//------------------------------// // Who is she? // Story: The Pony Lost In The Dark // by Feather_Quill //------------------------------// "This is Everfree" Fluttershy announced as she thrust the blue and black pony before the five strangers. "H-Hello." Everfree muttered, turning her face away from them and leaning back with caution. Twilight offered out her hoof and Everfree poked her hoof against it and looked at her with widened eyes and heavy breath. "I'mm Twilight..." "Uh... Princess Twilight Sparkle!" Applejack interrupted as she stuck out her hoof, causing her to receive a rather unimpressed glare from Twilight, "Twilight Sparkle. This is Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie and Rarity..." Twilight pointed at each pony, then looked back to Everfree "What's your name?" "Evr..." The pony muttered looking away from Twilight and stroking her hair with her hoof. "sorry... I didn't quite catch that..." "Everfree" Fluttershy spoke up, defending the quiet, shy little pony. "oh... What are we doing today?" Twilight asked the other ponies, as she looked around town for something to do. "Sugar Cube Corner?" Pinkie Pie asked as she dove into the air and clapped her hooves at the same time, with a cheesy large grin on her face. "We went there yesterday. And the day before. We always go to Sugar Cube Corner!" Rarity sighed as she stroked her hoof and neatened up the edges. "How about the spa?" Applejack and Rainbow Dash both flinched and stuck out their tongues "Boring! Let's have a race... I'll have an unfair advantage being awesome and all so maybe I sho..." "Rainbow we are not having a race!" Twilight interrupted "Why don't we go to the town fair?" "Boooring!" Rainbow drooped to the floor and lay on her back with a frown "it's not a fair, it's a NerdFest!" "Hey, how 'bout we do somethin' Everfree wants? I mean, we migh' be able to get to know her bett'r if we do" Applejack pointed to the mare and smiled. "What would you like to do, Sugarcube?" "Um..." The pony began to turn red, as she looked away and began to coward behind Fluttershy "I... Don't know..." Fluttershy stood upright and spoke "Maybe we should just go home... I think it's been a long journey from Canterlot, right Everfree?" Everfree nodded and turned around and galloped off away towards the Everfree forest. "I'm sorry... She's my cousin, shyness runs in the family..." Fluttershy trotted after her and the other ponies all looked a little embarrassed for the pony, as she didn't seem like anypony they had ever known before. Later that night, Twilight was sat at home, sipping a cup of coffee and reading the 'Daring Do' books as she had done so many times before. She was neatly tucked underneath her blanket, until someone knocked at the door. Unable to tear herself away from the intensity of the book, Twilight simply called out "Come in!" her horn began to glow as the door opened, standing there was Rarity and Rainbow Dash. "Can we come in?" Rarity asked, as she flicked the hair from her eyes. Twilight shut the book and swept it under a blanket, as she looked up at the two, slightly worried looking ponies. "hello? What are you two doing here?" "We came to... Visit our friend is there something the matter with that?" Rainbow Dash asked, placing her hoof over her heart and looking slightly hurt. "It's about Everfree... She doesn't seem like... A pony..." Rarity said, trying to go about the matter as lightly as she could. But the room was heavy and they all knew that she was right, as they silently agreed that she had a point. "But what can we do about it? Fluttershy says it's her cousin, and we know how like... Sensitive she is. We can't just go over there and be all like 'Everfree is a weird pony!' she'll probably hate us and everypony else for the rest of her life!" Rainbow Dash yelled out as she slumped herself onto the floor of the library and placed her head underneath her hoof. "We could..." Twilight began, but she was interrupted as a spiral of green flames and a belching noise abruptly was heard and seen, and a scroll wrapped neatly together with a red ribbon fell to the floor. Twilight picked it up and read out loud Princess Twilight Sparkle, It has come to my attention that Equestria may be under threat, I have received a letter from a non-Equestrian, who's name was not stated, nor was her species or whereabouts, however the mystery pony has made a clear threat has been made, to find a pony that is not from our Kingdom, but has somehow managed to escape her own. This pony is clearly afraid and will be very timid, and we need her/ him to be returned to their own kingdom, or war may break out. I am counting on you to resolve this as quickly as you can, as part of your royal duties. You and your friend may not posses the Elements Of Harmony anymore, but I they still dwell inside you as part of who you are. Try your best not to startle her, or to give away too much information, I do not want everypony to find out about this, as it may cause a panic. I believe in you, Princess Celestia.