Appledashery Vol. Two

by Just Essay

Buckin' Gals

Rainbow Dash stood on springy grass, shaking her head—seemingly to toss the cobwebs loose. " Ummfnngh," she ummfnngh'd, then smiled beneath a frazzled mane. "Hey there, Applejack."

"Hey yerself," Applejack droned. Rainbow Dash was the last pony she wanted to see right now, honestly and truthfully. She had made up her mind about that, and now here the scratchy-throated jerk was, ruining her resolve. "Now what's all this dive bombin' business about? I'm rather busy at the moment."

"I, uhhh..." Rainbow Dash stood in place, fidgeting. Awkward. Cute. "Uhmmmmm..." Her sky-blue nose scrunched and unscrunched. Damnably. "Ahem." She twirled into action, pacing about along the orchards. "So, I was doing my usual rounds today, delivering junk to ponies all across Ponyville and beyond..."

"Oh, right..." Applejack exhaled with slight relief, acknowledging what Rarity had told her. "Yer new job! How's that holdin' up, exactly?"

Rainbow continued: "And I was starting to break a sweat. So I thought to myself 'Jee, Rainbow! If only you had a way to parch your thirst in the middle of all this hot afternoon air-gliding n'jazz!' And then it occurred to me. 'Duh! You have a best friend who grows the most delicious apples in all of Equestria! Why not ask her for a few to spare, and then you can make yourself an awesome baked snack to munch on in the middle of doing your rounds!'"

Applejack's brow furrowed.

Was Rainbow drunk again?

Did she think Applejack had all the time in the world? Dang, varmint-headed scamp...

"Uhm... right." Applejack cleared her throat and spoke as eloquently as she could. "Apple snacks, huh?"

"Oh, y'know..." Rainbow shrugged. "I figured I'd make a fritter... or a pie... or a fritter."

Applejack's patience was already thin enough as it was. "Darlin', do you even know how to bake? I mean, unless you've been hangin' out with Pinkie Pie a lot lately..."

Rainbow was suddenly speechless. She fumbled for words as if the afternoon would last forever.

Applejack knew better... more than Rainbow Dash could ever—in this life or the next. Sighing, she turned to face the meager progress of her labors that day. "Reckon it doesn't really matter none. I'm awfully sorry, Rainbow Dash."

"Huh? What for?"

"But I'm afraid I can't lend any apples at the moment." A lump formed in Applejack's throat as she approached the wagon full of apples. "Even to a good friend."

"What—really? Not even a barrel?"

Applejack actually snarled. "A barrel?!"

Rainbow leaned back, smiling sheepishly. Like a foal with her hoof caught in the cookie jar. "Eh heh heh heh! Kidding! I'm j-just kidding! But... in all seriousness, your hooves are tied."

"I... I apologize, darlin'," Applejack said, fighting the urge to sigh. "Normally, I'd totally let any pony take a hearty sample of my family's finest fruit."

"Yeah... Uh... wh-what gives?"

Applejack blinked. She thought of lonesome night, clinging to flimsy softness. Of Granny Smith holding her while she sobbed. Apple Bloom's and Big Macintosh's faces drifting further across the kitchen, one silent breakfast after another.

"It'd take too much time to explain," she ultimately muttered. "Just believe me when I tell you that I'm unable to spare any fruit at the moment. It breaks my heart, but that's the way it's gotta be."

"What..." Rainbow leaned forward with a smile. "Wh-what if I pay for them?!" She reached into her saddlebag for some bits. "Mrmmmmfff—I just g-got paid this week too—"

"Rainbow..."

"How much for a dozen apples? I'll give you an extra few coins for delivery and labor! Not that tossing them ten feet at me counts as 'delivery,' but hey, you look tired as heck!"

Rainbow tried a more forceful tone: "Rainbow, I'm sorry! I just can't, sugarcube." Her voice softened a bit. Defeatedly. "I need every single one of these here apples for... for... well... for a special harvest the family and me are doin', ya hear? Maybe in a few weeks, I can spare some, but now...?"

Rainbow stared at her. "Does this have anything to do with Filthy—?"

Applejack's heart jolted. She snapped a startled look towards the petite pegasus.

"—irrigation?!" Rainbow grinned wide. "Cuz, y'know... pegasus pony!" She struck a proud pose. "I'll go round up some crystal clean water from the nearest lake and get these orchards soaked up in a jiff!"

For the moment, Applejack couldn't help but smile. Loyal to the end.

The grin didn't last long. Applejack woke up to the moment with a prolonged exhale. "It ain't as simple as that, sugarcube."

"But—"

"Please, I respect yer loyalty and all, Rainbow. But I've got this. Really, I do." She brushed past the mare. "I'll make it up to you somehow, ya hear? It may not be soon, but I will. I promise." She bucked the nearest tree. "Mmmf! I'll... I dunno... throw you and the rest of the gals a special apple feast. We'll all..." She winced slightly, but went after the fallen fruit. "We'll all eat like queens..."

The air was silent... until Rainbow broke it with a delicate, mewling voice: "You sure that you can't spare any?"

"All I can afford to give at the moment is my attention, Rainbow. But, sorry to say, even that is a might bit stretched out at the moment." She summoned the strength to smile—as a friend. "How about you drop on by sometime in the mornin' tomorrow, right before I set to work, and we can give it the gab, ya hear? For old time's sake..." She bucked more trees, grunting. "Nnngh! I may have a strict harvest to deal with, but Celestia forbid the day I can't afford to share some time with a dear friend."

"Uhm... sure..." Rainbow Dash's voice faded as she drifted away. "I'll... uh... I'll mull it over."

"You do that, sugarcube." Applejack was alone once again with the trees. Just like she wanted. The first of many labored breaths issued from her lungs, coalescing in the lonesome air.

It was a remarkably short time later that the sound of flapping wings returned. Panting, sweating, Applejack threw a glance over her shoulder. She saw Rainbow Dash kicking her legs awkwardly against the trunk of an unplucked tree further along the orchard.

"Huh? Rainbow...?"

"Haaugh!" Rainbow ignored her, choosing instead to kick and pummel more trees with her undeniably smaller limbs.

"Rainbow?!" Applejack stumbled upon the precipice of growling. "What in the hay's gotten into you?!"

"Guhh!" Rainbow kicked again, not even breaking a sweat "Just where is Big Mac, huh?"

Applejack blinked at the question. "Over in the west fields. Why?"

"And lemme guess, you're gonna work your way clockwise from the east fields to the south and then join Big Mac in the west?"

"Assumin' he drags behind, sure, but—"

"Y'know, you would do things clockwise, AJ." Rainbow Dash smirked, kicked a tree, and smirked again. "Predictable to the end. Heh."

"Rainbow, what in Equestria are ya doin'?"

"What does it look like?" Rainbow Dash flew over Applejack, grabbed an empty basket from the wagon, and placed it beneath a line of unbucked trees. "You wanna get a good harvest done, right? No sense in beating around the bush about it!"

Applejack raised an eyebrow. "Meanin'...?"

"Look, I'm a delivery pony and a speedster! Even before you, me, and the gals started hangin' out, I knew how important it was to be quick about stuff! The faster you get this harvest done, the sooner you can sell your stuff to whoever, right? And I do mean whoever."

Applejack shrugged. "Well, sure, but—"

"Then let's get to it, gurl!" With a wicked grin, she kicked another tree—"Hah!"—and smiled in victory as more fruit fell adorably behind her. "Showed that one who's boss!"

"Rainbow Dash, this ain't yer line of work!" Applejack exclaimed. "And besides! You've got enough on yer plate—what with the cloud buckin' and the deliverin' and—"

"Pffft! You think I'm offering to do this for free?" Rainbow Dash bore a devilish smirk. "Imagine if you and I combined to get this crap done ahead of schedule? Ehhh? Ehhh?"

Applejack stared at her. She thought of throwing some stern words. She imagined getting into her "big sister voice," like she had to do every so often with Apple Bloom. But something caressed her... silk-soft and delicate, precious. It brought a tingle to her scalp, then sent shivers down her spine... until at last she was smiling. If only slightly.

"Yer really darn persistent..." She adjusted the brim of her hat. Who knows who or what she was talking to anymore. "...ya know that?"

"I learned it from the best."

"Hah! You did not!"

"Wanna prove it?" Rainbow Dash pointed at the sky. "Race ya to sundown! Whoever bucks the most apples down between now and then gets to have the last laugh! And if it's me—"

"I won't be able to spare many, Rainbow," Applejack said, muttering. "Even if we clear out the entire east field by then."

"Well, we sure as feathers aren't gonna get much done by standing here arguing about it, now will we?"

"But—"

Rainbow simply smiled.

At last, Applejack blurted: "Yer impossible." She shuffled over to the wagon, preparing to sweat again. "Better not be faintin' on me! I'll make Granny resuscitate ya!"

"My muzzle's been been in worse places."

Applejack struggled hard not to laugh at that. She had already given her friend more than one smile... she wasn't in the mood to give Rainbow even more satisfaction.

She wasn't...

Comments

[Red Rum]

surprise updates right when I catch up.

[Phoenix Kitten]

8497086
No surprises here, this updates daily.

[Red Rum]

8497121
I just love it when I finish the last chapter of a story only to discover a new one was posted and get to continue my binge reading.

[Almeryst]

Rainbow tried a more forceful tone: "Rainbow, I'm sorry! I just can't, sugarcube." Her voice softened a bit. Defeatedly. "I need every single one of these here apples for... for... well ... for a special harvest the family and me are doin', ya hear? Maybe in a few weeks, I can spare some, but now...?"

Should that be Applejack at the beginning?

[Booster Spice]

If theres no way of stopping it, might as well go for broke, Dash?

[PinDrop]

Rainbow hasn't even started her adventures yet. Applejack is going to have a LOT of time to sort out her feelings. Especially if she allows herself 'distractions' once again once the farm troubles end...

[Leftover of Saikano]

Buck already!

[zaponator]

I'm not quite a hundred percent clear on my memory as to why Rainbow needs these apples, but something something save the farm sounds about right.
Really I just can't remember if she gives them to Fancy Pants or the Buffalo.

[arancaytar]

I forgot how much stupider this conversation would look from FrecklePOV.

[arancaytar]

8504161

At this point she's already talked to Fancy Pants and agreed to make the buffalo trip (ostensibly on her own prerogative): https://www.fimfiction.net/story/149893/51/appledashery/a-business-proposition