The sun crept over the horizon, illuminating the lands and warming the cold chill that was the night. Crimson slowly got up from his cramped sleeping quarters and peeled out of the balloon’s basket to see if anyone was outside. Seeing that no one was around, he started to get out of the basket. Midway, he stopped, then looked at the sky. After a brief pause, he got back into the balloon. He whipped his head, unleashing a whip of fire and snapped it at the ropes that binded the balloon to the ground. The ropes snapped and sizzled as the balloon slowly started to lift into the air. Crimson stared at the land still lost in amazement of this crazy contraption. Though he remembered what Twilight did to control large floating device, he struggled to control the balloon at first. Eventually he was able to set a semi-steady course toward Cloudsdale. On the way, Crimson looked down at the sack in the basket. He leaned over, picked it up, and inspected it. He then started to rip the sack as he headed toward the city in the clouds.
* * *
The balloon drifted to Cloudsdale. As it got near a good, solid cloud, Crimson, now covered in a make-shift cloak from the sack, jumped out of the balloon’s basket and landed on the cloud. He rolled a couple of times to absorb the fall, then looked upward to watch the balloon float freely away from the sky city. He got up and started to head into the city.
Thinking back to the tour given to him by Rainbow Dash, he wandered the city looking for where she may be. Covering his face and wings to avoid revealing his identity, he finally saw her talking to some other pegasi. After a brief talk, the pegasi fly off in different directions.
Crimson unveiled his hood. “Ms. Rainbow Dash!”
Rainbow Dash stopped, then looked around to see who called her name. “Is that..?” Rainbow dashed to Crimson and hovered next to him. “Crimson! Holy hoof, where have you been?”
“Greetings, Ms. Rainbow Dash.”
In excitement, Rainbow Dash hugged Crimson. He looks awkwardly at the embracing pony, then she recoiled and held him at arm’s length. “Wait… Why are you here? They said you stole the Elements of Harmony.”
“Such accusations are false.”
“I knew you’d say that.” She jumped and hovered in front him.
Crimson looked up at Rainbow Dash. “I speak the truth, and I request your assistance.”
“Great.” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “Alright, what do ya want?”
“I need information on this incident and request that you get Ms. Twilight Sparkle.”
“Why her? And why should I help you?”
“Because you are the only ones I can truly trust.”
Rainbow Dash looked down at the hooded fugitive in thought. “Fine. You stay here. I’ll go get her.” She turned and started to fly away. She looked back to Crimson. “Stay out of sight!” Then, in a puff of cloud, she quickly flew to the library leaving a rainbow in her wake.
* * *
Rainbow Dash knocked on the door to the library Twilight and Spike resided in. “Hey Twilight, you’ll never guess who I ran into! … Twilight?” She opened the door and peeked her head in.
Spike poked his head from the back room. “Hey Rainbow Dash. What’s up?”
“Is Twilight around? I have to talk to her.”
Spike walked out of the back room and toward the door. “Sorry Rainbow Dash. She isn’t here right now.”
“Great, must have already gone to the castle.” She turned and started to fly to Canterlot.
Spike took a step out of the door and waved. “Uh, goodbye… I guess.” He shut the door and went back inside.
* * *
On the way to the castle, Rainbow Dash stopped in mid-flight near Ponyville and looked toward something that briefly caught her eye. “What the..?” She turned to look at a suspicious pony. She noticed the unusual yet somehow familiar clothing. Rainbow flew to the stranger. “Hey.”
The strange pony, clad in elegant and intricate embroidered fine leather robes, looked up at the hovering pegasus showing her dark purple coat and mane. “My, that is an interesting trick.”
“A trick?” Rainbow looked at the mare with confusion.
“No matter. I can’t let a lesser being like you address me like that.”
“A what?” Rainbow looked angry at the stranger before she noticed a small drawing the stranger has done. “Wait, I’ve seen that before.”
She looked at Rainbow with clear surprise. “Oh have you?” Then, her eyes glowed and the darkness under her hood lit up, and she took a bite toward the hovering pegasus. As she bites the air, a maw of earth reached from the ground and consumed Rainbow Dash. “Enjoy your crypt, weakling.” She chuckled to herself then walked away.
* * *
Twilight, taking a break from the various long meetings she had to attend, walked around in the castle. She went outside and lied on the grass. She let off a deep sigh then turned her head toward the sky. She sat up and squinted her eyes at the strange hovering dot in the distance in the sky. Curious, she spread her wings and, with a lack of any equine grace, started to fly toward the dot.
After catching up to the runaway balloon, Twilight Sparkle hovered in front of its trajectory with a sense of lacking elegance. “What’s the balloon doing without a passenger?” Twilight went into the basket and took control of the balloon. She noticed some snippets of scrap cloth in the basket. Thinking nothing of it, she took it down and landed it in its usual resting place. She jumped out and tried to grab a tie down only to see it had been seared off. She looked around to notice all of the tie downs were infact been burned. “Hmm…” She briefly thought to herself, then her horn glowed and she started to telekinetically manipulate and magically repair the ropes with the cloth scraps, allowing them to once again strap down the balloon securing it to the earth. She started to fly back to Canterlot, but stopped in thought. She looked at the balloon, then up to Cloudsdale. After staring at Cloudsdale for a moment, she started to fly toward the city in the clouds.
* * *
Crimson sat patiently waiting for Rainbow Dash’s return. Then from behind him, “Crimson?” Twilight walked up to the red coated pony.
Crimson stood up and turned toward Twilight. “Greetings, Ms. Twilight Sparkle.”
Twilight smiled. “It is you!” She looked him over, seeing the cut out make shift cloak, the gashes and scratches from being drug behind the train car, and the various injuries that soaked in the sea’s salt water around his body. Still, the heavily bruised pony, though slightly groggy, stood his ground. “What happened to you? Better question, what are you doing here?”
“A question I expected. Did Ms. Rainbow Dash not tell you?”
Twilight shook her head. “I haven’t seen Rainbow Dash in a few days.” Crimson looked at Twilight in confusion as she continued. “I’ve been busy.” Crimson leaned to see wings being tucked in at Twilight’s side. Twilight noticed him looking, then she turned her head toward her left wing. She lightly extended her wing showing it to him. “Oh, that’s right.” She tucked it back in and looked at Crimson. “I’m now a princess.”
Crimson looked shocked. “You are a princess?”
“Yep!” Twilight smiled happily at Crimson. “You should have been there. It-“
Crimson gasped, then bowed down at her presence. “Forgive my insolence Princess Twilight Sparkle, Princess Celestia’s Star Pupil.”
Twilight took a step forward and put a hoof on his shoulder. “No, no, no. Don’t do that.” Crimson stayed in his bow. Twilight sighed. “Stop that!” Crimson, while still bowing, peeked his eyes up to Twilight. “Get up.” Crimson slowly stood straight up. “Look, I have to ask… Is what I hear true? Did you steal the Elements of Harmony?”
Crimson stood firm. “I did not, Princess.”
“Do you know who did?”
“I do not, Princess.”
“Will you cut that out?!” Crimson looked blankly at the royalty before him. Twilight sighed. “I may be a princess, but I’m still me. Just because I’m a princess doesn’t mean you have to treat me differently.”
“Your title entitles you to-“
Twilight lightly stomped a hoof in the cloud, making it puff around her. “I don’t care about that.”
Crimson thought about what Twilight said for a moment. “Then what does your title mean?”
Again, Twilight sighed. “I… I don’t know. Sometimes, I wonder why Princess Celestia made me a princess.”
“Princess, it is not your place to doubt.” Twilight looked at Crimson as he continued. “Your duty is to stand strong for your people. You are never wrong. Your rule is unwavering.”
Twilight shook her head with a smile. “That isn’t true.”
“But it is, Princess. Your rule is absolute.”
“You make it sound like I run all of Equestria.”
Crimson looked baffled at Twilight. “Is that not what your title means?”
Twilight shook her head. “What? No.” Crimson looked away in total confusion and lost in thought. “Princess Celestia still rules Equestria.”
“What you speak does not make sense.”
“What do you mean?”
“Princess Celestia rules your lands. You, Princess Twilight Sparkle, rule nothing?”
Twilight shook her head. “It isn’t like that. Princess Celestia is still my princess.”
“So you report to Princess Celestia?”
“Well… Yes.”
“What is higher than a princess?”
“You mean like a title?”
Crimson nodded.
“Well, I guess a queen.”
“Then why is Princess Celestia not Queen Celestia?”
Twilight stared blankly at Crimson in deep confusion. “Look, I have questions of my own.”
Crimson bowed. “As you will.”
Twilight looked upon Crimson. “If you didn’t steal the elements, then who did?”
“Again, I do not know.”
“But there were drawings on the ground just like yours at the vault.” Twilight noticed Crimson slightly recoiling, but he stayed quiet and uptight. “Crimson, treat me like you did.”
“I cannot. You are royalty and your title demands such respect.”
Twilight once again sighed. “Please? Don’t make me order it.”
Crimson looked at Twilight uptight and tense. Then he visibly relaxed and stood casual. “Very well.”
Twilight smiled. “Thanks. So if you didn’t steal the elements, we have to find out who did.”
“I agree.” Crimson looked around casually, then semi-frantically. “Where is Ms. Rainbow Dash?
“You can stop with the Ms. thing.” Twilight looked around.
Crimson looked at Twilight. “Very well. But Rainbow Dash was to summon you so that I may seek your council.”
“When did you last see her?”
“A number of hours ago, I believe.”
Twilight looked away in thought. “Hmm… It wouldn’t have taken her that long to find me.” She looked at Crimson. “Can you fly to the library?”
“I am sorry, Prin… Uh, I am sorry, but I cannot.” Crimson lightly unfolded his wing to show Twilight the holes in his leather wing from the basilisk fight months before.
Twilight gasped. “Oh my gosh!”
Crimson tucked his wings back to his body. “Worry not about my wings. I am well.”
“You really don’t look it.” Twilight turned and started to think to herself. “Okay, I got it.” She leaned her head forward and her horn started to glow. Part of the cloud ripped from the foundation and started to slowly lift away. “There. Now you can float down to the ground.”
Crimson leaned and looked at the floating cloud. “Your magic will never cease to amaze me.”
Twilight blushed. “Okay, I’ll look for Rainbow. You go to the library and wait there.”
“I do not think that would be wise.”
“Why not?”
“A small platform like that, I would be defenseless if something were to happen.”
“Hmm…” Twilight briefly thought to herself, then reattached the cloud back to the base of the city. “Okay, I’ll be back later. Be careful.” She stretched her wings and lifted off of the clouds to retrace Rainbow Dash’s steps. Crimson looked at the new princess fly off like an owling learning how to fly – unsynchronized flaps, constant loss of altitude, random direction changes. Shortly after, she was too far to see clearly. He sat at the edge of the clouds and looked beyond at the awe inspiring scenery in wait.