When Pencil said the news about her love life would hit hard, she was not joking. Immediately after she walked back into her mansion, the reporters immediately flew, ran, or took a ride back to their news stations, tabloids, and more to tell them what she said. Taking everyone in the building off guard. Within a few hours, newspapers were flung out onto the front steps of every citizen in Equestria, including the Princesses who were surprised to say the least.
The next morning Princess Luna was finishing a cup of coffee with a newspaper hovering in front of her, blocking most of her top half off from view and reading the article of the gossip surrounding the celebrity with Celestia right next to her in the same position. The two sighed in relief and lowered down their mugs of coffee. After a while, Celestia closed the paper, turned to Luna, and commented, "Well...that is surprising."
"Some stallion has swooned Rainbow's heart," Luna agreed. She folded up her paper and turned to face her sister. "I am not one for gossip, but I cannot say that I am not interested in finding out who her suitor is."
"Neither can I," Celestia admitted. She lifted up her coffee and took another sip before adding with a relieved sigh, "I am meeting with her later today to talk about these Therohs and the persistent use of Dark Magic to take down whoever this being is. If they are as powerful as she believes they are, we may have to enlist her help in this even more than just standard advice and intelligence. Her magic is powerful and could be used to help combat this enemy."
"All you have to do is get her to put on the Element of Loyalty," Luna replied blandly. "Which is highly unlikely."
"Yes. Hopefully, the others have an idea. Twilight is a good example. She is smart, she can figure it out."
Twilight threw up the newspaper into the air, sending the paper flying and floating back down to litter the library floor. Spike sighed and tossed his comic to the side to start picking them up reluctantly. Twilight was staring out the window with a look of shock on her face. "Rainbow has a boyfriend?!" She shouted before placing her hooves over her mouth and using her magic to close the curtain before anypony could see her. Then took a deep breath and made her way into the kitchen before the front door opened to let in Rarity and Applejack.
"I told ya'!" Applejack yelled as she walked inside with Rarity. "I told you Pencil was giving that stallion some strange looks." Rarity shut the door back before Applejack lowered her voice. "I never thought Rainbow Dash would be love stricken."
"Now now, dear," Rarity interrupted. The two sat down in the library while Twilight made two more cups of coffee in the kitchen. "Love may be a little far fetched. She probably just likes him. The excerpt said, 'She was going on a date.' That doesn't mean she precisely loves this stallion, or mare, whoever it may be."
Twilight walked back into the library and handed them their cups of coffee. Then said, "I don't think Rainbow likes mares, Rarity. I think it's a stallion. Have you told her, Applejack?"
Applejack took a sip of the coffee. Then set down the cup to say, "Yep! Rarity is down for the plan. But I don't know when she can go over. All of this Pencil Sketch is dating business is interferin'. There's no tellin' when she could catch her."
"Well why not catch her at the opening of the studios?" Twilight suggested while she sat down with them. Rarity pulled out a newspaper that had Pencil's face on the front with a headline 'Date For Painter?!' "That's technically the best time to catch her in the coming months."
"Yep, but you're forgetting' this Theroh business too. We need Rainbow to help us defeat them, because I know for a fact that you're not to keen on using Dark Magic. Nor any other Unicorn in Ponyville. Let alone the Princesses. Isn't she supposed to be meeting up in the Crystal Empire today to check on her studios?"
"Along with a secret meeting with Celestia," Twilight added. "Yeah. You could try to catch her there if you want to. But since that's a secret meeting, I don't think it'd be wise." She put the cup to her lips before she instantly lowered it with a grin. "Hey...I just had a thought." The two looked up at her from the newspaper. "Scootaloo."
"What about her?" Rarity asked.
"We could always use Scootaloo to help us grab Pencil—"
"No, no, no," Applejack shot down. "Scootaloo has enough problems, I'm sure. Even if she is a foal. Besides, this is our thing. It'd be pretty lousy of us to use a cute foal to get to Rainbow."
Twilight sighed and nodded. "Yeah, you're right." Twilight took another sip before asking, "Do any of you girls know where Scootaloo actually lives?"
Applejack nodded and said, "Yeah. She lives...in....she lives at the uhhh....hmmm....well I reckon I don't. Rarity?"
The fashionista shook her head. "No. I have never seen her walk into another home and stay overnight daily besides at my place whenever Sweetie Belle holds a sleepover. That's about as much as I've seen her besides running around and causing trouble. Why do you ask?"
Twilight shook her head and said, "No reason really. I just find it really odd that I've seen and know where everypony in Ponyville lives, except for Scootaloo. It worries me a little."
"Hmmm," the other two murmured.
***
Pencil Sketch opened the door to her bathroom and stepped out with a towel wrapped around her head after taking a most magnificent bath. She sighed and enjoyed the cold feeling of the air hitting her fur, ruffling her feathers. "Hey, Rainbow!!" Her eyes popped open and she jumped from the little filly that was smiling up at her. Flapping her wings, Pencil looked around, then noticed Scootaloo grinning up at her from the marble floor. She was wearing her necklace that Rainbow had given her, pretty much reaching down to her hooves.
"Uhhh...Rainbow, you take this one." Pencil morphed back into Rainbow Dash, who was sporting a confused look. "Uhhh...hey, Scoots. What are you doing here and how did you get in?"
Buff walked into view wearing his suit of armor and answered, "She was laying down at the gates. And since it was a hot day, I decided to let her in. I think she was waiting."
"Oh." Rainbow blinked at Buff then looked back down at the foal. "Well...now you know where my bathroom is. We're about to head out in a little while though to the Crystal Empire. Did you steal another train ride here again?" Scootaloo glanced another way. "I'll take that as a yes. So...why were you waiting at the gates for me?" Rainbow walked out the bathroom doorway and made her way to the foyer to get to her room with Scootaloo on her trail, leaving Buff to do whatever.
"Well, I uhh...I-I just wanted to see if you were okay," Scootaloo lied.
"Try again, Scoots. What do you really want? I was in the shower, so I couldn't really sense your presence or reason." Rainbow trotted up the stairs while Scootaloo hopped up them, trying to keep up.
"Well, I uhhh....I just wanted to spend some time with you really. I'm not really doing anything in Ponyville." Rainbow stopped at a step then looked down at Scootaloo in surprise. And worry. Scootaloo's never left Ponyville on her own before all of this and now she's practically following her all over Equestria. Rainbow didn't believe Scootaloo just came up to Manehattan to spend time with her either. That's a long ride. There's something else going on here. But she decided to play along.
"Well...alright. As long as your parents say it's okay." Rainbow continued her way back up the stairs.
"Oh, yeah. They're cool with it," Scootaloo lied again.
"Okay. Well do you want to head to the Crystal Empire with me?" Rainbow asked as they walked down another hallway, then into her large bedroom. "I have to check on the progress of my studios there. Then you can tell me the real reason you've decided to show up on my doorstep at eight in the morning. Okay?"
"Yeah, sure!" Scootaloo responded eagerly as she looked around the grand bedroom and the large pictures lining the walls "Whoa! This is all yours?!" She asked in disbelief.
"Yep," Rainbow responded before she changed back to Pencil Sketch. "Everything in here is what determination and goals can give you. As well as knowledge." Pencil Sketch walked over to her canvas to paste her cutie marks, then walked over to her closet to get ready. Grabbing a white dress and her golden hoof shoes, she tossed them on the bed along with a necklace that Golden Carat had made for her that cost five thousand bits. She placed the golden and diamond flooded pendant around her neck that was shaped like a paintbrush. The bristles were covered in red, green and yellow diamonds while the rest of it was gold and silver. "Golden Carat is going to end up as rich as I in a few months if she keeps up the good work," Pencil muttered to herself as she put on the dress and hoof shoes. "I need to go in my vault and get some more bits for you to ride the train with muah."
"Okay!" Scootaloo cheered as they walked out the room and back downstairs. Buff was standing at the door waiting for them with a pair of saddlebags on his back after Pencil returned with three small bags of bits on her left wing.
"What you got there Buff?" Pencil asked as they made their way towards the door. Buff reached into the bag and pulled a small gray ball as she placed the bits into one pocket of his bag.
"Smoke bombs. In case somepony gets on your nerves and gets out of control. There are plenty in here. You're going to completely uncharted territory with crystal ponies. Not to mention the Royalty there already know who you really are." Pencil flared open one of her wings and scooped Scootaloo on her back so she could relax.
"Eh, I suppose that's okay. Just don't go tossing them out of the chariot waiting for us at the station in the Crystal Empire like fireworks." Scootaloo laughed before Buff opened the door.
"Yes, Ms. Sketch," he responded with a wink. Pencil rolled her eyes playfully before the group stepped outside into the sunny air and cool breeze. Once again, there was a horde of press at the gates, although the Manehattan Police were standing by to keep them back so she could safely make her way to the long chariot in the street. "I was also informed that there were going to be guards with you in the Empire," Buff added.
Pencil looked towards him in confusion once they stopped at the gates, ignoring the flashes of cameras hitting her, him, and Scootaloo, who was trying to avoid being seen. Because now they were looking at her too. Maybe today might've not been a good idea to talk to Rainbow about what was going on. Buff leaned in and whispered into Sketch's ear, "The origins of the Sketch Movement came from a pony there in the Crystal Empire who saw your works. So the Sketch Movement is deep there."
"Ohhh, okay," Pencil responded. She nodded her head while Buff opened the gates. The press immediately bombarded her with questions.
"Are the rumors true about you having a love life?!"
"Are we ever going to learn about your cutie mark?"
"Is there another painting on the way?!"
"When will the studios open?"
"Who is the pony you're dating?!"
"Is there any indication of..." The list went on and on. The three ponies calmly made their way to the chariot. Along the way, Pencil answered a few of the questions while the police escorted them. One of them opened the door to it and put some steps down so they could easily climb inside. Pencil lowered herself to allow Scootaloo to get off. Once on the ground, Scootaloo walked forward and climbed up the steps ahead of Buff and Pencil to get in first. Afterwards, Pencil, then Buff. Once situated the police shut the door. The inside of the chariot was lavish. It wasn't open roof, it was like a long luxurious chariot that had wine, carpeted floors, and lights on the ceiling. As well as couches that Scootaloo was currently laying back on, sighing in pleasure. Pencil chuckled and said while taking a seat, "Glad you like it, Scootaloo. Now, can you tell me the real reason why you decided to leave Ponyville today to come and see me? It must have been very important." Scootaloo's eyes popped open, then she sat up and started fiddling with her hooves, avoiding the worried eyes of Pencil. And unknowingly Rainbow.
"Well umm.....I-It's pretty hard to explain," she muttered while looking at the floor. "It's important but...umm..." Pencil and Buff shared a look.
"Have you told your parents about whatever's on your mind?" Pencil asked.
"Ummm....w-well that's what it's about," Scootaloo clarified. "You see...I don't actually....umm...I don't really have any...."
Pencil and Buff shared a surprised look before Pencil asked, "You don't have any parents?"
"Yeah, I...came to you to tell you...that a bunch of foals in Ponyville don't have any parents."
"What?!"
The limo-Chariot turned onto another street and continued it's ride towards the left side of the city. Rainbow Dash decided to come back out and give Scootaloo an incredulous stare? "W-What do you mean you don't have any parents? Aren't your parents out of town? You showed me photographs of your parents before, remember?"
"Those weren't my parents, those were sample photos I got from a store that was selling picture frames," Scootaloo quickly admitted. Rainbow Dash blinked but then took a huge sigh and rubbed her face with a cyan hoof. "I'm sorry Rainbow," Scootaloo cried. "I didn't mean to make you upset." Rainbow Dash quickly got up and made her way over to take a seat beside Scootaloo and pull her into a hug.
"It's okay," she cooed, drying her eyes with a hoof. "Do you know where your parents are?"
Scootaloo shook her head. "It doesn't matter now. The last time I saw them were years ago, maybe five. I was three at the time. I remember us walking through the woods, Whitetail. And we somehow got separated. I remember mom telling me that if I got lost to stay in one place and wait for help. So I did. Well help never came. And neither did my parents. So I left and went back home, hoping that they'd return. I waited a few hours after that but no ever came to the house. I started getting really scared and decided to search the woods. I know it was really dangerous, but I didn't know what else to do. So while I was searching I ran into a few more foals who were in the woods doing the same thing I was. Searching for my parents."
"Wait, there were more?" Rainbow asked.
Scootaloo nodded and said, "Uh huh. Some of them actually go to school with me. So the six of us decided to search together. Well we never found anypony. Except...." She took a deep breath and swallowed hard. "We found...them."
Rainbow narrowed her eyes. "Found what, Scootaloo?" she whispered.
Scootaloo looked up into her eyes and said, "Those black creatures that attacked Ponyville. There was a crowd of them sleeping in Whitetail years ago. They weren't doing anything, just sleeping. But one of the fillies who were looking for their parents had noticed one of them in the back eating something. It was crunching and munching. Well it turned around and we all screamed and ran away crying. Those things had somehow grabbed our parents, and....and they were—"
"You don't have to say anymore, Scoots," Rainbow interrupted as she pulled the crying filly into a hug. She bawled into her chest while Rainbow and Buff shared a look. Those things had been around years ago and nopony had noticed. After a few minutes of silence, the chariot pulled up to the station to let the group off. Scootaloo pulled back from her chest and Rainbow grabbed a napkin from the wine bar to wipe her eyes. She wasn't going to ask why she didn't tell anypony yet, but she had a feeling she would in a few minutes. "I'm going to ask you a few more things when we get on the train okay?"
Scootaloo nodded before Buff opened the door. He stepped out first to prepare the steps for them, as well as keeping a firm eye out at the line of cameras in front of the door waiting for them, in case of any trouble. Scootaloo trotted out first with a fake smile. The newsponies started snapping away at her since they've never seen her around before Pencil stepped out next. The line of ponies started cheering for her as she waved and smiled at them. Buff was putting the steps back into the chariot, then closed the door before he escorted them with the Manehattan police towards the station deck of the Friendship Express that had attached a first class car on the back in front of the caboose.
As they moved, the security radius moved with them, meaning the press followed along. As they walked underneath the shed, most of the ponies who were waiting for their own ride moved to the side to allow them through. Pencil flared a wing out and scooped Scootaloo up again onto her back. "Okay, Scootaloo," she whispered so she could hear her. "Why are you now just telling me this? What else happened in those woods?"
"Can I tell you when we're on the train?" Scootaloo asked pitifully.
"Of course you can," Pencil replied. They approached the station window and Pencil gave them some more bits for an unexpected rider. It was a high seven hundred fifty bits that Pencil paid right out of her pocket on the spot. The conductor waved to her as the three ponies stepped onto the luxurious first class cabin with her in it. Then politely shut the door with them in the cabin. Pencil sat down on one of the long couches while Scootaloo sat next to her. Buff decided to sit on the other side of her, giving the filly a feeling of security.
"Okay," Pencil said once the train whistle blew. "What else happened?"
"Well...," Scootaloo stuttered. "Of course w-we all went back to Ponyville and started yelling that there was something in the woods. But...that was where the weird stuff started happening. We walked into the town and started screaming for help. But...it was like nopony noticed us. We even poked a pony's leg, but they didn't even react. It was like we were never there. Like we didn't exist. We all decided to head back home, but that's when things got really strange. Our homes...they were all gone."
"...what do you mean?" Buff asked, not even sure if he wanted to find out. He and Pencil shared a worried glance as the train began to move along.
"What I mean is...our homes were no longer there. It was like they never existed. Like somepony came in, moved our houses, planted grass and flowers on the land our homes were previously set on, and nopony noticed. All. Of our homes. Were gone. And everything else with it."
"Hmmmm..." Rainbow hummed.
"And apparently we didn't exist," she continued. "We all went to school and sat in class, trying to participate but the teacher never noticed us. Nor did any of the students. We only saw each other. So we stuck together. No homes anywhere, and no bits to do anything. We all just started stealing food and items. Then just lived together in the forgotten areas of the Whitetail Woods. It wasn't until four months later that ponies began to notice us. That we existed. So we decide to tell them what happened. Well that's when things got worse. We told some of the ponies what happened in Whitetail months ago. Well, they said those ponies weren't in their records. That they never existed and that they couldn't remember them around Ponyville. They even said that we weren't even in their records. That we never existed. Well, all of us quickly ran out and took shelter back in the woods. Over the years, a few more fillies and colts experienced the same thing. So now there are over twenty of us staying in Whitetail Woods without parents, records, or anything else. The only reason I'm telling you this now is because you fought all those things in ponyville. So you actually know what they are."
"Wait, you were living with them?" Buff asked.
Scootaloo shook her head and answered, "No, we lived on a much farther side of Whitetail. The one where we do the running of the leaves. The monsters were much closer to Ponyville. Near Everfree."
"Okay. Well how many Therohs are there now?" Pencil asked.
"Well they all left now," Scootaloo explained. "Ever since you fought them, they just decided to leave."
"Are the foals still there?" Scootaloo nodded. "How many, do you know?"
"Yeah. There's twenty six. Some of them live in Ponyville and do nothing except hang out with friends and go to school. We decided to form a sort of community in the woods in an area where no one else goes and live there. We can't really go anywhere else, so we decided to just live on our own. We needed a leader for the community, so everyone decided it be me because I was the one who came up with the ideas to help us survive the winter and heat by sticking together. In the day, we're in ponyville to help the community. Then at night we return to the woods to give each other what we found. Dad taught me a few things before he and mom disappeared. We stole food, clothing, and other things to keep us living. I just happened to come across a scooter and used it to get back and forth for longer distances. Then a wagon. Later on, I met Sweetie Belle and we became friends. I didn't tell anypony about what was going on because we didn't know what would happen to us. We all got close and depended on each other, and we didn't want to be split up and sent to different places in Equestria."
Rainbow sighed and stood up to pace the cabin with a lot on her mind. Scootaloo and Buff eyed her, trying to figure out what she was thinking. After awhile she sighed and turned back to Scootaloo. "Scoots, we have to tell somepony about this. Mainly because now I know, and that this is obviously all tied in with what happened in Ponyville. There could be more ponies in trouble all over from whoever this thing is making Therohs run rampant all over Equestria. From what you've told me there could be a lot more of them all over Equestria. Which means this is much bigger than Ponyville, Appleloosa, and Dodge Junction. I have to inform the Princesses about this, no matter how much I don't want to. They'll tell Twilight, then they'll start asking you things. Are you still the leader of the community in the woods?" Scootaloo nodded. "Okay, well we'll have to put the foals somewhere. I think Princess Cadance will be at the tour today. Her and Shining Armor, both of which I am absolutely sure are dying to ask me some questions. Just hang on Scootaloo. In the meantime, you'll be living with somepony else I can find. Or even me."
After that, Scootaloo decided to go to sleep while Pencil looked out the window of the car at the snowy landscape. After an hour and some minutes, the train whistle blew, waking Scootaloo from her nap underneath Pencil Sketch's wing. Pencil herself was looking out the window as the train pulled out of the surrounding snow storm and into the sunny and bright land of the Crystal Empire, its Crystal buildings igniting the land and giving it a glow she'd never get enough of each time she saw it. "We're here," Buff announced in the most boring voice he could manage. Pencil smirked at him while he continued giving the worst tour he's ever done. Raising a hoof he said slowly, "If you look to the left, you'll see...grass." Scootaloo shared a confused look with Pencil, who was smirking and trying not to laugh. "If you look to the right, you'll see... Crystals. And if you look straight ahead, you'll see—" Buff stepped to the side. "—the black wall on the inside of this car."
Scootaloo shook her head and commented, "I don't think I like this tour."
"If you look to your right again," Buff continued. He walked over and pointed at one of the buildings. "You can see a crystal structure. Now if you look really closely, you'll see something amazing."
Scootaloo peered out and squinted her eyes. "Like what?"
"...a bug." Scootaloo sighed. "A bug that has landed on one of the crystal ponies and made them look really funny because...they just can't get it off. Tour's finished, now pay me."
Pencil Snorted and said, "That was the worst tour I have ever taken whenever I come here."
"Mr. Tour Guide sir?" Scootaloo called, getting his attention. "I want my money back."
"Take it up with Corporate, I'm on break." Buff held his head up high and flopped down on his back on top of one of the couches. Scootaloo and Pencil laughed before the train whistle blew again. Then slowed down to a complete stop. Scootaloo looked over the top of one of the couches through the window at the mass of ponies taking photographs of the train, particularly the long black car in the back. The Royal Guard was standing there on the platform with Princess Cadance and Shining Armor, along with another crystal pony. Scootaloo gasped when she saw them.
"WHOA!" She yelled when the train stopped. "They're so shiny!"
Pencil Sketch walked over and peered out with her. "Yes. This happens to the ponies that inhabit the Crystal Empire. I believe she is the one I am meeting with and has been overseeing the construction of my studios. Light Diamonds." Buff walked over to the door and looked to Pencil for confirmation. She nodded her head and he pulled the door wide open. Then stepped out amongst all the screaming and cheering outside. He stood beside the door while Pencil gestured for Scootaloo to get on her back so she could keep an eye on her. Doing as asked, she settled down and Pencil took a deep breath. Then made her way towards the steps.
She calmly stepped onto a step and then into view. Everyone covered their sensitive ears from the screaming the Crystal Ponies were doing when they saw her. Pencil grinned and waved to them while the Royal Guard directed her, Buff, and Scootaloo towards the Royalty of the Empire. Cadance and Shining Armor looked up confusedly at Scootaloo who was hiding underneath the end of Pencil's mane, but didn't question it. Pencil stopped and reached out with a hoof to shake theirs. "Hello, Cadance," she greeted. "Just the pony I need to talk to. And the Captain of the Royal Guard makes it all the better."
Shining Armor cleared his throat and said, "Hello...Pencil Sketch." Scootaloo squinted her eyes at them. Did they know too? "We're all excited to have you tour the Crystal Empire today. Most of the ponies here believe that you came here to help the Sketch Movement and possibly get a view of the empire so you could possibly paint it."
"I more than likely will," she responded before turning to the crystal pony. "Light Diamonds?"
"Yes, ma'am," she responded. Light Diamonds was a crystal pony pegasus mare with a light blue coat and light green mane, along with a pair of light blue eyes. "It's great to meet you and your entourage." The two shook hooves while Pencil introduced her group.
"Yes. This is Buff Battalion, and Scootaloo who I am watching over at this time. I hope it's alright that she joins."
"That is absolutely fine, Madam Sketch. You're running this show. Are you ready to go?"
"Yes." After that the Royal Guard escorted the group of Royalty, painter, and tagalongs towards the entrance of the Train Station, where they were going to take a long chariot into the city. While they were walking Pencil raised a wing towards Buff, getting his attention. "Scootaloo, hop on Buff for a moment."
"But he's like the worse tour guide," Scootaloo added while she did. Buff grunted while she got comfortable, and Pencil chuckled, catching the royals off guard. Pencil had a sense of humor? After a while, they made it to the long golden chariot hooked up to a few royal guards. There was also a bunch more spectators watching them on the sidewalk.
"Princess Cadance," Pencil whispered inconspicuously as she waved. Princess Cadance was about to move her head, but found that she couldn't. Something was stopping her. At that moment, she was about to panic. "Calm down, Princess. I just need you to be inconspicuous during this conversation. It's very important and involves the Therohs." Pencil lifted the spell as the group got into the back of the chariot behind Buff and Scootaloo, who were behind the construction worker at the very front. Pencil sat in between Cadance and Shining Armor, the former a little irked that her face was somehow grabbed.
"What are you talking about?" Cadance asked, getting Shining Armor's attention. He looked over, then down at Pencil Sketch, who was waving her hoof at the crowd before they began to move.
"Both of you, smile and wave," she instructed. "No one must know about this just yet." Cadance and Shining Armor glanced at each other, but did as asked. Soon the chariot started moving with them still smiling and waving to the ponies. A few minutes later, they got into the city. And Pencil began to tell what she knows. "This is very important information that I tell you with a heavy heart."
"What do you mean, Rainbow?" Cadance asked while winking at another pony on the street.
"It revolves around a certain event that happened in Ponyville, Dodge Junction, and Appleloosa. Ring any bells?" The two Royals gasped a little and turned to her. "Look away and keep waving." They did as asked before they stopped at a street to let the guard on the path direct a few ponies out of the way.
"Are you talking about the Therohs?" Cadance whispered.
Pencil nodded slowly and pointed at a pony to make it seem like she was really paying attention to them. "Yes, I am," she responded. "We're too late."
"What do you mean 'we're too late'?" Shining asked while saluting to another pair of guards in the street.
"The Therohs have not vanished. And I bet you two hundred thousand bits that there are a few here in the Crystal Empire." Cadance's heart nearly stopped. "This morning, Scootaloo arrived at my mansion in Manehattan to tell me something I believe has been bothering her for quite some time. She is an orphan."
"Oh no," Cadance responded sadly while continuing to respond and wave. "What happened?"
"Therohs happened." Cadance stopped mid wave before a flick of Pencil's wing got her moving again. "Apparently years ago, a squad of Therohs appeared in the midst of the Whitetail Woods, snatched Scootaloo's parents without her realizing it, then ate them." Cadance was trying her hardest not to flip out. Shining Armor no better. "I later learned that she was not the only one that had this happen to them. As of this morning, Scootaloo informed me that there are twenty six foals living on their own in the Whitetail Woods—just listen, Cadance!" Cadance dropped her look of horror then turned back to the crowd with a smile and continued to wave. Soon the chariot stopped in front of the crystalized studio that was similar to the one in Ponyville. It was just made out of crystals. The Royal Guard escorting them opened the doors to the chariot to allow them to step out and wave some more to the citizens screaming Pencil's name. Bending low, Pencil allowed Scootaloo to get on her back and get comfortable before standing and raising again. "Tell them what you know, Scootaloo. Secretly. Get on Cadance's back." Pencil lifted a wing to allow her to get on the Princess' back while Pencil walked down the sidewalk to speak to a few ponies involved in the Sketch Movement.
"What the hay is going on, Scootaloo?" Cadance whispered while watching Pencil with a smile.
Scootaloo cleared her throat while Shining Armor leaned over to listen. "I've been living in Whitetail with twenty five more foals. All of our parents were....they're gone," Scootaloo whispered on the verge of tears. "We've just been living in the woods because somepony somehow made all the ponies in Ponyville not even see us. We would go to them and try to get their attention, but it would never work. Until four months later where I actually waved to a pony to test it and they waved back. I did it to another and they did the same. Even asked me a question. 'How are you?' I went into the forest and got the other five foals with me at the time and we went to the guard office there to tell what happened. Well they looked up our parents and they couldn't find anything. They couldn't even find...us." Cadance gasped slightly before turning to her husband.
"Go and see if you can find Scootaloo in the records of Equestria," she instructed. "I'll try and get more information before we send a letter to Celestia. What else do you know Scootaloo?"
After the tour in the Crystal Empire ended and Pencil, Scootaloo, and Buff left, Celestia was busy talking to another diplomat about something important when a purple scroll flowed in through the window and landed on the carpet in front of her. She held up her hoof for a moment to pause the diplomat and pick up the scroll. "Hmm. Cadance," she muttered to herself. Unrolling it she read it to herself, eyes widening at what she read. "GUARD!!" She yelled, getting the attention of the ponies outside. One guard ran in quickly and bowed to her.
"Yes, Princess?"
"Get a whole team of guards into Ponyville right now!! Along with blankets, food, water, the works!! Get all of it and tell them to search the end of the Whitetail Woods! Go!" The guard saluted and quickly ran out of the throne room. Celestia looked down towards the Diplomat and gave him a sad look. "I am sorry, an Equestrian emergency just came up." Before he could respond, Celestia teleported away.
The breeze blew the feathers of a pegasi guard captain as he landed ahead of the Canterlot Guard approaching Ponyville inside the square. He ran towards the Ponyville depot where all the guard was situated and yelled, "SALUTE!!" The guard immediately rose up and saluted when they recognized the ranking on his uniform, catching the attention of a few ponies walking nearby. "I need fifty of you scowering Whitetail immediately!! Another fifty here setting up relief efforts! Water, food, anything you can find!! You are looking for a minimum of twenty five foals!! Go, go, go!!" They all saluted and quickly left the base. Some took to the air, another few stayed on the ground. Rarity happened to be walking by and immediately zoomed to Twilight's, who was in a deep conversation with Clear Skies and Sunshower. They were sitting in the kitchen, Twilight once again drinking coffee because of all the sleepless nights she's been enduring because of Rainbow's disappearance.
"So...our best bet is to use Rarity to reach her," she finished with a yawn. "She's the only one out of all of us that has been fortunate enough to actually get Rainbow to smile when she sees us."
"That's because she showed that she cared," Clear clarified like it was so obvious. "Twilight, the best thing for you to do is actually empathize with her. Because you obviously don't know what it's like to be bullied and degraded, pushed to the point of no return, and then lied to directly behind it."
Sunshower nodded in agreement. "Rainbow is really upset with you guys, and I don't think she'd be willing to just let all of this go in a second, just like that. Maybe in a year and some, or if the situation calls for a forceful bonding. But now, no."
"Well we don't have time for a year," Twilight responded desperately. "Whatever attacked Ponyville can come back and we need Rainbow Dash with us to be able to take it out." The front door of the library thrust open before she could respond.
"Twilight!" Rarity yelled desperately as she ran into the kitchen. "Do you know what's happening?!"
"Uhhh....no," Twilight responded before looking out the kitchen window. A bunch of Royal Guards were running around carrying things on their backs, in carts, and more. Then running off towards the woods. "What's going on? Why is the Royal Guard here?"
"Because Therohs have attacked." They all turned around when Rainbow walked into the kitchen after teleporting there with Scootaloo and Buff when the tour was over. Rainbow was wearing the expensive necklace around her neck, which glistened from the rays of the evening sun. Sunshower stared at her in surprise when she stopped right beside her chair and looked out the window with Scootaloo on her back. She looked over and looked Sunshower in the eyes. "Hello, Sunshower. How are you?"
"Uhh...f-fine," she stuttered. "I-It's good to see you. Alive."
Rainbow nodded to her before staring out the window again. She raised a hoof and pointed it towards the Whitetail Woods in the distance. "Ms. Sparkle," She said quietly while keeping her eyes on the woods, getting her attention. "Do you keep a census of every pony in Ponyville in this library?"
"Er...y-yeah?" Twilight asked in uncertainty.
"I need you to look up Scootaloo right now." Twilight shrugged and made her way to the library with the others right behind her. Right when she grabbed the census, the door quickly flew open, surprising her again.
"Twilight, do you...oh," Applejack said once she spotted Rainbow Dash standing there looking at her. The painter groaned and made a motion with a black hoof. Pinkie, Applejack, and Fluttershy were immediately pushed into the library and the door was closed quickly.
"Didn't somepony ever teach you to never leave the door open?" "Rainbow scolded before turning to Twilight. "Look for her name." Twilight dropped the book on the table and quickly flipped it open while the others gathered around, trying to figure out what was going on. Fluttershy was keeping an eye on her friend in the past, tears threatening to spill just because she was around.
After a few seconds, Twilight got a look of bewilderment on her face. "No, that can't be right. Let me search again."
"Don't bother," Rainbow responded before turning to Scootaloo. "Who else?"
"Button Mash," she responded. Rainbow turned back to Twilight and nodded. She turned to the Bs and started searching. A few seconds later, she started to get desperate.
"He's not in here either!!" She yelled.
"Try Z-Zipporwhill," Scootaloo stuttered. Rainbow reached over and calmly pulled Scootaloo into a side hug. Twilight anxiously flipped through the census a few more times.
"Why can't I find any of those fillies in here?!" Twilight yelled in desperation. "I said hello to them plenty of times, they should be in here!! One of them is right there, yet she's not even in here!! The Equestrian Census has always been thorough!! I don't understand!!" Rainbow reached forward and slammed the book shut, getting all of their attention.
"That's because the enemy has been in Equestria," she said. "A pony with Dark Magic has been using it for their own greedy deeds. And have been commanding the Therohs before we noticed they even attacked Equestria recently. We are far too late."
"Wait, what?" Sunshower asked in confusion. "What the heck is a Theroh?"
Rainbow turned to her and answered, "A Theroh is one of the creatures that attacked Ponyville, Appleloosa, and Dodge Junction. And that was not the first time." Rainbow turned around and told the tale. "This morning, Scootaloo arrived on my doorstep and told me something that she has been holding inside for years. Those Therohs have actually been living in Equestria for years. And have actually been eating ponies that are not in this census."
"WHAT?!!" They all yelled.
"Those ponies and their families have been erased from the minds of almost all the ponies in Equestria in an advanced spell that even I don't know. But am quite eager to learn about." She turned to Scootaloo and asked calmly, "Do you remember your parents' names?"
Scootaloo shook her head and added, "And no one else in the community does either. It happened when we were very young and didn't even learn their names. Just 'mom' and 'dad'."
Rainbow nodded and turned to Twilight. "Those ponies happened to all be near Whitetail at the time and have made possibly fifty foals orphans. Because they ate their parents. Scootaloo's included. And nopony remembers them because they have been erased from existence. There could also be more ponies there that do not have foals that no pony even remembers. Which leads me to believe all of this is so much bigger than what I thought before. There is possibly a group of ponies in Equestria that hold enough power to actually be seated in Equestrian government and remove ponies from the Equestrian Census, and a possible group of mages that command Therohs to attack towns. Equestria has been taken over. And we didn't even realize it."