//------------------------------// // Part 4 // Story: The Miracle of Flight // by TheDorkside99 //------------------------------// “Rainbow Dash,” screamed Twilight Sparkle. The next day, Twilight, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Big Macintosh split up into a search for Rainbow Dash in the outer fringe of the Everfree Forest where eyewitnesses claimed they saw a light blue pegasus fly into the night before. Other volunteers searched deeper within the forest under the protection of royal guards. Others remained alert in Ponyville. “Oh Rainbow, where could you be?” Twilight turned around to find the three members of her search party return with long faces. “Any luck?” “With getting burrs in my mane yes,” Rarity said shaking her head violently to remove the natural obstructions. “But not with finding Rainbow Dash.” “What about you guys?” Twilight asked Fluttershy and Big Mac. They both shook their heads. Twilight looked up into the bright morning sky. “I can’t believe this is happening. Why would Rainbow Dash do this? This is so unlike her.” “Well, if you ask me, I always thought Rainbow to be a tad too impulsive at times,” replied Rarity. “But as far as motivation is concerned, it’s anypony’s guess.” Out of the corner of her eye, Rarity noticed Fluttershy scrunch her face with intensity. “Fluttershy darling, is something wrong?” Fluttershy’s eyes widened. Twilight spoke. “Fluttershy, do you know something about all of this?” Fluttershy nodded. “Would you care to tell us?” The shy pegasus shook her head. Suddenly, a strong hoof pulled her fragile weight against Big Mac’s burly chest. “Fluttershy, t’aint ‘bout my sis, is it?” Big Mac’s eyes grew large as he held the trembling pegasus within his firm embrace. Fluttershy remained frozen in place until a single tear broke free and slithered down her cheek. “Fluttershy please,” pleaded Twilight. “Any information that will help us find our friends needs to be known right now.” After a brief tense moment of silence, Fluttershy let out a stammered sigh and began. “W-well, last night around m-midnight, I heard a kn-knock on my d-door.” She paused to swallow. “I opened it to find Applejack trembling and tears running down her face like I’ve never seen before.” Fluttershy stopped to take lots of deep breaths. “She told me everything that happened that night. Rainbow wasn’t the one that cut off Pinkie’s hoof, Twilight.” “Then you don’t mean.” said Rarity. Fluttershy looked up at Big Mac. More tears trickled down her face. “Applejack?” he asked. The yellow pegasus burst into a soft cry and lost the strength to support her own weight. Big Mac’s grip began to weaken as he slowly fell on his flank, tears welling up in his own eyes. “Does this mean Applejack is in Ponyville?” pondered Rarity. Fluttershy did not answer as she continued to cry into the red farm pony’s shoulder. “Fluttershy, do you know where Applejack is?” asked Twilight Sparkle. Fluttershy finally turned to her unicorn friends. “Sh-she told me she was going to Mount Equestria.” “Then Princess Celestia needs to be informed immediately.” Twilight crouched down and began to charge her teleportation magic. Before she could complete the process, Fluttershy broke free of Big Mac’s weakening embrace and charged towards the purple unicorn. “No, Twilight. Don’t!” Fluttershy dove for one of Twilight’s legs but came up empty hoofed as the magical pony vanished into thin air. A tense silence permeated that small section of dim forest where the three ponies cast their gazes onto the ground. “Well,” said Rarity, breaking the silence. “I guess I’ll continue searching for Rainbow Dash o-over there.” Rarity pointed a hoof down a trail and left. Still lying on the dusty ground, Fluttershy began to whimper softly. “I’m sorry, Big Mac.” Suddenly, Fluttershy felt her body being lifted by a gentle strength that pulled her once again into the warm embrace of the object of her affection and admiration. She looked up into the weary green eyes of Big Macintosh. She began to speak, but the red pony placed a gentle hoof over her quivering lips. “It’s okay, Babyshy. You did nothin’ wrong.” His smile reassured her fluttering heart. “I-I’m so sorry, Big Mac.” “So am I,” Big Mac responded looking away for a second. “I would never think o’ my sis doin’ somethin’ of this nature. Seems somethin’ musta snapped in her brain.” “What should we do now?” Big Mac sighed. “Let’s go to Mount Equestria and search for some answers. Together.” The strong work pony nuzzled his filly friend and walked her through the forest towards the majestic Mount Equestria. * * * Applejack stood at the edge of the cliff looking down towards the rocky bottom where her friend had once been. The jagged branches curled their sharp points to the heavens and taunted Applejack to test their wrath with a leap. She simply remained frozen under the beating of the noonday sun, casting a small shadow half consumed by the air that surrounded the edge of the cliff. “Well I’ll be damned.” Applejack barely noticed Octavia standing beside her looking down the cliff of Mount Equestria. “H-How’d you find me up here?” The gray pony did not respond. She took out a cigarette and began to light up. “Is this where it happened?” “She was so excited,” said Applejack. “I just wanted to make her happy. I wanted her to live her dreams the way everypony should.” “A dream is nothing more than a taunting vision to touch the sky from the ground,” said Octavia. “It was a waste of time.” “Now that’s no way to look at life,” said Applejack. “What is life?” “What do you mean?” Octavia turned to face Applejack. “When stripped of all the bells and whistles that succumb to the rust of age, what is the chief end of a pony’s life?” “Well,” began Applejack. “I guess it’s to make the most of the time you got left in life.” “And what is the most in life, farm pony?” asked Octavia. “To live your dreams,” replied Applejack slightly annoyed by Octavia’s questions. The gray pony slowly returned to gazing down the cliff unsatisfied with the answer. “Well then, what do you think the point in life is, Octavia?” asked Applejack, picking up on the gray pony’s inaudible response. “Survival.” “Applejack!” Applejack and Octavia turned their heads towards voice they heard behind them. Rainbow Dash stood in a crouching position, her light cyan fur frazzled from a whole night of lurking within the depths of the Everfree Forest. She cast a fervent glare on the farm pony. “Rainbow, how did you find me here?” The pegasus ignored the question. “If you think you can hurt Pinkie Pie and get away with it, you got something else coming, Applejack.” Rainbow Dash began to charge towards Applejack at full speed. “Rainbow, wait. Please stop!” The pegasus ignored the farm pony’s cries. She was only inches away from tackling Applejack when a burning object flew into one of her eyes. She clumsily came to a stop and fell back on her flank. “Ow! What the hay is this?” She pulled out the obstruction from her pupil. “A cigarette?” exclaimed Applejack. She turned to Octavia who was lighting up another in her mouth. “You’re welcome,” she said. Rainbow slowly stood to her hooves with one eye fiercely shut. “You stupid mare. You are so getting it.” She began to charge toward Octavia. The gray pony stood unfazed puffing smoke into the blue sky. Rainbow threw herself towards the cigarette flinger but was knocked violently off course by Applejack’s shove. She tumbled on the rocky surface of the cliff. “Rainbow, wait.” The pegasus got up slowly. “What!?” “Why do you have to be so impulsive? Can’t we talk about things first?” “That’s the pot calling the kettle black,” she replied gritting her teeth. “‘That’s the blind leading the blind’ would’ve captured the irony much more effectively,” said Octavia. “But that works too I suppose.” Rainbow grimaced. “Okay, who the hay is she?” “That’s not important right now,” said Applejack. “What you need to do is listen to me. My life has been hell the past few weeks and…” “You think I’ve been kissing Princess Celestia’s feet recently?” replied Rainbow. “That’s gross. You realize half the roads we walk on are dirt?” said Octavia. “What I’m tryin’ to say is I’ve been under so much pressure lately that…I don’t know. It’s makin’ me do things I normally wouldn’t do. Like there’s another pony inside me.” “What, so you’re saying your bipolar or something?” asked Rainbow Dash. “That’s not what she’s saying,” said Octavia. She finally turned from gazing out into the horizon and locked her sharp violet eyes onto Rainbow Dash. “And only a brute like you could come to such a conclusion.” “What are you trying to say, horse?” asked Rainbow. “What I am saying is the circumstances surrounding Applejack’s pitiful life would lead to an amateurish conclusion such as bipolar disorder. But, what you are ignoring my little putz is the most basic tenet of pony survival instilled in every one of us since the dawn of pony existence.” “What are you sayin’, Octavia?” asked Applejack sincerely. “She isn’t saying anything, because she’s stupid,” screamed Rainbow. “Ignore that mare and let’s settle this once and for all, Applejack.” Rainbow lowered her head and scratched the rocky ground. “No Rainbow, I don’t want to fight you.” “Well, that’s too bad,” said Rainbow, walking to Applejack. “You got no other choice. You’re not getting off this mountain without passing me first.” Applejack backed away until she felt the mountain air cool the heels of her back hooves. “You do have one other option, Applejack,” whispered Octavia. Rainbow Dash stopped in front of Applejack and crouched low ready for the attack. “Fight.” “Or fly.” Octavia flicked the used cigarette into the wind and watched it dance in the blue horizon. Applejack swallowed hard as she stood trembling in front of the pegasus’s narrowed fuchsia eyes. She shut her eyes, took a deep breath, and leapt out towards the forest horizon. “Applejack, no!” Suddenly, Applejack felt a strong hoof pull her back leg and thrust her to safety on the cliff. When she recovered from her daze, she looked up to see a pair of green eyes. “B-Big Macintosh?” “There they are. Arrest them!” Applejack looked over and saw a pair of guards rush towards her and Rainbow Dash. She got up to run away, but was grabbed by the nape of her neck and flung at the hooves of one of the guards. “Stay right there, criminal.” “B-but…” “The pegasus is getting away,” cried the other guard chasing Rainbow Dash. Rainbow blazed towards the sky not paying attention to a burning object coming straight for her good eye. “Ah!” The fleeing pegasus slowed to remove the obstruction which was enough time for the pegasus guard to catch up and apprehend her. A struggle quickly ensued as the royal guard tried to get Rainbow Dash back to the cliff. “Let me go, you bucking idiot!” Eventually Rainbow was restrained and cuffed so that she wouldn’t fly off. She looked over at Octavia, who couldn’t help but smirk. Rainbow turned to the guard holding Applejack. “What’s going on? I didn’t do anything!” “Is that so?” said a booming regal voice. Everypony looked up to find Princess Celestia gazing fiercely at the two suspects. Next to her stood Twilight Sparkle and Rarity wearing faces of relief and anxiety. “Princess, I didn’t do anything wrong. It was this pony.” Rainbow pointed a stiff hoof at Applejack. The princess glanced at Twilight for a second. “So I’ve heard. And if the evidence proves your claim, then you will be set free. But until then, we must allow the legal process to resume.” With a flick of the hoof, the guards took off towards the temporary detention center to place their captured suspects. “I extend my gratitude to each and every one of you for your help in this matter.” Princess Celestia gazed across every face present. Some looked up with sadness in their eyes; others looked off into the distance to find anything else but that moment. “Um, excuse me Princess,” said a weak voice behind Big Mac. “Will our friends be okay?” “That is to be determined, Fluttershy,” responded the princess. “Right now our top investigative teams are searching every nook and cranny to get to the bottom of this unfortunate series of events, But do not lose hope, my faithful followers, for surely goodness will overcome any evil that threatens our peaceful land.” Everypony nodded in agreement, except for one who stood still facing the horizon. “Come Twilight and Rarity, we must return to Canterlot and proceed with the investigations.” Princess Celestia charged her teleportation magic and whisked away the two unicorns in the blink of an eye. Big Mac and Fluttershy slowly began walking towards the path they came from. “Hey Fluttershy,” Octavia said. Fluttershy turned around and gasped at the sight of the gray pony standing with her back to the Equestrian scenery with her hooves out and tears flowing down her face. “When you see Applejack again, give her this message for me: You need wings to fly.” Before Fluttershy could say a word, Octavia let her weight succumb to the gravitational pull that came from the rocky foot of the majestic mountain below.