//------------------------------//
// Sforzando 
// Story: Dance of the Rainbow 
// by Masterweaver 
//------------------------------//

	"She didn't take tha bait."

Rainbow rolled her eyes, glancing at the pegasus she had been named after. "Well then, I suppose we'll just have to follow the original plan. I'm rather surprised your pink friend managed to come up with something so insidious, she seems quite innocent."

"Pinkie Pie is a puzzle wrapped in an enigma," Applejack replied. "Thar are times Ah think she's actually smarter then tha rest of us and just uses her silliness as a mask ta live a normal life." She sighed and shook her head. "And then thar are tha times where Ah wonder if she even thinks at all."

"I completely understand. She does seem to have a form of logic... but it's not anything I can follow." The cerulean mare glanced around the barn. "In the meantime... why don't we talk? How has Dashiel been doing in this little hamlet?"

The orange mare snorted. "Fer tha record, this little 'hamlet' was founded by mah granny and her pa."

"Oh, I didn't mean to offend!" Rainbow quickly assured her. "I only meant... well, compared to Cloudsdale or Manehattan, this is a rather small town. Dashiel grew up in a metropolis, the transfer to such an intimate venue must have been rather jarring for her."

Applejack nodded thoughtfully. "Ah never actually noticed anything like that when she came round... but that was tha first time Ah'd met her. Ah think she was more focused on maken a good impression--well, an impression, anyway. She's not actually one ta come round and talk 'bout her troubles. If ya ask her if anything's wrong...."

"...she'll just laugh and distract you with something 'awesome.'" Rainbow shook her head. "I know exactly what you mean. She did it all the time while I was growing up. Sometimes I wonder if she's just afraid of being hurt."

The farmer looked across the room at the subject of their conversation. She was sitting at a table, sipping champagne and staring at her hooves. When ponies came up, she would put on a smile and talk for a bit, but as soon as they left she became... inert, for lack of a better word.

"...Ah don't think Ah've been tha best friend Ah could be."

Rainbow's ears flicked forward. "I beg your pardon?"

"Well... a while back, me and some others took up a sort of collective hero identity. Dash was being an arrogant brat, we wanted ta show her why that was wrong... she seemed to get the message, but only after we humiliated her." Applejack pulled her hat off her head. "And tha worst thing was, none of us realized we'd done that. Hay.... I should have known. Ah'm her best friend, less ya count Pinkie.... And Dash didn't tell us how she felt about it at all."

"...if... she didn't tell you... how did you find out?"

The farmer shook her head. "Mah sister told me. A friend of hers is tha president of the Rainbow Dash fan club... she told her she'd seen Dash sulking. Ah'm not even sure that this whole party thing Pinkie's plotted is tha best idea."

Rainbow placed a gentle hoof on the farmer's shoulder. "Look at her. She's so obsessed with her awesome image she would cover any secret to keep it. She puts on a strong face for me, but... One night, I walked in while she was sleeping and she was clutching her box with tears in her eyes. She hasn't healed from the rejection, only... ignored. I think that's why she tries to keep her facade up... so she isn't rejected again."

"Ah know, but--"

"The party is to show we won't reject her. No matter what."

"And if she doesn't get that?" The farmer turned on the other mare. "What then? What happens?"

Rainbow looked at her.

"...I....I don't know," she admitted finally. "I don't know... but what else can we do?"


***


"People, people, the sound system has to be put NORTH of the buffet table, otherwise the balloons will wub into the dip!" Pinkie Pie facehooved. "Seriously, Vinyl, do you even think these things through?"

"Nah, sis, I just follow the beat of my heart." The unicorn petted her turntable. "I don't think Spinners here likes the north, the way the clouds are he just gets too much sun, yaknow?"

"Ugh, fine.... Fluttershy! I know you're on lookout duty but could you please move that cloudbank just a titch to the west?"

"Um, I... I don't actually... know how to..."

Pinkie blinked. "You don't? You grew up in Cloudsdale!"

"Yes, but, well, I... I just never figured out how to push clouds. They're so slippery..."

The party pony stared at her for a full ten seconds.

Then suddenly she shrugged and spun around. "Oh well, I guess I can get somepony else. Hey Derpy! Could you maybe--"

"I am legally required to have Rainbow Dash observing me whenever I engage in weather protocol."

"....aaaaaaaalright, fair enough. Cloudkicker! Maybe you could--"

"I'm not going to have any part of this fiasco."

"....Blossomforth, why don't you--?"

Blossomforth got up and eagerly ran out of the patio, but she gave out a small squeak as she tripped down the stairs and ended up tangled in a knot of legs and wings.

Pinkie's eyelid twitched.

Thunderlane walked up with a wide grin. "Hey. Heard you needed a weather pony."

"Yeah. Know any?"

"Yeah. Me."

"...Move those clouds a bit to the west, would you please?"

"Sure thing, sugarmane." The pegasus took to the sky, easily moving the cloud over. "Was this all you needed?"

"Yeperoni! Thanks, Thunderlane, you're a lifesaver."

"All in a day's work. Noble stallion, helping out the mares. That's me." Thunderlane landed, nodding to himself. "Now, does anypony else need help here?"

Blossomforth scabbled in the dirt. "Well, actually--"

"I hear Twilight's doing some paperwork that she needs help with!" Pinkie offered.

"...I think I'll help Blossomforth." The stallion turned to the grateful mare. "Now let's see, if I just kinda... pulll. like... this--"

While his efforts did manage to set the other pegasus free, Thunderlane had forgotten about the basic laws of physics. Thus, he stumbled backward, knocking into the buffet table and triggering a chain reaction which ended with all the food on the floor.

Pinkie Pie stared.

Thunderlane had the decency to look embarrassed.

"....Oh. Kay." The party pony glanced up at the sky. "Fluttershy! Your job's changed! I need you to keep the guests away until I've baked up some new treats!"