Chapter 23: Already Gone
A few days later, Twilight returns through the gateway. “I take it everything is alright here?”
“We’ve mostly been here guarding the portal for ya Twilight.” Applejack answers.
“You mean none of you have gone to check on Ash or Sweetie Belle?”
“We didn’t see the need.” Rarity answers. “We all remember how our first heat was. Who wouldn’t have wanted to spend it locked up with a stallion if the choice was available.”
Fluttershy raises her hoof. “My first heat wasn’t all that bad, in fact I’ve never been with a stallion in that way.”
“Neither have I.” Rarity states causing the others to look at her. “Forgive a mare for believing in waiting until marriage.”
“I thought you said you spent your first heat locked up with a stallion?” Pinkie asks.
“No, I asked my parents to lock me in my room during my first heat, otherwise I wouldn’t have resisted. I was asking who wouldn’t have wanted to be locked up with a stallion, if the choice had been there.” All but Fluttershy look at the ground. “That’s what I thought, and since we’ve given Sweetie the opportunity after we know she spent the night with him, I figure we didn’t need to worry about them for a week.”
“Wait, let me get this straight.” Twilight says. “You are waiting for marriage, but you have no problem with your sister doing it?”
“It’s her choice.” Rarity says. “She knows the risks and consequences, I’m not going to stop her.”
“I suppose that makes sense, that way you’re not pushing your beliefs onto you sister.” Twilight says. “It has been a few days, you should all head home and make sure everything’s okay. I’m going to rest for a best, the other world is exhausting..”
“I reckon that’s a good idea.” Applejack says and they all go their separate ways.
==========
Applejack arrives at Sweet Apple Acres and finds Diamond Tiara helping Apple Bloom do her chores, a simple silver tiara is on Diamond’s head. “Diamond Tiara what are ya doin’ here?”
Diamond looks at Apple Bloom who speaks up. “She’s helping me with mah chores.”
“I can see that, why?”
Apple Bloom blushes, “She’s mah fillyfriend now.”
Applejack sits down and takes off her hat. “What else have I missed?” Apple Bloom turns so her flank is to Applejack. “Ya got your cutie mark?”
“If it wasn’t for Diamond I might not have gotten it.”
“So your fillyfriends?” Applejack asks.
“After I got mah mark, me and Diamond got to talking and she told me she had feelings for me. I decided that I’d give her a chance.”
“So she’s here helping ya with your chores?” Applejack asks
“I figure if I help get her chores down we can spend the rest of the day together.”
Applejack nods, “I reckon that’d be okay.” She puts her hat back on. “Diamond, what’s with the different tiara?”
“I couldn’t stand the thought of my good one getting dirty when I’m here working, and I feel weird without one so I went and bought this one.”
“I think it looks good on her.” Apple Bloom says causing Diamond to blush slightly.
“Y’all go ahead and head on, I’ll finish up, you deserve a break.”
“Yah sure?” Apple Bloom asks.
“Yeah, go ahead.” Applejack says. “Looks like yer almost done anyway, so take a couple days and spend them with your fillyfriend, I’ll take care of your chores for a couple days.”
Apple Bloom smiles. “Alright Applejack, thanks.” With that the two fillies run off toward the house to get cleaned up.
Applejack finishes up for them then heads to one of the fields to find Big Mac. “I’m back.”
“Eeyup.” He replies.
“Yah know about Apple Bloom and Diamond Tiara?”
“Eeyup.”
“And Apple Bloom’s cutie mark?”
“Eeyup.”
“I told her to take a couple days off.” Applejack says and Big Mac nods. “I’ll take care of her chores, and when she comes back why don’t you take a couple days for yourself?
“Eeyup.” Big Mac says and he and Applejack go back to work.
A short time later Rarity comes into the field rather fast for her. “Applejack, there you are.”
“What’s the matter Rarity?”
“Is Sweetie here?” Rarity asks. “When I got to the Boutique it appeared like she hadn’t been there for a few days.”
“I don’t think so, Apple Bloom said she’d been with Diamond Tiara the last few days.”
“Excuse me did you say Diamond Tiara?”
“I sure did.”
“What is she been doing here?”
“Seems that Diamond helped Apple Bloom get her cutie mark, and now the two of them are fillyfriends.”
Rarity blinks a few times. “I had no idea Apple Bloom was that way.”
“Me either, but I reckon I can’t complain as long as she’s happy.”
Rarity nods. “I know you’re busy, but do you think you can help me look for Sweetie and Ash? I’m worried where they might be.”
“I got a bunch of chores I need to do.” Applejack says.
“Nope.” Big Mac says, “Ya go look for those two, it’s alright.”
“Ya sure about that?”
“Eeyup.”
With that Applejack and Rarity head off.
==========
Applejack and Rarity walk up to Twilight’s castle and enter. “Rarity, Applejack, what are you two doing back?”
“Seems we got ourselves a bit of a problem.” Applejack answers.
“We need to speak with Twilight.” Rarity says, “It’s an emergency.”
Spike nods, and goes to Twilight’s room. “Twilight?”
Twilight wakes from her nap. “What’s the matter Spike?”
“Rarity and Applejack are here, they claim there’s an emergency.”
Twilight quickly gets out of bed and heads down to see her friends, her mane all disheveled. “Hey girls.” Twilight says sleepily.
“Sorry to wake you Twilight, but we have a real problem.” Applejack says.
“What seems to be the problem?” Twilight asks.
“I can’t find Ash and Sweetie Belle.” Rarity says. “We checked all the spots we could think of.”
Twilight’s eyes pop wide open, she suddenly more awake. “All right, give me a few and I’ll see about search spells.” Rarity and Applejack nod. “Why don’t you get the others and do a thorough search of Ponyville? If we can’t find them we need to ask if anypony saw them leave. It’s only been a few days, maybe they haven’t gotten far.”
“Do ya think ya should tell Princess Celestia?” Applejack asks.
“After you’ve searched Ponyville, and if my search spells don’t give us immediate answers, then yes, I’ll write Princess Celestia and tell her what’s going on.”
“Sounds like a plan.” Applejack and Rarity head off to get the others.
A couple hours later, the mane six are all sitting back in the thrones room. “We’ve searched every bit of Ponyville.” Rarity says. “We have to face the truth, they left somehow.”
Twilight nods, “Where any of your gems missing Rarity?”
“Not as far as I could tell.” Rarity answers. “Why?”
“I’m trying to figure out if they could’ve gotten bits from somewhere, my first thought was they might have taken some of your gems to trade.”
Rarity nods, “I’ll go double check, but it didn’t look like anything was out of place.”
“Is there any other way they could’ve gotten bits?”
“Could Apple Bloom or Scootaloo given her some?”
Fluttershy shakes her head. “As far as I know Scootaloo doesn’t have any bits, she’s so happy that she has a home that she hasn’t asked for an allowance.”
“Y’all know we ain’t got much to spare.” Applejack says. “So I doubt Apple Bloom had enough bits to make a difference, but I’ll go to Filthy Rich’s place and ask.”
“Why Filthy Rice’s place?” Twilight asks.
“Apple Bloom and Diamond Tiara and fillyfriends now.” Applejack says.
“Any chance that Sweetie could’ve gotten the bits from Diamond Tiara?”
“I can ask.” Applejack answers. “But do you see Diamond giving Sweetie bits?”
“Not unless Apple Bloom asked her to.” Twilight admits.
“Well, they said they’d been together since the day after you left, they never mentioned seeing Sweetie, but I can ask.”
“Did anypony go ask Tight Schedule if he had any reports of them jumping onto a train?” Twilight asks. “The girls did it once, so it’s plausible Sweetie convinced Ash to do it.”
“I’ll fly over there any ask.” Rainbow Dash says.
“Will you keep an eye out for Scootaloo?” Fluttershy asks. “She said she wanted to check around herself, she’s hoping Sweetie and Ash are hiding from us, and will come out for her.”
“Of course Flutters, not a problem.”
“Fluttershy, any chance Discord will help us find them?”
“I haven’t actually seen him.” Fluttershy says. “My cottage was fine, and my animals were fed, and there was a letter from him saying he had some business to take care of.”
Twilight nods, “Rarity when you go back to the Boutique can you bring me back something of Sweetie Belle’s? I should be able to use it to make a crude tracking spell.”
“Of course Darling.”
“Anything else?”
“Oh, me! Me!” Pinkie says raising her forehoof.
“Yes Pinkie?”
“I got nothing, I just wanted the attention.”
Twilight sighs. “Alright, let’s get to it.”
Rainbow Dash flies to the the train station where she sees Scootaloo. “Hey Scoots, What you doing here?”
“I wanted to see the conductor pony, thought since everypony was used to seeing us together maybe me asking would help jog memories.” Scootaloo answers.
“That’s a pretty good idea.” Rainbow Dash admits as they walk in to talk to the conductor.
“Well hey there you two, what can I do for you?” Tight Schedule asks
“Did my friend Sweetie Belle come through here?” Scootaloo asks.
“Sweetie Belle, Sweetie Belle. Why does that name sound familiar?”
“White unicorn with a lavender mane.” Scootaloo says. “Always causing trouble with me, and a yellow earth pony with a red mane.”
“The Cutie Mark Crusaders!” Tight Schedule says. “That’s why that filly looked familiar!”
“Sweetie Belle came through here then?” Rainbow Dash asks.
“Yeah, couple days ago. She and this unicorn colt, they had tickets for somewhere or other.” Tight Schedule answers and Scootaloo sits down.
“I take it you don’t remember where?” Rainbow asks.
Tight Schedule shakes his head. “My memory isn’t what it use to be, sorry.”
“It’s fine.” Rainbow says then turns to Scootaloo. “I got to go tell Twilight and the others. You be okay to get home yourself Scootaloo?”
Scootaloo nods. “Yeah, I’m just going to sit here for a little. I can’t believe they’d leave without telling me.”
“I’m sorry Scootaloo.”
“It’s fine, I had just thought Sweetie Belle was my friend.”
“She is.”
“Then why’d she leave Ponyville and not tell me?”
“I don’t know Scootaloo, but when we find her you can ask her.”
Scootaloo nods. “Okay.”
“You sure you’re going to be alright?”
“I’ll be fine, I just need some time.”
Rainbow flies off and Scootaloo sits there for a while.Tight Schedule speaks up after a few. “The train from Canterlot is going to be arriving shortly. I have to greet the train, I can’t leave you here miss.”
Scootaloo looks up at Tight Schedule. “Can I go with you?”
“I don’t see why not.” Tight Schedule says and the two of them head to the train platform. “Never know could be your friend coming back.”
“We’ll see.” Scootaloo says. They watch the train come up to the platform.
“Welcome to Ponyville!” Tight Schedule yells. “Mind your step.”
Scootaloo examines the incoming ponies for her friends when she sees a dark blue unicorn colt with a two-tone mane and tail walking toward her. “It can’t be.” She mutters to herself as she walks toward the colt and sees his cutie mark, a blue and white ball of fire. Scootaloo gasps. “Winter Spark?”