Chapter 08
Applejack stared at the ground as Rainbow left the kitchen, stomping her hoof in frustration. Her ears flicked backwards as she heard the front door slam closed, causing her frown to deepen. Chances were, that fool pony had damaged the door. She’d have to check it later. But first, she trotted over to the counter, grabbed a cloth with her rainbow tail and began wiping the cider off the floor. She really shouldn’t have mentioned the cider’s existence, but that cat was long since out of the bag.
She was so focused on cleaning that she failed to hear her brother’s approach until he addressed her directly. “Sis? What the hay just happened?”
Applejack growled, flinging the cloth away. “What happened?” she spat, glaring at her brother. “Ah’ll tell you what happened!” She opened her mouth, ready to say what she was thinking, what she was feeling. But nothing came out. She was at a loss for words. “Ah… Ah don’t rightly know.”
“Do ya want to talk?” Big Macintosh asked, watching at his sister. She was angry and confused, and he hated seeing her like this.
“No,” she replied, shaking her head. “Ah don’t reckon Ah can talk about it right now.” She yawned, suddenly exhausted. “Ah think Ah’ll just go to bed.”
Big Macintosh sighed as she brushed past him. Both of his sisters could often be too stubborn for their own good. Especially Applejack. She might not have been willing to talk, but he’d eventually have to confront her.
Applejack put a hoof to her head as she reached the top of the stairs, gently probing her injury. She hissed at the sudden pain, pulling her hoof away, then made her way to the bathroom, intent on cleaning the bump. A riot of color caught her eye as she passed a bedroom, causing her to stare at what was hanging off of the door.
Unable to quell the wave of anger that surged up, she spun around and bucked the offending object, then continued on her way to the bathroom.
Behind her, the rainbow-colored sign lay on the floor, a large crack splitting it in half.
Rainbow slowed her pace to a walk as she approached Fluttershy’s cottage. She had not planned on running but she’d felt too angry, and had broken into a brisk gallop as soon as she reached the farm’s fence. Minutes later, she arrived at her fellow pegasus’s home, glad to have expended at least some of her pent up energy.
She glanced back to where she had come from and spotted a few apple trees in the distance, causing her to frown. She had never realized just how close Fluttershy’s cottage was to Sweet Apple Acres. Right now, she wanted nothing more than to be as far away from the Acres as possible, but… she couldn’t think of where else to go. Fluttershy was her oldest friend. Rainbow couldn’t think of another pony that she could deal with presently.
But right now, Rainbow didn’t need a pony to talk to… she needed a place to stay, as she was now bereft of her home. She blinked as that thought crossed her mind. Home? Why did I think of it as home? She snorted, dismissing the idea, and made her way to the front door of Fluttershy’s cottage. Rainbow banged on it, wincing as she realized she was hitting it with perhaps a bit too much force, and hoped she hadn’t frightened the pony within.
Thankfully, this didn’t seem to be the case, as Fluttershy peeked over the windowsill. The timid pegasus gave a sigh of relief as she saw her friend, disappearing for a moment before opening the door wide. “Rainbow!” she said, smiling. “You gave me a fright… I thought some monster was beating on my door!”
“Sssorry ‘bout that…" Rainbow slurred, scratching the back of her head with a hoof. Fluttershy immediately noticed the oddity of her friend’s speech, and gave her a closer look.
“Rainbow… are you drunk?”
“No!” Rainbow answered, vehemently shaking her head. This caused her to nearly lose her balance, sending her a few steps to the side as her body tried to keep itself straight. Rainbow wilted as Fluttershy frowned at her. “Okay… maybe I’m a little tipsy.”
“Come in… I’ll make you some tea,” Fluttershy said, stepping aside. She watched Rainbow make her way to the couch, then closed the door and headed to the kitchen. Rainbow flopped onto the cushions as Fluttershy prepared the brew, closing her eyes in hopes of resting. Unfortunately, her mind wouldn’t let her, looping the fight over and over again. She quickly opened her eyes as she heard the clink of the teacup touching the table, then sat up and lifted the beverage to her mouth.
Fluttershy sat down on her haunches at the opposite end of the table, watching Rainbow as she drank. Something seemed off about the other pony, more than just the fact she seemed inebriated, which was itself a rare occurrence. The athletic pony didn’t indulge very often, and, in fact, usually tended to abstain entirely. Dash was well aware of the effects of drink, and preferred to remain in control of herself. A drunk pegasus was entirely too prone to meeting the ground headfirst.
But this? This was different. She had never seen Rainbow as drunk as this, regardless of of her denial. Maybe something happened…?
“Rainbow… is something the matter?” Fluttershy asked, jumping as the other pony forcefully slammed the cup onto the table, causing the remaining tea to spill.
“Heck no, everything’s fine!” Rainbow replied, grinning and waving a hoof in the air. She hoped that would be enough to fool Fluttershy. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
Unfortunately, Fluttershy was not fooled. She sat, staring at Rainbow, a slight frown on her face. The latter fidgeted, looking down at her hooves, unable to meet her friend’s gaze as Fluttershy waited for her to talk. Finally, as Fluttershy made no move to break the silence, Rainbow couldn’t hold it in any longer. “I mean, I’ve gotta be fine, right?” she snapped, facing away from Fluttershy. “It’s not like I’ve been horribly maimed or anything.” She pressed on before Fluttershy could say anything. “Nah, just my best friend stole my wings. Other than that, everything’s fine!”
Shocked at the venom in Rainbow’s voice, Fluttershy struggled for words. “Rainbow…" she started, trying to decide what she wanted to say. “You know as well as I do that she didn’t do anything of the sort!”
Rainbow leaned back on Fluttershy’s couch, her muzzle pointed at the ceiling as she let out a growl. “Oh yeah? She called me useless without them. Worthless.”
Fluttershy gasped, unable to believe what she’d heard. “Oh… but surely she didn’t mean it?”
Rainbow snorted. “She wasn’t drunk, Fluttershy. Meant every word.” Rainbow snorted, waving her hooves in the air. “You know, ‘Honest Apple’?” she mocked. Rainbow sobered up once again as she considered her next words. “Worst part is… she’s probably right.” Seeing Fluttershy start shaking her head, she continued. “What good am I if I can’t fly?”
“Well,” Fluttershy started, caught off guard at the question, “you’re…" She faltered, trying to think. As self-deprecating as Rainbow was being, Fluttershy honestly couldn’t think of other things Dash was good at. She’d devoted her entire being into physical performance, and flying was her entire soul. There was, however, one thing that did come to mind. “You’re loyal. And a good pony. That’s what counts.”
Rainbow’s frown, which had grown deeper as Fluttershy seemed unable to respond, eased up marginally. “… Whatever,” she mumbled. Sighing, she looked at her friend. “Fluttershy… do you mind if I crash here tonight?” Rainbow asked, wincing as she reflected on her choice of words.
“N-no, not at all!” Fluttershy replied, glad that she had at least somewhat gotten through to the other pony. “Stay as long as you want. You can use my bed…"
Rainbow nodded her thanks, sliding off the couch and making her way to the steps leading up to Fluttershy’s room. Fluttershy watched silently, then glanced to her front door, in the direction of Sweet Apple Acres.
She had to get to the bottom of this.
Night had fallen, and all seemed silent on the farm. The farmhouse was dark, all the ponies within fast asleep, both young and old.
Outside, however, two shapes could be seen sitting under an apple tree, deep in discussion. The larger of the two, a stallion, kept talking as his companion, a small pegasus mare, listened to his every word.
"… and then Miss Dash headed off. I reckon she went straight to your place."
Fluttershy’s face fell as Big Macintosh finished telling her what he’d heard. "Oh dear. This is bad. What do we do?"
“Ah can give Applejack a talkin’ to,” Big Macintosh suggested, “but you know how mighty stubborn she can be.”
Fluttershy nodded, well aware of the fact. “Rainbow is the same way…" She sighed, feeling dejected. “How could this have happened? They seemed to have such good times together lately…"
Big Macintosh nodded silently. “They did. Ah’ve never seen Applejack’s this happy before. Ah think Miss Dash means a whole lot to her.”
Fluttershy beamed as she realized what the stallion meant. "Really? You think they're…" The yellow pegasus trailed off, her expression falling as she remembered just what they’d been talking about. "Oh. Oh, dear. I thought Rainbow was too upset for just another one of their little spats." When she looked back up at Big Macintosh, her eyes were filled with determination. "We can't let them fall apart like this. It isn't fair to either of them."
The stallion’s response was direct, and to the point. “Eeyup.”
Fluttershy stood up, extending her wings in preparation for flight. “Thank you for telling me all this, Big Macintosh. I think I need to let the girls know… I’ll tell you if we can think of anything we can do.”
Big Macintosh nodded, and watched as Fluttershy took to the sky, heading towards Ponyville.
The next morning, Applejack found herself waking to the glare of sunlight making its way through her window. Unlike most days, where she woke up with the dawn or even before it, the sun now stood high in the sky, pointing to a near-noontime hour. Ah must’ve been plum tuckered out, Applejack thought, blinking blearily. She couldn’t remember the last time she had woken up so late, even on days with little to do. Momentarily confused, she wondered what happened the previous day which could have tired her out so much. Oh. Right, she thought as the memory surfaced, that happened. Her mood instantly took a nose dive, only getting worse as her wings got caught in the blanket. Untangling herself, she glared at the offending appendages, then snorted in frustration.
She made her way down the stairs, listening for telltale signs of activity, but heard nothing from within the farmhouse. She sighed with relief, thankful that she would not have to face her family just yet. She knew Big Macintosh would be after her, but she did not feel like talking at the moment.
Or, in fact, that talking would help at all in the first place. It certainly hadn’t last night.
Big Macintosh would likely talk to Granny Smith, too. Their grandmother would give a piece of her mind as well, and Applejack would be hard pressed to refuse the matriarch of the family. But Applejack was especially thankful that Apple Bloom was in school. As strict as Applejack sometimes had to be with the filly, she still often found herself unable to deny her little sister anything. To top it off, she had noticed the disappearance of Apple Bloom’s hoof-made rainbow sign this morning. Applejack just didn’t have the heart to face her sister regarding that subject.
Eager to escape the farm and reduce any chance of meeting the rest of her family, she wolfed down a few apples, then took off in the direction of Ponyville. While she did not feel like talking to anypony, she definitely needed to check on one in particular.
A short while later, she arrived in the center of town, having run at a brisk pace. Directly in front of her loomed her destination: the Ponyville library. As she lifted her hoof to knock, a violent bang made itself heard through the door. Foregoing courtesies, she shoved the door open, standing ready to give whatever had made the noise a taste of her hooves.
What she found instead was a cloud of dust, and a unicorn coughing in the middle of it. Recognizing her friend, Applejack spun her tail to help clear the air. “You okay there Twilight?”
“Appl–” Twilight started, but was interrupted by another series of coughs. When the air cleared and she had gotten her breath back, Twilight focused on the other pony. “Applejack!” she said, suddenly nervous. “What brings you here?”
“Ah’m just checkin’ on a friend! Ah see you’re out of bed?”
Twilight rolled her eyes in exasperation. “Yes, yes, I’m fine. I told Rainbow the same thi–” She froze, mentally slapping herself. Fluttershy had visited her last night, and had shared what she’d learned from Big Macintosh. Too caught up in her experiments, she had completely forgotten what they’d agreed on: if either Rainbow or Applejack showed up, don’t mention the other until they could come up with a plan. It hadn’t been a minute, and Twilight had already failed spectacularly.
Thankfully, Applejack had not noticed the pause. Instead, she’d frowned, looking away as soon as she heard Rainbow’s name. The silence stretched uncomfortably, until Applejack sighed. “Ah’m actually here about that, Twilight. Have you figured out anything yet?”
Twilight hesitated, unable to think straight. Fluttershy had not only told her about the fight, she’d also mentioned her suspicions. More than ever, they had to help Rainbow and Applejack make up. And she’d completely blown it.
Applejack watched in silence, a grim expression settling on her face. “Ah see.”
Twilight blinked as she heard Applejack’s words. “What? Oh, no no no…" she stammered, frantically shaking her head. Applejack had completely misunderstood her silence. “I, uh, I’ve actually got a few ideas, and I’m working on them.” She glanced at her experiments table, where some of the dust was still settling. She was definitely making progress, but at an agonizingly slow rate. Seeing Applejack now, she wanted to elaborate… but she couldn’t. She didn't know how long it would be, and she refused to make a promise she might not be able to keep.
Applejack followed her gaze, then glanced back at Twilight. “Well, Ah’ll leave you to it then.” She nodded her farewell, and trotted out of the library. As she closed the door behind her, she let out a snort of frustration. Yeah, that looked real promising… Twi never would admit when she was plain stumped.
Her day now even worse, she wandered through town, letting her hooves take her where they wanted.
Inside Carousel Boutique, a light humming could be heard. The source was none other than the residence’s owner, as she moved about in her inspiration room. Several sheets of paper floated around her head, covered with designs and recent ideas. Yet as she rolled them up and placed them into a basket, Rarity could not help but sigh. None of these designs had been created today, as she was simply too distracted to sketch anything new.
Besides, the issue at hoof was far more important. She thought back to the day Applejack had stumbled into the spa. She had only been teasing the poor dear with that talk of being attached to Rainbow’s hip, but if Fluttershy’s hunch was right… she had been more on the mark than she could possibly have imagined.
Yet, as much as she wanted to gloat, she just did not have the heart for it. Not now, after hearing about the fight. She could barely even imagine what might have caused a clash of that magnitude. Having had several ‘heated discussions’ with the farmpony herself, she knew how argumentative Applejack could be about things. But it was always minor fights, however loud they might have gotten during the conversations. Even during the sleepover at the library, they had never truly had a fight that could risk their friendship.
This, though… she had never imagined that things would get so out of hoof. Admittedly, Rainbow and Applejack had a history of fighting. The running of the leaves in particular came to mind; by the end of the race it had actually come to blows. But if Big Macintosh’s report was accurate, this fight was far worse than any that came before.
That simply would not do.
Yet as determined as she felt, she could not think of what to do to help. Wanting to was one thing, coming up with a plan was an entirely different thing. That tended to be Twilight’s field of expertise.
The jingle of the shop’s doorbell interrupted her thoughts, forcing her towards the main room of the boutique. She was about to launch into her welcoming speech when a mass of pink fur and hair materialized in front of her face.
“Hi!” Pinkie exclaimed, a large grin on her face.
“Hello Pinkie,” Rarity replied, smiling at her friend. “What brings you here?”
“I need your help! It’ll take no time at all with you there, and I just know everything will be perfect if you’re helping!”
“Help with what?” Rarity asked as she watched Pinkie bounce around her.
“With the party, duh!” Pinkie replied, as she kept bouncing.
“A… party? Whatever for, Pinkie?”
Pinkie paused in mid-air to stare at the other pony. “You don’t need a reason for a party!” she said, before landing once more. “But in this case, it’s a party to celebrate Twilight’s recovery!”
Rarity blinked. She could think of a number of retorts to the first statement, but only one thought was relevant right now. “Are you sure this is a good idea, Pinkie? Haven’t you heard of Rainbow and Applejack’s fight?”
“Of course I did! That’s why I want to organize a party! It needs to be the bestest party ever, to make them feel better! So I need your help!”
Rarity could only stare in disbelief at Pinkie‘s eager smile. Sighing, the unicorn put a hoof on pink pony’s shoulder. “Pinkie, dear… I don’t think a party is going to help.”
Pinkie tilted her head in confusion. “What? Parties always help!”
“Pinkie… if you invite them both, neither will come,” Rarity said, shaking her head. “If you invite just one of them, the other will be insulted. And a party without either would just be… sad.”
Pinkie’s expression fell as she processed Rarity’s argument. “No… party?”
“I’m afraid not,” Rarity replied. She winced as Pinkie simply stared at the ground, before standing up and slowly leaving the boutique. She hated to see her friend like this, but a party was probably the worst idea possible in this situation. Alone once more, she headed to her room, hoping a bit of sewing would help ease her mind.
Outside, Pinkie sat under a nearby tree, clearly despondent. The very idea of a party not helping was an alien concept. Parties fix everything! Even when there’s nothing to fix! She stared at the ground, a hint of tears forming at the edge of her eyes.
No! she thought, frowning, then stood up and stared straight ahead. If a party can’t fix it, somepony needs to take it into her own hooves! And that pony… is me!
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I squeed silently when I saw the update :D
Thank you for another amazing episode of this story.
Pinkie Pie is taking it upon herself to solve the problems? Oh dear...
Pinkie taking full responsibility... Celestia help us...
I'm scared of what is to come now.
And I cannot wait.
172355 I second this motion.
That said... you hang back to see what happens, I'm gonna make a run for the underground bunkers.
Oh damn...
172391
Fourthed. And may Celestia have mercy on their souls...
172436>>172407>>172391>>172380>>172355>>172233
Gentlemen, I can now say, shit has hit the fan, celestia have mercy on us all.
Also:'fellow pegasus’ home', no wings = not a pegasus.
Good day.
172474
We who are about to party salute you.
Well.... a RANDOM generator MAY actually think of something good (1 in a zillion occurrence, but still).
Anyhoof: MOAR!!!!
Make that the SECOND worst idea possible. Ponyville is doomed.
) is extra relevent, since the author didn't mention her coloration or hairstyle at the end there.
Also, (
172474
Technicly, you should wait until we find out if she can still walk on clouds before calling her a Non-Pony, rather than a Double Amputee. Why a "Non-Pony" you ask? Becouse Applejack still HAS her abilities as an Earth Pony. Being wingless and hornless does NOT an Earth Pony make!
172876
I didn't think it nescessary to point out the hair. As we've seen in the past two eps alone, Pinkie doesn't need to have straight hair to be shedding honest to goodness tears!
Pinkie... taking things into her own hoofs...
This will not end well...
172734
I thought so too! Too many fics were Dashie "losing her wings" in some way or another, or other fics that were full body swaps. But I could not recall having ever seen one with a partial one like this. Keep reading, interested to see what you think of later chapters ;)
I don't see why everypony else is so worried! I'm sure you'll find some way to fix this! Hey, what's-
"The Party Cannon, Mark 2!
RUN NOW
And so, Pinkie Pie glued Applejack and Rainbow Dash together.
172474
Not necessarily! If you sever a man's member, does he truly cease to be a man? I say, nay!
Oh dear. Pinkie shenanigans are about to ensue.
172223
only silently? hell i pulled off the full fluttersquee and my voice doesn't usually go that high.
Oh, Dear.
Pinkie Pie taking matters into her own hooves is going to be fun... 
Or maybe I'm just a sadistic rose-thorn-eating smurf from outer space?
Oh my. This ought to be interesting!
172233>>172355>>172380>>172391>>172407>>172436>>172474>>172876>>173350>>173698>>174329>>174720>>175502
By the way, I hate all of you. All the rest of the chapter and all you guys focus on is Pinkie! *shakeshoof*
Damnit pinkie, stealing the show!
174079 as for you sir...
that made me laugh!
175883 of course the rest is awesome! That goes without saying!
175883
Hah xD
Well, Pinkie IS rather infamous for stealing shows by now, so you should have expected it xD
But yeah, the rest of the chapter was just as awesome as usual, and I didn't see any mistakes, so I figured I'd just skip commenting about that. xD
176196
a writer's ego needs caressing on all fronts!
Don't do that!
...
Tat sounds wrong >.>
In all seriousness, I'm always looking for feedback on stuff, not just negative, but positive too. Would love to see people's thoughts about it, and Pinkie stealing the show is kinda working against that
Rarity, you tell Pinkie that she can throw a party, so now what ever that crazy ball of pink Energy dose is on your hooves. Good luck Darling,
176234
Hah xD
I know what you mean :P
Usually I only do positive commenting on what I thought was particularly good/bad, and nothing in between. Like a proper mathematician, I only see the tops and bottoms xD
...
I can't believe I actually thought that. I must be geekier than I thought...
175883
: Puh-lease, the fourth wall can't stop me, what makes you think you can?
Celestia help us all if Pinkie Pie is getting involved.
I'm in awe, your characterisation and story-telling get consistently stronger with every new chapter that comes out...
I want chapter nine, I can't deal with the suspense!!
211468
I just finished a week of 12 hour work days, so I had almost no time to write during that week. Now I have 4 days off though, so hopefully I can get started on it! No guarantee of a chapter though, but I do have the outline planned...
If twilight messes up again and accidentally gives applejack her horn
CAPTAIN PLANET!
"And that pony...is me!"
images.memegenerator.net/instances/400x/10398103.jpg
Pinkie Pie does not back down from a challenge, even when the challenge is a donkey as stubborn as a mule.
This is going to get bad, isn't it? Oh damn, I'm gonna have to suite up!
...
There we go! Man, it is rather difficult to tape pillows to oneself, who new?
Anyway, this is really beginning to build up. You seem really capable of layering on the tension, but let's see if you can defuse it properly. That being said, there are two chapters left, this fic is incomplete, and this chapter was uploaded a good 12 week ago. I'm am seriously hoping that this is resolved by then, but I somehow doubt it. This story is great, and I'd hate to see it go unfinished.
Before I continue reading though, I like how you don't keep to one character's point of view in a scene. You delve into the thoughts of multiple ponies at a time, and that's not often done. It's good to see
When you say Pinkie stops bouncing in midair, I literally imagine her defying the laws of gravity and just resuming a conversation while afloat.
174262 dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/emoticons/misc_Soarin_dayum.png
172391 um yea, about the bunkers,
they were filled with cubes of mayo. you might be able to guess who did it
(Hint: he always wears green.)
(another hint: hes not in MLP.)
And here's my stop. If there's one thing I can't stand in fanfiction, its any of the mane 6 being shipped with one another. It's a good story, a good idea, but the AppleDash ship ruined it for me. You still get the thumbs up, though.
Pinkie... Your so awesome!
Wait... Take matters in... Pinkie's hooves?
This'll be fun to see!
172233
Those were my thoughts exactly...
There's a bit of dumbing down on Pinkie here.
"Stole my wings!" - *sigh*
Bucking retard, I don't care if you are drunk Raibow you are still acting selfish and completely irrational that accusation didn't make the slightest pinch of sense. She had no say in the matter she was just given them, and after the way both her and her family have welcomed you with open arms and treated you like one of their own, treating Applejack like is almost unforgivable, and whats worse last chapter you threatened her with physical violence 
gosh darn it. Oh btw great story 
I love it when I get this wound into a story that I find myself experiencing emotions such as this 
See, that's where you should have ended the previous chapter.
174720
Why did I say that?
Pinkie is in the mix...
This is gonna be good.
Loving the mood you've set. So dark and dejected.
~Skeeter The Lurker
1049857
? This is in the Romance category, and the description – not to mention the previous chapters – makes it pretty clear this is AppleDash.
Wait, why did you even read this far, then
i.imgflip.com/x8qfe.jpg