On a dreary, rainy, late-autumn Ponyville day, Sweet Apple Acres dreamt of the harvest season...and an orange mare. Applejack sighed wistfully to herself as she felt the multitude of ice-cold raindrops fall on top of her signature stetson hat. She looked up at the tall, stately apple tree, one of many at her farm in Sweet Apple Acres. She turned around and grunted as she bucked the tree. The strike felt off to the farm pony, and sure enough, very few apples fell into their receptacles. She tried once more to buck the apples free from their snug, wooden perch. Her back hooves slipped off of the trunk of the tree and she fell forwards into a muddy puddle created by the rain, losing her hat in the process. Again, very few apples fell. She had had a very off day when it came to applebucking, her success rate at a much lower level than it usually was. She clenched her teeth in anger as she put all of her strength into one last buck. At last, the bright red fruits fell from the tree into the buckets, a few stragglers rolling along the ground aimlessly like a child who had lost their parents.

Applejack then went to work picking up the individual stray apples by the stems with her teeth, tossing them back into their buckets. She sighed when the task was complete, looking about quickly to see if there were any other apples littering the ground. When she saw that the ground was free of the red fruit, she began to pick up the large buckets to put them on the wagon she had sitting there next to the tree. The first two of the four were thankfully easy, due to the fact that Applejack grew up doing this kind of work. The other two seemed to be giving the mare a much harder time than they should have. After she loaded the third bucket, the fourth, the heaviest of all, seemed to be unnaturally slippery. She groaned as she picked the large bucket up. To her utter horror, it slipped from her hooves, falling to the ground and spilling apples everywhere.

"Ponyfeathers!!!" Applejack yelled at the rain in the sky as if it had something to do with it. She looked down at all the apples and frowned heavily. She shivered as the cold air nipped at her skin, accentuated by the water currently falling from the sky. She went to work, individually picking the apples up and placing them back into the bucket. The process was long, tedious and required a meticulous eye, and with the rain soaking her through and through, this day was getting worse and worse for the mare. Normally, she wouldn't be working in these conditions, but today was a special occasion. The Apple Family's Harvest Celebration Hoedown was that night, and being hosted in Sweet Apple Acres for the first time ever. Her family still had apples on their trees, and seeing as how their whole family was to be in attendance, they had to be looking as best as they could.

Applejack was happy that the hoedown was being held at Sweet Apple Acres that year because it was always held at one of the more high-profile family establishments, like Appleoosa, and she would have to go away and leave her friends in Ponyville. This year, she could invite them all to come. She smiled to herself as she put the last apple into the bucket and successfully loaded it into the wagon. She then closed the back gate to the wagon, strapped herself into it and began to trek back to the farmhouse, where Big Macintosh and Applebloom where waiting to unload and sort them.

The uphill walk wasn't much of a strain for Applejack, even with the heavy load attached. She was very used to this kind of physical strain. Just as she seemed to be getting on top of things, however, she slipped on a mud puddle and again fell to the ground, the wagon dragging her a few feet before she stopped it. She stood again and growled in fury as she continued to walk, making sure to watch her step everywhere she went. When she finally arrived, Big Mac smiled genuinely at her, still moderately wet from his turn out in the rain.

"Heya, sis. You okay? You're lookin' a might dirty." He asked.

"Yeah, Ah'm alright, Big Mac." She responded as she unhoooked herself from the wagon. "That's the last of 'em. Ah'm gonna go get a shower before Ah go and invite the girls to the hoedown."

"And Ah'm gonna invite my friends!" Applebloom chimed in sweetly. Applejack smiled and nodded at her little sister before walking into the farm house. The rain had mostly washed off a lot of the mud she had picked up from her falls, but some mud decided to be tougher than the other mud and stick to the mare. Applejack looked over at her Granny Smith, sitting in her rocking chair knitting. She smiled at Applejack and slightly grimaced.

"You're dirty, baby." She said. "Good day's work, eh?"

"No, Granny. It wasn't a good day. Ah'm cold, muddy and more tired than Ah should be. Ah just need to go get a shower. At least Ah can invite the girls to the hoedown tonight." She responded with a small smile. Her day really had been awful. She had gotten next to no sleep the previous night. The hoedown with her friends really was the only highlight of her day.

"Dern tootin'!" Granny Smith said. "First time ever the thing's been hosted here at Sweet Apple Acres! We gotta make the place look as good as possibly for the fam'ly." Applejack nodded as she walked through her hallway into her bedroom. She took off her hat and put it on the bedpost, certain that it would be dry by the time she got out of the shower. She removed the ties from her mane and tail, letting them flow loose and beautifully. Applejack quite liked the way they looked when they were untied, she just hated the upkeep and maintenance. She felt that it looked fine tied anyway. She turned on the shower and waited a brief moment for the cold water to warm up to a comfortable hot.

"Finally..." She said to herself as she stepped into the shower.

_____

Applejack donned her stetson as she began to leave the house. She picked up an umbrella as she called for her sister.

"Applebloom! Come on, Ah'm headed out!" She waited a few terse seconds before her little sister came bounding into the room, her rainboots on.

"Alright! Let's go!" Applejack nodded as she handed an umbrella to her little sister.

"Be back soon, Granny!" She said, tipping her stetson.

"M'kay, dearie. Be safe." She said, not looking up from her current knitting project. Applejack sighed as she left the house with her sister in tow. She shut the door and shook her head mildly. She looked down at her sister, umbrella in hoof and rainboot-clad.

"Our Granny sure is something else, isn't she?" Applejack said, beginning to walk toward Ponyville. Applebloom giggled and nodded. "Alright, how about we visit Carousel Boutique first? That way, Ah can invite Rarity and you can invite Sweetie Belle. We can kill two birds with one stone." Applebloom gasped and immediately gained a scared expression on her face.

"B-but...Ah don't wanna kill any birds!" She said on the verge of tears. Applejack mentally kicked herself for using such an expression around her sensitive sister.

"It's just an expression, AB. We ain't really killing anything." Applejack explained as they neared the boutique. Applebloom sighed with relief. Applejack ruffled her sister's mane playfully, earning a giggle from Applebloom. Applejack knocked politely on the door three times and waited for a reply or the door to open. When no response came after thirty seconds, she knocked again.

"The door is open!" They heard Rarity shout from inside the building. Applejack shrugged and entered the building and looked around, Rarity was rushing back and forth, talking to herself madly and surveying all of her possessions and items. She quickly looked at Applejack and smiled.

"Applejack, darling! What brings you here today?" She said before going straight back to her listing of her items. She slammed a dress into one of several suitcases laying on her bed. "I am a little busy at the moment." Applejack still watched as Rarity shot back and forth. Sweetie Belle rushed out of a hallway and looked up at her sister.

"No more ribbons, Rarity." She looked over to see her friend. "Hey, Applebloom." Rarity grabbed her sister by the shoulders and shook her slightly, looking down at her.

"Find...ribbons." She said, a hint of hostility in her voice. Sweetie Belle ran off, undoubtedly to find ribbons. Rarity then looked at her friend and smiled warmly. "What can I do for you, Applejack?"

"Oh. Well, you know how my family usually has a big 'ol shindig every year to celebrate a successful harvest?" Applejack said. Rarity looked at her and quickly nodded. "Well, Ah know that this is short notice, but we're hostin' it at Sweet Apple Acres this year! Wouldja like to come tonight?" Applejack smiled hopefully at Rarity. The white unicorn only frowned.

"Oh...Applejack, dear, I'm so sorry, but Sweetie Belle and I are meeting our parents tonight for a family trip to Fillydelphia." Applejack frowned as well, but quickly smiled again.

"Don't worry about it, Rarity! Have fun on your trip!" She responded before turning to leave.

"I really am sorry." She said as Applejack opened the door. Applejack looked back over her shoulder at Rarity.

"Ah know. It's no problem." She smiled as she closed the door to the boutique. She sighed sadly as they headed for Twilight Sparkle's library.

"Sorry, sis." Applebloom said.

"Oh, it's alright. She probably wouldn't have enjoyed it much, anyways." The walk from Carousel Boutique to Golden Oaks Library was not a long one, but it seemed to be prolonged by the dark weather. Applejack knocked on the door, to have it promptly answered by Twilight, a welcome change from Rarity.

"Howdy, Twilight." Applejack said to her friend.

"Hey, Applejack." Twilight responded, seemingly slightly distracted by something. "Come in." As Applejack and her sister entered the library, they witnessed an awe-inspiring show of floating parchment and quills, writing down a seemingly infinite amount of data.

"Whatcha doin' here, Twi?" Applejack asked, still slightly stunned. Twilight looked up at her friend momentarily from a central piece of paper.

"Oh, just writing some things down." She responded matter-of-factly. "Did you need something?" Applejack nodded at her.

"Well, y'know the Harvest Celebration my family has at the end of harvest season each year and how Ah usually have to go away for it?" Twilight quickly and efficiently nodded. "Well, this year, it's being hosted right here in Sweet Apple Acres. Wanna come tonight? We're gonna have good food, dancin' an-"

"I'm sorry, Applejack." Twilight said, still not looking up from her paper. "But I have a meeting with Princess Celestia tonight to discuss my studies on friendship and the like. I really would come if I could." Applejack sighed and nodded.

"Alright. Don't worry about it. Ah'll just be leaving now." She said, a tinge of sadness lacing her voice. Twilight looked up from her papers and her magic dissipated, letting all papers and quills down.

"Applejack, I'm sorry. I'm being incredibly rude. Would you like to stay a while for some tea?" Applejack politely shook her head.

"No thank ya, Twi. Ah'm just gonna go invite the others. Thanks for the offer, though." She left the library and closed the door, followed by her sister. Twilight immediately went back to work, writing down different facts and data to present to the princess. Applejack unfurled her umbrella as she made her way to Sugarcube Corner. The confectionary was closed, but Applejack knew Pinkie Pie would be there. She smiled at the thought of seeing the pink party pony. If anypony was going to be there, it would be Pinkie Pie. She knocked on the door and waited a few seconds before it was finally answered by a tired looking and worn Pinkie.

"Oh, hey, Applejack! What's up?" She whispered, slightly out of breath.

"Hey, Pinkie. Ah was just wonderin' if you could make it to Sweet Apple Acres Tonight. See, we're hostin' the Harvest Celebration Hoedown this year" Pinkie shushed her.

"I just got the babies to sleep." She whispered. Applejack rolled her eyes slightly and continued, whispering.

"for the first time ever, and it would be great if you could make it." Pinkie frowned and teared up at this.

"Oh, Applejack!" She yelled. She was interrupted by the sound of the two foals in the upstairs room of Sugarcube Corner erupting into fits of crying. Pinkie looked up. "Excuse me a sec." The zipped upstairs and came back holding the two foals, still crying, but not as loudly. "Youknow I'd absolutely positively love to, Applejack!" Applejack smiled to herself happily. "But I can't." Applejack's eyes widened and her jaw dropped. She had never heard Pinkie Pie refuse an invitation to a party.

"You can't come?" Applejack said, disappointed. "Why not?"

"Well, the Cakes are having a second honeymoon in Canterlot. They just left me in charge of Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake. I'm so, so, so, so, so sorry!" Applejack looked down and nodded.

"It's okay. Ah'll see ya later." She said before she turned to leave.

"Applejack! Don't you wanna come in for some snacks before you leave?" Pinkie asked her.

"No, Ah don't think so. Ah'm just gonna get goin'." She responded, before walking out into the rain again. Pinkie sniffled before she shut the door. 'Please, for the love of Celestia, let at least one of 'em come.' Applejack thought as she walked down the street to Scootaloo's house and accompanied her little sister to the door. She let Applebloom knock. Scootaloo answered. Scootaloo was all too happy to go the the hoedown, of course. She promised to be there and shut the door.

"Alright. Time to head to Fluttershy's place." Applejack said.

"Ah'm so happy Scootaloo can come! Ah'm sure at least one of your friends will be there!" Applebloom said cheerfully, in spite of the bad weather.

"Ah sure hope so." Applejack responded. They walked through Ponyville as quickly as they could, attempting to get their task finished before they got too wet from the rain. They eventually arrived at Fluttershy's meager cottage near the outskirts of Ponyville. Applejack was suprised to find that the door was open. She entered to see Fluttershy kneeling over a small bed, worriedly mumbling and stroking the head of Angel, her pet bunny, who was currently laying in it.

"Hey, Fluttershy!" Applejack said happily, making the timid yellow pegasus nearly jump out of her skin with a small shriek. She turned, breathing heavily to see Applejack. "Any particular reason why you're door is wide open?"

"Oh, hello, Applejack." She said before turning back to Angel. "It's getting stuffy in here, so I left it open for a little while. It's fine now, though. Could you close it for me?" Applejack nodded and closed the door.

"Ah would like to extend to you an invitation to come to the Apple Family's Annual Harvest Celebration Hoedown. We're hostin' it in Sweet Apple Acres for the first time ever tonight and Ah sure would love it if you could make it."

"I'm very sorry, Applejack, but Angel Bunny has the bunny flu, and he's going to need me to take extra special care of him for the next few days. I can't...I'm sorry." Fluttershy responded, turning to Applejack. Applejack frowned and looked to the side, adjusting her stetson.

"Oh....well...it's okay, Ah guess. Ah really would've liked for you to have been there, but ya can't change what is..." The farm mare said sadly.

"Would you like a drink...or something like that? It's awfully rainy out there today. You're welcome to stay here until it stops." Fluttershy affirmed, aware of her friend's disappointment.

"That's alright. Ah'm just gonna go invite Rainbow Dash, now. See ya." She said as she left. Applebloom waved goodbye to Fluttershy before closing the door. She walked next to her nearly-defeated sister as she hung her head slightly.

"Ah'm sorry sis. Rainbow Dash will probably be able to come." Applejack merely mumbled a reply. They arrived under Rainbow Dash's cloud home after a short walk and stood under the cloud, shielded from the rain. Applejack called out.

"Rainbow Dash! Ya up there?" After a few seconds, Rainbow Dash came out of her house and landed in front of them.

"Hey, Applejack, Applebloom. What's up?" She said to them. She looked to be mildly carefree at the moment. Nothing to do. A glimmer of hope lit up in Applejack.

"Heya, Dash. Ya know that annual Harvest Celebration Hoedown I'm goin' away for every year?" Rainbow nodded. "Well, it just so happens that it's bein' hosted at Sweet Apple Acres for the first time this year! Wanna come tonight? It's gonna be fun. We're gonna have good food, dancin', games, contests and a whole bunch of other stuff." Rainbow frowned.

"Aw, Applejack. I wish I could, really, I do. But I'm just getting back here for my lunch break from weather patrol. These clouds were unscheduled, so we're having to work really late tonight." This news seemed to hurt Applejack more than the rest of her friends refusing her invitation. For some reason, she couldn't place it, she had wanted Rainbow to be there more than anypony else. She frowned and nodded.

"Alright...It's okay." She said. Rainbow felt a small pang of guilt shoot through her. Her friend looked tired, sad and defeated. It tore her up inside.

"Hey, you alright? You don't look very good." The pegasus said with a frown. Applejack nodded.

"Yeah, Ah'm okay. Ah just gotta get some rest." She said.

"If earth ponies didn't fall through clouds, I'd invite you guys inside to warm up." She told them. "Hold on a sec-" She said before speeding up into her house and coming back about thirty seconds later. "Here's some hot cider. Go ahead and drink up. You both look like you need it." Applejack looked at Rainbow, who had a warm smile on her face. She had to admit, that for a pony who just got on break after the strenuous duty of weather patrol, Rainbow Dash looked very good. Her mane was slightly messy, yet well kept as always, her well toned body was accentuated by her cyan coat perfectly. Her beautiful wings folded against her sides neatly. Applejack returned the smile and took the mug gratefully, as did Applebloom. The filly took a sip and marveled at the taste.

"Mmmm! This is great!" She said happily.

"Well, duh, it's Apple family cider." Rainbow said. "I always keep some stored away for special occasions."

"This ain't a special occasion." Applejack said to her.

"Well, yeah, but you guys looked like you both needed it. A day like this pretty muchrequires drinking the best cider in Equestria." Rainbow said. Applejack, though she had heard this compliment from Rainbow before, felt especially flattered about it now. She smiled and nodded at Rainbow, who smiled back. The sisters finished their cider and gave the mugs back to Rainbow, who took them back inside and returned to them.

"Alright, well, Ah guess we'll be headin' out now." Applejack said before giving Rainbow a quick, unexpected hug, which to pegasus returned. "Thanks for the cider."

"No problem. See you guys later!" The rainbow-maned mare said before going back into her house. Applejack had almost forgotten that Rainbow couldn't come to the Hoedown either. When she remembered, all the disappointment came flooding back. Her ears splayed back, she adjusted her stetson, opened her umbrella and walked into the rain.

"Sorry, sis." Applebloom said. "Ah can tell Scootaloo not to come it that'll make ya feel better." Applejack chuckled and hugged Applebloom.

"No, Applebloom, you don't have to do that. Thank you, though." She responded. At that moment, a sharp wind blew. It pulled on Applejack's umbrella, and seeing as how she wasn't prepared for it, the umbrella flew from her hoof. She started to chase after it, but stopped. 'Ah, buck it.' She thought to herself as she just continued to walk in the rain. This really had been one of the worst days the mare had had in a long time. She continued walking, tired, disappointed and defeated. She teared up from the pure disappointment and stress of it all. She thanked Celestia and Luna that it was raining so that Applebloom could not distinguish her tears from rainwater.

"Applejack! Your umbrella!" Applebloom exclaimed.

"Don't worry about it. Ah don't mind." Applejack said as they ambled down the path through Ponyville back toward Sweet Apple Acres to get ready for the rest of the Apple family to arrive.