Morning dawned over Hollow Shades, the hamlet and the forest, and cast light into the windows of each and every home. The light eventually found its way over Twilight's eyes, slowly waking her up with a soft groan. Somehow, someway, she was able to sleep through the night despite Pinkie Pie's loud and rather odd snoring and mumbling. Nonetheless, she was glad she managed to find rest. She quickly looked around and searched for her pet.

"Spike?" she called out, waking Pinkie and Cheese "Spike, where are you?"

"Ohhh... He's probably downstairs..." Cheese stretched with a smile "Why don't you go down and check? I'm sure Pinkie won't mind a little less company."

"Ahhh... pineapples..." she had fallen back to sleep and was now muttering "...ice cream... cake... fudge bars..."

"Right..." Twilight nodded before getting up and heading out of their room "Thanks for letting me stay in your room last night. But now, I have to get everyone ready to save Fluttershy."

"Twilight" Streamer sneaked up behind her, causing her to scream a bit in shock "Sorry. Anyway, my brother and your friends are awaiting for you downstairs. They seem to be taking enjoyment in playing with your pet dragon. I, personally, found no such enjoyment, simply because I am far too old to be doing things like that."

"Um... Okay then" Twilight gave the young girl a curious look "Well, I'm going to go downstairs now..."

"Of course. Only naturally that you would want to meet with your friends again" Streamer continued "Truly, the only friend I've really ever had is my brother, due to the lack of other children in this village. Of course, I-"

"And I'm just gonna stop you right there" Twilight nervously chuckled.

"Sorry, I have a habit of speaking too much, as I've told you before" Streamer apologized.

"It's alright, Streamer; we all have habits" Twilight smiled a bit "If it makes you feel any better, can I tell you one of my habits?"

"Of course."

"Well, I like to make sure all the books back in my library are stored away neatly" Twilight explained "But not just from alphabetical order, but alphabetical order of author, the color of the book, the date it was published, and so on and so forth!"

"Interesting habit..." Streamer pondered "Perhaps I shall replace that with my current habit."

"I'm not sure it works like that, Streamer" Twilight chuckled "Anyway, I have to meet up with everyone. See you in a bit!"

"Twilight, wait" Streamer called out in the most enthusiastic voice she could muster "Never mind. I'll tell my brother and I's theory when we're together."

Twilight immediately rushed down the stairs to see that Streamer had not been lying: everyone, still in their sleeping garments, was playing with Spike, though most were just there to play with Party Doodle playing with Spike. Rainbow Dash had seemingly opted out, sitting at the nearby dinner table with her armor off as well and a mug of coffee in her hands. She looked the most tired out of anyone there.

"Hey, Dash" Twilight sat with her.

"Ugh... Morning..." Rainbow only sounded rude because she was extremely tired "This coffee isn't doing anything, Twi. It's just water with coffee beans in it... I want our airship back; we had a Keurig on it!"

"...I know..." Twilight sighed "Well, not much we can do now. When we save Fluttershy, and we will, we'll simply have to go back to Luna, tell the truth and hope for the-"

"You're absolutely terrified of what she might say."

"YES!!" Twilight began crying, hugging her friend "First I lose Fluttershy, then the Nightgazer, and finally I learn that she was kidnapped by some creep who has been desperately looking for his runaway wife! Honestly, with manners like that, I don't blame her!"

"Um, there... there...?" Rainbow awkwardly patted her friend's back "Look, we'll get Fluttershy back, and then we'll tell Luna that her airship crashed. She'll be okay with it, alright?"

"...w-well..." Twilight sniffed rubbing her eyes with her "I guess she's pretty okay with broken things... unless... unless those things were airships she's been working her entire life on- GODDAMMIT!!"

"Nice swear!" Rainbow grinned.

"Darling, do be careful what you say around children" Rarity brought up.

"S-Sorry..." Twilight inhaled and exhaled, getting rid of some of her stress "Okay... Okay, I'm good now..."

"Wait! I know how to cheer you up!" Party Doodle ecstatically said "A PARTY!!! We can make some cake, some ice cream, get some streamers... Oh, but not my sister. If we used Streamer to decorate the place, that'd be weird!"

"Party Doodle, you should really try and calm down sometimes" spoke the familiar voice of Streamer coming down the stairs "You might scare someone with your over-hyped talking. Then again, I might scare someone with my deadpan tone and scary appearance... Isn't that right, Twilight?"

"You mean... You scared me on purpose?!" Twilight gasped "That's... actually really creepy..."

"Never mind about that, Twilight" Streamer continued, looking right at her brother "Party Doodle, would you care to join me to explain to the rest about our theory?"

"Sure thing, sis!" Party smiled, hopping up and standing next to his sister.

(Music Stop)

"Hold up... What's this all 'bout?" Applejack wondered "Y'all aren't gonna betray us, are ya?"

"What? No, of course not" Streamer held a slight bit of expression in her quick questioning "We simply wish to tell you something we believe might be of importance to you. After thinking it over, we believe this theory could be true, though again, it is simply a theory. I'll allow my brother to begin."

"Okay, so, remember when you said your friend was taken by Lord Dario?" Party asked "Well, you didn't say Lord Dario because you didn't know who it was at the time because you had no idea that-"

"Get on with it!" everyone at the house but Streamer and Party Doodle shouted.

"R-Right, sorry" Party chuckled nervously "Anyway, we believe that Lord Dario captured your friend Fluttershy because he believes that she's his runaway bride."

"Well, we already were alerted of that, darling" Rarity pointed out.

"But it gets better!" Party tried to contain his excitement "Streamer, tell 'em!"

"We have a theory that your friend Fluttershy might just be Lord Dario's wife" she explained, causing all to become confused "Allow me to explain... While we've never met his wife, she did come through here after she ran away from him."

"Are any of you familiar with the name... Posey?" Party questioned, causing Twilight to gasp.

"Posey?!" she questioned "As in famous singer who ran away from... wait... That makes... sense, but... you can't be suggesting that-"

"Fluttershy and Posey are one-in-the-same?" Steamer finished Twilight's sentence "That's exactly what I'm saying. And don't worry about thinking of us as wrong: we have proof."

"So it's not much of a theory as it is telling us the facts" Rainbow pointed out.

"Please, allow us to present to you exhibit A" Streamer pulled out a small cassette tape from somehow out of nowhere and put it into a cassette player Party somehow got out of nowhere "Does this voice sound familiar to you?"

"Oh, thank you, Mrs. Pie" spoke a strikingly familiar voice on the player, causing everyone's eyes to widen in disbelief "It was so very kind of you to allow me to stay here for the night."

"Not a problem, Posey!" Pinkie, on the cassette, bubbly said "I hope you have a great trip!"

"Th-That was... Fluttershy!" Rainbow spoke in a shocked tone.

"Wait, wait, wait... If you knew about this, why didn't you tell us immediately?" Twilight asked, slightly cross.

"We couldn't be sure if Posey and this Fluttershy could be the same person until we made sure" Streamer admitted "That's why my brother and I stalked you last night to try and squeeze some information out of you."

"You did what?" Twilight flatly and angrily questioned.

"Okay, okay, darlings" Rarity immediately spoke up "Let's not turn this entire ordeal into something we'll regret later on... What's important that... oh dear, Fluttershy lied to us..."

"Sh-She did..." Rainbow said in disbelief "...but she lied for a good reason. If she really is Posey, than she lied to get away from Lord Dick-io, simple as that. She couldn't have that name going around the world, or rumors of her location may have went all the way back to Dario and... well... you know what would happen after that..."

"Ahhh... What are you kids talking about down here?" Pinkie Pie yawned as she walked down the stairs, now changed into her normal bard's outfit "Did I miss something?! OH NO!! You have to tell me! YOU GOTTA!!"

"P-Pinkie, calm down, ya hear?" Applejack tried to simmer her down "We were jus' talkin' 'bout how Posey and our friend Fluttershy might be the same person."

"Well it's about time you figured it out!" Pinkie smiled as she rolled her eyes, causing everyone to gasp.

"YOU KNEW ABOUT THIS AS WELL?!" Rainbow shouted.

"Nope! It was actually kinda obvious!" Pinkie shrugged "I mean, your friend is the only one missing here, and since the disappearance of Posey was recent, I kinda just put two-and-two together and voila! Besides, stories like this usually have me breaking the forth wall in some way or another, right?"

"The fourth... what?" Twilight questioned before shaking her head "Ugh... Never mind... My head hurts as it is..."

"So, can I join you guys?!" Pinkie bounced up and down.

"...I dunno" Rainbow skeptically said "Do you have any more secrets we should know about?"

"Hmm..." Pinkie thought long and hard "Well... I take cake from the fridge every so often, I find enjoyment in killing monsters, my real name is Pinkamena Diane Pie... Oh, and Streamer was born back-leg-first!"

"M-Mother..." Streamer, truly for the first time since the group had met her, blushed with embarrassment.

"That would certainly explain her..." Rarity attempted a joke, snickering all the while "...backwards personality..."

"...Rare, that was awful" Rainbow shook her head.

"Best leave the jokes to the professionals" Pinkie stated "So, can I come with you?! Can I, can I, can I?!"

"Pinkie, yes, of course you can" Twilight sighed with a smile "Besides, we need a healer on our team, and a healer that can dish out damage is okay for me as well."

"Don't forget the buffs~!" Pinkie sang as she pulled out her ukulele and played it, causing an orange light to surround everyone on the main floor "Oops! My bad. It'll go away after a little while."

"Mom, are you really going?" Party Doodle started to cry "But... But... Who will make us your famous Super-duper-ultra-mega Chocolate Strawberry Vanilla with Cookie Crumb cake?"

"Oh, don't worry, Doodle" Pinkie hugged her son "I won't be gone for... THAT long! I think... But you'll have your sister and daddy to take care of! You're the big man of the house for now, okay?"

"...okay, mom..." Party sniffed and nodded.

"Farewell, mother" Streamer spoke again in a deadpanned tone "My brother and father will patiently await your return. Be sure to defeat any monster you may find along your way, and if you run away from one, be sure to come back and defeat it later. Oh, and be careful around these four. They seem extraordinarily stupid from not being able to figure out that Fluttershy was Posey."

"H-HEY!!" Rainbow shouted.

"I'll be sure to, sweetie!" Pinkie kissed her on the forehead "Now, everyone get changed and let's go, go go!!!"

(Music Stop)

Finally, everyone was ready to go with their armor, weapons and items. Spike crawled back up onto Twilight's shoulder where he belonged, Pinkie said her farewells to her family, and Rainbow stretched a bit with Applejack, loosening their joints for battle. They all took a deep breath in and exhaled.

"So, this is it" Twilight nodded "Today we're getting Fluttershy back!"

"YEAH!!" everyone cheered.

"Wait..." Rainbow brought up "I mean... How do we even get to Lord Dario's castle? I mean, I could fly there, but you guys are pretty much stranded as far as stuff like that goes."

"Oh right... Good point..." Applejack said before looking at Pinkie "Pinkie Pie, do ya have any sort of flyin' machine we can use ta git to Lord Dario's castle?"

"Well, I have that one thing..." Pinkie remembered "But it's a one-seater! Sorry!"

"...is this why Lord Dario left us alive?" Rarity thought "Perhaps he is simply so diabolically evil that he planned this in hopes to bring down our spirits and relish every moment of it?"

"Or maybe it was just bad luck on our part" Rainbow shrugged.

"Whatever the reason, we still have no way of getting into the castle..." Twilight sighed.

"Oooh! Oooh! What about a Deus-ex Machina?!" Pinkie suggested "Y'know, some figure of high power coming out of nowhere and helping us out! That would work, right?"

"Your timing is impeccable... Pinkie Pie..." spoke a dark voice from behind the group. They all turned around curiously, causing Rainbow Dash and Twilight to gasp. The voice belonged to none other than the shadowy woman Twilight and Rainbow saw in Deep Cloudsdale. Only, she had now attained more of a dark purple body with a black sundress, as well as the same starry, blue, wavy hair. She now had full yellow eyes that seemed to stare right at the team, and a normal mouth, unlike the one she used when fighting Twilight a long while back.

"The shadowy woman..." Twilight muttered "What do you want this time?"

"Twilight, it is good to see you again" the woman looked at her "Do you notice anything different about me this time? Perhaps my attire? Perhaps... my speech?"

"Answer her question!" Rainbow pulled out her spear.

"Relax, Rainbow Dash" the woman eased her down "I'm not here to trifle with you today. In fact, I'm actually here to aid you. Albeit for my own ambitions, but if you allow me to help you, in return you shall have a chance at getting your friend back..."

"Twilight, whoever is this woman?" Rarity wondered.

"Oh, right, you and AJ weren't here when we last met this... thing" Twilight recalled "This is the shadow woman... But, actually, do you even have a name?"

"How rude of me, of course" the shadow woman bowed "I am Tantabus. I, of course, am a being made entirely out of shadows and darkness. In further detail, I am one of the seven personification vessels of darkness, but that will mean little to you. To you, I am but a creation trying to find her way around in life."

"Tantabus... That sounds familiar..." Twilight pondered "But how are we supposed to trust you won't kill us if we accept your offer? After the things the princesses have told me, you've been causing some serious trouble all over the land."

"Because, Twilight," Tantabus smiled "I'm the only person who can safely get you inside Château de Dario, the fortress Lord Dario holes himself into all the time..."

No one wanted to believe her. No one wanted to trust her nor follow her. But she was right; any other way they would try to get into the castle would either take too long, or would surely lead to their deaths. With a heavy sigh, save for Pinkie who merely smiled through it all, all members of the team stepped forward and accepted the offer.

"Ya'll better be right about this" Applejack said "Cuz ifin yer not, ah swear, yer back'll be feelin' it tomorrow..."

"You don't frighten me, Applejack" Tantabus scoffed "But I'll note those words. I hope you live up to them."

"Alright, let's get this party ON!!" Pinkie cheered, allowing Tantabus to teleport them away into the castle with a dark aura. In a quick flash, they had disappeared from the village.

(Music Stop)

Posey sat in her locked room all alone with no one around to comfort her. The room was nice, she could admit: the floor had the finest red silk carpets she had ever felt, the walls were painted the freshest shade of beige, and her bed was soft and easy to sink into, not to mention the colorful sheets that dawned over it.

But the problem was she didn't feel at all at home. Home was a small cottage on the countryside she could relax in and take care of the animals around her. Home was a place she could love and be loved by those around her. Home was with... her. Since the day she saw that beautiful face behind the mask, she had pondered and questioned if she would like her back; if she shared the same feelings Posey did for her. Perhaps that was the reason she could never love Dario?

Or maybe it had to do with the fact he was a psychopath. That could work too.

"Oh... My friends must be so worried about me..." Posey sighed "But they must be so angry with me as well... After all, I did lie to them about my life, where I came from... Oh, they might not even be looking for me, let alone trying to find me..."

"Cheer up, Fluttershy... Or rather Posey now" Discord teleported himself into her room "At least things couldn't possible get any worse than they are now. Besides, I'm very certain your day is about to get a whole lot better!"

"I'm not interesting in speaking with you right now, Discord..." Posey angrily, but politely stated "Please, leave me alone."

"Oh, but you must remember, dear," a wicked smile appeared on Discord's face "I was tasked with giving you anything, and I do mean anything, you require."

"A-Anything I... require?" Posey perked up "Then in that case... I, um... I require to leave this room and wander the halls of the castle as I please."

"Consider it done" Discord snapped his fingers and unlocked the room's door "You're welcome, by the way."

"Oh, thank you, Discord" Posey remembered "Would you, um... like to come with me?"

"I'm sorry, my dear, but I can't" Discord shrugged "I was also tasked with guarding your room, so here I must stay! Ohohohoho!! But... I sense that your friends are here. They have come to rescue you! Quickly, you must meet with them again!"

"O-Of course!" Posey nodded before dashing off out of her room and into the west hall of the castle, desperately hoping to find her friends before Lord Dario found her. Or worse: her friends.

She continued down the dimly lit hallway on her path towards freedom. She saw the door to the main castle, and smiled a bit, hoping to see her friends again. But just before she reached the door, a shadowy figure appeared before her. It stepped out of the shadows to reveal itself as Lord Dario, looking at her with a devilish grin.

"Oh?" he chuckled "Well, well, well... I see the little songbird is free now."

"L-Lord D-D-Dario..." Posey shivered.

"After some thought, I have finally figured out a way to make sure you stay with me forever" Dario stated, opening his mouth and bearing his sharp fangs "This will hurt me more than you, my dear..."

"N-NO! PLEASE!!" Posey plead, but it was too late. Lord Dario charged right at her, and that was the last moment Posey ever saw of her old life, forever burned into her memory.

Author's Notes:

This was a short but sweet chapter, and I think it got the job done. Longer chapter coming up soon, I promise!

So the shadowy woman is known as Tantabus... Now where have I heard that one before? I don't know, but it was probably on this one very strange show about magical talking technicolor horses. I can't remember what it was called... "My Little Tidus: Friendship is HAHAHAHA!!"? No, that can't be it... Well, whatever its from, that's what the Tantabus is from.

Be sure to Like, Comment, Favourite and Follow, and until then, dream on everyone!