Into the Lightby nutcase4realChaptersPrologueThe LetterPrepare For DepartureOf Ice Cream and PlansPrologueShe could hear them behind her. They were catching up for sure. She looked to the left and saw an opening so she galloped faster than she ever had before. Once inside the cave she moved further in and crouched down behind some rocks. Her panting would give her away if they entered the cave after, but more than likely no pony had seen her enter, and if the lady of the night was with her, they wouldn't see the cave. Anxiously she watched the opening waiting for somepony to enter. She was out of options, and out of time. If only her escorts were just earlier. She wouldn't of had to run for dear life from the only family she had ever known. Soon she could hear hooves pounding the ground outside. "Which way did she go?!" said one voice. "I don't know, but I'll fly on up ahead and try to find her. On second thought, maybe you should come with me." said another. "Okay." the first one replied. The two must've took to the air cause after a brief breeze entered the cave, all was silent outside. She released her breath and greedily began sucking down more precious air. Her legs ached, her lungs burned, and her mind was racing every which way, but one thing was clear in her mind. She couldn't let them catch her. She had betrayed the society, her family. If they catch her vengeance would be swift and final. Nopony would listen to her. Nopony cared about the outside world. Nopony cared about the disease that she knew she had. According to them it's all made up. It's just a story created from dreams. She knew the truth though. She decided to glance out of the cave. Nopony was near her that she could see. She chanced a few steps outside of the entrance and looked to the skies. Nopony was there either. She started trotting away from the cave and deeper into the forest that was up until today forbidden for her to enter. Now it was her escape route. Her way away from the others. Her way towards helping herself and the rest of the outside world. She just had to keep moving and not get caught. She made her way deeper and deeper into the wooded area, until she came to a clearing. She glanced around and saw that Nopony was there, but still just to be safe she decided it would be wise to keep in the tree-line and make her way around the clearing. As she did so something caught her eye in the clearing. Something was reflecting light on the ground. she had no idea what it was, and she knew it was a bad idea to check it out, but she just couldn't get the thought out of her mind that it might somehow be helpful to her. She sighed internally and took a deep breath. She slowly made her way into the clearing. Her ears swiveled this way and that trying t pick up even the tiniest of sounds. After a few seconds of hearing nothing but crickets, she allowed herself to relax a little. Cautiously she moved towards the object. She picked it up and examined it inquisitively. 'How'd a mirror get all the way out here?' she thought. As her stare lingered she got the overwhelming feeling that something or someone was watching her. Slowly she turned the mirror and saw a pair of eyes staring directly at her from behind. "Found you!" Was all she heard as the pony jumped onto her and forced her onto the ground. The LetterFluttershy trotted down the street towards Twilight's castle at a brisk pace. Princess Celestia had already began lowering the sun for the day, and Fluttershy certainly didn't want to be outside in the darkness for her return trip home. 'I wonder where the day went. All I did today was just wake up, give food to my creature friends, help the new robin family settle into a new home, negotiate a truce between Applejack and the beaver clan, visit Barry Bear, gave lunch to my friends, read' The Complete Guide To Finding Your Assertiveness' , finished painting the new birdhouse I brought yesterday, and brought some medicine to Mr. And Ms. Shrew for their sick baby.' Fluttershy paused for a moment, 'I guess time really flies when you're having fun. As if on cue, something flew directly over Fluttershy's head startling her. She fell to the ground and covered her face with her forehooves. She decided to take a peek at what ever it might have been. When she looked up all she could see was the figure siloetted by the glorious sun. "It's only me Fluttershy." came the annoyed voice of Rainbow Dash, "Sheesh! You are such a scaredy-pony." Fluttershy tentively rose from her defensive position, "Good afternoon Rainbow Dash." she said with a small smile that found it's way to her lips. The two mares started walking together until another figure approached. "Darlings, how are the two of you doing today?" Rarity asked with a warm grin. "I'm well Rarity. How are you?" Fluttershy responded softly. "Same old, same old." Dash said. "I'm doing fabulous darling! Thanks for asking." Rarity said. The three continued down the road and eventually the group became four then five as their other friends tagged along. "Twilight said that Princess Celestia sent a letter that we all have to read together!" Pinkie exclaimed as she jovially bounced around the rest of the group, "Who knows what it could be! It could a dangerous mission! Or maybe she and Princess Luna are resigning from office and they've selected us to run Equestria! Or maybe it's arrest orders for all of us!" Pinkie theorised out loud. "And just why would we be arrested?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Well Fluttershy stole her pet, Twilight and I broke into her castle, Rarity basically made a sweatshop in Manehatten last time we all went there, you broke into a hospital to steal a book Dash, and Applejack wanted to kill off an endangered species!" Pinkie said with a big smile. "I did not make a sweatshop! Besides I apologized." Rarity explained. "I didn't know those flying varmits were endangered to begin with, also I didn't want to kill them. I just wanted them off Sweet Apple Acres." Applejack retorted. "Princess Celestia forgave me for taking Philomena." Fluttershy said quietly. "Hey! I did my community service for that!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "Yeah I guess you guys are right. I mean Twilight and I didn't exactly break into the castle either I guess." Pinkie said thoughtfully. "So what do ya'll think this is all about?" Applejack asked as she adjusted her Stetson absent-mindedly. "I hope it's a mission!" Dash exclaimed with a hoof pump. "Well darlings, what it is must be Important fir it to require all of us." Rarity stated with a small smile. The friends stopped in front of the massive front door of Twilight's castle. The group exchanged glances at one another until Pinkie spoke up. "We won't find out standing out here girls!" she flings open the door, "Lets get moving!" Twilight Sparkle rested her head on her hoof. The suspense was excruciating, but she had to wait for her friends to arrive. On the envelope, that was on the table in front of her, it was clearly written that she had to have her friends present for when she opened the envelope. She levitated it up and inspected the letter for the tenth time and made the discovery that nothing had changed about the envelope in any way. She released the item, and allowed her head to continue resting on her hoof. Twilight's ears perked up when she heard the sound of the door opening. A small dragon entered the room and walked towards the table. "Oh, it's just you Spike." Twilight said with ore than just a little disappointment in her voice. "Well sorry that I'm 'just Spike'." Spike said pointedly. Twilight's head found the table again, "Spike you know I didn't mean it like that." she sighed "It's just that... I really want to know what is inside this letter." "I know Twilight. Don't worry the others well be here soon." Spike said with a grin. "Others? What others?" Pinkie asked as she hopped out from behind Spike. This startled the young drake and he leapt off the ground. He landed and clutched his chest. "You need to stop doing that!" he said to the bouncing Pinkie Pie. The door to the throne room opened and the others walked in. "Thank goodness you're all here now!" Twilight nearly shrieked in excitement. "Now we can finally see what Princess Celestia's letter says." Pinkie bounced over to Twilight and patted her head, "Silly Twilight, letters don't talk." Twilight shook Pinkie's hoof off of her head and levitated the letter out of the envelope. Carefully she unfolded the paper and read what was written aloud. 'In a time long ago after the first fall of Nightmare Moon, a society rose focused on the idea that one day she would return and once more try to bring about eternal night. However, when she did the nightmare was cleansed from my sister by you six brave ponies. You defeated Nightmare Moon and gave me back my sister, but unfortunately my intelligence agencies have discovered something horrible. Not only does this society still exist, but they have found away to reawaken the Nightmare. They plan to bring it back, and help it achieve its goal of conquering our beloved Equestria. This new threat must be dealt with post haste if we are to save our beloved nation from danger. Princess Twilight, we have no idea how far this society has spread. Anypony could be a member of this treasonous community, but we must not cause a panic in our search for answers. I trust that you and your friends, who have saved Equestria numerous times before, are willing to help put a stop to this plot before the society sees fruition of its cause. Equestria needs all of your help once more. Once every one of your friends and yourself responds with a "Yes" a new parchment will materialize, with more instructions. Twilight placed the letter on the table and looked to her friends. She cleared her throat and said loudly, "Yes. Well girls? Are you with me?" she asked all at once. "Yes!" Rainbow Dash shouted "You know I'm in." she zipped over to Twilight's side. "Yes." Applejack said as she walked over. "Yes!" Pinkie exclaimed as she bounced over. "Yes." Rarity said as she walked over as well. All eyes turned to Fluttershy, who gulped quietly. She began to breathe faster and faster, each breath getting deeper and deeper. "Sugarcube," Applejack started "we can't do this without ya." "We need you Fluttershy. Please say you'll help us. Equestria needs us." Twilight pleaded. "Yeah! I mean come on Fluttershy, don't you want to save Equestria and kick some major flank while doing it?" Rainbow Dash excitedly blurted out. "Of course I want to help Rainbow, but I don't want to fight anypony." Fluttershy said in as level of a voice as possible. "You won't have to fight darling." Rarity chimed in, "We may not even find anything, but it is still our duty to help." Pinkie Pie nodded her head quickly and bounced over to her yellow friend, "Besides, we are a winning team Fluttershy! We need all of us to do this!" Fluttershy took a deep breath, "Yes." The letter lifted off the table in a golden glow and began to spin rapidly. With a bright burst of light the letter disappeared and in its place was two scrolls. Twilight opened the first one since it had the royal seal on it, and read it aloud. Thank you all for agreeing to help Equestria once more in a time of dire need. In the other scroll is the last known location of one of the members of the Dark Society who has agreed to help. She needs to be found and escorted to safety before she will reveal any more information. Please hurry and bring her to a safe location. Twilight and friends looked to the other scroll. Twilight used her magic to open the scroll. Inside was a picture of brown earth pony mare with a black mane and brown eyes. Her cutie mark was a crescent moon with a series of three stars to the left of the moon. Twilight showed the picture to her friends and saw the name of the mare on the back of the parchment. "Dark Moonstar." Twilight read aloud. "What's that?" Pinkie asked out loud. "Is it candy? Cause that's a bad name for a candy. Oo oo oo is it a cupcake? Or how about a type of ice cream!" "It's her name Pinkie Pie." Twilight said with a giggle. "That was my next guess!" Fluttershy looked at the picture of the mare "Where is she?" she asked aloud. "It doesn't say?" Applejack asked as she peered over Fluttershy's shoulder. "No. All I see is a picture of her standing in a meadow." Fluttershy answered. Twilight picked up the photograph. She cast a spell that would show if any magic had been used on the photo, but it showed nothing. Rarity took a closer look as well. She pulled the paper closer to herself and closely examined it. Pinkie Pie came closer and her eyes lit up. She snatched the piece of paper away from Rarity's magic and ran. "Pinkie Pie! What are you doing?" Rainbow Dash called out as Pinkie Pie held the photo over a lit candle. "It smells like lemons!" she called out happily. Rainbow Dash took to the air and started swooping down at the pink mare, "You're gonna catch it on fi..." Dash stopped and hovered in place as she saw a message appear just below the photo. "What the?" she asked. "Me and my sisters passed notes like this all the time when we were fillies. All you need is lemon juice and water and viola!" she presented the paper to Twilight, "Invisible ink!" "Galloping Hollows." Twilight read. "Galloping Hollows? That's over by Manehattan." Applejack said thoughtfully. "Well it looks like we got to pack and purchase some train tickets." Fluttershy said quietly. "Alright girls, pack only what you need for this. We got to move fast and get Dark Moonstar back to Ponyville." Twilight started, "Lets meet up at the train station in two hours." The girls nodded resolutely and began heading to each of their homes. Fluttershy trotted at a brisk pace back to her cottage. The sun was below the horizon now, but she couldn't let her friends down now. The only problem she might have would be Angel Bunny. He hated it when she went away, but she would just have to explain to him that it would only be for a day or two at the most. 'I hope he understands.' Prepare For Departure"Oh but Angel, it'll only be for a day or two." Fluttershy tried to explain. "I'll be back..." And for the fourth time in less than five minutes a carrot bounced off Fluttershy's muzzle. An angry bunny spun on its heels and dejectedly crossed its arms. Fluttershy gently took to the air and landed in front of him. "Angel, please understand." she said as she lowered herself to his level. He spun again and recrossed his arms. "Angel Bunny, stop acting so foalish." Fluttershy blurted out as she stood to her full height. The bunny slowly spun around and stared at her in awe. It was rare when Fluttershy would raise her voice to him, so he knew this must be important. "Somewhere out there is a pony who can help us stop something very bad from happening, and that pony needs our help Angel. I'd feel terrible if something happened because I wasn't there to help them or my friends." Angel hopped closer to Fluttershy and looked up into her eyes. They didn't show anger at all, they seemed sullen and worrisome. She wasn't angry at him. She feared for the unknown pony she spoke of. Angel Bunny hung his head low and hopped over to Fluttershy. He wrapped his fuzzy arms around her leg. "I know you're sorry Angel, and I know you're lonely whenever I leave. But, I have to Angel." she said as she returned his little show of affection. She released him and walked into her room to pack a few things she would need. She only had a few minutes before she would have to begin heading to the train station. She walked back into the room after a few minutes to find a salad that Angel had prepared. He hopped into sight and pushed it towards her. Fluttershy smiled warmly at him, "Thank you Angel. I guess with everything that's been going on today I really haven't eaten anything." Fluttershy finished the salad and gave Angel one last hug before heading out the door. However, she soon realized that she had forgotten her saddlebags in the cottage. She ran back inside and grabbed her bags, and began trotting quickly towards town once more. Twilight stood in the ticket line at the train station with Spike. "So do you think this is going to go bad?" Spike asked Twilight. "Honestly, I don't know Spike. I mean I hope it doesn't, but if this 'Dark Society' really is as bad as the letter insists then anything is possible." Twilight answered. Spike gulped audibly, "I was hoping you wouldn't say that." Rainbow Dash landed right next to them, much to the annoyance of everypony behind them in the line "Don't you worry little guy! If things go south I'll be there to kick flank!" Dash rose up onto her hind legs and threw a few air punches. "Our hero." Twilight said while rolling her eyes. "Oh you know it." Rainbow said with a cheeky grin. Twilight walked up to the ticket sales window, "Is there a stop in Galloping Hollows?" The attendant looked at a map that had all of the lines stops on it. He studied it for a few moments and turned back towards Twilight, "I'm sorry Princess, but it would appear that there isn't." "Hmm... in that case can I get two tickets to Manehatten?" "One moment mam." he looked the schedule over, "It looks like the next departure will be in about three hours. Will that be satisfactory?" "That's midnight right?" The attendant nodded. "I'll take them." She pushed the required bits into the booth. He counted them and pushed two tickets towards Twilight. While that was going on, Rainbow Dash was busy explaining to the pony behind her why she had cut the line. "Look I have to go with my friends to help save somepony!" she quickly explained. "Oh sure you do, and I have a cat the size of Princess Celestia!" the mare said as she stomped a hoof. "No really! I swear!" Rainbow leaned towards Twilight and whispered in her ear, "Come on, back me up on this." Twilight walked in between the two mares, "I'm sorry my friend cut you." she turned towards Rainbow, "She's sorry too. So much so that she's going to move to the back of the line. Aren't you Rainbow?" Rainbow's mouth fell open, "You're taking her side?" "Aren't you?" Twilight asked with a bit more force and a glare. "Uhhh, yeah. Sure." Dash replied with a fake smile. As she moved out of the line and started walking towards the back of the line she looked towards Twilight, "What was that about? I could've just gotten my ticket and been done with it." she glared at Twilight now, "Now I have to wait for like ever in this line." "It wouldn't have been right, besides our train isn't leaving for a while." Rainbow opened her mouth to reply to that but was cut off by Spike. "Hey look! There's Rarity!" he said as he started running over to her. "Go get her lover boy." Dash said under her breath as she reached the back and sat dejectedly on her haunches. Twilight caught up to Spike and Rarity just in time to hear, "Do be a dear and hurry Spikey-Wikey." "Of course Rarity." Spike said in a dream like state as he hurried out the door. "I hope you don't mind Twilight, but Spike offered to get my bags." Rarity said with a smile. "That's fine Rarity. Make sure to get a ticket to Manehatten for the midnight departure." Twilight said with a smile of her own. "Manehatten?" Rarity asked with a bit of confusion. "Apparently Galloping Hollows doesn't have a station." Twilight explained. Rarity nodded and walked over to a Rainbow Dash who was still glaring at Twilight. Pinkie Pie came bouncing in next. "Um why is Spike carrying like a mountain of bags?" she asked. "What?" asked Twilight. The door swung open and in came a pile of bags that was apparently floating and grunting. The bags suddenly settled onto the ground. "Ouch..." the pile said. Twilight lifted the pile off of the floor and then levitated an exhausted Spike off of the floor and onto her back. "Rarity I said bring only the essentials." Twilight said. "Oh but darling these are essential." "You need this much stuff for two days?" "To be fair Twilight, we don't know if we'll be staying longer, and have you tried going on with an improperly kept mane?" Rarity surveyed Twilight for a moment "On second thought I can see that you have." "Rarity you're not bringing all of that." Twilight said flatly. "And why can't I bring my things?" Rarity asked pointedly. "We can't transport all of that the entire time we're out there." Twilight responded. Rarity thought for a moment, "Fine. I'll just take it all back home." Pinkie Pie watched as Rarity walked out of the room followed by a parade of bags. She bounced over to Twilight who was checking on her number one assistant. "Hey Twilight, where are we going?" Pinkie asked with a little pep. "Well since Galloping Hollows does have a train station, we have to travel to Manehatten and walk from there or find a carriage service that'll take us." "Ok!" Pinkie said as she bounced away. She quickly returned though, "Why is Dashie staring at you like that?" "Cause I made her go to the back of the line after she cut others." Twilight explained as she helped Spike stand. "Ok!" Pinkie said as she bounced back over to the end of the line with Rainbow. Applejack came in and just walked over to the line without a single word. She just sat behind Pinkie Pie and waited patiently. Fluttershy came in afterwards and walked over to Twilight. "I'm not late am I?" she asked quietly. "Not at all Fluttershy. We have to get midnight tickets to Manehatten, since Galloping Hollows doesn't have a train station." "Ok." Fluttershy said as she walked to the line. After all of the girls had their tickets, they sat and waited for their train to arrive. Pinkie Pie for some odd reason just sat and kept eyeing all of her friends. Rainbow Dash took notice. "What is it Pinkie?" "Hmm? What was that Dashie?" "You just keep staring at all of us. What gives?" Pinkie turned towards Dash, "I had a strange Pinkie Sense after I left the castle. I was in my room packing when I got grumbly stomach, tingly hoovsies, and whippy tail." "Oh? Tell me more." Rainbow Dash said. "Well that combination means that one of my close friends is in danger." "What?" "AAANNNDDD, the weirdest thing of all" Pinkie stopped as her stomach grumbled, she slightly pranced on her hooves, and her tail shot out straight and returned to its original position, "is that it's still happening." "Why haven't you told anypony?" "I did just tell you, but what if one of us isn't us?" "What?" "That's why it's going off even though all of my closest friends are here. One of us isn't us and the real friend is somewhere and in danger." "We need to warn the others!" "Dashie!" Pinkie said as she grabbed Rainbow's tail "We don't know which friend isn't our friend." "So what do we do?" "We play along until we find the fake friend." "Pinkie," Rainbow said with a hint of worry in her voice, "what if they're with the Dark Society? We can't let them get Dark Moonstar." "Pff. I know that Dashie, and we can't go looking for our friend now cause that would be su... susp... weird to the not real friend." Dash nodded and turned towards Pinkie Pie, "Do you think they'll harm our friend?" "No, not really." "How can you be sure Pinkie?" "Cause they probably will want to use our friend to trade for Dark Moonstar if their spy fails." 'Platform six is now boarding for nonstop trip to Manehatten. Nonstop to Manehatten boarding now at platform six.' came over the intercom. "Well," Rainbow started as she looked over to the train, "we better get going." Author's Note Feel free to leave a comment below, negative or otherwise. It can only help me improve. As always critiques are more than welcomed, they are encouraged. Thanks for reading and have a great day. Of Ice Cream and Plans"I'm going to the dining car for ice cream! Anypony want to join me?" Pinkie asked excitedly as she lightly tapped Dash's leg. "Ah'm good." Applejack responded from under her hat, which was shielding the light of the waking world from her eyes. "I need to watch my figure darling." Rarity stated as she tried to stifle a yawn but failed. "If it's ok with you, I'd like to try to get some sleep." Fluttershy said as she began to curl up. "I need to analize this letter again." Twilight said without removing her eyes from the parchment they had received earlier. "Nah." Rainbow yawned as she stretched out. Pinkie Pie glared daggers for a single moment at the mare the last remark came from and kicked her slightly harder. "Ow! Pinkie!" Dash, who now realized why her friend was kicking her, stood up and awkwardly chuckled before saying, "I mean, sure. I'd love some ice cream!" she said with an unconvincing smile. Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash stepped out of the traveler's car and into the dining car rather quickly. They took up the seat on the far side of the car so they could keep an eye on the door they entered from and waited. Pinkie busied herself by staring at the ceiling, the floor, out the window, basically everything. Dash stared at Pinkie Pie with a questioning look for a few moments before she finally voiced what she was thinking. "So Pinkie?" "Yes Dashie?" "Why are we really in the dining car?" "I wanted some ice cream! I already said that silly!" Dash's hoof found her cerulean face and planted itself on her forehead. "Pinkie I thought we were going to talk about the you know what." "The whatsit whosey?" "The not friend Pinkie! You know the one who has replaced one of our friends with a changeling or whatever in Tartarus that thing is!" Dash almost shouted. "The one who helped kidnap one of our friends for Celestia knows what reason," Dash was getting fumed, "sent them to Celestia knows where," she had begun to shake a little, "to do Celestia knows what to them!" she slammed her hooves down on the table and forced her eyes to stay closed. Pinkie Pie just smiled pleasantly back at Dash who has recovering from her little episode. Dash rubbed her temples and did some deep breathing exercises that Rarity had shown her. Eventually she wasn't seeing red anymore and the shaking had almost stopped. "Feeling better?" Pinkie asked casually. "How... how can you be so calm about this Pinkie?" "The not friend has nowhere to go." Pinkie Pie explained as she tried to hail a waitress, who had just entered the car, to no avail. She deflated a little before continuing, "Besides, who knows our friends better than us?" Dash thought about it for a moment and shrugged. "We will find out who it is," the waitress reentered and this time Pinkie Pie got her attention. She then added, "But we can't do it on an empty stomach!" in a singsong tone. Pinkie began placing her order as the waitress walked up. The mare quickly jotted down the order and turned with expectant eyes towards Rainbow Dash. She smiled a little awkwardly at first, but then her stomach made its presence known; just so it could remind Dash of just how hungry she really was. *Meanwhile back in the traveler's car* "I'm going to the restroom." Fluttershy said quietly. "Ok darling, but please don't be too long." Rarity replied. Fluttershy stepped out of the room and made her way to the nearest restroom. She knocked and waited for a response. When none came she quickly zipped into the room, but stopped as soon as the door closed behind her. She couldn't believe that the restroom was this incredibly small. Even a pony as sleek and dainty as herself would have had problems navigating it. She quietly entertained the thought of Bulk Biceps trying to fit inside and allowed herself a quiet giggle. After finishing her business, Fluttershy came out of the restroom and began making her way back to her group's booth, when a sudden suggestion came from her tummy. 'I guess another salad couldn't hurt.' she thought to herself as her face tinted the color of a rose. She made her way past the booth her friends were in and entered the dining car to see Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie at the counter talking with a cashier. She gingerly walked up to them. "Hey Pinkie, hey Rainbow." she said quietly. "Hey Flutters." Dash greeted. "Um what are you girls doing?" Fluttershy asked seeing Pinkie almost glaring at the cashier. "Pinkie Pie ordered ice cream." "Um... ok? And?" "They brought her soft serve instead." "Oh..." "Yeah. This little stare down stared when the cashier said that they were the same thing." "Um... soft serve is a type of ice cream though." Pinkie Pie turned on her heels and was soon snout to snout with Fluttershy. "They are not the same thing!" Fluttershy reeled back and Pinkie Pie relented. "You're right Pinkie. They're not the same thing," Fluttershy found her footing and stopped back pedaling, "but soft serve is still ice cream. The only difference is that more air was introduced while it was freezing." "But they're not the same thing!" Pinkie turned and faced the cashier again. "I asked for ice cream, not soft serve." Finally the cashier threw up her hooves, "Ok, ok! I'll check the freezer car for ice cream!" Pinkie Pie instantly pepped up, "Thanks a bunch!" The mare walked through a door behind her and Pinkie Pie turned back to her friends, "Lets go sit down." The small group of ponies sat at the table Pinkie and Dash had sat at earlier. Dash leaned over to Pinkie and began whispering in her ear while looking over at Fluttershy. "Um... is something wrong?" Fluttershy asked cautiously. Suddenly Pinkie threw confetti at Fluttershy. She never saw it coming and panicked. She froze up instantly and fell out of her seat. She landed on the floor with her wings splayed under her. "She's her." Pinkie said confidently. "Pinkie! You didn't need to scare the life out of her!" Dash shot at her while pointing to a stiff Fluttershy on the floor. "Only Fluttershy would do that when surprised." Pinkie quickly stated with a hoof roll. "Well yeah, but... um... I guess you're right actually." Rainbow said thoughtfully. Ten minutes later "So... how long is she going to be like that?" Pinkie asked while looking over the table at her yellow friend. "Could be minutes, could be hours." Rainbow answered, "One time I threw a snowball at her when we where foals and she still brings it up like she was a war vet or something." Pinkie Pie raised a questioning eyebrow. "Yeah she does take some things like that very seriously." Finally Fluttershy retook her seat. "And what was that for!" she quietly demanded. "It was a test!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed with outstretched forehooves. "A test? A test! A test for what!?" Fluttershy asked. "To make sure that you are Fluttershy. The real one that is." Dash responded. "Wha?" "One of our friends isn't our friend, and we needed to make sure that you were you." Pinkie stated. "Wha?" "Look! One of our friends has been replaced by a changeling or something okay?" Dash responded. "How do you know that?" Fluttershy asked with a quivering voice. "Pinkie Sense." "Oh my!" Fluttershy said as her eyes grew wide with realization. "So where is our friend then?" "We don't know, but the best thing we can do is find the fake friend. Then we can try to find out where our real friend is." "Yeah! Even if we have to beat it out of 'em" Dash said while punching her other hoof. "Oh my, oh my, oh my." "Calm down Fluttershy. Everything will be ok. Just trust you're Auntie Pinkie!" "But, I'm older than..." she sighed, "never mind." "So what should be our next move?" Dash wondered aloud. "Well we have three down, and three to go. We should just get the others one on one with us!" "What?" Fluttershy asked. "Dashie, you take AJ, I'll get Twilight, and Fluttershy gets Rarity!" The waitress came through the door and walked over to their table, "I'm sorry miss but all we have is soft serve." Pinkie Pie beamed at the waitress, "Ok that's fine. It doesn't really matter anyway. They're kinda the same thing right?" Fluttershy's look of confusion was mirrored by Dash, who mumbled, "But, that, I don't, I can't understand her sometimes." "What was that Dashie?" "Nothing Pinkie, just... nothing." Author's Note Feel free to critique. Constructive criticism will only help me improve myself. Hope you're enjoying the story so far. If not please let me know why
PrologueShe could hear them behind her. They were catching up for sure. She looked to the left and saw an opening so she galloped faster than she ever had before. Once inside the cave she moved further in and crouched down behind some rocks. Her panting would give her away if they entered the cave after, but more than likely no pony had seen her enter, and if the lady of the night was with her, they wouldn't see the cave. Anxiously she watched the opening waiting for somepony to enter. She was out of options, and out of time. If only her escorts were just earlier. She wouldn't of had to run for dear life from the only family she had ever known. Soon she could hear hooves pounding the ground outside. "Which way did she go?!" said one voice. "I don't know, but I'll fly on up ahead and try to find her. On second thought, maybe you should come with me." said another. "Okay." the first one replied. The two must've took to the air cause after a brief breeze entered the cave, all was silent outside. She released her breath and greedily began sucking down more precious air. Her legs ached, her lungs burned, and her mind was racing every which way, but one thing was clear in her mind. She couldn't let them catch her. She had betrayed the society, her family. If they catch her vengeance would be swift and final. Nopony would listen to her. Nopony cared about the outside world. Nopony cared about the disease that she knew she had. According to them it's all made up. It's just a story created from dreams. She knew the truth though. She decided to glance out of the cave. Nopony was near her that she could see. She chanced a few steps outside of the entrance and looked to the skies. Nopony was there either. She started trotting away from the cave and deeper into the forest that was up until today forbidden for her to enter. Now it was her escape route. Her way away from the others. Her way towards helping herself and the rest of the outside world. She just had to keep moving and not get caught. She made her way deeper and deeper into the wooded area, until she came to a clearing. She glanced around and saw that Nopony was there, but still just to be safe she decided it would be wise to keep in the tree-line and make her way around the clearing. As she did so something caught her eye in the clearing. Something was reflecting light on the ground. she had no idea what it was, and she knew it was a bad idea to check it out, but she just couldn't get the thought out of her mind that it might somehow be helpful to her. She sighed internally and took a deep breath. She slowly made her way into the clearing. Her ears swiveled this way and that trying t pick up even the tiniest of sounds. After a few seconds of hearing nothing but crickets, she allowed herself to relax a little. Cautiously she moved towards the object. She picked it up and examined it inquisitively. 'How'd a mirror get all the way out here?' she thought. As her stare lingered she got the overwhelming feeling that something or someone was watching her. Slowly she turned the mirror and saw a pair of eyes staring directly at her from behind. "Found you!" Was all she heard as the pony jumped onto her and forced her onto the ground.
The LetterFluttershy trotted down the street towards Twilight's castle at a brisk pace. Princess Celestia had already began lowering the sun for the day, and Fluttershy certainly didn't want to be outside in the darkness for her return trip home. 'I wonder where the day went. All I did today was just wake up, give food to my creature friends, help the new robin family settle into a new home, negotiate a truce between Applejack and the beaver clan, visit Barry Bear, gave lunch to my friends, read' The Complete Guide To Finding Your Assertiveness' , finished painting the new birdhouse I brought yesterday, and brought some medicine to Mr. And Ms. Shrew for their sick baby.' Fluttershy paused for a moment, 'I guess time really flies when you're having fun. As if on cue, something flew directly over Fluttershy's head startling her. She fell to the ground and covered her face with her forehooves. She decided to take a peek at what ever it might have been. When she looked up all she could see was the figure siloetted by the glorious sun. "It's only me Fluttershy." came the annoyed voice of Rainbow Dash, "Sheesh! You are such a scaredy-pony." Fluttershy tentively rose from her defensive position, "Good afternoon Rainbow Dash." she said with a small smile that found it's way to her lips. The two mares started walking together until another figure approached. "Darlings, how are the two of you doing today?" Rarity asked with a warm grin. "I'm well Rarity. How are you?" Fluttershy responded softly. "Same old, same old." Dash said. "I'm doing fabulous darling! Thanks for asking." Rarity said. The three continued down the road and eventually the group became four then five as their other friends tagged along. "Twilight said that Princess Celestia sent a letter that we all have to read together!" Pinkie exclaimed as she jovially bounced around the rest of the group, "Who knows what it could be! It could a dangerous mission! Or maybe she and Princess Luna are resigning from office and they've selected us to run Equestria! Or maybe it's arrest orders for all of us!" Pinkie theorised out loud. "And just why would we be arrested?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Well Fluttershy stole her pet, Twilight and I broke into her castle, Rarity basically made a sweatshop in Manehatten last time we all went there, you broke into a hospital to steal a book Dash, and Applejack wanted to kill off an endangered species!" Pinkie said with a big smile. "I did not make a sweatshop! Besides I apologized." Rarity explained. "I didn't know those flying varmits were endangered to begin with, also I didn't want to kill them. I just wanted them off Sweet Apple Acres." Applejack retorted. "Princess Celestia forgave me for taking Philomena." Fluttershy said quietly. "Hey! I did my community service for that!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "Yeah I guess you guys are right. I mean Twilight and I didn't exactly break into the castle either I guess." Pinkie said thoughtfully. "So what do ya'll think this is all about?" Applejack asked as she adjusted her Stetson absent-mindedly. "I hope it's a mission!" Dash exclaimed with a hoof pump. "Well darlings, what it is must be Important fir it to require all of us." Rarity stated with a small smile. The friends stopped in front of the massive front door of Twilight's castle. The group exchanged glances at one another until Pinkie spoke up. "We won't find out standing out here girls!" she flings open the door, "Lets get moving!" Twilight Sparkle rested her head on her hoof. The suspense was excruciating, but she had to wait for her friends to arrive. On the envelope, that was on the table in front of her, it was clearly written that she had to have her friends present for when she opened the envelope. She levitated it up and inspected the letter for the tenth time and made the discovery that nothing had changed about the envelope in any way. She released the item, and allowed her head to continue resting on her hoof. Twilight's ears perked up when she heard the sound of the door opening. A small dragon entered the room and walked towards the table. "Oh, it's just you Spike." Twilight said with ore than just a little disappointment in her voice. "Well sorry that I'm 'just Spike'." Spike said pointedly. Twilight's head found the table again, "Spike you know I didn't mean it like that." she sighed "It's just that... I really want to know what is inside this letter." "I know Twilight. Don't worry the others well be here soon." Spike said with a grin. "Others? What others?" Pinkie asked as she hopped out from behind Spike. This startled the young drake and he leapt off the ground. He landed and clutched his chest. "You need to stop doing that!" he said to the bouncing Pinkie Pie. The door to the throne room opened and the others walked in. "Thank goodness you're all here now!" Twilight nearly shrieked in excitement. "Now we can finally see what Princess Celestia's letter says." Pinkie bounced over to Twilight and patted her head, "Silly Twilight, letters don't talk." Twilight shook Pinkie's hoof off of her head and levitated the letter out of the envelope. Carefully she unfolded the paper and read what was written aloud. 'In a time long ago after the first fall of Nightmare Moon, a society rose focused on the idea that one day she would return and once more try to bring about eternal night. However, when she did the nightmare was cleansed from my sister by you six brave ponies. You defeated Nightmare Moon and gave me back my sister, but unfortunately my intelligence agencies have discovered something horrible. Not only does this society still exist, but they have found away to reawaken the Nightmare. They plan to bring it back, and help it achieve its goal of conquering our beloved Equestria. This new threat must be dealt with post haste if we are to save our beloved nation from danger. Princess Twilight, we have no idea how far this society has spread. Anypony could be a member of this treasonous community, but we must not cause a panic in our search for answers. I trust that you and your friends, who have saved Equestria numerous times before, are willing to help put a stop to this plot before the society sees fruition of its cause. Equestria needs all of your help once more. Once every one of your friends and yourself responds with a "Yes" a new parchment will materialize, with more instructions. Twilight placed the letter on the table and looked to her friends. She cleared her throat and said loudly, "Yes. Well girls? Are you with me?" she asked all at once. "Yes!" Rainbow Dash shouted "You know I'm in." she zipped over to Twilight's side. "Yes." Applejack said as she walked over. "Yes!" Pinkie exclaimed as she bounced over. "Yes." Rarity said as she walked over as well. All eyes turned to Fluttershy, who gulped quietly. She began to breathe faster and faster, each breath getting deeper and deeper. "Sugarcube," Applejack started "we can't do this without ya." "We need you Fluttershy. Please say you'll help us. Equestria needs us." Twilight pleaded. "Yeah! I mean come on Fluttershy, don't you want to save Equestria and kick some major flank while doing it?" Rainbow Dash excitedly blurted out. "Of course I want to help Rainbow, but I don't want to fight anypony." Fluttershy said in as level of a voice as possible. "You won't have to fight darling." Rarity chimed in, "We may not even find anything, but it is still our duty to help." Pinkie Pie nodded her head quickly and bounced over to her yellow friend, "Besides, we are a winning team Fluttershy! We need all of us to do this!" Fluttershy took a deep breath, "Yes." The letter lifted off the table in a golden glow and began to spin rapidly. With a bright burst of light the letter disappeared and in its place was two scrolls. Twilight opened the first one since it had the royal seal on it, and read it aloud. Thank you all for agreeing to help Equestria once more in a time of dire need. In the other scroll is the last known location of one of the members of the Dark Society who has agreed to help. She needs to be found and escorted to safety before she will reveal any more information. Please hurry and bring her to a safe location. Twilight and friends looked to the other scroll. Twilight used her magic to open the scroll. Inside was a picture of brown earth pony mare with a black mane and brown eyes. Her cutie mark was a crescent moon with a series of three stars to the left of the moon. Twilight showed the picture to her friends and saw the name of the mare on the back of the parchment. "Dark Moonstar." Twilight read aloud. "What's that?" Pinkie asked out loud. "Is it candy? Cause that's a bad name for a candy. Oo oo oo is it a cupcake? Or how about a type of ice cream!" "It's her name Pinkie Pie." Twilight said with a giggle. "That was my next guess!" Fluttershy looked at the picture of the mare "Where is she?" she asked aloud. "It doesn't say?" Applejack asked as she peered over Fluttershy's shoulder. "No. All I see is a picture of her standing in a meadow." Fluttershy answered. Twilight picked up the photograph. She cast a spell that would show if any magic had been used on the photo, but it showed nothing. Rarity took a closer look as well. She pulled the paper closer to herself and closely examined it. Pinkie Pie came closer and her eyes lit up. She snatched the piece of paper away from Rarity's magic and ran. "Pinkie Pie! What are you doing?" Rainbow Dash called out as Pinkie Pie held the photo over a lit candle. "It smells like lemons!" she called out happily. Rainbow Dash took to the air and started swooping down at the pink mare, "You're gonna catch it on fi..." Dash stopped and hovered in place as she saw a message appear just below the photo. "What the?" she asked. "Me and my sisters passed notes like this all the time when we were fillies. All you need is lemon juice and water and viola!" she presented the paper to Twilight, "Invisible ink!" "Galloping Hollows." Twilight read. "Galloping Hollows? That's over by Manehattan." Applejack said thoughtfully. "Well it looks like we got to pack and purchase some train tickets." Fluttershy said quietly. "Alright girls, pack only what you need for this. We got to move fast and get Dark Moonstar back to Ponyville." Twilight started, "Lets meet up at the train station in two hours." The girls nodded resolutely and began heading to each of their homes. Fluttershy trotted at a brisk pace back to her cottage. The sun was below the horizon now, but she couldn't let her friends down now. The only problem she might have would be Angel Bunny. He hated it when she went away, but she would just have to explain to him that it would only be for a day or two at the most. 'I hope he understands.'
Prepare For Departure"Oh but Angel, it'll only be for a day or two." Fluttershy tried to explain. "I'll be back..." And for the fourth time in less than five minutes a carrot bounced off Fluttershy's muzzle. An angry bunny spun on its heels and dejectedly crossed its arms. Fluttershy gently took to the air and landed in front of him. "Angel, please understand." she said as she lowered herself to his level. He spun again and recrossed his arms. "Angel Bunny, stop acting so foalish." Fluttershy blurted out as she stood to her full height. The bunny slowly spun around and stared at her in awe. It was rare when Fluttershy would raise her voice to him, so he knew this must be important. "Somewhere out there is a pony who can help us stop something very bad from happening, and that pony needs our help Angel. I'd feel terrible if something happened because I wasn't there to help them or my friends." Angel hopped closer to Fluttershy and looked up into her eyes. They didn't show anger at all, they seemed sullen and worrisome. She wasn't angry at him. She feared for the unknown pony she spoke of. Angel Bunny hung his head low and hopped over to Fluttershy. He wrapped his fuzzy arms around her leg. "I know you're sorry Angel, and I know you're lonely whenever I leave. But, I have to Angel." she said as she returned his little show of affection. She released him and walked into her room to pack a few things she would need. She only had a few minutes before she would have to begin heading to the train station. She walked back into the room after a few minutes to find a salad that Angel had prepared. He hopped into sight and pushed it towards her. Fluttershy smiled warmly at him, "Thank you Angel. I guess with everything that's been going on today I really haven't eaten anything." Fluttershy finished the salad and gave Angel one last hug before heading out the door. However, she soon realized that she had forgotten her saddlebags in the cottage. She ran back inside and grabbed her bags, and began trotting quickly towards town once more. Twilight stood in the ticket line at the train station with Spike. "So do you think this is going to go bad?" Spike asked Twilight. "Honestly, I don't know Spike. I mean I hope it doesn't, but if this 'Dark Society' really is as bad as the letter insists then anything is possible." Twilight answered. Spike gulped audibly, "I was hoping you wouldn't say that." Rainbow Dash landed right next to them, much to the annoyance of everypony behind them in the line "Don't you worry little guy! If things go south I'll be there to kick flank!" Dash rose up onto her hind legs and threw a few air punches. "Our hero." Twilight said while rolling her eyes. "Oh you know it." Rainbow said with a cheeky grin. Twilight walked up to the ticket sales window, "Is there a stop in Galloping Hollows?" The attendant looked at a map that had all of the lines stops on it. He studied it for a few moments and turned back towards Twilight, "I'm sorry Princess, but it would appear that there isn't." "Hmm... in that case can I get two tickets to Manehatten?" "One moment mam." he looked the schedule over, "It looks like the next departure will be in about three hours. Will that be satisfactory?" "That's midnight right?" The attendant nodded. "I'll take them." She pushed the required bits into the booth. He counted them and pushed two tickets towards Twilight. While that was going on, Rainbow Dash was busy explaining to the pony behind her why she had cut the line. "Look I have to go with my friends to help save somepony!" she quickly explained. "Oh sure you do, and I have a cat the size of Princess Celestia!" the mare said as she stomped a hoof. "No really! I swear!" Rainbow leaned towards Twilight and whispered in her ear, "Come on, back me up on this." Twilight walked in between the two mares, "I'm sorry my friend cut you." she turned towards Rainbow, "She's sorry too. So much so that she's going to move to the back of the line. Aren't you Rainbow?" Rainbow's mouth fell open, "You're taking her side?" "Aren't you?" Twilight asked with a bit more force and a glare. "Uhhh, yeah. Sure." Dash replied with a fake smile. As she moved out of the line and started walking towards the back of the line she looked towards Twilight, "What was that about? I could've just gotten my ticket and been done with it." she glared at Twilight now, "Now I have to wait for like ever in this line." "It wouldn't have been right, besides our train isn't leaving for a while." Rainbow opened her mouth to reply to that but was cut off by Spike. "Hey look! There's Rarity!" he said as he started running over to her. "Go get her lover boy." Dash said under her breath as she reached the back and sat dejectedly on her haunches. Twilight caught up to Spike and Rarity just in time to hear, "Do be a dear and hurry Spikey-Wikey." "Of course Rarity." Spike said in a dream like state as he hurried out the door. "I hope you don't mind Twilight, but Spike offered to get my bags." Rarity said with a smile. "That's fine Rarity. Make sure to get a ticket to Manehatten for the midnight departure." Twilight said with a smile of her own. "Manehatten?" Rarity asked with a bit of confusion. "Apparently Galloping Hollows doesn't have a station." Twilight explained. Rarity nodded and walked over to a Rainbow Dash who was still glaring at Twilight. Pinkie Pie came bouncing in next. "Um why is Spike carrying like a mountain of bags?" she asked. "What?" asked Twilight. The door swung open and in came a pile of bags that was apparently floating and grunting. The bags suddenly settled onto the ground. "Ouch..." the pile said. Twilight lifted the pile off of the floor and then levitated an exhausted Spike off of the floor and onto her back. "Rarity I said bring only the essentials." Twilight said. "Oh but darling these are essential." "You need this much stuff for two days?" "To be fair Twilight, we don't know if we'll be staying longer, and have you tried going on with an improperly kept mane?" Rarity surveyed Twilight for a moment "On second thought I can see that you have." "Rarity you're not bringing all of that." Twilight said flatly. "And why can't I bring my things?" Rarity asked pointedly. "We can't transport all of that the entire time we're out there." Twilight responded. Rarity thought for a moment, "Fine. I'll just take it all back home." Pinkie Pie watched as Rarity walked out of the room followed by a parade of bags. She bounced over to Twilight who was checking on her number one assistant. "Hey Twilight, where are we going?" Pinkie asked with a little pep. "Well since Galloping Hollows does have a train station, we have to travel to Manehatten and walk from there or find a carriage service that'll take us." "Ok!" Pinkie said as she bounced away. She quickly returned though, "Why is Dashie staring at you like that?" "Cause I made her go to the back of the line after she cut others." Twilight explained as she helped Spike stand. "Ok!" Pinkie said as she bounced back over to the end of the line with Rainbow. Applejack came in and just walked over to the line without a single word. She just sat behind Pinkie Pie and waited patiently. Fluttershy came in afterwards and walked over to Twilight. "I'm not late am I?" she asked quietly. "Not at all Fluttershy. We have to get midnight tickets to Manehatten, since Galloping Hollows doesn't have a train station." "Ok." Fluttershy said as she walked to the line. After all of the girls had their tickets, they sat and waited for their train to arrive. Pinkie Pie for some odd reason just sat and kept eyeing all of her friends. Rainbow Dash took notice. "What is it Pinkie?" "Hmm? What was that Dashie?" "You just keep staring at all of us. What gives?" Pinkie turned towards Dash, "I had a strange Pinkie Sense after I left the castle. I was in my room packing when I got grumbly stomach, tingly hoovsies, and whippy tail." "Oh? Tell me more." Rainbow Dash said. "Well that combination means that one of my close friends is in danger." "What?" "AAANNNDDD, the weirdest thing of all" Pinkie stopped as her stomach grumbled, she slightly pranced on her hooves, and her tail shot out straight and returned to its original position, "is that it's still happening." "Why haven't you told anypony?" "I did just tell you, but what if one of us isn't us?" "What?" "That's why it's going off even though all of my closest friends are here. One of us isn't us and the real friend is somewhere and in danger." "We need to warn the others!" "Dashie!" Pinkie said as she grabbed Rainbow's tail "We don't know which friend isn't our friend." "So what do we do?" "We play along until we find the fake friend." "Pinkie," Rainbow said with a hint of worry in her voice, "what if they're with the Dark Society? We can't let them get Dark Moonstar." "Pff. I know that Dashie, and we can't go looking for our friend now cause that would be su... susp... weird to the not real friend." Dash nodded and turned towards Pinkie Pie, "Do you think they'll harm our friend?" "No, not really." "How can you be sure Pinkie?" "Cause they probably will want to use our friend to trade for Dark Moonstar if their spy fails." 'Platform six is now boarding for nonstop trip to Manehatten. Nonstop to Manehatten boarding now at platform six.' came over the intercom. "Well," Rainbow started as she looked over to the train, "we better get going." Author's Note Feel free to leave a comment below, negative or otherwise. It can only help me improve. As always critiques are more than welcomed, they are encouraged. Thanks for reading and have a great day.
Of Ice Cream and Plans"I'm going to the dining car for ice cream! Anypony want to join me?" Pinkie asked excitedly as she lightly tapped Dash's leg. "Ah'm good." Applejack responded from under her hat, which was shielding the light of the waking world from her eyes. "I need to watch my figure darling." Rarity stated as she tried to stifle a yawn but failed. "If it's ok with you, I'd like to try to get some sleep." Fluttershy said as she began to curl up. "I need to analize this letter again." Twilight said without removing her eyes from the parchment they had received earlier. "Nah." Rainbow yawned as she stretched out. Pinkie Pie glared daggers for a single moment at the mare the last remark came from and kicked her slightly harder. "Ow! Pinkie!" Dash, who now realized why her friend was kicking her, stood up and awkwardly chuckled before saying, "I mean, sure. I'd love some ice cream!" she said with an unconvincing smile. Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash stepped out of the traveler's car and into the dining car rather quickly. They took up the seat on the far side of the car so they could keep an eye on the door they entered from and waited. Pinkie busied herself by staring at the ceiling, the floor, out the window, basically everything. Dash stared at Pinkie Pie with a questioning look for a few moments before she finally voiced what she was thinking. "So Pinkie?" "Yes Dashie?" "Why are we really in the dining car?" "I wanted some ice cream! I already said that silly!" Dash's hoof found her cerulean face and planted itself on her forehead. "Pinkie I thought we were going to talk about the you know what." "The whatsit whosey?" "The not friend Pinkie! You know the one who has replaced one of our friends with a changeling or whatever in Tartarus that thing is!" Dash almost shouted. "The one who helped kidnap one of our friends for Celestia knows what reason," Dash was getting fumed, "sent them to Celestia knows where," she had begun to shake a little, "to do Celestia knows what to them!" she slammed her hooves down on the table and forced her eyes to stay closed. Pinkie Pie just smiled pleasantly back at Dash who has recovering from her little episode. Dash rubbed her temples and did some deep breathing exercises that Rarity had shown her. Eventually she wasn't seeing red anymore and the shaking had almost stopped. "Feeling better?" Pinkie asked casually. "How... how can you be so calm about this Pinkie?" "The not friend has nowhere to go." Pinkie Pie explained as she tried to hail a waitress, who had just entered the car, to no avail. She deflated a little before continuing, "Besides, who knows our friends better than us?" Dash thought about it for a moment and shrugged. "We will find out who it is," the waitress reentered and this time Pinkie Pie got her attention. She then added, "But we can't do it on an empty stomach!" in a singsong tone. Pinkie began placing her order as the waitress walked up. The mare quickly jotted down the order and turned with expectant eyes towards Rainbow Dash. She smiled a little awkwardly at first, but then her stomach made its presence known; just so it could remind Dash of just how hungry she really was. *Meanwhile back in the traveler's car* "I'm going to the restroom." Fluttershy said quietly. "Ok darling, but please don't be too long." Rarity replied. Fluttershy stepped out of the room and made her way to the nearest restroom. She knocked and waited for a response. When none came she quickly zipped into the room, but stopped as soon as the door closed behind her. She couldn't believe that the restroom was this incredibly small. Even a pony as sleek and dainty as herself would have had problems navigating it. She quietly entertained the thought of Bulk Biceps trying to fit inside and allowed herself a quiet giggle. After finishing her business, Fluttershy came out of the restroom and began making her way back to her group's booth, when a sudden suggestion came from her tummy. 'I guess another salad couldn't hurt.' she thought to herself as her face tinted the color of a rose. She made her way past the booth her friends were in and entered the dining car to see Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie at the counter talking with a cashier. She gingerly walked up to them. "Hey Pinkie, hey Rainbow." she said quietly. "Hey Flutters." Dash greeted. "Um what are you girls doing?" Fluttershy asked seeing Pinkie almost glaring at the cashier. "Pinkie Pie ordered ice cream." "Um... ok? And?" "They brought her soft serve instead." "Oh..." "Yeah. This little stare down stared when the cashier said that they were the same thing." "Um... soft serve is a type of ice cream though." Pinkie Pie turned on her heels and was soon snout to snout with Fluttershy. "They are not the same thing!" Fluttershy reeled back and Pinkie Pie relented. "You're right Pinkie. They're not the same thing," Fluttershy found her footing and stopped back pedaling, "but soft serve is still ice cream. The only difference is that more air was introduced while it was freezing." "But they're not the same thing!" Pinkie turned and faced the cashier again. "I asked for ice cream, not soft serve." Finally the cashier threw up her hooves, "Ok, ok! I'll check the freezer car for ice cream!" Pinkie Pie instantly pepped up, "Thanks a bunch!" The mare walked through a door behind her and Pinkie Pie turned back to her friends, "Lets go sit down." The small group of ponies sat at the table Pinkie and Dash had sat at earlier. Dash leaned over to Pinkie and began whispering in her ear while looking over at Fluttershy. "Um... is something wrong?" Fluttershy asked cautiously. Suddenly Pinkie threw confetti at Fluttershy. She never saw it coming and panicked. She froze up instantly and fell out of her seat. She landed on the floor with her wings splayed under her. "She's her." Pinkie said confidently. "Pinkie! You didn't need to scare the life out of her!" Dash shot at her while pointing to a stiff Fluttershy on the floor. "Only Fluttershy would do that when surprised." Pinkie quickly stated with a hoof roll. "Well yeah, but... um... I guess you're right actually." Rainbow said thoughtfully. Ten minutes later "So... how long is she going to be like that?" Pinkie asked while looking over the table at her yellow friend. "Could be minutes, could be hours." Rainbow answered, "One time I threw a snowball at her when we where foals and she still brings it up like she was a war vet or something." Pinkie Pie raised a questioning eyebrow. "Yeah she does take some things like that very seriously." Finally Fluttershy retook her seat. "And what was that for!" she quietly demanded. "It was a test!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed with outstretched forehooves. "A test? A test! A test for what!?" Fluttershy asked. "To make sure that you are Fluttershy. The real one that is." Dash responded. "Wha?" "One of our friends isn't our friend, and we needed to make sure that you were you." Pinkie stated. "Wha?" "Look! One of our friends has been replaced by a changeling or something okay?" Dash responded. "How do you know that?" Fluttershy asked with a quivering voice. "Pinkie Sense." "Oh my!" Fluttershy said as her eyes grew wide with realization. "So where is our friend then?" "We don't know, but the best thing we can do is find the fake friend. Then we can try to find out where our real friend is." "Yeah! Even if we have to beat it out of 'em" Dash said while punching her other hoof. "Oh my, oh my, oh my." "Calm down Fluttershy. Everything will be ok. Just trust you're Auntie Pinkie!" "But, I'm older than..." she sighed, "never mind." "So what should be our next move?" Dash wondered aloud. "Well we have three down, and three to go. We should just get the others one on one with us!" "What?" Fluttershy asked. "Dashie, you take AJ, I'll get Twilight, and Fluttershy gets Rarity!" The waitress came through the door and walked over to their table, "I'm sorry miss but all we have is soft serve." Pinkie Pie beamed at the waitress, "Ok that's fine. It doesn't really matter anyway. They're kinda the same thing right?" Fluttershy's look of confusion was mirrored by Dash, who mumbled, "But, that, I don't, I can't understand her sometimes." "What was that Dashie?" "Nothing Pinkie, just... nothing." Author's Note Feel free to critique. Constructive criticism will only help me improve myself. Hope you're enjoying the story so far. If not please let me know why
