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// 29 - Sonic Boom 
// Story: Slice of Velvet and Pear 
// by David Silver 
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"You have to have something." Rarity was following Twilight around the library. "We really must cheer Rainbow on!"

Twilight was doing her best to dismiss the insistent unicorn in favor of sorting the books. "I'm sorry, but a spell to do that would be quite rare."

"Did somepony say rare spell?" Moondancer's attention was captured quickly. "What spell are we discussing?"

Twilight snorted with a smile at her friend's sudden attention. "Rarity wants me to let her and the girls stand on clouds so they can cheer Rainbow Dash on."

Moondancer perked up at the challenge. "There are a number of spells that could accomplish something of the sort. From physically granting wings and their related magic, to--"

"Of course!" Twilight clopped a hoof to her head. "I know one that'll do that, silly me. I haven't actually used it before, however."

Rarity pointed at herself quickly. "I volunteer, darling. Rainbow deserves having all her friends there to root for her. This show is quite important to her, you know."

Twilight wove her spell on the willing test subject, granting Rarity large butterfly wings that she took off with, laughing in a not entirely wholesome way. "I hope she doesn't abuse that..."

"Nicely done." Moon saw no problems there. "That was your first time? A fantastic casting."

"Perhaps." Twilight set the book she had been holding back on its shelf. "But I should use a more conventional spell for the others, I think."

"Cloud Bouyancy?"

"That's the one." Twilight grabbed a new book in her magic. "I just want to brush up on it first."

"Room for one more?"

And they studied it together instead. The spell proved quite useful for visiting Cloudsdale as a large group to cheer Rainbow on in her exploits. It was a pity the start of her routine was so rocky. "Rarity." Twilight was frowning up at the showboating pony. "Stop that."

"What is she doing wrong?" Moon didn't put it together intuitively. "This is a performance, and she is performing."

"Well, yes, but she came here to cheer for Rainbow Dash." Twilight gestured to the struggling Rainbow. "And instead she's hogging the... Oh!" Her complaints died as Rarity encountered her karmic debt coming due quite suddenly. Her wings evaporated into fine dust, and she plummeted towards the ground so very far below.

Moon Dancer tried to get her magic around Rarity, focused as she was on results instead of focusing on the shock of the moment. Still, Rarity was too far away and she couldn't get a good lock on her despite her best efforts.  The Wonderbolts went in for the rescue, only to discover why one should be careful in the rescue of drowning ponies. They were all falling.

Rainbow dove for them with her own brand of magic that didn't have to go far, just fast.  She bent the air around herself to the breaking point until it snapped in a prismatic release of speed that carried her to the Wonderbolts and Rarity in a grand rescue that had the stands exploding in cheers.

Moon flumped back, blinking softly. "Huh..."

"Huh?" Twilight glanced over. "That's an odd reaction."

"I tried to rescue Rarity, but failed." Moon frowned softly. "But Rainbow Dash succeeded. I'm not angry that she did. I do not want her or the Wonderbolts to be injured, but why did she succeed where I failed?"

Twilight waved at Rainbow as she did her arc of triumph. "This is a situation where a pegasus' talents were called for. Unicorn magic isn't the answer for everything. To be honest, this one pegasus was the specific answer, so let's hear it for Rainbow Dash!" She led a cheer for Rainbow as the rescuer came in for a landing with the ponies she had picked up.

Moon could help! So she did, wrapping Rarity in the less spectacular cloud-walking spell so she could stand on the clouds without immediately falling through them. "She used her new wings to exhaustion. Perhaps a modification to the spell to make that more obvious?" Moon stroked over her chin in thought. "What if they grew more monochrome as the spell reached its conclusion?"

Twilight blinked softly. "Not a bad idea, but I'm not a spell engineer, and neither are you? Who's going to modify the spell?"

Moon crossed her arms. "You have the spell. Kindly share it with me after we return to the library. I can make an attempt. I'm sure Rarity would like another try with those wings."

"Pass." Rarity had come over to them as Rainbow received her deserved accolades. "I've had enough wings for now, dear."

Twilight stood up. "Oh, Princess Celestia is here!" She had been there, but she was speaking something to Rainbow Dash. "What an honor."

A fancy crown was placed on Rainbow's head as Celestia announced in a firm and loud voice that  the Best Young Flyer had been found. The crowd cheered the results, the girls included. Rarity nudged against Moon. "I apologize, dear, but you write letters to our fine princess, do you not? About the things you have learned?"

"I do." Moon quirked an ear up. "Why?"

Rarity rolled a hoof slowly. "I was just wondering if I might, just this once, write a letter? I've learned quite a lesson today that I feel deserves to be written down."

Moon looked at Rarity with a cocked brow. "You are not Celestia's student, nor in her employ."

"I am neither of those things... But she did ask you to learn about your connection to other ponies, like me. I doubt she will be upset to hear of my advancements." She leaned in with a waggling brow. "Besides, without your help, things may have turned out quite differently! I'll be sure to mention your assistance."

Moon was not above a little flattery. "Alright. When we return to the library, I'll take your dictation and Spike can--"

Rarity placed a hoof on Moon's lips. "Darling, she's right there." Rarity pointed with her free hoof at the princess, standing tall over the crowd. "I'll write a letter and give it to her directly." She wandered off with a big smile.

Moon was less sure. "Why did she... ask then? She did not require my permission to just hand a letter to her. I thought she wanted to use Spike's method of delivery."

Twilight set a hoof on Moon's closer shoulder. "She was being polite, and having permission gives her the confidence to walk up to her and hand our princess a letter of her thoughts. She's probably just nervous, is all."

Moon watched from afar as Rarity scribbled out onto a held letter, folded it up, and got up close to hand it to Celestia. Words were exchanged, briefly, but they couldn't be heard. Moon thought of her listening spell, but it was already too late to cast that. Their words would remain private. Princess Celestia looked unbothered by them, smiling in that regal way she had mastered.

Moon tried to apply her lessons, to figure out what Celestia was thinking, but of all the ponies around, Celestia hid her feelings so very well. Moon Dancer didn't have a prayer of piercing that expert mask.

"Thank you for invitin' me." Pear Butter was there, smiling at Twilight. "Ah never woulda thought to come here. Suppose it helps having a unicorn for an niece."

Twilight colored vividly. "My mother is usually the one taking you to exotic places."

"Like mother, like filly." Pear ruffled the top of Twilight's mane in a firm tussling. "The two of you keep showin' me things I would never have looked for. Thanks kindly. That was some show! Rainbow came through fer yer friends there. Woulda been a real shame if she hadn't. I weren't in no danger today, but it felt like it." She scowled at Twilight, but there was no real feeling behind it. "You two! Always excitin' me!"

Applejack chuckled softly. "Ah wasn't so sure we should bring mom alon'. Glad ya talked sense into me."

Pear raised a brow at Applejack, proving that talent ran in the family. "Mah daughter best not get in the habit of doin' it too! Bad enough I got a sister and an niece that love doin' it! Two's enough in mah life." She grabbed Twilight under one leg and AJ under the other. "Now let's gather up yer friend and get movin' if that's alright?"

Twilight pointed to where Rainbow was still swarmed by ponies. "I think she'll be busy a little while longer. Fluttershy? Could you tell her we're headed home if she's alright? I imagine she is."

"Oh... alright." Fluttershy lifted on her timid wings and floated down towards Rainbow Dash. "Rainbow? Um..." The crowd wasn't letting up easily, crowding noisily around the winner. "Rainbow?" Fluttershy frowned, failing to make much progress. "Excuse me..."

"Rainbow Dash!" Fluttershy was a deep red, but she had managed an outburst. The entire crowd was looking at her. "Um... We're heading home... if that's alright? Just... wanted you to know..."

Rainbow grinned at Fluttershy. "Sure thing. Thanks for telling me!" And just like that, the mood shifted back and ponies resumed chatting at Rainbow Dash as if Fluttershy wasn't there.

Which she may have wished were actually the case. She made it back to the others without exploding of shame. "Um... told her..."

As they headed for the balloon that'd take them back down to the safe ground, Moon looked over her less-winged friends. "So, I plan to work on a safer wing spell. Any volunteers?"

Pinkie bounced forward. "Ooo! Like that sparkly one Rarity had and then didn't have and then the falling and screaming and--"

"--Precisely, hopefully with less falling and screaming involved." Moon considered Pinkie. Her future sight shouldn't interfere... in theory. "Are you volunteering?"

"That sounds fun!" Pinkie clopped her hooves as she hopped a few steps on her hind legs. "What do I have to do? Think light thoughts? I can do that! Those are my favorite kind!"

This was, somehow, not surprising to Moon. "I will need to conduct the magical alteration first. After that, I will cast it on you, and you will test the spell's effectiveness, both in enabling flight and its warning when it's duration is running out. My idea was to make it become monochromatic as its energy depleted, so you would know when landing would be the ideal choice to make."

"Ooo." Pinkie bounced in close to Moon. "That's smart thinking! Why didn't you do that?" She was looking to Twilight.

Twilight colored at the accusation. "I was using the spell as it was written! Modifying spells takes a lot of effort and can go wrong. I'm a librarian!"

Moon inclined her head softly. "A very effective librarian. But I am a student of magic... and friendship... and dragons..." She frowned softly. "I am getting distracted. Thank you for volunteering. I will inform you when the spell is ready to begin testing. The danger level of this adjustment should be small, as I will not be modifying most of the functional parts. We've already seen that it works, we just want it to be safer, with a warning."

"'Hey you, land!' is all we want it to whisper. Hey! Can you make it actually whisper? That'd work too!" Pinkie bounced forward with a big grin, mind full of ideas on how to alter the spell for better safety on the part of the target.

"A fascinating idea, but that would be measurably more complicated. The loss of color would be simpler, and visible even in noisy environments. So long as you weren't flying in the dark, which would be dangerous anyway, it would be an easier warning to detect." Moon tapped at her chin. "If we get this working, maybe some kind of buzzing could be added as a secondary warning to decrease altitude."

"Now you're thinking!" Pinkie burst into merry giggles. "I've never been a wizard's assistant before, but I kinda like it!"