After a nasty breakup Applejack tries to use music to rekindle that lost flame.
Thanks to Sky, Sunset Shimmer and a certain human. Applejack and Rainbow developed a love for music from the human world. After a bad breakup between the two, Applejack hopes that with music (and some clever cosplay) she can make it up to her marefriend.
Rainbow Dash sighed as the alarm went off for the third time that morning. She pounded the snooze button, sat upright, and stretched. She got out of the bed and switched on the radio. She flipped through the stations until she found a news channel. As she got ready for the day, she half listened to what the radio was saying.
Flim: "You know, I just don't think that this Prince 'Golden Blade' or whatever is really doing his job."
Flam: "Oh yeah?"
Flim: "I mean it Brother! Just look at the past few weeks. Princess Twilight Sparkle was in need of some assistance in handling a border dispute and the Prince didn't show. Why? Because he was at the Electra Empire? Hey! Prince! You're the Prince of Equestria not Electra. Defend your home country if you claim to be the 'hero'."
Flam: "Now Brother, I heard that the Prince was off in the Electra Empire helping his Brother take out some of the last few shadow camps that were left after the last siege of the Empire."
Flim: "I understand that he is your brother but don't you think that could've waited?"
Flam: "Perhaps. However, while yes Twilight did ask for assistance, she didn't really need it. She just wanted it there for Damage Control which wasn't needed in the end. It was all under control. Besides, the Princess was the one who told him he could leave and go help his Brother."
Flim: "I... guess that make's sense. Well put Brother!"
Flam: "Thank you Brother!"
Flim: "Now on to 'Elsewhere in Equestria'."
Flam: "Over in Los Pegasus, famous music artists Tom Pony and Stevie Kicks performed 'Stop draggin' my heart around.' live. The show was sold out after 3 days!"
Flim: "Well, it's Los Pegasus, what did you expect?"
Flam: "Heh heh heh."
Flim: "In Manehattan, famous fashionista Rarity, and Ponyville's premiere party pony Pinkie Pie; opened their first shop together. The grand opening was yesterday."
Flam: "Who ever thought they would be a couple?"
Flim: "I sure didn't. Meanwhile in Aaaaaappleloosa, Applejack finished the Cherry Berry Mareathon in first place. Now, besides the Running of the leaves, the Cherry Berry Mareathon is one of the most rigorous and taxing races I know of."
Flam: "Oh indeed brother. After the race, our fellow reporter Photo Finish got word with her."
Photo: "So Applejack, do you know what pushed you to win the race?"
Applejack: "Well, if ahm gonna be honest. At the beginning of the race, ah jus thought of mah best friend Rainbow. That pegasus is one of the best racers in all of Equestria an nothin and no pony will ever change that."
Photo: "Your 'best friend'? Didn't you and Miss Dash have a falling out not too long ago?"
Applejack: "Yeah, we did, but no matter how much we fight, argue, or drive each other crazy... we won't ever truly fall apart. Me an Dash will be friends till the world stops turnin'. Maybe she's still mad at me but ah aint mad at her. What ah did was downright awfull and ah feel as low as the dirt whenever ah think about it. If yur out there listening Dash, all I want to say is. I'm Sorry."
Flim: "Well... that was quite sad and yet also heartwarming."
Flam: "I agree. It's just more proof that Friendship is Magic! Now, onto-"
Rainbow turned the radio off. She couldn't bear to hear anymore. With that, Rainbow put on her captain's jacket and flew off to start her day.
***
Applejack placed the medal from the race on top of her dresser. Then she sighed. She looked at the wall right above her bed. It was painted sky blue and decorated with painted clouds. Among the clouds were pictures of a blue pegasus with a rainbow mane. Applejack frowned and walked over to the phone. She quickly dialed Rainbow's number and after it rang a few times, she got a voicemail prompt. "You've reached Rainbow Daring Awesome Dash! It appears I'm too busy being awesome to come to the phone right now so leave a message and I will get back to you in a flash." Applejack sighed, once again there was no answer. However, instead of hanging up, she decided that this time, she would leave a message.
"Rainbow. Ah know you probably don't want to talk to me after what ah did and I dont blame ya. However, ah do want to say I'm Sorry. We will always be friends, forever and ever, no matter what. I jus... wanted to let ya know that." Applejack silently debated about continuing but decided to be honest with her heart and do just that. "Ah miss ya Dash. Ah miss yer cocky smile and never quit attitude. Ah miss the feelin’ of knowing that yer comin' around today cause I always enjoy spending time with you. I miss you cause... ah love you." Applejack hung up the phone as the tears began to run down her face. AJ wiped the tears and walked over to her record player. She grabbed a record from her closet, put it on the player, and dropped the needle. The soft piano began playing and AJ knew by heart that it was "Hello" by Adele, one of Sky's personal favorites. Applejack began to sing along with the song as it played.
As the song ended, Applejack was sobbing into her pillow. She just wanted this all to be fixed. She wanted to be with Rainbow again. She was hurting her heart doing this and it wasn't doing anything for her. It didn't make each and every day that passed less painful. It didn't change the fact that Rainbow refused to speak to her or contact her in any way. It just repeated one message to Applejack, one she refused to accept. 'You're not my friend anymore.' Applejack thought about that for a moment. Then she wiped the tears from her eyes and stood up with newfound Determination. If Rainbow had given up on their friendship then Applejack would just have to find a way to make her realize that no matter what happened between them, they would always be Best Friends. Applejack put on her hat, but not before taking one of the pictures of Rainbow and putting it inside. AJ packed some of food, water and other necessities into her saddlebags and was soon ready to head out. The last thing she grabbed was something that she hadn't used in a long time. A set of mechanical wings made by Wind Blade. They were customized specifically for her, with an orange, blonde and red color scheme and had her Cutie Mark on it. However, the best modification on it was what Sky dubbed the 'Rainboom Buster'. It was a special type of afterburner that was supposed to be able to compete with the Sonic Rainboom. Applejack had been overjoyed to finally be able to race Rainbow both on the ground and in the sky. Sure, she wasn't as acrobatic as a Wonderbolt but it meant the world to her and Rainbow because they could finally experience things that wouldn't normally be possible. Applejack strapped on the wings to see if they still fit. Once she confirmed they did she took them off and placed them and her bags next to the door before heading out to have supper.
After dinner, Applejack asked Braeburn if he could gather everyone in the center of town. A few minutes later, all the Apples of Appleloosa were gathered, waiting to see what Applejack had to say. When AJ emerged from her house, wings and saddlebags on, a bit of confusion fell over the townsfolk. Applejack turned towards the assembled apples. "Ah just wanted to let yall know that, ahm leavin'. Ahm heading back to Sweet Apple Acres. Back to mah family, back to mah home, back to mah friends... and back to Rainbow. Ah can't sit here and beat myself up for the rest of mah life. If she aint gonna make the move to try an fix our friendship, then ah will." Applejack explained. Then she bowed her head in apology as she continued. "Ahm sorry but-" She didn't finish as she was interrupted by a sudden hug from Braeburn.
"It's about time Cuz!" He said cheerfully. "We knew you were hung up about that pegasus and we've been waitin’ fer ya to get yer head out of the barrel and try an fix things between you two!" The rest of the apples nodded in agreement. "We just didn't want to push ya if ya weren't ready. Now, I think you've stayed long enough Cuz. Goodbye. Come back and visit anytime."
"Bye everyone." Applejack said and turned around. She began to walk away but then she heard Braeburn shout at her.
"Hey AJ..."
Applejack turned around and his expression was set in a confident grin. "Go get her!" He said and Applejack smiled. Then she galloped off as fast as she could towards the train station. When she got to it, she realized that she probably needed a bit more of a plan than just rushing back to Ponyville. She needed to do something for Rainbow, something that would tell Rainbow that Applejack did care and that she wanted to be friends again. Then perhaps they could become more. Applejack suddenly had an idea. Why not try to kill two birds with one stone? She could try to repair her friendship while also showing Rainbow how she really felt. Applejack then spied a newspaper stand and saw the story on the front page. The picture showed Pinkie Pie and Rarity standing in front of a new shop in Manehattan and the heading read 'Grand Opening of 'True Colors Boutique' is a huge success.' As Applejack saw the picture of her two friends more pieces of her plan began to appear and a smile crossed her face. "Um, Miss?" A voice asked. Applejack looked up and the Ticket Pony was looking at her with a bored expression. "Are you going to get a ticket?" Applejack looked back at the paper and then at the train. Then she looked at her wings. "Nah. I got my own ride."
Rarity finished sweeping up the confetti and streamers from Pinkie's grand opening party. She had been busy all morning and hadn't had time to finish cleaning up from last night. Pinkie was busy working on a dress that had been pre-ordered a few days before the opening and was nearly done as she was putting the last few finishing touches on it. Through the speakers, soft music was playing. Pinkie said that she works better with music. Rarity found that the music did help her focus and also inspired her at times. The white unicorn's ears perked up as she heard the bell ring in the other room. Rarity walked out to greet the new customer.
"Welcome to True Colors! How may I..." Rarity trailed off as she noticed the pony that had just walked in. She recognized the mare at once. The orange coat, blonde hair, the cutie mark of a trio of apples and of course, the trademark brown stenson. She recognized Applejack but she hadn't expected to see her. "...help you."
"Rares. Ah need yer help." Applejack said, removing her stenson and holding to her chest. Her expression was a sad one and she looked deeply sorry for what she had done. Rarity was about to answer but there was a loud gasp and a pink blur shot out from the other room. It barreled towards Applejack but it never made contact. Instead Pinkie collided with the wall directly behind the farm pony and stopped upside down. She looked perplexed at how she could have possibly missed. Rarity and Pinkie both found that the spot where Applejack had been standing a second ago was empty.
"Hey! What gives? Where did she go?" Pinkie complained.
"Up here you two." A voice came from above them. The two mares looked up and their jaws dropped as their eyes widened at what they beheld. Applejack was hovering in mid-air a good few feet above their heads. She had her forehooves crossed in front of her and wore a cocky grin that looked reminiscent of a certain rainbow maned pegasus.
“Howdy.”
"How in Equestria?" Rarity began but then she noticed the two mechanical wings that Applejack was wearing. "Oh, that's how. I forgot about those."
"So did I." Applejack said, landing gracefully on the floor. Pinkie raced over and gave her a regular hug instead of hug-tackling her to the ground as she tried before.
"So... what can I- er we, help you with?" Rarity asked. Applejack spread the mechanical wings elegantly. "Ah, I'm gonna try an make up with Rainbow Dash. I've sat around fer too long feeling' sorry fer myself. It's time ah did something about it!" She said confidently. Then she smiled. "Plus, I have a perfect idea on how to do it." She said,
"Ooooooh! What is it?" Pinkie asked.
"Do tell Darling." Rarity said.
"I'm gonna perform an air show for her and use it to show her that I do want to be friends again." Applejack explained. "What ah need yer help with is... well." She blushed and then undid took out her hair band and removed her hat again. "Ya see that mah hair ain't really meant fer flying. Plus. I want it to be a surprise. So yer going to have to give me a disguise.” Rarity's eyes lit up and a grin crossed her face. "Let me see what I can do. Then she looked at Applejack's hat. "You might need to leave that here." ***
Applejack looked in the mirror again. She couldn't believe what Rarity was able to do with her mane and tail. Her hair had been done up in a mohawk that a lot of the members of the Wonderbolts sported. Rarity hadn't done much to her tail but she had brushed it in a way that made it look good but not fancy. Applejack couldn't wear her hat but she didn't mind.
"What do you think?" Rarity asked.
"It's perfect. Dash will love it. Thank you Rarity." Applejack said and then looked around the new boutique. "This is a pretty nice place. I'm happy fer you two." When AJ returned her gaze to the two mares they were giving her serious glares. "Uhh." Applejack said suddenly feeling uncomfortable.
"Applejack Dear. Don't think that we are so dense that we haven't noticed." Rarity said.
"Yeah! We know you love Dashie! We are here for you!" Pinkie said, bouncing up and down. Applejack blushed and looked away. "It's that obvious huh?"
"To us, yes. To Rainbow... probably not. She can be pretty oblivious to stuff like that." Rarity said with a huff.
"Yeah. Romance isn't really on her mind at all and she doesn't do all that soft and mushy stuff." Pinkie added in a strangely calm tone.
"Yer right. So that's why this has gotta be perfect. Don't worry, i've planned everything out so ah know what ahm doing’ and where ahm going." Applejack said, turning to leave.
"Good Luck Applejack!" Rarity and Pinkie said in unison and Applejack left the Boutique.
As Applejack got outside, she drew a few glances and stares from passing ponies. That's when she had a little idea. She looked around and saw a gray pegasus she recognized. She got her attention and walked up to her.
"Can ah-" Applejack cleared her throat and did her best to hide her accent using what her aunt and uncle orange had taught her all those years ago. Applejack also made sure her wings covered her cutie mark. "Can I ask a favor of you?"
"Sure thing." The gray pegasus's eyes were looking in two different directions at once.
"I need you to deliver a note to a Rainbow Dash." Applejack said. "Tell her that there is a new recruit coming tomorrow." The pegasus nodded and Applejack began to walk away.
"Okay. Uh, what's your name?" Derpy called to her. Applejack allowed herself a small smile as her trick had worked. She turned back to Derpy. "It's Dawn Break." She lied and then took off before her honesty forced her to tell the truth. Applejack knew exactly where she was headed next. She had gotten some training from Rainbow but Applejack wanted to really impress her. So she had decided to go with the next best pony to train her.
Spitfire lied on the couch, snoring. Soarin shook his head but he smiled. "As always my darling. You amaze me." He said. Then there was a knock on the door and Soarin walked over to answer it. 'Who could that be at this hour?' He thought to himself. He opened the door and found himself face to face with an orange pony. He felt like he recognized the mare but she didn't look familiar.
"Can I help you?" He asked politely.
"Is Spitfire here?" She asked.
"Yes she is, please come in." Soarin said. As the pony walked in, Soarin noticed that her wings appeared to be mechanical. It made him curious but he decided not to ask. He walked into the living room and gently shook Spitfire awake.
"Huh? Wha- What?" She said, slightly annoyed.
"There is someone here who would like to see you." The blue pegasus said with a kind smile.
"At this hour? They better have a damn good reason or SO HELP ME-" Spitfire froze mid-rant as she beheld the pony standing in her house. Soarin got his glance at her and his eyes widened as well. The blonde maned, green eyed and orange pony could have been anypony. Were it not for the trio of apples for a cutie mark. What surprised Spitfire the most was the pair of wings on her back.
Applejack smiled. "Evening Spitfire. Nice night for a flight, am ah right?"
"A-applejack!? What!? How!?" Spitfire stammered.
"I think you broke her." Soarin jokes.
"Spitfire, listen. Ah, have a favor to ask of you. Ah am trying to make up with Rainbow and ahm planning to do an air show, just for her and-" Applejack began.
"And you need someone to train you, right?" Spitfire finished for her. Applejack simply nodded.
"It’s really not that surprising. You're an earth pony with wings. You have never done aerial performances before. Also you look nice, did Rarity do that?" Spitfire asked.
"Eeyup. Also ah came to you cause I want to surprise Dash." Applejack explained.
"Well, I almost didn't recognize you. However, there is one big giveaway. I mean, you're orange for one but that's not it." Spitfire pointed her wing at AJ's cutie mark. "That is."
Applejack facehooved. "Horsefeathers! Yer right. I can't get training in broad daylight. Dash will notice us. If she recognizes me, the whole plan is ruined!" Applejack said.
Then Soarin's ears perked up and he rushed off without a word. Both mares watched him go with confused looks on their faces. Then Soarin came back holding something in his wing. Both mares recognized it right away.
"Spitfire’s Wonderbolt costume? Good idea Soarin.”
"I know. This should fit. It was back when Spitfire was in better shape.”
Spitfire’s face turned beet red. “Are you saying I’m fat!?”
“No..” Soarin said with barely contained laughter. “Just nice and plump.” Then he burst out in a fit of giggles that made Spitfire turn even redder.
Spitfire sighed. "Well alright then. Alright AJ, your training begins tomorrow at 5:00 A.M sharp. You're going to impress Rainbow Dash or my name isn't Spitfire! Oh wait. If Rainbow does see us, we're going to need a cover for you. So that means a fake name."
"Don't worry. By tomorrow she will already know it." ***
"Who the buck is Dawn Break?" Rainbow asked the gray pegasus who relayed a message to her.
"Some pony who I bumped into yesterday. Never met them before but they seemed familiar." Derpy said with a shrug.
"What did they look like?" Rainbow asked.
"Well they have an orange coat and a blonde mane. They also appeared to have mechanical wings too." Then Derpy flapped up into the air. "I have to finish my mail run. Bye Rainbow!"
"See ya Derpy." Rainbow said, waving. Then she closed the door and walked inside. "Dawn Break huh?" She pondered.