The Aftermath
Chapter 3 (The Aftermath)
Three days later
Rainbow Dash was walking to Sweet Apple Acres, not excited to begin what she saw as an entire week of slavery. She had woken up around six, and as usual had practiced some moves for the next Wonderbolts show she was scheduled to perform in. Rainbow Dash couldn't express in words how much she wished that show was scheduled for this week so she could have at least a day off, but unfortunately it was a little under a month away. The only solace she could find in this situation was that her friends were enslaved along with her.
Rainbow Dash was continuing forward with her head down, when she heard a set of hoofsteps quickly trotting up behind her. She turned her head to see none other than Rarity, and quickly looked forward again. “Oh no,” she muttered to herself.
“Well, good morning, Rainbow Dash, on your way to Sweet Apple Acres I presume?” Rarity asked in a sarcastic and annoyed tone.
“Please Rarity, don’t do this to me today,” Rainbow Dash pleaded in response, not wanting to deal with anymore than she had to. “I’ll pay for your spa bills.”
Rarity nodded. “It’s only fair, Seeing how me having to dirty myself for the next seven days is well… mostly your fault,” she responded, clearly satisfied by Rainbow’s lack of defiance on the matter.
“At least I wasn't caught first,” Rainbow Dash muttered to herself.
“What was that?” Rarity asked, shooting a suspicious glare at the pegasus.
Rainbow’s eyes widened. “Umm, n-nothing.”
The two ponies silently walked to Sweet Apple Acres together.
Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Applejack were already waiting for the two ponies as they trotted up to the barn.
Applejack looked at the two ponies with a smile as they walked in. “Alright, now we just gotta wait for one more, then we can start.”
“I wonder where Twilight is? It’s not like her to be late for anything,” Fluttershy said.
“I’m sure she will be along momentarily,” Rarity replied, inspecting her hoof.
Just then, a bright pink flash erupted near the entrance of the barn, and disappeared just as quickly, leaving Twilight standing in its place. “I’m here.” she said, promptly trotting up to her friends.
“Perfect, now that y’all are here, ah can tell ya what y’all are gonna do today,” Applejack said. “Today ah figured y’all would get the hard job outta the way and help Big Mac plough the fields. Ah got an extra plough with a harness for Rainbow to use, but the rest of y’all are gonna have to use the older ploughs.”
7 hours later
Sweat dripped from Rainbow Dash's face. She took another step with the plow, and her hoof sank into the soft dirt. None of her friends were faring much better; there were a lot of problems throughout the day, from getting stuck in the deep soft dirt to the ploughs not working as well as they should.
They all had a break around noon where they had eaten something and drank some lemonade, but it had not been an easy time for any of them and they were happy to be almost done with the day.
They finished ploughing the fields with about a half hour to spare, where Applejack let them relax. By the time the five friends finished, they were all exhausted, and their hooves were caked with dirt.
The only good thing to come out of the day was Applejack’s assurance that it would be the most exhausting and dirtiest thing she had planned for them to do the whole week.
---
Day Two
Rainbow Dash was walking to Sweet Apple Acres again. She was tired and her legs were aching. She had hoped to Celestia that Applejack had something easier for them to do today.
Rainbow Dash saw Rarity waiting at the entrance of Sweet Apple Acres. She knew what Rarity wanted. Once Rainbow Dash had got to the entrance of the orchard, she sighed. “How much do I owe you?”
“Eighty-four bits, darling.” Rarity replied, closing her eyes and outstretching her hoof.
The amount was higher than Rainbow Dash thought, but she sucked it up, and paid Rarity her bits. “Here. You’re lucky I brought a hundred bits with me just to be safe,” she said, and placed the correct amount in Rarity’s hoof.
Rarity checked the amount, and placed it in a coin pouch. “Thank you.”
Rainbow dug a forehoof into the ground. “Are you going to pay me back for this in any way?” she asked innocently.
“Certainly not in bits. If I did, then this would be quite pointless,” Rarity promptly replied. "However, I may consider some form of compensation if the thought occurs.”
“Alright,” Rainbow Dash said before walking to the barn.
Days two and three were just apple bucking, and nothing that they all hadn’t already done in the past.
---
Day Four
Rainbow and her friends strode up to the barn, and saw Applejack standing in front of a large vat of something, but it was too high to tell what from where they were standing.
Applejack looked at her five friends, and smiled conspiratorially. “Ah bet y’all are wondering what’s in this here vat behind me.”
Fluttershy and Rarity had no response, while Twilight and Rainbow just gave the farm pony a shrug.
“Oh, oh, I know! Is it cotton candy? I bet it’s cotton candy!” Pinkie Pie enthusiastically guessed.
“Sorry, Pinkie, but ah’m gonna tell ya right now there ain't no cotton candy in that vat.”
Pinkie’s mane deflated slightly. “Aww…”
“So what is in it, then?” Rainbow Dash asked, getting annoyed at Applejack beating around the bush.
“How about y’all walk up and see for yourselves,” Applejack said, stepping aside.
Rainbow flew over to the vat, while the rest of her friends walked.
Rainbow looked into the vat and let out a quiet, “Oh,” before gliding back down to the ground, her ears flat against her head.
Twilight got up to the vat and looked in, her eyes widened. “Oh boy… I think we might be in for a rough day.”
Rarity looked into the vat and immediately turned to Applejack, eyes wide with terror. “A-Applejack, darling. Now you know I have agreed to do this week of farmwork as punishment for our umm… loss. B-But I’m afraid I simply cannot bring myself to set hoof in that vat.”
Applejack groaned. “Ah know you’re just worried ‘bout gettin your hooves dirty. Sorry, Rarity, but y’all are working on my farm this week, and while working on any farm, y’all are gonna get dirty.”
Rarity glared at her. “I have accepted that I will have to dirty myself up a little this week, but this is unacceptable!” She closed her eyes, and turned away. “I would like to request you give me a different task today, or just let me sit this out.”
Applejack thought for a moment. “Fine. Ah’ll give you a different job or let ya sit this out, but ah got one condition for ya.”
Rarity turned to look at Applejack again. “Hmm?”
“If ya sit today out or accept another job ah have for ya, all y’all are gonna work for me for another week starting tomorrow,” Applejack said with a grin.
Rarity froze in place. She nervously looked over to her friends, whose looks indicated what choice she should go with. She turned back to Applejack and glared at her before letting out a sigh of defeat. ”Fine… I’ll do it.”
Fluttershy looked to Applejack. “Do you really expect us to spend eight hours doing this?”
Applejack nodded, and walked up to the vat. “The pony who brought these grapes to me said that he needed them stomped into a fine juice by the end of the day. Normally ah wouldn't accept that kinda job, but the poor feller looked pretty desperate and was offering quite a few bits for it. Ah figured ah could get it done since ah had y’all workin for me this week.”
“Can I at least have some boots or something to wear on my hooves? Grape stains are an absolute nightmare to get out, especially with my color of fur,” Rarity pleaded.
“Sorry, Rarity, but he wants ‘em stomped by hoof naturally, so none of that is allowed,” Applejack answered sternly.
The ponies all slowly climbed into the vat. Rarity winced when the grapes were immediately squashed under her weight and the weight of all the others as they all began to casually trot about the vat. The sound of all the ponies walking in the vat produced a distinct squashing sound that nopony seemed to notice, while Rarity was struggling not to become ill from the sound and slowly started lifting her hooves up and putting them back down on the grapes underneath her.
After a few seconds Fluttershy had passed by Rarity and noticed what she was doing to ‘contribute’. All she was doing was standing in one place and lifting her hooves up to stomp the grapes. “Umm, Rarity, no offence, but I'm not sure how helpful it will be if you just do that for eight hours.”
“Then what do you suggest I do, Fluttershy?” Rarity asked.
Fluttershy was about to answer Rarity when a raspy voice broke through. “Maybe you oughta try trotting around the vat like the rest of us,” Rainbow Dash suggested in an annoyed tone as she swiftly passed behind Rarity.
“Yeah, that,” Fluttershy said.
Rarity took a deep breath to calm herself down and get her bearings. “Well, I suppose I have no choice,” Rarity said with her eye slightly twitching. The unicorn slowly started walking across the grapes, and after a few minutes she was trotting through the grapes at the same pace as the others despite the fact that she would rather be doing ANYTHING else.
8 hours later
As the grape juice began to pool in the vat throughout the day, the five friends had to begin walking slower so none of it would splash out or risk staining their fur any more than it was. By the end of the day, the five of them were just wading in the dark purple liquid looking for unstomped grapes like they were needles in a haystack.
By the end of the day they seemed to have all the grapes in the vat liquefied under their hooves, and were standing halfway up to their knees in grape juice. Applejack told them all to stay standing in the vat while she drained all the juice out, which took around a half hour.
After Applejack was done, her five friends stepped out of the vat on wobbly legs and onto towels to dry and wipe their hooves off. Rarity almost left with a twitch, her legs below the knees taking on a distinct lavender color from her time in the vat.
---
Day Five
Rainbow Dash walked up to Sweet Apple Acres, her hooves aching from all the work she had done throughout the week. Pinkie Pie was bouncing right beside her. Though the two ponies took showers the night before, both of them still had slightly purple-tinted hooves from the work the previous day.
Rainbow Dash got to the farm and saw Rarity waiting for her yet again like clockwork, her hooves completely white and pristine again.
As Rainbow strode up, Rarity simply closed her eyes and stuck out a receipt on her hoof. Rainbow gave a sigh, took the receipt, and looked at it.
Her eyes flew wide with shock as she looked back up at Rarity “Th-th-three-hundred fourteen bits?! What, did ya buy the place?”
Rarity shook her head, and opened her eyes. “I only spent what was necessary to clean my coat, and nothing more. You should be well aware that those grape stains had a good eight hours to set in, so I was forced to resort to their most expensive deep cleaning services.”
The pegasus groaned. “I don’t have that kind of money, Rarity!”
“Well, yes, I do suppose it is quite a large payment. Even I struggled with paying it… hmm. Perhaps you can pay me for this one later,” Rarity responded.
“Come on, Rarity! Can’t you just let me off the hook with this one time? Please!” Rainbow Dash begged.
The unicorn put her hoof to her chin in thought. “Hmm... “
Rainbow Dash nervously rubbed her forelegs together, waiting for Rarity’s answer.
Rarity glared at Rainbow Dash, then closed her eyes, and sternly stomped her hoof back down onto the ground. “I’m sorry, Rainbow Dash, but I simply cannot. I’m doing this to teach you a lesson. A lesson about making promises you cannot keep.” She opened her eyes, shooting a pointed look at Rainbow. “If I am to recall the events of that night correctly, you assured our victory was at hoof before the challenge even started.”
“But isn’t this week of working our flanks off punishment enough?” Rainbow Dash asked in an annoyed tone.
“More of a side effect of losing the challenge.” Rarity flatly answered as she turned around but started walking to the barn.
Rainbow Sighed. “So that's it, huh? You’re not going to cut me any slack?”
Rarity stopped walking and looked down for a few seconds. She then turned around and looked at Rainbow Dash. “Listen, darling, I really don’t want to do this to you, but I refuse to let you get away with paying anything less than what is on the receipt. That is the only way this lesson will stick.”
Rainbow Dash glared in frustration. “Fine!” The pegasus shouted before stomping past Rarity and over to the barn. “I’ll pay you for the next three days next week.” She growled. “I need bits for myself to live on, too, ya know.”
The five friends spent the rest of the day and day six peeling the apples they gathered in the barn during days two and three. The ponies were all thankful for the two days of apple peeling, while it was tedious it wasn't all that exhausting or dirty.
---
Day Seven
The last day of work was spent doing odds and ends around the farm. Things like cleaning the barn or apple house, getting objects like hay bales to their proper destination and so on.
At the end of the day, Applejack called her friends into the barn, and they promptly followed her instructions.
They all stood side by side as Applejack stood in front of them with a smile on her face. “Well, it looks like y’all are done with the week of work, so—”
“Thank goodness!” Rainbow chimed in, interrupting the farm pony.
“Yeah, ah know, Rainbow ya’ll are glad to be done. Maybe this will teach ya to never underestimate my lassoin’ skills again,” Applejack said with a smug grin.
Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes, not saying anything.
“I never underestimated your lassoing skills, though!” Pinkie shouted. “I always thought you were super swift and quick and agile and precise and always tied things real tight and won awards and—” Pinkie’s rambling was cut short when a lavender hoof covered her mouth.
“I think she gets it, Pinkie,” Twilight said before removing her hoof from the earth pony's mouth.
“Okie Doki loki!” Pinkie replied, looking at Twilight before turning her head forward to face Applejack again.
“Thanks for the compliment, Pinkie, ah still appreciate it. Anyway, ah wanted to show y’all something before ya leave. Ah would like y’all to follow me into the kitchen.” Applejack turned around and started walking out of the barn.
“Why the kitchen?” Fluttershy asked.
“Y’all will see in a bit. There’s just something ah wanna show ya,” Applejack replied.
“I just hope it’s some dinner or a nap, because I’m beat from all that work,” Rainbow groaned.
The six ponies got into the kitchen and Applejack told them to all to sit down at the table and close their eyes which they did.
“Ohh, this is so exciting,” Pinkie chimed. “I wonder why she had us close our eyes I bet she has cotton candy for us this time!”
The ponies heard the sound of a refrigerator door opening and closing. Applejack could be heard slowly walking back to the table and set something down on it. “Alright! Y’all can open your eyes now!”
The five friends opened their eyes to see six tall cups of cider on a platter in the center of the table.
Rainbow Dash’s face lit up instantly. “It’s cider!” she exclaimed, quickly taking one of the cups in her hooves. She looked at the cup for a few seconds before curiously glancing up at Applejack. “Hey, wait a minute, why do you have this cider? Cider season isn’t for a couple months yet.”
Applejack took off her hat and smiled. “Well, ah figured ah would surprise y’all with a cup of cider for all the hard work ya did this week, so there's one cup for each of us.”
“Oh my, how nice of you. Thank you very much.” Fluttershy said, gently taking a cup from the platter.
“EEEEEEEE, you gave us the one thing that's better than cotton candy!” Pinkie said as she hastily took another cup off the platter.
“Hmm, how quaint and surprising. I suppose I can indulge in a cup before heading off to the spa.” Rarity levitated a cup off the platter.
Twilight was already levitating her cup, and looked to Applejack. “This was very nice of you, Applejack. When did you make this cider?”
Applejack took the last cup off the platter, and looked at Twilight. “Ah whipped it up last night after dinner. Ah woulda felt kinda bad if ah had ya work like that all week and didn’t give y’all at least a little somethin’ to thank ya even if it was a punishment.”
"Well what are we waiting for then? Let's all have a toast and get to drinking!" Rainbow Dash happily said as her held her mug out.
The six friends all toasted and took their first sips.
THE END
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Thank you for the story, it was fun!
7800878 You're welcome, glad you liked it! :)
Geez, you get your characters spot-on!
See you in June!
7800991 Thank you so much. I put writing characters in character above all else when writing. It's the golden rule that my stories live and die by.
Also I don't know if my next story will actually be released in May or June. I mean it might be, but that was more of a playful jab at myself for how slow I'am. I should be able to crank out one short story before May or June at the very least If I'm being honest, but we will see what happens.
Nice :D
Hehe I think the story is good, though I would like to point out that Rarity, Rainbow, and Pinkie seem a bit out of character to me considering all of their development they've had.