(39) Missed Calls
Rarity’s POV
Canterlot City Suburbs
Monday Afternoon
The drive between City Hall and Cherry Blossom’s house normally took fifteen minutes. In my haste to make up for lost time, I cut it down to eight. The entire time, Fluttershy was anxious, and Rainbow Dash was a little too excited by my bad habit. It had gotten so bad that when someone honked at me, I couldn’t even tell where it came from. I took that as my final warning and slowed down, but by that point we were already in the neighborhood.
While I drove, Fluttershy was on my phone speaking with the spa’s assistant manager, Fruity Aroma. She was the one who reported Lotus and the others as missing. Since Mrs. Aroma had a key to their home and was a trusted family friend, she could allow the police to search it for any clues. They never found anything that determined where Lotus and the others had gone.
Currently, Mrs. Aroma was still at Lotus and Cherry’s residence. She was desperate to find anything that would help track them down. We were heading there to hear the whole case in person and offer our help. Regardless of whether or not Sunset thought it was a good idea.
“Oh. Rarity?” Fluttershy turned to me. She was in the passenger seat and Rainbow was in the center of the backseat, leaned as far forward as her seatbelt allowed. “Sunset’s trying to call. Should I switch to her?"
I bit my lip while turning onto a new road. “Send it to voicemail. I'm afraid I might lose myself and say something I'll truly regret if I answer that call.”
Fluttershy’s mouth formed an uncomfortable line and she did exactly that. Then she told Mrs. Aroma we were just down the road and put the phone down. “Do you think we should at least let her know where we’re going? She may be worried about us.”
“Fluttershy, if you think that would be best, I will not stop you,” I told her. When I spotted Mrs. Aroma in the doorway of one of the houses, I started parking. “But I think for right now, a little distance would be best.”
“I mean, that’s what she’s been doing to us,” Rainbow huffed. “We tried all day to talk to her and she’s blown us off every time. She needs a taste of her own medicine.” She unbuckled her seatbelt and then took out her buzzing phone for a moment. She frowned at it, declined the call, and stuffed it away.
“Now, Rainbow Dash, let’s not go that far,” I told her. “Whatever’s happened, she doesn’t mean anything by it either. We all need to take some time. We’ll help where we can here, and then approach her when we’ve composed ourselves.”
I took my keys, tossed aside my seatbelt, and climbed out before walking onto the grass. I made it perhaps three feet before Fruity Aroma was already halfway down the yard. She looked as exhausted as she sounded over the phone and her spa uniform was absolutely disheveled and missing a few key elements. One most specifically was the hairband she always wore to keep her hair back. With it gone, her hair was a frazzled mess and hid her eyes that now lacked their usual attentiveness. She had a light jacket over her uniform despite the warm weather and was clutching her phone in such a way where she may have forgotten she was holding it altogether.
Nevertheless, her face lit up upon seeing us and she did her best to act in brighter spirits for everyone’s sake but her own.
“Rarity, thank you so much for dropping by to help.” Mrs. Aroma pulled me in for a hug. She wasn’t the type to give hugs, so I returned it with all the care I could. “My husband and Aloe’s family have been looking all day for some hint about Cherry and the girls, but so far there’s been nothing!”
“It’s quite alright Mrs. Aroma. We’re just happy to help in whatever way we can.” I patted her hand and gave her a smile of my own. “With enough of us out there looking for them, it’s only a matter of time until they’re home safe.”
“Speaking of enough of us, where are the police?” Rainbow Dash asked after glancing around. There were no other cars around except for mine and Mrs. Aroma’s. “Shouldn’t they be around here looking for clues or something?”
“Oh, yes!” Mrs. Aroma ushered us all to follow her inside Lotus and Cherry’s home. “They left maybe a half hour ago. They were here almost all morning. When no one heard from Cherry or the girls all day, not even the school, someone suggested a wellness check. And since I was the last person that might’ve seen them, I answered some questions. I have a key for Cherry’s house too. I asked the police if I should leave everything as is, but they said that this isn’t considered a crime scene.”
“Wait, it's not?” Rainbow asked, making Aroma pause at the steps to the front door. She whipped around and I could see the doubt and worry behind her eyes.
“N-No?” She said quizzically. “They said that since Cherry’s car and most of their phones are gone, they likely left on their own. And they said these things don’t usually mean there’s a crime scene at home. Why? Does that sound strange?”
I slid between Rainbow and Mrs. Aroma. “I think Rainbow Dash just assumed that if the police searched everything, it would be considered a crime scene. It’s not always the case, darling.” That last part I said with my back to Mrs. Aroma and a tense expression on my face. I was trying to make her get the hint.
Thankfully, she did. Rainbow started nodding frantically. “Right! Right, yeah! Totally my bad! I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to worry you.”
Mrs. Aroma nodded after a second. “It’s fine. To be honest, I don’t understand much of how this works myself. I don’t even read mystery novels. I just try to steer clear of things like this.”
I gave out a chuckle and tried to stay in light spirits. “Well, not to worry. I’ve read plenty of them for both of us.”
Aroma seemed to take the joke well enough and walked in with Fluttershy following behind. Meanwhile, I kept Dash out with me for a second. “Rainbow Dash, you cannot just blurt out things like that!”
“I said sorry!” She whisper-yelled back to me. “But it doesn’t make sense! The mom and twins from the game got kidnapped at home!”
I looked over my shoulder and saw Mrs. Aroma showed Fluttershy a few things the police investigated. “In the game, yes. But we’ve seen multiple times now that not everything is a one-to-one basis. If it turns out nobody was kidnapped, then we shouldn’t throw that word around. Besides.”
I stood at my full height and spoke regularly. “In most crime mysteries, it’s a rule of thumb to never chain yourself to a theory. Always focus on the facts.”
Rainbow gave a deadpan stare. “You really think relying on mystery novels is gonna work?”
“It’s not like I can rely on experience.”
Both of us stepped inside and looked around, but there wasn’t much to investigate. There was no tossed furniture or signs of any distress. There were extra pillows and blankets in the living room, but I knew Lotus and Aloe tended to sleep over at one another’s homes often. They were huge fans of terrible horror movies too. The TV was turned on to a streaming service that was cycling through movie stills.
We caught back up to Fruity Aroma and Fluttershy in the kitchen and right away I plugged my nose. Starting from the sink, there were mostly mixing bowls and pans with a few cooking utensils. But no plates and silverware. Instead, those were still laid out on the dining table with half-finished pancakes, eggs, and bacon. Flies were buzzing over the scraps and platters of leftovers.
“Like I said,” Cherry continued talking to Fluttershy. “Cherry’s car is gone and all of their phones, save for Lotus’s, are missing too. So are Cherry’s license and keys. The police think they left the house willingly. But we can’t figure out where they could have gone.”
Fluttershy spotted a calendar hanging from the wall inside the kitchen. After checking it over, she looked back at Mrs. Aroma. “Does Miss Blossom have a planner? Anything that would show what she might have been up to?”
“That was the first thing they checked.” Mrs. Aroma shook her head. “That and the girls’ social media. The last time they posted anything was on Friday night.”
The last day they were ever seen then. “And you’re sure about that? Not even a like or comment anywhere after Friday? The two of them are online all the time.”
“Positive.” Mrs. Aroma nodded. Then she started counting them out. “I checked UsTube, Photogram, Twixxer, Posterest, Snaptalk. For both of them! I even checked the business accounts hoping they signed into the wrong one.”
Rainbow Dash hummed for a second. “Do either of them have a TokTik account?”
Mrs. Aroma took a small gasp and then groaned. “TokTik. I thought I was missing one! Lotus makes videos for that one during slow days. Honestly, how many social media accounts does everyone need?”
I pulled out my phone and opened TokTik at the same time. “Oh, I think we can all agree it’s imperative we keep up with the latest trends. Not to worry though, I know Lotus’s account. She’s constantly making these goofy ones Pinkie and I laugh over.”
Mrs. Aroma huffed. “You know, a trend implies you're moving from one account to the next, not collecting them.”
I allowed myself a small smile and opened Lotus’s account. I clicked my tongue. “It doesn’t look like Lotus posted anything. Then again, it is her phone still on the dining table.”
“What about Aloe?” Rainbow asked. “Anything from her?”
I hummed and tapped around. “I know that Aloe has an account, but she doesn’t usually post anything. Still, I follow her too. Doesn’t hurt to...Wait! Rainbow Dash, good call! She posted one!”
“She did?” Fluttershy hurried over with the others to all look over my shoulder. “Is it about where she is?”
“Not quite.” I held out my phone to show Aloe’s page. “It says here that the last and only video she made was posted on Saturday. From the look of it, Lotus made the video’s description.”
I pressed play and all of us stared at the screen. It showed one of those singing fish decorations mounted on a wall. We saw the tiny red button underneath it get pushed by Lotus’s finger. It ‘flopped’ around a little before turning to the camera and speaking.
“Let’s get ta fishin’!”
Only, it was in Aloe’s voice.
Then the camera switched to Aloe. She was dressed in her pajamas and wearing a tiny ruby pendant. She was standing in a dining room entirely different to the one we were in. Right down to the walls, ceiling, and décor. In general, the building looked like a log cabin rather than a suburban cookie-cutter home. It also looked like it could do with some spring cleaning in a few places.
However, we also saw a window behind both her and the dining table. It was a bright sunny day and there was a massive forest right outside. The tops of thin trees seemed level with the window itself, if not lower in elevation.
Aloe was obviously doing her best to keep from laughing and just as before with the fish decoration, Lotus’s hand moved into frame. It was obvious that she was holding the phone too. Lotus then pressed the ruby just like she did with the button. Then, Aloe started moving her head and arms around to mimic the fish before looking directly at the camera.
“Let’s get ta fishin’!” Her mouth was moving, but it was this rough, country voice that was entirely unlike this petite, adorable spa worker.
That’s where the video ended and Rainbow Dash was trying to contain herself while the rest of us were chuckling a little. I guess, given the severity of the situation, the last thing we expected to see was the two of them goofing around.
That's definitely Lotus’s style of humor, I confirmed. I checked the description but frowned. “Found a cool fish sign. Might be broken though. #letsgetfishin #saturdaymorning +LotusB.”
“So, they did leave the house on their own. Oh, thank goodness,” Fluttershy said with a breath.
Rainbow cleared her throat. “Remind me to follow them after we find them.”
“Alright, so, assuming that this was after breakfast,” Mrs. Aroma said, gesturing towards the flies. “Aloe should still have her phone. But no one can get a hold of her. It doesn’t help much.”
“Not so. We learned a lot of things from this.” I replayed the video and paused on the fish. “First, it's just as you said. They wrote Saturday morning in the description. Which says they left right after breakfast and straight to wherever this is. I’m assuming there’s no talking fish décor anywhere here, yes?”
“Oh, absolutely not,” Mrs. Aroma confirmed. “Cherry can’t stand fish. Not for fishing or eating. She hates the idea of even visiting the aquarium.”
“Is there anyone you know that has this thing?” Rainbow asked. Aroma simply shook her head.
“Nevertheless, we know then that it isn’t at home. But, the fact that Aloe was in her pajamas also shows they aren’t anywhere public. The two of them would never go anywhere in public without getting ready.”
Mrs. Aroma nodded. “You’re right. There are two outfits laid out on Lotus’s bed. One’s hers and the other Aloe’s probably. I don’t get why they wouldn’t take the time to get ready though.”
“Maybe they didn’t care enough.” Rainbow shrugged. “I mean, wherever that is, it doesn’t look like they were up to anything important.”
“And they didn’t clean up their plates before leaving.” Fluttershy thought for a second. “Maybe...They didn’t think they’d be gone for long?”
“Possibly.” I played the video through some more. But what would they be doing that would be a short trip?
“Let’s focus on the location,” I decided. “We’re trying to determine where more than anything else. Let's start with that window. There’s no forest that near this neighborhood. And the structure is incredibly unique. There’s no plaster or drywall to be found. Just wooden slats. And the roof beams are visible.”
Fluttershy tried looking a little closer, so I passed the phone to her. “...I see pine and juniper trees. And fully grown ones. Trees like this should be more than twice as tall as a two story house, at least. But they’re shorter. This house is probably on a hill.”
“Hey, good point.” Rainbow looked over Fluttershy’s shoulder. “Now that you mention it, you never see that many of those trees anywhere near town.”
Fluttershy shook her head. “They’re not. You’d see something like this closer to the Everfree Forest.”
“The west side of town,” I deciphered. “Come to think of it, it’s not a long drive from here to the west side. Maybe ten minutes, tops.”
“Or, if you’re driving? Five,” Rainbow joked. I gave her a look, but I felt a splash of warmth on my cheeks and decided to let her win.
“Maybe right outside city limits?” Mrs. Aroma tapped at her chin. “But they left their dishes on the table. Cherry might not be the most organized person in the world, but she wouldn’t leave dishes out if she were leaving town.”
“Possibly, they didn’t think they’d be gone forever.” I crossed my arms and thought aloud. “A short trip. They didn’t get dressed. They went just outside of town. They drove. And on Saturday morning. What might that tell us about where they are specifically?”
“Maybe they went to visit someone at their house after breakfast?” Fluttershy frowned. “No. They would have gotten dressed if they went to visit someone.”
“If that’s the case, then the alternative is that they went somewhere no one was at. We know when and how. Saturday morning and Miss Blossom’s car. We’re almost out of clues for where, so that leaves us with what and why. Why did they go there and what were they doing?”
“Well, they were making a video,” Rainbow tossed.
I gave out a chuckle. “Rainbow Dash, Lotus might love making videos like that, but she wouldn’t go to someone’s house just to shoot a video of a tacky fish toy. Especially when her phone’s here with us.”
Rainbow clicked her tongue and nodded along. “Right. Good point.”
I retrieved my phone back from Fluttershy and tapped my finger on the screen so it wouldn’t go to sleep mode. We’re already at a dead end. There’s bound to be dozens of houses on the outskirts of town. So what else?
A notification for a text message appeared from Sunset. It was addressed to a group chat. I sighed and flicked the notification away. Sorry Sunset, but not now. We’re onto something here. I promise.
I bit at my nail and thought about it for a second. If we’re running out of clues from this angle, should I try something else? Perhaps the game’s events? Even though it wasn't the same scenario, other events may be similar. To start, there’s the events leading up to the kidnapping. The mother and father were out for a night to themselves when the criminals killed the father. Sometime later, the mother and twins were whisked away without anyone to save them.
In reality, Miss Blossom was a single mother to Lotus. Lotus didn’t know her father personally. Cherry Blossom’s husband was a soldier that lost his life some time ago. That seemed different. Then again, the game’s father was a city guard killed before the events of the kidnapping. You could argue the same difference.
I paced into the living room, letting the girls talk amongst themselves or watch as I moved. We learned from Mirna’s father and a craftsman of town that Mirna and the twins' home was broken into. They were then kidnapped by the Redbrands and dragged off to a lodge in the woods.
Broken into. I shot a look at Mrs. Aroma as she took the chance to clean the dishes. Now that breakfast didn't matter, there was no reason to leave it out. I suppose their house was ‘broken into.’ Someone entered their home without their knowledge. This was after they went missing, however.
Then, dragged off to the woods, I continued thinking. Fluttershy confirmed that they’re somewhere near, if not in, the woods. That’s similar to the game, too. Thorn Wielder was the one who found the hunter’s lodge the Redbrands were based in. It was only a few minutes outside of town.
A hunter’s lodge. I suppose if Lotus and Aloe represent the twins, it’s not far-fetched to imagine a hunting lodge represented by the home of someone who loves hunting.
Loves hunting? Wait. We heard about something regarding hunting not long ago. I whipped around to the others. “Fluttershy, Can you confirm something?”
“Erm, yes?” Fluttershy perked up, followed by the others.
“Yesterday, you said the hunting goods store was sold out of crossbows. Is that right?”
“Mm-hmm. That’s right. They were purchased and then picked up earlier in the week for a trip out of town. They were still missing when I went to check on Sunday.”
“From the décor to the location, that home Aloe was in is exactly what I would imagine a hunter’s home to look like. If a hunter bought one of those crossbows and then left town, he wouldn’t be home on Saturday when they paid a visit. Now, we still don’t know for sure why, but those two events sound like they’re of some similar thread, no?”
“Maybe they’re friends with that hunter then!” Rainbow grinned. “Which means if we find out whose house that belongs to, we might just find them!”
Fluttershy had a flash of insight within her eyes. “I remember the store owner mentioning hunting and fishing meetings that happen at people’s homes. Maybe he would know.”
Mrs. Aroma watched us coming up with plans and theories and let herself take a breath of relief. “I’m no hunter myself, but I know how I can help. Rarity, could you forward me a link to that video? I can send it to Aloe’s family and the police to keep them updated on what we found. It might narrow the search in some way. Not to mention, I think Aloe's family would appreciate seeing their daughter in high spirits like this.”
A warmth welled up within me and I made quick work of the task. “Think absolutely nothing of it! I’m just thankful I was able to help at all.” I gave a glance at Rainbow Dash, who gave me a thumb’s up in return.
Story’s POV
Canterlot Mall
A half hour later
The doors to the theatre were thrown open with the five of us each carrying oversized sodas. Together, with my points and Pinkie’s generous snack fund, we ate like kings for that whole movie. I think Applebloom ended up pocketing a few candy bars by the end of it. Pinkie did too, except ‘pocket’ wouldn't be the right word.
“Er, Pinkie?” I glanced at the back of her head. “You have a chocolate bar sticking out of your hair.”
“Huh? Oh!” Pinkie felt around for a second and pulled out an entirely separate candy bar from deeper in her hair. She stared at it before giggling at me. “This isn’t a chocolate bar, silly! This is a peanut butter bar!” She then proceeded to slide it back into her hair until it was entirely out of sight.
The theatre doesn’t even sell that candy bar, I thought silently. How long has it— I forced myself to stop thinking about it and shake my head. “You gotta be doin’ this kinda thing on purpose.”
“Well, obviously,” she admitted. “What, do you think candy bars just fall into my hair everyday?”
I bit my tongue and stared back to the chocolate bar as my voice betrayed no emotion. “No, of course not. That would be crazy. If only though, right?”
Applejack, watching this whole thing, chuckled to herself before pulling the chocolate bar out of Pinkie’s hair and handing it to her. “Like we told ya Story, don’t think about it too much.”
Pinkie happily took the chocolate bar and set her soda in her hair, with it somehow staying upright, so that she could use her other hand to open the wrapper. “I remember. It just gets so difficult, you know?”
Applejack and I kept debating the physics around Pinkie Pie and her lack of them. At the same time, Applebloom glanceed over at my little brother who already had his face stuffed into his JoyBoy. “What game are ya playin’?“
“Ballad of Glyphs,” Button mumbled. “Rhythm game. Solve puzzles to beat enemies but every move you make has to be made to the beat.”
“Ballad of...Oh, wait.” Applebloom paused. “Ah think Sweetie Belle mentioned that before. She said she listens ta the music online all the time.”
“Yeah, it's pretty good. And, people make remixes and original songs all the time. It's still pretty popular.” Button stood in place for a second, pushing buttons like a madman for a couple seconds before he grinned and sped walked back up to us. All while he still had the jumbo soda in his other hand. “They can post them for others to download and play too. They’re not good though.”
“Not good? Almost every time Sweetie listens ta music, she’s got a new song from it. What Ah’ve heard ain’t bad either.”
“The songs are good,” Button told her. “But the levels are horrible. The inputs never match with the songs or just don’t feel right. Or, the inputs feel good but the songs remixes are bad. That’s why I only play the original levels the game has.”
Applebloom then started to frown. “But, yer game don’t have any music comin’ from it. Is it busted err somethin’?”
He shook his head. “Nope. I'm playing on mute. The people that made the game made the puzzles so good, you can play without music and still follow a rhythm. There’s even an achievement and costume if you beat all the levels muted.”
“How’s that even work?” She was just stumped. “A rhythm game don’t sound too fun if there ain’t any music.” From the corner of my eye, I saw Button’s face twitch for a second.
“Uh-uh.” Button shook his head. “A good game doesn’t need music to be good. Good music just makes it better. People do Mute Percent runs of B.o.G all the time. It's got a really active player-base for runs like that too.”
“Mute Percent runs?” Applebloom wrestled with those words for a second. “Can’t say Ah know what that. Is...oh.”
Applebloom stopped walking altogether and stared off in another direction. After a few steps, all of us noticed she wasn’t catching up. We stopped to turn and look for ourselves.
She stared at another girl her age across the space. She had gray skin with dark gray hair tied into a tight braid and cyan colored glasses that drooped on her nose. Her clothes were mostly purple and pink and she had this odd silver spoon accessory clipped to the front of her shirt.
As we all watched, I reached over and palmed the top of Button’s propeller beanie, signaling him to stop too.
Applebloom hummed. “What is she doin’ here?”
“Maybe she’s tryin’ ta find a get well soon gift for Tiara?” Applejack asked.
“I dunno,” Pinkie frowned. “She’s heading towards the food court. Everybody knows that there’s much better get well soon gifts on the other side of the mall.”
“I’m not sure that’s it.” I frowned. “She looks really downtrodden. If she’s getting a gift, would she be that depressed about it?”
Button finished his level and decided to put it in his pocket for now. Then, when he looked where all of us were, a look of realization crossed his face. “Wait. Silver Spoon?”
All of us turned to him. “How do you know her?”
“The hospital kid center,” he told me. “We both went there until a couple of years ago. I think she said that her dad’s a doctor. She kept trying to rub it in my face but when I proved Mom was a doctor too, she stopped trying to one-up me.”
“So even at a hospital she’s tried bullyin’ folk?” Applebloom’s stare became a glare. “Unbelievable.”
“More common than you’d think,” I told her with a breath. When Applebloom looked at me, I went on. “There’s always been a weird ‘power struggle’ at that center. Our Mom’s position made us untouchable, in a weird way.”
“But I’m pretty sure she doesn’t have any older siblings,” Button told me. “She’s an only child.”
AJ started looking a little unsettled. “Is she at the mall all alone? I don't see anyone with her.”
Applebloom's expression flattened a little. "Ah mean, she's old enough ta walk around the mall on her own, Applejack. I mean, she is as old as Ah am."
AJ returned Applebloom's look with one of her own. "Ya know that yer not allowed ta go somewhere in town without somebody older nearby. 'Specially not alone."
"It ain't like Canterlot City's dangerous err anythin'."
Applejack turned to me next and gave me this look of 'see what I deal with?'
I just smirked at her while I stood beside my brother who was back at his game. Couldn't be me. AJ shook her head but said nothing else.
I turned back to Silver Spoon. AJ's got a point though. If Silver Spoon is Button's age, she's likely just young enough where she should still be at the kid center. The only reason Button isn't is because I'm old enough to watch him. But if no one's there for Silver Spoon, who knows that she's here?
I was debating whether I should say something, but then my vision warped. It was sudden and before I knew it, the walls and ceiling of the mall vaporized into the sunny outdoors. The shops around us halved in quantity and those remaining molded into wooden buildings that were either homes or village shops. The carpet and tiles beneath us became patted down dirt with sprinkles of grass and weeds spread about.
Everybody, my brother, the girls, all the mall goers, every one of them vanished into mist in a breath. In their place was maybe ten people in total, all dressed like fantasy medieval peasants and miners that milled about like everything was fine. None of them seemed to respond to the world snapping into place, nor did any of them seem to notice I was staring at them with a panic in my eyes.
The only thing that was still the same was Silver Spoon herself. She trudged along as before, staring at the ground in an attempt to keep from making eye contact with anyone else. However, she wasn't entirely tangible. She looked translucent. Like a 3D hologram you would find from a sci-fi movie. Except, overlayed on her was someone else mimicking the same actions.
In Silver Spoon's space was a half-elven woman with gold-trimmed clerical robes and a golden coin instead of a silver spoon around her neck. Rather than a tight braid, the half-elf had a messy bun. Finally, instead of Silver’s tired expression, the half-elf had a determined one. She walked the same speed as Silver Spoon and appeared as a hologram in much the same way. It was as if the two visuals were fighting to see which one came out on top.
“Another vision,” I mumbled.
Ahead of me was Sister Garaele, the priestess of Tymora from Phandalin, alive and moving directly ahead of me. Having this vision didn't give me a headache like the last few times magic stuff happened to me. It was more like that vision I had at the bathroom mirror. Before I could wrap my head around that, an explanation of what I was seeing came to mind.
She’s on her way to the blacksmith, I told myself. Someone stole her merchant scales and she needs to replace them to do her service. But it will take time. Maybe a week, depending on when supplies arrive. Sister Garaele will leave, dejected, and go to vent her frustrations at her friend Leanne. Or, at least, who she believes to be Leanne. In reality, she'll be talking to the doppelganger that took Leanne's place. Still, the doppelganger will give her the store's scales and Sister Garaele will cheer up.
A pale orange hand moved in front of my face and snapped its fingers a few times. And suddenly, reality was back to normal.
“Earth ta Story,” Applejack told me. “Y’alright partner? Not another headache, is it?”
“I, erm, no,” I stuttered. “My head’s fine. But, earlier you mentioned someone named Tiara, yeah? Who is that?”
Applejack hesitated to answer, but Applebloom didn’t. “Just the meanest bully in Canterlot High. Silver and her are usually joined at the hip.”
Joined at the hip. Applejack saw the gears working in my head and must have started to get the same idea I was. And when her eyes shot wide open, she turned to her sister. “Applebloom. On the way here, ya said Silver Spoon lost her calculator, right?”
Modern day scales.
Applebloom nodded. “Uh-huh. Like Ah said, she was accusin’ the class of someone stealin’ it.”
Sister Geraele knew someone stole it. I stared back at Silver. So. If that kid is Sister Garaele, that would mean her friend is...Has anything happened to her friend?
Applejack seemingly read my mind and turned to me. “Diamond Tiara’s been sick as a doornail fer the last week. She’s been missin’ some assignments from school over it too.”
My face hardened as I tried not to freak out in front of my little brother. That matches with a couple of things the girls haven’t learned yet. Things that haven’t been confirmed. That’s different from what Sunset told us.
“Maybe that’s why she’s going to the electronic’s store.” Button Mash pointed ahead, making us turn to watch as Silver Spoon walked into that storefront. “To get a new calculator?”
“Is that gonna work?” AJ asked me.
If it’s anything like Sister Garaele’s storyline? I shook my head absently. “No. It won’t.”
Button gave me a look. “What does that mean?”
Without thinking, I spoke. “They won’t have one. It’ll take some time before i—”
Suddenly, Pinkie let out a gasp. “Oh my gosh! Button, look! There’s a flier for some kind of giveaway at the game store!”
“Really?!” Button’s full attention was yanked far away from me and Pinkie gave Applejack and I a cheeky grin before looking back to him.
“You wanna go see what’s up?!”
“YES!” Button whirled back to me. “Can I, Story?! Can I, can I?!”
“Can he, Story?! Can he, can he?!” Pinkie repeated, copying Button’s excitement.
An awkward smile creeped onto my face and nodded along. “Sure, Button. But no spending money on anything until I give you the word.”
“Got it! You’re the best!” He took off running, with Pinkie bounding off right behind him.
Applejack looked to her sister next. “Hey, AB? Why don’t you go along with ‘em? Weren’t you talkin’ about gettin’ a game for Scootaloo recently?”
“Fer her birthday, yeah.” Applebloom nodded. But she didn’t take the bait. Instead, she looked to me. “Is this about magic again? Are Silver Spoon an’ Tiara gonna be alright?”
Applejack looked ready to pounce with an answer, but stopped herself short. She was looking at me with her own mix of curiosity and worry. Yeah. I'd be curious too. I stared back at Applebloom for a few seconds. Then I smiled a little.
“They’re gonna be okay. I don’t know if this stuff’s any less confusing for you, but for me it makes almost no sense. That said, Silver Spoon will be fine in a couple of days. And.” I shrugged as nonchalant as I could. “Bittersweet note, so will that Tiara bully.”
A flush of emotions rolled around on Applebloom’s face, but happiness won out. “Well, Ah s’ppose that’s great ta hear regardless. Thanks. Ah’ll warn, slash, let mah friends know. Also.” She looked at Applejack next. “If Ah do spot somethin’ Scootaloo would like, could Ah possibly get an advance on mah next allowance?”
AJ thought for a second. “We’ll see about that. Fer now, get ta lookin’. Me an’ Story gotta talk a bit more.”
Applebloom nodded and hurried off after Pinkie and Button, leaving Applejack to face me with a smirk. “Couple ‘a days huh? Different tune than what you were singin’ yesterday.”
I took a single breath and tried playing it cool. “Yeah, well, uh. Who’s to say I’m not lying to make a kid feel better?”
Her smirk grew wider. “Me.” Dang it.
Then she let the smirk fall. “Look. Ah’m sorry that magic ended up creepin’ inta this on its own. Ah wasn’t tryin’ ta drag ya inta the line a’ fire with this.”
I shook my head. “You’re not the reason I keep getting headaches and hallucinations. Which, speaking of, thanks for snapping me out of that. That lasted a lot longer than the headaches, I think.”
She stepped closer. “What were ya seein’? Ah could tell it was based around Silver Spoon, but me an’ Pinks saw nothin’.”
“Well, it was weird. She was layered over—” “Applejack, hey! And. Story?!”
We looked across the space and, waving us down from about twenty feet away despite how many odd looks she got, was Rainbow Dash. She and Rarity were tied for the front of the pack while Fluttershy was doing her best not to have any attention land on her.
“Girls! Hey! Erm. What’re y’all doin’ here?!” Applejack quickly looked nervous as she stepped between them and me. Seeing that, a couple alarms went off in my head. She did say Rainbow Dash was mad. Oh no.
“That’s what we should be asking you,” Rainbow told us. “We thought you were supposed to be riding out with Sunset and Twilight to check out that fire tower, not...here.” She trailed off, staring at me as I shrunk further.
“Right. That. Ah can explain that. Erm.” She proceeded to not explain that. “We had. I mean. Ah, and Pinkie. Applebloom too, was, uh. Story wasn’t feelin’— not that Ah’m...urgh, dang it.”
After four or five more stumbling words later, I stepped out. “She saw me looking like a miserable loser and offered for us to cool off with a movie. Pinkie and our little siblings are here too.”
Fluttershy glanced around. “Button’s here too?”
I nodded and pointed my thumb further down the row of shops. “Yeah. They all went to the game store just now. Just missed them.”
“Okay, hold on a second,” Rainbow stepped up. “You ditched Sunset and the rest of us to hang out with the one who ditched all of us in the first place?”
Applejack took a deep breath and stared Rainbow Dash down. “...Yes. Ah did. And Ah’m sorry Ah did that. Ah told Sunset ah wouldn’t be comin’ with her before Ah headed out here. Look, Story’s our friend too. An' he’s just as in deep in this as the rest of us. Ah couldn’t just leave someone out ta dry in a windstorm. Ya have ta believe me, RD. This ain’t about choosin’ sides. Especially not when those sides are between our friends.”
Rainbow waited until she was done and then looked back at me. I tried to meet her eyes, but just ended up staring at the ground.
Eventually, Rainbow sighed. “It’s no biggie. You could have at least let the rest of us know though. We had no idea you were even here.”
I started looking back up. Rarity and Fluttershy were giving me simple smiles and Rainbow Dash turned to me next. She kept this stoic frown “You doing alright? You know, not counting whatever happened yesterday?”
I managed to keep eye contact long enough to stand at my full height. She’s not trying to bully you. You don’t have to flinch at her. “Y-Yeah. A little bit. Magic won’t leave me alone, but I at least got to enjoy the movie. And, um...I’m sorry. To all of you. I shouldn’t have walked off like a baby. That was really messed up of me and I should’ve been a lot more mature about that. I want to do better from here on out. If that’s cool with you guys.”
The others smiled wider, while Rainbow took her time to consider my words. “We forgive you, Story,” Fluttershy started. “Yesterday, we only heard about what Applejack knew and from that, it sounded like everything had gotten a little scary.”
Rainbow watched Fluttershy, and then Rarity, move in to accept my apology before she broke the tense staredown. “Yeah. Yeah, I forgive you too. When I heard about you trying to call the cops, I thought you were going against us or something. I was ready to track you down myself without even hearing you out. That was really not cool of me. My bad.”
I let out a laugh. “You know, I think I was half expecting it. I mean, I deserve it. I felt like garbage for trying to call them and then running away.”
“Not at all,” Rarity told me. “We knew that you would have your reasons. And, when we have time, we’d like to hear your side of it.”
“My side?” I felt my stomach drop. Fluttershy said they only heard what Applejack saw. They want my side. Did Sunset not say anything? “Erm. Yeah. Yeah, I know. I need to explain myself. And I will. I promise.”
Rainbow crossed her arms, but her expression softened. “You better. Although, we're gonna have to hold that thought. Right now, you can make it up to us by giving us a hand.”
I calmed my nerves and looked everyone over. “If you’re asking me to run a game tonight, I’m sorry, but no. I don’t think I—” “No, no. Not that.”
Rarity stepped forward and pulled out her phone. After a few taps, she handed it off to me. “Now, there’s no judgement if this is too much for you. It is somewhat dire.”
“Maybe a little judgement,” Rainbow muttered, earning an elbow-tap from Applejack. “Okay, fair enough, yeah, no judgement.”
Rarity started explaining who the three girls in the pictures were and how they had gone missing. I took some time to study each of their faces and as Rarity kept explaining, it happened again. Just like Silver Spoon, the world faded away. The phone was the only thing that stayed with me while everything, even all the lights in the mall, faded to near darkness. The phone was my only source of light.
When I registered what happened, I activated the flashlight on Rarity’s phone. At that moment, I noticed I was in an underground chamber. It was a long, rectangular room that was partitioned into three areas with iron bars. Beyond those bars were two separate jail cells with filthy straw lining the floors. In the central area where I stood, a door to the west was closed and opposite that door was a heap of discarded clothing. Clothing belonging to the four individuals in the cages.
The northern cell had just one person; ⍜⊑⎅⍾⍾⊑. ⎐☍⊑ ☍⎅☌ ⎅⍾ ⌰⎍⍀⍾ ⎎⍀⍜⍜⎅⎍ ⎅⎍⍀⌖⍾☌ ☍⊑⎍ ⍾⊑⎎⋏ ⎎☍⎅⌰⍾⌰⍾⟊ ☍⊑⎍ ⍙⍀ ⍙☍⊑ ⋉⎅⍜⍜ ⎅⍾☌ ⎅ ⟟⌰⍜⍙☍⏚ ⟊⎍⎅⏚ ⍙⌖⍾⌰⎎ ⍙☍⎅⍙ ⋉⎅⎐ ⌿⌖⎎☍ ⍙⍀⍀ ⍙☍⌰⍾ ⍙⍀ ⋏⊑⊑⌇ ☍⊑⎍ ⋉⎅⎍⌿ ☌⍀⋉⍾ ☍⊑⎍⊑. ⎐☍⊑ ⋉⎅⎐ ⋉⊑⎅⋏ ⟟⎍⍀⌿ ⍜⎅⎎⋏ ⍀⟟ ⟟⍀⍀☌ ⎅⍾☌ ⎐⌖⍾⍜⌰⟊☍⍙ ⎅⍾☌ ⍜⍀⍀⋏⊑☌ ⟟⌰⍜⍙☍⏚. ⎐☍⊑ ☍⎅☌ ⟒⊑⊑⍾ ☌⍀⋉⍾ ☍⊑⎍⊑ ⟟⍀⎍ ⎅ ⊬⊑⎍⏚ ⍜⍀⍾⟊ ⍙⌰⌿⊑. ⎅⍾☌ ⍙⍀ ⌿⎅⋏⊑ ⌿⎅⍙⍙⊑⎍⎐ ⋉⍀⎍⎐⊑, ☍⊑⎍ ⟒⍀☌⏚ ⋉⎅⎐ ⟟⎅☌⌰⍾⟊ ⌰⍾ ⎅⍾☌ ⍀⌖⍙ ⍀⟟ ⎍⊑⎅⍜⌰⍙⏚ ⋉⌰⍙☍ ⍙☍⊑ ⟊⌰⎍⍜ ⋉☍⍀ ⎅⌇⌇⍜⊑⟒⍜⍀⍀⌿ ⍜⌰⋏⊑⍜⏚ ⍙⍀⍜☌ ⌿⊑ ⎅⟒⍀⌖⍙. ⎅ ⏚⍀⌖⍾⟊ ⟊⌰⎍⍜ ⋉⌰⍙☍ ⌇⌰⍾⋏ ⎐⋏⌰⍾ ⎅⍾☌ ⎅ ⍙⌰⎅⎍⎅ ⍀⍾ ☍⊑⎍ ☍⊑⎅☌.
The other cage was busier. It had three people inside of it instead of one and like ⍜⊑⎅⍾⍾⊑ they also had on gray, filthy tunics and iron collars on their necks chaining them to the wall. Then, like Sister Garaele, the people who they matched in real-life were fading in and out of the same place. There were two eighteen-year-olds in pajamas looking dehydrated and exhausted. Aloe Vera and Lotus Blossom. They looked disheveled and were shaking just like their game counterparts as well. Meanwhile, the woman between both of them, Cherry Blossom, was matched with Mirna. She looked in an even worse condition than the girls.
Seeing all of this, the scene of what I was looking at came to mind like foreign memories told in my voice. Mirna and her twin daughters, Nilsa and Narra. They were kidnapped a while ago by the Redbrands to be used as hostages against Phandalin’s shops and laborers. The Redbrands have no clue who’s actually related to them, but they hardly care. If anything, they’re worried that if they find out who’s related to them, the people who aren’t might refuse to give them whatever they want.
However, they almost have no need for them anymore. In a matter of days, their usefulness will run out and they will be either sold off or fed to the Nothic and have their bones used by the necromancer. They’re only fed the bare minimum so that they aren’t strong enough to fight back.
I looked back to the lone person in the cell. Their story also ran through my head. Just like Mirna and her twins, and then Sister Garaele before that. I already knew their stories. The stories were what I wrote in my notes. Almost word-for-word. I put them in here. I decided their fate. And if the girls didn’t save them, that meant I decided their deaths.
Then, the girls did something. Lotus flinched and spoke towards Aloe and her mother. Aloe spent a second to pull out a cell phone and—
SNAP! SNAP! SNAP!
“Story! What are you doing?!”
In an instant, I was tossed back to the mall, with Rainbow’s hand this time snapping in my face. I jumped back and saw all four of them looking at me with concern and confusion.
“NO!” I shouted, gripping Rarity’s phone like a vice and taking a few steps in a random direction. I switched back to the missing person’s page and tried to focus on their appearances. “Come on, come on, again! Do it again! Dang it! Rainbow Dash, why did you wake me up?!”
“Cause you shined a flashlight in our faces,” she said, creeped out. “You were looking at us and not saying anything. People are staring at us.” That last part was a low whisper.
I shook my head, but looked at AJ. “Applejack, it happened again. The girls in these pictures? I was looking at them. I saw them!”
“Wait. You saw Lotus and Aloe?” Fluttershy turned her head at an angle.
“Are you serious?!” Rarity didn’t bother being quiet. If anything, she was more dramatic than I was. “Story, that’s incredible!”
“No, it’s not incredible,” I told her, furious. “I only saw them for a second. The twin girls in this picture are both in their pajamas. They look like their starving, and one of them was taking out her phone to do something when somebody snapped me out of it!”
“Pajamas,” Rainbow breathed, ignoring my glare. “You really did see them! Do it again!”
“What do you think I’m trying to do?” I focused on the girls again. I was drowning out every mall sound and light I could. I was about to start chanting the stupid game mantra, but Rarity put a hand on my shoulder just in time.
“It’s alright, Story,” she told me carefully. “Stop before you give yourself an attack. The fact that they’re still out there such a relief like you wouldn’t believe.”
“I don’t understand.” Fluttershy walked up to me again as I passed the phone back to Rarity. “What happened? You didn’t say the words. And none of the magic from the game appeared.”
“It’s happened a couple of times today. I woke up and had this vision in my mirror. Then, it was the sudden headaches all day. Now, it’s back to visions. I saw Sister Garaele right before you guys showed up.”
“That’s still a huge help,” Rainbow Dash declared. “Oh! Rarity. Do that thing you did with that video. Uh, deduce Story.”
“Darling, I don’t exactly have much to go off of that we don’t already have,” she told Dash. Nevertheless, she looked back at me. “Story, is there anything that you might be able to give us? We already think that they’re on the outskirts of town at a house belonging to some sort of hunter. The hunter’s lodge. And you said that they’re in their pajamas, but we already knew that. Are there any other details you could tell us?”
“Well, I could try,” I told them. “Hopefully it’s not a garbled mess. I saw that the girls are all trapped somewhere. Possibly underground? The blue-haired girl—” “Her name is Aloe.” “Aloe, right—Aloe took out her phone. They’re not hurt, but they look very hungry and dehydrated. The mom looks even worse. And they’re shivering and cold.”
“Cold? And possibly underground?” I nodded like crazy, happy that none of that was garbled to them.
“Maybe they’re stuck in a cave?” Rainbow tossed.
“Why would they be in a cave?” Rarity asked her. “The last place we saw them was inside someone’s house.”
“Well, underground and at a house,” Applejack thought aloud. “Maybe they’re stuck in a basement?”
I turned around to her. “That matches up perfectly! Mirna and her twin daughters are trapped in a cell underground.”
Applejack cringed, as did Fluttershy. “Now that we couldn’t understand.”
“Crap. Okay, um.” I turned to her fully. “What you said?” I said slowly. She nodded along. “Yes. Correct. Good answer.” I started nodding very obviously.
“Yes? So it is a basement? Alright, does that help?” AJ looked at the others.
Fluttershy bit her lip. “But. The weather feels great outside. Even if it is a basement, would it be that cold?”
“You may have a point.” Rarity looked at the pictures on her phone again. “Aloe still has her phone. If she’s had it this whole time, then she would have tried calling someone by now. A basement in the woods might have next to no service, but I would imagine you could at least get a bar to send a text sooner or later. Cell service even right outside of town isn’t that horrendous.”
“And, if she has her phone, that means they weren’t put there by someone, right?” I told them. Most of them nodded in agreement. “So, they’re just stuck then? Not kidnapped like the characters?”
“We were on our way to speak to the store that was sold out of crossbows,” Rarity explained. “We figured that the person that worked there may be able to tell us about whoever owns the house in Aloe’s video. Could the two of you accompany us?”
I shared a look and soured. “We’d like to, but we brought Applebloom and Button here too. They’re with Pinkie for now, but we need to take them home first.”
“Would ya be alright if Ah took Button home for ya?” Applejack asked. “Outta the two of us, you sound like the better help in trackin’ down Aloe and the others. Besides, both of us got cars. Second Ah get Applebloom home, Ah can meet y’all wherever ya end up.”
“That.” I stopped myself for a moment. You’re throwing yourself headfirst again. Last time you did that, you cracked. You need to be sure about this.
“...That sounds best,” I finally decided, nodding along. And I’m doing it anyway.
Rainbow Dash stepped up, lightly slugging me on the shoulder. Ow. “No backing out this time. Got it?”
“Otherwise you punch me harder?” I half-joked, rubbing the sore spot.
“You got it.” She was grinning too much.
We turned to stare down the hunting goods store. All but Applejack, who was about to walk towards the game store. “Pinkie Pie? Everythin’ alright?”
Right away, all of us turned back to see Pinkie walking towards us. Applebloom and Button weren’t with her and she didn’t seem to even react to the others being here beside us. Instead, she was staring up at us with tears flowing down her face and her hair half flat almost to her waist. One hand was tucked behind her hair and against the side of her head.
She didn’t say anything until she was close enough where only we could hear her. Maybe it was to keep from causing a scene, but even so, we caused more than a scene on our own already. When she got close enough, Pinkie moved her hand from her head and revealed that she was on the phone. She was holding it out towards us and I saw the name appear when the screen lit up.
Pinkie turned her phone back on to look up a few things while inside the store. That’s when she saw the missed calls and the text addressed to everybody. Even me. And once she held out her phone, she pressed the speaker button. All of us went silent.
“Okay,” Pinkie said through a sob. “Everybody’s here. Even Rarity and the others. You’re on speaker.”
“Girls? Story?” Sunset spoke after a second. She tried to sound level, but we could read the emotion from that one word alone. “We need to talk.”
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Another great chapter, as usual.:D
No joke. The very first forensic investigators based their techniques on Sherlock Holmes. Just one of the many examples of science fiction becoming science fact.
It is so amazing seeing this story back up and running after a year or so, I started reading ever since chapter 4 was first posted!
It was such an amazing surprise checking in on this after feeling nostalgic and craving good d&d stories and seeing updates!
Please don't feel the need to strain yourself, but it's wonderful seeing the direction this story is going in, stellar character and conflict work as always.
Can't wait to see what's in store next! :)