//------------------------------//
// Rainbow Down 
// Story: Appledashery Vol. Two 
// by Just Essay 
//------------------------------//

"Rainbow...?!  Rainbow...!!"

Applejack galloped briskly through the streets of Canterlot.

In the emptiness of the mountain capitol all around her, the farm mare's panting voice echoed like a beating drum.  Halfway through her sprint, she realized what a scene she could potentially be making.  Sucking her breath in, she focused simply on pursuing the target ahead of her.

Rainbow Dash was a faint shadow-against-shadows.  It was too dim amidst the starlight to make out her facial features, and she was too far away for Applejack to hear her voice.  Nevertheless—judging from the veering path the pegasus flew and the limp way her wings were flapping—Applejack somehow knew that there was something amiss.  She soon figured that even if she continued shouting the mare's voice, Rainbow Dash wouldn't be in the position to respond.

"Darn it...!"  Applejack hissed, galloping faster and faster.  She rounded street corners and courtyards and store fronts, struggling just to keep the petite pony in her sights.  "Darn it, Rainbow Dash!"  Her ears twitched beneath her hat as she struggled to maintain speed.  "Why couldn't ya curl into a lil' fuzzy ball like Fluttershy—or any other normal pony?!"

Just as she said this, her target vanished beyond a row of towering scaffolds.  It was then that Applejack realized she had stumbled upon the fringes of the Central District.  A block or two away—and she'd be stumbling beneath the bulwarks of the royal palace.

"Awwwwwwwwww apple rot!"  Applejack cursed.  Panting, she looked behind and ahead of her.

It was way past the witching hour.  The streets of Canterlot were practically deserted.  Applejack couldn't tell if this starlit desolation was "normal" or not, but she certainly wasn't complaining.  Even still, there was no time to wait around and count her blessings.

"Heavens to betsy... I-I better catch her!"  Applejack gulped and pushed on ahead.  "Better catch her before she flies into the Palace or somethin'!"  She dashed around street lamps and bricklaid buildings.  Each empty street she saw filled her heart with palpitating relief.  "Darn it... you'll never live it down, girl!  I swear..."

At long last, Applejack came upon a straightaway.  It was an arduous uphill gallop, but she cleared it with sweat and grit.  Soon—as a reward—she saw a flash of colorful tail-hairs flicking up above.  There was a hiccuping sound, followed by a cracked voice giggling.  She was closing in on her target.

"Thattagirl, Rainbow Dash!"  Applejack huffed and puffed.  She managed a slight smirk as she gained upon the teetering mare's tiny shadow.  "Thattagirl!  Just coast on down!  Coast on down!  That's it!"

Rainbow Dash drunkenly descended...

...straight towards the palace walls.

"No!  No!  Pull up, Goddess-darn it!  Pull up!"  Applejack's voice rattled the stained glass windows forming alongside her.  She skidded to a stop, clamping a hoof over her muzzle.  As she lingered sweatily on a side street, she could see the gates to the Royal Sisters' palace looming just up ahead.  At long last, there was a sign of life.  No less than eight guards patrolled the front entrance, their pristine armor glittering in the starlight.  The bulwarks were tall, imposing, and lined with even more guard posts.

...and Rainbow Dash had just floated over the southwest ramparts... gliding into the royal gardens beyond.

"Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww cornshucks," Applejack squeaked, ears drooping.