āWell sweet, sassy molassey, would ya look at this place?ā
Rainbow resisted the urge to squee with excitement. One of the first things she had been looking forward to doing after becoming an official Wonderbolt, was to bring her marefriend up to the academy and properly show her around. And judging from her reaction, it was safe to say Applejack was impressed.
āSo howās about we mosey on over to the mess hall and get something to eat?ā Applejack was saying. āIām so hungry I swear I could eat three whole bales oā hay!ā
āYeah, yeah in a sec,ā Rainbow cut her off, ābut first you gotta see the coolest part of the compound!ā
Without waiting for an answer, Dash picked A.J up by the armpits, ignoring all protests, and flew her over to the barracks. There might technically not have been any need to do so, the barracks were on the same cloud as the one they had started on after all, but darn it, she was excited! She couldnāt wait for Applejack to see everything!
āAaaand this locker right here belongs to, oh I donāt know, me! How cool is this?ā Rainbow stood proudly next to her locker, eagerly waiting for Applejackās seal of approval. The farmgirl chuckled and leaned forward from her seat on the locker room bench.
āWell lookee there, gotcha name on it anā everythinā!ā
āYou know it! They get these name plates specially made! Nothing but the best, for the best of the best-ā
āHehe.ā Applejack cut her off with a laugh. āYou get your own personal locker and youāre still too dang lazy to lock it, huh?ā
āHuh?ā
Applejack got up from the bench and moved forward. She stuck a hoof out, pointing at the padlock lazily hanging off the door by its unlocked hook. āSo whatcha keep in this thing anyhow?ā
āWhat? No! Wait, donāt-ā
It was too late. Rainbow tried to stop her but Applejackās curiosity had got the better of her. She reached out and swung open the door, casually ducking past Rainbowās flailing attempts to stop her from seeing whatever was in there.
āHoowhee, would ya look at this!ā Applejack pulled out a bomber jacket, crisp, new and adorned with flight badges. āThey sure give you some fancy gear in this place!ā
āHeh, yeah they sure do!ā Rainbow sweated. āSo hey, how about we head over to the mess hall now? I hear theyāre serving cabbage soup today! You know how you love cabbage soup!ā
Rainbow made a grab for the bomber jacket, but Applejack pulled away. Clearly sensing that something was up, she started looking over the garment, trying to find what Rainbow was trying to hide.
āNo! She canāt see it! She canāt, she-ā
āHey, whatās this badge right here for?ā
āShe saw it...ā
Rainbow sat down in defeat. A.J had seen it. There was no way to make her unsee it.
āUh, this looks like a picture of your Cutie Mark-ā
āCrashing into a sign, I know.ā Rainbow sighed heavily and looked down at the floor. This seemed to catch Applejackās attention.
āHey there...ā A.J sidled up to her and laid a hoof on her shoulder. āYou okay partner?ā
āWhyād you have to go and look at that stupid badge? Whyād they have to go and put it on the stupid jacket?ā
āAw Sugar, is this about that nickname thing again? I thought you were past that.ā
āI am! Really, I am, I just... I hate that stupid name so much!ā
āAw come on now, itās just a name. So what?ā
āSo what? It hurts! Have you ever been called names?ā
āWell sure, all the time.ā
āWait, what?ā
āYup. Pretty much every day in fact.ā
āEvery...ā Rainbow suddenly turned wrathful. āWho? Whoās doing this? Why didnāt you tell me? If I ever find the punk who-ā
She was stopped by A.Jās hoof being shoved in her mouth. The farmer gave her a flat look.
āI was talkinā about you, genius.ā
Rainbow sprung back. āWhat? I donāt...whatāre you talking about?ā
āJust the other day you called me āApplequackā.ā
āI was just... You fell in the pond! You were surrounded by ducks, I was just...ā She wasnāt sure what to think. A.J didnāt seem to be mad, heck; she was smiling at her right now.
āJust what, Sugarcube? Making fun? Teasing?ā She was still smiling.
āI wasnāt trying to be mean, I was just...Iām sorry, I didnāt mean to hurt your āā
She was cut off as A.Jās lips met hers in a quick kiss.
āYou didnāt hurt my feelinās at all Rainbow. I get it. When you tease me itās just a bit oā fun. Heck, I do it to you too. You didnāt mind when I call you āRainbow Rashā, the time Pinkie put itchinā powder in your flight suit.ā
āWell yeah, thatās just...I mean you and me smack talk each other all the time, weāre just... Weāre not trying to be jerks to each other...ā
āWell thatās how you gotta think oā your team mates. I know some oā them colts gave you a hard time at flight school, and that was mean of āem. But I reckon most folks donāt really mean the harm theyāre causinā. You just gotta try and not take it all too seriously.ā
āI...I guess so...ā
A.J gave her another quick peck on the lips. āSo whaddya say, you wanna head on over to the mess hall, Crash?ā
Rainbowās eyes narrowed. āHey! Just because we talked this over, it doesnāt mean its okay for you to call me that!ā
Applejack rolled her eyes. āAw come on Sugarcube, we just talked about-ā
āI mean it! How would you like it if I started calling you Appleslack?ā
Now it was A.Jās turn to narrow her eyes. āRainbow Dash,ā her words were slow and icy, āhow do you-ā
āKnow about that nickname? Letās just say Granny Smith has some interesting stories to tell. Lemme see, it was something to do with a mud hole, a tree branch and a length of rope, right?
āShut up Rainbow.ā
āOr what?ā Rainbow looked directly in Applejackās face, bearing the smuggest look on her muzzle possible. āYou gonna leave me tied upside down from a tree over a mud hole? Oh wait, that was you, wasnāt it...Appleslack?ā
āRainbow Crash!ā
āAppleslack!ā
āRainbow Crash!ā
āAppleslack!ā
āRainbow Crash!ā
āAppleslack!ā
And so the two continued to trade barbs with each other all the way to the mess hall.