The Crystal Empire was as glorious as Rarity had remembered. Shining structures, shimmering ponies, and the sparkling palace all bedazzled Rarity's eyes. "Oh-hohoho! It has been too long since we visited!"
"Don't forget what we're here for," Applejack reminded Rarity as they strolled through the streets.
"Yes, yes..." Rarity rolled her eyes before pointing a hoof. "We're almost there. You must be tired dragging those carts around."
"Are you kiddin'?" Applejack raised an eyebrow. "Granted these gems're heavier than apples, but I get the luxury of carryin' 'em 'round on paved ground. It's a lot easier than luggin' 'em up and down hills in the dirt."
Rarity just smiled as she shook her head. "You really are something, Applejack. I doubt I could pull that at all."
Applejack chuckled. "Years of practice," she boasted.
"Oh! We're here!" Rarity did a double-take as she checked the scrap of paper in her hoof. After trotting up to the door of a modest home, she primped her mane a bit before knocking on the door.
The door opened only a crack to reveal an aqua eye and a teal blue horn. "Yes? Can I help you?" a feminine voice asked.
"Hello, darling," Rarity cheerily greeted. "I am Rarity and this—" she pointed a hoof, "—is Applejack. We came all the way from Ponyville to speak with you about your crystalline cloth."
"No refunds," she tersely replied as she pulled the door shut.
Rarity looked to Applejack with a shocked and puzzled expression before turning back to the door and knocking again. When the unicorn didn't answer, Rarity resorted to shouting, "Please, we need to speak with you! It is very important! We need your help!" Rarity raised a hoof to knock again, but hesitated as the door slowly opened.
"You need...my help?" the unicorn asked as she finally opened the door wide enough for Rarity and Applejack to get a good look. She had a cerulean coat and a turquoise mane. Her cutie mark was a red, six-pointed gem with curling lines coming from each point.
"Yes," Rarity gave a hopeful smile. "It's a long story, but we absolutely need some of your crystalline cloth."
The unicorn hung her head. "I...don't make that anymore."
"Please miss..."
"Silky Gem," she spoke her name.
"Silky Gem," Rarity continued, "I don't need the cloth for a dress or an accessory. I...we need it so our friend can fly again."
Silky raised an eyebrow as she puzzled just what the unicorn was trying to say. "Um...why don't you come in?" she offered.
Rarity and Applejack followed the unicorn through her house to a small workshop. On shelves were bolts of fabric. A few of them were the shimmering crystalline cloth, but most seemed to be far less exotic. All of the fabrics and threads and even the loom in the middle of the room sat untouched long enough to have collected a layer of dust.
"This place sure could use a good once over," Applejack noted as Silky levitated a bolt of crystalline cloth down to Rarity with an aqua aura.
Rarity stared in awe at the cloth in her hooves. It gathered and scattered the light just like a high quality gemstone. Looking close she could see the individual filaments of diamond, ruby, sapphire, and emerald. "It's absolutely gorgeous!"
"You can have it," Silky mumbled as she looked longingly to the bolts on the shelf.
A pointed look from Applejack elicited Rarity to sigh as she set the fabric aside. "I'm afraid this won't do," she gently said. "I will need you to weave something new."
"Wh-what?"
"I don't mean to be blunt, but what in Equestria possessed you to weave diamond into this cloth?" Rarity criticized. "Darling, diamonds are the hardest things—impossible to cut. If you made the cloth without them it would be easier to manipulate."
"You just think that removing a gemstone will help?" Silky scoffed. "I've tried every combination, every weave...everything! Nothing works! Why did you even come here? To taunt me? To throw my failures in my face!?"
Rarity and Applejack shared a concerned glance before Rarity cleared her throat, "We came here because we need your cloth. I will do whatever it takes to make it work. If we work together I'm confident we can find a solution!"
Silky gave a bitter chuckle as she looked up to one of the shimmering bolts. "It wasn't even a month ago I debuted my cloth. For a few days I was the talk of the town. Everypony wanted it. Then, they didn't. They were beating down my door for refunds, so...I ran away. I tried to fix it and make it work out here, but it's no use. It's just...no use. Don't you get it? Nothing can make this cloth work."
"No, that simply will not do," Rarity claimed. "It must work."
"You said you needed it for your friend... I don't understand," Silky Gem prodded.
"We got a pegasus friend, Rainbow Dash," Applejack spoke up. "She got hurt in a competition—lost 'er wing. Another friend of ours says she might be able to use her magic to fix it."
"That's right," Rarity nodded, "but we need the perfect substrate. A material durable enough to last her no matter what ridiculous stunt she pulls. We can't afford to cut any corners. I...I wouldn't be able to bear it if she got hurt because the wing I made her fell apart."
Silky stared at the two ponies a moment before she realized her mouth was open. "I-that sort of magic exists?"
"Not yet," Applejack chuckled. "Give Twi a few days, she'll get it there."
"Uh..." was all Silky could manage to vocalize because "Oh Celestia, I've let two crazy ponies into my house!" was probably not a wise decision. Inciting insane ponies is how you end up on the news as a tragic story.
Rarity chuckled as she picked up the cloth again. "I can tell by your expression that you don't believe us," she mused.
"You-you don't just make magic." Silky stomped a hoof. "It's impossible."
Rarity smiled in amusement. "You would think that, but Twilight Sparkle's magic is nothing short of spectacular! I believe she can do it."
Silky raised an eyebrow. "Twilight Sparkle? As in Princess Twilight Sparkle?"
"Yep, that's the one," Applejack affirmed with a nod.
Silky laughed nervously. "You...really expect me to believe that you two are friends with a Princess?"
"It's a long story, sugarcube," Applejack dismissed, "but, yeah, we've been friends with Twi since long before she was a princess."
A knocking drew attention away from the conversation as Silky hesitated leaving the two bizarre ponies alone in her workshop. A second rapping at her door made up her mind for her. Sighing, she trotted through to her door. Peeking out at the uninvited visitor, she found a purple unicorn sporting saddlebags staring back her.
"Hi!" she cheerily greeted with a smile. "Um... I'm looking for my friends. An orange earth pony with a hat and a white unicorn with a purple mane."
Silky rolled her eyes as she considered locking this one out. "Why?" she found herself asking. She didn't want to end up letting her in, but she just couldn't just lock her out, either.
"Well, they left their stuff out here, so they can't have gotten far," the purple pony insisted as she looked to the side.
Finally sticking her head out the door she found the carts overflowing with gems and fabric. Her jaw dropped. How had she not noticed that!? Before she could even get over the shock from the sight, a purple motion caught her eye. Craning her neck to look at the purple pony, she blinked. Not quite believing it, she blinked twice more. They were still there. This unicorn had wings!
"Are you all right?" Twilight asked with a concerned expression. "You don't look so good."
Silky tried to speak, but none of her bodily functions seemed to be working very well.
"Oh! Twilight! What a pleasant surprise!" Rarity greeted as she trotted out alongside Applejack.
"Hey, sugarcube. Here I thought yah said yah wouldn't be able to make it out to the Crystal Empire."
"Yes, well..." Twilight blushed. "I thought I would have plenty of time to work on the spell with the wings Rarity had already made, but they ended up, um...conflagrating."
"Confla-what now?" Applejack asked.
"Uh... Let's just say that I know now what not to do," Twilight explained with a smile. "Besides, I can't wait to catch up with my big brother and Cadance. Oh! And I brought you these," she wiggled her hips to bring attention to the positive molds.
"Oh! How marvelous! I can get a head start on some of these fabrics I wanted to try," Rarity enthused as she pulled the molds free. "And you made a copy!"
Twilight nodded. "I have the original molds back at the library, but these should suffice for now."
Applejack nudged Silky in the side. "Hey, I don't suppose yah know what confla...whatever she said means, do yah?"
Silky just shook her head, still unable to form words.
"I really wish I could stay and help out, but I promised Shining and Princess Cadance that I would meet them for lunch," Twilight apologized. "It took me so long finding you two that I really need to get going."
"Lunch, with royalty?" Rarity pressed as she batted her eyelashes at Twilight.
Twilight had to work hard to suppress a giggle. "How rude of me, would you like to come along?"
"Would we!?" Rarity primped her mane.
"I could go fer a bite," Applejack agreed, again nudging Silky Gem. "How 'bout you?"
Her jaw moved up and down and her lips flapped, but no words came out. Silky had to settle for an emphatic nod.
"Oh! This is Silky Gem," Rarity introduced the mute unicorn. "She is going to help me make the perfect cloth for Rainbow Dash! Let's just get this inside and we can go."
Twilight sighed at the carts Rarity was pointing to. Summoning her magic, she effortlessly floated all the contents inside the house along with the molds. "After lunch, would you mind making a wing or two so that I can refine my spell?" Twilight asked as she shut the door.
"Of course, Twilight," Rarity agreed as the trio followed after Twilight.
Is this...really happening? Silky wondered in a dreamlike state as she followed after the Princess and her two friends.