Shipping Mission

The four ponies sat around the desk, awaiting for their last member to arrive. The room was dark, each mare only carrying a silhouette shape to confirm they were still there. No one spoke, with the exception of the clock that kept ticking.

"Hey wait a second... we don't have a clock in here!" A young southern filly broke the long silence. "Sweetie Belle, stop clapping your hooves together." She turned to the unicorn filly next to her, who's mane was curled. Sweetie Belle obeyed her friend, and pulled her hooves back under the table to stop her tapping.

"I'm sorry Apple Bloom, I'm just so bored." She sighed. "Where the hay is she?"

"Now girls," An older mare spoke up. "We have to be patient. What she's doing right now is very serious. Of course it's going to take a while!"

"Yeah. Four hours and fourty-two minutes." Another filly with a more scratchy voice scoffed. As soon as she said that, they heard hooves clopping on the floor, coming towards them. The pegasus filly than gasped. "We've been found out!"

"Well, we ain't goin' down! Not today!" Apple Bloom retorted. "Scootaloo, get the big spotlight thing!"

"On it!" Scootaloo then rushed over to the corner, and started to pull out a large object. She grunted as she did so, then let go and panted when it didn't budge.

"Let me help!" Offered Sweetie Belle, running over to her side. Green magic sparked from her horn, eventually an aura with a matching colour glowed around the handle.

"Thanks." Scootaloo nodded, taking on the job to push it in the middle of the room instead of pulling it. Just in time too, as soon as the light was facing the door, it opened. Apple Bloom quickly flicked the switch on so that whoever was about to enter was visible. She then leaped in front of her whole team.

"We ain't gonna let you tell anypony about this without a fight!" She announced, then widened her eyes at whom she had just said that to.

"Oh my! I didn't mean it, I'm innocent!" In front of them, a yellow pegasus cowered as the spotlight beamed on her alone. Everpony sighed with relief.

"Oh, it's just you, Fluttershy." The other full grown mare said. She walked over to her, then held out a hoof. "Sorry, we thought it was somepony else."

"It's alright Cadance..." She squeaked.

"So, did you get the stuff?" Scootaloo skidded over next to her and nudged her leg. Fluttershy flinched a bit, still slightly shaken up.

"Um... yes." She confirmed, slowly making her way to the desk. Reaching her hoof in her saddlebag, the pegasus took out a book, along with some separate pieces of paper. Then, she sat down on her own seat, followed by the others.

Apple Bloom reached over to the book she had dropped in front of them and scanned it with her eyes.

"So Twilight did have it after all." She rubbed her hooves together in excitement.

"I feel so bad about taking it without her permission..." Fluttershy whimpered, looking down to the floor.

"Don't be. It's a library." Scootaloo assured her.

"Um... she lives in a castle now, not a library."

The younger pegasus blinked. "Uh... castle library then."

"Woah... you took a lot of notes." Cadance commented, levitating the papers in front of her.

Fluttershy giggled out of embarrassment. "There was so much to write down..."

"I can see that."

"Hey! Check this out, love can usually be triggered by an act of jealousy." Apple Bloom exclaimed, almost totally lost in her interest of the book. Sweetie Belle raised a brow.

"Um, why are we researching love? I thought we were just going to use Cadance's powers." She tilted her head in confusion. Everpony in the room stopped to stare at her.

"Did you learn nothing from the love poison?" Apple Bloom asked her.

"And my magic only works for those already in a relationship." Cadance looked up at her horn.

"But from the notes I took, Discord and Celestia were once in a relationship." Fluttershy added.

"They aren't anymore though. Which is why I think this plan could work." The southern filly tapped the page. Fluttershy looked at the book.

"Jealousy?" She echoed her. Apple Bloom smirked, then nodded. "But... how do I make Discord jealous?"

The filly slapped a hoof on her own face. "No, I mean, make Princess Celestia jealous!" She explained. Fluttershy became all the more confused.

"Uh... how do we do that exactly?" She whimpered, also noticing everypony staring at her, clearly knowing something she didn't.

"Tell me, who's Discord's closest friend?" Cadance rested her hooves on the desk.

"Pinkie Pie?" Fluttershy guessed. Next to her, Scootaloo groaned.

"You, silly!"

"Wait... are you saying I have to try and make Celestia jealous?" She gasped. "But I don't have a crush on Discord or anything, we're just best friends!"

"Of course you don't, you have a crush on Rainbow Dash." Scootaloo rolled her eyes. Fluttershy turned to look at her in surprise.

"What?"

"Nothing!" The orange pegasus raised her hooves. "What I mean to say is, you don't have to be in a romantic relationship, you just have to make Celestia think that!"

"Oh... I don't know..." Fluttershy shyed a little, her main covering some of her face.

"Oh please, our aim is for Celestia to take her anger out on Discord, not you. The worst she can do to you is send you to the moon!" Cadance giggled.

"Thanks for being the supportive princess that you are." Fluttershy scowled.

"I was kidding." She told her.

"I know... but how exactly do I make Celestia even consider we're in a relationship?" The timid pegasus asked. The five ponies thought for a second, then Apple Bloom stood up from her chair and trotted over to the wall behind them. She reached her hoof up to a string that hung from a tiny ledge, pulled it, and revealed a drawing board.

"Simple..." She began.