//------------------------------//
// Search Begins 
// Story: The Status Quo 
// by AppleJared 
//------------------------------//

"I don't think that is the way to go, Rarity. I considered it, but ultimately our police Chief has done a great job of heading not only the police but also the S&R teams. I wouldn't have time to do anything else and Chief wouldn't be able to be as productive and helpful as he is now. I think we can do better if we put our heads together and more importantly work together. Just the six of us," Twilight rebutted.

The room had lightened a tad with a sense of progression. Twilight could swear the room lightened up a little. The hard part, bearing the bad news, was over. Now was time to make a plan and do something. 

"You mean seven?" Spike asked, somewhat irritated.

Rarity looked over and gave Spike a sultry look and a pat on the head. "Of course you'll help, Spikey!" After Spike's ego had been resurrected, he went back to the kitchen to make himself a late breakfast.

Rainbow was visibly irritated and anxious. "Okay listen," she yelled out. "I'm done sitting here. Fluttershy, Twilight and I should fly over to different parts of Ponyville and the surrounding areas. We can cover a lot more ground if the three of us split up into different directions. Rarity and Pinkie, you go on hoof wherever the S&R teams haven't covered yet. Applejack, you send out word to the family you have in the surrounding areas about the situation and tell them to keep an eye out. If we all can't find her here, she must be in a neighboring town. It's 10:13 am right now. I say we do our work and meet at Sugarcube Corner at 1 pm to get lunch and go over what we have found." 

Mouths agape, the other six including Spike sat in awe at Rainbow's plan. It wasn't that she was stupid, but rarely did they see her come up with plans that didn't involve jumping the shark. Even Applejack, who usually ended up arguing with any statement or opinion Rainbow ever had, just responded with "okay."

"Wow, Rainbow," Twilight said whilst being slightly taken aback by how logically sound the plan was. "That's actually a great idea."

And out the door they went.

Except Spike. Spike stayed home.





*Two hours later*

Applejack was still on the phone calling extended family members. Sometimes even to AJ, being southern had disadvantages. Having a huge extended family was usually great for reunions, but if you have to talk to all of them it could take hours. And as if it wasn't bad enough to have to call almost every family member she had in one sitting, it was what she had to tell them once they picked up. It wasn't a friendly 'hi' or 'how ya doing' phone call. It was telling them to look out for a lost filly who has been gone for days now. It was a cold reminder of how Equestria wasn't perfect. 

To Applejack, hard work always had a funny way of fixing problems. But she knew that even if she worked herself to death, she couldn't save Twist from the memory of what happened to her. In Applejack's mind, there were no two ways about it. This situation could never be 100% salvaged. Even if they found Twist in good physical condition, something bad happened to the poor filly and she would probably be a little mentally damaged because of it. She could only hope that whoever took her wouldn't physically damage her. And that got her thinking...

"...what if this happened to Applebloom?"

The idea, now planted into her head, quickly grew into a patch of rage. Her heart started beating faster, sweat started dripping, her hooves started shaking. Thoughts of violence took over and she quickly went outside to walk it off. While outside she imagined some creep stallion taking poor Twist in the night and hiding her so she wouldn't be found. Talking herself down quickly brought her back from her rage, but one thought deep down would continue its whisper.

"I hope I find him first."





Chief understood why Princess Twilight ordered the skies cleared for full sunlight until dusk. It made sense, really. He silently applauded her on her ingenuity. 

It just sucked to be in the hot sun all day, and he wasn't exactly the 20 year old athlete he once was anymore. He could sweat in an air-conditioned room these days. To make the situation worse, every time we went to get a break to go inside somewhere, some boot rookie needed his help outside. Between that and the constant updates from the search teams, calls from every politician in the nation, calls from police in other cities, and the hourly frantic call from the poor filly's mother, Chief just quit trying to go inside. Instead he ordered some boot to go get him a couple beers. 

"Umm... Chief, it's not even 1pm yet," the young stallion said.

Chief just looked at the poor uniformed stallion with disappoint practically dripping of off his face. Today was hard enough and this new guy thought he would try out being Chief's mother? The rookie got the message fairly quickly.

Almost shaking, "Oh, um, of course sir. I'll get those beers right away, sir. Sorry sir."

As soon as the kid left, Chief took a deep breath and wiped the sweat off of his face. As soon as he saw the pink and white mares approach from down the street, he needed to wipe his face again. It was Pinkie Pie and Rarity. That alone made the sweat even worse. Was it because the Elements could have bad news, or because the elements themselves were all pretty mares? Being married and all, Chief would never tell.

"Chief! Do you have a moment?" Rarity asked.

Chief looked back at Pinkie and Rarity. "Pinkie Pie and Rarity, of course. What can I do for you?" 

For Chief, it was always nice to see any of the Elements. Aside from them being an extra level of security for the town, Chief had to admit that Ms. Rarity was especially easy on the eyes. She was young, cultured, pretty and talented. He was far too old and far too married for her, but still...

"Well darling, we have been doing our own little search for poor Twist and we were wondering if you could tell us where the Search and Rescue teams have not tried yet," Rarity said.

Chief took a moment to think. "Well as far as the Ponyville area goes, I think about the only other place they haven't gone to yet is Rambling Rock Ridge."

"I see," Rarity confirmed. "That's a good distance away from here, is it not? What would be the best route to get there?"

Chief thought whether or not to even mention the actual fastest way, but they were Elements so he knew better than to lie. "The fastest way is technically through the Everfree, but you know the dangers of that forest. The next fastest way is taking a train to Dodge City and taking the road to the Ridge. Do you want me to assign some officers with you when you go?"

"Oh no thank you, Chief. We'll be fine on our own. I'm sure you're spread thin as it is." Rarity took a slight head nod to show respect to the Chief. He gave her and Pinkie the return gesture. Rarity walked off and Pinkie started hopping away saying, "Thanks Mr. Police Chief!!"

There wasn't enough time to get to the ridge and be back by 1pm, so Rarity just walked towards Sugarcube Corner. It was only about a ten minute walk, but it seemed to last longer. Rarity didn't like the entire situation. Truth be told she would rather see the local police handle it and let other get back to their business. But she also know that there was life at stake, and she would sacrifice anything to help. She would put her clothes order on hold for weeks if that's what it took. She was Generosity incarnate, after all. 

Plus, this season's popular fashion trends were awful anyways.

It took Rarity a minute to notice the lack of hopping Pinkie was doing. Pinkie was right next to her after they saw Chief, but then she stopping hopping and was now behind Rarity. Rarity stopped and turned around, worry in her eyes. Pinkie was head down, slowly walking.

"Pinkie... are you alright?" Rarity asked. 

Pinkie lifted up her head and tried to put on her best fake smile, but it fell apart like broken glass. Eyes ever so slightly misty, she plopped down on her haunches. "I just, I don't like this. I like being happy, Rarity. I like bouncing and parties and cake and bouncing and smiles... but I can't smile about this."

Rarity sat down on the street next to Pinkie and wrapped a hoof around her. "Pinkie, nobody likes this. It's just awful any way you look at it, but we have to do our part to help Twist."

Pinkie looked up, thankful for Rarity in this moment in time. "I know that Rarity, I just have a bad feeling."

"You mean your Pinkie sense?"

"No," Pinkie said. "Just after we left Chief a few minutes ago, I just got a bad feeling about something. Like, maybe something bad happened somewhere, or maybe something bad will happen later."

Rarity didn't know what to say. After a minute of silence, they both got up and returned to the path of Sugarcube Corner. Pinkie had one question in mind.

"Are you scared, Rarity?"

Once again, the white mare stopped in her tracks to think about her answer. She wanted to be strong in this situation, but she knew better than to lie. "Not yet, Pinkie. For now I'm only worried about Twist."





Fluttershy rubbed her hooves together. "I've checked every rooftop in Ponyville."

Rainbow cocked her head down a bit. "I checked over the entire river."

Twilight looked at the two of them, all still hovering, and wondered how she could keep morale up. "I flew over Ghastly Gorge, twice. Listen I know this feels bad, but maybe what we need is some good lunch and time to think and maybe make a new plan. Let's head over to Sugarcube Corner and wait for the others."





Applejack walked in last for lunch. The rest had already ordered their drinks. She sat down and ordered a water to drink.

Twilight didn't even bother to ask if anyone found anything. 

After they ate, there was some more silence. Rarity spoke up. "Chief told me that the only place the search teams haven't checked is Rambling Rock Ridge."

Twilight nodded. "It sounds like our best option for now. We should all go together on this one; the ridge can dangerous."

"There is one more thing, however," Rarity continued. "There are two ways to get there: through the Everfree, or a train to Dodge City with a hike to the ridge. The Everfree path is shorter but Dodge City is much safer by comparison."

"Obviously we have to take the train," said Twilight.

Infuriated, Rainbow couldn't hold back any more. "WHAT!??" as she slammed a hoof on the table, silencing the entire restaurant/bakery. All eyes on her, she continued. "You've gotta be kidding me! That train ride is more than two hours long! Going through the forest would only take one hour MAX."

"Rainbow please, calm down. You're making a scene," Rarity pleaded.

Rainbow gave a death glare to Rarity. "How can any of you calm down?? There is a filly missing and she's been gone for three days now! Time is short and if we wait too much longer, we might NEVER see her again!"

Twilight stood up. Hoping to cool Rainbow down, she said in a calm voice, "Rainbow, I understand what you are saying, but if we lose another pony trying to find Twist it will only make this worse. We have to be careful about this and not let our emotions blind our judgment."

"Careful?" Dash mocked. "You mean comfortable."

Applejack got up and forcefully sat Rainbow down back in her seat. "Now you hold it right there, partner. I don't know where you're gettin' this attitude but it's goin' to stop right now. We know you're upset about this and trust me, we all are. But blaming any one of us and talking like that to Twilight just ain't gunna fly. We're all doing our part here and you goin' off like a cannon won't solve a word puzzle. We gotta stay calm and focused like Twilight said or all of our work won't matter a hill o' beans."

Rainbow, now calmed down, tipped her head. "I know," she said quietly. "I know you're right, and I'm sorry for yelling."

Twilight understood how Rainbow felt and spoke up. "Rainbow, to be truthful, I want to take the shortest route possible as well. But flying over the forest and walking in it are two totally different concepts. Both are dangerous but walking is far more so. Only three of us have wings, and Fluttershy and myself can't carry another pony for that amount of time. We also can't risk just me, you, and Fluttershy going because if something were to happen over the Everfree we might need all of the Elements to get us out of trouble."

Dash lightly nodded her head and lowly responded, "I, uh... I didn't think about all of that. We should take the train."

"Okay then," Twilight said as she got up from the table. "Girls, pack your saddlebags for an overnight trip in case we don't get back tonight. I'll tell Chief what we're doing. It's 2pm right now, so let's meet at the train station at 3pm."

After the decision was made, they all started to make their way towards the door. Applejack pulled Twilight aside.

"Hey Applejack," Twilight whispered. "Thanks for covering me back there. Rainbow means well but sometimes she just... I don't know."

"It's nothing Twilight, but I need to talk to you for a second."

"Sure Applejack, what's up?"

Applejack lightly pawed the ground a few times. Talking at low volume, she said, "Now listen, I called up the kin today, just like we talked about. I told them to keep on the lookout and to call me if they find her. Of course they'll do anything they can to help, but I need to ask you something and I need you to understand that I'm just trying to help you when I ask this. But Twilight... Dash had a point."

Eye lids scrunched, Twilight asked, "What do you mean?"

"I mean, it's been three days, sug. The odds of finding this filly get worse every day she's still out there. I know you know that but... what are you going to do if we, and Celestia forbid, but what are you going to do if we don't find Twist? Or... if we do find her, well... disposed?"

The thought alone forced Twilight to fight tears from coming on, and Applejack put a hoof on her shoulder in hopes to comfort. Twilight shuddered. "I.. don't know, Applejack. I've thought about it a few times but I try not to. Twist still has a chance, even if it is slim."

"Well, do you know what you'd have to do if the worst does happen?"

Twilight contained herself and tried to iron out the mental wrinkles. "Procedure dictates that the residing Princess of Equestria, Celestia, must be notified first. After, breaking the news to the family would come next. There would..." Twilight's composure faulted for a brief moment. "There would eventually be a ceremony honoring the victim's life and I would have to officiate it."

Applejack was shocked.  She couldn't even imagine how awful that would be for Twilight if she had to do all of that. Applejack placed a hoof on Twilight's chin and lifted her head up. "Let's make sure that never happens."





"Chief, I need you to give me a detailed report on the search so far."

"Well Princess, this is going to take some time. The short version is, we haven't found her. The long version is even worse," Chief said as he pulled out a map of Equestria.

"I've had double police officers on duty since the disappearance. We've been taking calls on tips and general information but nothing has fleshed out yet. Search and Rescue teams have been deployed since the first day. Teams have been active here in north, east and west Ponyville. What S&R teams I have left are checking areas like Ghastly Gorge and White Tail Woods. I've personally contacted the head of police in all other cities and towns within Equestria and gave them her description. They will be checking for Twist as well. What I'm saying is, we're running out of places to look, and absolutely nothing has shown up."

Twilight's face contorted a bit with question. "Chief," she said. "You mentioned north, east and west regions of Ponyville, but not south?"

"As you know, Princess," Chief said. "South Ponyville is the entrance to the Everfree. I have a plan, but I'll get back to that. Some extra police came in from Appleloosa and even some from Baltimare. The other cities just don't have enough to spare. I'm having the new guys trained in our way of doing things and they should be ready to patrol by tonight. I personally put out the signs on the mandatory home inspections and I also made the sure newspapers put it on the front page as well. As far as the tracking specialists, most of the ones that do have Everfree experience refuse to help us. They have a couple stories on what can go wrong."

Chief looked up from the map and looked Twilight in the eye. "Personally, I have a allergy towards any and all forms of cowardice, but I know the Everfree doesn't operate like the rest of Equestria. A few years back, one of my rookies went in there trying to find someone's missing cat. You know what happened? Some dragon-chicken turned him into stone... 

a dragon-chicken, Princess. There's just something not right about that. I'll take it a step further, too. I don't have anyone on the force right now that can handle that type of magic. These 'tracking specialists' might help avoid things like that but what if mistakes are made and an entire S&W team gets turned into organic concrete? I can't have that on my hooves, Princess."

Twilight turned away and walked to the other side of Chief's office. Neither of them spoke for a few minutes. Twilight, deep in thought, looked at some of the pictures on the walls. There were family photos and individuals of his wife and children. From vacation photos to sitting-around-the-house photos. There were also some pictures of Chief and other police officers. Some pictures were very old, like the one he got when he graduated the Academy. Others seemed more recent. 

But on the wall behind Chief were memorial pictures. Officers who died on duty. Their full names were presented and beneath their names were the birth date and death date. Some of them had small epitaphs on the picture. The whole wall was packed with these. It made Chief remember why they do what they do. It made Twilight realize Chief's position and responsibility. 

With a stern look, Twilight looked back at Chief. "You're right, of course. And I agree to the plan."

His eyebrow cocked up, "But Princess, I haven't even told you the plan."

With a poker face that only Celestia could teach, Twilight responded, "You really don't have to tell me. If the police and S&W teams can't go into the Everfree, then the only other options would be the Royal Guard or the Elements. Obviously there aren't enough Guard for this and technically it wouldn't fall under the purview of their responsibilities. So if everywhere else is checked and nothing is found, the Elements will have to go in. Still, I want your police and search teams to have signal flares ready for if they find Twist. Assuming it comes to that, I don't want to be in the Everfree longer than I have to."

"What about you, Princess? Won't you need a signal flair if you find her?"

Smugness wiped itself on Twilight's face. "I'm an alicorn, Chief. I can make my own signal flare."

Slightly embarrassed, Chief respectfully put his head down. "Of course, Princess." 

Twilight made her way to the door. "The Elements are going to Dodge City on train tonight to investigate Rambling Rock Ridge. I'll contact you when we get back. If anything big happens, get Spike to send me a message."

"Yes ma'am."