Sweetie Belle and Applejack

Chapter 3

In this chapter...
Sweetie Belle and Applejack have just begun flying back to Ponyville. They'll argue about various fields of science. They'll also mention Applebloom. Ultimately they will be forced to stay in Ghastly Gorge, allowing Sweetie Belle to fight river reptiles.

Applebloom and Sweetie Belle are at a high altitude due to the effects of flight. Sweetie Belle is pissed off "Now that I'm dangerously high, you hold me in a precarious manner, rather than securing me with rope".

Applejack says "If I were to tie you around me, the pressure of the rope on my body will no doubt elevate my blood pressure dangerously".

Sweetie Belle says "But pegasi are less susceptible to heart disease". Applejack doesn't respond. Sweetie Belle continues "In any case I'm a filly. Prioritise my life above your own". Applejack remains silent.

Sweetie Belle says "Err... umm... You could try an Acacia pea, they lower blood pressure".

Applejack says "What species?".

Sweetie Belle says "Species? Hmm..... dunno... Okay, try poison joke. Height reduction is a sure path to lowering one's blood pressure".

Applejack says "Okay I'll try it... Did Apple Bloom tell you of my becoming shrunk".

Sweetie Belle says "Yes".

Applejack says "So... you admit that she's still alive?".

Sweetie Belle says "I haven't seen her today... I can only imagine that her being dead is the explanation".

Applejack spots some poison joke situated atop a sandstone cliff. Applejack flaps her wings as she nears the cliffs edge and lands. As she lands Applejack simultaneously grabs the blue leaves of the poison joke with one hoof, while Sweetie Belle is held in the other. Applejack's landing is unsteady, as she has only started flying recently.

Applejack topples backwards and falls off the cliff with Sweetie Belle. The impact of the landing was lessened by a bean tree which broke under Applejack's immense weight. Applejack's landing was also lighter as she has been flapping her wings.

Luckily, Applejack would not have to fly back up the cliff immediately. This is due to the force of gravity, which caused some poison joke leaves to fall down the cliff with them. Applejack swipes at the air, catching the blue leaves. She then wolfs them down and promptly shrinks to a finger-size.

Sweetie Belle says "You're bite-size? Why?"

Applejack says "Not a problem, I can still carry you". Applejack tries to pick Sweetie Belle up, but fails.

A flood that Applejack had previously predicted washed across the hooves of the two ponies. Applejack uses her wings to hover above, but Sweetie Belle gets swamped by the predicted flood.
An action-based situation ensues.

Crocodiles are approaching, there are several. Sweetie Belle can't swim in the current. To prevent being eaten, Sweetie Belle tries to bear-hug an approaching crocodile. Her hope is that she will be able to drown the crocodiles if she brings them under the water, one by one.

Applejack see's Sweetie Belle's idea and flies at another crocodile hitting it with enough force to push it's nose under the water. That is all well and good but Sweetie Belle is finding herself in even more trouble.

Sweetie Belle's bear-hug had been successful thus far, but it turns out that the crocodile she had been attempting to drown was actually a several-metre long bull shark. Sweetie Belle continued to hold on, hoping the shark would drown but it managed to stay alive.

Sweetie Belle wondered what Future Rainbow Dash would do in this situation. Sweetie Belle bubbled to herself "She'd flex her athletic wings". But Sweetie Belle had no wings and would have to try flexing her horn. Actually, it's not a bad idea; so Sweetie Belle tried levitating the water away from her mouth.

Her attempts at levitation resulted in a powerful electrical current that zapped through the water randomly. Some resulting chemical reaction transformed the surrounding water into a large bubble of hydrogen and oxygen.

Sweetie Belle desperately wished to capture the air in a balloon, that it might take her to safety. Remember: hydrogen is lighter than water and rises accordingly. Sweetie Belle took a bite out of the air bubble, swallowing as much hydrogen as possible.

With a sizable bulge of hydrogen in Sweetie Belle's stomach, she is pulled upward. Sweetie Belle stops bear-hugging the shark and makes a quick escape. Sweetie Belle soon makes a horrific realisation; the amount of hydrogen she swallowed was great enough to entirely counteract her own weight.

Sweetie Belle's balloon belly breaches the water's surface and proceeds to lift her entire body out of the water. Sharks and crocodiles wrestle below, hoping that the laws of the universe will resume their normal duties.

Actually, this is not a bad deal for Sweetie Belle. Horn magic causes Sweetie Belle to have some control over her own movements, keeping down was the only struggle. As a balloon-pony, Sweetie Belle is in a state of bliss and squeaking.