Priorities

Not sleep... boredom. The kind of boredom you don't wake up from. Lying asleep until you feel the first pangs of hunger, or the niggling sensation of pain. The ice is so comfortable, so warm...

How does a creature that doesn't feel hunger feel the need to ever wake up? It has been centuries since it was given a taste of strife. Thousands of years.

A few weeks ago... months ago... that's when it had first felt hunger again. Something had woken up, something else, far to the west. A monster who's sole purpose was to create strife. Not long before that, a dark presence had returned from the sky... and then again a swarm that feasted on affection had cursed Equestria once more.

They hadn't lasted long: mere flickers of fear and anguish, but they were enough. Enough to remind the monster in the mountains what true conflict tasted like.

So, finally, after years of sleeping in the ice, the monster woke up from the ages of legend, alone and aching, and got to work.

It was mid-afternoon in Canterlot. The streets, partially empty, buzzed with the noise of dozens of quiet voices, calm and peaceful. This was an easygoing day. Vinyl Scratch might have called it boring.

In fact... she'd definitely call it boring.

She was sat at a table outside, a cup of steaming coffee in hoof, glaring at it from behind her glasses.

"Why am I here?" she asked herself.

As if to answer her question, a violent 'boom' erupted through the sky, causing her to flinch. The shockwaves of sound blew her mane back ever so slightly, like a sudden, sharp breeze.

Vinyl Scratch looked up: the sky was filled with colour, rippling through the clouds, as if it were a still pond and a stone had been tossed into it. A kaleidoscope of colour invaded Vinyl's vision.

"A sonic—..." she began, awed, but before she could finish, a rainbow shot across Canterlot airspace with the speed and ferocity of a bullet.

Spike held his head in his hands, his eyes peering out from between his talons at the mountain range looming overhead. How long had it been since Twilight had sent that message? An hour? Half an hour?

It felt like an eternity.

"Why did we split up again?" he asked, his voice reduced to a moan. "I thought she said that nothing could get her whilst they were in the air..."

"Because this way you could send a message to Celestia!" Pinkie exclaimed. "You wouldn't have been able to do that if you were under attack by evil, big, furry snowponies!"

Spike shook his head, slowly. "Twilight didn't know that... she just thought we'd be saving time..."

"I never said that's what Twilight thought. I was explaining why we actually split up, silly!"

"Pinkie," Spike began, angry, "This isn't some kind of stupid cosmic plan! Twilight's in danger and I'm stuck down here, freezing my scales off!"

Literally!

"But now," Pinkie went on, "We've called for help and we'll have our friends out of trouble before you can say 'treacle treat'! So there's no reason to feel bad, whether Twilight wanted us here or not, right?"

Spike's shoulders went slack, and he peered at the ground. A few snowflakes drifted down around his feet, which were so cold they had almost gone completely blue. Dragons really weren't suited to the cold: whenever they were up in the mountains, they were sure to be deep in a cave.

Oh, shoot... We didn't even find any evidence, Spike thought, briefly confused that out of all the things that had gone wrong, that was the one thing that brought him to tears.

In Appleoosa, Braeburn was almost knocked off his hooves by the sudden shockwave, his hat bouncing across the dirt as it flew from his head. A handful of apples fell from their trees onto the ground.

When he looked up, all he could see were a few tendrils of colour, already fading into the blue sky. He recognized what it was, though: an old mare's tale his cousin had insisted was real.

But it couldn't be: just a trick of the light, that's all it was.

High above Equestria, bursting through sound-barrier after sound-barrier, and already on her second sonic rainboom, Rainbow Dash grit her teeth angrily.

Partly because she had failed: she had known that it would be hard, quitting for good, but she had expected to last for more than a day.

Partly because she had left Applejack behind with a big business deal the next day.

And partly because she wasn't sure where Neighpal was. Somewhere east, right?

That's no Abominable Snowpony, Twilight thought as she backed up against the hull of the airship. Abominable Snowponies are supposed to be big furry ponies than roar at tourists... whatever this is is nothing like that.

A blizzard had picked up all around them: blinding everypony, and drowning out their cries. This was no natural snowstorm: it had arrived too fast and too suddenly, and struck with too much ferocity to be a natural occurrence.

There was only one explanation: whatever they were up against was highly magical in nature. Powerful enough to manipulate the weather, at least. But what could summon a snowstorm out of thin air? Twilight had been prepared for multiple eventualities, and had read up on dozens of monsters that this creature could be, but how many of them could do this? Not many. At least, not many that had been sighted recently...

There is an outlying chance that we've stumbled across a kind of monster unseen for centuries... that would explain why it evaded my research...

Twilight looked around desperately, hoping to catch a glimpse of Fluttershy, Globe Trotter, or even Vector Velocity. They were all gone: hidden from sight by the curtain of snow.

I'm on my own... she thought.

As if on cue, the snow began to change colour: first red, then orange, then yellow, green, blue and purple. To Twilight's amazement, each snowflake began to reflect the colours of the rainbow, illuminated by some unknown source of light.

What the—

It was then that the shockwave hit her: compressed air hitting her hard, knocking her sideways as she struggled to balance herself. The snow was blown away, clearing the mountainside in an instant, brushing the storm away.

That's a sonic rainboom, Twilight thought, amazed. But how?

Three rainbooms. Rainbow Dash had never flown so far as to have to break through the sound barrier three times. She shook her head, panting, sweat freezing on her coat before it could even evaporate properly.

It didn't matter: she had made it. The snowstorm wasn't hard to miss: it stood out like a sore thumb. There was no way that was natural.

And now, here she was, flying above the downed airship, glaring down at the mare who had made her break her promise.

"Hi there," she called out with forced cheer. "Did you get into a spot of airship trouble?"

There was nothing left for her to do.

Applejack was sat down next to a tree, appearing to all the world as a pony without any cares at all. The harvest was over, and she had finished preparing for her business meeting the next day.

But Applejack was far from easy. Her thoughts drifted to the ominous letter from Spike one minute, to the tearful look on Rainbow's face as she left the next.

I could have sworn she'd have wanted to get out and about again... Applejack thought. There was no way Rainbow could quit her adventurous lifestyle without any hiccups, was there? She must have been doing it just to please Applejack.

At least, that's what Applejack had been afraid of.

I never needed... or even wanted... a reliable pony. Why'd Rainbow think I did?

Or maybe Applejack was just wishing she could be out there with her... doing heavens knew what in the Himarelayas.

It was all so confusing. There was no plan to what Applejack was thinking... just a lot of muddled thoughts and concerns. Rarity hadn't been any help... other than being somepony who'd listen to her and understand.

She obviously wants to be more than just an element, Applejack thought, trying to organize her thoughts. I guess she wants to make livin' here her priority... and was ready to sacrifice a lot to get what she wanted.

"What do I want, then?"

I want to be with Rainbow. That's priority number one, then.

Priority number two?

Does it even matter?

Rainbow Dash swooped down onto the deck of the aircraft, shivering slightly as the warmth left her muscles. You never felt cold whilst flying: you were always too busy moving.

"Rainbow Dash?" Twilight exclaimed. "I thought Spike was supposed to contact Celestia?!"

Rainbow nodded. "He did, but he also sent a little letter to yours truly, too," she said. Rainbow had expected to be angry at Twilight for getting in trouble, but all she could think of, right now, was where the Snowpony was. "Tell me what's up. That wasn't a normal snowstorm."

Twilight nodded. Fluttershy and Vector poked their heads out from the underbelly of the ship. "It was influenced by magic. It couldn't have been a unicorn... it's highly unlikely one would be that talented in weather manipulation."

"It wasn't a pegasus either," Rainbow continued. "I'd have seen 'em."

Vector eyed his thaumometer, deadly serious. "Magical levels are still haywire," he said. "The storm might have been blasted away by that... colourful display of yours, but whatever is out there is still here."

Fluttershy swallowed. "We should get away, then!"

Vector looked around, and frowned. "We can't: Globe is missing, and can't fly. And unless this ship gets airborne, he'll be stuck here, whether we find him or not."

"I could just carry him," Rainbow declared.

The winds began to pick up again, whistling through the mechanical components of the airship ominously.

"Can you carry a full grown pony through that kind of wind?" Twilight asked, dubious. "And besides, we need to find him first."

Rainbow shook her head. "First, Fluttershy and... whoever... should get out of here. I'm the only one who's trained to fly through these kinds of storms: if one of the wimpier flyers gets caught unawares, you'll be trapped. No offence, Flutters'."

"Some taken," Vector replied tersely.

"Uh, whatever." Rainbow waved her hoof dismissively. "Also, you've got some metal stickin' out of your head there," she added, gesturing at the side of his skull.

"I know," Vector replied. "I'm told I was very painful for mother."

Rainbow winced, and subconsciously crossed her hind legs together slightly. "Dude, don't even joke."

Twilight interrupted the pair by stomping her hoof. "Fine! Let's get going, then. Fluttershy and Vector, head back to Kathmanedu. Me and Rainbow will stay behind and look for Globe Trotter... wherever he's got to."

Fluttershy nodded, only too glad to oblige. Her curiosity to see the Snowpony had died out as soon as the airship had crashed. Vector Velocity swallowed, uncertain.

"But the ship!" he protested. "And... and the ship!"

Twilight stomped her hoof in the snow, her princess wings flaring. "No arguments! We don't have long until that... thing comes back! Get out of here!"

Twilight's horn lit up, lighting the way for Rainbow to follow. "Keep as close to me as you can! If a storm kicks up, you should be able to see this, right?"

"Twi," Rainbow began, "I'm a weatherpony. Storms don't slow me down, magical or not."

"Yes... but they slow me down."

The air was frosty and cold... yet there was no wind. The air was completely still. Every time Globe exhaled, a plume of fog misted his vision, making it difficult to see. Besides that, he was freezing: explorer pony or not, he was not immune to the bitter chill. In fact, he wasn't immune to most things.

Why did I get stuck with exploring as a talent, anyways...

Globe looked at his surroundings: a cavern made entirely of ice, icicles hanging like teeth from the ceiling and a thin layer of dusty snow around his hooves. Some kind of tunnel.

And why did I get stuck with a madpony for a partner?

Globe Trotted shivered as he trotted down the caverns, careful not to slip on the treacherous surfaces. The wind whispered gently in his ear, keeping him uneasy...

Except there was no wind.

Globe widened his eyes. He knew he should be panicking, but he wasn't.

"Shhh..."

Globe couldn't stop himself from thinking of a metal gear, protruding from the skull of an exhausted pegasus.

The wind... the air, immobile and still, talked. The icy walls shimmered, showing him a distorted reflection of himself.

Fascinating...

"Boring, dull... simple and slow..." said the wind.

Globe's mouth curled into a vicious, toothy snarl... or was it a grin?

There was no wind, he thought.

How did that gear, that ugly obtrusive lump of metal, fit in Vector's head, Globe wondered.

"Oh, dear," Globe muttered to himself. "Things are just getting worse and worse..."

Rainbow Dash cantered behind Twilight, hoping to Celestia that her magic would lead the way. Her horn was glowing, and at the very least, she acted like she knew where to find Globe Trotter... whoever that was. Some stuffy scientist, she expected.

"Where are we going?" she asked, this time determined to get an answer.

"I don't know!"

The wind was much calmer than before, during the storm, but it was still beginning to kick up an awful lot of snow. Rainbow's visibility was decreased considerably, and she didn't like it one bit. "You don't know?!"

"My magic isn't working properly! I'm just looking around!"

Oh, ponyfeathers. So much for the element of magic...

"Do you have any idea where we're going?!"

"Up! I think the monster might be closer to the summit of the mountain!"

Rainbow frowned, puzzled. "What makes you say that?"

"Because... because..."

Rainbow caught up with Twilight and quickly overtook her. "Nevermind... it's as good as any other place to start looking, right?"

Twilight nodded resolutely, and after a brief moment of hesitation, continued her way up.

It was then that the snow collapsed beneath them, sending them tumbling into a cold, icy crevasse below.

Fluttershy and Vector were both flying, close enough to the snow that they might avoid the worst of the treacherous wind, but fearful of any monster that might spring up from the ground to get them. The tension was palpable, and neither pony felt like speaking.

And then they heard the roar of the mountain: a low rumble that shook the entire landscape.

"What's that?" Fluttershy asked, treading the fine line between caution and panic. Vector and her both looked up at the mountainside they were running from.

The airship lay on its side like the carcass of an old, deceased beast from ages past, and was already beginning to sink into the snow.

"That'll take weeks to excavate again..." Vector snapped, angrily. Fluttershy shushed him.

"Quiet!"

Slowly, but surely, the snow began to shift, just above the airship. It parted and moved like a swarm of eels, and shook tons of snow loose that came crashing down around the airship.

"An avalanche..."

"No, not quite." Vector covered his eyes with his hoof. "I can't see the others."

Fluttershy's heart rose in her stomach. Why do we always split up, she thought.

She swallowed her fears, and set her jaw. "Well, we'd better... do something about that..."

When Twilight came to, she realized to her dismay that she couldn't see anything. Her eyes felt like the jelly inside had been frozen solid, and her joints were like half-hardened cement.

She coughed and spluttered as she rose from the snowdrift, using her wings to brush the snow off of her coat.

"Gah!"

As the water leaked from her eyes, she began to blearily make out her surroundings. She was underground, certainly... but where?

"Where on earth..."

She saw icy tunnels, like the ones in the Diamond Dog's lair... but like glass. The monster's lair, perhaps?

"The more alone I feel, the colder it gets..." she whispered to herself. And it was then that it hit her:

Where was Rainbow Dash?

"Rainbow?"

Twilight wondered if she had gotten trapped under the snow, like she had, and dove into the pile of frozen water again, but to no avail: Rainbow Dash was gone.

"Rainbow!"

Applejack felt empty. Her room felt empty. She had to admit, it had felt that way for a while, but being left behind only served to make the sense of loneliness more pronounced.

"Ironic," she said to herself. "All Rainbow wanted was to settle down. All I want is to go out gallivantin' on adventures."

She looked over at her desk, covered with the hastily written business documents she needed for the next day.

"An' now neither of us got what we wanted."

She lay down on her bed, deep in thought. She hadn't wanted to be cornered by her problems like this: she had wanted everything to sort itself out, for Rainbow to do her own thing and be happy, and then Applejack could just take every day as it came... but that was impossible, apparently, since the last look Rainbow had given her before leaving had not been happy.

And that was not, as Rainbow would put it, cool.

Applejack shivered.

And besides... what if they're in real danger? How could I live with myself if the last thing I saw of her was that face?

Applejack got to her hooves with a determined snort and threw her hat onto her head. "No, I wouldn't."

She cantered out the door, leaving her papers behind. "Granny! I'll need ya'll t'take care of that deal I mentioned!" she shouted as she rushed down the stairs. "I got important stuff to take care of!"