Chapter 15
Pinkie’s party was, as always, full of life. Ponies were dancing to the blaring music, ponies were eating snacks that were being offered, and ponies were huddled in separate groups, merrily chatting away. A certain pair in particular found themselves accosted by everypony, as the banner hanging from the ceiling caught all eyes.
“ ‘Yay you’re better and now you’re together and Dashie’s gonna be refeathered’?” Rainbow asked, eyeing it for the tenth time. “How did she even fit that all on the banner and still make it readable?”
Applejack shrugged. “She’s got really neat hoofwriting.” The two were sitting together, attempting to escape the numerous ponies either congratulating Rainbow on her release from the hospital or stating that they couldn’t wait to see her back in the skies once her wings had returned to their rightful place.
Most embarrassingly, they also often walked over to congratulate the couple, wishing them well in their relationship. The thought of making a public announcement had never entered their minds, but Pinkie had well and truly let the cat out of the bag. The only thing they could do was take it all in stride. But as embarrassing as it was, the clear outpouring of support from everypony was humbling.
The pair only wished that they could have a moment to themselves. Thankfully, a knock on the door drew everypony’s attention. Or rather, Pinkie’s sudden blur of movement drew attention, as the music had muffled the noise from the door. Before anypony could wonder how on earth she had heard the knock, their jaws fell to the floor as Equestria’s princesses walked in, shocking all conversations into silence and hurried bows.
“P-P-Princess Celestia? Princess Luna?! What are you doing here?” Twilight stammered, as the two alicorns strode into Sugarcube Corner.
As Celestia nodded her head in acknowledgement of the bowing, Twilight realised what she had said. “Wait! I don’t mean you shouldn’t be here I wouldn’t dream of telling you what to do but why are you here?” she asked in a rush, doing an impressive imitation of Pinkie’s usual tirades. She flinched as she reviewed her words once again. “Wait, that sounds even worse…"
Pinkie Pie giggled as she bounced away from the door. “I put an invitation in with your last letter!”
“You what?” Twilight cried, thinking back to the letter. She’d taken the time to write it herself, as she occasionally felt like doing, and it had not left her sight until she’d handed it to Spike, who had immediately sent it to the princess. Pinkie couldn’t have added an invitation without her noticing. “But… What… How… Huh?!”
“Are we not welcome?” Luna asked, ears drooping as her lips formed into a pout.
Every eye turned to Twilight, pinning her with accusing stares, silently demanding to know why she thought she could question the joint rulers of Equestria. She wilted under the ocular assault, facing the princesses in an attempt to evade the looks. “No! I mean, yes! I mean, you’re welcome! You’re never not welcome! You’re always wel–” She rambled, before Applejack shoved a hoof in her mouth.
The farmer chuckled at her friend. “Slow down there, Sugarcube!” She turned to face the princesses, and tipped her hat. “Welcome to the party, your Highnesses!” she said, before leading the princesses to join her friends around the conspicuously large table that Pinkie had set up. Life returned to the rest of the room, with ponies partying left and right.
Later, after some pleasant conversation, Fluttershy voiced a question that had been on her mind for a while. “Um… Applejack?”
“Hm?” the farmpony mumbled, around a sandwich she had been eating. After the confusion she’d gone through during the last such visit, she’d decided she might as well just tuck in. Made life a whole lot easier than worrying what to eat first.
“I was wondering… how did it feel to fly?”
Applejack swallowed her food, and gave Fluttershy an odd look. “Er, shouldn’t you know that? Bein’ a pegasus and all?”
Fluttershy’s cheeks colored slightly, realizing how silly her question had sounded. “S-sorry… I mean, I’m used to flying,” she explained, giving her wings a slight flap in demonstration. “You’re not. It must feel different?”
“I agree with Fluttershy. I’m dying to know myself!” Rarity gushed, reminded of the conversation she’d had with Applejack several weeks prior. “Real wings, I mean; the ones from the spell just aren't the same.”
Applejack glanced around, suddenly nervous at being put in the spotlight, then turned to face Rainbow Dash as she felt a hoof touch her leg. She looked into Rainbow’s eyes, and smiled at the love she saw there. She turned back to the rest of the table, her nervousness dispelled, and gave the question some thought.
“Well… Ah just want to say Ah still prefer being on the ground,” she started, forging ahead as she saw the looks of surprise around her. “Ah’m an earth pony, not a pegasus. My home’s down here. But…" She trailed off, looking for the right words. “It’s like a different world. Ah felt free up there. It felt amazin’. Ah really can’t describe it. It’s still mighty tirin’ though,” she added, causing chuckles. She then looked at Rainbow once more. “Makes me appreciate the crazy stuff this daredevil can do.”
Rainbow grinned at the comment, puffing out her chest. As she opened her mouth to boast, she felt a peck on her cheek from Applejack, causing Rainbow to blush and close her mouth, her train of thought completely derailed.
“The gift of flight is indeed a glorious thing,” Luna commented, nodding at the loving pair. “We cannot imagine how you must have felt these past few weeks, Rainbow Dash.” She then turned to Twilight, who had been fidgeting. “We are glad you have been able to find a solution, Twilight Sparkle.”
Twilight smiled sheepishly at the attention. “It was my fault all this happened. I couldn’t just sit there and do nothing!” She glanced at the elder princess. “Princess Celestia helped me with it though. I couldn’t have done it without her.”
Celestia bowed her head in acknowledgment of the praise. “Magical studies have always been a great fascination of mine, as you should know, my student.” She grinned at Twilight’s blush.
“Um, about that…" Rainbow hesitated, unsure how to approach the princess with her question. But as she saw only kindness in Celestia’s eyes, she made up her mind and forged ahead. “I’m not trying to question you, you’re the princess and all that, but–”
Celestia interrupted her with an accepting smile. “Why didn’t I help sooner?” she asked, earning a sheepish nod from the pegasus. “That is a fair question. The answer is that, even in all my years, I had never seen such an effect before. Had I known how to undo the accident, I would have done so immediately. But I had no more idea how to repair this than anypony else,” she explained. “Investigating this problem from scratch would have taken far more time than I could spare from my duties, so I decided to assign it to one of my best magical researchers—Twilight Sparkle.”
The young unicorn in question blushed furiously under the praise, as Pinkie gave her a friendly nudge of encouragement. The princess smiled as she continued. “And it’s a good thing I did, too. I might never have come up with the insight which allowed us to solve it myself.” She paused as a thought struck her. “You never did tell me how you came up with the idea, though. Care to share?”
Twilight nodded eagerly as she recovered from her burning cheeks. “It’s all because of Pinkie, actually,” she started, completely missing the confused expressions on her friends’ faces. She sat straighter, and launched into her explanation. “I realized that the teleportation spell, as with any other spell, consists of several different steps that all work together, usually too fast to notice there’s more than one process going on. So I attempted to see if I could identify and distinguish those individual steps, and further analyze them.” She paused to grin. “Needless to say, I did. In the case of the teleportation spell, I found a number of different layers of ethereal energy fields, each of them controlling a different aspect of the spell. All of them together results in the spell that I’d tried to cast.”
Before anypony could interrupt, Twilight continued, closing her eyes in thought, listing off the various steps. “The first layer controls the position of the teleported object in space. Basically, where you are and where you want to go. The second layer is a snapshot of the base components of the object. For instance, a rock stays a rock, instead of turning to wood. The third field is where the manipulation of the spell’s energy happens, directing it all to the right places.”
Twilight paused, glancing around the table with a big smile. She stood tall, one hoof on the table, the other pointing in the air. “The fourth field is the important one here. It controls the position of the teleported object, not in relation to space, but to itself. It keeps the shape of whatever is teleported. So a sphere stays a sphere and not a cube… or wings stay on one pony and don’t land on another,” she explained, glancing at Rainbow Dash and Applejack. “That’s what went wrong. My sneeze caused the third layer to mess with the fourth layer, and it switched the wings and tails around.” She turned back to the rest of the table, smiling. “And it's all thanks to Pinkie’s comment about drilling a hole into my library! All I need to do now is practice the control, and I can fix this.” Twilight beamed at a nodding Princess Celestia, then turned to the rest of her friends… who sported looks of pure confusion.
“Er, Twilight?” Applejack ventured, not sure how to phrase what she wanted to say. “I’m not sayin’ that wasn’t a fancy and detailed explanation, but… could you repeat that? In Equestrian this time?” she asked. “And what the hay does drilling a hole in your library have to do with this?”
Twilight’s smile faltered as she considered Applejack’s words. She thought she’d been perfectly clear, and was at a momentary loss as to how to rephrase things. “Uh. Well. In layponys terms… Pinkie’s comment about drilling a hole in my library’s walls for her party cannon made me think that the spell layers were the same. They’re walls my magic need to break through so I can control the spell. Basically,” she said, finding a good way to put it, “I need to break through the spell’s fourth wall so I can put the wings and tails at the right place.”
Everypony nodded, finally grasping what Twilight had meant. “Most fascinating. We look forward to all the details when you publish the book.” Luna smiled, completely missing Twilight’s stunned expression. “After all, it's not often even one such as Us gets to see the invention of a whole new branch of magic. Why, the medical applications alone…"
Celestia chuckled as Twilight sputtered, her brain trying to process this new idea. The princess then leaned towards the new couple. “Speaking of things in the right places,” she said with a nod at the blue wings on Applejack’s back, “the spirits of harmony you all represent are tenets of love itself.” She cast a glance at each pony in turn as she spelled it out: “Love is magical. It is generous, kind, and filled with laughter… when you are honest and loyal to each other,” Celestia finished warmly, earning blushing smiles from the pair. “I have always found the last two to be particularly strong aspects of love. I am very glad to see you have found each other.”
Applejack and Rainbow shared a thought as they glanced at each other. Does she mean this was bound to happen? they thought, unsure how they felt about the idea. But as they lost themselves in the other’s eyes, they both came to the same conclusion. It doesn’t matter.
Luna’s voice dragged the two back into the real world as she asked them a question. “Would you miss those wings, Applejack?”
The orange pony blinked, caught off guard. “Ah… Ah can’t say Ah’ve thought about it, your highness. These things are still pretty new to me,” Applejack said, considering. “Like Ah said before, Ah’m an earth pony. My home’s on the ground.” She glanced at the pegasus sitting next to her, and smiled. “But my heart’s in the sky.”
The group, as a whole, ignored Pinkie’s “Aaaaaw!” and sparkling eyes, their attention instead focused on a package that Luna began levitating as Applejack finished speaking. “As is custom for such parties,” she began, floating the package towards the two lovers, “I have brought a gift for you. I believe you will like it.”
Celestia eyed the package suspiciously. It was long and thin… and reminded her of the last suggestion Luna had made a few days earlier. Before she could open her mouth to warn the couple, Rainbow Dash had already attacked the wrapping, tearing it apart with gusto. Celestia bit her lip and closed her eyes. She did not look forward to the coming reaction.
“Um… Princess?” she heard the pegasus ask. “What is this?”
Oh dear…
Twilight voice answered from the other side of the table, having apparently recovered from her thoughts of publication. “That looks like… a wand?”
Is that the current euphemism? My dear student, what have you been studying?
“Indeed it is,” Celestia heard Luna answer, and blushed.
Oh, Luna…
“We’ve enchanted it with a spell you and Rarity should be familiar with, Twilight Sparkle.”
Wait, what?
Celestia opened her eyes and took her first look at Luna’s gift. It turned out to be literally what her student had described it as: a wand, made out of wood from the Everfree forest. It looked old, the shape reminding her of designs she had seen several centuries ago. In fact, the wand itself looked to be that age, she noted, as she inspected it further—an original, from the Castle vaults.
“Really?” Twilight asked, confused. “What spell?”
“Wings of Dew,” Luna answered, earning a gasp from the white unicorn. “Albeit… a modified version. The wings are stronger, amongst other things,” Luna continued, a private smile tugging at her lips. “However, they are not the real thing,” she said, opening a wing for emphasis. “They are only temporary, and the spell will take several days to recharge.” She smiled at Applejack, awaiting her reaction. “We—I hope you like it?”
The farmpony stared back at her, utterly speechless. Beside her, Rainbow was similarly affected. Seconds dragged by as the two tried to find a way to express their thanks. Finally, Applejack spoke, the knot in her throat finally untying itself. “Th-thank you, your Highness. This is mighty kind of you…" she said, to the agreement of everypony around her. Even Celestia nodded, a faint blush still remaining on her cheeks. She should have known to trust her sister.
“You can’t use that yet though,” Twilight warned, looking at Dash. She then glanced at Luna, who looked crestfallen. “I’m sorry, Princess!” Twilight quickly apologized. “I don’t want any other magic to affect them before I put Rainbow’s wings back at the right place! Something like this could jeopardize things!”
Unfortunately, Twilight’s words didn’t have the effect she desired. Luna sat staring at the table, looking sadder than ever. But it didn’t last long, as Pinkie jumped onto the table, and trotted over to the princess. She sat down in front of the darker alicorn, and threw her forelegs around Luna’s neck. “Don’t worry, Princess!” she said, her voice as cheery as ever. “Your gift is superduperawesome! Twilight is just being extra über-careful!”
As she continued to hug the larger pony, she glanced back at the rest of the group. She motioned them to copy her, snapping them out of the stares they had been caught in. Rainbow was the first to move, hugging the princess’s chest. Applejack soon joined her, hugging both her marefriend and the princess. Fluttershy soon joined the pile, hovering above the table until she came to a rest near Pinkie, hugging everypony she could.
Only the two unicorns remained, staring in shock at their friends. As Pinkie glanced at them, she grinned again. “Come on, you two!” She beamed. “Join the Princess-Snuggle-Pile!” Her smile grew even wider as Celestia joined the group.
Rarity picked her jaw off the floor, then trotted over to join the pile of hugging ponies. If the princess was doing it, who was she to complain? Twilight quickly followed suit, once again marvelling at Pinkie’s ability to improve anypony’s mood. Luna’s smile was the proof, as she looked at every pony around her.
“Th-thank you,” she whispered, a tear falling from her eye. “Thank you all.”
Eventually, the group broke up, but remained surrounding the princesses in a display of support. Celestia chose this moment to clear her throat, drawing attention to herself. “I also have a gift, but we need to move the party outside for that.”
“Oki doki loki!” Pinkie chirped, bouncing towards the door to usher everypony out. Twilight trotted over, stopping next to her while watching the various guests walk outside. “Pinkie, do you know what the gift is?”
Pinkie gave Twilight a conspiratorial grin, and leaned closer. “Nope!” she said, her smile wider than ever. “But I bet it’s great!”
Eventually, everypony found themselves standing in front of Sugarcube Corner, wondering why there were there. The questions stopped as Celestia moved amongst them, coming to a halt in the middle of the street. Her horn suddenly shone, then shot off a bright spark of light into the air. It rose past the top of the highest buildings, then slowed down until it came to a stop. As suddenly as it had appeared, the spark exploded in a shower of blue and yellow.
The audience remained quiet, awaiting to see what else would happen. This allowed some of the sharper ears amongst the group to pick up a high pitched sound coming from afar. It came closer and closer, until a trio of blue suited pegasi flew overhead, twisting and turning in the air.
Everypony cheered, enjoying Celestia’s gift: a Wonderbolts show, for Ponyville alone. One pony in particular felt like it was her own private show, all for her, and cheered louder than anypony. Every turn, every daring stunt was a feast for her eyes, burning their every movement into her brain.
The performance eventually wound down, and the Wonderbolts landed in front of the princesses, bowing in respect. She nodded in return, which was their signal to mingle with the crowd. Many pegasi mobbed them, eager to talk with them, or simply wanting to obtain an autograph. Even unicorns and earth ponies surrounded them, having been impressed by their performance. The Wonderbolts took it all in stride, entertaining the crowd even out of the air.
Rainbow Dash pressed on the outside of the group, eager to get closer, cursing her inability to fly right then and there. As she opened her mouth to tell the other ponies to move, Pinkie’s voice rang loud and clear over the din of the crowd. “Rainbow Dash? Oh yeah! She’s right over there!”
Elation filled Rainbow upon hearing that her idols were headed her way, but it was quickly replaced by terror. During the show, she’d managed to forget a very important detail of her current state: her lack of wings. Now, with the Wonderbolts—only the best fliers ever, her childhood idols, and something she’d wanted to be part of since she could talk—looking for her, that fact came crashing back down on her.
I can’t let them see me like this!
As quickly as her bandaged leg allowed, she ran back into Sugarcube Corner and dived under a table, hoping no one would find her under the tablecloth. With everypony ogling the Wonderbolts, her chances of discovery would indeed have been low… were it not for one particular pony.
“Dash? Daaaashie? Where are you?”
Rainbow froze as she heard Applejack’s voice. She remained silent, hoping the farmer would give up, but her hopes were dashed as the sound of hooves got closer, stopping right next to her. She jumped as she felt a hoof poke her golden tail, soon followed by the tablecloth being lifted to let a stetson-wearing, orange head through.
“Dash? What’s the matter?”
“I can’t let them see me like this, Applejack!” Rainbow whispered, hiding her eyes beneath her hooves.
“What, shivering under a table?”
Rainbow glared at her marefriend. “You know what I mean! What would they think of a pegasus without wings trying to get into the Wonderbolts?”
Applejack looked at Rainbow, choosing her words carefully. “That this pegasus is a brave pony, and won’t let anything stop her dreams,” she said, leaning forward until their foreheads met. “That she’ll keep chasing them no matter what happens.”
As Rainbow stared into the green eyes boring into her, her retort died on her lips. All she could see was the love, and the trust in those eyes. Doctor Saddlebag’s words rang through her mind. You've got an excellent safety net, Miss Dash. Just don't throw yourself off of it again and you should be fine.
Rainbow sighed, closing her eyes and leaning forward, pressing against Applejack muzzle. “Thanks…" she whispered.
“You okay now?”
“Yeah.”
Applejack pulled Rainbow out from under the table. “Then let’s get back to the party. Ah think that’s Spitfire back there. And Soarin’,” she said, naming Rainbow Dash’s two favorites from the team.
Rainbow gasped, her face lighting up with glee. “Really?” She couldn’t stand still, practically bouncing in place.
Raising an eyebrow at the sudden 180 degree turn of emotion, Applejack grinned slyly. “Yup. Ah can’t wait to tell them what you want for your birthday.” She snickered, and trotted out of the door.
Rainbow stood frozen, her eyes wide with shock. “Y-you wouldn’t dare!” she croaked, and chased after the laughing Applejack.
It’s still dark out… why the heck am I awake?
Rainbow Dash stared at the ceiling as she considered the question, her eyes tracing over the patterns in the wood of Applejack’s room. Since Rainbow’s release from the hospital, she’d taken to sharing the room with the farmpony. It had just seemed right, especially after the first few nights, where both Rainbow and Applejack had taken turns sneaking into each other’s rooms, seeking out the comfort of each others closeness.
As if to make it official, the 'Rainbow Dash's Room' sign that had once adorned Rainbow’s door had mysteriously appeared on Applejack’s, skillfully repaired and accompanied by a new apple-shaped sign reading ‘Applejack &’. Neither mare knew who was responsible for this, but considering the difference in hoofwork between the two signs, they had a suspicion. A large, red suspicion.
Rainbow quietly laughed to herself at the thought, then turned onto her side to look at the pony beside her. Applejack was facing her, her expression relaxed and serene, her golden mane framing her face. The freckles on her cheeks stood out as they always did, three islands of white in a sea of orange. For a moment, Rainbow wished Applejack would wake, just so she could once again stare into those green eyes, then once again laughed at herself. The longer she stayed with Applejack, the sappier she became. But, she thought as she looked at her love, maybe that isn't such a bad thing after all.
Rainbow sighed as she closed her eyes. If she thought about it, she knew exactly why she couldn’t sleep. Twilight had given them a date for when she planned to put Rainbow’s wings back in place, and it was fast approaching. In fact, it was tomorrow. The pegasus shivered, nervousness, anticipation, and a little fear all clashing together.
But there was another reason, she realized. And the culprit was Princess Luna. The gift she had given them had caused much discussion amongst her friends. But for Rainbow, it had been the cause of a lot of thinking. As she drifted back to sleep, she came to a resolution. She’d ask Applejack today, before it was too late.
Rainbow woke up later, with the sunlight illuminating her surroundings as it shone through the window. Blearily opening her eyes, she discovered the spot next to her was empty. She let out a yawn as she clambered onto the floor, and slowly made her way to the kitchen, where she noticed the slice of pie on the table and the note next to it. As she munched on the food, she glanced at the message scribbled on the paper.
Doing my chores! Here’s some breakfast, sleepyhead.
– A.J.
Rainbow grinned as she scarfed down the last of the pie, then slowly walked out of the farmhouse. With her bandaged leg, she still couldn’t go very fast, but she was at least mobile. The doctors had given her the all clear to walk before the party, which was good enough for her.
Thankfully, her walk ended up being a short one, as she spotted Applejack leaving the barn. The orange mare caught sight of her at the same time, and trotted up to Rainbow with a grin on her face. “Mornin’! Sleep well?”
“Kinda…" Rainbow replied, yawning once more. She saw the unvoiced question on Applejack’s face. “Woke up a few times, couldn’t stop thinking.”
“ ‘Bout what, Sugarcube?” Applejack asked, stepping closer to the pegasus.
“I want to see you fly.”
Applejack frowned. “But you have already,” she stated, earning a headshake from Rainbow.
“I’ve seen you through the window, but not really seen you fly. I want to see that,” she said, motioning towards the trees as she started walking. Applejack quickly fell in beside her.
“Where’d this come from, Dash? Seems kinda out of the blue.”
“Luna’s gift,” Rainbow answered, staring ahead. “And tomorrow. This is my last chance to see you fly for real, A.J..”
“But… what about the wand?”
Rainbow frowned, looking at Applejack. “They won’t be real!” she said, coming to a stop. She moved closer until their muzzles almost met. “They won’t be mine. You’re mine, A.J.,” she said, vehemently. “And I want to see you soar with them.” She pressed up against Applejack, their lips meeting in a kiss. Unlike those that had come before, this one was fierce, filled with need and want, leaving both mares momentarily breathless as it ended.
Rainbow gulped, feeling the heat on her face, then turned away and resumed walking. For a moment, she’d wanted to stay and push things further, but seeing Applejack fly was more important. She heard her mare’s hoofsteps catch up to her, and felt the stare on the back of her head as they kept walking.
Before long, they reached the hill where Applejack had first attempted flight, and climbed to the top. As she finally stopped, Rainbow turned around and faced the winged earth pony, who was still staring at her intently. “Show me.”
Applejack wordlessly took off her hat, placing it upon Rainbow’s head, then took a few steps to the side. She extended her wings, gave them a few limbering flaps, then leapt into the air with a mighty beat.
Rainbow had wanted to see her soar… and soar she did. Laying down on the ground, the pegasus’s thoughts just drifted away, leaving her to focus purely on the pony in the skies. While Applejack lacked the grace of a pegasus, her flight was still a breathtaking sight. The golden mane flowing in the wind, mixing with her own rainbow tail. The orange contrasting with the sky’s blue, borne along by cyan wings.
The Wonderbolts couldn’t compare to this.
Up in the sky, Applejack glanced down at the hill. Unlike the pony below, her mind was racing as she flew, focusing both on keeping herself aloft, and on Rainbow. Applejack realized she’d miss the wings, miss the freedom they offered.
But freedom at what expense?
It simply was not worth it, she decided, stowing away the stray thought of keeping the wings. Even something like this was not worth the pain or suffering of the pegasus below. It would be like crushing her and her dreams. She couldn’t do that to anypony, much less the one she loved.
Love. She truly did love the mare below, with all her heart. Rainbow filled a void Applejack hadn’t even realised existed, and filled it with a love and passion that almost threatened to overwhelm her. It was a sense of belonging and togetherness that was impossible to describe, or put in words.
Love. She hadn’t said it since Rainbow’s confession, instead letting her action speak louder than words. But that wasn’t enough, she realized. Not once had she told the pegasus those words. Applejack had lost count of how many times Rainbow had used them, often several times a day, and Applejack had responded to them as best she knew how.
No more, she thought, as she banked once more towards the hill, her altitude dropping smoothly. She landed a few pony-lengths away from the now standing Rainbow, and closed the distance at a trot. She kissed the waiting mare, pushing her back with the force of the embrace in a reversal of their previous kiss not long ago.
Applejack pulled away, breaking the kiss first. “Ah love you, Rainbow Dash,” she whispered, nuzzling the pegasus. Finally saying it felt… good. “Ah’m sorry Ah haven’t said it before…" she said, frowning as Rainbow chuckled in response.
Catching Applejack’s expression, Rainbow leaned in and nuzzled the farmpony. “I hadn’t even noticed…" she said, kissing Applejack once more. “ ‘Cause I hear you loud and clear when we do that.” She wrapped her forehooves around Applejack’s neck, pulling her closer. “I wouldn’t mind hearing it again…" she whispered, staring into Applejack’s eyes.
The orange mare was more than happy to comply.
Finally, the big day arrived.
Seven ponies found themselves near Fluttershy’s cottage, in very nearly the same spot where five of them had watched the dragon migration a few months prior. Twilight had initially planned to perform the spell in front of her library, where it had initially gone wrong. However, a certain young, scaled blabbermouth had let slip the day and time of her planned attempt, resulting in a mass gathering of ponies standing around her home, eager to watch the spell in action.
Unfortunately for them, the three mares in question did not want an audience, and made their escape through one of the library’s windows. Twilight was nervous enough just performing the spell, even with the confidence she was expressing about it, and a large audience would have made things much worse.
However, the rest of her friends, as well as Spike and Big Macintosh, were a source of comfort and support. They knew to stay quiet and not crowd the trio as Twilight ran down her checklist, watching from the safety of the very same ditch they had dug for the dragon migration.
Following the unicorn with their eyes, Applejack and Rainbow waited as patiently as they could as Twilight trotted back and forth while reading, ignoring the fact she was digging a groove in the earth with her pacing. They withheld any comments as she went through the checklist what for what felt like the twentieth time, but was, in fact, the thirtieth.
Finally, Twilight levitated the scroll away, stowing it in the saddlebags she had brought with her, and setting these next to her watching friends. She turned to Applejack, then Rainbow, and nodded. “I’m ready.”
The pair nodded back, stepping next to her in the very same manner they had been on that day, hoping for a quick trip to Canterlot. Glancing at each other, they shared a brief smile, taking support from each other as Twilight’s horn began glowing. They then faced forwards once more, closed their eyes, and waited.
Once more, the glow brightened, causing the four watching ponies to squint. The bubble started forming, slowly inching downwards as the spell’s energy flowed through Twilight’s horn, finally hitting the ground a few moments later. As a blinding flash shone out, the ponies in the ditch took cover, following Twilight’s instructions to the letter. Now they simply needed to wait for Twilight to give the all clear.
Meanwhile, the other trio stood standing where they had started, eyes still closed. Not hearing any noise and feeling no different, Rainbow voiced the only question on her mind. “Did it work?” she asked, her eyes still shut.
“Dunno,” Applejack replied, her voice sounding hesitant. “Haven’t opened my eyes yet…"
“Me neither,” Twilight’s voice added, sounding even more jittery than before. “I know everything felt right and the spell went off perfectly and there’s no reason to worry you should be fine–” she babbled, before cutting herself off. “I’m still scared,” she whispered.
Rainbow knew exactly how the unicorn felt. Her entire body felt so wired she couldn’t tell if anything was different, if anything had changed. But still, her eyes refused to open.
Applejack shook her head in frustration. “This is just plain silly… On three?” she asked, to the agreement of the other two. “Okay. One… Two… Three!”
And as one, they opened their eyes.
Rainbow quickly glanced at Applejack, unwilling to look at herself yet. She immediately noticed the lack of wings, and the blond tail back with its owner. She looked at Twilight, seeing no difference there. She did, however, notice both of them looking at her… and smiling.
Rainbow quickly turned her head, her own face breaking into an ever wider smile as she saw her rainbow tail, and the pair of blue wings adorning her back. She flexed them tentatively, flapping them a few times.
Finally, she could hold it no longer and blasted into the air, yelling with joy the entire way up. She blew past the cloud cover, momentarily wobbling as she righted herself into a horizontal flight. Her entire life’s worth of flight instincts kicked in, quickly correcting any awkwardness leftover from those weeks on the ground.
She couldn’t believe she’d almost forgotten how this felt.
Rainbow kept flying a few minutes longer, completely revelling in her natural habitat, until a splash of color on the ground caught her eye: all her friends together, watching as she flew about. She banked their way and sped towards them, barely slowing down until she was almost right upon them.
Her hooves touched the ground and with what remaining speed she had, she barreled into Twilight, tackling her in the biggest hug she’d ever given anypony. As they both laughed, their friends joined them, all hugging each other. Even Big Macintosh was dragged into the pile, after Pinkie noticed the stallion standing off to the side. This moment needed to be shared with everypony—and dragon—present.
Because everything was right with the world.
A pair of ponies found themselves making their way towards Sweet Apple Acres. They’d just parted ways with the rest of their friends, having left an impromptu party organized by Pinkie Pie. They had briefly wondered where the cakes and beverages had come from, but decided not to think about it too hard. Some things couldn’t be explained, despite Twilight’s efforts. Big Macintosh had opted to stay behind, choosing to chat with Fluttershy, giving the homeward-bound pair some time alone.
Applejack grinned as she watched Rainbow flit about, unable stay aground for longer than a few seconds, if at all. As the pair got closer to the farm, Applejack glanced at the sky, noting a familiar large cloud-building floating around.
“Ah bet you can’t wait to get home, right, Sugarcube?” Applejack asked, coming to a stop.
“Heck yeah!” Rainbow gushed, twirling in the air. “Come on, let’s go!”
The earth pony chuckled. “Ah don’t have wings anymore, Rainbow. Plus Ah don’t think Ah can walk on clouds.”
Rainbow came to a halt, landing on the ground. “Wha–?” she said, following Applejack’s gaze. There, sitting in the sky, was her cloud-house. Her home. “Oh.”
Applejack watched as Rainbow, rather than start flying, instead sat down and kept staring at her mansion. “Rainbow?”
The cyan pony took a deep breath, then exhaled, before turning to face Applejack. “Don’t you remember what I said at the hospital?” she asked, and continued when Applejack gave a slight shake of her head. “That’s not my home. Hasn’t been since a month ago.” Lifting a hoof, she pointed along the path they’d been following. Sweet Apple Acres, and the farmhouse, were just visible beyond the hills. “That’s home.”
Rooted to the spot, Applejack could only smile, wiping a lone tear that had fallen from her eyes, and stepped forward to nuzzle Rainbow. “Then let’s go home, Dashie,” she murmured.
The earth pony started back on the path to the farm, but found herself grasped by four strong legs only a few steps into her journey. “What in tarnation—Rainbow, what are you doing?” she asked, struggling briefly.
“Quit struggling!” the pegasus exclaimed, getting the desired reaction. “I saw how you were looking at me. I think you need this just as much as I do.”
“Need wha—whoa!” Applejack yelled as the pair took off, shooting into the sky. Rainbow’s legs were wrapped around her torso, giving her own legs freedom of movement. Yet whereas a few weeks, even a few days ago, the earth pony would have been terrified of being in the air, right now, she only felt a vague sense of worry.
She knew that, without wings, a fall from the ever increasing height would be very bad.
But she also knew just how strong the hooves holding her were. And just how strong the wings holding them up were.
Silently, they flew onwards to the farm.
“Hey, Applejack?” Rainbow murmured, as the pair laid stretched out on Applejack’s bed, the sun slowly setting outside the window.
“Hmmm?”
“Wanna try out the wand?”
“… Now, Sugarcube? I just got comfy.”
“C’mon,” the pegasus said, lifting herself off the bed. “I wanna see.”
Applejack rolled her eyes at Rainbow’s eagerness, then sat still on the bed, waiting for her marefriend to grab the wand in her mouth. “Go ahead then.”
Following Luna’s instructions, Rainbow took a deep breath and closed her eyes, the wand pointed at Applejack. She concentrated, focusing her thoughts on the pony in front of her, and on flying. She felt the wand grow warmer, then stepped back as it jolted in her grasp. She opened her eyes, watching as the magic surrounded Applejack. A few moments after engulfing her completely, the magic dissipated, leaving only the orange pony.
An orange pony with a magnificent pair of blue, ethereal pegasus wings.
The wand dropped from Rainbow’s mouth as her jaw fell open. A few seconds later, she uttered the only words her brain could provide.
“Best. Princess. Ever!”
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<Those Blue Wings updates> WHO NEEDS SLEEP?!
*edit* First! That's a first for me.
awesome chapter at 2:00 AM
Very nice. Gonna miss seeing updates for this story.
YES! THE UPDATE! and so many D'AWWs in too!
A wonderful ending to a wonderful story.
Amazing job.
This was one of the first fanfics I found, and one of the first I started to read. I've been following from practically its starts, even before I had an account of FIMfiction.
Now that it has ended, I can only say that it has been a really delightful reading. Thank you for sharing this story with all of us
Finally, this fic has reached a conclusion.
It has evolved from a simple accident with magic, to a story of love bonded around wings.
Each character behaves as they would, nothing OOC, despite the wing swap.
The evolution of the plot has reached my hearth, filing it with a soft, warm, wave of love, coming from the screen of my computer.
Writing a fic is not hard. Writing a story in general is not hard. Making people wait for another chapter, making people get stuck on their own computers until they have read the whole chapter, making a fic so good that more than a thousand people love it, that, my friend, is hard.
You have created a fic of 15 chapters of lenght, that has achieved an enormous amounts of likes, watches an favs.
You truly have skill for writing.
I can't deny that i want to know what will your next work be.
You now have an insatiable reader, that will stay by your side.
<post read comment> ...
That was cute
I really liked it, and lol at the 4th wall bit. I would put down a better comment, but it's 2:30 AM and, while sleep may be for the weak, I'm feeling pretty weak at the moment 
scranton.mylittlefacewhen.com/media/f/img/mlfw2604-Luna_saw_what_you_did_there.jpg
And so ends another excellent story on my list. Kinda sad its over. A very touching ending though.
And was that some Fluttermac there at the end, or just shipping goggles?
happy ending.
I like it! I will looking farward to see more from you. Exselent work. 10 am in the morning and school. Who needs that?
Just saying, i loved it, can't say more, since i don't have the words for the amazing-ness!
That was an awesome ending to an awesome story.
And yes. Luna is indeed best princess.
Damn, that last sentence got me.
Edit: I think this was the second pony fic I ever read and it really strenghtened my resolve to read more. Thank you for that.
Ahh. Now I see why you needed the art for the picture. GREAT ENDING!
Breaks the fourth wall. Pffff. Twilight, Don't you know that's Pinkie's job?
WHAT DO YOU MEAN I CAN'T GIVE THIS STORY ANOTHER THUMBS UP!?!
Also, who here was surprised that it was Pinkie that inspired Twilight to break the Fourth Wall? *Keeps hoof solidly on the floor*
And that ending deserves a Luna Awesome Face: dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/Luna_lolface.png
Best banner ever.
"break through the spell’s fourth wall"
Excellent ending, and I do love seeing Mac pulled in as well. And nice job with the wing wand, Luna.
Well... The first fic I've ever read is over
thank you so much for the ride. If it wasn't for you I'd have never read fanfics and certainly not shipping. I will now
stalk you to make sure your writingwait patiently for your next story.I like it. Good.
I need to break through the spell’s fourth wall so I can put the wings and tails at the right place.
I need to break through the spell’s fourth wall
spell’s fourth wall
fourth wall
oooh sooo great ! can't express HOW BUCKING MUCH i like it!
Me and this story:
lh4.googleusercontent.com/-AF-MSt7Hmss/Ty4p8TPo-TI/AAAAAAAACnA/XSiivd57uOw/124886%25252520-%25252520artist-empty-10%25252520book%25252520hug%25252520rainbow_dash.png
wonderful story, great work and i enjoyed reading it
11803
I know rite? All thanks to Pinkie Pie as well...
This was a great conclusion to an awesome story!
Awesome
Should I be happy or sad? It was a good fic, but now it's over...
Congratulations, Twilight, you broke the fourth wall... twice.
Yay, Good End!
Heh. Twilight broke the fourth wall.
You already now how much I love this entire work, so I'll leave you with this:
"The computer mouse dropped from BronyNeumo's hand as his body fell slack. A few seconds later, he uttered the only words his brain could provide.
“Best. Story. Ever!” "
You couldn't possibly have given it a better ending.
And you have no idea how much I love the fact that you chose to give AJ Ethereal Pegasus wings instead of the dew wings.
Thank you.
i agree with dash. luna is best princess
FOR THE NEW LUNAR REPUBLIC
Group hugs with Luna?
pinkie.ponychan.net/chan/files/src/134066279518.jpg
Kudos to you, Tchernobog, for this excellent story. Well done, indeed.
Hell yeah. Nothing too mind blowing about the ending, but nicely wrapped up in a heart shaped package.
Twi should really work on enchanting a similar wand or object with the cloud walking spell, because being able to fly but not touch clouds is just silly. And Dash's house is too awesome not to visit, especially if the couple need to get away for a bit. At this point, AJ may be able to fly, but still is ground bound for landings, unless she uses Dash as a platform, not that I think Dash would mind.
Best princess ever i loved that
Dawww, such a fitting ending
Amazing job! Before saying how amazing this was, quick mistake.
I saw you put "with" twice. Now, to review. Plot was amazing, characterization was amazing, everything about this story was AMAZING!!!
My favorite parts are when Celestia explains love using their elements as an example. The other one was when Twilight explains the reasonings behind the teleportation and why it didn't work. I understood what she was talking about when she was talk all sciency and stuff.
Of all the AppleDash stories that I have read, I am proud to put this one as my second favorite. This was truly a remarkable read, and I can't wait for more of your stories to come with them in it. Thank you very much for this time that we have spent our many comments and adventures on together, and I hope to see you more often. Whether it be on my stories or on yours, or anything; I will be grateful.
From hell, to you, and back again,
Soto Konoha
Fantastic end to the story, couldn't be happier with it.
I laughed so hard at the "breaking the fourth wall" line from Twilight that I'm sure if anyone else were here they'd be checking what the hell just happened. And tears filled my eyes when Rainbow finally took off into the sky. Just that absolute joy of having her wings and her ability to fly back just made me so happy. That's really freaking awesome. Thank you for writing this story. So many cute feels.
awesome ending to an epic story.
*Heart explodes*!!
*Duct tapes back together*
That was a really great fic. I really can't wait to read moar of your writing. Kudos to you good Sir
Plus, breaking the fourth wall of magic? and Pinkie gave her the idea! Pure genius!
And much HNNNNNNNNNGH and Dawwwwwwwwwwwwwwww was had.
Totally agreed.
Luna is the best princess ever. But I knew that before this story.
Loved it all & thanx for the awesome entertainment!!!!
I've been waiting to see how this story ended and wasn't disappointed in the slightest. Bravo!
*finishes...
mylittlefacewhen.com/media/f/img/mlfw2883-Rainbow_Dash_leg_wiggle_1.gif
AWESOME!
What I can't say in words for the beauty of this story shall be expressed in memes
s2ki.com/s2000/uploads/gallery/1296705518/gallery_83989_34758_5493428924d4e5953159cc.gif
I..........I...............
i.imgur.com/YW7Dr.gif
You receive a perfect 10/10 'so awesomes'
Only later would they realize that Twilight's spell hadn't quite gone as planned, and they had all swapped spleens and pancreases.
Best. Ending. EVAR!
tasteofcinema.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/SlowClap2.gif
I loved it! great story!