I looked into a mirror and frowned at what I saw. Why was I scared of helping a friend? I sighed loudly and turned away. "Because this isn't about some cool stunt or fearsome enemy..." It was some unviewable, unfightable disease that could turn her into some kind of freak, and maybe rob her of her ability to fly if things went badly. How was she going to help, exactly?
She thumped her cloudy floor. "Nurse Redheart might be more useful."
Storming around her room, she returned to that mirror and glared at the pegasus that glared back at her. Being fast, or strong, or brave wouldn't help at all, and it made her feel all the more less brave by the moment.
Rather than mope around, she jumped out a window and took off into the sky. She quickly spotted a few other pegasi peering down at something, which proved to be Pinkie leading the group into Sugarcube Corner.
"Have you ever seen such weird looking ponies?" asked Clear Skies.
Cloud Chaser was perched beside her. "Can't say I ever have. Hey there, Dash! You see the new ponies?"
Dash landed beside them on the cloud. "Hey guys, uh, so... weird huh?"
Clear bobbed her head. "They seem nice enough, and they have a crystal pony, and Pinkie Pie with them. Maybe they're foreign diplomats."
Cloud Chaser brightened with the idea. "Oh yeah. Why didn't I think of that? That totally makes sense. I wonder what country they're from? I never heard of ponies like that. Do you know, Rainbow?"
Rainbow put a hoof behind her head awkwardly. "Very far away. I saw them at the castle. It's kind of a long story."
Cloud Chaser gave a light nod as he smiled. "Well if you and Princess Twilight are on the case, I'm sure things are fine. Are they diplomats then?"
Rainbow considered that before giving a slow nod, quickly followed by a more sure one. "Yeah. They came asking for help, you know, magic stuff."
Clear Skies spread her pinkish-purple wings. "Magic stuff? They picked the right Princess to ask about it then. Why are they with Pinkie Pie?"
Rainbow glanced down off the side of the cloud. "She's taking them for a bite to eat, maybe see some of the town, ya know? Just because you're here on business doesn't make you immune to Pinkie."
Cloud Chaser laughed at that. "Ain't that the truth! So, uh... I heard some rumors, Rainbow, and I figured it would be better to ask from the source instead of whispering around like a bunch of colts and fillies."
Rainbow plopped onto her haunches and peered at Cloud Chaser suspiciously. "What kind of rumors are we talking about here?"
Cloud recoiled a few inches. Rainbow Dash was a local hero and an amazing pegasus. He made a nervous noise as he shuffled. "It's no big deal. I mean, it's cool if you are, really, but I heard you have a thing for Applejack?"
Rainbow went red instantly even as she shouted at him, "Who told you that?!"
Clear Skies put her hooves to her cheeks and gasped loudly. "Oh wow, it is true! That's so romantic."
Rainbow blinked, confused by Clear Skie's reaction. "Huh? What's so romantic about it?"
Clear pointed at Rainbow. "You and her fought side-by-side, saving Equestria, facing the unknown and the terrifying, with only your loyalty, and maybe a little love, to keep you going." She sighed softly. "I'm so jealous right now."
Rainbow felt her blush worsening by the moment. "I-it wasn't like that!"
Cloud reached out a wing and touched Rainbow on the shoulder. "Rainbow Dash. You are our friend, and a part of our team. If you found a special somepony, we're here to congratulate you, not make fun of you." Clear Skies bobbed her head in agreement and smiled at Rainbow with a genuine warmth.
Rainbow wanted to argue, to deny, but the two looked at her with supportive expressions and happy smiles. They were her friends, her fellow weather ponies. She sighed as a smile crept onto her snout.
Then Cloud popped the sweet moment. "Even if it means I don't have a chance. I didn't know you swung that way, Rainbow."
Rainbow punched him, thudding his side with a hoof. "I didn't have time for anypony, stallion or mare, except maybe the Wonderbolts. Applejack... she... she made time for me."
Clear Skies squealed and flopped onto her back. "Stop! You're killing me with how adorable you are! I hope I meet that special somepony some day, Rainbow."
Cloud rubbed at the sore spot with a hoof gently as he chuckled. "So when's the big day?"
Neither of them had a lot of time for that, Applejack especially. She was always busy getting something done, and neither wanted a big production out of their business, not for that thing... For flying, sure, but Rainbow Dash does not need her personal life blasted across Equestria. "Not yet, and, look. Can you two keep this to yourselves? We're not ready to make this a big deal yet."
It was just then that I realized I had slipped into third person again. Heh, thinking in the third person made everything seem more exciting, like you were reading a Daring Do novel about yourself, doing amazing things.
Clear bobbed her head. "I won't tell anypony, but most of the pegasi are already guessing, Rainbow Dash. You didn't used to spend quite that much time on farms, especially hers. You're..." She hesitated.
Cloud took up where she left off. "You're not that subtle."
I flushed and punched him a new bruise. "What do you mean by that?!"
Cloud squeaked. "Nothing! Nothing, just that you look at her 'that' way. We won't tell anypony if you don't want us to."
I glanced around quickly and felt the urge to talk to Applejack. She'd know what to do about this... and maybe the whole Pinkie Pie adventure. There were a lot of things I wanted to talk to her about. "Uh, yeah, just for now, OK? Gotta go!" I took off in a streak, leaving the two to continue their snooping.
Did everypony really know about it already? I thought I'd been so careful too! Maybe it wasn't that big of a deal... Not like anypony didn't think Applejack was pretty cool too. The two of us together were practically a whirlpool of awesome. Oh Celestia, was Cloud trying to offer himself for studding? Ugh! I pushed the thought out of my head and soared as quickly as I could to Sweet Apple Acres.
I never quite got there. I spotted Applejack trotting along towards it just as I approached the boundary of her farm and dived down to land beside her at the same rate. She jumped lightly in surprise, but didn't stop. "Oh! Hey RD, didn't expect ya back so quick. Ya ready for yer adventure?"
I shrugged softly. "About that... What am I supposed to do, exactly? There are ponies that need cheering up, sure, Pinkie has that covered, but there aren't monsters to kick or punch. There aren't any bad guys to be awesome about, races to win, or... anything for me to do."
Applejack stopped walking and sat on her haunches. She tapped at her chin softly a moment. "Ah reckon somepony aughta show them the ins and outs of bein' a true weather pony."
I pointed at Applejack accusingly. "And somepony should show them the ins and outs of being a true earth pony."
Applejack opened her mouth just to close it and frown with thought. "Ya might have a point there..."
I grunted and swatted at her, but she dodged nimbly out of the way. "Not the point I wanted to make, AJ. Come on... They don't need either of us. They have farms, and they have weather teams. It might not be the best way, but it's their way, and I bet they're proud of it too."
Applejack smiled brightly. "Well hogtie me and leave me to the ants, that was a right thoughtful thing ta say, Rainbow. Yer right, they do have their own way. They're making new traditions, and if it's working out well fer 'em, we should be proud for 'em, not assume we can fix what ain't broke and ignore their accomplishments. But putting that aside a moment, sugarcube, what's really got your dander up?"
I looked up towards the skies, wondering if we were being watched. "The other weatherponies know about us."
Applejack coughed softly and blushed. "Do they now? Ah reckon if they know, half the town knows."
I hadn't thought of that, but she was right. The weather team was a bunch of gossipers. I'd joined in the fun one or twice maybe, on slow days. Don't judge me. "They were asking when we were going to tie the knot, formally."
Applejack walked up to me and leaned in. I could feel my heart picking up as she gently rubbed her sensitive nose against my snout. I could smell that unique mixture of earth, bark, and apple that suffused her. I could get lost in that scent. "Ya already tied mah heart, Rainbow Dash. We can put on a fancy show for everypony else, if'n they like. Is that's what keepin' ya from helpin' Pinkie Pie?"
I perked an ear and considered the last time I rushed off to help Pinkie. It wasn't my brightest moment, but I did make up with an old friend. It was still very uncool. "This isn't really my... thing. You can't out-cool a disease. You can't out-awesome the problems they have. I want to help, really, but what am I going to do besides follow around after Pinkie Pie? It doesn't even sound dangerous, we missed that part. And this time there's no table of fate telling me I have to go."
Applejack frowned thoughtfully, scrunching her face up in that adorable way she had when she put some serious thought into something. "Well... Shoot, how about this. If they can hop back and forth, why don't they offer some of their ponies who want to learn some advanced tricks to come here and learn from us direct? Ah can show them how we do things down on tha farm, and ah reckon ya can show them some tricks up in the air, you and the weather team."
I threw a leg around Applejack's neck and hugged her close. "Now that sounds like a plan! Do you think a lot of them will hop on the chance? Oh! Twilight could teach some magic classes! She loves that kind of thing. This'll work great." I had to talk to Twilight and there wasn't anytime like the present. "I'll talk to her and see what she says!"
I soared back towards Twilight's big purple castle. I wondered a moment if it was purple because she was purple? If I had a castle, would it be cyan with awesome rainbow highlights? That'd be pretty cool. One day I'd earn a castle of my own, but it'd better float in the clouds or I'm going to be so annoyed.