Brenda's Big Adventure

---------------------------- Michael's point of view -----------------

Another day had gone by with no word from Brenda. I was starting to get very worried now. I got on the internet and checked some personal stuff and played a few games to take my mind off Brenda's disappearance. A mysterious email caught my attention, the information a bit of a surprise. Turns out my car could communicate with Princess Celestia. I hurriedly went back to the car to test it out.

"Good evening, Michael, are we going somewhere tonight?" came the cheery voice.

"I need to know if you can communicate with Princess Celestia," I stated flatly.

"Yes, Michael, I can. What would you like to tell her?"

"I need you to tell her that my wife has disappeared and I am searching for her, but have not been able to find her anywhere. I would like to know if she might have seen or heard from her."

"Message relayed, Michael."

"Dear Michael, I am sorry to hear about your wife's disappearance, but I am afraid I have not seen or heard from her as of yet. I trust you have exhausted all avenues of search for her in your world?"

"I have filed a missing persons report with the local police department, but they are only just beginning their search. They seem to be interested in asking me some questions and I hope I don't become a suspect in their search, but sometimes people will jump to conclusions before obtaining all the facts. If you wish to know, I have nothing to do with my wife's disappearance as I woke up three days ago to find her gone. I am willing to back up the veracity of my statement if you wish."

"I sense great sadness in you and understand your truthfulness. I will see if I can do anything to help you and if I can, I will make sure to inform you of any measures I take to remedy your situation. If you need further advice, you may contact me at your leisure."

"Thank you, Princess Celestia. I appreciate your kindness deeply."

"I didn't realize it was that serious," came the not-so-cheery voice.

"Yeah, it is. I'm going to bed now, talk to you in the morning."

"Good night, Michael."

I turned off the car and went back into the house to get some sleep. Tomorrow was Saturday, so I was going to see if I could get some more information. I talked to Brenda's older sister Beulah and asked her to call her folks down south to see if any of them had seen her. Beulah was rather alarmed to hear of Brenda's disappearance and scolded me for not telling her sooner. I apologized for having let it slip as I had been a bit too preoccupied with my own thoughts and obligations. I was trying to formulate a plan to find her but wasn't having much luck. Maybe I needed a diversion. I laid down to sleep, again tossing and turning until finally drifting off. My slumber was interrupted by a flash of light and a golden POP, ushering the arrival of Princess Celestia.

"Michael, I need your assistance," the Princess announced.

"What seems to be the problem?" I asked groggily.

"Spike misses Twilight, and I have had no luck in finding a replacement for her. I seem to recall you were willing to volunteer to be a substitute for her."

"Princess, as much as it pains me to say this, my wife has gone missing, and I need to find her. I would love to go back to Ponyville, trust me, but my primary objective at this point is finding Brenda."

"Forgive my intrusion, Michael. I appear to have chosen an inappropriate time to make my request."

"I was hoping you might have heard or seen her -- one other thing I'd like to know is how's everypony holding up in your realm? I'm sorry to hear about Spike, but I was hoping Rarity would be able to help him somewhat."

"The recovery is continuing apace, but Rarity can only do so much for Spike -- and he misses Twilight dearly. This is why I came to you, as I remember your desire to remain in Twilight's body. Truth be told, we could use your assistance as Twilight, as your magic abilities were quite impressive. I had no idea you had helped Pinkie Pie as much as you did -- why didn't you mention this to me last time around?"

"I did what I could to help her -- I figured that the other stuff I did was more impressive -- but I thank you kindly for your compliments, Princess. Tell you what -- if I don't hear from her in some way, or if I can't find her within a month, I will take you up on that offer. Until then, though, I must continue to search for her. There is a possibility that the police may arrest me and charge me with her murder, even though I am not responsible for her disappearance, but in light of how human nature works, it wouldn't surprise me if they did."

"Should that event come to pass, Michael, please inform me so I may assist you."

"How may I contact you if I am held against my will in a place where I cannot communicate with you?"

"I will give you this token -- keep it in a safe place -- and when you need my help, break it."

"If they put me in a jail, they will strip-search my body for any items I could use to escape."

"I will do something else for you. I will impart within you an ability to contact me directly through the use of a telepathic link. Should the worst come to pass, you may call for my help. I'm afraid I cannot do anything more for you now."

"You have my thanks, Princess Celestia. I hope I find her soon as I'm not sure how I'll pay all the bills with just my income."

"I will see what I can do to help you with that endeavor -- and good luck with your search. If I discover any information, I will pass it along to you."

"Thanks again, Princess, and good-bye for now." She disappeared with a flash of light and I went back to sleep. I had to exhaust my options, but few remained. There was a part of me that desperately wanted to return to Ponyville with the Princess but I had to remain strong for my wife. I couldn't just abandon her like that.