Parting is such sweet sorrow...
"Why are we here again? This cave is like, totally lame. I can't even read my texts or watch my hilarious cat videos..." Hipster Fluttershy adjusted her spectacles, while fiddling around with an electronic device in her hoof.
"I sort of appreciate the infernal darkness, the kind that devours my morbid soul a piece at a time every single day." Goth Fluttershy said unsmilingly, her blackened clothes blending in perfectly with the gloomy lighting in there.
"Unless this is some kind of ironic statement on the difficulty of booking a decent party venue, this is the worst location for an exclusive soiree ever." Snob Fluttershy sniffed in contempt, as she observed her less-than-salubrious surroundings. "I mean, any one of those stalagmites could snap off and ruin my perfect blue couture at any time, not to mention the unseemly presence of those squeaking rodents suspended from the roof aren't conducive to a wholesome atmosphere of joviality whatsoever..."
"Oh, for Celestia's sake..." Real Fluttershy slowly emerged from the spot where she'd been awaiting her 'special' guests for a while now, "...It's 'stalactites', not 'stalagmites' that hang from the ceiling. Let's just say I know this from spending way too much time with one Maud Pie. Something else you should've figured out by now is that bats are mammals, not rodents. You know, seeing as you were so quick to label Smoky, Smoky Junior and Softpad earlier on..."
"Whatever..." Hipster Fluttershy eventually deigned to stop messing around on her gadget for a few seconds, to address their host for the evening. "So like, are we going to get things started then, or what? Because you know I'm like, a level five raw vegan, which means I can't digest anything that casts a shadow. Did you research my dietary requirements before you sent out my invitation? Because if you didn't, that'd be totally uncool."
"If you're going to be playing any music, can we make it somepony screaming or shrieking in agony for four minutes at a time? That's my kinda groove, man." Goth Fluttershy tossed her mane to the side to try to pull off a brooding look of pure melancholy. "Anything that makes me want to dance, prance, boogie or any combination of the above would not be acceptable. All joy is fleeting, and we must all prepare ourselves for the everlasting hereafter now."
"Come to think of it, where are the caterers? The entertainment? The VIPs?! Did you think this social gathering through at all, darling?" Snob Fluttershy stuck her nose in the air at her less organised counterpart's blatant lack of organisation. "Well, it's a good job you have me around to fix your mistakes, isn't it? I'm going to need fifty trays of horse d'oeuvres, stat! Not to mention ice sculptures, champagne pyramids, and ooh... who can forget the bouncy castle? Every big bash must have one, it's tradition after all."
"Oh my stars..." Real Fluttershy massaged her temple to stop her rapidly escalating levels of stress from completely overwhelming her, before she tried explaining everything to her companions in the clearest of terms. "Aren't you starting to understand? There is no party, celebration, get-together or shindig of any description! I only said that so I could lure you all here, because I knew you're never come willingly! Don't you recognise this place at all? Isn't it ringing any bells yet?!"
"U-Um..." For the first time, Hipster Fluttershy seriously perused the background, and her right eyebrow partially rose out of growing awareness. "Now that you mention it..."
"...It does seem sort of familiar. Of course though, I've always been at home in such dank, depressing spaces. It's like, they're a part of who I am, dude." Goth Fluttershy spread out her forehooves wider, as if breathing in the clammy ambience of the underground structure.
"E-Er, I'm sure I don't know what you're referring to, dear. I would never stoop so low as to frequent such a bleak, oppressive locale for more than a few seconds." Snob Fluttershy humphed her disapproval of the current setting, but a slight glimmer in her eye told careful overseers she was being slightly economical with the truth. "Now, what say we stop this ludicrous nonsense, and head back to your friend Twilight's castle, which would be the ideal bailiwick for a grande gala? If we depart now, we may just get the inflatable castle blown up in time..."
"Oh for the love of..." Real Fluttershy's usually indefatigable levels of patience had finally worn thin, and she took to the air to corral the trio of confused ponies into a huddled mass, before forcibly explaining the intricacies of the situation to them in the starkest of phrases.
"YOU. ARE. NOT. REAL. You were created here at the Mirror Pool to help me with my temporary job running Rarity's shop, after my attempts at disguising myself continually were too exhausting to maintain all day long. At first, it all worked out quite well, and the customers came piling in. But then, you started taking your stereotypical personalities way too seriously, and you turned into a bunch of rude jerks who wouldn't listen to reason. So now, your services will no longer be required, and I'm sending you back to where you came from. Just think yourself lucky that you're not being zapped into nothingness, like previous clones to have originated from here. I still have nightmares about seeing that happen in front of my eyes..."
"Oh yeah, now I remember..." A slightly crestfallen Hipster Fluttershy studied the reflective water with a long sigh, before turning off her phone permanently. "I guess I was never really alive at all, then. Bummer..."
"Well, back into the never-ending void of obscurity I go, then." Goth Fluttershy was surprisingly philosophical upon being told the devastating news. "You live, you die, nothing ever changes. Such is the futility of existence."
"E-Er, wait just a second, sweetie. Surely, we can talk about this, mare to mare?" Snob Fluttershy was apparently the sole holdout when it came to accepting her fate, and a few droplets of sweat were visible as she stated her case. "You know I could do this job properly, if you only gave me one more chance. Next time, I might even try to sell some of the clothes, instead of keeping them all for myself. Only the tackier ones naturally, but it's a start... r-right?!"
"Nope. Not good enough. If there's one thing we don't need it's a more uppity Rarity, thank you very much. Now, the three of you, get into the pool immediately, and no more talking, if you please." Fluttershy raised her head defiantly, while her uncompromising words were a direct result from many self-confidence friendship lessons, which finally looked to be paying off. "If I need you again, I'll be in touch. But don't count on it."
"Oh well, ciao I suppose. Next time, maybe we'll 'do' lunch, or whatever." Hipster Fluttershy simply shrugged her shoulders, before dissolving into the murky depths of the magical water.
"Farewell, world. The eternal cycle of irrelevance continues! Hope my makeup doesn't wash off..." Goth Fluttershy pulled her collar up a notch, before jumping in headfirst with no further hesitation.
"I-I don't know about this..." Snob Fluttershy was predictably the most skittish, as she tentatively paddled one hoof into the pool. "I mean, is it even safe? I can't see any lifeguards on duty! Can't it just wait, dear, until the temperature heats up a tad..."
"Okay, that does it." Real Fluttershy's two-pronged kick on the rump of the reluctant replica finally silenced her, and she swiftly faded into the misty moisture leaving no trace behind, along with her less troublesome 'siblings'.
"Oh, sorry about that. But you were taking rather a long time..." The One And Only Fluttershy apologised as she snapped out of her temporary state of aggression, before realising there was nopony around to hear her. "Well, what's done is done. At least the problem has been fixed, and we can all just move on with our lives."
She trotted outside casually, her eyes slightly dazzled by the intense light compared to the dingy cave she'd just emerged from. "Angel, if you'd do the honours, please..."
It was at this point a deceptively strong white bunny saluted his 'general' and shoved the large boulder guarding the entrance back into place, before hopping onto her back for the short journey home.
"Good boy. Just for that, you'll be getting an extra special treat with your salad tonight... A cherry! Just like in the recipe book! You won't even have to slap my cheek or throw me out of my own house to receive it this time. Won't that be nice?"
When is she going to figure out that wasn't me, back then? I was off visiting friends in the woods, so I used the pool myself to 'fix' the situation. If only I could talk, I'd have warned her and Pinkie not to mess with it in the first place. It never ends happily. Oh well... Angel figured that everypony had finally learned their lesson to stay away from the deadly lagoon now, as he gleefully allowed a friendly yellow hoof to scratch him behind the ears.