"Isn't Flash such a gentleman?" Raspberry whispered to Derpy as the walked. Flash had just pulled a low-hanging branch out of the way for them.
The girls-turned-ponies looked behind them, just as the branch whipped back to slap Flash in the face. Both cringed.
"He's just as clumsy as us," Derpy responded, smiling.
"Yeah, but still! It's really nice he offered to help us," Raspberry commented with a smile.
The trio was almost at Ponyville by now. Up ahead, Raspberry saw a multitude of thatched roof cottages.
"Ponyville is... quaint," she observed, grinning. "Derpy, you wanna take a vacation here sometime?"
"Yeah, once we find Blue!" Derpy added.
"So, girls," Flash butted in, "um, do you live in Ponyville?"
"Yes!" Derpy exclaimed, right as Raspberry shouted, "Nope!"
They looked at each other.
"No?" Derpy tried again.
"Yup!" Raspberry smiled at the same time.
"Um, I don't mean to pry, but which is it?" Flash asked.
"Hey!" Derpy pointed. "We're here! Thanks for walking us, Flash!" She smiled widely.
"Uh, you're welcome," Flash responded, looking semi-confused. "If you need me, I'll be at Twilight's house."
"Okay! Bye!" Raspberry waved as Flash returned back the way he came.
"So," Raspberry began, "we need to find Pinkie now?"
"Yeah, I guess." Derpy and Raspberry stared at the many ponies bustling around.
"Good afternoon, Derpy!" A pony reminiscent of Golden Harvest waved as she walked by.
"Derpy, your moves were super amazing at the party last night!" called a stallion colored similarly to Caramel, who was walking with a pegasus that looked like Sassaflash.
"Whoa, you're popular," whispered Raspberry. "At least, your pony version is."
"If there is a pony me, it might be harder to find Pinkie!" Derpy responded, chewing her lip. "i need to hide."
"Hide in a bush!" Raspberry decided, noticing a blackberry bush a few yards away. "I'll find Pinkie, she can help us, and then I'll come back for you!"
"Blackberries?" Derpy dove into the bush. "Carry on with your plan, Raspberry!" She tossed a blackberry into her mouth, then added, "You can take as long as you'd like!"
"Save some for me!" Raspberry called back as she walked away. Now, to find the one crazy girl- er, pony, that might be able to help us.
"Pinkie Pie?" she asked, passing groups of ponies. Laughing ponies, talking ponies, flying ponies. "Pinkie Pie? Where's Pinkie Pie?
"Wait, what if she doesn't live in Ponyville?!" Raspberry realized.
"Excuse me!" She stopped a passing blue mare with two small foals. "Do you know somepony named Pinkie Pie?"
"Sure do!" responded the mare responded kindly. "She's working her shift at Sugarcube Corner right now!" The mare pointed a hoof to a gingerbread house. At least, that's how it appeared to Raspberry.
"Okay, thank you!"
"Anytime, dearie!" the mare waved as she walked on.
Raspberry walked right into Sugarcube Corner.
"This isn't all that different from the Sugarcube Corner at home!" Raspberry murmured under her breath.
"Come and get your fruit cakes!"
Raspberry's ears perked when she heard a high pitched voice talking to customers. A pink mare stood behind the counter. She had bright blue eyes and a curly fuchsia mane, one that was not unfamiliar to Raspberry.
"Pinkie Pie!" she yelled in relief.
Pinkie Pie immediately turned to look in Raspberry's direction.
"Well howdy-doo, Raspberry Fluff!" she exclaimed, waving her over. "What can I do for ya?"
"I'm from an alternate universe, and my friend is missing," Raspberry deadpanned.
Pinkie Pie's mouth dropped open.
"I knew my tingly Pinkie Sense this morning meant somepony had come through the portal!" she exclaimed. "I just couldn't find them!" In an instant, Pinkie had dragged Raspberry out of Sugarcube Corner by the hoof.
"Tell me everything!" she demanded, eyes bulging slightly.
So Raspberry recounted the events that had led Derpy and her to enter the portal in search of Blue.
"This is a problemo of maximum proportions!" Pinkie exclaimed when she had concluded. "Jeez, I need some time to think 'bout this!"
Pinkie bounced around. She ate a chocolate bunny. She solved a couple crossword puzzles.
"I'll go get Derpy while you're thinking," Raspberry whispered, trotting away.
Derpy was right where Raspberry left her, nomming on blackberries.
"Derpy!" Raspberry waved. "Pinkie's here to help us!"
Derpy popped her head out of the bush. With her cheeks stuffed up with blackberries, she looked like a chipmunk!
"Yay!" Derpy swallowed (How? Raspberry wondered) and jumped out to join Pinkie and Raspberry.
"I got it!" Pinkie clapped her hooves. "Flash Sentry's in town! I bet we can organize a Royal Guard Search Party!" She beamed as she continued, "Our plan is foolproof! As long as Twilight doesn't find out!"
"Why would this Twilight person finding out be a bad thing?" Raspberry asked.
"That is an explanation that has been evaluated in multiple chapters," Pinkie replied promptly, "and cannot be touched upon in this one. To the castle!"
"Hey, Twilight, we need to borrow Flash Sentry for a moment! Actually, it might be like half an hour! But whatever, see ya!" Pinkie Pie grabbed Flash and was out of Twilight's house faster than a banana peel.
"Where did that metaphor simile thing come from?" Raspberry wondered as she and Derpy followed Pinkie down the road.
"Okay, Flash!" Pinkie cried, setting the young stallion down on the ground. "We need your Royal Guard skills to come into play! Where can we find Blueberry Pie? She's been missing for a couple hours, coulda gone anywhere by now! Wait, hold on!"
"This search party has gone down the drain," Derpy remarked as Pinkie zoomed away.
"You're telling me!" Raspberry laughed.
"I'm sorry, what's happening? You guys need my help again?" Flash asked, scratching his mane in confusion.
"Yeah, Pinkie Pie was hoping you could help us," Derpy explained.
"I bet you can, right?" Raspberry asked, positioning herself right next to Flash. "You've been really helpful so far!"
"Okay, I have an update!" Pinkie Pie suddenly zoomed back, positioning herself right between Flash and Raspberry. Raspberry duck-faced.
"She isn't in Ponyville, I just checked!" Pinkie exclaimed. "So, we have two options! We can do a normal, run-of-the mill, search party with Flash Sentry here, or we can call in our troops from across dimensions!"
"What troops are we talking, exactly?" Raspberry, Derpy, and Flash asked in unison.
"I'm talking Power Ponies! Genderswaps! Mythical beings! C'mon, ponies, put on your thinking caps!" Pinkie bounced around them.
"Maybe that isn't necessary?" Flash suggested weakly. "She couldn't have gotten far, could she have?"
"Blue probably can't fly even if she is a pegasus," Derpy pointed out. "We still can't." One of her eyes twitched. "I think I'm gonna start to panic again!"
"Derpy, calm down!" Raspberry told her, placing a hoof on Derpy's back. "We can do this. We need to think. Flash, what can you do?"
Flash bit his lip as he responded, "If she isn't in Ponyville, she's probably traveled somewhere else. I can send a scroll to other guards in other cities- Canterlot, Appleloosa, and Dodge Junction, though the last two are far stretches."
"Good idea!" Pinkie chirped. "Do you need a picture? I have some resources! And Spike! Twilight's dragon assistant can send letters with his breath! To Princess Celestia, but he's our only option!" Everypony exchanged glances.
"Sounds good," Raspberry agreed. "So can you write those letters, Flash?"
"Can do!" Flash accepted some paper from Pinkie Pie and began to write a letter to his guard friends.
"What do we do?" Raspberry asked Derpy.
"Wait? Want a blackberry?" She passed Raspberry a blackberry, and they chewed as Pinkie and Flash did stuff.
"Guess what!" Pinkie exclaimed a half hour later. Raspberry looked up.
"What is it, Pinkie?" she asked hopefully.
"Did you find Blue?" Derpy asked brightly.
"The Canterlot Royal Guard responded! They found a pegasus matching Blue's description in Canterlot!" Pinkie beamed. "Flash has gone to get her! She'll be back any minute!"
"Wow, can pegasi fly that fast?" Derpy asked in amazement.
"Nope, I just lent him one of Twilight's incantations for teleportation!" Pinkie responded cheerfully.
As she finished speaking, Raspberry noticed a bright blue flash next to them.
"They're back!" she cried as the flash dissolved to reveal Flash and Blue!
"Derpy! Raspberry!" Blue cried, rushing towards her friends.
"Blue!" Raspberry and Derpy yelled, running up as well.
"We were so worried!" Derpy exclaimed, jumping into a giant hug.
"Sorry guys!" Blue apologized as the Muffins embraced. "I visited Canterlot, it was super epic!"
"Thanks, Flash, for bringing Blue back!" Raspberry told Flash.
"Anytime, Raspberry. I'm glad to be of service," Flash replied, smiling.
"Hey, you guys are pegasususes too!" Blue realized. "What are the odds?"
"I don't know!" Derpy laughed.
"Okay, guys, final game plan!" Pinkie interrupted. "Flash will keep Twilight occupied while I help Derpy, Raspberry, and Blue return to the portal! Then you guys can swap stories and all that awesome strawberry sauce!" Pinkie giggled. "Sound good?"
"How am I occupying her, exactly?" Flash queried.
"C'mon, girls!" Blue laughed. "Let's go home!"
"I can't wait to hear about your travels!" Raspberry remarked as the party began to return to the castle.
Looks like this story has a happy ending, she thought.
