The trio of fillies trotted toward the Everfree Forest as fast as their little legs could carry them. While the rest of town appeared to be busy either preparing a manhunt for Cooper or just going about their daily tasks as if nothing were wrong, the cutie mark crusaders were fillies on a mission. They quickly reached the edge of town, just a stone's throw away from the entrance to the foreboding forest.

"I should've brought my scooter..." Scootaloo muttered, finally slowing to a trot as the rest of her friends huffed and puffed beside her.

"Yeah, that would've been easier, huh?" Sweetie Belle shrugged.

"It ain't like we're gonna make it far in the forest with a scooter anyhow. Now come on! We need to get to Zecora's as fast as possible." Apple Bloom ordered, breaking into a canter.

"We're going as fast as we can, Apple Bloom! No need to rush into the Everfree without catching our breaths." Sweetie Belle protested.

"The longer we're out here, the more lost and hurt Cooper could be in the forest! We've got to get to him as quick as we can!" Apple Bloom rebutted.

"And we will! Just slow down a second, Bloom. You're starting to scare us." Scootaloo interjected.

Apple Bloom let out a quiet sigh, "Ah know... I'm sorry. I just don't want anythin' bad to happen to 'im."

Seeing the dejected look forming on her friend's face, Sweetie Belle walked over to her side and put a comforting hoof on AppleBloom's wither.

"And we won't let anything bad happen to him. Promise." She smiled.

Apple Bloom returned the smile, much to both Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo's relief.

"Alright, let's head in there, then." Scootaloo announced, glancing back to the entrance of the forest.

It was a strange sight every time they saw it, but this time in particular, the forest looked especially large and menacing through their tiny filly eyes. As they trotted into the forest, the branches and leaves quickly obscured the daylight from passing through, making the world around them plummet into darkness. Even with the sun high in the sky, they could barely see a hundred feet ahead, but they pushed on regardless.

Walking side by side, the trio of fillies unconsciously moved closer together as the sounds of wildlife in the forest reached their rapidly scanning ears. A snapped twig here, rustling leaves there, and strange howling noises that were so faint, they weren't sure if they'd heard them at all, raked at their ears. All three fillies' fur bristled as the eerie nature of the forest closed in around them.

Luckily, the walk to Zecora's hut was a rather short one, and soon enough, the crusaders saw the familiar sight in the distance.

"Oh thank Celestia..." Sweetie Belle mumbled.

"C'mon! Maybe Cooper's already there!" Apple Bloom called, trotting ahead.

Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo quickly trotted after her, all three of them reaching the entrance to Zecora's hut in a matter of minutes. Apple Bloom pounded on the door several times, nervously glancing back and forth all the while. It didn't take long for Zecora to open the door, but when she did, she was startled as all three fillies quickly rushed around or in-between her legs, into her hut.

"Cooper!?" Apple Bloom called out.

"You here!?" Sweetie Belle added.

"You can come out now! We're not going to hurt you!" Scootaloo hollered.

When they received no immediate response, the three fillies looked back at Zecora, finding a question gaze in her eyes.

"Apple Bloom, what are you and your friends doing here, talking about doom?" Zecora questioned, looking them over curiously.

"Zecora! Cooper's missing and we're trying to find him!" Apple Bloom exclaimed.

"What do you mean!? He hasn't been seen!?" Zecora gasped in shock.

"Not since last night. There was some kind of fight between him and his guard or something and apparently he really hurt him, so Cooper ran off while Twilight had to take his guard to the hospital." Sweetie Belle explained.

A look of determination immediately formed on Zecora's face, "If it is true, what you say... then we must not delay. Come with me and let's make haste. There's no time to waste." She announced, turning on her hooves and heading out the door.

The crusaders quickly galloped after her, the three of them trotting out into the Everfree. As soon as they were all out of the hut, Zecora turned to Apple Bloom and gave her a critical look.

"Do you have any idea where Cooper might be? Any thoughts on where he would flee?" She pressed, ears scanning quickly for any sign of noise as they walked back to one of the thin trails making up the forest.

"Ah have no idea. That's why we came here! We overheard the mayor and Twilight talkin' at the hospital and a buncha ponies were there. It was hard to hear everything. We thought he might've come to you." Apple Bloom explained.

"We do know that nopony has seen him since." Scootaloo offered.

"I think I overheard a few ponies talking about making a mob to hunt him down though..." Sweetie Belle added, making Zecora freeze.

"A mob?!" Zecora exclaimed.

"Uh..."

"I thought pony folk were past their fearful behavior. I see now that it was all just a big joke." Zecora muttered, an angry frown forming on her face.

"It was only a few ponies! Most of the town wants to either get Cooper back to Twilight or they just didn't have any real interest in what was going on." Sweetie Belle hastily clarified.

"Ah think most ponies were more concerned because of how hurt Cooper's guard was. He was... really hurt, Zecora. Ah didn't see it but apparently there was a lotta blood." Apple Bloom explained.

After taking a moment to consider the explanation she'd just received, Zecora let out a heavy sigh, "If we're to get answers to our questions, we'll need to find him. Any suggestions?"

The three fillies shook their heads.

"Then it's the basics that we'll start. Cooper fled from Twilight's castle, am I correct on that part?" Zecora questioned.

"As far as we know. That's where the whole thing happened with Cooper." Scootaloo replied.

"Then that's where we'll start. We can follow his tracks as long as they're not too far apart." Zecora replied, instantly turning to head to Ponyville.

With their destination settled, the trio of fillies quickly fell in line behind their zebra leader and headed back into town. With her expert navigation skills in the familiar territory of the Everfree, Zecora managed to get them all out of the forest and back into town within ten minutes. Almost everypony in town was exactly where they'd left them, prompting a small sigh of relief from the fillies, knowing that no angry mobs had been formed just yet.

They quickly made their way to the castle at the edge of town that could been seen for miles. Most ponies in town gave a friendly wave to Zecora as she passed by, but contrary to her usual demeanor, she didn't return the gestures, prompting several ponies to frown in confusion. While she hid it well on her face, it was plain to see from the way her tail angrily swished back and forth that Zecora was agitated.

Luckily, nopony accosted them too much as they made their way to the castle, and soon enough they arrived at their destination. Twilight could be seen, standing alongside Mayor Mare in front of a crowd of ponies that were most likely being prepared to go looking for Cooper as a search party. While Zecora regarded them with a quick nod, she didn't pause for a moment to join them, instead opting to go right to the castle steps. Upon reaching them, she lowered her head nearly to the ground, squinting her eyes as she looked for any sign of Cooper's tracks.

Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle also quickly started scanning the ground, their eyes darting back and forth as they looked for any clues. Unfortunately, they had little idea of what they were actually looking for, making their efforts more for show than anything else. Fortunately, Zecora knew exactly what she was looking for.

"There you are... you couldn't have gone too far." She muttered, standing upright.

"Did'ja find somethin', Zecora?" Apple Bloom questioned.

"I have found his tracks. His shoes left very distinct impacts." Zecora replied, before turning to Twilight.

"Wait, where are you going?" Scootaloo questioned.

However, Zecora did not respond to her, instead, she called out to Twilight.

"Princess Twilight! I've something to highlight!" She shouted.

Twilight paused in her organization to look over to the source of the voice calling out to her. Upon seeing just who it was, she quickly broke from the group before her and trotted over toward the zebra. The rest of the crowd and the mayor followed suite, though they stayed at a distance so as not to crowd her.

"Zecora? What is it? Did you hear about Cooper?" Twilight inquired, curiously.

Zecora nodded, "I have found his tracks. Luckily, his shoes make imprints that look like a yaks." She explained.

A look of relief washed over Twilight's face, "Oh, thank Celestia. I've had so much on my mind that I didn't even think to look for tracks! Zecora, you're amazing!" She praised.

"Think nothing of it. We'll find Cooper in just a bit." Zecora replied.

Twilight quickly turned back to the rest of the search party behind her, "Alright, did you all hear that!? Zecora can track Cooper!" She called.

A chorus of cheers and excited shouts ran through the gathered ponies while Mayor Mare walked over to Twilight's side.

"Sounds like we shouldn't delay. I'll have the town guard standing by in case he comes back before you find him." She announced.

Twilight gave a grateful nod, "Thank you, mayor. Hopefully we'll get this sorted and it'll all be behind us by the end of the day."

With that, Twilight ushered her group over to follow after Zecora as she led the way. She was so lost in her excitement that she didn't even notice the cutie mark crusaders joining the crowd, seamlessly blending in with everypony else around them.

"Apple Bloom, are you sure we should be going? It looks like Twilight and Zecora have this handled pretty well." Sweetie Belle questioned, giving a friendly wave to some of the adult ponies that walked around her and her friends.

"It was our idea to go and get Zecora in the first place. We have a right to come along to look for 'im. 'Sides, the more eyes we've got lookin' for him, the sooner we'll find 'im." Apple Bloom replied.

"Looks like we may have had the wrong forest anyways." Scootaloo muttered, directing the rest of the group's attention to their guide.

From their position in the crowd, the three fillies could easily see that Zecora was leading them all straight to the white tail woods. While they all breathed a silent sigh of relief upon seeing that Cooper hadn't ran straight into the Everfree again, their relief was short lived as they saw AppleJack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy rushing past them. They ducked into the crowd, watching as the five mares trotted back to Twilight.

"Twilight!" Rainbow called out, zipping in from the sky.

"We're here to help ya'll look for 'im." AppleJack announced, trotting up alongside the rest of her friends.

Twilight paused mid-step, while the rest of the ponies in the group continued to follow after Zecora. The trio of fillies managed to blend in and stay undetected by their elder siblings, much to their relief.

"You... you guys are?" Twilight asked, shock in her voice.

"Of course we are! Cooper's your friend, and that makes him our friend too!" Pinkie beamed.

Twilight held her gaze for a few moments before darting forward and wrapping Pinkie in a tight hug. While she was momentarily shocked by the sudden hug, Pinkie eagerly returned the gesture.

"Even after what I did to you... thank you." Twilight murmured, just loud enough for Pinkie to hear.

"Friends make mistakes sometimes... but that's why we're all here. We're going to get your human back, Twilight." Pinkie replied, smiling despite the tears welling in her eyes.

"Yeah! We heard that Zecora's tracking him. Looks like he must've ran into the white tail woods, somewhere. We'll find him, don't worry about a thing, Twilight." Rainbow gave a quick salute.

"Thank you... I don't deserve friends like you." Twilight gave a sad smile.

"Now don'tcha even start spoutin' nonsense like that. You're our friend, and you deserve us plenty." AppleJack chastised, throwing a foreleg over Twilight's wither.

"We're always happy to help you however we can, Twilight." Fluttershy offered, gently.

"I'd think that by now you'd understand that you're stuck with us, darling. No amount of drama or trauma will change that." Rarity smiled.

Twilight smiled back at all of her friends, tears streaking down her cheeks. She gave a thankful nod before stepping back from the group.

"Okay... thank you, and good luck. I hope you find him soon." She offered, prompting a look of confusion from her friends.

"Uh... aren't you coming along?" Rainbow questioned, tilting her head to the side.

Twilight let out a sad sigh, "I want nothing more than to come along with you all... but I've been summoned." She replied, levitating a scroll out of her saddlebag bearing Celestia's seal.

"Summoned?" What the hay does that mean? Since when does Celestia 'summon' you?" AppleJack raised an eyebrow.

"She's never summoned me before... but because of Sky's injury..." Twilight trailed off.

"She summoned you because you lied to her about Cooper's weapon." Fluttershy whispered, though her voice was loud enough for all of them to hear her.

Twilight simply nodded while the rest of the group adopted looks of fear and unease.

"I don't suppose the punishment for lying to royalty is simply a stern talking to?" Rarity asked, gently.

"She can't be mad mad, right? I mean... you're her prized pupil. Her number one protégée!" Pinkie exclaimed.

"The wording of this letter doesn't leave much to the imagination..." Twilight muttered.

"Ah don't understand. How do the princesses even know how Sky was injured? Or that he's even injured in the first place?" AppleJack questioned.

"Apparently the hospital sent an emergency notice straight to Canterlot, both because of the severity of the injury... as well as the fact that it happened to a royal guard." Twilight explained.

Rainbow Dash let out a groan, "Oh, great... that means it's suddenly a military matter now."

Twilight sadly nodded once more, "Obviously it's not something major like an act of war... but news like Cooper's guard having the exact same type of injury that I explained to Celestia when she was here doesn't leave much up for interpretation. Naturally, the news reached her this morning and she sent a letter to me while I was trying to organize a search party with Mayor Mare..." She explained.

"That's outrageous! She's going to call you back to Canterlot right now!?" Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

"But what if Cooper needs you!?" Pinkie cried out.

"Can't she do this once ya find 'im?" AppleJack pressed.

"No... I'm afraid not. On the bright side, she's not calling me to Canterlot... she's coming here. Both of them are, actually." Twilight explained.

"They're both coming back to Ponyville? Right now?" Fluttershy questioned.

As if to answer her question on queue, a golden chariot approached off in the distance, the sun's light reflecting off of it's shiny frame and clearly showing it's arrival. All of Twilight's friends could easily see the six pegasai pulling the chariot, their snow white coats denoting exactly who and what was coming to Ponyville.

"Looks like they'll be here any minute... I should go prepare for what's about to happen." Twilight morosely muttered, turning to head back to the library.

AppleJack quickly galloped in front of her and cut her off, "You say that like yer' gonna get punished somethin' fierce. This is Celestia and Luna we're talkin' about here. They love ya' to pieces, just like we do. Worst case here is ya' get chewed out. It ain't nothin' to fret over." She offered, quickly.

Twilight sighed, "While normally you'd be right... I don't know this time though... I've never outright lied to them before."

"Well, they don't know for sure that you lied to them yet, right?" Pinkie offered.

"Pinkie's got a point. It's not like those medical ponies told her that you lied to her on purpose or anything." Rainbow added.

"That's a good point! For all they know, Cooper just hid that weapon from you. It's certainly more palatable than 'oh yes, Princess, I lied to your face without blinking'." Rarity chimed in.

"Actually, that was pretty much exactly what I was going to say." Twilight replied.

All of her friends facehooved at the same time.

"Twilight, why would you say something like that to them?" Rainbow deadpanned.

"They deserve to know the truth. Also, I'm not blameless in this... I knew Cooper had the gun. Now I have to own up to it. I appreciate you guys trying to help me out, really, I do... but I have to do this. As a princess... and as their friend... I owe it to them to tell them the truth." Twilight responded, walking past her flabbergasted friends.

The chariot landed just in front of the castle ahead.

Author's Note

So this was a tough chapter to get out. Had a really hard time with the series of events that led here and making everything work bit I think we're alright now. I hope you guys enjoy this one. There's still much more to come.