Twilight sat alone in the bedroom trying to read one of the books she had bought from the festival.
Ancient Scroll had come in earlier and told her he was heading into town again on an errand. Focused on her brother's well-being as she was, she paid it no mind and instead had stayed in the bedroom with her own thoughts.
She had still been agonizing over where Shining Armor was and whether or not he was okay, when Sunset had suggest reading something to take her mind off of things. As much as the lavender filly loved to read, she had initially doubted that would work.
Nevertheless, she had bought some new books and figured now would be as good a time as any to start reading them in earnest. Both Trixie and Sunset had opted to leave her alone for the rest of the day at Sunset's suggestion and while she was grateful for the solitude initially, she was soon beginning to miss the company.
So it was that she sat there on the bed that night, reading the same passage on the migration habits of the caribou tribes in the far northeast for the sixth time now and not really taking in any of it.
She sighed and shut the book.
She set it aside next to the other four books she had been trying to read and rolled over on to her back to stare at the ceiling. She couldn't focus on any of the books with these thoughts constantly running through her head, and that galled the lavender filly.
She already knew ruminating on things beyond her control was pointless, but she couldn't help it. She had always been that way and -- while her friends and Ancient Scroll had been a great help in curbing that habit -- it hadn't gone away completely and she didn't think it ever would.
She frowned and closed her eyes.
If she couldn't stop thinking about the situation, she might as well try to approach it in a different way.
A more productive way.
Rather than pointlessly worry about where Shining Armor was and whether or not he was okay, she instead thought about what she could do about it.
What could she do that was still within her power?
What did she have at her disposal?
Assuming he was alive, how would she even go about finding him and if she did, what would she do?
Twilight clenched her teeth and growled in frustration.
She didn't know enough to make any sort of plan of action, and on top of that, she was apparently well known in Canterlot. She had found out that ponies were actively looking for her and her brother.
Her eyes widened in realization.
If ponies were looking for her brother, then -- again, assuming he was alive -- they would most likely bring him back to Canterlot if they found him. Up until now, Twilight had assumed getting found and being dragged back to Canterlot would only hinder her and ruin any chance of staying with her friends and Ancient Scroll.
But would that really be the case?
If she was brought back to Canterlot, maybe she could both find out more about what happened to her brother and beg the Princess to let her stay with...
No.
That wouldn't work.
If that traveling couple was to be believed, the Princess herself was sponsoring the search for her and her brother. If she were on her own, she would gladly allow herself to be taken back to Canterlot to face the Princess and finally get some answers.
But she had friends that she had to think about, now.
Even if she did find a way back to Canterlot, she doubted she could keep it a secret from Sunset, Trixie, and Ancient Scroll. They would all insist on coming with her and -- contrary to what they had planned previously -- she felt she couldn't put Sunset at risk for a chance that Shining Armor might be in Canterlot... or could she?
No, she couldn't.
She desperately wanted to see her brother, but at the same time, she'd never forgive herself if something happened to Sunset or Trixie in the process.
She couldn't sneak out and travel all the way to Canterlot on her own, she didn't believe for a second that she could make it -- especially since she herself was also being targeted by the ponies who might've taken her brother.
The thought of letting them capture her so she could see Shining Armor briefly crossed her mind before she stamped it out and dismissed it as an incredibly stupid plan that would most likely get her killed more than anything else.
It was as she gave another groan of frustration that Sunset opened the door and trotted into the room.
"Hey, Twilight," Sunset greeted tentatively, "you uh... you feeling any better?"
"No," came Twilight's muffled response as she buried her face in a pillow, "no I'm not."
"Oh," the orange filly replied with a frown, "so the books didn't--"
"They didn't help, Sunset," Twilight interject, finally turning to face the other filly, "thanks for trying to help, but I just can't stop thinking about my brother,"
she looked away and sighed, "I don't know what to do..."
"Twilight," Sunset began as she trotted closer to the bed, "the way we are now, I don't think there's anything we can do except trust that Uncle Scroll will take care of it."
"And just how is he planning to take care of it?" Twilight shot back with a frown, "he doesn't know where Shiny is either."
"That might be true," Sunset conceded, "but he's not a foal. He's been around for a long time and knows a lot, so unlike us, he may have a way to find out."
Twilight stared at Sunset for a moment before looking away with a thoughtful frown.
"I... guess that's true..." she shook her head, "but what is he actually gonna do to help?"
"Well, apparently," Sunset began with a bemused frown, "he said he was gonna 'call in some favors' from some ponies in town."
"Favors?" Twilight asked with a raised eyebrow, "what favors?"
"Dunno," the orange filly replied with a shrug, "he didn't say, but I'm certain it has something to do with finding out more about what happened to your brother."
"Really?"
Sunset nodded and hopped onto the bed next to Twilight who made room for her to sit.
"Uncle Scroll said there was something more going on with what happened to you and your brother, and he wanted to find out more about it," she gave Twilight a confident smile as she spoke, "he has some kind of plan, but he said wouldn't tell us until after he gets back."
That Ancient Scroll had some kind of plan in place did quite a bit to ease Twilight's mind and she smiled slightly at the thought that maybe they had a chance after all. Her smile didn't last long though, and she soon turned away from Sunset with a frustrated sigh.
"Still, I wish there was something I could do to help," she muttered morosely, "if he's alive, he might be in trouble, and I want to be able to help him if that's the case."
Sunset gave a thoughtful frown of her own before smiling at the lavender filly.
"Maybe there is something you can do, Twilight," Sunset replied.
"What do you mean," Twilight responded with a mix of hope and bemusement, "what can I do?"
"Uncle Scroll asked us to continue our studies while he was gone," Sunset explained, "I was gonna try to convince you to do that to take your mind off of your brother, but maybe I don't need to."
"Okay..." Twilight replied with a confused frown, "and... why not? I love a good study session, but I don't think even that would--"
"Nonono, that's just it!" Sunset exclaimed, "don't study to take your mind off of your brother, do it to help him instead!"
"I'm... still not following you, Sunset," Twilight said flatly, "how are my studies supposed to help my brother?"
"Twilight, do you believe that your brother is alive?" Sunset suddenly asked with a solemn frown, "I mean deep down, do you really believe he made it?"
Twilight opened her mouth to respond, but paused and closed with a contemplative frown. She didn't speak for several moments and Sunset was beginning to think she wouldn't answer, when she finally spoke up.
"I..." Twilight hesitated before nodding to herself, "my brother is really strong, Sunset -- in more ways than one," she looked Sunset straight in the eye as she spoke, "I do believe that, wherever he is, he's alive -- maybe not well -- but alive."
"Good," Sunset replied with a bright smile, "then you can help him when the time comes to find him."
"How though?" Twilight responded with a hint of aggravation, "you keep saying something about using my studies, but I don't--"
"Twilight," Sunset interjected in an exasperated tone, "use what you're good at. You have a knack for magic and, if that evaluation was anything to go by, you're way more powerful than Trixie and I when it comes to raw magical strength."
Twilight blinked.
"I--"
"Not to mention how smart you are," Sunset continued, "I was good enough at magic to be chosen as Celestia's protege, but even I can't hold a candle to you when it comes to studying."
Sunset placed a hoof on Twilight's shoulder and gave her an encouraging smile.
"We may not know where your brother is right now," she said softly, "but I'm sure we'll find him. All I'm suggesting is to make sure that you're prepared for when we do find him."
Twilight was quiet for several more moments, looking from Sunset to her own hooves.
"So..." she began slowly, "you're saying I should keep studying so that if something comes up, or my brother is in trouble, I'll be prepared to handle it?"
"Exactly," Sunset answered with a nod. She then gave the lavender filly a small smirk, "and I may have forgotten to mention this, but Uncle Scroll did say we could use his study while he was gone."
Twilight's ear perked up at that and she felt a wide grin creeping up on her despite herself.
"Yeah, I thought that'd get your attention," Sunset said with a giggle. She patted Twilight on the back, "so you feel any better now?"
"Yeah... yeah I do," Twilight said after a moment, before turning to her friend with a grateful smile, "thanks, Sunset."
"Anytime, Twilight," Sunset replied with a nod and a smile of her own, "I told you we wouldn't leave you hanging and I meant it."
Twilight smiled again and was about to reply, when they both heard a startled cry quickly followed by a loud thud and several crashes from outside the door.
They both winced and Twilight turned a questioning gaze to Sunset. Sunset groaned in annoyance and shook her head as she jumped down from the bed and trotted over to the door.
"I told Trixie not to use the plates for her stupid stunts," she muttered, "probably used the good ones too..."
Twilight couldn't help but laugh at the situation. She lowered herself off the bed and followed after Sunset.
"Uncle Scroll isn't gonna be happy is he?" the lavender filly said with an amused smirk.
Sunset returned the smirk with one of her own as she opened the door.
"Nope."