Normal and Blank

by BurningQuill

Hope

“Thank you for the notice, your highness. I must be on my way.”

Twilight bid Caramel farewell, concluding the second interview for the day and kicking off the second investigation. As the young worker departed down the road, Twilight joined with her team, now including Applejack, Big Macintosh, Thunderlane and Flitter with Fluttershy taking care of Dinky at her cottage.

“He has all the same behavior and reactions. It’s definitely the same thing,” Twilight announced.

“Great, where does that lead us?” Applejack said.

“Somewhere private to discuss,” Twilight said, nodding toward her library “Pinkie Pie, I need you to follow him. Pay attention to how he acts and speaks. Report back to me later.”

“I’m on it,” she said with a salute and set out.

“Please, everypony. Come inside,” Twilight beckoned the others to join her in her library. Locking the doors and drawing the curtains for privacy, she lead the others to a table where her notes from the cases so far lay open and organized. “I need to know what happened before Caramel ended up like this. Derpy too. Rainbow, did anything specific happen before you saw her like this? Anything emotional?”

“Well, yeah. I sorta, kinda…” Rainbow struggled for moment before giving up and speaking straight. “I yelled at her.”

“What about?” Twilight questioned.

“She made a mistake on weather shift,” Rainbow said.

“What happened afterward?”

“She… um…” Rainbow’s eyes widened. “She left. She never finished her shift. She just went home.”

“I don’t think she went straight home. If you were a sing- were in her position, would you be able to go straight home after being yelled at by your boss?” Twilight said. “She may have ducked out somewhere to calm down,” she turned to Applejack, Flitter, and Thunderlane. “Tell me about Caramel. What sort of stallion is he?”

“Uh, well. He’s, um. Hard working, laid back, he likes relaxing and taking it easy,” Thunderlane said. “He’s never really one for partying, though. He gets nervous.”

"Does he get nervous anywhere else?” Twilight asked.

“No, not that I can think of,” Thunderlane said.

“Yes he does.”

Everyone turned toward Flitter who, for the longest time, had remained quiet. Her eyes and lip still held that guilty sadness that had become characteristic of her over the past couple days.

“When?” Twilight asked, sensing this would be a delicate subject for the mare.

“When we last saw him… normal… he asked me out,” Flitter explained. “He was shy and real timid.”

“Please, tell me what happened,” Twilight asked, her demeanor softening further.

“I… I insulted him,” Flitter stifled a sob. “I told him I was single, not desperate.”

“Has Caramel ever had a marefriend?” Twilight asked Thunderlane.

“Uhh no, I don’t think,” he said. “We’ve known each other since we were foals and I don’t think he has. Not that he wasn’t trying.”

“How often did he try?” Twilight pressed.

“He wasn’t like the standard guy. He’d take his time and work up to it,” Thunderlane said. “He had to know her before he asked, though. That was his thing. He watched too many movies. Had this sappy idea of how mares worked.”

“He respected us and you call that ‘sappy?’” Flitter interrupted, a harsh judgment thick in her voice. “He’s hard-working and kind, do you know how many mares would kill for a stallion like him?”

“Excuse me,” Applejack tried to stop the approaching argument.

“Not you, apparently!” Thunderlane stabbed back. Flitter recoiled from the venomous accusation.

“I was joking, I thought he was trying to be like you,” Flitter sniffled. “You were showing off and being all macho, I thought he was just acting. Like he was just trying to be your opposite so he could take the mares who said no to you. Wingpony, isn’t that what you call it?”

“Oh you’ve got a lot to learn about stallions!” Thunderlane started in but was stopped by the hoof placed to his chest. Twilight had physically stepped between the two combatants and halted the verbal altercation before it came to blows.

“Calm down. Both of you. You are adults, act like it,” she scolded. “I understand you both are worried about Caramel but blaming each other isn’t going to help. Besides, I think I’ve heard enough.”

“You have?” Rainbow Dash said in surprise.

“I believe whatever happened is somehow linked to what they were feeling,” Twilight said. “More specifically negative emotions. Derpy is holding three jobs to take care of a young filly all by herself. She’s stretched pretty thin as it is. If she got in trouble at even one of those jobs she’d be in no emotional state to think clearly, even more so if she really was at fault. She might blame herself for the whole situation.”

“I… wow…” Rainbow stammered.

“If Caramel has that ‘sappy’ view on romance then he’s probably looking for more than just a good time,” Twilight said, shifting gears. “Caramel was probably looking for the emotional kind of love. If every single mare he’s ever asked out said no then he has to think there’s something wrong with him. If you say he gets nervous then it sounds like he just has no idea how to talk to mares and might even be intimidated by them. In any case, he still has low self esteem and a bad personal image, just like Derpy. I think this condition is linked specifically with depression or self-hate, I just don’t know how.”

The room stood in stunned silence. Nopony seemed able to respond. Twilight couldn’t blame them as she did just tell them their best friends suffered from crippling depression and they either simply didn’t see it or unwittingly contributed.

“So, what do we do from here?” Applejack broke the silence.

“I… I really don’t know,” Twilight said, here momentum stopped by a brick wall. “I don’t know if this is some antithesis to the magic of harmony or if it’s some sort of corruption or even if it’s some outside force that did this. I guess I could run a thorough analysis of Derpy and Caramel looking for any and all magic to try and find out what’s going on.”

“If you need ‘em, we’ll go find ‘em,” Applejack said. “You need to check ‘em together or separate?”

“I’ll need to check them individually, just to isolate who it is I’m detecting,” Twilight said.

“Sure thing, sugar cube,” Applejack responded, heading for the door. “Come on, we’ve got friends to save.”

Flitter moved one hoof toward the door, hesitated, and ran back to Twilight. The young pegasus knelt down into a low, respectful bow and when she rose, smiled at Twilight with misty eyes. “Thank you, princess.”

“Please, just call me Twilight. Your friend needs your help,” Twilight smiled.

“Uh, Twi? We’ve got visitors,” Rainbow Dash called.

Five new silhouettes blocked Twilight’s door. One was much taller than the others.

* * * * * * *

“So do we just walk in?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“We could always say we’re trying to set up a surprise or something,” Applebloom suggested.

“I say we just ask to talk to her,” Scootaloo said.

“We need proof, what good would talking to her do?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“You still don’t believe her, do you?” Applebloom asked.

“No, I don’t,” Scootaloo said.

The four young fillies hid in the bushes outside one of the nicest homes in town. The white siding and blue roof bore the general shape and color of a large cake from a distance. About half the windows burned with lights from inside, revealing two adult figures inside who appeared to be talking. Applebloom noticed none of the upstairs windows were lit and that both voices appeared to be male.

“Come on!” Applebloom said. “Let’s see if we can hear what they’re sayin’.”

She lead the group into the shadow of one side of the front and crept closer to the window, each step shorter and softer than the last. All four inched as close to the window as they could, moving their ears closer for the best muffled sound.

“I’ve never seen anything like this in all my years. Now we have multiple cases in a two-day span. All I’m certain of is that it’s magical in nature. I’ll send message to Canterlot first thing in the morning. If it happened before, they’ll be able to help.”

“What if they don’t know?”

“Any information they might have will be helpful.”

“No textbook knew anything about the Cutie Pox, and those were less than helpful.”

“Mr. Smith, I understand you’re concerned for your daughter, but right now all we can do is look for information, however scarce it may be.”

“I’ll talk to that zebra out in the Everfree. She must know something.”

“That is not a bad idea. Let me know what she says. I’d like to talk with her as well.”

Hoofsteps passed the window and the door opened up. Doctor Stable exited onto the walk looking back to an exhausted grey earth stallion with sweat dampening his disheveled black mane. His cutie mark, a blue stone set into a silver amulet, shone beneath his unbuttoned shirt.

“You said there are others. Are they doing any better?”

“Mr. Smith, you know as much as I do on the matter.” The doctor began to turn away, but stopped to look back. “I should also mention Princess Twilight herself is investigating.” He turned again, this time leaving into the night. The stallion remained on his own front step, his brow furrowed with helpless distress. What seemed like ages passed before he committed to returning to his house, shutting the door.

“Who is that?” Scootaloo whispered.

“That’s Silver Spoon’s father, Silver Smith,” Diamond Tiara whispered back.

“Sounds like he’s taking this as hard as everypony else,” Applebloom said.

“Looks like Dr. Stable just made a house call. Silver Spoon has to be inside,” Diamond Tiara said. “What do we do now?”

Knock, knock, knock.

The sound shattered the nighttime quiet, causing three of the fillies to jump a good foot in the air. When they craned their heads to the front door, Sweetie Belle smiled back at their humorous display.

“What?” she said shrugging her shoulders with an innocent smile. Rather than argue, the group learned Sweetie’s logic was comparable to Pinkie Pie’s and simply joined her at the front step. When the door opened, Mr. Smith looked unsure what to think of the youngsters.

“Hello, Mr. Smith,” Sweetie Belle greeted with a muted smile. “Is Silver Spoon available?”

“I don’t- I’m,” Mr. Smith struggled to think. “She’s not feeling very-“

“We know about her condition,” Applebloom said. “We came to see if she was alright.”

“And to keep her company,” Scootaloo contributed.

“Oh.” He assessed the children, going back and forth with relative unease. “Alright. I’ll… I’ll let you in. I don’t know how much you can do. She’s asleep. She just… laid down and went to sleep.”

“Was she feeling sick?” Applebloom asked.

“No, she just... stated she was going to sleep,” Mr. Smith explained, motioning into the living room. “Weirdest part was that she didn’t even go to her room, let alone a bed. She’s on the couch.”

“That’s good. We wanted to set up a surprise for her to cheer her up. If she’s down here then we can set it up in her room for when she wakes up,” Applebloom said, looking over her shoulder to the rest, winking hard several times. “Right, girls?”

“Oh yeah! Right!” Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo parroted. Mr. Smith was unconvinced.

“Well, alright. You can go to her room. But don’t mess anything up. And don’t disturb her. She needs her sleep,” something about how he said that almost felt like he encouraged or knew what was happening. “I have to visit Spoon’s aunt. I’ll be back in about twenty minutes. I’d like to speak with you when I get back.” With that, he left the four kids alone, closing the door behind him.

“Come on, we might be able to find something in her room. I’ll bet it’s a cursed object, just like in the stories!” Applebloom said, running upstairs along with Scootaloo. Diamond Tiara, stopped halfway up, causing the Applebloom to go back and check. “You okay?”

“He’s lying,” she stated. “Silver Spoon’s aunt lives in Canterlot and her mother is staying with her while she’s there on business. I don’t know where he’s going, but it’s not to visit her aunt.”

"Do you think he could've done something to Silver Spoon?" Applebloom asked.

"No... I mean- I don't know..." Diamond Tiara said.

"Uh, guys?" Scootaloo said, waving a hoof to indicate Sweetie Belle who had in turn been trying to get their attention. She was inspecting a lump beneath the blanket on the couch. Everyone crept toward the couch, taking their time with delicate, measured steps. There before them rested the prone form of Silver Spoon.

To call this peaceful would have been inaccurate. To call it calm would have inadequate. To call it serene would have been simply wrong. The dream Silver Spoon now occupied was void of any sense of calm or peace and sorely lacked the excitement and energy of a good dream. It held neither security nor danger, joy nor pain, love nor hate. The little grey filly rested in the emptiest most inorganic sense of the word.

This feels all... wrong...

Scootaloo nudged the others, motioning for them to head upstairs. Another procession of delicate steps lead them away from their subject and up to the second floor. Diamond Tiara hesitated before following suit.

The children convened outside the door bearing a wooden sign reading "Spoon's Room" and lowered their voices, hoping they wouldn't carry too far.

"Tiara, I was... I was wrong. I'm sorry," Scootaloo said the words Applebloom felt positive she'd never say to their long-time tormentor. Tiara nodded her acceptance. The haunted look in her eyes said all that needed saying. The four entered Silver Spoon's room.

If clutter could have order, the bed room of Silver Spoon must be the only example. Stuff was everywhere but it was all so neatly organized that it looked like everything had, and already occupied, its place. A collection of high-end dolls sat arranged in perfect order by size over in a small alcove upon a cushioned seat set into the wall on the left. An ornate and polished wood vanity took the corner just to the right of the door upon entering with the accompanying mirror framed in gold and red. In the left corner behind the door stood an undersized bookcase. Applebloom could tell it was undersized thanks to the stacks and rows of books that lined the carpeted floor, leaned against walls, and completely covered the floor around the display of dolls. On the right wall was a similar seat in the wall as the other side, but this one framed a window instead of a wall. It was also empty of any and all obstructions.

Of all the items and decorations that shared the room, the bed dominated it. The huge bed looked like it was sized for an adult, not a small filly. The thick mattress raised the bed too high for anypony of Silver Spoon's height to easily climb in. Applebloom guessed that's what the wooden stepstool was for. The thick, puffy blankets practically smothered the whole bed but couldn't quite contain the oversized pillows. The entire set was made of a combination of velvet, silk, and lace, making the whole thing feel like it wasn't meant to be slept in but gawked at and appreciated from a respectable distance.

"Wow..." Diamond Tiara said.

"Haven't you ever been in her room before?" Scootaloo asked with disbelief.

"No, I haven't," Tiara said. "I normally pick her up and we end at my house," she said, a look of guilt crossed her face. "I barely spend any time here at all."

"Geeze, what kind of frien-," Scootaloo tried to accused but received a sharp bump from both her friends in rapid succession.

"Let's look around," Applebloom said.

With such little room to move about they all stuck close together, almost never leaving each other's personal space.

"How does she live like this?" Sweetie Belle asked, barely able to lift her hoof over a fold in the enormous blanket. "There's no room for anything!"

"Why does she need such a high bed?" Scootaloo asked.

"Why does her makeup table have pens?" Applebloom's comment drew the attention of the amateur investigators. "Isn't this where you're supposed to get ready in the morning? Who would keep quills, pens and ink here?"

"She might have kept a diary," Tiara said, hope perking up her voice. " It's the only writing I can think of she might be doing in her room. Other than homework, but we usually do that at my place."

"Keep your eyes open, then," Scootaloo said.

"Why are her dolls so dusty?" Sweetie Belle said, climbing onto the bed and looking at the arranged dolls. "I thought she might play with them. Even the ponies who collect them dust them off once in a while."

"I'm not sure those are hers," Tiara said. "Silver Spoon never liked dolls."

"Hey, nice view!" Scootaloo had climbed into the window seat which fit the perfect shape of a pony trying to curl up and just relax. "I can see straight out to the lake from here!"

"There's ink stains on the cushions," Applebloom noted. "Ah think she might like to write here sometimes."

"Hey, these books look weird!" Sweetie Belle called out from the other side of the bed. "The Complete Poems and Tales of Edgar Allan Pony, I Have No Snout and I Must Whinny by Harlan Fillyson, I've never heard of any of these books!"

"Hey, they do look more... depressing than the stuff I read," Tiara said. "These all look older, too."

Applebloom began looking through the books on a small shelf under the nightstand. Every one of them was dark or scary with a nice big 'Adult Readers' warning for 'Violence and Mature Themes' on the cover. One was about some young fillies and colts who got lost in the Everfree Forest. Another was about some accident in Cloudsdale that poisoned hundreds of animals and ponies making them turn evil. Still another was about a baker that used pony flesh in their goods. One was even about an artificial life form that tried to replace all life on the planet with copies of itself. That last one had a bookmark about halfway through and was resting atop the nightstand.

Examining the nightstand from the low angle allowed Applebloom to see a pretty blue book with ornate silver along the spine and corners of its covers.

"Girls! I think I found it!" She called. Sweetie Belle, already on top of the bed crawled over to the pillow and dug beneath for the treasure.

"Wow, Silver Spoon's diary is really pretty!" she exclaimed.

"Well, read it," Scootaloo said.

"I don't think we should. I mean remember Gabby Gums? I got in a lot of trouble for reading Rarity's diary," Sweetie Belle objected.

"That wasn't the same thing," Applebloom said. "We did that was for our cutie marks. We're doing this because ponies are in danger."

"Wouldn't she get mad if she found out we read her diary?" Sweetie Belle said.

"I think she'd be happy we did if we got her back," Diamond Tiara said. Sweetie Belle opened the cover, still visibly unsure of the invasion of privacy. "Let's agree to keep this between us. Please?" Tiara interrupted. The others agreed. The book opened.

"Entry 1," Sweetie Belle read aloud. "Today I got my cutie mark! I'm so happy! I couldn't wait to show it to Diamond Tiara! Mommy and Daddy were really happy too but not as much as I thought they should be. There is going to be a party and everything! Daddy got me a diary so I could write all my adventures now that I know who I am!" Sweetie Belle looked up, the happy mood of the first entry seemed to ease her concerns about privacy.

"Entry 2," she continued. "The party was great and I love the presents I got! So many ponies were there but only the other fillies and colts paid attention to me. The adults all talk about boring stuff anyway but why aren't they paying attention to me? This is my party. I still have my friends so I'm alright! Mommy and Daddy couldn't make it." Sweetie's glance shared everyone's worries. Silver Spoon's own parents missed her cutie mark party? Something important must have come up.

"Entry 3. My best friend Diamond Tiara made this new game today. When playing hoofball you try and hit other ponies with the ball but you can't get caught doing it or you lose. It's really fun but the other ponies don't seem to like it. They must be sore losers." Sweetie Belle, Applebloom, and Scootaloo turned to scrutinize Diamond Tiara.

"We were young," she defended. "I didn't think we were hurting anypony."

"Entry 4," Sweetie Belle continued. "One of the colts in class got mad at me for the hoofball game and kicked the ball at me. It broke my glasses and gave me a bloody nose. He got in trouble but I don't know why. We were doing the same thing and we didn't get in trouble. But if we weren't doing it first he wouldn't do it either. Was this our fault?"

"May 16. It's been a while since I touched this old thing. It got shuffled to the back of my closet and I only found it because Dad's making me clean out my room. He says he's got some surprise for me if I clean out my room but I just think he's bargaining. Diamond Tiara's dad built a whole new extension onto their house for her but she knew about that for a couple months before it happened. I don't know what my dad has in mind, but I just hope it's nothing too much." Sweetie Belle turned the book around to show the others. "It looks like a few years passed. Look at her writing." Flipping between the different entries, it was clear the penmanship had improved with smoother strokes but the letters and spacing were still uneven, on top of odd grammar and punctuation.

"May 21. Why did my dad have to do that? What was he thinking? He got me a new bed! A huge bed! I don't want this ugly, poofy thing, I want MY bed back! He said 'you need a big bed for a big girl' but I'm not big yet! I don't want something this big! He even removed my closet to make room for it. That wasn't a big enough hint there was something wrong with it? Nopony's any help at all. They all act like I should be happy he did this for me. It's not my room anymore."

"June 2. Diamond Tiara got her cutie mark. They had a party. I'm still mad about my room, but I've gotten good at hiding it. I can at least pretend to be having fun for my best friend. This is her day after all."

"July 5. Diamond Tiara took me on a trip on her dad's sailboat. When I say she took me I mean I didn't especially want to go but I went anyway. She's having fun so I guess I am too."

"January 18. Wow, six months since my last entry. Felt like more. My mom and dad got me these dolls for Hearth's Warming. I hate them. The dolls that is. They got me the whole set of series 4 of the 'Classic Mare' line but I never wanted them. I never liked dolls and now these things are staring at me every night when I go to sleep. Something I forgot to mention when it happened, Twilight Sparkle moved into the Golden Oaks library in town. She's the personal student of Princess Celestia herself. She's a real book worm and total egghead, but she did beat Nightmare Moon, so she must be cool. I found a book lying around here called Cold Winter and I was curious. All I can say is it spoke to me. Something about the writing and the characters just felt real, way more than the trash I have to read for school. Mom says a little filly like me shouldn't be reading things like this and that I'm not old enough to understand it. I understand plenty and I wish they'd stop treating me like I'm stupid. Or do they think I should be stupid? I've been sneaking over to the library anyway and seeing what other books there are. Twilight looks like any other mare I've seen but I somehow imagined somepony who glowed with raw magic or was real tall like the princess, but no. She wasn't any less impressive, though, and she was nice to boot. She recommended the Daring Do books so I picked up the first volume. I'll start reading it today."

"January 28. It has nothing to do with my cutie mark, but I think I found my calling! I hate reading the stuff they give us in class so I thought I hated reading itself. After the first night I made it halfway through the first Daring Do book without realizing it! I have never found a story this engrossing (ten days later and I'm six books in)! I have to read more, and I'm even thinking I want to try writing!"

"February 4. My parents don't like my new interest. They say it's not 'ladylike.' Maybe I don't want to be ladylike, did they ever think of that? Maybe I just want to be a kid! I did something I've never done before: I asked for something. I asked if I could get a bookcase in my room. They said there was no room to put it. I said that was their fault. They said you're grounded. Fine. I'll use my allowance to buy my own bookcase and put it together myself. I'd like to see them stop me."

"February 19. I question my friendship with Diamond Tiara. She was my first friend and she continues to be my only friend but I can't help but think that's not my fault. I'm hanging out with a bully, I can't lie about that, but I wonder how many other friends I could have if I didn't associate with her. She makes fun of these three other fillies because they don't have their cutie marks yet but I don't understand why. A year ago that was us! We were trying to find our cutie marks, too! We didn't know what our futures held and we wanted to know who we were supposed to be... Or at least who the universe thought we were supposed to be. I don't even know what my cutie mark means. I was so sure when it happened but I don't know what specifically was going on that triggered it, therefore I don't know what my special talent is. Funny, the adults normally never think of children having these questions, but we do. There aren't any more kids in town for me to introduce myself to and all the others know me as Tiara's sidekick and get scared. I guess I'll have to stay with her, then. I'm so sorry to everypony I make fun of. I'm sorry for all the friends I could have made."

A silent look exchanged between everyone present. A side of Silver Spoon none of them knew existed had been revealed through the bound pages in front of them and none of them, neither friend nor victim, had any clue how this could be.

Sweetie Belle continued.

"March 21. My book collection outgrew my bookcase a while ago. I've taken to sorting them on my floor since my parents won't get rid of this stupid bed. 'A girl like you shouldn't be reading.' What do they know. Do they ever care what I like? Did they ever care what was important to me? Did anypony ever care? Those three other fillies still searching for their cutie marks are Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo. To help them get their marks, they formed a club called the Cutie Mark Crusaders, complete with clubhouse, symbols, and they even have capes. We're still giving them a hard time and I really want to just stop it, but every time I'm about to open my mouth to confront Diamond Tiara about it my spine vanishes. I lose all nerve and just go along with it. I become the ultimate yes-mare. Maybe she'll out grow it on her own. Do I even have any friends? She does things and I just tag along. I'm not sure if I want to go with her or if I just convince myself I want to for the sake of keeping her."

Scootaloo raised her eyebrows at Diamond Tiara, saying 'did you hear that' with accusatory silence. Tiara's tears once more choked her vision, fueled by the animosity her best friend held toward her and felt too afraid to talk to her about it.

Returning their attention toward the reader, they all noticed Sweetie Belle's expression had changed to one of deep concern and fear. She studied the page like the entry was in some foreign language, seemingly unable to decipher the words. Slowly and with great care, she read.

"I hate myself."

Everyone's jaws dropped. Diamond Tiara, Scootaloo and Applebloom stood stunned by the passage.

"That's all it says," Sweetie Belle said. "No date, no month, nothing."

Unable to speak, the four sat in silence, digesting what they'd learned of their friend and enemy. An indeterminate period of time passed, after which Applebloom spoke.

"I think we've got enough to get Twilight involved. Let's go."

Nodding in agreement, the fillies turned toward the door only to find it blocked by the frame of Mr. Silver Smith. His face streaked with tears and his eyes hurt and scared.

"I had no idea," he struggled through his tightened throat. "I didn't know she felt that way. What have I done to my baby girl?" The grown stallion crumbled before the girls, his head dropping as he began weeping. "I'm a terrible father."

Diamond Tiara stepped forward, placing a hoof on his foreleg in an attempt to calm him.

"None of us knew she felt like this. I'm her best friend and she was afraid to tell me. She was afraid of me," she said.

"She may be in trouble, and we may not have been very nice, but she needs us now," Scootaloo said.

"We won't be failing her as long as we're still tryin' to help," Applebloom said.

"Right!" Sweetie Belle said. "What? I couldn't say anything new."

Silver Smith smiled down at the four girls eager and willing to help his daughter.

"Thank you girls," he said. "Come on. Let's go see Princess Twilight."

* * * * * * *

Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, Diamond Tiara, and Silver Smith entered the library one at a time, a solemn silence held among them. It was with purpose that they approached their princess, bowed and presented the diary of a young filly who felt more than she shared.

Twilight accepted the journal and looked at the first couple pages before speaking to the newcomers.

"Who is it?" she asked.

"My daughter," Silver Smith said.

"And my friend," Diamond Tiara replied. "Silver Spoon."

"I'll need to examine this. Everypony stay here. This might take a while," Twilight announced. With a grateful nod that itself was more of a bow, the princess departed into the next room with the diary.

The minutes ticked by while Twilight learned about the little filly she'd helped in her own library but somehow never met. The concerned friends and family of the three victims thus far remained unable to do anything until they had some more concrete direction to focus their energy.

Rainbow Dash paced back and forth, flapping her wings at sporadic intervals.

Applejack, Flitter, and Thunderlane exchanged looks of silent forgiveness.

Big Macintosh stared into space, lost in deep and thoughtful analysis.

Applebloom, Diamond Tiara, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Silver Smith could only huddle in silence, awaiting news of their friend and daughter.

More than half an hour passed before Twilight re-emerged with book in tow.

"Bring all three of them here. I'll need you all as well," she said. "I have a plan."