Rarity flexed her wings, and despite the circumstances, she couldn’t help but crack a smile. True to their name, her pair of butterfly wings shimmered in the yellowing sunlight from the library’s downstairs window, glowing with pools of soft pink and beetle-shell green. They were even more beautiful than she remembered—instead of delicate pastels, the multicolored pools were vibrant and multifaceted, each sharply segmented with multiple shades like scales on a fish.
Fabulous did not begin to describe Rarity’s second time wearing Shimmer Wings. But Rarity was no fool, and this time she had the presence of mind to ask a crucial question:
“They’re more durable this time? You’re absolutely sure? Not, of course, that I doubt your magical skills, nor the raw magical power of a Princess, but…”
“Yes, absolutely!” said Twilight with two firm nods. She levitated a scroll in front of Rarity that was dense with what must have been abbreviations for magical lingo, arranged into formulas and diagrams. “There’s a reason I told you to let me work on the spell for a few hours. I was able to channel some pegasus magic into your wings this time, and just look how many avenues for new formulas it opened up!”
Rarity nodded placatingly as she searched the scroll and its formulas for any facet that might be decipherable by a laypony with only a basic grasp of higher-level magic. There were no such facets, of course.
“Yes, well, of course I trust your judgement, dear, but are there any …limitations that we should be aware of, this time?”
At that, Twilight folded the scroll and fetched a poster-sized sheet of paper that seemed to be a blueprint for a pair of curved butterfly wings like the ones currently adorning Rarity‘s back. “I told you, there’s pegasus magic in them this time,” she said. “This is some of the most exciting experimenting I’ve done in… well, ever! I might be the first pony to ever weave pegasus magic and unicorn magic together!”
“Glad you’re havin’ fun, but you do remember that yer’ betting our lives on these experiments of yours, right?” grumbled Applejack from where she stood leaning against the far wall. Her wings were pressed neatly together in a vertical fan, giving them the texture and sheen of coarse silk.
Twilight licked her lips, then nodded, not quite as quickly this time. “The pegasus magic made them much stronger than last time. They won’t be damaged by something as simple as direct sunlight, they should be more functional, and they’ll last for at least a week.”
Applejack just glowered harder. “We ain’t gonna be up there for a week.”
“Yes, well, we shall see about that.” Rarity cleared her throat lightly, and Applejack turned her head aside, still wearing a frown. Rarity pretended not to notice.
“Twilight? The final step, if you would?”
“Ah. Yes. I have it right… right here.” Twilight faltered, shooting Rarity an unreadable look, and then she used her magic to lift a cloth sack from behind her stack of books. From it she drew a silver hairpin. “Do you want help putting it on?”
The hairpin glinted in the afternoon sun. Rarity grimaced as just looking at it made her horn tingle with—yes, fear, that was the word for what Rarity felt as the little sliver of metal floated its way toward her in the grip of Twilight’s magic.
“Yes, please. I would prefer if you fastened it for me.”
Rarity swallowed and closed her eyes tightly. She felt the tiny tug at her mane, and then the tiny buzz of magic wrapping itself around her head…
“There. Remember, it’s only a visual illusion, and it’ll only stay for as long as the hairpin stays in place. It’ll give you a little signal if you start to use your magic, as a reminder not to.” Twilight bit her lip. “Your actual horn is fine, I promise. So you can handle it... right?”
“Yes, of course. Just an illusion.” Rarity raised a hoof to her forehead and took a deep breath. She could still feel her horn there, and that was what mattered. Her horn was still there, and it only looked like she had just been magically de-horned. It was invisible. Not removed. Her horn was fine.
“Hunh,” said Applejack.
“So!” Rarity said with a nervous laugh. “Do I look like a pegasus?” She didn’t turn to face Applejack. She was still staring intently into the distance in order to prevent herself from looking up at where her horn was meant to be, and indeed where her horn still was, so there was no need to look and see that it was gone...
“No,” said Applejack.
“Yes!” said Twilight.
“Quite,” said Rarity, through a deep grimace.
Applejack snorted. “Last I checked, Rainbow Dash didn’t have frilly butterfly wings.”
“She could,” said Twilight, “if she ever wanted them. The Shimmer Wings spell is much easier to use on pegasi, to temporarily transform their normal wings. In fact, according to some of these reports, quite a few pegasi liked to wear them to the Skyborne Dance.”
She turned and squinted at her stack of books. “Too bad nopony has any idea why.”
“So we’re going up in disguise? Am I the only one in here who thinks we should figure something out that’s more—you know—honest?” Applejack turned her glare toward Twilight, who quailed slightly.
“I know how you feel, Applejack, but... I tried to talk to them too, after you left. I thought maybe it would help if I flew up to Rainbow Dash’s house and asked politely, but they wouldn’t let me in.” Twilight swallowed, and hung her head just the slightest bit. “I think Rainbow Dash had sobered up. She wasn’t crying. But she sounded mad at me for coming.”
Applejack sighed, shaking her head slowly. “Why can’t they talk to us when we all jus’ want to be there for them?”
“You know why,” said Twilight. “Fluttershy can’t bring herself to talk about it. Rainbow Dash is too proud to ask for help.”
“Which is why it’s up to us to help them,” Rarity said, with another stretch of her wings. “And help them we will, whether they like it or not. Come along; we may as well follow while we can.”
Applejack breathed a deep sigh of relief as her hooves touched down, at long last, on a solid surface. Her heart still thumped with anxiety from being so far separated from the world that she called home, but at least now she could feel something beneath her hooves, even if that something was a sheet of water vapor suspended over a million billion foot drop. She tried with all her might to focus on the ivory columns and arches on the far side of the open-air walkway in order to forget the sensation of floating up, up, higher into the emptiness of the late afternoon sky, up until the strongest trees were mossy distant shrubs below, and she was miles and miles away from the solidness of the earth with just a pair of Shimmer Wings keeping her from plummeting to her death, those delicate translucent things affixed to her back by somepony else’s unicorn magic...
“Are you all right, dear? You look… pale.” Rarity touched down next to Applejack and scanned her over with a worried look.
“Yes! Jus’ fine!” Applejack said vigorously, forcing the words through her scrunched muzzle and seized-up chest. She raised a hoof and adjusted her hat—holding it to her head during the climb had been another of the last hour’s many harrowing experiences. “Never been better! Now let’s get on with findin’ this Skyborne Dance while I still—”
Then Applejack straightened with a jolt as she felt a feathered wing nudging her in the side.
“Hey, quiet down, there are groundbounds here!” said a stallion's voice with a husky chuckle.
The fellow standing next to Applejack had a stiff, upright white mane, a dark charcoal coat, and a highly intimidating grin. He winked. “Welcome home, anyway.”
Applejack stiffened in place. “Groundbounds? What’s a groun—“
“Oh, of course!” said Rarity in a hasty trill as she slid into position on Thunderlane’s other side. “Deepest apologies. Wouldn’t want to let any unicorns or earth ponies hear our discussion!”
“Don’t worry, it’s not a big—hold on." Thunderlane’s brows arched as he turned to look at Rarity. "You look really familiar. Are you--”
Applejack felt her wings snap into an upright position. For the second time in as many minutes, she pursed her lips into a scrunch and let her eyes dart away.
“Oh, no! We’ve never met, I’m quite certain!” said Rarity in a tight burst.
Thunderlane blinked several times at Rarity. “Hunh. You look exactly like… well, anyway, you’re in luck. This is gonna be one of the best years ever.”
Rarity tilted her head, circling in front of Thunderlane and allowing Applejack the opportunity to shrink away.
“The best, you say? And whyever might that be?”
Thunderlane’s grin came back. “Because it’s my year. And I hear it’s Rainbow Dash’s year, too.”
Rarity put a hoof to her mouth. “Oh, is it really? Well I, for one, simply can’t wait to see Rainbow Dash at the dance!”
Applejack curled her lip. Rarity was an excellent actress, and it was starting to grate.
“Don’t worry.” Thunderlane chuckled again, a dark gravelly sound. “Neither can anypony else. That’s why I’m gonna start heading for the jump-off before it gets crowded.” He started to trot away, then turned his head and said over his shoulder: “Oh, and your wings are beautiful, by the way. You two look like you’re out to have some real fun. I’ll make sure I keep an eye out for you!”
“What’s a jump-off?” Applejack said out loud. “I don’t think I like the sound of that.”
She was shushed by Rarity, though Thunderlane was already out of earshot anyway. “Careful, darling,” Rarity said in a conspiratorial whisper. “We musn’t compromise our disguises, lest we alert Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy to our presence.”
“You’re enjoying this,” Applejack said with an accusatory glower. Then she motioned to Rarity’s chest with her muzzle, where a half-full coin purse was hanging from a cord. In fact, Applejack recognized it as Rarity's favorite coin purse, gem-studded and artfully cut so that it might be mistaken for a fashion statement rather than a functional accessory.
“Y’all even brought money! What, to buy souvenirs with? No, wait—maybe to offer bribes, is that right?”
Rarity cleared her throat daintily, then flicked her wings and rose a few inches into the air. “All in the course of fulfilling our purpose here in the clouds. Now, shall we?” And she drifted forward, without waiting to see if Applejack was following.
Applejack kept her wings pressed firmly together as she trotted along. She kept her eyes pasted on the cloud-buildings ahead, in order to keep herself from looking at where the platform she was standing on faded to nothingness.
Rarity had seen Cloudsdale once before, but most of her previous visit had been consumed by a tour of the inside of a factory, and the rest had taken place in a specially constructed arena far from the core of the city. The attentions of the worker ponies had been a fine thing, to be sure, but if she had known of a place like this hiding only a short flight away from the weather facility, well… suffice to say she would have passed on the opportunity to learn about artificial rainbows and wind currents.
The road running through the heart of Cloudsdale was a wide strip of beaten-flat cloud, lined on all sides by towering works of cloud-architecture. Weightless staircases supported by nothing but wind and magic led to pavilions that sat on top of ornate buildings with arched entryways and sculpted pillars, while massive statues of rearing pegasi with flared wings watched over both residents and tourists from their pedestals. The afternoon sun glared down sharply, coloring the city in smooth gradients of grey-white-gold.
Most of the activity, however, was located on the ground level. A steady stream of pegasi flitted between molded-cloud vendor stands that studded the street on either side. Some of the stands were humble tabletops; others attracted the eye with tall shelves and sculpted flair.
Rarity simply floated in place and drank in the view until Applejack’s voice pierced her reverie.
“Any ideas for where to start, Rarity?”
“How ‘bout right here?” somepony said in a too-loud basso blare.
Applejack and Rarity both pivoted—Applejack with a snap of the head, Rarity with an awkward, wobbling twist—to see a vendor waving at them from only a few paces away. His cloudstuff table, pale ochre coat, and white mane had almost entirely camoflaged him against the side of a building.
“Don’t be shy!” he said, beckoning to Applejack. “I got plenty for you two if you’re just starting your shopping.”
Applejack glanced up at Rarity. Rarity nodded to Applejack.
The stallion circled around the corner of his table to meet the two as they approached. “You two visiting the hometown, or just sightseeing?”
Out of the corner of her eye, Rarity saw Applejack giving her a look. She ignored Applejack as she touched down and folded her wings. “Visiting home, of course!” she said, flashing the vendor her best charming smile. “It’s… ah… it’s our year!”
He smiled back. “Of course it is, if you’re wearing wings like that. Go on then, have a look. Ask me if you have questions.”
Rarity’s eyes widened as she approached the stand. “These are… why, they’re simply amazing,” she said, and this time there was no need for acting. She barely stopped herself from asking what are these? and instead settled on poring over them.
Most of the items laid out were jewelry, along with a set of thin vials that looked to be full of liquid rainbow. All of the earrings, bracelets, and necklaces were set with what looked like thick chunks of glass, filtering the glaring sunlight into colored sparks with their prism-like surfaces. As Rarity leaned closer, she saw that they didn’t merely catch the sun—each gem glowed with a tiny colored flame from within, so that the razor-cut facets glinted with living light.
The vendor grinned. “Glad you like the ice. I make them myself.” Then he rocked his head to one side. “Except the dye, of course. I may be good, but I can’t Rainboom. Though I hear there’s a certain somepony coming to town this year who can.”
Now that she was closer to him, Rarity could see the fellow’s hard jawline and the the shallow wrinkles around his eyes.
Applejack looked up from the table with a raised brow. “Tha’s not the first time we’ve heard someone talk about Rainbow Dash. Sounds like she’s gonna have her hooves full with ponies lookin’ for her.”
He cleared his throat with a rumbling cough. “Something like that. She’ll be popular, sure enough. But, hey! We’re here to talk about you, not her. See anythin’ you like?”
Applejack tipped her hat. “Thanks, but I think—“
“Only everything!” Rarity gushed. “Give us your full sales pitch, if you please!”
The old vendor’s grin came back in full force. “Thought you’d never ask. The frozen lightning and sundrops would be perfect with your dark mane. And if you’re pierced, I’m the only one out here who has aurora-shard studs as bold as these. Snowfeathers would make a nice contrast, or you could dab some dye on your coat…”
Between the fanciful names and the brilliance of each gem, Rarity could hardly keep up. The aurora-shard studs caught Rarity’s eye most of all—crystalline and column-shaped like growths of quartz, with soft, richly colored shimmers dancing within. She nearly reached out to lift one in her magic, then hurriedly held herself back when she felt a sudden buzzing sensation from the enchantment nestled in her mane.
“So,” said the only true pegasus in the vicinity as he hovered over Rarity’s shoulder, “is this your first time coming to a Dance?”
Rarity nodded without taking her eyes off of the gems. “It is indeed! Will you be attending as well?”
To Rarity’s surprise, the old fellow broke out in hearty laughter. “Ha! Trying to get a better price on the ice with flattery? Nah, I don’t need to go and be the crusty codger in a party full of kids. I’ll just let you look while I take care of your friend, all right?”
“Of course,” said Rarity absentmindedly.
Applejack abruptly turned her head away from the cloudscape and back toward the stand. “Oh, uh, I dunno if—“
Their host clicked his tongue as he gave Applejack with a contemplative once-over. “Lessee. The rainbow dye would be perfect in that lovely long mane of yours. And maybe the darker auroras for your coat color? Uh, hold on. Groundbounds nine o’clock.”
A dark mauve unicorn with a camera hanging from her neck trotted up to the booth, with a burnt-orange earth pony following close behind. Before the two could join Rarity in examining the display, their path was blocked by a wall of grinning pegasus. His voice jumped nearly a full octave into the upper register as he met them both with an enormous grin.
“Well hey there! If it ain’t a couple of cloud-walkers up seein’ the sights! Welcome to Cloudsdale, friends!” He slid up to the unicorn and hung one hoof across her shoulders. “You enjoying our city so far? Whaddaya think? Bet you want a souvenir of your trip, eh?”
The groundbound tourist visibly straightened, and her lips pursed together just the slightest amount. “Err,” she said. “Yes, I… that is, my husband and I…”
“We wanted to visit the city center before our cloud-walker spells expire,” the earth pony of the pair said curtly. “Is there some kind of fair going on?”
“Nah, nothing so fancy-shmancy. Just a kinda… you know, a meet-up thing for selling little knick-knacks. Like a… whaddaya call it…”
“Like a flea market,” replied the earth pony with a flat stare.
“Yeah!” said the vendor, nodding so hard that it made his mane fly. “A flea market! Now, can I interest the pretty lady in some rose quartz? Colored crystal? I import my stuff all the way from—“
“Er… no thank you, I… we’re just browsing.” The unicorn detached herself from the salespony’s wing and drifted back to her husband’s side. “Thank you!”
The two walked off. Rarity saw the earth pony glance backward with a faint but unmistakable frown. The seller, of course, had already turned his back on them in favor of his original two customers.
“Sorry ‘bout that. Where was I?”
“Did you just call these things quartz and crystal?” Applejack said, leaning to the side to look past the seller and toward the two retreating cloud-walkers. “I thought you said—“
“What can I say? I’ve forgotten more lines than most of you kids ever bother to learn. When it was my year, my friends and I used everything from ‘my cousin’s having a baby’ to ‘they need help with hurricane season.’ I think we even invented some ourselves. We told a story about a lovebird infestation, once. Ha!”
“A lovebird infestation,” Rarity echoed. “I… I see. Very clever of you.”
He nodded sagely, then wrinkled his nose. “Nowadays all anypony learns is the one about parents. I swear, sooner or later somepony’s going to blow it big time because they know so few lines. Nopony likes having to do damage control because of some idiot getting drunk and fumbling a line. And we always remember who did it, too.”
Rarity glanced at Applejack. Applejack seemed to be intensely interested in the rainbow dye.
“Well!” said Rarity brightly. “I would love a set of light blue aurora studs, a few of the large snowfeathers, and one of the… erm, the frozen lightning, was it called? And two vials of rainbow dye for my friend.”
This time, Rarity remembered to use her hooves instead of her magic to open the pouch hung around her neck. “And how much would that be?”
He rocked his head back and forth thoughtfully as he scanned over the items Rarity had selected. “For you two, just fifty for the lot. You deserve to look good on your year.”
Rarity paused with her hoof still inside her jeweled coin pouch, and looked up with her head tilted. “That’s a very... a very reasonable price.” Even without knowing a thing about the gemstones she was buying, she found it hard to believe that it was appropriate for items of such beauty to be sold for so little. “Are you quite sure?”
The old stallion gave a low snort. “Please. I don’t gouge. I don’t think it’s right to charge out the flanks for things that’ll just melt in a month or two.”
Rarity furrowed her brow. “Melt, did you say?”
She bent closer to the large stone that she had selected, peering at it with new eyes. She had overlooked the gem’s numerous flaws on her first inspection because of the dancing white-yellow spark trapped within, but now Rarity’s expert eyes were able to look past the unfamiliar beauty and see the white filaments and tiny air bubbles trapped inside. It almost looked like…
“Don’t worry, my ice is as solid as it gets without using glass to cheat. Just don’t wander too far out with them. They still need to be around wings and weather, or else they’ll be nothing but plain old frozen water.”
Rarity’s mouth hung half open as she stared at her chosen piece of ‘frozen lightning.’ Somehow, she managed to blindly locate a fifty-bit gem and deposit it into the vendor’s outstretched hooves.
Applejack cleared her throat. “Rarity? Put all that stuff on, and then we oughta go. Wouldn’t want to, you know, be late to the dance.”
“Yes, of course.” Rarity reached for her purchased “jewelry.” True to its name, the frozen lightning was cold to the touch, but it was absolutely dry—it seemed no more likely to melt than a sapphire that had been left on the windowsill on a cold night.
Using hooves instead of magic to affix a clip to her mane was simple enough, and the soft white “feathers” were attached to loops that tightened easily, but inserting the studs was a somewhat more delicate procedure. Just once, she bit back a yelp as the sharp rod missed its mark and prodded her in the soft part of her ear.
The seller leaned against his table as he watched Rarity. “Just so you know,” he said, “you’re right next to one of the easier jump-offs. Circle behind the big pavillion, fly straight out and punch through the big cumulus bank, then climb by about fifty lengths. The Storm Wall is looking mild this year, but you should be able to see it just fine once you’re through the veil.”
“Well, thank ya kindly!” said Applejack, toying with one of the vials between her hooves. “We’ll just be off to the, uh...”
She swallowed audibly.
“We’ll just be goin’ to the ‘jump-off’ now. Thanks for all yer help!”
Minutes later, Applejack was standing upright on a narrow ledge of cloud, with her back against a wall of cloud, and a million billion foot drop inches away from her hooves.
“Jus’ one day,” Applejack muttered, raising a hoof to her hat and pressing down on it until it nearly covered her eyes. “Only here for one day…”