Shard: Harmony in the Clouds

by Hopeful_Ink_Hoof

Up Into the Clouds

Seven ponies sat in the basket of the balloon as it floated up into the air. Fluttershy was holding onto Luna, keeping a grip on her as the filly looked down, watching Equestria passing by far down below with her wings fluttering excitedly. Twilight Sparkle sat in the basket with two books and a quill, taking notes as she read. Applejack was pressed down against the bottom of the basket, seeming to try and grip the wicker as tight as she could. Rarity let out a smirk as she watched Rainbow Dash.

"Dash, darling," Rarity said, "if you like the way she looks that much, perhaps you should ask her out when we're finished."

"It's not like that!" Rainbow Dash snapped. "It's just..."

She sighed and rubbed her head.

"I'm sorry, Pinkie. It's just kind of weird for me seeing you like this."

"You don't like it?" Pinkie Pie asked, looking at herself. At the moment, Pinkie Pie was not pink, nor did she look like an earth pony. Instead she was a white-coated pegasus with a poofy blond mane and tail instead.

"Not like that," Rainbow Dash responded. "It's just that I've either seen you as you or pretending to be another pony as a joke. I didn't know you had something like this." She motioned a hoof at the changeling disguised as a pegasus.

"Well I can't very well walk around on clouds without looking like a pegasus," Pinkie Pie stated.

"I suppose," Rainbow Dash conceded, turning her head.

"Uh... you okay, AJ?"

"I can't believed I agreed to this," Applejack growled. "I'm an earth pony and a farmer. I belong on the ground, where it's safe and solid. I don't belong in the sky. And I certainly shouldn't be heading for a bunch of clouds."

"Don't worry," Twilight said, not looking up from her books. "I am about eighty-five percent certain you'll be fine."

"Eighty-five?" Applejack asked, looking at Twilight with a raised eyebrow.

"Well..." Twilight looked away from the book, staring up at the balloon, "admittedly, the cloud-walking spell was made to work on ponies. There is a possibility that it will not work on your bio-mechanical augmentations."

"What?" Applejack squeaked out, eyes going wide. "You mean I might fall to my death because of these doohickeys?"

"Not how I would have said it," Twilight responded, "but it is a possibility, yes."

"That's it. I'm done. See y'all back in Ponyville."

"Applejack, dear," Rarity said, "just relax. The worst that can happen is that the instant you step on Cloudsdale, you pass through and plummet toward the ground."

"You're not helping," Applejack growled.

"I'm not finished," Rarity continued. "Were that to happen, I am certain that Rainbow Dash would be more than willing to catch you before you hit the ground. At best, she will be able to set you safely on the ground unharmed." She smirked. "At worst, you will be able to take her with you."

"Thanks," Rainbow Dash grumbled, crossing her front legs and glaring at Rarity.

"Well we're here," Twilight announced.

The others all turned to look. There before them was a beautiful city. It had long, spiraling towers and wide spaces, all made out of fluffy white clouds. Small rainbows crossed the sky, connecting some of the towers to others. All around them, pegasus ponies flew through the air.

"Oh, it's lovely," Rarity said, staring at it.

Twilight Sparkle turned to Applejack.

"If you want, I can hold you with my magic until we are certain you won't fall through."

"Or," Applejack suggested, "we could just stay here and let Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy go get it."

"Or buck," Rainbow Dash groaned. "Fluttershy, I'm sorry. I didn't think about the fact that-" She stopped when Fluttershy held up a hoof.

"It's fine," Fluttershy replied. "Really. It's been a long time since then."

"Since when?" Luna asked.

"Fluttershy and I met at a flight camp here in Cloudsdale when we were foals," Rainbow Dash explained. "The... uh... other campers weren't too... 'friendly' toward her because of what she was."

"Rainbow Dash was sort of my only friend," Fluttershy continued. "She stood up for me... well... Until Princess Temporal showed up and took me with her to Canterlot."

"Well now we can show them," Luna said as she climbed toward the edge of the basket. "And if anypony makes fun of you, I'll see to it they are sent to the dungeons. The deepest dungeons. The deepest dungeons in the coldest regions. The deepest dungeons in the coldest regions of the farthest edges."

"I don't think we have to go that far," Fluttershy said with a grin, "but thank you for caring. Now we really should get going."

Fluttershy helped Luna out of the basket and onto the cloud before climbing out herself. She was followed by Rainbow Dash and the pegasus disguised Pinkie Pie.

"Okay." Twilight's horn began to glow. "Applejack, you go ahead. I'll catch you if you fall through."

"Alright." Applejack closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She climbed out of the basket and pressed a hoof against the clouds. Pushing down, she felt the cloud sink a little before stopping. She put down her other hoof and felt the same thing happen. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and held it. With a step forward, she placed her metal hooves on the cloud.

A moment passed, and Applejack was still standing there, causing multiple sighs of relief.

"Great," Rainbow Dash said. "Now we just need to visit the weather factory and see if that thing actually is-"

"Rainbow Dash!" a voice shouted out.

Before any of the ponies could respond, a light green hoof struck Rainbow Dash in the jaw, knocking her off her hooves.

Standing there was a pale green pegasus mare with two-tone orange mane. Her eyes were narrowed to slits and she bared her teeth at Rainbow Dash.

"What the hay, LD?!" Rainbow Dash yelled as she got back to her hooves.

"Don't call me that! You are not allowed to call me that any more!"

"Fine!" Dash snapped. "Lightning Dust! Whatever! Still doesn't answer the question."

"I told you if I ever saw you again I would make sure you regretted betraying me," Lighting Dust yelled.

"Are you still on that? It was years ago for crying out loud!"

"Yes I'm still on that! You ruined my life."

"I don't have time for this," Rainbow Dash said with a sigh. With a flick of her wings, she took to the air. Rainbow Dash flew toward Lightning Dust, curving toward the blocking mare's left. Suddenly, Rainbow Dash bolted to the right and past Lightning Dust.

"Come on," Rainbow Dash called out behind her.

Lightning Dash glared at the fleeing pegasus as the others moved past her.

"This isn't over," Lightning Dash yelled at the back of the seven mares. "I will make sure you pay for this. Just you wait and see."

"What was that about?" Applejack asked as she caught up to their rainbow maned friend.

"It's a long story," Rainbow Dash replied, "and one I'm not interested in sharing. Can... can we just wait get this taken care of? If you really want to know, I'll tell you. Back home, at Rarity's club, over drinks."

The others looked among themselves and at Rainbow Dash curiously. None of them felt like pushing the subject further. As such, they kept quiet for the moment as they continued to make their way toward the Cloudsdale Weather Factory.