//------------------------------// // Secret Meetings, and Ominous Greetings - Chapter 4 // Story: The Queen Inside Of Me // by K.J. Cragon //------------------------------// Hooves scrambled down the main hallway of the castle and through the dining hall, disrupting many of the eccentric chefs who had been preparing the nights feast. The hooves galloped through the royal hallway, and through the double doors that lead to the other side of the gigantic Canterlot Castle. The guards, knowing best not to get in the mare's way, quickly side stepped the Element of Harmony as she swiftly ran up to the Harmony Suites. Crashing through the second or third pair of double doors she had seen throughout the castle, and sliding down on the tiled floor to a halt. Pinkie Pie somehow had landed exactly in front of her friends, minus Twilight and Applejack, whom had been sitting on a giant throw pillow in the middle of the room playing a game of charades. At the moment, Rainbow Dash was currently up, and waving her hooves wildly at the others, looking as though she was partly choking on a muffin, and playing 'Wack a Pest" in the air in front of her. Her eyes showed determination as sweat slowly trickled down her face. "Hiya! What'cha up to now guys?" Pinkie said from her spot in front of her friends, much faster than usual. She then started to hop and jump up and down on her tail. "Oh, charades?! Can I play? Huh, huh, huh?! 'Cause you know what they say about Pinkies! They're bouncy, trouncy, flouncy, pouncy Fun, fun, fun, fun, FUN!" Her friends stopped playing the game for a moment. Even Rainbow Dash, who seemed to be both confused and wierded out by her pink friend. Everypony sat in silence for a moment, and in that moment you could hear a faint buzzing sound coming from where Pinkie stood vibrating on the floor, until somepony finally broke the silence. "Pinkie Pie dear," Rarity said, "We know that you are fun, but we are already in the middle of the game. You mustn't just start playing a game when it is already started. Why don't you take one more lap around the castle? Maybe that that will finally take you off of that sugar rush that you got from lunch?" She turned back to the game and started to rattle off more answers. "A duck! No? A pair of earrings! No?! Oh my... What in Celestia are you trying to say, Rainbow Dash!?" "Duh!" Pinkie Pie said just before rainbow dash could respond. "She's playing that mare who fell from the arms of Flex Sleuther, the evil body builder mystery mare, and got caught by supermare in the second movie!" Rainbow blinked at her friend. "Pinkie Pie," She asked slowly, "how did you know that?" Everypony else looked at the pink mare. "Duh!" Pinkie said again, "it was so obvious! The silent scream, the flailing of the limbs! Everything fit into place!" She looked at the wall clock that was perched on the wall. "Ah, I'm late, I'm late!" And galloped back out of the room once more leaving an oddly shaped hole where she had crashed through the now closed door. "...Okay..." Rainbow Dash said. She turned to her friends. "She is SO random!" Everypony in the room burst out laughing except for Fluttershy who just sat there, blinked, and said, "I don't get it..." "...Well take it from here." Both Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and Shining Armor walked into the room of the dungeon towards the cell housing Twilight. Applejack took a step forward towards the couple. "Uh, well, you know y'all don't have to do that," she said. "No, that's Alright, Applejack. You sound... distressed. You should maybe take a break. When we heard about what this... This monster did to Twilight, we came right over here to sort things out," Shining Armor said. "But-" "Applejack, go. She must have some power in her, even WITH the ring that was placed on her. I'm guessing she is brainwashing you to get angry at her so that you will do something stupid. Kind of like the same magic that was placed on Shining when I was inside the canterlot caverns." "...Sure thing, Princess," Applejack finally admitted defeat and walked out of the dungeon. "Now, Chrysalis, we have something for you," Princess Cadence said as she walked towards the cell while reaching into a concealed bag that she had been hiding. A lone figure stood in the shadows of the Canterlot statue garden as the evening began. The figure, obviously a pony, looked around, securing the area and also looking around for the visitor that had supposed to be there already. The figure, a mare, was getting impatient, and started to walk away. She was just about to canter over to the palace doors when something tapped on her shoulder. Turning around, the pony walked back into the darkness towards the now arrived pony. "Sorry," the new pony said to the other. "I got caught up with some... unexpected difficulties, and then I forgot about this." "It's okay," the first said. "I got here late also. That doesn't excuse the fact that you were over twenty minutes late, though, Albazar!" Albazar winced at her superior's angry tone. "Sorry," she said. "I just hope that she is okay. We don't even know where she exactly is at this point, Haller." "I know," Haller replied. "If we are to rescue her from where she is being kept, we need more that us, though. We cannot do this alone, and we need information." "Well, what do you suggest?" "I suggest that you- Wait. Somepony's coming. Go!" They both scrambled to opposite sides of the garden and departed their meeting. "Stop! Who goes there?" The guard walked over to where he was sure he had heard voices not a moment before. He found nothing except for a tiny plack scratch on the wall, and shrugged it off and left. He failed to notice the many games of tic tac toe on the bottom of the wall.