//------------------------------//
// Chapter 8 (Pt 1) 
// Story: Your Friends From Across Time 
// by EquestrianKnight97 
//------------------------------//

After being talked to by Izzy and Sunny about what a TV was, the two mares took you on a trip throughout most of Maretime Bay. Izzy herself swore that the tour would be "mindblowing" and would in general make you want to live in the beach town. 

The first place they took you to was this playground for all ages in the forests not so far away from the Crystal Brighthouse. It was equipped with the usual standard equipment --- swings, slides, climbers, spinners --- all of which were already occupied by various ponies, both young and old. Curious, Izzy asked you if you wanted to try and play around for a bit before continuing on the tour, but you politely declined, not really feeling energetic after a big meal --- even though you probably would still turn the offer down if you were not stuffed.

Leaving the playground, you and the others journeyed down the hill leading to the town, where you come across a building just off the outskirts. You were told that it was an art gallery and was brought inside to observe the masterpieces in at least one wing. You all spent nearly half an hour there with Izzy doing most of the commentary on what she liked the most before Sunny reminded her that there was still more of the town to show off.

When you actually reached the town of Maretime Bay, you were a bit let down, as your expectations for what the place was like was far from what you actually encountered. For a place that was supposed to house all earth ponies, you assumed that the place would be a bustling city with skyscrapers and streets filled with passersbys. But instead, Maretime Bay resembled a simple small town with average size colored buildings, and while there were ponies coming and going, the environment was not as busy as that of a city like Canterlot or Manehattan.

Eventually, the three of you came across a parked trolley car that was in front of a movie theater. Deciding it was a good idea to take a ride toward a place called Canterlogic, Sunny ushered both you and Izzy into the car past other ponies coming and going. Around two minutes after you took a seat somewhere in the middle, the trolley car began to move.

As the journey took its start, Sunny explained to you that Canterlogic was a company that made numerous devices for the residents of Maretime Bay. Before the three pony races were united once again, Canterlogic specialized in creating items meant to fight against any possible threat that the unicorns and pegasi may have posed against earth ponies. With tensions now over though, the place was now focused on manufacturing simple household items.

Just a few minutes later, the trolley took you to the foot of a small hill, which held on top of a huge building with a glass section in the front that held a giant pair of pink glasses. Once you all got out of the car, the three of you went up the hill, but once you actually reached the front doors, a guard stationed there informed you all that the building was temporarily closed to visitors due to maintenance changes.

You could see for a brief moment that Sunny was somewhat let down by the news, but she quickly beamed once she realized that there was still more of the town of you to be shown. The main thing she wanted you to see was the beach, but before going there she wanted to make one more stop, so she suggested that all of you head back to the trolley stop.

After waiting for another car to come through, the three of you took your ride back downtown. The place that Sunny mentioned wasn't that far away, and she promised that she would not force you to do anything you did not want to do. The last statement made you a bit nervous, as you became worried that you may have sent off a vibe indicating that you were not really engaging with the tour. 

You all finally reached your destination after a couple of blocks, as was evident once Sunny stopped you and Izzy. The three of you were in front of a small light-pink building with flowerbeds below the first-story windows. To the right of the building was a colorful sign that held three musical notes stuck together, and each end of the triplet was a wing.

"And this is Mane Melody!" Sunny exclaimed to you, pointing excitedly to the building. "Maretime Bay's one and only musical salon."

"It's run by our friend Pipp," Izzy interjected. "She's the one in Zephyr Heights right now with her sister Zipp."

You tilted your head. "A musical... salon?"

"Yep," Sunny answered. "Not only is this a place where you can get your hooves or mane done, but you can also listen to ponies perform on the stage."

"And ponies... like coming here?"

Without warning, Izzy wrapped her foreleg around your neck --- leaning gently against you. "Yeah, it's a very popular spot around here. Especially on the weekends."

Luckily before things got more awkward, the unicorn let go of you as soon as Sunny opened the door.

"Let's go in. I'm sure you'll be blown away by the inside," the earth pony said.

Following close behind Izzy, you entered through the front doors of the salon. Though you were not 'blown away' like Sunny suggested you would be, you were still impressed with the interior of the building. Mostly everything in the salon was either a shade of pink, purple, or gold, with just a dash of sparkles here and there. There were tables and chairs that were filled with ponies getting their manes done or receiving hooficures, and the disco ball on the ceiling and the stage with speakers in the back proved to you that Sunny was not kidding about the place being a musical setting as well.

"Luckily, there aren't many ponies here today," Sunny said. "Or at least for now. There are some days where it can get really hectic in here."

"True. But most of the time you need to make an appointment before you come here," Izzy added.

The three of you approached a teal-colored earth pony mare with an orange and purple mane. The mare was at a table --- delicately attending to another pony's hooves with polish. 

"Hey, Jazz!" Sunny said out loud.

When the teal mare turned around, she smiled back once she saw who was in front of her. "Hey, Sunny! Hey, Izzy! How are you guys?"

"We're doing just great," replied Sunny. "Has it been real busy for you today?"

Jazz turned back to her client. "It's been alright today. I think more ponies are supposed to be coming tomorrow." She looked back at you for a bit. "So, who's your new friend? I know this town is big, but haven't seen them around before."

Sunny's ears perked up. "Oh! I completely forgot about introductions! This is [Y/N]. They're, um, not from here. But, they're a newcomer and I thought it was only appropriate that I show them all that Maretime Bay has to offer. [Y/N], this is Jazz. She works here as a hooficurist."

Jazz gave a confused frown. "But they're an earth pony. Where else would they have come from?"

"Sunny! Why don't you just tell her they're from the past?" Izzy asked.

Jazz's eyes widen. "Wait. What do you mean from the past?"

"You know --- the past! Like, years and years ago. It's a long story, but basically [Y/N] is from a time when Equestria was still united and had different creatures besides ponies. Sunny's gonna make a book about their experience if you're interested."

Though Izzy was unabashed with what she just said, Sunny blushed out of embarrassment, with an apologetic smile on the side. "Sorry about that," she said. "I didn't know if I should have mentioned that. I didn't know how you would take it."

The teal mare did not seem offended. "Sunny, it's okay. I'm taking it rather well. Given all the things that magic has been causing since it returned, it makes sense that something like this would eventually happen. They are here because of magic, right?"

"It... might be the reason," Sunny answered. "None of us are really certain how they got here, but we think we might be able to find a way to help them out with getting back home."

Jazz shrugged. "Either way, while they're still here, do you think that they'll mind having a hooficure? It might take me a while to get to you, though, but I'm sure we'll find something in your style."

You were rather quick to address her question. "Oh, no. Thank you, though. I'm not really into that type of stuff --- at least for now."

The teal mare gave you a quick examination from hoof to head. "Well, maybe you could use a hair-change, if you want? I don't think that Rocky's busy with anything. I could go get him real quick."

Again you declined. "I really appreciate it, but I'm---"

"Hey! Hey!" a male voice called out. "I heard somepony call my name!"

You looked up to the side to see a cream-colored pegasus with golden wings and a crimson mane floating down. When the pegasus landed in between you and Jazz, you saw that they were a stallion with a necklace of a golden guitar and a mole on their cheek.

"Is this a new customer?" the stallion said, smiling at you. 

"This is [Y/N]," Jazz said without turning away from her client. "They're with Sunny and Izzy."

The stallion's eyebrows raised themselves up. "Sunny! Izzy! I'm so sorry I didn't say hello to you guys first!"

"It's okay, Rocky," Sunny said before nudging you. "[Y/N], this is Rocky. He's the manestylist here, and also a singer like Jazz whenever you need music in this place."

Without asking, Rocky took your front hoof and shook it. "[Y/N], huh? That's an interesting name. So, is there anything I can do about your mane? We have a catalog at every chair that shows all types of styles you can choose from. And we got plenty of hairspray options as well."

You gave a meek smile. "I really am grateful for the offer, but I'm just on a quick tour with Sunny and Izzy. I'm not really here for a do-over."

Fortunately for you, Rocky was unbothered by your decline. "Oh, okay. Well, I--- wait. You're an earth pony. Why do you need a tour of Maretime Bay?"

Before you could speak, Izzy took the words right out of your mouth. 

"Yeah, about that. They're actually from the past, but some magical doohicky-mishap happened and now they're stuck here. We're gonna try and get them back home, though."

"Izzy," said Sunny. "We should probably let [Y/N] decide what they want to say to other ponies."

Izzy replied, defending herself. "Well, a lot of other ponies know like Hitch and Posey and Dahlia and Jazz over here. I figured that sooner or later nearly everypony in town is gonna know."

"So you're really from the past?" Rocky asked you. "How far back do you go?"

"I was born during Princess Twilight's time as ruler. Back before the three races broke apart."

"Wow... I've never met a pony from the past before. But like you said before, you're on a trip with those two, so I won't ask about any other stuff." Rocky turned to Sunny. "So, are Pipp and Zipp back yet?"

The orange mare shook her head. "They haven't come back to the Brighthouse yet. They're either on their way right now or they're still doing their princess duties in Zephyr Heights."

Rocky grinned. "Well, say hello to them for me when you get the chance."

With Sunny and Izzy saying their goodbyes, the three of you exited the building. But as soon as you all hit the sidewalk, a thought occurred to you. 

"What exactly did you mean by your friends having 'princess duties'?" you asked Sunny.

"We didn't tell you?" Izzy asked. "I thought we already talked about it. Zipp and Pipp are royalty."

"Royalty?"

Sunny interjected. "The pegasi of Zephyr Heights are led by Queen Haven --- Zipp's and Pipp's mom. Kind of like how Old Equestria was run by Celestia and Luna and Twilight."

"So... is there a monarch here?"

Izzy shook her head. "Nope. Maretime Bay just has a mayor, and the closest thing we unicorns have to leaders are our elders in Bridlewood."

"Oh," you said. "So, where are we going next?"

"The beach, remember?" Sunny reminded you with a smile. "It's the last place I want us to go to, and then we'll be back at the Brighthouse to get ready for Pipp and Zipp to come back."

"So, is it a huge beach? Is there anything special about it?"

"Well, it's about half the size of the town, so there's plenty of space. As for anything special about it, there are some caves nearby that--- huh?"

Sunny stopped walking, looking off to somewhere to her side. You and Izzy, both a bit confused, stayed where you were as Sunny kept her gaze.

"Um, Sun? Are you okay?" Izzy asked.

"I'm... okay, Izzy," Sunny replied, though her tone suggested that she was not truly focused on addressing Izzy's concern. "It's just that... I think that..."

Turning to her right, Sunny walked over to the front section of a nearby building. Once Izzy started to follow Sunny, you decided it was best to do the same, and as you got closer to the building you saw a golden sign that resembled a star within a horseshoe. Below that sign, Sunny stood by a bulletin board that was adjacent to the front door. 

As you and Izzy approached Sunny, you got a better look at what was on the board --- which held the title "General Information from the Sheriff's Office". There were various leaflets attached to the board describing miscellaneous facts that were not a real concern to you. What did catch your attention, and what probably caught Sunny's attention as well, were two posters, each one holding a picture of a stallion. Above each picture was the title "MISSING".

One poster was of a red earth pony stallion with green eyes and a short golden mane. He had a smile to him that seemed very smug to you, and despite never having met him before, you had a feeling that he must be the type of creature to always radiant that type of arrogant energy. The other poster was of a purple stallion with blue eyes and a short, puffy pink mane. Unlike the former stallion, this one's expression was a humble smile.

With there being a bit of unspoken tension in the air, you decided to talk. "Do you know any of them?"

Sunny answered you without averting her eyes. "The red one is named Sprout. He's an old foalhood friend despite... past disagreements. The other one is Sugarpuff Lilac. I don't know that much about him, though, but he seemed friendly enough."

"Have they been gone for a while?"

She shook her head. "No. That's the part that's bothering me. They both disappeared around the same time last night. Look."

You and Izzy both inched your way closer to the bulletin board. You got a clearer perspective of the posters, seeing everything from the descriptions of the stallions' cutiemarks to the location, time, and date concerning where they were last seen. From the rest of the information that you read, both Sprout and Sugarpuff were last seen sometime between 7:30 pm and 8:30 pm yesterday near the outer edges of the town. 

Out of your own control, your mouth agape out of realization. "Did you say that they disappeared last night?"

"Yeah," Sunny said, turning to you. 

"Do you know what time Posey and that other mare said I arrived at the house?"

"Hm... Well, I don't remember everything that Posey and Dahlia told Hitch, but from what I can remember it was sometime after six o'clock when the Unity Crystals shot that rainbow toward the house. And it must have been half an hour when me and Izzy came across Dahlia. So combine that with getting Hitch, we probably got to Posey's by 7:30."

Your legs wobbled slightly underneath your weight. "So, d-do you think th-that the monster is still out there?"

Sunny's teal eyes widen, as if you two had just held a convention sharing your own worst thoughts with each other.

"No. I don't think..." she began to say before her sentence died out. Turning to her left, she made her way to the front door. "We should ask Hitch first. Just to make things clear."

Sunny pulled the door opened, making her way inside and followed behind by Izzy. Though the monster was still in your mind, you had enough strength in your body to follow the mares into the office. Pulling the door aside, you were met by the sound of two creatures arguing.

"I promise you that the volunteers are more than capable of looking for clues about where he went."

"But they're not experienced or disciplined like you are! You can't expect them to look over every little detail! They could miss something crucial!"

"Mrs. Cloverleaf, these ponies have helped me out before."

"I doubt that rounding up a posse to stop some critters from stealing from food stalls during a festival is the same thing as looking for grown ponies that have gone missing!"

"Ma'am, that incident is nothing compared to all the other times that those volunteers have pulled through for me."

Before you were two ponies, one of whom you recognized immediately. Sheriff Hitch sat behind a desk that was littered with paperwork, and in front of the desk stood a rather irate mare. She was a light pink earth pony with a curly, blond beehive  manestyle, and she wore glasses and a pearl necklace.

"Hitch," Sunny said. "Is everything oka---"

A sharp "Shush!" radiated from the pink mare's lips, startling Sunny. "I'm in the middle of a conversation here," she harshly declared before turning back to the sheriff. "You need to stay here to find him. I won't have it any other way."

Though not as angry as the pink mare, Hitch's face displayed all the signs of an irritated stallion pushed to his limits. "Mrs. Cloverleaf, I told you before that I can't stay here. Discord still has the pegasus crystal, and I need to help find him before magic is put in any more jeopardy."

"Now I understand that everypony in Equestria was worried about how magic glitched out all those days ago, but I doubt a lack of magic is going to cause ponies to disappear --- which is the real problem you should be dealing with!"

"I am dealing with that, but some things take priority over others!"

The mare, Mrs. Cloverleaf, was taken aback. "Priority? So saving your childhood friend isn't a priority? The same childhood friend that was by your side as your deputy for years? The same friend who never made any attempt to besmirch your name so he could be sheriff, even though we both know how bad he wanted it? Are you telling me that you don't care about him?"

Hitch's ears dropped. "I... didn't mean it like that. Of course, Sprout still matters to me. But I---" When the sheriff realized that whatever words he was searching for were out of his reach, he substituted them with a defeated groan. "I guess I could stay for a few days to lead the search. Hopefully, Sunny and the other girls won't really need me when they go out to meet with that stranger."

Relieved, Mrs. Cloverleaf took a sigh. "Thank you, sheriff," she announced with a smile. "I promise you that this will all be worth it in the end. Considering that that other pony disappeared as well, something is definitely afoot. It only makes sense that you get to the bottom of it."

Mrs. Cloverleaf turned around, heading for the door behind you. As the older mare past Sunny and Izzy, she gave a quick nonchalant glance but did not say anything to them. Once she was out of the office, the three of you approached Hitch at his desk. With his eyes laid on some paperwork, the stallion spoke up.

"I'm sorry, girls," he said apologetically. "I'm not going to be able to make it to the lighthouse with you to find Discord. My hooves are a bit tied here."

"It's fine, Hitch," Sunny said. "I know how protective you can be of us, but you don't need to worry. If anything happens, I'm sure my abilities can take care of it."

"That's true. But maybe Mrs. Cloverleaf had a point. If there's a real danger out there, I need to help solve it before more ponies end up missing."

"So what exactly happened to Sprout and Sugarpuff? We read the poster outside, but is there anything else you found that could help with finding them?"

Hitch looked up at the three of you --- his amber eyes devoid of any rest or solace. "I've been working on this since sometime after midnight. Mrs. Cloverleaf and Sugarpuff's relatives came by to tell me about how the two of them never came home. I've been running on only four hours of sleep ever since making those posters and trying to find clues, but so far I've gotten nowhere." He yawned. "I don't even know if I should take a quick nap before helping the volunteers search the forests. There might be a time limit before..."

Hitch did not finish that sentence, but you had a feeling of what he was trying to say. Luckily for you, Sunny was able to be a bit more optimistic than the two of you.

"I'm sure you'll find something, especially if you have other ponies helping you."

"Yeah, but it's still best to be extra careful in the forests," Izzy said. "Especially if there are some nasty monsters out there."

"You mean like the one that attacked [Y/N]?" Hitch asked. "I've been thinking about that, too. It can't just be a coincidence that Sprout and Sugarpuff disappeared the night you and that monster came here, but I've only told the volunteers about that. If everypony in Maretime Bay knew, it would cause more chaos than anything else."

"Wouldn't it be best to let everypony know what exactly is out there?" you asked. "It might be better if everycreature was on guard."

The yellow stallion shook his head. "I don't know how long you'll be here, but if it's for a while, one thing you'll realize about most of the residents is that they're very... panicky when it comes to a threat that they know exists. There could be drastic actions taken that would do more harm then good."

"He's not wrong there," Izzy said. "When I first came here, everypony was super-freaked out about seeing a unicorn for the first time in like years. In fact, they were so spooked that they all got together to build a big, giant machine to take over Bridlewood."

You were unsettled. "Things got that bad between ponies?"

"That's all thanks to Sprout," Hitch groaned. "It's a bit of a story, but let's just say I left him in charge of the town for a bit while I went away to do something important, except he went overboard and decided it was best to go on the offensive and rally the residents against the unicorns and pegasi."

"That's kind of the reason we have a complicated relationship with him," said Sunny. "And also because he destroyed my previous home when we tried to stop him. But still, I don't hate him, and I definitely want him back home as soon as possible."

Wow. You thought. She's really forgiving about all that.

"Well, when we get back from finding Discord and help [Y/N], I promise that we'll all help with finding Sprout and Sugarpuff," continued Sunny. "I'm pretty sure that Zipp's detective skills will come in handy."

Hitch gave a small smile. "Thanks, Sunny. So, why are you and Izzy here with [Y/N]?"

"Oh, we were just showing them around Maretime Bay," Izzy answered. "We're actually going to take them to the beach next before we leave town."

"Oh, Okay. Well, I hope it all goes well. Now if you don't mind, I better do some more work before I meet the volunteers."

With Hitch occupied once more, Sunny, Izzy, and you say your farewells to the sheriff before leaving the office.