All was quiet in Equestria, and especially in Ponyville. Nopony could explain how, or why, or what was happening that it seemed so quiet. As usual, Ponyville was busy with production, but something seemed different. Nopony could explain it. It was loud, but something was off. Very different. It seemed...too perfect. Something was missing. Some ponies said it was a lack of business. Others said that everypony was particularly quiet that day. There were also rumors as ridiculous to say that it was mass magic that made the town different. But nopony knew the real reason. Through all the crazy theories, some ponies actually thought about a logical reason, but came up with nothing. The question going through everypony’s mind was...What is going on today?
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About a week later, Derpy Hooves, the resident mail-mare, was delivering the last of her mail. It was about three o’clock, a little early for her to finish.
A little later, everything was delivered, except for six pieces of mail. She noticed that it has been the same ponies the past working days for about a week. Although Derpy wasn’t the brightest pony, she was able to piece together the puzzle.
“Hm...again, no muffin for these six...It has been going on for about a week.” She thought to herself. Derpy rubbed her hoof on her head. “The town is talking about something...what was it?...Oh, yeah! The town is off. Off? Oh, what does that mean?..Different. Yeah, off mean different.” She came down from flying, and landed on the ground. She took off her saddlebag and laid out the week’s worth of mail for the six ponies. “Come on muffin, think.” She got a muffin, unwrapped it, and took a bite. “Ponies have started to talk about different things about a week ago...Hm, I haven’t been able to give these ponies their mail for a working week...Come on, think. Think......” Derpy’s head popped up like she got scared of something. “No, no. It can’t be related. No, it can’t be!” She started to fluster. “Oh, who do I tell? Who?” Derpy just remembered somepony who she thought was the smartest pony in Equestria, besides the one that was missing. “Oh! Him! Of course! He will know what to do!” she picked up the letters and put them into her saddlebag, ate the rest of her muffin, and flew off.
“Oh, I hope he is there.” Derpy said to herself. “Please be there.”
Derpy was flying as fast as she could to reach her friend. She had to fly all across town to reach him. He lived around the outskirts of Ponyville, almost hitting Manehattan.
She was near his house, when Derpy saw him enter it.
“Oh, there he is!” She said happily.
She flew near his doorstep. She landed, and knocked on his door. It didn’t take long for him to open it.
“Oh, why, hello Derpy. what brings you and your googly-eye-self back here?” He asked very happily.
“Dr.! Dr. Whooves! I need to talk to you about something! Something important!” She said as she flustered around.
Dr. Whooves was relatively the same size as Derpy, but just a little bit bigger. He had a light brown coat with a dark brown mane that looks like it is held back by a lot of gel. He also had an hourglass as his cutie mark, although Derpy never knew what it meant, but it did have to do with his intelligence, she thought.
“Well then, let’s go inside so we can talk about it.”
Once they were inside, Dr. Whooves offered her a drink. But Derpy was so preoccupied, she refused, even though she really needed one.
“Alright, so tell me what’s on your mind.” Dr. Whooves said.
“Okay. Well, first, I want to show you this.” She took off her saddlebag and dumped out everything in it. It was a mixture of letters and muffins. She picked up the letters and showed them to him. “See, see. These six have not been delivered.”
Dr. Whooves just smiled. “Well, that means that they aren’t there to pick it up. You should know that.”
Derpy sighed. She picked up the six letters and extended them into a fan, showing the past weeks mail. “For a straight week? I don’t think that’s normal.”
“Oh.” Dr. Whooves just said.
“Not only that.” Derpy continued. “Do you know all that talk that has been going on in town? About something being different?”
“Of course.”
“Okay, how long has that been going on?” She asked him, but already knowing the answer.
“About a week. Why?”
Derpy held up the letters to him.
“Letters?....Oh. Oh no...you don’t think...these events are connected?” He asked, scared.
“I do...but I hope not.”
“Who are the letters for?” Dr. Whooves asked.
“Let’s see...these are for Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie.”
“Those...are the ones who stopped Nightmare Moon. And Discord. Those six ponies are inseparable.”
“Inseparable?” Derpy asked, curiously.
“Oh, that means that their friendship is so tight, it can’t be broken.” He explained.
“Okay.” She said.
“Ponies in town, and some in other cities call them the ‘Mane Six’...But how would we know if your hypothesis is right?” Dr. Whooves asked.
Derpy thought about. “Oh, I know! Twilight’s library!”
“Why would we go there? Twilight is missing, remember?”
“Yes, but she has a dragon. Maybe he can tell us what happened.” Derpy explained.
“A dragon?” Dr. Whooves asked. “Really?”
“Yeah, but he’s a baby dragon.” She said. “Let’s go so you can meet him.”
“You know, you could have just flown.” Dr. Whooves said.
“Yeah, but you won’t know where to go. And I could have carried you, but I can’t pick up heavy stuff.” Derpy explained.
Dr. Whooves followed Derpy to where she was taking him.
“Okay, we are almost there. Just up that hill.” She said.
Once they reached Twilight’s library, Derpy had to sit down to rest.
“What’s wrong?” Dr. Whooves asked.
“I usually don’t walk very often, and if I do, it tires me out.” She panted. “Just...give me a second.”
One she was done resting, she knocked on the door. There was no response. She knocked again. Still no response. Then a little later, about ten seconds later someone opened the door.
“Oh, hi Derpy. What are you doing here?” The dragon asked.
“Hi Spike. Just came by because we need to talk.” Derpy turned around. “See, this is the baby dragon I was telling you about.”
“Why, hello Spike. I’m Dr. Whooves.” He stuck out his hoof to shake.
“Well, as you heard, I’m Spike.” He shook his hoof. “And did you say Hooves? Like...Derpy Hooves?”
Dr. Whooves smiled. “No, we are not related. And there is a W in front of the H in my name.”
“Oh, alright then.” Spike looked at both of them. “Well, come in.”
“So, what did you want to talk about you guys?” Spike asked.
“Twilight Sparkle and her friends. Tell us what’s going on.” Derpy said.
“Oh...that...Well, I’m sorry you guys, but I can’t tell you.” Spike replied.
“And why is that?! You tell us-” Derpy started, until she was interrupted.
“Let me handle this.” Dr. Whooves said. He turned to Spike. “No, you will tell us what you know, or there will be drastic measures.”
“That’s exactly why I can’t. I don’t know anything!” Spike commented. He sighed. “Alright, I’ll tell you what happened. I was sent to help Miss Cheerilee with some paperwork. Apparently, she let Twilight know when to send me by. So Twilight let me go. When I got to Cheerilee’s classroom, she told me that the paperwork needed to be sent to Canterlot. She needed my magic breath to send them. After I finished, I said bye and came back to the library. When I came inside, Twilight was gone. I expected her to come back, but she didn’t. I went to see Rarity, to see if she knew anything about Twilight, but she was gone too. I checked everywhere else, but her friends were all gone too...I didn’t know what happened, because Twilight never said anything about going anywhere. I asked a bunch of ponies, almost the entire town where they went, but no one knows anything...And I was here all alone...for a week...” Spike almost started to cry. “Why...why did you come here anyway?...”
“Because,” Derpy started to say, “we are going to find them, and bring them back here.”
“Yes, but unfortunately, we don’t have any leads...” Dr. Whooves said grimly. “But...maybe we can.” He thought for a second. “Oh, I got it!” He turned to Spike. “Spike, would you bring Twilight’s last book she read before she disappeared? We need it.”
“Um, sure, I guess.”
“Because I know somepony who might be able to help us." Dr. Whooves said happily.
“Ugh, where are we going? And why is it so far?” Spike asked in a whining manner.
“We are going to one of my colleagues’ house. She might be able to help us. And her house is far away because she really doesn’t like to talk to anypony, but I don’t know about now, though. It’s been years since I‘ve last spoken to her.” Dr. Whooves explained. “Anyway, we’re here."
Derpy looked up and saw that the house was really big. Not like a mansion, big enough to call big.
Dr. Whooves knocked on the door. “I sure hope this is her house.”
“Wait. You’re not sure if this is her house? Why are we even here then?” Spike asked. “You know what? Never mind.”
The door opened. It was a minty green unicorn with stripes in her hair matching the color of her coat. It also had a bit of a lighter green to it also. She also had a golden lyre as her cutie mark. At first, she seemed not to know who she was looking at, but something inside her clicked. “...Dr.? Dr. Whooves? Is that you?” She asked, a little surprised.
Dr. Whooves just smiled. “Yes, it’s me. How are you Lyra?”
“I’m doing well! Thanks for asking. So what’s up with you? I never see you anymore. When was the last time I saw you?...” Lyra thought.
“It was about seven years ago, when we were in college. Ah, that was a good time, wasn’t it?” Dr. Whooves said as he was reminiscing.
“Yes, it was...anyway, what’s up? What do you need?” Lyra asked.
“Well, I’m here on an important note. Why don’t we talk about it inside.”
“Sure, all of you, come inside, please.” Lyra let them in. When they walked in, the walls were plastered with brown lining. There were also weird looking contraptions everywhere. Some looked like they were completed, while others looked unfinished. “Alright, so what’s the matter? By the way, hi Derpy. Nice to see you again.”
“Thank you.” She said. Derpy shuffled her hooves. “We’re here because of the rumors going around about something being different.”
“Oh, that. Well, I think that that’s ridiculous. I believe that nothing’s going on.” Lyra said bluntly.
“Well, we’re here to tell you that the rumors are true. Lyra, do you know the ponies named Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Applejack, or Pinkie Pie?” Dr. Whooves asked her.
“Well,” Lyra began, “I know Twilight. I lived near her when we still lived in Canterlot. And Pinkie Pie also. She threw me a party when I first came to Ponyville. The others I don’t particularly know, but I heard they defeated Nightmare Moon and Discord. Why?”
“The six disappeared for some mysterious reason. And it happened...” Dr. Whooves got nervous, “about a week ago..”
“That was the same time the rumors started going around, right?” Lyra asked.
“Yes, so we were wondering if you would help us.” Spike said. “It would really mean a lot, and they might be in trouble.”
“Oh, I would totally help you guys.” Lyra said cheerfully. “I have some contraptions that might help us. Also,” Lyra thought, “you might need some food. My mare friend is really good with food. She can make basically anything you ask her.”
“Wait, wait.” Dr. Whooves interrupted. “You mean...”
Lyra sighed. “Yes, I’m a fillyfooler. Is there a problem about that?”
Dr. Whooves’ face flushed. “Oh, no, there isn’t. It just seems so...unconventional.”
Lyra smiled. “I guess, but it makes me happy. She makes me happy. Meeting her was the greatest thing for me in a long time. I’m honored to be dating her.”
“Oh, that makes me shiver up with joy, you saying that.” Somepony said at the doorway.
Lyra popped her head up. “Bonbon? When did you get here?”
Bonbon smiled. "A little while ago. I heard what happened. About Twilight and her friends. I would be glad to help also. And, yes, I'm good with food also. And," Bonbon laughed, "I also have a talent that might be helpful on this journey."
Derpy took a close look at Bonbon. Her mane had a stripe of blue and stripe of pink, and so did her tail. And her cutie mark was three candies. "Well, let's see that special talent." She said.
Bonbon smiled to herself. She coughed and said, "Oh, you'll hear it alright."
Dr. Whooves, Spike, and Derpy jumped back. "Oh, wow!" Spike said. "You completely changed your voice. It sounds like you're ten years older!"
"Very true." Bonbon said, this time with a much younger voice. "I can change my voice to anything, like...a pony with an authentic fancy Canterlot voice, to...ah roughneck style country gal, to...a very modern, Manehattan style voice, and...back to normal."
"Very, very impressive." Dr. Whooves agreed. "Impressive talent. You will be a major help to us on our journey."
"Why, thank you." Bonbon said.
"And that's why I love her." Lyra said. She went up to Bonbon and kissed her.
"Aww...you big sap." Bonbon teased. "Come here." She returned the kiss to Lyra. After they were done, an idea sparked in Bonbon. "Hey, we will also need some music on our trip, and I have the perfect pony in mind, besides you Lyra." She laughed. "You play that lyre amazingly." She thought for a second. "Hey, Lyra, you still have that transportation device thingy, right?"
"Of course I do." Lyra laughed. "Where to?"
"Canterlot. She is performing there, and I'm good friends with her."
"Alright, well then, let's go." Lyra said. She led them down her house. "Alright, here we are. My teleportation device." Lyra held up her hoof to show them all. "Now...let me set the encryptions..." She used her horn to set up instructions on the keyboard and monitor. "Yay, it's ready. Step inside everypony." She clicked a button, and rushed inside with everyone else. Then the machine vanished from her house.
The machine landed in the heart of Canterlot. It was set in a dark corner where nopony would be suspicious about it. The door opened, and everyone stepped out.
Derpy was the first one to speak. "Ahh, that was so much better than walking!"
"Impressive, you still live up to your old nickname." Dr. Whooves said.
"Ha, and what might that be?" Bonbon asked him.
"Her nickname in college was 'miracle machine'. Because she could build anything you tell her." He explained.
"Well, not anything. Anything to my ability is more like it." Lyra said.
"Very true, but this thing is still really cool." Spike noted.
"Thanks Spike." Bonbon laughed. She looked around. "Hmm, it should be near here..." Then she saw a stadium, where ponies were leaving. "Oh, there it is. I hope she's still there."
They all went inside and saw that there were still slot of ponies inside.
"How are we going to find her in a place like this?" Derpy asked.
"We don't need to." Bonbon replied. "She's right there." She pointed her hoof in a southern direction. There was a pony with a gray coat and a black mane, and she had a classical musical note cutie mark. "Her! Hey Octavia!" Bonbon called out.
"Octavia? Oh, Celestia..." Lyra facehoofed.
"What's the matter?" Dr. Whooves asked her.
But his question wasn't answered. Bonbon took them to where Octavia was. "Hey! How have you been, Octavia?" Bonbon asked her.
"I've been well, thank you." Octavia said softly. "Well, I do see that my sister is here as well." She said, smiling.
Lyra had her head down. "Hey sis, what's up with you?..."
"Nothing much."
"Wait? Octavia is Lyra’s sister? I didn’t know that.” Spike said.
“Well, there are a lot of things you don’t know about me.” Lyra said. “Anyway, it’s really nice to see you again sis. Sorry I haven’t been able to come to some of your shows.”
“That’s alright.” Octavia smiled. “Hi Derpy. Um...who are you two?” Octavia pointed at Dr. Whooves and Spike.
“Well, this is Spike and Dr. Whooves. They are here for what we needed to see you for.” Lyra explained.
“Oh, you needed to speak to me?”
“Yes, for something important.” Lyra urgently said.
“Well then, let’s go into my private room.” Octavia said. “We’ll talk there.”