Chapter 8: The Search Continues
“We have to find them”
The sound of parchment magically appearing in front of Princess Cadence as she sat in her throne with the zebra and her husband by her side signalled that Twilight had responded to her message.
It was in the morning now, Cadence had woken up especially early to take care of all matters of business alongside her husband so that they could quickly help their new zebra friend find his comrade.
Rook had asked for them to do a complete scan of the list of all the inhabitants of the crystal empire, and upon learning what this “cutie mark” was he had asked for pictures to be sent as well. Currently the zebra sat in his newly patched armor with the Proto-Tool resting on his shoulder as he scanned each picture.
“So why did we need our subjects to take pictures of themselves again?” Shining asked the periwinkle zebra as he began scanning the last group of pictures and the list of names beside it.
“It is because I do not know what form Ben has taken in this world” Rook replied not lifting his eyes from the records. “And if this ‘cutie mark’ is as you said a mark that appears when you realize what your special talent is then I should be able to find Ben solely based on that.”
“I see” Shining said slightly amazed by how scrutinizingly observative this zebra was. Then again he had to consider the fact that this zebra may just be from a completely different world altogether.
“But one more question” Shining Armor said this time getting the zebra to look up in his direction.
“Cutie marks while they may range from what you’re special talent could be, there are ponies out there who have the same cutie marks as others if not slightly different in some way. What makes you think Ben would be so easy to find if there’s even the slightest chance that there’s a pony out there with the same cutie mark as his?” the stallion asked with a raised hoof.
Rook merely smiled as he turned his eyes back to the records and photographs. “Because Ben has a completely different talent that I don’t believe anyone here has” Rook said as he moved on to the last section.
“And what’s that?”
“His incessant need of fiddling with the Omnitrix and his incapability of staying out of trouble” the Revonnahgander replied with a chuckle. Although the smile he had soon vanished as he saw that no one in the Crystal Empire had the mark he was searching for.
Shining Armor would have asked another question as to what this ‘omnitrix’ was, but his wife spoke up.
“Good news!” Cadence said with a smile to Rook as she put the letter down. “Twilight says she knows a Ben who suddenly appeared out of the blue. He’s not in Ponyville right now though. It says he’s off to help solve a problem that Ponyville seems to be facing with Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy.”
“Twilly’s in danger?” Shining asked concerned.
“She’s fine Shining, don’t worry she reassured me” she said patting his shoulder.
“Princess?” Rook said patiently. “The issue of Ben’s whereabouts?”
“Oh yeah, sorry” she smiled sheepishly. “Twilight said they headed off into Everfree forest, she’s not sure where exactly but Ben said he would try to get a letter sent out somehow.”
Rook got up from his seat and began moving towards the throne room’s exit till he felt a tug on his tail. Looking behind him having forgotten that he even had one the Revonnahgander looked up at the cerise pink winged unicorn staring at her with a raised brow.
“What are you doing?”
“You can’t leave with the way you are” she said with worry. “You got here only yesterday and you’re still in recovery. What kind of pony would I be if I let my injured friend out all alone in a world he doesn’t understand?” she said with a warm smile as Rook’s ears drooped slightly.
“I appreciate your concern but...I have to go. There is simply no time to waste on recovery” he stated turning back towards the door ready to walk out.
Both Cadence and Shining looked at each other with worried expressions until Shining Armor’s eyes lit up with an idea as he whispered to his wife who nodded her assent.
A light rose glow surrounded a nearby cup that had been brought to them earlier in the morning. As the cup lifted off it’s tray and Rook was almost out the throne room gates Shining Armor hurled the glass object at the zebra with as much force as he thought necessary.
The crystal cerulean cup sailed across the room in a straight line for its intended target and just as it looked like it would hit Rook on the back the zebra with swift reflexes Shining Armor had only seen pegasi do during training drills, spun onto a stance on his hind legs managing to catch the cup in both his forehooves. The sudden effort making him wince in pain from the bruise still healing on his side.
Cadence smiled, Shining clapped moreover impressed by the Revonnahgander’s skill. “See?” she said with a mischievous smile. “You’re still injured, there’s no way I could let you go alone, besides like I previously said you have no idea where to look to begin with. You don’t know Equestria like us pony folk do.” She pointed out, “so you have no choice, in the matter.”
Rook sighed before dropping to a hoof and placing the cup on the ground safely. “You are right. I have no choice, so I’m afraid I must ask you for a favor.”
Cadence raised a brow, “And what would that be?”
Double thinking what he was about to ask Rook took a second before looking up at the winged unicorn and the unicorn before him, the determination he’d felt on the day he became a Plumber recruit burning in his eyes. “Come with me.”
Kevin woke up to the sound of the inn’s door closing. Lifting his head up slowly the stallion saw Gwen making her way towards him a smile on her face as she made her way over to the window across from them..
“Sleep well?” she asked opening the curtains and letting in some sunlight, brightening up the room.
“Yeah just fine, you really were pretty clingy last night. What was the whole deal with that anyway?” he asked, with a sly grin. “You’re usually never this you know clingy even when we’re alone” Kevin said not trying to hide the slight surprise in his voice.
Gwen merely smiled placing her paw against the stallion’s face. “Well I couldn’t help it, if I wanted to keep you a little closer” she said warmly. “Besides I didn’t hear you complaining did I?”
Rolling his eyes the smile still on his face he shrugged. “No, no you didn’t” he admitted.
“Anyway. We should probably get searching for Darkstar now huh?” Kevin said getting up from the bed.
“Yes I agree” Gwen said following Kevin as he opened the door and exited the inn room. “Should we call Discord out now or wait a bit?”
“Now that you mention it where is that crazy dragon?”
*** ***** ***
On the first floor at another part of the inn Ben, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash occupied a room fit for three as Discord floated over the sleeping stallion as he snored in his bed.
“Hm, wouldn’t have expected him to stay up so late into the night listening to my little moments of chaos. This one’s a strange one” Discord said with a smile as Fluttershy trotted over to readjust Ben’s head as it fell over from the side of the bed.
“Well he did spend most of his night escaping dangerous scenarios, one’s that he somehow managed to get himself in. But he did seem to push himself a bit” Fluttershy said with a small smile at the sleeping stallion.
“You have to give the guy props even though he nearly died out in the forest twice I couldn’t see a lick of fear in his eyes!” Dash commented. “The way he acted brushing off the timberwolves attack and the eel’s little midnight snack out of him, he really made it seem like he’d dealt with much worse.”
“Really now?” Discord said stroking his beard, getting a nod from both Dash and Fluttershy in response. Interesting.
“Discord!” he heard his name being called from upstairs. Ben twitched in his sleep and the two mares looked up at the ceiling.
As if the call of her friend’s name was all she needed to remind her of the question that had been bugging her since their arrival at Dodge City Fluttershy turned her attention to Discord.
“Hey Discord?” she asked the surprised draconequus as he turned to face her. “Where are those two friends you said you were escorting?” the gulp Discord made, caused the yellow pegasus to raise a brow and Dash to stare at him questioningly.
“Now that you mention it. The animals that spotted you guys said something about seeing you escorting a hybrid of sorts and a stallion. Where are they?”
“Oh them?” Discord asked, feeling his initial plans of postponing their meeting suddenly go down the drain. “I uh, I uh- they actually went on ahead of me! I told them to go on ahead and wait for me across the city. We should end up meeting them eventually along the way in fact-”
“Discord!” Kevin’s voice yelled louder than last time obvious irritation in it.
Slapping a his paw to his face he growled. “Excuse me.” But before Fluttershy could get him to stop the dragon was gone in an explosion of pink bubbles.
“Disc” -a claw suddenly appeared covering Kevin’s mouth- getting quite up in Kevin’s personal bubble Discord let out a silent growl through gritted teeth. “What?”
Shoving the claw away Kevin scowled at the ancient being before, moving further down the hallway towards the stairs. “We’re ready to go. Let’s pay our due and leave. If we want to stop Darkstar from getting any further in his plans we’ll need to get a move on and now.” He ordered as Gwen passed by him following her boyfriend, Discord couldn’t help notice something slightly off about the magic he felt around her.
“You coming?” Kevin asked from the front of the spiral stairwell.
Gwen had already went ahead. Remaining silent for a few seconds Discord nodded a sly grin secretly spreading as he followed. “Coming Kevin deary!”
As the trio made their way downstairs and towards the innkeepers desk they saw Servus now taking position instead of Satura.
“Checking out?” the stallion asked.
“Exactly” Gwen stated.
“Oh yeah” Kevin said drawing Servus, Gwen and Discord’s attention towards him. “Where’s that mare who checked us in last night?”
“Madame Satura is out on business” the mustard pony replied. “If you have a message I may deliver it to her later.”
Shaking his head a little too suddenly (unknowingly earning Gwen’s slight grimace), Kevin told the earth pony there was no message he wanted relayed to the mare.
Gwen turning her head to Discord, “Well?”
“Well what?” he asked with a confused look.
“Pay the ma- pony for their hospitality” Kevin said, rather bluntly.
Discord frowned at the two. “You know if it weren’t for you two being my friends I’d tell you to go bite a-”
“That!” Servus said cutting in before Discord could finish yanking out any bits from his wallet and the sentence. “Won’t be necessary. Madame Satura says it is...” he paused for dramatic effect casting a look at Gwen that made the dracony look away in slight embarrassment much to Kevin’s confusion.
“Madame Satura says it is on the house. Free of charge, no need to pay master of chaos” the mustard stallion bowed humbly. And apparently that was good enough for Discord, because no sooner had he heard “on the house” was the floral decorated wallet gone.
“Well! Kevin, Gwen?” he said clapping his hands together. “What’s say you guys and I head on our way and begin heading towards BadLands?
“It shouldn’t take us more than a-” once again the draconequus was cut off by the shout of his name.
“Discord!” Rainbow Dash said rushing him. “Did I just hear you say BadLands?! The place where ponies like Buck Rogers and Daring Doo have only made it out alive due to sheer luck?! You’ve got to take us there! WOW! No pony is going to beli-” she paused, just now taking notice of Gwen and Kevin.
A second passed and Dash had connected the dots. “These are the two you're helping aren’t they?” she asked facing him with a dull expression. He nodded.
Ben soon came walking up with Fluttershy right behind him, rubbing his eye with a hoof. “How’s a guy supposed to dream about a Mr. Smoothie with all this noise?” he asked grumpily.
“Ben we’ve already told you we don’t have anything like that in Equestria.”
“Well you should!” he stated with vigor. “Not having a Mr. Smoothie’s is like not having water. It just doesn’t work that way.”
“Ben?” a all too familiar voice said drawing the flash white stallion’s attention.
Turning towards the taller steel stallion Ben stared silently at him, for a few seconds. For a while no one in the group said a word as Discord waited tentatively to see what would happen and if his plans had really blown up in his face.
They had.
“Ben?!”
“Kevin?...Gwen?! What the- What happened to you guys?!”
“We should be asking you that...look at you you’re so small!”
“And what’s with your hair dude you grow it out even more?
“Hey at least I look good in it.”
“Keep dreaming, Kev.”
“Hey! I look good in it right Gwen?”
Gwen smiled pulling Kevin close. “I think he looks just fine” she said taking advantage of her new height as she pulled the slightly surprised stallion closer. Kevin broke the hug when he caught the embarrassed look Fluttershy was having on her face, and the slight gag Dash was making.
“Ahem. Anyway, how did you guys find us?” Kevin asked, as Gwen moved over to ‘her’ cousin and hugged him.
“We didn’t even know you were here” Ben said. “Discord met us up ahead and brought us over here. He never mentioned you guys. Isn’t that right Discord?” Ben said to the fleeing draconequus who was tiptoeing his way out of the building.
A nervous chuckle was all that escaped Discord before he turned towards the group with questioning stares shooting in all directions at him. Even from the butler.
He simply snickered cursing under his breath “Horse apples.”
“Shining are you sure about this?” Cadence asked for no doubt the twelfth time.
“Cadence. Dear, I’ll be fine. I can run the castle by myself no problem” he said lifting a reassuring hoof and hitting his chest pridefully.
“Just leave it to me alright. Besides I’m not as good with healing based spells as you are. And while the empire might need both it’s rulers I’m pretty sure I can handle a week or two without you. So don’t worry about it, go help Rook he really needs it.”
Cadence bit her lip torn between her people and helping the stranger who had for some reason had grown on her like a long friend since their sudden meeting yesterday. The zebra had also grown on Shining as well since the unicorn was so vigorously advocating for his wife to help him on his quest.
“Are you sure?” she asked again. This time Shining rolled his eyes, before trotting up to is wife pulling her close and giving the alicorn a kiss. They were back in their room and Rook had decided to wait outside for their decision.
“I’m sure dear. Go help our friend alright?”
Still biting her lip Cadence reluctantly nodded. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to help Rook. It was just her people and husband that bothered her on the matter. But as Shining Armor had said he could work things out for the next fortnight without her. Besides he always had help, in case he needed it.
“Alright” she said with a small smile. “I’ll go. But if you need me have Twilight send me a message and I’ll be back with Rook as soon as I can.”
Shining chuckled with a nod. “Like I said don’t worry, but yes I will contact you if necessary. Now go on” he said giving her one last kiss.
“Ahem” Rook said awkwardly peering inside, spotting the kiss and gluing his eyes to the floor. “Are we ready to go. I don’t mean to rush and all but-”
“We are ready to go” Cadence said once she’d stopped Shining from breaking their kiss when Rook had interrupted, making sure they finished before she released him.
“So how do we get to the Everfree Forest? From the map you have provided,” he said taking out the map in the saddlebag he’d been given. “it looks like on foot it will take more than two days to get there,” he stated. Cadence merely smiled, humorously.
“Did I say something funny?” Rook asked, which Cadence only replied with a shake of her head.
“We’re not going there” she said with a smile. “I got a letter from Twilight a few moments ago that Discord had said Ben, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash were all in Dodge City. If we take my chariot we can get there within half a day’s flight.”
Rook nodded. “Then please lead the way Princess.”
Princess Cadence did just that, her husband escorting them along the way down to the royal courtyard where two crystal pegasi and two regular pegasi, one of them having a bright blue mane and gamboge coat being in the lead of the pulling group.
“Alright you guys” the pegasus with the blue mane said. “Ready?” the response was pegasi beating their wings as Rook and Princess Cadence got on.
“Alright then let’s move out!” he ordered. Slowly moving the chariot forward the vehicle began moving as the ponies in front paced into a gait, then eventually took off into a gallop, before spreading their wings and slowly lifting the vehicle. Rook and Cadence waving their goodbyes to Shining Armor below till the unicorn was out of sight.
Princess Cadence smiled as the wind whipped her mane and she looked back behind her towards her kingdom.
They’ll be alright, she thought with a smile as Shining flashed into her mind. Pushing the thought out of her head the unicorn joined her friend whose gaze was now firmly fixed ahead with newfound determination. Princess Cadence couldn’t help but soak in the feeling of her companions eagerness to join his comrade in arms.
Their search had taken off, and was now continuing on to their destination. “Dodge City here we come.”
“So let me get this straight?” Dash asked. “You were planning on not telling us that Ben’s cousin and best friend were here and letting them roam around freely till they happened” she used her hooves to form air quotes. “to meet up?” she asked incredulously.
Discord nodded, his lower lip pouted in shame from the disappointed look Fluttershy gave him.
“Oh Discord, how could you?” she said sullenly.
“I think that was pretty good.” Rainbow Dash said in his defense, earning a shocked look from the yellow mare.
“Hey I give props to where their earned” the cyan mare said with a shrug. Fluttershy shook her head at the statement and turned her attention to Ben, Kevin, and Gwen. The dracony who seemed to be maintaining her distance now from the cousin Discord had heard that she was so desperate to meet and concerned for.
“What’s the matter Gwen?” she asked the dracony who suddenly jumped upon being called.
“Aren’t you happy to see your cousin?” Fluttershy asked with a small smile.
Gwen didn’t say anything looking at her cousin who stared at her with a raised brow along with Kevin when she didn’t reply. “Gwen you alright?” Kevin asked.
“Yeah dweeb what’s wrong?”
A few seconds of added silence and the dracony rubbed her arm nervously saying, “Sorry Ben, I’m glad you’re here and all just uh. A little nervous is all, don’t think you noticed but, we found out Darkstar’s here” she said.
Ben more thrown off by the fact Darkstar had appeared rather than his cousin’s failure to make witty remark against him calling her a dweeb the stallion’s ears immediately stood erect, having full attention.
“What do you mean he’s here?”
“I mean he’s here. Around Dodge City somewhere at least that’s what the master of-- Discord says” Gwen finished.
Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy who still were in the blue about this ‘Darkstar’ being turned to Discord who shrugged simply saying. “She’s right. Though the magic I’m sensing is coming from BadLands, seems to be getting stronger. We should probably stop wasting time talking-”
“And get straight to action” Ben stated as he began marching his way down a random street only to stop and look back at the others behind him. “Well! What are you waiting for Discord lead the way!”
In a flash Discord was in front like a marching band director and showing the flash white stallion the correct street to go. Fluttershy, Dash and Gwen followed behind but Kevin remained back at his spot where they’d been sitting not to far away from the inn, watching Gwen.
“Something’s definitely not right about her” he stated.
“Kevin?” Gwen’s voice said drawing him out of his doubtful thoughts. “You coming?”
He nodded following the others behind and moving on up ahead of Gwen, feeling her eyes firmly glued on to him in a strange and slightly familiar manner. “Something’s definitely not right here” he muttered, as Gwen caught up with them.
“I just hope this feeling disappears once we get to BadLands. Cause I’m really not starting to like it.”