.

Rainbow pulled her wing around for examination. The feathers were a bit ruffled around the edges, she noticed. Nothing a half-hour's preening wouldn't fix.

"Hey!" Applejack shouted from below. "RD! You got a minute?"

Rainbow leaned over the edge of her cloud.

"Sure. What's wrong?"

Applejack laughed, her voice carrying across the chilly evening air. "Nothin's wrong! Just thought ya'll would like to indulge in a lil' tradition. Get on down 'ere." Rainbow grunted away the aching, and glided down to earth. Applejack moved her weight awkwardly, shifting her hips as she bit the inside of her cheek. "You look a bit worse for wear," she said, referring to the increasingly dark circles around Rainbow's eyes.

"Likewise," Rainbow replied. "Now, what's this about a tradition?"

Applejack beckoned Rainbow to follow her. "Come with me. There's a nice snowy patch left just outside the orchard."

Rainbow raised an eyebrow. "Snow? What do you need snow for? Didn't we spend all day trying to get rid of it?"

The pair went just beyond the orchard, outside of the Pie's firing zone. There were still a few patches of snow, as well as large mounds where the ponies had dumped it. Waiting for them was a small table, two small logs, and two steaming mugs of cider.

Applejack sat down. "Figured you could use somethin' to calm your nerves after Pinkie's family passed through," she said. "And every winter, I like to enjoy some warm, spicy cider out in the snow." She slid a mug towards Rainbow Dash. "And winter is just about over, even if it did only last a day."

"Yeah," Rainbow said, sitting down on the log opposite Applejack. "I'll take any excuse to drink some cider." She gave the mug a sniff, her nostrils flaring as her lips curled downwards. "This smells weird. Not like the cider you usually make."

"It's winter cider," Applejack said. "It's... try it."

Rainbow licked the surface of the drink, tempting the hot cider with her tongue. Like a snake, she licked her lips with a smacking sound. Applejack's eye was drawn to a single drop of cider languishing on her lower lip.

Immediately she snapped her gaze back to Rainbow's eyes, surprised at herself for noticing such an insignificant detail.

Rainbow's pupils dilated to the size of coconuts.

"Holy Cloudsdale! What did you do to this?"

Applejack shook herself out of her stupor. "Ain't tellin'. Family secret."

Rainbow took a gigantic swig of her drink, causing Applejack to wave her hooves around wildly. "Hey! You're supposed to savour it!"

"But it's too good! No time to savour!" she exclaimed between gulps.

Applejack shook her head, taking a sip of her own drink. "Your choice, I guess." She looked out at the orchard, her gaze languishing on the recently cleared branches and twigs. Only a few hours ago, it had been in the middle of winter. Now... it was somewhere in between. "Gee whiz, it's been a heck of a day."

Applejack felt a hoof gently knock her foreleg. Rainbow put her drink down for a second, and when Applejack turned to face her, their eyes locked.

"I never thought farming could be this exciting," Rainbow admitted. "It's like..." She pointed out at the orchard, a faraway look in her eyes. "I want to join the Wonderbolts, right?" Applejack nodded. Rainbow licked her lips, searching for the words she wanted. "Well, it's kind of more than that... What I really want is to be better. No, that's not right. I want to be the best." She closed her eyes. "I want to fly faster, turn sharper, feel the wind under my wings better than any other pegasus alive. 'Cause that's how things work: if you don't try to be the best, you'll just end up being the worst. Even if I never get there... I'll have tried. And to try, I've got to want it."

Applejack nodded. "I think I get what ya'll mean."

"Yeah. And this... this is exactly that." She grinned. "It's like how I imagined being a Wonderbolt. We're pushing back against boundaries nopony set us. We're being the best." She took another long sip of her cider, and wiped her mouth. "Even if it somehow doesn't work... even if everything goes wrong... We'll have kicked butt."

Silence fell on their little late-night discussion. Something about the cider, the moon overhead, and the fatigue... especially the fatigue... made time stand still. Like Rainbow Dash was all there was for just a second.

For the strangest of reasons, Rainbow's quick speech even made sense. Yet another sign of tiredness, she assumed.

Rainbow snorted, and peered into her mug, breaking the silence.

"Gee, what'd you put in this? I'm blabbering on like there's no tomorrow."

"I told ya'," Applejack replied. "Family secret."

Rainbow grunted. "Well, if I'm gonna' spill my guts all over the snow... what's doing the impossible feel like to you?"

"Like an obligation," Applejack retorted, almost out of sheer instinct. She hesitated, running her hoof through her mane. "Well, no. Not obligation." She sighed. "I have family in Fillydelphia, see?"

Rainbow's eyes widened. "For real?"

"For real," Applejack said. "And I figure... if our positions were reversed... I'd want 'em to do the same for me." She shrugged. "That's how we Apples work. Family sticks together."

Rainbow's eyes were cast downwards. "There you guys go again with your 'family' shtick," she said. "Some of us... Uh..." Rainbow's eyes flickered left to right, before she interrupted herself by taking a swig of cider once again. "Nevermind."

Applejack smiled. "I heard 'bout Fillydelphia, and I knew... I just knew... that I had to do somethin', else I'd never hear the end of it from my folks. And I figured, why stop at just my family? Why not all of Filly? But, well... I couldn't do it alone." She smiled at Rainbow. "I'm real glad you're with us, and not loungin' around your office waitin' for the next raincloud shipment."

"I couldn't pass a challenge like this up, now, could I?" Rainbow said. On a more serious tone, she continued. "I promise we'll get it done. And I'm good on my word."

She spat on her hoof, and extended it towards Applejack. The farmpony followed suit, and in the darkness of night, their hooves met.

"Ain't no goin' back now," Applejack warned. "Deal's been made."

"Yup," Rainbow said. "And I won't forget it."

Dawn came quickly. Sleep felt more like a flu-jab than anything particularly restful.

Rainbow's alarm rang, drawing her from her rest, pulling her back down to the earth of conciousness. Rainbow blinked, wiping away tears of fatigue as she shifted her weight in her bed.

"...mmph," she groaned. "...cider..."

The alarm kept ringing regardless. Rainbow rolled out of bed, each muscle feeling like it was on fire. The aches and pains from the day before had arrived in full force, and every step made her wince.

It'll be worse tomorrow, I reckon.

Rainbow stepped into her shower, the water running down her mane, each droplet finding their way into her eyes. Dirt and sweat was washed from her tired little body. Rainbow quickly ran herself down with soap, saving as much time as she could. On a different day, she might take her time. Not today.

Today, she had an appointment to keep.

The sun was already rising above the horizon when Rainbow arrived on the scene. Applejack was surveying her small army of workers with a critical eye from on top the hill (which the ponies had affectionately dubbed Salt Hill after yesterday's display). Rainbow yawned as she closed the gap between them.

"Morning, AJ," she said. Applejack didn't look away from her orchard.

"You're late," she replied. "The weatherponies are waiting for your instructions."

Rainbow held her hooves up, warding against Applejack's accusatory voice. "Okay! Okay. Sorry. Not all of us are used to getting up at crazy early times," she said. Looking at the farmers below, she frowned. "How are they doing?"

Applejack frowned. "The earth is real wet. It's real hard to dig up, and some of the heavier ponies swear they're sinkin'." She ran her hoof through her mane. "It's slippery, uncomfortable, and the ground is sort of just... stickin' together. Some of the orchard is more marsh than farmland, and we need to wait until afternoon 'til it becomes workable. If it becomes workable."

The ponies did, in fact, look like they were struggling. Big Macintosh and Braeburn were fine, but many of the smaller ponies... Caramel, and one or two of the thinner stallions... were already looking worse for wear.

"Will you be able to get it done?" Rainbow asked.

"Not at this rate," Applejack said. "The earth needs to be churned up so's we can fertilize it properly. If we don't, the trees won't get enough food for growin' fast enough." She sighed. "My trees are good, but they can't just go through one harvest and then immediately pop out another without some help."

Rainbow nodded. "I'll get the pegasi to dump some heat into the orchard," she said. "That'll help it dry out..."

Applejack rubbed her eyes. For the first time, Rainbow noticed she looked as tired as she was. "It won't help too much. It'll just get real humid. We need the ground to dry out."

"It's better than nothing, though, right?" Rainbow countered. Applejack nodded.

"Yeah. Yeah, o'course." She looked over at Rainbow. "Get to it!"

Rainbow gave a professional looking salute. "You got it, AJ!"

With that, she disappeared, leaving naught but a dust-cloud in her wake.

Filthy hunkered down into his chair, the cacophony from the orchard rattling his windows. Every time a pegasus bust a cloud, or dragged a powerful gust of wind out of the microclimate to redistribute the heat, there was always some kind of noise. It wasn't even pleasant noise, like a calm breeze or the gentle patter of rain. This was frantic, angry, unrelenting noise.

At least it would be over and done within a week. Or earlier, depending on their level of success. Filthy looked down at his charts. Too bad it was such a risky move, else he might have tried getting a fix on Fillydelphia's market himself. He still might, if Wheatland didn't recover fast enough. Profit was in the air, and if he could get some food to their markets before the less savoury businessponies did, he might be able to snatch a win-win scenario from this disaster...

He heard a knock at the door. He raised his eyes from his papers. "Yes?"

The tiara came first, then the pony. Diamond had, as she usually did, a confident look in her eye. A look her mother had done wonders cultivating. Filthy grumbled at the uncomfortable reminder of his family life. Eventually the pair would have to be able to stand in the same room. Eventually.

"Hello, daddy," Diamond said, jumping up onto a chair opposite him. She slapped that morning's school newspaper on the desk. "I have a business proposal for you."

"C'mon! Pick up the pace! There's a warm wind coming from the Everfree! Thunderlane, grab a pal and send it here," Rainbow ordered, each beat of her wings adjusting the wind and pressure inside the orchard. The rest of the ponies were already panting.

"There's nopony left!" Thunderlane shouted. "They're all either on pressure control, or exhausted."

Rainbow looked at the crowd of ponies, checking each and every one for signs of energy. None looked up to the task.

She grit her teeth. "Fine! I'll do it myself!" she screamed. "I can do it all on my own!"

With that, she shot off towards the horizon. Thunderlane threw his hoof towards her.

"You can't! It takes two ponies to pull in that much wind!"

Rainbow was already out of earshot. The Everfree forest pulled up into view within seconds.

It was odd, Rainbow thought. They'd be stealing the weather from one microclimate to give it to another. The Everfree was not known for giving up its resources willingly, though. Rainbow would have to be careful.

"I've got kin in Fillydelphia."

A quick shake of the head was all it took to dispel the wayward voices in her head. I'm so tired, Rainbow thought. When this is over, I'm going to sleep for a week. She angled her wings towards the wind, slicing through the air like a hot knife through butter. Maybe I'll hibernate, just like Tank. Heck, we could do it together.

Several of her primaries fluttered at once, and she immediately lost a few feet of altitude. Quiet, she thought. I have to focus. Wind is like a river. Just without the banks, bed, or water, I guess. It's got flow. I just need to angle myself... Figure out the direction and speed...

That was it. Rainbow nodded to herself, her exploration of the wind currents complete. Feeling the wind was like feeling the slope of a hill: it was under your feet, tangible and solid to touch. However, that was where the similarities ended.

Any other pegasus would need to be in a team of two, she thought. But I know better.

Pegasi could fly alongside one another, their wings dragging the wind along with them like water in the wake of a boat, shepherding the currents. The stream of wind was too chaotic for a single pony... that is, if they didn't know the trick.

If you were fast and skilled enough, you could make your very own wind tunnel. If you were fast enough.

If.

Rainbow began to gain speed, and with avian grace, turned on her side, banking to her right, and swerving upwards... then down again. Her barrel roll was perfect, keeping to the principles of aerodynamics like a fish kept to water. The wind was dragged along with her, pulled into the vacuum she made with her wings and body.

Her continuing loops were beginning to strain her body. The blood flowed from her head, and soon, spots of colour began to flash across her vision, warning lights urging her to slow down. Repeating the trick took quite the toll on her.

Just a little farther, that was all she needed.

Applejack's counting on me.

"This earth isn't budging until we drain the water!" Braeburn shouted. "We could dig a trench, maybe dump it out’a the Acres?"

Applejack rubbed the bridge of her muzzle with her hoof, pinning her eyes closed. Not enough time, she thought. We need this place to dry out as soon as possible, otherwise we'll be stranded up horse creek without a saddle.

She felt the warm air wash over her, breath from the skies brushing through her mane. Braeburn looked up.

"That'll be the weatherponies, eh?"

Still not enough. It needs to be drier. Dry, not just warm.

"AJ!" came Rainbow's voice, a stammer making her sound like she was on the verge of collapsing. Applejack looked to find her friend, who had just landed next to a tree. She was shaking her head and swaying back and forth. "I... I think I need a minute."

Applejack rushed over, dropping her shovel. "What'd you do?"

"...Got wind," she said. "From the forest. On my own." She looked straight into Applejack's eyes. "Do you have any idea how hard that is?"

"Nope," Applejack replied, examining Rainbow's somewhat wobbly figure.

"I think I might hurl," Rainbow admitted, clutching her stomach.

"Sis'!"

Applejack spun on her heels, yet another unwanted distraction tearing her away from important matters. "What is it, Applebloom?" she shouted, spotting the little yellow speck from between the trees.

"AJ! It's Filthy Rich. He says he wants to see you!"

Applejack narrowed her eyes. It wouldn't do to insult a business partner, but now wasn't the time.

"Tell him I'm busy."

Applebloom shook her head. "He's brought twenty workers!"

Applejack had taken her hat off when she reached the well-dressed businesspony by the orchard's gates. They were all marvelling at the sudden shift in temperature and weather. Outside the Acres, Ponyville was enjoying a partially cloudy midday. Inside, the skies above were completely cloudless, save for a rather unpleasant fog brought about by the wetness in the ground.

"Mister Rich," she stammered. "What's the meanin' of this?"

The stallion adjusted his tie. "Well, miss Applejack, It seems I've come here with something of a business proposition."

Applejack couldn't help but feel suspicion rise within her. "Explain."

"Well, it's quite simple," Filthy said. "I would like to contribute to your little 'Fillydelphia venture'." He gestured towards twenty large, tough, and better yet, fresh-faced stallions. "My company has a fair few workponies, and I'd be happy to lend them to you for the duration of your week."

"And the catch is?" Applejack asked.

"I get to say that I had a hoof in the rescue efforts for Fillydelphia," he said with a smile. "You know ponies are slapping stickers on their fruit and vegetables? They say they 'support small businesses' or that some of the money went to a charity? This is exactly like that, although so much better." He extended his hoof towards the horizon. "I'm not prone to being dramatic, miss Jack, but this is an opportunity not to be missed. The publicity, the positive press... why, it'll do me no end of good."

"Really?"

"Did you know that it's not just the school newspaper talking about your farm, now?" Filthy asked. "Word is spreading, and whether you succeed or fail, you will be famous. I firmly intend to be a part of it."

Applejack tapped her chin. "It seems like a mighty fine idea. I could use the help," she said. Filthy shook his head.

"Oh, I'm afraid I can't take credit for the idea," he said. "It was actually my daughter who thought the mutually beneficial arrangement might suit us." He smiled. "She's evolving into a keen businesspony."

With a sense of ethics, no less, Applejack thought. "She sure sounds like she did good this time," she said. "Give 'er my thanks."

"I will," Filthy said, and turned to his workers. "Well, that's that! For the time being, Applejack is your temporary employer! You'll return and work for me at the warehouses by... what'll it be?" Filthy eyed Applejack.

"I'll have run out of time in four days time anyhow," she said. "So you might as well get 'em back after then anyways."

Filthy nodded. "Very well. Four days! In four days, I want to see you back at your usual posts."

One of the larger stallions nodded. "Got it, boss."

"Excellent." Filthy adjusted his tie for the final time. "In that case, I'll take my leave. Pleasure doing business with you."

Even with the additional workers, work was still progressing at a lethargic pace. The water turned the earth into thick, muddy bogs, and more than a few ponies ended up losing a horseshoe or two in the thick brown mess.

Rainbow rubbed her chin, observing the depressing scene. "Do you think Pinkie happens to store a big flame-thrower or something, like with her cannon?"

Applejack swallowed. "Even if she did, do ya'll really want to see what it'll do to the trees?"

A brief moment of hesitation passed. "No."

"Then we've got to press on," Applejack said. "Filthy's workers might get us through half. If we're careful, we can do the rest tomorrow when it's drier, and fertilize the other half."

"Will that work?"

Applejack swallowed. "No. I'm just... tryin' to be positive."

Applejack then left Rainbow alone, the negative statement lingering between them. Rainbow looked up at the sky.

A giant flamethrower, she thought. Her eyes fell upon the sun, hovering overhead. I know where I can get one of those.

Rainbow nearly bashed Twilight's window in as her hooves clattered on the crystalline surface of the castle. "Twilight! I need to borrow Spike!"

There was no answer. Rainbow grit her teeth, and zoomed around to the other side of the castle. C'mon, c'mon... please be awake, please be awake...

The young princess was probably still asleep after yesterday. She wasn't used to staying awake that long, after all, and it wasn't much of a bet that Spike would be up and about either. Rainbow pounded the glass even harder than before.

"Wake up!" she screamed. "AJ needs you!"

The crystal castle was far too tough, too indomitable to force through. Rainbow had crashed through trees and crashed through rocks, but she wasn't about to smash herself against the windows of a magical castle like a bug on a fly-swat.

Nothing but silence followed. Rainbow groaned loudly, and clutched her head. Dammit!

She eyed the faint outline of Canterlot Castle, hovering on the horizon like a unicorn horn jutting from the outcrop of the mountain. Rainbow grit her teeth.

Here we go, she thought to herself, and with a powerful beat of her wings, soared off towards the faraway castle. There goes my afternoon...

Applejack groaned as the head of her shovel broke off into the mud. "This isn't gonna' work," she grunted.

Braeburn put his hoof on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry, cuz'. This might be it."

Applejack kicked her broken tool away. "But we've come so far. I don't want this to be it."

She hit her foreleg against one of her trees, the heat of the sun belting across her back. We did such a good job, too...

She felt Braeburn tap her shoulder.

"Uh... cuz'?"

Applejack turned, and followed her cousin's gaze. Up. Straight up.

Straight up at the sun.

With a heavy thump, Rainbow landed on a patch of dry-ish ground next to Applejack.

"Hey... AJ..." she panted. "I brought... reinforcements."

High above the farm, Princess Celestia's horn flashed.

Golden light flickered across the ground, kicking up a cloud of steam from every patch of mud, every piece of marsh. Applejack felt the sweat evaporate from her coat, and she blinked as the intensity of the light increased.

Rainbow struggled to her feet.

"You got Princess Celestia?" Applejack asked, her jaw dropped.

"Yeah," Rainbow replied, blinking away tears of fatigue. "I had to fly all the way there. Twilight was asleep." She slumped against Applejack's side. "Now you can... still help your family, though."

"Applejack! The ground's getting dry!"

Applejack raised her hoof in the air. "Then get back to diggin'!" she ordered. "We've got a second chance! We get this done by today, or not at all!"

This is where Filthy's workers make the difference, Applejack thought.

A shadow fell over her. Princess Celestia gave her a small smile.

"Your friend flew all the way in just under an hour. That was some impressive long-distance flying."

Applejack glanced at Rainbow, half-asleep. "She's a real good friend," she said, propping Rainbow against a tree temporarily.

Celestia looked at the rows of trees, concern and doubt falling across her expression. "Are you certain they'll be able to grow a whole new harvest?" she asked. "I've been in talks with Griffonstone to have them send us more food to relieve Fillydelphia. And believe it or not, once word spread of your actions, I've been meeting resistance amongst my ponies." She looked at Applejack. "They aren't keen to spend so much money when a national hero is trying to save their city at a fraction of the cost."

Applejack widened her eyes. "Y'mean..."

"Whatever your chances of success are, you have made it very difficult for me to help Fillydelphia on my own terms," Celestia said. "So tell me. What are your chances?"

Applejack swallowed.

"The trees here... they're special. I've lived with 'em my whole life, and trust me, your highness... they're as magical as you or I." She held her hoof out, and brushed one of the larger, thicker trees. It's trunk was coarse, but tough and healthy. "There's as much magic in them as a pegasi walkin' on clouds. There's as much power in them as there is in unicorns, who can change the world with a flick of the horn," she went on. "And I know how to tap into it."

Falling from the topmost branches was a little appleblossom flower. It fluttered in the wind, and landed upon Applejack's hoof. She smiled.

"So, you see, your highness... I ain't worried about the crops. 'Cause right now, I don't have to worry 'bout ponies bein' able to dig up ground, or clear an entire orchard's worth of snow. It's all on my trees now, and I trust 'em with my life."

All around them, the apple trees sprouted dozens, hundreds, thousands of flowers. The ponies working the fields gave whoops and hollers of excitement.

Celestia smiled.

"Then I shan't worry either," she said. "Do feel free to send a letter next time you want my help."

Applejack nodded. "I shall."

She looked down at Rainbow's sleeping body, and gave her a little shake. "Do ya'll see it?" she asked, her voice little more than a whisper. "You made Spring come early."

Author's Note:

Chapter two, everybody. This is probably one of the longest chapters I've written, outside of my first story ever (which was 16K words all in one chapter, because I didn't really know any better). Do you like how the tale is proceeding so far? Close to 15K words and only three days have passed.

As an aside, I've gone ahead and added the 'Adventure' tag onto this story, particularly for the later chapters. I wasn't intending on using it when I first wrote the story, but now that I've finished it, I think it probably deserves it. The next chapter will be up tomorrow, same time as this one.

Feel free to comment and upvote, and have a good one.

Comments

[Cerulean Blue]

Very much enjoying this. I didn't quite think the plot would work, but this chapter has proved me wrong. Keep it going!

[HapHazred]

6704109 This isn't even the strangest plot I've worked with. One of my favourite things about writing is that I can be pretty damn creative with nothing but writing ability to hold me back. I've written, among other things, stories about the universe being an antagonist, a book that rearranges what you always knew, and a romance story where neither characters are in the same room.

By comparison, I'd say cramming a year into a week is rather mild. I'm glad you enjoy it!

[HapHazred]

6704252 Sweet! Hopefully it'll live up to all those extremes.

[BabySkittleMonster]

she turned away, facing away from the sun. "I'll take care of the East."

Will you, dear?

Rainbow licked the surface of the drink, tempting the hot cider with her tongue. Like a snake, she licked her lips with a smacking sound. Applejack's eye was drawn to a single drop of cider languishing on her lower lip.
Immediately she snapped her gaze back to Rainbow's eyes, surprised at herself for noticing such an insignificant detail.
Rainbow's pupils dilated to the size of coconuts.

I am liking this chapter. Immensely. Even the smallest sign of shipping makes me happy.

Rainbow's eyes were cast downwards. "There you guys go again with your 'family' shtick," she said. "Some of us... Uh..." Rainbow's eyes flickered left to right, before she interrupted herself by taking a swig of cider once again. "Nevermind."

Orphan!Dash is best!Dash.

A giant flamethrower, she thought. Her eyes fell upon the sun, hovering overhead. I know where I can get one of those.

No, Dash. No. .... Dash, no. Bad idea, Dash. Don't you dare. No.

Yeah," Rainbow replied, blinking away tears of fatigue. "I had to fly all the way there. Twilight was asleep." She slumped against Applejack's side. "Now you can... still help your family, though."

I take back my previous comment. Good Dash. Well done. You did it.

[HapHazred]

6704648 I admit, I didn't actually cover that aspect in the story, but I liked to think that the ponies involved were being compensated. At the very least, Rainbow's weatherponies would still be on her payroll, and the Appleoosa workponies would still be paid by Braeburn (which just leaves Rarity's force, which I did think were going to be compensated, even if I didn't explicitly say so).

I may consider adding a quick explanation in there somewhere: it was a bit of an oversight on my part.

I'm glad you enjoy it so far!

[The Hat Man]

Fantastic second chapter! Good job escalating the tension, working in some natural moments between AJ and Rainbow, and excellent epic cameos from the supporting cast, namely the Pie sisters and especially Celestia. It was one of those moments where it was a bit like "Oh yeah, I kinda forgot all about her!" It also seems Celestia isn't keen on wielding too much executive power, as she didn't outright order her subjects to pitch in (though still, kinda surprised that so many were gutsy enough to refuse her). But I suppose that just ratchets up the stakes even more.

Very minor thing I noticed:

Like, empathise emphasize 'twice' and the 'and' parts. She'll know what I mean."

Or "emphasise," without the Z. You folks across the pond sure do like your S's.

Great chapter and on to the next!