Chapter 3
Gathering of the Six
“Rarity!" Rarity nearly jumped out of her pelt as she heard the familiar high-pitched cheer of their earth-pony friend, who was quickly bouncing towards them, a saddle bag on her back, "Oooh! And Twilight, too! My Pinkie Sense told me something exciting was about to happen! Or maybe something scary...maybe a little bit of both!"
Rarity knew better than to doubt Pinkie Pie's Pinkie sense, and was simply glad to have her here...but she was still a completely normal Earth pony, and a shared glance with Twilight told her that the lavender mare had the same thought ran through her mind, "We'll explain once we get the others, Pinkie."
"Okie dokie, Loki!" Pinkie Pie chirped cheerfully, happy to follow along with her friends to get her other friends and then find out what was going on.
Normally, Twilight would have been a lot happier to see Pinkie but given the current situation she was letting these different emotions reign all over her. She got a funny feeling in her stomach as Pinkie told them about her Pinkie Sense. Twilight was able to quickly recall the memories of that fateful day when she learned just what Pinkie Sense was. The amount of time she spent afterwards trying to prove it wrong. If she learned anything from that day it was that you need to believe the Pinkie Sense. No matter how far-fetched or ridiculous it may seem.
"Hey, Pinkie." Twilight started in a quick voice. "Say, have you seen the-"
"Howdy Ya'll!"
A familiar southern drawl called out from behind the trio. Of course, there were only a small number of ponies in Ponyville that had such accents but none such as this one. It was one that Twilight had grown attached to over her time here. It was the voice of that honest, orange-coated mare, Applejack.
The blonde mare came up to the trio and nodded to each of them. In her mind everything seemed normal, she sported a fond smile on her face. Pinkie seemed to be as energetic as usual and Rarity was...sorta dolled up, though not enough to raise question, Twilight seemed distracted, but otherwise fine to her.
"Ah thought Ah heard familiar voices comin' from round here," She beamed a smile to each of them. "Say, what're ya'll doin' here so early, anyway-"
Twilight put a hoof to her mouth to close it for her. While she always liked to listen to AJ and she was always happy to answer her questions, they needed to get their two pegasi friends.
"Applejack," Twilight started in a calm voice. She put her hoof back on the ground before shooting a quick glance to Rarity. "We can talk in a bit, but we need you to come with us. We need to find Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. It's quite...urgent."
Honestly confused, Applejack shrugged and tipped her hat back up.
"Well, alrighty then!" She then followed along side Pinkie behind Twilight and Rarity.
Pinkie Pie bounced along after her friends as normal, while Rarity trotted ahead with purpose, scanning the clouds above for Rainbow Dash. She was certain Fluttershy would still be at her cottage, but the rainbow mare was so hard to get ahold of...especially when it was this early in the morning.
"Twilight...do you suppose you could fly up there and--"
*HOUHHNNNKKK*
Rarity stopped in her tracks as the sound of a hideous snore met her ears loud and clear. She looked up, and as if fate had planned it, there was the rainbow mare snoozing on a fluffy white cloud.
"Rainb--"
"RAINBOW DASH!! WAKEY WAKEY, SLEEPY HEAD! WE HAVE A SUPER-COOL, AMAZING MISSION TO DO!!!" Pinkie bounced up, just about reaching the clouds, and startling the mare to awareness, then bounced up again, "OR MAYBE NOT!"
"Huh? Wha-I'm awake! I wasn't sleepin'!" Dash muttered groggily, stumbling backwards off the cloud and crashing to the ground. Rarity stepped clear just in time. The blue mare rose up off the cloud, stretching her wings and groaning, "Ughh...what's the deal, Pinkie? ....oh....uh...Hey, everypony!"
Rarity blinked at Rainbow Dash as the mare smiled sheepishly, obviously wondering why they were all here, then turning to gallop to Fluttershy's cottage, "Come, Rainbow Dash. We will explain later! We must get Fluttershy, post haste!"
Dash stood up and dusted herself off, "A mission? I'm on it!"
With that, Dash took off with huge gust of wind, nearly blowing Rarity's cloak off. She looked off in the direction Rainbow went, "Well... I suppose she'll just bring--"
"Got her!" Dash appeared with a certain yellow pegasus in her arms, looking as though she had just gotten pulled out from under the covers.
The small framed pegasus gave a dainty yawn and then put her hooves to her eyes to rub them. As she reopened her eyes, she saw all of her friends in front of her. Why Rainbow Dash had grabbed her like this she had no idea.
"Oh..." She started in her usual quiet tone. "Hey girls."
Fluttershy then inched her way out of Rainbow's hooves and started to flap her own wings to hover in place. "Is there a reason I was taken from my bed?"
She felt as if she was about to yawn again but stifled it, stretching her jaw and keeping her mouth closed, releasing a soft squeak. She glanced curiously between all of her friends around her.
Twilight looked between all of them before looking to Rarity. "Yes."
The purple alicorn tried to push back that worried look on her face but it was rather hard, and she felt her brow furrowing further.
Applejack moved a bit closer and cocked an eyebrow to the two, "Is uh...everything alright, Sugarcubes?"
She kept her eyebrow raised as she waited for an answer.
Twilight still kept her gaze on Rarity.
"Well...." She shrugged before letting out a soft sigh. "Rarity, do you want to tell them or do want me to be the one to say it?"
She then looked to her left and her right and she could feel that worried look coming back on her face.
"We can't just show them here.." She whispered in a hushed tone.
Applejack still had her brow slightly raised as she awaited her answer, and the four other mares had gotten closer to them as well, crowding around the orange mare to gape at Twilight and Rarity with wide eyes.
"It would certainly be easier to just show them, Twilight...perhaps we should go back to the castle," She looked around the group. Pinkie Pie, as though knowing this was coming next, was already bouncing to the steps across town, heading for the large marble door, her curly pink tail springing about as she sprang along. Rarity turned to follow her, not paying much attention.
Rainbow Dash looked at Fluttershy with a cocked eyebrow, then back to Twilight and Rarity, "What's with the creepy-cloak, Rarity?"
Rarity stopped in her tracks and turned back towards Rainbow, gasping, "Creepy!? Why, I never! This is solid Arabian silk! It may be...rather dark...for my tastes but...it has served it's purpose!"
Rarity turned away, her nose in the air and trotted off angrily after Pinkie.
"Wait, Rarity, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that!" Rainbow landed next to Rarity, one of her hooves on the end of the garment without noticing, "I'm sorry. What's going on, though? It's just...you don't usually wear....well, anything...especially on just a normal day...especially when the weather today is supposed to be a scorcher..."
Rarity looked angrily at RD for a moment, then her face relaxed as she sighed, "I'm sorry Rainbow. I overreacted. Come on, to the castle! Twilight and I need to show you what's going o---AHHH!"
As Rarity went to step forward, a loud rip sounded as Rainbow's body weight pulled down on her garment and caused Rarity to trip forward and the clasp that kept it the garment closed around her neck ripped open, and as if to add to the trip, the star buckle that kept the belt closed popped out and shot out straight at Rainbow, smacking the mare right in the muzzle, leaving a bright red mark on her blue nose. She didn't seem to notice the pain, her eyes were glued to the two things that had just popped out of Rarity's back. Not things...WINGS.
"RARITY? WHAT IN THE HAY –WHA WHA...WHAT ARE THOSE!?!” Rainbow Dash's loudmouth outcry was certainly enough to attract the gaze of all of the townsfolk who were starting their business for the day.
Several faces peaked out of windows and the town began filling with curious whispers as the sun climbed the sky and the morning stretched into its more reasonable hours. Rarity did not move, sprawled on the pavement with a look of sheer terror on her face. She was normally apt and ready for any sort of attention, but with all of those whispers and eyes upon her, she positively froze with nervousness. Her face blanched and her lip quivered, but she could not find her hooves.
With awestruck looks on their faces Twilight was afraid of this exact thing happening. At least they were close enough to the castle so she should able to do...this.
Quickly, she used her magic to envelop each of her friends and with a pop of magic, landed on the castle steps, and then quickly, and rather harshly, pushed them inside the castle. She trotted in herself and then quickly shut the door behind her with a sigh.
Applejack, having somehow landed on her back, turned over and gaped at her fashionista friend. She was still at a loss for words. She looked to the crystal floor and grabbed her hat, which had fallen in the transition, and placed it back on her head. She slowly made her way over to Rarity and brought a hoof up to one of her new wings. She lightly touched it and once she felt the soft feathers she quickly retracted her hoof. They felt real to her...
"Ah second what Dash said! What the hay is going on here?!"
Fluttershy had her hooves covering her mouth even before she was inside the castle. She still hadn't moved them as she was still at a loss for words like most of them were. She decided best not to speak, as usual, and just see what all was going on. Her eyes were wide, but her hooves clasped her mouth shut.
Twilight let out a sigh and moved close to Rarity.
"We don't know what's going on," She looked to all of her friends and saw her own confusion reflected tenfold in their eyes, "I just woke up today with Rarity banging at my door and then...bam. This."
She pointed a hoof towards the white pelted mare's wings.
"Ya'll think Discord had something to do with this?" Applejack inquired. She actually seemed rather sure this was his doing. She never liked that dragon...goat...horse..lizard...thing. Besides...this was out of order and he did have the power to give and take wings and horns.
Fluttershy put a hoof up, managing to interject with her squeak of a voice, even the squeaky sound seemed to hold a bit of a scold to it for Applejack,"Oh, no, he wouldn't have....not after...he's learned his lesson, Applejack!”
While Applejack did recall this..."reforming", she still didn't trust it. He had let them down once, and he could certainly do it again, "Well... Ah'm just going to be honest here, Sugarcube. Ah still don't trust him."
"Hey!" Twilight yelled to them. The two stopped looking at each other and then to Twilight. With the occasional glance at Rarity. "We don't know if Discord had anything to do with this but...let's not jump to conclusions. This is..a lot to take in and it's all...very confusing."
Rarity listened to her friends bicker around her, grateful for Twilight's magicking them into the castle. She could hardly breathe. This was not what she imagined when the thought crossed her mind of becoming a Princess. Her breathing was increasing, and tears were welling in here eyes. She was about as close to sobs as one could get without truly bawling.
Rainbow Dash was entirely baffled by the whole situation, and kept twitching her head from pony to pony as everypony took turns speaking of Rarity as if she weren't here, pulling on her wings as though she were some sort of lab specimen. Dash was starting to feel more and more like she needed to defend Rarity, then Pinkie bounced up, bursting through the doors--having been left outside as she was already at the castle steps when Twilight used her magic. She seemed to have somehow gotten decked up in a familiar party outfit.
"ALLICOORRRN PARRRTYYY!!!!" She called as she bounced around the room with her cardboard wings and horn, confetti flying about seemingly from nowhere as she bounced about cheerfully, bringing a weak smile to her white pelted friend's face. Dash flew over quickly to close the doors behind the pink earth pony and stopped suddenly when they were barely open a crack, looking down to the floor where a tiny figure stood...
"Rarity?"
Rarity jolted and stumbled clumsily to her feet, the tears that had welled in her eyes leaking down over her cheeks as she blinked and looked past her friends to where her little sister stood, peaking into the castle.
"Sweetie Belle!" Rarity wailed pathetically, rushing past her friends and yanking her sister inside in a full on arm and wing hug, snuggling her own white face against her sibling's. She had forgotten that her sister had spent the night last night, and must have been missing her, "Just who I needed to see the sweet little face of! Ooh~!"
Sweetie Belle tolerated her elder sister's coddling with an awkward half smile on her face, "Rarity....I heard all the commotion in town...what's...ehrgh” The little filly squirmed pathetically in her sister's crushing embrace, “...what's going on? How come...how come you have wings, like Twilight?"
Rarity released her, sniffling pathetically, "Well, Sweetie, we're not really sure yet. That's what we're trying to figure ou--"
"OH, WOW!! MY SISTER IS A PRINCESS!" Sweetie squeaked out excitedly, galloping for the door, "I have to tell the girls!"
Rainbow Dash dashed in front of the filly, slamming the door shut, "WOAH! Hold up, there, squirt! We are figuring this out NOW, before anypony out there starts thinking we have a new princess!"
Pinkie Pie stopped bouncing and looked at Dash with a cocked eyebrow, obviously confused. She spit out the paper party horn she had been tooting into her hoof, "Wait....don't we? I thought that's what we were celebrating?"
Rarity looked around at her friends uncertainly, sitting down and managing to lay her wings down, if not fold them, "Well, that is what we are trying to figure out....we were going to inform all of you first before discussing this with Princess Celestia and Luna."
Applejack and Fluttershy and Twilight all remained silent as Rarity's little sister came in, seemingly, out of nowhere. She seemed to be overjoyed that she now had a princess for a big sister and wanted to go tell her friends. But she was quickly stopped.
The crazy antics by Pinkie weren't really helping in this situation but she was just doing what she knew best it seemed. Applejack and Fluttershy looked to Twilight as she nodded in agreement with what Rarity said.
"Yes. We agreed that this was something the royal sisters needed to know of at once."
Twilight gave a look between all of her friends and then back to Rarity. "So, whenever you are ready to go... Let's go!"
"Ohhh!"
“Sweet Celestia!”
Gasp!
“What!?”
"Oh my!"
“No...”
"What in all of Equestria--?!"
A sudden chorus of voices came from outside the castle in the courtyard, and an odd clunk of what sounded like a carriage landing from the sky.
Rainbow fluttered back to the door and opened it a tiny crack, curious what was going on. She gaped at the site before her, and as Pinkie Pie bounced over to peek over her head, she too went slack jawed at the site outside. Rainbow turned back, looking at Twilight with a cocked eyebrow, "Well...we won't have to go to Canterlot. You've GOTTA see this, Twilight....”