With Twily's sanity preserved, the three girls-turned-mares, most of whom were still embarrassed over their lack of clothing, had little to do but wait for Rainbow Dash to return and practice walking and flying in the meantime. They had moved back into the hallway to keep from tripping over books and the other assorted objects strewn about the mirror room. Rarity's walk had become a bit less ungraceful. Applejack skipped the grace and moved on to trotting clumsily. Fluttershy perfected her stationary hover, though she struggled to do any actual flying without bumping into the walls. Pinkie, however, had just continued to mumble to herself. The three made a few attempts to check on her but she always said she was fine and continued her mumbled conversations with nothing.
"I don't understand what's taking Rainbow Dash so long. She's clearly very fast; with her speed it shouldn't take long to find some clothing somewhere," said Rarity.
"Maybe she's having trouble figurin' how to carry the clothes back here. After all we still don't know how we're gonna take just Sunset's journal with us," answered Applejack shaking her head. "Ah jus' don't get it; these people, ah mean, ponies have—”
“Ponies are people too, you know. Especially in this world,” Fluttershy corrected. "The term 'people' "—Fluttershy sat on her haunches and tried to use her forehooves to mimic quotation marks but blushed when she realized she couldn't—"Um, the term 'people' is not species specific."
“Uh, yeah, ah suppose you’re right. These pony people have a full society here. They got cities, an' magic, an' battery operated lamps apparently. They’ve got to have a way of caryin' around their things when they's always walking on all their hooves. If'n it weren't for how much trouble we're already having just walking normally we could try balancing it on our backs or carry it with one hoof and walk on the other three. But at this rate that ain't gonna happen for a long while."
Fluttershy looked sad for a moment and added, "Remember when Twi first came to visit, before the Fall Formal, and Sunset made that … video about her to keep students from voting for her?"
"Sadly yes, darling. I hope all copies of that have been deleted. What about it?"
"Well, even though Twi had hands she carried some books in her mouth as if it was instinct. I’ve seen her writing with a pen in her mouth too."
"Ah thought about that but there has to be a better way. Ah mean, carryin' a book in yer mouth? Wouldn't that ruin the book? An' what about germs? I don't want to do that to Sunset's journal. An’ it's what connects our worlds ain't it? Anythin' happens to that an' we can't get home until another … however many moons until the thing opens on its own."
"But animal mouths are actually a lot cleaner than human mouths," Fluttershy informed. "We should be able to carry things like that just fine. And it's Sunset's old journal that keeps the portal open. We use the new one to write in."
"Saddle bags! I'll make us some saddle bags," Rarity exclaimed with glee.
"How ya gonna sew 'em; with yer hooves?"
Rarity sighed, absently trying to flick the dried, black ink off her left forehoof, "Maybe we'll find some? I'd go home and bring some here if that would actually work. How did Twi come to our world wearing clothes and a backpack but we all end up here naked when we started with clothing?"
The sound of heavy scraping caused their pony ears to swivel down the hallway. "I got clothing!" Rainbow's voice called down.
"Oh splendid!" Rarity cheered.
They followed the scraping sounds down the hallway meeting Rainbow at the hall's bend. She was flying backward, with her forehooves looped in the rim of a large hardwood wardrobe, and dragging it along the crystal floor.
"Rainbow Dash! Why are you dragging that whole armoire?!"
"What the hey is an 'arm wore'?"
"Armoire; wardrobe; closet. That!" said Rarity pointing to the wardrobe. "Just put it down; you're scratching Twi's floors!"
Rainbow let go of the end of the wardrobe she was dragging and it dropped onto its back with a thud.
"Rainbow! Gently!"
"Do you know how hard it is to carry something like that without fingers?"
The other three girls traded looks. "Yes, darling, I believe we can imagine, but you could have just come to us and directed us back to the room you found this in."
"You can barely walk and you freaked at your reflection in the floor. How were you going to handle reflective stairs?"
"Ya dragged this up a staircase?" asked Applejack.
"Down actually … and it was kinda more like I dropped it down a staircase."
"Rainbow!" chided Fluttershy.
"It slipped! No fingers remember? Come on, Rarity's the one that wanted clothes. I'm fine like this. I'm awesome; let people look if they want to. I mean, this world has the right idea. It's a world where you never have to do laundry. I'm up for that!"
Applejack started laughing, "Still sore after the pink bras thing? Even Ah know not to mix ma whites and darks."
"Gah! I can't believe you had to see that." Rainbow, still hovering, crossed her forelegs as if they were arms.
Rarity raised a hoof to her forehead in exasperation, wincing when it bumped her horn. "Getting back to the matter at hand"—
"Hoof," corrected Fluttershy
—"It's too late to worry about the damages to Twi's palace now, but we're going to have a lot of apologies to make when we finally find her. Let's …,” Rarity trailed off looking more closely at Rainbow. “Darling, what is that in your hair?”
“Mane,” corrected Fluttershy.
“What?! There’s more?” Rainbow groaned, wildly batting at her mane with her forehooves. “I got attacked by some kind of confetti cannon in one of the rooms. Some kind of party trap left by pony Pinkie I guess.”
The other girls looked around a little worried. Rarity glanced down at the wardrobe, “And you’ve already checked the armoire, correct?”
“Yeah, yeah, it’s clean.”
“Good. Let’s just see what we have in here and get on with it, shall we?"
Rarity and Applejack tried to open the doors of the fallen wardrobe with their hooves but were having trouble keeping purchase as they lifted up. Dash rolled her eyes, "Here, let me help you wingless ponies," she laughed and moved to hover above the handles. Her friends gave her a mild glare as she slipped her hooves in the crack between the doors, caused by Applejack and Rarity opening them part way, and flung them open from above. Inside the wardrobe was cause for yet another apology they would have to offer their princess friend as the clothing and jewelry within were all strewn about in a jumbled mess. "Oops. Heh, did I mention dropping it down the stairs was an accident?"
They looked into the wardrobe and sat down to free up their forehooves to shift through the mess. "Oh my," said Rarity as she looped a foreleg through the hook of a hanger and lifted up a blue dress with a star pattern along the bottom edge and a star-shaped clasp at the front. "This is delightful. I ought to make something like this for Twily."
"Oh it is beautiful. Do you think pony Rarity made that for Twi?" asked Fluttershy.
Rarity hummed and looked closer, searching for an identifying tag. "Ah ha! It's my logo!" She held up the gown in her hooves to show off a dark tag sewn to the inner side of the dress decorated by a pair of eyes inside a stylized R. "This is one of mine! Or, well, one of pony Rarity's at least. I'm sure she wouldn't mind me using it for inspiration." Rarity paused and then gasped, "Ideaa~ She and I should trade notebooks! I bet there's much we could learn from one another!"
"Hold on now," said Applejack then pointed at Rainbow. "Dash, did ya take this out of Twi's bedroom? Are we goin' through her personals?"
"You know how many rooms I searched through just to find this? There's just no clothing anywhere! And, actually, most of the rooms are empty; no furniture or—whoa, look at this one," said Rainbow holding up another outfit. It was a full-body smock, long enough to cover all the way down to a pony's hooves with only a hole for a pony neck and a smaller hole for a tail. It was deep purple and decorated with a sun and a star appliqué and completely covered with various meticulously designed constellations. A teal bow with a star-shaped clasp was fixed to the collar.
“Eeh!” Rarity made a slight retching sound. "I've seen better fashion at a comic convention. The design is horribly amateurish; as if the designer started with an ill-conceived idea and just didn't know when to stop."
"Since when do you go to comic conventions?" asked Rainbow.
"Never you mind," Rarity replied, turning her head away with a slight blush.
Fluttershy also turned her head to hide a matching blush with her mane.
Rainbow turned back to the dress and snickered, bringing the dress closer to Applejack who leaned in and joined Rainbow's mirth.
Rarity turned back to them. "What's so funny, you two?"
Curiosity perked, Fluttershy walked up behind Rainbow. "Oh, my," she cringed and stepped away avoiding looking at Rarity.
Brow creased, Rarity asked again, "What is so funny?"
Rainbow snerked and hovered over to Rarity with the dress, showing her the tag. "It's one of yours."
"Eugh, that can't be right. That tag must have been sewn on the wrong dress. Or perhaps pony Rarity was having a bad week, happens to all of us." She backed up a step and motioned with a hoof. "Please, darling, put that ghastly thing away."
"Heh-heh, sure," as Dash moved to put away the dress she found that the opposite side had a few holes surrounded by frayed, blackened threads. "Weird, it's got holes all over it."
"Oh dear, that didn't happen when you dropped it down the stairs I hope," said Fluttershy.
"Doubt it, looks like burn marks."
"How odd; I'm afraid this one is also a bit scorched," said Rarity inspecting the nicer blue dress.
"You think Spike sneezed on them? He did say he breathes fire when he sneezes. It's so strange to think he's actually a scary dragon on this world." said Fluttershy.
"That may be, though I doubt Claws is a big scary anythin' in this world; both of them's too sweet ta be scary. Oh here's nice a simple one," said Applejack pulling out a one-piece yellow dress with a white stripe at the bottom and a pink ribbon tied to the collar. "There's a little scorch mark at the bottom, but it's clean enough. Ah think ah'll go with this one."
Rarity looked over the yellow dress, "Are you sure, Applejack? It's so plain. A completely lazy design. I'm sure there's something much more fashionable in here."
"And by 'fashionable' ah think you mean 'frou-frou'," chuckled Applejack. "Oh look, heh," she said pointing to the tag. "It's also one of yers."
Rarity gaped at her logo on the tag and blushed. "Perhaps I won't be looking over pony Rarity's notebook." She then perked up, "No, I … I mean, she, must have been on a deadline! O-or Twi must have refused—"
"Frou-frouing it?"
Rarity gave Applejack a flat stare. "Yes …, refused 'frou-frouing' it." Rarity huffed and continued, "I really don't believe that color will compliment your coat."
"We're not here to make fashion statements, Rares. With any luck we'll be gone before too many poni—people even see us. It'll be good enough."
Rarity sighed, "I suppose. But I will not wear a burnt dress. I hope they're not all like this." Rarity carefully put away the blue dress and resumed her search.
Applejack set aside the yellow dress she picked out and turned around to call on their fifth member. "Hey Pinkie—"
"What's up?!" she replied from roughly three inches from Applejack's face.
"Holy Toledo!" Applejack exclaimed and took a step back, tripping on the open door of the wardrobe and falling in. "Gaah!" she jumped back out as she landed on something sharp and pointy. "Ow. Pinkie!"
"What?"
"I thought you were …," she sighed. "Never mind. Ya feelin' better? Want some clothes?"
"I'm fine; I asked the voices to take five."
"Uhh."
"And I don't think I'll need clothes. They told me it's not necessary."
"You can understand them now?" asked Fluttershy.
"Not really; it's more of a feeling."
Applejack and Fluttershy traded looks, "If ya say so."
"What's this about voices?" asked Rainbow.
"Oh, that's right, you were flying circles out here when the voices started in here," Pinkie said first pointing a hoof around the hall then clopping herself on the head with a bonk. “Ooh! That also sounds like banging coconuts together,” she then bonked herself a few more times.
"Uh, should we be worried?"
"More than usual?" mumbled Applejack.
"Nah! Most of them seem nice," Pinkie answered with cheer.
Meanwhile Rarity had continued looking through the wardrobe and uncovered the object Applejack's posterior had found. "SHOES!" she cheered bringing everyone's attention back to the wardrobe. She reached in and placed a hoof inside a blue horseshoe and drew her hoof back delighted when the shoe remained on her hoof. "And they don't require nails!" Her glee faded when the shoe landed back in the wardrobe with a clink. "Well poo."
"Oh, these stockings are cute," Fluttershy smiled as she lifted out a stocking designed with stripes of multiple shades of purple.
"Oh stockings! Wonderful, I can wear some to hide the ink stain on my hoof. If I can find any that compliment my fur color." Rarity looked near the collection of stockings Fluttershy found and located a set of four light blue stockings. "Oh yes, these will work. Now how about a matching dress?" After a little more searching through the remaining dresses and other articles of clothing Rarity pulled out a bright blue gown decorated with flower appliqués with a matching flower necklace and a yellow ribbon likely meant to be tied around the back. "Yes, I believe this will do nicely. Wonderful craftsmanship."
"He, he, he; shouldn't that be craftsponyship?" suggested Pinkie.
Rarity chuckled at that and was happy to find her logo on the tag, which she then eagerly showed off to her friends. "I suppose so, darling; excellent craftsponyship. Not that I like to toot my own horn"—Pinkie's eyes snapped to Rarity's horn—"of course, but pony Rarity does know a thing or two it seems. "Though this dress is much better suited to Twi's complexion, er, fur color than my own, but beggars can't be choosers I suppose."
"Perish the thought," Applejack deadpanned.
Pinkie's eyes remained glued to Rarity's horn while she slowly crept closer. "Rarity, I'm sorry, but I have to do this. I have to know!" Pinkie put a hoof on one of Rarity's withers to steady herself as she raised up on just her hind legs.
"Pinkie? What are you—? Oh no!" Rarity realized too late what Pinkie was up to and was unable to step away before Pinkie brought her mouth down on Rarity's horn and tried to blow. "PINKIE! Gah! Geh! Eeeehh!" Rarity protested as Pinkie's cheeks puffed out. Rarity dropped the dress back into the wardrobe, took a few steps back, jumped with her forehooves, and pushed Pinkie away. "Eeeeeewwwuuughhppppphhh, uuuuuggghh. Pinkie, why?!"
"I had to know if your horn was tootable! It's not," she said with a disappointed tone, her ears flopped low. "But, you know…," she added, smacking her lips and perking her ears back up a bit, "it tasted a bit like powdered sugar. Hmm, a bit flowery; minty; a touch of lavender maybe. Neat! I gotta find another unicorn to compare."
Rarity crossed her eyes to look up at her moist horn and added a cringe on top of her cringe, "I need a washcloth and soap; water; sanitizer! I could feel that! And your tongue! The ridges! Eeeegh, I feel so dirty."
"Oh not at all, it tasted nice and clean."
"My horn was in your mouth!"
"Yup! We can make it even; want my hoof in yours?"
"NO!"
The others just looked on in varying states of concern and mirth. Rainbow ended up siding with mirth and fell to the floor laughing. "You think the ponies call that a hornjob?"
Rarity looked incredulously at Rainbow for a few seconds before she reached into the wardrobe, grabbed one of the dark purple stockings, and began to awkwardly scrub her horn with it. "Eeeewwwwwewww."
"And now she's 'polishing it off'! Ha-ha!" laughed Rainbow, still on her side on the floor.
"Ah guess we're gonna have ta make sure Twi has that stocking washed," chuckled Applejack.
Fluttershy gasped, "Oh I hope she won't mind. Oh my; not to mention our going through her wardrobe and wearing her clothes to begin with."
"Forget the whole wearing them issue. Who's going to tell Twi why just one of her four purple stockings had to be washed but not the rest?" joked Rainbow.
"NO ONE!" shouted Rarity as she let go of the stocking and used that hoof to point first at Rainbow and then at Pinkie making it clear which of her friends she was commanding. "No one will be speaking of this, ever. We'll put the full set in a pile and tell the maid they're dirty. That's it!"
Rarity then noticed that her friends were staring up at her horn, Rainbow and Applejack biting back snickers, Pinkie smiling that smile she gets before bursting into hiccup-inducing laughter, and Fluttershy cringing that cringe she gets when she's hoping people have forgotten she's in the room. Rarity looked up and noticed that the stocking was still dangling limply off the end of her horn. Her face grew red and she took a breath. She brought a hoof to the stocking and gently brushed it off with all her remaining dignity.
Then she waited as calmly as possible for Rainbow, Applejack, and Pinkie to stop laughing and pick themselves off the floor.
"Now then. If we're all ready to continue …," Rarity looked at her friends as they calmed down, some wiping their eyes dry, others still snickering a little, another—having not laughed at all—pretending she had no desire to. "Twi might be taken aback to see us wearing her clothes when we find her, but I believe she'll understand our discomfort; she knows nudity just isn't normal in our world. And being our friend, I'm sure we'll be alright. And she just might be so surprised to see us in her world that she doesn't even think about it anyway.
"Especially after she sees the messes we all made!" added Pinkie. "That'll be an even bigger shock and she won't be thinking about the clothing at all then!"
The others cringed sheepishly as they considered the broken furniture, scattered books, and ink stains in the portal room, the scratches in the hall caused by the wardrobe, the damaged wardrobe itself, the Pinkie slobber on a stocking, and various other messes they had collectively contributed to.
"We will of course help clean," insisted Rarity.
"Of course," added Fluttershy.
"You bet yer bottom dollar."
"Absopositiveately!"
"Yeah, probably a good idea," even Rainbow agreed, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly.
"But that's for after we find Twi and get her to Twily and Sunset," concluded Rarity. "For now, we have our outfits picked out, let's get dressed and truly start our search!"
"Yeah, yeah. Just hurry up. Some of us are waitin'," urged Rainbow.
"Won't take long, Dash. Jus' got to get them on." Applejack and Rarity looked over their chosen dresses. "It shouldn't be …," she paused, gently pawing at the yellow material with a hoof, "hard?"
Rarity and Applejack looked at the dresses, then at each other, then back at the dresses, and then at their hooves. Applejack looked up to Rarity again, expectant, and smiled bashfully as she waited for the fashionista's instructions. After a short moment, Rarity spoke, "So, any idea how we should go about putting these on, darling?"
Applejack sighed, "This could be a while."
