Sweetie Belle stifled a sigh through her nose, making sure she could hear Rarity’s sewing machines before she reached under her bed, pulling out the little shoebox. She eased off the lid, revealing the pile of cards held within.
She sat down on her bed and picked up the new card. It had just arrived today. Internally cringing, secretly hoping, she opened it.
Happy Birthday, Serendipity!
We hope to see you soon and tell you all about Briarland.
Love from Tailes, Mom and Dad
A huff escaped her nose. Every card was the same. The minimum work done while every postcard boasted just how happy her parents were seeing the world.
Again, she found herself regretting opening the card. Again, she questioned why she thought it would be any different.
Again, she kicked herself for so desperately wanting to know they spared her any thought at all.
Blinking back her tears before they could ruin her mascara, she slipped the rolling-hilled postcard into the box and shut the lid. “At least they sent it sooner this year,” she mumbled to herself. “It’s only two weeks late instead of a month.”
She had actually enjoyed herself on her birthday this year. Her friends had chipped in with Rarity and bought her a karaoke machine, and they’d explored the library all night long, Rarity allowing it just that once despite having to go to Manehatten the next day.
Glancing over at said karaoke machine, she smiled at the simple fact of knowing who truly cared about her, no matter how much it stung to know her parents didn’t.
“Sweetie Belle?” Rarity’s voice pulled her from her thoughts. “Are you ready to go?”
The young mare in question giggled to herself as her magic scooped up her saddlebags to fasten them around her waist. “Are you ready to go?”
A mock scoff answered her. “Young lady, I am offended! I’ll have you know I have only my largest saddlebags this time.”
An impressed hum tickled Sweetie’s nose, before a smirk spread across her muzzle. “You sure you didn’t stash a carry-on in the tent bag?”
Silence met her ears as she walked out of the room, Rarity’s voice finally floating up the stairs. “Well it’s not fair when you know me so well.”
Laughter filled the boutique as Sweetie Belle trotted down the stairs, meeting her giggling sister in the shop.
“Are you ready to go, darling?” Rarity inquired.
“Yep!” Sweetie Belle picked up the tent in her magic as Rarity did the final rounds of the shop, muttering to herself about customers put on hold for a week and which should have their shipments in while they were gone.
With final nod from the elder of the two, Rarity flipped off the light, kissed Opalescence goodbye, and held the door open for Sweetie Belle. Carousel Boutique closed its doors for the week, giving its two residents a much-needed break.
Apple Bloom yanked out the final knot in her mane, smoothing it out with a cringing sigh. Her hoof reached for her ribbon, a pulse through her heart making her stop. Her golden eyes rose to look at herself in the mirror, her muzzle scrunching at how strange she looked without the bow she’d worn her entire life.
A groan rose from her throat, and she snatched it up. Her hooves looped through the same motions she’d gone through everyday. Effortlessly, the bow was in its place, and she stared, something in her heart she couldn’t name sinking the longer she looked at herself.
Her mind twisted on itself, restarting an internal argument that had steadily grown louder over the years.
‘It’s just…not me.’
‘But it is. You look weird without it.’
‘Then why do I hate wearing it?’
‘It’s Ma’s! You make everypony happy when you wear it.’
‘So why don’t I feel happy?’
A grunt echoed around the bathroom as she yanked the bow out, once again feeling as if something was missing as she glared at her reflection, eyes brimming with tears.
“Apple Bloom?”
A spike of dread shot through her heart, and she scrubbed her eyes. “Yeah, AJ?”
“Come out real quick.”
Apple Bloom cleared her throat, barely having time to check her reflection for tears before she pulled open the door.
She was greeted by her sister’s curiously stern face. “Ya alright, sugarcube?”
“Uh-huh!” The answer came out automatically, the young mare nodding and smiling a bit too widely.
Her older sister quirked an eyebrow, but decided to let it go, her list of things to pack flashing through her mind again. “If ya say so, sugarcube. Don’t forget yer bow. Ya’ve been forgettin’ a lotta stuff, lately.”
The youngest Apple’s heart sank, more hurt by the reminder than her sister would understand. ‘If only you knew the reason why,’ she brooded to herself.
Out loud, she said, “Yeah…sorry. Ah’m almost packed up.”
Applejack sighed through her nose. “You were supposed ta be done last night.”
Apple Bloom internally cringed. “I know…I got distracted and fell asleep.”
Her sister’s frustration presented itself as a heavy sigh. “Apple Bloom,” she began.
‘Here we go again,’ the younger sister thought ruefully.
“You really need ta get it t’gether. How in Equestria’re ya gonna be able ta function on yer own if ya can’t keep up with simple stuff?”
Like every time this conversation came up, all Apple Bloom could do was shut down. Her eyes refused to meet her older sister’s, and her hoof rose to rub at her foreleg, desperately trying not to dig her toe into her fur and mess up what she’d just brushed.
After a long moment of silence between the two, Applejack finally steered her cold gaze away and marched off. “Hurry up. We don’t wanna be late.”
“Okay…” Apple Bloom squeaked, feeling two inches tall. She closed the bathroom door, hating herself for making AJ mad. No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn’t do exactly what she was told as soon as she was told to do it.
It was like her mind was working against her now. Where she used to have so much enthusiasm to do whatever she was told, she now seemed to struggle to stay focused on the most basic instructions. Thoughts were harder to hold onto, and she felt she had to walk a mile before she could accomplish something her older siblings could do in a single step.
She had tried to bring it up before, but it all ended with her standing rooted to the spot as silent tears fell down her face, her siblings reprimanding her for acting like she knew herself better than they did.
She had vowed to herself to never bring it up again.
For the longest time, she thought all was lost, that there was just something blatantly wrong with her…until the day their class was visited by a psychologist. In a mix of educating the young students and a reverse field trip, the psychologist had told them all about different mental disorders, with footage and tools to demonstrate.
Despite what was happening now, she was glad she volunteered that day. The good news now was: she knew what she needed to not make her feel this way anymore. The bad news was: she had no way of getting it without her family asking too many questions or outright barring her from getting it in the first place.
Fighting back her tears, Apple Bloom dragged her mother’s ribbon off the counter and tied it into her mane without a second thought. Her thoughts in the mud, she trudged to her room and packed the rest of her saddlebags in silence.
Half an hour later, Applejack passed her room again, spying her sister slipping something into her nightstand drawer. “Ready now?”
“Yep!” Apple Bloom gave her a smile that didn’t match the knot in her chest.
Applejack smiled back at her. “See? Was that so hard?”
Apple Bloom felt her heart crack.
“Now git downstairs and say bye ta Big Mac and Granny. Ah’ll be down in a second with the tent.”
“Okay, AJ.” Her big sister disappeared down the hallway, and her smile followed. Thoughts unable to make any sense, she found herself itching to get to her best friends, and fastened her saddlebags.
Scootaloo’s hoof touched the ground, and she slid off Rainbow’s back, sitting down to wait for Rainbow to go back and get the tent.
Her sister’s sigh and ruffled wing to her mane made her giggle. “Am I getting too heavy for you?”
“Nah,” Rainbow grinned as the duo began the quest to the train station, “it’s just the tent. No biggie.”
Though Scootaloo smiled, her wing brushing Rainbow’s own as they walked, a beat passed in her heart. “Do…do we need to move the five-year plan a bit closer?”
She wasn’t surprised when Rainbow hesitated. “…Maybe,” her big sister finally admitted.
An understanding smile crossed Scootaloo’s muzzle as she nuzzled up to the mare, resting her head against her neck and hearing her heartbeat. “It really is okay, Rainbow. I…I wanna be able to get out to hang out with Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle without having to ask you or Soarin.”
“Yeah…” Rainbow Dash leaned her cheek into Scootaloo’s mane. “I know…it would really help you be more independent, too…Turn it into a three-year plan?”
Scootaloo giggled, grinning. “Can we turn it into a one-and-a-half-year plan?”
Rainbow’s heart sank, but she smiled for her little sister, already dreading no longer needing to carry the young mare everywhere anymore. “Yeah…yeah, that sounds good.” She pressed a kiss to Scootaloo’s temple. “Wanna talk to the builders when we get home?”
Her little sister nodded, the two of them sporting misty eyes at the prospect of the big change of moving house. “Yeah, that sounds nice.”
The older of the two smiled softly, nudging Scootaloo. “Alright, enough of the sappy stuff. I don’t wanna think about anything other than how sticky the s’mores will be tonight by the time we get on that mountain.”
Scootaloo chuckled. “Same. Are the others there yet?”
Rainbow looked up ahead, spying the train station dead ahead. “Yeah. They’re waving at us.”
“Oh!” Scootaloo perked up, waving wildly in the direction of her friends, much to their shared laughter that carried over the space between them.
Unable to wait any longer, an excited Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle rushing down the steps to meet the remaining sisters, the three instantly beginning to chatter about nothing and everything as Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle took up their rightful spots at Scootaloo’s sides, escorting their best friend to the train station and leaving Rainbow to follow behind.
Mingling arose within the triad of pairs as they waited for the morning train to Fillydelphia. Before 7 o’clock, they were on board and chugging away.
“Have either of you heard from Diamond?” Scootaloo asked as the three pairs of sisters stepped their way through the trail, the younger a few paces ahead of the older.
“Uh-uh,” Apple Bloom shook her head.
“No,” Sweetie Belle concurred.
Scootaloo chuckled. “She really must be having the time of her life away from her parents this summer.”
The three friends shared a small bout of laughter as they trekked up Foal Mountain. The frilly filly in question had jumped at an over-the-summer opportunity the moment she could, not even caring where it would take her. She had told her parents it was a business apprenticeship in Manehatten, but disclosed to her friends (the CMC included) that she was actually going to volunteer at a summer program. She had elected to keep most of the details to herself, to make sure word didn’t get to her parents.
Before she left, she had said she would write when she could. She had yet to make good on that promise to most of them. Silver Spoon was thankfully able to quiet any fears they had over her safety, as she was the only one to receive any letters from her, the young mare claiming to be exhausted at the end of every day (But loving every second!).
“I wonder if it’s something like a summer camp,” Sweetie Belle suggested. “Like she’s a counselor or something.”
Apple Bloom snorted, “Doubt it. Can you imagine that filly goin’ anywhere near dirt?”
“I don’t know,” Scootaloo snickered. “I think she’d rather touch dirt than her mom’s muzzle job.”
Their laughter carried to the three mares behind them, Rarity trotting along after them as Applejack and Rainbow Dash switched cart duty, Applejack stretching out her neck and Rainbow letting her wings rest under the yoke. “Whatcha think they’re talkin’ ‘bout?” Applejack questioned.
Rainbow chuckled as she began to pull the cart. “Colts, probably. Whatever their version of gossip is. You know how it was when we were their age.”
Applejack rolled her eyes. “Don’t put it that way! Yer makin’ me feel old!”
Her snicker met Rarity’s ears, and the fashionista let a small smirk climb her face. “Oh please, Applejack, darling! We age like a fine wine. The older we are, the better!”
The chuckle that rose from Applejack died far too soon, and she mumbled to herself, “Not after a certain point.”
Rainbow Dash gave her friend a brief, encouraging nuzzle, Applejack hardly giving her a glance of acknowledgment.
The matriarch of the Apple family had steadily been slowing down over the past year or so, her usual pep that echoed her still-youthful soul finally wearing down into a bone-deep fatigue. They had finally convinced the stubborn mare to go to the doctor after her third fall in a week. The day after…all four Apples were nowhere to be found, shut in together in their farmhouse.
None of them spoke about whatever prognosis they had been given, but the town held its collective breath, knowing the inevitable was on the horizon. And though she herself objected to it, Granny Smith was always with one of her grandchildren ever since.
Applejack let out a sigh, then straightened herself up. “She’d kick me in th’ teeth if’n she knew I spent the whole trip worryin’ about her.” She managed a strained smile, but was able to breathe a bit easier as she caught sight of her little sister and her friends, trotting off after Rarity. Rainbow Dash smiled gently, nearly chuckling as her stubborn friend hardheaded her way through her emotions, knowing they would come out properly in due time.
The rest of the hike consisted of pleasant conversation and excitedly pointing out views, flowers, and birdsong. Laughter was shared, as were cheers when Rarity for the first time volunteered herself to pull the cart, the lady merely rolling her eyes and haughtily holding up her nose as she pulled the cart behind her, though all could see the little smile on her face.
As the sun began to set, the trio of duos finally came upon their campsite for the night, Scootaloo setting out with Rainbow Dash to map it out, the electronic-eared filly loving the sound of the rushing river beneath the overhang and making note of where the treeline was.
As they set up their tent, Applejack let her own little sister start the fire as Rarity and Sweetie Belle once again debated over proper s'more toasting techniques.
All six friends and sisters sported tired eyes as they huddled together around the fire. Dinner and dessert passed under the stories of heroic grandeur and personal victories, Scootaloo only chuckling a little nervously this year as her sister told yet another dragon legend, the young mare having been gifted a carved wooden model of a full-sized dragon soon after her first dragon story to help her with her disturbing visualizations.
With filled stomachs and warmed hearts, the mares bid each other a good night’s rest and well-received dreams, retreating into their tents under the coaxing of the cooling winter night air and the symphony of night life.
Inside their own tent, Scootaloo gave Rainbow one of her processors as she zipped herself up into her sleeping bag. She yawned, her heavy eyes dragging her head down as the drone of noises outside eased her body into peace and stillness.
Rainbow Dash chuckled through a smirk as Scootaloo snuggled down into her pillow. "You gonna give me the other one, kiddo?"
Her response was a sleepy shake of the head. "M-mm. I like the cricket...the crickets chirping. It’s relaxing…”
The mare had to stifle her snort so she wouldn't disturb her drifting-off filly. As quietly as she could, she unrolled her own sleeping bag and plucked up her ear plugs and Scootaloo's processor case.
She put a plug in her ear, sighing with relief at the half-quiet. She really wished she could fall asleep to the sounds of nature like Scootaloo could; but due to her training as a Wonderbolt, she unfortunately jolted awake with every croak, chirp, and crack that happened right outside the tent. It didn't help that the hard ground made her snore.
"Scootaloo?" she called lightly. Her filly didn't answer, her soft breathing passing through her lips. Rainbow grinned, gently stepping to Scootaloo and carefully removing the processor and transmitter.
The technology safely in its case, Rainbow tucked it away into their pack before silencing her world with the second ear plug. She sighed, pressed a kiss to Scootaloo's forehead, and crawled into her sleeping bag. With a sigh she only felt in her throat, she sent a breeze to their lantern, snuffing it out and leaving her to drift off in blissful silence.
Scootaloo steadily became more and more aware of the hard ground beneath her as she awoke. Her breath caught as her remaining drowsiness suddenly snapped into focus. It took a moment for her to remember where she was, the stiff warmth of her sleeping bag a far cry from her comfy cloud bed.
She waited a moment before she pushed out a hoof, stretching and sliding along the floor of the tent until she connected with the nylon fabric of Rainbow’s sleeping bag. Using as little pressure as possible, she ran her hoof up the bag until it curved away from her touch, feeling the gentle rise and fall under a familiar strand of mane.
Rainbow Dash was still asleep.
She sighed to herself. She needed to get up and walk around if she wanted to get back to sleep.
Releasing a huff through her nose, she pulled off the upper flap of her sleeping bag and wiggled out. Carefully maneuvering with her hooves, she reached the tent flap and unzipped it slowly enough to make her think Rainbow Dash wouldn’t be bothered by the sound. She poked her way outside, the cool air of night sending a quiet shiver over her back, making her grumble to herself.
Of course this had to happen while they were camping.
Tired, she turned away from the tent and shuffled forward, intent on finding the tree line, which would make it easier for her to count her steps and keep track of where she was. She’d walk around for just a few minutes, enough to physically wear her body down again, then go back in the tent.
She counted twelve steps, frowning a bit to herself. Weren’t the trees closer than this?
Scootaloo felt the ground dip a bit, and stopped. She scrubbed a hoof forward, feeling the ground drop away just a few inches ahead of her. A cool breeze brushed her outstretched hoof. She grimaced to herself, realizing she found the rushing river instead of the treeline. She rolled her eyes, side-stepping to turn herself around.
Her hoof met open air.
Panic gripping her, she scrambled back, finding purchase on the loose soil only momentarily before her back hoof stepped on the jutting, round knob of a root. It bent her hoof to the side, sending her balance off-kilter. She moved her hooves to try and catch herself, only to be met with nothing. With a desperate shout, Scootaloo’s body crumbled over the side of the overhang, and she momentarily felt the sickening weightlessness of free-fall before a biting cold surrounded her and instantly chilled her to her bones.
She let out a cry of shock, water rushing into her mouth. Her sense of gravity nearly overpowered by the current of the river, she shoved herself toward where she hoped the surface was.
She felt water fall away from her head, and pulled in a desperate gasp of breath. Something fell away underneath her, and the water dropped a bit, taking her with it and submerging her once again. She tried to blow out the water that shoved its way up her nose as she tumbled end over end, the undertow of the river jerking her legs out from under her.
She slammed against something smooth and slimy, the force of the blow to her back making her cry out, knocking the air from her lungs. On instinct, her lungs tried to pull in another breath, only for icy river water to nearly shoot down her throat. She coughed, the river’s current ripping her away from the object she hit. She fought to get to the surface again, lungs burning ferociously.
Scootaloo felt her mane fall and cling onto her face as it met open air, and she pulled in another breath, managing to let out a scream before another drop forced her under once more. She clamped her hooves over her mouth, trying desperately to hold onto her failing breath, praying somepony had heard her scream.
The bitingly cold water rushed by her, shoving her along in a direction she was unable to fight. She kicked herself in the direction she perceived as ‘up’, and felt her head break the surface.
She gulped air into her burning lungs, coughing and fighting to keep her head above the surface. She let out what she hoped was another loud enough scream to reach her sister and friends as she felt the push and pull of the water become more violent, speeding up.
A horrid thought crossed her mind, and she froze in fear, feeling the water move around her. It was definitely getting faster, the water sucking her to an unknown destination.
She cried out in fear, twisting this way and that as she desperately felt around for something to grab onto, her panic rising with every fraction of a second that went by unsuccessfully. She sputtered against the water at her lips, sobbing in abject terror as she felt the water’s speed reach a climax.
Time seemed to slow for Scootaloo as she pitched forward, the water dragging her into open air. She had never experienced vertigo, but had a feeling it was something just like this as she tumbled through the air, her sense of gravity suddenly nonexistent. All she knew was the air whipping nonsensically around her body, and the scream she couldn’t hear ripping apart her throat.
Breathlessly, she hit the water once more, but didn’t have time to register the force and cold that nearly tore her body asunder before the back of her head collided with something rough and angular.
Suddenly, she had no strength to give her limbs. The cold shock of the water began to wear off, her thoughts instantly halting. As the last shreds of her consciousness were wrenched from her grasp, she felt the river nudge her away from the waterfall, pulling her up toward the surface of the still-surging water.
Rainbow Dash scrunched her face against the light of the sun filtering itself through the fabric of the tent. With a deep yawn, she stretched, rolling over and reaching for Scootaloo on the other side of the tent.
Her hoof met nothing.
Confused, she blinked her eyes open to find an empty sleeping bag where her sister should have been sleeping.
She heard quiet peals of laughter outside, and she smiled to herself. Scoots must have woken up a bit earlier. She stretched again, yawning wider this time before she got up and unzipped the tent.
She squinted against the risen sun, her eyes taking a minute to adjust as she stepped out.
She heard Applejack chuckle. “‘Bout time you two woke up.”
The sentence made Rainbow Dash pause in confusion. She blinked the remaining light out of her eyes, and her heart skipped a beat.
Standing around the fire were four ponies. None of them were Scootaloo.
Fear did not hesitate to grip Rainbow’s heart. “Where’s Scootaloo?”
Whatever the quartet were previously talking about instantly evaporated from their minds.
“She’s not in there with you?” Rarity asked.
Rainbow Dash felt the blood drain from her face. “No.”
The single-word answer sank into the group. All at once, the five ponies jumped into action, scattering about the campsite and calling out the young pegasus’s name.
Rainbow Dash darted to the other two tents, ripping open their flaps and scanning their insides. A horrible thought crossed her mind, and she threw herself back to her own tent. She dove inside, grabbing Scootaloo’s bag and yanking it open, her hooves beginning to shake. She grabbed the storage case, unzipping it in one motion, hooves trembling when she found the two cochlear implants inside.
Across the campsite, Apple Bloom desperately scanned the raised riverbank. She came across a little jut-out, spying something different to the surrounding area. She stopped, nausea rising in her throat and her heart roaring in her ears. She swallowed hard as Rainbow Dash called out in a panic, “She’s not wearing her ears!”
“AJ!” Apple Bloom heard her voice call out, though she didn’t remember speaking. Her older sister stepped up beside her, seeing the same thing she saw.
“Oh, sweet Celestia…” her sister breathed, pulling her little sister close. “Rainbow Dash!”
The pegasus rushed over, her worry only growing at the sisters’ stillness. She followed their gazes, eyes landing on a sight that made her blood run cold.
At the end of the riverbank, shuffle marks and hoof prints interrupted the smooth, loose soil. At the very edge, two lines dragged toward the river, where they disappeared over the side.
Rainbow’s mouth suddenly felt dry. “Oh, my God.” Without hesitation, she threw herself into the air, turning around and scanning the entire immediate area with her trained eyes. Seeing nothing, she shot off in the direction the churning waters were flowing. Her heart raced as she passed a small section of rapids, the roaring water getting louder as she went.
She followed the rough water, and her heart nearly stopped, feeling as though her breath was ripped from her lungs.
A waterfall nearly thirty meters tall greeted her, its height making her head swim. Dread and horror rushed through her chest, and she forced herself to take in a breath.
“Oh, my God.”
She dove, whipping all around the water’s landing point. She peered as hard as she could, unable to make out anything in the water, breathing only the slightest sigh of relief when she saw nothing. Eyes wild, she shot away from the vicious wall of water.
“SCOOTALOO!” Rainbow Dash screamed, though a voice in the back of her head rudely reminded her the filly was not wearing her implants. “SCOOTALOO!!” She screamed louder, eyes darting between trees and rocks, scanning the shore of the river as quick as she dared, praying she would be able to see a trace of the filly.
Two miles down the river, she finally stopped, practically hyperventilating. She forced herself to land and take a few deep breaths. Panicking wasn’t going to help Scootaloo right now.
She fought against every instinct she had to keep going forward, and turned herself around, shooting off to go back to her friends. In what felt like far too long, she arrived back at the campsite, finding the others scattered about looking for the teenager.
“See anything?” Applejack asked, drawing the attention of the others.
“No,” Rainbow Dash responded, on the verge of tears. “She could be anywhere, and she doesn’t have her hearing aids! She could be hurt, or worse, and won’t be able to tell if she’s in danger, or where she is, or—“
“Rainbow Dash, darling,” Rarity tried to soothe, pulling her into a hug. “You cannot allow yourself to panic right now.”
“But Scootaloo—“
“Needs ya ta have a level head right now,” Applejack interrupted, her accent thickening as her emotions rose. “Ya can’t get yerself worked up right now, Dash. She’s smart, she’ll more’n likely get somewhere safe and hunker down ‘til somepony finds ‘er.”
Rainbow Dash forced in deep breaths as she heard her friends reasoning, trying to calm herself down as best she could. “Yeah,” she breathed, absentmindedly hugging Rarity back as she tried to compose herself. “Yeah, you’re right. She’s smart. She won’t do anything stupid.”
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, having heard the stressed conversation, tried to take the same comfort Rainbow Dash did. They looked at each other, unable to stop dread from creeping its way up the backs of their necks.
If they knew their friend like they did, she’d try to get back to where she came from. True, she wouldn’t purposefully do anything stupid, but she wouldn’t stay still, either.
They kept their mouths shut, however; and began quickly packing up the campsite. The best help they could offer Scootaloo right now was getting as many involved as possible in the search.
The door to Baltimare Search and Rescue opened with a light jingling of the bell. Inspector Tracks, to the relief of the receptionist, finally ceased pacing a pit into the carpet as he looked to the mare who walked through the door, relief instantly taking the place of the worry flooding through him. "Oh good, you're here."
A tilted head met his desperation. "Is everything alright, Inspector? Am I late?"
"No, no, right on time as usual. We've just had a sudden situation come up. You’re needed in Fillydelphia."
At once, the unicorn straightened, all tiredness leaving her eyes. “What’s the status?” she asked curtly, trotting to her office with her supervisor trailing behind her.
“Deaf and blind filly, fourteen years old. They camped out hiking up Foal Mountain. She apparently got up in the middle of the night when her family was still asleep. They woke up to find her missing.”
She nodded, immediately mentally filing away the information as she snatched up her saddlebags. “Is the family at their office?”
“Ready and waiting,” he confirmed with a nod.
“Okay.” She cleared her throat. “And the search party?”
“They’re corroborating with the park services and volunteers as we speak.”
A smile answered him, the spell already weaving together in her mind. “Good. I’ll let you know when we head out.”
His nod was the last thing she saw before he disappeared into his office. She took a breath, conjuring her practiced image of the Fillydelphia Police Department. Releasing the spell, she vanished in a flash of azure.
Reappearing in said department’s atrium, the mare startled the attendant as the appeared. “I’m the specialist from Baltimare,” she quipped, flashing her badge.
“Yes, ma’am, right this way,” the clerk responded, nearly tripping over herself as she came around the desk. As she led the specialist, she informed, “The family has already filed a report, we’ll be gathering the search party in T-minus twenty.”
She nodded. “Excellent, thank you. Put me on the list and get me the file.”
“Yes, ma’am,” the clerk nodded, stopping in front of the door to the family room.
The unicorn took a breath to steel herself, mentally preparing for the most stressful part of her job. She pulled on her decades-practiced, comforting façade, and pushed open the door, finding the—
Her breath caught in her throat as she froze, her front crumbling at once, the eyes of the waiting mare rising to meet her own. The pegasus stopped in her pacing, her disheveled, brilliant rainbow mane a beacon within the gray colorlessness that was the specialist’s world, her crimson eyes red with tears.
Her breath caught in her throat as Rainbow Dash locked eyes with her, the cyan expression mirroring her own.
In seven years, she hadn’t changed one bit.
Rainbow Dash’s jaw fell slack as she gawked at the unicorn she hadn’t seen in years, recognizing her instantly despite the toll time had taken on her.
“Foggy?!”