//------------------------------// // Expeditions // Story: A Herd of my Own // by Dafaddah //------------------------------// A Herd of my Own by Dafaddah Chapter four: Expeditions Edited by Sharp Logic, Microshazm and Mythee “Spike!” The shout was urgent, angry, and had just enough tremolo to echo multiple times through the castle hall on its way down from Twilight’s office, past the throne room and into the rumpus room. Spike was lounging in a bean bag chair, reading his favorite trashy pulp magazine: Weird Science Stories. With a sigh he placed a bookmark in the periodical before folding it shut and setting it down. Spike knew what that tone of voice meant. He took one last longing glance at the awesome steam airships on the garish cover, and with a shout of “Coming, Twi!”, jogged up the stairs. When he arrived Twilight was already wearing a groove into the rug in front of her desk. The Prench Doors to the balcony were open and the drapes waved in the breeze. She didn’t even seem to care that the air currents were flipping pages of books left open on her desk and sending notes and checklists fluttering onto the floor. She flew in here in an awful hurry! he thought, beginning to worry. “Hey, Twi! Is everything okay?” he asked. She froze in her tracks. “Aughhh!” she wailed through gritted teeth. “No, Spike! Hardly anything is okay!” She resumed trotting back and forth. His brow furrowed. “Er, Twilight, just take a deep breath. Whatever it is, we can handle it,” he remarked, hoping that it was true. He’d seen Princess Celestia taking this approach with the distraught mare before, usually to good effect. Twilight stopped again and closed her eyes. Her exhalation took a good long time, and her demeanour relaxed. She turned in his direction, smiling sheepishly. “Thanks, Spike. I needed that!” She trotted around her desk and sat in the large upholstered chair behind it. Her smile faded and her horn glowed as she she took quill and paper and wrote hastily. Too much in a hurry to even dictate! Not good! he thought. Having an idea of what would come next, he held out a claw just as Twilight signed the document with a flourish. She rolled it up and floated it into his grasp. From the desk he picked up a stick of sealing wax with his other claw, held it over the scroll and blew out a small yellow flame. This caused some of the wax to melt and fall on the paper. He then put the wax stick down, picked up the Great Seal of Friendship from Twilight’s desk, and pressed it into the hardening tallow. “Celestia?” he asked. “Celestia,” she replied with a nod. He held up the scroll high and with a blast of green fire turned it into a miasma of dark particles that quickly disappeared out the window. Twilight heaved another deep breath. “Okay. That’s one.” She leaned onto the desk with both forelegs. “Now, we need to get ready for a search party for Zecora, who we think is lost in the Everfree Forest. Spike, write this down, please.” He waddled over to his own smaller and usually much tidier desk, snuggled up against the right side of Twilight’s huge one. His quill stood ready in its ink well and a whole ream of vellum awaited, weighed down by another stick of sealing wax. It wasn’t the first time she’d left the doors open. He brushed away a few of Twilight’s scattered notes, took quill in claw and waited. “Search party checklist” said Twilight, deep in thought as Spike scribbled. “Emergency medical kit, ink, spare ink, quill, two spare quills, one ream of paper, one spare ream of paper, my copy of Pith Plume’s Flora and Fauna of the Everfree, a topological map of the Misty Hills section of the Forest, and –” she scratched the back of her head “– what else do I need?” Spike cleared his throat. “Ahem… how about some food and camping gear if we’re gonna stay overnight?” She nodded in agreement. “Excellent suggestions Spike! Two days worth should suffice. But only for me. You’re not going.” Spike’s quill screeched to a halt. “What!? Why not?” he asked, feeling his heartbeat accelerate. “Because, Spike, –” a cunning look crept over her features, “– I am going to send you on a secret mission. Prepare another checklist, Spike, and this one’s for you!” Spike’s expression became a mirror of Twilight’s. “Sweet!” he said. Trembling with excitement, he laid out a fresh sheet of paper and dipped his quill into his ink-pot. Twilight landed in front of the former Town Hall. There were some thirty or so ponies assembled, many with bulging saddle bags or backpacks. Amidst them all, Rainbow Dash trotted back and forth, dispensing smiles, encouraging words and hoof bumps all around. She halted when she saw Twilight approaching. “So how are we doing, Dash?” The cerulean mare turned towards Twilight with a wolfish grin on her face. “Thanks for telling Pincy-boy that I was in charge. He wanted to have each of the volunteers sign a release form before they could join.” “What kind of release form?” asked Twilight incredulously. “Something about absolving the government from having to compensate them for time lost, or from any medical costs due to injuries sustained before the volunteers go on the mission, or something like that.” “Why? So we can waste time and scare away anypony who actually wants to help?” Dash put a foreleg over Twilight’s withers. “I kinda figured it was something like that, so I asked him how could we know what were these ponies’ prior medical conditions. He said that was a good question.” Twilight was taken aback and stared at her friend. “Dash, why are you encouraging that stallion?” “Twi, I’ve been dealing with bureaucracy ever since I entered the weather service.” Her expression turned angelic. “So I asked him to go to the hospital and get a copy of each of the volunteers’ medical records. It should only take him an hour or three.” Twilight’s eyes grew wide. “And by the time he’s back –” “– the search party will already be gone!” Dash grabbed her sides, laughing heartily. “I even told him to go visit Fluttershy and the vet ‘cause some of the ponies are bringing their tracking dogs with them! Ha! Ha, ha, ha!” Twilight was still chuckling when Dash suddenly grew serious and with a few flaps of her wings hovered just above the group. “Okay, team! The princess is here, so we’re moving out. Pegasi scouts, you’ve got a map of Zecora’s likely path. Comb the area to both sides but always stay in line of sight of another team member. Report back if you find any sign of her. Ground contingent, we’ll stop by Zecora’s cottage on the way and hopefully the dogs can track her scent from there onwards. Unicorns, you’re perimeter defense for the ground contingent as soon as we enter the Everfree. Let’s keep this party tight and safe! Everypony! Move out!” A dozen Pegasi took to the sky and formed up in a horizontal line, then flew at a measured pace straight towards the Everfree. The remaining volunteers, mostly earth ponies, began to trot down the road leading out of town. “Twi,” said Dash, “I’m gonna be flying back and forth coordinating the two teams. I’d appreciate if you’d stick with the ground contingent to help in case of trouble. If I need another pair of wings in the air I’ll let you know.” The princess nodded. “Good! I’ll see you back at Zecora’s!” Dash flew off in a prismatic blur. “Yes, ma’am, Commander Awesome!” Twilight whispered under her breath. With a brief gallop, she caught up with the rest of the ground team just as they exited the town. “So Twilight gave you a secret mission! Why Spikey, you’re becoming an international drake of mystery!” cooed Rarity as Spike took another spoonful of ice cream. Spike blushed and kicked his legs in embarrassment as he sat at her kitchen table. A pot of tea sat on the table along with two delicate chineigh cups. “Yeah, well, the nature of the mission is that I might need some help, and I was thinking of asking you, Sweetie and her friends. Would that be okay with you?” He peered earnestly into Rarity’s eyes, her beautiful, wonderful eyes... “... and you’re quite sure this is nothing dangerous? You wouldn’t mislead me about something like this now, would you?” Spike started as he realized Rarity had stopped speaking. “Uh, no. It’s just that it might mean some travel to Canterlot, Manehatten, Whinneypeg and Fillydelphia, which you do on a regular basis. And... some of the stuff I want to do would require an adult.” He admitted with a sheepish grin. “By the way, Twilight gave me a budget to cover all expenses!” he added cheerfully. Rarity took a dainty sip from her tea cup and made her decision. She peered back at spike and smiled conspiratorially. “My, this might prove a bit of fun! I accept, with the proviso that none of this travel interfere with the girls’ schooling. Are we clear on this?” “Crystal!” replied Spike. “Then perhaps I should go summon my sister and her friends. I’ll take care of getting their guardians’ permissions.” Spike couldn’t believe his ears! “Gee, thanks, Rarity. You’re the best!” “And don’t you forget it, Spikey!” With a wink, Rarity left him to finish his ice-cream. He stared into the half-finished bowl with a silly grin on his face. An extended secret mission with Rarity! This is gonna be awesome! His legs swung happily in anticipation. The pale grey unicorn waved to the postmare as she flew off. She read the postmark on the letter the mare had delivered. Express delivery! From Ponyville! With a happy feeling, she brushed her white and lavender striped mane from her face and brought the letter inside, where her husband sat in his favorite recliner. His blue head and dark blue mane were just visible over the top edge of his newspaper. He looked up and seeing her expression put down his Canterlot Times. “What is it? News from Twilight?” he asked. “Actually, no, Nighty.” She floated a letter opener from the roll-up desk against the wall behind her husband’s chair. “It’s a letter from Angela.” “Oh, the mare we met at Shiney’s wedding?” “The very same.” Velvet unfolded the envelope’s contents and began to read. Her expression became serious. “What it is?” asked Night Light as his wife read on. “I think it’s time we paid Ponyville a visit.” She did not smile as she said the words. Night Light grinned. “I know that look in your eyes, sweetheart! Somepony’s in trouble, and it’s not Twilight!” Twilight Velvet pivoted on her rear hooves, not bothering to refute his assertion. “Let’s pack, Nighty. There’s a train to Ponyville in two hours and we’re on it!” He folded his newspaper. He could always finish reading it on the train, while his wife planned a fate worse than death for somepony foolish enough to have discomfited the youngest of her offspring! Pince Nez trotted back into the Royal Administrative Center grumbling under his breath. The prime minister was sitting at her desk looking somewhat anxious. Elected officials! he thought with a scowl as he approached her desk. “You don’t seem to be very pleased, Mr. Nez,” she said with a nervous laugh. His eyes narrowed. “Prime minister. The visit to the hospital was very trying. The administrative staff at first categorically refused to surrender the past records of any of the pony volunteers. Can you imagine, they claimed patient confidentiality! To me, an authorized agent of the crown!” He took a large stack of folders from one of the saddlebags draped over his back and dropped it onto his desk with a resounding thump. “However, I was able to make them see reason and we arrived at a compromise. The ponies involved are identified by a number only, not by name. After this charade of a pony hunt is over, and we inevitably get medical expense requests, we can at least have somepony at the hospital verify that these do not represent an existing condition whose costs they are trying to foist on the public purse!” Prime Minister Mare looked somewhat nonplussed. “Mr. Nez, perhaps you’re not aware that Ponyville General Hospital is funded by an endowment from Princess Celestia, and that the medical care provided there is free of charge?” The unicorn’s coat seemed to turn an even more bilious shade of green. “Harrumph!” he said, finally. “It is nevertheless the principle of the thing. We cannot let this government be rode over roughshod now, can we?!” The mare shook her head. “Of course not, Mr. Nez!” She smiled brightly. “And how did it go with our good vet, Dr. Goodall?” He extracted a second pile of paper from his other saddlebag. “She was far more forthcoming.” He looked at the pile with a look of distaste. “Perhaps too forthcoming. This veterinarian keeps a rather obsessive amount of data on her charges. How can ponies be willing to spend so many bits on their pets in this... rustic hamlet?” He picked up one of the documents from the vet's pile. “And most of these aren’t even medical files! They’re articles she wrote for scientific journals!” The mare laughed pleasantly. “Oh, I can explain that too! Ponyville is frequently exposed to the more exotic denizens of the Everfree Forest. Dr. Goodall is funded by the Canterlot Academy of Sciences to report on them, and she is quite fond of publishing her research! As it happens, she also gets a stipend from Princess Celestia – to provide the best possible healthcare to our little Spike, since he isn't a pony you know!” Pince Nez rolled his eyes and began sorting the files. “I am quite aware of that... reptile in our midst!” Prime Minister Mare tilted her head. “And did you visit Fluttershy? She takes care of most of the cases Dr. Goodall doesn’t.” At the mention of the pegasus mare, Pince Nez’s face paled. “Yes, I did.” His eyes rolled back in his head and he swallowed loudly. “Er, I don’t want to talk about that.” He buried his face in one of Dr. Goodall’s research articles. “Ever!” He didn’t seem to notice that he was holding the document upside-down, nor did he see the brief self-satisfied smirk on her face when she did. But then, with his face hidden from view, she didn’t see the sneer that darkened his countenance either. Twilight followed Rainbow Dash as they landed in the middle of a clearing near the summit of the tallest of the Misty Hills, almost a half-day’s ground travel from Ponyville and near to where they thought Zecora’s destination lay. Several pegasi were already there, combing the area for clues. “See here?” Dash pointed a hoof at a small pot crushed into the soil near the center of the glen. Twilight bent her muzzle down to get a closer look and raised it back quickly, the corners of her mouth turned down in disgust. “Ugh! What is that awful smell?” Dash smirked. “We’re not sure, but we figure it was some sort of scent lure for a large animal.” “Hmmm. Find anything else?” The corners of Dash’s mouth turned down. “Yeah. There are signs of a large critter crashing about, probably a reptile. And hoofprints of an adult pony, maybe a zebra, dancing around the perimeter of the clearing. Oh, and what looks like the hoofprints of a young foal.” Dash’s expression grew a bit troubled. “Zecora wasn’t traveling with some kid, was she?” Twilight scratched her head. “I’ve seen no other indications of it, Dash.” She scanned the area. “Did the dogs pick up a scent trail leaving the clearing?” The blue pegasus blew air through her lips. “No, that’s the strange part. The dogs were able to follow a trail from here to a spot a few hundred ponylengths from here. But it ends in a bunch of bushes with more signs of struggle and some dried blood stains. Funny thing is, the only hoof prints we found along the way looked to be those of the foal, none of a pony Zecora’s size. And for some reason the dogs can’t pick up any sign of her leaving there. It’s as if Zecora didn’t want to be followed!” Twilight felt her heart skip a beat. “So what do we do, Dash?” “We set up a command post here, begin a search pattern, and hope somepony finds something.” She saw the worried look on her friend’s face. “Hey, Zecora’s a very capable mare. She lives in the Everfree and knows how to keep herself safe!” Twilight pointed a hoof at the large gashes in the clearing where the sod had been ripped open. “There was a fight here, Dash. And you found blood. She could be hurt, and hiding from whatever did this.” “Yeah, and if the creature that did this had caught her there would be... evidence of that. And there isn’t, Twi. She got away, believe me. We’ll find Zecora, for sure!” Twilight tried to grin and failed. “Yes. I’m sure we will.” She stared into the forest, seeing nothing but shadows.