Applejack walked through the orchard with a smile. "Yer gonna like this."
The crusaders did not like what AJ presented to them, at least not at first. The dilapidated clubhouse being offered to them was quite run down. "Just needs a little TLC! Ah know ya got it in ya."
Despite their complaints, the three got to work fixing it up, using talents they had, or thought they had.
"How does it feel." Moon Dancer watched Pinkie soar around the room. "You appear, from this angle to be adjusting to it as well as Rarity did."
"It's fun!" She threw all four legs wide, held up by her new butterfly wings. "And I'd say I'm doing even better, since I won't go screaming to the ground." She was far too low to make more than a quick pained yelp. "So what am I looking for, besides enjoying myself?"
"Glad you asked." Moon pointed to the wings that held Pinkie up. "As we discussed, they should lose their color over time. The closer they are to monochrome, the less energy they have. You want to be landed before they finish going entirely greyscale."
"Makes sense." Pinkie flew in upside down, hovering in that strange position in front of Moon. "Say, could you make them land on their own when they had to, so a pony couldn't forget to land?"
"Interesting notion." Moon reached up past Pinkie to prod one of her new wings. "But that would involve a lot of new magic. The goal is to make the minimum change for the maximum benefit."
"If ya say so!" Pinkie drifted off on her fluttering wings. "Hey, it's starting." The outsides of her wings were starting to bleach out, but she had plenty of color left in her. "Neat."
"Did you know?" Twilight was approaching from the front of the library. "The crusaders are putting on a show, with the rest of the foals. A talent show."
"I'll be in it." Spike thrust both thumbs at himself. "Gonna put on a show for all to see."
Moon cracked a gentle smile. "Then I must be there." She had read up on parenting, dragon or not. A parent-figure had to be present for such events. "When and where?"
"Ooo." Pinkie half-swam in, her butterfly wings beating wildly. "I wanna be there too!"
Twilight nodded at the agreement in the room. "I'll be there to lend support. Applejack could use me around with her little sister performing. Hopefully, it will go well."
"Excuse me!" A new voice, a young female one. "Somepony here?"
Twilight emerged from the back. "Hello, sorry about that." She got back to the work of being a librarian. Soon they found the book the filly had come for. "'Ghosts, Goblins, and Ghoulish Figures'? Good heavens, girls, what do you need a book like this for?" There was more than one of them, clearly.
Scootaloo was already moving to flee the library with her gained book. "You'll see, thanks Twilight! We'll give it back as soon as we're done with it."
Spike emerged in time to see the fillies retreating. "Huh."
"What do you think they're up to?" Twilight got back to putting books away dutifully.
"I have no idea, and I don't know if I should be excited or scared to find out." Spike shrugged mightilly. "Guess both, since they'll probably show off later and I'll be there."
Twilight grabbed Spike in a one-armed hug. "I'll be sure to give you a shout. Do your best up there."
Spike blushed softly at the encouragement. "I'll do my best! Diamond will be up there too, so give her a shout too, alright?"
"Of course." Twilight released him and returned to her duties.
Moon turned to find Pinkie right there, far closer than she expected. She jumped back in surprise. "Oh! Good. Stay close to the ground and monitor its color fading and when the spell collapses. We want to know how easy it is to tell the connection between the two, and we don't want you falling from any appreciable height."
"Okey dokey lokey!" Pinkie saluted sharply. "Wizard assistant, Pinkie Pie is on the case!" She burst into giggles as she began bouncing for the door, looking entirely pleased with the role she was playing in the advancement of magic.
Moon exited through the same archway into the front. "Spike? What will your performance be?"
"That's a secret." He ran his fingers over his lips in a zipping motion. "You'll find out with everypony else later."
"Hm." She paused a moment, but it clicked. "You are surprising me on purpose. I will look forward to the reveal."
Spike patted her cheek with a little laugh. "You're learning. But yeah! Be there... It'll mean a lot if you're watching."
"I would fight my way there, if I had to. Thankfully, this is unlikely." Moon leaned in closer, nose twitching before Spike. "I want to see what you do. Do I need to bring anything?"
"Just your smiling face." Spike suddenly dashed for the door. "And I need to prepare." With a slapped door, he was gone.
"Hm." Moon turned to Twilight. "Last minute planning with Diamond Tiara?"
"Very likely." Twilight set back the last book in the return bin, a satisfied look on her face. "There we are... Well, I know where everypony here will be tonight." She sat behind her desk with a plop. "That's one less mystery. Care to walk there together?"
Moon's eyes widened for just a moment. "I would be delighted... Does this count as a date?"
"It can, if you like." Twilight grabbed for a small pamphlet. "By the way."
"Hm?"
"The crusaders. They are conducting a friendship experiment of their own. Arguably several."
This caught Moon's attention. "In what way?" She circled to Twilight's front on suddenly determined hooves. "Please explain your findings."
"Easy there." Twilight gently pushed Moon back a few inches. "They are, to start, testing multi-tribal relationships even further than we are. Sure, we have friends from all three tribes, but they are growing together and exploring the uncertain time of adolescence together. That will, surely, have lasting effects."
"Hm... I hadn't considered that." A paper appeared with a pop and she began writing on it busily. "This could have lasting effects on the field of friendship, and I haven't even finished exploring the groundwork." Moon began to dance in place. "I'm doing terribly. Princess Celestia--"
"--trusts you to do it right," gently assured Twilight with a little smile. "I didn't meant to upset you. I wanted to give an opportunity. You'll see them perform. Maybe getting an interview with them afterwards would be a valuable bit of intelligence?"
"Genius!" Moon cupped Twilight's cheeks firmly. "I can make up for lost time! Yes..." She drew Twilight in for a kiss, but the other mare danced out of the grip. "Oh... sorry. Did I do that incorrectly?"
Twilight's cheeks were a dark rosey color as she gathered herself. "I wasn't expecting it... I'm still new to this, Moon Dancer... I would prefer you ask before that sort of thing." She cleared her throat softly and stepped back into the space she had just abandoned. "Moon Dancer, may I have a kiss?"
"You may." But she didn't move, unsure how to proceed.
Twilight was quite willing to take it from there, leaning in and planting a gentle peck on either of Moon's cheeks before she rubbed noses in a fond nuzzle. "That's better... Now... Sorry, I didn't mean to ruin that moment of spontaneity."
"I was the one in the wrong." Moon took a slow step back. "Establishing boundaries is a healthy part of any relationship." With a pop, a new book appeared about healthy relationships among ponies. "I've been reading, which makes this even further my fault, for not heeding its advice. Please forgive me. I will prepare for this evening." She marched off a bit stiffly.
Twilight shook her head with a sigh. "I never thought..." She had her own things to do to get ready.
"And for our next performance, Diamond in the skies!" The audience clapped as Spike hurried onto stage. His arms were up, holding aloft an earth pony filly that was clearly too heavy for him to be carrying like that, but he was doing it anyway, heaving for breath as he charged.
Diamond was letting out a single held note, her hooves aligned as if she were flying on her own instead of being carried by her faithful dragon boyfriend. In the audience, her father and butler were clapping appreciatively, while the rest were watching with something akin to amazement. Exactly what they were watching was difficult to really put to words.
Spike did a few circles in loop de loops as Diamond Tiara held that note for an amazingly long period of time. It was only when she reached the end of it that he put her down gently and threw up his hands at the crowd. Diamond joined him, one hoof up, the other around his neck as she reared up to match his pose and stance. With the end of the performance clearly detected, the crowd began to applaud more uniformly.
What they had watched, they weren't sure, but that it was done seemed clear.
"And now, the Cutiemark Crusaders!" That ill-fated show came out and began their discordant screeching performance for the amazement of the crowd. As unsure as they had been of the last one, they broke into laughter at the CMCs performance even as they charged off the stage.
That they won the best performance for comedy was not the intention, but was an accepted prize none the less.
Twilight nudged her head towards the back where others were headed, like Applejack and Rarity and Rainbow Dash. "Now's a fine time for that interview."
"Ah, yes. Thank you." Moon Dancer hurried in with a smile. "An excellent performance."
Sweetie waved at Moon. "Hi there. Did you like it?"
"She just said she liked it." Scootaloo laughed at the idea. "Not exactly how we planned it."
A thousand theories on how the different tribes involved could have led to that went through her head, but Moon put that aside. She was there to learn and ask, not assume. "I would like to make a report on your activities to Princess Celestia. Do you object?"
Apple Bloom blinked at that. "No... don't think there's nothin' wrong with that."
Sweetie bobbed her head. "Ask away!"
Scootaloo fired a hooves up. "We're ready!"
"What do you feel you have learned from this experience?" Moon's quill was already scribbling the question, ready to capture it all.
"Well, maybe we were trying too hard?" Sweetie was smiling sheepishly.
"I see." She made a note. "And?"
"And instead of forcing ourselves to do something that's not meant for us..." Scootaloo had a hoof raised as she considered.
"Mmhmm?" Had they made a great discovery? They were so close to something!
"We each should be embracing our true talent!" Apple Bloom squeaked out with a big grin.
"Ah, what would you say that is?" That sounded quite important.
"Comedy," all three shouted, completely sure of themselves.
Moon was not as certain. The others were coming, the caretakers of the fillies. Moon didn't stop them from uniting cheerfully. "I am uncertain they arrived at the correct conclusion." She made a great dot to finish things. "But, perhaps, with further research they will find a conclusion that will satisfy them in their own work." She folded the note tightly and went to find Spike. "There you are."
"Hey." He waved eagerly. "How'd you like the show?"
"I admired the precise geography in your dance routine." Moon nodded slowly. "It must have been difficult to retain such precision while so burdened. I am duly impressed."
Spike blushed softly."Aw, wow! I didn't think anypony would even notice!"
"When it involves you, Spike, I try to notice." She drew him in for a one armed hug. "I don't mean to distract, but could you send this?" She offered her letter.
With a puff of flames, it was sent on its way to Princess Celestia.