Contrary to popular belief, not every pony who lives in Cloudsdale is a pegasus.
Some are unicorn and earth foals born to pegasi parents by a fluke of genetics; some have come there for employment or for love; some simply feel it is their home, even with all the problems. Each of those ponies lives in Cloudsdale thanks to a steady supply of cloudwalking potions that supplement their daily diet. Though not cheap, it allows life in the clouds for a handful.
A handful that has lately shrunk faster than normal - heralded each time by a panicked, descending scream.
Applejack arriving early for a meeting of the Council of Friendship wasn't that unusual - she was late more often than early, but it was usually Rainbow Dash's fault when she did. And Dash wasn't with her today.
It turned out very quickly that her marefriend's absence was why she was early.
"Twilight, you know Ah ain't one to stick my nose where it ain't supposed to be, but Ah've been patient for near on two weeks. So don't take it too hard when Ah ask - where in the sam hill's Rainbow Dash?" The words left Applejack's mouth in concert with her entering the throne room, each syllable a hoofstep.
Twilight stopped halfway down from her throne in mild confusion, her warm greeting thrown entirely off-track. "I'm... sorry? Applejack, what are you talking about?"
The farmhand trotted towards the dias and her friend. "Ah mean there ain't been hide nor hair of her since she bolted off, givin' me nothin' more than some mouthful about a secret mission from you."
For nowhere near the first time in regards to Rainbow Dash, Princess Twilight Sparkle let out a long, resigned sigh. "It's a secret, but I never intended it to be a secret from you, Applejack. I should have guessed that Rainbow would take it too literally." A quiet grumble slipped from the Princess. "I'm sorry for not keeping you informed."
At the foot of the throne, the two embraced. "Ah know it weren't on purpose, Twi. That mare's gonna be the death of me, Ah swear," Applejack said with a sardonic grin.
Twilight found no humor in it. She looked down - she was certain she had gotten taller as she never had to look downwards at Applejack before, but there was no way she had grown like that just in the year since her coronation - and frowned at her friend. "Let me explain."
Her horn lit, projecting an image of Cloudsdale in miniature, complete with tiny dots to represent the ponies that lived there. "Normally the non-pegasus population of Cloudsdale uses a steady supply of cloudwalking potion to move around their city. But recently there's been an unusual number of alchemical failures." Just what she meant by 'failure' was demonstrated by a tiny dot falling from under the image.
Applejack paled at the words between the lines.
"I dispatched the Wonderbolts to Cloudsdale on search and rescue.. well, search and catch operations," Twilight continued, "To do what we can. They've already saved a number of lives, but nopony is perfect." Her eyes closed tight, pinching away thoughts of the lives those imperfections meant. "We've quietly evacuated those who are willing to leave, but not everypony is willing or able to and it's already difficult enough to keep information about this limited to Cloudsdale. With as little as we have, it could cause panic."
She visibly didn't like that answer, but Applejack still nodded. "Last thing we need's somepony shoutin' that this is the griffons tryin' to weaken Cloudsdale's defenses to attack it, or that there's some serial killer runnin' around." She sighed heavily. "Guess that's understandable, Twi. So Rainbow's been up there savin' lives an' catchin' foals - Ah can't grumble about that."
The Princess couldn't quite meet Applejack's honest eyes. "Actually... Rainbow Dash's secret mission isn't that. She's helping with that part!," she quickly amended, "But she's part of why I picked the Wonderbolts to do it. I asked her to investigate and try to catch whoever's doing this. Since she's a Wonderbolt, she won't attract extra attention by being there with all the rest."
Now Applejack grumbled. "Twi, Ah love you like a sister but you're sayin' that you sent Rainbow Dash to conduct a sensitive, secret criminal investigation all by her lonesome."
Twilight shifted uneasily on her hooves. "Well, I mean, in addition to the local authorities but when you put it that way..."
"Exactly." Applejack shook her head with a weighty sigh. "That gal's gonna do her best, but it's the livin' definition of a square peg in a round hole."
Turning, Twilight looked to the stained glass window that showed the six of them together in their first adventure - the Elements standing against Nightmare Moon. "I suppose you're right. I should send somepony to help her out and keep her safe. Fluttershy wouldn't be a good choice, so I think maybe I'll dispatch--"
"Me."
Twilight spun like a top. "No! Applejack, have you lost your mind? You're an earth pony! I can't send you to Cloudsdale when the whole problem is falling!" She practically lunged across the space between them, wrapping her hooves around the farmer. "I'd never put you at risk like that!"
Gently, Applejack extracted herself from Twilight and looked into her eyes. "Ah know you wouldn't, Twi. But lemme put it this way - every time a pony gets hurt because she didn't solve this fast enough, Rainbow Dash is gonna blame herself. You know how hard she takes losin' when there ain't lives on the line, an' now there are. She's tough but she ain't invincible, no matter what she says." Applejack took a step back - and a deep breath to set her nerves. It wasn't that she didn't understand the risks or that she wasn't afraid. It's that something was more important.
"Ah love that idiot mare, an' right now she needs help. You send who you want, but Ah'm gonna go to her either way."
Twilight had tried to talk her out of it, of course. But she hadn't succeeded - Apple family stubborn wasn't something to buckle when faced with mere foolishness. Eventually, the Princess in Twilight was forced to admit that she didn't have an option that would dissuade Applejack and that sending two ponies instead of one would just attract more of the culprit's attention. The farmpony was going, and she was a good choice. The right choice.
But it still broke Applejack's heart to see the agony on Twilight's face as she told her friend to go to what might well be the farmer's death.
Not that she went unprotected. Twilight had cautioned that the amulet she prepared would only work once and the effect wouldn't last long - but in an emergency, a pair of butterfly wings made of gossamer and morning dew could save Applejack's life.
Hours later, the pink balloon broke through to Cloudsdale opposite the setting sun. It was a good sign that it had been intercepted by two Wonderbolts before getting anywhere near the city - Fleetfoot and Surprise had tried to stop it before she got even close to danger.
But they had also let her through: partially because of Applejack's status as a member of the Council and one of the Elements, and partially because Applejack was distinctly Rainbow Dash's problem.
This, in turn, explained why Rainbow Dash was there to meet the balloon when it arrived.
"ARE YOU CRAZY?!"
The shout made Applejack smile, because she knew it was a sign of love. "Howdy to you too, Dash." By the time she managed to clamor out of the balloon's basket, Rainbow Dash was hovering over her.
"No! No no no no! Get back in that basket right now!" Dash pointed a blue hoof at the balloon. "You're going back to Ponyville where it's safe!"
Applejack ignored the shouting pegasus, instead choosing to bounce up and down on the clouds a few times to make sure the potion she had taken earlier was working right. The ground felt solid enough, even if it was like walking on shag carpet all the time.
Buzzing around like a hummingbird, Dash zipped from one side of Applejack to the other. Each time the farmer bounced on the clouds, the flier's heart jumped to her throat. On the third bounce, she dove in and grabbed her. "Have you lost your MIND?!"
"Ah'm datin' you, so probably."
Despite the small grin that cracked over Applejack's lips, Rainbow Dash descended into offended sputters. "AJ, be serious!"
She countered Dash's exasperation with cool calm. "Ah am. You're the one bein' unreasonable here, Dash. It ain't like you to rattle so easy."
Wings stuttering for a moment, Rainbow Dash pulled back slightly. "I'm not rattled! I'm just... I'm just concerned! For your safety as a.. as an important pony to Equestria."
Blandly, Applejack rubbed her hoof on her chest before holding it up to inspect the polish. Rarity had taught her just how infuriating dismissal could be. "And it ain't got a thing to do with that we're together?"
"Not a thing!" Rainbow fired that off with the same reflexive thinking as always - which was to say none at all. It took a good two seconds for her to realize it and change tacks. "I'd say that no matter what was going on between us! In fact... in fact I bet that's why you're here! And if you don't go back to Ponyville right now, I'll... I'll break up with you! For your own good!" Even with how empty the threat was, it still made Dash grimace to say. "Yeah, so you better turn right around and get back to safety!"
That tiny moment of hesitation and the little wince warmed Applejack's heart to see. Rainbow Dash wore her heart on her cannon most of the time, but love had always been something she was hesitant about. It was vulnerability, and Rainbow Dash was never vulnerable. Never ever ever ever. Or so she said. And that was why her words held no punch. "Dash, you're seriously gonna break up with me if Ah don't leave?"
"Yes!" Dash squirmed as Applejack's gaze leveled on her, demanding Honesty. "...n-no," she glumly corrected, eyes turning away.
Orange hooves embraced the gloomy pegasus. "Ah know your heart's in the right place, but Ah also know what's at stake here. You'll burn yourself to the ground before you let somepony get hurt, and Ah can't let ya do that." Applejack's nose tapped against Dash's. "Ah love you too much to let ya."
Reluctantly - well, pretending to be reluctant - Rainbow Dash hugged Applejack back. "I just don't want you to get hurt." The concept of worse than hurt refused to even enter her mind. "Not for anything."
"Don't you fret none. Twi didn't send me here without a little safety cushion." Applejack tapped the amulet with a hoof meaningfully. "Besides. Remember what you said that first time ya took me flyin'?"
A smile crept to Dash's lips and her cheeks flushed Twilight purple as she repeated the words she once spoke to reassure a nervous Applejack. "Yeah. 'I won't let you fall, except for me.'"
"Now an' forever, thundercloud." Applejack winked as she broke the embrace. "But the hotel first, then yer takin' me to dinner as punishment for not tellin' me where ya been. We can go over what you found so far then."
Rainbow Dash fell in beside Applejack as they started off, fluttering just above the surface of the clouds. "Aw, come on! I mean, yeah I'll pay for dinner 'cuz that's fair but do you gotta call me that in public? It's embarrassing!"
With a low chuckle, Applejack swatted her marefriend with her tail. "What, Ah shouldn't compare ya in public to something that's loud, scares foals an' is dangerous if somepony's foolish enough to poke it wrong?" She paused for half a breath. "Or is it that you don't like me pointin' out how darn cute ya are when you're dark an' pouty?"
Finding a hotel was simple - the incidents had unsurprisingly crushed tourism and left many reservations unfilled. Dinner was harder, mostly because..
"Ah don't feel like Marexican."
Dash threw her hooves up in frustration. "Well then what do you feel like?"
Applejack shrugged. "Ah dunno. What're you feelin' like?"
It took considerable effort for Rainbow Dash to not scream.
That they were out walking helped a little. Once they decided it would cut down on the time to go somewhere, and Rainbow Dash was getting hungry.
Their path took them through the center of Cloudsdale's bustling market district - a cafe on every corner made choices plentiful. And neither of them could agree on or even vaguely approve of a single one. And 'neither of them' meant 'Applejack'.
Applejack stepped to the side, going around a courier bustling by with a load of take-out boxes. "Could do pizza," she suggested as a pizza box on the passing stallion's back caught her eye.
"AJ." Dash struggled to keep her voice even. "You're a farm pony. And I understand that nearly all of the meals you've had in your life have been ones lovingly home-cooked by family, prepared from fresh, high-quality ingredients to fit recipes passed down through several generations. But every time you don't have that you default to ordering a pizza. And never even an interesting pizza! It's always cheese with green peppers. That's it. Every time." She paused to let a couple pass by with a double-wide stroller of twins. "As a lifelong bachelorette before we got together, I know what's out there for takeout since I, like, lived off the stuff for the last decade. And I swear we are not going to walk by some of the best restaurants in Equestria so you can order the same boring pizza!"
A very visibly annoyed Applejack glared at Rainbow Dash. "And just what's wrong with knowin' what Ah like? It's--"
"I swear to Celestia if you say it's tradition I'm gonna find a raincloud and empty it over your head."
The threat made Applejack purse her lips, debating if the drenching would be worth the victory spite.
Dash pointed around them. "Look - there's an awesome bistro over there that's got the best pasta in Cloudsdale when I need to carbo-load. And over there's a kickin' Griffonese place. And there! It doesn't look like a lot but it's got the best all-you-can-eat salad bar within fifty miles."
Applejack's eyes followed where Dash was pointing each time. "First one's way too fancy, second one's got a crazy pony on a soapbox rantin' outside of it, an' the third one's a convenience store."
With a frustrated growl, Rainbow Dash fluttered in front of Applejack, getting nose to nose with her. "There's nothing wrong with convenience store salad bars, that crazy guy's just a crazy guy to ignore and maybe I like taking my marefriend to a fancy restaurant once in a while!"
The last statement managed to actually sink in through Applejack's thick skull. She blinked owlishly. "You... wanna take me someplace fancy? Ah thought you were still grumpy, Rainbow." She blushed softly, hoof scuffing the clouds. "Well, Ah suppose if we can stop someplace real quick to straighten my mane a bit so Ah look up to snuff for a place like that..."
Whatever Dash was going to say next was preempted by a terrified scream. Every eye in the square was instantly on gaps in the clouds, scanning the sky below for the source.
An elderly unicorn - coat grey as his mane - was the one howling. His cane lazily spiraled away beside him, certainly a lost cause. The response from Cloudsdale was instant in a loud, ringing voice.
"DIVE!"
All around Applejack, pegasi did so. The closest was a young yellow mare who tossed a bag of groceries aside as she hurled herself into the void without hesitation.
That lack of hesitation was not echoed by Rainbow Dash. She was frozen, red eyes frantically going back and forth between the falling stallion and Applejack. Her whole form was taut and twitching, ready to leap but the body and the soul couldn't agree on which direction.
Below, a dozen pegasi were in free-fall, each holding their body arrow-straight as they plunged after the unicorn. Friends, neighbors, strangers - they all fell with their eyes locked on the old stallion. One peeled away, wobbling as the stress of the dive became too much and his wings flared out to brake. The others stayed the course, even as their trajectories trembled. The distance was hard to judge for Applejack, and it wasn't clear if they were gaining fast enough or not.
Thank Celestia, it didn't matter. Two Wonderbolts came rocketing in from the south, streaking contrails behind them - one of cerulean and sea-green, the other white, pale green and turquoise. Sky Stinger and Vapor Trail. Applejack knew them - she had been Rainbow Dash's plus-one to their wedding several months before. They had the speed and the angle, but any doubt was removed when Vapor Trail abruptly braked in a flurry of wingbeats. It was part of their signature technique - she sacrificed her momentum into a burst of wind that accelerated her partner. Sky Stinger rocketed forward, snatching the unicorn in his hooves as easily as an owl catching a mouse.
As the rest of the pegasi below peeled off, one of the ones who stayed behind let out another shout. "SAFE!" It was echoed by others, spreading the word alongside cheers of relief.
Rainbow Dash was still wire-tight as the cheers rose and did nothing for her. Her eyes now were solidly on the unicorn as he was slowly carried to safety, and Applejack could see shame in them.
Her hoof reached out to Dash's cheek. "Ya lightning-brained cloudwrangler," she admonished fondly through a smile. "Ah know what you're thinkin'. Next time, don't. Just go. Ah'll be safe." She gently placed one of Dash's hooves on the amulet. "Promise."
Hesitantly, Rainbow Dash pulled her eyes away from her failure and to Applejack. She nodded slowly. "I-- I just...." Her words trailed away.
Applejack hugged her tight. "Let's get room service. Ah ain't in the mood for more walkin' right now."