"Is it just me," Twilight whispered to Rarity as they left the room containing the map table. "Or are Rainbow and AJ having another spat?"
"The worst kind of fight, darling," the prim Unicorn replied. "Where neither one knows why."
"That doesn't make any sense," the lavender Alicorn sputtered. "How can you have a fight without knowing the reason?"
"Twilight, don't you remember the clans in the Smokey Mountains?" Fluttershy asked. "They didn't know either."
"That was because it had been going on for generations and the reason was lost to time!" Twilight protested. "Those two were the best of friends, they are each other's special somepony." There was a look of confusion and sadness in her eyes.
Rarity reached over and rested her hoof on Twilight's shoulder.
"It is simply their nature," she said. "They're probably both waiting for the other to apologize."
"Oh dear," Fluttershy whispered. "That could be a while."
Rainbow was sprawled out on a cloud as it drifted lazily over Ponyville. Nothing really made sense anymore. Where it used to be that she and AJ would rush to spend time together, the farm pony now actively seemed to avoid her. So she had stopped trying, wanting to give her some space.
But then came the cold silences at council meetings. Sitting around the map table trying not to speak to each other or look into each other was torturous. Even the bottle of cider she had gotten a week ago tasted like ashes in her mouth, robbing her of even that joy.
"I should apologize," she whispered. "But what am I apologizing for?"
She sighed and pulled a section of cloud over her face.
She probably won't even give me the chance to apologize anyway.
"She don't want nothin' t'do with me, Bloom," Applejack said. "She don't even give me the time of day when we do get together."
Apple Bloom shook her head. "Well," she said cautiously. "She did make you cry. Maybe she feels guilty?"
"That's it though," the older mare said. "It wasn't her that made me cry! It was realizing what Ah done. She should know better."
"This is Dash we're talking about, right?" Apple Bloom deadpanned. "It took her forever to catch onto the dropped hints that you fancied her."
Applejack grimaced. "You have a point," she ceded. "But maybe Ah should apologize for yelling at her. It wasn't really called for. Hopefully, she'll listen."
But as she looked up at the sky which was beginning to cloud over, she doubted that she would get to it today.
They both had work to do.
"Rainbow Dash!" A voice shouted over the wind. "Rainbow!"
The Pegasus looked down, seeing Twilight struggling to fly up to the cloud she was laying on. She blinked slowly and turned back into the wind, the slowly increasing rain hiding some of the wet patches of her coat.
"Hi, Twilight," she muttered.
"Rainbow, what are you doing?" The Princess demanded once she caught her breath. "This storm is too much for the season, and now I hear that you sent most of the weather team home?"
"I can handle this one storm, Twi," Rainbow said dully. "I designed it to blow out quick so it wouldn't do much damage."
"Stop it," the Alicorn snapped. "This silly fight between you and Applejack has got to end! You know that all the Apples have come to me about her?"
"So?"
Twilight gaped. "What do you mean, so?" she sputtered. "She's your friend, your best friend! You should care about how she's feeling!"
Rainbow turned, looking her friend in the eye. Twilight could see the bags from sleepless nights and the puffiness from crying.
"You think I don't care?" she whispered. "If that's true, then why does it hurt so much?"
She took off, flying into the wind and being lost to the Alicorn's sight.
She flew aimlessly, finding herself over Sweet Apple Acres in a short time. Seeing movement in the far edge of the farm near a river, she saw a flash of orange in a tree. She froze as she recognized Applejack slowly working her way out onto a limb after her hat, which was stuck near the end of the branch, blown by the strong winds into the tangled limb.
Rainbow dove as she saw the branch shake and crack, catching the farm pony as she fell and setting her down on the ground.
"Are you crazy?" She demanded as the branch fell to the ground, the hat blowing off in the wind. "You should be indoors, not up a tree like a squirrel! What were you thinking?"
AJ wasn't listening as she tried to dive after the hat, being stopped by the Pegasus. "Rainbow," she sobbed. "Catch the hat, please!"
She took the Earth mare and locked eyes. "It's just a hat, AJ!" She shouted as the wind picked up even more. "I'm getting you indoors, and that's it!"
AJ shoved the lighter pony aside, racing to the riverbank, searching for the wayward stetson. "Ya don't understand," she shouted over the wind.
"It was my Dad's hat."