The Status Quo

by AppleJared

Beware of Timberwolves

It was almost 7pm before the six got to Rambling Rock Ridge. As the storm of dust kicked up by their hooves slowed to a stop, the runners and fliers gazed at what was before them. At the base of the massive terrain, it was a sight to behold. A diversity of formations made completely out of red rock dominated an area large enough to compare to Canterlot. There were giant rock spikes guarding the outside portions of the Ridge, and two mountains surrounding the flat plateau in the middle. Those who came to the Ridge for tourism or recreation breathed in its beauty and wonder with awe and an open mouth. The Elements sighed with disappointment, knowing full well how long it would take to search the entire ridge. They would be spending the night for sure.

As the friends laid down for a much needed rest, Rarity had a question.

"Should we wait here and sleep at the base tonight?" she asked.

"What?" Rainbow responded with a look of disgust. "Why would we do that? We still have at least an hour or two before it gets dark!"

Rarity rolled her eyes. She was nearly fed up with Rainbow's constant enthusiasm. "Because it would be safer, Rainbow. We don't know what is up there, after all." Applejack and Fluttershy both cringed, for they knew what multi-colored fury that was about to be unleashed. Rainbow hovered near Rarity, getting rudely close to the white mare.

"That's garbage, Rarity," she said at a volume slightly quieter than a yell. She then turned to the rest of the group. "Look, I know you're all tired and I am too, but we have to keep going. The only thing that might be up there is Twist! We came all the way out here from Ponyville; wanting to stop before we even start is a load of horsefeathers!!"

"Rainbow!" Twilight chastised. "What's gotten into you??"

"WAIT!!!" Pinkie Pie screamed out.

Suddenly silence. The friends all looked at Pinkie.

"Stop arguing!" as she motioned a circle with her hoof. "We're on the same team!"

Rarity rubbed her hooves together. "Pinkie Pie is right... so is Dash."

Twilight looked at Rarity with complete surprise. "Really?"

"Yes, darling. I know that I'm tired but I'm... I'm honestly more scared than anything. I've never been to Rambling Rock Ridge and I can't get the stories my father told me as a filly. I know it's juvenile of me. Dash is right; we need to hurry it up and find Twist."

After a pause, Twilight got up. "Okay then. If everyone is ready, let's move. The hike up will definitely be a work out to the legs, so stretch if you need to." As the rest got their saddlebags back on and started up the mountain, Twilight went towards Rainbow and pulled her aside.

"Dash, wait. I need to talk to you," Twilight coaxed.

Not even making eye contact, Rainbow refuted with, "Twilight, we don't have time for this, we need to look for whoever did this!"

"Dash, I'm serious!" Twilight said with a hoof stomp.

"Fine, what is it?" Rainbow said as she finally stopped and looked at Twilight.

"I need to know something. Why are you so emotionally involved in this case?"

Dash rolled her eyes. "Pff, I don't know what you're talking about." Rainbow started to walk away.

"I think you do, Dash." Twilight jumped in front of Rainbow to stop her leaving. "I'm not saying you are a bad pony, we know that isn't true. I know you would do almost anything for anyone in need. But this... this case has been different. You have been obsessed with this since the beginning to the point to where you are willing to bash your own friends in order to see this end. I know you are loyal, but this is past loyal. This is something different and I want to know.."

Rainbow cut her off. "You want to know why? You really want to know? Fine." Dash exhaled deeply and slowly and took a step back. Her demeanor changed from an attacking one to one of defeat.

She quietly continued. "I had a friend in Cloudsdale when I was real young. Her name was Goldie. She had a light orange coat with silver mane and tail. We met in our first year of school. I wasn't always this... loud... when I was young so me and her hung out all the time. Her house was the first friend's house I spent the night at. We knew everything about each other and we were the sisters neither of us ever had...

"Then three years after we met, she misses four days straight from school. She never said anything to me before and her parents wouldn't tell anyone what was going on. Later that day, I heard my mom tell dad to make sure I didn't watch the news. I ran into the room anyways and watched as dad tried to get me to leave. I'll never forget the pictures they showed of Goldie's body. It was... so mangled and torn. The reason why it took them so long to find her was because whoever did it somehow got her to Trottingham without raising any suspicion."

Dash had a tear fall down her face as she immediately tried to wipe it off and put her head down. "Every time I hear of this Twist, all can think of is Goldie. I was too young to do anything about it back then, but I'm plenty old enough to help now. I can't let this one slip. I know that's cliched and dumb but Twist is someone's Goldie. "

Twilight initiated the hug Rainbow had needed since she heard of the Twist situation. "I'm so sorry, Rainbow. I didn't know. It's not cliched; I understand now."

"No, I'm sorry,"Rainbow said. "I know that sometimes I can be a little forceful with this but I feel like if we take our time then we might barely miss her somehow. I've been unbearable this entire search and I get that now." She looked to the side. "I guess I just needed to get that off of my wings. It bothers me, but I'll try not to snap again."

Twilight gave a nod of understanding. "If you just told the rest of us that, I'm sure they would understand."

Rainbow started making her way up the mountain. "I will."

---

Applejack had made her living by working outside, no matter the weather. Though Ponyville was never known for its harsh weather, it didn't stop a blistering sun during the summer and freezing cold snow in the winter. She was easily the most hardened against the weather out of the six. However, this place a different kind of heat that made it difficult for even the farmer. Even on the hottest of days at the farm, her trees provided shade when it was necessary and the air had at least a little moisture. And yet even she was not immune to the bone dry air and the never ending, sweltering sun that occupied Rambling Rock Ridge. The openness of the ridge made it easier to look for something. There were really no places to hide outside of a few caves, but that also meant that there were no areas to get some shade. The only relief from the unbearable heat that the Elements would get would happen after the sun set. The six set mental countdowns to when this would occur.

The night before, the six made it to the top of the first mountain and camped there. When morning rolled by, they got up and took a look around both mountains. There was nothing out of the ordinary. Their last bet was to search the plateau and caves in the middle of the Ridge. As far as the search went, there was no progress. The caves were the best bet, but they were running out of caves to search.

Twilight had read up on Rambling Rock Ridge years ago, which she found to be fascinating. It was always told that the Everfree hosts a plethora of dark magic and the beasts that lived there were tainted mentally and physically. The night time in the forest was much worse than the day time and nothing made sense in the Everfree. The Ridge was different. They said that it possessed a different kind of darkness. With no plants or water in sight, it made living there impossible. Add in the extreme heat during the day and wintry nights, and you have a recipe for disaster. They said that the Ridge would give insanity before it gave death. There were several cases where this was proven correct.

Of course the rest of the six already knew about the Ridge. It was the topic of many scary stories parents would tell their foals in hopes to steer them away from visiting the dangerous region. Some like Fluttershy and Rarity still harbored fear from said stories even into adulthood. Still, the group carried on.

Hours had passed since morning and the entire group was already hungry, thirsty, and tired. Out of the Elements, there was not a single one who wasn't dripping with sweat. As hooves clopped against the hard rock moving their bodies forwards, patience seemingly seeped out of their heads through their ears. In order to prevent insanity, they kept conversation going. Rainbow eventually told the gang what had happened to Goldie and apologized for her behavior during the search. Of course, she was cut some slack and completely forgiven by all. Pinkie Pie went on about the type of rocks they saw and poured out information about them. Only Twilight found that interesting.

Before long, however, they reached the end of their search. They found themselves at the edge of a cliff overlooking the Everfree, Ponyville, and Canterlot in the far distance. It was a beautiful sight to see, but the Elements couldn't really enjoy it. They had failed to find Twist and now had to go home with nothing. They sat there in silence as the sun set. Twilight spoke up, defeated, "Let's go home, girls."

The trek off of the Ridge seemed longer than the hike up. With not only less vigor and stamina but less food and water as well, coming down was the worst part of the trip. As they passed Cherry Jubilee's farm, the cherry farmer went outside and just shook her head. Nothing new was found in town. As the six approached the train without a filly in tow, those around them made sure not to make any comments about the situation. The train ride back to Ponyville was as depressing as it was quiet. There was little conversation made whatsoever. Nearing Ponyville, Fluttershy took a seat next to Twilight and asked, "What do we do now?"

The other four heard the question and gathered around. Twilight thought it through. She had hoped it would never come to this. There were so many other possibilities in the beginning of the search, but one by one, all other options were crossed off of the list. It was the only other option left. With the other five looking at her, she looked back at them.

"Tomorrow we go into the Everfree."

---

As she got off of the train, Twilight said goodbye to her friends and made her way towards home. It was late, and the moon was so bright that she had a shadow. Street lights were all on and police were out patrolling. Those who asked Twilight if the Elements found Twist received the response, "I'm afraid not." She was tired and hungry. Her hooves were achy from the hard rock she traversed upon, her wings were sore from the hours of speed flying and all four legs had seen a bit too much lactic acid. All she wanted to do was eat a quick snack, drink some water and fall right into the comfort of her own bed.

---

Spike was told to stay home and wait for Twilight's return, whilst also being prepared to send a letter in case Chief found Twist. At the beginning of the search, he was told he would participate. This was hardly participation in the search, he thought. He had come to expect this kind of treatment, really. However, he would persevere to the end.

The end, of course, would be the day Rarity would accept him as more than a friend. He would take another 10 years of this treatment if that's what it took. He would move in with her and watch her work and wake up with her....

But he had a lot of work to do until then.

In the meantime, he could still be mad at Twilight when he got snubbed out of responsibilities, and he was indeed mad. They were out having an adventure and he was stuck at home. Sure the situation was a bit more serious than that, but it was better than being cooped up all day. After eating all of the chips in the house and going through his emergency stash of gems, there was nothing left to do but twiddle his thumbs. During his period of extended boredom, his frustration with Twilight increased through time. He decided that he would confront her when she got home about his denial of participation in something important like this.

When he heard a knock at the door around midnight, he knew it would be Twilight. He prepared his best 'dissatisfied and irritated' face and slowly opened the door. To his surprise and dismay, there wasn't the colorful and confident Twilight he was so used to. Instead, there was a tired, upset, and depressed Twilight at the door. Just from the sight alone, his anger melted into compassion. He would bring up his complaint another day.

"Hi Spike," Twilight mumbled as she walked in. She let the door slowly shut behind her and dragged herself to her bed upstairs.

"You don't look too good, Twilight. You feeling okay?" he asked. It had been a while since he saw her this beaten and glum.

"We didn't find her, Spike. Tomorrow, me and girls have to go into the Everfree to look for her."

Suddenly Spike was perfectly fine with staying home tomorrow. "You're going into the Everfree?? C'mon Twilight, that's dangerous! You could get hurt."

Twilight face planted into her bed and talked into her pillow. "I know Spike, but the Elements are the only things that can take on the Everfree. It's the only place that hasn't been searched. I don't want to do it, but as a princess I have to."

Feeling her pain and understanding what she was going through was one of the things Spike was good at. At times like these, Twilight needed a set of ears to talk to and some food. After a minute of silence, Twilight opened her eyes to find Spike at her bedside with some food and water asking, "You hungry?"

A smile was the only answer Spike needed. After she finished, both tried to go to sleep.

But soon after she put her head onto the pillow in hopes of slumber, a little voice in her head started to get louder. It was asking if Twist had a nice bed that night to sleep in. It beckoned if Twist had a roof over her head at that moment. It wondered if Twist was even breathing anymore.

After an hour of tossing and turning, Twilight still couldn't fall asleep. Spike was eventually woken up by her fiddling around and asked, "What's wrong?"

"I can't sleep. There's too much on my mind," she replied.

Spike knew immediately that she was stressed out, but didn't know how to help her. Then an idea came to mind. "Hey Twilight, what entrance are you using tomorrow?"

"To the Everfree?" she lifted her head off the pillow and asked. "I don't know actually." She thought about it for a minute and got out of bed. "I don't know, but I'll go look for the best one while I can't sleep. When I get back, I'll be able to sleep for sure."

"Okay Twilight, but try not to take too long," Spike sleepily replied.

Spike was snoring again before she even got out of the door.

---

Twilight flew all the way to the northern part of the forest and walked down its border. The forest in itself was massive and made entry a daunting task.The nocturnal things in the Everfree were things to be feared, so Twilight decided she wouldn't go in far if she found a good spot. There were trails used by a select few that entered the forest. Fluttershy had one near her house that her animals used. There was one near Sweet Apple Acres that the timberwolves used. But after checking both, she didn't want to attract anything towards Fluttershy's place and she certainly didn't want to run into any timberwolves. That left one trail entrance. It was located just outside of town.

As Twilight approached, she sat and looked at it for a while. Trees and brush parted a few feet in diameter to make a path into the darkness. Her mind took her years back when Celestia told her about the Everfree for the first time. Celestia warned the younger Twilight that she should never go into the strange forest. Celestia told her stories of ponies getting lost in there, only to never return. There were the few unicorns that tried to tap into its dark power, only for them to receive acute crippling insanity. She told Twilight about the cockatrices and timberwolves that ran wild. Twilight imagined being chased by a herd of timberwolves. She could hear the beasts raging closer and her not being able to fly or use magic. They would catch up to her eventually and tear her apart. She could practically hear them running towards her.

Then she realized she actually could hear something running, and it was in the forest. Eyes wide open and fully back in reality, Twilight sat perfectly still. As she listened, it sounded like something was running...

...towards her.

She shot up off the ground as her heart stated racing. As Twilight's fight or flight was turned on, she backup up and chose to fight. It could have been a wild Everfree animal, but it could also have been the pony that took Twist. Either way, she wasn't about to let it go. Her wings spread open and her horn lit, she readied herself to attack whatever was coming at her. If it was a timberwolf, she would need to be ready to attack hard.

She yelled out, "I'M NOT AFRAID OF YOU!"

But then the running stopped and a small voice responded with, "Princess Twilight?"

Stunned, Twilight didn't move. A shadow was slowly moving towards the forest entrance. As the figure came out of the darkness and into the moonlight, Twilight squinted her eyes to see what it was.

Twist walked out of the forest.

Twilight powered herself down and tucked her wings back in. Feeling a mix of shock, joy, and relief, she ran towards Twist. Twilight picked up the filly and gave her an overwhelming hug. Tears running down both of their faces, Twilight kept repeating, "I'm here; you're safe now."

After what seemed like minutes, Twilight put Twist back down. "Are you alright, Twist? Are you hurt?" she asked.

"I think I'm okay. I just don't remember anything," Twist nervously responded.

Twilight realized how traumatic the past days must have been on Twist and decided to not ask anymore questions. Instead she let Twist ride her back and walked towards Ponyville. "Don't worry Twist, I'll take you home." As Twist climbed on Twilight's back, she leaned forward and hugged Twilight's neck. Both starting to tear up from relief and joy, Twist whispered to her savior "Thank you Princess Twilight."

---

Twilight arrived at Twist's house sometime around 2:30 in the morning. Knocking on the door, she quickly heard someone coming to open it. Twist's mother was revealed, and she didn't look good. Curlers in mane, bags under her eyes, and the look of someone who was emotionally drained.

But when Twilight smiled and said, "I brought someone with me," she turned to reveal a sleeping Twist. The mother immediately lit up and grabbed her filly. Tears were everywhere once again, though Twilight managed to keep it to a big smile this time. The mother was so overwhelmed that she could barely speak coherently. Still, Twilight managed to discern a "my baby" and "we were so worried." The father hearing the commotion barreled down the stairs and immediately cried as well. At that moment, no one wanted to ask what had happened. They were just glad she was back. The three hugged and enjoyed their company, while Twilight just watched.

After a minute, the three went back to Twilight. Tears of gratitude and joy still flowing, the mother said "Princess... thank you so much. I can't tell you how happy you have made us."

The father stepped up as well. "Yes, Princess. If there is anything we can ever do for you, consider it done. If nothing else, you can expect our full support in whatever you do."

"I'm just glad she's back," Twilight responded with a smile. "You three have a good night. Chief will be coming in the morning to ask some questions, but I'll make sure you have at least one night of peace."

And with that, Twilight walked back to her place. She would call the girls and the Chief to tell them the news, and then immediately go to sleep. The next day would be a media frenzy, but that night she would sleep well for the first time in days.