//------------------------------//
// Missing 
// Story: Motherly Love 
// by Shining Prince Percival 
//------------------------------//

	Twilight Sparkle paced back and forth in front of the door. She expected any moment now for Spike to walk in any moment with a story for why he was so late. Minutes turned to hours. She couldn't wait any longer. She got her sadle bag and headed out the door. She was going to get help.

Fluttershy placed the sleeping dragon in his crib. She made sure that he was snugly tucked in before leaving. Opening a secret door, she entered her living room. She laughed to herself. No one knew of the door, and that ment nobody knew her little secret. Not a moment to soon as she had closed the entrance and placed different furniture around it, somepony knocked on her door.

"I'm coming." She called cheerfuly. When she opened it, she wasn't surprised to see her friends in the doorstep. "What's wrong?" She asked trying to sound concerned.

"Have you seen Spike? He hasn't come home yet."

"No." She said. "He left a couple of hours ago. What do you think could've happened?"

Pinkie Pie bounced to the front. "Maybe he got ate by a furocios animal while walking home!"

"Pinkie!" Fluttershy snapped.

Twilight walked up to everyone. "We are going to make a search party."

"Did you say party!?"

"Pinkie!" Everyone yelled.

"Rainbowdash and Fluttershy will fly around the forest to see if they can find him. Everyone else will spread out and look through the forest. Any questions? Good."

They all split up to find Spike. A task that Fluttershy knew was going to fail. They wouldn't take her precious baby from her. Not now, not ever.


...


Fluttershy was crying in the lobby of the library. "I-if I kn-knew this w-was going to happen *sniff* I would have gone with him. I'm so sorry Twilight. S-SORRY!"

"It's alright, I know you're sorry. I don't blame you."

"N-no! It's not alright! Spike is missing and IT'S ALL MY FAULT!" She cried as flew out of the library.

"Wait. WAIT! *sigh* What are we going to do? Spike is gone and now Fluttershy is blaming herself."

Applejack put her hoof on her shoulder. "It's alright Twi. We'll find him faster than a jackrabbit in a twister."

Twilight didn't look up. "I hope so." She said as a tear fell from her face. "I really hope so."


...


Fluttershy wiped the tears from her face. She walked in her house and locked the door and closed the windows. "Everything is going as planned. I'll pretend to be upset and take care of my precious baby, and there is nothing anypony can do about it."

As she entered her secret room, she heard Spike crying from his crib. "Oh, what's wrong my sweet wittle dragon?" She heard his little tummy gurgle. "I know." She pulled out a small gem. "This?"

Spike stopped crying a tried to reach the tiny emerald. Fluttershy gave it to him and he instantly poped it in his mouth (choking hazard much?). Soon he curled in a ball and began sucking on his tail with a happy smile on his face.

"You make me so happy Spike." She began to rock him to sleep again. "I'm so glad that I have you all to myself. No one will ever take you away from me. Ever."

Spike's mind briefly resurfaced for a moment. The foal-mula had begun to lose thier grip, but it only lasted long enough for him to mumble, "Help."

"Hmm?" Fluttershy had thought she heard something, but the only things in the room were her and her sleeping baby. "Hmm."


...


Twilight was in her bed. She was staring at the empty basket her number one assistant would be sleeping in. Her eyes were soping wet with fresh tears. She hoped that he was alright and that nothing was wrong with him. For him to be safe. For him to come home. To come back to her...