Applejack stared up through the leaves and down the row of apple trees, her forehoof nervously gnawing at the rich orchard soil beneath her. Plump, juicy apples, ripe and ready for bucking, filled the overburdened limbs above. An unfamiliar prick of new muscle and bone traced away from her withers filling the empty cleft in the small of her back. Why did it have to be today? Couldn’t they have waited until after the Fall harvest? As much as she liked the idea of expediting the process, she wasn’t sure how much Twilight’s little game would help or hinder the task. Still, she had a job to do, and not a lot of time to do it in.

---

Rarity fumbled with her hooves as she tried to remove her sleep mask before rolling out of bed. The early morning light through her bedroom window barely registered it was morning. Four hooves hit the cold floor. She pitched and rocked, stretching out her muscles and allowing the blood flow a moment to revive her stiff limbs. Fore and back, left and right, top and bottom, old and new, it didn’t feel weird at all. Well, perhaps a little. Pulling up to the mirror brought a look of joy, and also one of pain reflected in her gaze. She caught herself in profile—a tangled mane, a matted coat—but most of all she focused on the preening work ahead as she reached for her brush.

---

Fluttershy flashed a sheepish grin down the line of assembled, furry friends, each nodding their mixed approvals. She sighed and hung her head. It wasn’t easy to hide when you stuck out like a sore hoof, but that was all she really felt like doing. Moping toward her closet for the fifth time that morning, her sun hat wobbled and fell from its perch atop her head. She casually picked it up and floated it back to its hook on the wall. Angel gave her a reassuring nod, and that somehow made her feel a little better. Her clothes weren’t bound to fit right; every item had too many, or too few, holes to accommodate the situation. She let her sun dress slide off her back and carefully hung it up on the hanger where it belonged. It wouldn’t be easy, but she owed it to Twilight to make the most of her day. Even though she dreaded the idea of going out, she couldn’t stay holed up inside her house forever.

---

Pinkie Pie took a step back from the counter. Cakes and cookies, pastry and pies, candies and an endless assortment of various condiments covered every surface in the kitchen. Of course there were cupcakes—so many cupcakes. Even the floor carried its share of foodstuff all laid out on display trays ready to be sold. Pinkie suddenly recalled that fact after pulling her left rear hoof out of a sticky lemon meringue pie. With a flick of her tail and a simple pirouette, everything was rectified—pie went back in the pan, and her gold capped hoof sparkled without a trace of the creamy topping. Missus Cake stood at the foot of the stairs in shock not knowing if she should worry about opening Sugarcube Corner, or take the day off seeing as the Princess of Cupcakes had finished an entire week’s worth of baking in under ten seconds flat.

---

Twilight knocked on the door. She worked the handle and pushed it open when all she got was a deep groan in reply. “It’s time to wake up, Rainbow Dash.”

The lump on the bed didn’t move or give any further acknowledgment. Twilight walked over and tugged the covers off her friend. Half way down Rainbow’s flank, the sheet abruptly stopped, a hoof driven into the comforter halting the descent. “Leave me alone, Twilight. I’m not getting out of bed until tomorrow.”

Twilight stepped away from the bed and moved over to the window. “And how will that help our experiment?” She threw back the drapes and let the late morning sunlight pour into the room. “You need to get out there and make the most of the time you have.”

“What’s the point?” Rainbow said as she flipped over and faced away from the window. “I can’t work, and I can’t train, so why should I get out of bed?”

Twilight walked back to the bed and hoisted herself up on the lower half. “I know this isn’t what you wanted, but we had to make it random in order to eliminate any bias in the experiment. Would you at least sit up and talk to me about it? It’s extremely important that we get as much feedback as possible so this opportunity isn’t wasted.”

Rainbow Dash lifted her head off the pillow and craned her neck around. “Opportunity? Really? You said this was a game, but it’s no fun at all. Is this just some crazy elaborate joke you’re trying to pull on me?”

“It’s not a joke. I’m being serious. This is important.”

Rainbow rolled onto her back and scrunched up against her pillow, not quite sitting straight, but moving as far up as she was going to get from her current position. “Be honest, Twi. You actually think this is better? You… you like being a… normal pony?”

“Earth Pony,” Twilight said, “and yes, I think it helps to better understand a part of myself I haven’t been able to really focus on before. I’ve spent my whole life as a Unicorn, and only recently became an Alicorn. My wings took a little getting used to, but they’re very prominent and straightforward to manage. With a bunch of practice, and a ton of help from a certain special flight coach, I’m feeling pretty confident in my Pegasus talents. But that’s not all. Becoming an Alicorn also gave me certain characteristics and abilities inherent to the Earth Pony race. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to truly focus on those skills since they are much harder to quantify, until now.”

Rainbow Dash heaved a sigh and clamped her forehooves across her chest. “This sucks! I thought it’d be cool to try out some magic, or even be a princess for the day. Why’d I have to get stuck with the consolation prize?”

Twilight shook her head. “Don’t think of it like that, Rainbow. Remember what this whole experiment is about: friendship. By trading races with our friends for the day, we can grow closer together by learning more about each other and what makes each one of us special. Haven’t you ever heard the old saying about walking a mile in another pony’s shoes?”

“Pegasi don’t wear shoes, Twi. So no, I haven’t.”

Twilight gave Rainbow the most sincere and honest smile she could muster. “Well, now’s your chance to try.”

Rainbow took one look at Twilight’s smile and rolled over, curling up into a ball. “No way! There’s no way I’m going to wear Earth Pony shoes, even if it’s just for one day. You’re asking too much. I can’t. I won’t.” The normally strong and confident mare broke down into tears, clutching her sides, but not quite reaching back far enough to feel all the way up to her missing wing sockets.

Twilight reached out to try and lay a comforting hoof on Rainbow’s back. Perhaps her little experiment had gone too far. Her eyes traced a straight line down Rainbow’s spine, blue fur standing a bit on end and shaking ever so slightly along with her pitched and jagged breaths. She hesitated and pulled away after realizing she would only aggravate the situation by coming in contact with the vacant space there.

“I’m sorry,” Twilight said. Her own lack of horn and wings gave her an ability to empathize with Rainbow’s state of mind. Although not what she hoped, the experiment was already yielding some very important results. “I’ll leave you alone until the spell wears off, if that’s what you want.” She leaned forward and slipped off the edge of the bed.

Before she reached the door, Rainbow Dash managed to call through her sobbing gasps. “Wait. I… I don’t want to be alone. Can you… Will you stay with me?”

Twilight stopped and turned around. “I can sit with you for a little while, but I can’t stay here all day, Rainbow. I need to go see how the others are doing.”

Dash wiped a hoof across her cheek. “Can I come with you? At least to see Fluttershy?”

“Of course you can,” Twilight replied. “And just in case you were worried about it, nopony is going to make fun of you for not having wings today. We’re all friends, and we’re all in this together.”

“Thanks, Twi,” Rainbow said as she slid her hooves out from under the sheets and made her way to the door, stopping for a quick, but necessary hug along the way.

---

“Rarity? Are you there?” Fluttershy asked as she poked her head around the door to Carousel Boutique. The door chime made more noise in actually alerting the proprietor to her presence.

“Fluttershy? Is that you?” Rarity called from the back room. She stuck her head through the curtain and waved for Fluttershy to follow. “Just the pony I needed to see. Please, please, come to the back and lend me a hoof.” Without waiting for an answer, she dove back behind the curtain.

Fluttershy came in and quickly closed the door behind her. She glanced around the empty shop, rightfully so with the sign in the window currently displaying ‘CLOSED’. The combination of her bouffant hairdo and the beginning of a migraine headache she knew was coming on left her head spinning in the empty space. “Rarity? Where are you?”

Rarity stuck her head through the curtain again, coughing up little bits of white fluff as she spoke. “Oh dear, it’s simply dreadful. You must help. I cannot possibly be seen in public— wait a moment! Sweet Celestia, Fluttershy! What have you done with your mane?” Rarity burst through the curtain, her bedraggled wings flapping sporadically at her sides. She ran to Fluttershy giving special consideration to the towering mountain of mane perched high atop her head. With a light tap of her hoof, her worries were confirmed: Everhold Manespray, the bane of fashion conscious stylists throughout Equestria.

“I… I didn’t know what else to do,” Fluttershy said. “Having a horn isn’t something I’m used to, and it scared me to see it in the mirror, on my own head. I had to cover it up with something, but none of my hats fit properly since I don’t own any made for Unicorns.”

“Oh dear, sweet, Fluttershy, having a horn is a wonderful thing. You shouldn’t have to feel like you must hide it away under all of that glorious mane. Give me just a moment, and I’ll take care of everything. We’ll have that Everhold out of there in no time.” Rarity ran to the back to fetch a bucket of water, and possibly a chisel. Fluttershy followed.

“Um, Rarity, I just came by to see if I could borrow a hat, and maybe a dress that doesn’t have wing slits, but didn’t you say there was something else you wanted my help with?”

Rarity stopped, dead in her tracks. “Oh yes, of course. How silly of me to forget.” She stood up straight and cleared her throat, a little tuft of white feather escaping her mouth as she did. “My problem is this.” She lifted her wings. The feathers looked like she had been through the spin cycle on the washer before being tossed in the super dry setting on the drier. Not a single pin was straight. Many were missing completely.

Fluttershy took one look and couldn’t help but stifle a laugh. Rarity glanced back at her friend with the ugly up-do and couldn’t restrain herself either. They both broke down in a fit of giggles and tears.

Rarity was the first to recover enough to speak. “Fluttershy, dear, I have to be honest. You look simply dreadful.”

“And you look worse than a moulting phoenix.” Fluttershy continued to chuckle. “Just lift your wings and give them a couple really good flaps. That should help straighten things out.”

Rarity shook her head. “I’ve already tried that, darling.” She proceeded to follow the instructions anyway. Considering the flurry of feathers dancing through the air, her situation didn’t really improve much at all from the extra shaking.

“No, silly. Like this.” Fluttershy reached out with her magic and helped guide Rarity’s frenzied flapping. The gentle touch of her magic helped to calm Rarity’s nerves and settle her wings into a steady motion.

With each flap, Rarity lifted a little off the ground. “Wait a minute. How did you learn to use magic?” she asked, now hovering a few feet in the air, staying aloft under her own power with her wings following the guided pattern she was shown. The proper motion helped to set her feathers into alignment the more she continued to flap.

“The same way that I assume you learned how to fly,” Fluttershy replied. “You never know what you can do until you try, and it doesn’t hurt to have a friend to help show you the way.”

Rarity slowed her flapping and slowly descended. Once she found herself back on the ground, she folded her wings to her sides and gave Fluttershy a nod and a smile. “Thank you, Fluttershy. You have no idea how much time I’ve spent this morning trying to get those feathers to behave. Not having my magic to work the brush correctly didn’t help much either. Now, let’s take care of your mane before it catches on fire.”

Fluttershy swallowed hard. “Fire?”

“Yes, most certainly. Everhold is notorious for spontaneously catching on fire, especially when used in such close proximity to a Unicorn’s horn. Your entire mane could burst into flame at any moment, if you aren’t careful that is, and especially if you keep using your magic.”

Suddenly, a cupcake materialized next to each one of them.

Fluttershy swallowed even harder.

---

“So, Twilight,” Rainbow Dash said as they turned up the road from Fluttershy’s cottage, “I don’t think Angel likes you.”

“I don’t think he likes anypony, besides Fluttershy,” Twilight replied. “In any case, I think we just missed her.”

“What gave you that idea?”

“Well, my rabbit is a little rusty, but between all the yelling and pointing at his forehead, I think that’s what he was trying to say.”

“Yeah, either that, or ‘take a hike’.”

“In any case, we’re already out this far, so let’s go see how Applejack is doing.”

Dash bit her lip. “I really wanted to check with Flutters first. She’s lost her wings too, so at least she’d know how I felt. Applejack, on the other hoof, is probably going to make fun of me as much as she can. She’s the last pony I wanted to see today.”

“Oh come on, she’s not like that, and you know it.”

“Twilight, she’s got my wings. On a scale of one to ten, this clocks in at about a thousand of being totally weird and completely uncomfortable for me.”

“Believe me, it’s not a walk in the park for me either.”

“Oh, right.” Dash kept on walking, barely keeping up with Twilight almost trotting down the path toward Sweet Apple Acres. “I forgot about Princess Pie.”

“Don’t remind me. I still need to follow up on the self proclaimed Princess of Cupcakes after we check in with Applejack.”

“Remind me again why you let her become an Alicorn for the day?”

“It’s part of the experiment.”

“Isn’t this supposed to be a game?”

“Game. Experiment. It’s all the same thing. We’re playing a game that helps us perform an experiment to better understand ourselves and strengthen our bonds of friendship. Try and keep up.” Twilight sped up to a full gallop and raced off down the path.

Rainbow Dash could already feel the burning in her legs, and despite the loss of her wings, did her best to match Twilight’s pace.

The sun cast a shadow from directly overhead indicating it was time for lunch. Twilight and Rainbow Dash rode up on Sweet Apple Acres just in time to answer the midday meal call. To their surprise, piles of apples, some in containers and carts, but mostly all gathered in towering stacks of produce made finding the farm house a bit of a problem. Off in the distance, Dash caught sight of their host rocketing home to greet them.

“Yee haw!” Applejack yelled as she made a pass overhead. Her second loop around found her delivering a bushel of apples fresh off the trees onto one of the piles on the edge of the field. Twilight and Rainbow Dash made their way over to her as she came down off her flying high.

“Umm, Applejack? Are you feeling okay?” Twilight asked the bright eyed and grinning-from-ear-to-ear mare standing in front of them with wings stretched out, ready to return to the skies.

“Okay?” Applejack replied. “I’m so much better than okay. I feel amazing! Flying is the best thing to happen to Sweet Apple Acres since the planting of the first zap apple tree. I just finished the entire Fall harvest in half a day! It normally takes me close to a week. See for yourselves.” Applejack kicked up into the air and did a couple backwards somersaults in celebration before taking off on another victory lap around the farm.

Dash looked over at Twilight. “Is this how I normally behave?”

“Pretty much, yeah,” Twilight replied. “But I don’t let that get in the way of our friendship. It’s part of who you are, and I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

Dash raised an eyebrow. “So why did you turn me into an Earth pony?”

“Touche,” Twilight replied, raising her head up to soak in the warmth of the sun while drinking in the smells of the crop gathered all around. The gentle breeze carried with it a hint of winter, but also the promise of food in abundance.

Dash kept an eye toward the sky. The sight of Applejack twisting and turning on the currents above should have made her jealous, but all she could feel was a sense of joy and peace. The clash of reality and ideals left her conflicted. How could she watch as everything she held dear flaunted itself above her? Why was she feeling so good all of a sudden? Where did this sense of happiness come from?

“Do you feel it,” Twilight asked.

“Feel what?” Rainbow replied.

“The trees. The dirt.” Twilight spread her legs and dug her toes a little deeper into the soil. “The celebration of the harvest.”

Rainbow Dash rose up on her hind legs the moment she realized the tingly, warm, welcoming sensation she was feeling soaking up from her hooves. “Woah, what is that?”

“Just relax. Listen.”

Coming off her initial shock, Dash followed Twilight’s lead. She planted her hooves in the soil next to the first orchard row. That tingling sensation returned, warm and welcome once again. If she listened closely, she could feel the tremor and hear a voice rising up from the ground. It felt melodic in composition, light and strong at the same time. Wave upon wave of sensation washed over her. She felt safe and alive, whole and happy. It felt a lot like the thrill she found riding the upper air currents or crossing the threshold of a sonic rainboom all rolled into one, like drinking in the smell of a warm spring breeze after a light rain shower. The music and dance were the same.

“Twilight?” Rainbow asked. “Is this what it always feels like for Earth Ponies?”

“No, Rainbow. This is a special time. Let it sink in.”

They both stood there for a moment, letting the sensation permeate their cores. They would have stayed longer had they not been interrupted.

Applejack landed hard and came to a rolling stop at the base of a nearby apple tree. “Hey y’all. Did you see how high I went?” She rolled over and got up on all fours, shaking off the dust and rubbing a bruised shoulder from her rough landing. “These wings are somethin’ else—almost as good as…” She glanced over at her friends, both deep in concentration, but quickly regaining awareness of her presence.

“It’s good to see you’re enjoying them, Applejack,” Twilight said, lifting her hooves out of the divots she had made in the soil.

“I… I…” Applejack’s smile flipped upside down the more she poked at the ground. “Twilight, I’m… I’m going to miss it, aren’t I?”

“I’m afraid so, Applejack.” Twilight approached, but Applejack took a few steps away. “I could tell you all about it, if you want. It really is a beautiful thing.”

“Thanks, but no thanks.” Applejack turned and began to walk away. “I… I just need some time to think before the meeting, alone.” Before she got more than a few yards away, a trio of cupcakes appeared, one next to each pony. Applejack punted hers in stride, unfurled her wings, and leapt into the sky.

“Applejack!” Twilight cried after the fleeing Pegasus, but it did no good. Applejack didn’t turn back, and she had no option to follow.

“Mmm, these are good,” Rainbow Dash said through a mouthful of cake and frosting. “Not quite as good as flying, or the happy trees, but still pretty good.”

Twilight eyed the cupcake sitting in the dirt beside her. “That reminds me. I better go check on Pinkie.”

“Mind if I stay here and ‘talk’ to the trees some more?” Rainbow picked up an apple and spun it on her hoof. “They sure have a lot to say, and I’m almost certain I can learn a few more things about this whole Earth Pony deal before the day is done.”

“That’s fine,” Twilight said. “Just be sure and get yourself to the meeting on time.”

“Roger that,” Dash replied before taking the entire apple in a single bite and driving her hooves back into the dirt.

---

“Twilight! Over here, dear.” Rarity waved from her seat in front of Ponyville Cafe. “Come. Join us for lunch.”

Twilight glanced down the street toward Sugarcube Corner before altering course and trotting over to Rarity and Fluttershy. “Sorry, girls. I’m on my way to check in on Pinkie. I’ll catch up with you later.”

“Oh, but you’ve just missed her,” Rarity said, signaling to an empty chair beside her. “Pull up a chair while you wait. She said she’d be back soon.”

“I don’t know about that, Rarity,” Fluttershy said. “She just barely took off toward Canterlot with an entire wagon full of cupcakes. She might be a while.”

“Well, you may be right, Fluttershy, but that means Twilight now has ample time to enjoy a meal in the company of friends.”

Twilight sighed. “I guess I’ll have lunch then. Hopefully I’m not intruding on your meal.” She sat down and pulled up a menu.

“Not at all. Not at all.” Rarity flashed a big smile as a few passersby slowed and stared at the trio. “Nothing to see here. Move along.” She gave them a shooing motion, and they saw it was best to keep moving without asking questions.

Twilight pulled her menu around to shield herself from the street view. “I guess I didn’t think about how the rest of the town would react to our little experiment. Sorry girls.”

“Pish, posh. Think nothing of it, Twilight. They’ve seen stranger things than three friends enjoying an afternoon lunch together.”

“Yeah, but… I’m a princess, and—”

“They’ll get over it.” Rarity went back to perusing her menu. “Now, what are you both having?”

“I’ll have a daisy sandwich,” Fluttershy said, levitating her menu to the side and flapping it like a bird to try and signal the waiter.

“Wow, Fluttershy, you’re a natural.” Twilight folded her own menu and set it back on the table.

“I had a good friend to practice with this morning,” Fluttershy said, nodding to Rarity.

“And Fluttershy’s been incredibly helpful in teaching me all about proper wingcare, as well as some basic flying technique.” Rarity fanned out her wings. “I can’t imagine the sorry state these would be in without her magic touch.”

Fluttershy blushed. “Oh, Rarity, it really wasn’t all that hard. You’ve had wings before, and you already know the basics.”

“On the contrary, Pegasi wings are completely different. The others don’t even compare to having a set of my own to take care of. Thanks to you, I can feel confident in presenting myself in public, and that is no small thing given my exceptionally high standards.”

“It was nothing, really.” Fluttershy brushed a lock of her mane out from in front of her face and over her ear, further exposing her horn. “Thanks again for giving me the boost of confidence I needed as well.”

“You’re very welcome, Fluttershy, and I’d do it again without a second thought.”

The two ponies leaned over to each other and embraced in a gentle hug.

Twilight clapped her hooves with a touch of inward glee. “That’s wonderful, girls. It’s exactly how I hoped this experiment would help bring us closer together.”

Rarity gave a little cough and patted her chest to clear her throat. “Now it’s your turn, Twilight. Tell us what you’ve been up to so far today.”

Twilight gave a little chuckle followed by a sigh. “Well, to be honest, I haven’t done a whole lot. I spent most of the morning trying to get Rainbow Dash out of bed. By the time I finally helped convince her that not having wings wasn’t the end of the world, we missed meeting up with you, Fluttershy, at your cottage.”

“Oh my. I’m sorry I wasn’t home when you stopped by. I—”

“Don’t worry about it. We made the most of our trip and went to visit Applejack instead.”

“And how is she doing with her new set of wings, if I might ask?” Rarity said, absentmindedly flapping her own.

“Surprisingly well,” Twilight said. “She finished the apple harvest in record time, but I’m not so sure that’s what she wanted. I believe she’s a tiny bit put out that she couldn’t participate in the harvest celebration.”

“The harvest celebration?” Fluttershy said, an inquiring tone in her voice.

“It’s an Earth Pony thing. Maybe Rainbow Dash can tell you about it some time.”

“Is she doing alright?” Rarity asked. “I know she didn’t look happy when we left the castle last night.”

“I think she’s over the hurdle. It took her a while to realize she wasn’t only losing her wings, but gaining something else in return. She had a moment, but she’s okay now. I think I’ll let her share her own experience when she’s ready to talk about it.” Twilight twirled around to see about finding the waiter that seemed to be avoiding their table. “Hopefully Pinkie is doing okay; she’s the one I’m really worried about.”

“She did look a little frazzled, but that’s practically normal for Pinkie.” Rarity batted a hoof in the air to push away the thought of anything more threatening. “It’s not like she could destroy the whole town on accident or anything.”

“She did Pinkie Promise that she’d make it to the meeting tonight,” Fluttershy added.

“That’s good,” Twilight said. “I just wonder how she’s handling the responsibility of being a princess, even if I did make her promise to stay out of government affairs and stick to the things she knows.”

“Ahem.” The waiter made a cautious motion towards the table. “Your Highness, before I take your order, I have a small favor to ask, if you don’t mind.”

“Not at all,” Twilight said, a bit startled by his sudden appearance.

“I understand that you and your friends have everything totally under control here, but could you please give us some warning if the town is about to be flooded with frosting or any such similar disaster. I’d like to close the shop and move a safe distance away before that happens.”

Twilight, Rarity, and Fluttershy began to laugh. The waiter did not.

---

Princess Pinkie Pie burst through the throne room doors and dragged herself over to her seat. “Sorry I’m late, girls. It’s been a crazy day. I’ve been baking, baking, baking, and then delivering, delivering, delivering cupcakes all across Equestria, but I made a Pinkie Promise that I’d be here for our meeting, so here I am.” Under her breath she mumbled, “But I still have to finish all of Manehattan and half of Fillydelphia.”

“Thank you for joining us, Princess,” Twilight said, addressing her as well as everypony else gathered around the table. “We’ve all had a long day, but I’m afraid our friendship game has come to an end. We have a few more minutes to share our experiences before the magic runs its course and the game tokens set us back to our normal selves.”

“What?” Pinkie squealed. “Right now?”

“Really?” Applejack said. “I thought I’d have a few more hours before bedtime to take one more flight around town.”

“And I promised all my animal friends that I would put on a magic show for them tonight as well,” Fluttershy said.

“Sorry to disappoint you all, but I thought I made it clear that the magic only lasts twenty-four hours,” Twilight said. “That means twenty-four hours from the time we cast in our tokens, not from when they affected our changes.”

“I can’t say that I haven’t enjoyed the opportunity to fly around town today, but I am looking forward to being reunited with my horn,” Rarity said.

“And I can’t wait to get back to flying, period,” Rainbow added.

Twilight glanced around the table, hoping she didn’t have to call on anypony to start things off. “So, girls, for the final part of our friendship game, let’s share what we’ve all learned today.”

“I gotta be honest, Twilight,” Applejack said. “I didn’t think I’d be learnin’ much today, but I was wrong. No matter how fast I could fly or how quick I finished the harvest, it just didn’t compare to the satisfaction of a hard day’s work. I missed the connection I have with my apple trees and how it feels to bring in the crop one steady buck at a time. No offense to any Pegasi, having a set of wings is great and all, but I prefer to keep my hooves on the ground. I guess I learned to appreciate the things I got, especially when I worked hard to get ‘em.”

As she spoke, a warm glow of magic enveloped Applejack’s wings. In less time than it took for her to realize it, they were gone, collapsed into the miniature cloud they spawned from. The cloud rose from Applejack’s seat and floated across the table to Rainbow Dash.

Dash reached out to grab for her cloud, but her hoof sailed right through it. “Fine!” She hung her head. “When I first got paired up with Applejack, I wanted to quit the game right away, but I knew I couldn’t, and I was stuck with becoming an Earth Pony. I cried the whole night while the magic took my wings from me. I gotta say, that was probably the hardest thing I’ve ever had to face. It took a good friend to help me see the opportunity I was missing, and now I’m glad I got the chance to live as an Earth Pony today. It doesn’t mean I want to spend the rest of my life as one, just that I never knew how special Earth Ponies were. Now I know, and I’ll never forget that experience.”

The cloud moved behind Rainbow Dash of its own accord. Following a small zap, the tingle of a familiar set of muscles and bone began to fill the empty space on Rainbow’s back. The brave and fearless pony let a happy tear fall, once again in possession of her prized set of wings. She lifted one side and tucked her cloud away. Applejack’s apple token materialized in front of her, and without hesitation, Rainbow gobbled up the entire thing.

“Hey now,” Applejack said, “that’s my apple.”

Even with her mouth mostly full, Rainbow Dash spat out a few words, “And you’ve got an entire crop to take care of back at Sweet Apple Acres.”

“I guess yer right.” Applejack smiled and nodded as Rainbow finished gulping down her dinner.

“Anypony else?” Twilight asked. “This is some really good stuff, but I think we’re just skimming the surface here.”

“Ahem,” Rarity replied, clearing her throat for what had to be the hundredth time that day, “I just want to say how grateful I am to have such wonderful friends. I don’t know what I would do without all of you. I’ve spent most of my life trying to take care of everything by myself, but that hasn’t always worked out for the best. It’s very comforting to know that I can always depend on you when I need your help the most, or even when I don’t think I do. Trial and error is an unforgiving teacher, and having a friend to help guide you through life’s rough patches is something more precious than the rarest of gems.”

She coughed one last time, and a single white feather sailed out of her mouth. It looked badly damaged from the intense preening job she had given herself earlier that morning. The magic glow that enveloped it helped to straighten it out while gathering in all the rest of its feathery friends from her dissolving wing structure. The feather took a spin around her head, producing Rarity’s former horn as it twirled up and away from her chair before settling down to rest in front of Fluttershy.

Fluttershy watched as the feather regained its bright yellow hue, nodding her acknowledgment that she was next in line to speak. Before she began, she took a moment to gaze around the circle at all of her friends. Their smiles and nods of encouragement gave her the confidence she needed to share her experience. “What I learned wasn’t exactly something new, but it’s a lesson I need to remind myself of once in a while. I’m not always comfortable with myself and how others see me. It’s hard for me to accept change because I can be my own worst critic. I need to remember that it doesn’t really matter what I look like on the outside, as long as I am comfortable with who I am on the inside. If I can learn to accept that, others can do the same. I’m also grateful to have such wonderful friends who can help remind me of that when I have trouble remembering myself. Oh, and I learned I’m pretty good with magic.”

The feather on the table floated up to Fluttershy’s horn and swept it away right down to the silver ring around the base. Her wings sprouted and grew into place as the other ponies watched again in awe of the transformation. Once complete, Fluttershy reached up to take the horn ring from her forehead to give it back to Rarity.

Rarity acted quickly with her magic and produced a silver chain from seemingly out of nowhere. “Here, darling. Why don’t you keep that as a reminder of the time you used your magic to teach me how to fly.” She ran the chain through the ring and snaked it around Fluttershy’s neck, closing the clasp on the necklace before she could say no.

Fluttershy clutched the necklace to her chest and smiled and nodded her acceptance.

Twilight couldn’t help but smile as she jotted down a few notes on an official looking scroll. When she was done, she looked over at Pinkie who seemed to be staring at one particular spot on the floor with nothing even close to resembling a smile on her face, her forehooves mashed together with her hind hooves tapping away at the front of her chair.

“I’ll go next,” Twilight said, much to Pinkie’s visible relief. Twilight took a deep breath in order to focus her thoughts. “I wasn’t born an Alicorn, but since having become one, I’ve come to understand the importance of keeping the various aspects that I represent in balance. Today has given me a chance to explore my Earth Pony aspect and really focus on myself as a Earth Pony without the complications of magic and flight. I’m grateful to be the Princess of Friendship, and I know I wouldn’t be who I am without all of you. You’ve all taught me so much, even Pinkie, who I assume is still worried about delivering cupcakes to everypony in Manehattan for some reason. Thank you all for taking the time to—”

“Do you think there’s still time to take care of that?” Pinkie asked.

“No, Princess, I don’t,” Twilight said. “I think you’ve done everything you can do for one day, and you should feel good about everything you accomplished.”

“But what about the foals? Think of all the hungry foals that will go to bed tonight without a cupcake. I’ve failed, Twilight. I don’t know what I’m—”

“Pinkie!” Twilight said in a stern, yet compassionate way, something she’d picked up from Celestia over the years. “You’ve done a great job as the Princess of Cupcakes, and I’m pretty sure the lesson you were supposed to learn is that a princess can’t do everything for everypony else.”

Pinkie settled back into her chair, crestfallen. “You’re right. You’re right. I didn’t want to stop because it felt like I was giving up, but deep down I knew I couldn’t do it all. A princess can only do as much as she can, and that’s all she can do. It’s the same for everypony. It’s just so hard when you have so many ponies counting on you. I felt like I needed to do more, or else I was letting them all down. That was wrong of me, and I see that now. You can have the horn and the wings, Twilight. I don’t want to be a princess anymore; I just want to be plain, old Pinkie ‘vanilla’ Pie. She’s happy taking life one party at a time.”

Twilight’s horn and wings grew back just as Pinkie’s began to disappear. A simple cupcake found it’s way to the table alongside the spellbook where the whole game started. Twilight raised up the cupcake and set it in front of Pinkie Pie. “Pinkie, I think that’s the most important lesson of all. I’m glad we could learn it together.”