> The Everfree Files
>  by kaminakat
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Canterlot, 5:00 pm
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

2, 1, B1…

A column of plastic elevator lights took turns glowing to life before fading out as the floor they represented was passed by.  The paper inserts behind the plastic were faded, washed out by the passage of time.  The elevator went from the second floor all the way down to a sixth basement floor.  A single overhead light illuminated the old lift with a yellowish glow.  The metal walls were scratched and faded, and the doors even worse for wear.  The light wasn’t bright enough to reach the corners of the lift; its passengers would be flanked on all sides by shadows.  Many a pony would complain of the claustrophobia caused by this place.

In the center of the lift stood a single mare: a unicorn named Moondancer.  She wore a black dress shirt and pair of thick-rimmed glasses.  Her mane was carefully groomed and tied back out of her face.  Around her neck hung an ID badge sealed in a plastic casing, attached to a simple black plastic cord.  She watched the lights change as the floors passed, feeling uncomfortable in the foreboding lift.  She had been quite surprised at the state of the elevator when she had boarded on the second floor.  When she had arrived at the building a few minutes ago, she had been greeted by a professional looking establishment.  Equestrian Bureau of Investigations was displayed in large silver letters, centered above the doorway.  Underneath it was a smaller line of text to denote it as the Canterlot branch of the Bureau.  Inside, the second floor (the entry floor, the building was housed on a hill) had been nothing if not pristine.  The elevator felt out of place; it was old, musty, and dark.

Aiming to distract herself from her discomfort, Moondancer grabbed the ID card hanging around her neck and held it up to the light.

Special Agent Dancer, EBI - Canterlot

It still felt a little unreal each time she read that title.  Not long ago she had been a recluse, only spending her time at home or the local library.  Luckily, one day Twilight Sparkle remembered that Canterlot was a place that existed.  She had come back to try to reconnect with her old friends, which had included tracking down Moondancer.  Come back to rub your princess status in everypony’s face, huh?  How very thoughtful of you.

After Twilight’s numerous attempts to reconnect and a long-overdue breakdown, Moondancer put her hostility aside.  She accepted Twilight, and their other old friends from school, back into her life.

Things had been much better after that, having her other friends in town and Twilight visiting whenever she could.  On one of her visits, Twilight had suggested applying for a position at the EBI.  Moondancer was uncertain at first, but after some research she ended up taking her friend’s suggestion.  It was “a shame to let such a powerful mind go unchallenged” after all, at least according to Twilight.

As the light for BF 4 finally began to glow the elevator rumbled and stopped in place.  The doors squeaked as they slid open.

Moondancer stepped out into a dark hallway.  The ceiling was absent, all manner of pipes visible.  A few overhead lights hummed faintly, barely lighting the hallway.  She heard the elevator doors squeak closed behind her as she began to traverse the dark passage.

“Let’s see…no, that’s a bathroom…another bathroom…janitor’s closet…storage closet…” she muttered to herself as she passed by each door in the hallway.  Reaching the end of the hallway, she was presented with a single door.

Room 42 – Agent Strings – Everfree Files

She read over the faded silver plaque a second time, confirming that it was her destination.  That department name still puzzled her.  Everfree Files.  She had been met with a variety of confused responses when she had brought it up in conversation with other ponies.  Her superiors had informed her that her work would entail “unusual cases”, and that she was to report to this Agent Strings.  Miss Strings had taken over heading the Everfree Files after its prior head had went into retirement about a year ago.  That was the extent of the information Moondancer had been able to find regarding her new position.

She took a deep breath and opened the door.

The room was bigger than she had imagined.  It was only lit about as well as the hallway preceding it; the same dim hanging lights hummed over the office.  The walls were covered with posters, newspaper articles, pages of magazines and erratic drawings.  There were several file cabinets with piles of file folders on and around them on the floor.  Against the back wall of the room was a large black desk.  A pair of mint green hooves were crossed and propped up on top of it, while a large opened newspaper obscured the rest of the pony sitting behind it.

“Hey rookie, bout time you showed up!” said the pony at the desk as Moondancer approached them.  Hearing this froze her in place.  She recognized the voice.

“Lyra?”

The newspaper lowered to reveal a confused Lyra Heartstrings.  After a split second of processing, a warm smile came across her face.

“Moondancer!  What are you doing here?”  Lyra hopped up out of her chair.  Moondancer gave a gentle smile in return and offered a hoof to shake.  Lyra grabbed it and pulled Moondancer into a tight hug.  Moondancer let out a small squeak, being taken off-guard.  Lyra pulled back and looked at her with excitement.

“Wait, are you my new partner?”

Moondancer reached down and bit gently onto the top of her ID badge and pulled it up so Lyra could see.

“Ashent Dansher at your servish.”

Lyra gave out a squeal of delight.  Moondancer watched as her new partner jumped to and fro with glee, knocking around some stray papers on the floor.  My, she certainly is an excitable one.

Moondancer gave a soft, awkward laugh as she took a seat in a folding chair set up on the other side of Lyra’s desk.

“So Lyra, what is this department all about?  These ‘Everfree Files’, what exactly are they?”  As Lyra sat down and regained her composure, Moondancer glanced at one of the magazine clippings on the wall.  (Princess Celestia: Replaced by a Lizard-Pony!?)

“This is the coolest job in the whole Bureau,” said Lyra.  “Have you been to the Everfree Forest just outside of Ponyville?”

“No, I can’t say that I have.”

Lyra pulled open a drawer in her desk and retrieved a photograph.  She looked at it with a grin as she pushed the drawer back in.

“Well, the Everfree Forest is a very unusual place.  The weather there changes without the aid of pegasi, plants grow without the aid of earth ponies…”

Lyra placed the photograph face-up on the desk.

“…and all manner of strange phenomenon occur there on a regular basis.”

Moondancer pulled the picture closer to her and examined it.  The photograph showed what appeared to be a stone statue of Twilight Sparkle.  The lighting was very poor; it was obviously taken at night.  A dense forest could be seen in the background of the shot.  Must be this “Everfree Forest” Lyra is referring to.

“How exactly is a statue of Twilight considered a strange phenomenon?” she asked.  The only strange thing she could ascertain from the picture was the odd look on the statue’s face.  It wore a surprised face, as if Twilight had just stepped on a previously unnoticed snake.  She also noted that the statue lacked Twilight’s wings, so it could not have been made recently.  But why would someone make a statue of Twilight before she was a princess?  And why in the middle of an apparently uninviting forest?

“That isn’t a statue,” said Lyra.  “That IS Twilight.  Or, it was.  She’s fine now, this was taken ages ago.”

Moondancer furrowed her brow.

“Turning a pony to stone requires higher level spells.  This must have been done by a very gifted unicorn.”

“It wasn’t a pony at all,” said Lyra with a chuckle.  She placed another photograph on the desk for her partner to see.

“It was a cockatrice!”

Moondancer slid the picture over to her.  This photograph was no doubt taken in the same location; it was just as dark and shared the same forest backdrop.  This time, however, there were two subjects in the frame.  On the right was a light yellow pegasus, average height, long pink mane.  She wore a stern look, and it seemed to be directed toward the photograph’s other subject.  The subject in question was an odd-looking creature.  Its head was that of a chicken, albeit with much redder eyes.  The body, however, looked like a miniature dragon.  Green scales, small green dragon-esque wings, and a long tail dragging behind it.  The creature was about half the height of the pegasus, and was cowering into the ground.

“A cocka-wah?” Moondancer asked listlessly.

“A cocka-trice!”

Moondancer pushed the photograph back to Lyra.

“There is no such thing as a cockatrice.  They’re just an old pony’s tale.”

Lyra leaned back in her chair, closing her eyes and laughing dryly to herself.  Moondancer gave her a concerned look.  Was she always such an odd pony?

“You will learn very quickly in this line of work that most old pony’s tales are true.”  As Lyra concluded her retort, she opened her eyes and contently gazed around at the walls.  A soft rattling sound came from the ceiling.

“That is the sort of thing that we investigate.  Bizarre occurrences.  Cases that cannot be explained.  When conventional means have been exhausted…”  Lyra placed a hoof out over her desk.  The rattling came to a head and then ceased as a scroll fell from the ceiling just above the desk.  It landed perfectly in Lyra’s hoof.

“…they call us.”

Moondancer glanced up at the ceiling.  One of the pipes ended with a sort of downward spout right above the desk.  As she brought her eyes back down to her partner, Lyra had opened the scroll and begun reading.

“So we’re like paranormal investigators?” asked Moondancer.

“That would be a good title for us, yes!”

Well that explains the odd looks.  Moondancer had been anticipating a high level position.  Some special job that only a pony as gifted and studied as her could possibly perform.  Solving locked-room murders against all odds.  Not chasing shadows.

I will just ask to be relocated.  She wouldn’t make a big fuss out of it, no reason to.  She would just request to be reassigned.  She would implore her higher-ups to keep it discreet.  Lyra would be none the wiser.

Moondancer felt a pang of guilt.  Lyra is your friend.  That’s no way to treat a friend and you know it.

It was true.  Moondancer didn’t have many friends, and the small amount that she did have she truly cared for.  She had also spent the least amount of time recently with Lyra out of everypony.  It was harder to see her since she lived in Ponyville.  This job would certainly be a good opportunity to spend some time together.

“Well, looks like you got here just in time.  We have a case.”  Lyra set the letter down and got up from her desk.  With a spark of magic, she withdrew a shoulder bag from behind her desk and slung it around her neck.  She walked right past Moondancer and toward the door.

“Wait, right now?” asked Moondancer, getting up from her seat.

“Uh, yeah.  They aren’t paying us to sit.”

As Lyra exited, Moondancer looked around the room a final time.  She glanced down at her ID badge.

Agent Dancer.

She would give it a chance.  She could always ask for a transfer later on anyway.

Moondancer closed the office door behind her as she entered the dark hallway.  She jogged for a moment to catch up with Lyra.  The two ponies entered the elevator, and Lyra hit the button for the second floor.

“So, where are we going?” asked Moondancer.

“Ponyville!”  Lyra smiled at the topic of her home.

“What’s the case then?”

“Oh, some giant unspeakable monster crawled out of the forest and scared a local half to death.  Not the most exciting first case, sorry Dancer.”

Moondancer laughed nervously as the elevator began its ascent.
> Ponyville, 8:00 pm
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Moondancer jolted awake as the train pulled into the Ponyville train station.  She reached up and pushed her glasses back into place; they tended to slide down her muzzle a bit when she dozed off.  As the hiss of steam quieted, ponies chattered among themselves and began heading for the exit.  Lyra was seated next to her, and was folding up a newspaper she had been reading during most of the trip.  She stuffed it back into her shoulder bag and stood up from her seat.  A small bag of peanuts (now empty) was left behind on the seat.  Moondancer used her magic to crumple it up and toss it into a trash bin in the aisle next to them.

Lyra walked into the aisle and stretched out her front legs.  With a flash of golden magic from her horn, she withdrew an ID badge from her bag and lowered it over her head.  It fell into place as she turned around to grab her bag.

“You ready to go, Dancer?” she asked, slinging her bag around her neck and over her shoulder.

Moondancer shook her head loose of sleep.  She stood up and yawned.

“Yes, sorry I fell asleep.  Didn’t get a ton of sleep last night.”

Lyra nodded and then gestured with her head toward the exit.  Moondancer followed her partner to the train car’s side door and out onto the platform.

It was evening now; the sun wasn’t setting yet, but it would soon.  The station was rather small, much smaller than back home in Canterlot.  Besides the ponies that had just exited the train, there weren’t too many ponies around.  The evening breeze blew across the station, making an assortment of flowers dance around in the grass.  Looking up, Moondancer could see a couple pegasi moving some clouds around.  She scanned around and noted a few more flying off in the distance.  It wasn’t unusual to see pegasi, there just weren’t usually that many flying around the skies of Canterlot.  Mostly unicorns in that city.

Moondancer felt a tap on her shoulder.  She turned to Lyra to see that she had donned a pair of jet black sunglasses.  An outstretched green hoof held another pair in front of Dancer.

“It’s almost sunset, Lyra.”  Moondancer gently pushed her partner’s hoof away.  Lyra shook her head.  She leaned over and placed the shades over Moondancer’s glasses.

“I don’t like sunglasses!” said Moondancer, trying to shove Lyra away to no avail.

“Come on now, we’re supposed to match.  Besides, we can’t be super cool secret agents without these.”  Lyra grinned and began walking toward town.  Moondancer groaned and followed behind her.

“I think I see our contact, let’s go see what’s up!” said Lyra, trotting along the dirt path coming off the train station.  Moondancer looked ahead and recognized the pony they were approaching.

Pinkie Pie stood in the middle of the road.  She was holding a paper sign in her mouth and humming a soft tune, bobbing her knees in rhythm with her song.  She had a pair of saddlebags on her sides, hot pink with her balloon cutie mark emblazoned on the outside of each.  They bounced around as she bobbed up and down.

She waved as Lyra and Moondancer approached, and her sign became readable to the duo:

“Welcome Lyra & New Partner”

Pinkie folded up her sign and placed it into her right saddle bag.  She then turned around and stuck her hoof into the left one, pulling out a small tin with a bow on top of it.

                “Hey Lyra!” said Pinkie, “good to see you!”  She turned to Moondancer and smiled.  “Moondancer!  It’s good to see you again!  Are you Lyra’s new partner?”

                “Yes, Agent Dancer at your service.  It’s nice to see you too, Pinkie.”  Moondancer gave a gentle smile to her pink friend.

                “Wow, Agent Dancer!  That sounds so cool!”  Pinkie beamed at the pair of agents.

                Lyra nudged her partner.

                “See, we’re like totally awesome secret agents.”

                “I guess if I was an agent, I would be Agent Pie!” said Pinkie, chuckling afterwards.

                Lyra laughed.  Moondancer grinned and nodded her head.  Agent Pie.  I think I have just the position for you too.  It’s a job where you go catch monsters in the forest, or something.

                “Anyways, thanks for coming on such short notice you guys!  I brought you both a cookie from work!”  Pinkie held out the tin.

                “Oh that’s quite alright-” Moondancer began.

                “Aw, thanks Pinks!” said Lyra, cutting her partner off.  She grabbed the container and pried it open.  Her horn began to glow softly as two cookies levitated out of the tin.  They were little doughy cookies coated with a neat swirl of rainbow icing and peppered liberally with shining blue sprinkles.  Lyra flung one into her mouth and let out a satisfied “mmmmm”.  She levitated the other one gently on top of Moondancer’s muzzle.

                Moondancer used her magic to lift the cookie off her nose, her mouth scrunching up in frustration.

                “As I was trying to say,” Moondancer said dryly, “thank you Pinkie, but I really shouldn’t.”

                “Oh my goooooooosh Dancer!”  Lyra groaned. She tipped her sunglasses down and shot her partner an irritated look.  “These are free cookies!  From Pinkie, who’s like the best baker I know!”

                “Why, thank you!” Pinkie interjected.

Moondancer frowned.  She levitated the cookie so it was eye level with her.

                “Live a little bit, partner,” said Lyra.

Fine.  Rest in peace my diet.  Again.  Moondancer sighed, rolled her eyes, and popped the cookie into her mouth.  Her eyes instantly lit up.  The cookie was soft as a cloud, and the icing was creamy and super sweet.  She couldn’t help but crack a smile.  It was like a symphony of flavor in her mouth.

                “Oh my goodness.  Lyra you weren’t kidding, these are amazing.”  She looked at Pinkie.  “You should enter these in a contest or something.”

                Lyra nodded in agreement.  Pinkie curtsied with a big grin on her face.

                “You’re a gem, Pinks,” said Lyra, “let’s walk and talk.  What’s goin’ on with this case?”  Pinkie began walking, the pair of unicorns following beside her.

                “Well, first of all, I’m actually not a gem.  I’m a pony.  But anyway, it’s about Fluttershy.  Some crazy monster walked right up to her cottage last night and scared the life out of her!  Then it ran off into the forest, and no one has been able to find it!  It’s like it just vanished!  Poof!”  Pinkie emphasized her sound effect with a hoof gesture.

                “What kind of monster are we talking?” asked Lyra.  “A hydra?  Golem?  Dragon?”

                Pinkie shook her head.  “That’s the weird part.  The way Fluttershy described the monster was…spotty.”

                Lyra raised an eyebrow.  “The monster had spots?”

                “I think she means the description of the monster was spotty,” said Moondancer.

                Pinkie nodded.  “She was all over the place.”

                The trio hit the town square and turned, heading toward Fluttershy’s cottage.

                “Alright,” said Moondancer, “so her testimony was inconsistent.  How so, exactly?”

                “Well, it was…” Pinkie began, but trailed off.  She scratched her chin and thought for a moment.  “I can’t remember the whole thing exactly.  It’s probably best if you hear it from her yourself.  But basically she kept describing the monster differently.  It has horns, it doesn’t have horns, it has big teeth, no teeth, wings, pointy tail, TWO pointy tales…you get the idea.”

                “Hrm…”  Lyra was giving Moondancer a knowing look.

                “You thinking what I’m thinking?” asked Lyra.

                Moondancer nodded her head.  The victim was probably recalling her assailant incorrectly.  That’s pretty common.  Plus it was at night so visibility would have been lower, and it sounds like it happened rather quickly.

                “Well Pinkie,” said Lyra, “I think we may be dealing with a creature with the ability to manipulate memories.”

                Moondancer stopped in her tracks and shot Lyra a look of concern.

                “Such a creature could use this ability to muddle its identity.  That’s why Fluttershy can’t seem to pin down the specifics.”  Lyra stopped, noticing Moondancer was no longer walking beside her.

“You coming, Dancer?”

She turned around to see a flustered Moondancer trotting her way.

“Okay, I was definitely not thinking what you were thinking,” said Moondancer as she closed the gap between herself and her partner.

                “Really?  I thought we were on the same page for a minute there.”

                “Yeah, no.  I have no idea WHAT page YOU were on, but it certainly isn’t in any book I’ve read.”

                “Alright, then what do you have in mind?”

                Moondancer adjusted her glasses.  “She’s probably recalling the culprit incorrectly.”

                Lyra thrust a hoof into the air.  “Because her mind was scrambled by the monster!”

                Pinkie gasped loudly.

                Moondancer let out an exasperated grunt and slapped Lyra’s hoof out of the air.

                “Because she was scared and it happened quickly!”

                “Okay!  Okay!” said Lyra, wincing slightly and shaking the hoof that Moondancer smacked.  “That’s a solid theory, but we won’t know for sure until we hear the story from the source.”

Lyra motioned toward their destination, which was now just a ways in front of the trio.  It was a quaint cottage, surrounded by trees and flower beds.  A small stream flowed through the middle of the front yard, with a little bridge connecting the path into town to the path up to the cottage’s doorstep.  A couple of ducks were floating in the water.

“I think the monster was a shapeshifter!” proclaimed Pinkie.

“I think that’s a better theory than Lyra’s.”  Moondancer gave her partner a snarky smile.

“I think I want another cookie,” said Lyra, returning Moondancer’s sass.

“Okay be right back!” yelled Pinkie.

Moondancer turned around to tell Pinkie to ignore Lyra’s comment, but the pink pony was gone.  Off in the distance, the agents could see that Pinkie was already halfway back to town.

“Goodness, she’s fast.”  Moondancer marvled at the now faraway Pinkie.

“I know, right?”  Lyra laughed to herself as she levitated her sunglasses up on top of her head.  “You ready to do this?”

Moondancer levitated her sunglasses off and hung them on the collar of her shirt.  She nodded, and the two unicorns headed toward the cottage.
> Fluttershy's Cottage, 8:30 pm
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Um I’m sorry I’m not feeling well please go away sorry.”

                Lyra turned and gave Moondancer a concerned look.  The two agents stood at Fluttershy’s doorstep.  Lyra’s hoof was still raised after knocking on the door.  Neither agent expected such an immediate and dismissive reply.

                “Fluttershy, it’s Lyra Heartstrings with the EBI.  Pinkie sent for us to come and see you.”

                The sound of muffled hoofsteps could be heard through the door.  The clicks and snaps of several locks being undone came from inside until the door finally creaked open.  A yellow pegasus peeked around the side of the door at the agents.  Her soft blue eyes moved from Lyra to Moondancer and back again.

                “Um, hello girls,” she said.  “Sorry about that, come inside now please.”

                Moondancer followed behind Lyra as they entered the house.  As soon as they were inside, Fluttershy quickly closed the door and re-did a multitude of locks.

                The inside of the cottage was quiet and calm.  A green couch and chair sat on either side of a small coffee table, and all three rested atop a faded blue rug.  The rest of the room was mostly filled with animal beds and toys.  A white bunny looked at the agents from the stairs before retreating to the top floor.

                Fluttershy herself was in much worse shape.  Moondancer recognized her as the mare from the photo of the “cockatrice” that Lyra had shown her earlier.  She currently looked much paler than she did in the picture.  She was wearing a puffy white robe with a small, pink butterfly stitched onto the front.  Her eyes had bags under them.

                Fluttershy sat down on the chair and motioned for her company to take a seat on the couch.  Moondancer did so, but Lyra remained standing and eyed the pegasus.

                “So!  I hear you had quite a shock last night!”  Lyra stood in front of the seated Fluttershy as she addressed her.

                Fluttershy winced and nodded her head.  Lyra drew closer.

                “I heard it was some kind of monster, is that so?”

                “Yes!” Fluttershy replied with a squeak.  Her eyes grew wide.  Lyra scooted even closer, maintaining eye contact with the pegasus.  Moondancer looked on with a growing feeling of concern.

                “What kind of monster?”

                “A scary one!”  Fluttershy was now cowering back in her seat.

                “Oh!  Does your brain seem scrambled at all, would you say?”

“MY BRAIN?!”

Fluttershy had now started hyperventilating.  She was gripping the arms of her chair tightly with her front hooves and leaning back as much as possible.  Moondancer stood up.

                “Lyra, could I have a word with you outside?”

                Before Lyra could reply, she felt her hooves leave the floor.  A dim rose-colored glow surrounded her, and she felt herself being levitated toward the door.

                “Hey!  Put me down!”  She protested and flailed around as Moondancer undid the numerous locks on the door.

                Moondancer looked back to Fluttershy.

                “I’m so sorry, Miss Shy.  Please excuse us for just a moment.”  She gave a small smile before exiting the cottage.

                Lyra continued to complain as she was pulled outside.  Her head bumped into the top of the door frame before she was set back on the ground.  Fluttershy shut the door behind the agents and they could hear all of the locks being re-done.

                “What the heck, Dancer!”  Lyra gave her partner a dirty look and rubbed her forehead.

                “You were frightening her.”

                “I was just asking-“ Lyra began, but was silenced by an icy glare from Moondancer.  Her mouth scrunched up.  Moondancer sighed and adjusted her glasses.

                “You are being unprofessional.”

                Lyra looked at her partner for a moment.  She then looked down and shook her head.

                “You’re right.  Sorry Dancer.”

                “It’s alright.”

                Lyra turned around and eyed the tree line which started in Fluttershy’s front yard and headed into the forest behind the house.

                “How about you talk to Fluttershy, and I’ll take a look around out here?”

                “Sounds like a plan.”

                Both ponies nodded in agreement.  Lyra began to walk around the cottage while Moondancer turned and knocked on Fluttershy’s door once more.

                After the charade of unlocking and relocking the door again, Moondancer was back inside.  She sat alone on the couch, Fluttershy opposite her in her green chair.  The pegasus had been still breathing heavy when Moondancer returned, but after just sitting for a moment both ponies reached a level of calm.  Moondancer took a breath and looked over to her host.

                “I do apologize about my partner,” she said, “I’m afraid she was just a little too excited about this case.”

                “Oh, that’s okay.  I hope I didn’t get her into trouble.”  Fluttershy looked down at her hooves with a worried expression.  Moondancer just smiled and shook her head softly.

                “Oh, I don’t think she needs any help with that.”

                Fluttershy covered her mouth with her hoof as a tiny laugh escaped her.  Moondancer allowed herself to let out a laugh of her own to follow suit.  This is good, laughing can help calm her down.  We need to undo the progress lost from whatever that was Lyra was attempting.  Good grief.

                Fluttershy rose from her seat.  Her wings unfolded, poking out from small slits on either side of her robe.  She hopped daintily into the air and fluttered into a connected room which housed her kitchen.  The sound of cupboards opening creaked though the living room.

                “I’m going to put on some tea,” came Fluttershy’s voice from the kitchen, “would you like some, agent?”

                “Ah, yes please.  Thank you.”  Moondancer felt her mouth salivate, she hadn’t realized how thirsty she was.  She leaned over to do her best to address the pegasus in the other room.

                “Oh, it’s Moondancer by the way,” she continued.  “My apologies, my introduction got somewhat run over by my partner.”

                A sharp clank came from the kitchen as a tea kettle was placed on a stove.  A moment later, Fluttershy hovered back into the living room.  She landed on the ground in front of her chair.

                “I think I may have heard your name before.  Are you Twilight’s friend from Canterlot?”  Fluttershy looked at her guest with interest.

                “Yes, Twilight and I actually went to school together.  Although she kind of fell off the face of Equestria when she moved here.  A while ago we caught up and sort of became good friends again, and she stops by to see me when she can.  She actually suggested for me to take a job at the EBI.”

                “I’m glad to hear you two reconnected.  Twilight is a really wonderful friend.  She has helped me out a lot over the years, along with pretty much all the ponies in town.”

                A squealing crescendo emanated from the kitchen and Fluttershy flew back to her tea kettle.  Moondancer could hear her turn off the stove and begin pouring two cups.  Fluttershy hummed gently to herself.

                “I don’t know if you could tell, but I’m a rather shy pony,” she said from the kitchen.  “Twilight has helped me come out of my shell so much ever since she moved here.  Would you like sugar?”

                Fluttershy peeked her head around the wall after asking this.  Moondancer smiled and waved a hoof in the air to signal her dismissal.

                “No thank you, I’m somewhat of a plain pony.”

                Fluttershy nodded and ducked back into the kitchen.  She emerged a moment later with a small plate in her mouth.  She balanced two cups of tea on top of it, choosing to walk this time back to the living room.  She set the plate down gently on the table next to Moondancer.  She picked up one of the teacups and took a seat on the couch next to the agent.

                Moondancer levitated her cup up to her muzzle and took a small sip.  She thought for a moment before continuing their conversation.

                “You know before I got back in touch with Twilight, I was a total shut in.  I barely left the house.  Just to go to the library or to get groceries.”  She sighed and took another sip.

                “Oh, I was very similar,” replied Fluttershy.  “Just replace going to the library with going out to get animal feed.  I could barely talk to ponies at all.”

                Moondancer nodded solemnly.  She levitated her cup back to the plate and set it down.

                “You know, I saw an old picture of you earlier today.”

                “Oh?”  Fluttershy blew over her tea.

                “You were standing next to a cockatrice.  At least that’s what Lyra called the creature.”

                “Oh yes, he was causing some real trouble.  Turning ponies to stone and whatnot.”

                Moondancer shifted in her seat, still unnerved by the fact that this abomination actually exists.

                “How did everyone get back to normal?  Did a unicorn change them back from stone?”

                Fluttershy shook her head.

                “I told the cockatrice to change them back.  I had to be a bit stern with him, but I knew it was necessary.”

                “Wow. That sounds very brave of you!”

                Fluttershy blushed and looked down into her tea.  “I suppose I do have my moments.  Usually when animals are involved.”

                Moondancer smiled.  She levitated her cup back momentarily to finish off her tea.  In that case, let’s hear about a different creature.

                “Can I ask you to be brave for me, just for a moment?”

                Fluttershy sat up straight in her seat.  She paused for a moment, then nodded gently.

                “I really do need to know the details of what transpired last night,” Moondancer explained.  “Then Agent Strings and I will resolve this case as swiftly as possible.  I can assure you.”

                Fluttershy took a deep breath.

                “It was after I had put all of my animals to bed for the night.  I was just about to turn out the last light in the cottage when I heard a noise.  It started as a knocking on my door.  It made me jump at first, but I figured it was just someone from town who needed a quick favor.  As I approached the door, the knocking got faster and louder.  I started to think someone was having an emergency, so I ran and opened the door as fast as I could.  Then I saw it.  It was a huge blue dragon.”

                “A dragon?”

                “At first.  I screamed and jumped back, and I closed my eyes for just a moment.  When I looked back up, it wasn’t a dragon anymore.  Now it looked like a deer, but with strange looking eyes.  It kept changing into different monsters and animals, and all the while letting out this awful shriek!”

                Moondancer was sitting at the edge of her seat, her eyes wide.

                “The last thing that it turned into was me,” said Fluttershy, “but it wasn’t like looking into a mirror.  It was like, like…”

                Fluttershy grimaced and shivered.  Moondancer placed her hoof on the pegasus’ shoulder.

                “Hey, you’re okay.  I’m right here.  It wasn’t like looking into a mirror, what was it like?”

                “Thank you.  It was like seeing your real self, but with a look on your face like you were about to die.”  Fluttershy gulped.

                “The creature looked scared?” asked Moondancer.

                “It looked like a terrified face, but it was screaming and screaming…and it sounded like my own voice!”

                Fluttershy let out a sharp “eep!” and buried her head in the corner of the couch, under a pillow.  Moondancer patted her back gently as she thought over the testimony she had just heard.  She could feel Fluttershy shiver.

                “You believe me, don’t you?” came Fluttershy’s voice, muffled from the pillow.

                “I do, Miss Shy.”

                Fluttershy sat back up and took a deep breath.  “Is there anything else you need to know?”

                “I don’t think so.  Thank you for your help Fluttershy.”

                Fluttershy smiled and nodded, and Moondancer rose from her seat.

                “I think I should regroup with Lyra and compare our info,” Moondancer continued.  “We’ll figure this out very soon.  Thanks again for your cooperation, and for the tea.  I appreciate it.”

                “Of course, thank you for coming.”

                Moondancer turned toward the door.  She started undoing locks when she heard Fluttershy clear her throat from behind her.  She turned back around to look at Fluttershy.

                “Is something wrong?”

                “Oh, no not at all.  I was just wondering if next time you’re in Ponyville, maybe you could come over for tea again?  Um, if you want to that is.  You’re much quieter than most of my friends.  That’s a compliment.”

                This took Moondancer off guard.  She had been focusing on steering the conversation into getting Fluttershy’s testimony, and hadn’t noticed how nice it had been just to sit and chat over tea.  That…sounds pretty nice actually.

                “I’d like that, thanks Fluttershy.  I’m glad I got to meet you today.”  She undid the final lock on the door and gave her new friend a wave.  Fluttershy smiled and waved back.

                “Me too.  Good luck out there, stay safe!”





                Around the back of the cottage, Lyra was standing at the edge of the forest and telepathically scribbling in a notebook.  As Moondancer approached her partner, she could see that Lyra had placed reflective red flags as markers in the ground in various places around the backyard.  They marked fallen branches, torn up grass, some claw marks on a tree…it seemed like Lyra was noting any disturbances made to the area.  Lyra looked up and waved to her partner.

                “I see you’ve made some progress out here,” said Moondancer.

                Lyra shrugged.  “I’ve found a good amount of potential clues, but I haven’t been able to narrow them down at all.”  She glanced over her notes as she talked.  “How did it go with Fluttershy?”

                “Very good.  I was able to get her full recollection of last night.”

                Lyra looked up from her notes.

                “Well?”

                “It wasn’t her testimony that was all over the place.  It was the monster.  She described it as continually changing shape, switching form between different monsters and animals.”

                “So, a changeling?”

                “That was one of the first conclusions I came to.  However, I see a few problems with that theory.”

                “Alright, walk with me.”  Lyra started walking toward one of the markers close to the cottage.  She motioned for Dancer to follow.  Moondancer looked over the yard as she caught up.

                “The most glaring issue is the fact that most of the changelings have been reformed,” she explained, “so at the very least the probability of this being a changeling with malicious intent is very small.  However…”

                “What if it was a changeling just trying to play an innocent prank?”

                “Precisely.  The next thing I took issue with is simply the notion of a changeling in Ponyville.  I haven’t heard of them traveling anywhere outside of Canterlot, at least not yet.”

                Lyra shook her head.

                “I saw Thorax last week.  Plus, there was a changeling at a wedding I attended in town a while ago.  And that was even before the reformation.”

                “Hm, noted.  However, my last problem is the way that Fluttershy described the monster’s activity.  She said it was screaming, and that it looked and sounded like it was scared.  I’m certainly no expert, but that doesn’t sound like much of a prank to me.”

                “Good point.”  Lyra levitated her notebook along with the quill she had been taking notes with into her shoulder bag.  “Well, regardless of the monster’s motivation, I do believe I’ve found a trail.”

                “That’s what the markers are for, I presume?”

                “Mhmm.  At first these all looked like disturbances caused by different animals or creatures…”

                Lyra tugged Moondancer over to the first marker in the yard.

                “But if our assailant is a shapeshifter…”  Lyra squished her cheek against her partner’s and placed a hoof over one of her eyes.  Moondancer let out a nervous grumble as Lyra manhandled her head so she was looking one-eyed from the top of the marker out toward the forest.  Her annoyed sound ceased as she saw Lyra’s endgame; although the markers would vary slightly to one side or the other, they made a distinct path from the cottage to the forest.

                “Looks like we’ve got either an escape route or an approach route,” said Lyra, letting go of Moondancer, “and either of those give us more to work with.  Let’s take a look at the end of the path down by the forest.”

                Lyra trotted down the path, arching her back as if she were some ghoulish monster.  Moondancer followed closely behind, rubbing her cheek and feeling very weirded-out.

                The path ended at the edge of the forest, where a large patch of blue flowers covered the ground underneath the trees.  Moondancer looked over the flowers curiously.

                “The trail seems to end right at this flower patch, I wonder…” she began, reaching down to touch one of the flowers with her hoof.

                “Don’t touch that!”

                Moondancer turned around, her hoof an inch from the flower.

                Pinkie Pie was standing behind her and Lyra, hoof outstretched and panting.  Moondancer withdrew her hoof and backed up.  Both she and Lyra turned to address the pink pony.

                “Those are poison joke flowers!” said Pinkie.  She took a moment to catch her breath.

                “So these are what poison joke looks like,” said Lyra, examining the flower patch.  “I heard about your debacle with them around town, but I’ve never seen what the flowers actually look like.”

                “Poison joke?” said Moondancer.  “That’s what this plant is called?”

                “That’s right!” replied Pinkie.  “It’s a plant that plays tricks on you!”

                Moondancer raised an eyebrow.  “A cockatrice, a shapeshifting monster, and now trickster flowers?  This town is just full of kooky stuff.”  She shook her head, then looked over the patch of flowers.  “So how exactly does it play tricks on you?”

                “It changes your body in some way,” said Pinkie, “but it always has to do with your personality!”  Pinkie pointed to her mouth.  “Like for me, I love talking to all my friends more than anything.  So the poison joke swelled up my tongue!  I couldn’t speak right for a whole day!  A whole day without the charming voice of Pinkie Pie filling the streets of Ponyville…can you believe it?!?”

                Moondancer looked over at Lyra, who nodded in response to Pinkie’s tale.

                “A plant that makes you unable to talk for a whole day…” said Moondancer, scratching her chin.  “Hey Lyra, why don’t you jump in there and grab a sample.  You know, for the investigation.”

                Lyra rolled her eyes as Pinkie giggled to herself.

                “Well when you’re ready to take this seeeeeeeeriously,” said Lyra, bopping Moondancer on the shoulder, “I’m ready to head to our next destination.”

                “Where is that?” asked Moondancer.

                “The Ponyville Spa!” replied Lyra gleefully.

                “Of course, the Ponyvi-…wait, what?”

                “Oh!  Don’t forget your cookies!” said Pinkie, reaching into her mane and pulling out a box wrapped with a bow.  “Sorry it took so long to get these to you guys, I had a bunch of orders back at the bakery, plus I had to help stop a yak resistance uprising in Yakyakistan.  See you later, good luck guys!!”

                With this, Pinkie set the box of cookies on top of Moondancer’s head and jolted off back toward town.

                Moondancer blinked a few times.

                “…WHAT?”
> Ponyville Spa, 9:07 pm
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“I still don’t understand what we’re doing here, Lyra.”

Moondancer muttered these words as she followed behind her partner.  The Ponyville Spa only had light coming out of one window; the one on the second floor.  The two on the ground floor were dark, and the door had a “closed” sign over it.  It apparently had yet to be locked though, as Lyra stood holding the door open for Dancer.

“I told you, were gonna grab some supplies for our monster hunt,” said Lyra as the two entered the building.

The lobby was dimly lit.  Moondancer could just make out a sign next to the desk describing various massages and whatnot.  Lyra walked right up to the desk, Moondancer standing slightly behind her.

“I’m sorry friends but vee are closed,” came a voice from the other side of the desk.

“Agent Strings and Dancer miss, EBI,” said Lyra, “we have a bit of an emergency order, but it won’t take long.”

A light blue pony poked her head up from behind the desk with a large grin on her face.

“Lyraaaah, darling!  My apologies, what can ve do for you?”

“We need an order of Zecora’s poison joke remedy, gonna be heading into some ground covered in the stuff.”

“Ah, just give me a moment, I vill go to ze back and mix up a batch for you two!”  With that, the spa pony trotted off to whereabouts unknown.

Moondancer glanced back at the waiting area.  A couple black chairs and a couch were set up, a small coffee table in the middle of the space.  Various magazines littered the top of the table.  Probably fashion related.  Should we go sit down?  I don’t really have any frame of reference for how long this is going to take.  I don’t think I’ve ever been in a spa before.  No, wait, I did go in one once to get my mom a gift card for her birthday.  That doesn’t really count though.  Maybe one-

Moondancer’s thoughts were interrupted as she noticed the soft hum of unicorn magic.  She glanced over to see Lyra’s horn glowing slightly.  Lyra’s eyes were focused on something behind the counter.  Moondancer peeked over the counter and watched as two black flashlights were floating out of an opened drawer in the spa pony’s desk.  The drawer shut slowly and quietly as the flashlights floated over the counter and into Lyra’s side bag.

Moondancer nudged her partner a bit harder than usual.  Lyra flinched.  She looked at Moondancer with a fake surprised face.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Moondancer whispered angrily.

“I didn’t think to bring some from the office,” Lyra whispered back, “I’ll bring ‘em back tomorrow.”

“You could have just asked!  This is stealing!” Moondancer retorted, now whisper-yelling.

“It’s fine, just relax!” Lyra whispered back.

Moondancer gave her partner an icy glare until they heard hoofsteps approaching the counter.  The blue pony popped back up with a spray bottle in her hooves.

“Zis should do ze trick!”  She smiled and handed Lyra the bottle.  Lyra, without looking, quickly levitated it into her bag.

“Thanks a bunch.  Just go ahead and put that on the company account, okay?”

“Ze same one you put ze hooficures on, darling?”

Moondancer shot Lyra a dirty look.  Lyra grinned sheepishly and nodded to the spa pony.

The agents said goodnight to the spa pony and headed back outside.





Lyra led the way as they headed back toward Fluttershy’s cottage.  It was dark now, with only the lights from town and the moon above to illuminate their surroundings.  They trudged along slowly down the dirt path.  The edge of the Everfree Forest was visible in the distance, and Moondancer found herself focusing on it.  The area under the trees was pitch black; it seemed to swallow up all light which dared enter.  As the agents walked, the forest got closer.

Moondancer felt a pang of dread.  She straightened her head and decided to focus on following Lyra for the rest of the walk.  Although she kept her eyes fixed on the back of Lyra’s head, by the time they arrived at the cottage she could feel the fear settle itself in her stomach.

As Lyra began heading around the cottage, Moondancer started stepping slower.

“Wouldn’t it make more sense to wait until tomorrow to do this?” she asked, her voice wavering.  “It would be a lot easier to search in the daylight.”

“If we wait another day, this monster could break into another home.  And if it is a hostile creature, it could mean someone could get hurt if we wait.  We can’t afford to let that happen.”

Lyra reached into her bag and pulled out the flashlights.  She handed one to Moondancer, and realized she was shaking.  Lyra’s eyes widened, and she put a hoof on Moondancer’s shoulder.

“Hey, Dancer, is everything okay?”

“I’m fine.  I was just voicing a suggestion is all.”  Moondancer kept her eyes locked on the ground.  She scolded herself in her mind.  Stop shaking.  You’re acting like a foal.  Stop.  Stop shaking!  Come on!

Lyra tilted Moondancer’s head up so she had to look at her.  Moondancer had been afraid of finding a disappointed look on Lyra’s face, but instead she was greeted with somber eyes.

“You’re scared, Dancer,” said Lyra.  “You’re scared, and that’s okay.  I wouldn’t expect you not to be.  I was just as scared the first time I was on an assignment like this.”

“Really?”  Moondancer felt her shakes subside.

“Yes, really.  It’s totally normal, Dancer.  But, we do need to do this.  And we need to do it now.  It’s our job, and it’s important.  Other ponies are counting on us.  Just stay close and you’ll be fine, I promise.  I’ve got your back, as long as you’ve got mine.  Deal?”  Lyra gave a soft smile and held out a hoof.

Moondancer took a deep breath.  She still felt a bit sick to her stomach, but it was better than before.  She did her best to muster up a smile as she tapped her hoof against Lyra’s.

Lyra nodded, then looked to the forest.

“Okay.  Showtime.”

Both unicorn’s horns sparked to life as they each levitated a flashlight beside them, switching them on and casting pillars of piercing light into the dark forest.  They walked up to the grove of poison joke flowers.  Lyra withdrew the spray bottle from her bag and sprayed in on both agent’s hooves and legs.  She placed the bottle back in her bag, and the two partners headed into the Everfree.
> Everfree Forest, 12:32 am
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Moondancer yawned, her vision going fuzzy for a moment.  Her eyes refocused and returned to staring at the back of Lyra’s head.

It was now the dead of night.  Hours had faded away as they searched the dark forest.  Moondancer could only see her partner thanks to the flashlights; the canopy of the forest completely blocked out the sky.

Although Lyra still seemed very alert, Moondancer had become extremely tired.  She could still feel a bit of the initial dread from walking into the forest, but it had almost completely subsided.  It would have been easier to be afraid if she wasn’t so groggy.  I could probably sleep under that tree.  Just for a moment, that wouldn’t hurt…

The sound of a branch cracking caught her ear.  She turned around and pointed her flashlight up into the trees.  The beam of light revealed an owl perched up on a branch. It turned its head away from the light.

“Mmpf,” said Moondancer, yawning and turning back around to follow her partner.

“Was that anything?”  Lyra cocked her head back slightly to address Moondancer.

“Jus’ another owl.  That makes…forty-two for me n’ twenty-three fer you.”

Lyra turned around and gave her partner an odd look.

“Dancer, you’re getting weird.  You usually don’t stay up very late, do you?”

“Yer just mad because I’m winnin’ owls.”  Moondancer lowered her head and snorted with laughter.

“Yea, alright Dancer.”

After walking for a short while, Lyra stopped in her tracks.  Moondancer, not paying attention, bumped directly into her.  She shook her head and looked around.

“Whaz goin’ on?” asked the tired agent.

Lyra reached back and put a hoof over her mouth, shushing her.  Moondancer stood still and kept quiet.  She could now make out a sound coming from a ways ahead of them in the forest.  It sounded like a gargling moan.  She looked to Lyra, who nodded and took her hoof off of her mouth.

Lyra began following the noise, moving more carefully now.  Moondancer stayed on her tail.  Both agents kept their flashlights low.  As they got closer the noise became clearer.

After a short time, the agents emerged in a small clearing.  It housed a cave that seemed to have a faint blue glow permeating from its entrance.

Moondancer felt her fatigue fade away as adrenaline pulsed through her.  The agents stepped up to the mouth of the cave and heard the sound grow louder.  It was a pained groan now, sounding like a variety of ponies and other animals crying out in distress.

The blue glow of the cave felt otherworldly to Moondancer.  As she listened to the disorted groan she felt her shakes return.

                She felt a nudge on her shoulder and looked over to see Lyra with her hoof extended and a determined look on her face.  Moondancer took a deep breath and tapped her own hoof against her partners.

                The two agents slowly crept into the cave.

                The inside was steadily lit with the blue aura.  The cave was smaller than the agents had anticipated, and they found themselves staring down the source of the noise.

                The creature was at least twice the size of a grown pony, but its size would waver in pulses.  It looked like a combination of a griffon and a dragon, with dark black scales and similarly colored talons.  Its head rested on the cave floor, its eyes shut tight.  A blue, smoky substance was pouring upwards from its nostrils.

                Moondancer’s heart began racing.  She had never seen anything like this monstrosity.  It shouldn’t exist…it couldn’t exist.  Her legs began to shake more violently.  She went to take a step backward, but her body betrayed her.  She fell back onto her haunches.

                The monster’s eye shot open.

                It lifted its head up and roared.  The roar sounded painful, and the same blue smoke poured out of the monster’s maw.  The roar became more distorted, and the monster’s size started fluctuating faster.  Its form devolved into an amalgam of faces and limbs, all belonging to different creatures.  All the while a piercing blue glow poured out of the monster.

                Moondancer cried out and jumped behind Lyra, but her partner stood firm.

                Lyra’s horn flared to life with magic.  Her bag flew open and she magically drew her spray bottle as if it were a six-shooter.

                Moondancer ducked her head down and covered her eyes.  She could barely hear her own thoughts over the monster’s roars.

                Suddenly, the roar seemed to thin out.  It no longer sounded like a cacophony of different creatures, but rather an off-key quintet of ponies.

                Then it was a trio.

                Then a duet.

                Then a single voice, which had ceased screaming entirely.  It was now just panting and coughing.

                Moondancer opened her eyes and peered around her partner.  In place of the large monstrosity was now an average sized changeling, laying on the ground and coughing.  Dancer was frozen in disbelief.

                Lyra approached the changeling, smiling and offering a hoof.

                “You alright bud?” she asked, helping the creature to his feet.

                “I think so,” replied the changeling, “thank you.”

                Moondancer shook her head, breaking out of her trance.  She walked up to her partner.

                “How did you know?” she asked.

                “Well, you had suggested a changeling earlier,” said Lyra, “but it didn’t seem like the most plausible solution.  That is, until we discovered the poison joke.  Pinke said that the plant plays jokes on you by changing your body, right?”

                Moondancer nodded.

                “Well, I got to thinking,” Lyra continued, examining her spray bottle, “How would that work if the victim had the ability to change form into anything?  I figured the only way the plant could still play its joke would be to make it so a changeling couldn’t change at all, or…”

                “…make it so they couldn’t STOP changing!” Moondancer finished, slapping herself in the forehead.

                Lyra smiled and nodded.

                “It was like having your brain in a blender,” said the changeling, holding his head.  “I think I, oh…”

                The changeling turned around and emptied the contents of his stomach.  He moaned in pain as he heaved.  Lyra rubbed his back with a solemn look on her face.  Moondancer backed up a bit, feeling squeamish.

                “Yea, you’ve been through a lot today buddy,” said Lyra, patting the sick changeling’s back.  “Oh, what is your name?  Didn’t even think to ask.”

                “It’s Atrax,” he managed to say through his dry heaves.

                Lyra looked down and noticed some bits of blue petals among the mess.  She gave Atrax a concerned look.

                “Buddy, uh…Atrax,” she said, raising her eyebrow, “did you eat some blue flowers?”

                Atrax lifted his head, finally having ceased heaving.  He managed to nod “yes” to Lyra’s question.

                “Helloooooooo?” said a voice coming from the entrance of the cave.  Moondancer turned around to see Pinkie trotting up to her, Lyra, and Atrax.

                “Pinkie!” said Moondancer.  “What in the world are you doing here?!”

                “Pinkie Sense!” said the pink pony.  “I was just about to fall asleep when I sneezed FIVE TIMES in a row!  And you know what that means!”

                Moondancer tilted her head, confused.

                “Um, your bedroom is really dusty?”

                “No, silly!  Five sneezes in a row means that a pony is in a cave in the forest in the middle of the night with a tummy ache!  Duh!”  Pinkie booped Moondancer on the nose.

                While Moondancer struggled to comprehend the statement she had just heard, Pinkie bounced over to Lyra and Atrax.

                “Wow, my Pinkie Sense must be off,” she said, “it wasn’t a pony, it was a changeling!  Hey Atrax!”

                “Hey Pinkie,” said Atrax, mustering up a smile.

                “You two know each other?” asked Moondancer.

                “I know eeeeeeeeveryone!” replied Pinkie in a sing-song voice.

                She reached into her mane and pulled out a small brown bottle.  She offered it to Atrax.

                “This should make you feel better!”

                Atrax took the bottle.  He popped the cap off and took a sip.  It only took a moment before he was standing up straight and looking much better in general.  He smiled and handed the bottle back to Pinkie.

                “You okay to move now bud?” asked Lyra.

                Atrax nodded and stepped forward.

                “Alright good, because I think there’s a certain pegasus that you owe an apology.”

                Atrax winced.  “Oh no, I totally forgot about that yellow pony.  Is she okay?”

                “She’s fine,” replied Moondancer, “I’m sure if you go and explain what happened she will understand.”

                “Okay, I’m ready to go,” said Atrax with an earnest smile.

                “That’s the spirit, now let’s…” Moondancer began before letting out a long yawn.  She shook her head, feeling her fatigue return.

                “I think you had better head back and get some sleep, Dancer,” said Lyra, nudging her partner.  “Pinkie, do you mind walking her back?”

                “Sure thing!” said Pinkie with a smile.

                “You got everything from here, Lyra?” asked Moondancer.

                “Yup, I’ll walk Atrax over to Fluttershy’s and Pinkie can take you back to town.”

                “Alright, I’ll see if I can grab a room at an inn in town.”

                “Don’t you worry about that,” said Pinkie, “we have an extra room at Sugarcube Corner!  You can stay there tonight!”

                Moondancer smiled and waved her hoof dismissively.

                “Thank you very much, but I don’t want to impose,” she began, before being interrupted by Pinkie once again booping her muzzle.

                “Don’t even drip, chocolate chip!  I’ve got you covered, I insist!” sang Pinkie.

                “You better go along with this Dancer, for your own safety,” said Lyra, chuckling.

                “Alright, alright!” said Moondancer, laughing as well.

                Everyone walked out of the cave and got into their two separate groups.  Lyra gave a cheerful wave to her partner before disappearing into the forest with Atrax tagging along behind her.  Moondancer followed Pinkie down a separate path.  She followed close behind, watching Pinkie bounce down the trail.

                “Hey Pinkie?”

                “Yeeeeeeees?”

                “What does six sneezes in a row mean?”

                Pinkie turned around, bouncing backwards.

                “It means that wherever I am is really dusty!”

                Moondancer smiled and shook her head as they continued through the forest.
> Sugarcube Corner, 7:14 am
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Moondancer’s eyes drew open.  A beam of sunlight was shining onto her face.  She sat up and rubbed her eyes.

                She was tucked into a bed in a guest room in the upstairs of Sugarcube corner.  It was a cute little room, lots of pinks and frills.  The window curtains had been pulled open, and sunlight was pouring over the bed.  Moondancer looked over and saw that the door was cracked as well.

                That Pinkie, if she hadn’t have been a baker she could have made it as a ninja.  She pictured Pinkie with a throwing star for a cutie mark as she climbed out of bed.  The floor creaked as she stood up.

                Her horn glowed faintly as she magically grabbed her glasses off of a nightstand and placed them neatly on her face.  The soft, bloomy pillars of sunlight sharpened up and she could see dust particles floating around in them.

                She stretched her hooves and yawned, then headed downstairs.

                “Gooooooood morningggggggg!” bellowed a happy sounding Pinkie Pie as Moondancer descended the stairs to the bakery.

                Moondancer smiled groggily at the pink pony.

                Pinkie walked around from behind the counter with a plastic travel mug in her hoof.

                “Sorry to wake you so early, but Lyra told me to get you up around now and send you to go meet her.”  She handed the mug to Moondancer with a smile.  “I got you some coffee!  Lyra is at the outdoor restaurant across the street, so just head over there when you’re ready.  You can keep that coffee mug!”

                Moondancer nodded, grabbing the mug and taking a big sip.  It was dark, no sugar or cream.  Just how she liked it.  Oh sweet Celestia bless this pink pony.

                “Okay, can I give you some bits to cover last night?”

                “Nope!”  Pinkie bounced in place to punctuate her reply.

                “Can I at least pay you for the coffee?”  Moondancer laughed to herself.

                “Neeeeeeeeyope!”  Pinkie started laughing as well.

                Moondancer couldn’t help but crack a big smile.

                “Pinkie, you are sweet as sugar, you know that?”

                “Only the sweetest ponies bake the sweetest treats!”  Pinkie popped a cupcake into her mouth and smiled.

                Moondancer laughed, then levitated her coffee into the air and pulled Pinkie into a hug.

                “Aww, you’re huggy today!  That’s good!!” said Pinkie as she gave her friend a squeeze.

                “It sure is,” replied Moondancer, pulling out of the hug and grabbing her coffee out of the air.  “Hey, next time I’m in town, would you like to get together or something?  I figure I’m probably going to be around here more often for work, and you seem like you know the place like the back of your hoof.”

                Pinkie gasped loudly.

                “Of course!  There’s tons of fun stuff to do all around Ponyville, just let me know when you’re in town!”

                Moondancer nodded happily.  Not only would she be able to get a better lay of the land, but it would be nice to spend time with Pinkie in order to thank her.  I feel like I’m gonna have to fight her to let me pay for anything though, sheesh.

                She exited Sugarcube corner with a big grin on her face.

                It was a bustling morning in town, lots of ponies out and about.  Carts of produce were pulled by workhorses, students trotted along in groups, and pegasi moved some clouds around in the sky.  Moondancer glanced over and spotted Lyra sitting across the street at the restaurant, just as Pinkie had said.  Moondancer crossed the road and trotted over to her partner.

                Lyra was sitting at a table at the edge of a small dining area, lounging back in her chair.  She had a pair of sunglasses covering her eyes and was sipping a cup of coffee.  As Moondancer approached, Lyra set her coffee down on a small dish on the table and waved her partner over.

                “Mornin’ sleepyhead,” said Lyra as Moondancer took a seat next to her.

                “Good morning to you too,” replied Moondancer, sipping her own coffee telepathically.

                Lyra reached down into her bag which was leaning against the legs of her chair.  She pulled out another pair of sunglasses and handed them to Moondancer, who took them and placed them over her regular glasses.

                Moondancer did her best to lean back like her partner.

                “So, how did it go last night?”

                “See for yourself.”  Lyra pointed across the street with her hoof.

                Moondancer followed Lyra’s hoof and saw Fluttershy and Atrax walking together down the street.  Atrax was carrying a large burlap sack on his back, while the small bunny from the previous day was sitting atop Fluttershy’s back.  They were chatting up a storm, and both looked happy.

                A large grin grew across Moondancer’s face.  She felt a warmth inside her chest.  It felt like the warmth on her coat as she would lay under a sunlit window as a foal.  She let out a deep breath as she looked out over the busy streets.  She felt fulfilled.

                “Feels good, doesn’t it?” said Lyra, nudging her partner.

                “It…really does.”

                Moondancer looked up at the pegasi moving about in the sky.

                “Honestly, I wasn’t too sure about this whole thing yesterday.  I didn’t know if I really could take it seriously.  But now?  Yea.  I think this job is for me.  This feels…this feels right.”

                She looked over to Lyra, who nodded and smiled.

                “Hey, glad to hear it.”

                She pulled her sunglasses down so her partner could see her eyes.

                “You did pretty well.  You know, for a rookie.”

                Moondancer stuck out her tongue in response.  This caused Lyra to burst into hysterics, which in turn caused Moondancer to join in.

                “Well, I’m sure you’re probably itching to hop the first train back to Canterlot,” said Lyra, wiping her eyes as she got a grip on her laughter.  “We can head out as soon as you’re ready.”

                Moondancer smiled and shook her head.

                “I’m fine right here for now, as long as you are.”

                Lyra leaned back and sighed contently.

                “NOW you’re gettin’ it, Dancer.”

                “Now you’re gettin’ it.”