Chapter 18

Rainbow Dash smiled widely as she began packing her things for the long trip to Appleloosa for the Harvest Celebration Hoedown. She could hardly believe that it had already almost been a year since that amazing night when she fell in love with Applejack, the mare beside her who was also packing her things, who also just so happened to be the love of Rainbow Dash's life. Applejack smiled sweetly at Rainbow Dash before giving her a quick peck on the lips.

"You excited? It's time for the hoedown!" Applejack said happily. "Time for endless amounts of cider and the Switch-'Em-Up dance that you love so much." Rainbow Dash nodded with excitement.

"Stoked is an understatement, AJ." Rainbow Dash replied. "I've been spending the last three days getting psyched up for it."

"The only bad thing is that ya had to use your vacation week for it." Applejack said with a small frown.

"Don't worry, Applejack." Rainbow said. "It's fine. I get a week. We're only gonna be down there for three days."

"Two and a half." Applejack corrected. "And ya get the rest of the week?"

"Yep." Rainbow Dash said simply as she looked down at Tank, who was just coming out of his shell from his slumber. Winona was curled around his shell, still sleeping peacefully. "Uh, AJ? One quick question." Applejack looked over at her.

"What's that, sugarcube?" Applejack responded.

"What about Tank and Winona? What are we going to do with them while we're gone?" Rainbow Dash asked. Applejack looked down at their pets and frowned slightly, perplexed at this proposition.

"Ah don't know." Applejack said. "Haven't really given it much thought. Geez, that's some bad plannin' on our parts, huh?"

"We could leave them with Twilight." Rainbow Dash suggested. "She's the most responsible pony we know." Applejack nodded slowly.

"Yeah, she is. But she's probably got a whole bunch of princess-y duties and stuff." Applejack said. "Ah don't wanna inconvenience her. How about Fluttershy?"

"Fluttershy already has a lot on her plate with all those other critters she cares for." Rainbow Dash said. "So all that leaves is Pinkie Pie and Rarity."

"Yeah, but Pinkie Pie has a lot of responsibility now, what with partly ownin' Sugarcube Corner." Applejack said.

"Well, I guess it's Rarity, then." Rainbow said, with an unsure look on her face. "Uhm...yeeeah."

"Oh, come on, she's not that bad, right?." Applejack said. "And besides, she owes us for movin' those crates for her."

"I don't know." Rainbow responded. "She doesn't like dirty things much and Winona...well..."

"Winona's not dirty." Applejack said before looking down at her dog. Applejack frowned at the fact that she did indeed look quite dirty. "Oh, my..."

"Why don't we give her a bath?" Rainbow Dash asked. Applejack immediately looked over at the pegasus with fear in her eyes. "There's a good chance Rarity will take her if she's clean."

"Do you not remember the last time we tried to give Winona a bath?" Applejack asked. Rainbow nodded.

"I know, Applejack." Rainbow Dash said. "But it's really the only way. Think about it." Applejack sat for a moment, sighed and nodded.

"Okay." Applejack said. "But let's have breakfast first." They left their bedroom and cantered into the kitchen. Big Macintosh was sitting at the table, eating a re-heated apple fritter.

"Mornin', y'all." Big Mac said with a small nod.

"Mornin' Mac." Applejack said as she watched Rainbow move into the kitchen to dish up their food. "Where's Applebloom and Granny Smith?"

"They're both just gettin' ready." Big Mac said. "They'll be a little while."

"We don't exactly have much time to waste." Rainbow said after placing a tray with two plates of apple fritters on it on the table. "We have to...wash Winona so she can stay at Rarity's while we're gone." Big Mac stopped eating and immediately looked up at the two mares as they sat at the table.

"Been nice knowin' y'all." The stallion said before returning to his apple fritter.

"Ha ha. Very funny." Applejack said after swallowing an apple fritter. "How was your date with Cheerilee last night?"

"Can't complain." Big Macintosh said. "Went pretty well. We saw these street performers and went to eat. We're doin' it again sometime, Ah know that for sure."

"Well, this is you guys' third date." Rainbow Dash said. "Didya get any sugar? Huh?" The pegasus elbowed the Stallion in the shoulder, making him blush. "Oh, he did! He totally did!"

"Knock it off, Dash." Applejack said. "Come on. Let's get eatin' so we can get this bath over with." Rainbow groaned and threw her head back before eating another apple fritter.

After eating their breakfast, Rainbow and Applejack moved back into the bedroom and looked down at Winona, still cuddling with Tank.

"Winona..." Applejack called. "Here, girl. Let's go play!" The dog enthusiastically jumped up and wagged her tail with enough force to move her rump along with it. She barked and bounded up to Applejack, jumping up and licking the farm mare's face. Applejack supressed a gag at the dog's rancid breath.

"Okay." Rainbow said. "Let's go!"

They walked outside, Winona running circles around them, barking happily. The small dog stopped in her tracks when she layed her eyes upon the tub of water waiting for her. She looked back at Applejack, who was standing right behind her.

"Now, Winona. Let's just calm down, and get you into the-" Applejack was not able to finish her sentence because Winona sprinted away at top speed, suprising her. "Rainbow she's gettin' away!"

"On it!" The pegasus said, using her superior speed to catch Winona in mid-stride and hold her below, barely escaping Winona's frantic struggles. Rainbow quickly flew toward the tub, where Applejack stood ready, and dropped Winona in. She let out a frightened yelp and attempted to flee, but Applejack caught her and held her in place. Winona trembled in pure fear.

"It's okay, girl..." Applejack said as Rainbow landed next to her. "Hold her in place, Dash." Rainbow gulped as she placed her hooves upon Winona's body, employing her strength to keep the stressed dog in place. Applejack quickly squirted shampoo down Winona's trembling body and proceeded to lather her down. Winona whimpered in terror as the water washed away the grime and dirt caking her skin.

"Don't worry, Winona...you'll be okay..." Applejack said soothingly. "It's just some-" Winona suddenly began to struggle violently in an attempt to break Rainbow Dash's hold. She succeeded for a moment by catching Rainbow by surprise and in her fear-fueled strength, managed to headbutt Rainbow Dash while attempting to flee. Rainbow quickly grabbed hold of Applejack's pet by the waist, wrapping her forelegs around the terrified animal's midsection.

"Ow..." Rainbow said through clenched teeth as her head throbbed in pain. Her entire front section was completely soaked with shampoo suds and lukewarm water. Applejack began to wash Winona again.

"You okay, Dash?" Applejack asked.

"She's a lot stronger than she looks..." The pegasus stated with a sigh before attempting to blow her matted mane out of her eyes. "Let's just get this over with." Applejack nodded and began to rinse Winona off, effectively clearing her of shampoo and soap. Winona whimpered and cried in fear as the water played down her body, but before long, it was all over and she was being dried off. This constituted an immediate swing from terror to elation as Winona wagged her tail and yipped with joy when Applejack ushered her into the wagon to sit with Rainbow Dash.

"You'd think she thinks the stuff is acid." Rainbow said with a huff. Applejack smiled up at her. "I still have to get a shower before we leave for Appleloosa." Applejack nodded.

"You can get your shower when we get back from Rarity's place." Applejack said as she ambled to the house. As she watched Applejack enter the farmhouse, Rainbow sighed once more before feeling a wet, sloppy tongue lick up her face. She grumbled as she turned to Winona. Her heart melted however, at seeing the sweet little dog looking up at her, affection evident in her expression. Rainbow could not supress a giggle as she wrapped Winona in a hug.

Applejack walked into the house, grabbed the bag of dog food she kept under the kitchen counter, the reptile food and after retrieving Tank from the bedroom, walked out of the house. She gave the tortoise to Rainbow to put into the small wagon bed with Winona, and dropped the food containers in as well. The two mares hitched themselves to the wagon and began to trek to Rarity's boutique.

"I just hope she doesn't try to...accessorize Tank." Rainbow said, earning a laugh from Applejack.

Upon arrival at Carousel Boutique, they unhitched themselves from the wagon and knocked on Rarity's door. After a short wait, Rarity opened the door and brightened up significantly upon seeing her two friends.

"Rainbow Dash! Applejack! Hello!" Rarity said before shrinking back from a certain odor coming from the two of them. "Oh, dear. What is that stench?"

"Wet dog." Rainbow said flatly. Rarity raised an eyebrow and looked past the two mares at the wagon holding their pets. Winona's tail wagged quickly and Tank lazily stared at her. Her mind connected the dots, and she immediately giggled nervously.

"Could you uh...watch over Tank and Winona while we go to Appleloosa for the weekend?" Applejack asked her.

"Oh my, would you look at the time." Rarity said. "It's been great seeing you two. Bye!" She began to shut the door, but it was stopped dead in it's motion by Rainbow Dash's powerful, determined forehoof.

"Uh...Rarity? You owe us, remember?" Applejack said. "For movin' the crates?"

"I don't precisely recall..." The unicorn said.

"Rarity. I have been soaked to the bone in dog-dirt-filled water, headbutted and scratched by Winona's claws." Rainbow said. "Now, I really hate to impose, but you owe us."

"A little harsh, Dash." Applejack murmured to the pegasus. Rarity looked at the two of them, sighed and nodded.

"Alright." Rarity said. "Bring them in."

"Thanks, Rarity." Applejack said appreciatively.

"What are friends for?" Rarity said before turning back into the boutique and shouting. "Sweetie Belle! Come down and meet your new roomates for the weekend!"

Applejack and Rainbow Dash finally arrived back at the farm house to find Applebloom, Big Macintosh and Granny Smith waiting for them. The old mare threw a hoof up into the air.

"Where y'all been for the last half hour?" She said. "We've all been waitin' for ya!"

"We had to take Winona and Tank to Rarity's place so that she could take care of 'em." Applejack said.

"Ah, alright." Granny Smith said. "What's that smell?"

"Wet dog." Big Mac said promptly. "They gave Winona a bath before they left."

"Well, it's a wonder they're both still alive." Granny Smith said. "Now come on! Let's get goin', we're gonna miss the train."

"But we still have to shower." Rainbow Dash said. Granny Smith looked at them and sighed.

"Well, y'all had better hurry!" She said. "We got fifteen minutes!" Rainbow Dash and Applejack sprinted inside and ran to their bathroom. They turned on the shower and jumped in immediately, both of them letting out a shout upon feeling the cold water, still in the process of warming up. They both promptly went to work washing the other's mane with shampoo at the same time.

"AJ, your hairties are still in." Rainbow said.

"Just take 'em out and toss 'em over the curtain." Applejack said.

"If only we had some more time to waste..." Rainbow said while removing the red bands. Applejack looked at Rainbow Dash and raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Just get your head under the water." Applejack said as she began rinsing Rainbow Dash's mane. "But Ah will admit, some alone time in here with you would be pretty nice." Rainbow, her mane freshly rinsed, traded places with Applejack.

"Well, let's not completely discount the possibility that Braeburn has a shower at his house." Rainbow said before taking a bar a soap and handing it to Applejack. The pegasus turned away from Applejack, looked back momentarily and raised a saucy eyebrow at her lover. "Now, lather me up." Applejack felt a fire in her belly as she rubbed the soap along Rainbow's lithe frame.

"Now, Dash...we...can't be welcomin' ourselves to Braeburn's home..." The farm mare said with a gulp. "Rinse yourself off." As Rainbow once again traded places with Applejack, she smiled and whispered into the farm mare's ear.

"Fine. But as soon as we get back...This shower...you and me...I'm gonna make you feel like royalty." Rainbow kissed Applejack's ear softly before grabbing the bar of soap.

"It's a done deal." Applejack said. "Now wash me up so we can get the hay outta here." Rainbow did this and moved Applejack under the water. After they were both completely rinsed off, they stepped out of the shower. Rainbow slipped on the hard floor and fell onto her flank.

"You okay Dash?" Applejack said, stopping to make sure she was alright.

"It doesn't matter!" Rainbow said. "Let's get dry!" They dried themselves off as quickly as they could. Rainbow slipped Applejack's mane and tail into their respective hairties while Applejack donned her stetson.

"How's the mane?" Rainbow Dash asked her marefriend. Applejack moved the prismatic hair a bit to one side and then another until it had it's usual scruffy, yet neat look.

"Like a million bits." Applejack said. "Now come on!" They sprinted through the house and jumped outside in front of their family. Big Mac, Applebloom and Granny Smith's eyes widened in suprise.

"Well, dang." Granny Smith said. "Five minutes...What'd y'all do, shower together?" Applejack blushed and opened her mouth to respond, but was interrrupted by Rainbow Dash.

"Oh, no. I used our shower and Applejack used yours, Granny Smith." Rainbow said.

"Yeah." The orange mare added, going along with Rainbow's fib. "Ah hope ya don't mind." Granny Smith shrugged nonchalantly.

"Ah don't really care much." The old mare said. "Now let's get goin'!"

"Ah'm so excited!" Applebloom said happily. "Babs is gonna be able to make it to this year's hoedown too!" Granny Smith hopped onto Big Macintosh's back and smiled down at him.

"Now don't be afraid to run, Big Mac." Granny said. "Ah can take it."

"Eeeyup." The stallion responded with a nod. Rainbow clapped her hooves together a few times.

"I got it!" The pegasus said. "Why don't we race to the train station?"

"That sounds great!" Applebloom said.

"Oh, why not? Ah'm in." Applejack said. "But Granny-"

"Big Mac, we're gonna win this thing!" Granny Smith said to her grandson, interrupting Applejack. Rainbow quickly drew a starting line in the sand.

"No wings, Dash." Applejack said. Rainbow nodded.

"Oh, come on! Who do you think I am?" Rainbow said with a raised eyebrow.

"A pony who really, really hates to lose."

"What makes you think I'll lose?"

"Enough of this chit-chat!" Granny Smith said. "Let's race!"

"On your mark..." Rainbow said. Everypony got down and prepared to sprint as fast as they could. "Get set..." Rainbow looked over at Applejack for a moment before smiling confidently. "GO!"

The race ended like it usually did. Rainbow and Applejack blazed ahead, while Big Macintosh and Applebloom struggled to keep up with them. Though to their credit, Applebloom and Big Mac held their own for a much longer time than either mare had anticipated. Big Macintosh and Applebloom came running up to the train station, both completely out of breath while Rainbow and Applejack waited on them patiently, only mildly winded.

"What took you guys so long?" Rainbow Dash said, raising an eyebrow.

"Ya tend to lose when you're goin' up against two of the most fit ponies in Ponyville." Applebloom said in between breaths.

"Eeeyup." Big Macintosh agreed, while Granny Smith sat on his back.

"Ah think ya coulda gone faster." The senior said with a small laugh before hopping off of Big Mac's back and landing unsteadily. "Now, let's get on this train."

They moved up to the ticket booth and addressed the clerk behind a window. He was a scrawny little stallion with a monocle and a funny little handlebar mustache. He smiled at them warmly. Applejack smiled back at him as he nodded to them.

"Good day to you." He said. "How may I help you?"

"Five tickets for the two thirty train to Appleloosa, please." Applejack said with a smile as she put the money needed for the tickets throught the small hole in the window. The clerk nodded.

"Very well, very well..." He said. As he retrieved their tickets, his eyes widened slightly. "You all had better hurry! The train leaves in five minutes."

"Ah thought we had more time!" Applejack looked over to her Grandmother atop her brother. "Granny!"

"What?" She replied. "Ah'm old! How am Ah supposed to know what time it is exactly?"

"Maybe you should look at a clock." Big Macintosh said genuinely, earning a raised eyebrow from Granny Smith. He looked away and blushed.

"Well, it looks like we made it just in time!" Rainbow said before heading in the direction of the train. "Come on, guys."

The little clerk nodded at each member of the family as they passed by.

"Enjoy your ride!" He called to them.

"Thank you!" Applebloom shouted back as they left him in his box. They walked across the wooden deck and entered the train as it waited for them, handing their tickets and luggage to the stallions taking them. They moved through the train cars until they found a nice, double-sided booth with two wide seats facing each other. Applejack and Rainbow Dash took a seat next to each other while Big Mac placed Granny Smith down in the opposite seat and sat down next to her. Applebloom finally came trotting to the seat and placed herself beside Big Macintosh. The conductor's booming voice sounded throughtout the train,

"All abooooard!"

The train whistle blew loudly, sending reverberations throughout the interior of the family's train car. With a small jerk, the train began to move forward onto their goal, Appleloosa.

"Well, we're on our way!" Rainbow Dash said.

"You're tellin' me." Applejack said with a sigh. "Here we go. Nothin' but sittin' here for the next three hours."

"Oh, it won't be that bad, Applejack." Applebloom said. "Granny Smith can always tell us stories to pass the time, right, Granny?" Applebloom looked over at her Grandmother, who was fast asleep on Big Macintosh's shoulder. He offered a small shrug, to which Granny Smith mumbled something harsh in her sleep.

"How does that even happen?" Rainbow said. "We've barely even left the station yet..."

"She just needs her sleep." Applejacks said. "C'mon, let's think of something to do."

"Besides sit here and do nothing?" Rainbow asked rhetorically. Applejack furrowed her brows at the pegasus and frowned slightly. "Alright I'm in."

Applebloom, Applejack and Rainbow Dash all sat in their seats and attempted to think of anything they could possibly do that could pass the long train ride ahead. Several suggestions were brought up by Applebloom, but were quickly shot down by either Rainbow Dash or Applejack, seeing as how many of them required all players to be excessively loud and disruptive. At this point, Big Macintosh had fallen asleep next to his Grandmother.

"Well, Ah'm fresh outta ideas." Applebloom said with a sigh. "What about y'all?"

"I'm kinda hungry." Rainbow said. "Maybe we could go over to the dining car for a snack." Applejack's eyes widened slightly at the suggestion.

"Ah can't believe that none of us thought of that before now." Applejack said. "That actually sounds really good. Let's go eat a little somethin' somethin'."

They stood and made their way to the dining cart. They sat down as a server moved up to them and smiled warmly.

"And what may I get for you?" The tall, thin unicorn mare said.

"I'll have a daffodil sandwich." Rainbow said. "Grilled. And a water." The mare wrote down the order in her small notepad.

"Alright. Anypony else?" She said.

"Yeah, Ah'll have the hay fries." Applejack said. "Double portion. Me and my sister here are splitting it." The waitress nodded.

"And would you two like waters as well?" The server asked. Applejack nodded and smiled at her.

"Please." The farm mare said. The server took the menus and nodded at them.

"They'll be right out." She stated warmly before moving into the car where the food was most likely being prepared. The server was true to her word, it turned out, as their food was out for them in what seemed like five minutes. This extremely fast serving time, however, attested to the overall quality of their food. Rainbow's sandwich was barely grilled while Applejack and Applebloom's fries were soggy with grease.

"It smells...funny." Applebloom said. "Ah'm not sure if Ah wanna eat this."

"Yeah, Ah know." Applejack agreed. "This stuff looks pretty bad. Even for Hay Fries."

"I say we just ditch the place and leave the food." Rainbow said.

"Ah'd agree if the waitress wasn't so dang nice." Applejack said, looking around. "Ah don't wanna hurt her feelings."

"Well then, what do we do?" Applebloom asked.

"Ah'm thinkin', Ah'm thinkin'..." Applejack said as she looked around for ideas. "How about we dump the food in that there trash can and split? We won't have to eat it and that waitress won't be offended." They all stood and one by one, and dumped their food into the trash can.

"I'll never understand why you try so hard to make everypony happy." Rainbow said. "She didn't even cook the food."

"Sometimes, ya just know, Dash." Applejack said as the waitress came from the kitchen car.

"Wow, you all got through in a hurry." She said sweetly. "How was everything?"

"Uh...It was...nice." Applejack said with a smile. "Y'all did good." The waitress smiled happily and nodded.

"Thank you. That means a lot." She said to them. "Come on back if you get hungry again!" They all nodded as they left the dining car.

"Great!" Rainbow said as she looked at a clock. "We managed to waste fifteen minutes."

"There's gotta be somethin' else!" Applejack said.

"Why don't we play hide and seek?" Applebloom suggested. "We don't really have to be that loud." Applejack considered the option for a moment.

"That actually doesn't sound too bad." Rainbow Dash said. "There aren't many ponies on this train, and we could be pretty quiet." Applejack looked at the pegasus and raised an eyebrow.

"Ah dunno." The farm mare said, unsure. "Maybe this isn't the right place..."

"Aw, come on, Applejack!" Applebloom said. "This train is huge! It'll be so fun!"

"Yeah, AJ. Live a little." Rainbow said, nudging Applejack playfully. Applejack adjusted her stetson and sighed.

"Alright, alright fine. Just under one condition..." Applejack said before looking at her little sister. "Not. It."

"Not it!" Rainbow quickly shouted before Applebloom could release a syllable.

"Wha...Ah...Y'all...Oh, fine." The filly said.

"Alright." Applejack said. "No hidin' in any cars that have anypony in 'em and no hidin' anywhere outside the train. Now go back to our car and count to a hundred."

"But that's too looong." Applebloom said with a large frown, looking up at her sister.

"Ah let you go last time ya lost the whole 'not it' thing." Applejack said, ruffling the filly's mane. "Time to take responsibility, little sis." Applebloom grumbled and began to walk down to their car. Applejack immediately began looking for a place to hide. The car they were in at that moment did not harbor any suitable hiding places, so Rainbow and Applejack moved on to the next one.

"So, where we hiding, AJ?" Rainbow Dash asked, hovering above the farm mare. Applejack looked up at her with an amused smile.

"Aren't ya supposed to hide in different places?" Applejack asked. Rainbow Dash shrugged in the air and snickered.

"I guess so." The pegasus said. "I guess I'll go find somewhere else." Rainbow Dash then quickly flew into another car, away from Applejack. The farm mare immediately began to miss her presence, but pressed on to find the oppurtune car. She moved from car to car, attempting to find an adequate hiding place, but none seemed to fit the bill. They were either too cramped, to open, or too confusing to move in and out of. She finally came to a cart labeld "Luggage Hold". Applejack cautiously entered the car and closed the sliding door behind her. Darkness mostly enveloped the room, and as her eyes adjusted, Applejack saw that all the luggage on the train was strapped in securely on several long shelves on either side of the cart, including theirs. The large suitcases stood on the floor, strapped down as well.

"Perfect..." Applejack said to herself as she nestled down behind one of the larger rows of suitcases. As Applejack sat alone, in the near-pitch-dark room, she began to hear her heart beating. She jumped slightly as her ears barely registered a movement in the room with her.

"H-Hello?" Applejack said nervously. "Anypony-" She was interrupted by a scream and a pair of hooves wrapping around her waist. Applejack herself screamed, but in terror at this startling development. The mystery scream turned to laughter lined with adoration.

"Oh, Goddesses, AJ, you're too easy..." Rainbow Dash said slyly.

"Rainbow!" Applejack said, turning around to face her lover. The earth pony took note that Rainbow's forehooves never broke their embrace. "What the hay are you doin'?"

"Well, I was scaring you senseless, but now I'm sitting here in the dark with you." Rainbow said with a smart-alecky tinge to her voice. Applejack scoffed.

"How did ya get in here?" Applejack asked her.

"Well, when I left the cart, I really flew out of the upper exit and flew alongside the train, watching where you were headed. I guessed that you'd get in the luggage car." Rainbow said. "I just figured I'd have a little extra fun for myself." Applejack immediately kissed Rainbow square on the lips, catching her by suprise. Rainbow was not opposed in the slightest, however, and returned the kiss. She moved her lips upon Applejack's for a few moments before Applejack slipped her tongue into her mouth. Applejack bravely moved her tongue along Rainbow's with admirable skill, making the pegasus moan with want. Applejack then brought a forehoof to the back of Rainbow's head and pulled her even further into the kiss as she continued to explore Rainbow's mouth. Applejack slowly disconnected with one more quick, extra peck on the lips.

"How's that for a little extra fun?" Applejack said.

"I'd say that it fits the bill." Rainbow replied before pulling Applejack down onto her in the dark car. Their bodies moved against each other's sensually as they connected in yet another kiss. Applejack disconnected and moved down to kiss Rainbow's neck, knowing that it was one of Rainbow Dash's most sensitive spots. Rainbow's loud moan of desire when she made the contact confirmed the suspicion.

Suddenly, the door to the car opened.

Applebloom was the first possibility that popped into Applejack and Rainbow's heads. The small filly was searching for them, because as they both had forgotten, they were playing a game of hide and seek. The heavy hoof falls changed their mindsets and let them know that it was an attendant, most likely checking on the multiple different sounds coming from the car. He stood for a moment and looked around with a flashlight. Fortunately, he didn't take a step into the car.

"I told 'em this train was buckin' haunted..." He said in a deep gruff voice before shutting the door to the cart behind him. Rainbow Dash and Applejack both sighed in relief before Rainbow rolled the two of them to where she was straddling Applejack's midsection.

"Now..." Rainbow said, before kissing Applejack's lips lightly. "Where were we?" As she sat up, a bump in the train track caused a not-so-securely-strapped suitcase to become unstowed.

And fly straight into Rainbow Dash's head.

Rainbow fell, unconcious, onto Applejack, alarming the farm mare heavily to the situation.

"Rainbow?" She said. "Rainbow! Rainbow Dash, wake up!" Her yelling became more and more frantic as she stood, laying Rainbow down on the floor gently. Rainbow slowly brought her head up from the ground. She groaned in pain and looked around the dark car, confused.

"Ugh...What the hay happened?" Rainbow asked.

"We we're foolin' around in here and you got hit in the head by a loose suitcase." Applejack said. "Talk about killin' the mood."

"I think it might have killed some brain cells..." Rainbow said before rubbing her forehead. "Ow...I've been hit in the head two more times than I should have been today." Applejack looked to the door.

"Tell me about it, sugar." Applejack said. "But first, let's get the hay outta this cart." Applejack helped Rainbow Dash up from the floor and opened the door for her. The walk back to their car was one that seemed to be longer than it should have been, but was a relief when they did finally arrive and sit down. Applebloom sat looking at them guiltily. Applejack raised a brow and asked her sister,

"What's wrong, Applebloom?"

"Ah got caught by the attendant." Applebloom said. "He brought me back here. Ah didn't tell him about you guys because Ah didn't want him goin' lookin' for ya." Applejack nodded slowly.

"It's okay Applebloom." Applejack said. "You didn't do anything wrong."

"What's wrong with Rainbow?" Applebloom asked, looking at the rainbow-maned pegasus who currently gripped her head in pain.

"Oh, she just hit her head on the bottom of a bench." Applejack said. Applebloom nodded understandingly.

"Ah know that must hurt, Rainbow." Applebloom stated, attempting to console Rainbow. The pegasus eyed her for a moment before returning her head to it's original hanging position.

"You have no idea." Rainbow said before groaning and sitting back.

"Ah'm gonna take a nap." Applebloom said. "Y'all wake me up when we get there." Applejack nodded.

"I've got the worst headache." Rainbow Dash said with a frown. "Just my luck."

"Lay your head down in my lap, darlin'." Applejack said. "Ah'll wake ya when we get to Appleloosa." Rainbow kissed Applejack on the cheek and layed her head down in Applejack's lap. Applejack began to lovingly stroke Rainbow Dash's mane, making her ears lay back on her head. Rainbow smiled and sighed contentedly.

"Thanks, Applejack." Rainbow said. "Love you."

"Ah love you too, hun." Applejack responded as she looked out the train window at the Equestrian countryside.

Obligatory End-Of-Chapter Author's Note: And there is that chapter. I am sad to say that it will most likely be at least a couple weeks until my next update for this story. I'm about to move, so that's going to take quite a while. But rest assured, I will get the next chapter to you ladies and gents who desire it, ASAP. Cheers!