The handful of non-pegasii who live in Cloudsdale survive off a steady supply of cloudwalking potion. Now those potions are failing - can Rainbow Dash and Applejack discover the cause before even more ponies fall?
Not every pony who lives in Cloudsdale is a pegasus. Some are unicorn or earth foals born to pegasus parents; some have been drawn there for employment or love; some simply see it as home and follow their dreams to the clouds.
All survive their days through a regular diet of cloudwalking potions.
And lately - here and there - those potions have begun to mysteriously fail.
It was only supposed to be Rainbow Dash who was dispatched by Princess Twilight to investigate, but even her plans never go as expected. Because Applejack isn't letting her marefriend charge into danger alone.
Contrary to popular belief, not every pony who lives in Cloudsdale is a pegasus.
Some are unicorn and earth foals born to pegasi parents by a fluke of genetics; some have come there for employment or for love; some simply feel it is their home, even with all the problems. Each of those ponies lives in Cloudsdale thanks to a steady supply of cloudwalking potions that supplement their daily diet. Though not cheap, it allows life in the clouds for a handful.
A handful that has lately shrunk faster than normal - heralded each time by a panicked, descending scream.
Applejack arriving early for a meeting of the Council of Friendship wasn't that unusual - she was late more often than early, but it was usually Rainbow Dash's fault when she did. And Dash wasn't with her today.
It turned out very quickly that her marefriend's absence was why she was early.
"Twilight, you know Ah ain't one to stick my nose where it ain't supposed to be, but Ah've been patient for near on two weeks. So don't take it too hard when Ah ask - where in the sam hill's Rainbow Dash?" The words left Applejack's mouth in concert with her entering the throne room, each syllable a hoofstep.
Twilight stopped halfway down from her throne in mild confusion, her warm greeting thrown entirely off-track. "I'm... sorry? Applejack, what are you talking about?"
The farmhand trotted towards the dias and her friend. "Ah mean there ain't been hide nor hair of her since she bolted off, givin' me nothin' more than some mouthful about a secret mission from you."
For nowhere near the first time in regards to Rainbow Dash, Princess Twilight Sparkle let out a long, resigned sigh. "It's a secret, but I never intended it to be a secret from you, Applejack. I should have guessed that Rainbow would take it too literally." A quiet grumble slipped from the Princess. "I'm sorry for not keeping you informed."
At the foot of the throne, the two embraced. "Ah know it weren't on purpose, Twi. That mare's gonna be the death of me, Ah swear," Applejack said with a sardonic grin.
Twilight found no humor in it. She looked down - she was certain she had gotten taller as she never had to look downwards at Applejack before, but there was no way she had grown like that just in the year since her coronation - and frowned at her friend. "Let me explain."
Her horn lit, projecting an image of Cloudsdale in miniature, complete with tiny dots to represent the ponies that lived there. "Normally the non-pegasus population of Cloudsdale uses a steady supply of cloudwalking potion to move around their city. But recently there's been an unusual number of alchemical failures." Just what she meant by 'failure' was demonstrated by a tiny dot falling from under the image.
Applejack paled at the words between the lines.
"I dispatched the Wonderbolts to Cloudsdale on search and rescue.. well, search and catch operations," Twilight continued, "To do what we can. They've already saved a number of lives, but nopony is perfect." Her eyes closed tight, pinching away thoughts of the lives those imperfections meant. "We've quietly evacuated those who are willing to leave, but not everypony is willing or able to and it's already difficult enough to keep information about this limited to Cloudsdale. With as little as we have, it could cause panic."
She visibly didn't like that answer, but Applejack still nodded. "Last thing we need's somepony shoutin' that this is the griffons tryin' to weaken Cloudsdale's defenses to attack it, or that there's some serial killer runnin' around." She sighed heavily. "Guess that's understandable, Twi. So Rainbow's been up there savin' lives an' catchin' foals - Ah can't grumble about that."
The Princess couldn't quite meet Applejack's honest eyes. "Actually... Rainbow Dash's secret mission isn't that. She's helping with that part!," she quickly amended, "But she's part of why I picked the Wonderbolts to do it. I asked her to investigate and try to catch whoever's doing this. Since she's a Wonderbolt, she won't attract extra attention by being there with all the rest."
Now Applejack grumbled. "Twi, Ah love you like a sister but you're sayin' that you sent Rainbow Dash to conduct a sensitive, secret criminal investigation all by her lonesome."
Twilight shifted uneasily on her hooves. "Well, I mean, in addition to the local authorities but when you put it that way..."
"Exactly." Applejack shook her head with a weighty sigh. "That gal's gonna do her best, but it's the livin' definition of a square peg in a round hole."
Turning, Twilight looked to the stained glass window that showed the six of them together in their first adventure - the Elements standing against Nightmare Moon. "I suppose you're right. I should send somepony to help her out and keep her safe. Fluttershy wouldn't be a good choice, so I think maybe I'll dispatch--"
"Me."
Twilight spun like a top. "No! Applejack, have you lost your mind? You're an earth pony! I can't send you to Cloudsdale when the whole problem is falling!" She practically lunged across the space between them, wrapping her hooves around the farmer. "I'd never put you at risk like that!"
Gently, Applejack extracted herself from Twilight and looked into her eyes. "Ah know you wouldn't, Twi. But lemme put it this way - every time a pony gets hurt because she didn't solve this fast enough, Rainbow Dash is gonna blame herself. You know how hard she takes losin' when there ain't lives on the line, an' now there are. She's tough but she ain't invincible, no matter what she says." Applejack took a step back - and a deep breath to set her nerves. It wasn't that she didn't understand the risks or that she wasn't afraid. It's that something was more important.
"Ah love that idiot mare, an' right now she needs help. You send who you want, but Ah'm gonna go to her either way."
Twilight had tried to talk her out of it, of course. But she hadn't succeeded - Apple family stubborn wasn't something to buckle when faced with mere foolishness. Eventually, the Princess in Twilight was forced to admit that she didn't have an option that would dissuade Applejack and that sending two ponies instead of one would just attract more of the culprit's attention. The farmpony was going, and she was a good choice. The right choice.
But it still broke Applejack's heart to see the agony on Twilight's face as she told her friend to go to what might well be the farmer's death.
Not that she went unprotected. Twilight had cautioned that the amulet she prepared would only work once and the effect wouldn't last long - but in an emergency, a pair of butterfly wings made of gossamer and morning dew could save Applejack's life.
Hours later, the pink balloon broke through to Cloudsdale opposite the setting sun. It was a good sign that it had been intercepted by two Wonderbolts before getting anywhere near the city - Fleetfoot and Surprise had tried to stop it before she got even close to danger.
But they had also let her through: partially because of Applejack's status as a member of the Council and one of the Elements, and partially because Applejack was distinctly Rainbow Dash's problem.
This, in turn, explained why Rainbow Dash was there to meet the balloon when it arrived.
"ARE YOU CRAZY?!"
The shout made Applejack smile, because she knew it was a sign of love. "Howdy to you too, Dash." By the time she managed to clamor out of the balloon's basket, Rainbow Dash was hovering over her.
"No! No no no no! Get back in that basket right now!" Dash pointed a blue hoof at the balloon. "You're going back to Ponyville where it's safe!"
Applejack ignored the shouting pegasus, instead choosing to bounce up and down on the clouds a few times to make sure the potion she had taken earlier was working right. The ground felt solid enough, even if it was like walking on shag carpet all the time.
Buzzing around like a hummingbird, Dash zipped from one side of Applejack to the other. Each time the farmer bounced on the clouds, the flier's heart jumped to her throat. On the third bounce, she dove in and grabbed her. "Have you lost your MIND?!"
"Ah'm datin' you, so probably."
Despite the small grin that cracked over Applejack's lips, Rainbow Dash descended into offended sputters. "AJ, be serious!"
She countered Dash's exasperation with cool calm. "Ah am. You're the one bein' unreasonable here, Dash. It ain't like you to rattle so easy."
Wings stuttering for a moment, Rainbow Dash pulled back slightly. "I'm not rattled! I'm just... I'm just concerned! For your safety as a.. as an important pony to Equestria."
Blandly, Applejack rubbed her hoof on her chest before holding it up to inspect the polish. Rarity had taught her just how infuriating dismissal could be. "And it ain't got a thing to do with that we're together?"
"Not a thing!" Rainbow fired that off with the same reflexive thinking as always - which was to say none at all. It took a good two seconds for her to realize it and change tacks. "I'd say that no matter what was going on between us! In fact... in fact I bet that's why you're here! And if you don't go back to Ponyville right now, I'll... I'll break up with you! For your own good!" Even with how empty the threat was, it still made Dash grimace to say. "Yeah, so you better turn right around and get back to safety!"
That tiny moment of hesitation and the little wince warmed Applejack's heart to see. Rainbow Dash wore her heart on her cannon most of the time, but love had always been something she was hesitant about. It was vulnerability, and Rainbow Dash was never vulnerable. Never ever ever ever. Or so she said. And that was why her words held no punch. "Dash, you're seriously gonna break up with me if Ah don't leave?"
"Yes!" Dash squirmed as Applejack's gaze leveled on her, demanding Honesty. "...n-no," she glumly corrected, eyes turning away.
Orange hooves embraced the gloomy pegasus. "Ah know your heart's in the right place, but Ah also know what's at stake here. You'll burn yourself to the ground before you let somepony get hurt, and Ah can't let ya do that." Applejack's nose tapped against Dash's. "Ah love you too much to let ya."
Reluctantly - well, pretending to be reluctant - Rainbow Dash hugged Applejack back. "I just don't want you to get hurt." The concept of worse than hurt refused to even enter her mind. "Not for anything."
"Don't you fret none. Twi didn't send me here without a little safety cushion." Applejack tapped the amulet with a hoof meaningfully. "Besides. Remember what you said that first time ya took me flyin'?"
A smile crept to Dash's lips and her cheeks flushed Twilight purple as she repeated the words she once spoke to reassure a nervous Applejack. "Yeah. 'I won't let you fall, except for me.'"
"Now an' forever, thundercloud." Applejack winked as she broke the embrace. "But the hotel first, then yer takin' me to dinner as punishment for not tellin' me where ya been. We can go over what you found so far then."
Rainbow Dash fell in beside Applejack as they started off, fluttering just above the surface of the clouds. "Aw, come on! I mean, yeah I'll pay for dinner 'cuz that's fair but do you gotta call me that in public? It's embarrassing!"
With a low chuckle, Applejack swatted her marefriend with her tail. "What, Ah shouldn't compare ya in public to something that's loud, scares foals an' is dangerous if somepony's foolish enough to poke it wrong?" She paused for half a breath. "Or is it that you don't like me pointin' out how darn cute ya are when you're dark an' pouty?"
Finding a hotel was simple - the incidents had unsurprisingly crushed tourism and left many reservations unfilled. Dinner was harder, mostly because..
"Ah don't feel like Marexican."
Dash threw her hooves up in frustration. "Well then what do you feel like?"
Applejack shrugged. "Ah dunno. What're you feelin' like?"
It took considerable effort for Rainbow Dash to not scream.
That they were out walking helped a little. Once they decided it would cut down on the time to go somewhere, and Rainbow Dash was getting hungry.
Their path took them through the center of Cloudsdale's bustling market district - a cafe on every corner made choices plentiful. And neither of them could agree on or even vaguely approve of a single one. And 'neither of them' meant 'Applejack'.
Applejack stepped to the side, going around a courier bustling by with a load of take-out boxes. "Could do pizza," she suggested as a pizza box on the passing stallion's back caught her eye.
"AJ." Dash struggled to keep her voice even. "You're a farm pony. And I understand that nearly all of the meals you've had in your life have been ones lovingly home-cooked by family, prepared from fresh, high-quality ingredients to fit recipes passed down through several generations. But every time you don't have that you default to ordering a pizza. And never even an interesting pizza! It's always cheese with green peppers. That's it. Every time." She paused to let a couple pass by with a double-wide stroller of twins. "As a lifelong bachelorette before we got together, I know what's out there for takeout since I, like, lived off the stuff for the last decade. And I swear we are not going to walk by some of the best restaurants in Equestria so you can order the same boring pizza!"
A very visibly annoyed Applejack glared at Rainbow Dash. "And just what's wrong with knowin' what Ah like? It's--"
"I swear to Celestia if you say it's tradition I'm gonna find a raincloud and empty it over your head."
The threat made Applejack purse her lips, debating if the drenching would be worth the victory spite.
Dash pointed around them. "Look - there's an awesome bistro over there that's got the best pasta in Cloudsdale when I need to carbo-load. And over there's a kickin' Griffonese place. And there! It doesn't look like a lot but it's got the best all-you-can-eat salad bar within fifty miles."
Applejack's eyes followed where Dash was pointing each time. "First one's way too fancy, second one's got a crazy pony on a soapbox rantin' outside of it, an' the third one's a convenience store."
With a frustrated growl, Rainbow Dash fluttered in front of Applejack, getting nose to nose with her. "There's nothing wrong with convenience store salad bars, that crazy guy's just a crazy guy to ignore and maybe I like taking my marefriend to a fancy restaurant once in a while!"
The last statement managed to actually sink in through Applejack's thick skull. She blinked owlishly. "You... wanna take me someplace fancy? Ah thought you were still grumpy, Rainbow." She blushed softly, hoof scuffing the clouds. "Well, Ah suppose if we can stop someplace real quick to straighten my mane a bit so Ah look up to snuff for a place like that..."
Whatever Dash was going to say next was preempted by a terrified scream. Every eye in the square was instantly on gaps in the clouds, scanning the sky below for the source.
An elderly unicorn - coat grey as his mane - was the one howling. His cane lazily spiraled away beside him, certainly a lost cause. The response from Cloudsdale was instant in a loud, ringing voice.
"DIVE!"
All around Applejack, pegasi did so. The closest was a young yellow mare who tossed a bag of groceries aside as she hurled herself into the void without hesitation.
That lack of hesitation was not echoed by Rainbow Dash. She was frozen, red eyes frantically going back and forth between the falling stallion and Applejack. Her whole form was taut and twitching, ready to leap but the body and the soul couldn't agree on which direction.
Below, a dozen pegasi were in free-fall, each holding their body arrow-straight as they plunged after the unicorn. Friends, neighbors, strangers - they all fell with their eyes locked on the old stallion. One peeled away, wobbling as the stress of the dive became too much and his wings flared out to brake. The others stayed the course, even as their trajectories trembled. The distance was hard to judge for Applejack, and it wasn't clear if they were gaining fast enough or not.
Thank Celestia, it didn't matter. Two Wonderbolts came rocketing in from the south, streaking contrails behind them - one of cerulean and sea-green, the other white, pale green and turquoise. Sky Stinger and Vapor Trail. Applejack knew them - she had been Rainbow Dash's plus-one to their wedding several months before. They had the speed and the angle, but any doubt was removed when Vapor Trail abruptly braked in a flurry of wingbeats. It was part of their signature technique - she sacrificed her momentum into a burst of wind that accelerated her partner. Sky Stinger rocketed forward, snatching the unicorn in his hooves as easily as an owl catching a mouse.
As the rest of the pegasi below peeled off, one of the ones who stayed behind let out another shout. "SAFE!" It was echoed by others, spreading the word alongside cheers of relief.
Rainbow Dash was still wire-tight as the cheers rose and did nothing for her. Her eyes now were solidly on the unicorn as he was slowly carried to safety, and Applejack could see shame in them.
Her hoof reached out to Dash's cheek. "Ya lightning-brained cloudwrangler," she admonished fondly through a smile. "Ah know what you're thinkin'. Next time, don't. Just go. Ah'll be safe." She gently placed one of Dash's hooves on the amulet. "Promise."
Hesitantly, Rainbow Dash pulled her eyes away from her failure and to Applejack. She nodded slowly. "I-- I just...." Her words trailed away.
Applejack hugged her tight. "Let's get room service. Ah ain't in the mood for more walkin' right now."
Applejack was up late the next morning - which meant the sun beat her by a few minutes. Dash was still dead asleep, and that was a good thing. Her strength had given out not long after they'd gotten back to the hotel and the pegasus had spent almost an hour shivering in Applejack's caring, firm grip before falling asleep.
Everything the farmer feared was true and the embrace of a lover was enough for the guard to go down. Rainbow Dash's hesitation at the marketplace was only the capstone of it all - two weeks spilled out of her. Two weeks of last second saves, and of seconds too late. Each one was the fault of Rainbow 'Danger' Dash - at least in her own opinion.
So Applejack had held her, listened to her vent, and softly stroked her mane while speaking gentle words of reassurance. It hadn't been enough, but it let the poor pegasus sleep with a measure of peace.
She would be hungry when she woke up since they had skipped the room service, but hopefully she wouldn't be up for a while. Rainbow needed it.
In the bathroom, Applejack prepared for her day - wash her face, brush her teeth, mane, and tail, and pull out the alchemy kit. It wasn't much, but it wasn't intended to be. The ingredients were there to mix up the only concoction that Applejack knew: cloud walking.
Being taught it had been a bit of a surprise. Only a few days after she had officially started dating Rainbow Dash, Applejack had been pulled aside by her little sister. Apple Bloom had handed the kit over as well as a sheet of instructions. When asked why, her statement was simple: "Yer gonna need this a lot goin' forward, big sis. An' Ah don't wanna know each and every time you go sneakin' off your marefriend's home." She had stuck out her tongue in disgust, but Applejack knew it was all fond sibling teasing. (She had still blushed brightly at the implications, wisely choosing not to respond about the accuracy of them.)
True to what Apple Bloom had said, the kit and knowledge had come in handy. Being able to walk around Dash's home freely with only a few minutes of preparation removed a lot of obstacles.
So in the bathroom, she mixed. Two parts aqua vitae to three parts oil of tartar to one part lapis infernalis for the base. Crush and mix in a pinch of sphaghum moss and a dandelion flower. Then the powdered shaving of a griffon's talon and three pegasus tears. As she stirred it with a copper rod, Applejack darkly considered how many of that last ingredient she could have collected the night before.
Once the mixture was done, she downed it in a single gulp. It smelled like oil and peat, burned a little when it hit her throat and was sour as cranberries in lime. Then she mixed up a second - the one dose should last the entire day, but having a back-up seemed wise.
After that was a quick shower. Applejack emerged from the steamy water right on time to hear hooves touch the wooden floor and Rainbow Dash's big mouth widen for a yawn.
Stepping out into the bedroom, Applejack looked to the bed... and facehoofed. On it, Rainbow was doing what she probably thought was a sexy pose. It was not. She was obviously still half asleep, her mane was going in three different directions and dried tears stained her cheeks. But she smiled that devil's smile at Applejack and winked in her clumsy, seductive way. "Hey there, Cider."
Applejack raised an eyebrow at the attempted pet name.
"'Cuz you sparkle like gold and I'd love to drink you up," Dash explained with the grace of a falling piano.
There was a pause exactly too long to be comfortable before Applejack crossed the few steps between them. Rainbow Dash leaned in for a romantic kiss, and Applejack shoved her away with a firm hoof. "That was absolutely terrible, kinda gross-soundin' and you've got morning breath like Tartarus after taco night." The push sprawled a pouting Rainbow out on the bed. "Get in there an' clean up. Ah'll call up some breakfast so we can get to talkin'."
Half an hour later, it was waffles in bed with a wet pegasus.
"Okay, so. I've been doing a lotta work to track this down. Like, maps and stuff! Twilight would be impressed." Dash puffed out her chest proudly. "But they're kinda not useful, 'cuz there's no pattern to things. All the falls we've got recorded happened in high traffic areas scattered around Cloudsdale."
"Dash." Applejack sighed heavily. "All of 'em happenin' in high traffic areas is a pattern."
Rainbow crammed a piece of haybacon in her mouth. "Is not," she countered between chews. "You can't disprove a negative - Twilight's lectured me on that before. There could be falls in other places too, just without ponies to report them."
A blonde eyebrow raised. "Outta all the hundreds of lectures Twilight's given ya, that's the one that sticks?"
And as ever, Rainbow was quick to have a justification. "Well, it's kinda because I told her nothing's impossible if you try hard enough. Turns out she's way better at logic puzzles than I am, so I had to admit the egghead was right. For now! But I'll prove I was right because proving it's impossible is also disproving a negative so I gotta win eventually." She pursed her lips, somehow still sour at not winning that sucker's bet. "Anyway, there's also no connection between the victims aside from that they're non-pegasi ponies."
"No griffons or hippogriffs or anything?," Applejack questioned as she used a bit of waffle to mop up some praline syrup.
Dash shook her head. "One hundred percent ponies that can't fly on their own. But I checked that one too - when this all started there were only four known creatures in Cloudsdale who couldn't fly and weren't ponies, and all four evacuated really early."
Tapping her chin with the fork, Applejack considered the situation. "So best as we can tell, there ain't no pattern for place or race. Not much ta go on."
"Yeah. The only thing in common's that they all got their potions from the same source."
Applejack stared at Rainbow Dash. "That's a mighty big thing in common."
But Dash shook her head. "Not as much as you'd think. See, pegasus cities are basically the only place you need cloudwalking in bulk so most have local facilities. It's a steady need but not a big one, so even in Cloudsdale there were only two alchemy manufacturers that did it. But," she mentioned as she grabbed another waffle and drowned it in whipped cream and banana syrup, "One of them closed shop three months ago. The alchemist retired and none of her apprentices were awesome enough to take over. So it's a thing all the victims have in common, but it's something everypony in Cloudsdale that needs the stuff has in common."
"So just one source for all the cloudwalkin' in Cloudsdale." It was something to consider for Applejack. "Ah'm presumin' you already had a chat?"
Rainbow nodded. "I totally did. And he just shut me down! He swears he's got nothing to do with the falling and threatened to throw me out if I didn't leave. Said that he's in business and it'd be stupid to kill his own customers."
Applejack shrugged. "He ain't wrong 'bout that."
"IF that's what he's really doing," came Dash's quick counterpoint. "Seriously, how often does it come up that some pony's trying to undermine their own business to collect insurance money or because they're buying out their competitors or something?"
Eyes as green as the sea (as Rainbow Dash had once called them) narrowed. "We talkin' in real life or in movies?"
Rainbow Dash immediately started pouting.
Applejack countered by giving her a quick kiss on the muzzle.
Momentarily placated, Rainbow continued. "That's kinda where I hit a wall. I mean, there's gotta be a common thread but heck if I know what it is."
"Ya tried seein' who all else was nearby?" Applejack frowned immediately after she said it. "Wait, lemme guess. High traffic areas, so that'd be cross-referencin' dozens if not hundreds of ponies." Rainbow Dash's nod confirmed it. "Shoot. Maybe it's some sorta geographic thing? Like them there ley-lines Twilight chatters on about sometimes?"
Again, Dash shook her head. "Nah, been checked. Cloudsdale moves, so if there was something it'd have to be pretty wide-spread. Like all over Equestria wide. And that got verified early when Twilight was afraid that Tirek's magic draining trick was back again. The magic's fine."
The two were quiet, finishing off another round of waffles as they pondered the situation ahead. Applejack finally reached a decision at about the same time that Rainbow Dash stole the last piece of haybacon. "Way Ah figure it, only common thread's that there alchemist. Now, maybe he ain't behind it but that don't mean the problem ain't in that shop of his. Maybe a tainted ingredient or maybe one've the workers is proper crazy. But right now Ah can't see a better place to start."
"Plus if he is hiding something, I bet we can find it!," Dash added. "Two sets of eyes are better than one, and I know you can be really persuasive when you want to be." She fluttered her eyelashes at Applejack.
The farmer looked at her marefriend's sweet smile. "...Aw, to heck with it. It'll still be there in an hour. Ah've missed you too, Dash." She leaned closer, and they kissed over the empty breakfast tray.
The pair of Bearers sat patiently two hours later. They had gotten a later than expected start - Dash needed another shower after somehow getting three different kinds of syrup in her coat - but at the moment there was nothing to do but wait.
Getting inside the Potionary was a bit difficult, considering the bridges Rainbow Dash had nearly burned in her first confrontation. Fortunately Applejack was a bit more persuasive and willing to throw the Princess' name around. One loud-mouthed Wonderbolt was easy to turn away - two members of the Council on a Royal mission was not.
That got them in the door, but waiting for an appointment was another issue entirely. Half an hour under the disapproving gaze of the secretary felt like an eternity. The wait was made worse by the fact that Rainbow Dash was restless, because the situation involved Rainbow Dash sitting still and being silent with nothing to do for half an hour. Applejack had spent a significant portion of the wait giving her marefriend glares to behave, damn it. But in time there was a quiet buzz from the intercom, a few low-toned words and the secretary escorted the pair inside.
The office they entered could be called an office in the same way that Twilight called a bag of hayburgers a meal - technically correct, recognizable as such but still giving the feeling that the one describing it was missing the point of the word. Three out of the four flat surfaces in the room were taken up by laboratory equipment - none were currently in use, but one still carried the slight stink of sulfur. The last surface was the desk itself and it was difficult to quite tell where it began and ended. While the desk itself was stout wood, it was surrounded on all sides by stacks of paper and books that inadvertently extended it to nearly twice its proper size. In the back of her head, Applejack could hear Twilight shriek in agony (and Discord chuckle playfully) at the lack of organization.
A pale purple pony sat behind the desk, taking a momentary sip from his coffee mug. The cool, even stare he was giving Rainbow spoke clearly of the impression she gave him at the last meeting - that she had her chin bucked up in defiance wasn't helping either. Instead, Applejack held out her hoof. "Thanks fer meetin' with us. My name's Applejack, an' Ah'm told you already met Rainbow Dash."
Thankfully, he shook hooves like a reasonable pony. "We're acquainted. I'm Potent Placebo, owner and chief alchemist. It's a pleasure to meet you, Applejack."
She sat, Dash hovered. "So, Potent--"
"Doctor Placebo," came the swift and harsh rebuke.
"...Doctor Placebo," Applejack corrected through gritted, smiling teeth. "Ah'm sure you've heard plenty about the accidents 'round Cloudsdale. We've been dispatched by Princess Twilight to have a look into what's goin' on." She made a slight motion with her head to the side. "And while Rainbow here's concerned 'bout your role in alla this--"
"YEAH." Rainbow Dash hovered forward, preparing to launch into an unhelpful tirade.
Applejack cut her off with a raised hoof before enthusiasm made things worse. "Ah'm of the mind that you ain't got much motive. But your product's still the only common thread, so it's where we gotta start."
Dr. Placebo squinted at the pair, trying to surmise their game. "Just what are you implying." It was obviously not a question.
"Ah'm sayin' that Ah think you ain't doin' it. But that don't mean there isn't bad product comin' from one of your suppliers, or an angry employee who figures the best way to stick it to their boss is sabotage an' get 'em into a heap of trouble." Applejack twisted the knife in the last words - as a businessmare, she knew that was both something that happened and a common fear of bosses.
Her words struck home, and the alchemist took a few moments to mull them over. Then he broke out his best fake smile. "I would be more than happy to show the Princess' representatives around our little operation. You can see for yourselves everything that goes on here. And afterwards perhaps make a public statement that my business isn't at fault?"
Applejack smiled just as falsely. She understood the deal being offered. "Ah think that'd be sensible enough once we're sure you're in the clear. Rumors can be mighty troublesome, after all."
"What the hay was that." Rainbow Dash did her best to keep her voice low as they trailed behind Dr. Placebo. He was leading them through a tour of the facility - but the two lovers had another issue to hash out between them.
Applejack just sighed and pulled her hat a little lower. "Had t'be done, Dash. You were about to piss him right off an' Ah had to stop you before it all blew up."
"But he's the bad guy," Dash hissed.
"Maybe." Applejack's eyes darted to the doctor's back, making sure he hadn't noticed the two of them arguing. "But if he is we ain't got a lick of proof. You tried dealin' with him like it was a fight and it flopped. I dealt with him like it was a business deal and we're gettin' somewhere."
Sourly, Dash pouted. "Well, you didn't have to be a jerk about it."
The farmer softly sighed. "And Ah'm sorry Ah was. Problem is your heart's bigger than your brain sometimes, Rainbow, and while that's part've why Ah love you? This guy's our only lead right now. Without him, we're back at square one an' there's lives at stake."
For a few moments, the two were quiet. Then, Applejack reached out an olive branch. "Ah'll make it up to you later? We'll eat where ever you're wantin' to, and Ah won't order a thing even slightly resemblin' a pizza."
It took a good ten seconds flat for Dash to consider it. "Deal." And she sealed it with a kiss.
A kiss that was promptly interrupted by the doctor clearing his throat.
Two blushing ponies separated their lips.
In spite of that, Dr. Placebo chuckled. "There's no need to be embarrassed. Your relationship's been in quite a few gossip columns, after all. And the timing is appropriate." He motioned with a hoof to a subsection of the warehouse floor closed off by glass. "As I was saying, those four are working on our staple products - fertility and contraceptive draughts. While not as mandatory as the cloudwalking you care about, there's never a lack of demand for those two."
Once more, the pair of Bearers blushed.
The tour continued across the floor, moving past another section - this one subdivided by heavy metal walls. "In here, we work on more magically sensitive concoctions. The walls are double-layered lead and cold iron, which stops nearly all environmental thaumatic radiation. It isn't currently in use, but most commonly the mixes in there are of a medical nature."
"And over here," he continued, "is our storage area for raw materials. As you can see, it's not only locked from the outside but the individual storage units are also secured by--"
He was cut off by a loud whistle from Appejack. "That thing's huge!"
Both other sets of eyes turned to where hers were - the hexagonal prism that hung in the middle of the room, suspended carefully within a sealed glass sphere and glowing a soft red.
"Ah yes, my pride and joy. One of the most crucial and valuable items in our laboratory." Dr. Placebo puffed his chest out a little. "The crystal is one of the largest in Equestria."
Rainbow Dash quirked an eyebrow. "It's, like, maaaaybe the size of a loaf of bread."
At her side, Applejack sighed. "That, Rainbow, is a philosopher's stone. Zecora's got one 'bout the size of Boulder."
Instantly, Dr. Placebo cut in. "The size of a BOULDER?"
"Rock's name is Boulder. He's only 'bout the size of a coin." Applejack paused before adding, "He just dreams big."
That shut the doctor up for a good thirty seconds before he managed to dismiss it as Applejack being a crazy dirt pony. "A-as she was getting at, that is a Philosopher's Stone. In this case, a calculus albus infused with lapis and red sulfur. It's absolutely indispensable for a proper chemist - the transmutative capabilities to--" Dr. Placebo squinted at Rainbow Dash. "You're not getting any of this, are you."
"Lost me after telling me it's a rock," came the honest answer.
Fortunately, Applejack was there. "It changes stuff into other stuff. Lotta alchemists use it to turn stuff into rare ingredients they can't get their hooves on. Doin' that without unicorn magic's tricky stuff, which is why that rock's valuable."
"Priceless," corrected the doctor. "It's the fourth largest Stone not owned by the Princesses themselves. I was fortunate enough to gain control of it when Doctor Elixir retired - though for quite a sum. I do correct you on one point, however, miss. We don't use it just for rare ingredients. The dandelion flower you need just to be here is hardly rare, but gathering it can be quite a pain depending in Cloudsdale's location and the season."
Applejack nodded - but Rainbow Dash had her eyes still on the stone. "That's one heck of an impressive rock. Wonder what Spike would think it tastes like." She was immediately elbowed in the gut by her partner.
Dr. Placebo was not amused by the idea. It seemed to make him rather angry, in fact. "Now, I believe you were curious about the trustworthiness of my employees and apprentices. I could continue the tour or let you look at our records. Either way, I would appreciate both of you being off of my property before the end of the hour."
Doing a little mental math with the position of the sun in the sky, Applejack took the grumbling loss. "We'll see those records, if y'don't mind."
The records were collected, gone over and by the end of the hour a few names had been pulled. While the exit from Placebo's Potionary was far from graceful, it was at least done on more neutral terms than Rainbow Dash's first visit.
That led them to both the local Guard station and to the Cloudsdale Courier to pull up more information on the handful of suspects.
And, in turn, that led them to Cloud Ten. While not the most exclusive of restaurants, it was quite popular for the relaxed atmosphere, a good jazz band on Friday nights and - because Rainbow Dash didn't believe for a second that Applejack would change her habits when ordering - the best flatbread pizza in Cloudsdale.
Unfortunately the atmosphere was being ruined by the street preacher standing outside the restaurant and shouting about the sins of pride and ego, there was no band playing because it was Wednesday and miraculously Applejack had deviated from her standard order and gotten the pot pie. And while the rest of the pub fare on the menu was enticing? Dash ordered the flatbread with just cheese and green peppers. Just in case Applejack wanted to swap.
Over dinner, the two went through the possibilities.
"So," Applejack noted towards one of the folders they'd accumulated. "This one's been gettin' in trouble for tribalism. Police report's sayin' she ain't let go of that seed that Cozy an' her like planted."
Rainbow tapped it with her hoof. "Yeah, but she doesn't have access to any of the stuff to change things. She's the book-keeper, she doesn't go anywhere near the equipment. Motive, but no opportunity."
The second folder became the focus of their attention next. "Now this one, he's got way more to go on." Rainbow Dash thumped it excitedly. "His brother's a Las Pegasus bookie, which totally means mob connections! And he handles the stock room so he's got plenty of chances to mess with the incoming ingredients or the finished product!"
This time, Applejack shook her head. "Yer assumin' a lot of motive there, Dash. Even if his brother's connected, that don't mean he's dirty. Or that his brother's up to somethin'. Or that somehow organized crime wants to do this." She paused to fork another chunk of pot pie. "You might not be wrong, but we're gonna have to take a closer look-see. Don't wanna make assumptions."
Grumbling, Dash accepted that part. At least for the moment. She took solace in the flatbread (though her eyes were on that delicious, steaming pot pie.) "What about the last two? They've got motive and opportunity, but it's weak."
"Yeah. Pair of sisters, used t'work for Doc Elixir at the old shop. They were two of the three apprentices he decided weren't good enough for runnin' things, but Placebo hired 'em on anyway." Applejack scratched her chin thoughtfully. "So they got access to everythin'."
"And maybe they're holding a grudge," Dash continued. "But it's kinda unlikely. They're both at the start of their apprenticeships - I mean, Soothing's only fourteen. No way either of them was gonna take over at their ages."
Applejack nodded in agreement. "Yeah, don't think either of the Salve sisters had much expectation from Doc Elixir aside from continuin' their education. An' maybe it's my soft heart but Ah reckon Ah can't picture two kids not far off Apple Bloom's age doin' something as horrible as this."
Both went silent at that, delving into darker thoughts of the Crusaders gone bad.
Almost as one, they pulled out of it. "So, uh. Enjoying the pot pie?" Rainbow almost violently changed the subject.
And there was no objection. "Ain't half bad." Applejack broke another chunk off before lifting the fork and offering a taste.
Rainbow Dash leaned in, stretching over the table to get to the morsel.
Then she stretched further as it moved slightly back out of reach.
Then further.
Rainbow Dash's confused eyes met Applejack's just as panic clicked into the farmer's. She wasn't pulling away. She was sinking.
In that heartbeat of a moment as confusion became realization, absolute terror flashed across Dash's face. She dove across the table, hooves grabbing for Applejack's. They caught her hat as the rest of the orange earth pony fell through the cloud in a gentle poomf.
The intellectual part of Applejack's brain was the first to register what was happening. It noted that all of this was fascinating in terms of statistics. If you took the sum total of all earth ponies in Equestria, nearly all would have entered freefall zero times or at most once at the very end of their lives. That Applejack could name an easy dozen times it had happened to her showed just how much of an outlier she was and how absolutely crazy her life had become.
It was around this point that the emotional part of her mind caught up and started hammering the 'scream in terror' button.
Equestria stretched out below, with the clouds of Cloudsdale above. It was beautiful to look out at, though it was ruined by the wind whistling as Applejack approached terminal velocity. Her forehoof reached up to the emergency amulet that Twilight had forced her to wear, grasping to trigger it and halt her fall.
Then she stopped.
I won't let you fall, except for me.
Applejack had faith.
And it was rewarded. The sky above her exploded in a rainbow shockwave that was absolutely too close to Cloudsdale to be safe. Then a second explosion of color as a sky-blue bullet of a pony shattered any remaining laws of physics foolish enough to get in her way.
An odd sense of relaxation set in as Applejack sprawled herself in the air to expand her surface area and increase her drag, just like Dash had taught her to in case of emergency.
Two seconds later, Rainbow Dash impacted with her in the most aggressive hug in their lives.
It wasn't until they landed on the ground below that the sound caught up - an ear-shattering double BOOM that made Applejack's teeth rattle. Those were the only parts of her that could move in Rainbow's deathly tight embrace.
"You'reokayyou'reokayyou'reokay" Tears of relief streamed down the pegasus' cheeks as she held her marefriend with every ounce of strength she could muster.
"Ah'm okay," Applejack softly confirmed.
It was enough to quiet Dash down for a minute. As her relief subsided, her rage rose. "I'm going to kill them," was what she settled on. It started out icy cool and melted to open flame right after. "I'm gonna fly up there, round up every single one of them, bind their wings and start throwing them off until one of them confesses and they--"
"They didn't do it," the farmer repeated. "Ah mixed my own potion this mornin', Dash. With my own ingredients from home, just like Apple Bloom taught me. Whatever's causin' this had nothin' to do with Doc Placebo and his crew, because Ah didn't take their stuff." Applejack frowned deeply. "So Ah dunno who's doin' this. But our one lead's dead."
Applejack had thought declaring the innocence of Dr. Placebo and his staff would have placated Rainbow Dash and calmed her down.
It did not. It only took away the focus of her red-hot temper.
As Cloudsdale silently floated overhead and the outskirts of Baltimare sat a few hills away, the pegasus lashed out at a nearby tree. While her hooves didn't have quite the same potency as a farmer's buck, they still rattled the oak hard enough to knock the chestnuts off it.
"When I find out who did this, they're really gonna get it! I don't care how deep they hide or who they are, nopony gets away with hurting the mare I love!" Dash's rantings staggered as she got that out. Embarrassed, she amended her angry shout. "Or anypony else!"
Applejack sat back, letting Rainbow Dash get it out of her system. Sometimes you just needed to yell and rage to clear your head - and sometimes, as with Applejack now, you needed to stop and remember how to breathe. She needed her heart to remember what a normal beat felt like before she could handle anything else.
Minutes later, Rainbow tired out her fury and Applejack brought her heart rate down to something manageable. The two ended up beside one another as Dash flopped out on the grass.
"So," Applejack finally began with, "Ah figure once we get back up to Cloudsdale--"
"Absolutely NOT!" Rainbow Dash's fury returned in an instant - as did her fear. "There is no way I'm letting you get back up there! I don't care what you try to use against me this time, AJ, I'm not doing it! You nearly died!" Then the fear overrode the anger, and she dove to hug her partner. "I can't let you get that close again. Just can't. C'mon, don't do this, you know it's crazy just.... please?"
With a soft touch, Applejack stroked Rainbow's rainbow mane. "Shh. Calm down there, sugarcube. It's gonna be just fine. Ah've still got Twilight's amulet and a second cloudwalkin' potion. Ah ain't so stupid as to do it without a plan. But we gotta figure this out, right?"
Dash shook her head angrily. "No, I gotta figure this out. You've already risked too much, Applejack. Way too much."
"An' if Ah run now we lose what we've gained," came the counter.
"We didn't gain anything!" Dash pushed away from Applejack so she could glare at her, fury building again. "All we got out of you nearly dying was that there's nothing wrong with the potions! Which still leaves us nothing solid!"
A tiny chuckle slipped out of Applejack. "Nah, 'cuz the potion's liquid." She pulled out the second one she'd mixed that morning and shook it.
Then Applejack paused. And she shook it again. "...Huh."
The look of confusion on the farmer's face was enough to make Rainbow Dash halt her shouting. "AJ? What is it?"
"Potion feels wrong," Applejack noted. "Stuff's supposed t'be thick like cooking oil in winter, but this is movin' like normal water." She uncorked the bottle and took a deep sniff. "Yeah, that ain't right." She knew the scent of cloudwalking potion - crude oil and peat moss. The bottle smelled like spring water. "Very not right."
Moving closer, Rainbow Dash took a sniff of the bottle as well. "That's rainwater. Like, straight from the cloud." Her eyes darted to Applejack. "Maybe somepony switched bottles?"
Applejack shook her head. "Not a chance. Bottle's a gift from Zecora. Special lined an' the like to avoid corrosion. And it seals tight, so nopony coulda swapped the contents without me noticin'."
"But that's impossible!" Dash stomped her hooves. "This is like one of Trixie's stupid magic tricks or Twilight's logic puzzles! How could somepony swap your potion out of... the... bottle."
The pegasus paused, face tight with thought.
"Dash?"
"It's like one of Twilight's logic puzzles," Rainbow Dash stated. "Twilight loves making me play them with her, because she says I like games so I should like them. They're not and I don't, but she keeps trying." She started to pace on the grass. "They all have the same trick, though. The answer's always something obvious that you dismiss, because the question's using your assumptions against you. Like we're assuming right now that somepony swapped the cloudwalking potion out for rainwater." Dash swung around, pointing at the bottle. "But what if the rainwater is the cloudwalking potion? It never left the bottle."
Applejack sighed heavily. "Dash, that don't make a lick of--" And she stopped abruptly, too. "...The Philosopher's Stone."
Rainbow started to bounce on her hooves as a nervous energy welled up inside her. "Could that work through the special bottle?"
The water-filled bottle swished around again. "Ah reckon it could." Another thought hit Applejack. "And Ah reckon it could change the potion inside a pony, too!" It all snapped into place. "That's how they're doin' it! Usin' a Philosopher's Stone to change the potion in a pony's body to somethin' else!"
"Which is why it stops working! AJ, you're a genius!" Rainbow Dash flapped excitedly.
"Couldn't have done it without ya, darlin'." The two exchanged a quick kiss. "Now that we got the how, we gotta figure out the who an' the why."
And there, Rainbow Dash stopped. "But we know who. That dumb doctor had a huge one!"
Applejack shook her head. "And when were we in there? Two hours before Ah fell? Three? If they used that on me, Ah would've dropped quicker than an apple durin' harvest season. And before ya ask, no, they don't have that kinda range. They couldn't have zapped me from across town."
"Well who else could it be?! It's not like they hand out magic rocks to just anypony!" Dash paused and looked to Applejack. "Right?"
And in turn, Applejack scratched her chin thoughtfully. "Actually, you're on to somethin'. From what Apple Bloom told me, those stones ain't too common. Basically any alchemist has one, but they ain't cheap and don't do much else so nopony's gonna have one just because."
That gave Rainbow pause. "Hold on. So any alchemist would have one?" She paused for Applejack's confirming nod. "Like, say, one that's in training?" Another pause for a nod. "Like one that was in training and suddenly was out of a job?"
It finally clicked. "Doc Elixir's third apprentice!" Applejack turned to look up at Cloudsdale. "They didn't get picked up by Placebo, which means they would've been unemployed."
"Years of training and apprenticeship wasted," Rainbow Dash added. "Now that sounds like a motivation to be angry and dumb."
"It's a sight better than any other lead we got." A broad grin crossed Applejack's face. "Right, so Ah figure we just gotta hit up some records to find--"
Rainbow held up a hoof. "What's this 'we'?"
The farmer rolled her eyes. "Aw fer cryin' out loud, Dash, are you kiddin' me?"
"Nope. Kissin' you." She darted in to plant one on Applejack's extremely unamused lips. "But seriously, there's no way I'm taking you back up to Cloudsdale."
"But we gotta investigate--"
Rainbow Dash shook her head again, hooves crossed over her chest. "Absolutely not."
There was a long pause as Applejack considered her options. "...My hat's still up there. You're not gonna refuse to help me get my hat, are you?"
Uneasily, Dash shifted from one hoof to the other and looked up at Cloudsdale. "I... I could just go get your hat."
Sighing, Applejack gently grabbed her marefriend and pulled her into a hug. "Darlin', Ah know you're scared. Ah am too. Ain't nopony who'd want to have a fall like that a second time. But we've got a job to do, sure as Celestia's sun became Twilight's. Through everythin' we've done over the years, Rainbow, you know there's always been one constant." She smiled softly, the memory of many good times quickly coming to mind. "Everything's easier with a friend."
Reluctantly - slowly - Rainbow Dash let out a deep sigh. "You're gonna be Apple stubborn about this, aren't you." A lot less reluctantly, she hugged Applejack back. "Alright. But just once. If you start falling again, I want you to Pinkie Promise me you'll use that amulet and get to safety."
Without hesitation, Applejack mimed the required motions of the Promise.
There were two stops before the Public Records office - one at the restaurant to get Applejack's hat back, and one to the hotel so she could mix up a fresh cloudwalking draught.
With those out of the way, it was time to look through records. The good part of the trip was easily finding the third apprentice's name in the licensing department - Fulminating Vapors. The bad part was that City Hall had nothing aside from a name and an out-of-date address.
This was why the pair were now at Cloudsdale's flight school, looking through those records.
"You're certain he's gonna be in here?" Applejack flipped open yet another yearbook.
"Gotta be. Basically every foal in Cloudsdale comes through here to learn how to fly. And maybe this won't give us an address, but at least we'll know what he looks like." Dash pulled another book off the rack. "I saw it in a movie once - the guards were trying to hunt this guy down, and were getting ready to check his apartment. They asked one of the neighbors if he was home - but they didn't know what the guy looked like, so they accidentally asked the criminal! He got away while they were busting into his empty place!"
Deeply, Applejack sighed. There was no point in arguing, and she did have a point. Knowing what the stallion looked like was useful. Of course, getting to that point meant leafing through every yearbook the school had to try and find one name. Even with a relatively narrow window of years, it wasn't quick.
Dull minutes ticked past with nothing but the sound of turning pages.
Then - a break. Rainbow Dash's pages stopped turning and she squinted. "I've.... seen that guy."
Applejack craned her neck over to look. Dash's hoof was lightly tapping on the picture of a white pegasus colt with an ice-blue mane. The name under the picture read Winter Gust - which cued an eyebrow-raise. But she trusted Dash's identification. After all, Rainbow Dash did have that weird way of filing away things she saw around her without realizing it. She was hell playing I Spy like that.
Rainbow Dash tapped the photo again. "Yeah... yeah, I remember! That's the weirdo street preacher! The one who was ranting outside the restaurant!" Her head spun to Applejack. "You said that even the big stone didn't have a lot of range, so whoever did it to you had to be close, right? Well this guy was basically on the other side of the room from you when it happened!"
The idea took root like an apple tree. "An' what better way to not get noticed when you're committin' a crime than to be somepony that everypony's gonna do their best to ignore!"
"Exactly!"
Applejack looked at the name again in the book. "And it wouldn't be the first time a pony changed their name once they got their cutie mark." They exchanged looks. "It's a long-shot, Ah reckon, but if Winter Gust is Fulminating Vapors? We got ourselves means, motive an' opportunity. Ah figure that sounds worth checkin' up on."
Finding the preacher wasn't difficult - it took time, but he did stand out in a crowd.
They spied him in a shopping plaza a few blocks away from the weather factory. The chill white coat and ice blue mane blended a little with the cloud architecture, but his fiery words made up for the difference. Standing atop a literal soap box, he shouted at the sky while everypony around did their best to do just as Applejack theorized - ignore the crazy pony and go about their business.
"And in our terrible pride, look where we've come! Pegasi were once warriors! The strongest and most powerful of all ponies, and now we are reduced to being menial laborers! Toiling for others! Content with silly races for entertainment while we shape weather for those below us! We dare to take the gifts of the clouds and give them away!"
Slowly, the pair of Bearers wound their way through the milling crowd of mid-day shoppers. Rainbow Dash could blend, but Applejack didn't - the lack of wings made that impossible. She tried to take a path from the side, getting a look at his cutie mark: a smoking flask. The angle kept her outside the ranting pony's field of view, but he'd spot her sooner or later.
Sooner turned out to be the answer. He caught something out of the corner of his eye and turned. For a moment he looked confused - then there was recognition.
Applejack set her jaw.
The ranting pony's mouth curled to a sneer. "Nice hat."
Applejack stopped and took a moment to stretch out her legs threateningly. "Fulminating Vapors?"
The sneer turned to surprise as the chill white pony went paler. And he took to the air to run.
Before Applejack could react, Rainbow Dash shot out of the crowd in pursuit.
The chase didn't last very long. Applejack's run caught up only a minute later, but it was quite a sight. Fulminating Vapors was in the alleyway between a Hayburger and an accountant's office, hooves planted defiant and wide. One wing was stretched out while the other was limp - possibly broken. A few feet away was a snarling Rainbow Dash, who was almost certainly the cause of the busted wing. There was room to run behind Vapors, but with only one wing there was no chance of being fast enough.
It was a no-win situation for the rogue alchemist even before the farmer came around the corner. Seeing her, he growled back. "I thought I got rid of you."
"Ah ain't so simple to be rid of." Applejack eased in beside Rainbow Dash, glaring down the killer.
"I noticed." His eyes flickered between the two of them. "I should have known an Element Bearer would be tougher than that."
Dash took a threatening step forward. "Yeah, well, you should've known better than to mess with us in the first place! Or anypony else! 'Cuz now you're going down!"
Fulminating Vapors cracked a thin smirk. "Down? Yes. But not me."
There was a flash of red from his hoof - then the soft poomf of something falling through the clouds. Dash turned, and Applejack was gone.
Red eyes that screamed for blood turned back to the rogue alchemist and the small Philosopher's Stone in his frog. "Time to choose, Bearer. Her or me. You've only got the time to chase one. Catch me and let your love die, or save her and I go free. Tick tock, Rainbow Dash."
Dash's body tensed, ready to leap. Which direction would never be clear, however, as a beatific smile came to her face and she relaxed. Behind Fulminating Vapors the clouds broke again. This time it was for a rising earth pony, borne on bright orange and black Monarch wings made of gossamer and morning dew.
Two ponies looked at the pegasus between them with smug assurance.
"And then what happened?"
Applejack chuckled. One thing had never changed in their lives - Twilight was Princess of all Equestria, but she still loved a tall tale. She was almost vibrating with excitement. "He surrendered immediately. Couldn't outrun a Wonderbolt an' he certainly wasn't gonna outfight an angry earth pony. He knew he was licked."
Adorably, Twilight pouted. "Well that's not a very good climax, now is it?"
There was a certain amount of condescension in Applejack's pat to Twilight's shoulder. "There there, sugarcube. This ain't an adventure novel. The important thing's that we got 'im, right? No more ponies fallin' from the clouds."
With a heavy sigh, Twilight nodded. "Yeah. That is the most important part." Recovering her good spirits, she winked. "Though be careful telling the story later. My sense of drama's a little disappointed about the ending, but Rarity's will never forgive you."
They both laughed, breaking apart to continue their walk through the castle gardens. "Anyhoo, turns out Rainbow's instincts were about on the money. Vapors was all about the revenge. He figured Doc Elixir should've put him in charge after retirin' instead of sellin' to Placebo. He got mighty angry about it, an' that anger's why Placebo refused to take him on and finish the apprenticeship."
Twilight nodded. "So he used his Philosopher's Stone to get revenge."
"Eyup. Figured that if he created enough suspicion and ill will 'round Placebo's business, he'd close up shop. Maybe even get tossed in jail for what happened." Applejack sighed heavily. "Me fallin' was supposed to be his capstone, he said. Nobody could ignore a Councilmember dyin'."
Halting their walk again, Twilight nuzzled her friend. "I'm glad you didn't. Thank you for being so brave."
"T'werent' nothin', Twi." The earth pony brushed away the praise. "If nothin' else, Ah had to go to Dash. Speakin' of," she segued as she perked up, "Ah agreed we'd get that fancy dinner out tonight. Ah'd invite you along, but she said she had somethin' in mind."
It took a lot for Twilight to keep her smile tuned to merely friendly instead of ecstatic.
Her smile wavered a little as Rainbow got up out of her chair. "Applejack? Look, we both know I'm lousy at... mushy stuff. I'm not like any of our other friends when it comes to being emotional or dramatic or any of that. And I know you understand that! You get me, which is why we're so awesome together."
"But what happened in Cloudsdale got me thinking." Dash started to pace a little, shifting from hoof to hoof. The fact that she was on the ground to begin with was unusual. "I can't forget how happy I was to see you when you got out of that balloon. I mean, I was worried but at the same time it felt great to see you again. And you were there when I needed you that night - e--even if I couldn't admit that I did need you. And I can't forget how terrified I was when I saw you fall, or how relieved I was when you were okay after. You Pinkie Promised me that you would get yourself somewhere safe, and you did. You were at my side. But I don't think I'll ever be able to forget that moment when I caught you in the hills outside Baltimare and how it felt to see you safe."
She stopped, taking a deep breath. "Maybe we were on the ground, but I don't think my heart's ever soared higher than it did then. And I guess that's when I knew. Like really knew."
