Fluttershy stared in wonder around Twilight's laboratory. Sure, she was known for being a huge science nerd and all, but all this seemed pretty amazing. Various notes crowded the softboard, while flasks, chemical formulas and other lab equipment cluttered the desk.
Twilight, meanwhile, was frantically scribbling on her notebook and muttering to herself.
"Um, Twilight?"
"Not now, Fluttershy."
"....okay..."
Twilight seemed to be in a world of her own as she furiously scribbled equations and numbers down. Figures and symbols marched across chalkboards like soldiers fighting their own mathematical battles, and chemicals bubbled in chambers as the young scientist (whom many thought was perhaps a bit crazy) worked hard to try and find a solution to the problem.
The only problem was, the space was a bit cramped, and as she was moving about she constantly bumped into things, which knocked some objects over.
"Right, adjust the equation for morpographic capacitation by about three coulins and..."
Just then, a device beeped. "Ah! I think it's done!" Twilight shuffled over to a machine and took a rather vile looking liquid out of a device. "Counter spell, liquid style!"
"What is it exactly?" Fluttershy asked.
"It's a chemical compound imbued with incantation precepts, allowing the substance to enact a molecular reversal and restore the patterns of molecules to their base form."
"In English, please."
"Basically it reverses whatever magic is working. Time for a test run!" Before anybody could stop her, Twilight put a small sample into a test tube, set the syringe, and then sprayed it on her dress.
Nothing happened. The dress was as big and yellow as before, and refused to change back no matter what Twilight did.
"What?" the nerd exclaimed. "I was certain this would do the trick! Maybe my numbers were wrong, or the equipment is faulty, or-"
"Twilight!" Fluttershy suddenly interrupted. "You may want to look at this."
Twilight peered at a computer screen. "Magic surge at Crystal Prep?"
"I don't like the sound of that...."
"Of course that's it! Rarity's magic must've reached there also! C'mon Fluttershy, we have to take a look!"
Fluttershy nodded and hastily followed Twilight downstairs.
Unfortunately, as smart as she was, Twilight miscalculated the speed at which she should be running in, all the while being clad in a gigantic ballgown.
Uh oh.
Twilight stumbled over her heels, tripped over her massive skirt, and went tumbling and rolling down the rest of the stairs, while Fluttershy looked on with horror.
"TWILIGHT!"
"AAAAHHHH!!"
Meanwhile.......
Twilight Velvet and Night Light were having a wonderful time waltzing to their wedding song. It brought back lovely memories and they cherished it all the very much.
Suddenly, they were interrupted by something. Or rather, someone.
To their extreme bewilderment, they heard the sound of something heavy falling down the stairs. They didn't have to wonder long, because Twilight came tumbling towards them, in a flurry of gold skirts. After a few moments she finally stopped, her skirts inflated around her like a balloon.
Fluttershy came hurrying towards her, worried for her friend.
"Oh my goodness! Twilight, are you alright?"
Some muffled noises.
Twilight Velvet cautiously approached the mountain of skirts that was her daughter and poked it.
"Twilight? You silly girl, you could have hurt yourself!"
"Dear, I don't think she can hear you."
With the combined efforts of her parents and Fluttershy, Twilight was finally able to stand up straight, albeit a little disheveled, but otherwise completely fine.
"Whew. Remind me to never do that again."
Twilight Velvet smiled fondly.
"Maybe be not so hasty next time, sweetie."
Twilight brushed a hand over her skirt. "Yeah. Maybe this thing's not to bad after all."
Just then, the telephone rang.
"I'll get it!" Twilight Velvet called, as she picked up her skirts and answered it. "Hello?"
Fluttershy looked over to Twilight.
"Um, Twilight, if you're alright now, we should, um, head over to Crystal Prep."
Twilight facepalmed. "Oh, of course!"
Night Light bid farewell to his daughter and Fluttershy as they walked out the door and then turned to his wife, who was finished with her conversation.
"Who was it?" he inquired.
"Windy Whistles. She said we're all due to meet at the central park to discuss further arrangements regarding our current predicaments."
Night Light grinned and bowed.
"Lead the way, fair mademoiselle!"
Rarity and Sweetie Belle made their way down the street towards their next destination. The sheer number of people affected had given them both a clue that the proposed solution to this crisis would need to be considerably more effective than originally planned. The sky continued to hold at a murky grey, with the thick levels of magical particles continuing to impair visibility. Buses and cars were pulled up at the side of the road, drivers unable to proceed safely thanks to the thick clouds of magical particles. Not only that, people were using torches to make their way through the murk, and see safely ahead of themselves.
Several more glowing orbs roared by, slamming into people nearby and changing them in the instant. One sporty jock looked on in dismay as his sports jacket and slacks morphed into a most ridiculous looking suit that was squeezed tight on his bulging, muscular frame. One other person, a lady, was both surprised and alarmed when her white summer dress exploded into a gigantic ballgown, skirts and layers flying everywhere around her, and her response and slow movement suggested that she was not used to walking around in these sorts of heavy garments.
Through it all, Rarity and Sweetie Belle pushed on, trying to find others. "I think it was a good move to go on foot," Rarity said. "Driving in these conditions would be very unpleasant. It is a bit of a pea souper, after all, and the visibility is next to zero!"
"Not to mention driving in a long skirt is next to impossible," Sweetie Belle mumbled quietly.
"There is that," Rarity admitted. "I would be most frightfully stuck if this skirt got caught in the pedals or any moving parts. And if it were to be torn and ripped- heavens forbid such a thing happen!"
Sweetie Belle gave no reply. The guilt was continuing to eat at her, as she was stuck in her own thoughts. A single stupid decision had let to this entire fiasco, and now the entire town was paying for her idiocy. She kept her head down, not wanting to look at anybody and be reminded of all this. The endless rustling of her skirt and its weight upon her hips didn't help in that matter, and as she walked along she soon became briefly aware of a voice calling to her from next to her.
"Sweetie Belle?"
The younger girl shook her head. "Yes, Rarity?"
"Hmm, funny. Were you lost in your thoughts?"
"Yes. Why?"
"I attempted to get your attention three times." There was a pause. "Why are you looking at the pavement? It is not very interesting down there."
Sweetie Belle mumbled something unintelligible.
"Now, now, darling, you know I cannot understand you when you speak that quietly. What is on your mind?"
"I said I can't look when evidence of my own stupidity is all around me," Sweetie Belle said, finally looking up.
Rarity gasped when she saw how upset her sister looked. She indicated to a bench nearby, and both siblings sat down. "Tell me, why do you feel this situation is all your fault?"
"Because if we hadn't messed the house up, you wouldn't have gotten mad! We could have prevented this, and instead we let our boredom get the better of us!"
Rarity sighed. "I will agree that deciding to use the features of the home as tools in breaking your boredom was not the wisest of things to do. But you should not beat yourself up over it. We can fix this situation and get the circumstances back to normal." There was a pause. "Besides, you are not entirely to blame for this fiasco."
"I'm not?" Sweetie Belle sounded audibly confused.
"I was the one who lost my temper and lost control of my own magic, remember?" Rarity answered. "It was a most unladylike thing for me to do, and I apologize as well. The only thing we can do is learn from this and move forward."
"Thanks," Sweetie Belle replied. "I'm feeling a lot better now."
Suddenly, a great and strange noise started up just down the road. "What on Earth is that?" Rarity asked, surprised at all the noise.
Just then, a great column of people playing bagpipes marched past, making an absolute racket. There were at least fifty of them, all adorned in various elements of Highland garb, and they maintained perfect time and speed as they went by.
"What a racket!" Rarity exclaimed. "I recognize that tartan!"
"The problem's gotten a lot further than we thought," Sweetie Belle finished.