To Jack a Rainbow

by Toraka

Chapter 2

Shortly after, two ponies stood at the door to Ponyville's library, waiting for a response to Rainbow Dash's knocking. Technically, the door was always open, but since Twilight lived in there, her friends figured she'd deserve some privacy.

"Hello? Ah, it's you two. Come in!" The lovers gladly accepted the unicorn's invitation. "What can I help you with?"

"There's somet..." Rainbow hesitated for a moment. It seemed better to bend the truth for now. "Some stuff in Cloudsdale I really want Applejack here to see, but obviously, she's not a pegasus, so could you, like..."

"Recast the cloudwalking spell? Of course! Just remember that it lasts twenty-four hours. I don't think you'd stay up there for that long, but by this time tomorrow, you have to be on the ground or on the back of a pegasus." Twilight began to cast.

"Thanks, Twi'."

The spell was complete quickly. "My pleasure. If you don't mind me asking, Rainbow, what is it she's gotta see that we didn't see on our visit to Cloudsdale for the Best Young Flier competition?"

Rainbow Dash was not prepared for this situation. Hastily, she made up something, still unwilling to tell the truth. "Er... Some things, like for instance... Cloud Candy! You've probably never heard of that, it's available only in pegasus cities..."

Twilight readjusted her mane for better view. "I did read up something on the topic, I think... Well then, have fun!"

---

"Eh, you sure about this?" Applejack was more in doubt than before as she stood on the edge of a fittingly positioned cloud. They were so high up that they were almost at level with Canterlot, which sparkled in the distance as the sun shone on it. Worse than being on such an altitude was that Applejack was supposed to get a lot closer to the ground very quickly. She was a coragious pony and afraid of nothing and nopony except for water, but this still looked intimidating to her.

"Completely. Leave all your doubts and fears like you leave the cloud behind."

"Sure will leave everything behind when Ah splat down on the ground."

"Didn't I explain it to you? You don't have wings, but I do. It's completely safe, I promise!"

"Ah don' reckon Ah wanna know where ya got all o' this?"

"No. I'm gonna position myself now to catch you. Don't hesitate. You won't be able to overcome your fears if you can't trust me." With that, Rainbow Dash jumped backwards off the cloud, head first. About halfway to the ground, she flapped her wings and stopped her fall.

"Guess Ah'll have to trust her on that one. Here goes..." She drew a big breath, held it, closed her eyes, and ran off the edge. Various feelings filled her. Surprise of actually doing that. Fear of the impact.

But not a second after, those left. Applejack's mind was empty. She exhaled, but didn't open her eyes.

Shouldn't Rainbow catch me about now? Applejack decided against worrying. Whatever would happen, she'd accept it.

"Aieee!" Applejack's eyes shot open. Finally, Rainbow Dash had caught her. Not a second later, they had impacted with the ground. Their landing had been much rougher than she'd expected.

"Sugarcube? You okay?" Below her, Rainbow Dash cringed in pain, but was not visibly harmed.

"Y- Yeah. Just give me a moment..."

"What went wrong? Ah don't think ya planned it liket that, didya?"

"Aaah... I just don't know. I wanted to give you as much free fall as possible, so I caught you as late as possible. You're much heavier than I expected, though. No offense."

"Ah, why didn't Ah see that comin'? Of course, yer peggy friends are all so light, I mean..." Applejack lifted Rainbow Dash off the ground without any problems to prove her point. "like... yeah."

Lying in Applejack's hooves on her back, Rainbow examined her body. "Aw, not good. Looks like I hurt my ankle in that landing."

"What? We gotta get you to a hospital, now!"

"Don't overreact. It'll be fine, I just mustn't step on it for some time."

"Yeah, we must get you some walking aids. That's what Ah'm saying."

"You know, like, little wings that allow me to stay off the ground when I want?"

"Er... Oh. Ya sure ya don' need nuthin'? Tha's all my fault... Ah'm sorry."

"No no, it's my fault, really. Even if it were, there's nothing I couldn't forgive you. Except maybe cheating me with all of the Wonderbolts... err, no. Because I love you, Applejack. Can you finally believe me?"

"Ah'm sorry Ah couldn't fer a while. It's jus' all o' them things comin' together at once." Rainbow stood on her hindlegs, wings flapping for support, forelegs spread. Applejack slung herself around her. All doubt was wiped from her mind.

---

He retracted his Hidden Blade after the deed. So that was how it was like. A sudden voice startled him.

"Well done, Mister Miles. We hoped you to bring us closer to a Piece, but the gift you bring back is much bigger. Thank you, Miles, for giving us... The Brotherhood."

"Vidic..."

Rainbow Dash was woken up by a sudden pain. She didn't regret escaping that dream. Why did she have to keep dreaming that one? She didn't even know what species she was supposed to be. It felt similiar to a pony body, but she had no problem staying on two legs.

"Uuuh... Darn ankle!" With the pain forcing her conscious back up, she reconstructed the chain of events. She had to have rolled over and hit her still hurting ankle with speed into something.

She checked her alarm clock. At that time, not even Applejack would be up yet. But, Rainbow figured, now that she was up already, she might as well do something. As soon as she thought that, her body screamed at her to go back to bed. She ignored it.

*But what can I do when I'm up before even the sun?* Balanced on her three good legs, Dash slowly walked outside. It looked incredibly silly. Thankfully, nopony was around. Luna's moon was still out, illuminating the world around her dimly. The rainbow colored waterfalls around her created a very romantic ambiente at night. She'd have to have some snuggle time with Applejack right on that spot some time soon.

Around it, there were the stars. Too many to count. Some closer to each other than others. Forming figures and shapes through the imaginations of ponies. So far off the ground, there was so little light that Dash could even see the milky way.

In moments like those, she didn't understand why Nightmare Moon was ever created. This was just beautiful. Hundreds, thousands, more, of tiny lights. She was mesmerised. Her bad leg obeyed gravity and touched down on the cloud, bringing her back into reality.

Rainbow Dash didn't want to stop already, though. She looked back into the sky and started to identify as many constellations as she could remember. There were not that many she knew, but that didn't discourage her. As her eyes dropped to the mountain Canterlot was built on, she noticed an extremely bright star just behind the castle.

"What's that?" Dash whispered. Somehow, she felt compelled to investigate it. But no matter how she moved in the sky, the star kept it's position just above a balcony. Perhaps if she got past Canterlot, she could pinpoint its location and ask Twilight later.

She stretched out her wings and took off. It was a long flight, but she had nothing else to do, and extra exercise could never hurt. If she was quick, she'd be back before sunrise. Maybe she'd stay a while. They said sunrises were even more beautiful when close to Princess Celestia.

---

This was most strange. Rainbow Dash had lost sight of the star just as she was over Canterlot. She landed on a nearby balcony and started to inspect the night sky to find it again.

The castle was just as tranquil as the sky over Ponyville had been. Only very few windows still had light in them. The moon looked far bigger than it had before due to a church tower that stretched up to where it seemed to touch the celestial object with just its very tip. The marble she was standing on had a railing with gilded orbs over every supporting bar driven into to keep ponies from accidentally falling off.

"Did the night capture your fascination, young pegasus?"

Rainbow Dash whirled around. Standing behind her was nopony less than one of the two known alicorns, Princess Luna. Before she was even fully balanced again, Rainbow dropped her head to the ground with force, hitting her ankle with it. She attempted to ignore the pain, but Luna saw her clenching her teeth.

"Do not bother. Even before my banishment, I found such protocol to be highly unnecessary. I will not BANISH YOU TO THE MOON if you think alike." There was an incredible strength that Luna, seemingly unintentionally, put into the few words where she raised her voice.

She didn't seem to have fully forgiven Celestia. "Now, I can see your pain. Tell me, please, what is your harm?"

"Oh, it's nothing, really. Sorry for intruding like that. I'll be right on my way." Rainbow Dash raised herself, but didn't dare to look Luna in the eye.

"Stay. Was it not my beacon light that brought you here in the first place?"

"Beacon... Really? Wouldn't that wake up everypony?"

"Perhaps if they were not all sleeping through my night. And that even though I spent so much effort decorating the skies... But no, Rainbow Dash. Only the pony I am intent to attract can see it. But back to matters at hoof. You have not yet answered me."

"Eh, heh, it really is nothing, even if I was not speaking with... You. I just fell down somewhere and hurt my ankle. I'll be fine in a few days. I've done this before, trust me."

"How peculiar for a pegasus to come to harm by falling. Did you not win the Best Young Flier competition by doing your second Sonic Rainboom? I think I could see the first one... FROM THE MOON."

"... yeah. That's what they always say."

Luna's lips curled up into a small smile. It was strange to see her like that. "I see. Allow me..." Her horn briefly lit up. When its light ceased, so did the stinging in Rainbow's ankle. "It shall no longer bother you."

"Oh, thank You! You really didn't have to do that."

"It was my pleasure. What drives a young pony such as you out of it's bed at such a time, if I may ask?"

"The wound You just healed woke me up and I didn't feel like going back to sleep. So I came outside to do some stargazing and saw your light."

"I see. It fills my heart with joy to see ponies see the beauty in my night."

"I've always loved looking at the stars. It's just fascinating what constellations they can form. Like, there's the Wagon, Cassiopeia, Ursa Minor..." Rainbow was lost in joy as she rambled, pointing at her favorite constellations.

A chuckle escaped Luna. "I just misnamed half of them, right? I admit it, I'm nowhere near as good at this as Twilight is." Rainbow apologised. Somehow, it felt like she was insulting Luna herself by not correctly naming her stars.

"I am amused, but not at you, Rainbow Dash. I simply find it interesting to see how ponies have changed and renamed the constructs in my absence. Let me tell you how those are originally called."

The minutes flew by as Luna explained every constellation in it's original meaning to the amazed pegasus. She had briefly gone inside to bring out an old map with lines demonstrating how she had once linked the stars. Now, they laid side by side, disregarding any difference in status.

"This one... Oh dear." Luna couldn't contain a blush.

"What is it, Princess?"

"This is a very old constellation, older than the other ones. You should see it... up there. It represents... an old friend."

"Interesting."

"A very good friend, you may say."

"Oh? ... Oh! No way! Really? You drew your crush onto the sky?"

"The things we do when we're young, I suppose."

"And ponies thought this was supposed to be a dragon..."

"I have improved my drawing since then."

"Oh, no doubt. I mean... Eh. By old, how 'old' do you mean exactly? Five thousand ye... hold your tongue, Rainbow."

"I understand that you did not mean to insult. I am well aware of my age, but know, it is not as big as you may expect."

"Kept yourself in good shape."

"Yes, that is one side effect of being an alicorn. You grow normally at first - could you believe I once was the size of normal foals? - but once you're mature, you just stop. Perhaps there was also some conserving effect with the MOON ROCKS."

A picture of a small alicorn with dark blue coat and lighter mane shot into Rainbow's mind, but she soon dismissed it. "No offense, but you keep having... outbursts. Do you wanna talk about it?"

"No, Rainbow Dash. What was done is done and was deserved and just. I must not forgive Celestia for what she has done. I must forgive myself. This is a challenge you cannot assist me with, young one."

"Would you look at the time. It is time for me to lower the moon and make place for Celestia's sun. Thank you, Rainbow Dash, for the diversion you gave me. At risk of repeating myself, it fills me with joy every time I meet some pony who sees more than darkness and danger in my night."

"My pleasure, Princess. I have to thank you for creating it in the first place. To admire. To study... to hide in."

The last use named by Rainbow confused Luna. She decided to act on suspicion.

"La shay' haqiqah."

"Koulo shay' moumkin."

"Indeed. To be honest with you, I would not have expected the Brotherhoof to survive for this long without it's mentor. Nor would I have thought you, of all ponies, to join it."

"Second Tenet. It can be applied for both ponies and secrets. But how did You..."

"I can spot members of a society I have founded myself."

"You? Wow... Hm. Now that you mention it, I've been inactive for some time now, still following the Tenets, of course. But why does the Brotherhoof still exist? I haven't heard of it doing anything in the last century, at least."

"That is what was confusing me."

"... oh well. I'm afraid I have to leave now. I promised a friend to meet her at sunrise."

Emotion spilled out of the pegasus in more ways than she thought possible. Luna picked up some of the more hidden.

A friend in deed... "If you still perform those, this balcony is designed to give the best possible environment for Leaps."

Rainbow leaned over the railing and looked down. Under this balcony, there was free way almost all the way to ground level. Why not... she thought and leaped down as she usually would.

Nod at the bird...

Comments

[stormkiller74]

awesome