My Little Among Us

Pinkie jumped up. "Rarity's suggesting Fluttershy did a self-report! Classic impostor play, lets you avoid any suspicion from being near the body. Trust me, I play Changeling Amidst Us at parties a ton. You know this spaceship is a lot like the one on the game board... Hey...Fluttershy was the only pony near! And she's really good at being the Changeling Impostor...it's always the quiet ones." Pinkie glared at Fluttershy while rubbing her own chin.

Fluttershy gulped.

Rarity sighed. "I'm sorry, Fluttershy, but she's right, as much as I hate to accuse you. Rainbow's memory may be faulty, but it's our only clue, and simple logic should tell everypony here that I was further from the cockpit when Rainbow was, well, Dashed, darling."

Twilight put a hoof around Fluttershy. "Calm down, everypony. Now, I'd love to do tests on the both of you, but a changeling blob could easily dodge probing inside a pony, and look normal on scans. There's gotta be something else, some way we can systematically rule out ponies..."

Spike tapped on Holo-Dash's projection surface. "Um...what if you used the spell you did on Rainbow to look over the memories in depth?"

Twilight shook her head. "At that intensity, the spell's mostly used to recover important secrets ponies would otherwise take to their graves. You saw what happened to Rainbow's head, and that wasn't all that unusual...the best I can guarantee is that the pony's mind will be more intact than hers."

An avocado appeared in Holo-Dash's projection area at her hooves, and she drooled a bit while staring at it for several seconds.

Rarity grimaced. "Darling, if we do nothing, the impostor may strike again. I...I think I can get by being a projection, I'll just glow a little in my permanent beauty. The hard part would just be being unable to touch Spike, and having to...put up with Dash's antics."

Holo-Dash raised her eyebrows repeatedly suggestively while noisily munching the avocado, making Rarity shiver.

Applejack grabbed Rarity's shoulder with her hoof. "Sugarcube, I could too, but it ain't about sacrificin' yourself. We're supposed to get the impostor. Now, is anypony actin' suspicious?"

Holo-Dash waved a hoof in front of Fluttershy, who was staring at a wall. "Fluttershy! Hey Equestria to sussy flutt butt! Scared of bein' the chicken we chop? Bawk bawk, bawk-a!" She started dancing.

Fluttershy blinked, coughed, and all eyes turned to her. She immediately gulped. "Um...do I g-get a say in this?"

Twilight took a deep breath. "Let's just do this organized, first arguments, then a vote. Each of us will say who we think the...procedure should be done on, simple majority wins...er, loses I guess."

Holo-Dash giggled. "I vote me!"

Spike facepalmed and flipped a switch on the box, turning Dash's projection off. "I think we can all agree that she's no longer worth keeping on..."

Twilight nodded. "Let's go in a circle, and keep your pre-vote arguments simple. Spike, you start."

Spike grimaced. "Well, first off, I know Rarity, and there was nothing off about her. Plus, she would've done something to me if she was the impostor. Uh...that's it I guess. Fluttershy?"

Fluttershy breathed shakily. "I um...I'm pretty sure I couldn't have done it unless Ocellus has my own memory fooled. And Rarity having unusual bodily issues could mean a foreign body got inside her. And um, please, if I'm a projection, I can't be with the animals, I don-"

Twilight put a hoof to her mouth. "That's enough. arguments should be strictly about who did it. I...I don't know, but we need to vote someone. Rarity?"

Rarity nodded. "I've already explained my reasoning. Applejack?"

Applejack breathed in. "I'm with Rarity. Pinkie?"

Pinkie bit her lip. "Oh I don't know! I just want all this over with... I...do we vote now?"

Spike nodded. "Yep, everypony's given an argument. So, let's do it going the opposite direction. I vote...Fluttershy. Pinkie?"

Pinkie looked between Fluttershy and Rarity, sweating and hyperventilating as she pulled a paper bag from behind herself and breathed into it. Finally, after several seconds, she squeaked out "Rarity..."

AJ scowled. "Fluttershy." She closed her eyes and crossed her forelegs.

Rarity gave a glare to Pinkie. "Fluttershy. Now you decide, Twilight, darling." She closed her eyes and turned her nose upwards.

Twilight sighed. "...Rarity. I guess we have a tie."

AJ and Rarity opened their eyes.

Spike slotted in a second brain-pink crystal to the box, then stepped forward. "Uh...we could flip a co-"

Fluttershy coughed. "I uh...didn't vote yet..."

Twilight gasped. "Oh, sorry, I forgot you were h-uh, nevermind, sorry. And you vote is...?"

Fluttershy hung her head. "No vote."

Rarity's jaw slowly dropped.

Twilight stammered. "F-Fluttershy? B-but that means..."

Fluttershy nodded. "That I'm the one voted. Do it. I can't walk around knowing I can't trust my own mind. Turn Rainbow back on so she can see it, um, if you wouldn't mind."

Twilight levitated over Fluttershy's space suit. "Put this on...trust me."

Fluttershy raised an eyebrow, but put on the bulky outfit. "Okay...ready."

Spike flipped Holo-Dash's switch as Twilight unloaded a spell that passed through the suit and went directly into Fluttershy's ear, making her go googly-eyed.

Holo-Dash blinked. "Whoa, we meltin' her? Buttershy into Butterspread?"

Twilight then shot a beam at the brain-pink crystal, and Fluttershy began to stammer incoherently as smoke came out her ears, filling up the helmet.

Pinkie covered her eyes with her hooves.

Rarity put on a look of disgust. "Darling, this is dreadful...are you sure this'll keep her intact?"

Twilight shook her head as Fluttershy began to inflate suddenly while flailing her legs, the suit barely holding her back. Various squeaky and odd noises came as the swelling slowed.

Spike poked her. "So is she gonna...?"

Fluttershy's front half suddenly glowed brightly, and exploded into a yellow liquid and sparkling magic, knocking Spike back with the front half of the suit, leaving only a rear half, deflating with a sputter as it fell forward.

A projection of Fluttershy then appeared next to Rainbow's with an expression of extreme discomfort, while a belch came out her mouth, and a squeaky sputter sounded from her rear.

Holo-Dash burst out into laughter. "Bwahahaha, she melted and let out all her gas! Welcome to ghost box, Fartershy!"

Holo-Shy's face went beet red as she then covered it with her wings.

Twilight smirked. "Haha, continuity of consciousness and even bodily functions into the simulation! Suck on that, DEATH!"

Pinkie uncovered her eyes slowly and looked to Fluttershy's holographic form, then to the remaining rear end of Fluttershy's body. "Huh, okay, Dash was one thing, but again? Maybe Changeling Amidst Us having just rear halves for dead players had more to its design choice than bein' easy to make..."

AJ looked queasy as she looked at Fluttershy's projection. "Weird coincidences aside...Twilight, I don't think it's wise to spite death itself. This just ain't right."

Twilight shrugged.

Rarity looked to the suited back half of Fluttershy, and a yellow puddle around it. "Ew, is tha-"

Spike sniffed. "Nope..." He scooped some of the liquid onto his hand. "Butter..." He went to lick his fingers, but stopped as he looked at Rarity's twitching eye.

AJ burst out laughing. "Well, butter my buns with that and call me a biscuit, somehow Dash was right!"

Pinkie promptly scooped up some butter off the floor and actually buttered AJ's buns, making AJ's eyes go derped. "Biscuit!"

Twilight rolled her eyes. "Spike, please put her remains in a bio waste locker. Uh...the back half, not the butter. This room won't smell so nice in a moment if you don't, the suit just buys some time on that front."

Spike nervously chuckled. "Hehe, right, on it!"

Holo-Shy slowly pulled away her wings from her face. "Um...thanks, Twilight, for making my simulation so...accurate, but um, the butter smell...I mean, I know it was my own demise, but I'm getting really hungry. How d-did Dash get an avocado earlier?" She blushed.

Pinkie jumped up and down. "Ooh ooh, just think of your favorite food!"

Holo-Shy blinked a moment, and a grilled cheese sandwich with a bowl of tomato soup appeared as part of the projection, in front of her. "Oh my." She hesitantly brought up the soup to sip.

Holo-Dash spanked Fluttershy with a wing, making her drop the soup and spill it on the projection's floor. "So if you're really all here...you remember how awesome, I am, huh?"

Holo-Shy groaned as she rubbed her backside. "Yeah, sure do...and that just really helps the headache I've got from blowing up. Wait...she can touch me?" Holo-Shy looked to Holo-Dash. "Um...hug?"

Holo-Dash gave Holo-Shy a big bear hug, making Holo-Shy smile. "Thanks."

Twilight giggled. "Hopefully that helps you two a little considering your...situation. Now...bad news: Fluttershy's memories clear her."