This chapter was written by sparkfyre
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Her teeth chattered only slightly as she looked out into the dark, wooded area from her spot on the cobblestone pathway. She tediously took her first step out into the shaded area, then quickened her pace slightly as she trotted toward her destination; the Castle of the Two Pony Sisters.
With each passing second, her confidence in her plan waned. Still, she kept trotting along, her paint can sloshing along with her, the bright hue spilling over the metal rim occasionally and dripping down the side onto the grass and rocks.
Suddenly, there was a loud banging noise. Being paranoid already about Fluttershy's safety and whereabouts, she stopped in her tracks, tensing as she slowly looked around for the perpetrator.
"Who's there?" she called out, if not meekly, though not really expecting an answer from whatever it was making the loud noise.
Nothing.
She blinked a few times and shook her head to clear it before starting back up on her journey, though much more wary of who or whatever might be lurking around this time.
After she had finally begun to relax, she heard more noise, though not of the same kind. It was a shrill call, sounding like a caged bird or one of the Cake twins.
Finally she arrived. The ancient marble-and-stone castle loomed above her head, its medieval construction and look giving off an aura of power and might. Taking a moment to look once again at the relic where she and her five best friends once took down a goddess, she trotted toward it, entering through one of the stone pathways.
As she made her way into the first corridor, she faintly heard some voices talking. Her ears perked up in hopes that it might be Fluttershy, or Twilight, or better yet, both. At first, it wasn't perceptible, but as she made her way closer to the noise, it became easier to understand.
"Do you really think that'll work, dear Fluttershy?"
When she heard the name of her shy, pink-maned friend, Rainbow raised one hoof in a fist-pump. "Score," she whispered.
"Well, um… it should. I mean, they should be just fine if we do it this way…"
"If you are sure."
"I… I am, Princess." Using her remarkable detective skills, Rainbow Dash figured that Princess Luna was with Fluttershy.
Their chatter continued, but Rainbow Dash wasn't listening to what they were saying, only using the sound as an indicator of how close she was to them. Finally, she reached a long hallway where the voices seemed to echo much louder. She ran down it, skidding to a halt in front of a pair of tall, ancient-looking doors, which likely were the only things standing in-between her and Fluttershy.
Standing on her haunches, she tried to pull the doors open by the large circular hooks hanging on them, but they wouldn't budge. She then decided to try and push them open, slamming her small, athletic figure against the old metal and pushing with all her might.
With a cry, she pushed herself against the door so hard that she thought her ribs might hurt for days. She honestly didn't expect it to work, but alas, the doors opened, and Rainbow tumbled in, rolling along the slightly sloped floor until she hit… water?
She made no effort to get out on her own, but a second or two later she was grasped by a cold aura of magic and brought out of the pool and set upon the ground, soaking wet. Head still spinning, she wobbled some, but was able to tell that Fluttershy and Luna were standing in front of her, both of them giving her odd looks, though hints of a smile were creeping upon both.
"Uh… hi, Rainbow," Fluttershy said.
Rainbow Dash could only stare.
"Hello, young Rainbow Dash," Luna said. Rainbow made a feeble attempt to bow before the princess, but ended up falling on her side on the floor. Fluttershy rushed over to help her up, and when she stood straight again, her head cleared out.
"Um. Sorry…. about that? I'm still kind of dizzy from that tumble there."
"Why are you here, young Rainbow Dash?" the Lunar Princess asked.
Rainbow scratched the back of her head before answering. "Well, I was supposed to meet up with Flutters today, and Twilight said something about the stars, and when I went to meet up with Fluttershy, neither of them were there, and, um… I wasn't worried at all or anything, but…" Her voice drifted off as she mumbled something incomprehensible. Fluttershy was giving her an amused look, used to her antics, but Luna's was more questioning.
"Young subject, what is it with the tub of paint you were carrying?"
The paint. "Damn," Rainbow cursed under her breath. The bright red was streaked in a curved trail across the large room, where she had apparently tumbled with it until it curved on its own trail, ending far on the other side of the room.
"Me and… well, Fluttershy was gonna help me with a prank, and we needed the paint, and for whatever reason, when I came out to look for her and Twilight, I brought it with me."
"Twilight Sparkle?" Luna asked, her eyes widening. "Is there something wrong with Twilight Sparkle? Is she in peril?"
"Well, um, Princess, I don't know… that's why I came looking for her. If you don't mind me asking… why are the two of you here anyway?"
"For whatever reason, this room has caved in, and with the ceilings being cracked and letting in rainwater, creating this pond and bringing in these tiny fish," Fluttershy said as she gestured to a group of small bluish-purple fish in the pond. "Princess Luna wanted my help with carrying them out to safety."
So that's where 'gone fishin'' came from, Rainbow thought as she nodded.
"Well… Fluttershy, we can hang out later, right?"
"Of course, Rainbow."
"Well," Rainbow took a deep breath and looked at the Princess before bowing again, "I'm gonna go look for Twilight. I don't have a good feeling about her."