//------------------------------// // Barometer Drop // Story: An Altostratus Sky // by RangerOfRhudaur //------------------------------// AJ hissed as her knife scraped against the plate, looking nervously up at the head of the table. Thankfully, the person sitting there seemed either not to have heard or to care, allowing to silently sigh in relief. Leaning over to her left, she hissed to Fluttershy, "I thought he wasn' gonna be eatin' with us." "So did I," came the quiet reply. Evidently it wasn't quiet enough, as the governor snapped, "I'm old, not deaf. I can hear your two's muttering just fine. As for why I'm here, can't a host sit down for a nice meal with his honored guests? Am I supposed to give you bread and bed and no company? Well, too bad; this is my roof, and under my roof my actions are my own, not yours." "They meant no offense, Lord Rider," Clear Sky soothed him. "I told them about your habit of taking your meals elsewhere, so they probably thought that would be the case tonight." "Not tonight, no," he grumbled. "No, tonight my work brings me here, to fulfill my duties as..." He threw quick, cautious glances at the Rainbooms. "... host." Turning back to his dinner, he grabbed his cup in a shaking hand and threw it back, red wine pouring down his throat. AJ winced at the reminder of the governor's drinking habit, then paused as she saw a glint on the cup-holding hand: a ring of bronze, set with a stone of blue fire, sat there. She winced at the reminder of his status as a widower, and shakily said, "That's a real nice ring you've got there. I bet the woman you shared it with was just as nice." The governor raised a brow at her, then followed her gaze. His face darkened as he reached its end. "August was a wonder, yes," he mumbled. "but this wasn't from her. A last gift from my little Nighty it was, before she-" His breath hitched. "-before she disappeared. Something to remember her by." He glared at the ring. "I would cast it into a storm if it meant I could see her again, even if only for a lightning-strike. But no," he rolled his eyes, rising shakily to his feet. "No, it's not mine to cast away, not even under my own roof. I'm blessed to be burdened so by my wedding ring, and cursed to be burdened so by this token." He took a deep gulp of wine, then said, "I didn't want to send her to Crystal Prep, you know. I thought, I'd hoped, to send her to the Majesty twins: I met Celestia during the Gull Raids and she impressed me, and I hoped she could impress my daughter as well. But no, Abacus Cinch wanted more Cloudsdale representation in her little fiefdom, and the daughter of a lord such as I would be a perfect fit, the jewel in her crown. She pressed me, refusing to take 'no' for an answer, even threatening to harangue Celestia to transfer her to CPA after she arrived, until I had no choice but to give in." His fist paled around his cup as his grip tightened. "Would that she'd broken the Pac Homestria, then she would learn what it means to dictate terms to me. But no; she crossed propriety and morality relentlessly, but always shied away from crossing the law. If she had..." His hand clenched. "She never broke the law?" AJ gaped. "Twi said she basically blackmailed her into the Friendship Games, how's that legal? Heck, just look at what she drove Twi to do there!" "She would shade her threatening of Twilight Sparkle into cajoling," he snorted into his cup. "blend her actions with lighter and lighter shades of grey until they seemed almost white. As for her actions at the Games, there were no laws against magic at the time, leaving her in a field of grey, one of her favorite places to be. She's guilty, but she could twist the law to make it seem like she wasn't." AJ clenched her own fist. "That's wrong," she muttered. "You'll find no argument on that from Cloudsdale," Soarin assured her. "We hate the Masquerader as much as you do, if not even more." "But what good did that hatred do?" the governor snapped. "What did all our years of loathing do? It didn't stop her from stealing my daughter, it didn't stop her from losing my daughter, it didn't stop her from arming and protecting her Washout thugs, it didn't stop her from almost killing Lord Zap's heir--we stewed and stewed in hate, but all it did was come out burnt. Cloudsdale's day is done; whatever fire or fury the Commander kindled in us was snuffed out by Unification, and without it what are we? Thugs like Lightning Dust? Relics of a fallen age? A touch of color on the Homestrian tapestry? What good are knights and warriors in peace?" "Dad said there'll never really be peace," Wind Sprint offered. "not until the Shadow's gone for good. We still need knights, Lord Rider, and warriors; we just call them Guards, now." "The other states train Guards, too," the governor shook his head. "and Homestria needs fewer Guards than she needed warriors in the past. And those warriors we do produce, those warriors that might help us in the current situation, are weak, shadows of the iron Riders the Commander trained. We've worn ourselves out fighting a hopeless war, a war against an enemy no soldier can defeat; peace. Cloudsdale's day is done; all that the current crisis will do is show that to the rest of the world. They shall watch the bright swords of the Stormlings, softened by peace, melt before sorcery and the enemies' spears like ice before a fire." AJ swallowed, dejected by the governor's pity-inspiring words, and prepared to offer reassurance, but found herself preempted by Wind Sprint standing up. "Lord Rider," the young girl asked. "would it be alright if I sang a bit? I-I know dinner's not over, but I think we could use some music now." The governor waved his hand. "Do as you see fit," he mumbled. "The fire won't care what position we're in when it takes us." Wind Sprint nodded, then sang, in a shaky voice: "You fought, Hurricane," the young girl cried, "Your foes you did battle and slay, Yet their kin here I see with their eyes full of peace; Do tell me the reason, I pray." "I fought, 'tis true," Hurricane replied, "And I sent their kin to meet Death; But I hated them not, though them still I fought, For a lack of no's evil's yes." "You stood, Hurricane," the young girl cried, "By the vanquished's side you stayed And held on their feet through the long defeat; Please tell me the reason, I pray." "I stood, 'tis true," Hurricane replied, "By the side of my conquered friend For while blooms live a day and words pass away, My loyalty stands to the end." "You're dead, Hurricane," the young girl cried, "You'll pass to Death's halls today, Yet you walk to your doom with your face free of gloom; Swift tell me the reason, I pray." "I'm dead, 'tis true," Hurricane replied, "Soon I will draw my last breath, But it's not their end that chronicles Men But the life that goes into that death!" "Even if there's no chance that we'll win," she said. "even if there's no chance that we'll survive, we should fight. Dad... Dad told me something once, something that I've thought about every day; 'A Guard doesn't fight because they think they'll win, or because they like fighting: a Guard fights because it's the right thing to do.' Whatever that thing Thunderlane killed is on the outside, on the inside it's a bully, trying to make us do what it wants just 'cause it's stronger. Even if fighting leads us to Death, it'll be worth it, because we'll die doing what's right." AJ watched the governor's reaction, watched his eyes widen as Wind Sprint spoke and his hand close around his burning-blue ring. She watched the debate behind his eyes, watched him waver in his despair. But then he looked down at the ring, and the despair returned. "Thank you for your words, Wind Sprint," he murmured. "But I am weary now, and full of words. Goodnight, all." Then, before any of them could stop him, he dropped his cup and ran out of the room. "Nice try, Sprint," Clear Sky sighed as she walked over to pick up the spilled cup. "I almost thought you'd convinced him for a moment." "This isn't right," her daughter pouted. "Lord Rider's not a coward, why isn't he fighting?" "Maybe it's some'n' to do with his daughter?" AJ offered. "I saw him lookin' at that ring she gave'm right before he ran." "I doubt it," Soarin shook his head. "As far as I know, she's still missing, and if he knew anything about where she was we'd know." "Wait a moment," Clear Sky furrowed her brow. "How could she have given him that thing? I don't remember receiving any letters from her around that time, and Cinch never allowed Lord Rider on campus or her off it, if she could help it. Come to think of it," she put a finger to her lips in thought. "I don't recall seeing him wear it until a few days after Cadenza let us know about the disappearance." "Really?" AJ frowned. "But why'd he lie about some'n' like that?" "I don't know," Clear Sky shook her head. "Maybe he... Well, maybe he just wanted to feel closer to his daughter, or maybe he wanted to give it some meaning it'd lacked before." "Or maybe he hallucinated that that's what happened," Wind Sprint grumbled. "Wind Sprint!" her mother gasped. "What?" she retorted. "With how much he drinks and how little he sleeps, it could've happened." "Just 'cause some'n's true," AJ flicked a glance at Platinum, sitting beside Wind Sprint. "doesn' mean you should just say it willy-nilly. Tellin' the truth's as much about knowin' the right time to say some'n' as knowin' what that some'n' is. Trust me on this." Wind Sprint glared at her, murmured a sullen apology to her mother, then turned petulantly back to her dinner. After a moment, her mother sighed, gently ruffled her hair, then returned to her own meal. The others followed their example, though AJ's mind raced even as she ate, consumed with thoughts of the governor's mysterious ring. Why had he lied about where he got it? Where'd he really gotten it from? Why was it so important to him? Was it magic? She paused, bread halfway to her mouth. The ring being magic would explain why he hadn't seemed to react when she'd demonstrated her geode, but what kind of magic could the ring have? Was it good or bad? Was it going to turn out like Juniper's mirror? She shook her head, then refocused on her dinner; driving herself crazy with questions like this would do no good. She needed answers, and there was only one place she could get them. Just like there'd been only one place she could get the answers regarding Platinum's name. She winced at the reminder of her actions on the journey to Windy Hill, then set her jaw; she still needed answers, but the governor deserved privacy. There was only one course of action for her to take, one unprecedented and radical: She would find the governor after dinner, ask him about his ring, and accept whatever answer he decided to give her, even if that was none. She crept through the halls of the capitol building, trying to remember the instructions Clear Sky had given her to the governor's office. Idly, she wondered why there were so many passages and rooms in the building if there were so few around to use them. At last, she came back to the door behind which she'd first met the governor, and took a deep breath. Firmly, she knocked on the door, and waited for a reply. One came faster than she expected, and she walked in to see the governor sitting behind his desk, rubbing his mysterious ring over and over. "Well?" he asked sharply as she closed the door. "What brings you here?" "I was wonderin' about your ring, sir," she replied. "the one I thought was your weddin' ring. I know your daughter didn't give it to you, Clear Sky said the timin''s not right, but I also know you must've had a reason for sayin' she did. If you're comfortable tellin' me, I'd like to know where you really got it, an' why you don' like it. If you're not, just let me know an' I won' bother you 'bout it again." The governor stared back at her, dumbfounded, for several seconds, before letting loose a wheezing laugh. "Oh, Applejack," he cackled. "I expected one of you to press me about it, but I must admit I didn't see you doing it this way. Ha! I thought I'd have to give one of you a scare when you tried to steal it, or had to deal with one of you breaking into my papers, not answer an honest question. Oh," he sighed. "Oh, but I must refuse." Though frustrated, she nodded in acceptance, and prepared to leave. She dragged it out as much as she could, though, giving him ample opportunity to change his mind. He never did. She left with her honor, but not any answers. She sighed and sagged against the door as she clicked it shut behind her, then pushed off with a grunt and began trudging through the halls back towards her room. She understood that the governor had his reasons for refusing to answer her, and she was willing to accept it, but it still frustrated her. Knowledge, important knowledge, was lurking just out of her reach, just beyond her honor, a wall as impassable as the walls of Storm's Deep sounded. She'd already crossed that line once; never again. Painful as it might be, she- Physical pain joined the mental pain as she crashed into someone else. "Oof," she grunted, backing up. "Sorry, there, pardner. Just got lost thinkin'." "It's alright," Soarin reassured her as he brushed himself off. "I should've been watching where I was going. I'm glad I found you, though; I forgot to tell you at dinner, but I managed to send messengers off to Castellot. They should reach there in around a week." "Hoped they could get there faster," AJ shrugged. "but late's better'n never. Either way, thanks for organizin' that." "My pleasure," he smiled back. "It gave me the chance to send a message to my brother, too, let him know what's going on." "That's right," AJ nodded. "You mentioned a brother when you joined up with us. What's he like?" "Playful," Soarin replied, sighing in the irritated and adoring voice of a sibling. "He doesn't count a day as lived unless he's made someone laugh, preferably someone who tried to be serious. He seems to prefer finding ways to shirk his work to doing it, except with regards to competitions or contests, at which point you'd do well to get out of his way. He's smart, and clever, but he can't plan to save his life, and he has a habit of jumping into things feet-first without making sure he can jump back out. He acts like life's a story and he's the clever hero who outwits all his troubles, even though his wits are often the cause of said troubles." "Wow," AJ chuckled, shaking her head. "He sounds like my lil' sister, Apple Bloom. She's a real smart kid, an' she seems to have a good head on her shoulders sometimes, but then there are times where she tries some'n' that makes me pull my hair out. How old is your brother? Sounds like he an' Bloom'd get along well." "I'm not sure we'd survive two of them," Soarin shivered. "Anyway, Rapidfire's sixteen, going on seventeen, two years younger than me." "Bit too old for Bloom, then," AJ mused. Then, eyes widening, she asked, "Wait, you're only nineteen?" "Just turned it a few weeks ago," Soarin nodded. "Why do you ask?" "I didn't think other places'd start their leaders out so young," AJ confessed. "Arbor communities do, but I know that they're the odd ones out." Soarin's face fell. "Cloudsdale doesn't usually," he replied. "After Mom and Dad died, though, I had to step up, and fast: there were other branches of the family that had their eye on Skyspear, cousins and such, and I couldn't let them just take Skyspear away from me and Rapid then throw us out. Thankfully, Dad's steward, Fluffy Clouds, managed to buy me enough time to reach majority, and Rapid's charisma helped win over some of those holding out against my claim. It hasn't always been smooth, but I like to think I've done a fair job leading Skyspear since then. There haven't been any revolts or protests, at least, and Rapid's been able to afford all his tourney gear, though I leave most of the bookkeeping to Fluffy: Dad taught me that a leader's not supposed to do everything, they're supposed to unite people so that everyone can do what they're best at, in this case letting Fluffy handle the mountain's accounts. That's one of the reasons I was out on patrol when we met, actually: I like to spend time with those under me, get to know them and what they do instead of just commanding them to do it from afar." "That's my kinda leader," AJ smiled. "If you dunno how to do what you're tellin' people to do, an' especially if you dunno what it even is, you got no business tellin''m to do it. It just doesn' work, anymore than those people tryna tell you how to do diplomacy an' politics would. You have to know what you're doin' to do it." "Yes," Soarin nodded eagerly. "That's it exactly, thank you." Before he could say anymore, bells from some hidden clock tolled out the hour, eighth of the night. At their reminder, weariness pressed down on AJ, and she yawned. "I think I'd best be off to bed," she said. "G'night, Soarin; thanks for talkin', it was nice." "Good night, Applejack," he smiled back at her. "And likewise." She waved goodbye, then marched down the halls back to her room, where she found Platinum already asleep. Collapsing on the unclaimed bed with a sigh, she shortly joined her, a faint blue spark dancing behind her eyes as she fell into the darkness of dream. "..." "..." "Objection: ... delay." "Rebuttal: The boy... diluted... Crystal blood... worth..." "Judgement: Denied... too long... Sorrow-sowers... see to him." Crimson lightning against a coal-black sky. A still, grey lake. Groaning Men. The crack of a whip... And then the world changes; a grey-skinned prince sleeping: a whirlpool of war beneath the sea: a woman encased in armor staring at her with eyes of piercing cold... AJ gasped awake, startling the carefully-approaching Wind Sprint. "Miss Applejack?" she asked. "Is everything okay?" "I'm fine," she panted, mopping her brow. "Just had a bit of a nightmare's all. Anyway, what brings you here?" "Mom wanted me to get you up," Wind Sprint replied. "She's got breakfast ready, and then she wants you all to train with Quarter and the others, real Guard training." She pouted. "I'd come, too, but she said it's too dangerous, and that knowing when something's too dangerous to do is part of being a Guard." AJ gave a chuckle at that, then sighed as she stretched out the last weariness from her limbs. Though the nightmares she'd mentioned had disturbed her sleep somewhat, she'd still managed to get enough, about as much as she'd need to tackle a regular day at the farm. A brief stab of homesickness struck her, and to ward it off she asked, "What time is't, anyway?" "It's about six," Wind Sprint answered, any traces of pouting fading away to be replaced with thoughtfulness and concern. "but not in the morning." "Wha?" AJ blinked mid-stretch. "You mean I slept for a whole day?" "No," Wind Sprint shook her head, all bravado leaving her voice. "I mean it's six, but there's no morning to go with it. The storm's still outside, though it hasn't rained. It's just sitting there, blocking the Sun, turning the whole sky black." Crimson lightning over coal clouds- "There's a dawn after every night," AJ reassured Wind Sprint, and hoped her words were true.