Trotting through Canterlot at night was nothing like a stroll through Sweet Apple Acres, or Ponyville for that matter. The city was placed at such a great altitude that the thinness in the air drew Applejack's breath until it was ragged. She hadn't noticed it before, probably because prior events had kept her hot and bothered so consistently. But now—rushing through the streets and alleyways of the capital city—the farm mare found it hard to stay focused... much less awake. More than once, she felt dizzy... almost as if she'd black out. Applejack couldn't imagine for the life of her how a pegasus could manage to be so active and energetic at altitudes twice as high as where she was now. Nevertheless, Applejack continued her frantic search, for such a petite pegasus was somewhere to be found. Surely.
Lamposts had been lit sporadically in each district, but they were very dim lights at best. This was fine; a cloudless sky rained starlight onto the streets and courtyards of the urban domain. It took several minutes, but Applejack learned to relax her eyes. In so doing, she felt as though she could see for miles. There was such cleanness and clarity to the air that it was almost relaxing. A shame—then—that Applejack's search was growing more and more panicked.
"Heavens to Betsy... just where is that varmint?"
Applejack's chosen words were grunted with a venomous slant, but she couldn't find the strength to follow it up with a frown. Her ears drooped noticeably as she wandered from street to street, scanning the heavens for a blue-winged sign... and finding none. How far could Rainbow Dash had flown? Was she stupid and impulsive enough to have glided towards the uninhabited side of the mountain? Just how did she plan on getting back to Twilight's apartment in time for the dawn?
The streets were curiously vacant. At first, this worried Applejack. She assumed there might have been a curfew of sorts in effect. And yet—after a half hour of meandering through the streets—she finally stumbled on a few ponies. A group of teenaged unicorns loitered on the edge of a courtyard, joking and laughing about something. When Applejack wandered by, they all took one glance at her hat and fell into dead silence—smirking like jesters.
Applejack rolled her eyes, ignoring their snickers as she galloped on into the next district. "Reckon it wouldn't be proper to try shoutin' her name to the rooftops." A gulp. "Dun wanna wake all of Canterlot."
Or did she?
The last time she had seen Rainbow Dash, the mare hadn't exactly looked like the most cheerful pony. Something was egging her, and it burned Applejack to realize she had failed to drag the truth out of her good friend earlier when they had the luxury of chatting together.
Applejack may not have been the Element of Loyalty, but she prided herself in exhibiting that virtue all the same. If something was indeed wrong with Rainbow Dash, she was obligated to fix it before it turned into a terrible mess. But now that she wasn't able to see so much as a single feather-strand of her dear, dear friend...
"I should find a guard... a police pony..." Applejack clenched her teeth. "...ask if anyone has seen her. But... but that might put her in trouble. Dang it... that scamp's pride would be hurt, and... and..."
Applejack wasn't certain why, but she was starting to experience slight heart palpitations. And this time she couldn't excuse it on the thin air.
"Rrrrrrgh..." Stopping at an intersection, Applejack faced a lamppost and lightly smacked her fuzzy forehead against it several times. "...think, AJ. Darn it. Think." She clenched her eyes shut. "If you was Rainbow... and you was feelin' mighty mopey-like... where would be the first place you would head off to?"
Silence.
"... ... ..." Applejack's green eyes flew open. "Awwwwwww shucks. She would, wouldn't she?"
With a lethargic groan, Applejack turned tail...
...and galloped straight for the Diamond District.