Chapter 3: Winning the Rainbow
3:1: The Narcissist
The scent of farmer's produce dominated the airs of Trotonto as the Market Harvest was in the final stages of preparation. Only two days left dictated final preparations, and unlike previous years, Sweet Apple Acres would be ready in time. The bulk of the team, consisting of Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Big Macintosh, Spike, and Rarity had settled into the Sweet Apple Acre on the lot. Mid-day, sun beating down relentlessly, and exhausted for numerous reason, they looked over the acre of land they had, nodding.
"A'ight, Big Macintosh 'n Ah are goin' t' be runnin' thru th' acres with Rainbow alternatin' between flyin' an' runnin'," Applejack commanded. Rainbow saluted in response, keeping a stern look on. "Her job requires her t' be runin' an' flyin' 'round the place so she has t' get used t' it. She'll be goin' opposite of us as to spur quick reaction an' familiarity. Our objective is t' have Rainbow fly three carts of apples, bucked by yours truly, back to th' Market Harvest ground. Rarity'll be in check of quality control while Spike'll be cookin' t'day's lunch."
"Yes'm!" Spike exclaimed, saluting next to Rainbow.
"A'ight, more than jus' th' Sweet Apple Acres squad'll be in th' Sweet Apple Acre. We'll have some judges and a few ponies t' comment on our performance. T' sway the judges, so it's best not t' get on their bad sides. If we work hard, we can ace th' part of th' Harvest," she nodded her head just as the group saluted. It was like they were her personal army; even her brother saluted. "Our real challenge is advertisin'. We'll be competin' against many others for billboard spots, places in magazines, an' even caterin' to various spectacles such as parties in Canterlot, hoedown's in Appleoosa, staff parties in Las Pegasus, an' so on. Th' best timin', th' best pictures, th' best tagline, and th' best model are all important."
Rainbow Dash smirked, feeling pride in her chest. She looked at the others excitedly, back and forth with bared teeth. She tapped excitedly on the ground, shuffling her hooves in the dirt, and fluttered her wings. She had a harness on, ready to pounce on command. Applejack looked at her, and their eyes locked. Rainbow anticipated what was next while Applejack merely smirked at her. The others shifted their gazes to Rainbow, and Applejack quickly moved forward as if to run into Rainbow. She flew into the air, startled.
"A'ight, we better start before Rainbow f'gets why she wants t' help," Applejack said.
Rainbow grit her teeth, dropping to the ground as Applejack looked at Big Macintosh, pointing a hoof into the orchards. She looked over to Rainbow and pointed to the main building.
"You'll be flyin' th' carts of apples to th' large doors, and you need t' direct it to th' kitchen with our label on it," Applejack said as she prepared to take off. She looked back to the orchards and exhaled. "Until you get a cart, you fly around to make sure the trees are prepped an' ready as well as movin' empty carts, barrels an' such into organized spots. They'll be blockin' our path, and we've got t' work 'round them. Rainbow, when y'all are not flyin' t' show off, ya will be movin' 'em, hence th' exercise."
"Hey, I won't show off! This is buisness!" Rainbow said defensively, stomping a hoof.
Chuckling, Applejack shook her head. "No, ya see, when ya drag a banner, ya want to employ those fancy move of yours t' catch ponies' attention."
Her ears perked up and wings twitching to fly, Rainbow grinned. She nodded and prepared to take off. As per the drills, she had to keep carts either organized near the front or near the trees for when they buck the apples. Purposefully scattered, the exercise was to last 30 minutes on the dot.
"A'ight y'all, ready t' run?" Applejack said.
The group nodded collectively, and Applejack quickly counted down. With the shout of 'GO,' they took off to their respective areas. Spike trailed Rarity to the Market Harvest building to await the first 'shipment.' Applejack and Big Macintosh took off to find select trees to buck. Rainbow Dash took off into the skies above the trees.
Looking down, she could spot many carts, crates and barrels laid out through the trees. Applejack and Big Macintosh had split up towards one half of the acre, and she bit her lip. She counted more cargo containers on Big Macintosh's side, but Applejack had them placed in much more inconvenient areas. She nodded and flew towards Applejack's position, swooping in low and zipping past Applejack just as she was about to come up to a large cart. Rainbow quickly landed, attached the cart to her harness, and took off into the skies towing the cart with her.
Refraining from flying to the front of their acre, she looked ahead to see a marked tree, obstructed by one too many barrels. She flew over before Applejack could run and threw two barrels onto the cart. She didn't wait a second longer and took off towards Big Macintosh's area.
Every few seconds, the stallion would have to swerve around crates and barrels. Rainbow quickly looked around the area, spotting several marked trees. She spotted the one Big Macintosh was most likely heading for and quickly swooped into the path. She loaded up several crates and barrels onto the cart until it was full. The marked tree had nothing under it, and she smirked. She removed the clips fro the cart from her harness, leaving the cart to the side of the path, and quickly moved several barrels under the marked tree before clipping the cart back to her harness and taking off. Just as she thought, Big Macintosh bucked the first tree with the apples falling into the barrels; perfect placement.
Rainbow flew over the trees with the cart in tow and landed in the small clearing in front of the orchard. She removed the clips from her harness and set the cart in the specified area. The cart placed, she grabbed several crates and barrels and set them into their stack.
She quickly returned towards the area Applejack was working in and moved crates onto carts and set barrels under the trees. She zipped through this batch and latched the carts onto each other before clipping the front cart to her harness. She took a deep breath, exhaled, and flew up into the sky, yanking four carts behind her. Applejack whistled as Rainbow flew up and over the trees towards the front, and continued working in her area.
Rainbow quickly touched down and repeated her process from before, taking off towards Big Macintosh's area. She spotted that Big Mac had done a lot of the work himself. Mentally cursing, she flew ahead and began setting up barrels under the trees while putting crates on carts again.
A whistle from Big Macintosh caught her attention, and she flew over to the source. He merely pointed at several carts in tow and Rainbow's jaw dropped. She quickly ran over and clipped the cart to her while Big Macintosh slipped out of the harness.
"Jeez, buddy, how did you fail last year?" Rainbow asked, flapping her wings in preparation of taking off.
Big Macintosh shrugged. "Guess Ah'm jus' too slow," he said before bucking another tree.
Rainbow gulped before lifting off, grunting as she lifted the heavy load into the sky. She reached an appropriate height, and took off towards the Market Harvest building. Five carts in tow, she panted heavily the entire flight.
This is going to be common throughout the competition... better get used to this, Rainbow thought as she stumbled into the Market Harvest cargo area. She practically slammed into the ground herself ensuring that the carts didn't, and was approached by Rarity.
"Oh my, are you okay, Rainbow Dash?" she asked, undoing the clips with magic.
Rainbow groaned, stumbling to her feet. Shaking her head, she sighed. "Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks," she said, feeling her entire body tremble from the force of the landing.
Spike looked at the carts, sighing. "Well, we better start counting. This is one load of many," he said, dragging his shoulders.
"Mmm yes, we should," Rarity said, putting the cart's harness on her as she tugged the carts into the building.
Rainbow waved as they retreated into the shaded building before taking off into the skies. Back near Applejack's area, she approached the fence for the acre to buck a tree. Right there was a marked tree holding a sign on it. She spun around and bucked it.
"Heh, th' girl can really see far," she said, looking up as Rainbow slammed into the ground next to her.
She stepped away from the tree as the last apples fell, cautiously watching as Rainbow stumbled around before falling.
"uh, ya alrigh'?" she asked.
Rainbow grumbled, standing up while her legs trembled. She shook her head, groggily stared at Applejack with wall-eyes, then shook her head again to refocus.
"That load Big Macintosh gave me wrecked my ability to walk," Rainbow spat out.
Applejack snickered quickly as Rainbow glared. "Well, y'all better get used t' it. It's goin' t' be much worse when we're doin' this on a daily basis," she said, moving over to another tree.
"Might I suggest you focus less on your cider this time lest you wish to fail again," a chipper voice stated from behind.
Rainbow and Applejack turned to look outside of the acre, spotting Flim and Flam just outside with smug grins plastered onto their face. Rainbow's face contorted into an angered glare while Applejack kept a bemused expression.
"Flim, Flam, could ya-"
Rainbow cut her off, stomping her hoof onto the ground.
"Yo, Bozo and Buttstain, what're you doing here?" Rainbow demanded.
Applejack glanced at her before clearing her throat. "Flim, Flam, could ya stop annoyin' us? Rules state that ya have t' respect th' competition. Th' law states that disruptin' th' public is wrong, too," she said, keeping her icy glare on them.
"Disrupting? Why, we're only having a bout of witty banter! Smack talk between rivals. That is completely normal, no?" Flam asked, leaning his head in.
Rainbow swatted at him with a hoof just as he pulled back. She grit her teeth and snorted, turning away from them.
"Might wanna control your flag there, Apple. Assault is also against the law," Flim said as they slowly started walking.
Applejack exhaled coarsely, turning to Rainbow. "Don't mind 'em, they're jus' a coupl'a nincompoops," she said before walking over to the tree, tossing barrels of apples onto the cart.
"That's not the problem! They're arrogant jerks!" Rainbow said, huffing as she flutteredher wings.
"Well, we'll jus' hav' t' oust 'em outta th' competition. Them an' Fullbody," Applejack said, clipping the cart to Rainbow's harness.
Rainbow raised her head and opened her eyes more. She snorted, smirking as she shook her head.
"You're right, no point in getting rustled now when we can rustle them in the Harvest," she said, gently taking off.
Smiling, Applejack waved a hoof. "Exactly!"
[*][*][*]
Flim and Flam casually passed the other lots, whistling their trademark merrily. They caught several glances from others, yet payed no attention. The brothers spent the next several minutes walking with a cheery swing to their trot, singing a few lyrics to their cider song now and then. Eventually, they came up to the back of the Market Harvest grounds to a building with the label, 'FLIM FLAM FACTORIES' plastered on the front.
Entering the double doors, they walked through unlit hallways, hearing the gentle buzz of a light bulb. Drops of liquid in the distance echoed through the building, yet they remained unphased. Walking through a large metal door faced them with a large machine. It had many lights, tubes, switches and valves; it was very reminiscent of their cider vehicle. The room they were in was darkened with several areas entirely enshrouded in darkness.
"Production is triple the speed yet maintains its excellent quality control mechanism," Flim said, admiring the machine.
"Mmm, yes dear brother. Do you think the machine is ready?" Flam asked, surrounding a lever with magic and pulling it.
"Only if the magic-infused apples are," Flim responded, levitating a crate of apples.
Inside the crate were many apples bearing the same shape, form, and design. They seemed to sparkle in whatever light fell upon it, and each were perfect in shape, size, as well as the overall health. They set the crate on the end of a conveyor belt just as the large machine whirred to life with the conveyor belt starting to move.
Flam levitated the apples onto the conveyor belt in a single-file line, and watched as they entered one part of the machine. The process was the same as before; filtered and grinded down into a liquid. The cider was squirted into a bottle bearing the Flim Flam Fields logo as well as information about it.
The two brothers sat back, watching the cider production happen in record time. It filled ten bottles in four seconds as well as sealing and packaging them. The two brothers merely kept the magic to the machine flowing and placed more apples onto the conveyor belt, and now and then, moving a full case of cider into carts. The simple practice of pre-harvest preparation already allowed them the leisure of rest as well as a profit.
It wasn't before long that they killed the magic to the machine, satisfied with the output of cider. They sat down, enjoying a glass of their own cider. Their enjoyment was cut short by the clopping of hooves, and their attention turned to a darkened corner of the room by one of their emergency exits.
"Who goes there?" Flim asked, standing up.
His horn lit up with a green aura to illuminate the corner. There stood Fullbody Moneybags, a smug grin on his face. He levitated a wine glass up in front of his face, taking a sip from it. Flim frowned while Flam took an aggressive step forward, keeping his horn ready.
"I knew a rat would scurry about our cheese, it was just a question of how big the rat would be," Flam said, his horn lighting up.
Magic surrounded Fullbody's wine glass, lifting it out of his own grip. He smirked, shaking his head.
"Rats merely steal what isn't there. I am but an aristocrat wishing to partake in pre-competition business. Celestia knows that an offer from myself is ideal," he said, taking a leisured step forward.
Flim slowly stepped forward, frowning. "Sneaking into our factory will not help your business proposition, rat."
Fullbody's horn lit up brighter and he reclaimed his wine glass, taking another sip out of it. He chuckled, walking over to their rest area and sat down on a stool.
"This is for your benefit. I do believe that you've run into Sweet Apple Acres in the past, no?" he said, smirking.
The two brothers practically stomped over to their rest area, glaring down Fullbody. He didn't show any fear, adjusting his sitting position.
"Come on, sit. It is your area," he said.
His horn lit up even more, and a small wine box appeared in a puff of magic, forming a seat. The two brothers sat down, grumbling.
"I say, you should be considering yourself lucky we haven't notified the guards. Spying on us and now breaking into our factory? Shame on you for calling yourself a competitor," Flam said, lifting his own drink up to his mouth.
"I did not spy, the tale of the cider battle in Ponyville travelled to all stores that carry Sweet Apple Cider. From what I understand about the both of you, you shall undoubtedly lose even with your production rate," Fullbody replied. The two brothers raised an eyebrow, and Fullbody chortled. "They have infinitely more products as well as a proper advertising campaign this time. Add that onto their Zap Apples, and you're guaranteed for failure. A business collaboration between us would benefit us both, but moreso you, dear lad."
"I wish you would elaborate. You're spewing information with no citation, expecting us to fall to your scam. Professionals can spot amateur attempts, Wine Boy," Flam responded, raising his head and taking a sip of cider.
Spinning his wine glass around, Fullbody snorted. "This is not a scam at all, but with my money and connections, I can ensure that you come out on top of the acres. By Celestia's name, when I win, you can have the contract for the free advertising. I only wish to have the title of winner six consecutive times."
"We know of your ego boosting campaign, rat. What business do you have with Apple anyways?" Flam asked, leaning forward.
Fullbody sighed, shaking his head. "It's not what business I have. I just prefer having a check on all teams, and you're the only product that is challenging Apple in their particular area. You're their 'rival' of sorts, so I am merely ensuring that you succeed and hoping to establish a long business partnership."
Both brothers stood up immediately, staring down Fullbody. He looked up with a bemused look. They pointed to the exit of the facility, lifting the stool from under Fullbody. He stood up the instant they did, and sighed.
"You are but a mere child, creating a drawing yet praising it as the greatest thing in the world. You believe your 'innovation' will win against Apple when you do not even have a campaign. Merely having your name under my own on the Wine and Grapes banner is proven to boost sales." He walked towards the emergency exit, pouring out the contents of his wine glass onto the floor. The two brothers looked on with appalled gazes, gritting their teeth as they held back violent urges. "Merely a good luck charm. Until next time, gents!"
Fullbody pushed through the exit, letting the light of outside enter the facility. The brothers looked back to the stools for a second, back to the exit just as it closed, and exhaled simultaneously. Flam stomped over to the wine box and stomped on it, shattering it as well as the wine bottles inside. Red liquid poured over the ground, and the two brothers left the room, shutting off the light.
Outside, Fullbody chuckled as he trotted down the path. His horn glowed brighter and the wine glass he held vanished. Shortly after, two unicorns galloped from the Market Harvest building, both bearing uniforms with the Fullbody logo on them. Fullbody slowed to a walk as did they. They panted for a second before collecting themselves.
"Sir, we were looking for you. What is it you wanted?" one of the unicorn's asked.
Fullbody turned to him with an exhausted, shocked expression. "Notify the police! I've been robbed!"
[*][*][*]
Rainbow swerved through the air with four carts in tow. Apples almost tipped out of the cart while she found out how hard it was to turn. She was sweating from the intense workout, but pressed on regardless of her exhaustion. She made yet another crash landing into the ground, creating an imprint of hooves and her body in the dirt. She removed the clips and shook herself off once more. Rarity came out, waved quickly, and pulled the cart into the building once more. Unlike Rainbow, she had a smile on her face and inside the building, if Rainbow squinted, she could make out Spike bobbing his head while writing down with impossibly wide eyes.
Lucky. Enjoying his work. I could enjoy my work too if it was a quill-pusher's job. No, this is a real pony's job! The normal pegasi wish they could handle this brutal job! Rainbow thought, taking off into the sky.
This was her routine; land, spot the happy attitude of the two doing quality control of the apples, remind herself that her job was one of envy, and flew back to deliver carts and barrels where necessary. Every time she returned with carts full of apples, she swerved and tested her agility to faster adjust to the more difficult flying. She swooped in to the trees, skid against the ground, and stopped just in front of Big Macintosh. He quickly clipped the next row of carts to Rainbow, and she flew back to the building. Drop it off, remind herself, and flew back. Below, she'd spot several other ponies walking around and doing their business.
One fly by, she spotted several police ponies walking by the various lots, and she slowed down to try and hear the chatter. Barely audible thanks to the wind, she could only make out that the guards were heading towards the Flim Flam Factory. She turned towards the Sweet Apple Acre and spotted Applejack and Big Macintosh heading towards the centre of the orchard, nearing completion. Frowning, Rainbow touched down in between them and they looked at her before bucking a tree.
"Something's up. The police is heading towards Flim Flam Factory," she said, looking to the two.
The siblings turned towards each other, frowning before nodding. Rainbow stood by and waited for them to fill up what would be the last cart before towing it towards the Market Harvest building. When Rainbow dropped it off, she waved a hoof to Rarity and she approached the unicorn. Just as she was about to speak, Applejack and Big Macintosh galloped up from behind.
"Somthin' is definitely up. Th' police jus' arrested Flim an' Flam," Applejack said, pointing to the fields.
All heads turned just as Spike walked out, having overheard the declaration. Being carried to the Market Harvest building was Flim and Flam, restrained by several unicorn's with Fullbody in tow. Applejack shook her head, frowning.
"They got 'emselves mixed up with th' wrong ponies," Applejack said with a dry exhale.
"Who is that, Applejack? That wouldn't happen to be Fullbody Moneybags, would it?" Rarity asked excitedly.
"Fathead Moneysack, yes," Rainbow responded, spitting on the ground.
Rarity looked down uncomfortably before looking back at the scene. A confused Applejack turned towards Rarity.
"How do y'know Fullbody?" she asked.
"Why, his wine is the only brand I buy. Delectable taste in fashion as well as fine wine makes his product an ideal choice for somepony such as I," she said, eyes glued to Fullbody.
"I wanna set his head on fire," Spike muttered before turning into the building.
Rainbow looked into the building, following Spike as the other three conversed about the winery. She saw all of the carts from before completely empty as well as a bin full of apples deemed 'unfit.' The rest had already been washed and prepared for packaging and shipping. Spike sat down on a stool, writing something else. Rainbow edged closer without Spike knowing, peering over the clipboard. She snickered and Spike twitched, hiding the clipboard to his chest.
"'King Leonheart and the Flame Ruby?' Kid, why don't ya just ask her out?" Rainbow chortled, jauntily walking outside again.
Spike raised his claw to speak, but didn't. He shook his head and drooped his shoulders, setting a claw on his chest. "You don't know anything," Spike mumbled.
Entirely ignorant, Rainbow stepped outside to be met by Rarity, Applejack, and Big Macintosh, finishing up a conversation about Fullbody. The gist was that Fullbody sucked but has decent wine, which didn't help Applejack or Big Macintosh's morale.
"Well, I must go inside and complete the quality control," Rarity said, putting the harness of the lead cart on her body and pulling it into the building.
Applejack and Big Macintosh nodded, following her in. Staying outside, Rainbow sighed as the sun began to set. She looked back to the entrance, still seeing the image of Flim and Flam restrained and angrily shouting denial. She sighed, and sat down.
"What's on yer mind, sugar cube?" Applejack asked.
Rainbow looked over to her, seeing a gentle smile. Rainbow responded by smiling and sighing.
"Flim and Flam got in crap with Fullbody, and now I'm thinking. Fullbody was able to get them in deep water two hours after they met us. The whole thing doesn't sit well with me. Maybe Fullbody overheard what they said to us and deemed us a threat," she said, removing the buckles on the harness.
Chuckling, Applejack set a hoof on Rainbow's shoulder, shaking her head. "Sabotage is a lil' too far for this, RD. It's only a competition, an' Ah don't think that Fullbody'll go that far t' win," she said.
Rainbow tugged at several buckles, sighing. "He was so inconsiderate, though. Nobody could curry favours with the judges unless they were packing some kinda sabotage... or money," she said, yanking on the belts, grunting as she moved in the harness.
"Rainbow, Ah think you're jus' gettin' a little too negative with th' guy. He's an arrogant backsaddle, not a cheatin' saboteur," Applejack said, taking a step forward.
Rainbow tugged at the harness again, exhaling coarsely. "I don't know, just consider th-SWEET CELESTIA, HOW DO YOU GET THIS OFF?" she shouted, biting the straps of the harness, tugging aggressively.
"Hehe, hol' on," Applejack said, stepping forward fully.
Rainbow growled as she moved her head, allowing Applejack to work on the harness. Just as she did, she spotted Fullbody merrily stepping out of the main building, shortly followed by a distraught Flim and Flam. Her frown was short lived as she felt the harness come loose. Applejack didn't wait, sliding the harness gently over her wings and off her body, and Rainbow shook herself free of the dust that got trapped under the restraint.
"Thanks. I thought I'd have to live with a harness on," Rainbow said, smirking.
"Ah would'a cut it off ya if Ah had t'," Applejack replied, slinging the harness over her back.
Rainbow sighed, shaking her head. "In other news, what do you think those two did to piss off Fullbody?"
Applejack looked over at the brothers as they disappeared behind several trees in somepony's lot, sighing. "Let's go inside. Might as well help out with th' others."
The farm pony gingerly waltzed into the building just as Rainbow stood out in the sun for a few more seconds, taking in the brilliant atmosphere the sun created via sunset. Trotonto may be high-rise buildings, but the eclipsed effect the buildings made was mesmerizing. She eventually turned and trotted inside after Applejack whisteled.
[*][*][*]
MINUTES EARLIER...
"Flim, Flam, you are under arrest under accusation of theft on behalf of Fullbody Wine and Grapes!" two police ponies shouted, busting into the Flim Flam Factory.
They practically marched into the building until they came upon the actual cider room itself... just as Flim and Flam were disposing of the destroyed crate and wine bottles. The two police ponies stared for a second before glaring, locking their eyes on the brothers.
"Put your hooves in the air!" one police pony shouted.
Flim looked at his brother and the police pony, unsure what to do while Flam pointed to the mess of crates.
"Fullbody Moneybags broke into our facility earlier! He left this here," he said defensively.
One of the police ponies lit their horns up, encasing both brothers with magic and lifted them into the air. The others' horn lit up and a small scroll levitated out of his pack. It unravelled and he cleared his throat.
"Type?" he asked the police pony restraining the brothers.
The restrainer leaned over, took one look at the page, nodding. "Same magical signature."
The one holding the scroll sighed. "According to the enchantment spell surrounding Fullbody Wine and Grapes as per order of Fullbody Moneybags, you entered the premises using magic, confiscated a box of wine, and brought it here. Lo and behold, here you are, trying to rid the evidence from your factory." He levitated the scroll back into his pack while his horn lit up, assisting in restraining the brothers. "You make me sick."
Flam looked around, panicking. "We never broke into anything! Honest," he said, looking at his brother.
"He set it up! But how did he get our magic signature!?" Flim asked, looking around frantically.
The two police ponies growled before gently walking backwards, carrying the brothers with them. Before he left the room, Flim's eyes widened as he spotted a wet spot of wine near the emergency exit.
"When I lifted the glass, my magic was stained on the glass, and we have identical magic," Flim said, lookin to Flam.
"Of course!" Flam responded, gritting his teeth.
"'Of course,' you think you can get away with this. 'Of course,' you will not," responded an angered Fullbody.
The brothers swung around in midair for a second until they looked under themselves, spotting Fullbody behind them. The two police ponies turned to walk forward as they entered the main path, and the brothers looked up. Fullbody had a smug grin on his face, and they cursed themselves. On the way to the Market Harvest main building, they got several looks from others... including Sweet Apple Acres. They sighed, accepting their fates as they were dragged inside and tossed into a meeting room near the competition manager's office. They were roughly slapped into chairs while the police ponies stood at both ends of the room, and Fullbody stepped in. A few minutes passed, and the manager stepped in, looking confused.
"It's been twelve years since our last police-related matter, and what should it be other than theft?" Flat Breadbasket responded, shaking his head. "I am not mad, merely disappointed that the tension drove you to such lengths. However, theft is theft, so we must prosecute this as such..." He looked to Fullbody. "Unless Mister Moneybags is feeling generous. If you have any plans on bartering with him, feel free since this is a sales competition."
Flat Breadbasket stepped back, looking at some papers the police ponies gave him while the brothers glared at Fullbody whom retained a shocked, angered glare. The brothers remembered his proposition earlier, and felt themselves cornered.
"How would you like a business venture, Mister Moneybags? We wear your logo as affiliates and vice versa," Flam spat through bared teeth.
"Why, it's a fantastic idea as well as a great prevention of future thefts! Fullbody Wine and Grapes, and Flim Flam Fields as affiliates. It's always nice sponsoring a new team while setting them on the right track!" Fullbody expressed gleefully.
Flim and Flam opened their mouths to protest, stopping just short of sealing their disqualification. The sighed, nodding. "When should we meet to sign the papers?"
"How about right now at my factory?"
[*][*][*]
The Sweet Apple Acres team sat outside the Market Harvest building, eating an apple delicacy as the sun vanished over the horizon. Stars poked out through the last rays above and the moon peaked over the border of Equestria. Rainbow ate her pie slowly, much slower than the elegant Rarity. She looked at the rest of the team as they finished their slices, and Rainbow shrugged, shoving the whole piece into her mouth. She scarfed it down, swallowed, then looked up to see the group silently watching the sunset after the exhausting day.
Rainbow looked over at the others, sighed, then stood up and fluttered across the street. She leaned against a fence barring a drop down two stories, and stared over the residential houses towards the desert separating countries. She eyes the gentle sands blowing in the wind and silhouetted by moonlight. It was like a gentle fog, like the nagging feelings in her mind.
Was Fullbody a saboteur? That was her main question. Others bugged her, but she couldn't think of them. One did when Applejack walked up from behind, leaning against the rail next to Rainbow.
Applejack is really dedicated to this event. Even after losing several years in a row, she's still dedicated. She's more loyal than I am, in a sense. Regardless of the mishaps, she's staying with Sweet Apple Acres until the end... and I love that about her. Rainbow smirked, sighing gently.
"Applejack, you're awesome," Rainbow said.
"Hehe, what makes y' say that?" Applejack asked, looking over towards Rainbow.
"Through all the problems and challenges and losses, you still fight for Sweet Apple Acres. Even when Flim and Flam almost got your home, you accepted it without a fuss. You're honest and hardworking. Loyalist of friends, and the most dependable of ponies... you earned your 'Prized Pony' award," Rainbow said, patting Applejack on the shoulder.
Chuckling, Applejack looked away as her face reddened. "You don't have t' go into all that, Ah only did what anypony else would do. Heck, you've stood by us through thick 'n thin. Even when we were robbin' ya of all that cider, you still stepped up to th' mantle an' helped the farm when we needed you. Even if you're brash at times, or even arrogant—" Rainbow felt her mind numb at that, frowning. "Ah wouldn' change ya f' anythin' in Equestria. You're perfect th' way you are, awesome all th' way through, colour th' skies with that Sonic Rainboom of yours, and Ah love ya f' that."
Rainbow's ears perked up, and she felt pride washing through her mind. She smiled, giggling at first before laughing. She turned to face Applejack, and tipped her hat up. Applejack instantly responded by reaching a hoof out to make sure it didn't fall off, and looked down at Rainbow. She chuckled, lightly punching Rainbow in the shoulder. They both laughed it off, and walked back to the others.
"So what's say we go to th' hotel for th' night?"
[*][*][*]
The following day brought forth good weather, cheery spirits, and above all, hype. The Sweet Apple Acres team spread out across the Sweet Apple Acre, but not without chatter.
"Hey you guys, did you notice that Flim Flam Factories now has Fullbody's logo on it? 'Official Partners,' or something," Rainbow said, warming up.
"Yeah, Ah noticed. Somethin' must'a happened between Fullbody 'n those two," Applejack said, looking over a checklist.
"Ya don't say," Spike said, rolling his eyes.
Rarity lightly tapped Spike on the back of the head before stepping forward with her own checklist. "We should focus on our own campaign first. We have the plans for our advertisements down as well as the preparations for any actual shows during the competition. We need to make sure that the team is ready for the grunt work."
"Eeyup," Big Macintosh replied, standing stoic as ever.
Rainbow's wings twitched with excitement. "I'm ready. Or something. A concept this simple shouldn't be so hard to execute."
Nodding, Rarity flipped to a page. "Today, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Big Macintosh will be bucking two rows worth of apples which should only take one hour at the most. After, baking should take two to three hours. Finally, from three o'clock to five o'clock, the products will go on sale in the Trotonto food court near the train station. Twilight wrote this schedule, so it should work."
"Question. Why are we doing this with so little time between the competition?" Rainbow asked.
"Because like most years, we're runnin' behind. Unlike most years, we actually had a chance t' practice this as a team, let alone have a team. These're the demo sales, and each team gets five before th' competition. We're lucky to get jus' one," Applejack said.
Rainbow frowned and quickly adjusted her harness. "Fine, let's just get this over with."
[*][*][*]
Elsewhere on the Market Harvest grounds, other teams prepared. One such team was giving a wordy lecture to its campaign manager... if she was there. Instead, a maroon unicorn stallion took the full lecture.
"We've spent lots of money on you so far and all you have to show for it is a couple of drawings?" An olive-green mare stood berating the stallion while he hung his head; Sweet Olive was the owner of the 'Olive Gardens'. "Celestia forbid I ask about the actual routine. 'We're not allowed to talk.' 'She'll get angry.'"
The stallion in question stood taller than the average workhorse and had a build smaller than the average mare. A shaggy brown mane draped over his face while a bushel of hair protruded from his forehead–a unicorn horn. A saddened, accepting expression was worn on his face while two figures behind him were more or less tuning out the lecture. This was Chibi Masato.
"I'm sorry, but I'm not the team manager. She always disappears, bosses us around when she's here, and, unfortunately for you and I, she calls the shots. You just have to trust us," Masato said, bowing quickly.
"I wish I could, guys, but you're giving me nothing to make me want to," Sweet Olive said, sighing.
"I could ask her once more and pass on the message, but I'm not sure she'll agree. Even if we want to do it regardless, our entire campaign relies on her. The body can't work without the muscle," Masato responded.
Sighing again, Sweet Olive shook her head, turning back to a greenhouse. Situated at the far-end of the Market Harvest lot stashed her close to Fullbody Winery. She kicked at the ground a few times before looking back to an apologetic-faced Masato while biting her lip. Clicking her tongue, she clopped her hooves together.
"Alright, but consider this the last straw. I want to see something come the first sales bout otherwise I'll hire somepony else to do it," Sweet Olive said.
Bowing his head, Masato gave Sweet Olive a small smile, still keeping his head low. She replied with an unsure smile before turning back to walk into the greenhouse. As soon as the door closed, Masato frantically turned to the two figures behind him.
"Okay, I did it last time, it's one of your turns now!" he spat out.
The two figures in question were a peach-coloured pegasus with a short, yellow mane drooping over her eyes. Her cutie mark depicted three rings with a pegasus silhouette flying through each of them in loops. The pegasus was named Spry. The other figure was a very shaggy-furred dog standing on his hindlegs; he had fur of white with brown patches all over his body. The dog was named Chance.
"No," was Spry's response.
Chance gave Masato a clueless look, oblivious to his lecture. He looked back at Spry whom was also staring at him before realizing the situation.
"What? No, I can't do it, I have practice," he responded.
"Yeah, we all do, whitey. Use your dog nose, go sniff out the blue big shot and ask," Spry replied, idly digging a hole in the ground.
Masato frantically paced back and forth, muttering to himself. "Delusional... can't get her... money spent... not ready... one day... dog."
Chance opened his mouth to argue his point, but growled in defeat and fell onto all fours before running down the path to the entrance. Alone with each other, Masato opened his mouth to speak before dirt was flung into his face.
"Can it, I don't want to hear it," Spry said before quietly taking off into the skies.
While choking and spitting out the dirt, Masato stumbled to the ground before shaking his head. Looking up, he watched as his two teammates left before grumbling and galloping after them.
So much for my plans, he thought.
Several minutes later, he slowed to a halt when he passed a certain lot, spotting Rainbow Dash bucking. He opened his mouth to speak before stopping once more.
"Do not bother teams that are in a drill," Flat Breadbasket's voice sounded in his mind.
He sighed before resuming his gallop. He had considered waiting for them with a topic in mind, but found his priorities elsewhere. He quickly signed out of the Market Harvest building and left into the city itself. Looking around, he spotted no sign of his teammates. Sighing, he reached back into his saddlebags and pulled out a small table. Setting it down in a busy food court, he removed his saddlebags and pulled out a sketchbook along with a dip pen and inkwell.
What better way to gather information on the enemies than to speak to them as friends? he thought.
He began to draw the surrounding area and before long, somepony else sat down next to him. A posh-looking pony admired his drawings, and he seemed to wear a team uniform. A fancy mane seemed to revolve around his horn.
"Hello. I see you're an artist," he said.
No, I'm a damn crystalline physicist. "Yeah, well, I try." With a faux smile, Masato chuckled modestly.
"Yes, well, I'm partaking in the Market Harvest and I, Ice Cool, act as the manager of Ice Flows, and-"
"Wait, you sell freaking ice in a farming competition?" Masato asked, looking away from his sketchbook entirely.
The stallion shook his head. "Not just ice, and like all good teams, I have my advertisement campaigns prepared already."
"Cool story." Masato leaned against his hoof.
"And I'm considering adding to my campaign. All I have are the typical bland ice-related posters ready, but with somepony else such as an artist, I can make it more visually appealing. I know you Freelance Artist types, always looking for work and needing money for lunch," he said, grinning. Masato rolled his eyes while obscured by his mane. "1,000 bits a poster. Pocket change to me, money to eat like a king for you. Whaddaya say?"
Raising an eyebrow out of doubt, Masato bit his lip. Sighing, he shrugged his shoulders and nodded. "Sure, why not? Celestia knows I'm poor as a rat."
"Haha, cheer up, boy! You'll be living like a fancy rat for the next month," he said. His horn lit up and a stack of papers formed. "Sign these. I want three posters by the first official harvest tomorrow afternoon. Get it done by tonight and I'll double your payload."
Inaudibly grumbling was all Masato could do while he signed the papers in a matter of seconds. The stallion picked them up quickly and left without another word. As soon as he vanished into the crowd, Masato grinned.
I'd like to thank the Academy for this award in deception. Info gathering AND money as well as my own 'special touch' will serve 'well' for his campaign, he thought as he instantly began drawing sketches.
[*][*][*]
Spry lazily fluttered through the skies of Trotonto as pegasi began flying banners for harvest teams early. She half-payed attention, bypassing many rampant pegasi. Scouring down below, she spotted something interesting enough to make her double check. Quickly, gently and quietly, she swooped down and landed in an almost-empty street save for one pony in an expensive suit with a vine of grapes and bag of money for a cutie mark.
"Ooh! Mr. Moneybags!" Spry excitedly shouted out.
"Hmm?" Fullbody turned with half-lidded eyes.
Spry's face beamed with excitement only a filly could contain as she bounced excitedly on the spot. "May I have your autograph!?"
Chuckling, Fullbody levitated a sheet of paper along with a marker out. "Sure. I love it when ponies get their deserved respect," he said.
Spry nodded her head like an obedient puppy as Fullbody handed her the sheet. She looked at it amazingly as if astounded and Fullbody looked at her for a second. Looking back up, Spry cleared her throat.
"So, I've heard that you're in the Market Harvest again! Need advertisement help? I'm an acrobat with experience! I could do skywriting," Spry said excitedly.
"Although I like your enthusiasm, I am unable to accept... for now." He looked around quickly before looking back to Spry. "If you bring your credentials any time within the next week, I can still sign you up on our advertisement campaign. All help is appreciated, dear." Fullbody said. He looked at her for a second before frowning. "What did you say your name was?"
"Swift Star," Spry responded like a trained puppy.
Fullbody smiled, although the authenticity of the smile was debatable. "Alright then. Any time in the next week, simply tell the ponies working the front desk at my lot your name, and they'll redirect you to me." He looked up, hearing the buzz and whirr of crowds in the distance. Spotting a clock tower, his eyes seemed to widen. "Sweet Celestia, is that the time!? I must be going now. Until next time, m'lady!" Fullbody quickly bowed to Spry and made a hasty retreat.
Spry continued smiling whilst she waved her hoof. Once Fullbody was out of sight, her giddy attitude vanished and she slumped over, returning to her usual, dark expression.
"Sucker."
[*][*][*]
Chance scurried through Trotonto, constantly distracted by the food and foreign scents. Being a border town did not fare well for the atmosphere as it was never certain where or... when most characters were from. However, as a dog, with much training, he was able to use a simple cloth to detect the scent of the pony he was tracking. Several minutes passed before he deducted the food court area was void of the pony. Sighing, he trekked out to the residential houses near the Equestrian side of the city.
Fields were located everywhere, all of them well-worn from activity. A grand stadium stood in the centre of it all with many houses pixeled in various locations. His trail was starting to vanish as the pony's scent was gone. He growled and gave into his canine instincts for several minutes: running around in circles; chasing his tail; digging holes; marking his territory. He sat down on the grass in a field, rolling around dumbly while he thought.
Magic practice needs to be somewhere with lots of natural resources, somewhere isolated, and, knowing her, somewhere she could hear her own voice, Chance thought.
Standing up, he looked around the rural areas of the city before spotting a curious patch of trees in the distance; just outside of the city limits above the treeline there was flickering lights and barely audible shouts. Chance stood up, shook himself free of the grass, and began a run towards the location. After half an hour, he arrived at the edge of the city and entered the trees. Several minutes of running yielded the results he wanted. A clearing with a unicorn flaring magic with no regards for personal safety.
"Hey," Chance thought." Uh, I found you by scent. Sweet Olive asked about the campaign again."
The blue unicorn in question spun around, whipping her starry cape and silver-blue tail dramatically. Her brow remained invisible under the tip of her magicians hat, but she was glaring at Chance directly.
"The Great and Powerful Trixie stands by her decision to wait," Trixie declared in a booming voice enhanced by magic.
Chance winced as the loud noise penetrated his sensitive dog ears, but stood his ground. Clearing his throat, he proceeded into the clearing; a small lake with sandy edges and trees all around had been disrupted by various magical spells. Burn marks here, frozen water there. Trixie was standing in the centre of what appeared to be an explosion with a proud stance, head held high.
"I figured you would say that, but none of us are ready for the campaign yet," Chance said, pawing at the ground.
"I know, Trixie specifically ordered that you curs do the dirty work. You're merely the stage in the Great and Powerful Trixie's show; I may walk over you if I choose to. You and the others continue with your meagre deception. Trixie has to finalize her spell," she proclaimed.
She dramatically turned away, flicking her cape at Chance while a gust of wind pushed him back. He let out a low growl and sighed. The last he saw of Trixie was her horn lighting up brighter than any normal horn; anymore, and he would have been sick. Just as he left the trees at the edge of the city, a massive explosion of light flashed through the woods, regardless of the colour.
"Either she blew herself up or she created a sun," Chance spat before dashing towards the city.
Back inside the trees, Trixie let out a few huffs, almost snarling with rage as smoke cleared from the area. The lake was rippling wildly and the grass around her was burnt. Her coat and clothes remained unscathed.
"Ha, Trixie believes the Great and Powerful Trixie is ready to reclaim her title as most powerful equine in Equestria!"
[*][*][*]
Later that day, Applejack slumped down on a chair minutes before dinner. Rainbow Dash was lying out cold on the bed at the hotel. Big Macintosh was on the ground next to Applejack, lightly panting. Spike and Rarity sat next to each other on the bed. Each pony was exhausted with Spike and Rarity being the least; management and working the register was never an exhausting job.
"So our demo sale was absolutely horrible," Spike blurted out.
Applejack facehoofed, drawing her hoof across her brow while Big Macintosh sighed. Rarity let out a coarse groan and fell back onto the bead, and Rainbow Dash snored. Spike flipped through the sheets.
"In terms of profit, we made little. Only 156 bits in profit. Customer service was hectic because the apples were held up by the rush, while the actual registry was..." He looked around to the others before shrugging. "It was hell."
"Spike, please watch your language," Rarity nonchalantly said without moving.
Spike rolled his eyes before flipping the page. "Damage to the Sweet Apple Acres stand was catastrophic when we were tackled. A new stand will cost a total of 400 bits minimum if we use the discount Market Harvest has," he continued. "Lost two bushels of apples, and my ankle was bruised."
"We can't afford to waste all of our profit on a new stand. That'll put us in th' negatives for demo sales," Applejack said. "Ah'll jus' hav' t' use bits outta m' own pocket."
Rarity sat back up on the bed and stared at Applejack with widened eyes. "Applejack, you can't. Let me do it, I insist! I've got so much more money lately from my sales, and I'm not trying to support a family," she said.
"Ah appreciate your offer, Rar'ty, but Ah'd prefer t' do it on my own," Applejack replied calmly.
Big Macintosh gave her a nudge on the side and when she turned to look at him, he had a deadpan stare. Applejack's lip quivered and after a few seconds, she exhaled coarsely.
"A'ight, fine, but Ah'll pay ya back in th' future," Applejack said. "And that is final."
Rarity idly waved a hoof as Spike cleared his throat. "Okay, now that we've got a new stand sorted out, we still have the issues of lost crop, police charges for causing a riot, and eternal banishment from the Dragon Kingdom."
"Come again?" Big Macintosh asked with a raised brow.
"I said lost crop, police charges for causing a riot, and property damages to other teams?" Spike seemed to ask himself as well as the others.
Shaking it off, Applejack cleared her throat. "A'ight, so after one demo sale, we're all plum tuckered, Rainbow is outta it entirely, Spike was injured, several police charges, and we've lost money... all before the Market Harvest began." Big Macintosh and Applejack looked up at the ceiling for a second. "Seems 'bout right."
"Jeez, is this a competition or a gang war?" Spike asked, dropping the notebook on his lap.
"I believe I have the same question. This is only a farming competition," Rarity said.
"Only a farmin' competition on the border of Equestria with many foreign folk in a city where farmin' is th' main income. This is completely normal. Last year, Big Mac hurt himself right before Applebuck season," Applejack said. "'bout a week before Twi came t' Ponyville."
"Eeyup," Big Macintosh responded.
Sighing, Spike clapped his hands together. "Okay, if I'm going to be in a gang war, I want to wear a suit, fedora, and carry a briefcase everywhere I go," Spike responded. He looked to Rarity, ignoring her frown. "Rarity, I want a full suit made of the most expensive material you have with Fire Rubies encrusted into it as well as a monocle made of platinum."
"No," she replied.
Spike scoffed and hunched over, folding his arms. The rest of the group giggled, causing Rainbow to wake up.
"Huh? What's going on...?" she asked, rubbing her eyes.
"Applejack is in a gang war," Spike spat out while falling back on the bed.
Rainbow sat up fast enough to knock her mane over her head. "What's this about violence and crime?"
"Nothin', Spike is jus' bein' silly," Applejack said, waving a hoof.
"Bah, I'm going to bed," Spike grumbled as he slid off the large bed and exited the room.
Rarity waved goodbye quickly, and Rainbow took Spike's place on the bed. She leaned against the footboard of the bed, smacking her dry lips.
"So what did I miss, exactly? Other than gang wars," Rainbow lazily said, yawning.
Sighing, Applejack looked over at Rainbow. "Well..."