"Whoah!"
"Wow!"
"Look!"
Applejack's ears tickled to the sound of roaring thunder. She stopped dragging her apple cart through the heart of town and looked up to follow a half-dozen pointing hooves.
Just then, a blue shape flew through the air followed by a prismatic streak of color. Somewhere during the blissful blur, a petite fetlock saluted. Then the body proceeded to barrel-roll through a swath of clouds, dissolving the vapor in a swift blink.
"Woohoo!"
"Hahaha!"
"Cool!"
Several hooves applauded and slapped the fertile ground of Ponyville.
Applejack blinked... then smirked into the afternoon light. She glanced casually at the other ponies gathered nearby. "What's the big hoo-haa about?"
"Didn't you see her?!" a mare stammered.
"It's the newest weather flier!" a stallion added. "Straight out of Cloudsdale!"
"We're getting our skies cleared out in seconds now!" another pony exclaimed. "I mean... wow... isn't she amazing?"
"Heh..." Applejack tilted her hat back. "...reckon yer lookin' for a different A-word."
"Huh?"
Emerald eyes rolled. "Never mind." Humming to herself, Applejack resumed pulling the cart towards the marketplace. The sky thundered again, and she glanced towards the dissipating clouds... summoning another smirk.
"You thhould have theen her!" Twist hopped up and down on the edge of the Ponyville school yard. "No thooner had my thithter thcreamed then thhe thhowed up and thtarted kicking wooden tail!"
"Nooooo waaaaaaay!" Snails gasped.
"She took on a pack of timberwolves?!" Snips' eyes were wide. "All on her own?"
"Oh yeth!" Twist nodded vehemently. "Thhe divebombed them and kicked the twigth out of their thkullth and everything!"
"Whoahhhhhhhhhh..." The other foals gathered around cooed in tandem. "That's so cool!"
Applejack trotted up from the long dirt road. She whistled shrilly. "Come on, Apple Bloom! Let's go home! Lots of chores to do tonight!"
"AJ! AJ!" Apple Bloom scampered over, her schoolbag jostling. She beamed at her older sister. "You've gotta listen to Twist's story!"
"Oh yeah?" Applejack raised an eyebrow. She glanced over at the gaggle of youngsters exiting Cheerilee's school building for the afternoon. "Which one is Twist again? The one with the tiara?"
Apple Bloom ignored her. "Twist and her sister were out playing in the park when timberwolves attacked!"
"Timberwolves, eh?" Applejack smirked. "I think I heard about that. Nice to know that nopony got hurt." She tilted her hat back. "Did they bang a buncha pots and pans like Granny did?"
"No! Even better!" Apple Bloom spun a circle and pumped a hoof. "This real butt-kicker of a pegasus flew in out of nowhere and saved them!" She did martial arts kicks and punches to the air. "Haa! Wham! Hiyaaa!" Another bright grin. "According to Twist, she smashed an entire Timberwolf apart! Even gave her sister a big brain-twig as a memento!"
"Hrmmmmmm..." Applejack rubbed her chin, eyes narrowing. "What's the name of this heroic pegasus...?"
"Rainbow Dash!" Mayor Mare beamed from across her office. "Can you believe it?! Only been in town for a week or two and already Ponyville's better off for it!"
"Errrrrrrrrr... yeah..." Applejack cleared her throat, glancing at the filing cabinets across the way. "May I get that copy of the Apple Certificate now—?"
"And to think!" The Mare slapped a cabinet shut and stared dreamily into the ceiling with sparkling eyes. "I was going to have to cancel the City Council Picnic on account of the oncoming warm front! But then this Rainbow Dash flies off and kicks the clouds clean all on her lonesome!" A shrug. "Granted, she did it off the clock and now the head of the local Weather Flier Commission is complaining to me because of prevailing precipitation relocated to the fringes of the Everfree Forest..."
"Uhhhh—"
"But! It's clear that this Cloudsdalian newcomer has the interests of Ponvyille's heart and soul in mind! Ha ha!" The Mayor spun around with a smile. "You suppose I should give her a key to the city? Or is that too brash?"
"She... certainly seems... ... ...spiffy and all," Applejack said with a smile. "But..." Her eyes narrowed. "Did she really go against the rules of the weather flyin' commission thingy?"
"Yes... ugh..." Amethyst Star rolled her eyes and sipped from a mug of hot cocoa. "Don't even get me started."
Applejack sat casually across the table from her in Sugarcube Corner, nibbling on a doughnut. "Mrmmmfff..." She gulped. "Most ponies do nothin' but praise this new pegasus from Cloudsdale... but yer the first one I heard moanin' and groanin' about her."
Amethyst Star finished her latest sip and swallowed. "Don't get me wrong. She's done lots for the moral of the town. And her heroics in the park the other day was certainly spectacular... not to mention that fire she put out..." Her eyes rolled aside. "... ... ...and that robber she stopped in the marketplace the other day."
Applejack nearly dropped her doughnut. "Land's sakes..."
"But..." Amethyst Star frowned. "She simply has no rulebook but her own! I've already heard several complaints from the weather commission and a few of the local council members. It's like she wants to run the world by her own schedule! And as Ponyville's central event planner... heh..." Amethyst Star smirked and took another sip. "...you can just imagine what kind of a headache it's been for me."
"Actually, I can't..." Applejack winced. "But... I-I guess I believe ya all the same."
"I suppose it was only inevitable," Amethyst Star muttered. "Things are changing. The Summer Sun Celebration is coming to Ponyville soon. Equestria's starting to take notice of us. We can't stand to be the simple sleepy little farm town in the heart of the kingdom forever."
"Nah..." Applejack shrugged. "Reckon not." She sighed, gazing at the empty spaces of the eatery. "Still..." She donated a hopeful smile. "...at least she's doin' her thang in style."
Amethyst Star arched an eyebrow. "How does that make any of it okay?"
"Er... I dunno...?" Applejack shrank away.
"I guess it could be worse..." Amethyst Star shrugged. "At least it's making my job interesting. Heh... just imagine if an egotistical big shot from Canterlot came to replace me." She took a sip. Smiled. "Wouldn't that be horrible?" Another sip. Another smile. "I mean, wouldn't it?"