The moonlight shined and bounced of the golden royal chariot as it flew through the skies of Ponyville. Duarte and Paita flew the chariot, scanning the landscape for some place to land. Waite and the two other guards looked forward into the distance, looking as professional as possible. The royal guards had to keep their image up for any pony that was restless enough to be up at this hour. Only the rookie, Busby, looked over the town in awe. It been a while since his last visit to Ponyville, the town of which most earth ponies were born, raised, and lost any sanity they were born with... at least to Canterlot standards. Though he'd been absent from there, it didn't take much longer than a good 5 minutes of examination to realize something wrong.
"Um... sir?" Busby said. "Is Ponyville supposed to look so... run down?"
The other guards, letting Busby's contagious curiosity get the best of them, glanced over the sides of the chariot. Sure enough, Ponyville was very short of ruins. Trees lay in the streets, carts and booths were overturned, and some buildings seemed ruined by the trees that crashed into them.
"It must have been the storm." Duarte said, not stopping his search of the area for a landing zone. "I'm not surprised that a tree got uprooted and thrown at a building or two."
"Ok, maybe the storm was that strong, but then why didn't Canterlot get hit with anything?"
"Because Canterlot's isn't made out of that natural material earth ponies are too ignorant to use." Paita responded.
"Hey, I take offense to that." Waite said.
"And even more, you know Canterlot is so much higher than Ponyville. There isn't the Everfree forest completely surrounding it for trees to throw at it."
"Or, maybe the storm didn't hit us as hard as Ponyville..." Busby said.
"Whatever the reason, it happened." Paita said. "Now will you shut up and let us fly?"
"Ok, sorry for being curious." Busby said, looking back over the side of the chariot. Paita glanced back at Busby.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." she said.
"Huh?" Busby asked. "Why?"
"Well, the slightest jolt-" She said, halting her wings for a moment, causing her side to quickly and briefly fall to its side. Busby, the only one who wasn't sitting forward nearly fell over the side. "Could send you to tumbling to your untimely death." She laughed.
The two Moon guards joined in her laughter.
"Professional! The three of you!" Duarte said commandingly, stopping their laughter. "This isn't the time for your little faction rivalries. I expect you to set the example for your subordinates Black."
Black Sheath straitened his face to match the seriousness of Duarte and the situation itself. His second in command, Talon, did the same, looking at Paita.
"Your right Duarte." Black agreed. "Paita. Don't pull something like that again, or you'll have to face a punishment from the princess herself."
Paita turned back to face the ground, rolling her eyes, knowing Princess Luna wouldn't even attempt to punish one of her moon guards; especially over a prank, one of the princess' favorite passtimes. It was, after all, why she was paired with them to begin with, according to the compatibility portion of the guard tests. Paita, much like the other Moon guards, though very serious and cold at points, could be very playful and devious, much like Luna; contrast to the Sun guards, who were commonly serious and more professional, given they were the guild that guarded royalty much longer than the Moons. The nightmare armor was only donned a little before Luna's first visit to Ponyville on Nightmare Night...
The guards were flying around looking for a landing zone with no such luck. Most of the open spots of Ponyville were covered with fallen trees and debris from the storm. One of them might have tried to fly down to do clear a spot, however the only two who could were keeping the chariot from falling to the ground. All they could hope was some pony would notice them. But what nutjob would be up at this time of-
"Hey!" came a voice. Every pony in the chariot's eyes turned to the left as they saw a blue pegasus flying up beside them. From a closer distance, it was easy to tell that it was one of the famed Wonderbolts, Soarin. He flew up alongside the chariot. "What's up you guys?"
"Hey, aren't you one of those Wonderbolt stallions?" Busby asked.
"What? You don't know who I am?" Soarin asked.
"Don't mind him. He's not the smartest tack in the box here." Paita said, trying to overshadow Busby's comment. Much like many other pegasus mares around Equestria, even in Paita's coldness, couldn't resist the allure of having a famous male Wonderbolt flying next to him.
"Hey!" Busby said. "I-I knew who he was. I just didn't recognize him in the light is all."
"Anyway, what are you guys doing flying over Ponyville?" he asked. "Never seen a mix of Sun and Moon guards flying the same chariot. Plus, where's the princesses?"
"You mean you and the other Wonderbolts didn't hear? The princesses are missing!" Waite said.
"For real? I thought that was just a false alarm, or some kind of drill. I didn't think that you guys were for real on this." Soarin said.
"Wait a sec, how would he know about any of this?" Busby asked.
"Wonderbolts are just as important as the guards, idiot." Paita said. "How did you even pass the tests without knowing basic knowledge like that?"
With a little studying and lots of glancing at other tests. Busby thought, remembering how close he'd come to nearly failing the test. All he'd managed to retain was a few stories, and extremely general guard information. Luckily, one of the other takers wasn't smart enough to keep his paper covered. Truth be told, he should have failed.
"Soarin. We need you wake up some ponies and get some help to clear out the debris down there." Duarte said. "Can you do that?"
"Sure. Spits and Echo are already up, and so is pretty much every other pony out here." he explained.
"Everyone's still awake?" Duarte asked.
"Yeah! That storm was insane!" Soarin asked.
So was the pegasus who made it... Busby thought.
"No pony could sleep with all that racket all night." Soarin said. "And even after that, who could sleep in chills like this?"
"Chills like what?" Busby asked.
"Are you kidding? It's freezing here! You probably can't feel it under that heavy armor." Soarin said
Before Soarin could hear another of the guard's question, he flew down to the town. Within minutes, he'd gathered the two other Wonderbolts Spitfire and Echo, along with a few stallions to clear the trees. Once the zone in the center of Ponyville was cleared, Paita and Duarte landed the chariot in the clearing beside the Ponyville fountain. Once they were grounded, the guards exited the chariot to confront their helpers. Naturally, the Wonderbolts stepped up to confront the guards. Their leader, Spitfire, was the first to speak.
"Soarin tells me that you've got a princess predicament." she started.
Black nodded. "They're nowhere in the Canterlot castle, or Canterlot in general. They are officially missing."
"Really... about how long ago has it been since her disappearance." Spitfire asked.
"That's a good question." Duarte said looking at Busby. "Our rookie didn't check up on her regularly... all we can assume was that it was between 20 minutes ago, and yesterday afternoon."
Busby scratched his neck, feeling a little nervous as the Wonderbolt looked him down. "You don't have any useful information for us Mr..."
"B-busby. Busby Sword, Ms...."
"It's Spitfire, Busby. Spitfire." Paita sighed.
"I knew who she was. It's the light, I swear." Busby said, a bead of sweat dropping down the back of his neck from all of the attention directed at him. "A-and no. I didn't even see her at the beginning of my shift."
"You should have notified us the moment you noticed she was gone." Duarte said. "The royal guard handbook says that if either of the princesses aren't in a scheduled spot-"
"I know, I'm sorry." Busby said, knowing he didn't know a word of the guard handbook "I just figured she was out doing... princess things, I don't know. I didn't think it was that important."
Though Duarte seemed ready to scold Busby even further, Spitfire cut in. Rather than joining in the discipline lecture, she smiled. "A rookie mistake for a rookie's first day. Lay off him Knighty."
"I hate when you call me that." Duarte said, looking to Spitfire who smiled goofily.
"He hates it when I call him that too. So I just call him it behind his back." Waite whispered into Busby's ear.
"Oh yeah! I remember. You used to hate that back in flying school too. Kept getting referred to some other colt by the same name." Spitfire reminisced.
"Spitfire."
"But I hear he got in with this weird thing with the magic-net. Something about fanfic-"
"Spitfire!" Duarte. "I believe you've forgotten the graveness of this situation. Do you realize we could be facing a national crisis if we don't find the princesses soon?"
Spitfire was brought out of her memory, bringing back her seriousness. "Alright. What do you plan to do here then?"
"Two things. First thing's first is to locate the Elements of Harmony and their bearers. If we are facing something like Nightmare or even another Spirit Draconequus like Discord... then they will be needed to stop them."
"And two?" Spitfire asked.
"We need to investigate the town. See if they know anything in relation to the Princesses' location. Next to Canterlot, this was her favorite town, considering her pupil, Ms. Sparkle chose it as her home." Duarte explained. "If we were to find some kind of lead, it would be here."
"Makes sense." Spitfire said. "Then I guess it'd be best if we split up into groups. My wonderbolts and I will assist you in your investigation. After all, it's our job."
"I thought your job was to fly around and do tricks?" Busby asked.
"We've got many fields to cover Busby." Spitfire explained before Paita could open her mouth again. "Combat and military, science, and entertainment. We're her protection, her investigators, and her... entertainment for all needs. Whatever they may be..."
"Oh." Busby said. He kept his mouth shut, noting the glare of Paita, keeping him silent.
"In any case, if we're going to get this done fast, we've got to split up into groups." Spitfire said.
Duarte nodded. "Divide and conquer. Do you suggest any specific groups."
"Yes, actually. A sun guard, a moon guard and a wonderbolt." Spitfire said. "Ponies are used to sun guards from Celestia's visits... however, they aren't as used to moon guards. Trust me, the first thing they think when they see that bat armor is 'Nightmare Moon'. And let's all be honest, the thing's creepy as hay."
Black shrugged. "I think it looks kind of cool."
Spitfire shook her head. "I doubt the ponies around here will share your opinion. In any case, that's what I think. At least with two positives to counteract that negative will make this as successful as possible."
"Fine then. Who will you chose for your group."
Spitfire looked at all of the guards. "... Busby aaannnddd Paita."
"You’re kidding, right?" Busby asked.
"Seriously? With this rookie?" Paita asked.
"If I'm not mistaken Paita, but you’re not that far off from a rookie yourself. You were only enlisted a month ago."
Paita grumbled something.
"Wait, so you’re new here? Then why-"
"Can it Buster."
Bubble? Buster? What will they think of next?
Spitfire smirked. "I figured you two would be an interesting pairing."
"They're not for your entertainment Spitfire." Duarte said.
"Oh no, of course not. They just seemed like they needed some... team building." she said.
"We're not even on the same team. He's a sun guard and I'm a moon guard. He's an idiot and I'm-"
"A bitch?" Busby blurted out.
Within a second Paita tackled Busby to the ground, pinning him there, trying to punch him while Busby blocked with his hooves. Waite facehooved as the helping stallions, Soarin and Echo chuckled along with Spitfire. Duarte glared at Spitfire who stopped laughing.
"What? I'll keep them focused, don't worry." Spitfire said, unable to hold in her grin.
"...despite your skills Spitfire, I will never be able to figure out why Celestia chose you as her right hoof mare."
"I know right. I'm just terrible." Spitfire said, walking over to Busby and Paita. "C'mon love birds. We've got work to do."
"We're not love birds!" They both said, before glaring angrily at each other.
***
The groups had been made: Soarin went with Duarte and Black, Echo went with Waite and Talon, and Spitfire went with Busby and Paita. Their plan was as follows: each of them would look for two of the elements of harmony, and meet back at the town square to discuss their findings. Soarin's group was to look for Pinkie and Fluttershy, Echo's group was to look for Twilight and Rarity, and finally Spitfire's group was to look for Applejack and Rainbow.
As the three groups split up, Spitfire saw it best to search for Applejack first, as they headed down the path of apple trees. They passed by the sign that said "Sweet Apple Acres" indicating they were getting close to the main farm house. Likely, that was where the Element of Honesty would be residing. Spitfire looked around at her surroundings, noticing there were actually a few apple buckers still out. Spitfire assumed that they were trying to keep warm from the odd chills she and numerous other ponies had been feeling.
Spitfire looked back on her little investigation team. They looked in each other's opposite directions at the trees they were passing by. Paita looked out of sourness and annoyance of being paired up with Busby. Busby looked out of apprehension and fear that Paita may attack him again if he so much as glanced in her direction. Spitfire saw it best to make some conversation.
"So... you said this was your first day on the job?" Spitfire asked.
Busby looked up at the mare. "Yeah. Some first day."
"Don't worry. This kind of stuff happens with the princesses every so often. Especially with that crazy group of mares she's gotten herself with."
"You mean the Main 6?"
"I thought guards were supposed to refer to them as the 'Elements'?" Spitfire asked.
"Psh. Like he read a page of that handbook." Paita commented coldly.
"It's fine." Spitfire said, looking forward again. "Main 6 is a little catchier anyway."
"Do you know them?" Busby asked, kicking a rock that was in the path.
Spitfire looked up at the sky, as if she were reaching for a memory. "Uh... somewhat." she finally said. "One of them has actually caught my interest."
"Y...you don't mean like-"
While Paita gave Busby another glare, Spitfire chuckled. "No, not like that." she said. "Still though, it's not out of the question Rainbow thinks otherwise."
"Rainbow Dash? You mean the running winner of the Best Young Flier's competition." Busby asked.
"I can't believe you don't know a Wonderbolt, but a little winner of a stupid contest." Paita said.
"Hm. Let me think. A generic celebrity, or a savior of Equestria. Which one should be more familiar?" Busby shot back. Paita growled at him, in which Busby flinched back. "Don't hurt me."
"Thinking about it." Paita said, giving one last glare before looking back at the trees.
"Anyway, the mare's been trying to get in with us for... Celestia, as far as I can remember." she said. "I've been thinking and discussing with the other Wonderbolts on what they think. Apparently Soarin says yes because of her skill, enthusiasm and dedication... but between you and me, I think he just wants to have a third mare in the group. Echo says no because she question's the mare's focus and well... sexuality. Unfortunately that kind of thing can cause issues in the workplace."
"Huh." Busby coughed.
"Personally, I'm not sure for a couple reasons... but in the end, the vote has to be unanimous for such an important role." Spitfire finished. "Still though, I could see Echo softening her decision up in a few months. Not like she doesn't have her own mare-" Spitfire sneezed. "Anyway, who knows? We might just have a fourth Wonderbolt by this Fall..."
"Ok." Busby said. "Spitfire?"
"What?"
"Just curious... what are you doing in Ponyville? Don't you live in Canterlot or Cloudsdale or something?"
Spitfire shook her head. "Wonderbolts don't really have a home. Wither it's a mission or a show, we're always on the move. Just happened to be in Ponyville for a show that was scheduled for this morning into the afternoon."
"...but there won't be a morning if we can't find Celestia."
"All the more reason to stay focused and work together to get this investigation done as quickly as possible." Spitfire smiled. Paita grumbled something while Busby looked at the mare and nodded positively. "Over there. That looks like the farmhouse."
As the three of them came up on the farmhouse, they saw numerous lights lit inside of the house. Just like the applebuckers, it seemed like the main Applefamily seemed to be up. Spitfire knocked on the door.
"Applejack!" Spitfire called. "This is Wonderbolt Spitfire! Open up!"
"Ah cin here's ya jes fine!" A voice came from inside. It wasn't Applejack's however, rather it was a much more elderly sounding voice. "Now jes hld up here... les se, how does this confounded doohickie work?"
"The knob ma’am." Spitfire said.
"Ah knows how ta us a door, yeh whipersnapper."
"Sorry." Spitfire said.
There was a few scratching noises from the inside of the door before the knob finally turned and opened, revealing a lime colored pony with a piece of pie as a cutie mark.
"Ye-yesh." Granny Smith asked in her old voice.
"Yes, sorry to bother you at such a late hour but, we're looking for-"
"N-n-nightmare!" she screamed, pointing at Paita.
Paita raised an eyebrow. She then gave a toothy grin showing off her vampire like teeth she'd obtained by putting on the armor.
"Paita!" Busby said.
"H-head for th' hills!" she said, slowly trying to run past them.
"Ma’am." Spitfire said, trying to stop her. Before the pegasus mare could get another word in, Granny gasped before falling to the ground.
"Dear Celestia! Is she alright?" Busby asked, fearful the mare had just literally had the life scared out of her. Spitfire put her ear to her mouth.
Spitfire sighed. "She's fine. Just fainted is all. I'm going to see If I can't wake her up. In the meantime, you two see if you can't find anyone else to ask about Applejack."
Busby nodded as Spitfire began lightly shaking the elderly mare to wake up. The two guards left to venture further into the farm.
"That was stupid! What were you thinking."
"Hmph." Paita said.
"You could have killed that mare!"
"Whatever." she said, not giving a second look at Busby. "She's gonna be dead by morning anyway."
"Paita!"
"What? She's old. Old ponies do that."
"Your such a-"
"Say it. I dare you." Paita glared at Busby, who decided to keep his mouth shut.
They both walked for a while past the trees, their only light being emitted from the moon above them. They saw shadows of generic looking applebuckers neither of them believed would know anything of the Element of Honesty. All they looked like were ponies trying to keep themselves warm through labor. Finally, they came across one that was closer to them. He was red with a large green apple on his flank and a yoke around his neck. He bucked apples more professionally than what the guards had witnessed so far. The stallion looked important.
Busby ran up to the red stallion.
"Sir?" Busby said, standing in front of the tree the stallion was bucking. He seemed to ignore him.
"SIR?" Busby said at a higher volume. The stallion sighed in a manner that seemed somewhat depressed. He stopped bucking the tree and went over to confront the guard. "Uh... sir?"
The stallion stared blankly at Busby. Busby stared back, as though caught in a trance. He shook his head. "Sir, I am... looking for some pony." he didn't respond. Busby was getting somewhat nervous from his stone face. "Err... her name is Applejack? The Element of Honesty? Are you two related?"
It was a few seconds before the stallion finally responded. "Eeeyup."
Well, we're making some progress. Busby thought.
"How exactly."
"'Err brother." he said flatly.
"Listen you." Paita said. "You'd better quit that silent talk when you have two guards talking to you.
"Ah reckon ah don't have ta speak ta either of ya." the stallion said, not changing his face. "Ah know mah rights."
"Paita, stop or we're not gonna get anything out of this pony." Busby said. Turning back to the stallion. "Ignore her. She's got issues."
Paita glanced at Busby. Something told the stallion he was in for another beating for that.
"Please. What's your name sir?"
"...Big Macintosh." he said finally.
"Right. Now we're looking for your sister. Do you-"
"Nope." he said.
"No? You mean you don't know where she is?"
"Ah reckon ah do, but ah don't right care 'bout 'er righ' bout now."
"What? What are you talking about? What's wrong?" Busby asked.
"Ah..." he turned away. He seemed to be tearing up, though the look quickly faded. His face was left with a softer looking one than before. "its mah other sister."
"Your other sister?" Busby asked. "Is it another Element?"
Big Mac shook his head. "It's mah... little, little sister. She's jus' a filly. She... ain't come home yet."
"You mean she's lost?" Busby asked. "I'm sure that's not a problem. She-"
"Was supposed to come back over 14 hours ago." Big Mac cut off. "No pony's seen mane no tail of Applebloom."
Applebloom's her sister? Huh, what a coincidence. The sister of an Element releases a demon while her older sister has to put it back... Busby thought.
"Not in Ponyville?" Busby said.
"Nope." he said, bowing his head.
"...well, is there any place beside Ponyville she could be?" Busby asked.
Big Mac shook his head. "Checked every inch a th' farm. Nothin."
"Anyplace we could look for clues?"
"Busby, you’re getting side tracked. We're supposed to be looking for the Elements."
"We've got time. Besides, just look at this guy?" Busby said, pointing at Big Mac's saddened face. "Even more, who knows? Maybe the Elements are all somewhere holed up with her sister."
"Clues?" Big Mac asked. He thought for a moment. "Well... there's always 'er little Tree house she goes ta wit' 'er little friends. Checked their earlier mahself, but didn't find th'm in there. Didn't bother lookin for no clues though."
"Well, it's at least worth a look see." Busby said. "Is it far?"
Big Mac shook his head. "Nah. It's over yonder." he said, pointing to a path of trees.
Paita groaned at the detour from their investigation as they both followed Big Mac to the tree house. Once they were there, Busby looked in awe.
"Did... did your sister and her friends build this by themselves." Busby asked.
"Fer th' most part, eeyup."
"They must be some talented fillies."
"Yet they still ain't got their cutie marks."
"Not yet? Ouch." Busby said. "Ah well, I'm sure they'll get it eventually.
"That's wha' every pony tells 'me. Still, they're always doin' crazy stunts ta get 'em on their flanks."
"Like what?" Busby asked.
"Ah... Ah'd rather not get inta it." Big Mac said. "Let's just say they're crazy and dangerous, n' leave it at that."
"Fair enough." Busby said as he began walking up the thin ramp to the door. Being made for small fillies, he was almost afraid the ramp would break underneath his hooves. Thankfully, he made it up to the top. When Busby tried the door, he learned that it was locked.
He looked back down at Paita. "Hey! Let me see your sword!"
"What? NO!" Paita said.
"I need it to get inside! I'm sure there's something important in there." Busby said.
"In a little filly's playhouse? Doubtful it has anything to do with the fate of Equestria, Buster."
"Yer name's Buster?" Big Mac asked.
"No! It's... Give me the damn sword Paita."
"You know what? Here." Paita said. "If it will get you to shut up, take it."
Paita threw the sword at Busby, nearly cutting his head off before the stallion ducked. The sword stuck into the wood of the tree house. "Hey! That could've killed me!"
"And nothing of value would have been lost." Paita said. "I want that back when you’re done."
"Yeah yeah." Busby grumbled as he used his magic to take the sword out of the wood. He put the sword to the door. Sorry little fillies. he thought before swinging the sword at the door. It only took a few swings before he cut through, breaking down the door. Once the opening was made, he carefully stepped through the door barely able to fit a grown stallion of his size.
Once inside he examined the room. Everything was smaller than him naturally. There was a table, a small magic-electric Simple Bake Oven, a window, a bookcase and a few pictures scattered around the tree house.
Hmph. Cozy. he thought.
Careful not to destroy any more of their hard work, Busby went over to two things hanging on the wall. On one side was a crudely drawn map of Ponyville... at least that's what he thought it was. Several buildings were indented to be important, such as the Sugarcube Corner, Sweet Apple Acres, the Carousel Boutique, the Library... all of which had a name of an element beside each. Busby noted a newer looking one that seemed to be at the edge of Ponyville. It was a cliff... and rather than a name, it just had an arrow that said Launch.
On the other side, Busby noted a list of items labeled Cutie Mark Crusader Cutie Mark Attempts. It had a bunch of items listed on it, most of which the guard couldn't identify because they were crossed out. There was one thing that Busby could read at the bottom. Next to the name Scootaloo It said Cutie Mark Crusader Paper Airplane with a little "Yay" written at the side in purple crayon. Next to that was a note saying Ask Pinkie for over-sized pieces of paper. She has weird stuff like that.
"Hey! You finished looking at children's toys?!" Paita called.
"Give me a sec!" Busby called back, continuing to look around. On the table, he found some plans... much like the other documents in the tree house, it was easy to tell it was made by little kids, likely the CMC themselves. The plans vaguely depicted a paper airplane. From what he could tell, it was quite a large one, indicated by the measurements listed on its design. There was a checklist on the side of items needed to create the beast... and all of them were checked. "Hm..." Busby picked up the piece of paper and stuffed it in between one of his plates of armor. Something told him it was important.
Finding nothing else of use in the little tree house, he left.
"Here's your stupid sword back." Busby said, tossing it down to the mare, before coming down himself. "Now, about the Element's location..."
"I already asked Buster." Paita said. "Supposedly, she left for some housewarming party with her friends."
"...gonna have to be a little more specific Paita. Where-"
"Ask him yourself." Paita said, motioning her head to the silent stallion.
"Macintosh?"
"Sorry, wish ah could tell you but... she left in such a hurry. Said she was late for meet'n 'er friends at the Everfree forest. I'd guess it was somewhere out there."
"What kind of pony puts a house in the middle of Everfree?" Busby asked.
"Ah don't rightly know, but that's all ah can tell ya." Big Mac said. "Now... did ya find anythin' bout mah sister?"
"All I found was her cutie mark plan for today..."
"And?"
"It was uh... flying on a plane off of a cliff." Busby said, not realizing how bad it sounded until the words came out of his mouth.
Big Mac's eyes contracted, before he closed them and turned away from them. "Ah... need ta go, alri'?"
"I-I'm sure she's fine, Macintosh. Probably somewhere with her little friends, safe and sound. Out of danger of any kind."
"Ah sure hope yer right Buster."
"It's Busby." Busby said.
"Good-bye." Big Mac said, before walking off into the trees. Busby was almost sure he heard a sniffle before he was gone.
Poor guy. I hate to see a grown stallion cry. For his sake, I really hope that Applebloom isn't in any danger.
"Well, if you’re finished wasting time, let's meet back with Spitfire, so we can look for Rainbow." Paita said.
The two of them walked back to the farmhouse, and were met with Spitfire on the way. On her suit were bite marks.
"I'm hoping you two had a little more success than me." she sighed.
"Luna, what happened to you." Busby asked.
"Apparently, the Applefamily has a dog. I guess she's not too fond of a random pony giving her master's CPR."
"Huh. Well, we did find something actually." Busby said.
"Yes, she went to some kind of housewarming party in Everfree."
"House warming..." Spitfire thought out loud. "... in Everfree forest? That does sound familiar. C'mon, we need to see if we can't find Rainbow Dash now. If she's not where I think she is, then I'm sure I'm right."
With that, she walked off to the exit of the farm back to Ponyville, followed by Paita and Busby...
***
Once they were back in Ponyville, their next goal was to reach Rainbow. The mare usually stayed in her cloud mansion up in Cloudsdale, far out of their way. In order to save time, Spitfire came up with a second place to look.
"Are you sure this mare is a good lead for Rainbow's location?" Paita asked.
Spitfire nodded. "Of course. Next to her Mane 6, Ditzy Hooves is one of Rainbow's closest... friends, I suppose is a good way to put it."
"Really?" Busby asked.
"Yes. Every so often, when Rainbow decides to stay in Ponyville for a night, she usually picks Ditzy's home."
"A grown mare staying over another grown mare's home with no notice? That sounds kind of-"
"Ms. Hooves is married, Busby."
"... it still could-"
"To a stallion." Spitfire said.
"...still. I could see that kind of thing happening."
Spitfire chuckled. "I doubt that the Doctor is that kind of stallion, but let your imagination go crazy Busby... just not while we meet her."
"Huh? Why? I-I mean, is there a specific reason?" Busby asked.
"Yes. Ms. Hooves has an eye condition that I'm not sure how sensitive she is about."
"You sure know quite a bit about this mare. You friends with her?" Paita asked.
Spitfire shook her head. "No, but when you make as many weather mistakes as that mare, or have eyes like hers, you get known, trust me. I think this is the place." She said, knocking on the door.
"Hooves? Are you in there?"
"Hold on! Be there in a sec!" came a voice. It was adult and female... the three of them assumed it to be Ditzy. The sound of flapping wings was heard from inside of the house, followed by a crash. "Oh no! I'm so sorr-"
"It’s fine Ditzy." said another voice. It was male, so it could only be assumed that it was Ditzy's husband, Doctor Hooves. "That wasn't that important for the machine anyway. Just go answer the door."
The sound of more wing flapping was followed by the opening of the door. There revealed a grey coated mare with yellow crossed eyes. She greeted them with a warm smile. Only noticing the eyes, Paita burst into a fit of laughter. Busby shook his head. Spitfire ignored the both of them.
"Hello Ms. Hooves. Can we speak to you for a bit?"
Ditzy's smile faded as she noticed the two guards.
"I-i can't be arrested. I didn't do it!" She said, taking a step back.
"What?" Spitfire asked.
"I was in my house the whole storm! It couldn't have been my fault! Honest!"
"The storm... what are you talking about?" Spitfire asked.
"Y-you aren't here to arrest me?" Ditzy asked.
"Why would we?" Busby asked. It took a moment for him to remember something. "Oh yeah... you were that mare I read about in the Equestria Daily? The one who made that huge storm a while back?"
"I didn't mean to! I just kind of thought that some clouds were supposed to go one place... and they weren't really supposed to go there. It was supposed to be a little rain, but it turned into a big thunderstorm I'm-"
"Hold up, hold up. We're not here to arrest you." Busby said.
"Unless you want us to." Paita added.
"Forget her. We just want to talk is all. That's it."
"Oh... ok." Ditzy said calming down.
"Are you alright there Ditzy?" Doctor Hooves called.
"I'm fine! Just got a little scare is all." she said.
"Now... why don't we start by properly introducing ourselves." Busby said. "You probably already know Spitfire."
"Every pony knows Spitfire!" Ditzy said happily.
"Every pony except him." Paita commented.
"Anyway, My name is Busby Sword. My friends call me Busby..."
"Or Bubble." Paita added.
"Or Buster." Spitfire finished.
"Just Busby." Busby said.
"And I'm Paita. That's all you need to know cross eyes."
Spitfire glanced at Paita before looking back at Ditzy, who merely smiled at the comment.
"And I'm Ditzy Hooves. But you can call me what every pony else calls me. Derpy!" she grinned.
"Derpy huh?" Spitfire asked.
"Sounds offensive." Busby said.
"Sounds appropriate." Paita said.
"I thought it was kind of a cool name. Took a little while for me to get it though." Derpy said.
Paita opened her mouth to insult the mare again, but Spitfire glared at the mare. She kept her mouth shut.
"Any who, what can I do for you?" she asked.
"We were... looking for a pony. Rainbow Dash? Any idea where she is?" Busby asked.
"Rainbow Dash?" Derpy asked. She frowned and shook her head. As she did, her eyes went cross eyed again. "No, I haven't seen her since yesterday when I last spoke to her. She said she was-"
"Headed to a housewarming?" Paita finished.
"Yeah! At that really big mansion all of Ponyville was talking about." Ditzy said.
A light bulb went off in Spitfire's head. "That's what I heard about! A giant mansion built and owned by some pony named Specter Yams, or something."
"Do you have any other information about the mare's location? Like where the mansion is?" Paita asked.
Ditzy went cross eyed again as she thought. "Mmmmm. No. No, just that it's in Everfree."
"Everfree is kind of big. We're not gonna find it that easy, even in the moonlight." Paita commented.
"I'm sorry." Ditzy said bowing her head.
"Hey, It's not your fault. You did give us some useful information." Busby smiled.
"Define useful." Paita commented.
"Dear Celestia, shut that hole in your face!" Busby said angrily.
"Wanna fight Buster?" Paita said, pushing Busby. The stallion was one who learned it was never good to fight a mare back... but for those moments, he was seriously considering it. Even if it did earn him a whaling on Paita's part.
Busby took a deep breath and turned back to Ditzy. "Well, we'd better head off."
"Yes. We've got to meet back with our own friends. You have a good night Ms. Hooves."
"...wait!" she called as the three of them began to walk away. They all turned back around to face the mare. "I-I just remembered something else!"
The three of them looked at each other before walking back over to the mare.
"What is it?" Spitfire asked.
"I... I'm not sure how useful this is, but... Rainbow had a fan."
"A fan?" Busby asked. "Well, she is an Element of Harmony. I'm sure she'd have plenty of those."
Spitfire shook her head. "The Elements were a big deal when they were shown again. Nowadays it's just old news. They were only heroes for a month or two, and they went back to being normal mares. Anyway, who is this fan?"
"Her name was um... Scootaloo, I think."
"Scootaloo?" Busby asked. "Did she also have a friend named Applebloom? Applejack's sister"
"Yeah, and a third one named Sweetie, I think she's Rarity's sister. Visits from Canterlot? Has Ponyville like a second home?"
That's what the third filly's name was! Another sister of harmony huh?
"So, what about this Scootaloo?" Busby asked.
"Well... I'm not sure, but if any pony knows where that mare is, it's her. Scootaloo was like a sister to her. She knows everything about the mare... if any pony were to tell the exact location of the mansion, it would be her."
"Sorry, Derpy. Call it a hunch, but I think she's missing along with her two other friends." Busby said.
"What? A-are you sure?" Ditzy asked.
Busby nodded. He explained what had happened back at Sweet Apple Acres.
"Oh, that's terrible. I'm sure her brother and grandmom must be worried-"
There was an explosion from inside of the house. "No Dinky! You don't play with that! No-" Doctor Hooves said. There was another explosion. "Dinky go to your room now!"
"Sorry dad!" the sound of a filly came. She didn't sound that sorry.
"Um... Derpy? What's going on in there?" Paita asked suspiciously.
"Huh? Oh nothing. Nothing at all." Ditzy said, crossing her eyes again.
"Do you mind if we come in?" Busby asked, joining in Paita's suspicion.
"Well, it's getting really late." she said. "I got to go deal with something. See you guys later." With that, she closed the door on them in a rush. Whatever was going on in there, had to be something weird...
"Oh well. Let's head back to the square." Busby said.
"You head forward Busby. We'll catch up." Spitfire said.
"We?" Paita asked.
"Gotcha." Busby said beginning his started walking to the square.
"You." Spitfire asked.
"What." Paita asked.
"I'm not sure what your deal is. You’re acting as sour as a bad griffon." Spitfire said. "What do you have against the ponies we've met tonight?"
"Nothing." Paita said.
"Then what?" Spitfire asked.
"It's nothing alright? Now we're wasting time. We've got to go. See if any pony else found anything useful."
Spitfire squinted at the mare, before finally following Busby on the way to the square. Paita followed.
***
Duarte, Echo and Soarin were waiting with the rest of the guards at the chariot.
"There you three are. Did you run into any trouble during your investigation?" Duarte asked.
"For the most part..." Spitfire looked back at Busby and Paita. "No... it was pretty successful. Then again, we didn't find out much besides they went to some mansion somewhere in Everfree."
"Nothing more?" Duarte asked.
"Nothing more." Spitfire sighed.
Duarte hit his hoof against the chariot.
"I guess your investigations didn't yield any results?" Spitfire asked.
"Besides the information you gathered, all we have is this." he said, showing the three a purple looking box. He opened it to reveal several necklaces and a big crown thingy.
"What's this?" Busby asked.
"You’re kidding right?" Paita asked.
"These are the Elements of Harmony. They were used to defeat Nightmare and Discord. Don't you remember even that?"
"I remember. I just forgot what they looked like is all." Busby said.
Duarte shook his head.
"Anyway, how did you find them?" Busby asked.
"A little birdy told me." Duarte said.
"I thought it was an owl?" Soarin asked.
"And an annoying one at that. I was almost ready to cut that thing in half." Black said, looking at his own sword, sheathed on his side.
"Probably would have if Duarte didn't stop you-"
"Anyway, I thought that these would prove useful if we were to come across one of the Terrors of Equestria."
"But they can only be used by the bearers of the Elements right? Bearers we don't have." Talon spoke up.
"I know. It's simply something to have if we do somehow find the mansion the Elements are hopefully at."
There's got to be a way to find the mansion the elements are at. Wait a second..,
"...I think I know how to find it." Busby said.
Every pony looked at Busby surprised.
"Well, this is a first." Paita said.
"Busby, did you find something out that you didn't tell us?" Spitfire asked.
"Speak up stallion! What do you know?" Duarte asked.
"Er... well, it's not something I know per say... more like a theory."
"You coming up with some kind of 'theory'? This I've got to hear." Paita said, getting up close to Busby.
The stallion took a step back. "Well... from what I understand, the bearers of the Elements are... missing. And from our investigation, we also found out that one of their sisters, Applebloom, and one of their fans, Scootaloo are missing too."
"Alright. So there's a bunch of ponies missing. So what?"
"Well... let's just pretend that somehow, the reason that the fillies never showed up in Ponyville, was because they went with their sister or idol. What if they were with them now?"
"Get to the point Busby." Duarte said.
"What if we could find the fillies instead? We'd also find the Elements with them, right?" Busby said.
"Bubble, you don't have some kind of way to track them down... do you?" Waite asked.
Busby nodded. He took out the piece of paper that he found back at the CMC clubhouse. "According to the findings of my own little side investigation, I found out that some time yesterday, likely around the time that Celestia disappeared, three fillies tried to fly a giant paper airplane off of a cliff."
"...why?" Waite asked.
"I think to get their cutie mar- Look. That's not important. What is important is... say their plane actually worked. if we took the same flight path they took in the chariot-"
"We'll be led right to them."
"And the mansion as well." Busby finished.
"Hot hay! That's some great detective work Bubble." Waite said smiling.
"Yes, if you’re right, this just might redeem yourself for tonight's buck up." Duarte said, heading for the chariot along with the other guards. The wonderbolts went to the sides of the chariot, ready to fly beside it.
Busby looked at Paita. "...well?"
"What do you want from me? A hug?"
"...mayb-"
Before Busby could finish, Paita punched him in the muzzle. Not hard enough to knock him down, but just enough to sting like hay. He covered his nose. "Gah! What was that for?!"
"What do you think?" Paita asked.
"I was just hoping maybe we could start over. That maybe we got off on the wrong foot or some- Geeze that stings!"
"I want you to remember something, Buster, and remember it well. I don't like you, and you shouldn't like me."
"Why?" Busby said releasing his grip on his nose. Paita raised her hoof as if ready to punch, causing Busby to flinch.
"I could think of several. I'm a Moon and you’re a Sun. You’re a rookie and-"
"So are you." Busby said. "Look. Paita. I'm not going to hate you alright? If I'm gonna be a guard, Sun or Moon, we're gonna have to learn to work together and dare I say, love each other. Especially when one of our lives are on the line."
"Ha! I'll break my own leg off before I even think about liking you Busby." Paita said, heading to the chariot.
"My fore legs are wide open if you change up Paita!" Busby said, taking his own seat in the chariot.
"Now, if you two are done, Busby, could you please guide us to the cliff? You do know where it is right?" Duarte asked.
"I think it's over, up on that big hill. In that direction." Busby said pointing.
The chariot flew up into the air, with the Wonderbolts flying right beside it. What would have taken a pony at least an hour to reach the hill and climb up to its cliff, took the chariot about 5 minutes. Once up there, they noticed that there was a large line leading from one part of the cliff to its. No pony could deny it looked like a giant knife had been dragged along it... or more likely, the base of a paper airplane.
"Well what do you know. The rookie was right." Duarte said. "Alright all of you listen up! Keep an eye out for the mansion as we fly. We can't afford to miss it alright? Let's go!" he said before launching the chariot in the same direction as the plane.
Little did Busby, or any guard for that matter know, that they'd just figured out the mystery that would lead to the horrors... of Yield Manor.