Pinkie Pie and Honeyshuckle supervised the young ponies, so they did not panic. Pinkie distracted them by juggling four rubber balls that she has pulled from her mane, distracting the younger ponies, and causing the older ponies to question how she does it.
"How is she able to get that out of her mane?" One of the small ponies said.
"she's magical!" Another yelled happily.
The small ponies cheered Pinkie on, as she ate up the attention and laughter.
"Can you do that Honeysuckle?"
Honeysuckled looked on at Pinkie with distrust.
"No, I cannot, little ones."
When Pinkie threw the balls into the air the little ponies watched as she gotten multiple deflated balloons and with a tornadoing twin, The balloons were filled with air with string at the bottom.
Fluttershy was in the middle of a conversation with Rose dust.
"So you believe your friend can help us with our problem?" Rosedust asks in interest.
"Oh, yes " Fluttershy nodded. "Twilight is a capable and very powerful pony. She's very reliable when it comes to magic that I'm sure she could find a permanent solution for your troubles."
"She sounds like a wonderful mare indeed." Rosedust nodded.
Fluttershy smiled at the mare. The two had gotten along fine, each getting used to the other's kind mannerisms, and quirks, in such a short time. Fluttershy found herself feeling more secure with the mare, because she was very kind, and pretty. Rosedust saw Fluttershy as a kind and gentle soul, even when talking about the animals she cared for, she was willing to listen.
Applejack and Forget-Me-Not volunteered to try finding the portal back to Equestria. They mostly walked in silence and took in nature.
"Do you have humans where you're from?" Forget-Me-Not suddenly asks.
Applejack turns her head to the purple mare. "Uh, Ah guess not." She replies. "We mostly have dragons, Griffins, and Cats but no humans."
Forget-Me-Not hums in acknowledgement. "We have humans." She says with a fond smile.
"Oh?" Applejack asks. "Do y'all interreact with one another?"
"Regularly so." The purple mare says. She looks down with a saddened smile. "But over the years we've seen less of them, I'd have to guess they're slowly forgetting we even exist… Possibly for the best though."
"Why's that?" Applejack asks.
"We usually come with trouble." She admits. "I love the friends we've made along the way during our journeys, but it does go without saying that it can get highly dangerous out there."
"P'sha." Applejack grinned. "Just about everythin' is out to get ya. We got a haunted forest that tries to eat us every goshdarn minute!"
Forget-Me-Not laughs at Applejack's words.
"I suppose you're right Applejack." She says. She then looks away with a frown. "But I will say that I do miss our human friend, Megan."
"She the nice sort?" Applejack asks.
"Oh yes." Forget-Me-Not beamed. "She's quite wonderful, but the distance she has to take is great, and I've heard she even talked about children at some point!"
The two mares laughed, just as they made it out of the trees and onto the side of the hill where Trixie originally was teleported in.
They stopped a moment so Applejack could get a look around.
"This isn't the spot we came through." Applejack frowned. "Must've taken a wrong turn somewhere."
"This is the way to the witches lair." Forget-Me-Not says. She turns to Applejack with a look of worry. "Do you think your friend Rainbow Dash will be alright?"
Applejack gave a confident smirk. "Now don't you go worrying about that mare." She says confidently. "She's a tough cookie, that can't be crumbled. Even if she crumbles herself sometimes." She says the last sentence in a lower tone of voice.
They share a laugh and continue on their way.
Rainbow Dash and Peach Blossom made their way into the cave. They could hear the family of three cheering and celebrating.
"The Flutter Ponies will be no more!" they heard a gruff voice yell. "They Valley is ours!"
"that's right sister!" they heard a dopey voice reply. "By the next of tomorrow they'll be too busy in disaster to stop us!"
"You've done well my daughters! Well Indeed!"
They heard a scuff. "Trixie did most the work."
"Trixie!" Rainbow Dash whispers, recognizing the voice. "She's here!"
"Great." Peach blossom says. "We can go back and-HEY!" She panicked as Rainbow Dash went into the opening.
Before she is seen she flies to the ceiling, giving Peach Blossom a confident smirk.
Peach Blossom sighs in relief, and watches as the family
"Ahem!" Trixie interrupts the family celebration. They freeze and look at her. "I do believe that's enough of that." She tells them. "Give Trixie the Jewel and help her get home!"
The oldest of the three laughs at the pony. "Indeed! You've given me a service pony. And I am, if not someone of her word." Hydia smirked. "But. How would you like to stay here with us?" She offers.
"No" Trixie quickly shuts down. "The Great and Trixie, nay never say this out aloud but she… Misses, her friends." Trixie admits. Rainbow eyes soften as she says this. "Even if some of them are ill trusting of Trixie."
"Those sentiments mean nothing!" Hydia yells. "But you've helped us, so we might be lenient towards you, pony." She steps closer to light blue pony. "Join us or find your own way home!"
"That doesn't even make any sense!" Trixie yells.
Rainbow Dash eyes narrow at the woman. Ready to step in if needed.
Peach Blossom waited with bated breath while she watched from her spot.
When the two sisters began descending upon Trixie Rainbow Dash and Peach Blossom shared a look.
Peach Blossom could tell the cyan mare was going to do something reckless.
They heard a tinging sound.
The room suddenly if filled with silence.
"You're no evil pony." Hydia scowls. As she stares down at the mare whom she just tossed the Sunstone to. "But you're not good pony either."
Trixie looks between the Sunstone and the three hags in confusion.
"We'll help you get home as long as you can get rid of that accursed thing."
Her daughters switch between the two in confusion.
"Are you sure about this Hydia?"
"Yeah, she could return with more ponies if we let her escape."
"She wont do such a thing!" Hydia evilly smirked. "Considering she's the one who stole their precious property!" She begins laughing evilly, that echoed throughout the cave.
Trixie feels a gut wrenching feeling of guilt as she realizes her mistake.
"That's right! If she tells anyone, we'll tell them she took it all on her own!" She wheezed laughed.
"Idiot pony!"
Rainbow Dash has had enough and dropped in between them.
"that's enough!" She yells defensively. "You leave her alone, now!"
"Rainbow Dash?!" Yelled in surprise. "What're you doing here?"
"We followed you through the portal! We're here to take you home!"
Hydia scoffed. "If you want to leave, then get! As long as those ponies do NOT get that gem back, you can do whatever!" She smirked. "I'm sure your friend would love the gift."
Trixie lifts her gift to her muzzle. Doubt begins pitting at her chest.
"You're not really going to take that home, are you?!" She asks in disbelief "They need that for their land, Trixie!"
"I…" Tears begin to pool in her eyes. "You've came for me?" Her voice breaks as a tear rolls down her face.
"Of course! What're friends for?"
Draggle looks towards the entrance and notices a teal colored pony.
She jumps and points at her. "Flutter Pony!"
"WHAT!?" Hydia yells in rage.
"It's a trap mama!" Reeke screams.
Rainbow Dash flies up, dodging a lightening bolt aimed for her.
"Haha!" She taunted. Hydia "You missed!"
"Grr! You ponies will rue this day! Believe it!" Hydia promised. She looks to her daughters. "What're you two bumbling fools doing?! GET THEM!"
"Yes Hydia!" they saluted and they ran to subdue Trixie.
Trixie jumps over them and puts the Sunstone into her mouth and ran for the exit.
"Hurry!" Peach Blossom yelled.
When Trixie reached her, they began running for the exit but Draggle was able to catch up and grab Trixie by the tail causing her to yelp and drop the sunstone.
"Got you!- OW!" She releases Trixie as Rainbow Dash swipes her head as she passes her. "You stupid pony!"
"I'm a mare, ugly!" Rainbow called back, as she, Trixie, and Peach blossom escaped.
Draggle and Reeke began running after them, but their mother's voice rang out.
"Let them leave!" Hydia orders.
They stop and look fearfully back at their mother.
"But hydia!" Reeke cried.
"They're getting away!" Draggle pointed.
Hydia chuckled darkly and pointed to their feet.
"But they've left a little something in their escape." She smirked.
The sisters picked up the Sunstone and glanced at each other before laughing at the retreating ponies.
"Give me the stone!" Their mother ordered.
They frightfully jumped and hurriedly went to their mother. Stumbling over each other as they did so.
They handed her the artifact and stood back waiting for their next order.
"Forget all these plans, and accomplices! We can end this today! We can take down those ponies once and for all!"
The sisters looked worriedly at the older woman. Pondering what she means.
Hydia grabs a magic book. This book had a purple cover with a star on it. The sisters were confused because the book didn't seem like it had any pages.
"This'll teach those loosey pests to meddle!" Hydia grumbles hatefully.
Draggle steps forward her hands clenched near her chest. "Are you okay mama?"
Hydia paused.
She looked up at her daughters. Hate and rage filling her eyes.
"YOU TWO GET OUT!" She shouted. The two jumped back in fear stepped back. "GET OUT OF MY SIGHT YOU'VE FAILED ME FOR THE LAST TIME! GET OUTTT!"
"Hydia what's come over you? Why're acting like this?" Reeeke asks, stepping forward herself.
Steams pops off from Hydia's ears as her face turns red. She shoots a ray of lightning at their feet using both hands. And she yells at them louder this time, This yell possibly even heard by the ponies who just escaped.
"LEEEEEAAAAAAAAVEEEEEEE!"
The two sister ran for their life as their own mother began rapidly throwing magical attacks at them. One hitting Draggle in the back injuring her.
"AH!" She screams.
The air in the cave began to heat up as Hydia opens the book.
Back with Applejack and Forget-Me-Not, they searched for a while before they heard screaming of rage coming from the hill above them.
When Applejack seen Rainbow Dash flying towards her she knew something was wrong.
"We've gotta get out of here!"
Trixie and Pach Blossom were right behind her, running down the road.
"Trixie! Where've you-"
"Not now Applejack, Trixie must RUN!"
Applejack gave a worried look to Rainbow Dash before looking to the purple mare.
"We've gotta go." She tells her. She glares and points at Rainbow Dash. "And YOU gotta fill me in on the way there."
Rainbow Dash gives a sheepish grin and the three of them began running back to Flutter Valley.
It's almost the end of the day and neither Twilight Sparkle nor Starlight has seen or heard from their friends Despite searching or asking around the kingdom.
They were worried and it was almost time for dinner.
"I just don't know where they could be!" Twilight worriedly said to her remaining two friends.
"I will have to admit. It's not like them to be gone this long without so much as a peep." Rarity says.
"You said they were doing you a favor earlier Twilight. What exactly were they doing?"
Twilight looks away and laughs nervously. "W-Well… Trixie has been acting weird lately so I sort of asked them to…" She rubbed the back of her head and gave her friends a nervous wide smile. "To distance Trixie to make sure she doesn't do anything illegal!" She said rapidly.
"Twilight!" Rarity said in surprise. Starlight glares at Twilight Sparkle. "How could you do such a thing? Who knows, where they could possibly be right now!"
Starlight turns to Rarity. "And what's that supposed to mean Rarity?" She asks warningly.
Rarity scoffed. And waved her hoof. "Don't act like you don't know!" She tells her. "Trixie isn't always on the straight and narrow as you believe darling and I suspect she's the reason why everypony has gone missing!"
Starlight stood at the accusation. "Don't you dare talk about my best friend like that!"
"It's the truth Darling." Rarity finishes with a matter-of-fact tone.
Starlight growled at Rarity's nonchalant face, as she levitated a cup of tea to her and took a sip as she side-eyed her.
Twilight gets between the two. Annoyance written on her face. "That's enough girls. Calm down!"
"I'll be calm after Rarity apologizes!" Stardlight
Rarity sets her drink aside and closes her eyes. "I apologize." She says, bringing her drink back to her mouth and takes a sip.
"Look we need to find them before they get themselves into more trouble alright?" Twilight says looking between them. "Has either one of you seen anything that was out of the ordinary around the castle?"
Starlight and Rarity tried remembering what they did the entire day..
"Well." Rarity began. The two mares look to her giving her their full attention. "There was a door down the hall that was slightly ajar."
"How's that weird?" Starlight asks. "Someone could've just made a mistake and left it open."
"No she has a point." Twilight says with a pondering look. "What door was it Rarity?"
"I can't seem to remember which door exactly." She says. "But I can show you." She happily says and slides to her feet. "Follow me, Dears."
As she walks towards the door Starlight and Twilight share a glance before following their white coated friend out the door.