"Land it over there, Cut." Sharp Edge ordered, pointing to an open meadow just outside of Ponyville.

It was early morning when Sharp Edge and his crew reached Ponyville. From what they saw from the air, most of the small town seemed fairly quiet. The sun had just peeked over the horizon as the black airship lowered to the ground.

"Hammer, Ace, Fire, you're with me." Sharp Edge said as a ramp was extended to the ground, "The rest of you remain here and keep the engines warm, I want to be gone as soon as the map is found."

Leading his small group, Sharp Edge made his way down the ramp and into Ponyville.

As they passed the first couple buildings, the group saw that several ponies had begun their day. However, as they walked further along the street, some of the ponies seemed to show signs of unease and went back inside. Perhaps they recognized Sharp Edge and had heard of his reputation. Or, it could've been the weapons each member carried.

The most obvious were Hammer and Sharp Edge.

Sharp Edge, himself, carried a sinister looking dagger with black and silver trimming in its sheath, attached to his belt. Hammer, for obvious reasons, had a large hammer with two spikes on one side, resting on his back. Ace, a dark green unicorn mare with a blonde mane and tail, shuffled some strange playing cards in her magic. And Fire, a white pegasus mare with a flaming red mane and tail, wore an odd collection of small bottles with rags in them and a strange canister with a hose and valve on her back.

After a short time, they saw the Carousel Boutique come into view. But, as they got closer to it, the building appeared to be empty of ponies. The curtains were pulled closed and the door was locked.

BANG, BANG, BANG!!!

"Open up!" Hammer called, pounding on the door, "Open the door, or we'll open it for you!"

"Hammer, how many times do I have to say it?" Sharp Edge said smoothly, "You do not always get want you want by force. You have to do it with..."

"...patience and respect. Sorry, boss."

"Besides, it looks like no one's here. Ace, ask the neighbors, maybe they'll know something. We'll be waiting here."

Ace, who appeared bored, put her cards in a pocket of her jacket and started walking towards the nearest house. Once she reached the house, she knocked on the door and waited. Shortly after, a mare with a green mane opened the door.

"Hey." Ace said in a bored and unimpressed tone, "Lookin' for the pony who runs that dress shop over there. Know where they are?"

"You mean Rarity?" The mare asked looking over at the Boutique and seeing the other members.

"Yeah sure, whatever."

"Well, uh, she left with her friends a day or so ago. I'm not sure where she went or when she'll be back."

"Uh-huh, okay."

With that, Ace turned away without saying farewell and went back to the group.

"Left about a day or so ago with her friends, not sure where." Ace said, taking a stick of gum out of her jacket pocket along with her cards, "Not sure if that helps."

"Actually, Ace, it does." Sharp Edge replied with a grin, "Because I know where to go next."

Without saying anything, he began to walk away from the Boutique, followed by his gang. But, now it was later in the morning and the whole town was awake. By now, the group's presence was known. And it didn't take long for many ponies to quickly retreat back into their homes.

It didn't take long for them to reach their destination. Which, they soon found out, was the half tree and half crystal castle that stood tall over the small town.

Knock, knock, knock!

Sharp Edge knocked on the doors and waited patiently for a response. After a moment, a slot on one of the large doors slid open and revealed a pair of dragon eyes looking out at them.

"Can I help you?" A voice said from the other side.

"Yes, we were wondering if we could find Princess Twilight." Sharp Edge said politely, "We have something important to discuss."

Spike scanned each of the ponies he saw and immediately knew they meant trouble. Bigger trouble than he could handle by himself. Then from behind him, Spike heard hooves approaching.

"Who is it Spike?" A voice asked, "Someone here to see me?"

Spike turned around and was surprised by what he saw.

"What are you-" Spike stammered, before Twilight covered his mouth with her hoof.

"Is there someone here to see me?" She repeated, adding a wink.

Then Spike noticed something odd about Twilight. Her eye colour was different. It was brighter. Then Spike understood what was happening.

"Er, yeah, Twilight." Spike said, winking back at the fake princess, "Should I let them in?"

"It would be rude not to, Spike." The fake Twilight said, taking a step back from the door.

Spike closed the slot and pulled the door open, allowing Sharp Edge and the others to enter.

"Welcome." Twilight said respectfully, extending her hoof out to greet them.

"Pleased to finally meet you, Princess Twilight." Sharp Edge replied, taking her hoof and kissing it, "I can't tell you how happy I am to speak with you. My name is Sharp Edge. Perhaps you've heard of me?"

"I've heard that name every now and then. But, the stories I've heard with it aren't very enjoyable. If you don't mind me saying, some refer to you as a monster."

Immediately after saying that, she saw Spike cringe slightly.

"Well, Princess," Sharp Edge grinned, "I can assure you I'm nothing of the sort. It's just hard times require hard work."

"I see." Twilight said, clearing her throat, "Now, I believe you wanted to speak with me about something?"

"Yes. We were hoping you might be able to help us find your friend Rarity. You see, she recently received a crate of fabric from Saddle Arabia, but there was something else in that crate. Some valuables of mine were mistakenly placed in it and we're trying to get them back."

"What sort of valuables?"

"Some family heirlooms and a map my mother gave me when I was a colt."

The fake Twilight paused and thought for a moment.

"Well, Rarity's in Manehatten and getting ready for a fashion show right now with our friends. I'll be joining them in a couple days. But, I was there when we opened the crate and didn't find anything other than the fabric."

"I see." Sharp Edge replied, rubbing his chin, "Then, in that case, I suppose we should be going. Thank you for your help, Princess."

Twilight nodded as Sharp Edge and his group left. Then after the door was closed behind them, Spike opened the slot and watched them get further away.

"Okay, they're gone." Spike sighed in relief.

The fake Twilight gasped and breathed heavily as she decompressed from the encounter. Then her horn lit up and her appearance changed.

"That was so stressful!" Starlight exclaimed, leveling her breathing, "And that spell isn't easy to hold either."

"Couldn't you have called Thorax for help?"

"You know how long it takes letters to travel. Plus, even if I could reach him, he wouldn't have gotten here in time."

"So now what? Do we get help?"

"We could, but who? This is possibly one of the most dangerous ponies in the world."

They paused as they thought about what to do.

"I could write to Princess Celestia." Spike said, remembering he could directly contact her, "Maybe ask if she could give us some guards?"

"That might work." Starlight replied, looking out one of the windows, "But, I don't think they'll be here quick enough. By the looks of it, Sharp Edge isn't going to be here much longer. We have to warn Twilight and the others about this too. Even though he saw Twilight here, I don't think he was completely convinced."

"How are we going to do that? We don't know where she is, or how to reach her."

"We don't know where, but the table map might. As for contacting her, can your fire do that?"

"No, it only works for Celestia."

Starlight thought for a bit, trying to find an alternative solution. Finally, she had one, but it wasn't going to be easy.

"Then we're going to have to reach her the old-fashioned way." Starlight said, rubbing her chin, "We'll need a ride."

Spike gave a grin as he remembered something useful.

"In that case," He said, leading Starlight to the throne room, "I know the best group for such a thing."

With that, they began preparing for their own journey.

Meanwhile, Sharp Edge and his group returned to their airship and began ascending into the air.

"So, what's the plan?" Ace asked, leaning against the railing, "Are we going to some fashion show?"

"No, Ace. Even though you need some colour." Sharp Edge grinned, heading towards his cabin, "You see, I know when I'm being lied to. And about half of what we were just told wasn't the truth."

"So, what are we doing then?"

"Well, if I know that colt correctly, I'd say they got aboard a boat and are at sea right now. All we need to know is which way they went. From there we'll find what we're looking for."

Sharp Edge was about to enter his cabin, when Hammer leaned in and spoke.

"What about the princess?" Hammer asked in a low tone, "She knows we're looking for her friend."

"No, she doesn't." Sharp Edge replied, moving passed the larger stallion, "Because that wasn't the princess."

"I don't understand."

"It's simple mirror magic, Hammer. The real princess is out there too. Who we saw was just somepony with a parlour trick. But, she made a big mistake."

"What would that be, boss?"

"Overplaying the role. Now, set a course for Manehatten harbour. Double time."

Hammer nodded and started directing the crew, while Sharp Edge went inside.

"You can run, Surf." Sharp Edge sneered to himself, "But, you can't hide."

Author's Note

Hey, everyone.

Took me awhile to get this together, but it works. Mostly.