MLP: The Portal

Chapter 2: Desperate Times

"So Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, AND Rarity are all gone?" Trixie asked with a look of bizarre wonderment.

"Yeah. We have no idea where they could be. They could be on the other side of the world. They might not even be on this world!" Starlight answered, tilting her head back and exhaling sharply.

Trixie and Starlight walked through Ponyville on their way towards Sugarcube Corner. It was early in the afternoon. The sun was high in the sky, bright and warm. Starlight's eyes quickly bounced around, looking at everypony walking and talking and eating with smiles on their faces; happy, almost carefree.

They were completely unaware that something terrible had happened.

"Starlight? You still here?" Trixie waved her hoof in Starlight's face. She flinched in a daze, and was shaken out of her deep thoughts.

"Huh?"

"Trixie asked what you and Twilight are doing about it." Trixie repeated herself.

"Well, Twilight and I were up all night trying to determine if there's some way, any way that we can trace them back and see where they ended up." Starlight answered.

"Tracing back teleportation? That's never been done before!" Trixie exclaimed.

"I know, but it's the only shot we have. We have to get them back." Starlight stated with firm conviction.

At this point, the two of them entered Sugarcube Corner, which was fairly busy, as it usually was. Pinkie was up at the front counter, staring at the cash register.

"Well, hopefully you find them soon. Trixie believes in you." Trixie reassured her.

"Thank you, Trixie," Starlight said with an appreciative smile. She turned her attention to Pinkie as they approached the front counter.

"Hey, Pinkie." Starlight greeted her.

"…"

Pinkie gave no response. She too had become consumed by her thoughts, so much so that she didn't even seem to notice them standing right in front of her.

"Pinkie Pie." Trixie called to her, tapping her on the nose. Pinkie blinked and leaned back.

"Huh?"

"Hey, Pinkie. You okay?" Starlight asked.

"Oh, Starlight! You're here! How'd it go with Twilight last night? Did you figure out where Dashie and Rarity and Fluttershy are?!" Pinkie asked urgently.

"Not yet," Starlight shook her head. "This is a very complicated problem. We're doing a ton of research just to figure out where to begin!" She explained.

"Ohh, I'm going crazy worrying about them! Who knows what sort of dangerous situation they could be in? The possibilities are endless!"

"I know… We're doing our best and working as fast as possible to bring them back… I do hope that they're okay though." Starlight admitted.

"Ow! These dumb branches keep scratching at me!" Dash growled in annoyance, hissing from the faint pain.

"We're reaching a clearing now. Maybe we'll find a place where we can acquire some clothes to warm ourselves." Rarity said hopefully.

"How will we be able to pay for clothes? We don't have any bits. We don't have anything at all." Fluttershy pointed out.

"Desperate times call for desperate measures, darling. I'm afraid we'll have to take some anyways." Rarity said.

"Look over there! That says 'General Clothing Store'. We can steal something from there!" Rainbow Dash said, pointing ahead of them.

"S-Steal? Are you sure?" Fluttershy asked doubtfully.

"What other choice do we have? Let's tread carefully now." Rarity advised.

The three of them quickly stepped out of the woods and into the dim clearing. With few lights on, they could hardly see anything around them. The night was silent, and the air was cold and wet.

Dash was the first among them to start running towards the store, but the others quickly followed behind her. They quickly reached the store, and began searching for a way in.

"The door is locked. Well, we tried." Fluttershy said nervously, trying to get the others to change their minds.

"Hang on," Dash spoke up, brushing past her and trying to open the door herself. When pushing it normally didn't work, she slammed into it, and forced the door open.

"See? There we go."

"Good work, Rainbow Dash. Let's find some clothes quickly and get out of here." Rarity said. They all quickly nodded their heads in agreement.

"Yes, please. It's very dark and creepy in here." Fluttershy said with a shiver as they searched through the small store.

The girls all quietly roamed through the store. Under the dim light in the center of the store, they were able to get a better glimpse at how their bodies had changed…

Instead of hooves, they had odd extremities at the ends of their arms and legs, with padded feet for walking and strange lumps with 5 moveable phalanges good for grabbing clothes. They no longer had a fur coat either; instead, their body parts were covered with a smooth and more sensitive coat of different shades of beige. They still had luscious manes on their heads, but even those didn't feel the same.

"What the hay are we?" Dash asked aloud, staring down at herself in wonder and horror.

"I'm unsure, but it's quite a complex-looking creature, isn't it?" Rarity chimed in.

"I have weird things in weird place." Fluttershy commented.

"I see why these things have so many clothes; these bodies are so weird looking." Dash said as she began to dress herself, fumbling with her clothes in an awkward manner.

"At least a sense of fashion isn't completely lost on them. Some of these pieces look rather nice, although some might be more casual than others." Rarity reviewed as she began selectively grabbing clothes.

"How do you put this on?" Fluttershy asked, holding up a shirt. Instead of waiting for an answer, she fought with it until she had it on.

Once the three of them had dressed themselves, they promptly left the store with a variety of clothing tucked underneath their arms. As they were walking away, sirens began to blare in the distance. Red and blue lights were soon lighting up the darkness and zooming towards them.

"That sounds bad! I think we should run!" Rainbow Dash shouted, looking behind her as a black chariot of some kind was pulling up to the store. On the side, it read: POLICE.

Fluttershy shrieked and quickly took off running. Rainbow Dash and Rarity were quickly doing the same, huffing desperately with their stolen clothes clutched tightly to their hips.

The sprint to escape the police was not an easy one. They cold wetness of the rain still lingered in the air and the bitter wind slapping their faces as they ran against it made their faces sting with frostbite.

"We need shelter! Badly!" Rainbow Dash yelled to the group.

"Hey, I see doors on those buildings over there! Perhaps we could get into one?" Rarity recommended, gesturing ahead of them.

Up ahead, they could see a series of tall, rectangular buildings far from them. There were lights that made them easier to see. They had no time to waste.

They broke into a mad for the buildings, the bottoms of their feet slapping against the wet ground. In a matter of seconds, they were there.

"It doesn't look like anypony's in this one." Fluttershy said, pointing to a door whose corresponding window showed no light peeking through it.

"It'll have to do. Dash, do hurry with the door, please?" Rarity said, hearing the police sirens still wailing not far from where they were.

Rainbow Dash aggressively began slamming into the door, banging into it again and again. Finally, her relentless shoulder slams caused the door to give way, and it flew open.

The three of them scampered inside, quickly throwing the door shut behind them. They were huffing and puffing, but they were relieved to be safe for the time being.

"That was close." Rainbow Dash said, turning the lights on in the room.

They found themselves in a small apartment. The kitchen was to their left, the living room was to their right, and a single hallway lay directly in front of them.

"Well, I've certainly seen nicer homes, but it will have to do for now." Rarity said as she began drying herself off. The other girls did the same.

"I hope Twilight gets us soon, before we get into more trouble." Fluttershy said, beginning to look around the living room.

"You said it, Fluttershy. Between the cold rain and getting chased by those 'police', I'd say the sooner we're gone the better." Rainbow Dash said, sitting down in a tall chair by the kitchen counter.

"It makes me wonder where Twilight wanted to send us in the first place." Rarity commented, doing her best to fix her hair.

"Girls…look at this place." Fluttershy said, picking up a picture frame in her hands. She carefully held it out for the other two to see.

The picture showed what appeared to be a family of three. One had long hair and a body like theirs, but the other two were different. They both had short hair and a different structure. The one in the center was much shorter; a child.

"How cute! But…why are you showing us this?" Rarity asked.

"It's a family photo. We ponies put family photos in our homes too, which means-"

"Somepony lives here." Rainbow Dash finished Fluttershy's thought.

From outside, a cough echoed through the door. The doorknob began to wobble a bit, putting the three girls on edge.

"I think the owner just arrived." Rarity gasped.