Rainbow woke up and cleared her throat loudly as she smacked her lips, the taste and scent of the previous night hung heavy on her muzzle. From her knees she sat up and stretched her wings wide letting a quiet yawn, followed by a nicker, start her day. Looking around her at the messy bed she smirked.

“Yup, I’m the best. She probably had to crawl out of here; why’m I the best? Cuz I’m Rainbow Dash.”

Rolling off the bed she landed on her rear legs and began her morning stretches as the faint scent of breakfast began to waft to their room. Darn, I just started. Can’t stop or I might miss something… It smells really good too.

Rainbow got ten minutes into her preflight stretches before Applejack’s voice sang through the house.

“Rainbow Dash~? Chow is ready and I hope you are too~.”

Rainbow bent backwards into a bridge bend balancing on her head and wings while her tail curled around her right hind leg. With a slow tug she felt her tail stretch longer and a slight resistance in her leg as well as telling her she was doing it right.

Relaxing she rolled her tail around her other leg and pulled feeling the stretch again. She felt a pop at the base of her spine where her tail jointed and stopped suddenly; paralysed with worry and fear.

D-did I just break my tail? Oh no, please no. I need it to balance and it’s a part of me…

Flexing her abdomen and swinging her chin down she rolled smoothly to her rear legs than forelegs as her wings folded to her sides in a single motion. Turning she looked at her tail which hung limply behind her. Turning she reached her right foreleg out and poked at it then sighed as it swished away.

“You scared me, Zappy. Don’t do that again, okay?”

“Zappy?” Applejack said in a tone of disbelief, “ya named yer tail ‘Zappy’?” She chortled then began to laugh as Rainbow scowled at her.

“What about Bucky McGillicuddy and Kicks McGee?” Rainbow said smirking looking to Applejack’s legs.

Applejack kept laughing shortly after Rainbow joined in for the next minute. “Darlin’, ya got any more names I should know about? Yer mane named ‘Stripey Flow’?” Rainbow said slowing to a guffaw.

“AJ, Yer a barrel of laughs. C’mon, I guess I’m done. I’ll just do more pre-nap stretches today at work.”

Calming down they walked out of the room side by side and Rainbow led the way downstairs.

Breakfast smelled simple and as Rainbow reached the bottom and rounded the staircase to the kitchen she sighed. It was simple, rustic even.

I don’t know why but I was hoping for something huge on our first morning.

“Pick up the pace Dashing, I’m gettin’ a might hungry and we gotta shower before we head on out,” she said as she shoved past Rainbow and trotted to the table first.

Taking a seat Applejack wasted no time and leaned into her bowl of plain oatmeal and slurped a gulp down.

Rainbow arrived to the table and held back a joke that just went through her mind. You’re a mare, don’t get all stallion on her and scare her away.

Sitting she looked at the plate, cup, and bowl and let a small sigh go before she followed suit and took the first bite of plain oatmeal.

Applejack had turned her attention to the hard boiled egg that sat shelled on her plate and took a bite, followed lastly by a drink of apple juice.

“Rainbow, ya doin’ okay? Ya look plum tired still; I didn’t wear ya out that bad, did I?”

Rainbow swallowed her mouthful of oats and cleared her throat. “Erhm. Well, I was hoping for a bigger breakfast, but I know we haven’t done any shopping yet, not really anyway. Want me to fly by the market today and pick up a few dozen things? I can see ya and say ‘howdy’.”

“Dashing, yer a grown mare that has a house yer own now. Ya can get the groceries, so long as ya buy a bushel of apples,” she said pointing a hoof to the empty basket by the pantry door.

“What? Why? We get ‘em free from the farm, AJ.”

“Ain’t nothing free in the world. Ya work and earn yer keep like the rest of us sure, but supplies ain’t free and farmin’s still a business. Less’n ya wanna spend a day or three doing odd chores ‘round the farm?” she asked hopefully raising her eyebrows.

“Nope,” Rainbow said in a Big Mac impression, “Ah’ll just buy a bushel from ya, but ya gotta bring ‘em home tonight. Deal?”

Applejack furrowed her brow and spit in the palm of her hoof and reached across the table; Rainbow did the same and they clapped their hooves together.

“Deal, AJ. I’m gonna buy a ton of sugar, plain oats are for the birds not pegasi.”

Applejack nodded as she picked up the remaining egg and popped it in her mouth. “And some stuff fer a good stew. Big Mac done gave me a good recipe and I aim ta try it fer dinner. By the way, four nights a week we’re havin’ dinner on the farm with the family, at least.”

“Sounds good ta me. I like the Apples and it saves us a few bits on groceries. I’m down with the ground, after all.”

Applejack rolled her eyes. “Yeah, sugarplum. Just don’t be late. Six thirty, tonight,” she emphasised.

“Alright, Alright. I get it, I’ll be there or I’ll be square,” eating her egg in one bite then gulping down her juice she began to hover and rubbed her belly. “First meal of the day; good start. I’ll get a few muffins and a donut at work but thanks, darlin’,” she said flying around the table and landing next to Applejack.

“You’re the best marefriend ever. Hurry up, I’m gonna shower but can’t wait up.” She took to the air again and flew to and up the stairs quickly and a few seconds after she left the shower turned on.

Applejack sighed and finished her juice before gathering the dishes and putting them in the sink. “That mare hates cleanin’ up but I gotta get her ta start or this place’ll be messier than a pig pen in july.”

Finishing the dishes she wiped the last plate dry and set it in the stack with a frustrated huff. Rainbow wrapped her forelegs around Applejack’s barrel and squeezed tightly and gave her a nuzzle. “I wish you were there just now, all I thought about was our night. It was awesome.

“Dash, it was, but ya gotta start helpin’ out here. Now git ta work so ya can earn a few bits for the house. We need a new roof and Ah’m thinkin’ I can talk it over with a couple construction ponies and price it. Dash,” she said shaking her hooves dry into the sink and turning to embrace Rainbow back, “ownin’ a house is gonna be expensive so we gotta pull our weight for a bit and make this work. Ah believe we can do it, as long as we work together. Now git.”

With a light kiss on the cheek and a return nuzzle they bade each other a loving farewell to start their own day. “Ah cleaned up breakfast but we’re gonna start a chore chart soon so we have a fair load, ‘kay?”

“‘Kay AJ, see ya later.”

“Dash,” Applejack said as Rainbow was almost to the door. She paused for a moment before turning to face her. “I love ya, and, well, thanks for everything.”

Sharing a smile Rainbow opened the door and floated outside. Taking a deep breath in she smiled as she took higher to the skies to begin her day.

---

Rainbow arrived to work a few minutes early and began her greetings like any other day, until she went by the offices. “Hey, where’s Quill? Shouldn’t she be here?”

“She’s taking a vacation; you’re in charge again while she’s gone,” a stallion said as he passed, almost in a saddened tone.

Rainbow hopped into the air and flew to the stallion, stopping him with a tug on his tail. “What? I saw her yesterday, where the hay did she have to go?”

He looked back and swished his tail and frowned at her. “I don’t know or really care, you’re the boss so that’s your job,” he said curtly before huffing through his nostrils and turning to face her, “Look, I’m sorry about that. Personal stuff. Rumor is her marefriend is sick and she’s nursing her back to health.

“Quill’s a really sweet mare and everypony knows she’s do anything to help another pony out so this’ just something she’d do. Are you okay?”

Rainbow sighed and nodded.

“Alright. I’m sorry again about that but a lots been going on. Did you hear a monster attacked Canterlot two days ago?”

“Holy Sun,” Rainbow said perking up and taking to the air again, “that’s awesome! Was it a huge blowout fight, where Luna had to use her magic and blasted it back to Tartarus where it came from?”

“No, but my aunt’s cat was stepped on by the beast.”

“Oh… I’m sorry. So, it was a big monster then?” Rainbow asked with a hopeful look. He sighed and rolled his eyes. “So, that’s a yeah? Was it a demon?”

Still looking to the ceiling his eyes trembled slightly, as though they were spinning in his sockets. He lowered his gaze to her and smiled. “It was your ego,” he said before scowling and turning away, back to work.

“Huh, what was his problem?” She shrugged and turned to her new managers office; Soarin’s. “I better find out what my duties are for the time being.

“Knock knock, boss. What’s up?” Rainbow chimed as she pushed the door open to see Soarin with his face in a file cabinet. He waved her in while rifling through folders. A light pink hue remained on his coat but his mane was its old color again. Rainbow giggled into her hoof when she saw him before he turned to address her.

“Rainbow Dash, my favorite employee and manager filler, inner-?” he said trying to see if that wording fit, made sense, or existed, “anyway, since Quill is out you’re going to take over her resposibilities until she’s back. Now, I know you’re known as the best cloud buster in town here but there’s a lot of work-”

“Yeah, yeah,” she interrupted, “I was a manager before and I’m not looking to take over her job; just help out. Give me the paperwork so I can sort it out and get it into the right hooves before I get out there and make some weather, she said confidently pumping a hoof.

“Well, in that case I’ve done some restructuring of our file systems to bring them more in line with Cloudsdale; now we have less paperwork,” he smiled and she beamed. “But, we have more to do as far as communicating our plans through meetings.”

“Wha-”

“So, since Quill isn’t here today, we were going to have a staff meeting with the department heads at 2:30 this afternoon then sit in on the subsequent meetings. We should be done by 6:00 tonight, but that’s when we get to start the real tough task of-”

“Wait a minute,” she interjected, “I have plans tonight. I’ll just do whatever tomorrow.”

“Wrong. You’re acting manager, and if you want to keep your job you have to do manager work.”

Rainbow frowned and opened her mouth to protest before he began again. “If you have a complaint you may take it up with corporate, in pink lettering,” he said almost spitting the words out.

“I know you played a part, as much as Quill did, in my current coloration. I also know that three guards arrived here and spoke to me while others ransacked my residence looking for illegal drugs; thanks to your proclamation the other day.”

“But-”

“And I also know you have a new home, can you afford it on a cloud jockey’s salary?”

“Ye-”

“Didn’t think so, so now I’ll tell you what’s going to happen,” he said walking from the file cabinet to almost touching her muzzle with his. His nostrils were flaring, the heat of his breath was washing over her muzzle; a sensation she did not miss in the least.

He took in a deep breath and spoke in a deep stage whisper. “You’re going to be a good mare and do the work assigned to you or you’ll be without a job in the corporation ever again. I don’t want any other words from you or any of your brash attitude. Am. I. Understood?”

Rainbow felt her heart pounding and her vision began to blur from the rage she was feeling. Every part of her wanted to open her wings and show this colt how to speak to a mare as awesome as her; though a variety of punches, wing slaps, and kicks to his body that’d make the pink be a welcome color compared to the purple bruises she’d leave him with.

She leaned in and pressed her nose to his and stared him down for a long few seconds, then she blinked. She leaned back and lowered her head; with a sigh. “I understand,” she said softly.

“That’s more like it,” he said standing tall again and ruffling his feathered wings proudly, “your marefriend’s broken you nicely, filly fooler.” He turned to walk back to his desk then felt a thump to his side just below his ribs; a split second later he felt the other side of his body impact a hard object.

Sound and pain racked his head as he took in his current surroundings. He was laying on the floor with no less than seven ponies pulling Rainbow away from him. His forelegs were up guarding his head and he noticed throbbing pain across his entire midsection.

What the hay just happened? he thought as he lowered his forelegs and listened to the cyan mare grunting and struggling against the others pulling her out of the room shouting for her to calm down.

Rolling to his side he exhaled and chuckled. A steady stream of mucus colored with blood left his mouth. He felt with his tongue and huffed a pained laugh. “Two teeth and I don’t know what happened, except that I lost to her again.”

---

Rainbow stormed up the stairs and to the roof, opening her wings and flying away, without a direction in mind, in an angered hurry.

“That bucking… Bucking… Damnit he’s such a fucking asshole!” she shouted into the wind ahead of her, ”how dare he talk to me like I’m his bitch? ‘Be a good mare and blah blah blah’, well he can kiss my flank. The corporation can kiss me goodbye too… Oh crap,” she thought slowing and beginning to fly in a circle. Collecting water from the air she formed a nice cloud to lay on.

“I just bucked myself out of my job,” she said somberly; landing on the fresh white cloud and taking a seat, “what the hay was I thinking? All I wanted to do was live a simple life here in Ponyville and bust clouds. No responsibilities or expectations of me to do anything with my life but that.”

Then I became an element bearer, then I started having adventures, and traveling more,” she sighed, “having sex more. I thought I liked the life I was making for myself. I spent the last few years exercising and getting ready for the wonderbolts to take me in only to find out I’m ineligible for the next couple years.

“Now,” she pushed part of the center of the cloud to the edge making a pillow, “I don’t have that. Now I have a house and no bits to buy food,” she winced at the prospect of what Applejack was going to say, “and I have to tell AJ.”

She laid down and sighed. “Well this day is kinda screwed up but at least there’s one thing I know I can control,” she forced a smile as she yawned and stretched her legs out, rolling to her side, “naptime.”

---

Rainbow yawned before she opened her eyes to see the sun above her. Almost Lunch, she thought as she rolled off the cloud and flew higher into the air. Corkscrewing through a cloud above her she banked hard and began flying in circles around it until it span, beginning to send whisps of itself off.

Stopping suddenly she stuck a hoof to the edge of the cloud and began flying opposite it smoothing it out until it had rounded some and slowed to a steady spin. Flying to the bottom she punched it creating a small dent, then she did the same to the top. She sighed with a smile at her work then placed a hoof to her chin, thinking of what was missing. “Oh yeah!”

Waving her hooves in a circle in front of herself she collected some water from the air and began to form a cloud which she left hanging in space as she hovered back and looked at it. “Needs to be bigger.”

Flying around it she increased its size until it was as large as her body. Nodding in approval she began to press it together into a ball, then she tightened it so it was firm enough. Lining herself with the cloud she had formed she turned and bucked the ball through it creating a hole the size of her head in a cloud roughly the size of a small one bedroom house.

“That’s half of it.”

Looking to another cloud she flew to it and sized it up. “Eeyup.” Flying along it’s cumulous ridges she flattened them and began to knead it into a spear shape, then grabbed it, guiding it to the hole in the other cloud, fitting it in snugly until the two were one.

“That’ll do pig, that’ll do.”

She flew to the far side and began to gently push the cloud back to Ponyville, focusing her magic so it would keep its shape all the way.

Arriving over the market she lowered it to just above house height and dropped to see Applejack blushing by her cart.

“Dashing, Ah love it but, do ya gotta make such a scene?”

“I dunno what yer talkin’ about AJ. It’s just an apple that looks like a heart with an arrow through it, no biggie,” Rainbow shrugged smiling and looking at her hoof casually.

“Well, thanks but are ya just gonna leave it there for the town ta see?”

“Eeyup. Oh yeah, I think I got fired earlier. Again,” she said quickly as Applejack was looking to the cloud.

“That’s nic- what?” Applejack asked looking to Rainbow who was half smiling, nervously. “Come again?”

“Only at home.”

Applejack lowered her head and frowned. “Come. Again?”

“Ah, I-I got fired, I think.”

Applejack scowled deeply and stomped a hoof to the ground, letting an angry growl leave her. “Rainbow Dash, ya best be pullin’ my tail.”

“Well, I kinda beat up my boss. I won though!”

Applejack’s eyes widened and she leaned back. “What?! Ya beat up Quill?! What for? She’s goin through enough, and now yet gettin’ inta hoof fights?”

“No! Nononono, it was Soarin,” several ponies gasped and began whispering, “c-can we talk somewhere more private?”

“No we can’t. Ya started this here we’re finishin’ it here. Why in Hel did ya go and do that for?”

Rainbow landed and sat on her haunches, rubbing a foreleg to another. “I-I don’t know. He was treating me like a foal for coloring him pink and getting the guard to raid his apartment.”

Applejack took her hat off and threw it to the earth and stomped the ground next to it. “I can’t believe what Ahm hearin. Ya got as much sense as a lone bit in a gorge; he’s yer boss Rainbow Dash,” she shook her head and looked to her hat in disappointment, “ya pranked him and ya got caught. He has every right ta treat you like a foal if ya act like one.

“I thought ya were growing up but yer still the same old Rainbow Dash in a lotta ways.”

“I’m not,” she protested standing up and taking a step closer. Applejack shot her a look that stopped her in her tracks. “I-I guess I am, but with you I’m totally different. I,” she lowered her voice, “I can be sappy with you.”

“That ain’t it,” Applejack said in resignation, “ya gotta be better out here to.” With a passing wave of her hoof she gestured to the town around her. “That,” she pointed to the apple in the sky, “ain’t enough. Any pony can see we love each other, but we have to support each other too.”

Rainbow scrunched her muzzle and cocked her head. “Like, help you reach something?”

A few chuckles sounded from around them from the still market that was watching the scene. “AJ, can we please talk in private. This’ embarrassing.”

Applejack huffed and looked to the sky. “And do ya think that’s a welcome sight? Ahm sellin’ here and ya bring me a heart-apple and leave it hangin… Ya know what, that ain’t even it. Ya gotta help me, us, in any way ya can. Gettin’ fired twice in the same year ain’t helpin’.

“Where are ya gonna earn bits?”

“The farm?”

“We don’t need help and you ain’t doin’ chores. Zap Apples harvest is fine for the rest of the week so we don’t need more, yet.”

“I dunno AJ! I didn’t plan on it, he said you broke me and called me a fillyfooler and I lost it.”

“And what the hay is wrong with what he said?! I done broke ya of yer old habits, or so I thought. And ya are a fillyfooler,” she said baring her teeth, “Ah can’t believe ya got fired over his statin’ the obvious,” she huffed turning her face away and blushing lightly. “Dash, ya best make this right quick, fast, and in a hurry.”

Rainbow sat and worked her jaw, trying to for a comeback. A retort. A witty observation; anything. Applejack picked up her hat and whacked it against the side of the cart, clearing it of most of its dust and dirt before placing it back on her head. “And please get that outta here, I don’t wanna see it,” she nodded to the cloud above them.

“Apples! Apples fer sale. Hey, green stallion, interested in a few apples fer dinner?”

Rainbow jumped into the air and flew to the cloud focusing a great point of magic to her forelegs and flew into it; busting it without stopping. Applejack looked up to see the rainbow contrail streaking away into the distance and sighed.

I love ya Dash, but ya gotta grow up someday. She thought as she placed two apples and a fritter into the stallions saddle bag. Life quickly returned to normal around her; destined to turn to gossip for a couple days before it went away. Ahm gonna get a talkin to from the others about this. That’s gonna be as dandy as a sour apple at a rodeo.

Next Chapter: Employment and Loss Estimated time remaining: 8 Hours, 27 Minutes