The palace guards came around early this morning, just before eight. It was awful. We had to sit in Fluttershy’s living room and answer loads of questions about Twilight. Did we know where she was? Did she say anything before she left? Did we remember anything that seemed out of the ordinary? My 3 friends and Spike sat with me on the sofa, fidgeting and playing with their manes-or scales. My stomach was in knots. I didn’t have a clue where Twilight was. I haven’t seen her since Friday after my daily flight practice, and that was three days ago.
“Don’t worry, girls” the palace guards kept saying. “you’re not in any trouble. No ones cross with you. But if theres anything at all you remember…”
Fluttershy came in, carrying a tray of tea and biscuits. She looked awful. Lank mane, droopy tail, dark shadows under her pale, mousy eyes.
“Something’s happened to her” she muttered, “how can someone just disappear into thin air?”
“Hey Fluttershy, put that down. You look simply dreadful!” Rarity said over dramatically.
But Fluttershy stared right through her, swaying from side to side as if she was about to pass out. I didn’t think she even noticed us. She’s usually so calm and in control of herself but it was as if someone had hypnotised The pale yellow pegasus. I felt like giving her a shake or stomping my hooves in front of her, just to wake her up, but the palace guards still had plenty of questions for us.
They wanted to know if we had had any fights beforehoof, or if Twilight had ever gone missing before; maybe stayed at the local Ponyville hotel, stuff like that. They even asked if we thought that perhaps Twilight was in a relationship, or had a Very Special Somepony. They didn’t use those words exactly, but we all knew what he was getting at. I nearly died of embarrassment. Twilights the last pony in Equestria who would ever go off with a stallion. She doesn’t believe in that sort of thing. But the truth is, Spike and Twilight had argued quite a lot before Twilight disappeared. But I was pretty sure that it wasn’t anything serious.
I glanced at all my friends. None of them had said anything about the fights when the guards asked them, so I thought it was best not to mention them.
It all started when this letter arrived for Twilight a couple weeks ago. It was in a pale pink envelope and I remember thinking it might be an invitation or something. Twilight opened it when we were all having a picnic up on our favourite hill.
I watched her face change as she read it. First it kinda froze, and then she blinked a few times, frowning. She glanced up at Spike, then back at the letter. I could have sworn I saw a single tear drop down from her stunningly purple eyes. I was going to ask her who it was from, but before I could say anything she leaped up and ran back up to her tree house. A moment later Spike hopped up and followed her.
When we all went to Twilights house to see what was up, we could hear them shouting upstairs- well, Twilight kept shouting and Spike just kept saying no, and that he wasn’t willing to do it. At one point I heard Spike say that Twilight was mad even to consider it after so much time had passed. We had no idea what was in the letter or what he wasn’t “willing to do”, but they kept up the fights for days on end.
It was awful; we had never seen Twilight so angry before. They hardly ever argued, and when they do it never drags on for more than a day. We were all so desperate to know whom the letter was from and what was going on, but neither of them would tell us. They said it was private; something they had to sort out for themselves.
I was still struggling to decide what I should tell the guards. But I had to say something, so I just told them that I had not seen Twilight since last Friday, when I went over to her tree house to collect the new book to the ‘Daring Do’ series that I love.
After the questioning was over, me, Spike, Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Applejack all left Fluttershy’s cottage, deciding that it would be better to leave her to rest rather than keeping her company.
“Are y’all sure ya don’t have a clue where Twilight is?” Applejack questioned.
We all shook our heads sadly, and continued to walk in utter silence- or in my case, fly in utter silence. Eventually, Spike sighed and decided to speak up.
“Twilights not been out of her study in days” he exclaimed. “She keeps telling me to but out, and that it’s none of my business. And now that she’s gone…” His eyes began to well up with tears.
“Relax, Spike” I cooed. “I don’t care if this takes us the rest of our lives; we will find Twilight. We WILL!”
“Yeah” The girls shouted, moments of hope spewing out of us all. But the moment did not last long.
I lazily flew up towards Cloudsdale, tail swishing in the heavy wind and eyes drooping from exhaustion. I wished so much that Twilight had never got that letter, that she had never had all those rows with spike, that she was still here with us. To guide us. I sighed sadly and opened the door to my luxurious house, hoping that maybe- just maybe- that twilight was there. that it was all a joke. That when she turned the lights on she would hop out and scream "SURPRISE!!!! You really fell for it, didn't you, Rainbow?", and they would laugh it off together. But, of course, she turned the lights on and saw the huge, messy house that she has always lived in.
Meanwhile, in the tree house...
Spike rolled over on his tiny bed, groaning. Suddenly, Derpy crashed in through the roof for the 6th time already this week.
"Derpy!" he grumbled rolling his eyes
"Sorry Spike. I have a very important mail for you!" Derpy handed Spike a plain letter with his name plastered clearly onto it.
"Muffin?" asked Derpy, holding one out to him.
"Err... No thanks. Thanks Derpy. You can leave now.". Derpy hopped up and zoomed straight up into the sky, leaving another gaping hole in the ceiling. Spike cautiously opened up the letter, and his pupils turned small. He started quivering and shaking as he read who this letter was from.
It was a letter from Twilight.
