"I'm gonna jump!"
"Ah Celestia damnit, not again," grunts a tired Applejack as she stops before town hall. A crowd had gathered there, momentarily barring her from her quest to save her brother. While normally she could easily have muscled her way through such an obstacle, the sight of the weathered old earth pony, Mayor Mare, dangling outside of the topmost floor's windowsill had caused the farmer to switch priorities. Stepping to the front of the crowd, Applejack calls up "What is it this time, Mayor?"
The politician looks down from her perch and screams "I'm a charlatan and a fraud! I don't deserve to lead you all anymore! I don't deserve to live anymore!"
Applejack groans. "Is this about Princess Twilight again?" she calls up.
Mayor Mare shakes her head.
"Is it about that chaos hoopla going around right now?"
Again the pony shakes her head.
"Are you still upset over Twilight's Death Cas-, er, I mean 'Friendship' castle? Is that it?" asks Applejack with a frustrated huff. "Dagnabbit, Mayor, we've already apologized for that! It wasn't our intention for it to grow here... or at all!"
For the third time, Mayor Mare simply shakes her head.
"N-no, my good Applejack. This has nothing to do with Princess Twilight or anything else happening in town presently. No... I'm afraid this has been building up for far too long. For too long have I been nothing more then a burden upon this fair town. For too long has it suffered my tyranny! For too lon-"
"You talked to Big Mac," replies Applejack with a flat expression.
Mayor Mare blinks.
"... Yes."
Applejack sighs. "Mayor, girl; you can't keep throwing yourself off buildings every time somepony expresses a negative opinion about you."
"B-but he said..."
"I know what he said," the farmer cuts her off. "Celestia above I know. If there's one thing mah brother won't shut up about its his gosh darn political views. It ain't your fault, Mayor. He just ain't a fan of most, if not all, politicians."
"I... I see..." Mayor the mare replies dejectedly.
"... Say, while you're up there, think you can lend me a hoof and tell me where he's at?"
Still feeling emotionally drained; the Mayor adjusts her spectacles, gazes out over Ponyville, and then points a hoof to the east. "I-I think I see him by Quills and Sofas."
With the tilt of her hat, Applejack replies "Much obliged" and gallops off through the dispersing crowd.
Mayor Mare simply sits there, on her perch, and watches the goings-on of the town before her, lost in thought.
"... Um... so... a-are you going to...?"
The Mayor waves a passive hoof at Thunderlane, and subsequently the entire flock of pegasi behind him, and says "No... no I think I'm good for today, my fair citizens..." In a lower voice, she adds "T-thank you for being here for me though."
The stallion smiles. "Heh. Anytime. Right gang?"
The winged ponies of the impromptu suicide death watch squad nod their heads in agreement, giving the Mayor words of encouragement as they do. The sight of it all gently warms the old mare's heart.
______________
Twilight bobs left.
Rainbow bobs right.
Twilight flies up.
Rainbow loops down.
Twilight teleports to Rainbow's side.
Rainbow outfoxes her by putting on a burst of speed.
'Urgh!' mentally groans the princess. 'I-I just can't catch her! Maybe if I was better rested and not so darn hungry I could outsmart her or something, but like this...'
Rainbow suddenly stops zigzagging in the airspace and tightens up her arch into a straight-line path.
After a few seconds a mach cone begins to form at the tip of her hooves.
'Ah hay no!'
With the flare of her horn, Twilight reaches out and begins scraping against Rainbow's distant hoof. The purple aura blinks in and out as the magic tries to take hold, but never quite makes it. Still though, it manages to distract Dash long enough for the cone to lose its form. Rainbow tries again, only for her hoof to be gently knocked to the side, again ruining a freshly made air cone. Twilight smiles at her success, but the joy is short lived as her magic begins to weaken and as Rainbow speeds further and further away.
The cone begins to form yet again, and this time Twilight can't reach.
'Think think think!!' Twilight panics. 'She's about to sonic boom! I-I can't match that kinda speed! Even if I used my magic to boost myself like I did at the Summer Sun Celebration I'd only be able to... to...'
Twilight's mind suddenly blanks.
An incredibly stupid idea begins to form in the brilliant alicorn's brain.
'... Take her current speed and velocity... compare it to my own... equate for approximated distance... estimate current magic reserves... come on, brain; it's just basic spacial and arcanomical mathematics. Work with me here...'
Twilight, while maintaining her current speed, dips downwards to beneath the cloud cover. Once hidden from Rainbow's sight, the princess' horn begins to glow brightly as she mentally does the 'basic' math needed to accomplish her dangerous plan.
'... Carry the two aaaannnnddddd... yup. This will work... I might accidentally impale her with my horn if I screw this up though ... h-heh, no pressure, right?'
A bead of sweat drips down Twilight's face as she aims her body towards Rainbow's path.
'Five seconds... Three... Two...'
The cone around Rainbow constricts, becoming tighter and tighter as she flies forward. Her pace slows as she pushes against the barrier, her hooves held firm and her head tilted forward. She can feel the air around her begin to break and her body begin to speed as her rainbow colors burst forth and cover the surrounding sky in a brilliant display...
BOOM
CCCCCRRRRRRAAAACCCCKKKK
... only for a more purple heavy explosion to take place at the same time, overtaking and blanketing the rainbow explosion with the image of a giant star.
For a brief moment, the sky above is graced with the appearance of both a Sonic Rainboom and a Twilight Sparkleboom.
Neither flyer were able to witness the sight though, for they had both flown too fast.
Too fast... into each other.
In a jumbled ball of limbs, feathers, and bruises, both ponies crash land on a surprisingly thick bed of clouds. They slid across the fluffy surface until their momentum is finally lost and their bodies are finally stilled. Their peace doesn't last long though as the cloud gives way and sends the ball 'O pony downwards towards another seemingly thick bed of clouds.
This one gives way too.
And so does the next.
It is not a cloud that finally breaks the two's fall, but instead the edge of a cliff. Their bodies momentarily bounce against the rocky service, pebbles getting scattered in the process. Although the landing may have been rough, the tumble is finally over. Minutes soon pass in silence as the two friends lay there, on the familiar top of a mountain, in their sudden embrace. Neither pony seems willing to separate and instead continues to hang on to one another.
Maybe it is because Rainbow desperately needs the contact in this moment.
Maybe it is because Twilight simply doesn't want for her friend to hurt anymore.
... Maybe it is actually because they both secretly love each other very much and that they know, in their hearts, that the only way to heal both their pains is with the love they hold for one another.
Or maybe...
... maybe it is simply because both ponies have been knocked the hell out thanks to the impact and are now both in a state of unconsciousness.
A state that may or may not desperately need urgent medical attention right now.
Maybe...
Maybe.
______________
"... Caramel, I honestly don't know where to even begin with you. Well... maybe I could start at the part where you're Celestia awful at farm work and winter wrap up and being loyal to your supposed friends... and life in general... but I do admire you somewhat in a 'at-least-I'm-not-this-guy' kinda way. I look at you and feel good about mahself; I feel good that I'm stronger then you and more popular with the mares without even trying. Horse hell; I'm even better with the stallions then you are, cept I'm not interested in them like you are. On that note; no, I'm not interested, Caramel. I've never been interested nor will I ever be interested. I say that not as a homophobic, pony heavens no; I say that as a freaking pony who has even the slightest hint of dignity. We all know why that one and only marefriend of yours left you and it ain't because Pinkie Pie took a day off partying. It's because of reasons that would destroy your very soul if they were to be mentioned in a public area such as this one. And another gosh darn thing-"
"BIG MAC!"
The red stallion's rant ends as his head jerks up. His eyes wander to the end of the street... where he can clearly see his sister glaring at him.
"N-nope," he whimpers. "Nope nope nope nope." He quickly turns to Caramel. "You're still my friend though. I'm a terrible pony, but I still think of you as my friend." Big Macintosh then jumps to his hooves and gallops off at full charge. "I'm sorry!"
"Get back here right now!" Applejack yells, giving chase.
"... Thank you..." whispers the crestfallen Caramel as AJ passes him by.
Applejack ignores him as she speeds up, determined to catch her mumbling brother.
"BIG-"
Big Mac knocks over an empty barrel, causing Applejack to jump over it.
"MACINTOSH-"
Big Mac jumps over a pair of passing ponies, causing Applejack to bob and weave around them under fear of hurting them in their now stupefied state.
"APPLE!!"
Big Mac tilts his head down, protecting his face as he rams through the side of somepony's home, creating an impenetrable wall of rubble that semi-succeeds in slowing Applejack down.
The mare stares at the destruction for a brief moment before lowering her own head and jumping through the window next to it.
'Look's like we're gonna need to tap Bloom's college fund after this... again,' Applejack contemplates as she continues her chase through somepony's home. Neither farmer stays inside for too long though as they both quickly cross the kitchen, the dinning room, and finally the occupied living room before lowering their heads again and exiting in a similar fashion to how they entered.
As she looks upon the destruction done to her home, Berry Punch lifts up and slowly considers the possible alcohol contents of her current drink. One normally doesn't find the stuff in sugar based fruit drinks, but a pony could never be too sure. This had happened before, after all.
Back on the crowed streets of Ponyville, Applejack momentarily loses her brother's trail but is quickly able to spot him over the much shorter pony population, due to his gigantic stature. Said stature is also proving to be a hindrance to the stallion as he slowly tries to navigate his way through the crowd. "A building is one thing, hurting a pony was another," he mumbles to himself, trying to justify not pushing ponies out of his way.
Applejack though isn't as reserved.
"Gain way, coming through! Excuse me! Pardon me! Sorry! Not so sorry. BIG MAC!"
With his sister drawing near, Big Mac shuffles awkwardly into a side ally and begins to gallop yet again.
The wall he suddenly finds in front of him though says otherwise.
"Nope nope nope nope," he rambles. "N-n-need to talk... b-b-but not w-with her... h-have to talk... h-have to escape!"
Without the momentum he previously had, the stallion can not simply bash his way through this obstacle and be on his way. No, he's going to have to rely on his old faithful standbys; the two faithful servants of any earth pony farmer.
His two hind legs; Kicks McGee the First and Ronaldo.
The stallion spins on the spot, relying on years of applebucking muscle memory to see him through as he reared back his hooves...
... and promptly fell on his flank.
At first he is surprised by the sudden fall... but as he turns his head around, and sees the lasso wrapped firmly around his back leg, Big Mac lets out a low whimper and accepts his fate.
Applejack steps forward into the alleyway, rope held tightly in her teeth. She glares down at her brother.
Big Mac's lips quiver.
"AJ... I... I-I..."
POOF
And then Big Mac exploded into a shower of confetti.
...
... Somewhat surprisingly, Applejack is just the teeniest tiniest bit confused by this turn of events.
"... Huh..."