• Published 22nd Jul 2013
  • 2,655 Views, 79 Comments

Loving in the Sunlight, Fighting in the Moonlight - bahatumay



Applejack and Rainbow Dash return to Manehattan and revive the Mysterious Mare-do-well. Of course, gangsters won't be the only thing they'll end up fighting...

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Chapter 4

Two days later (time well spent bonding with Tank), the marks had faded enough that Rainbow Dash felt confident in leaving the apartment again. The day after that, Rainbow Dash burst back into their apartment around noon.

“Applejack!” she called. “I’ve got great news!”

This news was temporarily put on hold as Applejack, who still had not found a job yet, grabbed her and started shaking her with pent-up exasperation. “Ah’ve cleaned this entire dump twice! Ah’m going to go crazy if’n Ah don’t start doing somethin’!”

Rainbow Dash shrugged. “Sleep?” she suggested.

“No!” Applejack snarled. “Ah meant like a job and you know it.”

Rainbow’s smile never flickered. “Sleep... with me?”

“No!” Applejack growled, pushing Rainbow Dash away with a hoof.

“That’s ok,” Rainbow Dash said. “I just wanted to tell you that I finally found the weather office and I’ve totally got a job now. I start tomorrow.” Her smile turned devious. “So until then, we could celebrate.”

“Ah know what you’re thinkin’, and the answer’s no.”

Rainbow Dash gave her the cutest look she could muster, opening her eyes wide and jutting out her lower lip.

Applejack shook her head. “No. No. Ah’m not fallin’ for that this time.”

Rainbow Dash kept the puppy dog eyes on full-strength.

“No. No. Ah mean it.” Applejack crossed her forelegs decisively. “Nothin’ doin’. Ah don’t care if you are adorable when you do that face.”

Rainbow Dash didn’t change her expression. "Love me," she whispered.

Applejack threw down her hat in frustration. “Fine!” she growled. “Just a quick roll, then Ah’m out.” She sighed. “That just ain’t fair. You know Ah can’t resist that look.”

Rainbow Dash just smiled as she picked up the hat in her mouth, flipped it up onto her own head, and then turned and walked towards the bed.

* * *

Applejack would never say it to Rainbow’s face, of course, but she had really needed that break. It was relieving and confidence-building at the same time. She felt very confident walking down the street, and held her head high. After all, she was a farm pony, a real hard worker. Folks would be stumblin’ all over themselves to hire her.

* * *

A little over a week later, Rainbow Dash came home from work to see Applejack laying despondently on the bed, face down, with a half-eaten apple pie on the nightstand. Rainbow blinked. This was a lot more serious than she had thought.

“Hey, AJ, you ok?” she asked.

Applejack’s voice was muffled by the pillow, and so her reply sounded like “Whashiooike?”, which Rainbow Dash interpreted as, ‘what’s it look like?’

Rainbow walked to the side of the bed, and with a quick flap of her wings, landed on top of the earth pony, straddling her so that her body was perpendicular to Applejack. “Talk to me, AJ,” she said, lifting her hips enough so that Applejack could rotate to face her.

A few minutes later, Applejack accepted the invitation, and rolled to face the pegasus.

Rainbow sighed and rubbed her back leg. “About time. I was gettin’ a good workout there.”

“‘tleast you were doing something,” Applejack muttered, dejectedly pushing her mane out of her eyes. “Feel so useless here.”

“AJ,” Rainbow said, gently chiding. “You’re not useless.”

“Then explain why we’re not Mare-do-wellin’ right now even though we've been here almost a month."

“Because we decided we’d get settled before...”

“Ah decided.”

Rainbow rolled her eyes. “We decided. And I decided that you can’t call yourself useless.”

"Oh yeah?" Applejack asked sourly. "What're you gonna do about it?"

Rainbow's smile turned devious again as she reached over to pick up the apple pie. "Maybe I'll pour this apple pie filling on you and then clean it up."

Applejack snorted in annoyance. "Ya do know that sex is not the answer to everythin', right?"

"You're totally right, AJ," Rainbow answered gleefully, trying hard--and failing--to suppress a giggle. "Sex is not the answer. Sex is the question, and 'yes' is the answer."

Applejack stared at her. "Where did you hear that, and how long have you waited to use that?"

Rainbow shrugged. "I think I heard it from Lyra. And not too long. A couple weeks. Months, actually. Maybe it was last year?"

Applejack rolled her eyes. Rainbow lowered herself down on top of her, leaning in until their noses touched. “So, what do you say?” she asked seductively.

“Git off.”

Rainbow’s face fell, but she obeyed.

The two ponies lay there for a while. Rainbow Dash wouldn’t have minded leaving and going flying, but she felt like Applejack needed her.

This suspicion was confirmed almost an hour later when Applejack rolled over and said, “Ah’m sorry, Rainbow. Ah didn’t mean t’ snap at you like that. It’s just...”

Rainbow waited patiently, and finally the dam broke.

“Ah’ve been supportin’ mah family for forever, ya know? It’s been me what keeps food on th’ table. And here, Ah ain’t doing squat. Ah’m fully dependent on ya and it hurts, Rainbow. It really does.”

Rainbow would have liked to put a hoof around her shoulder and tell her it wasn’t a big deal, but something told her staying silent was her best option.

“Ah just... It’d be like you losin’ flight fer a while. Part a’ you’s gone, an’ it hurts! Ah feel like... Ah feel like Ah ain’t myself.”

Rainbow thought for a second, and then rested a hoof on Applejack’s chin. “I still love you,” she said.

Applejack sighed. “And Ah guess that’s all that matters, right?”

“Unless you’re seeing another mare on the side,” Rainbow said with a masterfully straight face. “That would bother me a little bit.”

Applejack hit her with her hat. “Ah’m serious,” she said, but a tiny smile played at her lips.

Rainbow snuggled close. “Every once in a while, you hit a thunderhead when you don’t mean to. It hurts. It happens to everypony. But you can’t stop flying. You gotta keep going through. And I think you’re stubborn enough to keep flying through that thunderhead and I think you’re gonna make it.”

“Thanks, Ah think,” Applejack said. Both lay next to the other for a while, the silence only interrupted by their calm breathing.

“Hey, Rainbow?” Applejack finally said.

“Yeah?”

“Thanks. And Ah mean it for reals.”

“Don’t mention it.”

* * *

Pep talk notwithstanding, Applejack was still in a dour mood the next afternoon as she continued her job hunt. Or, rather, the good mood she had begun the day with was quickly diminishing after being rejected twice before lunch.

"’Not enough experience’, eh?" she griped. "Well, ya don't say. But how am Ah supposed t' get experience if'n nopony will hire me without it?"

Applejack had been asking herself that same question for nigh on four weeks now, and she still had no answer.
Her dark musings were interrupted by a grumbling in her stomach.

"Now of all times," she mumbled. She looked around and spotted a bakery close. Maybe she could drown her sorrows in apple treats, because as much as she wanted to, she certainly couldn't drown them in Rainbow's feathers.

At least, not right then.

Shaking those thoughts off, she pushed her way through the glass doors and began scanning the wares. The thought of buying the stale, dry store-made treats when compared to the amazing things Granny Smith could create almost made her sick, but not eating would make her even sicker.

She hated lose-lose situations.

“Ah’ll take two o’ those,” she said, jabbing at the apple fritters.

The young mare working there quickly wrapped them. Applejack paid and felt a part of herself die a little inside as she unwrapped them and ate them.

This feeling was promptly replaced by frustration, the kind that only a master feels from seeing a mistake made only by an unlearned apprentice.

“What, didja use fuji apples at this time in the season? Ah know they’re cheaper and all, but if’n y’all’re gonna bake with ‘em, next time, don’t! Any kindo’ pippin would be better. Heck, Ah’d even settle fer a McIntosh at this rate, but Ah’d wager that the baker what made this thing can’t tell a Granny Smith from a Jonagold!”

Applejack looked up to realize that the young mare was staring in confusion. Applejack sighed, slightly depressed that such a fine rant (with accompanying accent override) had been wasted. She switched back into her high-class Manehattan accent.

“I must say, whomever has been baking these must have been not playing with a full deck, for they really don’t know the first thing about the various kinds of apples and their uses. I am, to put it frankly, disappointed.”

The young mare snapped out of her daze and nodded, then shook her head. “Yes. No. I mean... um... it was me, but I didn’t mean to. I specialize in cakes, usually. The colt who usually does the pastries quit two weeks ago.”

Applejack made a ‘hmf’ noise. That explained a lot.

“But you seem to know a lot about apples,” she continued.

Applejack nodded proudly. “Yep!” She turned and gestured at her cutie mark. “Born ‘n raised on an apple orchard. Ah know apples and bakin’ with ‘em like th’ back o’ mah hoof.”

The mare raised a hoof, wordlessly asking her to stay put. “Let me go get my boss.”

* * *

Sometimes, ponies have nothing to do. While some in this situation might do something like take a nap, others involve themselves in pondering questions of life, questions about the universe, and the purpose of existence. Some ponies create new ideas, some think of ways to inspire others, and still others attempt to better themselves through learning. Rainbow Dash was no stranger to being bored or pondering. Her current conundrum, though, was much more important to her than silly things like world peace. How was she going to get Applejack smiling again? She had tried just about everything she could think of, but nothing was working. Even playfully licking her cutie mark had ceased to get a rise out of the earth pony, and that had always worked before. She somehow needed a new source of confidence, but what?

Her deep thoughts were interrupted by a nudging on her shoulder. She opened her eyes and turned to see a little white unicorn colt, probably a little younger than Scootaloo, holding a watering can in shaky yellow magic. Rainbow realized that she must have been sleeping in his little garden plot.

“What are you doin' 'ere?” he asked, a hint of suspicion in his voice.

“What does it look like I’m doing?” Rainbow asked in reply, leaning up and stretching her wings. “I’m sleeping and thinking great thoughts. Awesome thoughts. Thoughts that would blow your little mind with their awesomeness, that's how great they are.”

The colt looked as though he seriously doubted that claim. “Why are you on our roof?” he asked.

“Because I like sleeping in trees, and Manehattan has no trees, so up top of a building in a garden is about as close as I can get.”

“What about in the park?”

Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Guards kick you out if you try to sleep there. I know. I tried.”

“I think you’re a bum,” the colt accused. "I'm gonna go get my mom."

Rainbow glared indignantly. “Am not! And even if I was, I’d still be the most awesomest bum ever. And the fastest.”

The colt cocked his head. “Prove it.”

Rainbow smiled before standing up and falling backwards off the balcony. The colt dropped the can and rushed up to the edge, only to have his world rocked as Rainbow Dash shot back up, the shock waves sending him spinning out of control. When he finally regained his balance, he watched in awe as Rainbow Dash flew, starting and stopping and looking just like a giant blue pinball she was moving so fast. In finale, she flew up high and brought down a cloud, kicking it and releasing a little thunder and a spark of lightning that lit her mane up like a firework. She landed and skidded to a stop. “How ‘bout them apples?” she asked.

The colt couldn’t answer, as his jaw was currently on the ground. “I want to do that,” he whispered.

Rainbow Dash laughed and ruffled his mane. “Good luck! Nopony will ever be as awesome as me! Name’s Rainbow Dash.”

“B- Bowl Cut,” he shakily responded in kind.

“Nice to meet you,” Rainbow grinned, giving him a hoof bump. “Good luck on your quest to awesomeness!”

Proudly, she turned to leave, only to run into a Royal Guard, wearing the same flat expression that was typical of every guard.

“Hey!” she greeted him brightly. “Did you see that, too?”

* * *

Rainbow Dash glared darkly at the ground as she walked towards home. “Citations for misuse of public rain clouds, a noise violation, reckless flying, trespassing, and he didn’t want my autograph. Worst. Day. Ever.”

Added to this was the fact that she still had no idea how to cheer up Applejack. She thought of her friends. What would Pinkie Pie do? Probably throw her a party, but she didn't have any friends here. Besides, she didn't feel like getting two noise violations in one day.

Maybe the answer lay in food. Yeah. Get her an apple treat she didn't have to make herself. And then maybe they could cuddle and eat it together.

Smiling broadly, she turned into the nearest bakery and was examining the selection of baked goods with apples in them when she suddenly heard a very familiar voice coming from in the back.

"Them ain't baldwin apples! Look fer the ones with a little green on them or these'll turn out soggy! And who in their right mind put the apples with the bananas? ...Ah don't care if'n it makes 'em look prettier, they ripen too dang fast and you'll have nothin' to bake with. And take that pan off the stove! If'n it ain't cast iron, it ain't got no business holdin' an apple cobbler! Respect the apple, dang it! Respect it!"

Laughing softly to herself, Rainbow Dash left, already thinking of how Applejack would be in a much better mood that night and how that would make her own night that much better and wondering exactly when she should mention all those tickets.

* * *

Rainbow Dash stood at the base of the stairs, doing a complete stretching routine. She extended her wings, stretched her forelegs, and did neck rolls until she felt about as limp as a wet rag. She flew up the stairs, gave her wings one last stretch, and opened the door.

Sure enough, the first thing that happened as soon as she crossed the threshold was a rope appearing, wrapping quickly around her neck, and dragging her down.

“Hello, AJ,” Rainbow Dash said, seemingly oblivious to the bonds that quickly appeared against her body. “You’re in a good mood tonight.”

“Ah got a job!” Applejack crowed. “Ah’m a provider again!” She leaned in close to Rainbow Dash. “And Ah’ll be doin’ a lot of providin’.”

“I’m not sure what that’s supposed to mean,” Rainbow Dash confessed, “but I think I like where it’s going.”

* * *

Later that night, two Mare-do-wells stood in the shadows in the overhang of a building.

“So the first thing we’re gonna do is send a message. Let’em know we’re here, and that we mean business.”

I’m here,” Rainbow Dash corrected. “There is only one Mare-do-well.”

Rainbow Dash couldn’t see Applejack’s eyes, but she was certain that she rolled them exaggeratedly under the mask. “You know what Ah meant.”

“So. How will we know when we’ve found our target?”

“Oh, you’ll know.”

Rainbow Dash scanned the city from their perspective. “Hey, how about him?”

Applejack answered flatly. “Rainbow, we are not gonna scare a foal fer stayin’ out after curfew.”

“Hmm... how about her?”

“No.”

“Him?”

“No.”

“Him?”

“...That’s a Royal Guard, Rainbow.”

“I know,” Rainbow Dash sighed as the guard in question flew off into the night. “I just wanted to see if you were paying attention.”

“Ah was.”

They stayed like that for another twenty minutes. Eventually, Rainbow Dash sighed. “This is getting boring. I just want something to happen.”

As if on cue, there was the sound of glass breaking and angry shouting from the next alley over.

“Rainbow, ya gotta learn when t’ shut yer mouth,” Applejack grinned.

“I dunno. I’m kindof happy about this,” Rainbow Dash said.

The two heroines sprinted to the other edge of the building to get a better view, where they saw a pegasus stallion advancing on a smaller colt, demanding money while his body posture was threatening great physical violence.

“You go first,” Rainbow Dash said, giving Applejack a gentle nudge. “Buck him through the wall.”

Applejack nodded and jumped off the roof, intending to use her cape to glide to a gentle stop. To her eternal embarrassment and horror, her rear hoof clipped the edge of the ledge, and she found herself rolling flank over teakettle off the roof and crash-landing right on a dumpster.

Rainbow Dash winced, and was about to rush and see if she was ok when she suddenly remembered their rules, and she stayed put.

The two in the alleyway spun around and watched as a strange, masked pony pulled herself up and stood back on her hooves.

“Whatd’ya think yer doin’?” the stallion spat.

“Ah could ask you the same question,” the mysterious pony growled. “Why don’tcha pick on somepony yer own size?”

“Because somepony my own size doesn’t owe me money.”

There that was again. Money. Didn’t anypony care about anything in this city aside from money? Applejack suddenly felt very homesick.

“Maybe we don’t have to do this,” she suggested. “Whatd’ya say we all just sit down and talk this over? How much does he owe you, anyway?”

The two alley ponies stared at the masked moron, deeply confused. Applejack could have sworn she heard a hoof slam into a face from approximately six stories up.

Finally deciding that she was serious, the stallion laughed. “More than you can pay. This grass ain’t cheap, ya know. Now go away or you’re next.” He turned back to the colt.

“Am Ah right in assumin’ this ain’t ordinary grass?”

The stallion turned back to her with an incredulous look on his face. “What rock did you just climb out from under? No. It ain’t ordinary grass. It’s expensive stuff, but totally worth the high.” He turned back to the colt. “Was it worth it?” he asked.

The colt nodded fearfully.

“At yer age?” Applejack was surprised.

“They’re for me mum,” he said, but from the way he looked down and to the right, and his previous statement, Applejack was fairly certain he was lying.

This didn’t seem to be getting anywhere, so Applejack dashed in between the two. “Ah don’t care if’n he owes you his firstborn son. You ain’t collectin’ tonight, so turn around and leave.”

“Get outta here before I beat you up myself.”

Applejack smiled underneath her mask. “Ah’d like t’ see you try.”

And try he did, but the first swing was easy to dodge, and the second she barely had to move for. The third, though, landed squarely on her chest, and Applejack had a sudden realization that even though the magic fabric was spreading the impact, it still didn’t mean it wouldn’t hurt.

But, of course, she couldn’t let him know that.

“Mah turn,” she said, before spinning around and giving him the buck of his lifetime. Leg muscles, classically trained in the hard art of farm work, slammed into him with such force that he literally left the ground and went through a full rotation in the air before slamming into a wall, sliding to the ground, and laying still.

Applejack turned back to the colt, who was staring in surprise and shock and... happiness. That was a pleasant sight. “Maybe you should just stick t’ buyin’ candy next time,” Applejack suggested.

The colt nodded.

“Now git afore he wakes up.”

Still nodding, the colt turned and sprinted away.

Applejack waited until he was out of sight, and then walked over to the dumpster and began slamming her head against it repeatedly.

“Something tells me that’s not quite the way you wanted it to go, huh?” Rainbow Dash asked. That fabric must have had some other properties, too, because Applejack hadn’t even heard her fly down.

“Nope,” Applejack said, resting her now slightly sore head against the metal. “That was too quick, too... Ah dunno, but that wasn’t right at all. Ah didn’t even introduce myself. We gotta plan this out. We gotta be better.”

“And we gotta try not to fall off buildings,” Rainbow Dash added.

“It ain’t gonna happen again!” Applejack hissed. “And if’n ya know what’s good fer you, you’ll make sure that stays quiet!”

Rainbow Dash really hoped that the command for ‘quiet’ didn’t include giggling uncontrollably, because that’s exactly what she was doing right then.

“Ah hate you.”

Author's Note:

So I may or may not have completely forgotten that I submitted this story... have a longer chapter to make up for it.
Also, up to here is what I submitted for the contest. After this, it's all never-before-seen AppleDashery, more crime-fighting-ness, less of a wonky accent for AJ, and (hopefully) better writing quality.
Hold on to your hats, it's gonna be a bumpy ride.