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Chapter One: The Welcome Wagon3,207 words
Chapter Two: Our Alicorn is Missing3,097 words
Chapter Three: A Falling-Out3,235 words
Chapter Four: Correspondence1,464 words

Chapter One: The Welcome Wagon

Lyra whispered to Bon Bon, "Look over there. Who is that pony?"

Bon Bon's ears perked up as she followed Lyra's gaze across the marketplace, past the stalls vending food and other goods. "I don't know. That's strange. He's so tall! And why is he wearing a cloak on a day like this?"

The cloak in question was tan with blue embroidery around its hem — duller than the bright colors most ponies favored. As she moved, the cloak shifted allowing her onlookers to see the cream-colored fur above her hooves. Peach-colored strands of her tail brushed along the ground as she walked.

As the two ponies watched, the stranger went to Carrot Top's stand to look at the vegetables. A hoof reached up to pull back the cloak's hood, revealing not the blunt features of a stallion but rather a unicorn mare with an unusually long and slender horn, an equally unusually long but delicate muzzle and a flowing mane that matched her peach-colored tail.

"Wow!" Lyra exclaimed, although still trying to keep her voice low. "That's a mare. She must be as big as Princess Celestia!"

The stranger's ear flicked, indicating that maybe Lyra hadn't been as quiet as she thought. She glanced over her shoulder, then shrugged it off and returned to her transaction, levitating a few brass bits from her coin purse and taking a sack of vegetables in return. A few other ponies around the marketplace were whispering and giving her curious looks as well. She sighed softly and turned to leave — and clonked Carrot Top's hanging sign with her horn. "AWP!" she cried out, as the bag of veggies tumbled from her telekinetic grasp and spilled onto the dirt.

"Goodness! Are you okay?" Carrot Top asked.

The stranger sprawled on the ground and rubbed her forehead and horn with a front leg, eyes squeezed shut for a moment as she waited for the pain to subside. "I'll be okay," she managed to say. "That happens sometimes when I'm not careful." Then she sat up, opening her eyes, and focused her magic on the spilled food, putting it back into the sack. "I'll... wash this when I get back to the house, yeah."

She floated the bag beside her as she walked across the path toward the opposing stall. She was met with Applejack's cheerful greeting. "Howdy there! Whoah, you're a big one, aren't ya?"

"That's what everypony keeps telling me." She glanced around, taking notice of the several ponies staring at her: some openly, others stealing furtive glances.

Applejack followed her gaze and said, "Don't you worry about them ponies. They're just a mite skittish around strangers, but Ponyville's a friendly place. If you stick around they'll get used to you in a hurry. I'm Applejack, by the by."

The visitor forced a smile and answered, "Thanks, Applejack. I'm Crystal Dawn. I'm only going to be in town for a couple of days. I just came to visit with a friend who I haven't seen in a long time. So... I thought I'd pick up a few things while I'm waiting for her to get off from work."

"Aww, that sounds nice. Anywho, we've got the best apples in Equestria right here. Does your friend like apples?"

Crystal chuckled softly and said, "She eats too many sweets, actually. I've tried before to nudge her towards healthier food." Then she levitated several apples from the bin. "Maybe a few of these would help convince her."

"Darn straight!" said Applejack. "Nopony can resist 'em. Here, let me get you a bag for those."

Just then a yellow filly trotted up and said, "Hey, AJ! Ah couldn't find them rags. Whoah!" She gawped upward at Crystal. "Hokey smokes, lady! You must be taller than Big Macintosh. Are you a basketball player?"

Crystal peered downward towards her hooves, trying to make sure she wasn't stepping on anypony, and said, "No... Do you play miniature golf?"

Applejack cracked up for a moment. Then, after getting her mirth under control, she said, "Apple Bloom, be polite! This here is a customer. Her name's Crystal Dawn. Crystal, this little troublemaker is mah sister."

Apple Bloom didn't seem troubled in the least by the joke or her sister's laughter. "Howdy, Crystal!" she said cheerfully, and she trotted around Crystal, still peering upwards.

Crystal frowned a little and asked, "Are you... trying to look under my cape?"

Apple Bloom yeeped. "Sorry! Ah just... Ah was wondering about your cutie mark." The orange mark was just barely peeking out from under the cloak's hem, but not enough to recognize what it was.

Applejack said, "She ain't generally so nosey, but Apple Bloom and a couple of her friends have been driving everypony crazy trying to get their cutie marks. Ah keep trying to tell her they'll come in their own time."

Crystal nodded and looked down at the much smaller filly and said, "I'm afraid I can't help you with that, Apple Bloom." Then she took the bag of apples from Applejack and floated it beside her alongside the other bag of vegetables. With a friendly nod she continued walking on down the aisle of the farmer's market. Apple Bloom glanced at her sister and saw that she was occupied for the moment fussing with things behind the apple stand. The filly grinned and took the opportunity to follow Crystal, breaking into a trot so that her little legs could keep up with Crystal's walking pace.

They hadn't gone far when a hyperkinetic pink pony came bouncing along, then jolted to a sudden stop in front of Crystal, bringing her to a halt as well. Pinkie Pie gasped. "You... I've never seen you before."

"I guess not," Crystal said warily.

Apple Bloom sat down nearby, a smile forming on her muzzle. Pinkie Pie's welcome routine — and the victim's reaction — was always fun to watch.

Pinkie's eyes lit up and she grinned maniacally. "A new pony! Yay! I'm Pinkie Pie. What's your name?"

"I'm Crystal Dawn. Pleased to meet you."

Pinkie bounced in place, unable to contain her enthusiasm. "Are you moving to Ponyville? Are you?"

"No, no. I'm only here for a couple of days to visit an old friend."

"A couple of days is long enough to throw a welcome party." Pinkie hmmed, looking upward to meet Crystal's eyes. "I'd better make that an extra big party. I'll invite your friend, and I'll invite my friends, and we'll have music, and cake, and play games, and..."

Crystal blinked. "What? No! No, I don't like being the center of attention. I appreciate the thought, really, but I want to spend my time catching up with my friend. Can't I just do that?"

"No party? You're sure? You're really really sure?" Pinkie's smile faltered for a moment, her ears sagged, and she bit her lip — disappointed, but remembering her last friendship report. She'd learned a lesson about forcing herself onto ponies. Still, she might be able to negotiate. She said, "You should at least let me roll out the Welcome Wagon for you. That'll be fun, and it won't take long. Only a few minutes, I promise!"

Crystal said, "Welcome Wagon? Err.... I suppose there's no harm in it."

"Yippee!" Pinkie exclaimed. "You just wait right here, I'll be back in a flash!" Then, like a pink streak, she darted away.

Crystal found a nice, clean spot by the side of the street, near a shade tree, to set down her bags and sprawl on the ground while she waited. Apple Bloom came over and sat nearby. It wasn't long before Pinkie Pie returned pulling a small but colorful (mostly pink) wagon. She unhitched herself from it and waved to Crystal, and said, "Come on over! You're gonna love this."

Once Crystal, Apple Bloom and a few curious onlookers had come closer, Pinkie jabbed with her hoof at a large, red button on the end of the wagon, and it sprung open. Up popped brass horns, steam whistles, waving flags, large tubes colored with candy stripes, and shelves with cupcakes and small pies. Music blared, and Pinkie Pie began hopping around the wagon as she sang:

Welcome! Welcome! Welcome!

A fine welcome to you!

As she sang, most of the ponies watching broke out in happy grins, many of them bobbing or swaying to the tune. However, Apple Bloom’s smile suddenly changed to a gasp as her eyes focused on the candy-striped tubes.

Welcome, welcome, welcome!

I say how do you do!?

Apple Bloom glanced left and right with a growing sense of panic, looking at all the ponies that were stopping to watch Pinkie's performance. Then she reared up and waved her front hooves in the air and yelled, "Pinkie! Pinkie stop!" The little filly's voice was barely heard above the loud music and Pinkie's singing, though.

Welcome, welcome, welcome!

I sing Hip Hip Hooray!

Apple Bloom jumped up and down, trying to get Pinkie's attention. "The wagon! Shut it down, shut it down!"

Another pony put a hoof on Apple Bloom's shoulder, trying to calm her down, and said, "Don't interrupt, dear! She'll be through singing in a moment."

Welcome, welcome, welcome,

To Ponyville to-daaaaaay!

As the song was wrapping up, Apple Bloom drew in a deep breath and then screamed as loudly as she could: "PINKIIEE! ME AND SCOOTS AND SWEETIE WERE TRYING TO GET CUTIE MARKS FOR MAKING FIREWORKS SO WE STUFFED YOUR CONFETTI CANNONS FULL OF ROMAN CANDLE STARS!"

Pinkie froze, stuck in the same pose she'd ended her song on — except for her tail, which twitched madly. She blinked and said, "Wat?"

Just then there was a bang, and the front panel of the wagon sprang open revealing a strawberry layer cake. An instant later there was a much louder bang as all the confetti cannons fired. The gathered ponies ooohed in wonder as hundreds of multi-colored fireballs shot into the sky, trailing smoke. Then they screamed in horror as colorful fire rained down upon the street.

Ponies ran in all directions looking for cover. Some bucked reflexively when burning stars landed on their manes or tails. Stars landed on the awnings over a couple of the vendor stalls, setting them on fire. Crystal squealed in fear as she realized her cloak was on fire. Using her magic she whipped off the burning cloak and trampled it on the ground. Once it was extinguished and her immediate panic calmed, she joined the remaining ponies, those who hadn't fled the scene, and helped put out the rest of the fires. Using her magic, she swung what was left of her cloak to beat down the flames.

Finally, about the time the last of the fires were extinguished, some pegasus ponies got a cloud positioned over the marketplace and squeezed a rain shower out of it, drenching everypony and everything there. Peering upward, a wet Pinkie Pie called out, "Better late than never, huh, Cloud Kicker?" Peering over the edge of the cloud, the pegasus pony grinned sheepishly. Pinkie went over to her Welcome Wagon, which had several new scorch marks plus a layer cake melting in the rain. She sighed.

Crystal frowned at the blackened and tattered remnants of her cloak laying on the ground, then looked around and saw ponies staring at her. She glanced backward toward her own flank. "Oh yeah," she said. "About those." They were staring at her wings.

Then, with a confused expression, hesitantly, a stallion stretched forward his front hooves and lowered his head to the damp ground, bowing.

“No…” said Crystal, softly. It sounded more like a denial than a command.

Other ponies began to bow, following the first one’s lead. “Princess?” the stallion asked.

“No, no!” said Crystal, louder than before. “I’m no princess. I’m not royalty.” She started backing away, wings flicking anxiously.

Apple Bloom approached her, staring, fascinated. “But… You’ve got wings and a horn. You’re an alicorn, ain’t ya?”

Crystal squeezed her eyes shut as if pained. Then she spread her wings and gave them a shake, scattering the rainwater from them, and she leapt into the air. In moments she’d flown over the rooftops and out of sight, leaving a bunch of damp and confused ponies asking one another in low tones what it all could possibly mean.

Pinkie’s mane and tail hung limp and wet. She sniffled and muttered, “I really didn’t make her smile.”

Business was slow at Carousel Boutique. It was the off season, with no big formal events coming up, no orders urgently needing to be filled. At such times Rarity enjoyed being able to work at her own pace, letting her creativity bloom as she prepared display items for her shoppe. Thus she found herself sitting still, her tape measure and scissors laying idle as she gazed at a work in progress, waiting for inspiration to strike so that she could finish it with flair. She pondered adding more gems. But no… One couldn’t simply throw everything at a dress. Knowing what to leave off was as important as knowing what to add — a lesson that she’d been reminded when Twilight’s unfinished birthday dress had turned out to be such an unexpected success.

And then, of course, there was a knock on the door. It was like a kind of perverse magic; one simply couldn’t expect to stay in the zone of focused creativity without some sort of interruption cropping up. Rarity sighed… but only a very tiny sigh. Customers should always be welcome, of course. “Coming!” she called out.

She opened the front door while delivering her standard greeting: “Welcome to Carousel Boutique, where every garment is chic, unique and… uh… magnifique.” She faltered as she tried to make sense of the unfamiliar, bedraggled alicorn in front of her.

After a few awkward moments of silence Crystal softly asked, “May I come in?”

Rarity stepped back and aside. “Of course, of course!” she stammered. Then, just to be on the safe side, she bowed and added, “My Lady.”

“Oh no,” said Crystal. “Please don’t bow! Despite my appearance, I’m not royalty. My name is Crystal Dawn. And you are?”

“I am Rarity, and this is my shoppe.” She stood up and looked at Crystal with undisguised curiosity, noticing how damp and sooty she was, and then exclaimed, “Oh my gracious! What ever happened to you?”

Crystal sighed and explained. “There was a fire at the farmers market, and I helped put it out. That’s why I came to you. My cloak was ruined, and I need a replacement. I’m only in town for a couple of days, so it needs to be ready before I go.”

“A cloak? That’s… Something I don’t get many requests for.” Not outside of historical costumes for plays, she thought to herself. “Although, I’ve heard that Princess Luna has been known to wear one when she’s away from Castle Canterlot.” And Princess Luna’s fashion sense is a thousand years out of date — but, for all I know, this alicorn might be as old as Luna and Celestia.

Crystal nodded and said, “I like to wear a cloak whenever I travel. It helps to hide my wings.”

“But… Why would you want to hide your beautiful wings? I could make something for you that shows them off.”

Crystal stamped a hoof. “No! I mean… I’m sorry, it's a lovely idea, but being recognized as an alicorn gets to be quite a nuisance for me, at least when I’m away from my home and around ponies who don’t know me. The bowing, and the awkward attempts to address me by some sort of title, and the questions… I don’t hold it against them, but it does get old after a while, and wearing a cloak helps me avoid some of that. I really don’t like being the center of attention all the time.”

Rarity tried to conceal her disappointment, and she said, “I quite understand, dear. In that case, I’ll do my best to come up with something that satisfies your needs.” At least she was trying to understand, even though she was never happier than when she was the center of attention. Perhaps this alicorn was more like Fluttershy, though.

Then Rarity added, “If you’ll follow me, I’ll get your measurements. It should only take a few minutes.” Soon she had a measuring tape floating in her magical aura, recording every dimension of her outsized client. While working she asked, “What did you have in mind for the color and trim? Some embroidery, perhaps? Some gems? I think you would look fabulous in an indigo cloak with gold embroidery! That would make a striking contrast with your pale coat and mane.”

Crystal answered, “I’d prefer tan or khaki like my old cloak.”

Rarity frowned and said, “Really? That’s usually considered more of a color for stallions.”

“It’s practical,” Crystal explained. “It’s the same color as trail dust. If it gets dirty while I’m traveling, nopony can tell.”

Rarity shuddered, as she greatly preferred to avoid dirt entirely. “Don’t you usually fly above all the dirt when you travel? Please let me convince you to try a more lively color!”

Crystal ermed. “I don’t want a vivid color or a dark color. It should be a soft color like my coat and mane.”

Rarity stepped back and looked at Crystal appraisingly. Then her eyes lit up with an idea. She said, “I have a roll of salmon-pink cloth that would be perfect. It would complement your coat and mane perfectly, and it doesn’t tend to show dirt easily.”

Crystal smiled and said, “That sounds nice. I’ll let you pick a trim that looks good with it. Just don’t make it too elaborate, please!”

“It shall be elegantly understated, I promise.” Rarity put away her measuring tape. Then she added, “I’ll have it ready for you to pick up tomorrow morning.”

“I appreciate that very much. I’ll move along and let you get to work on it.” Crystal started to move toward the exit.

“Oh, no no!” Rarity exclaimed, moving to block Crystal’s path. “You shan’t be wandering the streets in that condition, with all that soot, and with your mane and tail in such disarray. I simply must take you to the spa. I’ll have plenty of time to make your cloak later.”

Crystal blinked. “Spa? I… I was just going back to my friend’s house and wash off. I don’t want to be treated like anything special.”

Rarity huffed, “Nonsense! You are a guest in our fair town, and it’s clear that you’ve gotten a rough first impression of it that I am obligated to correct. Besides, I doubt whether your friend even has a tub large enough for you to bathe comfortably. You’ll find the spa’s whirlpool much more accommodating.” She magically opened the front door and turned the sign around to CLOSED. “Come along! I won’t take no for an answer.”

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