//------------------------------// // Chapter Eight - Searching // Story: Marking the Generations – Part Two // by Glimbursts //------------------------------// “…I went to the station and couldn’t find Sheriff Hitch, so I came here,” Seashell continued. “It’s okay, it’s okay,” Pipp comforted despite her own worried expression. “I’ll ring him now.” “Where did you last see them?” Zipp asked whilst Pipp got her phone out. “On the beach,” Seashell sniffed. “Yesterday, after we saw Princess Pipp, we went there to play. We built sandcastles before playing hide and seek. When it was my turn to seek, I couldn’t find them at all. I looked and looked everywhere. Then mum came to find me and said they’d already gone home.” “So, this was yesterday, and you’ve not seen them since then?” Zipp clarified. Seashell shook her head sadly. “I went to their houses this morning, but they weren’t there. Glory’s Mum thought they had been staying at mine.” “You stay at each other’s a lot then?” Zipp asked. Seashell nodded as Pipp finished her call with Hitch. “Hitch is rallying search parties,” Pipp explained as she put her phone away. “Seashell, you’ve done really well. Don’t worry, I’m confident we’ll find them if we all search together.” “Come on everypony,” Zipp said. “Let’s all go and help, the more hoofs the better.” It wasn’t long until almost the entire town was out helping search for the two lost foals. The fact they were hiding the last time they were seen was at the forefront of everypony’s mind. Therefore, they checked every hiding place they could think of. The only pony seemingly not looking was Sunny, she was walking down the seafront feeling confused. She’d been with Izzy but Hitch had suddenly asked her to look after Sparky. Now Sunny was alone and unsure where to look that didn’t duplicate where others had been. She frowned as she spotted two shadows running along the ground and looked up. Zipp and Pipp flew overhead as they searched together. She thought about using her powers so she could join them but the knot inside tightened, making her wince. Then she spotted Seashell standing next to her smoothie cart looking distressed. “Maybe we should keep her company?” a voice said. Sunny turned to find Misty walking up beside her. “I’m not so good at searching,” Misty admitted. “Already lost the group that Hitch assigned me to.” “I…I don’t know,” Sunny sighed. “I don’t know what help I’ll be.” “You’ll be a great help, Sunny,” Misty replied, nudging Sunny’s side. “You’ve already helped me so much. Just being there for Seashell will be enough.” Sunny took a deep breath and closed her eyes. “You’re right Misty,” she said as she opened them again, a new look of determination on her face. “Moping and feeling sorry won’t help Peach Fizz and Glory.” As Sunny and Misty trotted over towards Seashell, she gave them a grateful smile as they approached. “We thought you were with Pipp, Seashell,” Misty said. “I told Princess Pipp she’d be more help in the air,” Seashell explained. “I just feel so silly for not finding them yesterday.” “They’ve got to be pretty good at hiding if you didn’t find them,” Misty replied. “It’s not your fault, it’s the aim of the game.” “We’ll find them Seashell,” Sunny added. “Why don’t we try retracing your steps?” “Okay,” Seashell sniffed. Seashell led them out onto the beach, after walking down it for a while she eventually stopped and looked out to sea. “This is where I stood to count,” she explained. “So, you looked out to sea, then closed your eyes and started counting?” Sunny asked. “Yep,” Seashell confirmed. “Did you have any idea which way they could have gone?” Sunny continued. Seashell nodded and pointed towards the Brighthouse. “That way,” she replied. “I heard their hoofs on the sand and their giggles as they ran off. When I finished counting, there were hoof prints, so I knew that was the way to go.” “Then let’s go that way now,” Misty smiled. “Maybe if we call their names, they’ll hear us.” “But I tried that last night,” Seashell sighed. “They likely thought you were still playing then,” Sunny replied. “If they hear us, they’re sure to respond now.” They headed down the beach towards the Brighthouse, calling Peach Fizz and Glory’s names as they went. However, there was no response. They soon came to the foot of the cliffs as the headland turned out towards the Brighthouse. Sunny frowned with confusion as she looked around. “I’m sure this area is normally off-limits,” she commented. “They can’t have gone that way,” Seashell said pointing further along the cliffs. “It’s too rocky.” Misty meanwhile looked up and spotted Pipp flying overhead from the direction of the rocks. “Did you see anything that way Pipp?” Pipp looked down with confusion before spotting them. Banking around, she came into land. “I took a fight around the headland,” she explained. “I couldn’t see anything for the mist though.” “Mist?” Sunny frowned. “What mist?” “You can’t see it from here,” Pipp admitted. “But there’s a blue mist clinging to the bottom of the cliffs around the corner.” “Blue mist,” Misty gasped. “Like the mist you’ve been dreaming about Misty,” Sunny cried. Without another word, Sunny galloped towards the rocks. She jumped up onto one before she started jumping from rock to rock. “Aaah,” she cried as one of her hind hoofs suddenly slipped. Grunting she just about caught herself and looked down to see the rock was covered in green algae. “Sunny stop!” Misty called earnestly. “It’s too dangerous.” Panting with effort but with determination in her eyes, Sunny grunted as she tried to focus on her powers to activate them. However, the knot inside her grew tighter and tighter. “Gaaaaa,” Sunny cried in pain. “Sunny,” Pipp said worriedly as she hovered overhead. “Talk to us, what’s wrong?” “The blue mist,” Sunny replied. “Why would Misty be dreaming about a blue mist only for some to appear? It’s got to be connected.” “I did have a strong feeling something bad was happening this morning,” Misty admitted. “Okay, okay but getting yourself hurt isn’t going to help us Sunny,” Pipp replied. “Let’s call the others, tell them we’re onto something.” With that, Pipp whipped out her phone and started tapping away. It didn’t take long for Zipp to come flying overhead, Hitch and Izzy weren’t far behind running along the beach. Meanwhile, there was a flash on the clifftop as both Starlight and Sunset teleported in and started looking down at the rocks below. “It’s this way,” Pipp pointed as she joined her sister. “Just around the corner.” “Stay high,” Zipp advised as she spotted the mist. “I’m going to do a low pass.” Zipp dove down towards the mist and disappeared as she entered it. “Zipppp,” Pipp gasped as she lost sight of her. After a few heart-stopping seconds, Pipp sighed with relief as Zipp emerged from the other side of the mist. “Don’t do that,” Pipp said earnestly. “You nearly gave me a heart attack.” “I think I saw something,” Zipp replied as she pointed with a hoof. “A shadow, right there.” “I’ll tell Sunset and Starlight,” Pipp replied. “And I’ll tell the others,” Zipp agreed. Meanwhile, Sunny had managed to carefully make it back to where Misty and Seashell were waiting by the rocks. Just in time for Hitch and Izzy to slide to a stop beside them. “Oh, come on, where’s the sign?” Hitch groaned. “This part of the beach is dangerous. That sign is always going missing.” “Maybe it keeps getting eaten by the sea,” Izzy grinned as she held onto Sparky. Hitch gave Izzy a look of annoyance as Zipp landed. “I made a low pass through the mist,” she explained. “I could just about see a small shape.” “And the tide is already coming in now,” Hitch gasped. “There’s no time!” With that, he bound forward jumping from rock to rock towards the mist. Zipp took to the air again and quickly followed. “Wait, Hitch! I tried that already,” Sunny gasped. “I have to admit Sunny he does look a lot more agile than you did,” Misty replied. Hitch did indeed look more sure hoofed than Sunny. His bounds were measured and precise as he made good progress towards the mist. “I…I need to help too,” Sunny frowned. She closed her eyes and grimaced as she tried to activate her powers again. “Naaaaah,” she groaned before sitting down and clutching her barrel whilst tears welled in her eyes. “Sunny,” Izzy gasped. “Are you okay?” Misty added with concern. “I can’t use my powers,” Sunny groaned as she opened her eyes sorrowfully. “It feels like my insides are being torn apart each time I try.” In the meantime, Hitch was making good progress and had turned the corner. However, as the mist suddenly enveloped him, he was forced to slow down. The rocks were obscured and hard to make out which made progress far more difficult. He grunted as he slipped, having accidentally stepped on an algae-covered rock. Then, just as he righted himself a wave crashed into the rocks, sending spray all over him. As he blinked the water from his eyes, he caught a glimpse of movement ahead. “Anypony there?” he called. “It’s Sheriff Hitch.” “Help! I'm stuck!” “Glory?” Hitch gasped as he recognised the voice. “Hold on, I’m coming.” Hitch redoubled his efforts to make it across the rocks, his cutie mark glowing brightly as he did so. The mist suddenly started to dissipate as he made more progress. From above, the two Pegasi in the air and Unicorns on the cliff top gasped as the mist suddenly cleared. Finally, everypony could see Glory. Both her hind hoofs were trapped, caught tightly between two rocks. She shrieked in terror as a large wave crashed over the rocks, showering her with water. Almost immediately, another wave loomed high above her but Hitch arrived just in time to shield her from it. “Help. Help me,” Glory sniffed. “I can’t move.” “It’s okay,” Hitch soothed, “I’m here. I’m here.” “Me too,” Zipp replied as she landed on the other side of Glory. “Don’t worry Glory, we’ll get you out.” “The tide’s coming in quickly,” Hitch shouted. “You gab one hoof, I’ll grab the other.” Together, Hitch and Zipp pulled Glory’s hind hoofs as hard as they could. However, it was soon clear they were stuck fast. So, they tried both pulling the same hoof but that made no progress either. All the while, waves crashed over the rocks with increasing frequency and soon they were completely soaked. “You’re hurting me,” Glory cried at last which made the pair stop. “We’re getting nowhere,” Zipp grimaced. “She’s stuck fast.” “The water’s rising faster than I expected as well,” Hitch groaned as he looked down at his hoofs that were now underwater. “I…I don’t know what we can do.” Another wave suddenly crashed over them. Zipp cried with surprise as she felt her wings being caught by the water as it retreated. Hitch gasped and just about managed to grab her in time to stop her being swept away. “Whatever we do we need to do it fast,” Hitch groaned. Suddenly there were two flashes as both Starlight and Sunset appeared. Sunset positioned herself between the group and the sea before creating a shield around them. More waves impacted but this time Sunset’s shield protected them. Starlight meanwhile appeared behind Glory, a look of determination on her face. “Get ready to pull,” Starlight advised. “I’m going to split this rock wide open.” Before they could ask how, Starlight took a deep breath and dipped her head into the water. She placed her horn against the rock that was holding Glory. As her horn started to glow, glowing cracks and fissures started to emanate through the rock. They glowed brighter and brighter before the rock suddenly burst apart in a controlled manner. Immediately, Hitch and Zipp pulled Glory’s legs, freeing her at last. Hitch grabbed her in his hoofs, ensuring she couldn’t float away. Starlight gasped as she brought her head back up. Without another word, she teleported all four of them to the safety of the clifftop. However, once they appeared, Starlight began coughing and spluttering. “Starlight,” Hitch gasped. “You okay.” “I will be,” Starlight croaked. “Got a nose full of water when the rock burst apart. Gosh that stings.” Meanwhile, Sunset found she’d been left behind when Starlight teleported the others. The waves were coming in with ever-increasing frequency and were pounding her shield. She gasped as she realised the water level within the shield was lower than that outside. “Okay, that’s not good.” She waited for a brief lull in the waves before closing her eyes to attempt to teleport. However, as she began to concentrate on doing so, her shield suddenly failed. Before Sunset knew what was happening, she was enveloped in water. Pipp was still hovering overhead and gasped as she saw Sunset’s shield disappear. Desperately, she looked towards the clifftop, her eyes widened when she didn’t see Sunset there. She looked back towards the sea, frantically looking for any sign of Sunset. Relief shot through her as she finally spotted Sunset’s fiery mane in the waves. She hovered lower and began tracking Sunset as she fought to keep her head above the water. “Zippppp!” Pipp shouted. “We need to help Sunset! She’s being swept away!” Zipp ran to the cliff edge, flapping her wings violently to dislodge the water as she did so. She looked out towards Pipp and followed where her sister was pointing. Squinting, she just managed to spot Sunset in the waves before she jumped over the cliff edge. Zipp’s cutie mark shined brightly as she tucked her wings and legs in as she hurtled down towards the sea. Flaring her wings at the final moment, she pulled up and skimmed the top of the water, dodging incoming waves and rocks. All the while, her eyes tracked where Sunset was, guided by Pipp. Sunset meanwhile was in full fight for survival mode. It was taking everything she had to keep herself from inhaling too much water and trying to keep her head above the waves. There was no way she could concentrate on casting any spells at all. Even the thought of doing so didn’t even enter her mind. Suddenly, she felt a pair of legs grabbing her from behind. Then, she was being plucked from the sea and lifted into the air. “Got you,” Zipp smiled as she held Sunset tightly in her hoofs. With a series of powerful flaps, Zipp gained altitude before banking around and back towards the cliff. Sunset meanwhile said nothing, she coughed and spluttered as she held onto Zipp’s legs gratefully. The others cheered as Zipp carefully deposited Sunset on the safety of the clifftop. “T…Thanks, Zipp,” Sunset heaved as she coughed up water. “Sunset, I’m so sorry,” Starlight gasped. “I completely forgot about you in the rush to get everypony to safety.” “It’s fine Starlight,” Sunset replied as she shook water from one of her ears. “You had no idea how powerful those waves were getting because of my shield. Clearly, I need to practice muti-casting spells, I used to be so good at it.” “I’m sure we can work on that,” Starlight smirked. “I’m glad everypony is okay.” “We’ve not found Peach Fizz though,” Pipp replied worriedly as she landed. “Glory, was Peach Fizz with you?” Hitch asked kindly. “She disappeared, just after my hoofs got stuck,” Glory replied worriedly. “I couldn’t see her in the mist anymore. I shouted and shouted but she never came back.” “So why were you on the rocks in the first place?” Hitch asked. “I know the sign is gone but I’m sure you know it’s not safe there.” “We got lost in the mist,” Glory explained as tears welled in her eyes. “It started appearing as we ran up the beach. Then was a shadow behind us, following us, but we couldn’t see what it was. It was tall though, taller than any grown-up. We were trying to get away from it and just kept going. Next thing I knew, my hoofs were stuck, and Peach Fizz wasn’t there anymore.” “It’s okay,” Pipp consoled as she put her hoofs around Glory. “We’ll keep looking for her, won’t we Hitch.” “Definitely,” Hitch replied earnestly.