Chapter 3: A New Life
In Equestria, there were still small, scattered storms. Most of the searching pegasi had been reassigned to cloud duty. The storms were so bad in some places that the search parties couldn’t see a meter in front of them; and some storms caused such strong winds that they could propel debris and unprepared ponies alike into each other. The winds weren’t the only issue though; lightning striking the ground was much more common than usual, and it was an unnecessary risk given the resources at Princess Celestia’s disposal.
Luna’s moon had risen for the 22nd time since Twilight Sparkle had been lost.
Princess Celestia observed her map carefully in her private quarters, exhausted and sleep-deprived. Over the past few weeks, the texture of the map had changed. The many “X”s on the map made it barely legible as the princess struggled to find an unsearched nook or cranny.
In three weeks, have we really searched all of Equestria? There was literally nowhere else to look; even the bottoms of the lakes had been scanned. Celestia’s political contacts have even reported no sightings of the missing mare. The worst part was Celestia would have to deliver the bad news to Twilight’s friends and family.
Princess Celestia did not want to give up on the search. More than anypony knew, she wanted to continue, but she couldn’t keep the guards searching fruitlessly. Equestria needed defenders now more than ever.
Twilight Sparkle was the Element of Magic. Without all of the elements present, they were worthless, and Equestria was without its greatest defense; and the loss of Shining Armor as the Guard Captain was sure to follow. The princess pondered the situation. If she calls off the search, Shining may leave the guard, and would not use his magic to defend Canterlot, should it be attacked. She’s seen many officers leave for personal matters in her time, but the problem at hoof was much more complicated than a simple family issue.
The princess conjured a scroll and inked quill in front of her and began to write the first of many letters to Twilight’s friends and family, starting with Shining Armor.
* * *
The air became cooler. Twilight looked up. Impressive stone walls and buildings towered above, dwarfing her cart, and creating a rather impressive amount of shade from the desert sun. The very next thing Twilight Sparkle had realized, the sandy, wooden cart made a sudden stop. Almost instantly, a small, rather odd green dragon stuck its head near the bars by her nose. As the thing muttered to itself, a nervous chill ran down Twilight’s spine.
“Equestrian, unicorn, female,” he mumbled, looking over the disheveled, rancid equine. The dragon reached his tail in and poked the unicorn. “Starved, unable to fight back from the looks of it.” After his examination of Twilight, he pulled his head from the cage and walked to the front of the cart, where two, impatient dragons stood, waiting for their bounty. “I’ll give you fifty silver pieces for her!”
“No way! We went through a lot of trouble getting her here! We won’t take any less than one gold piece and fifty silver!”
“I’ll give you that for undamaged goods. You idiots are always bringing me slaves who have no worth around here! How can I sell something so broken? Hm?!” The smaller dragon put up a fight, obviously unafraid the opposition.
“Fine then.” The two kidnappers looked at one another. “One gold piece.”
“Fifty silver!” The crazed shopkeeper stood by his price.
“We brought her all the way from the pony land capital! One gold piece!” the others boomed.
“That makes no difference to me. A pony is a pony! Fifty silver!” the little one repeated.
While the two parties continued to bicker, Twilight felt another shiver run down her spine. She tilted her neck and shifted her eyes towards the back of the cage, only for them to be met by a smiling white-scaled dragoness with a pair of bright blue eyes. A few strands of sky blue hair dangled directly in her face.
The new party, whose nose had breached the boundaries of the cage, gazed into Twilight’s eyes for an uncertain amount of time. This dragon seemed rather clean for living in the desert. Twilight gazed back, questioningly, until the silence the was finally broken.
“You poor thing… Do you want to get out of there?” she asked.
What a stupid question, thought Twilight, of course I want out. But into whose custody?
Twilight nodded to the best of her ability. At this point, she decided anything was better than the nightmare she currently lived in. If being cooked by the sun wasn’t enough, her captors starved her and beat her when she spoke out of turn, and had, thus far, denied her basic rights as a pony. She also could not wait until she’d be able to take a bath and rid herself of the sand and filth covering her coat and greasing her hair.
The dragoness grinned.
“I’ll get you from them.” The dragoness then raised her head above the cart. “I’ll give you seventy-five silver pieces!”
The two kidnappers turned their heads to the newcomer.
“Now we’re talking, young lady! You offer a better deal than this cheapskate here.” One of them pointed back to the smaller dragon, who was now panicking. He’d never had a customer try to swipe product directly from the deliverer like this before. He decided to cut back in.
“Eighty silver!”
“Eighty-five!”
“Ninety!”
“Ninety-five!” The dragoness grinned smugly at the smaller dragon, while the slavers held their own proud smiles. The green dragon glared back at his feminine opponent before grinning himself.
“One entire gold piece!” Twilight’s kidnappers laughed.
“Deal!” replied one of the slavers. Twilight’s heart sank.
Just kill me now, thought the broken unicorn.
“One gold piece and 10 silver!” interrupted the dragoness. The slave keeper growled at her.
“Fine! I can’t make a profit off of her if I went any higher. I give!” The keeper reluctantly left the group to their deal.
The dragoness reached into the leather sack she wore and placed the equivalent of her bid in silver on the cart. The slavers unlocked the cage and took the silver. They quickly removed Twilight and dropped her on the ground.
“Enjoy your slave, luv!” With that said, the dragons grabbed their cart and bolted away, finally rid of the burden that was Twilight Sparkle.
Twilight groaned loudly as her heroine rushed to remove the rope. The magic sealing sticker didn’t seem to be an issue to either of them at the time.
“Are you okay, dearest?” asked Twilight’s new acquaintance. To the newly released pony, she sounded a bit like her old friend, Rarity, but with a higher pitched voice, and more of a Trottingham accent.
Twilight groaned yet again. In the time she had been caged, she hadn’t gotten to speak very much, so it became difficult for her. But she tried and managed to form words.
“Thanks… Name?” she said, weakly. The dragoness smiled at her.
“My name is Snow. I saw you and just had to get you out of there, you poor thing. Could I have your name?”
My name? Twilight thought. The worn down pony had not spoken her name in many, many days. She had almost forgotten it until Snow had asked.
“Tw-T-Twi… Twilight,” she spoke, feeling like she had a brace in her mouth. It was after Twilight attempted to speak that she realized most of the muscles in her extremities may have atrophied, making it very difficult to get around for a while.
“Twilight! That’s a beautiful name!” She smiled, gently helping the pony up and catching her dreadful stench. “Let’s get you home. We’ll need to clean you up at bath time. Until then, I bet you’re hungry.”
“Mhm,” was all she could say. The tough times were over for Twilight Sparkle. She was one step closer to going home to Equestria where she could make amends with her friends and family.
I can’t wait.
* * *
Shining Armor stared at the ceiling of his private quarters in the castle of Canterlot. Though his pillows were some of the most comfortable in all of Equestria, he hadn't once slept well since his little sister went missing.
“Where could you be, Twily? Are you really that upset with me that you’d leave for weeks and not tell anypony?” He paused. “It’s all my fault.” He sniffled, then he turned his face into his pillow and screamed, “Where are you?!” as tears flooded directly into the pillow.
At that very moment, Shining felt that there was nopony in the world who knew his pain. Nopony who could comfort him; not even Princess Cadence.
When the sobs subsided, he noticed that a scroll lay on his bedside table. He had hoped that it came from the table’s private channel that Celestia would use to send him orders. He brought it up in front of him and gaped at the words on the page.
Dear Captain Shining Armor,
It is with great regret that I inform you of my decision to pull the Royal Guard from the search for your dear sister, Twilight Sparkle. Please understand that I did not make this decision lightly. I have not given up hope, as I do believe that Twilight’s friends alone have the strength and resolve to find her.
As hard as it may be for you, I need your help here, in Equestria, keeping Canterlot safe. Without Twilight Sparkle’s Element of Harmony, Equestria is in grave danger. Equestria needs all of its protectors until Twilight Sparkle is found and brought back into Equestria.
I am terribly sorry for your loss.
Yours truly,
Princess Celestia
As his eyes scanned each successive line, the angry furrows in Shining's forehead deeped. “What?! How could she?” The grieving unicorn dropped the scroll on the floor and jumped out of bed. “Asking me to stop looking for my sister? Never!” He growled with force in his lungs.
The Captain packed his essential belongings, including a picture of him and Twilight Sparkle, into a saddlebag. He didn’t even bother keeping quiet as he trotted out of his room, through the hall and out of the castle.
Who’s going to stop me?
* * *
Dearest Friends of Twilight Sparkle,
I am filled with regret to inform you that the Royal Guard will no longer be assisting in the search for Twilight Sparkle. We no longer believe she is in Equestria. Due to the loss of the Element of Magic, Equestria needs its guards more than ever. Regardless of these facts, I do not wish to give up the search for her entirely.
I wish to formally ask for your help in ascertaining her location. I believe that through your bonds of friendship, as well as your unique connection to her as the remaining Elements of Harmony, you will be able to find your friend beyond the boundaries of our home.
I do not anticipate this being an easy task, so it is with only the greatest of humility that I ask of this of you – and I ask it as your friend, and hers.
Yours Truly,
Princess Celestia
* * *
Applejack quietly gathered her belongings in a saddlepack, successfully keeping anypony from waking in the process.
“Sis?”
Almost successfully.
“Applebloom?” Applejack turned her head to her little sister, who stood in the doorway, rubbing her eyes. “What are ya doin’ awake? Go back to bed,” she commanded, keeping her voice low.
“Why are you awake, Applejack? And what are ya packin’ for? An adventure?” She asked, trying to peek behind her sister and into her bag.
“No. Just go! It’s important, okay?”
“What’s important?”
“The- Oh, alright.” Applejack took a deep breath. “Me and the gals are goin’ to set out to find Twilight. Equestria can’t be searched anymore, so we’re goin’ outta the country to try and find some clues as to where she might be.” Applejack continued packing, not noticing the tears that began rolling down Applebloom's face.
“How long will you be gone?” She asked, already knowing she won’t like the answer.
“Ah don’t know, sugarcube. As long as it takes.” Applejack started to cry herself. She approached Applebloom and embraced her. “Ah love ya Applebloom.”
“Ah love you too, Applejack.”
* * *
A gathering of many surprisingly domesticated animals faced a petite yellow pegasus. The moon shone brightly upon the gathering, and especially upon an angry white bunny at it's head. "I'm sorry Angel," Fluttershy said, "but with Twilight gone, all of Equestria could be in danger. I mean, imagine, there could be ghosts, or monsters, or all sorts of other scary things!"
The white bunny gave the pegasus a disbelieving stare.
Fluttershy's shoulders fell. "Ok, fine, there are a lot worse things than ghosts. But you know that Equestria couldn't survive without the Elements of Harmony if another monster like Discord showed up."
The bunny stared up at her for a few seconds before hanging his head in defeat.
“I knew you’d understand, Angel. The rest of you… I’m going to miss you all so very much.” All of Fluttershy’s animal friends suddenly surrounded her in a big hug, keeping her in the center.
After the long goodbye, the animals released her and, with a wave, she began trotting off into the forest. The animals all scattered, except for one which quickly bounded up to Fluttershy and gave a light tug on her pink tail. Fluttershy turned to see two huge sad eyes staring up at her.
"No, Angel, I can't stay." Fluttershy turned to go, but felt that gentle tug on her tail again. She turned once more. "Angel.... I really must be..." She paused.
Angel wasn't there.
Fluttershy felt a tap on her shoulder. She looked to her side and saw a white bunny that was now nestled in her saddlebag, staring at her with wide, hopeful eyes.
Fluttershy debated for a second, then sighed before relenting, "Okay, you can come along." Then she added, a bit more cheerfully, "Besides, I might need some help if I encounter something scary on the way." Her wing stretched slightly and patted Angel on the head and his ears perked up. "Now we really must be going, I can't be late for this meeting with everypony else."
Fluttershy happily trotted into the forest, cheerily chatting with her fluffy companion.
* * *
“No more parties until we find Twilight,” said the pink, curly-maned pony as she closed up yet another box of party supplies. Since her time away could not be determined, she figured it would be best to make sure everything was out of the way for the Cakes.
“Buuuuuuuut!” Pinkie Pie not-so-gracefully loaded her party cannon into her black hole of a saddlebag. “I can still throw one when we find her!” As Pinkie looked through her bag, she didn’t seem to notice that all of her “essentials” were, in fact, party supplies.
“I think I have everything.” She suddenly frowned. “If Twilight were here, she could tell me if I did or not. She was always good at telling me those things.”
The party pony took a deep breath and let out a sigh before hopping up the stairs and out of Sugarcube Corner to meet with her friends.
* * *
A few prismatic hairs fell to the ground as a flying blue creature darted around them. The pegasus, light beaming off her multi-hued mane, threw odds and ends into a rucksack in the middle of the room. Dashing from place to place, her flight slowed only slightly as she finally grabbed a few juice boxes, closed up the rucksack, and sped out the door.
“We’ll find you, Twilight. Whatever it takes!” promised Rainbow Dash.
* * *
“I’m going to miss you, Rarity. Come back soon, okay? I want to go to the Sisterhooves Social with you next time it comes around, alright?” The small white filly hugged her older sister tight.
“I’ll be back as soon as we find Twilight, okay? This is a mission of the utmost importance!” Rarity smiled at her. “But you are my little sister, and that has its own special kind of importance.” She gave her a small peck on her forehead and nudged Sweetie Belle towards their parents. “Be good for mom and dad, okay?”
“I will,” replied Sweetie.
Rarity waved, and the family waved back as Sweetie made her way to her parents.
The scene played continuously in her head while she readied for departure.
“We could go through snow or desert, alike. Hmm…” The white unicorn held up seven unique styles of scarves. She had to pack for all kinds of weather, but she couldn’t bring her entire wardrobe with her.
“I got it! Infinity scarves!” She tasked herself to loading her saddlebags, making sure to pack six sets of snow gear with infinity scarves. “They can be used to cover the mouth in a desert or keep warm on a snowy mountain.”
Six pairs.
“Twilight…” She looked at the dominantly purple outfit she had made for Twilight in the past and shed a tear. “We will find you, darling.” Rarity still packed a scarf for Twilight, but left the extra set of snow gear out.
The unicorn, more determined than ever, levitated her saddlebags to her, as she closed up her shop for what felt like the last time.
“I’ll be back though someday.” She walked out of the building, locking the door behind her, and hanging up a sign that said “Closed until further notice.” She slowly trotted away.
* * *
The weary purple unicorn opened her eyes to see herself in a large stone room with wooden floors and a wooden ceiling. The room itself was a combination of different rooms; different rooms to ponies anyways. In one corner was a crude stove and some cabinets with a small sink. In another corner, a small wooden dining room set looked right at home. A nice, green diamond-shaped rug lay in the center of the room. A flight of stairs with crude wooden railing took up an entire wall. Fortunately, the bathroom in the corner had its own set of stone walls and a door to it. It didn’t have a bath in it though.
“What would you like to eat?” Snow flipped a switch and illuminated the room. It was funny to think that she lived in a place that looked run down but she had electric lighting.
The dragoness set Twilight at the dining table, making sure she could keep her balance, making note to wash the furniture later. Snow made her way to the kitchen area and, using a match, lit up the stove. “What do you eat where you’re from?”
Twilight took a deep breath in, attempting to speak, but Snow cut her off.
“Vegetable stew okay?” she asked, looking back to the dazed pony.
“Mhm.” Twilight nodded in response.
“One vegetable stew coming right up, dear!” Snow prepared the produce while the stove heated the water in the pot. Meanwhile, Twilight attempted to gather her thoughts and assess her current situation, which she still had not figured out completely yet. All she knew is she was close to death in some far away land. But she struggled to place exactly where she was.
Where is Equestria? Where is here? Why is Snow so interested in me, a pony? Are my friends even looking for me right now?
* * *
“We gotta find Twilight fast, y’all. We are her last hope and we’re not gonna fail!” The orange earth pony stood tall on the bridge leading away from Ponyville, above the rest of her friends. Applejack always knew what to say to inspire a crowd. Though it wouldn’t take much to inspire her friends. They all knew what was at stake.
“Whatever’s happened to her, we’ll find her and bring her home!” piped Rainbow Dash, who darted herself into the air.
The other three friends cheered, all at different volumes.
“For Twilight!”
The friends all started their journey to the north.
* * *
Twilight Sparkle nearly inhaled her third bowl of stew with her new dragoness companion looking at her wide-eyed.
“Poor thing.” Snow couldn’t help but smile at her though. After the contents of the dish had disappeared, Snow gathered the bowl from Twilight’s front, and rinsed it in the sink. “It’s almost bath time.”
The mention of the word “bath” made her ears perk up.
“Bath time?” She looked immediately at Snow.
“Yes. Each household without its own bath may sign up for a scheduled bath time at a local bath house.” Snow made her way to Twilight’s side. “Is it that way for ponies?”
Twilight closed her eyes, smiling. She shook her head.
“Ponies have own baths,” she replied, still barely able to speak properly. The thought of even getting to rinse off made the unicorn giddy.
Maybe this won’t be so bad. The food is pretty good, and Snow seems really nice. Maybe I can get myself in shape and get back home, thought Twilight. Until then I suppose I’m stuck in uncharted territory.
End of Chapter 3