Little Pony Story 2: The Search for Scootaloo

Chapters

The Search For Scootaloo
The Movie Set
Fifteen Minutes of Fame
The Filmmaker
The Storm Breaks
A Welcome Home Party
Saving Scootaloo

The Search For Scootaloo

A couple hours later, Bonnie had arrived and then departed in her usual whirlwind fashion, taking her rocket-ship backpack and several of her toys, including a tissue-packed box holding the four Princesses.

Twilight Sparkle stood on the castle's lowered drawbridge, waiting for Spike to return with her checklist. And also keeping an eye on the room, just in case she was needed.

"Hey, Twilight! I mean, uh... Your Highness!"

"Hi, Apple Bloom! And it's okay to call me Twilight. I'm only an Acting Princess, after all."

"Wayall... I know how much it means to ya!" The yellow filly nodded politely. "I was just wonderin' if there'd been any luck finding a Scootaloo for Sweetie Belle and me to play with."

"I don't actually know. What say we go find out together?"

"Sounds good to me!"

They set out across the carpet, passing several other toys along the way. First there was Applejack, busily competing in lasso tricks with the red-haired cowgirl doll. Then there was Fluttershy, seated on an alphabet block and reading stories to some of the preschool toys, who hung on her every word, riveted and wide-eyed.

A little further on, Pinkie Pie was working on improv theater with the other thespian toys... although from the looks of things, it seemed even they were having trouble keeping up with Pinkie's nonstop stream-of-consciousness delivery.

"I thought we were at the North Pole," the white plush unicorn complained. "helping President Lincoln deliver a pizza. Where'd the aliens and the trombone come from?"

"Shh!" the hedgehog replied. "Just roll with it. She's a natural! And it's perfect training for working with Bonnie!"

Further on there was a small cardboard stage, on which stood a plastic toy trunk. Starlight was trotting nervously around it, gazing out at an unseen audience as she helped Trixie rehearse her timing. "Oooh... she's been in there a long time, folks! Do you think maybe the Terrifying Trunk Escape might be too much for her? What if the Great and Powerful Trixie can't..."

The trunk thumped and rattled for a few moments, then was silent. Then a plaintive voice called from inside it:

"Starlight... I think we're going to need the scissors again."

Starlight patted the trunk. "Don't worry, Trixie. We'll keep practicing, as long as it takes. You'll make it work!"

She gave Twilight a friendly wink. Twilight returned it, and quietly moved on.

Next was Rarity, who'd set up a worktable out of playing cards and thread spools. The violet-maned pony was busily working on fashioning new velvet drapes for the castle's windows as a surprise for the Princesses when they returned.

And sitting on a small thread bobbin next to her was Sweetie Belle.

"Are you sure I can't help you, Big Sis?"

"No, no, dearest!" Rarity said. "Just sit over there, where you'll be..."

"I know... out of the way..." Sweetie Belle finished sadly.

Rarity turned to her, surprised. Then she hugged her tightly. "Oh, I'm so sorry, my dear! I know we haven't had much time together yet. But I do need to stay focused if I'm going to get these curtains finished by tonight!"

"Hey, Sweetie Belle!" Apple Bloom called, "Twi and I are gonna go check on the hunt for Scootaloo. You wanna come along?"

"Do I!" The white filly hopped down from her bobbin and willingly raced over to join them. And Rarity cast Twilight a thankful glance, as she turned back to her work.

Over near the bookshelves was a tall, square blue box with a bright light on top. And trotting in and out of it was Doctor Whooves. The tan earth pony was carrying in and out all manner of small parts, tools, and other items. At least one looked like a small toy kitchen sink.

"Still trying to get her to fly, Doctor?" Twilight asked cheekily.

"Nearly there!" the Doctor replied with his usual unshakable confidence. "I promised dear Derpy a trip around the galaxy, and I intend to keep that promise! Onwards and upwards!" He dove back through the doors into the box, and there was a sound of furious hammering from inside.

Derpy was sitting at a small plastic cafe table nearby. The gray pegasus's crossed eyes were staring fixedly at a small plastic plate with a single plastic muffin on it. She'd been determinedly staring at it for hours, apparently in the belief that if she stared hard enough it would turn into an actual muffin. Her lack of success so far only served to convince her that just a little longer would do the trick.

Rather than distract her, Twilight continued onward.

She came at last to the laptop, sitting open on the floor. At its keyboard was the other Trixie, the blue triceratops. Rainbow Dash was there as well, looking over her scaly shoulder as she busily patted keys with her paws.

"How's the hunt going?" Twilight asked.

"Have you found her yet?" Apple Bloom added excitedly.

Rainbow shook her head. "Some close calls, but we're still looking. We've moved on to some of the smaller fan trading sites... but they have even less to choose from."

"But even so, you guys have so many cool accessories!" Trixie enthused. "I have to keep reminding myself we're looking for a pony. It's easy to get sucked into the playsets. I mean, just look at this one!"

She clicked a link and a page came up, displaying a Canterlot Castle Playset. Entranced by it, Twilight leaned closer to the screen. The brilliantly white-and-purple castle, with its spires and gold-swirled minarets... it was like the Royal Palace from the show brought to life.

"Wow..." she breathed. "Now that is the kind of palace Princess Celestia ought to be living in. Instead of a cardboard box, and a margarine bowl."

"And Bonnie's imagination, don't forget," Rainbow told her. "Bonnie loves the castle, because she and Dad made it together. And don't knock the box, Twi. It's got plenty of room for all of us if Bonnie ever wants to take us on the road. That thing?" She gestured at the playset on the screen. "You'd be lucky if it's got room for the toys that come with it."

"I suppose you're right." Twilight reluctantly pulled her eyes away from the screen. "Let's keep looking. Maybe we need to broaden our search. Is there any big outlet we haven't tried yet?"

"Well..." Trixie said. "There is always E-Zon."

"Oh, I dunno 'bout that!" Applejack had come over to join them. She shook her head nervously. "You hear some pretty strange stories about toys bought through E-Zon. Like, if a toy's only been passed around between collectors, and never actually played with... wayall, then it's like they're not even alive, just a hunk of plastic!"

"Aw, come on!" Rainbow objected. "That's just an old pony's tale. Jamie bought me through E-Zon, and I turned out okay." She waved a hoof at the laptop. "Trixie and I have mostly been sticking with the fan sites because they take better care of the toys, and they can use the business. But let's see what Big Zebra has to offer."

Trixie willingly clicked through to the site, dismissing the annoying zebra pop-up. Then she punched in a search. A page full of matches came up, most of which Rainbow rejected out of hoof.

"Nope, that one's not mini-scale. Glitter? Are you kidding me? Nope! Crystal pony version? Uh uh! Combable hair? Gimme a break! Nope! Nope-nope! GleeCo Scootaloo? Yeah, right, like we really need a Scootaloo that's taller than Celestia. Nope. Uh uh. Notttt likely..."

"What about this one?" Trixie pointed to an result further down.

"Naw, that's a gift set," Applejack said. "See, it's got all three Crusaders. We don't want to bust up a family like that."

"Oh, yeah!" Trixie nodded. "I forget that about you pony toys. You come in sets!"

"Dang straight!" The farm pony smiled. "Jest like us Apples: Granny Smith, Big Mac, Apple Bloom, and me!" She gave Apple Bloom a warm hug with a foreleg... which the filly quickly squirmed out of, embarrassed.

"Oh! Here we go!" The triceratops pointed. "A singleton Scootaloo, in something called a... Washouts costume. Whatever that is."

"Myeah." Rainbow looked ill. "Trust me on this, you don't want episode tie-in toys. For them, their episode is the show. They just can't get past it. It's sad, really! Once, I was sitting on a shelf for a week, next to a Pinkie Pie in a Chancellor Puddinghead costume? The poor thing couldn't stop going on about being able to think inside a chimney. It's like she came out of the mirror pool! In the end, I was happy to get shoved in a mailer and shipped out, just to get away from her."

Trixie shrugged acceptingly, and scrolled onwards through the list. Then she suddenly noticed Sweetie Belle, standing at her elbow and staring up at the screen, an uncomfortable look on her face.

"Something wrong, honey?" Trixie asked gently.

"Online toy-shopping is really weird," Sweetie Belle said. "I mean I always assumed it was luck of the draw who bought you at the store. It made the uncertainty a bit easier, knowin' you had the same chance as any other toy on the shelf."

Apple Bloom joined her. "Yeah! It's strange thinkin' someone gets to decide whether they want you or not, without you even knowin' they're lookin' at you in the first place."

Hearing that, Rainbow looked guilty. "You know what, girls? You're right, totally. And the proper thing to do here is, we'll take the very next loner Scootaloo we come across. Like you said, Sweetie. Luck of the draw, it's only fair."

Happily, the next page refresh brought up a rare, blind-bag mini Scootaloo that even Rainbow was perfectly okay with.

"So," asked Apple Bloom, "what do we do now?

"We're in luck!" Trixie said. "The bidding round is nearly over." She pointed at a countdown timer on the screen. "If no one puts in a bid, the item rolls over into the Buy phase, and I can sneak her onto Mom and Dad's wishlist. Then the next time they're looking for something nice for Bonnie, there's a Scootaloo, all set to move to their shopping cart. And each of them thinks the other put her there. Everyone winds up happy. Win-win-win, I say!"

"But... what if someone else buys her first?" Sweetie Belle fretted.

Applejack shrugged. "That's life, hon! Ya win some, ya lose some. We remind ourselves to be thankful she found a home, and we keep on lookin'."

The timer steadily ticked down. Other toys, sensing something important was going on, gathered round to watch... including Starlight and Trixie, the showpony still brushing stray bits of twine off her robe.

"Ten seconds!" Rainbow called. The waiting toys willingly joined in as she counted down:

"Five... four... three...two... Ack!"

"What! What is it?" Twilight asked.

"Someone put in a bid!" grumbled triceratops Trixie, smacking the keyboard in frustration. "Ugh! It's the only one! And right at the last second, too! That's gotta be a bid-bot!"

"Curse you, bid-bot!" pony Trixie shouted at the screen. Then she looked at the dinosaur in worried puzzlement. "Uhhh... what's a bid-bot?"

"It's an automated program," Twilight replied. "It watches for low-priced rare items in the bid phase, and makes a bid for them right at the end, so no one can put in a counter-bid. Then the buyer can immediately turn around and sell whatever it is for a higher price, making a profit."

Rainbow looked at her. "You're even nerdier than usual, Twilight! How do you know so much about it?"

Twilight grinned, and patted the triceratop's shoulder. "Trixie's excellent class on the Internet and E-Zon shopping!"

The triceratops blushed. "Yeah, well! I say bid-bots are cheating. But there's not much we can do about it."

"To hay with that!" Rainbow snarled, staring at the picture of Scootaloo on the screen. "We said we're gonna take the next Scootaloo we found! And we're not giving up without a fight! Trixie, you think you can find out who placed the bid, and where that Scootaloo's being shipped to?"

"Sure, I can do that!"

"That's impossible," Twilight objected.

"Just watch me!" Trixie's clawed feet were already punching keys.

Twilight turned to Rainbow. "Even if you do find out, what are you going to do?"

"What else? Go there and get that Scootaloo! We saw her first, so why should we have to lose out to some automated bidding thingy? It's not even alive! It doesn't care whether it wins or loses."

"What? You can't do that!" Twilight objected.

"I can do it!" Trixie called out, still busily typing.

"I mean," Twilight went on, "you can't just go someplace and take a toy that someone else has bought. That's stealing! And even leaving that aside, how in the world are you going to get there?"

"I'm getting there!" Trixie called excitedly.

"Well..." Rainbow spread her wings. "I'll fly if I have to!"

"You're a toy, Rainbow? You can't actually fly?"

"Urrrgh! Then I'll mail myself there, okay? All I need is an address... and a box... and postage!"

Derpy looked up from her muffin. "Oooh! I can help you with that!" She jumped up from the table and hurried off.

"It can't be done, Rainbow!" Twilight insisted.

"It's done!" Trixie called happily.

Both Twilight and Rainbow looked at her. "Huh?"

"I dood it!" Trixie gave the keyboard one last proud thump, and pointed at an order page on screen.

"What?" Twilight asked. "How?"

"It wasn't hard," Trixie said, smugly. "The URL for the Bought icon happened to include an order ID as an attribute. Yeah, I know, really lame coding, right? I backtracked it through a hole in the orders database, and... well, long story short, that Scootaloo is going right there!" She pointed to the shipping address at the bottom of the screen.

"Awesome!" Rainbow struck a pose. "Then that's where I need to go," she said proudly. "Tooooo... friendship! And BEYOND!"

Twilight eyed her.

"You've been hanging around that space-ranger toy too much."

"So?" Rainbow shrugged. "He's cool. We're both flyers. He gets where I'm coming from!"

Twilight winced, and looked away.

"Aw, hey, Twi! I'm sorry!" Rainbow said. "I didn't mean it like that." She put a hoof on Twilight's shoulder. "Like Princess Celestia says, you're more than Princess enough for us!"

Twilight crossed her forehooves and gave her a stern scowl. "That's Acting Princess to you, Rainbow!" Then she sighed. "You're gonna go ahead and do this, aren't you?" she said. "No matter what I say?"

Rainbow looked guilty but unrepentant. "Twi! I'm the loyalty pony, remember? And it's Scootaloo we're talking about! I'm supposed to be, like, her big sister! What am I supposed to do?"

Twilight nodded. It was clear from the look on Rainbow's face: she'd committed herself to bringing this particular Scootaloo home, and nothing was going to change her mind.

"Okay, fine!" Twilight rolled her eyes. "But you're not doing this all by yourself. Now, assuming we don't get ourselves lost in the mail getting there... what do we do after that?"

A short while later they were out on the front porch. The six Element Bearers were being boxed up by Derpy, with Big Mac standing nearby with the roll of strapping tape. Starlight was looking on, clipboard in hoof, anxiously double-checking the mail-pony's work.

"Be careful, Twi!" Spike said. "I really wish I could come with you!"

"We're taking a risk as it is, Spike," Twilight told him. "I wouldn't want to lose you. You stay here and help Starlight. And Starlight," she added, "I know this is a lot to land on you, your first day here. But I know the kind of pony you are, and how well you can organize things. Just keep the other ponies here out of trouble until the Princesses get home. And also, let Celestia know where we've gone, and why."

Starlight bit her lip, but nodded. "I'll do my best, Twilight. You can count on me!"

"Don't worry, Twilight!" Trixie said breezily. The showpony put her hoof around Starlight's shoulders. "The Grrreat and Powerful Trrrixie will lend a helping hoof, if need be!"

Twilight gave her a doubtful look, then looked back to Starlight. "You'll do fine, Starlight. I trust you."

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were saying goodbye to their respective sisters. "Be sure and let Scootaloo know she's got us here, waitin' on her," Apple Bloom said.

"All ready to go Crusading!" Sweetie Belle added excitedly.

"We'll be back before ya know it, sugarcube," Applejack replied.

Rarity nodded. "Absolutely, Sweetie dear!"

"Don't you two worry," Rainbow said. "We're not comin' back empty-hoofed. That's a promise! Scootaloo or bust!"

"Yes, indeedy!" Pinkie beamed. "Oh, and Starlight? Be sure to give my party cannon a hug every now and then. It gets lonely otherwise!"

"Uhh, sure..." Starlight replied, a little worriedly. "I'll put that right on my list..." Her toy pencil scribbled busily.

"And Starlight?" Fluttershy added. "Would you keep an eye on the preschool toys in particular? They can get frightened if they feel no one responsible's looking after them."

"Got it," Starlight made another note on her clipboard. "Wow, there's a lot to manage here! But we'll make it happen, don't worry. Anything else?"

Twilight looked around at the other ponies. "No, I think that about does it. Okay, everypony! Let's do this!"

They hunkered down, and Big Mac helped Derpy close up the box and tape it shut. They heard hoofsteps on the box lid as Starlight triple-checked the addresses and postage, as she'd planned to. Then the hoofsteps faded away as the other ponies made their way back into the house and up to the room.

The six ponies settled in to wait until the Arriba driver came by to collect the package and take it to the post office. For a long while there was silence, as they found comfortable spots to rest amongst the packing material.

And then:

"Anypony up for a game of I Spy?"

"Arrgghh! Pinkie! We're not playing that!"

"Oh, come on! It'll be fun!"

"Are you mental? We're in a box, for pony's sake! There's nothing here but us!"

"So? It'll be easy! I'll start it... I spy, with my little eye..."

The Movie Set

"The box hasn't moved for a while," Fluttershy said. "Do you think we're finally there?"

"I certainly hope so," Rarity grumbled. "It's been long enough! We did request the overnight service, didn't we?"

"There's only one way to find out..." Twilight said.

Applejack and Rainbow carefully unwrapped the safety razor Derpy had packed for them, and used it to cut through the packing tape sealing the lid. They gently shoved open the lid and looked out through the gap...

... and found themselves staring up at Canterlot Castle.

It was the castle playset, gleaming white under brilliant stage lighting. In front of it was a model Friendship Festival area, complete with a performance stage and some venders' carts. Behind the castle playset were more sets, plus toolboxes, equipment, and craft materials, all spread out across a broad expanse of worktable in a darkened cellar room.

"Woah..." Rainbow said. "Someone here is really into the show..."

"And how! Lordy!" Applejack agreed.

Seeing no one around, the toys cautiously climbed out. When Twilight turned around and looked behind the box, she flinched for a moment, seeing the baleful eye of a video camera. Then she saw its Record light was off, and relaxed somewhat.

"Oh my word!" Rarity said. "It's some kind of amateur movie set!" She discreetly fluffed her mane and looked like she wished she had a mirror available.

Applejack nodded. "They must be doin' a home-video version of My Little Pony: the Movie here."

"Or parts of it anyway," Fluttershy added.

"So what the hay would they need a Scootaloo for?" Rainbow demanded angrily. "She's not even in the Movie!"

"Oooh! Movie trivia! There's that quick cameo of the Crusaders in a cage!" Pinkie reminded her.

"It's like Twilight said." Rarity waved a hoof. "This... bid-bot, or whatever it was, just bought Scootaloo up to be resold. Maybe it's how whoever's making this movie funds the work."

"Well that sucks!" Rainbow stamped a hoof. "We gotta find her and fast!"

Looking around, Twilight noticed a stack of mailers and other packages near their box. "Maybe she's in one of those," she said, pointing. "Let's take a look."

The ponies quickly fanned out across the pile, checking return addresses for the one from Scootaloo's order page.

"Scootaloo!" Rainbow called, as she flipped through mailers sitting on a rack in back. "Hey, Squirt! You in one of these?"

"If ya are, hon," Applejack called, rapping hopefully on the sides of packages, "give us a holler, 'kay?"

There was no response. Worried but determined, the ponies kept looking.

As they did so, Twilight wandered off to the side where a number of large plastic tubs were arrayed, like a self-storage depot. Their walls were translucent; peering through the nearest one Twilight thought she could see toys inside.

Then she realized what toys she was looking at.

"Hey, girls!" she called. "There are pony toys over here!"

The other five hurried over, and looked in with her. "Hey!" Rainbow said, "Those ponies look like us!"

"Well, I'll be!" Applejack took off her hat and brushed her mane back nervously. "Always knew there were other copies of us out there. Didn't expect to run into any on this trip."

"Umm, would it be safe to talk to them?" Fluttershy asked.

"Yeah!" Rainbow cried. "Maybe they've seen Scootaloo!"

"It'd be hard to see anything through this plastic," Twilight said. "But it never hurts to ask. Help me get the lid open."

By piling up some nearby part boxes the ponies quickly threw together a workable staircase leading to the top of the tub. Working together, they managed to lever open the lid. Applejack found a roll of packing twine and quickly knotted together a makeshift rope ladder, with weights at either end to hold it in place. She hung it over the rim.

And then Twilight nervously climbed down the ladder into the tub, leaving the others watching from up above.

She trotted up to the row of ponies. When they didn't turn to look at her, she reached out to touch the closest one, which happened to be a Pinkie Pie.

There was no reaction. The toy just stood there, coldly unresponsive, fake smile plastered on its dead face. In any other pony that would have been unnerving. With the party pony it was downright frightening.

The other ponies were the same, all of them. Just lifeless collector's items... just hunks of colorful plastic.

Rarity gasped. "They're like... zombies!"

"Z-z-zombie... ponies?" Fluttershy hunched in fright.

"There's no such thang," Applejack snapped, though her eyes were wide as she said it. "They're just... E-Zonned toys! Like I said: never played with, so they're not alive. Afraid we're not gonna learn anything from them."

"Ohhh," Fluttershy moaned. "That's so sad!"

"Yeah..." Pinkie mumbled, her main and tail losing some of their curl. "I feel really bad for them."

"No kidding, Pinkie!" Rainbow shuddered. "Eeegh! That could'a been me." Then she pulled herself together. "All right! Enough with this freak-show! We're wasting time here. Let's get back to looking through those packages."

Reluctantly Twilight turned to leave. But then she noticed something that she'd missed before: the Twilight toy in the middle of the row of six Element Bearers wasn't a unicorn. It was an alicorn Twilight, complete with the wings, the armored shoes... and the crown.

Twilight trotted over to it, and then stared at it sadly. I'm so sorry, she thought. I wish you could have had a nice home, and other ponies to be with, like I've had. And a loving child to play with you. What's worse, I've had that twice, and you haven't had anything. That's just not fair. I wish... I wish you could have had some of my good fortune...

She stared at the toy's face, frozen in a look of hopeful curiosity...

...and, she added, I wish I could have been a Princess toy. Just like you.

She reached out and gently touched the toy, wanting to comfort it.

There was a sudden blurred moment, a confusing sense of briefly being two places at once... and suddenly she was looking at herself -- her unicorn self...

... out of the eyes of the Princess Twilight toy.

"Yikes!" She backed away hurriedly. Unused to the weight of the armored shoes on her hooves, she stumbled, falling heavily on her rear. "Halp!"

"Hey!" Rainbow flung herself over the edge of the tub, landing heavily on its floor. Jumping up, she raced over.

And grabbed Princess Twilight in her forehooves, shaking her angrily. "You let go of our friend right now! You... you... zombie pony!"

"Rainbow! It's me! I've... swapped toys somehow! I don't know what happened!"

"Yeah, yeah! Likely story!" Rainbow snapped. "I saw you waiting your moment, and then you... uh... uh, possessed our friend!"

"Rainbow!" Applejack said reasonably, coming over to join them. "How can she be possessing our Twi, if our Twi ain't movin'?"

"Well... I dunno! I'm not the expert on voodoo and stuff!"

"Put 'er down. There's a quick way to settle this." Rainbow did so, and Applejack cautiously put a hoof on Twilight's shoulder. "Twi, before we got packed away? Tell us 'xactly what happened."

"Uh, right. I put Starlight in charge of looking after the room for us. And Trixie said she was going to help. And then Apple Bloom and Sweetie asked us to tell Scootaloo about them."

"And what'd Pinkie ask Starlight?"

"To hug her party cannon, so it wouldn't be lonely."

"Aw, come on!" Rainbow glared fiercely. "Anypony could know that!"

"Rainbow! Nopony but us could know all that!" Applejack shook her head. "I dunno how it is... but it's Twi, all right!"

The other ponies had climbed down into the tub, and came over to join them.

"Do you feel all right, dahling?" Rarity asked.

"You do look nice," Fluttershy offered hesitantly. "With the crown and everything."

"Yeah!" Pinkie Pie stotted happily. "You're the best-looking possessed zombie Princess Twilight I've ever seen!"

"Uh..." Twilight considered it. "I don't feel any different. But I suppose I wouldn't. I mean, if I'm this Princess toy now, I'd feel normal -- normal for her, that is." She reached up and touched the crown embedded in her mane. "It's certainly strange though!"

"Huh, no kidding!" Rainbow still looked doubtful, but also hesitantly intrigued. "Hey, you suppose this might work for the rest of us too?" Without hesitation she reached out to touch one of the other motionless ponies.

Nothing happened.

"Uh, maybe it has to be your pony?" Fluttershy suggested.

"Well, what good does that do?" Rainbow asked, gesturing at her silent twin. "Then I'd just be me again! I mean sure, cool and all! But how d'ya improve on awesome, huh?"

"I wonder how it happened?" Twilight reached out and touched her unicorn form. And suddenly was looking out of her own eyes again.

"Ooookay," she said. "This is really spooky!"

"Oh my word!" Rarity whispered. "It's like watching a tennis match!"

Applejack's eyes were like saucers. "How're ya doin' that, Twi?"

"I haven't the foggiest, A.J!" Touching the Princess again, she became her once more. "And it's really bugging me. Because it's apparently so easy!"

"Oooh! I know! I know! Pick me!" Pinkie Pie bounded excitedly, waving a hoof. "It's like me and my party cannon!"

Rainbow stared at her. "Say what, now?"

"Ya lost us, Pinkie," Applejack agreed.

"Come on! It's obvious! I and my party cannon were in the same gift-set! That's why my cannon isn't just an accessory... it feels like part of me! I bet our Twilight and this Princess Twilight were originally part of the same gift set!"

"So..." Applejack hazarded, "this Princess is like your long-lost sister or somethin'?"

Rainbow apparently couldn't decide if she was horrified or fascinated. "And you're like, possessing the body of your undead long-lost sister? That's... kinda cool... in a seriously creepy way."

"Or maybe," Fluttershy suggested, "it's because a child wouldn't play with both unicorn Twilight and Princess Twilight at the same time. They'd switch off between the two. So Twilight can naturally switch between the two toys, because, well... they're both her, in a way!"

"Is that even possible?" Rarity asked.

"Wayall..." Applejack admitted, "granted none of us knows 'xactly how it is that us toys are alive and aware in the first place, I 'spose it must be!"

"Aww, ponyfeathers!" Rainbow gazed around at the other motionless ponies. "Of all the times for there not to be a Wonderbolts version of me sitting around here somewhere! I mean, I could actually, finally be a Wonderbolt!"

"Umm... are you going to stay an alicorn Princess, Twilight?" Fluttershy asked.

"Well..." Twilight shrugged. "I did really want to give this toy a shot at having friends, and a child to play with her. And this... does seem like a way to do just that. That is, if all of you are okay with it?"

The rest of them nodded, with varying degrees of acceptance.

Twilight gestured at the silent, unmoving unicorn Twilight. "Just... help me remember where my old self is parked, huh? Because, well... that's me. And I'm kind of attached to me. I wouldn't want to lose me. It'd be, well... embarrassing!"

Rainbow was staring at her in consternation. Then she waved her hooves.

"Awright, look! Can we just stop following the GPS? Because we are getting seriously lost in Freakytown here!"

Fifteen Minutes of Fame

They all climbed out of the storage tub, then hunted around through the others. But they didn't see any other pony toys, so they gave up and returned to the pile of packages.

"Okay, look," Twilight said. "We may need to start widening the search a bit. Rainbow, you take Rarity, Pinkie, and Fluttershy, and keep looking through the mail stack. Applejack and I will start looking around the castle and the other sets over there, see if she's sitting out on the table somewhere. We'll meet back here in, let's say an hour."

"Got it! C'mon girls!" Rainbow and the others headed off.

As Twilight and Applejack set off as well, Applejack smiled at the Princess pony. "You're learnin' how to wear that crown fast, Twi!"

"I suppose I'll have to," Twilight said. "Though I hope all of you don't treat me any different. This is still me, after all."

"I hear ya, Twi. And don't worry. I know it's you, and I trust ya. Ya ain't steered us wrong yet."

They crossed the celebration area, then passed through the drawbridge entrance of the castle playset. Beyond, they found a set depicting the main Audience Hall from the Movie, complete with hand-sculpted models of the three petrified Princesses. Even though Twilight knew the real Princess toys were all safe and sound back in Bonnie's room, it felt eerie walking among the statues. The horrified expressions on their sculpted faces were a little too gruesomely accurate.

"Hoo way!" Applejack said. "Someone here's got time on their hooves. Look at this stuff! And looky here, Twi! They even got the cage that you were trapped in, near the end."

"And up there, beyond the thrones..." Twilight said, pointing. "That's the balcony where we faced down the Storm King. In the Movie, I mean."

Climbing the ramp to the throne platform, Twilight passed through the arch beyond and onto the balcony. With the combination of the bright stage lighting shining down on the balcony itself, and the darkened cellar beyond, it felt almost like looking out on a cloud-covered, moonless night.

Twilight crossed to the balcony railing and leaned over it, peering down into the shadows. The balcony extended out over the edge of the table, and below it on the concrete floor she could see a large grey metal trash can. And to her horror, she saw that the bottom of the can was layered with discarded toys: robots, superhero action figures, a Combat Carl, some Battlesaur warriors...

... and all of them in pieces, torn limb from limb. It was like a mass grave of plastic toy parts.

Nothing moved. Nothing was alive.

And then something moved, rising up from the heap of plastic. One toy was still alive down there...

... an Alien Queen action figure.

Sensing it was being watched, the thing lifted its head and stared up sightlessly at Twilight.

And hissed, loudly and viciously, baring needle-like teeth.

Unnerved and shivering, Twilight backed hurriedly away from the railing. And collided with Applejack. "Aahhhh!"

"What is it, Twi? What's down there?"

"Uh, nothing!" Twilight got control of herself. "Nothing pleasant, anyway."

Seeing the look in her eyes, Applejack took the hint. The farm pony gazed around at the set they were on, and the ones beyond it. "Ya know, Twi, I'm not sure they're doin' the whole Movie here. Just the tail end of it. There's only the Festival stage and the throne room, after all. No airships, no Klugetown or Seaquestria, nothing else. The rest of the sets over yonder are something entirely different. Maybe they're for the movie they're doin' after this one."

"Yeah, I think you're right." Then a thought occurred to Twilight... an uncomfortable thought. "Wait a sec... if they're doing the Movie, then that means somewhere around here, there must be..."

A languid, sinister chuckle sounded behind them, from the arch leading back into the Audience Hall.

"Ah know that laugh!" Applejack whispered, as they turned around.

Facing them was a tall maroon pony, with a plume-like mane and tail, dressed in black battle armor. She stood tall, her head lofted, her eyes narrowed coldly and evaluatingly. Beside her stood a squat, gray, white-maned hedgehog toy. The hedgehog coughed into his fist then spoke up grandly.

"Ponies of Equestria! Put your hooves together... for Commander Tempest!"

"All right, Grubber," Tempest muttered. "That's enough."

"Aw, geez, boss! Gimme a break." He looked up at her. "I might never get a chance to say that line for real!"

Tempest ignored him, and stalked slowly forward. She suddenly went wide-eyed, staring at the two ponies before her -- in particular at the lavender Princess pony. Her gaze was a mixture of shock, recognition... and fearful, desperate hope.

"Princess?" she asked, her voice uncertain and meek.

"Tempest?" Twilight replied, equally uncertain. She knew how the Movie ended, with Tempest helping them and becoming their friend, but...

Suddenly, the maroon pony's gaze turned coldly suspicious.

"Wait a minute!" she snarled. "How is it you're even moving? You're just... props! All of you! And you --" she pointed a hoof at Applejack. "What are you even doing on the set? We're not through shooting the cage scene here!"

She rapped her hoof angrily. Through the arch behind her, a trio of ape-like Storm soldier toys crowded onto the balcony.

"Throw these toys back in storage!" Tempest ordered. "We are not shooting this thing out of order. Not on my watch! Move 'em out!"

As the guards closed in, Applejack leaned closer to Twilight. "What now, Twi?"

"Uh, for now, we do what she says."

"And then... y'all got a plan, right?"

"Uhm..." Twilight grinned uneasily. "... working on it..."

Back at the pile of packages, Rainbow was becoming increasingly frustrated as she patted mailers and rapped on boxes.

"Come on, Scoot!" she whispered desperately. "Be here, somewhere!"

"Um, Rainbow?" Fluttershy called nervously.

"What?" Rainbow looked round. "Did'ya find her?"

"Noooo..." Rarity replied, "but I think someone has found us."

Rainbow stared at the half-dozen Storm soldiers encircling the pile, closing in on them.

"Whoa, cool!" She hurried over to rap the closest one with a hoof. "Hand-carved, hand-painted miniatures! Nice! Ya know, I wish Spike had something like this for Ogres and Oubliettes? These have got his cardboard standees beat by a mile!"

"Rainbow!" Rarity hissed. "I don't think they're here to play games!"

"Oh! Uh... right." Rainbow stared up at the soldier. It glared down at her, then rumbled and hooted threateningly. "Heh heh! Are you guys from the Post Office? Because we weren't tampering with the mail here. Nosirree! Say, have any of you seen a small brown pony toy with kinda pinkish-red hair? Her name's Scootaloo..."

She glanced around worriedly at the other soldiers, closing in on them.

"Annnnd... we'd really like to be taking her home right about now..."

Across the table, beyond the Audience Hall set, Tempest hesitantly approached a tall, colorful display box, decorated with images of a looming, horned figure bearing a gem-tipped staff. The transparent window of the box was turned away from her. The side flap stood slightly ajar. A self-satisfied humming could be heard from within.

Tempest tapped on the box with a hoof, then stood back, at attention.

The humming stopped. The flap was pushed open. And the Storm King stepped out, standing tall and haughty before her. In his three-fingered hands was the Staff of Sacanas. He gazed down upon her with dismissive smugness.

"Sooo, Tempest..." His voice was an icy, self-satisfied purr. "Everything ready for my big entrance today?"

"Some... minor issue with the props." For a moment Tempest hesitated, looking uncertain. Then she shook her head. "But I've dealt with that. We're still on schedule, according to the shooting script. Just the cage scene with Princess Twilight left, and that shouldn't take long. We'll be doing the balcony scene before nightfall."

"I'm really looking forward to this, Tempest! Everyone gets their fifteen minutes of fame. And this is mine." He idly examined his fingernails. "One for the annals, eh? Maybe even an award show or two, or a new contract. Yeah, I like the sound of that..."

"And then..." Tempest asked desperately, "... then will you repair my horn? Please?"

"Ohhh, with my newfound fame and fortune from this production, I don't think it'll be at all difficult. No great stretch of my abilities."

His gaze fixed on her, his voice turned cold, remorseless.

"But remember, Tempest! Only I have the power to make you whole. Make this film work... and you'll get your reward. Fail me... and your horn won't be the only thing that's broken!"

Tempest bowed, swiftly and abjectly.

"It won't be a problem!"

Twilight and Applejack were dumped unceremoniously into the tub with the E-Zonned ponies in it. Picking themselves up, they found Rainbow and the other ponies were already there. The ponies quickly compared notes on their respective searches, though soon enough the subject drifted back to the maroon pony holding them all captive.

"That Tempest toy..." Applejack said, "she's loopy as a lasso! She actually thinks they're makin' a movie here!"

"It's like I said." Rainbow nodded confidently. "She's a movie tie-in toy! And tie-in toys just can't get past the episode they're based on."

"But the Movie..." Fluttershy said, "that was a lot more than just one episode... all those other lands, and other creatures, and..."

"Has she ever shown up in the series, after that?" Rainbow demanded.

"Ooh, Ooh! Movie trivia again! I know!" Pinkie waved a hoof. "Twilight talks about her in the Season 8 premiere!"

"For all of one line, Pinkie." Rarity sniffed. "She's never even mentioned in the show after that."

"That's probably just because the show couldn't afford it," Twilight said. "Hiring someone to do the voice for her as a regular character. And that doesn't matter. The point is, she's a toy and she needs our help!"

"Twilight," Rainbow said, exasperated, "She's just a movie toy! We can't afford to waste time straightening her out! We need to bust outta here, find Scootaloo, and get back to Bonnie's room before anyone notices we're missing."

"Rainbow!" Twilight swung on her, angrily. "Don't you get it? There may not even be a Scootaloo here! For all we know, she may already have been sold on, and shipped out somewhere else! But we know Tempest is here, right now. And she's real! She's a toy who needs our help. We can't just abandon her and run off after some toy we haven't even seen yet..."

"Whadayamean, Twi? This is Scootaloo we're talking about!"

"A Scootaloo toy you found online, Rainbow!"

"So? She still matters! What's gotten into you, Twilight?"

"Yes, dahling!" Rarity added. "I know you mean well, but why is it so important?"

Twilight was silent for a moment, staring at them all. Then her gaze fell.

"It's like with Starlight."

"Huh?" Pinkie stared at her. "You mean the Starlight back in the room?"

"No, Pinkie! The one in the show. Princess Twilight gave her a second chance, took her on as a pupil. And look how great she turned out! Look how many episodes she's been in! And Trixie too!" She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, well, poor example, Trixie still needs work. But even so, she's made progress with Starlight helping her. But no one did that for Tempest. She was just... abandoned." She grimaced. "I feel like I abandoned her in a way. I just wouldn't feel right if we gave up on her that quickly."

"But you heard her, Twi!" Applejack said, gently. "Poor gal's nuttier than a squirrel's pantry. She's not right in the head!"

"No, it's more than that," Twilight objected. "I could see it in her eyes. Just for a moment, she looked like she wanted to ask for help. And then... something stopped her!"

Applejack looked doubtful. "And made her turn nasty, too? Made her chuck us all in the slammer?"

"I don't think she means to be like that. It's just... there's something here she's afraid of. Something that's keeping her from thinking clearly, and breaking out of her Movie persona."

"Ya mean like, she's ridin' a tiger of some kind? And to avoid gettin' bit she grabs on harder?"

Twilight nodded. "Something like that."

"Oh my!" Fluttershy hunched nervously. "What could scare a pony like her?"

"I don't know." Twilight admitted. "But we need to find out. I don't think we have the whole picture here, yet..."

Tempest trotted across the table, Grubber padding along beside her. Returning to the Audience Hall set, she made her way up the spiral stairs in one of the towers, to the small room at the top. It had balcony arches on all four sides, commanding an excellent view of the entire tabletop. She'd even dragged a travel pack of tissues up to the room, and then simply ripped the entire top off to make a bed for herself.

Throwing herself down on it, her head resting on her forehooves, she glared into the darkness outside, a scowl on her face. After a nervous pause, Grubber followed her, and thumped down on the floor next to her.

"Everything all right, boss?"

"No, Grubber! Everything's not all right." Tempest snarled. "That idiot Princess toy! She might have ruined everything!"

"Who, Princess Twilight? She seemed all right to me."

"Grubber!" Tempest frowned at him. "We can't shoot the scene with her and her friends out of order! It comes after the Storm King's big moment! The filmmaker might lose interest, move on to his next project... and skip the Storm King's part entirely!"

"Ohhh, yeah!" Grubber agreed. "That... wouldn't be good."

"You think?" Tempest snarled, "And what were they even doing all the way over here? How'd they even get here?" Tempest buried her snout under her hooves. "I must be losing it, Grubber! They're just props! They're not alive!"

"Yeah... about that. They seemed pretty lively to me."

Tempest opened one eye, staring at him. "You saw that too?"

"Sure did! And it seemed like that Princess toy knew you!"

"Yeah..." Tempest lifted her head, a sad look on her face. "She did know me, Grubber. She knew my name. And... it was like she wanted to help me, even knowing who I was..."

"Well that's not so strange, boss." Grubber cautiously put a paw on her shoulder. "I mean, I know ya. And I wanna help."

Tempest smiled, briefly. Then her gaze turned stern again. "We can't afford any slip-ups, Grubber. We have to finish the film properly. Then the Storm King will be satisfied, and he'll fix my horn, and then..." She sighed, looking ready to burst into tears. "And then I can finally be resold. And children will want to play with me again..."

"And me too, boss?" Grubber asked hopefully. "After all, we're a team, right? I'm your hench-hog, aren't I? You'll take me with you, won'tcha?"

Tempest eyed him. "I suppose." She shrugged. "You've done a decent job. Why's it matter so much to you?"

"Are you kiddin' me?" Grubber stared at her. "I could never have hoped to have it this good! There I was, sitting on the shelf, and suddenly they stick me in a box with a burger, carrot-sticks, and a juice-box, and I'm thinkin', oh man, I hope I get a kid who knows the difference between toys and food! And all I had to look forward to was being played with for a few minutes, and then thrown out. Or stuck in the bottom of a drawer. Or chewed up by the family dog! Or worse!"

He gestured around, at the castle set, and the two of them.

"But look at all this! Here I am, workin' with an actual Tempest Shadow! I get to be a hench-hog for real! How cool is that?" He beamed. "Only thing that would make me happier right now would be a slice of cake!"

"We're toys, Grubber. We don't eat."

"Plastic cake, then! I'll look at it. It'll last longer, too."

Tempest sighed, and laid her head back on her forehooves.

"Whatever floats your boat, Grubber. We'll stick together if we can. Just... do as I tell you."

"Yee-essss!" Grubber punched the air. "All right! You got it, boss!"

Tempest nodded, her eyes tight shut, breathing hard.

Then her eyes suddenly snapped opened, and narrowed angrily. Her voice became stern and cross. "I want to be played with again, Grubber!" she growled. "For that, I need my horn restored... and that idiot Princess pony is not going to stop me from getting my horn back!"

"Uhh... right, boss!"

Grubber worried when Tempest got like that. It was like she'd completely forgotten she was a toy, and thought she was still in the movie.

And that couldn't be good...

The Filmmaker

"So, how long are we gonna just sit here?" Rainbow whispered.

"Kinda hard to do anythin' else," Applejack replied, "with them Storm guards outside standin' watch. I ain't seen them budge an inch. I don't think they even get tired!"

"We could take 'em on!" Rainbow said, boxing the air with her hooves. "If only Twilight would get it together, and quit staring at the wall!"

The farm pony glanced worriedly towards the corner of the box where Twilight was sitting by herself, staring pensively out through the tough plastic. She'd been sitting silently like that for so long that Applejack was starting to worry.

She's our Princess, Applejack thought. So we should follow her lead. But it's kind of hard to do that when she's not leading us anywhere.

Getting up, Applejack crossed to sit next to her. "Twi, hon," she said softly. "I know ya want to help Tempest. But we really gotta think about gettin' out of here ourselves. We can't help either Tempest or Scootaloo, cooped up like this."

"I know, A.J.," Twilight replied sadly. "I'm just not sure what we'd do if we did get out. I'm used to helping ponies with research questions, or ponies who are worried, or have some concrete problem I can help solve. But with Tempest... I don't even know what the issue is. I need to talk with her, find out what's on her mind, why she's like this."

Applejack nodded uncomfortably. Then she glanced across at Twilight's old unicorn form, silent and unmoving... and found herself wondering if the old, unicorn Twilight would be so indecisive. Then she chided herself for the thought. This is Twilight, she told herself. Crown or no, she cares enough to figure out what to do first, rather than just rush in. We got to stick by her, be ready to move when she's got a plan worked out.

"Maybe you'll have a chance to talk with her," Applejack cautiously suggested, "when this film thing gets rolling again."

"Maybe," Twilight nodded. "But who knows when that'll be..."

BOOM.

The toys collectively froze at the thunderous noise: the sound of the basement door slamming.

Then there was a steady, loud THUMP, THUMP, THUMP on the cellar stairs.

Remaining still, Applejack tried to peer out through the plastic wall of the tub. But she could see nothing in the darkness outside, even as the heavy footsteps came closer.

Then like an unexpected avalanche, the filmmaker suddenly hove into view beside the table. Large hands reached out towards the plastic tub. The lid was peeled off like a house-roof in a tornado. And a beringed hand reached in... to pick up Princess Twilight from her place in the corner. The lid flopped heavily down again.

Letting out the breath she'd been holding, Applejack inched closer to the wall of the tub, trying to see out, to see where Twilight was being taken...

And Twilight herself had a much better view.

Laying in the filmmaker's palm, she stared up at him. All she could see of him, looming in the shadows high overhead, was the oil-slick glistening of light on the lenses of his glasses, and the burnt-coal gleam of the end of the vape stick gripped in his mouth.

Reaching up with his other hand, he removed the vape stick, and then exhaled like an erupting volcano, a long, slow, fulminating cloud-bank of nicotine-laced fumes.

And Twilight could tell, just from the way the filmmaker held her, just from the way he stared down at her, silently and evaluatingly...

... he no longer played with toys. Ever.

Cupped in his hand, Twilight could sense, for a brief moment, his complete and utter disregard for her. To him, she was not even a toy... just a prop, bought solely for his filmwork, to be sold off thereafter or simply discarded, with neither pity nor regret.

For that brief moment Twilight knew what it was like, having a completely disinterested, dispassionate owner: a cold, heartless, uncaring deity whose only interest was the technical challenge of recreating scenes from movies, using toys as props.

Twilight decided, then and there, she never wanted to experience anything like that ever again. And no other toy should either... not if she had anything to say about it!

I have to get Tempest out of all this.

Returning the vape stick to his mouth, the filmmaker moved to the Audience Hall set. He opened the top of the cylindrical metal cage, placed Twilight inside, then shut it again.

And standing right outside the cage was Tempest Shadow, glaring in angrily at her.

The filmmaker repositioned his camera, then fiddled with the focus for a while. Then he began taking quick snapshots, reaching in to reposition Tempest each time, creating an animation of her stalking in a circle about the cage.

And all the while Tempest eyed Twilight smugly, enjoying the limelight, enjoying having the Princess at her mercy.

"Tempest..." Twilight whispered.

"Shut it, Princess!" Tempest hissed back.

Twilight fell silent. The filming continued. Eventually Tempest was turned round to face the cage, then marched straight up to it. Her armored hooves were placed on its bars...

There was suddenly an angry, hornet-like buzzing coming from below the level of the table. The filmmaker cursed, then pulled out a phone and looked at it. Turning away from the table, he crossed back to the cellar stairs and stormed up them, the phone pressed to his ear, slamming the door behind him.

In the silence that followed, Twilight and Tempest regarded each other through the bars of the cage.

"Why are you doing this?" Twilight finally said. "You're a pony toy! Just like me!"

"I'm nothing like you!" Tempest snarled. "I'm more than you'll ever be!" She smiled coldly. "I'm in command of an army... the star in a movie... and... and..."

Her eyes suddenly went wide, her gaze turned sad and lost. And then she sat down on the floor. She put her hooves to her face, her shoulders hunched.

"... and I'm a broken toy..."

Twilight blinked, startled. "You're broken?" she asked. "How?"

"You mean it isn't obvious?" Tempest pointed to her damaged horn. "Just how dense are you, Princess?"

"But..."

"The worst part is," Tempest went on, "I don't even remember how it happened! The Storm King says my owner broke my horn while playing with me, which is why I was sold off." She stared at Twilight. "I just want to be whole again! That's all I want! The Storm King can give me that. He'll fix my horn, but first I have to help him finish this movie!"

She jumped up, and all but rammed her head through the bars, glaring in at Twilight. "And you are not going to screw this up for me!"

Frightened, Twilight struggled to keep her voice calm. "Tempest, listen, You're not a broken toy --"

"Save it, Princess! The last thing I need is phony encouragement from some pastel-colored Princess pony!"

"No, really! In the movie... the actual Movie, your horn was damaged right from the very start. Your horn doesn't need to be fixed, Tempest! You're not broken. You're exactly the pony you're supposed to be, right now!"

"Seriously?" Tempest stared at her in disbelief. "I'm supposed to be a magical cripple? I'm supposed to be maimed for life? Whose crazy idea of a world is that?" She shook her head. "I don't have to accept this. I don't. I'll get my horn back, and I'll be just like I used to be! That's all that matters!"

"It's hard to accept, I know," Twilight persisted. "But it's the truth, Tempest. You're the pony you need to be, already. And you don't have to live like this. You don't have to be like this! My friends and I can help you. Just give us a chance..."

BOOM.

Twilight fell silent, hearing the heavy footsteps coming down the stairs again.

As the filmmaker returned to his work, Tempest was already back in position, her hooves pressed to the bars of the cage. She eyed Twilight through them, dangerously.

"Don't screw this up for me, Princess," she warned. "I only have one shot at this... and I'm not going to let you ruin it!"

"Tempest..." Twilight whispered, desperately.

"Shhh!"

Twilight fell silent, feeling helpless.

There has to be a way to snap her out of this, she fretted. There has to!

"I say we've waited long enough!" Rainbow said. "We need to bust out of here now, while Tempest is distracted."

"Sayin' we do get out," Applejack asked. "Then what?"

"We keep lookin' for Scootaloo!" Rainbow replied. "And when we find her, we grab Twilight and then get ourselves all shipped back to Bonnie's room, whether Twilight wants to come with us or not!"

"Oooh, but what if we're seen?" Fluttershy asked.

Rainbow shook her head. "Volcano-face over there is too busy making home movies. He'll never even notice us!"

"I dunno..." the farm pony said. "Twilight thinks we should help this Tempest toy... try to be her friends, like. See if maybe we can snap her out of her Movie persona."

"Ahh!" Rainbow waved a hoof dismissively. "I think that crown has gone to Twilight's head. I bet that Princess pony toy came from a Movie gift-set. Maybe even the same one Tempest came from. Yeah! I bet it's twisting her thoughts! Making her want to help Tempest instead of us!"

"Really, Rainbow Dash!" Rarity sniffed. "Twilight has always cared about all of us. It's no surprise she'd want to help this Tempest, too."

"Yeah!" Pinkie Pie shouted. She was suddenly wearing an army beret and holding a corn-cob pipe. "What's happened to your loyalty, dirt-bag?"

"What? Uhh..." Rainbow shook her head. "It's not the same thing!"

"Ain't it, though?" Applejack glared at her. "Seems to me y'all have been a little obsessed with lookin' for Scootaloo, because you'd like to be the pony who rescues her and brings her home!"

"So? What's wrong with that?"

"Nothin'... I'm just sayin', Twilight feels the same way about Tempest. She wants to help her, and bring her home too! Besides which, she's our Princess --"

"Acting Princess!" Rainbow interrupted.

"Whatever!" Applejack shot back. "We should respect what she's trying to do, and help both ponies if we can."

"Fine!" Rainbow waved a hoof again. "Look, Twilight's already working the Tempest side of things. We'll find Scootaloo, make sure she's safe, and then lend a hoof with Tempest. That way we're ready to cut and run if things get dicey, and nopony gets left behind. That makes sense, doesn't it?"

"I suppose..." Applejack gave her a disapproving look, but didn't press the point. "In any case, bustin' outta here is a good first step. But how are we gonna get past them guards?" She motioned to the two Storm soldiers still stationed outside.

Rainbow grinned. "I've got an idea about that!"

A few moments later, the guards were startled when Fluttershy suddenly plopped heavily onto the tabletop between them. She glanced up in hurt annoyance at Rainbow and Pinkie Pie, looking down from the lip of the tub. Rainbow motioned with a hoof in a Get-On-With-It kind of way.

Then Fluttershy sat up, cleared her throat and put on a winning smile, and looked up at the two guards.

"Oh, um... hi! I, uh... just wanted to ask if there's anything you two might want to talk about...?"

The filmmaker ran through the cage sequence several times, moving Tempest in different ways each time, with the camera positioned in different places.

Different camera angles, Twilight's nerdy mind automatically supplied. He probably edits them together afterwards.

Irritated, she shook the thought from her head, and focused on Tempest. She'd given up trying to talk to the maroon pony while the filming was going on. Tempest herself likewise remained silent, and seemed to be increasingly distracted as the filming went on. She merely glanced at Twilight, every now and then, as if to be sure she was still there.

And more than once, Twilight thought she saw that look again: the fearful, desperate look of a toy who wanted help, but didn't feel able to ask for it.

Finally, the filmmaker appeared to be satisfied. Moving the camera aside, he reached in, opened the top of the cage, extracted Princess Twilight, and then carried her back to the storage tub. He dumped her into it, then dropped the lid on it distractedly, not bothering to snap it down. And then, apparently deciding to take a break, he gave an enormous yawn, stretched, and then went steadily THUMP, THUMP, THUMP back up the stairs. The cellar door slammed behind him.

And Twilight flopped onto her back, exhausted from having to stand motionless in one place for so long.

"I don't know, girls!" she said, distractedly. "I'm not sure I'm getting through to her. But I have to keep trying. We can't leave Tempest here, I'm convinced of that. No toy deserves to live like this. I know we should be looking for Scootaloo, but could you please, please, just give me a little more time here? Maybe when we're done with filming this evening there'll be time to talk to her more. And then I can reason with her, find out what the deal is. I know she wants our help. I just have to figure out how to convince her to trust us. That's the right thing to do, isn't it?"

Hearing nothing in reply, she looked up at her friends, standing motionless around her. She reached out and touched Applejack --

-- or what she'd thought was Applejack. It was only the E-Zonned toys, standing motionless and lifeless around her.

"Urghhh! That's just great!" Twilight put a hoof to her face in embarrassment. Here I am, baring my soul to a bunch of mindless hunks of plastic!"

She looked up at the silent toys. "Um... no offense. You know how it is." Sitting up, she covered her face with her hooves, feeling utterly ashamed. Then she looked around. Finally, she located her old unicorn self, standing over in the corner where they'd tucked it for safe-keeping. Getting up, she walked over to the toy and stared at its serious, thoughtful expression.

Maybe Rainbow is right, she thought. We came here to find Scootaloo. And I've let myself become distracted with playing Princess and trying to rescue Tempest Shadow from herself. Maybe the right thing to do is go back to being my old self. Find the others, locate Scootaloo, and get them all back home safely. That's what I'd do -- the old me, the Book Pony. That's what matters here.

She started to reach for the toy. Then she stopped herself.

And if I do that, she thought, I'll never be able to wear this crown again. Because I'll know that I don't deserve it... that I'm unworthy to be the Princess of Friendship.

She sighed. She'd just have to trust in her friends, hope they were out finding Scootaloo... while she focused on the task at hoof.

Luckily the rope ladder was still there. The others must have used it to climb out. She climbed out herself, and then set out determinedly across the tabletop, heading for the Audience Hall set.

Time to Princess up, she thought grimly. I'm going to make friends with that toy if it kills me!

Having finished looking through the pile of packages, the other ponies had moved on to checking through the rows of storage tubs again, just to be sure. And now, wandering further across the table, they'd come across two other items of interest amongst the canyon-like maze of supplies and part boxes.

One was a scale model of Pinkie's mega-sized Easy-Bake Confetti-Cake Party Cannon... a working model, as Pinkie delightedly confirmed, after clambering up to have a look down the huge barrel.

The other, farther on, was a stack of sketches and drawings, and a pile of notebooks. Most of the drawings were designs for the models and sets. And the notebooks contained dogeared-and-stickied treatments and scripts for the filmmaker's work. One notebook in particular was spread open on the table. A quick glance confirmed it was a shooting script, for the section of the Movie the filmmaker was currently working on.

And paging through it, Rainbow quickly made a disturbing discovery.

"This doesn't look right," she said. "The ending of this thing has been completely rewritten. Tempest gets blown away in the wind... Twilight loses... and the Storm King wins and takes over Equestria!" She stamped the page angrily with her hoof. "Hey! You can't do that to Twilight! That's not how the story goes!"

"I already didn't like that filmmaker very much," Rarity said. "So uncooth! But now I don't like him at all!"

"Takes all kinds, I guess," Applejack allowed. "But what kind of sick, twisted soul would want the Storm King to win?"

"And Twilight to lose?" Fluttershy added.

"Wait just a moment!" Rarity said, putting on her work-glasses. "The handwriting on this last section is entirely different!"

"Yeah!" Pinkie said. "It looks like my recipe notebook when I'm in a hurry... all kind of scribbly and small!"

"Yer plum right, Pinkie! Huh -- looks like a toy wrote that."

Rainbow's eyes went wide. "The Storm King!" she shouted. "He's rewritten the ending so he wins, and Twilight and Tempest go over the edge! He's setting Twilight up! We gotta get back there and warn her!"

The Storm Breaks

Twilight marched into the Audience Hall set, and found Tempest and Grubber, standing near the ramp leading up to the throne platform. At her approach, the two of them swung round to face Twilight, though Tempest cast an occasional glance over her shoulder, towards the balcony exit.

"Look, Tempest," Twilight said quickly, "I know you want to finish this movie, but just hear me out. I don't know why your owner sold you, but that doesn't matter. My friends and I can help you. The whole reason we're here is because we were looking for another toy: a Scootaloo, who got snatched up by that filmmaker's bid-bot and sent here. We wanted to bring her back with us, and give her a decent home, with friends!"

"Friends?" Tempest replied. "There's more of you?"

"Uh huh! And we have an owner, Tempest, a little girl named Bonnie! And she's the sweetest, most imaginative child a toy could ever hope for! And if you want, you could come back with us. She'll play with you! I know she will!"

Tempest's eyes went wide at that. But she shook her head doubtfully. "Me? A scarred, broken, evil villain toy from a movie?"

"That's not an issue for Bonnie." Twilight shrugged. "She even plays with Nightmare Moon! She calls her the Evil Dark Princess Pony. And even if she didn't play with you... you'd still have all of us: a family of pony toys, who look out for each other and help each other. You'd have a home, Tempest!"

"That would be nice..." Tempest looked hopeful. Then she glanced upwards. "But... my horn..."

"Tempest, you don't need your horn for a child to want to play with you. And that's what you really want, deep down. Isn't it?"

Tempest stared at her. "How do you know that?"

"Because you're a toy," Twilight said, surprised. "You want to be loved and played with. Isn't that what any toy would want?"

"Oh, I don't know," purred a coldly amused voice from the balcony entrance. "I'm a toy... and it's not exactly turning me on, now is it?"

The Storm King strolled in breezily, carrying the Staff of Sacanas. Stepping around the twin thrones, he walked down the ramp. "In fact, it's not appealing to me at all. Being played with by some sappy, sticky little brat? Is that really what you want, Tempest?"

Tempest had swung round to face him, but she glanced between him and Twilight uncertainly. "I... I don't know."

The Storm King's expression darkened, and he leaned closer, looming over her. "Well, let me tell you something, Tempest... it's not what I want. I want what I should've gotten: a movie about me. Me! Where I'm the star! Where I come out on top! The Storm King! And that's exactly what I'm getting here! I'm going to be famous!"

"What?" Twilight stared at him, astonished. "This guy's making a home movie! At best it'd be posted on some video-clip site, like... MeTube or SelfieClick, or..."

"Ooooh, yeah!" The Storm King nodded, stroking his chin. "It might even go viral! I could be a household word by sunset! Hmmm... wonder how many clicks I'd get? And if there's a way I can get a cut of the payout?"

"Urghhhh!" Twilight clapped a hoof to her forehead in disbelief.

"And, if I was popular enough," the Storm King went on, "they'd want more of me, Tempest! The filmmaker would want to make more movies... with me! And you could be part of that, too, Tempest! You stick with me, my little pony, play your cards right, you could go places!"

"Are you kidding me?" Twilight shook her head. "That filmmaker doesn't care about you! He doesn't care about any of us! Not in the slightest! Don't you see that? It's just a technical challenge to him, making these films. When he's done filming this clip, he'll just move right onto the next one! He'll be done with you! Finished! He'll throw you out, just like all the other toys!"

"Wait, what other toys?" Tempest demanded, looking at her.

"In the trash can, below the balcony! I saw them down there... dozens of toys... all in pieces! He's done this before. When he's done filming, he won't keep you, Tempest! He won't even bother selling you! He'll throw you away!"

The Storm King's eyes blazed with fury. His voice became a threatening rumble.

"So... what?"

Both ponies stared up at him, and he sneered. "We all hit the junk pile sooner or later! All of us! No child stays a child forever! We're all just animated plastic, just tomorrow's trash walking around!"

"You knew?" Tempest gasped. "But... what about my horn?"

"Get with the program, Tempest! I used you!" He shrugged carelessly. "It's kinda what I do! I mean look at me! I'm a movie villain toy! I was made for the movies! I'll never have another shot at the limelight! I'll never be loved, never get played with! Ever! This is it! My one chance! This is all I've got! All I'll ever have!"

He scowled down at Tempest, and swung the staff round, pointing it at her. Despite herself, she flinched away from it.

"And it's all you can ever hope to have, either!"

"That's not true!" Twilight said to her desperately. "Tempest, in the TV show, there's this villain character, Starlight Glimmer? And we redeem her. I mean, I redeem her! And back in Bonnie's room? We just got a Starlight Glimmer toy in the mail, and she's one of us now! Because every pony deserves a second chance. Every pony!"

"Even... me?" Tempest whispered back, miserably.

"Oh, wake up, Tempest!" The Storm King snarled. "Wake up! Open up your eyes! We're mortal, all of us! We only have a limited amount of time here, to make it or break it! And the only thing to do with that -- the only thing -- is to get in first and take what you want from life! Take it! Before someone else takes it away from you!"

The two ponies drew back from him. He was glaring down at them, raging uncontrollably, completely unhinged.

"Because you'll never get a second chance, Tempest! Never! You need to grab all you can while you're here! Make sure no one else gets in your way!"

He suddenly came to a halt. And smiled, as if at a wonderful thought. "And, speaking of which..."

Dropping the staff, he reached out and grabbed up both ponies, one in each hand. Tempest struggled desperately, but even she couldn't break free of his grip. And Twilight knew she didn't have a chance either.

The Storm King turned, and strolled past the thrones, heading out towards the balcony. "I'm going to make sure that this time, I'm not the one who gets knocked over the edge! This time, I won't be the one who loses! I'm not gonna be torn to pieces by that monster down there!"

"Wait..." Twilight gasped. "You know about that thing?"

"But," Tempest said desperately, "we're not done filming the balcony scene yet! You need us to finish the movie!"

"I don't need you! Either of you! Your close-ups are done! And it's like you said, that filmmaker doesn't care about any of us. When you're gone, he'll just order up new copies of you."

He grinned evilly.

"After all, that's what he did the last time!"

Twilight and Tempest stared at each other in horror.

"And this time," the Storm King went on, we'll do my final big scene properly, with no issues, and no complaints... because what does an E-Zonned toy ever have to say, eh?"

He laughed, loud and long.

"The only one who's coming out on top here... is me!"

The other ponies had just returned to the model Mega Cannon, in sight of the castle playset.

"Look!" Rainbow pointed. "Up there on the balcony -- the Storm King's got Twilight and Tempest! He's gonna chuck them over! We gotta save 'em!"

"Both of 'em, Rainbow?" Applejack asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, come on, A.J.! This is no time to quibble! We save 'em both now, sort it out later!"

"No argument here. But how we gonna get up there in time?"

"My party cannon!" Pinkie patted the monster cannon proudly.

"Aw no, not that thing again!"

"Whaddaya mean again, A.J.?" Rainbow stared at her. "You've never done this before!"

"You kiddin', Rainbow? It was bad enough watching it in the movie!"

"Oh, come on! Get in, everypony!" Rainbow yelled. "We gotta hurry!"

Reluctantly, the pony toys piled into the cannon, while Pinkie carefully wound up the spring mechanism and shoved the massive barrel into alignment. Then the party pony hopped into the cannon herself -- having somehow acquired a crash helmet and goggles in the process.

"Everypony ready?" Pinkie asked, excitedly.

"Ready as we'll ever be," Applejack said, fatalistically. "But Pinkie, if we're all inside this thing... who's gonna fire it off?"

"Oh, yeah! No problem, A.J., I got a plan!"

Crawling back up to the mouth of the cannon, she looked down. And spotted one of their Storm Guard captors approaching the base of the cannon, clearly searching around for the escaped prisoners.

"Hi! Looking for us?" she called.

The Storm Guard's mask snapped up, and he growled angrily.

"Well, here we are, come get us! All you have to do is push that big red button on the side to lower the cannon barrel!"

Warily, the Storm Guard approach the cannon, and put a paw on the button. He looked up at Pinkie, who nodded happily.

"That's the one! Better push it before we get away!"

She slid back down into the cannon, and giggled, grinning at the other ponies. "Three... two... one..."

The guard pushed the button. And then leapt back when the cannon's spring went off, thrusting the cannon backward across the table.

And five ponies went flying through the air, arcing towards the palace balcony.

The Storm King strode towards the balcony railing, cackling madly to himself. Twilight and Tempest struggled, unable to get loose from his grip.

And then, suddenly, it rained ponies.

Applejack smacked hoof-first into the small of the Storm King's back, making him lose his grip on Twilight and Tempest. And then Pinkie collided helmet-first with his head, dazing him and sending him stumbling forward. His knees hit the balcony railing and he tumbled over it, desperately flailing, and then vanished from sight.

Twilight looked up from where she'd fallen, astonished. And then she smiled in relief. "Woah! Perfect timing everypony! I'm so glad you're here, I..."

And suddenly she was being smothered from all sides by a group hug.

"Aww, come on, Twi!" Rainbow said. "You know we could never leave you gals hangin'!"

"You and Tempest both!" Applejack pointedly added.

"Yeah, yeah! Rub it in, A.J. Hey! I call dibs on the big stick with the gem on it!"

"I... think we should just work on getting out of here," Twilight said. Then she shut her eyes in happy bliss. "In a minute. I am so glad to have you girls back!"

"Why?" Fluttershy asked. "Where did we go?"

Twilight looked at her. "You... don't wanna know."

Tempest stared at the heap of ponies, all hugging each other, Twilight right in the middle of it. And Tempest smiled. It might not get her horn back, but maybe Twilight was right. She didn't need her horn to...

And then she saw the Storm King, clambering furiously up over the railing, reaching out a paw to grab Twilight's tail, as if determined to drag her down with him.

"NO!"

Near-blind with rage, Tempest launched herself over the group of ponies, colliding bodily with the Storm King and sending him flying back over the railing... in midair this time, with nothing to grab onto. He plummeted helplessly away, into the shadows below.

Tempest herself was also flying uncontrollably over the railing, arcing out into the darkness, to her death. She had only a moment to regretfully hope that Twilight would find the toy she and her friends were looking for, and get her home safely...

And then there was a sharp tug on her tail. She swung downwards like a pendulum, slamming hard into the curving plastic wall of the balcony. It momentarily knocked the wind out of her, and she dangled in midair, swinging back and forth...

... and so she had a perfect view as the Alien Queen grabbed onto the falling Storm King. The monster fell upon him, dismembering him in furious rage, scattering the pieces about the pile of discarded parts in her lair.

Then the Queen's head swung up toward Tempest. She hissed loudly.

Tempest finally managed to take a deep, restoring breath, relieved that she hadn't had to deal with that thing herself.

Up top, on the balcony, Applejack and Pinkie together held the end of Tempest's tail, the other four ponies holding on to brace them.

"I can't believe she did that," Applejack said.

Twilight nodded. "I can." She smiled, then looked around at the others. "Okay, everypony... heave!"

Slowly, steadily, Tempest was hauled back up and onto the balcony. Once she was safely sitting on it, she just sat still for a moment, catching her breath. And smiling thankfully at her rescuers.

Twilight stepped closer, and put a hoof on her shoulder. "Are you all right, Tempest?"

"I am now. Thanks!" Then she looked around. "Hey, has anyone seen Grubber?"

"Uh, boss?" The hedgehog peered out from the arch leading onto the balcony. "Err, sorry for ducking out like that. I wouldn't have been much use. And I didn't want to screw things up by being in the way. If... you don't want me as your hench-hog any longer, I'll understand. I mean --"

Tempest cut him off with a look, and then motioned imperiously with a hoof. Timidly, Grubber padded up to her, hunched fearfully...

... and then found himself wrapped in her forehooves, being hugged tightly.

"Uhh... geez, boss. What's this for?"

"This," Tempest whispered, "is what friends do."

"Ooookay. You feelin' all right, boss?"

Tempest sighed. "Don't ask silly questions, Grubber. I'm just glad to be alive." Letting him go, she cleared her throat, then turned to look at the other ponies.

"Now," she said. "Who was that toy you came looking for, again?"

A Welcome Home Party

The white-and-blue mailing envelope lay on the floor of Bonnie's room, in front of the cardboard castle. It was surrounded by tensely waiting toys, many of them colorful ponies.

A radioactively pink pony dressed in a surgeon's mask and coverall was feeling around the edges of the envelope in increasing irritation. "Blast!" she shouted dramatically. "There's no easy-open pull tab on this thing! We're gonna have to operate!"

"Hold on a second, Pinkie," said Twilight Sparkle. The lavender unicorn gently prodded the plastic surface of the mailer with her hooves. "Okay, she's clear of the edge. You can go ahead."

"I'm on it, Twi!" Pinkie Pie motioned imperiously with a hoof. "Chainsaw! Hee-hee-hee, just kidding... I mean scissors! Stat!"

Applejack and Big Mac moved Bonnie's safety scissors into place. Rarity, wearing a construction helmet with a flashing light on it, motioned with her hooves as she guided them. "A little left now. Oh, not so much left! No, right! No, that's too much right! Left just a hair..."

"Aw, fer corn sake, Rarity," Applejack grumbled. "It's a mailer, not a Gala gown. Come on, Big Mac, let's get 'er done!"

Together the two farm ponies gamely worked the scissors, steadily gnawing through the tough plastic. Finally they managed to cut open the entire end of the envelope.

"The operation is a success!" Pinkie Pie yanked down her mask and lifted the edge of the envelope to peer inside. "Hello?"

Then she looked up at Twilight.

"Twi? I think she's crying."

Motioning Pinkie aside, Twilight lifted the plastic herself and peered in. She saw a lavender-coated, purple-haired pony toy, curled in on herself and quietly sobbing.

"Starlight?" Twilight called gently.

The pony looked up in astonishment, her gaze a mixture of fear and shocked, desperate hope. "Twilight?"

Twilight nodded.

"So... I wasn't going crazy. I did hear your voice out there!"

"Yep! And there's plenty more of us out here, all ready to welcome you." She motioned with a hoof. "It's okay, Starlight. Come on out."

Uneasily, Starlight Glimmer crawled out and stood up, then gazed around at the smiling toys gathered around her. And then she looked up and around, at the bedroom with its warm colors and colorful decorations...

And suddenly sat down on her haunches.

"I knew it," she said in a small voice. "I got thrown out, or shredded, or incinerated or something... and this is pony toy heaven."

"Nope!" Rainbow Dash grinned. "It's all real. Real as it gets!"

Starlight looked dazed. "But... this is a little girl's room!"

"Uh huh." Twilight nodded. "Her name is Bonnie. And she's the sweetest little child a toy could ask for. She has an amazing imagination, and she plays with all of us! Well, most of the time..." She frowned briefly. "Right now, she seems to have some kind of Princess fixation... but that's not important," she went on, deliberately brightening up. "What matters is, you're here, and you're among friends. And you're home! Right, everytoy?"

The toys all willingly cheered, waving a Welcome Home Starlight! banner that Pinkie had quickly whipped up, once they'd figured out from the mailer's order number which toy was inside.

Amongst the other waiting ponies was a blue pony with a white mane, wearing a star-spangled cape and wizard's hat. She edged closer, smiling uneasily. "Starlight?"

"Trixie!" Starlight leapt up and hugged the magician. Then she smiled mischievously at her.

"Teacup?" she asked.

Trixie nodded, giggling. "Teacup, teacup, teacup!"

Starlight giggled in return. "And have I mentioned I'm really sorry about selling your wagon without permission?"

"Pfft! Water under the bridge, bestie!" Trixie waved a hoof. "The Grrreat and Powerful Trrrixie could hardly stay mad at her Great and Powerful Assistant, now could she? Besides, I don't actually have a wagon. They just don't make them... ah, to my exacting specifications. Trixie does have her standards, you know."

Starlight willingly shared a laugh with her new old friend. Then she sighed, and put a hoof to her forehead. "This is all just... so much to take in. I mean, I'm not even sure what to do now that I'm here."

"Well, you and Trixie seem to be hitting it off..." Twilight said, frowning at the smirking showpony. "Why don't you spend some time getting acquainted? Or is it reacquainted? Whichever."

"I mean," Starlight said, looking guilty, "I haven't been played with all that much. So I don't have much experience actually being a child's toy."

"Not a problem. Bonnie's wonderful! And I'm sure you'll pick it up in no time. But... if you're at all uncertain," she added hopefully, "you could always sign on as my student. I mean, if you'd like. I'd be glad to show you the ropes around here."

"You wouldn't mind, Twilight? That'd be wonderful!"

"Not in the slightest," Twilight said, with a relieved smile. "I may only be a unicorn Twilight, but teaching Friendship is still my job. So, c'mon along, faithful student! There's some important ponies who are waiting to meet you." Turning, she led the way toward the cardboard castle. "It's actually become kind of a tradition. The Princesses greet every new arrival."

"Princesses?" Starlight said, astonished. "As in, more than one?"

"Yes, indeedy!" Applejack said proudly. "We got Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. And we just got a Cadance in last week, so that brings us up to four!"

Starlight looked puzzled. "Four?"

"Um, yeah." Twilight looked uncomfortable again. "We also have a Nightmare Moon. And Bonnie counts her as a Princess, so we do too."

"Which... really isn't fair, when you think about it," Rainbow Dash added. "'Cause it's basically counting Luna twice." The cyan pegasus shrugged. "But hey, never argue with your kid, right?"

"The Princesses are waiting for us in the castle." Twilight pointed at it. "They feel it's best not to overwhelm new arrivals while they're being unpacked."

Noticing it for the first time, Starlight stared in awe. "Omigosh! You guys have a castle?"

"Um... yeah." Twilight shrugged uncomfortably. "It's cardboard."

"It's gorgeous!" Starlight gushed, as the two of them trotted towards the drawbridge entrance, followed closely by the other ponies. "Well, I mean, seriously? I'm a magazine pack-in toy, Twilight! I expected to wind up in someone's junk drawer, along with the stripped screwdrivers and dead batteries. But I get a castle? And Princesses? And other ponies... including you and Trixie? And a little girl who'll play with all of us...?"

She hesitated, as they walked in through the castle's doorway. "I'm just... not quite sure I deserve all this..."

A warmly powerful, yet comforting voice spoke up from across the room. "It's wise to be aware of how fortunate you are, Starlight," Princess Celestia said. The tall white pony favored Starlight with her one visible eye. "But never feel ashamed of it. Embrace it! And share that happiness, to help lift the spirits of others in need."

Standing beside Princess Celestia on the upturned margarine bowl that served the Princesses as a throne, were night-blue Princess Luna and rose-hued Princess Cadance. Nightmare Moon was there as well, standing beside the throne, since there wasn't quite enough room for all of them at once. The dark alicorn eyed them all with her usual sardonic, toothy grin.

Starlight hurriedly approached the throne, and curtseyed deeply.

"I'll do my very best, Your Highness!"

"I am certain that you will, Starlight."

Twilight put a hoof around Starlight's shoulders. "She'll have everypony behind her, including me -- Starlight's going to be my student!"

"Thy fortune is doubled, Starlight," Luna said. "Twilight is an excellent teacher."

Cadance nodded. "And a great role-model for the other ponies, based on what I've seen so far." She and Twilight exchanged a smile.

"Indeed she is," Celestia agreed. Then she went on in a more businesslike tone. "Actually, Twilight, it's fortunate you're here. There are some important matters to discuss. We have learned from the other toys that Bonnie plans to take all four Princesses with her this afternoon, for her playdate at Mason's house."

"It would appear," Luna intoned loftily, "that we are to be an official diplomatic delegation to the saurian toys of Battleopolis!"

"It was actually Mason's idea," Cadance added with a grin. "When he saw how much Bonnie liked playing with me, he invited her to bring all of us for a peace conference. Since the Battlesaurs are his kingdom, so to speak, having their rulers meet ours seemed appropriate."

"It is also a valuable opportunity," Celestia added, "to put certain customs and formal treaties in place, just to avoid misunderstandings. We don't want a repeat of the time the Sheriff and his friends crashlanded there last Christmas!" She exchanged a smile with the other Princesses.

Twilight was unable to keep the disappointment out of her voice. "That's... really great news, Your Highness. And don't worry. We'll make sure things run smoothly here while you're away."

"Twilight?" Celestia gave her a questioning look... though it also suggested she knew how Twilight felt, and invited her to speak openly about it.

"It's just..." Twilight shrugged. "Well, you're all Princesses! And me? I'm just a regular old unicorn."

"Twilight!" Cadance said, "you are anything but a regular old unicorn!"

"Not in Bonnie's eyes." Twilight looked somber. "To her, I'm just... the Book Pony. Which is great, don't get me wrong! I love encouraging her to read. But... well, to Bonnie, even Nightmare Moon is a Princess!"

"The Evil Dark Pony Princess!" Nightmare Moon said, lofting a hoof and cackling gleefully. "Oh. I am sorry, Twilight. I just love it when she says it like that."

"Eeeyeah," Rainbow stage-whispered from the crowd of watching ponies. "Not really helping..."

Twilight sighed. Then she squared her shoulders.

"I'm sorry, Your Highnesses. I really shouldn't be complaining. Just let me know if there's anything I need to take care of while you're gone, and I'll make sure it gets done."

Celestia regarded her silently for a moment. Then she exchanged a solemn gaze with the other three Princesses, who nodded. Celestia turned back to Twilight. "Twilight Sparkle!" she said, in a formal tone. "If we are to leave you in change of our domain, it is only fitting we grant you an authority to match. Therefore... we decree that pending our return, you are hereby declared Acting Princess of Equestria, with the authority, powers, and responsibilities according thereto."

She glanced at her fellow Princesses. "Are we in agreement?"

"We concur, Sister," Luna intoned, "wholeheartedly!"

Cadance and Nightmare Moon gave their formal assent as well.

Celestia looked to Twilight again. "Twilight, you are -- and always shall be -- a Princess in my eyes. Just do the excellent job you've always done, and I shall have no worries about leaving Equestria in your care."

Twilight smiled, gratefully. "Thank you, Princess -- Princesses! I won't let you down."

"Thank you, Acting Princess Twilight!"

"Woo hoo!" Spike punched the air. "Way to go, Twi!"

The other ponies joined in cheering as well, making Twilight blush. Yet, even as she smiled, she still felt uneasy.

It's just a title, she thought. And it's only until Celestia and the others return.

And no amount of titles and honors could alter the fact that she was still just a unicorn Twilight toy...

Saving Scootaloo

They all returned to the pile of mailers, even though Rainbow and Applejack swore they'd searched it thoroughly.

"She'd probably have been in a padded mailer," Applejack said. "Big plastic envelope, white-and-blue, bumps on it like bubble-wrap."

"But there's nothing like that here," Rainbow grumbled. "We looked."

Tempest gazed around the stack of boxes and envelopes, looking puzzled. "There's something missing here."

"Yeah." Grubber scratched his head. Then his eyes went wide, and he pointed towards an open space near the edge of the table. "Hey, boss, wasn't there a pile of mail over there? I think I saw one of those mailer things sticking out of the bottom of it."

"But that was the junk-mail pile," Tempest said, alarmed. "And the junk mail ends up..."

"... chucked in the trash can," Grubber breathed, paws to his mouth.

Tempest didn't speak, didn't even hesitate. She just turned right around and galloped off, heading back towards the castle playset.

"Tempest!" Twilight and the others set off after her, but there was no way they could keep up. Even running at top speed, they had barely gotten as far as the castle drawbridge when they saw Tempest charge out onto the balcony above.

And she didn't stop... she kept right on going. She launched herself into the air, diving straight down into the trash can, a forehoof held out stiffly, like a battering ram.

Hurrying to the table edge, the ponies stared over at the trash can. For a moment there was tense silence. And then...

There was a furious screeching and banging from inside the can. Large, heavy dents appeared in its metal sides. And then a shower of black plastic toy parts fountained out of the top, raining down and clattering onto the floor.

There was another silence... this one much longer, and sounding uncomfortably permanent.

Twilight and the other ponies belatedly hurried up to the balcony, and nervously approached the edge. Twilight leaned over it, peering down into the shadows.

"Tempest?" she called down, hesitantly. "Are you all right?"

From below, there came a loud groan. "Ow..." Tempest called up. "Landed on my head. Had to fight that thing with a raging headache." She sighed, and then pointed with a forehoof. "I found the mailer, it's down here. And it's not too buried. I think I can tug it loose myself... but we'll need something to haul it out of here. Grubber! Go fetch that roll of twine!"

"I'm on it, boss!" He hurried off.

"I'll lend a hoof," Applejack said, going with him. "I'm good with rope..."

With Applejack and Pinkie and Tempest working together, they were finally able to haul up the mailer from the trash can. Then Tempest simply grabbed the edge of the mailer with her teeth, and tore it clean off, in a single, long pull.

Inside, they found Scootaloo. The brown filly was curled up asleep, but quickly woke up when they called to her. She trotted out, blinking, and looking up in pleased surprise at the familiar ponies surrounding her. And then she spotted Rainbow. And launched herself at the cyan pegasus, hugging her tightly.

Rainbow returned the hug, awkwardly pleased. "So..." she said, "I guess you'd like me to... take you under my wing? Be like your big sister and stuff?"

"Are you kidding, Rainbow!" Scootaloo shouted. "It's what I've always wanted!" She hugged Rainbow for a few moments more, then peered around. "Hey, where are Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle! We got us some serious Crusading to do, to get our cutie marks!" She dove into the envelope again, then came out dragging a small plastic scooter and helmet. "Got all my gear with me. I'm ready for action! No assembly required! Batteries included!" She revved her small wings, making a gnat-like buzzing sound.

Everyone laughed at that. And Twilight came over to put a comforting hoof on Scootaloo's back. "Everyone's waiting for you, back at home." She glanced around at the others. "Which... we seriously need to start finding a way back to ourselves!"

They all made their way back to the mail stack, to the box they'd all been shipped in. "So," Rainbow said, "the plan is like this. We've got Bonnie's return address here, so we just change the labels on the box, throw on the extra postage Derpy packed, put it over on that end of the table with the other packages being shipped out, climb in and tape it shut from the inside, and then wait to be sent home. Easy-peasy-cider-squeezy!"

Tempest regarded the box. "Will there be enough room in there for all of us? What about them?"

She motioned towards the small group of Storm Guards, timidly approaching from across the tabletop.

"Woah," Applejack said. "We hadn't planned on bringin' back an army, did we?"

Twilight looked at them. "We shouldn't abandon them. I mean, if they will follow your orders, Tempest?"

"Oh, I don't think that'll be a problem." Tempest glared at the guards. "Do you, gentlemen?"

The guards peered at each other, uncertainly. Then as one, they came to attention and saluted.

"Well, that's a relief!" Fluttershy said. "Oh! Twilight, what about... you know...?"

"Your zombie alter-ego?" Rainbow suggested, mischievously.

Twilight looked down at her Princess form, then up at the other ponies. "I don't need it any more. This is who I am now. I'm the Princess of Friendship!"

"Wayall..." Applejack said, "Ya might wanna bring it along, just in case. Just so Bonnie don't fret about the Book Pony goin' missing. You know how she gets about her favorite toys!"

"Maybe so." Twilight nodded. "Tempest, would you mind giving us a hoof?"

With the help of Tempest and her soldiers, they quickly retrieved Twilight's unicorn self from the storage tub. And then returned, to stare at the shipping box, which was looking smaller by the minute. "Maybe we should hunt around," Rarity suggested, "see if we can locate a larger box that would accommodate everyone."

"The only boxes around here like that," Grubber said, "are the UPS boxes the filmmaker gets bulk materials in." He shook his head. "And that would take even longer. He only goes to the UPS store like once a week... and the last trip was yesterday, I think."

"Ooooh!" Scootaloo danced excitedly. "I wish we could get home faster! I wish we could be there like... yesterday!"

"Heh!" Applejack laughed. "You know what they say about new toys gettin' their first wish..."

And then they all heard it, a peculiar wheezing, groaning sound. Before their eyes, a familiar tall blue box with a light on top faded into view, gradually becoming solid. It landed with a loud, booming thud on the table top. And from inside, they could just hear an astonished voice -- it was Princess Celestia:

"Luna... how do you do that?"

The doors of the box swung open, and Doctor Whooves and Derpy poked their heads out, looking around at them all. "Ah, there you all are!" The Doctor called. "No time to explain. Climb aboard, everypony! Chop, chop! We need you all back in Bonnie's room yesterday!"

"Ponies of Equestria!" Celestia intoned formally. "And toys of Bonnie's room! I present to you, our fifth Princess: Twilight Sparkle... the Princess of Friendship!"

Princess Twilight bowed her head sheepishly as the assembled ponies and other toys gave three cheers, and then applauded at length. Then she looked up at Princess Celestia.

"I'm sorry we ran off like that, Princess," she whispered. "But we needed to get after Scootaloo... and then we found Tempest... and the Storm King, and --"

Celestia put up a hoof. "What have I always told you, Twilight? No one ever tells a Princess of Equestria her business!"

"But I wasn't a Princess, well, before..."

"Weren't you paying attention? Didn't I say that you have always been a Princess in my eyes?" Celestia smiled reassuringly, and winked.

Twilight sighed in relief, then gazed around at her applauding friends.

Then she noticed that one of them was missing...

Twilight found Commander Tempest standing on the deck of the toy airship which Mason had loaned to Bonnie, when she'd shown him her new favorite toy at their latest playdate. Tempest was accompanied by Grubber, and there were a few of her soldiers as well, all standing silently on the deck awaiting her orders.

"She calls me the Storm Pony," Tempest whispered, a faraway look in her eyes. "And she says that I sail you all away on my airship, to faraway lands for adventures..." Her eyes suddenly brimmed. "Princess... there are just no words..."

"There don't have to be," Twilight said. "But you're welcome, all the same."

They stood together, companionably, staring out through the open window across the room, at the warm orange light of the sunset on the distant dream-like clouds.

"You know..." Twilight said, with a smile, "we wouldn't want to disappoint such a sweet little girl, now would we?"

"No," Tempest said, returning the smile. "That we wouldn't."

"Right! I'll go get the others."

"One more thing, Twilight."

"Yes?"

"About my horn..." Twilight looked up at it, then nodded. "You were right. I don't need it. I am the pony I'm supposed to be."

"And so am I... I suppose." Twilight glanced down at herself, at her new Princess form. "So... why does it still feel so weird?"

"We'll just have to find out, won't we?" Tempest said. "Together."

She held up an armored hoof, which Twilight willingly bumped.

"Together!" Twilight said.

She stared out the window again, at all the adventures that lay ahead.

"To friendship..." she whispered, "... and beyond..."

The End

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, its characters and indicia are the property of Hasbro.
Toy Story, its characters and indicia are the property of Pixar Animation and Walt Disney Studios.
No infringement is intended. This story is a work of fan fiction, written by fans for fans of both series.