Authors note: Helloo everypony! Sorry for the extremely late update but I've built a new computer yay! That and other things with work and moving so yeah, hope y'all are doing well in these, interesting times. Stay safe! Also, I'm considering on also posting this story on FIMfiction so I can get some feedback though that will be at a later date. Don't worry though if you'd rather stay here. I would be posting to both areas. Also got the next chapter drafted so the time between chapters won't be the long! I Pinkie promise! :)

Disclaimer: I do not own My Little Pony: Friendship is magic. It and any respective characters belong to Hasbro and other respective owners.

Cheerilee was continuing her class. Trying her best to keep the class normal after the earlier excitement. Though she found that it wasn't very hard as the class didn't know the full details of what happened. The fillies were busy coloring away on their art assignments she had given them to help her gather her nerves. None gave her too much attention.

The air was filled with the crayons and pencils scratching on paper. Though Cheerilee was only reminded about the eye that Fluttershy had revealed. It was definitely not natural, but she couldn't help but recognize the piece. The iris had reminded of a camera, she thought, but her mind gave her a big red X. The two were similar in nature but the technology in her friend's eye wasn't a camera.

"Well," she mumbled, "not just a camera…" She frowned. She had seen that device before just, not in a pony's skull. The memory that she was trying to foucus on had a device the size of her foreleg, well maybe a tad smaller. It was an orb that had a clear side that she could vividly see Fluttershy's new look. The only thing she could remember was a large rectangular cable that extended out of the steel side.

Why was she there though? She'd remember if she had made it. Was some pony showing her?

"Cheerilee?"

The magenta pony blinked and pulled her mind to reality. A student of hers was holding up a picture. Kid drawn with wobbly lines and color spilling out of them. Yet, Cheerilee could easily make out who it was. "What's this?" She asked looking closer at the paper. Yellow and pink made a pegasus named Fluttershy. Calm blue eyes were staring at Cheerilee. She merely blinked as the color morphed slightly to what she'd seen but the eyelids quickly reset her view.

"It's for Fluttershy. It's a thank you for the bunnies and for stopping the Reception 'ception." Carl responded. The fear from his face had disappeared and was replaced with a beaming expression of relief.

Cheerilee smiled, "That's really kind and I'll be sure to deliver it to Fluttershy." She carefully got some red ribbon to wrap up the letter like she normally did but Carl shook his head. He passed her a pink ribbon. Cheerilee smiled; using the pink ribbon and placing the letter in her saddlebag so she could deliver it to the pegasus later.

Carl didn't say anything else but that was his nature. The fact that he'd come up to her in the first place was groundbreaking for him. Her smile was still on her face when she was closing her saddlebags but it mellowed slightly when a piece of paper caught her eye.

It was old, wrinkled, and made rough noises coming out of its slumbering place. Yet Cheerilee recognized it immediately. It was a note of acceptance from an inventor from Canterlot. This inventor had been striving and Cheerilee had been teaching about physics. A fun field trip idea had pushed her to reach out to the inventor and ask for a tour. The mare had said yes giving Cheerilee a sample tour of the workshop.

She stiffened making the connection. That's where she had seen Fluttershy's eye before! But why did that alarm her? She thought about it for a moment and saw Fluttershy's shock and surprise at seeing the orb in her socket. Did the inventor put it into Fluttershy's skull without permission? Or was Fluttershy a creation of that inventor?

The frown on her face deepened as she tried to remember to name of the inventor but a quick look at the paper revealed it. She immediately placed it down, got another piece of white parchment, and filled the air with furious scribbling.

-In times of stress, we find secrets about yourself. Some we may like, others we may not.

Fluttershy was staring at Twilight the same way she was staring at her. Both were very interested in each other but for different reasons. Well, hopefully, different reasons. Fluttershy was hoping the alicorn wouldn't run away screaming. Yet the look on Twilight's face said another story.

Twilight's face was scrunched up not in fear, but curiosity. Fluttershy could almost see the gears turning in Twilight's head as she pondered on what to say.

"Uh, Twilight?"

There was no response.

"Twilight?" she said a little louder.

Yet the alicorn did not respond. So Fluttershy covered her eye again and that seemed to break the spell on Twilight.

"uh, what?" Twilight asked awkwardly.

"Is everything okay?"

The purple pony frowned, "I should be asking you the same question. I'm not sure what you showed me is but it's important enough to interrupt a meeting with the Princesses."

Fluttershy started to skitter away, her confidence failing, "I—I'm sorry. I'll just…eep!" She started to glow as Twilight pulled her back and placed her in a sitting position.

Twilight herself sat down defiantly, "No. You are going to tell me what happened with Cheerilee. Detail by detail."

"But your meeting—"

"Can wait." Twilight said strongly, "You are worried about this eye of yours why?" She added in a more gentle tone.

Fluttershy sighed and recounted what had happened at the schoolhouse. "Everything was going well. Just as you planned!" She said beaming. Twilight smiled and nodded but motioned her to go on.

"Okay. Well, we had finished the assignments that Cheerilee had given and we went outside to play with the fuzzy creatures. But two ponies came up and interrupted. They called themselves the, Reception 'ception, and wanted to take us all for reasons I really don't want to talk about…"

Twilight had a confused face on but noticed that Fluttershy had noticed and smiled, "No go on. I'll ask questions after the narrative. Need all the information."

Fluttershy nodded, "Cheerilee had to go help Carl—"

"Carl?"

"uh, he was a student that seemed to freeze when the two showed up."

"hmm, probably anxiety."

"Yeah. Well, that's what Cheerilee said. Anyway, I was left alone to fight the two ponies. I was terrified."

Twilight smiled and nodded, "Rightfully so."

"Though I got my courage up and faced them. Though one of them hit me in the eye with a studded bat."

Twilight merely blinked, "Studded? With metal bits to increase the effectiveness of the bat?! And you were fine?"

"How did you know I was fine?"

"You said that with such calmness. That and you are talking to me without a visit to the hospital."

"Well, I was kinda fine." She paused and pulled the shard from the pouch on her wing. "Cheerilee thinks this came from my eye. It would make sense that the bat would knock it out."

The clear piece glowed purple and was lifted up into the air. Twilight brought it close to her eye and examined it. "It looks like really clear glass. This kind of stuff would take quite a while to be manufactured not to mention expensive."

The mention of glass sparked her mind. The pattern she saw when she first got hit by the colt. It looked like cracked glass! "Well, Twilight. After I got hit by the bat, there was a spider-webbed pattern in my vision. I wonder if that was the glass in my, um, eye." The phrase felt odd on Fluttershy's tongue.

Twilight nodded, "It just cracked? Not shattered into a million bits?"

Fluttershy shook her head, "No. I had to shake my head to clear the pattern. The glass probably fell out."

Twilight examined the glass further, "Then this is not any ordinary glass. In normal circumstances, glass hit by a bat would shatter but this stuff seems to be quite resilient."

"Yeah, I guess."

"What happened next?"

Fluttershy looked up as she recalled the event, "Well, I'm not sure. The Reception 'ception looked terrified. Though probably because they saw my eye. But after that I just, well, tackled them."

"You. You tackled them." It was more of a statement rather than a question.

Fluttershy nodded, "Yes, me and them fought. I was trying to make sure they did get anywhere near the bunnies or the fillies."

Twilight brought a hoof to her chin, "Fluttershy, you are a mare. That could be chalked up to a mother's instinct to protect young. Though I have a hard time truly believing you tackling anypony, it isn't impossible."

Fluttershy nodded. That could be where she found her courage to face the Reception 'ception at all, "Probably, but that's not the strange part. One of the ponies turned out to be a unicorn and was able to fire lasers at me. A couple hit but I was fine. Though when she tried to pick me up, she was unable to."

Twilight squinted her eyes, "Okay…"

"While she was struggling to lift me up I was, somehow, able to grab one of the restraints in their wagon and put it on her."

"That's not so strange Fluttershy."

"I guess. But none of my hooves were free! I was grappling with the other pony, the one with the bat. I had looked at the mare struggling to pick me up then at the restraints. The colt tried to hit me with that bat again so I had to defend myself. But when I glanced back I saw the mare with the restraint on her face!"

Twilight nodded, "Alright, I can understand why it's strange but maybe she accidentally put it on. I mean a battle can add disorientation to the mind and simple tasks can become nightmares."

Fluttershy shook her head and quivered, "Maybe in another battle but not this one. From the moment I laid my eyes on those restraints, I knew that they were magic proof. These things were meant to subdue the magic of all ponies. The flying abilities of pegasi, the strength of the earth ponies, and the magic of unicorns!"

"How did you know that?!"

Fluttershy looked down, "I don't know… But it worked. That mare couldn't use any magic when that restraint was on. She couldn't even take the thing off with her hooves."

"What about the other one? What kind of pony was he?"

"An Earth pony."

"Did the restraint work on him?"

"I didn't use the restraint on him."

"How did you stop him then?"

"I, uh, tied him up." She said the last bit in a whisper. Though it had seemed that Twilight had been around her enough to hear even her quietest of voices. Though only if she was paying attention and it seemed all of Twilight's attention was on the yellow pony.

Twilight looked flabbergasted, "You just tied him up?"

Fluttershy nodded, she could feel her face getting red.

"I need a time machine. Because I have way too many questions."

"Me too Twilight, me too."

Twilight just stared at the floor for a minute pondering the situation. Fluttershy also didn't say anything but waited for the alicorn's reply.

"Well," Twilight started, "I really think that you really felt the full force of the mother's instinct. You saw things happen and made snap decisions. You may not even remember the whole battle because your mind was in overload trying to fend off those two. So, the gaps or inconsistencies could be waved off on that account."

Fluttershy merely blinked. Well, half blinked. Why was Twilight so chill about her eye? If that even what it was.

"Though I'm getting the impression that that's not why you came to me." Twilight said thoughtfully looking Fluttershy dead in the eye.

The yellow pony shook her head, "I'm honestly surprised at how well you are taking my eye. It doesn't look natural at all!"

Twilight nodded, "Well yeah. I know some ponies will augment themselves with magical devices to help them with various activities. Metal wing replacements, night-vision goggles, and many other various things. Though implants are still relatively new; they aren't unheard of. Even if you aren't the kind of pony to get one."

"Twilight. I didn't have this eye implanted."

Twilight merely blinked her brain trying to compute what Fluttershy had said, "What?" She merely asked flatly.

"I didn't know I had this eye till that bat revealed it to me." She paused, "I was hoping you'd be able to find out if I'm still a pony."

Twilight responded without any hesitation, "Of course Fluttershy. Though if I find out that you were experimented on…"

Fluttershy had seen that look only once before. It was the time at Froggy bottom bog where Twilight had gotten so angry that her mane had turned to fire. There was no fire this time but Fluttershy could feel the heat radiating from Twilight's coat. Flames flickered in her eyes and Fluttershy suddenly felt very sorry for the pony that had implanted the device currently in her face.

"Though first I think we should let the other Princesses take a look. They may have some insight. After all, they've seen technology blossom from the very beginning. Well, one of them anyway."

Fluttershy merely nodded and the two walked in the room Twilight had been in. Fluttershy almost jumped out of her skin when she realized Spike was behind her, closing the door. He must have been there the whole time. She frowned at that and looked at the floor. Though she felt a claw on her shoulder. There was no pressure in the action, so she looked to her side.

Spike was there smiling. Giving whatever comfort he could. She smiled back and looked up.

They were in a large room with a large table. It looked like a mini cutie map with various papers and scrolls laying on top. A large version of Canterlot was hovering over the table in a translucent state that allowed every pony to see the details the picture was displaying like the number of towers or the mini representations of guards walking their routes. Though it was barely able to block whatever was behind it. This time it was doing a poor job of blocking the faces of the sun and the moon and Fluttershy merely frowned in response.

"Celestia, Luna." Twilight started, "Fluttershy interrupted our meeting on a good reason."

"What reason would that be?" Luna asked. There was no venom in her voice, only worry.

"Fluttershy?" Twilight asked quietly.

Fluttershy took a breath and pushed her hair out of the way.

Surprise and curiosity bloomed on Celestia's face, "My goodness…"

Luna's expression was different, however. An element of confusion and suspicion lay flat on the dark blue face though no words were spoken.

"Now, to clear something up. Fluttershy has no knowledge of this eye being given to her."

This prompted the royalty to change their expressions. Celestia frowned in concealed anger while Luna's expression softened ever so slightly.

"Do you guys have any ideas who could have done this?" Fluttershy hesitantly asked.

While Celestia pondered, Luna spoke up, "Indeed I do. Though I must ask again that you truly didn't know of the existence of the orb you call your eye?"

Fluttershy nodded, confused. "Of course not."

"Hmm." Luna's expression drained of suspicion, "I have seen that device in a dream. Or more accurately, a nightmare."

"Nightmare?" Celestia asked.

Luna nodded, "It was the nightmare of an inventor. Though it has been many years since I have seen it."

"What was the nightmare about?" Fluttershy asked, worried.

"The inventor was worried that, er, his or her, I can not remember. "She paused looking for an appropriate label. "They were worried that their plans would be stolen and used for evil purposes." She looked at Fluttershy, "I do not worry that you stole those plans. Though, I worry for the one who did. And for what plans may lay in store for you." She directed the last phrase towards Fluttershy.

"So, some inventor made plans for an artificial eye?" Twilight asked in awe.

Luna nodded but it was Celestia who spoke, "Indeed. Such technology has existed for quite some time though it ran into a wall when batteries were too large to be of practical use on a pony. Last I remember," she paused, "They were trying to link electro-magical devices with the magic of a cutie mark. Such use would grant a near infinite power source. I wonder if Fluttershy is a successful attempt at that concept."

Twilight looked ready to burst with excitement. "Ooh! This is so exciting!"

Fluttershy merely looked to the ground and frowned. None of this was very exciting to her. She felt a little better knowing that the device was an implant designed to augment a pony and not replace a pony with all metal and gadgets of varying kinds.

"It doesn't seem that everypony can share in your excitement Twilight Sparkle." Celestia's tone was gentle but had a reprimanding tone hidden below layers of syllables.

Twilight immediately turned to her friend and embraced her in a tight hug. "I'm so so so sorry!"

"It's okay.." Fluttershy replied meekly.

"It's not okay! Here I am geeking out and you are over there wondering if you are a pony!"

"Well, there might be a simple test for that," Celestia said and got up from her chair. She walked over to Fluttershy. "Here let me see your eye."

Fluttershy gulped and raised her head to the Princess of the sun. Her presence was strong and was giving Fluttershy mixed emotions. She wanted to give her a hug but also wanted plaster her face to the floor in a bow.

She watched as Celestia's horn started to glow a brilliant yellow. Then she felt her bottom eyelid lift up and fold outwards. She twitched but didn't dare move.

Celestia's face morphed into a fascinated expression, "Interesting."

Celestia's magic released Fluttershy's eyelid and it folded back into position. Fluttershy attempted to blink but realized that she couldn't. So she used her hoof to again flatten her eyelid more comfortably.

"What is it?" Twilight asked, looking at Fluttershy.

"Well, I saw two things. A very intricate web of blood vessels but also lines of very thin metal. They almost looked as if they were tubing of some kind."

"So, does that mean that I'm a pony?" Fluttershy asked hopefully.

Celestia looked down at Fluttershy with a small pity, "I do believe that you are a pony. Though not fully a pony as I'm pretty sure that eye isn't the only piece of electro-magical equipment you have. I wouldn't be surprised if your other eye is the same."

Fluttershy looked stone-faced but, on the inside, she was screaming. "Spike? Do you have a crystal I could use?"

Spike jolted to attention as his name was called, "uh, yeah." He pulled a small crystal from the purple pouch he had slung around his arm and placed it in Fluttershy's outstretched wing.

Fluttershy thanked the purple dragon and used both hooves to hold her right eye open. She steeled herself and threw the crystal at her exposed orb. Her eyelids tried to close but she held them open defiantly. The small crystal made contact with a small, tink. It fell to the crystal floor with a similar sound.

The room was silent as Fluttershy slowly put her hooves to the ground, dumbstruck.

The room was silent. Quiet enough to hear a pin drop. Quiet enough to hear the front door open from the room they were in. The sound merely didn't register with Fluttershy. Instead, she dropped into a sitting position staring at nothing in particular. Her whole life had been a fabrication of some other pony. How did she know what she was? Were her parents truly her parents? What about her brother? Was everything she saw and heard just a reality created by some other pony?

The silence was broken by Luna's slow steps to Fluttershy. Quietly she lifted Fluttershy's head to have her look deep into the blue eyes that held a depth that acted as a drain to Fluttershy's chaotic thoughts.

"I know thou are a pony. I have seen thy dreams. It is not a skill of mine to see the dreams of machines if they exist at all." Luna said quietly.

Fluttershy sniffled, "Okay…but what am I now?"

"You are Fluttershy. My friend." Twilight said embracing her friend in a tight hug. "And she can be whatever she wants to be. Just because you have some electro-magical what's ma-call-it isn't going to put any distance between us."

"Preach sister!" A shrill sudden voice shattered the tender moment but not in a bad way. The voice belonged to Pinkie pie and only made Fluttershy's soul sing but her heart sank.

"But whatever happened to put any distance between you and Twilight?" Rarity asked gently.

Fluttershy bit her lip, not wanting to show her friends what she had become. Or rather what she truly was. Though Twilight smiled and loosened the hug much sooner than Fluttershy wanted. She then motioned towards their friends and smiled.

Fluttershy merely sighed and nodded, "Don't freak out okay?" She then allowed Twilight to rotate her around to face her friends. It was odd to see them all here out of the blue. But she didn't question it. Weirder things had happened, were happening, and would happen. It was Ponyville. The day nothing exotic occurred would be the day the sun exploded. She smiled from the memories that flurried to the surface of her mind but it faded as Twilight used her magic to reveal the electro-magical eye that had been in her head for many years. She looked up at her friends to see their reactions and was a little surprised to see the results.

Pinkie blinked once but remained quiet.

Rarity stared with squinted eyes trying to make out fine details that only she could see.

Applejack looked bewildered but chuckled.

Rainbow merely started to laugh, "Gee. Here I rounded every pony up to see the end results of that hair glue."

"Hair glue?" Twilight asked with surprise.

"Yeah. I found Fluttershy like ten minutes ago with her hair stuck to her face. She said that she was going to meet you, so I guessed it was to fix that hairdo. Though I think that wasn't the case."

"Nope. Though if you think that some little eye is going to stop our friendship that ya better forget it. It may be surprising but it ain't world breaking." Applejack said with the others nodding their approval.

"Though I can't help but see something familiar in your eye sweetie…" Rarity said trotting closer. She sat right next to her and said quietly, "Now, I'll only be in your bubble for but a moment. Though do try not to move."

Fluttershy nodded and held still as Rarity got closer to her face. Eyes examined each other for a brief minute then Rarity withdrew holding her head with a hoof.

Suddenly Pinkie was in her vision staring at her in an upside-down sort of fashion. She merely blinked when she realized that the rest of the pink pony's body was in her mane. Though she didn't even care.

"Wow. It looks just like I'm looking into a camera but shaped like a Fluttershy!" Pinkie said in her usual demeanor with outstretched legs in a presenter sort of fashion. It managed to crack a smile from the yellow pegasus. Pinkie smiled in return and withdrew back into Fluttershy's mane. It tingled and Fluttershy noticed that Pinkie was back where she started.

"Mission accomplished!" She said triumphantly.

"And what mission would that be?" Applejack questioned.

"Make Fluttershy smile!" The pink pony responded and started her normal bounce.

The ponies merely chuckled not even questioning how Pinkie had gotten into Fluttershy's mane without moving.

"Anyway," Rarity said after a few moments, "I know I've seen something like the eye our friend has or at least when it was on paper. Back in Canterlot, several years ago, I met an inventor at one of our elegance parties. This inventor was quite the vision. Using electro-magical equipment for the search and rescue effort. Artificial legs that could lift large boulders, replacement wings for pegasi that had lost them or were never able to use them in the first place, and eyes that could pierce even the darkest of night." She finished looking at Fluttershy. "I do believe that those eyes are the same."

"How do you reckon?" Applejack asked walking up to Fluttershy to examine the new addition to her friend.

"Just above the little blue squares is an inscription, an author's mark if you will. It's identical to the mark from that inventor. A small flying bird flying through a silver aura."

Applejack merely squinted at Fluttershy trying to see what Rarity meant. "Ah can't see it…"

"Here, let me help." Celestia offered and a glowing ring of magic appeared out of the air. It hovered over to Fluttershy's left eye and the engraving was instantly clear. A small bird that looked like a dove flying with a large aura around it. With the assistance of magnification, the ponies were also able to see a wrench in the bird's beak.

"Ooooh!" Twilight exclaimed with interest, "What's this spell?"

Celestia merely smiled, "It's a magnifying spell for when you don't have a magnifying glass. It was incredibly handy in the days of maps where few ponies truly cared about the organization of those maps. So legends and keys were scribbled just about anywhere they could fit. Though it was Luna's idea to add illumination to the spell to help light up what you were trying to inspect."

Luna nodded and looked at Fluttershy, "Yes, it would seem that we have a location and a mark to go by to try to find this inventor."

"Shouldn't Fluttershy already know? Since you know, she has one of her inventions?" Rainbow asked, mirroring the sudden confusion in the room.

"I didn't know I had such an eye before today." Fluttershy murmured.

For the second time the room went quiet. Though this time it was filled with anger not dread.

"So, you're telling me that somepony, without your permission, put that device in your head?"

Fluttershy merely shrugged, "Maybe. But I don't know. It may be that I agreed to this but lost my memory of the event. Or maybe I wasn't born but…built…"

Luna shook her head, "I do not believe technology has become advanced enough to simulate dreams vivid enough for me to enter them."

"Agreed. We've come a long way in the last thousand years but most of the technological power is in the hands of a select few such as the Flim and Flam brothers." Celestia said looking at her sister to Fluttershy. "You were a pony that seems to be augmented with certain devices. Concealed enough to even fool nature."

Fluttershy frowned, How was she going to explain this to her animal friends? They were sure to react differently than her friends right? But then again, she had expected her friends to freak out and run off. None had done so thus far.

Celestia frowned, "Concealed enough to fool nature. It would seem that whoever placed the equipment inside our friend was very cautious about doing so. Making it so no pony could see through its disguise. That worries me."

"I have to agree with my sister," Luna said nodding, "One doesn't go through this much to merely augment another. Such as a pony with metal wings. Such devices have been in use for some time yet those are very poorly concealed. In the case of our friend, it took the device to break to reveal its true nature. And I can't honestly tell the difference between her right eye and my own. They look completely normal."

Twilight suddenly lit up, "Crystal lattice!" Then lifting up the glass shard Fluttershy had brought and brought it close to the mare's left eye. "Hold still," Twilight asked and proceeded to lift the shard mere inches in front of the lenses of the un-natural eye. The shard then went closer till, suddenly, the little squares in the device lit up and the shard was filled with color. It looked as if some pony had taken Fluttershy's eye and made a puzzle out of it. There standing out of the grey metal was Fluttershy's original iris.

"oooh!" Pinkie cooed, "Move it around!"

Twilight obliged and mapped out the original look of the eye. Then repeated the process with a mirror to show Fluttershy.

"Well done." Celestia marveled, watching her student figure out such a complex device off the fly.

Twilight beamed for only a second, "Now we go to Canterlot to find this inventor."

Luna frowned, "It may be difficult. Even with an inventor's mark, there are a lot of inventors in Equestria. Marks can change over time."

Rarity nodded but smiled, "Agreed but we have a mark and where they are from."

"Agreed. Canterlot is a good place to start but I can't remember the looks of the pony that was worried about their invention being stolen. I'm not even sure if they were a mare or a colt."

Rarity frowned, "I myself do not remember what the inventor looked like as well. I just remember the eye very vividly." She paused thinking, "Though I do know they were popular enough to draw a crowd."

Celestia nodded, "Then I can think of two inventors. One is a pegasus mare and the other is a unicorn colt. Each have shown popular inventions over the years, but the mare is a little out of it in latter days. I don't believe she is even open anymore."

"It may still be worth it to stop by. We aren't sure how long Fluttershy has been, erm, gifted." Rarity said giving Fluttershy an apologetic look.

Fluttershy nodded knowing her friend meant her no harm.

"Then lets stop sitting around and get looking. Its only two stops and that can be done ten seconds flat!" Rainbow dash said clapping to hooves together.

Applejack shook her head smiling, "ah half agree with Rainbow. The less we move the less we find out."

"Then it's decided," Celestia said watching the other ponies nod. "We will meet you all in Canterlot."

"So much for that meeting huh?" Twilight said smiling.

"Such meetings can be pushed to another time. Problems from friends don't always have the same flexibility." Celestia said returning the smile.

"Do not worry about cleaning up," Luna said looking at the table covered with papers and various charts. "Sister and I shall do so. You and your friends rush to Canterlot."

Twilight nodded with her friends and they all rushed out the door. Fluttershy only paused to return and recover the eye patch. She trusted her friends with her new look but didn't want the whole thing to become common knowledge. She also looked at the two royal sisters, "Thank you." She said with a smile. The two alicorns return the smile and gave Fluttershy a half bow. She returned it and rushed out the door to catch up with her friends.

Rarity was speaking, "The next train to Canterlot is in just a half-hour. We should be able to make it provided there are no delays. Oh, dear, let me help you with that." Rarity said noticing Fluttershy struggling with the eye patch. Her white horn lit up and the eye patch tied itself neatly around Fluttershy's head. Fluttershy felt her hair move as well as to not get caught in the knot Rarity made.

"Too tight dear?"

Fluttershy shook her head, "It's quite comfortable."

"Great. Off to the train then."

"Yeah! First one there is a rotten egg!" Rainbow cried pushing open the front doors and speeding in the air towards the train station.

Though she didn't get far. A snap of magic and Rainbow was suddenly plummeting to the ground with a metal restraint around her muzzle. She also looked dazed as she struggled to get up.

"Rainbow!" Twilight shouted and the group raced over to help. However, the restraint was connected to a chain that suddenly pulled taut.

Rainbow tried to pull back from the directional pull but was easily overwhelmed. Twilight tried to blast the chain with her magic but the magic bolt sparked and faded when it touched the chain. It didn't even leave a visible mark. The chain pulled Rainbow, now limply on the ground, to a wagon that looked terrifyingly familiar.

Fluttershy gasped as the chain pulled Rainbow into the wagon after which the cover snapped together hiding the blue pegasus entirely. Connected to the wagon were the two brown ponies from the school. "The Reception 'ception!" Fluttershy squeaked.

Twilight growled in anger. The others followed suit.

The Reception merely smiled and took off with their prize, pushing ponies out of the way as they ran by.

The group took chase but Applejack flipped up her hat and it landed neatly on Rarity's head, "Take care of ma hat alright?"

Rarity nodded and the hat glowed blue as she used magic to adjust it more firmly on her head.

Applejack snorted and increased her speed. She took the lead in the chase and left the rest of her friends in the dust. The times she had put into the running of the leaves and all the work at the farm had given her speed and stamina to catch up to the wagon with relative ease. She galloped over to the ponies pulling the wagon and shouted, "Ya think y'all could get away with ma friend?"

The colt smiled, "Didn't want to." He then ducked as his unicorn accomplice shot a magic projectile right at his face. However, the ducking placed Applejack's face in the danger zone with no time to react. The green magic blew into Applejack knocking her out entirely. She started to tumble but was lifted up into the air and placed neatly in the wagon. Fluttershy was able to glimpse a restraint being placed on the orange earth pony's face. She frowned. Applejack and Rainbow were the fastest of the mane six. Well, maybe with the exception of Pinkie but it seemed that she wasn't going to pull a fast one without some backup. They needed some way to keep the wagon in sight or at least-

A click and a soft whrrrrrrr suddenly sounded in her head. And quite suddenly her mouth was getting smaller. Something was pushing down from the roof of her mouth and eventually caused her to open her mouth. She coughed and sputtered as the object cut off her air supply, yet, something kept her running straight and staring intently at the wagon in front of her. A blue circle with lines extending from the top, bottom, left and right sides appeared in her vision. There was a beep and rush of air as if she just spit something with a lot of force. The circle was then replaced with the words: Tracker set. Then she tumbled over coming to stuttering halt.

She stayed there for a moment listening to the sounds in her head as the device slowly returned her mouth to its normal size. Air was suddenly able to return to her lungs and she coughed, taking deep breaths.

"Go! I'll stay and make sure she's alright!" She heard Rarity say and then heard the thundering of galloping. She also felt a hoof on her shoulder.

"Dear, what happened?" Rarity asked.

Fluttershy got up and looked at her friend explaining on how her mouth had shrunk letting some thing down. She then used her tounge to feel the roof on her mouth. She felt no seams that would indicate an opening. Just the wrinkled feeling that she had become accustomed to.

"Well, that sounds unpleasant." Rarity said staring at Fluttershy lost in thought.

"It's okay. I'm fine now and that's what matters. We need to catch up!" Fluttershy said worriedly.

"Agreed. Though I'm afraid the wagon is not in sight anymore." Rarity said with a frown. She also rearranged the hat that sat on her head, "Oh dear. This hat needs to be reformed. It's lost its shape!"

Fluttershy let that comment slide off her ears. Trying to think where the wagon may have went… Suddenly she knew. It was 800 feet due 54 degrees from her location. Her head moved slightly to the left. She was sure that's where the wagon was.

"Follow me!" Fluttershy said and took off.

"Uh, hold on! We don't even know where we are going. I can contact Twilight to tell us where they are at." Rarity replied following her yellow friend.

Fluttershy looked at her friend as she matched her own pace, "I'm not sure how. But I know where the wagon is."

"Okay?" Rarity said hesitantly, "Where is it?"

"It's due 57 degrees at about 725 feet."

Rarity merely looked bewildered, "My goodness. I'm not even sure what that even means…"

"Me either." Fluttershy said sadly, "I just know its in that direction." She motioned with her head.

"Well, lead on!" Rarity trumpeted.

Fluttershy smiled and did so, weaving in and out of buildings. Untill they reached the border of Ponyville. To which Fluttershy skidded to a stop.

"What's wrong dear?" Rarity asked also coming to a stop.

Fluttershy didn't immediately respond. Instead she was slowly turning her head left, following an imaginary line. In her eyes she was watching the degrees change as the wagon was taking a left most direction.

"I think they are taking the left side exit. If we cut through the town we may be able to cut them off." Fluttershy said quietly.

Rarity just nodded with a befuddled look on their face. Though followed Fluttershy through the trees regardless.

Fluttershy weaved in and out of the trees and buildings, knowing them by the back of her foreleg. Every now and again she looked behind her to make sure Rarity was following her. Every time she looked, she saw Rarity nod with her horn illuminating the area. It was slightly odd to see Rarity wearing Applejack's hat but that memory just made her more determined to free her and Rainbow. She blinked noticing that the wagon was only 200 feet away. She smiled. The shortcut had worked! She continued to follow the internal compass that somehow knew exactly where the wagon was.

However, they were past the small town of Ponyville and now in the thicket of the Everfree forest. Though they had been in it enough times for Fluttershy to not be skittish. They had faced the likes of Tirek and Starlight Glimmer. She was sure she could handle a few trees, be it scary trees; but they were still trees.

There was a magic explosion that detonated nearby though the two ponies were already heading in that direction.

"That was probably Twilight though that sounded quite strong. Are they still moving?" Rarity asked behind her.

Fluttershy noted the fluctuating degrees and nodded.

"Well that might be a tad bit of a problem. If that wagon can stand up to Twilight's magical might then it may be unbreakable." Rarity observed, slightly out of breath.

Fluttershy frowned. That would be true. Of all the mane six, Twilight had the most potential attack power. Next would be Rainbow and Applejack. Both of which were in the wagon they were trying to stop.

The wheels! If they could jam a stick between the spokes then the wagon would be either slowed drastically or incapacitated. She explained her plan to Rarity who pondered it for a couple of secounds.

"I think that could work. Though to find a stick that would be able to stop said wheel…"

Fluttershy slowed down and looked around for a large stick. There were plenty around. Though many had curves and bends to them that made them awkward to hold.

"Oh!"

Fluttershy took a glance behind her to see Rarity holding a large stick that was straight like a javelin. The blue glowing stick was a tad longer than she was tall. She smiled and picked up her speed. After a few moments, she could hear the wagon wheels spinning on the ground. They both jumped out of the trees and were in the stride with the wagon.

"What?!" The mare pulling the wagon exclaimed.

With a huff, Rarity directed the stick she was levitating into the wheel. It bounced off but she tried to again.

"No you don't!" The mare shouted and directed lasers in their direction.

"Oh, dear!" Rarity jumped and avoided the laser aimed at her hooves. Fluttershy jumped into the air and started to fly but the wagon opened up and start to click. She snapped her wings back to her sides and landed. The wagon closed and the clicking ceased. She frowned and looked behind her to Twilight and Pinkie.

Twilight nodded and closed her wings.

Fluttershy returned her attention to the wagon and noticed Rarity had taken shelter from behind the wagon. She still had the stick in her magical grasp.

"Take that!" She shouted and tried again to jam the stick into the wheel. This time it succeeded but didn't have the results the two expected. The wheel ate the stick with very little hesitation. The whole wagon jumped up as the stick was ripped to splinters. Though as the wagon jumped it slowed down into Rarity. The sudden impact knocked Rarity off her hooves and she started to tumble with a little, "oh!"

"Rarity!" Fluttershy exclaimed and started to slow down to try to catch her. Though she glowed a light purple as she got caught in Twilight's magic and was set gently on her hooves.

"Thank you, my dear." Rarity said getting her stance again.

"Anytime. Though now we have to worry about catching up again. You'll have to tell me later how you managed to track that thing but not now…" Twilight responded. She sounded winded obviously from the magic and running she had been doing.

"I think I could catch up but if I were to go alone I may just get caught like Applejack. I don't really have any defense against unicorn magic." Pinkie said. She didn't look tired at all but had a point. She could be easily taken down. Well, they didn't want to take the chance. Who knows what other tricks the two could have?

"To make matters worse, they are heading deeper into Everfree! If they get much deeper, we might lose them!" Twilight said worriedly.

"Oh dear, we may lose them right now!" Rarity exclaimed looking ahead.

The wagon was approaching a two turned pass.

"Watch where they go!" Pinkie exclaimed. The group stared intently stared at the wagon making careful note of its direction.

However, the opposing ponies had a different plan. The back of the wagon started to expel green smoke. It then exploded with a large thick cloud of said green smoke with a startling bang. Fluttershy and her friends ran right into the cloud and found it wasn't breathable. All concentration was lost as they struggled to exit the cloud, soon coming to a sputtering stop. Twilight growled and her magic flared in a small explosion that blasted the gas outward giving the ponies precious air.

After a couple of minutes of coughing and trying to breathe. Pinkie looked at the pass and shouted in frustration, "Gahh! Which way did they go!?"

The air held silence for her answer.