Chapter 4
Chapter 4
"Let's go after her!"
"Cutie Mark Crusaders, Missing Friend Detectives!"
"This isn't a game, guys," Spike said, climbing up on a stump to appear as authoritative as possible. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo shut their mouths and looked up at him from where they stood by the dismal, scummy pond. "We need to be realistic. Sweetie Belle is missing," Spike continued, hoping his hands weren't shaking too much. "None of us knows which way she went. If she followed Rarity last night, she could be miles away from us by now or already lost or maybe that gargoyle captured her again or maybe she's fallen down a hole or maybe—"
"So what are we waiting for?" Scootaloo interrupted. "Let's go!"
"Wait!" Spike hopped off the stump, darting at the orange filly and holding out his hands to stop her from running off. "No! We can't just go chasing off in a random direction in the Everfree Forest."
"We won't jus' pick one at random," Apple Bloom said, stepping forward. "Maybe we can figure out which way she went first."
"Yeah, did Rarity tell you which way she was headed?" Scootaloo asked.
Spike shook his head. A chilly breeze brushed past them all. "She…not really," he said, shuddering from either the wind or his half-lie, he couldn't tell. She's heading out of the forest. All the way to the Eastern edge and beyond. I don't know exactly where, but I guess we could start by heading East…
…although I promised Rarity I'd get the fillies home. Would she want me to chase after Sweetie Belle, possibly losing two more ponies in the process? Or should I get them home first, and put together a rescue team? Spike glanced up at the sky, which had begun to cloud over. What would Twilight do?
"If Rainbow Dash was here, she could just zoom right through the forest and find Sweetie Belle like that," Scootaloo said, slamming her front hooves together in emphasis.
"Applejack could've just tracked her down," Apple Bloom sighed. "She's real good at findin' Winona when she gets loose."
"Heck, even Fluttershy would do a better job out here than us," Scootaloo grumbled. "Remember when she saved us from that cockatrice?"
Remember when I saved you from that gargoyle? Spike wanted to point out, but held his tongue. They weren't trying to be insulting towards him. They were just being realistic, which is exactly what he told them to try and be. It was true, pretty much anypony would be better in this situation than him. He couldn't fault them for pointing that out. Still, though…Spike crossed his arms, settling his shoulders back and narrowing his eyes.
"Maybe we should—" Spike started, but was cut off as an orange blur sailed into his chest. "Oof!"
"Whoa!" Scootaloo exclaimed.
Spike stumbled backwards, flailing so as to not fall. When his eyes found what had hit him, they lit up. "Peewee!" he gasped. "What are you doing out here?"
"What are you doing out here?" an all-too-familiar voice demanded.
"Twilight!" Spike spun towards the unicorn, relief washing through every scale on his skin. "Thank goodness!"
Through the mossy forest branches, Twilight walked into the clearing where Spike and the fillies had slept. Peewee continued to flutter around Spike, trilling enthusiastically.
Twilight magicked Spike towards her, throwing a hoof around him in a hug. "Spike, you nearly gave me a heart attack! I woke up, you were gone, Peewee was going crazy, and as soon as I opened the door, he flew out towards the Everfree Forest of all places, and—"
Spike hugged her back. "You have no idea what's been happening," Spike said. He backed away from Twilight so he could look her in the eyes to explain. "I followed the fillies last night into the Everfree Forest and then this gargoyle—"
"Sweetie Belle's missin'!" Apple Bloom interrupted. "She went after Rarity—"
"Spike totally destroyed the gargoyle, but then we were lost and—"
"Wait, Sweetie Belle's been kidnapped by a gargoyle?" Twilight asked, interrupting Scootaloo. She danced back in panic.
"No no no," Spike said, shaking his head quickly. "Well, hopefully not…"
"Spike, I think you'd better start at the beginning," Twilight said. She sat down by the edge of the pond, waiting expectantly.
Spike sighed. That's what I'd been trying to do! he thought to himself, but he knew better than to grumble at Twilight. "Alright," he said. "Here goes."
Rarity sidestepped quickly away from a patch of Poison Joke. Her hooves tripped through a viney patch of some other plant, which she sincerely hoped wasn't anything worse than the one she was trying to avoid.
"Ugh!" she shuddered, turning and careening straight into a spider web. "Ugh!" she repeated even louder, shaking the thin silk threads off her face. "This forest! I'm so sick of it!"
Rarity tripped into a mud hole and screeched in rage.
"Urgh!"
She'd had enough of the outdoors, and she wasn't even a full day through her quest yet. Rarity pulled her feet out of the sticky mud and stumbled to the side, collapsing on the ground and letting out a sob.
"This is impossible," she gasped. If only she could take a moment to rest…some time to actually get some sleep…This wasn't the first time she'd pulled an all-nighter before, but it was the first time she'd done it while also filling the hours with intense running, crazy amounts of panic, and emotional goodbyes.
Rarity pulled her thoughts away from the night before. She didn't have time to dwell on the images floating in her mind…Sweetie Belle, asleep in the pile of fillies…Spike, his eyes closed tight in a restless slumber…
She shook her head. The sun was up. She was late for her meeting with the Canterlot guard. Rarity felt her eyes watering. Failing already.
She pushed her tears away, wincing as she streaked mud over her cheek with her hoof. Not much she could do about that now. She just had to press on. Rarity continued to head east, following the newly risen sun.
It was with great relief that she wandered past the old ruins, where long ago she and her friends had faced off against Nightmare Moon. Rarity knew those ruins were near the far edge of the forest. It couldn't be much farther now.
The unicorn subconsciously put a hoof to her throat, remembering how the Element of Generosity had materialized around her neck, changing her life forever. She'd been a simple shop owner, with simple dreams. She'd just wanted to become a top fashion designer famous throughout all of Equestria for her amazing dresses and super exclusive clients.
And then…
Then there were the Elements of Harmony. Taking down Discord. Fighting off Changelings. Getting kidnapped by Diamond Dogs. Getting kidnapped by a dragon.
Everything had changed for Rarity when Twilight Sparkle came to town. She brought with her adventure. She brought with her Spike.
Rarity sighed. Yes, her priorities had changed. Taking on this journey was clear evidence of that. A little part of her longed for the simpler times. But as she walked through the forest and thought more about it, Rarity knew she would never trade her dear friendship with Twilight and Spike for all the fashion awards in Equestria.
The trees became more sparse, and Rarity's head lifted up slightly. Was she finally out of the forest?
She felt herself kick up her pace into a trot.
Yes!
Yes, she was!
Rarity went into a full gallop, racing into the meadow ahead of her.
"I'm so sorry I'm late!" Rarity apologized, calling out. She glanced around for the guards. They must be quite bored by now, waiting for her to show up. Though perhaps they were relieved to have some time off. Princess Celestia had them sent over from their extended duties near the coast, after all.
Rarity slowed her steps, looking left and right in the clearing. "Hello?" she called. "Anypony there?"
Silence answered her.
Rarity stood, frozen still, as a breeze softly pushed the blades of grass around her.
The guards weren't there. Rarity swallowed. Alright. No need to panic. They might just be running late, as you were.
She sat down. I'll just wait a bit. It'll be fine. They'll come.
Rarity couldn't believe how nice it felt to sit on the dirt and the grass. She was sure her coat was getting filthy, but she couldn't bring herself to care. At that moment, the only thoughts she could process were that she needed to wait for the guards, and that it'd been a long time since she'd gotten any sleep…
"Oh wow. Okay. Wow. Okay." Twilight paced back and forth. "This is a situation."
"Understatement of the year there, Twilight, thanks," Spike said, rolling his eyes at the mare. "So what do we do?" He'd hoped that when he'd finished his story, Twilight would have an immediate plan of action. That was her specialty, after all. She was the planning queen.
But apparently that wasn't the case. Twilight just continued to pace back and forth, getting her hooves more and more muddy by the minute on the banks of the scum pond. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom had the good sense to be quiet as she thought through the possibilities.
"Well, with only a vague idea of which way Rarity went and therefore, which way Sweetie Belle followed her—"
"If Sweetie Belle followed her," Spike pointed out. "We can only hope she did."
"Right." Twilight made a squeaking noise of panic. "We need to find Sweetie Belle. That's a priority. But we can't know which way she went for sure, though most likely following Rarity means going to the other side of Everfree Forest…we can't possibly drag two more fillies through the forest, though." Twilight looked over at Scootaloo and Apple Bloom. "We have to get them home. Then we organize a full search party, and head back out to find Sweetie Belle."
"And Rarity?" Spike asked.
"Spike, you know full well that Rarity can take care of herself, and that she's on a mission for the Princess that we shouldn't interrupt," Twilight said. "So we find Sweetie Belle. If she's with Rarity, then we find Rarity, too. But if she's not, we'll just have to let Rarity finish whatever job it is she has."
"Hey, wait a minute," Scootaloo said. "So we're going back to town? Without Sweetie Belle?"
"To organize a search party, yes," Twilight said. "And get you two back safely."
"But we want to help find Sweetie Belle!" Apple Bloom protested.
"You can," Twilight said.
"Really?" Apple Bloom asked, her eyes shining.
"Yes," Twilight replied. "From the safety of Ponyville. Now let's get going." Twilight turned and began to walk away.
"Hey!" Apple Bloom yelled. "No way! We're finding her now! Together!"
"Yeah!" Scootaloo agreed. The two fillies stood side by side, holding their heads high.
Twilight stopped walking and gave them a look. Neither filly moved. Spike fiddled with his claws, Peewee on his shoulder.
Nopony budged and the stare-off continued on. Spike shook his head. You can't win against them with stubbornness, Twilight. Trust me.
"Guys, listen," Spike started. "We have to find Sweetie Belle, yes, but remember earlier? How you were saying how Rainbow Dash and Applejack could do a much better job? Well that's what Twilight means here. We go back – not abandoning Sweetie Belle – so that we can get other ponies to help find her. Because, you know, on our own we wouldn't be that great at it. I mean, yeah. Even with Twilight. We need help."
Scootaloo and Apple Bloom eyed each other, considering. Eventually, they both hung their heads. "Yeah, I guess so," Apple Bloom said.
"If that's the only way," Scootaloo added.
"It is," Spike said. "Well, I think it is, anyway."
"It is," Twilight said firmly. "Thanks, Spike. Are you all ready to go now?"
The fillies nodded their heads glumly and they followed Twilight out of the clearing. Spike walked behind them, Peewee nuzzling into his cheek. Little guy must've been the whole reason Twilight found them in the first place.
"Thanks, Peewee," Spike said. "We wouldn't have gotten out of here without you."
The baby phoenix trilled in delight.
By the time they finally got back through the Everfree Forest and past Fluttershy's cottage, Spike could scarcely trust his eyes. Ponyville had never looked more inviting. Spike wanted to run into the library, slam the door, and fall into his bed. However, as they walked into the town, Spike knew that was the opposite of his options at the moment. He had to track down Sweetie Belle. That meant getting the search party together and heading back into the forest.
Peewee flew around Spike's head as he followed Twilight down the streets of Ponyville. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom were abnormally quiet behind him. They had been the entire walk out of the dark forest that'd swallowed up their friend. Spike had to drag their wagon behind him, with Scootaloo's scooter tossed in it. The little orange filly didn't look up to moving it herself. She didn't look up to anything. Neither did Apple Bloom. Both of them dragged their hooves along, barely keeping up with him.
Spike scratched the side of his cheek with his claw. He didn't know what to say to make them feel any better. He wasn't any happier than they were that they had to leave Sweetie Belle in the forest somewhere. There wasn't anything good about this situation, except maybe that at least not all three fillies had gotten lost.
"Okay, let's get you two to Sweet Apple Acres," Twilight said, nodding back to the fillies. "Then we can meet up with Applejack and start putting together our search crew."
Apple Bloom and Scootaloo nodded, and Spike grimaced. Poor girls, he thought to himself, sighing inwardly. But then his grimace twisted, and his cheek muscles yanked back in a familiar way.
"BUUUUUURP!" Spike belched, a letter materializing out of his fire. He dropped the wagon handle and snatched the letter out of the air before it fell on the street. "Twilight! A message from Princess Celestia!"
Twilight stopped in her tracks, quickly trotting back to Spike and the fillies and magicking the letter out of his hands.
"What is it?" Scootaloo asked.
"What's the princess got to say?" Apple Bloom wanted to know.
Twilight scanned through the letter, her eyes getting wider and wider. "Spike. I think our search party might be doing double duty," she said slowly, lowering the letter once she was done.
"What is it?" Spike asked. Peewee landed on his shoulder, leaning forward with interest.
"The guards Princess Celestia asked to help Rarity on her quest haven't reported back to her in over twenty-four hours," Twilight explained. "She thinks they might be in trouble. They may have never even met up with Rarity."
"What?!" Spike exclaimed. Where was his paper breathing sack when he needed it? "Rarity was supposed to have guards?! And they aren't—they never—they aren't reporting in? Well…well then Rarity needs help! Like, now!"
Twilight nodded grimly. "Exactly."
"Rarity?"
At the sound of her name, Rarity slowly blinked her eyes open.
"Hey, Rarity? You okay?"
The unicorn felt a hoof nudge her side. "Sweetie Belle, not now…" Rarity mumbled, covering her hooves with her eyes to block the light. She wasn't sure what time it was, but she was quite certain it was too early to be awake. Her body informed her that she needed at least three more hours of beauty sleep.
Sweetie Belle paused, and Rarity nestled further into the grass.
The grass.
…Wait.
Rarity's eyes flew open, and she leapt to her feet. "Sweetie Belle! What are you doing out here?!"
The meadow breeze pushed past Rarity, rustling the grass surrounding her and her sister. Abundant sunshine shone down on them both and reflected off the nearby stream, but the scenery at that moment was lost on the unicorn. Everything flooded back in a flash. Her mission. The Everfree Forest. Leaving her sister, Spike, and her sister's friends. Arriving at the meadow. No guards to meet her—
"I followed you," Sweetie Belle said.
Where are the guards? "Well yes, I can see that," Rarity replied to her sister, waving one hoof around, flustered. "But…but… but why?" Had Sweetie Belle completely lost her mind?
"You were going deeper into the forest!" Sweetie Belle explained, pacing back and forth through the clover patch she'd been standing in. "I had to make sure you were safe!" Her voice squeaked on the last syllable, and Rarity winced.
Safe. Her baby sister, trying to keep her safe.
The guards are supposed to keep me safe, Rarity thought to herself, looking around. And they still aren't here. She bit her lower lip, and looked back at Sweetie Belle. "Sweetie, what am I going to do with you?" she groaned. "Do you have any idea what you've wandered into?"
Sweetie Belle didn't look Rarity in the eye. "Well, not exactly…" She set her jaw. "But what did you want me to do? You were—"
Rarity couldn't bring herself to listen as Sweetie Belle rambled on about how impossible it'd be to not follow her sister when she was wandering away into the Everfree Forest. There was only one thought in Rarity's mind: How do I get her back home safely and not break my promise to the Princess? They were at least a day's walk away from Ponyville, if not more thanks to the dangers of the Everfree Forest. Rarity knew she was lucky enough to get through the forest unscathed herself, but to attempt it again, and this time with Sweetie Belle in tow…Rarity shuddered at the thought. But what choice did she have? Who knew what dangers lay ahead in her mission? Looking around the meadow, Rarity still couldn't find any signs of the guards she was promised, and without guards, how could she just walk into giant reptilian territories and be assured safety? Much less assure Sweetie Belle safety? Rarity bit her lower lip. She was caught between a diamond and a crystallized rock wall, that was for sure. Some part of Rarity's mind registered that Sweetie Belle was still talking, and her ears faded back into the tirade of her little sister just in time to hear her shush up.
"And how was I supposed to know if you—hey, what's that?" Sweetie Belle stopped talking and instead gaped over Rarity's shoulder.
Rarity turned, and then it was her turn to gawk. Coming straight at them, lumbering gracefully up the stream, was a long, purple serpent with a familiar flowing mustache.
It's...it's...Rarity stared, blinking as the creature drew closure.
"Oh my, that river ends quickly, doesn't it? What an adorable little tributary. Unfortunately, it doesn't do much for us swimming types," the sea serpent said. Then he smiled at the two ponies he approached from across the meadow. "It's been too long, Rarity the Most Generous One! Far too long! And my my my, who is this precious one with you? I had hoped you'd come alone, but isn't she just charming!"
"Uh…who is this, Rarity?" Sweetie Belle asked, her hooves dancing nervously.
Rarity smiled in return, ignoring her sister and regaining her composure. She took a step forward towards the sea serpent. She'd had her suspicions, but she should've just plain guessed, really. Of course this was why the sea serpents had wanted to see her. "It has been far too long. May I say, your mustache has grown in even more fabulous than before."
"All thanks to you." The sea serpent bowed in her direction.
Rarity blushed a bit. "It's rather embarrassing, and I'm ever so sorry, my dear, but I'm afraid the last time we met, I never did catch your name."
"Really?" the sea serpent asked, putting one hand to his chest in shock. "How rude of me! Well, allow me to introduce myself, then. My name is Stef'an Ma'Ganette, Duke of Sea Serpentia and your recommender, escort, and guide to my kin!"
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Yay an update. Brilliant chapter. Also I saw what you did there, well done. Keep up the good work.
Its Alive!!!
Also that Name!
Can't wait for more sir or mad'am
oh Gosh... and now the waiting... again... xDD
very nice chapter! can't wait for the next one
It's been so long...
I barely remember even favoriting this, it was so long ago
Awesome to see you come back to this
I have only one thing to say:
cdn.memegenerator.net/instances/400x/22489608.jpg
That is all.
An update? Funny, I had completely forgotten this story even existed for a while. I guess it pays off to have incomplete stories like this one in your favorites.
Man, been waiting for this update for a while now! It's good to see you haven't cancelled it. All the time you put aside to work on this in order to provide a quality product is appreciated.
Yes! The update on this fic was most unexpected! A part of my day has been made.
Also,
Steven Magnet.... I see what you did there....
And moreover, oh Sweetie Belle....
Whatever shall Rarity do with you?
Well, the secret mission isn't really a secret mission anymore... I look forwards to read the next chapter.
lol
YAy, its great to see another Chapter added to tis fantastic story, I am very curious to see what happens next as a lot of possible plot events have happened in this chapter.
YOU'RE BACK!!!!!!!!
I'm so happy!!!
Oh, look, here's the gay sea serpent guy.
This'll be interesting.
I can only assume the guards got eaten by the gargoyle
Excellent as always.
SO TOTALLY WORTH TWO MONTH WAIT!!!!
1751996
I doubt the gargoyle got them seeing as Spike and three fillies defeated it with some assistance; one would hope actual trained soldiers would fare better.
It has returned!
Hehe Twilight said 'duty'.
Ugh, that name... and SERPENTIA, really?!
Stef'an Ma'Ganette.
dl.dropbox.com/u/109212453/Spike-%20Brilliant.jpg
Loved, just loved it!
Hmmm... the sea-serpent appears... but no guards... that's no good.
1752340 Spike has dragon fire breath, and he outsmarted it. Guards might not get the chance.
Also, I was mostly kidding.
Well worth the wait. Still, no sign of the guards? Not even that of a struggle? I guess they got ambushed en-route, or Slendermane was really busy...
OH wow.. I was just going though my favorites yesterday, and I wondered when this was going to update again.
YAY!
I can't wait to see what your plans are for these characters! I do hope to see more updates from you in the future
d'aaawwwww. Caring-about-Rarity Sweetie Belle is best Sweetie Belle.
Hooray for new chapter!
I think you still got it, mon ami(e). I love the play On Steve Magnet you did there, makes it all the more fabulous.
Pretty suspicious about those guards, or lack thereof. I wonder if Sweetie will just have to come along.
Good work keep up the pace.
Another great chapter! You have an easy charm to your writing and slip in character thoughts excellently without disrupting the flow. I look forward to more of this interesting tale.
And that's why you don't unfavourite a story just because it hasn't updated in LIKE FOREVER. I'm glad this is back.
My goodness, I had all but forgetting this fic! A pleasure to see it's still being continued! Great chapter, as always! I just hope the wait for the nesxt isn't so long.
-She was caught between a diamond and a crystallized rock wall, that was for sure.
My favorite line of the entire story so far! (and Steven's full name, of course. :D)
1753204 *Alondro stands atop Slendermane, who's been hog-tied with his own smoke tendrils. Alondro flashes the victory sign!* Bitchin'!
Been waiting for this one, and it was worth it!
I'm glad you recovered from the loss of your older drafts, and I'm looking forward to more.
Well this is gonna be intresting indeed..... Can't wait for more! Keep it up!
Awesome so far! Can't wait for more!
Fuck, SweetBelle! And now? When out more?
1752810 you have no idea how tempted I am to make that my profile pic.
Ohmygosh X3 Peewee is so adorable!!
Ah, the old Rarity and Spike as a couple dilemma. Well, a complex issue deserves the proper respect, and I'm glad somebody so competent took up the task! I love your writing, and I'll be the first to admit I'm jelous you can express the story so clearly. I'm only four chapters in, but that's soon to change
I'm suspicious that the guards didn't show and Steven Magnet Is there, but he really doesn't seem the type that would be able to or even willing to have ponies exterminated lol. so I figure they got caught up in something else.
this is so good!
jajajajajajaj niceeeeeeeeeeeee xD
I started reading this story just for this moment.
denver.mylittlefacewhen.com/media/f/img/mlfw10_1297712732690.jpg
Well, so much for my 'let the guards escort the fillies back' idea. Under the circumstances, I'm starting to think more and more that the dragons are going to end up the antagonists of this story. I seriously doubt a sea serpent flew into the sky to swat down some (assumed) pegasus royal guards for no reason whatsoever, especially if doing so required going too far from water (and considering they don't have, y'know, wings). Add to that the fact that it appears to be the sea serpents alone who have any interest in solving this situation peacefully. So, if the dragons are trying to sabotage the negotiations, the big question is "Why?" What are they hoping to gain from such a small amount of land? There has to be more to this.
It greatly pleases me to see the characters behaving in an intelligent, realistic manner. I don't know how many times I've read stories where characters were forced into doing one thing or another by the author that made absolutely zero sense but allowed the story to keep moving. It's something I absolutely hate. I can understand the CMC – they are just kids, after all – but Spike and Twilight are acting as they should, and for that I am glad.
Holy Tartarus! Those poor, neglected commas...
This seems like very mature thinking... is that what you're going for? I'm going to say yes, even though it sounds just a little too formal to be coming from Spike. Again, personal headcanon, something I'll have to keep a lid on.
This, specifically, is what I mean by redundancies, which I'm finding a lot of. Spike hugged her back. There's no new paragraph after that, so the following dialogue can naturally be attributed to Spike. Therefore, you don't need to tag Spike's dialogue. We know who's speaking. I'm not going to pull up any more examples of this particular redundancy, as I'm not entirely sure you're going to go back and edit this anytime soon, but they are getting rather annoying.
Again, this is an action, not a dialogue tag.
Nice.
I'm going to note that this chapter has the least amount of issues to complain about so far. In terms of immersion, it held my interest for the longest time without being jolted out by niggly things. While it is still fairly telly at times, you seem to have slackened off that now that the story is actually moving. Rarity stumbling through the forest and worrying about her appearance was funny for the short while it needed to be, until the seriousness of the situation came back in proper time. Peewee and Twilight coming to the rescue was nice, and didn't feel like it came out of nowhere. Oh, but the insight to how Rarity feels about Sweetie was cute, too. She truly was in a tricky spot, and then along came old mate Steve. I do wonder what happened to the guards, though of course I suspect the dragons only because there isn't really anyone else to suspect at this point in time. Except maybe the gargoyle, unless it really was a throwaway monster.
What does chapter five have in store? Guess I'll find out soon enough.
Twilight's appearence in this was just awesome. While not a big damn heroes moment, it id read like a mother/big sister coming to find her charges. Also, Spike saving the little tykes was just plain awesome and was actually a pretty smart move coming from him.
Okay thing certainly took a rare turn here
and Steven Magnet what a pleasant surprise 