It was a bright and sunny morning. The princesses were still sleeping in the nursery. They were blissfully, unaware of the events that were about to take place.
Pinkie Pie bounced in through the opened door. She leapt over to each bed, banging a pair of cymbals while shouting, WAKEY-WAKEY GIRLS! WAKEY-WAKEY!"
The princesses shot up from their beds, startled by their hyper servant. Their manes and tails stood up in the air. Once the sound of cymbals deceased, the fillies landed softly on their mattresses.
"Pinkie, that hurts our ears!" Sweetie whined covering her ears.
"Come on girls!" Pinkie whined back. "Your daddy is downstairs waiting for you!"
Screwball looked at her alarm clock which read 9:00 AM.
"Oh no, we overslept!"
"Exactly!" The pink mare emphasized. "You girls were supposed to be up and at the breakfast table by now!"
"GIRLS!" A loud voice shouted from downstairs.
"And your father's being impatient!" Pinkie added, frantically.
The princesses leapt out of their beds. They pulled out their new outfits (courtesy of Fluttershy and Rarity) from their closet. They could pick any outfit to wear as long as it's not their ugly sailor suits.
While choosing a casual dress, Screwball looked around the nursery, her mouth slightly opened.
"Where's Miss Fluttershy? She's usually here to wake us up."
"Yeah," Apple Bloom agreed, distracted from her dressing. "She promised to wake us up at 8:30am.
"GIRLS!"
Their father's calling voice was loud and clear but it didn't snap the servant and the little royals out of their thoughts.
"That's a good question!" Pinkie Pie put her hoof to her chin, lifting her eyebrow. "Hmmm...Come to think of it, I haven't seen Miss Fluttershy today."
"Do you suppose she overslept, Pinkie Pie?" Sweetie asked worriedly.
"GIRLS, GET DOWN HERE!"
This time, the King's booming voice made the girls jump in fright! Their bodies shivered and their manes and tails stood up.
"Just finish getting dressed and hurry downstairs to the dining hall!" Pinkie spoke hastily. "I'll check on Miss Fluttershy!" If the kids don't make haste, she'll lose her job, or worse! Sent to a different dimension with no cake!
The fillies clapped their hooves. Their pajamas were changed into their causal dresses. Screwball donned in a yellow dress with purple polka dots. Babs Seed sported an blue navy dress. Scootaloo was in a purple dress with blue polka dots. Apple Bloom was in a light champagne dress with short sleeves. Sweetie Belle was dressed in a mint green dress with yellow lines.
As soon as the princesses finished dressed, they galloped out of the room. The heir would have transported them to the dining hall if she had known how to do that.
Pinkie Pie put on her deer musket cap and took out a smoking pipe. She inhaled it and blew out bubbles. "Pinkie is on the case!"
The princesses dashed throughout the castle, anxious to hear what their father wanted to tell them. They haven't had breakfast or lunch with their him in ages! Usually the girls would eat in the nursery until Miss Fluttershy encouraged Discord to have all three meals with them together. They had trouble putting that into practice because of Mothball and Chrysalis, but this time it's today! The one thing that the fillies wanted to talk about with their father was how awesome he and Miss Fluttershy were at the gala! Maybe, just maybe, she could be their new mother! When they reached the dining hall, the girls stopped abruptly.
Lady Chrysalis was seated next to their father and holding hooves with him. She held a knowing smile that made the girls' stomachs churn. Discord's face was so devoid of emotion that the girls couldn't read it. It didn't last long as his eyebrows narrowed.
"Where's Miss Fluttershy?"
He was a little miffed that the children came downstairs unsupervised without their governess.
The girls winced as they took their seats.
"We-we don't know," Screwball shrugged. "She didn't even wake us up! Pinkie did."
Dissapointment was still present in the King's eyes. He wondered if the pegasus was sleeping on the job. Regardless of Fluttershy's absence, the chimera decided to cut to the chase.
"Children, I know that you have been lonely and need a mother. I have been lonely and I need female companionship. So I have decided to do something for all of us."
"Get to the point, dearest!" the changeling whispered, smiling big.
Discord took a deep breath and put his arm around the baroness' shoulders.
"Lady Chrysalis is going to be your new mother. We're going to get married."
The fillies' eyes widened and their jaws dropped to the floor. They looked as if Hearth's Warming Eve was canceled.
"Better close your little mouths before a group of parasprites fly in, haha!" Chrysalis teased, making a flying gesture with her hooves. She showed off something on her necklace to them, making Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Babs Seed blind. "Anypony liked my engagement ring? I do! Your father made it just for me!" It was an 18k yellow gold 3-stone pearl. Its two pear-shaped emeralds accented the diamond, which was in the center of the ring.
It took a while for Screwball to find her voice.
"A NEW MOTHER!?"
Yes...," Discord answered raising his eyebrow at the tone that his daughter used with him. He crossed his arms. "Is there a problem?"
"Dad, can we talk to you alone?" The heir hissed.
Before Discord could say something, Chrysalis closed his mouth.
"Now, now Discordkins," she said sickenly. "Be nice." She turned to the girls. "If you young ladies want to tell your father something, you can say it in front of me."
"Very well," Screwball glared. She lifted her head up, trying to stand tall. "We don't approve!"
There was another sound of deadly silence. This time it was the adults' turn to be shocked.
"E-Excuse me?" the Baroness asked incredously.
The young princess ignored her and addressed her father. Her voice was struggling to stay calm, despite feeling angry.
"Father, we don't want you to marry her!"
Discord had figured that his daughters would not take the news well but he didn't expect them to react this badly!
"Listen young lady...," he growled.
"No, you listen!" Screwball raised her voice. "We don't want her as our mother!"
"You don't like-like her!" Sweetie Belle added, angrily.
Discord hated to admit but his youngest was right. He doesn't love Lady Chrysalis. She was something that distracted him from his depression during these past five years. But he secretly did not enjoy the Baroness' company, despite always visiting her.
"What other choice do I have?" he sighed. "She is the only one who was not put off by my appearance!"
His fiancé nodded triumphantly. Although she was secretly peeved that the girls were being annoying, Discord was doing a marvelous job, convincing them to suck it up and accept their engagement!
"But what about Miss Fluttershy?" Screwball questioned. "She wasn't put off by your appearance either! Now don't deny that you don't love Miss Fluttershy! We saw how comfortable you were with her last night. You two looked as if you were in love with each other! So why not just marry Miss Fluttershy-"
"SHUT UP, YOU STUPID LITTLE GIRL! " Chrysalis roared. "TEENAGERS LIKE YOU MAKE ME SICK!"
The noblemare had expected her fiancé to keep on convincing the children that their engagement is acceptable. Yet, when the heir brought the name of that little pegasus, the King suddenly changed his demeanor. He went from being emotionless and defeat to being sad and nervous. The anger that had been growing inside her was now rearing its ugly head.
Shocked and horrifed at his fiance's behavior, Discord abruptly stood up from his chair.
"Watch it, you don't call my daughter stupid!" he yelled. "You can't talk to my girls that way, they are not your children!"
"What, they will be soon!" Chrysalis retorted. She was apparently being rude.
Just then, Pinkie Pie bursted into the Dining Hall. There was panic written on her face and she was panting from all her running.
"YOUR MAJESTY! YOUR MAJESTY! MISS FLUTTERSHY IS GONE!"
The princesses gasped in horror.
"WHAT!?" Discord yelled. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN SHE'S GONE!?"
Pinkie grabbed Discord's muzzle while squishing it and yelled back, "GONE AS IN G-O-N-E! SHE'S NOT IN HER ROOM OR THE NURSERY! I'VE SEARCHED EVERYWHERE! SHE JUST EVAPORATED! LIKE COTTON CANDY!"
After Discord got Pinkie off his face, he pulled out his walkie-talkie to contact his staff. His heart was pounding hard. Why did Fluttershy leave? She would never leave him and the children, would she?
"Hehe, darling, is this worth getting stressed over?" his fiancé chuckled nervously.
Discord ignored her and called the rest of his staff and Copper (Mothball, as you recall) to report to the dining hall immediately!
When everypony was present, Discord inform the bad news. "Miss Fluttershy is missing! Have any of you seen her last night!?"
Flash and the girls gasped, except Pinkie. The staff shook their heads sadly. They had not seen the buttercream pegasus since the party. All they recalled was that Fluttershy went upstairs to put the kids to bed. They had assumed that she would come down later since they remembered accepting Discord's offer to dine and dance with him. Each staff member found it strange that she did come down but they had thought that Fluttershy was either reading to the kids or was too tired to come down.
Copper stayed silent. He just looked down on the floor and shifted dust around with his brown hoof.
Screwball noticed her friend acting strange and wondered what was wrong with him.
"I want everypony to re-search the castle grounds!" Discord ordered. "Find some clues that could track her down!"
The staff saluted and went away to search.
Copper snuck behind Applejack and walked with her while the Baroness wasn't looking. If it weren't for her presence, he would have told the King what truly happened. But his life was at risk. She was giving him the stern look the whole time!
"Oh please!" Lady Chrysalis rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Discord, is this really necessary? Why do you care so much about this particular nanny? We can hire another one since you are so worried about who will take care of the children! Come on now! Let's forget about her and focus on more important things like our wedding!"
The children shared each other confusing looks. They didn't expect such a strange reaction from the Baroness. Even Screwball looked dumbfounded.
Discord frowned and lifted his eyebrow.
"Why are you talking in this way, Chrysalis? Surely, you like Miss Fluttershy right?"
"HA, of course not!" Chrysalis scoffed. Her face became disgusted as if she drank sour milk. "She's just a foolish common pony!"
Perhaps she had given a bit too much away. Discord crossed his arms and his suspicios look became more apparent than it was a few seconds before.
"Why do you dislike my nanny so much?" the King questioned. "After all, you exposed her in front of all the world leaders."
"Because she's obedient and would never dare to disobey me-unlike your foolish servants! Really, that wise mare and that assistant cook are an embarrassment to Equestria!"
Chrysalis only muttered underneath her breath on what she said about the staff. Unfortunately for her, Discord heard it loud and clear. She had forgotten that he had very good hearing.
"Lady Chrysalis!" he growled. "I do not appreciate the way you talked to my staff! I had heard about how mean you were to them during these past weeks! These 'stupid' servants are my friends! I've known them long way before my daughters were born! I won't tolerate any insults whether it's directed t to my children or to my staff! Do I make myself clear?"
Chrysalis looked a bit taken back at her fiancé's sudden anger. Since when does he lecture her? That tone is usually reserved for his family! The Baroness knew she had to act quick before Discord could ask her anymore questions. She knew how demanding he could be.
"Oh Discord darling!" she purred. Her voice dripped like posion honey. "I am sorry, I was just feeling cranky-wanky today. I went to bed very late because of the party. Would you forgive me?" She flashed her eyes at him to emphasize her innocence.
The King just simply stood there with his arm crossed. He had cringed at his fiance's sickenly sweet behavior that it made him want to gag.
His daughters felt the same as they silently gagged to each other.
"...I'll let it pass this time," he said slowly.
"Oo, goody goody!" Chrysalis clapped her hooves in an annoying manner. "I'll volunteer to help out with the search just to show how sorry I am!"
Still smiling sweetly, the changeling trotted away as if she were an innocent school pony. Once she was out of the dining hall and out of their sight, the Baroness picked up her pace and ran upstairs to her room. She had to sneak by the servants who were on the search. Once the noblemare reached her bedroom door, she opened it and dashed in closing the door behind her.
"Oh this reeks!" she grumbled to herself. "This plan is not going as well as I hoped it would! Discord is smarter than I thought!" She gazed over at her desk that displayed paper, quill, and a bottle of ink. "No matter," the changeling chuckled evilly. "I'll write a fake note from Fluttershy. It'll say that she quit on her own because she was embarresed about last night!" She sat down on her seat and dipped her quill in ink, preparing to script. "No pony will suspect that it was me who sent her away!"
Downstairs in the kitchen, Mothball was helping Pinkie and Applejack with the search. He and Pinkie were told by Applejack to be on the lookout for any clue that belonged to Fluttershy. Once they understand what to do, they split up. Applejack went to the right of the kitchen and Pinkie went to the left. Mothball stayed in the center.
He glanced around and didn't see anythjng that looked suspicious to him. Out of the corner of his left eye, there was the door that the servants use only to take the garbage out. The colt knew that Fluttershy must have run outside. There must be some of her hoof prints there, maybe even a lock of her mane!
Mothball opened the door and stepped outisde. He sniffed the ground, detecting for Fluttershy's scent. He found her scent and kept on trotting until his nose bumped into something hard. "Ow!" the teen cried, rubbing his muzzle. His nose had discovered a brown suitcase. It was opened and some of the clothes had fallen out. There was also the owner's name engraved on the handle, confirming Mothball's fears.
The Draconian royals were still in the dining hall. None of them had touched their food. They just sat there and scraped their forks over their plates with worry.
"I can't belive Miss Fluttershy left," Apple Bloom mumbled. "She didn't even say goodbye!"
"Scootaloo, you didn't play pranks on Fluttershy, did you?" Discord confronted his pegasus daughter.
"No!" Scootaloo responded. "Just the ones she laughed at."
"Then why did she run away?" Discord threw his fork on the table, scaring Sweetie Belle and the scattered Draconian nobles that were also attempting to enjoy breakfast. They were better at pretending it, since they were also scraping their plates and worrying over the nanny. His majesty was always in a better mood with Miss Fluttershy around.
"Father," Screwball narrowed her eyes. "You and Miss Fluttershy didn't have another fight, did you?"
"No, no, we didn't!" Discord assured her. It was true that Fluttershy would try to quit whenver they had a fight only for him to beg her to stay and she'd hug him for giving her another chance. But they did not argue last night. He had a feeling that something was amiss.
Just then, the staff and Copper entered the room. The teen was carrying something in his teeth.
"Copper found this suitcase lying outside of the castle," Sunset told Discord. She levitated the clue out of the boy's mouth and laid it on the table for Discord to see (Discord had flashed the plates away before the suitcase landed on the table). "It was Fluttershy's."
The royals studied the suitcase. There was dirt on the edge of it.
"Why would Miss Fluttershy forget her suitcase?" Apple Bloom inquired.
Anger and panic began to build in Discord. He didn't want to believe it but he had an awful feeling that something dreadful happened.
"Fluttershy's been kidnapped!?"
"Yes, it seems like it," Applejack sighed sadly.
"No, not kidnapped!" Pinkie, Flash, and the children wailed.
"Oh of all the worst possible things that could happen, this is THE. WORST. POSSIBLE. THING!" Rarity bemoaned. Feeling faint, she pulled out one of Discord's lounge chairs and fell on it.
The King's eyes glowed yellow and fire shot up from his horns.
"WHOEVER KIDNAPPED FLUTTERSHY IS GOING TO REGRET THAT THEY MESS WITH THE KING OF CHAOS!"
He was about to take off and find his beloved governess only to be pulled down by Rainbow Dash and Flash Sentry.
"Hold it, Discord!" Rainbow snapped. "We don't know who kidnapped her!"
"I know that, but I am willing to search Equestria to find her no matter how long it takes!"
"I still don't understand why was Fluttershy leaving in the first place," Applejack stated. "It seemed to me that she got kidnapped on her way out."
"She was in a hurry to get-oops!" Copper covered his moth with his hooves, almost forgetting his promise. The company of Fluttershy's concerned friends made him concerned too and speak up just like they were doing. True, his enemy was no longer present in the room but he was afraid that she might appear in any moment.
"Wait a minute," Sunset said suspiciously. "How did you know she was in a hurry?"
The teen sweated and shivered as he tried to back out of the company, only to be stopped by a stern-looking Flash, blocking the exit with his body .
"Kid, do you have something to say that you would like to share with the rest of the class?" Discord questioned. He dressed up like a schoolteacher with glasses and a blue vest. A ruler was in his paw and an apple was in his claw.
"Never mind, forget what I said!" Mothball blushed.
"Please tell us!" Screwball pleaded. The trembling lip and the moisture in her eyes made Mothball's heart break.
"I wish I could tell you but I can't!" he yelled in frustration. "If I tell you, I'm dead."
"What in tarnation are you talking about?" Applejack demanded.
"We won't hurt you," Flash said calmly. "We're family here!"
"It's not you or the girls or even the king that I'm afraid of!" The colt clarified.
"Well, then who is it?" Sunset's patience was running thin.
"Easy Sunset easy," the monarch soothed her by massaging her head with his tail. Once he felt Sunset's anger melt away, his tail left her head. Sunset felt a sense of peace inside her despite the situation.
The King turned to the guilty and nervous boy. "If he won't tell, he'll just have to show us!"
Mothball was confused. What did he mean by that? Then he felt the King touching his forehead.
"Um, beg your pardon your majesty, but what are you doing?"
"I'm going to read your mind!"
After touching the boy's forehead, an image appeared. Discord and others watched as Mothball's memories from last night play out...
It had taken forever, but Chrysalis had perfected 'Fluttershy's' note, finishing it with the pegasus' name at the end. "Now this will fool the King for sure!" she cackled. The Baroness left her bedroom and walked down the hall. She stepped toward the governess' former bedroom. Chrysalis went inside and stayed in there for a minute. Then she popped out of the room, looking as surprised as possible. "Discord, Discord!" she hollered. "You would have never guessed what I just found in Miss Fluttershy's bedroom!" The Baroness rushed into the throne room. Once she did, she had noticed the King looking a bit grimmer than usual. Regardless, the Noblemare smiled gleefully. For once, she gets to be alone with her fiance! No bratty children or servants were in the dining hall, so breakfast was probably over. "Oh well, guess what I found!" She handed the paper to him. "A note from Fluttershy! It explains that she quit on her own will! The poor dear was still shell shocked from last night! The servants must have missed that when they checked her room this morning! Honestly, your servants need to get their eyes checked! Maybe we can hire an eye doctor for them!"
"Chrysalis..," Discord spoke. He just finished reading the note.
Chrysalis didn't hear him and kept on talking. "Which reminds me, we have to do something about the children! Haven't you heard of a little thing called a boarding school? I heard that Faust Academy is a terrific-,"
"Chrysalis!" Discord shouted. This time he got his fiancé's attention. "Although I haven't seen Fluttershy's hoof writing, tell me. Are you sure this note was from Miss Fluttershy?"
"Of course it's from her!" Lady Chrysalis huffed. "Didn't you see her name on the bottom?"
"Yes," said Discord re-looking at it. His tone suddenly changed from calm to anger. "However I doubt she could have gotten hold of the noble stationary!" He stood up from his chair and dangled the fake note in Chrysalis' face.
The sophisticated lady jumped a little and her eyes widened. Her ink and paper were too distinct for the Discord to overlook.
The monarch crumbled the note into a ball and threw it over his head, which blew up and left a dent on the floor.
"Hehe, darling," Chrysalis chuckled, twiddling with her webbed hooves. "What's gotten into-"
"DON'T PLAY INNOCENT WITH ME LADY CHRYSALIS!" Discord hollered. His eyes glowed and his teeth gnashed. "I KNOW IT WAS YOU WHO DROVE MISS FLUTTERSHY AWAY! YOU WERE THE ONE WHO PRETENDED TO BE ME AND FIRE HER! THEN AFTER THAT, YOU THREATENED TO KILL MY VALET IF HE TOLD ME! AND AFTER THAT, YOU CAME DOWNSTAIRS AND LIED TO ME ABOUT FLUTTERSHY BEING TOO TIRED TO JOIN ME AT THE PARTY WHEN SHE HAD ALREADY ACCEPTED MY OFFER! DO YOU DENY IT?"
"Hehe, Darling-"
"DO YOU!?"
Nervousness was replaced by anger in the changeling. She started to become defensive of herself.
"OH YEAH!?" She spat. "HOW DO YOU KNOW ALL THAT? CAN YOU PROVE IT, DETECTIVE!?"
"You have forgotten, my dear friend," Discord snapped. "I have the ability to look into ponies' memories by touching them." He inched toward the jealous bug. "Unless you want me to see your memories...,"
The Baroness jumped away from him fearfully before the chimera could touch her.
"What's wrong Chrysalis?" the draconequus mocked, conjuring up a harmonica. "Are your memories in tune with Copper's?"
Chrysalis had run out of ideas for an escape. The Draconian had discovered the truth and he was not going to buy her lies at all!
"All right, all right!" She snarled at him. The noblemare became defensive again and waved her hooves. "So I did it! But only because that little tramp was trying to steal you away from me! At first, I thought she was trying to get to know you, seeing that she was your new employee. But later, I noticed that you were becoming way too fond of her for my taste! She was preventing our marriage plans from happening! Apparently, she was a distraction to you! I thought if I scare that little pegasus away, you'll forget about her and focus back on me!"
"WHO GAVE YOU AUTHORITY TO FIRE MY NANNY!" Discord erupted. Red flames appeared in his eyes and steam tooted from his ears. He had known how mischievous she was, but he didn't expect Chrysalis to be this ugly on the inside as well! "I DECIDE WHO STAYS AND WHO GOES, NOT YOU! I HAVE BEEN PUTTING UP WITH YOUR FICKLE BEHAVIOR FOR TOO LONG! YOU HAVE CROSSED THE LINE! APPARENTLY YOU CANNOT BE TRUSTED!" The royal Draconian snatched the ring away from Chrysalis' neck roughly. He made it fade away. "THE WEDDING IS OFF! GET OUT OF MY CASTLE AND NEVER RETURN!"
The bug's mouth was wide open. She barred her teeth and huffed. This was not how she imagined her plan was going to play out. She had plans to marry him. Eventually, she would kill him and the children and blame it on one of the staff! Now her plans were crumbling down! "HOW DARE YOU!" she screamed. "NOPONY HAS EVER SPOKEN TO ME LIKE THIS BEFORE!"
"WELL GET USED TO IT, YOU WITCH!" the Draconequus roared. "NOW BE GONE OR ELSE I'LL TURN YOU INTO A CUPCAKE FOR PINKIE PIE!"
The former fiancé flinched, believing he was actually going to do that. She gave Discord a death glare, which left him unaffected. "All right, Discord!" she sneered. "But you will be sorry!"
Discord lifted an eyebrow, wondering what she meant by that.
Chrysalis kept talking and talking so much that Discord felt tempted to snap his fingers and make her disappear.
"You may have won the battle, but you have not won the war! I'll get you, your majesty ...and your little brats too!" One thing ran through her mind. I may not be able to have him as my husband but I can still kill him and seize his throne, one way or other! At last, she dashed out of the room, out of the castle, never to return.
As soon as the Baroness left, Discord breathed out a sigh of relief.
"ALL RIGHT EVERYPONY!" he called. "YOU CAN COME OUT NOW! SHE'S GONE!"
The servants and the children popped out from from various hiding places.
Pinkie Pie and Screwball popped out from the chandelier and floated down, thanks to Screwball's propeller hat.
Applejack and Apple Bloom walked in from the kitchen.
Rarity and Sweetie Belle teleported from the sewing room.
Sunset Shimmer and Babs Seed peeked out underneath the table.
Flash, Mothball, Rainbow Dash, and Scootaloo, flew down from the ceiling.
They smiled and cheered, "All right!" or "Woohoo!" and "Oh yeah!"
"Ding Dong the witch is dead!" Flash and Pinkie sang. "Which old witch, the wicked witch! Ding dong the wicked witch is dead!"
"Not quite, my little ponies," Discord sighed. "She's going to come back with her vengeance!"
"WHAT!?" Pinkie yelled.
"Um, that's...bad," Applejack responded, trying not to sound scared. She had to stay strong for her friends!
"Don't worry, Discord!" Sunset Shimmer saluted. "If that witch comes back, we'll be prepared!"
"Yeah!" Rainbow cried, feeling ready for action. "We'll kick her plot! Chrysalis doesn't stand a chance against us!"
"Good," Discord nodded. "Because I need all of you to watch the castle while I'm gone!"
The ponies and a disguised changeling teen shared each other knowing looks.
"Are you gonna find Miss Fluttershy now?" Pinkie begged while hopping up and down with anticipation.
"Of course, Pinkie, what do you think?" Discord answered.
"One of us should come with you!" Flash commented. "It's too dangerous out there! You have to worry about Countess Glimmer!"
"You also have to worry about Herr Trixie and Herr Svengallop!" Applejack added, worry in her voice.
"I can come along!" Mothball volunteered.
Discord took a deep breath and sighed. "No, I lost Fluttershy and I don't want to lose anymore servants. Besides this is something that I need to do alone. I have no idea how long the journey will take."
"Daddy, promise you won't get hurt!" Sweetie Belle whimpered, her eyes filled with moisture and her bottom lip trembling.
Discord gave a smile and rubbed her mane, which made Sweetie relax a bit.
"Daddy is a big stallion who can unleash chaos on his enemies!"
He conjured up a blue T-Ford car which runs on sugar cane.
"Pray that I'll have a safe trip!" The King hopped in his car and zoomed out of the castle like a spaceship.
"Bye Daddy!" the princesses waved. They could only hope that their dad would find Fluttershy sooner rather than later.