//------------------------------// // 2 - Found and Lost // Story: Courage the Cowardly Dog In: Dog Days // by lunabrony //------------------------------// The journey back to Ponyville, while mildly disorienting, was painless and nearly instantaneous for Courage. In the seconds before Eustace came charging through the door, the pink pup was aware of what felt like large, invisible hands grabbing him from all sides. The feeling made him feel terribly vulnerable, and a second later he was being plunged through the fabric of spacetime. There was only the faintest ripple in the air as he was taken between worlds, and by the time the farmer opened the door on Nowhere side, there was no sign the pup had ever been there. Courage 'blipped', for lack of a better word, into existence in Fluttershy's cottage, the hands not dropping him but instead seeming to push him into her embrace. Fluttershy, who had been minding her own business and who did not at first realize had suddenly appeared in her vicinity, gave a startled yelp. This in turn caused Courage to yelp, their shrieks turning to excited gasps as they finally saw who the other one was. Fluttershy had taken to the pup and though little time had passed since she'd seen him last, she missed him. "Courage!" she exclaimed, excited to see him, but not lost on the implications of his arrival. "You're here... what's wrong?" she asked, feeling her spirits quickly sinking. Courage held up the medal he still clutched tightly, rubbing it as if it were some kind of magic lamp. He was hoping for a reappearance of Princess Luna to explain everything, but there was none. The medal remained cold and silent. "Well, maybe you're just here to visit? I could be over thinking things... just because you're here doesn't mean something bad is about to happen again." She gave a soft smile that resulted in an audible squeak. Unfortunately, she wasn't. And they were. --- Derpy Hooves was many things, but above all she prided herself on being a good mother. She was caring and devoted, and allotted as much time as possible to her only child, a filly by the name of Dinky who was rapidly growing out of foalhood. The child was energetic and lovable, and Derpy's heart swelled with pride every time she looked at her. She wanted to give the child everything in the world she deserved, but didn't want to spoil her. Today they had gone to the park together, with the young filly loving to run around the open area and use the playsets. The swings were her favorite. "Faster, mama, faster!" Dinky was squealing, laughing in that absolute pure joy that only came from children who didn't yet know what taxes were or how unforgiving the world would be in a matter of a few short years. She was swinging back and forth on the chains as Derpy pushed her, the latter frowning in concern at how high the child was getting. "That's high enough," Derpy said gently. "If you were to fall off at that height..." "I'm not gonna fall off!" Dinky protested, the swing slowly descending and slowing, each crest a little bit less extreme than the last one. "How about some ice cream before we leave?" Derpy asked. "It'll be dinnertime soon." Dinky's eyes widened. "Ice cream BEFORE dinner?" She gave her mother a look as if she hadn't heard that right. "No way, you're the best mama ever!" Derpy glanced around. The ice cream cart was only a short distance away, and there was nopony else here at the park. It was January, after all, and the only reason Derpy was even here was for quality time with her daughter. She judged that getting ice cream would take less than a minute, and looked over at her daughter. "Wait here, and call me immediately if you see anypony, alright?" "Alright!" Derpy quickly made her way to the ice cream vendor, selecting two vanilla cones. The vendor was happy enough to have someone to talk to, business was dreadful during the winter months. Everything went smoothly, and took no time at all. She thanked the vendor and turned around, making her way back to her favored and only child before stopping dead in her tracks. The swing was still slowly rotating back and forth, coming off of the momentum of the child who had been sitting on it. Had been... The park was deserted. "Dinky?!" Derpy called at once, the ice cream cones dropping to the ground in an instant and splattering across the grass. "Dinky!" She stood in place and turned a complete 360, able to see in a wide panorama of all directions. But there was nopony else around. Derpy wailed and ran towards the swings, tears already falling from her eyes in blind panic. "DINKY!" She was alone. --- Over at Sweet Apple Acres, Rainbow Dash was clearing snow off the dormant apple trees in academy record breaking time. She had enjoyed her quality time with Applejack over the last few weeks, and the two had bonded to dangerously high shipping levels. Yet even with all the work they'd done already, there was still tons more of it left to do. Clearing the snow off multiple acres of farmland was no easy task. Apple Bloom, no shortage of courage in her small body, leaped off the roof of the house into a snowdrift with a triumphant exclamation of "Yeehaw!" Applejack glared at her. "Now ah asked ya fifteen minutes ago t'go get the shovels from the shed, and ah still ain't seen ya go anywhere near it. Enough tomfoolery, we need them shovels, sugarcube." "But y'told me ah ain't allowed in yer shed," Apple Bloom protested, to which Applejack gave her such a reproachful glare that the filly was sent off scurrying. Rainbow Dash lay on a low hanging cloud several feet off the ground. "You did tell her not to go in the shed," she pointed out. "That's only when Big Macintosh is workin' on the farm equipment. Ah don't want her gettin' hurt." "She's not gonna get hurt," Rainbow said. "It's a tool shed, how's she possibly going to get hurt clearing snow?" At that precise moment, as if overhearing their conversation, Apple Bloom emerged from the shed with a wildly dangerous looking device attached on her back, attached to a winding hose that she held in her forehoof. She grinned, and a burst of fire shot from the end of the hose. "Cutie Mark Crusader Flamethrowing Snow Clearer!" "NO." Applejack said at once. "BAD." "Aw..." Apple Bloom disappeared once more into the shed, presumably to get the shovels this time. Rainbow Dash and Applejack talked for a few minutes more, mostly now the conversation had drifted from the upcoming spring season to how in the world AB had managed to find a flamethrower. "What in the world is taking that child so long?" Applejack complained. "If y'want somethin' done right around here..." she stormed over to the shed, and kicked the door open. "Bloom! Ah ain't messin' around! Git the dang shovels, and-" she paused. The shed was empty. Save for a few tools of course. Applejack narrowed her eyes, multiple options running through her head. One, the most likely, Bloom had shirked her chores by escaping out the back. Two, somepony had taken her away. Three, she was simply hiding. Either way, no matter the reason, somepony was getting their flank whooped tonight. --- The last pony we shall pay a return visit to for now was one very much familiar with Courage's previous adventure. Twilight Sparkle was busy organizing her shelves while Spike was upstairs sleeping, and had absolutely no idea of the trouble brewing once more in various parts of the town. Fluttershy and Courage had come to pay her a visit, and Twilight was delighted to see the pup again. They were catching up while Twilight worked the shelves, and she was alerted to wrongdoing only upon hearing a wild chorus of mixed voices outside her door, becoming louder by the second. Afraid that the noise might wake Spike, Twilight stormed to the front door and swung it open, suddenly finding herself face to face with a crowd of at least several dozen. "Rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble!" The crowd chorused. "Quiet!" Twilight yelled, and the crowd hushed. "Whatever is going on, I'll do what I can to help all of you. But standing out here shouting rabble rabble rabble isn't getting us anywhere!" Derpy Hooves pushed her way to the front, her eyes red and bloodshot with the tears that had been falling for the last hour. "Several children have gone missing, Twilight," she said slowly. "From all parts of town, seemingly at almost the exact same time, or at least only minutes apart. Will you help us? Will you help me find my Dinky?" "And my Delilah!" another voice called from the back. But it was Applejack's pale face that truly made her heart break as the earth pony stepped towards the front. "And mah sister," she said slowly, taking off her hat and clutching it to her chest. Twilight had no idea what was going on. But she was going to get to the bottom of it. She turned to look at Fluttershy and Courage, standing just inside the door. "Welcome back, Courage," she said solemnly. "Looks like we've got another mystery. You up for it?" "Uh huh!" Courage replied. And he meant it.