> Tiebreaking > by StarkyShy > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Just One More > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Applejack!” Rainbow Dash called out above Sweet Apple Acres. In her arms was a very confused and somewhat annoyed Fluttershy, her windswept mane covering most of her face. Rainbow Dash placed the other pegasus on the ground as they landed. “I got her, let’s get going, already!” “...Can I please get an explanation for what’s going on?” Fluttershy asked, fixing up her hair. “I was taking care of the foxes when Rainbow Dash dropped down in front of me, handed me this notepad and pen, said ‘Let’s go, me and Applejack need you’, then she picked me up and brought me over here without answering any of my questions.” “Rainbow Dash wants a rematch to see who’s the tougher pony,” Applejack explained, rolling her eyes at Rainbow Dash’s hastiness. “Ah finished all my work for the day, so a little friendly competition wouldn’t hurt.” “Loser has to do whatever the winner wants for a month, no questions asked! And you’re here to be the judge and keep score!” Rainbow Dash said, pointing at the notepad. “...You’re also here to make sure Rainbow doesn’t cheat by using her wings when she shouldn’t,” Applejack said, shooting daggers at Rainbow Dash. “That only happened once, AJ, let it go already!” “Once? I recall you using them at least eleven times.” “...Didn’t you two already do this sort of thing already?” Fluttershy raised an eyebrow. “Eh, kinda. That time doesn’t count, though.This one is for real!” Rainbow Dash declared. “No Running of the Leaves or crowd to be a distraction, just the two of us proving who’s the best!” “Sorry to push this on you all of a sudden, Fluttershy, but do you mean helping us out for this?” Applejack asked. “Alright, I’ll be your judge,” Fluttershy said. She already got dragged here, she might as well help out. “Woohoo!” Rainbow cheered, “Then let’s get this thing started!” With the two competitors ready and a reluctant Fluttershy as the judge, the battle for toughest pony began. The first in a very long series of competitions was tug-of-war. Fluttershy drew a boxed area in the dirt, putting a line in the center. Applejack and Rainbow Dash stood on opposite sides, each holding one end of a rope, a white bandana tied at the very center. “Okay, when I say ‘pull’, you go. The one who pulls the other over the center line is the winner, understood?” Fluttershy asked. The two nodded in response, their eyes locked. Applejack adjusted her grip on the rope, while Rainbow Dash rolled her neck from side to side. “...Three, two, one, pull!” At the very start, both girls tensed their muscles, pulling at the rope with all their might. The first few moments seemed to indicate that they were equal in strength, the bandana barely left the middle. Whenever it looked like the rope would gradually move in one direction, the losing side would do a quick jerking tug to put the bandana back in the center. Applejack dug the heels of her boots into the ground, gritting her teeth as she leaned back to pull. She tried to step backwards in order to get a quick win, but whenever she lifted her foot up, Rainbow Dash pulled harder. Rainbow Dash she had to constantly remind herself she couldn’t flap her wings to propel her backwards. She wouldn’t let it deter her, though. She could still win without her wings, no problem. The first competition already got her adrenaline pumping. Applejack tried to feel for when Rainbow Dash’s pulling decreased, even the slightest bit. Her arms were starting to get sore from constantly working against Rainbow. When she found a moment of momentum, she made one major tug backwards, stepping back as she did so. Rainbow Dash’s feet started to shuffle, the heels of her running shoes making tracks in the ground as she was getting dragged forward. She managed to get her footing back before it was too late. Desperate, she quickly turned around, pulling the rope forward instead of backwards. With a strained grunt, she slowly began taking steps back towards her end, even going a little further. Fluttershy watched on intently, her look of concentration turning into one of worry as the brand new rope started to fray. Rainbow Dash and Applejack never noticed, they had put all their focus on tugging as hard as they could. Eventually the thick rope snapped in two, causing both girls to stumble onto the dirt. “I’ll...just mark that as a tie…” After a quick break, the two were ready for the second competition: sit-ups. Whoever did the most sit-ups in a minute would be the winner. Fluttershy had a stopwatch to time them. Rainbow Dash went first. When the timer started, she moved fast, doing sit-up after sit-up in quick succession. But during the last ten seconds, her pace started to slow down, her abs starting to hurt. She continued to work through the pain, ending with sixty-three sit-ups done. Next was Applejack’s turn. Her start wasn’t as blazing fast as Rainbow Dash’s but she managed to keep a consistently fast pace throughout the whole minute, keeping her determined expression the entire time. “Time!” Fluttershy said, hitting the stopwatch. “Sixty-three. Another tie...” Another break, then another competition. After a bit of setup, several piles of hay bales surrounded Applejack and Rainbow Dash. One of them would start out carrying one hay bale, and Fluttershy would stack more and more on top, increasing the weight for every ten seconds they lasted. If they lost balance or dropped it, they were done. Whoever lifted the most hay bales at the end would win. Applejack went first this time. She easily lifted up the first hay bale, holding her arms parallel to the ground with little effort. Ten seconds went by lin a flash. Fluttershy stacked another bale, the weight increased, but Applejack didn’t even break a sweat. Soon, a third bale was added, then a fourth, then a fifth. Rainbow Dash sat on one of the hay bales, tapping her foot impatiently as she watched Applejack struggle. It was just so tempting to sneak behind her while she was holding them up and give her sides a squeeze. Though Fluttershy and Applejack would definitely call her out, it would totally be worth it. By the time the sixth bale was added, Applejack started to feel the strain of keeping the heavy bales up for so long. Her arms started to shake, trying not to let the stack fall. The bales on top started to shift, the center of balance being thrown off. Before the seventh bale was placed, the top of the stack toppled to the floor, the other bales following. Applejack sighed, she knew she could’ve done better, but six was going to be a tough score to beat. After a bit of cleaning up, Rainbow Dash was next. The start was similar to Applejack’s, holding up the first few bales of hay with little struggle, but unlike Applejack, by the fourth bale, she started to sweat, her arms were already sore with the tug of war earlier, and the stack only got heavier from there. Her eyes locked onto the bale at the top, making sure it was balanced on the stack, it also helped take the focus off of the burning and itching sensations in her arms. Applejack watched intently, if she failed before the sixth one was placed, she could actually get the first win of the day. Rainbow Dash grit her teeth, trying not to falter her movements as the fifth bale was placed. She felt her arms drop lower with each passing second. Adrenaline kept pumping through her body as she struggled to keep the stack up as Fluttershy placed the sixth bale. All she needed to do was last ten more seconds, and she would finally get the lead in the competition. But the strain was starting to get to her, her arms shaking with exhaustion, she wasn’t sure how much longer she could hold out. Six seconds left...Five...four...three...two… Rainbow Dash’s ran out of energy, her arms dropping the bales in front of her. She started scrambling away as the stack of hay bales fell in front of her. “Oh dear…” Several more competitions passed, and the score wasn’t getting any more decisive. Nearly every single match ended in a tie. On the rare occasion that one of them actually won, the other one would immediately win the next one. “How are we still tied? I know that I won more than you did,” Rainbow Dash protested, looking at Fluttershy’s notepad, trying to recount to put the score in her favor. “Not according to the scoreboard, Rainbow Dash,” Applejack chuckled. “Aw, this is bull!” “Girls, can’t you just end the day by calling it a tie?” Fluttershy asked, letting out a yawn, staring out at the setting sun. “But we can’t just end this competition on a tie, Fluttershy!” Rainbow Dash said, before turning back to Applejack. “Besides, I clearly won the best competitions!” “And the ones where I won were just practice rounds, I’m guessing?” Applejack said, raising an eyebrow. “Pfft, no. They just weren’t as important as the ones I won!” “Oh, is that so?!” Applejack growled, her hands curled into fists. “I hate when they get like this…” Fluttershy grumbled to herself, pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration. “I’m sorry, girls, but I really have to get going, I still need to feed the animals at home and...” “Lemmie get this straight, you don’t think log-chopping and plow-pulling aren’t important?” “Well not as important as the footrace or the pushup-contest.” “...And they’re not listening to me...Of course.” Fluttershy let out a dejected sigh, scrawling something on the notepad before dropping it to the ground, flying back home. “You’re just scared because I’m this close to proving I’m a tougher pony than you, right Fluttershy?” Applejack and Rainbow Dash waited for a response, only to be met with silence. “...Uh...Fluttershy?” The two looked around, but they were the only two left standing out on the farm. They noticed the discarded notepad on the ground, with a handwritten note by the absent pegasus. “Sorry girls, but the animals at home need to get their dinner and put to bed. You’re going to have to finish this on your own. -Fluttershy.” Applejack read aloud. “Well that’s just great.” Rainbow Dash huffed, crossing her arms in frustration. “Now what are we gonna do?” “Guess we have to finish this now, before things get outta hand…” Applejack said, finally noticing the sunset disappearing below the horizon. “How about one more competition, winner take all, something that can’t possibly end with a tie?” “Sounds good to me, but what? I don’t think there’s anything we haven’t done.” “Pfft, no problem, we could-” Rainbow Dash paused, realizing each idea that entered her mind was something that they already did earlier. “What about-nah…” “Maybe-no, we did that already…” Applejack and Rainbow Dash sat on some hay bales in the barn, trying to think of something they hadn’t done yet. In her frustration, a memory resurfaced in Rainbow Dash’s mind. It was a long time ago, before Twilight Sparkle was a princess. Trixie had returned, and enslaved all of Ponyville after kicking Twilight out. She remembered how Applejack refused to do anything Trixie did, but two feathers were enough to convince her to do her bidding. It was a gamble, but... “...I think I have idea for what we could do,” Dash said, breaking the silence. “Ya do?” “Yeah, we could end this all with a tickle fight. Whaddya say?” “...A tickle fight. Really?” Applejack looked at Rainbow Dash with suspicion. She was fairly certain Rainbow Dash couldn’t stand tickling. Why would she even suggest that? “Yeah, really. We haven’t done that yet, right?” “You really wanna end all of the feats of strength and toughness that we’ve been doing all day with a tickle fight...You’re sure about this?” “Uh, yeah. There’s no way that can end in a tie,” Rainbow Dash smirked. “What’s wrong, you scared you gonna lose?” Applejack pursed her lip. Rainbow was definitely planning something, but she did have a point, there was no way they were going to tie in a tickle fight. “...Alright, we’ll decide who’s the tougher pony with a tickle fight.” There was just something about that sentence that felt off… “Alright!” Rainbow Dash cheered, her wings popped open, pointing towards Applejack. “Now hold on, if you’re gonna use your wings for this, I wanna test something…” Applejack walked forward, digging her fingers into the base of Rainbow Dash’s wings. “Eeeeeehahahaha! H-Hey!” Rainbow Dash protested, her wings starting to twitch as she tried to push Applejack away. “Heh, alright, if your wings are that ticklish, then I guess it’s fair if you use them…” Applejack chuckled, satisfied that she got a preemptive strike in. Rainbow Dash shuddered. It was a risk having an extra tickle spot, but if Applejack was as ticklish as she thought... ”Fine by me. Loser just has to say that they give up, and that’s it. Deal?” “Deal,” Applejack nodded. It still felt a bit weird that this was what they were ending on, but it should be over quickly. The two took their positions in the barn, standing approximately five feet apart. Some of the hay was pushed to the side to make a makeshift circular arena. “On the count of three, then we can finally settle this, alright?” Rainbow said, cracking her knuckles. Applejack nodded. ”As long as you’re ready to lose.” “Ha! As if!” “One…” Rainbow Dash flapped her wings, letting some of the loose feathers fall out. “Two…” Applejack rolled her neck from side to side, scuffing the ground with her boots. “Three!” The two ran towards each other, both of them having the same idea to start at their sides, which lead to them grabbing onto each other arms, trying to break through to get the first strike in. Applejack eventually pushed Rainbow Dash’s arms aside, able to dig her fingers into Rainbow’s sides with ease. Rainbow Dash quickly burst out into laughter, her attack interrupted by Applejack’s. She switched to the defensive, trying to push Applejack’s arms down, but couldn’t compete with Applejack’s upper-body strength. Applejack chuckled, she’d make sure that Rainbow Dash would regret trying to start a tickle fight with her. Her fingers continued to wiggle, dropping down to slip underneath Dash’s t-shirt to get to the bare skin. Rainbow Dash jolted, nearly falling onto the ground. No matter how much she pushed, Applejack’s arms wouldn’t move. She wanted to fight back, but she needed to break free before it got any worse. “Heh, ready to give up, Dashie?” Applejack chuckled, her fingers skittering up further underneath her shirt, walking up her ribs and falling in the spaces between. “N-Nehehehever!” Dash sputtered out, giving up on trying to push Applejack’s arms aside. The only option she had left was to attack as well. Applejack always wore her shirt with a knot in front, baring her midriff. Her arms shot forward, her fingers making contact with that exposed skin. Applejack gasped, her body freezing up. Her initial laughter was much louder and more intense than Rainbow Dash’s. Rainbow Dash smirked, her fingers dancing across Applejack’s toned tummy much easier now that she wasn’t being tickled back. That reaction was more than Dash was hoping for. She was sure to win if Applejack was this ticklish. Applejack finally gained control of her body after her fit of hysterics. Every time her hands got close to Rainbow Dash, a squeeze to her sides caused her to freeze up again. She had no choice but to stop Dash’s assault on her tummy. Unlike Rainbow Dash, Applejack actually had the power to shove Rainbow Dash’s arms away. With one strong push, she broke through Rainbow Dash’s offenses. She lunged forward again, her fingers ruffling Rainbow’s feathery wings. Rainbow Dash felt her arms forced down in the blink of an eye. As she stood back up, she felt Applejack’s fingers against her wings. With a gasp, Rainbow Dash tried to wiggle away from Applejack, her flapping wings still being teased by her fingers. Luckily, with Applejack needing to overextend to reach her wings, she left herself open for more tummy tickles. She simply reached forward gave her hips a squeeze. “Eeeheehee!” Applejack yelped. Her body quickly dashed back to get away from Rainbow’s fingers, but upon doing so, she stumbled, slipping and falling onto her back. “...Uh-oh.” Like a ferocious feline, Rainbow Dash wasted no time pouncing onto the fallen Applejack, landing on her thighs. She continued her attack on Applejack’s midsection, her fingers sliding along the grooves of her abs. Applejack grunted when she felt the weight of Rainbow press down on her. Before she could throw Rainbow off, she felt those nimble fingers skitter across her belly, and she quickly dissolved into laughter. Her movements got more violent, her legs kicked up in the air, her arms flailed about all in a desperate attempt to do something to make the tickling stop. “Better give up now, Applejack. It’s only gonna get worse from here,” Rainbow chuckled, her fingers moving underneath Applejack’s shirt, aiming straight for her underarms. Her fingers teased around the hollows, before scribbling at the center. “NOOOAHAHAHAHAHA!” Applejack started to sweat, Rainbow Dash was giving her a thorough reminder of how ticklish she was, and she was starting to regret agreeing to this tickle fight. But she wasn’t about to give up, if she could just get Rainbow Dash off of her, she could turn things around. “C’moooon, AJ! You really wanna drag this out? Wouldn’t it be so much easier to just let me win already? All you’re gonna get is more tickles!” Rainbow taunted. With her fingers still scribbling away at her armpits, she shifted her body down Applejack’s legs, lowering her head down to buzz her lips right on her navel. “DAHAHAHAHAHAAAASH!” Applejack squealed, her legs kicking out in the air as she let out deep belly-laughs. She tried to push Rainbow away by the shoulders, but with her fingers in her armpit and the constant vibrations against her belly, her focus was all over the place. “Hey AJ, you know what? Apples and raspberries go great together!” Rainbow Dash joked, leaning her head back down, blowing another raspberry against Applejack’s toned tummy. Applejack pounded the floor with her fists and boots in helpless hysterics. Every time she thought she could throw Rainbow off, she either buzzed her lips against her belly or dug her fingers into her armpits, always keeping her guessing. “NAHAHAHAHAHA! W-WAHAHAHAIT! I GAHAHAHAHAHAHA!” she said between gasps. Rainbow Dash kept her lips pressed against Applejack’s abs, continuing to blow ticklish raspberries on her belly. Her ears flicked while Applejack was guffawing; she swore that she heard Applejack try to surrender, so she lifted her head up for just a moment. Applejack saw the brief opportunity in front of her and took it. She grabbed onto Rainbow Dash’s shoulders, using all her strength to toss her to the side. Rainbow Dash’s eyes widened before being suddenly thrown, rolling on the floor onto her stomach. Applejack took a brief moment to catch her breath, shaking her head to psyche herself up before she climbed onto Rainbow Dash before she could recover, ready to get some revenge. Rainbow Dash felt a sudden weight press down on her back. She looked behind her, seeing what looked like Applejack facing her feet. As if to confirm her suspicions, she felt Applejack’s tail slither between her wings, making her shiver. Applejack grinned with a devious gleam in her eye. She reached forward, grabbing onto Rainbow’s ankles. “Oh no. No no no no no!” Rainbow started kicking her legs out, her breath started to get shaky, knowing full well what was coming next. Applejack began to hum to herself, her grip on Rainbow staying strong as she untied the laces on Dash’s sneakers, making them easy to slip off. Once the sneaker was off, she peeled off the sock and tossed them both to the side, doing the same to the other foot. Once both feet were bare, Applejack grabbed onto Rainbow’s right foot. “W-wait! No, please, hold on! N-not my feet, please!” Rainbow begged, trying to shake her foot free of Applejack’s grip. She tried pushing herself up, but found she didn’t have the leverage to do so. “Sorry, sugarcube, can’t hear a word you’re saying unless you’re giving up,” Applejack chuckled. She was smart enough to keep her own feet in front of her so Rainbow couldn’t try yanking her boots off. She held Rainbow’s foot close to her chest, her fingers starting to skitter down her soles. “No no no no NOOOHOHOHOHO! STAHAHAHAHAHAP IT!” Rainbow Dash squealed, trying to crawl out from underneath Applejack. Her feet violently kicked, trying to smack Applejack away. “Well, Ah’d love to. Just need you to say those magic words, Dashie…” Applejack said, her body moving out of the way of Rainbow’s kicking foot. With the other one still in her grip, she began drawing figure-eights on Rainbow’s sole. “Tickle tickle tickle your tender feet…” “AHAHAHAHPPLEJAHAHAHAHAAAACK!” Rainbow Dash whined, pounding against the floor, her laughter echoing in the empty barn. Her gasps of air began to get more frequent, more desperate. Applejack smirked. Without any way of fighting back, it wouldn’t be long until Rainbow Dash surrendered. “Yes, Dashie? Somethin’ you wanna say?” she asked, her fingers trailing down her arch. “BAHAHAHAHAHA! NOHOHOHO MOHOHOHOHORE!” Rainbow screamed, her hands clutching her hair as she squirmed under Applejack’s weight. In a bout of desperation, her wings began to flutter. Rainbow’s flapping wings had unintentionally found their way to Applejack’s sides, the feathery limbs swiping across her bare skin. Caught off guard, Applejack shuddered, letting out a giggle as she flinched. With a little quick thinking from Rainbow Dash, she bucked her hips upward, throwing Applejack off her back. She rolled over and pinned Applejack down again, panting as she stared down the equally exhausted earth pony. Her wings flared open, the tips pointing towards Applejack’s sides. Before she knew it, Applejack was staring up at a vengeful Rainbow Dash. She started mentally scolding herself for forgetting Rainbow’s wings, but looking at how they menacingly pointed at her, she probably wasn’t going to forget any time soon. Just to make sure that Applejack couldn’t shove her away again, Rainbow Dash sat on her thighs, leaning forward and pinning Applejack’s shoulders to the ground. Her wings slowly flapped, the pinions sweeping across Applejack’s midriff. “Heh...Heheheheh! N-No...Nahahat the wiiiings!” Applejack giggled, her body squirming side to side, her stomach always enduring the wrath of one or both of Rainbow’s wings. “Oh yes, the wings. Time to give up, Applejack…” Rainbow smirked, her wings picking up speed, her feathers stroking up and down Applejack’s sides. With her shoulders pushed down, Applejack couldn’t lift her arms up high enough to reach any of Rainbow’s ticklish spots. She was completely helpless as the slow teasing started to crack through her stubbornness. “There’s no escape, AJ… What kinda tough pony can’t handle these feathers going uuuup and dooown and uuup and dooown…” Rainbow teased, her wings fluttering alongside her words. Applejack’s hips bucked up and down, her feet kicked, and she flailed her forearms, but after exhausting her limited options, Rainbow Dash stayed on top of her, still using her wings to tease her upperbody. After enough struggle, she managed to wriggle free. As the adrenaline rushed through her body, she decided to resort to something she never thought she’d do. Run away. Scrambling to her feet, Applejack got up, gave Rainbow a shove, and sprinted outside the barn, moving as fast as her legs could take her. She didn’t have to admit defeat if she just ran away. “Hey! What are you doing?!” Rainbow exclaimed, staring in shock. Confused as she was, Rainbow wasn’t about to let Applejack bail, not when she was so close to winning. She flapped her wings, getting herself airborne before taking off after her. Applejack had no idea where she was going to run to, just as long as it was away from Rainbow Dash. All that tickling had left her exhausted, but all her focus was put on her moving as fast as she could. She vaulted over one of the hay bales from previous competitions, but in her rush, her boot caught the corner and she fell flat on her face. That little trip was all that Rainbow Dash needed to catch up. She flew over to Applejack, grabbing her ankle before she had the chance to stand up. “Oh no you don’t! Why don’t you just give up already?” Applejack grit her teeth, “N-Never!” She stubbornly spat out, trying to kick Rainbow Dash with her free foot. Rainbow Dash easily caught the kick, only making it easier to drag Applejack back, despite her clawing at the ground, still trying to escape. At one point, Applejack had slipped out of her boots, but Rainbow Dash just grabbed onto her socked ankles instead. “You’re just saving me time, AJ,” she laughed to herself as she pulled Applejack back into the barn. Despite being dragged back, Applejack refused to give up. Although having her ankles lifted up by an airborne Dash put her at a severe disadvantage, it didn’t stop her from trying to crawl away. Rainbow had dragged her far enough that they were right at the barn doors, which Applejack clinged on to with her remaining strength. “Really?” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. She wrapped one arm around Applejack’s ankles, her free hand skittered against her arches. Applejack’s arms started to tremble, her grip on the door starting to slip. A soft chuckle escaped her lips, which slowly grew into an uncontrollable giggle. Eventually, her fingers accidentally let go, and Rainbow resumed her trip back. “N-Nooohohoho!” Her arms reached forward, desperately trying to grab onto the door again. Rainbow Dash had finally dragged Applejack back where they had started. She sat on Applejack’s back. Luckily, Applejack didn’t have wings that could catch her off-guard, so she was safe. With Applejack underneath her, she slowly peeled off Applejack’s socks, getting a better feel of her bare orange feet. Rainbow raised an eyebrow, poking and prodding at Applejack’s soles and toes. They were much smoother and softer than she imagined them to be. “Heh, wow, AJ. I think you’ve been going to the spa with Rarity waaaaaay too much,” Rainbow shook her head, her fingers walking up her soles, before mercilessly digging underneath her toes. Applejack cringed in embarrassment. She should’ve told Rarity no. She should’ve made an excuse not to go. Now those precious moments of pampering turned into her worst enemy. She took her hat off to muffle her laughter and her blushing cheeks. “Heh heh, I still can’t believe it! They’re so soft!” Rainbow said in awe, her fingers gliding up and down Applejack’s large arches. “I bet this tickles like crazy, huh?” Tears started to stream down Applejack’s cheeks as she let out her bombastic laughter. “NOOOHAHAHAHA! STAHAHAHAP! STAAAAHAHAHAHAP!” Her energy was spent, unable to kick herself free, all she could do was laugh. ”Well, it seems like it does to me,” Rainbow shrugged. “Hm...I wonder…” Rainbow thought aloud, looking at Applejack’s bare feet, she stuck her tongue out, placing it at her heel, before slowly dragging it up to the ball of her foot. Applejack’s body froze up. Her mouth was open, yet no sound came out. It wasn’t until Rainbow licked up her other foot that she let out a shriek, followed by more uncontrolled guffaws. “Yeah, figured you didn’t taste like apples, anyway,” Rainbow smirked, poking her wiggling toes with her tongue. Applejack pounded the ground, the feeling of Rainbow Dash’s tongue prodding between her toes sending cold chills up her spine. “AAAHAHAHAHA! DAAAHAHAHASH! W-WHAT ARE YA DOING!? S-STAHAHAHAP IT!” “Aw, shaddap and take your licks, Applejack,” Rainbow laughed, sloppily slurping up her sole. The feeling of Rainbow’s tongue was maddening. Her stubbornness only prolonged the torture. She had absolutely no leverage to use against Rainbow Dash, stuck underneath her while she toyed with her soft feet. With her resolve broken, there was only one thing Applejack could do. “OK OK OK! I GIHIHIHIVE UP!” “What was that? I didn’t hear you. You’re gonna have to speak up!” Rainbow Dash said with a mischievous grin, dragging her tongue between her toes. “NAHAHAHAHAHAHA I GIVE UUUUP! I GIVE! I GIHIHIHIVE! YOU WIN, ALRIGHT?! JUST STAHAHAHAHAP!” Applejack whined, her upper body barely making any more movement aside from the rapid rising and falling of her chest. “Sweet!” Just like that, Rainbow Dash stopped everything she was doing, dropping Applejack’s feet to the floor. “That means you have to do whatever I want for a month!” she grinned, an idea immediately springing into her mind. “First thing’s first: Don’t go anywhere,” she ordered, running out of the barn, swiping Applejack’s hat as she left. Applejack let her feet drop to the floor, groaning in exhaustion. She may have lost in a humiliating way, but at least the tickling was over. She rolled onto her back, relishing every little bit of oxygen she got with each gasp. Her body refused to move any more. The floor of the barn was hardly clean or comfortable, but it was enough for Applejack to slowly close her eyes and fall asleep. Once Applejack woke up, she was staring out over part of the apple orchard. “Whuh...huh?” She squinted her eyes at the new view, she swore that she fell asleep in the barn... Before Applejack could assess the situation further, Rainbow Dash popped into her view, wearing her stetson. “Oh, hey! You’re finally awake!” Applejack tried to reach forward to grab her hat, but her hands were stuck behind her back. As she came to, she realized that her wrists had been tied to the apple tree behind her. “Rainbow Dash, what the heck is going on?” Applejack blurted out in a panic, trying to break free of the rope wrapped around her wrists. Rainbow Dash started hovering above the ground. “Well, it’s very simple, Applejack. You lost, so that means I get to do whatever I want to you for a month!” Rainbow explained, poking Applejack on the nose. “I was gonna have you carry me on your back and ride you around Ponyville while you declare how awesome I am, buuut I think that I’m gonna spend today tickling you!” “Aw, come on, can’t it be anything else?” Applejack pleaded, trying to cover up her bare soles. “I have a whole month, and the day just started,” Rainbow said with a sneer, “I’ll give you breaks and stuff, but for now, you’re mine…” Dash reached forward, digging her fingers into Applejack’s armpits. Applejack started chuckling, her legs kicking as she jumped up and down. Her cheeks already started to turn pink. “Hehehehehahaha! S-Stahahahap it!” “Stop? I just started, Applejack!” Rainbow playfully rolled her eyes, using her index fingers to circle around the hollows of her armpits, before using all of them to dig right into the center, then repeating the process. “Pleheeheeheeheease! Nohohoho moooore tihihihickling! Hehehehaha!” Applejack whined. She trembled when Rainbow teased her, and let out heavy belly-laughs when she turned up the intensity. At least when they were having a tickle fight yesterday, she had the opportunity to get the upper hand a few times. With her arms tied behind her back, all control she had was gone. She was at the complete mercy of Rainbow Dash, or the complete lack thereof. Rainbow moved down from the armpits to the ribs, each finger finding a space between the bones and vibrating. “Aww, poor Applejack isn’t so tough when she’s getting tickled, huh?” she taunted, her low voice contrasting Applejack’s loud laughter. Applejack kept trying to push her hands forward, in hopes that eventually, the rope wrapped around the tree would get frayed and she’d be free. Her ears folded to the side of her head, trying to tune our Rainbow’s taunting. “HAHAHAHA! H-HEHEHEHELP!” Knowing that her teasing was getting to her, Rainbow Dash hovered closer towards Applejack as she squeezed her sides. “What’s wrong, AJ? Don’t like being reminded of how super ticklish you are? It’s just you and me out here. Althooouuughh...I could bring Fluttershy, Rarity, or Pinkie Pie here if you want me to get some help...” “NOOOHAHAHAHAHA!” Applejack’s eyes widened in a panic. The last thing she needed was more hands tormenting her sensitive body. “Fiiiiine…” Rainbow playfully rolled her eyes, still scribbling her fingers along her sides. After noticing that Applejack’s face was more red than orange, Rainbow decided to give Applejack her first break. She flew back, sitting down in front of Applejack’s feet, and started taking off her sneakers. “Hah...hah...N-Now what…?” Applejack said between gasps of air, her feet instinctively curling up. “Oh, nothing,” Rainbow Dash innocently said, pressing her bare soles against Applejack’s. Applejack blinked in confusion. “Huh? What are you doing?” Her toes curled up against Rainbow Dash’s, unsure of what she was planning. Rainbow Dash said nothing, only responding by rubbing the balls of her feet against Applejack’s arches. Applejack was still completely confused, but she had to admit, it was a lot better than the tickling. Her body started to relax, it wasn’t exactly like a massage, but it was a pleasant sensation. Rainbow Dash curled her toes up, rubbing them up and down Applejack’s soles. “Feels good, doesn’t it, AJ?” she smiled. “Aheheh...yeah…” Applejack nodded, starting to play along, her feet rubbing up against Rainbow’s. It all felt so weird to her, but it was oddly calming. Was it the fact that they were rubbing their feet together, or was it just relief that it wasn’t intense tickling? Dash sandwiched Applejack’s right foot between her feet, stroking the top of her foot with her sole. “Yeah...I uh, I always wanted to try this…” she said sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck. “Heh, you didn’t need to tie me up for that…” Applejack joked, rubbing her toes against Dash’s arches. “Pssht, shut up…” Rainbow scoffed as she pressed her big toe against Applejack’s, eventually slipping past, their toes interlocking. Applejack closed her eyes, quietly giggling as she rubbed her big toe against Rainbow’s, occasionally squeezing it between her toes. Soon, Rainbow Dash pulled her feet back, scooting closer to Applejack, holding her right foot in front of Applejack’s face. “Alright, now lick them,” she commanded. “...What.” “You gotta do what I say, now start licking my feet.” Applejack let out a sigh. Not given much of a choice, she stuck her tongue out, slowly moving up from her heel to the ball of her foot. She shuddered, she didn’t know how to describe the taste, nor did she know how to feel about it. “Aw yeah...that’s right…” Rainbow Dash nodded her head, her toes spreading out the closer Applejack’s tongue got to them. Applejack took that as a hint, and moved up, sticking her tongue between her toes, licking the stems of her toes when she moved to the next opening. Rainbow closed her eyes and let out a satisfied sigh, letting Applejack get to work as she kept her toes spread out. As Applejack continued, her licks started to get a little rougher, repeatedly flicking her tongue up Dash’s arch. Rainbow Dash turned her head away and covered her mouth, silently snickering as Applejack’s tongue started to tickle her. Applejack smirked, at the very least, she could try to get a little payback in. She started to lick with a little more enthusiasm, using the tip of her tongue to lick and tickle her toes. Rainbow started to blush, her toes wiggling as she tried her best to keep her foot still, a few giggles escaping her lips. She had a sneaking suspicion that Applejack was trying to make it tickle on purpose. Applejack chuckled to herself as she took slow licks up Rainbow’s sole. It wasn’t a proper revenge, but it did make her feel a little better. Rainbow finally pulled her foot away after enough ticklish licks. “Alright, break’s over, back to the tickles!” Rainbow pulled out a bag from behind the tree, reaching in and taking out an orange toothbrush. “...Is that my toothbrush? Rainbow Dash, Ah am so gonna get you-hoohoohoo! Nahahahaha! Nohohoho!” “Aw, cheer up, Applejack,” Rainbow Dash chuckled, scrubbing underneath her toes. “A month of this isn’t gonna be that long…”