Breathers for Applejack (a MLP story) ch. 4

	“Hyah!” grunted Rainbow Dash as she haphazardly shoved the last of the cumulus clouds into place with her hind legs.  She breathed an angry sigh, dusting her hooves off as she looked over her work.  It was sloppy, but better than nothing.  And certainly better than Candy Floss, who, today alone, was the second pegasus who failed to report for duty, and whose workload fell on Rainbow Dash to complete.  The distributors at the cloud factory were angry and irritated when Rainbow Dash had shown up, the clouds piled up almost as high as a cumulonimbus.  Rainbow Dash thought she'd be late, but the factory workers told her that she'd been the only weather patrol to report for duty since the factory started producing clouds again.  Since then, she'd done her own assignment, casting wispy cirrus clouds across the sky at high altitude, and returned to find that Serenity had come while she was gone but hadn't returned, and she had to pick up Parasol's work load until then while the clouds piled up.  She towed the cumulus clouds behind her, grumbling all the while that she should have have been dismissed by now, and shoved them into place over east end Ponyville.  She came back to find that she'd been saddled with Candy Floss' workload as well, and still, nopony had shown up, and nopony had reported sick.
	Now, heading back, even before she could see Cloudsdale itself, she saw the huge cloud pile-up, no bigger or smaller since she last saw it.  She lifted her goggles up above her eyes, blinking in disbelief, before they narrowed in anger, and she groaned between clenched teeth.
“Oh, you've gotta be flippin' kidding me!” she shouted as she came back to the towering cloud formation.  A hard-hat wearing distributor poked his head around the side of the pile-up.
	“Still nopony!  I'm sorry, Rainbow Dash, I dunno what to tell ya!  The ponies in the factory are freakin' out, tryin' to keep the whole thing from frostin' over again, the managers are here, tryin' to figure out what's goin' on...you got friends in Ponyville, don't ya?  What the bric-a-brac is goin' on?”  he asked.  Rainbow Dash was taken aback.
	“Me!?  You think I know what's goin' on?  All I know is I should be finished by now!”  she said.
	“Well, it's scheduled for partially cloudy in Ponyville, and we gotta move these clouds someplace...” he said.
	“Ugh!  Don't tell me that you expect me to do everypony's work by sundown!”  she shouted, exasperated.  The worker was at a loss for words, looking at her, the factory, the cloud pile, his clip board, all while gaping his mouth open and closed like a fish.  Rainbow Dash sighed and yanked the goggles away from her face, the elastic strap stretching outwards, and then let go, and they snapped back in place over her eyes.  She flew underneath the cloud pile-up and pushed.
	“Uh...Rainbow Dash, you don't...I mean...you can't...” he started.  She planted all four hooves on the bottom of the thing and her wings flapped furiously, her face straining and sweating.  Her grunting rose to shouting as, slowly, the tall cloud formation started to move.  The worker looked up at it in awe.  “Oh.  Sweet Celestia.” he said, as Rainbow Dash tilted the huge cloud formation on its side.  She got off of it, panting, and hovered away, then reared up and flew straight at the broad base of it, slamming shoulder-first into it.  She backed up and charged it again, grunting and flapping away, and slowly started pushing it along forward.
	She pushed the huge cloud formation for what seemed like miles, angrily grunting along to a blank sector above Ponyville and brought it to a halt.  She backed away from it, wiping her hooves together in preperation.  Her eyes narrowed and she let loose with a wild scream, charging towards it at full speed.  She reached her hooves out and started rapidly twirling through the air, and burrowed right through the bottom of it, her scream immediately getting muffled to silence.  Slowly, the cloud began to unravel from end to end, turning from one big, cloudy mess into a patchy field of altocumulus clouds.  She emerged from the other side in a puff of white vapor spinning like a top, screaming.  She slowly wound down, swaying uneasily in the air, dizzily, and panting.  She looked over the field of clouds she had just created.  Not her best work, but considering the circumstances...
“Heh heh heh...hah...tell me that somepony saw that.” she said, looking around, and was met only with open air.  “Ah.  Why do they even bother with teams when I'm around?” she said, removing her goggles and letting them dangle around her neck, leaving her deep magenta-colored eyes outlined with rings of her sky-blue coat, a film of white, powdery vapor covering her from head to tail.  She smiled, looking it up and down, and then her ear twitched.  Curiously, she looked down and saw a wing of pegasi flying in a chevron formation far below her, just above the rooftops of Ponyville.  “What the...?” she asked, puzzled, and flew straight down towards them.  “Hey!  Hey guys!  Come check out this cloud field I just made!” she shouted after them.

	She slowed her descent and pulled into a flyby, right next to them, skimming the thatched rooftops of Ponyville.  “Hey!  You won't believe the thing I just did!” she said, but the line of pegasi were all transfixed on the ground, looking around, scanning the streets for something.  The one closest to her turned her head and looked up at her, her eyes vacant and her voice dreamy.
	“We're looking for Applejack.” she said, and then turned back to the ground.
	“Applejack?  Why, whatta you...” she said, trailing off as she looked down, too, and noticed the earth ponies and unicorns patrolling the streets below her.  There were groups of ponies, shoulder-to-shoulder, filling the streets in search parties, looking in the houses and alleyways.  “Wait, wait.” she said, her eyes searching in space.  She cautiously looked up at the pegasus she was flying next to.  “What's goin' on?” she asked.  The pegasus looked up at her again.
	“We're looking for Applejack.” she said again, and resumed looking down.
	“Yeah, I got that, but why are you looking for Applejack?” she asked, and noticed another formation of Pegasi flying in the same formation not so far away.  She rushed down to the street, landing hard on the cobblestone, her wings and tail flapping outward at the impact.  She saw groups of ponies on the scouring every inch of Ponyville, calling out to Applejack by name.  “Hey- what's goin' on?  Why're you all looking for Applejack?  Did something happen to her?  Is something wrong?” she asked, to each passing pony, turning this way and that, but it seemed like everypony passed right by her like she wasn't even there, they just continued calling out Applejack's name, as if in a trance.  Rainbow Dash swallowed and took to the air.  She looked around in a panic, and spotted Candy Floss flying in a nearby formation of Pegasi.  She rushed over to her immediately, skidding to a cruising speed in midair.  “Candy Floss, there you are!  Is this why nopony's showing up to weather patrol today?  Did something happen to Applejack?” she asked.  The pastel-colored pink and blue pegasus' ears perked up at Applejack's name, and she looked up and around her, seemingly expecting Applejack to be hovering around her, before her eyes focused on Rainbow Dash.
	“We're looking for Applejack.” was all she said, and turned back down to the ground.  Rainbow Dash came to a halt, hovering in place and watching the pegasi fly on with confusion.
	“Okay, Somethin' fishy is goin' on here, and I don't think I like it.” she said, running a hoof through her rainbow-colored mane.  Nopony seemed to pay her any mind.  “What happened to Applejack?” she asked herself.  “AND WHAT DO I GOTTA DO TO GET A STRAIGHT ANSWER FROM SOMEPONY!?” she shouted, her voice echoing around town.  She looked around, frustrated, and noticed a single-file line of earth ponies and unicorns directly below her.  “Huh?” she mused, following the line, tilting upside down as it trailed between her legs and down the street behind her.  The line led to town square, and she heard some sort of commotion coming from there.  She flew over the last rows of rooftops, and saw a beehive of activity around town hall.  Ponies were standing on top of makeshift stands, ringing bells and making noise, while the line of ponies Rainbow Dash was flying over, as well as several other single-file lines from different parts of town, all converged.  Carts and wagons overflowed with pumps, bellows, compressed gas cylinders, and other such items, which the ponies in the lines each passed by, grabbing something and then convening into separate search parties,  and other than the search parties calling out to Applejack, they were all eerily silent as they did so.  Suddenly, Rainbow Dash heard a strange noise.
	“WAAARKwarkwarkwarkwark...” the ugly bird call went.  Rainbow Dash perked up immediately, looking around.
	“...Applejack?” she asked, looking over the crowds, the storefronts...
	“BawwWARKwarkwark...” it went, and Rainbow Dash flew higher.  She scanned her surroundings desperately, looking over the crowd slowly, and then spotted a flicker of orange on top of town hall.  There, in the bell tower, was Applejack, beckoning her over with one hoof, behind the slatted wind guard.  “Psst!  Rainbow Dash!” she whispered loud enough for her to hear.  Rainbow Dash looked at her with confusion.  She looked around her, but none of the other pegasi saw her, and then hovered slowly over to the bell tower.  She landed softly on the landing and edged inside the wind guard, and stood face-to-face with Applejack, the slats cutting the afternoon sunlight into dusty strips.  Applejack straightened up excitedly “Boy howdy am I glad-
BONG
hng...!” she grunted, hitting her head on the brass bell that hung over them both.  Rainbow Dash clamped her hooves on the bell, silencing it.
	“You've got a lot of expl-
BONG
gah-!  Son of a...”  Rainbow Dash cursed, hitting her head on the same bell.  Applejack silenced the bell with her hooves, biting her lip nervously and glancing out through the slats.
	“I'm gonna cut right to it, Rainbow.” Applejack said.  “Y'all can trust me, right?  Ya know I'd do anythin' for ya, drop of a tail feather?” she asked, nervously.
	“What's this all about, Applejack?  Why is everypony in Ponyville looking for you right now?”
	“I know ya got a lot'a questions, but I can't explain right now, y'all're just gonna have to trust me.”
	“Hold it.” Rainbow Dash said angrily, her eyes narrowing.  “All of Ponyville is looking for you.  I just got done doing all of the weather patrol's work for them, cause they all left to look for you, and it turns out you're hiding from them?  Explain!”
	“There ain't no time to explain!”
	“Oh, I got plenty of time.” Rainbow Dash said, casually laying out on the floorboards.
	“Rainbow, this is serious!”
	“So am I.  Why is everypony looking for you, Applejack?  And why do you look so out of breath?”
	“In there!” they heard somepony say.  Applejack looked mortified, and looked out the wind guard.  There was a pegasus pony flying slowly towards them.  Applejack looked at Rainbow Dash, and Rainbow Dash's eyes narrowed.  She was confused and angry, and Applejack could tell that she wanted to tell them she was in here.
	“Please!  Please, please, please, help me hide, Rainbow Dash.” she whispered, pleadingly.  Rainbow Dash glared at her in frustration, and then something lit up.  There was a sudden spark of understanding in her eyes, and her eyebrows raised, her scowl slowly opening up into slack-jawed wonder.  All the sudden, Rainbow Dash was having to contain her sudden joy, and Applejack felt a little confused.  Rainbow Dash quickly got up and edged outside the wind guard.  “No, Rainbow, Rainbow, please!”  Applejack harshly whispered, but she wasn't able to grab her in time.  She ducked away from the opening, and prepared for the worst.
	“Hey there!” said Rainbow Dash.
	“Is Applejack in there?” asked the pegasus.
	“Nope.  Haven't seen her all day.” Rainbow Dash said, casually.  Applejack sighed and relaxed.
	“Oh.  Okay.  Keep looking for Applejack.” said the pegasus.
	“Will do!” said Rainbow Dash, squeezing back inside the wind guard.  She was being suspiciously quiet, and Applejack peeked from the brim of her hat to see her face in a look of smug satisfaction.
	“Wha...what're you so happy about?” Applejack asked, suspiciously.
	“No time to explain, huh?” asked Rainbow Dash.
	“Rainbow, I-...what?  Why're y'all lookin' at me like that?” she asked, shuffling back, nervously.
	“I know what's going on here, heeheehee...” she said, giggling to herself.
	“Ya...ya do?”
	“Heeheeheeheehee...yeah!  Applejack, you're in trouble, aren't you?” she said gleefully, pointing a hoof at Applejack.
	“I'm in...what?” asked Applejack, confused, but Rainbow Dash wasn't paying attention to her.  She was giddily hopping up and down, cackling to herself excitedly.
	“I can't believe it!  Dah hahahahaha!  Oh, Luna, you don't know how long I've been waiting for this!  I always knew you had it in ya, AJ!”
	“Nnn-mmmp...” Applejack said, about to tell the truth before cutting herself off.  “I mean...” she said, bracing herself, “...nnnnyyyyyyyep.” she said, grimacing, the lie sliding out from deep within her like something physically unpleasant.  Rainbow Dash didn't seem to be paying her any attention.
	“Heeheeheehee!  I told you, didn't I?  Remember when I told you?  When we were little fillies!  You said that you don't get in trouble, cause you admit all your wrongdoings before it becomes even more trouble!  And I told you, one of these days, Applejack, just you wait!  You're gonna get in so much trouble that you won't have no choice but to run away!”  she said, following it up with another round of laughter.  Applejack kept her mouth shut and blushed.
	“Oh yeah?” she said, angrily, “Well...I recall, in that very same conversation, that y'all made a promise to me that if I were to ever find myself in that much trouble,” she said, Rainbow Dash immediately shutting up, “that you'd help me hide, 'n we'd fix it together!” she said, grinning.  Blush spread across Rainbow Dash's cheeks.
	“Uuuuuuhhh....” she stammered.  “Well...that's not fair.  I only said that so you'd stop crying!” she said, looking away.
	“Eeeeyep.” Applejack said, putting her hat back on her head smugly.
	“And...I specifically said that I'd hide you in my room, and, that was my room back at my parent's house!”
	“So ya do remember that part of the conversation.”
	“Well...I mean, yeah...”
	“Y'all aren't tryin' to weasel your way out of a promise with an Apple, are ya, sugar cube?” said Applejack, laying her forelegs across one another.
	“Me?  Why-...of ah-...of course not!  What kind of friend do you think I am?”
	“So you'll take me topside 'n help me hide for a while?”
	“Of course!”  she said.  Applejack let out a huge sigh of relief.
	“Hoo-wee!  Finally, somethin' goin' right for a change.” she said, closing her eyes peacefully.
	“Now let's discuss terms.”  Rainbow Dash said.  Applejack stiffened up immediately.
	“Terms?  Say what now?”
	“Yeah.  What's in it for me?” Rainbow Dash said, sauntering past Applejack and peering out through the slats at town square below.  Applejack was speechless.
	“H-...Y-...What's...in it...for you?  What'a y'all mean, 'what's in it for you'!?  The satisfaction'a keepin' a promise 'n helpin' your friend, your best friend, out in a time'a need, that's what!”
	“Yyyyyeah, maybe for your ordinary times of need.  But you don't get in trouble, so, lemme explain what's going on.  Ya see, if I help you, and then they find you, that means I'm in trouble, too.  Normally, we would make a promise to lie in case you get caught to save everypony else involved, but, knowing you, I know that's not gonna happen.”
	“What's that 'sposed to mean?”
	“It means, you're a tattler, Applejack!” she said, pointing a hoof at her.  Applejack fumed silently and stubbornly adjusted her hat.
	“What of it?”
	“What of i- are you f- ugh!” Rainbow Dash sputtered, clamping her forehooves on her temples.  She took a breath and recomposed herself before coolly sitting back down on the floorboards.  “Okay look.  Basically, it means I'm taking a big risk.  So...I'm gonna need ya to sweeten the pot a little...if ya know what I mean...”  she said, slyly.  Applejack's eyes narrowed at her angrily, her teeth set and grinding together.
	“Rainbow...why-...of all the-...no good...you're lucky I...” she muttered, glaring at her furiously while trying to keep her voice down.
	“Or, you could stay up here in the clock tower all day.  Cause that seemed to be working pretty good for you so far.” Rainbow Dash teased.  Applejack held her mouth shut, took in a deep breath, and then let it out, huge gouts of steam puffing out of her nostrils.
	“Ffff...fine.  I'll give ya...a whole bushel of apples when we get back to Sweet Apple Acres.”
	“Ech.” Rainbow Dash said, giving her a shooing motion with her hoof, not even looking at her.  Applejack trembled.
	“Alright, fine.  I'll let ya sleep in the orchards for a week.” she said.  Rainbow Dash looked back at her, an eyebrow raised, more interested.  “Two weeks?” Applejack offered.
	“Make it three.” Rainbow said, turning towards Applejack, satisfied.
	“Fine.  Deal.  Now, will ya help me, please?”
	“A month!” said Rainbow Dash, pointing a hoof at Applejack, her tail twitching excitedly.
	“A mo-  I already said 'deal', Rainbow Dash, that ain't how barterin' works!”
	“Uh-oh, I think I see a pegasi squad headed this waaaaaay...”
	“Now hang on just an apple-buckin' minute!  How do I know that if I agree to this, y'all ain't just gonna-
BONG
gooowl...Luna's bells...” Applejack said, clutching her head, the brass bell between them swinging back and forth slightly.
	“Whoa, jeez, are you o-
BONG
geeh!  Aaaaaah...son of a...” said Rainbow Dash, clutching her own head.
BONG
“Hulp!  Hold still, dangit, there ain't enough...”
BONG
“Ow!  Hey, watch where you're putting-”
BA-BOOOOONG
The bell really sounded out, both of them whacking their heads on it at the same time.  In all the commotion, they didn't hear the sound of wood creaking ominously.  They both ducked down low, watching the bell carefully, as the low ringing sound rang and rang, fading and fading, and slowly settled to a stop.  And all was quiet again.  They both looked at each other, relieved, and gave sighs of relief.  And then the wind screen collapsed and toppled over on all sides around them.  They awkwardly looked at each other and at the open air all around them, and they were completely surrounded on all sides by pegasi.
	“H-hey, look!  It's Applejack!” one of the pegasi said, excitedly.
	“Let us help you, Applejack!” they all said in unison.
	“Rainbow Dash...” Applejack said nervously, gulping, “Help...”.
	“What the...?” Rainbow Dash said, turning to and fro, confused.  The ponies on the ground level started speaking up too, and the pegasi were closing in.  Applejack looked at them, trapped and cornered, and knew this was it.  She shut her eyes tight and waited for it.  She felt a strong hoof wrap around her midsection, and she braced for what she knew came next.
“Hang on!” Rainbow Dash shouted.
	“Ah!  Wha?”  Applejack stammered, and she felt an immensely powerful tug that jerked her off of her feet.  She planted a hoof firmly on her hat and felt Rainbow Dash's other legs clutch onto her, and next thing she knew, she was rocketing out of the clock tower and up into the air.  She screamed a hoarse and wavering scream that fell easily and continuously out of her lungs as the wind batted and swept away at her, and she saw the ground and Ponyville fall away below her at a sickeningly fast speed under her uncomfortably wiggling hind legs and blonde tail, whipping around in the wind by the rainbow-colored contrail she was leaving behind.  Clouds whooshed past her, and suddenly she felt gravity's pull on her weaken, and her ascent slowed to a halt.  Applejack's head and stomach were spinning, and she couldn't stop staring at the ground, a blur in the distance below her.
	“Whoo!  I think we lost 'em!” Rainbow Dash said.  It was eerily silent this high up in the air, and her words echoed in the vast space around them, the only sound being Rainbow Dash's flapping wings and a gentle wind.  “Heeheehee, relax AJ, I got you!  You want on top?” she asked.
	“Hah.  Hah.  Y-y-y-yes, please.” Applejack gasped, trembling at the sight below her.
	“Ai-yoop!” Rainbow dash said, giving Applejack a quick toss upward, the orange earth pony yelping and flailing her hooves at the sudden motion, and Rainbow smoothly shifted underneath her and  caught her on her back.  Applejack clutched three shaky legs around Rainbow Dash's body, hard, and lowered her hat over her eyes with the other.  “Alright, let's get a good lead on 'em.”  Rainbow Dash said, cruising away.
	“Th-th-thank you.  Thank ya for helpin' me, Rainbow Dash.”  said Applejack.
	“Ah, it was no big deal.”  said Rainbow Dash, waving her question away with one of her hooves.
	“I'm...I'm sorry about all the things I said before...y'all can sleep in the orchards for a month if ya want.”  she said.  Rainbow Dash giggled.
	“Oh come on, Applejack, you didn't really fall for all that, did you?” she asked.
	“Beg your pardon?”
	“Jeez, you gotta be the worst liar and the most gullible pony in Ponyville.  You thought I was just gonna leave you there for those weird ponies to find?”
	“You mean ya were just pullin' my leg?  I knew it!”
	“Yeah, right.  Well, you did give me your permission to sleep in the orchards, so...anyways, you can relax now, you're safe.  Keep breathing like that and you'll fall over and die in a minute or two.”
	“That's the problem, Rainbow Dash, that's why I need help.”
	“To help you breathe?”
	“NO-” Applejack blurted out, practically shouting.  She startled Rainbow Dash and she could feel her sky-blue body tense up and waver a bit.  “I mean...I don't need help.  Please.  Just...trust me on this one.”
	“Uh...alright.  But you haven't caught your breath ever since I saw you.  Are you sure you don't need-
	“-Positive.  Ain't we near Smokey Mountain?  Can we take a break for just a sec?”
	“But why?”
	“I just want some dirt under my hooves right now.  It'll help me relax.”
	“Ooh!  That's it!” said Rainbow Dash, lightly smacking herself in the head with one of her hooves in realization.  “Altitude sickness!  That's why you're breathing so hard!”
	“It ain't altitude sickness, RD.”
	“No no, I see it happen to earth ponies all the time!  Look, there's this trick I learned to help it.  You take a cloud,”
	“Rainbow!  I'm fine!” she said.  Rainbow Dash sighed.
	“It's a secret.  Of course.  If I find you a mountain ridge for you to rest your hooves on, will you finally tell me what the hay is goin' on?”
	“Gladly.” she said, burying her face in her hat.
	“Applejaaaaack?” said a distant voice.  Applejack's eyes shot open, peeking out under the brim.  She and Rainbow Dash both looked at each other for a paranoid moment, and then they both looked backwards and saw a yellow speck in the distance.
	“What's that?” Applejack asked, worried.
	“I think it's...” Rainbow Dash said, squinting, “...grrrr...barrel rolls, it's Raindrops!  I saw her back in Ponyville!”
	“Does she see us?” asked Applejack, shielding her eyes from the sun with her hat and looking intently at Raindrops, flying who knew how far away.
	“Nope!” Rainbow Dash said, and Applejack jerked away from her, nearly losing her grip, and suddenly they were zooming forward again, clouds rushing past them, and Applejack struggled to climb her way forward on Rainbow Dash with one hoof holding her hat on her head, and hugged her for dear life.  She opened her eyes and saw the ground way, way down below them, moving along so slowly.  She gasped fearfully and shut her eyes tight again.
	“Royal Sisters, who guide the sun, moon, 'n heavens...” Applejack said, soliciting the princesses for help for what felt like the dozenth time today.  She took a quick look back again, her ponytail flapping in the wind behind her.  She thought she saw the same speck in the distance as before.  “I think she's followin' us!”  she shouted.
	“WHAT?” Rainbow Dash shouted back.  Applejack sidled further up, past her furiously beating wings, next to her head.  Rainbow remained adamantly focused on looking forward, but tilted her head a little to the side in acknowledgment.
	“I SAID, I THINK SHE'S FOLLOWIN' US!”
	“MY ACHIN' WINGTIP SHE IS!  NOPONY CAN OUTFLY ME!  ONCE I LOSE HER, THERE'S NO WAY FOR HER TO TRACK US, WE'RE TOO HIGH UP!” she shouted.  Applejack gave a quick glance behind them and then sidled up next to Rainbow Dash's head again.
	“WHAT ABOUT YOUR RAINBOW?”  she asked.  Rainbow Dash scoffed.
	“WHAT ABOUT MY RAI-” she started, and then cut herself off.  Her wings extended straight out and flattened, and she skidded to a sudden halt.  Applejack caught the brim of her hat in her teeth and hugged Rainbow Dash with all four legs, shaking in fear.  “My rainbow...” Rainbow Dash said, bemused.  She turned around, and saw that she had been flying so fast, she left a bright, glowing rainbow leading the way right to them.  “My rainbow!  Oh, foxtrot!  I can't outfly her by the time it leads her right to us!”
	“What if we...went to ground?”
	“No, wait.  I have an idea.  You're gonna have to trust me.”
	“Rainbow, I'm not sure if I can-
	“Hey!” Rainbow Dash said, peeling Applejack off of her back and holding her by the shoulders in front of her.  Applejack made an effort to not look down.  “Trust me!  Friends til the end, right?”  she asked.  Applejack blinked at her and sighed.
	“Friends til the end.” she said, smiling and giving her a wink.  “Alright, what's your plan?”
	“We're gonna pull a little Prism Bridge on her.”  Rainbow Dash said, shouldering Applejack under one arm and coasting forward.
	“Prism Bridge?  We're gonna head all the way back there?”
	“No, dummy, I mean the battle of Prism Bridge.”
	“You mean that one time when the earth pony army crossed the rainbow bridge by eatin' clouds?” she asked.
	“Uh-huh.” Rainbow Dash said, nodding.  Applejack looked at her, worried.
	“Uh...Rainbow Dash...I reckon you know your history a mite better than me, but, didn't the earth ponies lose that war?” she asked, looking back, and she saw Raindrops on the horizon again.  She gulped.
	“Yeah, but, whatever, that's ancient history.  It's not important.  Alright, this looks like a good one.” she said, stopping at a big, chunky nimbus cloud.  “Okay, dig in.” she said.
	“Just...eat it?”
	“Yeah!” she said.  Applejack looked at her questioningly.  “I don't know, just start eating, quick!” she said.  Applejack looked down at the fluffy white cloud before her.  She gave a shrug.
	“Well, y'only live once.” she said, and stuck her hoof in.  It was cold, and soft, and her hoof sank into it like it wasn't even there.  She brought it back out with a hoof full of...nothing.  Her leg had sank completely in and came completely out, clean.  She tried again, but her hoof passed right through the cloud each time; she couldn't even move it.  “Uh...Rainbow Dash?  We got a problem.” she said, desperately passing her forelegs through it.
	“Oh for-  come on!”
	“Well how'm I 'sposed to eat it?”
	“I don't know!  Stick your whole face in it!  Pretend it's...one of those face-first pie eating competitions!” she said.  Applejack blinked at her and then looked back at the cloud.  She concentrated, and imagined it was a giant apple pie.
	“Boy, howdy...” she said, reverently, before shoving her whole head in it.  She took a big mouthful and the light, airy substance filled her mouth.  Curiously, it tasted like water.  She swished it around a bit and swallowed.
	“Hey!  I'm doin' it!  I'm eatin' a cloud!” she said, pulling herself out and turning to Rainbow Dash excitedly.
	“Yeah, that's great, now come on, do it faster.”  Rainbow Dash said, shoving Applejack's head back in.  Applejack moved her head back and forth, filling her mouth with cloud and swallowing.  She was doing it as fast as she could, but it was still taking a long time.  “Alright, how're you doing?” asked Rainbow Dash.  Applejack breached her head above the clouds.
	“Whoo-whee!  I reckon I'm makin' pretty good progress.” she said, rubbing her belly with one of her hooves.  Rainbow Dash held her outwards and tested her weight in the cloud.  She groaned.
	“Mmmmmnnn...this isn't working!  You're not eating fast enough!”
	“Whatta ya mean, not fast enough?  I'm eatin' as fast as I can eat!”
	“Well, she's gaining on us!  Oh, this was a bad idea.  Actually, no.  Hold still.”  she said.  She reached into the cloud and effortlessly scooped up a mound of white, fluffy cloud on her hoof.
	“What're ya gonna do with tha-llllmmmph!?” she said as Rainbow Dash crammed it into her open mouth.  Applejack closed her mouth, her cheeks bulging, wisps of cloud puffing everywhere around her lips.
	“Come on, you don't have to chew it, it's cloud for Celestia's sake!” she said, and Applejack swallowed.
	“Rainbow!?  What the hay are y'all doin'?” she asked, indignantly.
	“Gettin' you to eat enough cloud.”
	“Well, ya don't gotta feed it to-hhhlllmph!” she said, as Rainbow Dash shoved another hooffull of cloud into Applejack's mouth.
	“Put a sock in it and eat!  Do you want to get found or not?” she said.  Applejack looked at her, angrily, her cheeks full, and then swallowed.  Rainbow Dash took another chunk out of the cloud.  And then another.  And another.  And another.  Applejack tried to comply with as much dignity as she could, but it was difficult.  Rainbow Dash would shove the cloud in her mouth and expect her to swallow it, and the rate that she was going kept getting faster and faster.  Over time, Rainbow Dash got fed up with all the cloud puffing out of Applejack's lips when she closed her mouth and starting forcing her mouth shut as part of one smooth motion after putting it in.  Applejack uncomfortably ate and ate, her tummy getting tighter and tighter, expanding further and further outwards noticeably.
	“Applejack!” they heard again, and both froze.  They looked over and clearly saw Raindrops getting closer to them.
	“Oh!  Pitch this!” said Rainbow Dash, throwing a hoofful of white fluff back into the cloud in frustration.  Applejack looked at Rainbow Dash, fearfully.
	“What're we gonna do?” she asked.  Rainbow Dash looked her up and down, noticing her pudgier frame in her middle, and looked her in the face.
	“I'm sorry.” she said.
	“Pardon?” asked Applejack, nervously.  Rainbow Dash let Applejack slip through her grip a bit, making her give out a yelp, before tightening her grip again and getting her in a headlock.  “Rainbow!  Wait!  Wait, wha-hrrgmmmmph!” said Applejack as cloud was stuffed into her mouth.
	“Eat!  Eat!  Eat!  Come on!” she said, quickly scooping hunks of cloud and shoving them in Applejack's face.  She stuffed, and stuffed, and stuffed, and when the clouds didn't go down right away, she was sure to cram them in along with the next hooffull.  Applejack struggled to say anything, her hooves weakly kicking, and she got fuller, and fuller, and fuller.  Her flanks filled out and her belly grew, and it looked like she was rapidly gaining weight.  Rainbow Dash gave one quick glance over to the side and frantically shoveled several huge chunks into Applejack's mouth, packing them down and down until Applejack swallowed the last puff.
	“Ugh...I reckon I know why the earth ponies lost the war now...” Applejack said, her fattened, round body swaying back and forth below her.  She hiccuped, and some cloud misted out of her mouth.  Rainbow Dash clamped her muzzle shut with her hooves.
	“Keep that muzzle shut!  That cloud's the only thing that'll support you!  Alright, I think this is about as good as we're gonna get.” she said, grabbing her with both forelegs and testing her weight.
	“Wait...wait, what're you-!” Applejack started, before Rainbow Dash tossed her forward.  Applejack felt terror overtake her as she separated from her friend and fell downward, but her scream ended prematurely when she landed on something.  Something soft, and airy, and light.  She looked around, at the half-consumed cloud around her, and realized it was supporting her.
“Heh...hey, look at that!” Applejack said, who, despite herself, was still amazed at the whole experience, looking over her round, orange belly.
	“It'll have to do.  Sit there.  Don't move a muscle.” she said, grabbing a section of cloud.  With quick, precise movements, she combed the cloud over and completely covered Applejack.  She fussily smoothed over some spots here and there before quickly turning around.  She hovered in place with her forehooves behind her back, trying to look as innocent as possible.  The yellow and turquoise-colored pegasus approached her swiftly and slowed to a hover, looking around blankly.
	“Oh, hey Raindrops, what's up?” Rainbow Dash asked.
	“I'm looking for Applejack.” she said, distantly, looking at the clouds.
	“Well, uh, I haven't seen her all day.  Sorry about that.” said Rainbow Dash.  Applejack listened intently, covered head to tail in cloud, trying not to move.  She pushed a hoof deeper into her belly to try to appease her tremendously bloated stomach, but it was no use.  She couldn't help but feel like she was moving, so she closed her eyes and concentrated, staying perfectly still.  She was even suppressing the need to shiver, being in the middle of a cold, moist cloud.  But she didn't let it get to her as the cold set in, and she thought she felt a draft on her backside.  She held her breath and laid there, trying harder and harder to remain still and stop the moving sensation.  Then, she felt her tail fall away from her and dangle straight downward.  A small grunt of surprise escaped her nostrils and her eyes shot open as she snuck a hoof down and felt around her rump.  She felt the draft on her hoof too, and her tail was hanging in the open air.  She opened her mouth to shout to Rainbow Dash, but quickly bit back her words, crinkling her nose.
	“And so here I am with all this cloud, I mean, so much cloud, as big as a skyscraper!  What was I gonna do with all that cloud?  Four words: One.  Big.  Altocumulus field!  Oh, man, you shoulda seen it, I was like...” Rainbow Dash bragged to the obviously uninterested Raindrops, who was looking around the clouds that surrounded them.
	“Hmmm.” Applejack grunted as quietly as she could, but both Rainbow Dash and Raindrops heard it.
	“Applejack?” Raindrops asked, her eyes and ears perking up.
	“Oh, uh...no, that was just me.  Hmm-hmhmmm...” she said, dramatically clearing her throat and beating a forehoof against her chest.  “It's the moisture.  All that digging into clouds left me...uh...moisturized.”  she said, slyly reaching a hoof back and giving Applejack a curt kick inside the cloud.  She was soft and went POOF on contact, like kicking a giant pillow.
	“Oh.  I'm looking for Applejack.” said Raindrops, who continued looking around.
	“Yeah, I was meaning to ask you...why exactly are you looking for Applejack?”
	“Applejack needs our help.” said Raindrops.
	“Yeah, but why does she need-
	“Hmmm!”  Applejack grunted, even louder, inside the cloud.  Raindrops immediately turned towards the cloud and gasped excitedly.
	“Applejack?” she asked with the same enthusiasm as the first time, searching around.  Rainbow Dash's eyes darted around, looking for a lie.
	“Uh...yeah, look!  There she is!”  She said, pointing past Raindrops.
	“Where?” she asked, turning around and looking intently at the field of clouds before them.
	“Whoop, she's gone now!  She must be hiding behind one of those clouds!” she said, but she was barely able to get the whole sentence out before Raindrops charged off.
	“Let us help you, Applejaaaaaaaack!” she shouted, her voice echoing.  Rainbow Dash watched her travel a safe distance away before she impatiently turned back to the cloud and grabbed a couple hooffulls, peeling it away and revealing Applejack inside, with a desperate look on her face.
	“Hey, what'd I tell you-
	“I'm slippin'.”
	“What?”
	“I'm slippin'!  My 'quarters are comin' out the bottom!” she said.  Rainbow Dash looked at her for a second, and then flew beneath the cloud, and saw the bottom drooping downwards heavily to accommodate Applejack's weight, and her new rotund size, and right at the lowest point was her round, puffy, orange rump and flanks poking out the bottom, her dangling tail twitching agitatedly.
	“Aw, crud!” Rainbow Dash said, clamping her hooves on either side of her head.  She rushed over and planted a hoof on each of Applejack's pillowey butt cheeks, making her flinch hard enough to make her hat float off of her head and drift safely back down, and slowly shoved the fattened earth pony back up into it.  She covered the hole back up, and as soon as she let go, it started sagging downward again.  She rushed back on top to where Applejack's uncovered face was.  “Quick, you have to eat more cloud!”
	“But I'm already stuffed to my gi-hhhhmmmph!” she said as Rainbow Dash shoved a hooffull of puffy white cloud into her mouth.
	“Less talkey, more eatey!  You're still too heavy for the cloud to support!” she said, perching on Applejack's stuffed belly and shoving chunks of cloud into her mouth.  She squirmed and protested, but Rainbow Dash could feel her belly expanding, slowly but surely, underneath her hooves.  The cloud started slowly inflating, Applejack's expanding body pushing it outwards.
“Okay.” said Rainbow Dash.  “I think you're good now.”  Rainbow Dash was a very efficient force-feeder, and Applejack was significantly bigger , bigger than Rainbow Dash, who sat atop her huge, bloated belly, her hooves sinking into her soft, orange hide.
	“Oh, well that's...that's fine...” Applejack said groggily.  She burped softly, with her mouth closed, and two tufts of white, misty cloud puffed out of her nostrils.  Her pudgy little legs kicked weakly on her rounded, expansive girth, and her wide backside was nestling comfortably inside the cloud now, instead of poking through it.
	“Okay, now hold still...and be quiet!”  Rainbow Dash whispered loudly, pulling the surrounding cloud around Applejack and smoothing it out.  She stood up, dusting her hooves off, and then froze when she looked straight down.  She was standing on a soft, orange mound that stuck out of the cloud cover.  She had certainly made Applejack much bigger than she was the first time she hid her in the cloud, and the cloud itself was looking much fuller and rounder than it was a minute ago.  “Eh heh heh...it's always better to be safe than sorry, right?” she said, laughing guiltily, and prodded Applejack's protruding belly with one of her hooves.  She quickly tried combing the surrounding cloud over it, but it didn't quite cover it all the way.  She grabbed on, and with a mighty pull, it gave and pulled inwards, over her round belly, and she smoothed it out with a nice, finishing pat.
	“Uh...Rainbow Dash?” Applejack said.
	“Sssshhh!  Raindrops is coming back!” Rainbow Dash said out the corner of her mouth.  Raindrops flew back slowly, looking over and under each cloud.  “Hey!  Raindrops.  You find her?”
	“I'm looking for Applejack.”
	“Well that's too bad.  Listen.  I asked you before, before we got interrupted...what does Applejack need help with?” she asked.
	“Applejack?” she said, perking up again.
	“Are you listening to me?” asked Rainbow Dash, impatiently.  Raindrops didn't respond.  “Heeellooooooo...mission control to Raindrops!  Are you receiving?”  She asked.  Raindrops ignored her, slowly and dimly circling a cloud.  Rainbow Dash crossed her forelegs and rolled her eyes.  “Alright, fine, whatever, be that way.” she said.  Raindrops finished circling and crossed over to Rainbow Dash, looking at the cloud that Applejack was hiding in.  “Hey-uh...hey!” she said, stammering and watching her go by before zipping in front of her, blocking her way.  “She's not over here!  Applejack's gone, now scram!”  she said.  Raindrops flew to the left and right, trying to go around her, but Rainbow Dash blocked her way each time.
	“Rainbow Dash!” Applejack loudly whispered.  Without missing a beat, Rainbow Dash delivered a swift kick to the cloud with one of her hind hooves, landing with a solid-sounding POOF, and a quick grunt from Applejack.
	“Applejack?” asked Raindrops.
	“No, Applejack isn't here!” she said, trying to block her further, before Raindrops flew under her, looking beneath the cloud.
	“Applejack?” she asked, further mystified.  Rainbow Dash followed, and double-took when she saw a ragged-looking hole in the bottom of the cloud, Applejack's blonde tail dangling down, and the top of her butt crack peeking over the fringe.
	“Uh-uuuuh...” Rainbow Dash stammered.  Raindrops flew towards it and tore away at the edge of the hole, exposing her fattened flank and exposing the slightly stretched-out cutie mark on the side.  Raindrops backed up a little, gasping with excitement.
	“Applejack!” she said, and darted back up to the top.
	“Ffffffoxtrot!  No, no, no no no!” Rainbow Dash cursed, and flew straight up.
	Applejack felt hooves plant themselves on her large stomach, and the cloud covering her head and shoulders was peeled away by a pair of yellow hooves.  She was looking into the turquoise eyes of Raindrops, who gasped joyously at the sight.  Applejack looked out with fear.
	“Let us help you, Applejack!” she said, grabbing the closest hooffull of cloud and shoving it towards Applejack's mouth.  Applejack tried to hold it shut and moved her head this way and that, but Raindrops was still able to work her mouth open and shove the fluffy white cloud in.  Applejack looked down, cross-eyed, at the chunk sticking out of her mouth between big, puffed-out cheeks, and then spit it out in a misty tuft of white.
	“Rainbow Dash, hel-mmmppphhhh!” she shouted as more and more cloud was stuffed into her mouth, her legs wiggling uselessly as she tried to back away, her rump rubbing on the cloud surface and her body squirming.
	“Hey!  Veggie drawer!  Up here!” shouted Rainbow Dash.  Both Raindrops and Applejack looked up, Applejack giving a quick look at Raindrops with her mouth full of cloud, and then spit it out forcefully.  Rainbow Dash looked down on them, surrounded by clouds, with her hooves judgmentally on her hips, and then flew.  She started so fast that she appeared as nothing more than her rainbow contrail, and she flew around and around the surrounding clouds like a rainbow-colored ribbon, around and around and around, doubling over and surrounding them on all sides.  Raindrops looked at the display, transfixed, and tilted her head a little.  Applejack watched nervously, looking between Rainbow Dash and Raindrops.  As Rainbow Dash circled the clouds more and more, they started to move inwards.  The clouds gathered and squished together as she tightened her circle on them more and more, pressing them together into one, big cloud.  She tightened her circle more and more and more, squeezing and pushing the cloud as it got smaller, and smaller, and smaller, her circles becoming a spherical orbit around the cloud, compressed to the size of a watermelon.  Suddenly, she stopped, sweating and concentrating, grabbing onto the melon-sized cloud, squashing and crushing and forcing the cloud down to about the size of the rubber balls she was fond of playing with.  Then, she charged at Raindrops with the dark, super-dense cloud ball raised above her head.
	“Is that for-” Raindrops started,
	“EVASIVE MANEUVER NUMBER 9!  HYAH!”  Rainbow Dash shouted, yanking Raindrops' lower jaw open with one hoof, dextrously forcing the cloud ball into her mouth and down her throat with the other, and flipping her mouth back closed like a mailbox, before turning and giving her a rough shove with both hind hooves.  She tumbled backwards through the air and caught herself in a hover, shaking herself off and looking at Rainbow Dash angrily.
	“Hey!” she said, a wisp of white cloud coming out with her breath, “I'm trying to...ooh...urp...” she said, putting her forehooves on her rumbling stomach, as white mist came out of her mouth and nostrils.  “Let us...help you...” she said, her voice straining, “...AppleFWMMMMPH!” she shouted, going from normal-sized pegasus to about the size of a hot air balloon in the blink of an eye.  Her body swelled and curved out in all directions, her hooves poofy and inflated, and her eyes looked this way and that, shocked and confused by what just happened.  Rainbow Dash flew up to the massively round, floating pegasus, Raindrops' eyes following her cautiously all the way, and she reared back and gave her a gentle nudge with her back hooves that sent her drifting away, mumbling over clouds in her mouth, wiggling her fattened hooves uselessly as she floated off, rotating slowly.  Applejack watched in awe.
	“Alright, time to go.” said Rainbow Dash, abruptly.  Applejack yelped as she felt a hoof hook itself under one of her forelegs and lift her into the air.  “Raindrops is gonna be visible for miles, and we gotta be long gone by the time somepony comes to investigate.  And, I'd be lying if I didn't say you weren't a little more visible too, fatso.”
	“Don't you try to blame this on me,” Applejack said, giving Rainbow Dash a squinty look, “This was your idea in the first place!  And she wouldn't'a found me if y'all weren't so eager to feed me the entire cloud I was 'sposed to be hidin' in!” she said, her chubby body dangling below her as Rainbow Dash dragged her through the air, cruising along towards Smokey Mountain.
	“I was trying to keep you afloat!  She wouldn't of found you if you hadn't made any noise!”
	“Well, I made noise because y'all were too busy grabbin' hooffulls of cloud to stuff me with to notice that there weren't enough of the cloud left over to cover me up!”
	“Well if you would just let me help you, Applej-
	“DON'T-!  Don't you say it, Rainbow Dash, not you too!”
	“Okay, THAT'S IT!” Rainbow Dash shouted, screeching to a complete halt in midair, Applejack's fattened body swinging like a pendulum in her hooves.  She tossed Applejack into the air, where she flailed helplessly before landing roughly rump-first on a nearby cloud, her rounder, heftier figure keeping her supported.  “I had to do the entire weather patrol's workload today 'cause everypony's been looking for you!”
	“Rainbow, I-
	“Everypony's acting weird, like there's obviously somethin' weird going on, but no matter who I ask, nopony will tell me anything!”
	“Rainbow Dash-
	“You ask me to help you, like you're in some kinda huge trouble, and you ask me to trust you, no questions asked.  That stops now!  You ain't movin' off of that cloud until I get some answers.” she said, decisively, and plunked her rump down on a cloud several feet in front of Applejack's, her forelegs angrily crossed.  She glared.  Applejack hesitated, and took one long look at the ground, looming an impossibly large distance below her.  She sighed.
	“Well, alright.  Now, before I say anything, you know I would never lie to y'all, RD, right?.  Cause this is gonna sound like a load'a hogwash.”
	“Great.  Let's hear it.” Rainbow Dash said, making a curt beckoning gesture with her hoof.  Applejack took a huge breath.
	“When I said I was in trouble, that was a lie!  Pheeeeew!” she sighed, sinking in relief, brushing sweat from her brow.  “I had to get that off my chest.”  Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes.
	“Fine, you're forgiven.  So what's really going on?”
	“Alright, here goes.  I'm cursed.  Yeah, yeah, I know what Twilight said 'n all that, but just listen to me.  I went to Geronimo's smithin's right after you left this morning, and there was this old pony that I ticked off.  So she waved her hooves around like this 'n said I'd have misfortune, this 'n that 'n somesuch, and ever since then, everypony's been trying to blow me up like a balloon, tryin' to help me breathe!  First my family, then Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and everypony in town I've come across since!  Everypony's just dropped what they were doin', and now they're all out lookin' for me!  Don't that sound like a curse to you?”
	“She said you'd have 'this 'n that' and 'somesuch'?”
	“Well...no, I don't remember every little tiny thing she said, but that was the gist of it!  Do y'all believe me, or not?” she asked.  Rainbow Dash's expression softened and she looked Applejack up and down.
	“I just have one question.  Why the hay didn't you just tell me all that in the first place?”
	“Well, cause I think I figured out how this curse works.  And if I'm right, then I reckon that...it's affectin' you too, right now, and it's only gonna get worse over time, til you're...you know...goin' along with all them.” she said, pointing to the ground.  “That, 'n, I wasn't sure if y'all'd believe me.  With curses 'n all that.” Rainbow Dash smiled.
	“Well...I'm not sure if I believe you or not, but you gave me the closest thing to an answer I've gotten all day, so.  I'll help you get to Twilight's library, yeah.  Maybe we can get a straight answer from her.  After you've gotten over that altitude sickness, first.” she said.  Applejack groaned and smacked her hooves over her eyes, falling backward on her chubby back in exasperation.
	“No, no, no!  I ain't got no altitude sickness!  Rainbow, that's the curse!  It's affectin' your mind, I just told you that!”
	“Nnnnno, I don't think so.  I think I would know if I was under the effect of some curse.  It's definitely altitude sickness.”
	“Rainbow Dash!”
	“What?  I'm not gonna blow you up, or...fatten you up, I guess.  I'm still gonna take you to Twilight's house, like I said.  It's just, the pegasi have this old trick for dealing with altitude sickness; you just eat a little bit of cloud.”
	“And I don't have a little bit in me already!?” she asked, cradling her engorged belly between her forelegs for emphasis.
	“Well, a little more than that.  Look, I've been watchin' you, all loopy and barely breathing this whole time, and it'll make me feel a lot better if you ate a little bit of cloud.  Just a little bit!” she said, putting her hooves up reassuringly.  Applejack sat back up and looked at her with suspicion.
	“D'ya promise?”
	“I promise!  We'll see Twilight right after, okay?”
	“...Alright.” she said.
	“Yyyyyyes!  Oh thank you, Applejack, this has been bugging me so much!” she said, plucking a bit of cloud with her hoof and flying over to Applejack.  She held it out, and Applejack reached for it, and her hoof went straight through it like it wasn't even there.  Applejack rolled her eyes.  “Whoops.  Heh heh, sorry, I forgot.  Alright, open up.” she said.  Applejack looked at her, weary and a little frustrated.  She slowly opened her mouth.  Rainbow Dash delicately put it in her mouth, and Applejack roughly closed it and swallowed.
	“There.  Little bit of cloud.  Happy now?”
	“Mmmnn...” Rainbow Dash mused, stroking her chin, “doesn't look like it did very much.  Maybe one more.”
	“One more!” Applejack said, carefully.
	“Yeah, just one more.” she said.  She grabbed another bit of cloud, a little too big for Applejack's liking, and flew back over.
	“Just one more, and then it's off to Twilight's house.” said Applejack decisively.
	“Yeah, sure, no problem.” she said.  Applejack opened her mouth, and Rainbow Dash pushed the larger piece of cloud through her lips.  Applejack closed her mouth, her cheeks puffed out, and swallowed.
	“There.  Now come on.”
	“Are you sure you're feeling okay?” asked Rainbow Dash, her hooves on her hips,  “Usually it just takes a little bit, but you still look a bit loopy.”
	“That's the curse!  You said you wanted to help, right?  Well, we gotta get to Twilight's house before you do something really- ulp!” she said, as Rainbow Dash shoved another piece of cloud into her mouth.
	“Llllllllet's not get ahead of ourselves.  We need our heads...uh...clear!  I don't want you going to Twilight all ranting and raving about curses, we need to be able to...talk, and, explain 'n stuff.” she said, clutching what looked like a small cloud under her foreleg, as she tore another hooffull off of it.  Applejack tried to argue, but Rainbow Dash kept forcing cloud into Applejack's mouth before tugging more pieces off of the one in her foreleg.  She grabbed a big piece and shoved it in her face, knocking Applejack on her back, before taking the whole small cloud with both hooves and slamming it on top.  Rainbow darted off and returned with what looked like another small cloud, and threw that one down on top before darting off again.  She returned with another small cloud.  And then another.  And another.  She threw the last one on the pile with great enthusiasm before hopping on top,  and Applejack stared wide-eyed and helpless as Rainbow Dash bounced up and down on top of it, stomping it down, and down, and down, shoving it inch by inch down her mouth and throat, and making her belly rise up and up and up, getting rounder and bigger.  With a few final shoves, both hooves at a time, she packed the cloud into Applejack's slackened, open mouth, her orange, freckly cheeks bulging and ballooning further and further outwards with each push, before grabbing her upper and lower jaw and clamping it shut for her, her eyes weary and dizzy.  Small tufts came from her mouth and she slowly swallowed, her tongue lolling out of her mouth afterwords, looking like she was gonna be sick.  “There you go!  You just needed a bit more than usual!” she said, shoveling the last few stray puffs into Applejack's mouth.  Applejack couldn't muster the energy to resist.
	“Ugh...Rainbow Dash, I think this curse is gettin' to ya too fast!” she said, pressing her hooves into her gigantic midsection.
	“No!  I just got the best idea!  Come on!” she said, picking up Applejack and leading her away.
	“Wait!  If y'all're worried about altitude sickness, we could just go to ground!” she said.
	“No, trust me, this is a great idea.  It's actually a bit of an honor for you, I don't know if an earth pony has done this before.” she said.
	“Done what?”
	“You are gonna get pipejammed!”
	“Well, that don't sound good.” she said, fearfully, as clouds parted and the Ponyville weather factory loomed in the sky before them.
	Rainbow Dash circled around it and flew them both to the back of the factory, where several pipes protruded out the back in a row.  There was a low rumbling sound, and white, fresh cloud poured out of the furthest pipe in a hard stream and stopped, as the white substance drifted through the air and formed together into a cloud.  Another jet came out of the next closest pipe.  Then the next closest one.
	“Uh, Rainbow, I never thought to ask ya before, but...what exactly does 'pipejammin' mean, anyhow?” she asked, nervously.  Rainbow Dash sidled up right next to her, smushing slightly into her fattened body, and pointed at the pipe closest to them with a foreleg.
	“Pipe...” she said, and Applejack felt both of Rainbow Dash's strong hooves grip her again, and before she knew it, she was being thrown forwards, towards the open pipe.  She slid inside up to her midsection, which lodged itself firmly in the pipe's opening, and squeezed a grunt out of her,  “...Jam!”.  The impact knocked her hat off , which slid forward into the deep, dark pipe.  Applejack reached forward with her forehooves, desperately grasping for her hat, but it was gone.  She kicked her chubby hind legs and squirmed her fat body around, but it was hopeless.  She was stuck.  She briefly gave up, flopping jaw-first onto the interior of the pipe, breathing heavily, trying to think her way out of this one.  Then, everything started vibrating.  She nervously looked around her at the dark pipe interior as a low, deep rumbling sound started echoing down from the darkness ahead of her.
	“Uh, Rainbow Dash?” she asked, uneasily.
Vummmmmmmmumumum-um-um-um-um-um...
	“Rainbow Dash??”
um-um-um-um-UM-UM-UM-UM-UMUMUMUMUMUM
	The rumbling built up, getting louder, and louder, and louder, until she saw her hat floating before her, followed by a solid wall of white, filling up the interior of the pipe and speeding through the darkness toward her.  She barely had time to get a scream out before it hit her in the hooves and face, completely enveloping her torso and shoving her back outwards.
	The seal between her rounded belly and hips and the opening of the pipe quickly broke, quick puffs of cloud hissing around her, as the pressure popped her bloated body out like a cork.  Then, her now very-amply-sized rump collided with something.  Before she had the chance to react, she was flying forward again, nose-first through the cloud, and wedged back inside the pipe.  She kicked her pudgy legs in protest, but Rainbow Dash held her firmly in place, nestled in the center of her rump, wings beating furiously, her elbows softly depressed into each one of Applejack's orange butt cheeks.  Rainbow Dash pushed and forced, Applejack doing her best to struggle, and listened over her mumbling and whimpering for her body to plug the pipe back up.  With a push, a shove, and a sucking noise, the hissing stopped.  Applejack's kicking became weaker as Rainbow Dash heard a low, rumbling, churning sound like muffled, running water through her hide, and felt her start to push outwards.  She eased off and hovered, looking back joyously as Applejack's rump and hips slowly and hypnotically swayed in a circular motion, around and around, and she swelled, and swelled, and swelled.  Her fattened hind legs kicked weakly as they slowly filled up, getting stiffer and puffier.  Her orange hide creaked as she ballooned outwards, getting bigger and rounder, her swaying, inflating butt cheeks starting to surpass Rainbow Dash in size.  Rainbow Dash gave one of her immensely stretched-out cutie marks a prod before nodding approvingly.
	“Gee, I didn't know Sweet Apple Acres had their own blimp!  Pffffft ha ha ha ha!” she said, laughing at herself.  Applejack didn't respond.  “Alright, tubby, let's give you a break.” she said, floating up and landing softly next to her tiny blonde tail atop her humongous, round body, causing it to gently bob downwards.  She was approaching the same hot air balloon size Raindrops reached when Rainbow Dash “distracted” her earlier.  Rainbow took a firm hold of the tail and flew off, tugging up Applejack's massive, orange bulk and towing it behind her.  With a small pop, Applejack flew out of the pipe and swung ponderously back and forth from where Rainbow Dash was hovering.  A high-pressured jet of cloud fired out of the pipe before slowing down to a stream and then a trickle, clouds forming in the air and slowly drifting away.  Rainbow Dash admired her handiwork as Applejack drifted back and forth, back and forth, her legs distended and fattened to near  immobility.  Rainbow Dash gave her a quick tug, and she jerked up buoyantly, rotating in space before Rainbow Dash gave her a quick nudge and she stopped, her eyes darting around before settling on Rainbow Dash.  Her cheeks were puffed up like fat, ripe grapefruits.  A long, low, rubbery crrrrrrreeeeeeeeak came from her body as she drifted weightlessly in the air, her legs lazily twitching.
	“Heeheeheehee!  Not bad for a first timer, AJ!” she said.  Applejack blinked at her.  “Alright, just hang on a sec, I'll get ya ready for round two!” she said excitedly and darted downwards.  She located Applejack's hanging tail and latched onto it with her teeth.  “Awlrigth!  Vrredy?” she mumbled.  Applejack didn't respond.  “Waaam...twerrrr...fwree!” she shouted, and gave her tail a vicious tug.  Applejack's eyes widened at the sudden movement, and suddenly, all of the cloud that she had ingested came up.
SSSHHHHFLOOMP!
Her mouth opened and it flew out of her, and just when she felt gravity retake her, a powerful set of hooves hold her afloat.  “Yes!  First try!” Rainbow Dash boasted excitedly.
	“Hah- wha?  Wha's goin' on?” Applejack slurred, confused and disoriented.  Her body was back down to its normal proportions, and she was looking at a cloud drifting in front of her that looked like a giant butt.  Rainbow Dash giggled and flew her up and around it, and as they crested the large, spherical cloud, Applejack spied a curious little flange at the top that looked a lot like her tail.  Then she saw the puffed up legs and hooves and blush started burning its way onto her face.  Rainbow Dash had skillfully yanked the cloud out of her without disturbing it.  All her features were perfectly preserved, down to her mane and tail.  Applejack got the feeling (that was uncomfortably starting to become familiar) of being impressed and embarassed in equal parts.  Under other circumstances, she might brag about popping this whole thing out of her mouth.  It was huge, hot air balloon huge.  But as they reached the front and she saw her chubby, puffy cheeks and wide, pupil-less eyes, any pride she had wilted away.  Applejack looked at her impromptu self-portrait-in-cloud's bare mane and compulsively felt her own with a hoof.  Her eyes shot open in shock.
	“Oh no.  OH NO!” she said, running her hooves through her mane in a panic.
	“Why?  What is it”
	“My hat!  Where's my hat?” she said, looking around frantically.
	“Oh, relax, it's probably around here somewhere.”
	“Where could it be?  We're in the middle of the sky!  The only place it can go is...” she trailed off, looking down the dizzying distance to the ground.
	“No don't worry, it's just-
	“A hat?” she interrupted, angrily, “That what y'all were gonna say?”  She twisted around in Rainbow Dash's grip until they were face-to-face and grabbed a couple hooffulls of her hide, stretching it out like a shirt collar, “That it's JUST A HAT!?”
	“N-no, of course not!” Rainbow Dash said, nervously.
	“I shouldn't have to remind you how important that hat is to me 'n my family.  And if YOU LOST IT, Rainbow Dash, with the princesses, the sky, stars, 'n heavens as my witness, I will MAKE ANOTHER ONE OUT OF YOUR HIDE!” she shouted.  Rainbow Dash looked at her fearfully.  Applejack shoved her forehead into Rainbow Dash's, their eyes practically touching.  “Put me down.  NOW.” she said through clenched teeth.
	“Alright!  Alright, I can put you down.” Rainbow Dash reassured her.  She slowly flew over to the pipe she had lodged Applejack in and set her down on top of it.  Applejack sat and glared at her angrily.  “Alright, relax!  Look, it's not like the sky is empty, there are plenty of places it could have gone, we're by the weather factory, for Celestia's sake!  Like, uh, it could've gone in that cloud over there!  Or...that cloud over there!” she said.  Applejack glared at her, angrier.  “Or, the one that you- oh, you know what?  I bet you it's inside that one!” she said, pointing to the Applejack-shaped one.  “When the cloud came, it probably took your hat off and you swallo- uh...er...I mean...” she said, realizing she was making things worse by describing it.  “It's...it's probably inside that one.” she said, smiling nervously.  She zoomed over to it to escape Applejack's death glare, and approached the cloud's head.  She reached her hooves to cloud-Applejack's mouth, delicately pushed down, and it articulated open.  “Okay, let's see here...” she said, sticking her whole foreleg through the open mouth and feeling around, shoulder-deep.  “Mmmmhhh...no, no, no, wait-!” she said, her eyes lighting up with excitement.  She pulled her arm out, and a piece of old, brown thing jammed on the other side of cloud-Applejack's mouth.  She pulled again, but it didn't come out.  She planted her other hoof on the round mass and pulled mightily, and with a pop and mist of white cloud, she tugged it free.  She smiled with satisfaction and dusted it off, holding it behind her back as she rushed back over to Applejack.
	“Guess what I foooound!” she said, happily.  Applejack's expression didn't change.  “Ta-daaaa!” she said, holding it out.  Applejack snatched it from her hooves almost immediately, dusting it off herself before putting it on her head and screwing it down tightly.  She closed her eyes and sighed deeply.  “See?  First place I looked.  You don't gotta worry, I'm pretty good at finding things like that.” Rainbow Dash said proudly.  Applejack didn't respond.  A low rumbling sound came from the weather factory, and the pipe on the farthest end of the row of pipes fired out a jet of cloud.  “So, are we okay, now?” she said.  Applejack didn't respond.  The next pipe shot out a jet of cloud.  “Alright, look, I'm sorry!  I'm sorry I lost your hat.  But, I found it again, so, we're like, square now, right?” she said.  The pipe after that fired cloud.
	“Nnnnope.” Applejack said.
	“Nope!?  Come on, Applejack, friends til the end!  I still wanna help you!  What more do you need me to do?” she asked.  Then, she was in the grip of a powerful hoof, and before she knew what was happening, she was shoved into the pipe.  “Augh!  Wait!” she shouted, her wings and hind legs still sticking out, flailing, and Applejack swung down, gripping the mouth of the pipe, and bucked her right in the tush with her hind legs, sending her sliding into the pipe further and further, until her body filled the gap and she slid to a halt.  She cringed, flicking her rainbowey tail, and discovered that her wings and legs were all pinned to her body by the confines of the pipe.
	“There!  Now we're square!” Applejack shouted, her voice echoing in the pipe.
	“Nnnnngh!  Oh, jeez!” Rainbow Dash grunted, trying to move.  “I'm stuck!”
	“'Round these parts, they call that gettin' pipejammed.”
	“I said I was sorry!  Hrrrrrnnnnngh-ah!  Come on, you gotta pull me out!”
	“Nope.  You'll come out on your own.” she said, clambering back on top of the pipe and sitting down.
	“Applejack, you can't do this!  I still have to take you to Twilight's, and-” she said, cutting herself off as the pipe started to vibrate.  Applejack's ears perked up at the mention of Twilight.  Rainbow Dash looked down the dark pipe as the machinery firing up echoed down to her.  “Oh, fubar...” she whimpered as a white wall of cloud rushed out of the darkness and collided with her.
	She didn't budge at first, the stuff hitting her in the face before her mouth forced open wider and wider, the cloud filling up her cheeks and pouring down her throat.  Her mouth stretched wider and wider until it had stretched almost the entire circumference of the pipe.  Just when the pressure started scooting her backwards, her thickening, expanding frame started slowing her down again.
	Applejack waited for the hiss of the cloud leaving the pipe around Rainbow Dash, but it never came.  Instead, that low, rumbling, churning noise like muffled, running water became more audible.  She saw her friend's rainbow-colored tail slowly protrude from the end of the pipe, followed by her hind legs, fattened and swollen with fresh cloud.  Her legs slowly and stiffly crept outwards, spreading apart when they they had enough room, followed by two bulging, inflating sky-blue balloons.  Her legs wiggled weakly as her rump overflowed the rim of the pipe, blowing up and billowing outwards, her stretched-out cutie mark emerging on her huge flanks.  Further and further outwards she swelled, and as her rump and flanks  bulged and squeezed their way out of the pipe, they pressed against the rim, sucking Rainbow Dash's inflating body further and further outwards.  Applejack's long and dizzying view to the ground was slowly being dominated by a swirling, gurling, ballooning blue mass with a small, twitching, rainbowey tail.  Rainbow Dash's midsection ebbed its way out, groaning like straining rubber and rumbling with churning cloud, fighting to get out into the sky.  Her wings and forelegs stuck stiffly outwards before puffing and fattening up with soft, white cloud.
	Applejack watched on, her forelegs crossed, when a siren blared out and echoed in the empty air.  Her ears perked up and she looked back up at the factory.  The machinery noises wound downwards and downwards into nothing and the sounds of yelling and confusion echoed out into the sky.  The churning in Rainbow Dash seemed to slow down and she stopped pushing herself outwards, and she floated and gently swayed in the breeze with her head somehow lodged completely in the pipe, weakly moving her legs and wings.
	“Wuh-oh.” Applejack said, planting a hoof on her hat and leaping towards Rainbow Dash's enormous, inflated body.  She bounced on the springy, rounded surface of her back, and continued forward to the shaggy, rainbow-colored tail perched atop her huge rump, and grabbed it with three legs and her teeth.  The sudden shift in weight made Rainbow Dash's body bob downwards as Applejack rode her tail down, fearfully looking at the drop below her, and she creaked like a balloon before her head popped out in a stream of pressurized cloud, and she started slowly descending.  She spit a mouthful of cloud into the air and  sputtered and coughed, leaving a wispy, spiraling trail that hung in the air.  Applejack gripped on tighter.
	“Appleja- ulk!  BRAAAAAP!  Applejack!  I'm sorry!  Please, I wanna help!  You gotta believe me!”
	“I do believe you, Rainbow Dash.  But you were also tryin' to help me when you were stuffin' my face and blowin' me up full'a clouds.  I'm sorry, but there's no way'a knowin' that ya won't just join the mob when we touch down.”
	“So that's it?  You were just gonna leave me like this?” she said, wiggling her swollen hooves.
	“Well...yeah, that was the plan.”
	“Well, your plan stinks!”
	“Well, it don't look like you have much of a choice, now do ya?”
	“You have a curse and you're just gonna go on without me?  How am I supposed to sit still and not lift a hoof to help you?”
	“Because, everypony who thinks they're helpin' me is just makin' things worse!”
	“Wait a minute...hold on a sec...BRAAAAP!...mph...so what you're saying is...if I help you, I'm not helping you...so...if I don't help you...I'd be helping?”
	“Eeeyep.”
	“Then I won't help you!  Pleeeeease, please, please, please let me he-...I mean, let me not help you!  I'll be the least helpful pony in ponyville!  If I think you need my help, I'll ignore you!  You know I can do that!  How many times have you asked me to help with your chores?  And how many times have I actually helped you?  Like, never!  Just please give me a second chance!” she said.  Applejack didn't respond.  “Applejack?” she asked, her eyes searching left and right.  Then, she felt a great tug on her tail, rotating her body through the air.  She cried out as she tilted one way, then the other, spinning wildly around.  She screamed and waggled her hooves and wings around as the spinning slowed.  Applejack casually walked in place along the surface of Rainbow Dash's globular body.  Her head rotated up towards Applejack and she stopped, face-to-face, halting the rotation of her massive body.  Rainbow Dash's eyes spun dizzily and she looked like she was gonna be sick.  She shook it off, her chubby cheeks wobbling, and looked up at Applejack, who seemingly towered over her, with her forelegs crossed and a stern expression on her face.
	“You really wanna help me?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.
	“Let me come with you!”
	“Well...alright.  I'll let ya come.  But, you gotta promise me that ya won't try to help me unless I ask you to.”
	“I won't!”
	“Promise?”
	“I promise!  Here!  Hnngh...” she grunted, looking over to the side.  Her inflated foreleg stiffly wiggled towards her head.  Rainbow Dash hocked and spat, and it flew a pitifully short distance before splatting on her inflated body.  “Why did I think that was a good idea...” Rainbow Dash groaned, her head sinking back in resignation.
	“Tell ya what.  I'll take your word for it, sugar cube.” said Applejack, winking.
	“Ha ha!  Yes!  BRAAAAP!” Rainbow Dash said, stunned by her sudden burp.  She looked over at Applejack, slightly embarassed.  Applejack looked at her with an eyebrow cocked.  She shifted her weight on Rainbow Dash's springy hide, straightened her posture, and beat a hoof against her stomach.
BRAAAAAAAP!
She burped, loudly.
	“Whoo!  Pardon!” she said, tottering back upwards.
	“Ha ha ha ha!  Not bad, not bad.” said Rainbow Dash, before taking a deep breath through her nostrils.
BWOOOOOOOOOOORP!
She burped, giving Applejack a sly look and cockily raising her eyebrows up and down towards the tail end of it.  Applejack sucked in some air and arched her back, her cheeks puffing up,
ggmphg...BWRAAAAAAAAAP!
She burped, and they both laughed, drifting slowly towards Ponyville.