Whatever joy Rainbow had felt earlier that day faded like Celestia's sun slipping under the horizon. The feelings of warmth that had radiated from the admittedly few friends she had explained her predicament to had long since been replaced by the cool numb buzz of the cider. They're just being polite... I shouldn't be here. I should be in Cloudsdale. I should be on the Wonderbolts. I let everypony down.... I let me down. She took another long swig of cider, draining the bottle of its amber bliss before dropping it haphazardly to the floor of her room. A lone tear rolled down her cheek. She didn't bother to wipe it away. It served as her reminder of what had transpired. She was alone, without options. Rainbow didn't see a light at the end of the tunnel, she didn't see any alternatives. The Wonderbolts were her life. They were her calling. With that dream stripped away, what else was there?

A sharp hiss escaped the fresh bottle of cider as her hoof removed the bottle cap. A sigh of desperation escaped Rainbow's lips as she muttered softly to herself, "what's the use?"

The mare wandered towards the kitchen, unable to walk in a straight line. The buzz of the alcohol swimming through her veins wreaked havoc on her coordination as she stumbled down the hall. Reaching the kitchen and attempting to turn towards the cupboard to grab a snack, the mare fell face first into the dividing wall. Stupid clouds... she thought, attempting to pull herself through. Half stuck through the wall she sighed before finishing off her cider. Not sober enough to pull herself out and too drunk to care, the mare simply closed her eyes and drifted off to a dreamless sleep.

Through the night the cider slowly worked through her system. The alcohol-induced haze slowly being replaced by a nagging in her brain as the sun's rays filtered through her windows. Dreams flashed through her mind as the alcohol faded away, or were they memories? Wishes? The cyan mare was surrounded by trees, a certain farm pony faded in and out of her thoughts.

"Rainbow, Ah don' know what Ah'd do without ya." The dream Applejack faded as quickly as she had come. Or was she a memory? Rainbow Dash couldn't recall. If ya ever need anythin' don't hesitate ta ask, ya hear?" Again, this time just that country drawl was present without a body. Rainbow couldn't tell where it was coming from, but wanted it to be real. Was it?

Rainbow gave a quick snore as she shook herself awake. "AJ?!" Looking around and realizing she was at home, stuck in a wall no less, her expression drooped. "Aw horseapples..."

Applejack pulled the farm cart to Ponyville for the day's sales. She was stocked full of every good imaginable and was as ready as a timberwolf was for the full moon. So why couldn't she shake the feeling something was wrong? The previous day's events kept running through her head. She hadn't slept well knowing that her best friend was going through such turmoil. She as well as anyone knew that Rainbow had been preparing for this her entire life, and now it seemed like it would never come to fruition. There's gotta be somethin' Ah can do for her, but what? This is Dash we're talkin' 'bout, that pony is as stubborn as a mule and'll never let herself live somethin' like this down. That thought with a thousand others rummaged through her mind as she reached the center of town. Setting up her cart she spied a peculiar pink mare wearing mustache sunglasses poking in and out of the bushes around Sugarcube Corner.

"Uhh Pinkie? What are ya doin'?" She gave Pinkie an incredulous look with a raised eyebrow, not quite sure what to make of her antics.

"Ummm.... nooooooooooooooooooooooooothing," Pinkie replied with a huge grin. "Buuuuuuuuuuut, if you happen to see Pound or Pumpkin crawling around out here could you MAYBE scoop them up and come find me? We were playing silly games to make them laugh and I turned around for JUST one teensy-weensy second and they were gone!"

Applejack just continued to stare at the pony that had apparently been outsmarted by Ponyville's two youngest residents. Glancing up she could see the two infants scuttling around the bakery, hiding under a table cloth in the corner. For a brief second she was about to tell Pinkie, then decided that a search through the bushes would probably be the least crazy antic the mare took part in the whole day. "Uhh sure thing, Pinks. Hey, when ya find 'em, can you come over to mah stand? Ah need to talk ta ya about somethin'."

Pinkie, with her head still buried in the bushes, shook her tail as a muffled "Okie-Dokie-Loki!" emanated from within.

Walking back to her stand the farmer shook her head, "that mare is crazier than the Flim-Flam brothers tryin' ta actually sell somethin' useful." As she finished setting up the stand she caught sight of a buttercup yellow mare with a pink mane and tail coming out of Twilight's library. Strangely enough she was accompanied by a large, red stallion that Applejack was very familiar with. Big Mac?! What in tarnation...? Completely caught off guard to see her brother and Fluttershy together in town, she could only gawk. Arguably the two most timid ponies (or at least the two with the least to say) seemed to be talking up a storm between the two of them.  Well, Ah suppose weirder things have happened. She flipped the sign to "open" and awaited the first customer of the day.

Rainbow Dash finally managed to wiggle herself free from the wall of her cloud home. After dusting herself off and cursing Celestia's sun and all of the pain it caused her eyes, a trip to the fridge for another cider seemed in order. Rainbow took a swig of the frosty brew and yawned, wiping the sleep from her eyes. Ugh, what a crazy dream. Was I even dreaming? She looked at the chilled bottle in her hoof. She wasn't sure why, but it just didn't seem right. Setting the bottle down she began to stretch her legs. Then her wings. Going to crack her back she felt a sharp tinge from her spine. Looking back and noticing the bandages she grimaced. Oh, right.... stupid back. Forgoing the last stretch she cantered to her stoop before launching herself from her home, beginning a slow decent into Ponyville.

Touching down just outside of town, the cerulean pegasus started searching for the one pony she wanted to see--brilliant orange mare with a straw colored mane that shone like the sun. Being careful to avoid crowds and any situation she could possibly foresee Pinkie Pie erupting from made her progress slow, but it was worth it to her. The last thing she wanted was another peppy pony trying to cheer her up when she didn't want to see them. She felt a pit in her stomach at avoiding Twilight, Rarity, and especially Fluttershy. But she just wasn't ready to face them yet. She wasn't ready to face the truth. Her lips descended into a frown as her friends crossed her mind. A pit that never seemed to be filled. Suddenly she didn't want to see anypony. She just wanted to escape the situation she'd placed herself in. Rather than proceeding to the market she took a quick left and found herself in front of Berry Punch's bar, the High Horse Saloon. She shrugged and walked inside, wanting to be anywhere other than where she currently was.

As her eyes adjusted to the darkened establishment she noticed a few ponies milling around in the shadows. Her eyes were drawn to an unusually chipper plum colored pony behind the bar with a magenta mane. As she approached, Berry Punch took notice and came up to meet her.

"Welcome to the *hic* High-Horse Saloon! What can I *hic* getcha?" Berry offered a warm smile in between her hiccups and slightly slurred words. Escorting Rainbow to the bar she couldn't help but feel that the prismatic mare looked familiar, but given the nature of her establishment and the fact that it was hardly even noon decided it best to just leave sleeping ponies lie until her customer brought it up.

"Uhh..." Rainbow sounded unsure of herself, this being her first time in the bar. "Can I get.... a... cider?" Thinking to the confrontation with her friends to come and her desire to talk to Applejack she changed her mind. "Actually, do you have anything stronger?" Berry Punch smiled and with a curt nod disappeared under the bar, coming back up with a black-labeled bottle that read "Applejack Daniels - Equestrian Whiskey."  Hmm... there's no way... coincidence? "Uhhh... Berry? First off, pour me a double. Second off. 'Applejack Daniels,' um.. is that from Sweet Apple Acres?"

The inebriated bartender nodded with a smile. "Yup! *Hic* The Apples turn most of the cider harvest into the usual. *Hic* But every year a percentage gets turned into *hic* resherve select, and even less gets turned into their whishkey!" Rainbow could swear the mare was getting more drunk as time went on, her slurs becoming more pronounced.

Rainbow turned her attention to the amber liquid in the glass in front of her. Sniffing it, the odor of alcohol stinging at her nose.  Berry could tell that Rainbow Dash didn't have much experience with hard liquor. "Ship it! *Hic* If you want to do shots later then I'm game! But! This is meant to *hic* be sipped. The first one will burn. The shecond ship will numb. The third will release the flavor." Berry's eyes glazed over at the thought of the delicious nectar. Rainbow turned back to her glass. Gently grasping it with her hoof she took her first sip. Her nostrils burned and her eyes watered, but the hint of apple remained, making the drink palatable. She took a second sip. The liquid went down smoother than the first time, cleansing her maw of the burning sensation, leaving a numb buzz. The third sip was heaven. The crisp whiskey washing over her tongue with a refreshing apple hint and an oakiness from the barrel it was aged in giving Rainbow a whole new sensation.

"Woh." That was all Rainbow could manage to mutter. Taking a final swig and enjoying that same sensation she slammed her glass to the bar with a satisfying clink. "Can I get another?"

Four doubles and three shots later (most of which Berry Punch had joined in on), Rainbow and Berry punch were laughing and hugging like they had known each other for years. In between foalhood stories and crazy tall tails the two had lost track of the drinks and the time. Glancing up Rainbow realized it was almost 5pm. "Ohmygosh! Berry I need to go!" Slamming a hoof full of bits on the bar she galloped out, trying to get to the market. "If I owe you anymore I'll square up next time!" Galloping to the door proved to be the easy part. Managing to get through it proved to be a bit more challenging. Rainbow Dash finally exited the bar and broke into another gallop hoping to get to the market before Applejack retreated to the farm.

Applejack wiped the sweat from her brow as she closed up the cart for the day. She had managed to sell everything but a pie and two cobblers, not bad for an honest day's work when one doesn't eat the supplies. Just as she finished packing everything she heard a distant "Hey AJ!" coming from the street. Applejack turned just in time to see a cloud of dust enveloping a cyan pegasus coming straight for her before being wrapped in a massive hug that would make Fluttershy's bear friend green with envy.

"Aww, well shucks Dash. It's good ta see ya too." The farm pony tried unsuccessfully to pry the mare from around her neck. "Can Ah have my neck back though? Ah do need to be gettin' home." As Rainbow separated from the farmer she caught wind of the scent. She'd know it anywhere, it was her brew after all. The smell of cider and whiskey was coming from every pore on the mare. "Consarn it Rainbow, yer--" she didn't have a chance to finish yelling at the pegasus. Her first thoughts were that it wasn't even the end of the day and Rainbow was completely drunk. But one look at the pony told her there was more too it. It wasn't the way she swayed as she stood still or the disheveled look of her coat and main. It was the magenta irises of her eyes. The sadness. The desperation. Rainbow Dash didn't know it but her face screamed out for somepony. Anypony. The only pony she even wanted to see just so happened to be the one receiving the signals. She wrapped a foreleg around her best friend and whispered "shhh, let's get on back ta the farm and we'll talk all about it." The tipsy mare just nodded as she fell in beside Applejack for the long walk back to the farm. As the two walked, Rainbow leaned her body weight against the farmer to help steady her. Applejack felt warm. Rainbow wasn't sure why, but it just felt 'right' to be supported by her best friend.

Applejack walked with Rainbow until she felt Rainbow's weight push into her. After adjusting her gait accordingly she looked over to see the drunken mare smiling widely. Applejack couldn't help but smile to herself. She knew Rainbow was drunk and that she probably didn't realize what she was doing. But deep down she hoped that Rainbow knew, that Rainbow was enjoying it just as much as she was.