The Canterlot fairgrounds were full of birds, full of butterflies, full of color, and full of many a happy pony. The outer road encircling the grounds was adorned with colorful banners from the nobles that graciously sponsored the event. Eight roads led inward from the eight compass points, each lined with vendors, pavilions for growers’ associations, and gated entrances to grazing fields that were filled with colorful flowers. And in the center, the Grand Dome was the most colorful thing of all. Trellises with honeysuckle, morning glory, and wisteria covered the normally bare outer walls. The plain white dome was draped with eight massive paintings, each showing an individual flower.

Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Twilight Sparkle, and Spike all walked in the west entrance (under a painting of a red rose) and marveled at the displays. They included the flowers that had won this year’s prizes, wreaths patterned after those worn by conquering heroes of centuries past, and corsages and boutonnières designed to match latest fashions. Coming out of the east entrance (under a painting of an orange lily), they commented that the displays were “awesome,” “stylish,” and “mouthwatering.” (Twilight had woken up late, and had to skip breakfast.)

They walked past the lily grazing field and the Lily Grower’s Association Pavilion and found the apple stand. Big Macintosh and Applejack were both standing behind a wide counter, handing out apples and apple-filled baked goods, and dropping coins into their apple-adorned white aprons.

“Hey, AJ. Hey, Mac,” said Twilight. “How’s it going?”

“Bit slow,” said Big Macintosh with a slight sigh, as he picked up a single coin with his mouth and dropped it in his apron.

“Aww, don’t worry, it’s still midmorning. It’ll pick up around lunch time,” said Applejack, filling a paper bag with a half-dozen apple turnovers.

Applejack and Twilight Sparkle smiled at each other knowingly.

“So Twi, did you catch what the other food vendors were selling?” asked Applejack.

“Hmm … looked like flowers mostly. Nopony else selling apples. But we just got here; we haven’t even looked at a quarter of the stands,” replied Twilight.

“Hey, Macintosh,” said Applejack. “Could you take a quick look-see at what everypony else is selling to eat? And check out the prices, too. We need to know if a discount is what we need to get more sales.”

Rainbow Dash’s ears twitched at the sound of the word “quick.”

“Eeyup,” said Big Macintosh as he took off his apron and upended it, pouring coins into a wooden box.

“You’d better hurry,” said Twilight with a grin. “Applejack will need your help when the lunch crowd hits.”

Rainbow Dash’s eyes widened at the sound of the word “hurry.”

“Don’t worry ‘bout him,” reassured Applejack, “He’ll be back in a jiffy. He can be really speedy when he needs to be. He’ll just race on around, and be back in a flash.”

“Hey!” exclaimed Rainbow Dash, spreading her wings proudly. “What about me? I can be back in a flash. I’m speedy. Why, I’m the jiffiest pony around! I can scout this place out way faster than your brother here.”

“Nope.”

Big Macintosh took off at a gallop toward the Grand Dome.

“You call that fast?” said Rainbow Dash, galloping after him.

Upon reaching the Grand Dome, Big Macintosh slowed down a little, swerved, and started up the northeast path. Right behind him, Rainbow Dash took to the air and flew over a small cluster of rose bushes. She swiftly banked into a 270-degree turn and landed one length in front of him, going at full speed.

As Big Macintosh sped on, his eyes panned from left to right, pausing briefly on every stall and every gated grazing pasture.

“C’mon slowpoke,” said Rainbow Dash as she slowed slightly until Big Macintosh was even with her. “You think you’re gonna catch me with moves like that?”

“Eeyup.”

Near the end of the northeast path, Big Macintosh turned left and cut between two pavilions, and leaped over a coconut shy. He landed on a strength tester game, sending the puck up to the top with a loud “ding!” He emerged at the end of the north path, and started galloping to the south.

Rainbow Dash again took off, flying over pavilions and landing on the north path. With a slight burst of speed, she caught up to Big Macintosh. They were running neck and neck down the path, so close that they were nearly touching.

She poked out her tongue at Big Macintosh with a “nyeah!” He ignored her, and continued to look left and right at the food vendors, occasionally craning his neck to look over Rainbow Dash.

“Well, it’s been fun, but it’s time to leave you behind now,” said Rainbow dash, gently bumping Big Macintosh’s flank with her own.

“Nope,” replied Big Macintosh, gently bumping her flank with his own.

Rainbow Dash gently tumbled aside into a clump of hibiscus bushes.

Big Macintosh took another corner, and sped up the northwest path.

She emerged from the bushes, gritting her teeth, breathing heavily, her tail and mane dotted with yellow hibiscus flowers. She narrowed her eyes, and rounded the corner, heading up the northwest path.

For several minutes, the pair raced up and down each of the eight paths. Rainbow Dash kept one eye on him, made wry comments about his speed, and took to the air whenever she needed to switch paths. Big Macintosh leapt over bushes, stands, and even small tents, as he kept his eyes on the path and on the stalls, saying nothing more than the occasional “nope.”

In the end, Rainbow Dash arrived back at the apple stand just as Big Macintosh reached the east edge of the east path.

“I did it!” she said triumphantly.

“Great!” said Applejack. “Now how about those grazing pastures? What are they charging?”

“Well, they’re all having a last day special … I think,” said Rainbow Dash. “I didn’t see the prices, but they’re all doing an all you can eat thing. Err …”

Big Macintosh came to a stop in front of the stand.

“All the grazing pastures are doing all you can eat specials for the last day. You get a timed ticket. They’re all the same price as the lily pasture over there,” he reported.

Rainbow Dash said, “Uhh, yeah, that’s what I –“

Big Macintosh interrupted, “No other apple stands, but one pony’s selling big mixed fruit baskets. They’re not selling too well.”

“Not surprising. Anypony who wants lots of food can pig out at a pasture,” commented Applejack. “What about baked goods?”

“The Cherry Jubilee farm has the usual assortment at the usual prices. Also, lots of elephant ears, bear claws, and crème alicorn horns,” continued Big Macintosh.

“With the little chocolate wings?” asked Applejack.

“Eeyup.”

“Gotta get me one of those,” she said. “Okay, individual pricing on the apples. Filled pastries gonna be a big seller.”

“Whoa, hold it,” said Rainbow Dash, mouth wide open. “You got all that just by running past everything?”

“Eeyup.”

She shut her gaping mouth, walked up next to him, and whispered in his ear, “Don’t tell AJ I said this, but I’m impressed. You’re almost as quick as me. You’re really good.”

“Eeyup,” he whispered back.

At that moment, Rarity came trotting down the path with Spike resting on her back. Her mane was neatly braided, with daisies at the end of the braids. She cast a knowing smile at Rainbow Dash.

“Hey, lookin’ good there, Rarity,” said Rainbow Dash with a grin. “I didn’t notice anypony doing flower braiding.”

Big Macintosh let out a single snort.

“I did it myself, darling,” said Rarity. “Normally, I’d only use ribbons, but since Twilight and I were in the daisy pasture, I simply had to add a little something different.”

“Did you do Twilight? Ooh, can you do me?” asked Rainbow Dash.

“Twilight was so intent on eating her daisies; I didn’t think it wise to disturb her,” said Rarity. “I think she’s still eating. Now, you, on the other hand … hmm …”

Rarity carefully inspected Rainbow’s mane, magically picking out hibiscus flowers.

“These flowers won’t do at all. White would be a better color for you,” Rarity commented. “I got it! Lilies. We can get some right over there at the grazing pasture.”

“Cool!” exclaimed Rainbow Dash. “I’m a little hungry anyway.”

“Why don’t you join them?” suggested Applejack to Big Macintosh. “Grab yourself a bite right now. You won’t have time to eat when everypony comes to our stand for lunch.”

“Eeyup.”

The four of them were the only ones inside the gated lily pasture. The center of the pasture had been grazed down to nothing but stems, but the edges were carpeted with trumpet-shaped white flowers.

Rainbow Dash lay down, the wooden fence about a yard to her right, and casually chewed on some flowers. Rarity sat down on her left and floated a comb through Rainbows mane, smoothing it out and eventually separating the red stripe from the rest. She popped a mirror into Rainbow’s hoof and began.

“Now Rainbow, the most basic kind of braid starts with three strands. You put each strand over the last like so,” she said in a sing-song voice.

“Oh, I see,” said Rainbow Dash, with one eye on Rarity in the mirror, and the other eye on the nearby lilies, which she occasionally sneaked a bite of.

Spike was mesmerized. His gaze was fixed on Rarity, as her hooves and a glow emanating from her horn moved in a delicate dance through Rainbow’s hair.

Big Macintosh was also fascinated. He kept his eyes on Rainbow as her hair carefully fell into place. She noticed his gaze, blushed a little, and turned away from him as much as Rarity would allow.

“And we put in a flower as we tie the ribbon at the end!” said Rarity triumphantly. “Now we can pull out each strand a little to make it seem a little fuller.”

“Cool!” exclaimed Rainbow Dash. “You think you could mix the colors up a little?”

“Of course!” beamed Rarity. “Let’s do a four-strand braid.”

She combed some more, and separated out two strands of orange hair and two strands of yellow hair.

“Now this is a little trickier,” she said. “Each strand needs to go over one, and under another.”

Rarity hummed as she effortlessly wove Rainbow’s hair, intermingling the orange with the yellow. Rainbow watched in the mirror, trying to avoid the staring eyes of Spike and Big Macintosh. Finally, Rarity tied on a little ribbon, tucking in a large white lily as she did.

Rainbow scarcely had the chance to admire her braids when Rarity stood up and wedged herself between her and the fence.

“Now, we can do the other side. Same braids, but I’ll go a little faster this time. Keep your eyes open!” she sang.

Spike clambered up the fence and sat down, his eyes glued to Rarity’s hooves. Big Macintosh unceremoniously plopped down right in front of Rainbow Dash, and kept his eyes focused on her mane.

Rainbow Dash nervously said, “Hey, Big Mac, do you mind, err … you know.”

He continued to stare at her mane as Rarity separated out three strands of red.

“Oh, never mind,” she said.

She held up the mirror between her face and his, and tried to concentrate on Rarity’s work. Under the watchful eyes of Big Macintosh and Spike, Rarity braided the right side of Rainbow’s mane identically to the left.

Rainbow stood up and admired herself in the mirror. “Yeah, I look awesome!” she said. “You gotta teach me how to do that sometime.”

“Some time?” said Rarity. “Why not now?”

She walked around the edge of the pasture to a large uneaten patch of lilies. Rainbow Dash watched for a while, then grinned and joined her.

“Oh, Big Macintosh,” called out Rarity in an ever-so-sweet voice, “be a doll and come over here for us.”

“Eeyup.”

He walked over to them and lay down on the cool ground between them.

“So first, we separate out three strands, right?” said Rainbow Dash.

“No, first we smooth it out,” corrected Rarity.

“Hmm?” queried Rainbow.

Rarity levitated some combs and brushes between them, and sang “Brushie, brushie, brushie!”

With a wicked grin, Rainbow grabbed a brush, and said “Brushie, brushie, brushie!”

As they ran their combs and brushes through his rough mane, their giggles could be heard all the way over to the Rose Pavilion. Oddly enough, so could Big Macintosh’s stoic silence.

As Rainbow Dash inexpertly tied a lily to the end of Big Macintosh’s first braid, Rarity smoothed out more of his mane.

“Oh thank you, you are such a big sweetie. Rainbow just loves having the chance to practice on you; don’t you darling?” she said sweetly.

“Yeah, thanks. You’re a real good sport,” said Rainbow Dash, as she stuffed a second lily into the ribbon before tightening it.

The two leaned down and simultaneously kissed him on each cheek.

From the fence, Spike moaned, “Why, oh why, don’t dragons have manes?”

“So how’d I do?” asked Rainbow Dash.

“Very good for your first try,” said Rarity, tugging and tightening a little.

“Can we practice the four strand braid next?” asked Rainbow Dash eagerly.

“Oh certainly,” said Rarity. “Big Macintosh here has plenty of mane to practice on.”

Back at the apple stand, two long lines had already formed.

“Thanks for your help, Twilight,” Applejack said between customers. “I’m sure Big Macintosh’ll be back from lunch soon.”

“Not a problem,” said Twilight, floating a pile of coins into her apron. “I wonder how he and Rainbow are getting …”

“Cat got your tongue, sugarcube?” asked Applejack.

Twilight pointed between the two lines. Big Macintosh was making his way through the crowd. His mane was woven into three braids on the left side, and four on the right. All of the braids were decorated with white lilies, some with just a single lily at the end, and some with a bunch of lilies awkwardly stuffed in between the strands.

Twilight and Applejack both covered their mouths with a hoof, and suppressed a laugh. Big Macintosh reached the stand, accompanied by hushed whispers from the crowd.

“Ain’t I a pretty pony?” he deadpanned.

Applejack, Twilight Sparkle, and several customers broke out into laughter. As they laughed, Big Macintosh got behind the stand and lifted the apron off of Twilight Sparkle.

Twilight said, “If you still need my help, I can –“

“Nope.”

Applejack said, “C’mon, don’t –“

“Nope.”

Big Macintosh put some apples on the counter and swiped some coins into his apron.

Twilight Sparkle ventured, “So, umm, how’d the –“

Applejack shushed her and gently shook her head no.

“So, I’ll just go see more of the fair,” said Twilight nervously. “See you later!”

“Eeyup.”

That evening, Applejack and Big Macintosh hauled their nearly-empty wagons back to Ponyville. Twilight Sparkle and the two siblings made the trip in a stony silence. Spike was silently napping in Twilight’s saddle pouch. Rainbow Dash and Rarity, on the other hand, were chattering non-stop beside them.

“So I said, ‘Rainbow, dear, you can’t put the flowers in like that. They’ll all fall out!’ But did she listen to me?” chided Rarity.

“Nope!” exclaimed Rainbow Dash. “I put ‘em right on in! And when Big Macintosh stood up, all but one ‘em fell right on out. It looked so silly, all alone, right in the middle of the braid!”

“Of course, I couldn’t bear to pull it out, so I just tied on another flower properly at the end of the braid. You know, to keep it company,” said Rarity.

Big Macintosh shook his mane. He had undone all of the braids except for a neat and simple three-strand braid at the end. However, a few lilies remained lodged in his mane. One of them fell out onto the ground.

“So,” Twilight asked Applejack and Big Macintosh, “You do okay at the fair?”

“Sure thing!”

“Eeyup.”

They continued to pull their wagons without looking at each other, or Twilight.

“Well, duh,” said Rainbow, “Didn’t you notice? Their stock sold out just before sundown.”

“You better believe it!”

“Eeyup.”

“So, we still on for the doubles ping pong tournament in two days?” Twilight asked.

“You bet I’m –“

“Eey –“

“I mean, sure I am, sugarcube,” said Applejack. “Just give me tomorrow to wind down. I’ll be ready for sure.”

“Alright. I’ll just leave you two and get on home,” she said, staring daggers at Rainbow and Rarity.

“Oh, sure thing,” said Rainbow.

“See you later, darling,” sang Rarity.

“So anyway, I noticed we had to spend a lot more time brushing out his mane than mine,” said Rainbow Dash.

“Well, yes, I find that a colt’s hair is always a bit more rugged and unruly than a lady’s,” said Rarity. “And besides, he has so much more of it!”

Twilight Sparkle trotted ahead with a soft “ugh,” leaving Applejack and Big Macintosh behind with Rarity and Rainbow Dash.