Common Thread
"You don't have to do this for me, Twilight," I said, "The princess probably has other pressing matters to attend to."
"Princess Celestia cares for all of her subjects. You are no exception."
Applejack said, "And this isn't like losing a cart full of apples. She will want to hear about it."
Pinkie Pie said, "Besides, this way we get to see Spike's surprise."
We approached a very prissy building with simple designs displayed on the outside of the structure. The pointed roof held two small pony statues. The building was neither flashy or unique. The building appeared similar to a small castle tower built with fabric instead of stone.
"What's the name of this place again?" I asked.
Twilight stepped inside. "The Carousel Boutique."
Unlike's Twilight preservative house, the insides of Rarity's place glowed with sparkles and extravagant colors. Clotheslines held designer outfits near the door. Stools faced a series of counters with mirrors to the left. A closed red curtain hung to the far end of the room. An archway concealed stairs leading to a second floor. Three mirrors encircled around a small platform to the right.
The room must have been hit by a tornado. Several untidy clothes were disposed on the floor. All the drawers were opened. Spike had his arms stretched out towards Rarity. We caught the two of them in the middle of a conversation.
Rarity paced the floor. "Something is wrong! I can feel it. What could it be, Spike?"
"Don't worry so much. It will come to you. You'll figure it out."
Spike could barely move. Pieces of fabric were stitched upon his chest. They were arranged in the form of a small tuxedo. His claws barely stuck out from the extended arm holes. One pant leg stretched farther than the other. An unraveled tie wrapped around his neck.
The sparkling glitter from the gowns on the clothesline grabbed my attention. I strolled over and browsed through the outfits. The dresses were beautifully designed and captured the best color combinations. I ran my hooves through the smooth texture and was mesmerized by the small ornaments stitched in around the borders. My poor family could never afford such high-quality material, but I admired the creative artwork stitched into such a simple thing.
Pinkie Pie's voice stole my attention. "Whatcha' lookin' for?" she asked as she followed next to Rarity around the room.
Rarity responded, "Inspiration."
"Is that all?" Twilight disconcerted.
Applejack approached the platform and asked Spike, "How long has she been like this?"
Spike whispered, "Since I arrived."
Rarity dugged through a drawer. "Maybe the three of you can help me."
"You mean the four of us?" Pinkie replied.
Rarity paused in her search. "Four?" She turned around and noticed me by the door. She asserted the largest expression on her face. "IDEA!" She lept in front of me.
Rarity was beautiful. Her gorgeous mane flowed smoothly down the side of her face. Her radiant blue eyes revealed a gentle, passionate soul. The brief smiles on her face showed an enthusiastic, lovable heart.
I comfortably said, "Hi Rarity. I'm Moonlight."
"Uh huh."
I watched Rarity circle around me. "What are you doing?"
Without hesitation, Rarity pushed me over to Spike. "I need you on stage, now."
I stepped up on the stage and watched Rarity in action. She used her magic to pull up items laying around the room. Bottles of dye, thread, and fabric floated near the ceiling. A pair of scissors cut through some silk. A needle pierced the thread and connected a couple cloth pieces together. The material then was placed on my legs and back. The whole time, Rarity rambled on without a break.
"How long have you been in Ponyville? Oh, that will do nicely. What are your measurements? Oh nevermind, I'll find out. What do you think, turquoise or cerulean? Maybe I should try for royal blue. Definitely the royal blue. Do you think the collar should lay down or bend around the neck? I guess it depends on the occasion. Yes, this will work. It has to! It is perfect!"
"Help me," I moaned.
Spike replied, "Just stay calm. She gets this way sometimes. It will be over soon."
Rarity stopped moving. "What do you think?"
I detected that she was finished with her work. I turned towards the mirrors and was surprised at what I saw. "I really like it."
"Good!" Rarity ripped the pieces from my body and placed them on a pony mannequin. "Fancy Pants is going to love the new outfit."
"Uh, Rarity?" I asked with a dumbfounded gaze in my eyes.
"Oh, right. Moonlight was it? Did you need me for something?"
"No," I replied.
"Then why are you here?" Rarity asked.
Twilight said, "We needed to borrow Spike for a moment if you don't mind, Rarity. We need to send a letter to Princess Celestia."
"Oh, go right ahead."
Twilight asked Spike, "You got a scroll handy?"
"I always bring one with me just incase."
As Spike jumped off the stage, Rarity shouted, "Be careful! The suit is very fragile right now."
Spike waddled over to his bag and pulled out a scroll and quill. He proceeded to write down every word Twilight spoke.
"Dear Celestia,
We have had the privilege in welcoming a new visitor in Ponyville. His name is Moonlight Sonata and requests your assistance in an unusual predicament. It appears that Moonlight heard a threatening voice and believes it originated from Discord. It is also suggested that Moonlight arrived here through some form of vortex that somehow transformed him in the process. We would like your input on the manner and await your response.
Your faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle."
Spike sent the letter and placed the quill back in the bag.
"That was very well put," I commented.
"Thanks," Twilight responded.
We patiently waited in hopes Celestia would quickly respond. Nearly a minute passed before something broke the silence.
A small unicorn entered the room. "What is going on here?"
Pinkie Pie shouted, "Surprise!"
Rarity shouted, "Sweetie Belle! There you are!"
"Why is every pony just standing around? Did I miss something important?" Sweetie Belle looked at Spike's outfit. "You started without me? Why didn't you wait?"
Rarity replied, "I did wait, but you never returned. Where did you go?"
Sweetie Belle rapidly bumped her hooves together. "I went to the store. Nowhere else."
Rarity deepened her voice. "Sweetie Belle, what did you do?"
"Well, I went to get more paint like you asked, but the store was out of red. Then I remembered that we had some at the clubhouse. Only..."
"What?" Rarity asked.
Sweetie Belle glanced around the room. "Uh, you see. Scootaloo and Applebloom were there and..."
Applejack exclaimed, "Applebloom? What was she doing there? That gal was supposed to be bringing me more apples!"
"She did get the apples, but we got to talking and... well, I guess time got away from us."
Applejack stomped the ground. "I'm going to have to have a little chat with Applebloom the next time I see her."
Spike burped up a sealed letter. He pulled back his shirt's arm and picked up the scroll. He broke the seal and read it outloud.
"My faithful student Twilight,
Contrary to how unusual your letter was worded, I did not find it surprising. Recently, I have been receiving the same kind of reports from the Canterlot guards. They heard mysterious whispers from within the Canterlot Archives. I have personally coordinated an investigation and found something strange within the Starswirl the Bearded wing.
The entire room was spotless, not a thing out of place. The books and scrolls were neatly placed on the shelves and arranged in sequence. Please gather your friends and meet me in the library. I feel there is more to this mystery than meets the eye.
Yours, Princess Celestia."
Pinkie Pie said, "Woho! Field trip!"
"This can't be a coincidence," Twilight said.
"She didn't say anything about me," I pouted.
Pinkie Pie poked me in the side. "Don't be that way. I can cheer you up!" She made goofy faces at me. I couldn't resist smiling at her silliness.
Sweetie Belle excitingly asked, "Can I come?"
Rarity responded, "I'm sorry, Sweetie Belle. It's far too dangerous. I need you to watch the store while we put a stop to whoever is making this mess... I mean stop whoever is cleaning up this mess... Why is this a bad thing again?"
Twilight responded, "Maybe Celestia will tell us when we arrive."
"We still need to get Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash," Applejack commented.
Sweetie Belle said, "Rainbow Dash? She bumped into us back at the clubhouse. She was rushing to meet up with Fluttershy."
Applejack said, "Then I guess we'll catch the both of them at her cottage."
Spike flopped in his outfit. "Wait! What about the suit?"
Rarity smiled. "Oh Sweetie Belle, do you mind finishing up here?"
Sweetie Belle grinned. "Yay!"
We neared a charming cottage near the Everfree Forest. We passed over a small bridge. A trinkling creek flowed underneath our feet. The birds churped in their little houses. I smelled the sweet aroma coming from the flower garden. We noticed Fluttershy outside looking off into the distance with her pink hair twirling in the wind. A snapping twig frightened her into a bush.
"Fluttershy! It's us!" Twilight shouted.
"Oh, you startled me," Fluttershy meekly said while peaking her head out.
"What were you doing?" Rarity asked.
Fluttershy stepped out of the bush and strolled closer to us. "I was waiting for Rainbow Dash to return."
Rarity looked past Fluttershy. "From where?'
Fluttershy turned and pointed in the direction she faced earlier. "That way. Why do you ask?"
Pinkie Pie responded, "We are helping Moonlight."
"Moonlight?" Fluttershy asked.
Fluttershy's kind eyes met mine. I scratched the back of my head and stared at the ground. Fluttershy's timid and quiet nature mirrored my own sentiment. Although not as fearful as she was, I still lacked the nerve to properly introduce myself. I didn't move. I didn't say a word.
Applejack pushed me towards Fluttershy. "Well go on."
Fluttershy's mane fell in front of her face. Her cyan eye was focused on the ground. I felt embarrassed and tucked in my head. I overheard Rarity whispering behind me.
"Which one is Fluttershy? I can't tell them apart."
Pinkie Pie softly replied, "She's the one with wings."
I gained the courage to wave at Fluttershy. "Hi," I said in the softest tone without breaking into a whisper. I blushed and pulled back my hair.
Fluttershy returned with a smile. "Hello."
"Ok..." Twilight said trying to break the awkward moment, "So what did Rainbow Dash want, Fluttershy?"
"Oh, she wanted to show me something and flew off. I'm starting to get worried. She should have been back by now."
A feeling overwhelmed me. Something was off. There were currently four ponies standing around me when there originally was five. I observed the ponies' colors - yellow, white, purple, and orange. We lacked a certain pink pony. "Where is Pinkie Pie?"
My friends looked around. "Where did she go?" Applejack asked.
"I found her! I found her!" Pinkie Pie shouted from the distance.
We dashed toward the sound of Pinkie Pie's voice. She stood underneath a large tree with her head looking up. Tangled in the top of the tree was Rainbow Dash. Her leg was caught between two branches.
"Rainbow Dash?" Applejack shouted.
Rainbow Dash unnervingly replied, "Oh, hi guys."
Twilight leaned her head back. "What are you doing up there?"
Rainbow Dash sat up and rapidly waved her arms in an effort to reach her leg. Rainbow Dash collapsed her body when met with failure. She sarcastically remarked, "The tree looked lonely, and I figured I would stay awhile and keep it company."
Pinkie Pie blatantly replied, "Really? Because it looks like you are stuck."
Rainbow Dash stretched her wings out to try and twist her leg out of the tree. "I'm not stuck! I'm just...a little... bit..." She stopped when she ran out of strength. "Ok, I'm stuck. Fluttershy, a little help?"
Fluttershy lifted herself up into the tree and pulled out Rainbow Dash's leg. Rainbow Dash fell down to the ground. Her nimble head spun around for a few seconds. She grabbed hold of her head and rubbed it. "Thanks, Fluttershy."
"Your welcome." Fluttershy helped Rainbow Dash up from the ground. "So what was it you wanted to show me?"
Rainbow Dash brushed off the dirt from her body. "Well I wanted to show you Tank's new goggles, but a certain pony, that will go unnamed, bumped into me and I fell into this tree."
In the distance, I heard the sound of a spinning fan. A tiny turtle, or tortoise perhaps, attached to a fancy mechanical device slowly descended towards the ground. He wore a cute aviator cap and goggles. His legs dangled in the air, and a smile creeped up on his face.
"There you are, Tank." Rainbow Dash lifted off into the sky and proudly pointed at Tank's spiffy goggles. "See! Aren't they awesome? He is officially 20% cooler."
"They look smashin'," Rarity replied.
Rainbow Dash scratched her chin. "What are you all doing here, anyways?"
Twilight said, "Princess Celestia wants to see us all in Canterlot."
"What for?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Be better if we tell you the whole story on the way over," Twilight responded.
Fluttershy played in the dirt on the ground. "Does that mean I'm going too?"
"Is something the matter?" I asked.
Fluttershy propped her head up. "Oh, nothing. I wanted to see Junebug about getting some flowers for the garden, but I can go another time. It's no trouble."
I looked Fluttershy in the eye. "How about I come and help you in the garden when we get back?"
Fluttershy stretched her wings out. "Oh, that would be lovely."
Rainbow Dash frowned. "Sorry, Tank. Looks like I'll have to make a rain check."
Tank nodded and puttered his way back from which he came.
Pinkie Pie waved farewell. "We'll see you again at our weekly Pony Pet Playdate."