The Element of Hope

by Shootingstar212

Chapter 12: The Mayor's Announcement

The sun is setting over the plain field; I've been trying to get this levitation spell right for the past couple of hours. I've improved slightly since I've started, now my magic is able to wrap around the apple, but I'm struggling to lift it up. My magic fades away as I lose focus; I let out a groan of frustration, "Great... I'm getting too distracted..." I say out loud. I wasn't expecting this spell to take so long to even get right once, I'm starting to feel a little unsure about this whole thing.

"Maybe we should take a break? You've been at this for hours," Twilight suggests. She's been trying to give me some tips while I was practising, they've been helping a lot, but not enough for me to actually levitate something.

"But I-" I try to protest before getting cut off by Twilight.

"You're getting frustrated, again. Remember, you need a clear head in order to get this spell right. If you're getting anxious or angry, you'll just be wasting your own time," Twilight puts me in my place. She's the teacher after all, so I should listen to her.

"Fine..." I reluctantly agree.

"You should also give yourself time to restore your magic. Who knows what'll happen to your body if you run out?" Twilight levitates over a bottle of water. I take off the cap and take a swig, the liquid cools me off and rehydrate me.

"What happens when you run out of magic?" I use my sleeve to wipe away the water from my chin.

"Usually, I feel really sleepy, and it gets harder to focus on anything," Twilight tells me before she takes a sip from her own water bottle, "We can't rule out that something different could happen to you since you're a different species."

I chuckle, "Twilight, there's no need to worry. Just because my magic is different, it doesn't mean that anything bad will happen if I use too much," I've never had my magic cause anything harmful to happen to me in my life, so I can say it with confidence.

"Just... Try not to overdo it, please," Twilight frowns. We sit in silence for the next few minutes; I'm at least trying to clear my head so I can get back to practising. My thoughts are interrupted by Twilight speaking, "So... Are you getting used to Ponyville?" She asks.

"Yeah, I'm starting to," I readjust the way I'm sitting so I can get a better look at Twilight, "At first I was really unsure about moving here. I only really did it so I could get away from Manehattan. I honestly didn't really care where I went, as long as it was far away. I didn't really think that this small town would be a good place to go to, but Grandpa insisted I move here because of the old house," When I finished, I remember the night where Grandpa told me about my real family. The more I think about it, the more I realize that the last time we had a real conversation is when I yelled at him. Regret begins to fill my stomach; I completely screwed up that night...

"You talk a lot about your Grandpa... What's he like?" Twilight asks me with an eyebrow raised. This catches my attention and distracts me from the guilt, "You really love him a lot, I just wanted to know what he's like."

"You want to know about good ol Grandpa Goldheart, huh?" I grin at Twilight, "Grandpa's the kind of stallion that believes that you should never try to change who you are and to make sure that who you are is the best you can be. When I was younger, I didn't really listen to that... When I found out I had magic, I just wanted to hide it. I thought 'Maybe if I pretended I didn't have it and acted like everypony else, ponies would like me more.' I wasn't exactly old enough to understand that I couldn't change what ponies thought of me by just pretending that something didn't exist."

Twilight saw I was looking a little down and wanted to change the subject, "You told me a couple days ago that your Grandpa would be proud of you if you learned magic. Did you try to before?"

"Not really..." I think about it for a second, " Grandpa really wanted me to learn how to use my magic, but I just wanted to shut it in and keep it a secret. Grandpa would go on and on about how I could join the Equestrian Guard if I just let him help me. Grandpa really wanted me to follow in his hoofsteps," I scratch the back of my neck.

"Hold on a second. You're Grandpa is apart of the Equestrian Guard? For the Princesses?" Twilight asks with genuine surprise in her voice.

"Definitely not Royal Guard, He worked on a much lower scale than that. Grandpa worked around this area and a little out to the west. That's why he owns a house here, but he retired years ago."

"Did you ever think of joining the Equestrian Guard, like your Grandpa did?"

"You're just full of questions, aren't you?" I tease Twilight, "I'd be lying if I said I never thought it... But look at me... I can't even levitate an apple, what hope do I have of being up with the best Equestria has to offer..."

"Don't say that," Twilight says trying to cheer me up, "So what if your magic isn't the best right now, you just need to practice more."

"I'm not too sure that a little bit of practice will get me up to being on their level. Besides, that job doesn't really interest me right now."

"Practice can go a long way. Look at Rainbow Dash, she's always wanted to join the Wonderbolts, so she practices every day. During the best young flyer competition about two years ago, she even performed the Sonic Rainboom!" Twilight is visibly getting more excited when she talks about it.

"The Sonic Rainboom? I thought that was a myth. Rainbow Dash pulled it off?" I'm dumbfounded. how did Rainbow Dash do it?

"That's right! Rainbow Dash just believed in her own abilities and practised every day. She was so fast that she saved Rarity as well as three Wonderbolt members all at once!"

"No way..." No wonder why Rainbow Dash is always so cocky...

"Twilight!" A voice in the distance calls out. Twilight and I quickly turn our heads to the location of the sound to see a blur flying towards us. Speak of the devil... Rainbow Dash lands on the ground rather harshly, skidding across the dirt on her hooves. Rainbow Dash slows down to a stop right in front of us, "Twilight, we need you to come to town right now." Rainbow Dash says, her breathing is a little harder. Was she trying to look for us

"Did something happen, Rainbow?" Twilight responds with a lot of worry in her voice. This is starting to make me feel a little uncomfortable.

"Mayor Mare is holding an emergency town meeting, everypony has to go," Rainbow Dash fixes her gaze on me, "That includes you."

"Uhh... Okay?" I'm a little confused, we never had any sort of emergency town meetings back home. From the sounds of it, this can't be good.

---

We arrived into town not too long after Rainbow Dash found us. Twilight told me that the town meetings are usually held outside of town hall, so it's more convenient for everypony. I look over to my left and see multiple groups of ponies heading towards the same location we are, some of the fillies and colts are with their parents.

"Maybe I should stand in the back, I'm much taller than the rest," I suggest to Twilight. I think I will be able to see from the back, it's also because I don't want to be crammed beside a bunch of strangers.

"Good idea, I'll join you," Twilight responds, not wanting to leave me alone.

"I guess I will too..." Rainbow Dash begrudgingly agrees.

---

It's been about half an hour since we started to stand in the back row; the sun is set even lower than it was before. I let out a sigh of boredom, I really hope that this doesn't take long, I want to get back to practising levitation magic. Almost on cue, the Mayor of Ponyville walks out onto the platform that has been set up. A pair of stage lights follows her to the podium. Once the mare reaches the podium, she clears her throat into the microphone. The microphone echoes her action, most likely as a test to see if it's working properly.

"Greetings, everypony," The Mayor speaks into the mic. The area falls silent, we're all eager to hear what the Mayor has to say, "I've decided to hold a town meeting here today for a public service announcement. There has been an alarming increase of reports recently on the disappearance of ponies in this town," When the Mayor finishes her sentence, the chatter begins again except this time, it's filled with fear.

"Disappearances?" I lean over to Twilight.

"This is the first time I'm hearing about it..." Twilight begins to think to herself.

"Are our children safe?" A mare calls out from the crowd.

"Do you know who's causing this?" A stallion calls out from a different part of the crowd. A bombardment of questions from the bystanders erupts towards the Mayor.

"Settle down, everypony!" The Mayor begins. After a few seconds, we all stop talking, "That's why I called all of you here today. We need to go over some rules that everypony needs to abide by in order to stay safe. Rule number one: All fillies and colts need to be home by 8:00 pm at the latest. Rule number two: Everypony needs to be accompanied by somepony they trust, whether that be family or friend. Rule number three: If anypony sees any suspicious activity, please report it to the town hall. To answer another question that was asked, no, we currently do not have a suspect on who or what's causing these disappearances. The only thing I can tell you is to look out for any suspicious activity," When the Mayor finishes her speech, I can feel the daggers being thrown my way. I mean, why wouldn't you suspect me in a situation like this? Some creature showing up out of nowhere, followed by the disappearances of ponies in the same town. I look over at Twilight and Rainbow Dash. Twilight has a look of worry on her face, and Rainbow Dash is glaring right at me.

"If something bad happens and I find out that you’re to blame, I suggest you learn how to sleep with one eye open! You got that?" Rainbow Dash's words echo through my mind. She's serious about that threat, huh?

Before I can say anything, Twilight begins to speak, "Rainbow Dash, Travis, I need you two to come with me for a second," Twilight begins to walk away from the crowd of ponies.

"You are all dismissed," The Mayor says. The group of ponies begin to go their own ways, I feel some of them look at me for a second before going back to their own ways. I don't believe this... Even after that party that was supposed to welcome me, ponies still don't trust me. What's going on in the town right now is a serious matter, I might even get arrested if somepony thinks that I did it. I start to walk to where Twilight is heading, hopefully, I can find a way to keep my name in the clear...

---

We arrive at the library a few minutes after leaving the area, the tension still is polluting the air. Twilight calls out, "Spike, are you home?"

"Yep, I've been here for the past few hours," Spike responds from upstairs. Spike comes downstairs, he's holding a comic book in his claw.

"Did you go to the town meeting?" Twilight asks, raising an eyebrow.

"There was a town meeting?" Spike responded sheepishly.

Twilight groans, "Spike, it's getting dangerous out... You needed to hear what Mayor Mare had to say."

"Sorry, Twilight. I was with Rarity all day, I just wanted to come back and relax for a bit..." Spike flips open a page to his comic book and begins to walk back upstairs. Twilight has a look of frustration in her eyes.

"I'll just tell you the information later!" Twilight yells to Spike. Rainbow Dash and I have been just standing there awkwardly for the past few minutes.

"Twilight, you wanted to talk to us? Why couldn't have been just outside?" I ask Twilight.

Rainbow Dash hovers beside me, "Usually we come here after town meetings to discuss... important business," Rainbow Dash says with a serious tone, "The rest of the girls will be here soon."

"Alright... So... Why did you invite me?" Deep down, I know the answer. Twilight probably suspects me of being the culprit behind this ordeal.

"Well, Travis..." Twilight turns around to face me, "I know that you're innocent," Twilight's words leave me in shock. If something like this happened back home, I would've been hunted down, but here's this mare, that I just met a few days ago, saying that I'm innocent.

"What?" Rainbow Dash says with some anger in her voice, "Twilight, how do you know it's not this guy? He's the fishiest one in town, these ponynappipngs started when he showed up!" Ouch, way to lay it on bluntly... But, Rainbow Dash is right. I would be a prime suspect, even if I was a pony. It all just falls in too perfectly for the new pony to show up and suddenly ponynappings begin in that town.

"For once I'm agreeing with Rainbow Dash, how did you know it wasn't me?" I ask.

"That's easy," Twilight begins, "Mayor Mare said that there has been an 'Alarming Increase' in disappearance reports. The key word being 'Increase' it's almost like it's been going on for a while," Twilight begins to pace around the room while she speaks, "Travis arrived here only a couple of days ago. If he were to be the one behind this, he wouldn't have a motive or any hard proof against him. He's got an alibi, he's been with me and the other girls for the past couple of days, so there wouldn't have been any time for him to commit the crime," Twilight finishes pacing when she's done explaining her reasoning.

Rainbow Dash crosses her forehooves while hovering, "I guess you're right..." She says rather frustrated. Part of me is a little bitter at Rainbow Dash right now, but I can't really blame her as she's looking out for everypony. The Library door swings open, and inside walks Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie. Well, Pinkie Pie is hopping instead of walking.

"Sorry, we were a bit late. We got caught up talking about these ponynappings," Applejack says while fixing her hat.

Rarity runs up to me excitedly, "Travis, darling. You won't believe the trouble I went through trying to get your new outfit ready. I think it's some of my best work yet, and you simply must try... it... on..." Rarity awkwardly finishes while we all glare at her, "Right... It's a serious moment," Rarity corrects herself. I guess I know who want's to see me first...

"Well, girls. I know you're all aware of the current situation and I can safely confirm that Travis isn't the culprit behind it!" Twilight says proudly.

Applejack walks up to Twilight and places one of her forehooves on Twilight's shoulder, "Uh... Twi? We already knew that," Applejack bursts Twilight's bubble.

"What?!" Rainbow Dash, Twilight, and I yell in confusion.

"Well, that's what we were talking about before we came over here. It was silly for any of us to think Travis ain't the stallion to do anything like that, he can't even apple buck for cryin out loud," Applejack begins to laugh.

Pinkie Pie hops in front of Applejack, "He's like super scrawny and I mean super-de-duper scrawny," I cross my arms and look away in embarrassment. I can't believe Applejack told everypony about that apple buck I tried to do...

Applejack shoves Pinkie Pie out of the way, "The point is, we know he's innocent."

"Really?" I say in disbelief. It tugs at my heartstrings slightly to know that these girls didn't just jump ship the moment something bad happens.

"That's the honest truth," Applejack winks at me. The gear clicks in my head when she says that. She's the Element of Honesty, so It's safe to assume that she's not an avid lier.

"Anyways, we've got to get to the bottom of this!" Twilight states. We all nod our heads in unison, "This isn't just a ponynapping for a ransom... otherwise, why would they need so many? They didn't leave any evidence or notes for a ransom... There's something much bigger going on than what is being led on," Twilight begins to pace around the room again. I assume this is how she gets her best ideas. Pinkie Pie looks like she's about to explode, she's waving her hoof at a rapid pace in Twilight's direction, "Yes, Pinkie?" Twilight asks.

"Maybe it's for a big-super-surprise party!" Pinkie Pie shoots a party popper out of nowhere, spraying confetti all over the floor.

Twilight groans, "Pinkie! This is serious."

"How do you know that's not what happened?" Pinkie Pie huffs.

"Because parties don't last for upwards of weeks," Twilight responds seriously.

Pinkie Pie sits on her haunches and crosses her forehooves, "Maybe you're just not trying hard enough..."

"We know for sure that it's not a ransom, we also know that it's not a party..." Twilight glances at Pinkie Pie. Pinkie Pie begins to whistle to herself, "How is it that we don't even have a suspect yet..."

I begin to think to myself before being interrupted by a weak voice, "I-I think I..." I didn't quite catch what the rest was. I turn to the voice, and it's Fluttershy who has a suggestion. Fluttershy looks to the floorboards and begins to trace her hoof across them, almost like when I first met her.

"Fluttershy? You got a suggestion?" I ask her. Now everypony has their eyes on Fluttershy, longing to hear what they missed.

"It's probably wrong... So I don't..." Fluttershy's self-confidence has fallen deeper than the roots of this library. I walk up to her slowly and kneel down to look her in the eyes.

"At this point... something is better than nothing. We don't have a single lead on this, so your suggestion could help..." I try to convince Fluttershy to tell me. Fluttershy doesn't respond, it's almost like she ignored me, "Please, Fluttershy..."

Fluttershy looks up at me, part of her mane is hiding her right eye, "Well... I was just thinking that it might have to do with the Changelings that Twilight and Rainbow Dash encountered a few night ago..." The Changelings? Now that I think about it there was something I never asked about that night...

"Twilight," I stand up and face her, "Those Changelings that you and Rainbow were fighting. What exactly were they after?" I never thought about asking Twilight about that before.

Twilight thinks for a second, "Now that you mention it... The Changeling that Rainbow spotted outside of the library wasn't doing anything. It was just surveying us, almost like it was..." Twilight gasps at the end of her sentence, "That Changeling lead us to an ambush of a few more, they never expected you to show up. It was almost like the one that was spotted was keeping guard on us in case we saw what the other ones were doing in Ponyville!" Twilight seems excited that she got all the pieces of the puzzle in the right places.

"There was a book I read a while back called 'Equestria Monsters: Fast Facts.' That's how I knew what attacks the Changelings were going to use in that fight. It also said something about them being able to shapeshift into ponies to conceal their identity." I place my hand under my chin, "It never said why they needed to do that though..."

"Changelings feed off of the love of ponies. About half a year ago, my bother was getting married. The Changeling Queen, Chrysalis, transformed herself into my brother's bride to try to feed off of his love. We were able to defeat them, but I didn't think they would still be alive..." Twilight was confused herself about this whole situation.

"So, let me get this straight," Rainbow Dash began, "The Changelings are ponynapping innocents to feed off of there love?" We all nod our head in confirmation, "That's all I need to hear! Let's kick some bug-brained flank!" Rainbow Dash flies up into the air and begins to throw some jabs.

"It's not that simple," Twilight begins, "We have no idea where their new hive is or where to start looking."

"That's an easy one, Twi," Applejack says, "We just do a good ol stakeout. We wait around Ponyville until we see something suspicious and then we hog tie em faster than a clown at a rodeo!" Applejack laughs at her own joke, while everypony else has no idea what she meant by that.

"You know... That could actually work!" Twilight is getting excited as a plan forms in her mind, "We split off into groups of two, each group will be station around populated areas, it'll be up to each group member to hold their own weight. We look around until we see something suspicious and we take a good look at it, any sign of Changeling magic we have to try to capture it for interrogation!" Twilight finishes her plan with a satisfied smirk on her face, "There's going to be a group with one extra member in it though..."

"Wait! I'm helping with this?" I say rather confused, I thought that these guys could handle this situation, "Well, the more the marrier and don't you need help to make it look like you're not the one who's ponynapping," Twilight raises an eyebrow at me. She's right about that for sure... But, holy shit, the Elements of Harmony want my help with an important mission? That's a serious dream come true!

"I'm in!" I give Twilight a thumbs up.

"Great, then we'll meet back here tomorrow morning," Twilight states.

"Right!" The rest of us all confirm.

So the plan is to just hang around until we see something fishy? Sounds easy enough; I just hope I'll be able to carry my own weight...

Comments

[Starlight Nova]

Does Travis sound like Travis Touchdown from No More Heroes?

[Shootingstar212]

8698642
I imagine Travis sounding like a Yuri Lowenthal character. Travis strikes again hype btw

[Chancegunnett]

I WILL BE A GREAT MAGICIAN!! ╰( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡° )つ──☆*:・ﾟ

[bob1234567]

Yes because the human would abduct pony's it not like you where almost kill by the bug pony's themself only 2 days ago. Really Rambo dash you really are a good detective. Ps yes I ment to put Rambo