//------------------------------//
// Chapter 15: The Great & Complicated Idea 
// Story: City Scape 
// by TigerSwirl448 
//------------------------------//


Chapter 15
The Great & Complicated Idea


~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~





The twins, Flitter and Cloud Chaser, leaped their way over gaps and jumped over ac units as they made their way deep into Low Town to visit Cheerilee's orphanage. It had been several weeks since Rainbow's last visit, and with all the talk of disappearances, Thunderlane decided to have the twins go and see how the orphans were holding up. But this was more than just a cordial visit.

One of their regulars hadn't been showing up at HQ for some time. Scootaloo would usually spend all her free time hanging with Dash and the other couriers to learn their trade. That was the case, until she abruptly stopped coming around a few weeks back. Initially, most speculated that she had simply found something else to occupy her young mind. 

But as time went on without even a simple explanation for the absence, the couriers began wonder just what Scootaloo had gotten herself into. Thunderlane had checked the GSF's records to see if she had done something stupid and got arrested, but had found nothing through the usual channels. Having done everything they could on their end, it was Pinkie who had stated that the next logical step would be to “check the place she lives at”.

They both came to a halt atop one of the many dilapidated brownstones that dotted the horizon of Low Town. It was the last place to take a rest before they had to drop down and take surface streets the rest of the way to their destination. Chaser took advantage of this by grabbing her water bottle from her bag and squirting some water into her mouth. After gulping down her fill, she offered the bottle to Flitter.

"You know," Cloud Chaser started while her sister drank. "Now that I think about it, Scootaloo was almost always messing with us at HQ. What do you think is keeping her away?" 

Flitter lowered the bottle and shook her head. "I don't know. Perhaps Cheerilee finally found a way of keeping Scootaloo there for schooling?"

The two girls gave each other a deadpanned look.

"Nah!" they said at once in agreement.

Cloud Chaser was only silent for a few seconds before voicing another thought. “Think she was adopted?”

Flitter rolled her eyes while tossing the empty water bottle back to its owner. “Scootaloo, adopted? I'd pay to see someone brave enough to take her in. I bet she would fake being a brat just to keep from leaving. She likes Dash way too much.”

“Nah,” Chaser giggled. “She's exactly like Dash. Now, enough speculating, street's right down there.”

The twins scanned the horizon one last time, and descended to street level. From there, they jogged their way through several tight, litter strewn alleyways until they reached the aforementioned street. From there, the layout of the city opened up into empty lots filled with rusted out cars and all matter of junk that nobody wanted anymore. Except for one. 

The gated and chain link fenced in lot – while nowhere near perfect – was a welcoming sight when compared with its dower surroundings. The former schoolhouse was certainly better kept than the neighboring buildings, and the attached playground had some decent – albeit rusty – equipment inside. Plus, it was the only place that didn't have a trashy stench coming from it.   

But Cloud Chaser felt that something was amiss. If there were as many orphans as Rainbow and Scoots had stated, then shouldn't there be at least a few outside...?

"Flitter?" Cloud Chaser continued to stare into the playground with skepticism. "Aren't there usually kids out here?"

Flitter shrugged. "Don’t know. Only Dash comes here. They could be napping for all we know."

Cloud Chaser shuddered while rubbing her arms. "Well to me, seeing no kids at an orphanage just makes it creepy. I mean-” Chaser gasped. “Cheerilee's been sick, right? You don't think its some kind of virus!?”

Flitter gave her a flat look. “A virus.”

“Yeah, like, a really nasty one.”

“I doubt that.”

“But we haven't been in this part of town in months. What if there is some kind of sickness going around?”

"Seriously, take a chill pill and relax!" Flitter snapped. "There is no sickness. Heck, Cheerilee could be better for all we know!”

“I-it could be like in that movie-!”

Flitter wheeled around to face her twin with a pointed finger. “That's it, no more horror flicks for you.”

Chaser visibly pouted as her sister pushed in the wrought iron gate with a metallic screech from its worn hinges. “Lets just get in, find Scoots, and get on with our runs.”

Flitter strode down the short path to the orphanage while Chaser followed closely behind. The closer they got to the front door, though, the slower the pace became. From a few feet away, the twins could see that something wasn't right. When they closed the distance and got right up to the door, they could see that it wasn't shut fully and was sitting at a bit of an angle.

Flitter looked to her sister with trepidation.

"The door... it's been kicked in." 

Cloud Chaser gulped as the two peeked around the ajar door. There was light coming through the gap, and there were sounds of habitation inside, specifically from children. With a shrug, Flitter examined the door for any other damage as Cloud Chaser knocked lightly on its wooden surface.

"Knock, knock, anyone home?" She called while gently pushing the door open. 

Once Chaser had went inside, Flitter could get a decent view of the doorframe. Where the latch would usually be had been rendered into a deep, splintery gouge. It had obviously failed to keep intruders out, but Flitter hoped that a busted door was the only lasting damage.
Once they both had entered, a young girl walked over and smiled, recognizing the twins' vibrant clothes.

"Hi!" 

Not wanting to startle the young greeter, Chaser smiled disarmingly. "Um hi, I'm Cloud Chaser, and this is my sister, Flitter. We’re looking for Miss Cheerilee and Fluttershy." 

"Oh," The girl said sadly. "They’re upstairs. Miss Cheerilee is sick."

Chaser inhaled sharply, but before she could ask if Cheerilee had gotten worse, her sister asked a different question.

"What’s your name sweetie?" 

"Misty." The girl replied smiling. "I'm six."

Flitter was confused as to why she would also state her age, but then noticed that there weren't any other orphans around apart from Misty and a few others. None of them appeared to be older than ten years of age, which begged the question...

"Where are the older kids?"

"Gone," Misty replied simply.

Flitter was aghast. "Gone? What do you mean gone?"

Misty shuddered. "Scary monsters came and took them away."

Flitter knelt down gently to the little girl's level. "Monsters huh? What did they look like?" 

"They were black, shiny monsters. With guns that were so loud!" she exclaimed while covering her ears.

"What is going on down-" The twins and Misty looked up the stairs to see Fluttershy with a grim expression and holding what appeared to be a revolver in her hand. She sighed with relief when she saw who it was that had entered the building.

"Oh I'm sorry, I thought you were burglars."

"Fluttershy, what happened?" Flitter asked.

"And where'd you get the gun?" Cloud Chaser asked in shock. From what she heard from Dash, Fluttershy despised keeping weapons anywhere near the kids. 
 
Fluttershy looked at the revolver and sighed sadly. "Cheerilee bought this years ago for protection. We didn't need to use it up until recently. Luckily, no shots fired... yet anyway."

"Where's Cheers? Misty here told us she’s still sick... did she get worse?" Flitter asked worriedly.

Fluttershy sighed and descended the rest of the stairs to them. "Men and women in police armor came and took all of the elder children. Cheerilee got hurt in the struggle, and has been steadily getting worse ever since." 

"How long ago was this?" 

"Three weeks." She replied.

Flitter cursed softly. “Shit, that's about the time she stopped showing up.”

Fluttershy gripped the revolver a little tighter. “They just... kicked the doors in... and took the oldest ones. They packed them into a trailer... like animals.”

"Miss Fluttershy! Miss Fluttershy!"

Fluttershy was unable to elaborate any further when one of the remaining orphans – a little boy, ran over while sniffing and holding a cup. "I'm thirsty."

Fluttershy bit her lip while reaching out to stroke his head. Flitter then noticed just how greasy he looked. Another look revealed that the other children looked just as filthy. Even Fluttershy looked like she hadn't had a shower in some time.

"Our water was cut off last week." Fluttershy answered the unasked question. "And with winter coming, it's going to get more difficult."
The twins were in shock. Why a basic utility such as water would be denied to an orphanage of all things was beyond them. Living in Low Town was always a challenge, and resources were never easy to come across. But running a full blown orphanage without any access to fresh water would be next to impossible.

"This is bad." Cloud Chaser looked her sister's way. "If they took the older kids, then cut off the water... what do you think?"

Flitter frowned, then reached for her IPod communicator. "I have some idea why, but right now, we need to report this." She placed her ear bud in her ear and took the mic piece. "Thunderlane, its Flitter. We have a huge problem."

Cloud Chaser turned to Fluttershy watching her hug the boy. "Don’t worry Shy, we got you're back... all of us.” 

Fluttershy smiled softly. “Thank you.” 

Cloud Chaser smiled sadly and got Flitter's attention.

"Tell Thunderlane to find Rainbow. She needs to know what’s going on."


~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~


The small table was hardly a hindrance as Rainbow Dash vaulted over it and landed with a squat on the other side – just missing all the expensive equipment nearby. With a cocky grin, she faced her rooftop companion. “See. No biggie.”

"Rainbow, I know you said you want to teach me but... this might be a bit extreme." 

Great, she thinks the table is extreme.

"It's simple, really. You just leap frog over the table."

"But Rainbow, I'm nowhere near as athletic as you."

"Come on Twi, just try it. Please?" 

Twilight sighed in defeat, finding herself unable to resist Dash's wry grin. "Okay, okay. But if I fall, we stop."

Rainbow shrugged. "Yeah whatever, I know you can do it. Just get a running start."

For the past week, whenever she had the free time, Rainbow had been coming up to the mainframe to see Twilight. Without a whole lot to do up on the roof, Dash had been practicing and showing off every free running maneuver she knew of. Naturally, these death defying stunts grabbed the attention of Twilight, who professed that she wished she could do the very same.

And this ended up with Rainbow training Twilight in the art of free running. For every technique shown, the scientist would furiously type several pages worth of notes into her laptop attempting to detail how said technique was mathematically impossible to pull off – only for the runner to laugh maniacally before pulling off something even crazier. 

But Rainbow knew that even with Twilight studying her every move, it wouldn't pay off until there was some active participation. That was why the table was cleared off and dragged out into the open. It was the simplest move she knew of, and Twilight was already balking. 
The woman in question had retreated back to the water tank. She wrung her hands nervously, trying to build up enough courage to go. With a resigned sigh, she bent her knee into a runners stance and rushed toward the cleared off table. When she jumped and her feet left the ground, whatever small tidbits of information that Rainbow had shared earlier ceased coursing through her mind.

As soon as she felt the table underfoot, Twilight tensed her legs and basically fell into a crumpled heap onto the rough wood. She remained on hands and knees, gasping as she looked around. Those gasps soon turned into tiny whoops of joy. She had done it! She had done... whatever it was that Rainbow had asked of her. But the cackling laughter nearby told a different story.

“Ha ha! You're face! So serious!”

“Hey, I did what you asked!”

Rainbow took a few seconds to get herself under control before speaking. "Well, I guess you made it on the table. Now you just need to leap frog over it."

Twilight flushed with embarrassment as she got off the table. "Show me again," she ordered.

Rainbow nodded. "Alright." 

The professional backpedaled several paces, then she zipped her jacket to prevent any loose fabric from interfering. After an exaggerated stretching routine, she got into her own runners position. Unlike Twilight, Dash took off like a rocket at the table. The blue blur rapidly closed the distance, but rather than jump onto the table...

Twilight watched as Rainbow pushed off the ground into a horizontal dive over the obstacle. It looked like she wouldn't make it all the way over, but her hands came down to arrest her fall while she tucked her legs up to her body. When her palms hit the wood, she immediately pushed off the tabletop and landed on the other side on all fours like a frog on the floor. 

Rainbow then leaped up to her feet, spun herself around, and bowed. “See! Easy as pie.”

"Wow," Twilight whispered while shaking her head. "I don't think I can do that that quickly Rainbow."

Rainbow sighed. "Come on, you can't do it if you keep doubting yourself. You have to... let your body move on its own. Anyone can do this Twilight, you just got to let yourself go, and do it."

As the runner grabbed her shoulder in a friendly, encouraging manner, Twilight swore that the chilly air temperature had gone up several degrees in a second. She could feel a sheen of sweat on her forehead, and her palms had slicked up as well. The sun was beginning to dip below the horizon, so the temperature should be dropping...

Twilight let out a tense gasp, and rushed over to her laptop bag. "Oh dear, I have to get back! I have reports to write before I go to bed, and I have to get them sent to Celestia first thing in the morning." 

As her new friend haphazardly stuffed her laptop and other assorted devices into the bag, Rainbow allowed herself a disappointed grimace. Spending time with Twilight was a refreshing break from having to personally deal with idiot contacts who always tried to weasel their way out paying her group in full and other day to day shenanigans. Oh well, there would always be another day.

"Well, um, I'll see you tomorrow, right?"

Twilight shook her head. "No, not tomorrow."

"Why not?" 

Twilight sighed. "I have much to prepare. Tomorrow is Nightmare Night, and I was invited to a party. I have to find a dress and everything, and that’ll take all day."

Rainbow blinked in surprise at that. "What? Nightmare Night with no costumes?"

Twilight smiled a touch. "No I'm afraid not. They said it was a black tie event. No costumes. I was told, however, that I can invite one person. But I don't really know anyone here in the city."

“Where is this party?”

“Cloudsdale Plaza.”

Twilight was suddenly concerned when she saw Dash's eyes glaze over in quiet reverie. She stared off into space, the corners of her mouth moving slightly as if mentally reciting something in her head. But just as it occurred to Twilight just what her offhanded answer could mean, Rainbow suddenly – and vocally – came back to her senses.

“Crap! I almost forgot! I have a final delivery to make. I-I'll catch you later, Twilight!”

With that, Rainbow bolted – straight off the building and leaving Twilight to her own bewildered devices. 

"Oh..." She whispered sadly. "I was going to ask her to come... I guess it wouldn’t have been such a good idea anyway." 

Twilight hefted her pack and walked to the roof edge. True, it probably wouldn't have worked out, considering Rainbow didn't seem to fit into the rigid mold of Cloudsdale society, but it would have been nice to have a friend there with her amongst so many strangers.

She sighed sadly, and began descending the fire escape, the sudden excitement for writing notes fading away with each downward step.


~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~


“No! No more! This ends tonight!”

Rarity clung to the edge of her seat like ivy as the climax of the movie that her and Applejack were watching began to play out. The wife, fed up with years of torment at the hands of her deranged husband, was now making her final stand – with gun in hand. While Rarity was almost trembling with anticipation at the new development, the same could not be said of her own lover.

Applejack stifled a yawn while struggling to keep her eyes open. After a long and stressful day on the job, she wanted to do nothing other than curl up in bed and sleep it off. But she promised Rarity a movie night, and had figured that she still had enough energy to keep her word. That was two hours ago, and her eyelids had just about given out. Maybe I could just... rest my eyes...

She only got a few seconds of reprieve before an obnoxious rap at the front door coupled with the gun going off on TV caused her to almost hit the ceiling with a terrified yell. Rarity also jumped, then glared back and snapped. “Applejack, honestly!”

Applejack wanted to retort in defense, but the knocking renewed with added vigor. She took a bewildered look at her watch to see that it was getting close to midnight.  

"Who would be knocking this late?" She whispered while reaching under the coffee table to pull out a small pistol that was taped to the underside. 

Applejack wasn't the biggest fan of having a loaded weapon in anything other than a holster, but apart from on-duty security forces, the citizenry were barred from possessing firearms. She wasn't even allowed to bring her duty gun home, so the black market special would have to do.

With gun in hand, Applejack rose from the couch and walked towards the door, chambering a round with a muted clack in the process. She could also hear Rarity abandoning the movie she had already seen before and moving safely off into the kitchenette – just like they had practiced. 

Having had enough of the racket, Applejack barked out. “Yeah, yeah, I'm coming!”

Now at the door, she got in a good defensive position before inching it open for a peek outside. Her eyes weren't greeted by some trouble making punk or would be home invader as she had feared, but the bright blue jacket and shock of rainbow hair was unmistakable. What is she doing here?

She made to shut the door in her face, but a sneakered foot found its way through the gap and halted Applejack's progress completely. “Damn it, Dash! What the hell are you doing here?! Didn't I tell you-!” 

"Hear me out, AJ!" Rainbow almost shouted. "I need your help!"

"Help?" Applejack glared, not budging an inch as Rainbow tried to squeeze herself through the opening. "Why would I help you!? Why should I help...?"

As Applejack got a better look at Dash's desperate expression through the gap, she took a pause. She knew that Rainbow hated the middle and upper class districts, and would need a very good reason to venture into them. If whatever issue she had was serious enough to have her running to Applejack's doorstep, then it was probably serious for the ex-runner too.

"Something going on with the others?"

Rainbow shook her head. "No, nothing like that. It's personal."

Applejack quirked her brow. "Personal?" 

"Yeah," Rainbow replied with difficulty. "Can we talk inside please? I-I don't want anybody else to hear."

Applejack bit her lip with uncertainty. Did she really want to risk her new life on the ground over an old friend's personal issues? Eventually, she relented – her tired mind deciding that five minutes inside wouldn't hurt anyone. And Rare would have a field day if she heard I'd snubbed somebody's feelings.

"Alright, come in." 

With entry now admitted, Rainbow quickly passed through and just about stepped off the welcome mat before Applejack stopped her with and outstretched hand. "Take off your shoes." 

Rainbow looked down at her favorite sneakers, then slid them off her feet and over to where the other pairs of shoes resided. “Heh, my bad.”

With Dash now inside, Applejack locked up the door back up, after which she safetied her gun.

"Applejack?" 

The worried tone in Rarity's voice helped Applejack remember how Dash's last visit to their home had went. With the strange woman from before now in their home, she had every right to be concerned. 

Applejack walked over to her and whispered something into her ear, making sure the new guest wouldn't be able to hear. After a few more seconds, Rarity nodded and addressed Rainbow.

"Well, since we have a guest, let’s not waste another second hanging around the front door. Make yourself at home.” 

With that, Rarity turned on her heel and went back into the kitchen.

“Come on, Rainbow.” Applejack led the way into the living area. “Let's talk.”

As soon as they reached the expensive leather sofa, Applejack exchanged her pistol with the remote on the coffee table and turned off the television. She then collapsed into the sofa, and patted the cushion next to her.

“Rainbow, would you like something to drink, dear?”

Dash pulled her gaze from the offered seat to see Rarity poking her head out the kitchen doorway. She cleared her throat. “Um, sure. Thanks.”

Before Rarity could ask what kind of drink Rainbow preferred, Applejack butted in with her own answer.

"Just give her water." 

Applejack could see her lover grit her teeth for a split second, before it was replaced by a forced grin. “I see. You're strict rules?”
Applejack smirked back. “Don't you know it.”

“Yeah, uh...” Rainbow nervously stuttered. “Water's fine.”

Once Rarity went to retrieve the water, Applejack cut right to the chase. "So, Rainbow? What's this thing you need help with?" 

Rainbow was silent as Rarity came back with two tall glasses of water and offered one to her. She took the glass and took a sip that turned into a long pull. She had been so fixated on getting to Applejack's place that she had forgotten to keep hydrated. After drinking down to the halfway point, she stopped and saw that her old friend hadn't touched the other glass on the table. Her green eyes were imploring Rainbow to say whatever it was that she had come to say.

"Does she have to hear?" Rainbow asked worriedly.

Applejack turned to Rarity, then smirked. "Yes, she can listen."

Rainbow glared as Rarity frowned. "Jack."

"Oh come on, what's the worst thing that could happen?" 

“Applejack!” Her partner warned.

Applejack held up her hands in defeat. “Alright, alright.”

Rarity squeezed the bridge of her nose as she turned and left the living area with some parting words. “I swear, you are so childish sometimes.”

Yeah, well...you're just...

Applejack's thought process trailed off when she remembered what started the little spat in the first place. With a neutral expression, she addressed the elephant in the room.

"Alright, Dash, she's gone. Now what is going on?" 

Rainbow sighed, not bothering to take a seat.

"You see, um..." She kept giving glances towards the kitchen that Rarity had disappeared into. Once she was certain that she wasn't about to come back, the courier let her tensed shoulders fall.

"There's someone... I like." She began.

"Yeah? And?" Applejack coaxed.

"And this person is going to a party tomorrow night. And I thought I could go too, but..."

Applejack held up a silencing hand. "Hold up. Just who is this person?” 

She couldn't be bothered to hide her sideways glance as she asked her next question. “And since when did you fall in love?"
Rainbow blushed harshly at her guess. Applejack smirked. "I see, so you are in love. Who is this guy? I thought you dislike guys?" She suddenly gasped. "Is it Flash?!"

"Wha – h-hell no! What kinda person do you take me for?!" 

Applejack's raucous laughter filled the room as Rainbow's face turned several shades deeper into the red department. But Dash also couldn't stop her own grin – It had been far too long since had heard that crazy laugh.

And she was also quick to dismiss her question. "No, never with Flash."

"Ah okay, okay." Applejack said with a cough from her laugh. "So who, then?"

Rainbow's only response was to begin toying with her jacket zipper. Applejack may have been out of the loop for some time, but she still knew exactly how Dash functioned when she was trying to hide things. Whelp, if she doesn't want to say, then she can take this elsewhere. 

Rainbow bit her lip. “This person... she's new to town, and-"

"A she?!" 

The loud exclamation made Dash freeze up mid-speech, her jaw hanging limply.

"Wait a minute, you love a girl?" Applejack laughed heartily.

"Applejack honestly!" Rarity exclaimed as she walked back into the room while glaring at her lover. "That is rude!"

"Rude?" Applejack gasped, laughing still. "Rude?! Do you know what kind of crap I heard from her after I admitted to her and my gang that I was in love with you?" Applejack stood up as Rainbow covered her beet colored face.

"I find it ironic that she had the nerve to call me out on loving a woman, but she ends up loving a woman herself!" She bent over on her knees laughing. "It's hilarious!"

While Rainbow continued to bask in her shame. Rarity slowly walked over to her significant other, and smacked her upside the head, just hard enough to silence her cackling. 

"Oww! That hurt!" 

But Rarity wasn't finished. To Rainbow's astonishment, the smaller woman literally grabbed Applejack by the ear, and dragged her off the sofa and across the room.

"Oww, oww! Rarity, please!" She exclaimed as Rarity dragged her around a corner and out of sight. 

With some concern mixed with mild amusement, Rainbow followed the action to the doorway they had disappeared into. She peeked around the corner just enough to see Rarity standing with her back turned blocking another doorway. 

"Take a shower and cool off, and don't come back out until you have a civil attitude!" Rarity ordered before shutting the door.
Rainbow was already back in her original spot by the time Rarity returned with an apologetic frown on her face. 

"Sorry about all that, but... I swear, was she always this unpredictable?" She asked.

Rainbow cleared her throat and shrugged. "I kinda had it coming."

"Nonsense, dear. There’s no shame in it."

"In what?" Rainbow asked.

"Loving another young woman."

Rainbow blushed, coughing into her fist. "Um, yeah. I knew that."

Rarity smiled softly at her. "Well, we weren't properly introduced since... you know..."

Rainbow nodded. "Yeah, I guess."

"You're Rainbow Dash." She said, taking Rainbow’s hand and shaking it. "Applejack has told me many stories about the two of you as children. By the way she talked, it was like you two were attached at the hip or something.”

Rainbow grinned. "Well, we were all we had growing up. Like sisters."

Rarity chuckled. "Well, I'm Rarity. Hmm...? I take it you recently started having these, erm, feelings, so you went to the closest authority figure you knew of on the subject, correct?"

Rainbow shrugged. "I guess you can put it that way. I figured AJ could help me out."

"Do you like this girl?" 

Rainbow nodded. "Yeah, she's nice, smart... fun to be with."

"And?" Rarity egged on, nudging her elbow to Rainbow’s arm. Rainbow blushed as she finally took a seat on the couch.

"I want to know her more. I want to hang out with her. She's... from the outside, outside this city. I find her... oh, what is the word I’m looking for?"

"Interestin'?" 

The two halted their conversation as Applejack casually re-entered the room with an amused expression.

"What did I say-" Rarity began as Applejack held up her hands.

"Hey, I'm done. But I won't apologize for what I said."

Rainbow shrugged. "I deserved that lip."

Applejack smiled. "So who is this girl? I mean, there aren’t a whole lotta folks coming from outside the city... unless..." Applejack paused with worry, seeing that Rainbow was playing with her zipper again and avoiding all possible eye contact.

"Who is she?"

“Well...”

"Tell me her name."

Rainbow looked to Applejack, then sighed. "Her name is Twilight Sparkle... she’s going to a ball tomorrow night and I want to go with her."
Applejack's mouth dropped open. "You have a crush on the Purple Eye Sore?!"

"Applejack!" Rarity exclaimed. "How many times do I have to tell you not to call that girl by that uncouth name?"

Rainbow sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck. "Yeah... that's her."

Applejack looked mortified as she shook her head. "Dash, that girl has bad news all over her."

Rarity scoffed. "Applejack, you're overreacting. She seems like a nice girl to me."

"She probably is a nice girl, but that's not the trouble I meant." Applejack replied with an even tone, turning back to Rainbow. "She’s being watched like a hawk, Dash. From the lowest ranks all the way to the top. Even Gilda Griffin has an eagle eye on her. And some are even speculating... in the romantic light."

Rainbow and Rarity both stared at her in surprise.

"Really?" Rarity gasped. "My goodness."

"Anyway, don't repeat that." Applejack snarled. "It's all just a rumor." 

She addressed Dash once more. "So, you want help in what, exactly? If you already forgotten, Dash, you're a criminal in the Griffs wording of criminal. So how are you going to be with this girl with dozens of snipers watching your every move?"

Rainbow bit her lip. "I forgot about that." 

Applejack was about to make a jab about how the leader of the couriers could have made such an oversight, but a cheerful, sing-songed word stopped her.

“Ideea~!”

Rarity rushed over to Rainbow. "I'll give you a total makeover!"

"A what?!" Rainbow and Applejack both shouted.

"Look at this!" Rarity exclaimed, grabbing Rainbow’s shoulder and looking her up and down. "Hmm, a bit of a tricky piece here, but I bet you money I can take this girl from street urchin and transform her into a sophisticated young woman!"

Rainbow's complexion went as pale as a sheet. She looked to Applejack, hoping for her to come up with a better plan that didn't involve a total makeover. Applejack did protest, but not necessarily in Dash's defense.

“Now hold on just a second, Rare! I'm all for giving an old friend advice, but helping her break god knows how many laws to sneak into a government function is pushing it.” 

“Oh, pfft. Applejack, this is a Nightmare Night party, not some secret meeting of agents. I know how to make people look right at home. Why, when I'm through with Rainbow, not even you will recognize her.”

Applejack still wasn't wholly convinced. “Rarity, I don't doubt for a second that you can make Rainbow Dash fit right in, but just getting her past security would be a real chore, and that's not counting biometrics!”

“Can I say something?”

Before they could get any further into an argument, both Rarity and Applejack silenced themselves to hear out Rainbow. With the latter's silent blessing, Dash took her chance to speak.

“You don't need to worry about any of that, I can get past those guys easily enough. And if there are biometrics or whatever, Thunderlane can easily hack his way through it.”

Applejack was conflicted. She didn't like how haphazardly things were coming along, nor the fact that more people were being dragged in by the minute. But she also knew – having been there herself – that love was a powerful force, and that Dash would act on it with or without help. It wasn't the greatest decision, but Applejack felt that not supporting her would lead to bigger issues down the line.

She rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “Yeah... apart from a head-on attack, that's about the only way I can think of to get through – well – that and a slick disguise.”

“Urgh, could we do this without a total makeover?”

Rarity looked at Rainbow like she had just spoken a foreign language. “Not a chance. You want this date, correct?”

“Um...”

“That's what I thought, and a complete renewal is the only way.”

Applejack nodded. "Okay, I'm still convinced that this is a bad idea. But, you know what, it's been a long time since you've done anything like this Rare. Are you sure you're up to it? Also, we still need an okay from Dash."

Rarity blushed harshly as she cleared her throat. "Of course, Rainbow, would you like me to help you change your look? I promise that no one will know it's you." 

Rainbow turned to Applejack for help but the older woman shrugged.

"It's up to you. Personally, I don't like this one bit – too many ways it could go south. But, if you choose help you'll get that date with your friend without being arrested on the spot." Applejack winked.

Rainbow turned to Rarity to see her insanely big grin and excited, sparkling eyes. The courier was way out of her comfort zone on this one, but the allure of being with Twilight was too much of a tug to ignore.

"Alright," She sighed. "Let's do it." Rarity cheered while Applejack smirked. "Just don't touch the jacket or the hair, got it. They're my symbols."

Applejack snickered. "You don't seem to understand just how total this transformation has to be. For you to not get caught, we have to change everything, even you're name."

"Agreed!" 

"Wait... What?!"