The Best Present of All: Part 3
The Best Present of All: Part 3
The party lasted a total of three hours, but for Applejack it seemed to go by way too fast– she was having so much fun. But, as usual, all good things had to come to an end and slowly but surely, the crowd thinned as guests began to leave the party.
Eventually, only Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Big Macintosh, Twilight, Spike, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders remained in the barn. Big Macintosh had already begun cleaning up the scattered paper hats and confetti while the Cutie Mark Crusaders sat in the corner, gulping down sugary treats and getting hyped up for the sleepover they were about to have. Applejack stood near the entrance, talking with Twilight while Spike lay almost unconscious on the unicorn’s back– the young dragon was exhausted and full from the pie eating contest he had entered against Pinkie Pie.
“This was a great party Twilight, Ah can’t thank ya enough for helping out with it.” Applejack said.
“It was our pleasure.” Twilight said. “But really, all we did was help set up and organize. Rainbow did most of the work in planning, preparing and assigning jobs to each of us. I’ve never seen her so dedicated to anything not related to flying.”
Applejack nodded, her eyes glancing towards the back of the barn– specifically up to a rafter where Rainbow Dash sat, staring out of a tiny window at the full moon.
“Yer right,” Applejack said with a nod. “Ah’m beyond proud of her.”
She then looked around the barn; everything from the dance floor to the mountain of trash made her think of just how many guests had showed up. She noticed the massive chocolate cake, or rather, what was left of it. It was a cake Rainbow had picked out and topped with a customized design that the pegasus had chosen as well. The remaining party supplies, the banner, the food, the empty spot where Vinyl Scratch had been earlier– everything served as a reminder to Applejack of all the hard work Rainbow Dash had put into celebrating her special day.
“She really outdid herself.”
“Then why don’t you go tell her that?” Twilight said, motioning her head towards the rafter and the sitting pegasus atop it. Applejack nodded, bade Twilight and the near-sleeping dragon good night (as well as thanking them again for sharing in her birthday) and made her way over to the rafter. Part-way there she stopped, her eyes landing on the pile of gifts she had yet to open. At the top lay a flat gift she knew to be Rainbow Dash’s. She trotted over and grabbed it from the mound before continuing on. She passed Big Macintosh, still hard at work cleaning the floor, and gave him a small, appreciative hug. He stiffened for a second, clearly taken aback by the gesture, but soon returned the gesture with a hug of his own. They broke off and exchanged smiles before Applejack continued on her way and Big Macintosh returned his work.
Applejack ascended a rickety ladder until she finally reached the rafter where Rainbow Dash had been sitting all by lonesome.
“Hey Dashie.”
Rainbow Dash turned to look at Applejack and smiled.
“Oh, hey there AJ,” She said with a smile. “What’s up?”
“Nothing much,” she responded. ‘Ah just thought that Ah’d tell a certain pegasus how much fun Ah had at the party she organized.”
Rainbow Dash smiled and gave a small wave of her hoof. “Don’t mention it, I’m just glad you enjoyed yourself.” She looked down at the gift in Applejack’s hooves.
“Oh,” she said, her expression immediately fell to one of despair, “you... you have my gift.”
“Yep, ah wanted to open it in front of ya.” Applejack said, taking a seat next to Rainbow Dash. They exchanged a smile and kissed. She looked down at the gift, the only indication that it was from Rainbow was the small, white sticker with ‘To AJ, from Your Dashie-cube’ written in hasty, black pen.
“Hehe, not one for extensive writing, are ya?” Applejack asked.
“Shut up and open it,” Rainbow Dash said with a groan.
Applejack chuckled and then proceeded to tear the wrapping paper off of the flimsy gift. Her eyes widened when she saw the glistening blue of the Wonderbolts uniform that was her gift.
“Wow, this is really neat,” Applejack said, squinting to get a close view of it. “Where did ya get it? It looks so authentic.”
“That’s because it is,” Rainbow Dash said, rubbing the back of her head nervously. “It’s... it’s the suit that Aurora Flare gave me when I was a filly.”
Applejack looked up at Rainbow Dash,all joy flushed from her face, replaced with pure disbelief.
“This... this is... that... uniform?” Applejack asked, receiving a nod in response. “But, that’s yer most prized possession. Ya kept it locked in a glass box for Celestia’s sake.”
Rainbow Dash nodded, “Yes, AJ. I did. And I could sit here and say that I thought long and hard about what to give you before settling on this. Heck, I could even come up with some cheesy metaphor or meaning for this gift in relation to our love for each other.”
Rainbow Dash let out a light chuckle before returning to her solemnity. “But I’d be lying. Sure there is meaning behind this gift, but it isn’t enough to justify what I did.” Rainbow Dash took a deep breath in and slowly exhaled before she finally confessed. “The truth is that I picked this as your gift today...ten minutes before I arrived at the party.”
Applejack tilted her head. “What?”
“I was so caught up in planning this party that I forgot your present all together,” Rainbow Dash said guiltily. “After I left the farm earlier, I spent the rest of the day before the party flying around town, trying to figure out what I should get you. And in the process, I got hit on by a stallion...and I threw your blueberry pie in his face. I was sexually harassed by two mares. I even begged Rarity like a dog. But after that...” Rainbow Dash took a second to steady herself as she let out a small sniffle, “after all that I only managed to find a gift for you just minutes before the party. Rainbow Dash looked down as tears started to form in her eyes.
“Then Pinkie Pie showed her gift, the one she put so much hard work into, the one that stunned everyone at the party.” Rainbow Dash swallowed. “And then there I was, your fillyfriend with a gift I didn’t make or even buy, only grabbed out of my own closet at the last possible second.”
The pegasus used the back of her hoof to wipe some tears away from her eyes.
“And I couldn’t help but feel... you know...guilty and... like I let you down.” Before Rainbow Dash could erupt into tears, she felt a comforting hoof under her chin, lifting her face up and towards the very caring face of Applejack.
“Rainbow, this gift didn’t let me down in the slightest,” Applejack said, taking her hoof away from Rainbow’s chin and using it to comb through her short-cut mane. The pegasus’ cheeks turned bright red, clearly enjoying the soothing touch of her fillyfriend’s hoof raking along her scalp.
“R-really?” she asked.
“Of course,” Applejack said with a reassuring smile, “Ah know how much this Wonderbolts uniform meant to you, and Ah’m beyond touched that you’d give it to me.”
Applejack removed her hoof and smiled. “Besides, if ya forgot to get me a gift, Ah wouldn’t have cared.”
Rainbow Dash gave Applejack an extremely puzzled look. “Why not?”
“Look around us,” she said, gesturing to the entire barn. “This whole party, all of the fun moments and the great memories, was only possible because of ya, Rainbow.”
Applejack looked at Rainbow Dash and patted her on the shoulder. “It’s because of yer effort that Ah got to have the best birthday party of mah life.” Rainbow still looked like she was ashamed of herself, so Applejack pressed on, not willing to let the love of her life stew in such a pit of self-constructed despair.
“Ya worked hard to make me happy with this party, and that was more than enough of a gift.”
Rainbow Dash nodded, but was clearly still not convinced– her eyes still refused to meet Applejack’s gaze. However, the stubborn country pony wasn’t finished expressing the gratitude she felt to her marefriend.
“Besides,” the country mare said, placing her hooves onto Rainbow Dash’s shoulders, “the best gift of all is having ya as mah fillyfriend.”
Rainbow Dash looked up at Applejack, wiping some tears out of her eyes.
“R-really?” She asked with a small sniffle. “Do you... you really mean that?”
As she looked into her fillyfriend’s face, Applejack could see a glimmer of hope in her otherwise sad eyes, the same eyes that typically conveyed high self-esteem as well as honest affection simultaneously. Those eyes were one of the main reasons why Applejack first started to have romantic thoughts about the polychromatic pegasus those many nights ago.
“Of course Ah do,” Applejack nodded with the utmost confidence. “No gift could ever compare ta knowing that Ah have ya by mah side, and that Ah have yer love.”
Applejack drew Rainbow Dash into a warm embrace. “Confessing to ya about mah thoughts at Hearth’s Warming Eve was the best thing Ah’ve ever done, because it gave me the greatest part of mah life.”
Applejack broke the hug and looked back into Rainbow Dash’s eyes with a smile. “It gave me you.”
Rainbow Dash’s smile returned, her cheeks lit up bright red. Applejack returned the smile and leaned in, planting a soft kiss on the top of Rainbow Dash’s head. Rainbow snuggled against the orange mare’s chest, letting out a sigh as she looked up at the moon. Neither mare had ever felt so safe and warm, their hearts beating in rhythm as they relished each other’s closeness.
They stared up at the sky through the tiny window of the barn. Although it was a cool night, the closeness between the two mares kept them as warm as if they had been wearing wool sweaters or a blanket.
“I love you AJ,” Rainbow Dash said breathlessly, “with my whole heart and soul.”
Applejack looked down at her fillyfriend and gave her another kiss, this time on her cheek.
“Ah love ya too, Sugarcube,” She responded, nuzzling the pegasus pressed up against her as they watched a pair of identical shooting stars blaze across the night sky- neither in front of the other, both shining with equal, dazzling intensity, flying in perfect harmony.
It was just as it had been on that cool Hearth’s Warming Eve.
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Oh it's AppleDash
huh
1903994
Yeah it's for the AppleDash group competition.
Oh ok well hope ya win
1904012
Thanks, but don't count on it. Let's see how I do here first.
That was a good read, man. I enjoy reading a good romance every now and again, partially because I can't write it for shit, hahaha.
I wouldn't count yourself out of the competition yet.
Unless, of course, the judges are 'skins fans.
Thumbs up from this guy.
1904032
Thanks
Also I'll be pulling for your Broncos in the AFC. Go Peyton!
Much better. Thumbs up.
1904064
Great, and thank you for the pointers
This is pretty good
Good luck in the contest! (I would've pre read, but I got too lazy) 
Heh, sorry about that 
1904018 I'm pretty sure you'll win^^ This was a blast to read^^
Good story I almost cried!
Outstanding story!
You really know how to right a fan fiction!
I could feel myself about to cry and I could feel their emotions for each other!
1905137
Keep your fingers crossed. Still, I got 7 dislikes so obviously it isn't perfect.
I'll be happy just to be a finalist, honestly. Besides, I have another story I'm writing now and I am considering doing another chapter story centered on Rumble and his relationship with Thunderlane and Scootaloo.
Might be a one-shot or might not be, I'm not sure. I just know the chapter stories give me more time to flesh out characters than one-shots do. (that was the one big criticism I got for "Happy Hearth's Warming Eve, Squirt" (where there was criticism and on my EQD rejection) so it's something I need to work on.
1906059 1907135
Aw, now I feel bad. I'm glad it brought out some of your emotions but I don't like my readers to cry.
Unless you think it was a good cry lol
NOOOOOOOOOO!!! IT'S AN APPLEDASH FIC!!!!!!!!
WHY!?!?!?!?!?
1907210 Nah^^ Those dislikers just dont know how to appreciate a good story^^ hehe^^
I loved Happy Hearts Warming Eve, Squirt^^ If I had anything to say anything in this contest, I'd totally vote for you^^ Youre a great writer and deserve some rewards for it^^
1907217 don't feel bad dude you did great
1907752
... Probably because he likes the characters and thought they make a good couple.
And he was right.
He was right, Luke... he was right. Now go, my s-son...
1914527
I have no doubt he wrote the story well; he's a good author- It's just appledash gets in the way of twidash... which is SOOO AWESOME
1917266
You know... they have a group for that. Shipper's Anonymous.
It's a kinda 12 step program... you start out with "Celestia and Luna" (See Celestia. See Luna. See Luna revolt. Bad Luna! See Celestia banish Luna. Banish, Celestia, banish!) and work your way up from there.
1917399
I don't have a problem, I CAN STOP ANYTIME I WANT!
1917406
I'm sure you can. *patpat* Just, for a poor doubter like me, can you prove it by
READING THIS HORRIBLE HORRIBLE TROLLSERTFIC AND TOTALLY UNDENIABLY ENJOYING IT
Note: Do not read the fic. Please. If you accidentally click on it, please downvote it and then burn the electrons and photons used to carry the tainted image of that page to your eyes. I know, it'll be a lot of work, but trust me, it's necessary.
1919065
KILL IT WITH FIRE!!!!!!!!
PSSSHHHT there's no way this fic could be that ba....
i2.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/157/835/ponies-stat.jpg
It's... too late... Hold me closer Ed, it's gett'n dark... *cough*
Tell Tiny Tim I won't be coming home this Christmas... *Cough*
Tell Auntie Em to let old Yeller out... *cough*
Tell Scarlet I do give a damn.
*dies*
1919168
Aw, crap. Someone got a stick? I wanna see if he's still alive.
*prods*
Aw, crap. How do I explain THIS one? "Gee, Ossifer, I dunno what happened. I just suggested he read this story, and... hey, what're you doing? 'Assault with a deadly'... It's a story! Okay, it's a BAD story, but... Well, yes, he DID read it... "
1919288
fifth degree murder? Killing someone by sending them a horrible fanfic?
1919409
Hey, I warned you, but nooooo, you had to go click on the link. Then, you had to go and read the horrendous abomination. It's not even like I told you there was a TwiDash fic behind there... Anyway, my lawyer says my disclaimer is bulletproof.
Also, since you didn't enjoy it, i've signed you up for Shipper's Anonymous Accelerated Therapy- five fics a day of nothing but Mary Sue OCs being fawned over by your favorite character!
1920577
What story was this? I was curious and clicked the link but it doesn't exist anymore. What was the like/dislike ratio?
1920592
dang, they nuked it? Well, good. It was a horrible stupid 1004 word story with Regidar and someone else named in it, just... stupid stuff with no plot or anything. Last I saw, the up/down was 4/29, at least. It wasn't even a story, just trolling.
EDIT: I just tried to search for a cached page, no luck, and I closed the tab I had it in last night.
1920606
Oh it was THAT story. I didn't read it, but I saw it.
How does that even get past moderation
1920628
Scratch that, I just found the tab. Saved... for... well, never throw anything out.
Well, you probably saved five minutes of your life for something more useful, like picking your nose or standing in line at the DMV. I'm guessing it had the word count and "Pony" in it, and that was enough to get in. Lord knows enough bad stuff does... *shudders* I won't tell you about the other one I glanced at, that came up in The Writer's Group or somewhere... I try to look at one or two new fics from those groups each week.
Suffice to say... there are few things in life that make me want to really physically harm someone. That story is now one of them. It really makes me feel ill to think about just the bit I read. What really saddens me is there are people in this fandom who LIKE it, and are requesting more.
I wonder if there's a point at which stories get reviewed or automatically deleted due to downvotes.. I certainly hope so.
1920592
You didn't want to read it.... trust me...
Also, sorry for usurp ing your story in order to have banter with that other dude
1931854
Sixty-nine...oh my...
But wow, nice catch regardless.
Yeah my style I think is more screenplay-like (which is what I have an interest in writing), but also I'm sort of a beginner when it comes to writing (I just started writing regularly last year), but hopefully I can work on it. But I'm glad you're enjoying it so far.
And let me preemptively thank you for the follow. Thanks.
Really dude? Why did you have to go making the finals so I had to judge a friend and possibly make them lose? Gosh. I'll add more after I read it.
1904032
He shouldn't; he made the finals. Trust me, I'm one of the judges.
2005740
2005759>>2005740>>1914527
All three of you suck. I have no idea why, it's just a feeling I get...
2006175
Actually, my wife says variety is th OH HAY LOOK A MOOSE!!!
It is very good, funny and beautiful story.
A great story I couldn't help but wanting to yell at Dash the whole time though. I guess we all det caught up in craziness sometimes and its hard to see the whole picture when you are so focused on one piece of it.
Nice job
That was an entertaining, sweet little story. I almost expected Rainbow - by the end - to accuse AJ of getting her all sappy and mushy.
I would've liked to see some sort of... aftermath. AJ meeting up with Davenport, Aloe and her sister or something like that. At one point, I even saw AJ setting these events up and seeing Rainbows rejection of those offers as a birthday-gift, one of trust and reliability, but I suppose that would've gone to far. And way out of character for AJ. (Though the thought remains funny.)
Thank you.
This was a piece of art. So heart felt and loving. The ending couldn't have been better. It was exactly how I love my AppleDash. Thank you for this rare and beautiful gem.