//------------------------------//
// The Shy Princess 
// Story: Pony Trigger 
// by Pinklestia 
//------------------------------//

"It was the day of the start of the Millennium Fair when our lives changed forever. If they had told me I would be rescuing a princess and fighting an evil goddess, I would have said that they were totally nuts!" - Rainbow Dash

JANUARY 1, 1000 AD

"Dash..." The voice came through the darkness. "Dash!" More insistent. "Wake up, Rainbow Dash!" The teen mare with rainbow mane sighed and opened her eyes. Her mother was there, gently shaking her. She apparently had not noticed her daughter was awake, and was growing a little irritated. "Rainbow Dash, if you don't wake up right now I'll..."

"It's okay, mom. I'm awake." Rainbow Dash grunted. "What? More clouds to clear up?" The blue pegasus mare really looked tired, her mother almost regretted waking her up so early, but a promise was a promise after all.

"No, don't you remember what day it is today?" She went over to the blinds and opened them wide. "Luna's Bell sounds so nice in the morning, doesn't it?"

"Hey! Bright light! Bright light!"

"Oh, please. If you want to miss the start of the Millennium Fair...  go ahead." Without another word, she walked downstairs.

Dash opened her strong rose eyes wide as she remembered last night, watching the clock tick down the last seconds of the year 999 A.D. There was great celebration when it turned over to 1000. The New Millennium had finally come. That day there was to be a great fair held in Posey's Square, the center of the town of Ponyville. And tomorrow, it was going to be the longest day of the year! Princess Celestia was going to visit the town and raise the sun there.

Twilight had told Dash that the princess had actually pushed the sun to make the longest day get earlier. But it's not like Dash cared about those things anyway. After all, she lived in a world ruled by magic, in the kingdom of Equestria; for her having a winged unicorn raise the sun and the moon was normal.  Celestia was not only the ruler of Equestria, she was a goddess, their goddess. They trusted and loved her because she cared for her citizens and was a kind ruler.

Rainbow Dash got out of bed and was surprised to find that the cat was not around. "Mom, where is the cat?" She then could smell that her mother was baking some cookies. Cookies for breakfast? No, that just could not be, then it must mean that...

Rainbow Dash walked down the stairs looking angry "Mom, are you baking cookies to sell them in the fair? You promised we would hang out together today!"

"Rainbow dear, you know we need the money, besides, your friend Twilight Sparkle wants to show you that crazy invention of hers, right?"

"Ahh fine! I will go to hang around with her." Dash's stomach then grumbled.  "After eating something, what we got for breakfast?"

"Oatmeal as usual."

"Argh, fine, I will eat with Twilight then, she is usually awake at this time anyway!"

Rainbow Dash's mother smiled as her daughter washed her face and then went outside, she was so easy to manipulate!

Dash's eyes closed a bit once she was outside as the sun shined brightly. She put her hoof up over her eyes to block the glare. Slowly she adjusted to it, and looked around. The sun gave her an odd feeling but she chose to ignore it. It was a long walk to Twilight's house. Dash dug in her secret spot and found 200 golden coins, or bits, her savings from months of hard work.

And hard work, in this case, meant she only cleared the sky of clouds whenever they nagged her too much about it. Dash then realized that in the hurry, she had forgotten her backpack. She didn't really want her mother to see her back again so soon, so she flew to the back of the house, opened the window, picked up her pack and then exited her room, forgetting to close the window as she left. Once she had her pack on her back and the money inside it, she walked to Twilight Sparkle's house.

Once there, Rainbow Dash found out Twilight was already at the fair, she sighed, and walked all the way to the Millennium Fair. On the way, she saw several ponies standing by a fountain at the entrance of town, chatting. What else was on their lips but the Millennium Fair.  She also heard something about a crazy pink pony, maybe it was one of the clowns in the fair?

Dash's stomach protested again and she walked down the street. She could see the gates in the distance. Huge balloons hung in the sky, and the crowds were pouring into Posey's Square. She smiled and walked off, ready to enjoy the day. But her mind was focusing more on buying some yummy food than the fun for the moment.

Rainbow Dash walked through the arch of Posey's Square and stood back in awe. Ponies were everywhere. Stands containing all kinds of goods and foods were set up in every corner. Balloons and tents filled the area. Traders tried to strike bargains. Exotic creatures were being shown, not caged, because that would be rude, but as special guests. And in the center of everything was a large Bell, Luna's Bell, the origin of the name lost long ago.

Then she found what she was really looking for, a food stand. Her hunger was almost unbearable by now. So she ran to it without looking and getting in the way of a young mare, about her age, that was slowly walking by.

"OW!" Both of them crashed together. The other mare was the first to recover. She said nothing, touched her neck and became shocked, starting to search the ground. Whatever she had lost seemed important.

Dash got up and walked over to her, where she was frantically searching the ground. She was a pegasus like Rainbow Dash, only she had a yellow coat and a pink mane. Her cyan eyes looked nervous.

"Hey, are you alright?"

She mumbled shyly. "Um... I lost my pendant." So faint was the mumbling that Rainbow Dash could not hear her.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Dash asked.

"Uh... my pendant, um, I lost it." The other pegasus mumbled.

"Whatever, if you don't want to talk you don't have to talk, sorry about crashing into you by the way." Dash said and turned to leave, when she saw something glittering on the other side of the large bell. She went and picked it up, it was a pendant. She then walked over. "Is this yours?"

The yellow mare did an ecstatic jump. "YES! Thank you! It's a family antique, and has a lot of sentimental value!" She hastily placed it back around her neck. "Oh, sorry I was so shy. My name's Fluttershy. And you are...?"

Dash grinned. "The name's Rainbow Dash, but calling me Dash is ok."

"Nice to meet you Rainbow Dash." She suddenly seemed nervous. "Er... I'm kind of a stranger around here. Would you mind... showing me around?"

Dash thought for a moment, then grinned again. Why not? "Sure, no problem!"

Fluttershy smiled, relieved. "Great! Where to first?"

Dash's stomach roared, making her blush. "Eh... eating something first would be nice."

After eating some muffins sold by a strange mare with a gray coat, a yellow mane and odd eyes that looked in different directions, the duo continued their talking.

"So, my friend Twilight Sparkle made a battle robot, want to fight it?" Dash asked, after all she came to the fair to spend time with her friend.

"Fight? No... that would not be right, what has the poor robot done to you?" Fluttershy said. Dash had to put her hoof in her mouth to avoid laughing.

"Was it something I said?"  Fluttershy asked confused

"No, not at all." Dash chuckled. "Anyway, there are all kinds of stands in this fair. Some sell exotic foods and there is the exotic creature exhibition. There are also a few tents with games, like one where you have to mimic the moves of a marionette, and others where you have to guess cards, a soda drinking contest, a fun house, and even a prehistoric dance." Dash said. She had helped with many of the preparations for the fair, in exchange for some bits; that was why she knew so much about it.

"Well, whatever you want is fine." Fluttershy said. Then they noticed an old colt looking around frantically. "Where'd my lunch go? It was here just a second ago!" Dash saw movement out of the corner of her eye, and turned. She laughed. Fluttershy and the old pony followed her gaze and also began laughing at the site of a tiny kitten attempting to drag a large pink package down an alley.

Dash picked up the kitten, which gave a squeaky growl and sank its teeth into her foreleg. The teen winced. "Ow." She dropped the kitten and it ran away. A pink mare picked it up,

The mare looked kind of strange, wearing a cloak made of many different colored patches of cloth, giving the cloak all the colors of the rainbow. She also had an old looking backpack. She had a curly dark pink mane and her light blue eyes eyes had a strange spark in them. Just looking at the strange pony made the two of them smile.

"Thank you for finding my kitten. Opal loves to run away. Here, let me give you something." The pink pony gave a wooden sword to Rainbow Dash, who looked at her confused. "Trust me, you will need this, my Pinkie sense said so!"

Then they saw the pink mare do some strange twitches and involuntary motions, and her eyes looked really weird for a moment. "Oh no, I gotta go! By the way my name is Pinkie Pie!" Pinkie Pie put the kitten in her backpack and ran away.

Fluttershy started to laugh as soon as Pinkie Pie was gone. "Hahaha! That was so strange!" She seemed really happy for some reason, maybe because of the absurdity of what they had just seen. Maybe it was something else. Dash did recall feeling happier and more playful when the pink mare was near them.  

After that Fluttershy seemed more eager to try stuff, she came in second in the soda drinking contest, got two of three tries in the card guessing game and even danced with Dash, who was pretty embarrassed as she was an awful dancer. There was also a race they could bet on, but Fluttershy said that gambling was bad, so Dash didn't bet. That made her angry, when the one who she was going to bet on, a mare called Carrot Top, won.

"Oh, sorry about that, want to do something else? I won't say no this time, I promise." Fluttershy asked, feeling bad for forcing Dash not to bet.

Dash smiled evilly, planning her revenge. "How about that?" She pointed at a black tent in a small corner. The entrance was a giant (and fake) dragon skull. "The Tent of Horrors!"

Fluttershy lowered her head and spoke nervously. "That? What if... it's not safe?"

"Don't worry, I helped to test it, it's totally safe. The proprietor, Norstein Bekkler, is a little creepy, but he's a good colt. You'll love it."

The tent was like the inside of the dungeon. In the back, a large barred door housed a pair of glowing eyes. Fluttershy stifled a scream and hid behind Rainbow Dash as she saw the proprietor. Norstein Bekkler was a floating pony head, with two floating pegasus wings.

"Welcome to Norstein Bekkler's Lab! The spine-giggling ghostie show is about to start!"

Dash waved. "Hey, Bekkler! How ya been?"

The head smiled. "Rainbow Dash! Come to win another Wonderbolt Doll? I am sorry to say this, but we are out of Spitfire dolls."

"Nah. The Spitfire one I got yesterday has survived the cat so far. I think I'll try the 40 bits game."

Fluttershy was still hiding behind Dash, Bekkler smiled at her. "Don't be afraid, girl, I don't eat ponies, not even for breakfast."

"Don't be rude, shake the guy's wing" Rainbow Dash said. Shyly, Fluttershy got close to the head and shook one of his floating wings, then looked at the creature's eyes. It was like she felt a spark inside her; she knew just then that this... monster, was not evil. How strange, until that day she had actually been a bit scared of every creature that didn't look harmless.

"You have good eyes girl, want to play?" asked Norstein Bekkler, winking at the shy mare.

"No thank you, I want Dash to win something for me first." She giggled.

Dash blushed and handed over the forty bits. "So, Bekkler, what's the game?"

The weirdo flipped a switch, and the door in the back slammed open. "For 40 bits! The game is... COPY DA PONY!" Fluttershy gasped as a perfect clone of Dash walked out of the back. Norstein laughed. "The game is simple! Mimic what the clone does!" Dash followed along perfectly until near the end, where she tripped and smashed head first into the clone. With a poof of smoke, it disappeared. "Too bad! Game over!" Bekkler turned to Fluttershy. "Care to play a game young lady?"

Fluttershy thought for a moment, then asked "What are the games?"

He smiled. "There's the 10-bits game, the 40-bits game and the 80- bits game. The names of the games and the prizes are surprises! Hey, I made a rhyme!" He seemed quite pleased with himself.

But before Fluttershy could answer, somepony rammed inside the tent. It was a unicorn mare with a purplish gray coat. She wore a metal helmet with a hole for her horn, large glasses, and had a colorful mane, with the colors dark blue, purple, and a pink purple line. Instantly Dash recognized her best friend Twilight Sparkle.

"Rainbow!" The unicorn shouted. "Rainbow, my invention is finished!" She panted. "Come see it, you'll love it!"

"Fluttershy, this is my best friend Twilight Sparkle. Twilight Sparkle, this is my new friend Fluttershy." Dash said, introducing each other. And, knowing full well that her friend Twilight seemed to be in a hurry, she took her time with the introduction, it was her revenge for calling her 'Rainbow' in front of others.

But if the glasses wearing mare had noticed what was in Dash's mind, she did not show it. Instead she just shook hooves with the yellow pegasus. "Hi, sorry for being so rude, but I really want Dash to see my latest invention."

"That sounds like fun." Fluttershy said, staring at the violet eyes of the unicorn, for some reason she trusted her. Maybe the experiences with that strange pink pony and Bekkler had boosted her confidence.

"Great, follow me!" Said Twilight, and the young mares exited the tent.

"What? No one says goodbye anymore?" Said the poor floating colt head, noticing they had totally forgotten about him.

The pegasi followed the unicorn north, ending in front of two large metal platforms that stood next to each other. There were several ponies standing around. They all had skeptical looks on their faces. A tall muscular colt with a red mane and brown coat stood fiddling with a control panel between the two platforms. This was Taban, Twilight's father.

After he was done he yelled "Gather around, fillies and gentlecolts! Behold my amazing daughter Twilight Sparkle's greatest invention: the inter-dimensional transport warp!"

Twilight shook her head and patted him on the shoulders, then walked behind him to the control panel. She flicked a switch. "Show 'em how it works, Taban!"

Smiling, the colt walked over to the platform on the left and gestured to it. "Just step in here," he said, then pointed to the platform on the right, "and you'll end up here! Who will be the first to try it?"

Nopony seemed willing to test the machine. Rainbow Dash couldn't really blame them after what some of Twilight Sparkle's other inventions had done. The scientist herself was yelling at ponies to come up. Nopony was listening. Then she saw Dash. "Dash! Get yer lazy butt up here and show them it's safe!"

Dash reluctantly came forward. "I dunno, Sparkle. Remember the moon rocket incident?"

Twilight smiled. "Ah, but we got out of that alive, didn't we? Please, you owe me, remember?"

"Ah ok, but this is the LAST time, got it?" Dash yelled at the unicorn mare and limply shuffled onto the left pod. "Why do I get the feeling I'm gonna regret this?" Her vision blurred for a moment and the next thing she knew, she was on the right pod and everypony was cheering. Her eyes automatically found Fluttershy, who was yelling at the top of her lungs. "GO DASH! YAY!"

Twilight looked amazed. "It WORKED?"

Taban looked up at Dash and smiled. "My little girl is a genius!"

"Whaddaya mean it worked? I thought you said you tested this on yourself!" Dash yelled.

Twilight grinned. "Well... kinda. I ended up in the tree out front." Dash face-hoofed and got down from the platform.

"Eh..." Fluttershy said, looking at Twilight. "May I try?" It seemed her confidence boost was still going strong.

"Sure!" Twilight said. After all, since the machine was working as it was supposed to, she did not see any harm if somepony else tried a ride.

"I don't think that's..." Dash started to say, but before she knew it, her pegasus friend was on the right pod.  

"Okay, fillies and gentlecolts," said Taban. "Behold the vision of loveliness as she is about to try a trip aboard the inter-dimensional transport warp! Get set Twilight!"

"Right! I'm throwing the switch." Twilight flipped the lever, then looked up at the yellow pegasus.

Dash watched as the machine hummed, starting up... but nothing happened. Then Fluttershy's Pendant started to glow. For a moment everypony stared in awe as the pendant started to change colors and shapes, first it went from its usual pink and opal shape to a red ruby and then to magenta six-pointed star. And then, things went really wrong!

Fluttershy was the first to shake out of the trance and looked at her pendant, confused. "Huh? What is going on? My pendant..." The control panel shot sparks. Twilight and Taban leapt back. Fluttershy broke off with a scream as she began to see floating rainbow sparkles around her body. Then there was a crack of thunder.

The bystanders screamed and left the area. Desperately, Fluttershy wrenched the pendant off with her teeth, but it was too late. A rainbow portal appeared above the machine, and Fluttershy disappeared into it, screaming.

Only Dash, Twilight, and Taban were left. "Sparkle... what the HAY just happened?" Dash asked furiously.

Twilight stood up, adjusted her glasses with magic and looked at the space where the rainbow portal had just disappeared. "It had something to do with that pendant." She ran through all her knowledge of scientific properties. Something provoked her. She kept seeing Fluttershy's face over and over in her mind. "I know I've seen her somewhere before..." She trailed off. Taban stood there, still puzzled.

Dash said nothing and headed to the telepod that Fluttershy had just vanished from. There sat her pendant. She picked it up and looked at it, then looked at the space where the portal had appeared. She realized what she had to do.

"Twilight, got any weapons?" Rainbow Dash asked, looking serious

"What? Are you thinking of going in after her?" Twilight said surprised "Are you out of your mind?"

"Look, this is all my fault, I let her try this damn thing!" Dash cried "Eh... she is actually someplace else right? Cause I don't want this machine to kill me or something. I am brave, not stupid."

Twilight smiled, "I think she may be someplace else, just have no clue where. And don't think I will let you go alone! After all now I am the one in debt to you."

Dash grinned "Sparkle, honestly, you are a genius, not a fighter. You can't even do any unicorn magic besides that moving things around stuff!"

"And what if you get stuck in the other side? Who is gonna find a way back? You? Don't make me laugh!"

"Fine, got any weapons for me at least?"

"No, just use the wooden sword in your pack. Besides, who says you have to fight whatever is on the other side? You can just fly away!"

"And leave you all the fun? No way!"

Twilight put some stuff in a backpack and then put it on her back. "Ok Dad, we are going to infinity and beyond, any complaints?"

Twilight Sparkle's Dad stood silent for a moment then hugged his daughter. "Just be careful, ok?"

"Okay Dash," Said Twilight. "Just hang on to the pendant till I crack open the portal. I don't know where this machine will send us." She turned to Taban. "Okay, get set!"

Twilight threw the switch and raised the lever. Dash looked at the pendant, which was already glowing intensely, yet it didn't change shape like before. She clenched it in her mouth and closed her eyes.

"Full power!" yelled Taban.

Dash's mane flew up as she heard the rainbow sparkles fly around and she smelled something burning; she hoped it was not her. She heard Taban yell and jump back. A whooshing sound swirled around her. Rainbow Dash found it difficult to stand. Then Twilight hugged her and a new rainbow portal sucked them up.  But before the mares could see what was on the other side, they both blacked out.

*End of Chapter One

Special thanks to rhiiazami from from #mylittlepony at irc.irchighway.net  for editing this story