Well... We can't call Starlight 100% innocent after what she did 2 seasons ago, can we?)A few minutes later, the ponies, dwarfs and dragon laid Snow White on a bed with flowers and two candles. Everybody surrounding the bed gazed upon in deep sorrow, their hearts broken. The Dwarfs and Applejack took off their hats in respect, as tears fell from their eyes. Applejack might be the type who cries on the inside, but even she couldn’t stop her own streaming tears. It reminded her of the day she lost her parents, and now a dear friend is gone. Pinkie felt she could never be happy again, her mane fallen over her face like a deflated balloon. Rarity sobs uncontrollably in a way that could break anyone’s heart, hugging Spike, who tried to comfort her, but did no better at hiding emotions.
Grumpy and Rainbow Dash tried to stay strong, even as a few tears were shed. Suddenly, Grumpy began to sob and hid his face with one hand. Seeing Grumpy sob made it worse for everyone, especially Rainbow Dash, who sobbed heavily in her hooves unable to contain herself. Doc tried to comfort Dopey, as Twilight was doing for Fluttershy. They both placed an arm around them for comfort, knowing the silly dwarf and kind Pegasus were as devastated as everyone else. You could feel Fluttershy’s pain for the loss of her new friend. Doc and Twilight did their best, but even they weren’t made of stone as tears fell.
The animals were outside in the rain, staring through the window with broken hearts. They bowed their heads sorrowfully, not caring how much rain landed on their bodies.
It took almost the whole night, so many tears were shed, and everyone was very tired. When morning came, it wasn’t any easier. As everyone woke up, the first thing they saw is the deceased princess and suddenly the melancholy returned.
“I can’t believe this happened,” Rarity sighed, shaking her head. “Snow White is gone forever.”
“No more singing,” Sneezy said.
“No more gooseberry pies,” Bashful added.
“No more stories,” Spike included.
“No more fun,” Pinkie concluded.
With her magic, Rarity grabs a handkerchief and blew her nose. She takes a few steps toward the princess, gazing upon her for a moment, before turning back to her friends.
“Let us take a moment to reflect on Snow White’s life. Loving princess, devoted friend and wonderful human. I know we just met her two days ago, but that day she proved to be a great person. Snow White was like a mother to the dwarfs and to us all. Gentle, caring and always there to help others. Snow White, wherever you are, I hope… I hope you’re in a better place now.”
Rarity could barely finish her sentence before she sobbed again, everyone else just bowed their heads in silence.
A few hours passed, by now every dwarf and pony sat in various places, talking and comforting each other. Rainbow paced around the room, every so often facing Fluttershy sniffling over Doc’s shoulder, the dwarf trying his best to comfort her. Grumpy was also walking, stuck in his thoughts, when he saw something that put a lump in his throat. A gooseberry pie with his name on it, an unbaked pie still sitting on the counter. He picked up the pie and looked at it.
“Fluttershy,” Grumpy spoke, wide-eyed. “What is this?”
“A gooseberry pie, for you,” Fluttershy explained. “Me and Snow White were going to make pies for everyone, we made this especially for you. She just wanted you to like her.”
Grumpy was silent, as he turned to the pie again, his lip began to shiver. Tears slowly appeared from his eyes, as he slowly fell to his knees and before they knew it, he was sobbing.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to lash at her or anyone like that. It’s… It’s just who I am. Now she’s gone… And I’m to blame.”
Bashful and Applejack slowly approached Grumpy, wrapping their arms around him with an embrace. He stopped crying when he felt the hug, but he did not protest or resist.
“It’s not your fault, sugar cube,” Applejack assured.
“Yeah!” Rainbow jumped in, stomping her hooves. “It’s that witch’s fault!”
Everyone faced her, they could see the anger in the Pegasus’ eyes.
“She killed Snow White in a jealous rage, then she tried to kill us too! We… We can’t leave her like this. There has to be a way to save her!”
“Rainbow…” Twilight began.
“That Queen has something in her castle,” Rainbow interrupted. “Some kind of magic or potion.”
“Rainbow!” Twilight shouted.
“No, Twilight! Don’t you dare tell me it can’t be done! This is our friend and she needs our help!”
They could see how desperate Rainbow Dash was, trying to have hope for a way to bring Snow White back. It was inspiring enough for Grumpy to stand up.
“She’s right,” Grumpy said. “You fools can stay here doin’ nothin’. But I’m not afeard a goin’, not even to that ole witch’s lair!”
They were all shocked to see Grumpy and Rainbow Dash so willing to act, until a certain Dwarf spoke up.
“You two’ll never make it,” Doc spoke, shaking his head. “Some say the castle’s supposed to be guarded by magic, and every corridor crawling with monsters.”
“I’m with Doc,” Twilight agreed. “I don’t want to risk losing another friend, not even two.”
“You’re trying to talk us out of this?!” Rainbow asked, glaring.
“I’m trying to speak for Snow White!”
Twilight and Rainbow glared for a few seconds, till Rainbow faced the ground. All at once, the glare on her face changed to sorrow and despair just as it happened to Grumpy.
“Don’t get me wrong,” Twilight said. “I want to do something about this, as much as you do. I’m sorry, but I’m afraid… I’m afraid there’s not much we can do.”
Every pony and dwarf sobbed, shedding tears during this moment. But in their sorrow, a thought came to Doc.
“There is ‘one’ thing we can do.”
The Queen’s Castle
All was quiet, not a single bird chirped nor did the garden show any sign of life. But along came the beloved Prince Florian, who had just returned from his kingdom intent on visiting the girl of his dreams again. He hoped to see her in the castle courtyard at the well. But when he got there, he felt something was wrong. He couldn’t hear her lovely voice, so he jumped over the wall. As he suspected, she wasn’t there.
“Hmm… I wonder where she could be,” The Prince thought. “Could she be inside?”
The Prince considered asking the Queen, but he heard a few tales about her. Before he considered doing that, he looked around the courtyard. It was actually bigger than he imagined, the flora was quite lovely. It was perhaps the only part of the castle that didn’t reflect the Queen’s personality.
“I didn’t… Dream any of this, did I?”
Then suddenly, as the Prince made for the castle entrance, a painful sound made him stop. It sounded like someone was crying.
“Hello?” The prince called, but the sobs continue. “Is anyone out there?”
The Prince listened closely, till the sobs drew him to a rather strange opening. He peered inside the corridor, concentrating against the dark.
“Hello?!”
His call echoed and the sobbing stopped. But answer there came none. The Prince slowly went inside, finding himself in some kind of dungeon. He passed several waterfalls, as faint light shined on some fountains against the wall. He did not like this place at all, but his instinct told him to press on.
“What is this place?”
As he walked further on, something made him jump in fear. Mounds of skeletons, of people locked up in this castle for years. One skeleton dangled from its hands in a cramped cell. Further on, another skeleton of a poor unfortunate soul hung chained to the wall, its arms spread wide apart, and another lied on the floor, reaching toward the luminous fountain through the bars of his cell. This was all too horrifying for words as the Prince stared in shock.
Soon enough he heard the same sobbing echoing through the halls again. After walking past several cells, he finally uncovered the source of the sobs. It looked like a tiny horse, but Florian immediately recognized it as a unicorn pony just like Twilight and her friends whom he met two days ago. This unicorn sat alone in her cell, a collar around her neck and attached to a chain. She sobbed in her arms as Florian quietly peered closer.
“Psst… Hey!” The Prince said silently.
The unicorn heard and slowly looked up. When she saw the human, she yelled a little and stepped back against the wall. He could see the fear in her eyes, as she quivered.
“Please…,” The unicorn spoke. “Please don’t hurt me.”
“It’s okay,” Florian assured. “I’m not going to hurt you.”
The unicorn still shivered in fear, as if she weren’t sure he can be trusted.
“You’re safe now, I promise,” Florian continued. “My name is Florian; Prince Florian. What’s your name?”
The unicorn did not expect this at all, she barely even knew him. She assumed he was in league with the Queen, yet he seemed warm and gentle. She slowly approached the man, stopping only when the chain held her back.
“Starlight… Starlight Glimmer.”
“Are you a friend of Twilight?” The prince asked.
When Starlight heard the name, her eyes went wide.
“You know Twilight?”
“Yes, she’s a friend of mine.”
“Do you know where she is?”
“No, I haven’t seen her or her friends since we first met. I also can’t find the princess or hear her beautiful voice. Could it really have been a dream?”
“Wait… Are you saying you also know… Snow White?”
Ever since Starlight met the Queen herself, she couldn’t get that name out of her head.
“Oh yes, we met once,” The prince answered. “It was her song that drew us together.”
“Of course,” Starlight smiled, rolling her eyes.
“But why is a creature like you locked up here?” Florian asked.
“The wicked Queen did this to me,” Starlight answered, tears falling from her eyes.
“I’ve heard the tales about her, but why is she doing all this? Especially locking up an innocent creature like you?”
( Well... We can't call Starlight 100% innocent after what she did 2 seasons ago, can we?)
What the...! Pinkie! What do you think you're doing breaking the fourth wall in this scene? And especially in my story?!
(Oh, come on. The fans like my fourth wall breaks, it brings more humor.)
Pinkie… Get out of here or I’ll get very angry. You’re ruining the mood and the story.
(But you never let me break the fourth wall. 
)
Pinkie, please don’t do this. Don’t give me the ‘pouty pony’ face. You’re making me feel really bad about myself in front of all my readers and fans.
()
*Sighing* Listen, I want you to break the fourth wall. It is amazing, but you did it at a bad time. In my opinion, at least. Tell you what: Let’s share our ideas together, fourth wall breaking especially, and maybe it’ll become something great.
(Really? 
)
Sure.
( Wee-hee! Thank you so much!) *Hugs me very tightly*
Pinkie… Too tight!
(Whoopsie, guess I overdid it again. But it's just so exciting that you created a story of Walt Disney's very first movie me and my friends get to experience. Plus, the Disney fans among the bronies will feel pretty nostalgic.)
I know. I know. All the rest will come too.
(Yay! Say aren't you going to ask Ace Sleeves if you're going to add the Da...)
No, no, no, Pinkie. No spoilers, please. Especially not in front of our readers.
(But weren't you...)
NO SPOILERS!!!
(Okay, okay. Geez, you don't have to copy Rarity.)
Pinkie, I don't want to be rude but you're making the chapter and the story too long.
(Alright. Alright. I'll go now. Remember what we promised each other, right? )
Yeah, sure. Now go. *Pinkie disappears*
I’m so sorry, dear friends. Hopefully this didn’t ruin the story because this is serious. Now with that over, we can go further… Hopefully. *Clears throat*
“I’ve heard the tales about her, but why is she doing all this? Especially locking up an innocent creature like you?”
“She was horribly jealous of the beauty of Snow White and my friends,” Starlight explained. “She used her dark magic to change into an old hag, so she could trick them into eating a poisoned apple.”
The prince gasped; the truth of the Queen was confirmed.
“I’ve seen the whole thing,” Starlight continued. “She discovered me before I can act and held me captive. She told me all those horrible things, even though I believed in my friends. She locked me here and hasn’t returned since.”
“Snow White and the rest could be in danger,” The prince thought. “We have to rescue them.”
“But how? The Queen made my magic useless for… I don’t know how long! She even took the keys with her.”
“There must be a way to get you out of here,” Florian insists, pulling the bars. “I won’t let you end up like all the other prisoners here.”
Starlight began to think quickly, not wanting to be a skeleton. Suddenly, she came up with an idea.
“Maybe there’s something in the lab, a spare key or potion to open the cell!”
“How do I get there?”
“Take the stairs, there’s a trapdoor at the end that will get you inside the lab.”
“Up the stairs… Trapdoor… Got it!” Florian said, rushing up the stairs.
“Please, hurry!” Starlight called out.
The Prince climbed the stairs till he found the trapdoor. Opening it, the Prince poked his head through the opening and looked around. He never knew the castle had this; a closely guarded secret known only by the Queen. The raven was still in the lab when the trapdoor opened, thinking the Queen returned he immediately jumped inside the skull. But once he saw it wasn’t the Queen, he slowly poked his head out.
“This is what she’s been doing,” The prince spoke to himself. “Magic potions and spells for everything. I could try to create a potion to free the pony from that cell instantly. But I’m not an expert in this magic stuff. Poor Starlight, locked in here by that witch.”
He scoured the books and examined all the potions for a means to free Starlight. The raven listened to every word he spoke.
“If only there was a spare key to…”
Before he finished, the prince turned around and was completely surprised by what he saw. The raven, holding a spare key in its beak, offering it to the prince.
“Thank you,” The prince replied.
The raven just stood there, as he took the key. The prince turned to free his new friend, but then turned back toward the quiet bird.
“Are you okay?” The prince asked. “Why don’t you go outside? Enjoy life. You can’t stay here with that evil Queen.”
The raven didn’t utter a sound, but its eyes appear to think.
“It’s okay, go on. There’s an opening that will lead you outside. Nobody wants to be cooped up here forever.”
The raven wasn’t sure if he wanted this, but he’d rather brave the wilderness than to see the witch’s scary face ever again. He flies through the trapdoor toward freedom as the prince looked on. Now with the key in his hand, he turned to Starlight’s cell after climbing down the stairs. When he reached the cell, he used the key to unlock the bars.
“I’ve got the key,” Florian said.
“Great,” Starlight sighed.
Once the cell was open, he walks toward her and tried to jimmy the lock on Starlight’s collar.
“Just stay still…”
Starlight didn’t move, while Florian worked on the lock with the key. Finally, the lock clicked open and the collar fell loose. Starlight was so happy to finally be free she embraced the prince.
“Thank you!” She cried. “Thank you so much!”
“You’re welcome,” Florian replied, petting her head.
Then her horn glowed, as Starlight looked on.
“Seriously!?” Starlight said, annoyed. “I just get saved and NOW my magic works?!”
“Starlight, where can we find Snow White?’ Florian asked.
“I have no idea. But the Queen mentioned a cottage with seven dwarfs. Since I’m not from here, it’s going to be difficult to find.”
“Then we’ll need to search everywhere. The people here must have seen the princess and her friends.”
“But that could take days… Maybe months… Perhaps years even.”
“We have to try, Starlight. If Snow White, Twilight and the others are in trouble, we got to find them as soon as possible.”
“Then let’s find them together. Where do we start?”
“Let’s try the town, it’s just outside the castle walls.”
“On it!”
Both smiling at each other, Starlight and Florian left the dungeons behind. Running away from the castle, they began to search for their missing friends.