I'm here.
And...
There is nothing to "see."
And I think I'm starting to understand the shameful colors in Lyra's voice.
I gaze silently into the empty spaces of Octavia's bedroom as the unicorn shuffles to a stop behind me.
"It happened yesterday afternoon, Vine," Lyra says, her voice blue and bluer. "Bon Bon needed to catch up on some Z's. Meanwhile, Tavi suddenly... g-got super concerned over Scribbler. She asked me to go and fetch some more cat food for the little rascal. Even gave me some bits to do it. And... and I-I didn't want to disappoint Tavi. Especially after... after..."
I take a deep breath, gazing into the shadows.
Lyra gulps. "Anyway. I went to the convenience store. It was a super short trip. I-I promise! Still... when I came back... Tavi was nowhere to be seen. Like... everything was just as you see it now, only... a bunch of clothes were gone... along with a suitcase... and... and... well..." She points in the corner.
I don't even need to see. I alreay know. I've figured it out.
Her cello is missing. Just like her.
"So... I-I panicked. First thing I did was go and wake up Bon Bon. Then we went scampering all over Ponyville in search of her. We found Pinkie Pie, and as soon as we brought her in on the search, we started hearing these... little stories." A gulp. "And testimonials. Cloud Kicker said she saw Octavia entering the Ponyville Bank. Cheerilee faintly recalled seeing Tavi leave there. And then... th-then Matilda mentioned something about spotting an 'elegant mare' with a 'smokey black mane' at the train depot. Well, sure enough, Twilight Sparkle did a little investigating. A pony passenger boarded the Northbound Train at four o'clock yesterday. She gave psuedonym, but she was packing a cello... and she matched the description of Octavia. Only... that train was headed towards Fillydelphia, and the station there junctions with three other tracks and... and..."
She shudders. She collapses on her haunches behind me. Her voice is a fractured thing now, rising and falling with pitiable pitch.
"She's... she's gone, Vinyl. Octavia just... j-just up and left. And... and Twilight's already conducting an investigation, but... but the outcome doesn't look good. There's... j-just no telling where she may have gone. Torontrot? Winniepeg? Manetreal? The Crystal Kingdom? She could be anywhere by now. And... and..." A soft whimper. "It's all m-my fault, Vine. I... I shouldn't have left her side! I should have k-kept my eye on her at all times and... and now she's gone. And... and in her emotional state, th-there's no telling where she's gone or what she's up to! Only that she has her cello and... and her entire life's savings. I mean... I mean... Oh Celestia..."
I close my eyes.
I breathe calmly.
"Vinyl... Vinyl please..." She sniffles, sobs. "Is there any way you could ever... ever forgive me?"
I turn around. I shuffle past her.
She gasps slightly.
I pause at Lyra's side... then reach out to gently pat her shoulder.
She blinks, lips quivering... even as I move on past her... beyond the foyer... the music sheets... the memories... the darkness all around. I enter my room, crawl into my bed, and lay down in the scent of two days' misery.
Lyra calls my name. Maybe once. Maybe a few more times.
I don't move.
At some point, the front door opens and closes. The blue cloud limps along with her, then dissipates into the distance. I can't taste the green anymore. All is tan and turquoise.
At least... until Scribbler pads her way into my room.
Wasting no time, the kitten hops up into my bed, finds a delicious crook in my limbs, and curls up against me.
I hold her gently—an orange life preserver. Together we float into the evening, and greet the stars with dead silence—a poor substitute for diginity.