//------------------------------// // Desperate Search // Story: Earthbound Journey 2: Reign of the Magic Queen // by ShadeJak //------------------------------// "I think that should do it for now," Redheart explained as she finished tending to Amethyst Star. "Thanks, I guess I'm stuck here, whether I like it or not," Amethyst Star muttered, rolling to her side on the soft bed she lay on and scowling at her twisted ankle. "It's alright, Ammy, we'll be comfy here at the inn till we can get our home repaired!" Dinky said with a smile. "Don't worry, we'll get that done tomorrow." Thunderlane said, gaining nods of approval from the other ponies in the room. "Ah reckon it shouldn't take too long," Applejack explained. "Once my brother gets back with Apple Bloom an' the others ah'm sure he'll..." Applejack paused, struck by realization as her eyes turned towards the clock mounted on the wall of the bedroom. "Applejack, is something the matter?" Redheart asked, concerned. "Ah... should probably get back home, now. Ah'm sure 'e's waitin' for me. Probably will wanna know about the fire an' all the crazy stuff that's happened!" Applejack said, managing a smile as she immediately left the room and headed outside. "Hey, Applejack!" a voice suddenly called out the moment the farmpony got outside. Looking over to the side she spotted Cloudchaser flying down and landing next to her under the inn's awning. "The rain's got the fire taken care of, pretty amazing what happens when ponies work together, huh?" the wild-haired pegasus asked with a laugh. "Yeah, it's really somethin'," Applejack replied, forcing a smile. "Look, ah'm glad everythin' worked out but I gotta go back home now an-" "Oh! Right! I remember what I wanted to tell you!" Cloudchaser said. "While I was going around grabbing up clouds by the mountains to get the thunderstorm prepared... I mean, I am the fastest pegasus here, so of course they counted on me to get the far away ones and-" "Uh, you're dronin' on, Cloudchaser. There a point yer tryin' ta get to?" the farmpony asked. "Oh, yeah! Anyway, I was grabbing some cloud patches by the mountains and I saw your brother!" Applejack let out a sigh of relief. "Great news, ah was worried they'd gotten in the forest while that fire was goin' on an all," she said. "Well, it was only for, like a second... but suddenly they stopped and looked back, and immediately started running and I lost sight of them!" the pegasus explained. "Well, the fires an' all ah wager would-" Applejack began, growing increasingly worried. "No, no, that's the thing. The fire wasn't near where they were, besides they were by the river. Then I heard this roar in the distance... whatever it was it sounded big, and I think that's what they were running from..." Cloudchaser looked down at the cobblestone ground and pawed it a little with her hoof. "Applejack... I... I didn't see them when I came back here... you think they made it back alright?" she asked, worry in her eyes as she traced her hoof along the ground. The moment she looked up, Applejack was already gone. ~ They're fine, they're fine. They made it back, they're waitin' at the farmhouse it's all fine! Applejack's thoughts repeated to herself as she hurried home in a swift gallop as fast as her hooves could carry her. The harsh rain beat against her face, soaking the farmpony completely as she rushed through the cold mud forming in the crop fields and leaving her filthy as she reached the front door of her house. Winona, noticing her owner was home, immediately stirred and began barking. "Seen anypony else, 'sides me, Winona?" Applejack asked urgently, knocking on the door but getting no response. Winona whined softly before approaching, nuzzling her master in an attempt to comfort her. "Thanks, girl," Applejack said, patting the collie before turning and noticing something laying under the awning of the stables. Cocking her head, the farmpony approached and noticed it to be a rolled up and bound letter. Pulling the string away with her teeth, Applejack unrolled the letter and began reading. "Musta not noticed when Mr. Cake was gettin' me," Applejack muttered, looking out over the horizon of the hilltop leading to the rest of Tazfilly. Worry crept over the farmpony once more. "This musta gotten here hours ago! Ah was... Cloudchaser saw 'em when the fire was goin' on... nopony saw 'em come into town when..." Chills ran down her body as her worry quickly became overwhelming terror. "They shoulda been back by now!" "Applejack?" Cloudchaser called out, prompting Applejack to turn and see the pegasus land next to her. "You just ran off, what's going on? Are they back?" Applejack looked down at the letter and shook her head. "They're not?" Cloudchaser asked, agape. "Well, all this rain, they could have just decided to take shelter, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle are still pretty young and nopony would want them to catch a cold, right?" "M-Maybe..." Applejack's ears perked in alarm as memories of her experience in the forest fire returned. "Cloudchaser, when we were in the fire, we saw this strange pony, they had these... things that were startin' fires an' some kinda... ah dunno... flyin' rat thing that attacked Mr. Cake an' I!" "You saw somepony? Nopony we know?" Cloudchaser asked. "No, he... or she... dunno, couldn't tell the pony was wearin' this weird getup ah couldn't tell what they were but ah know they weren't up to any good! I gotta make sure Big Mac an' Rarity an' the foals didn't run into 'em!" Applejack insisted. "I see, well, look... I'll go tell Mayor Mare, we'll get the town together and find them. It's getting pretty late after all and if they are in trouble..." Cloudchaser said, concerned. "D-don't... don't say that till we found 'em," Applejack said, trying to hold back images of the worst possible outcome. "Just get the rest'a the town an' we go lookin! We'll start on the path by the river leadin' to the mountains." "On it!" Cloudchaser said with a small salute as she flew off back towards town. Once the pegasus was out of sight, Applejack let out a sigh. "They're fine... they're fine... stay calm, Applejack... your family, your friends... they're fine," she said softly, straightening her hat and preparing to head back to town. Winona suddenly let out a bark, prompting Applejack to turn around. The collie looked up at her with sad, worried eyes. "You're worried too, aincha, girl?" Applejack said, managing a faint smile. "Ah reckon you can come along if ya want." Winona let out a happy bark and immediately left her doghouse, following Applejack back into town, the bell from the school ringing to gather the other ponies in town to help. ~ "What's going on?" Berry Punch asked as she approached the gathering crowd under the awning of the schoolhouse, the ringing bell finally slowing down as Cheerilee stepped away and allowed Mayor Mare to address the townsponies. "Cloudchaser says Applejack told her that Big Macintosh, Rarity, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle aren't back yet!" Mayor Mare explained. "This is the second problem we've had tonight, but it's understandable, with the fire and the storm we used to put it out they could have gotten sidetracked or sought shelter." "I saw them earlier, by the river," Cloudchaser explained. "I... I think something was chasing them," a cacophony of worried murmurs could be heard among the concerned ponies. "So we're gonna search along the river path till we find 'em!" Applejack declared, stepping in front of the crowd. "Yes, precisely," Mayor Mare replied. "I know you're worried, Applejack, but you must remain calm." "Ah'll be calm as a daisy once we find 'em, Mayor!" Applejack replied firmly. "That's my friends an' family out there that need our help an' the longer we wait here the longer they wait for us!" "Well, you heard her, everypony. Let's start looking," the mayor said. "Foals, stay inside until we get back. Miss Daring, if you could just-" "Don't even think about leaving me out of this one, too, Mayor," a yellow pegasus with a gray mane and tail said firmly, stepping forward. "You know I've headed the village's exploration and path-finding teams since we settled down here!" Mayor Mare facehoofed at the pegasus' stubborn streak. "I'm sorry, Daring. You've been grounded ever since that wing injury you got last week! You know you're no good in the air now!" the mayor replied. "Like it's stopped me from training my niece!" Daring protested. "She's got a point, Daring. We don't know what's out there and we can't put an injured pony in danger," Cloudchaser insisted. "Ugggh whatever!" Daring snapped, leaving the group and heading back to her cottage across the creek. "Alright, ah think the best course'a action is to send the unicorns and earth ponies to the path through the woods. Pegasi fly overhead an' go in teams. Find any trace of 'em one'a you come find me, the other lead 'em back to the village," Applejack explained. "And if...?" Flitter asked, afraid to finish her sentence. "If... if somethin's happened to 'em... you come an' find me... an' lead me to 'em." Applejack said. "But that ain't gonna happen. Not with all'a us lookin' for 'em. Now let's get goin'!" she ordered, Winona barking in agreement and the herd of ponies immediately headed back into Sandalwood Forest. ~ "Yeah, there's no doubt they went this way," Little Strongheart explained to the group of unicorns and earth ponies as she looked over some water-filled tracks. "They can't be too far, then," Applejack said as Winona sniffed the tracks. "Whoa! Hey, check this out!" Thunderlane's voice shouted from up ahead, prompting the three to rush further along the path to where the pegasus had called from. Entering a small clearing, they quickly saw what had alerted him. "What in the world...?!" The young buffalo stared agape at a pair of trees that looked like something had smashed them apart and left them littered on the path. "What could have done this?!" Applejack asked, her eyes wide with shock as she looked at the large, fallen trunks that lay blocking the path. "Whatever it was, it was big... really big," Little Strongheart said, noticing three massive clawmarks in one of the trunks, as well as a set of massive three-toed footprints that had lead towards it. "You think it may have...?" Thunderlane began. "No, we don't know that!" Applejack replied sternly. "You take the other pegasi an' head down that path. Little Strongheart, you an' the unicorns try an' move this debris outta the way an' look for 'em on the ground," she explained. "Ah'm gonna look fer another way around this path." "Well, I think Roseluck is already down that way," Flitter explained. "Go meet up with her and see if she found anything!" With a nod, Applejack galloped down the path and found the the red-maned earth pony standing in front of a rock formation that made up the path down from the mountains. "I've never seen anything like it..." the florist said, staring up in disbelief. The entire side of the cliff had been torn away, as though something very large and heavy had scaled it. "What could have done this?" "Whatever caused all that damage over by the path, ah reckon," Applejack said. Her attention turned to Winona when the collie suddenly propped herself up along the side of the cliff and began barking frantically. "Winona! What's wrong? What is it?" Winona let out a howl and Applejack squinted her eyes as she noticed something glimmering near the top of the cliffside. Lightning struck suddenly, and Applejack immediately noticed whatever it was had been surrounded by something square-shaped attached to a broken tree, hanging by a broken strap. "Is that...?" Roseluck began. "Rarity's saddlebag?!" Applejack asked, frightened for her friend's safety. "She might still be up there! She might be hurt!" the farmpony cried out. "Ah gotta get up there!" "Applejack... Rarity... the others, too... that thing, whatever it is had to have chased them through here!" Roseluck explained. "I haven't seen any of the forest critters anywhere! Heck, even that hippo pod in the river is missing and it takes a lot to scare creatures that big! Now there's something that's rampaging through here? Oh, the horror!" she shuddered. "Something very bad is going on, Applejack..." "An' ah got a feelin' ah know what, but ah'll explain it later! Right now ah gotta make sure Rarity an' the others're alright!" Applejack paced back and forth in front of the cliffside, trying to find a way up now that the path had been torn away but found nothing; the side now too sheer and damaged to safely climb without any equipment. "Great, now what..." she muttered, sitting down on her haunches and trying to think through the worry and sense of panic forming just under the surface. "What happened here?" a new voice demanded, causing Applejack and Roseluck to turn. "Hmm, I'm gonna guess that you need a way up that cliff?" Daring asked, glancing upward and noticing the object the other two ponies were staring at. "Daring? What're you gonna do about this? You can't even fly right now!" Roseluck replied. "Who says I have to?" Daring asked. "So look, my gear's back at home since I didn't want to lug it here for nothing, I brought a little backup though where I can have my niece bring it to us, though, before you know it!" "That's mighty helpful, but how're we gonna get 'er over here?" Applejack asked. "Good thing you brought Winona, by the way," Daring said as she reached into her poncho and took out a small red cape with a blue and gold emblem on it. "Here's her cape, from that silly club her and your sister are in. I'm sure Winona will be able to track her down easily." The crippled pegasus tied the cape around the collie. "It's got her scent on it. She brings it back to my niece she'll figure out what's going on. I was letting her sleep in since she was tired from our trip out earlier." Daring shook her head. "So much for sleep, now..." she mused. "Think ya can handle this, Winona?" Applejack asked. Winona let out an affirmative bark and gave a sniff of the cape before immediately sprinting off down the trail back to Tazfilly Village to find its owner.