Rarity’s Botiuque
Rainbow Dash waited impatiently as Rarity carefully folded the fabric over the mechanical wing skeleton.
“You really think this has any chance of working?” Rainbow Dash asked, looking to Rarity as the material was carefully attached.
“I can not see any reason why it would not, now are you ready to try it out?” Rarity asked, slipping into a little elegant harness with reins on it.
Rainbow looked apprehensive but nodded, “Thank you ... Thank you for this Rarity. I ... won’t forget it.”
“We best get outside, Sweetie Belle dear?” Rarity called as the little filly flew clumsily into the room.
“Eeek! I can see why Scootaloo doesn’t use these too often!” Sweetie Belle complained as she collided into a tailor horse.
Rarity looked back at the broken pile of tailor horse and Sweetie Belle, carefully helping extract her younger sister from the mannequin.
“I need you to keep Rainbow here from getting out of control... just like that,” Rarity said wondering if this was such a great idea.
Sweetie Belle nodded, “I can do that,” She looked up to Rarity hopefully, “I won’t get another chance at this for a while after all.”
Rarity nodded, “That’s right, next Leapling day we’ll be Earth ponies for the day, relying on Rainbow here for magical support.”
Rainbow Dash looked a little bashful at that before eagerly heading outside, tugtuging on the reigns dragging Rarity out into the warm sunshine and cool light breeze.
“Ready Rainbow?” Rarity asked, carefully testing her wings against the air currents; tilting them forward just the slightest bit and feeling a slight lift, she realised her hooves were no longer quite touching the ground.
“Ready!” Rainbow Dash cried excitedly, pacing on the ground as the strange artificial wings suddenly started to strain and whistle softly, the wind catching it as it started to lift.
“Hold on tight Rainbow Dash!” Sweetie Belle wrapped her arms around Rainbow Dash’s neck, holding on starting to flap her wings adding to the lift.
Finally Rainbow Dash felt the ground under her fall away, nothing but air under her hooves.
“This is BRILLIANT!” Rainbow Dash declared, Rarity starting to fly higher as Sweetie Belle tugged carefully on her neck, providing some steering. A large smile starting to form on Rainbow Dash.
Rarity found the wind whistling all over her gave a feeling of freedom, her wings soared higher carrying the Sweetie Belle steered Rainbow Dash kite into the perfect clear sky.
Rainbow Dash cloud house
“Awww come on!!” Scootaloo grumbled, looking up at the empty cloud house that Rainbow Dash usually hung out in.
“Should have realised she can’t fly either, so why would she be in her house...” Scootaloo sighed more; feeling rather down.
“Well it’s not like I know any other pony …” She let the thought trail off, instead she thought of the time herself and the other two Cutie Mark Crusaders had stayed with Fluttershy.
“Would be best I have somepony to talk to.” Scootaloo said, starting to walk towards Fluttershy’s tree house.
Canterlot Castle
Princess Luna backed away from a glowing spot of pinkish light, suddenly from nothingness Twilght Sparkle and Pinkie Pie appeared.
“Tada!” Pinkie Pie announced showering some confetti into the air with a flourish.
Twilight blinked looking around in amazement before stammering, “Pinkie ... we are in Canterlot!”
Pinkie Pie nodded and explained, “Yupyupyup! I thought this would be the best spot, becuase I thought Rainbow Dash has no wings so wouldn't be in her cloud house. Also I remember Princess Luna and Princess Celestia sometimes come here to look out for trouble!”
“Twilight Sparkle!” Luna intoned, “I’m so glad you could make it!” Luna trotted across as Twilight and Pinkie Pie both stared at her in amazement.
Sweet Apple Acres
“What in tarnation is that?” Applejack asked, confused as she released the large amount of apples she had gathered up magically from the trees, somewhat missing bucking the trees as she normally would.
“Applejack!” Apple Bloom yelled, scuttling across to where her sister was, “I think your friends are coming to visit!”
Applejack peered carefully up at the strange approaching shape, “ I think I gonna need yer help here Apple Bloom.”
Apple Bloom nodded and concentrated, threads of magical energy starting to pour from her horn; interlacing with magic from Applejack’s horn as a magical net of protective energy formed in the air, just as the panicking screams from Rarity and Sweetie Belle came to be heard just over Rainbow Dash’s manic giggling.
“Come on girls faster!!” She yelled over the screams, the frame of the artificial wings had collapsed forwards turning it from an elegant soaring kite, into a fast wing that gave Rainbow Dash her ability to fly, even if she didn’t have her normal wings.
All three ponies tumbled into the magical net made by Applejack and Apple bloom, which vanished as quickly as it had been created, preventing any damage to the ponies or any of the Sweet Apple Acres apple trees.
“Is everypony okay?” Applejack asked dusting herself off.
“We need to do that again!” Rainbow Dash cried jumping up enthusiastically.
“I’m sorry sugar...” Applejack said, nuzzling against the ruins of Rainbow Dash’s broken artificial wings, “I don’t think you going to be doing any more flying today.”
Fluttershy’s tree
Fluttershy whimpered looking out from under the seat she had hidden the room in darkness as there was another knock at the door.
“I...I said I wasn’t in Derpy.” Fluttershy whimpered, hoping to convince the mail mare to leave.
“F...fluttershy?” A soft quiet voice asked, “It’s Scootaloo here can I come in?”
“Well I ... it’s not a good time just now;” Fluttershy sniffled, “Maybe you can come back tomorrow?”
Scootaloo whined a little, “Please Fluttershy, I can’t find anypony else to talk to.”
Fluttershy peeked out from under the chair, her soft eyes darting around as she tip-hoof trotted across to the door.
“O...okay Scootaloo but... i’m not myself..” Fluttershy warned as she opened the door, looking down at the scared looking Earth pony.
Fluttershy looked over herself, trying to ignore her lack of wings as she shuffled uncomfortably backwards; making room for Scootaloo as the young fillies eyes adjusted to the dim light in Fluttershy’s house.
Scootaloo looked back to Fluttershy trying not to gasp, “I... think you look good Fluttershy.” She managed to force out quietly as the adult pony might have spoken.
Fluttershy flustered grinding her hoof in the ground damaging the floor as she stood up straight properly for the first time, her powerful new Earth pony body rippling with new strength and energy.
There was also a something Fluttershy couldn’t quite place her hoof on, as she looked down in shared sympathy to Scootaloo she could feel a slight pang of warm empathy from the small pony, Fluttershy just somehow knew; she was telling the truth.
“Oh ... Oh my this is so much more confusing than being a unicorn.” Fluttershy shivered happily.
Scootaloo’s ears perked up at this, “You were a unicorn?!” She eagerly enquired.
Fluttershy nodded, “Yes it was last leapling day, I would have been, oh gosh, a little younger than you are now,” She started to explain.
Scootaloo nodded excitedly settling down to listen.
“I didn’t know what was going on at first; I woke up not in my cloud house with my parents, but in a hotel and then of course I tried to go see my parents, not realising that I had a horn instead of wings I leaped out of bed;” Fluttershy demonstrated with her hoof before bashing it to the floor, “Before dropping like a stone! My parents realised I’d woken up and came through to comfort me, they were both unicorns as well! I was stunned as they told me all about Leapling day.”
Scootaloo looked on entranced her eyes glimmer with wonder.
“So what’s being a unicorn feel like, it can’t be any worse then this.” Scootaloo whined .
“Oh...oh but being an Earth pony feels good too, maybe even better then being a unicorn or maybe even a pegasus,” Fluttershy replied softly.
“Say what?” Scootaloo said in shock and disbelief, "How could this be better than the freedom of the air or magic!"
Fluttershy nodded however and took the little fillies hoof softly in hers, smilng as a slow warmth formed in Scootaloo as she looked up to Fluttershy.
“W....what is that?” Scootaloo blinked looking at her hoof, her insides felt a little like indigestion, but not uncomfortably so.
“Applejack says all Earth ponies, have a special connection to others;” Fluttershy said giving Scootaloo’s hoof a little squeeze, “It’s a deep connection that you can feel how everypony around you is feeling."
Scootaloo looked in amazement, feeling the compassion growing from Fluttershy, the realisation that being an Earth pony for a day might not be so bad when you were hanging out with the element of kindness.
Canterlot castle
Princess Luna of Equestria, the infamous pony that had once absorbed the element of darkness to keep her sister safe; stood before Twilight Sparkle and Pinkie Pie as they stared at the elegant Alicorn in stunned disbelief.
Her mane glistened, reflecting soft silvery light around, her body was covered in soft bright golden colouring and her wings were light but most importantly; she was not an Alicorn, her elegant regal horn missing, the only thing that remained unchanged was her cutie mark.
“You might call this my Leapling day clothes,” She smiled softly stretching her wings out over the two ponies and giving them a soft hug in her feathery wings.
“Princess Luna, you look faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaancy!” Pinkie Pie giggle snorted happily.
“Why thank you my little pony, I assume you are here to help Twilight find my sister?” Luna asked looking to Pinkie.
“Is that what we are here for? Oh I thought we’d just come to visit,” Pinkie Pie replied looking to Twilight.
“No Pinkie this is quite serious, Princess Celestia has gone missing, without her to lower the sun, this day could last forever!”
Pinkie Pie gasped, “If you are a pegasus now, does that mean you are still the element of magic?”
Twilight blinked at that, “Well I ... if I don’t have magic; can I still be the element of magic?” She looked to Princess Luna as if she might know the answer.
“Don’t be silly Twilight!” Pinkie Pie suddenly interjected, “Your magic is that of friendship, not just silly old sparkles and fancy effects!” She illustrated the point as a glimmer of pink confetti exploded from her horn.
“Anypony that’s a unicorn can do magic, what you did to bring us all together, that was really magic.”
Twilight blushed at the praise, “Thank you Pinkie, but we have to turn to the matter at hand, where is Princess Celestia!”
Princess Luna pointed with her hoof, “I’ve searched using this telescope all of Equestria from there, to this point here so far.” She swept her hoof around in a large arc ending up pointing at just past Pinkie Pie.
“Ooh oooh oooh! I know I know!” Pinkie Pie bounced up and down a little excitedly.
“... You do?” Princess Luna asked somewhat surprised.
“Yupyupyup! It’s easy now I’m a unicorn; watch!” Pinkie Pie stuck out her tongue, concentrating as a nimbus of bright pink energy shot from her horn; suddenly turning at a right angle as it led back into the castle.
“What is this leading us to Pinkie?” Twilight asked as she and Princess Luna unfurled their wings taking up off the ground and flying after the beam of pink light.
“It’s my finding Princess Celestia spell of course!” Pinkie Pie announced, leaning into the rapid turns Twilight was performing as she raced around the castle.
“Of course...” Twilight mumbled as the beam of pink light vanished into a room.
“I think she is inside there...” Pinkie Pie whispered.
Twilight nodded in agreement looking to Princess Luna.
“How do you want to handle this, I’m too young to recall what happened to her last time but your letter made it sound ... pretty bad.”
Princess Luna nodded, “It’s not so much bad, I just miss her. She will have found someone to raise the Sun as she will have been changed too.
Twilight nodded, “Okay... I’ll go in myself she might respond better that way.”
Fluttershy’s tree
Scootaloo smiled and nudged Fluttershy again.
“Come on, three more steps and we’ll be outside!” Scootaloo announced, as Fluttershy gulped looking to the large wooden door, it had never been more terrifying going outside then today.
Normally Fluttershy was rather timid, even when she had the ability to fly away; but without her wings she was certain something abominable would happen to her and Scootaloo, and there would be no way to get to safety.
“You are right of course...” Fluttershy nodded, trying to convince herself as she suddenly jumped and hid behind Scootaloo, there was a loud solid knock on the door.
“Miss Fluttershy! I still got you that package!” Derpy Hooves cried from the other side of the door.
“Oh... oh my okay Derpy I’m just coming out.” Fluttershy meekly replied, clinging tightly onto Scootaloo’s hoof for support.
“It’ll be fine,” Scootaloo said, as Fluttershy reached for the door handle and slowly opened it.
“Hi Miss Fluttershy!” Derpy grinned happily looking to the pony, “Did you want your mail today?”
Fluttershy nodded and looked directly at Derpy, she could feel the same soft warmth growing inside her again a shared connection to Derpy.
“Thanks Miss Fluttershy! I can go home now i’m all done!” Derpy beamed as her light grey magic opened the mail saddlebags, pulling out a small package for Fluttershy.
Fluttershy looked to Derpy, feeling the warmth growing in her further, feeling the joy Derpy was experiencing not just of finishing her rounds but something deeper, something much more powerful then Fluttershy had ever felt before.
“N..n..no not at all,” Fluttershy broke into a wide smile and suddenly cuddled into Derpy.
“Awww gosh Miss Fluttershy, it’s just the mail.” Derpy said confused, cuddling back softly before finally being released by Fluttershy.
“N...no you just made me realise, how much love earth ponies feel all the time.” Fluttershy admitted, “I....I am ... very sorry but ... I couldn’t help but share the feelings you have for your daughter.”
Derpy’s eyes lit up with joy, “Dinky is the best thing that ever happened for me!” She said proudly before adding, “Oh I forgot to wish you a happy Dinky-derp day!” She nodded softly causing Fluttershy to blink in confusion.
“Dinky-derp day? W..why are you calling it that?” Fluttershy asked in return.