Chasing the Lost

by unoriginalhack

Rating: teen
Tags: Alternate Universe, Adventure
Length: 2536

Twilight Sparkle journeys through unknown lands.

Twilight Sparkle journeys through unknown lands.

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2013-01-27 09:53:47 UTC

Wild Sunset

Twilight held a hoof out to shield her eyes, but she couldn’t look away.  Stunningly intense amber gradients filled the horizon as the sun sank beneath a distant mountain range.  She’d seen dozens... perhaps hundreds of sunsets, but they were never this... powerful.  Celestia and Luna had always taken great care in guiding their heavenly charges through the skies—had always prioritized the wellbeing of ponydom over all else—but here and now, this sun was alive.  The sheer intensity and raw beauty of an unchained star were unlike anything Twilight had ever seen or felt, and for a moment, she lost herself in the sensation.

But it is not always the grand or the powerful that has the most profound impact.  It was the sound of a small creature, perhaps a rabbit, chittering in a nearby patch of tall grass that snapped her back to reality.  She blinked, and her eyes stung.  They were dry.

Craning her neck to get a look at the animal, she managed to scare it off by moving too suddenly or too quickly.  In an instant, she was alone, standing on a short overhang looking out across a wide plain.  Occasional trees or thickets cropped up in small patches, but for the most part the scene was gentle, rolling hills covered in medium to tall grass, stretching on and on into the distance before finally fading into the base of the mountains far beyond.  A good distance to either side, but not nearly as far as the mountains, larger hills stood, framing the scene into a cozy valley that just happened to stretch on and on and on.  Astounded by the vast, empty space, she wondered just how large Lahan was.

The breeze reminded her with a light chill that she would need new supplies.  With a sigh and a shudder, Twilight turned around and began trotting back toward Oakvale just as the sun finished its descent and a blanket of darkness fell over the land.  Gently twinkling points of light began peppering the dark canopy of the world, suddenly winking into place on their own.  The moon wouldn’t rise for a few more hours yet.  Partially at the thought, and partially at the rapidly dropping temperature, Twilight shivered and quickened her pace.

A tiny little forest, barely more than a grove, struggled into her vision, becoming more distinct as she approached and less visible as the light dimmed.  She cantered over the fringe and the world slipped into total darkness.  Bright specks of light flickered into place, just in time, as she moved past a few rows of trees that were obscuring the lanterns and candles of the village.

“There you are,” Du said with a chuckle.  “We were just about to send somepony to go find you.  As peaceful as it is around here, it wouldn’t do to leave a traveler out alone in the dark.”

Twilight smiled at the kind, old stallion.  “Thank you, Mayor, but I’m fine.  If I really need light, I can make my own,” she said, tapping a hoof against her horn.

“Yes, well... it’s getting cold.  Come inside.”  He gestured back toward a simple cabin with two lanterns gently illuminating the front door and another sitting in the window on the second floor.

Rubbing a hoof against her leg, Twilight shivered again.  “It is getting cold awfully quickly.  Are nights always like this here?” she asked, stepping toward Dusky and his cabin.

He took the lead, walking her to the door and pushing it open for her.  “‘Fraid so, but we manage.  We just don’t make a habit of staying out past dark.”

She stepped in, giving an almost unnoticeable bow as he held the door.  “That’s going to make my journey a lot more difficult.”

“I’m not sure how you made it out here without finding that out already, but as long as you pack a good coat and a thick blanket, you’ll do alright.”  Dusky’s hoof dropped to the floor and the door creaked shut.

“Do you think anypony has any to spare?  The whole village seems to lead very modest lives.”

Dusky laughed.  “For your services?  You could get every blanket in town.  It’s been decades since a unicorn’s come through.  The children had never seen one!”

Twilight blushed.  “I don’t like to impose, so I’m quite happy to be of use.  I’m sorry that I need to leave so soon, but I’ll spend the whole morning tomorrow helping out however I can.”

“Don’t be sorry.  We’re happy to have you, but if you have something important to do, who are we to stop you?”

She nodded, said “Thank you,” then yawned.  “Good night, Mayor.”

“Good night, Twilight.”

And with that, she trotted up the stairs and into the guest room where she slid under the covers of a warm, foreign bed.  Sleep came easier than she expected, but not as easy as she’d have liked.

North

Twilight stood on the same ridge, overlooking the same fields, holding up a small yellow jewel.  She groaned as it glistened in the sunlight.  “How am I supposed to know which way to go if I can’t detect anything?  I’m one-hundred percent positive the teleport worked.  I should be within a few hundred miles at most!”

A rustling nearby caught her attention, but she didn’t turn to face it.  Her ear flicked and her eyes slid to the side, but she couldn’t quite make out the source.  Then, she felt a slight pressure on her saddlebag and whirled around, accidentally flinging away the rabbit that had snuck up on her.  When it thudded against the ground, she gasped.  “I’m sorry!  I just... I thought... I don’t know what...”

Before she could finish apologizing, the terrified lagomorph scampered away.

She drooped slightly, stashed the jewel back in her bag, then looked up into the sky and hardened her gaze.  “Analysis paralysis.  There’s a time for thinking, and there’s a time for doing, and if I’m not getting a reading here, then that just means I need to go elsewhere,” she asserted, nodding to herself.  She closed her eyes and twirled in a circle for a few seconds before coming to an abrupt stop, holding one hoof pointing out in front of her.  The sun was climbing up on her left.  “South... err... North it is, then.”

Being alone, she wasn’t embarrassed by her mistake.  She didn’t need to explain to anypony that where she was from, the sun rose in the East.  She also didn’t need to convince any such ponies that she was sane.  For a moment, her solitude was a boon.

It wasn’t long before she frowned, sad to be leaving Oakvale behind.  She felt a pang of disappointment that she hadn’t handled the bunny well either, but she shook herself out of it and settled into a brisk canter, roughly North.  There was no sense dwelling on what didn’t matter going forward.  The air was warm, but a stiff breeze reminded her to double check her bag.  The blanket, and the coat, were snuggled into the main pouch.  She nodded to herself again and carried on marching toward the steeper hills at the valley’s edge.  If she could keep her current pace, she’d reach the foot of one by nightfall.

As the afternoon wore on and the sun gradually traced a path over and around her, Twilight moved steadily and quickly, filling herself with the singular goal of keeping her hooves in motion.  Her shadow grew long, and she blinked in surprise when she found herself at her destination with time to spare.  Had she really zoned that far out?  She had just committed to action rather than analysis, but still... to completely space wasn’t like her.  There wasn’t a lot of time left before dusk, and she still needed to pick out a place to rest.

Again, she blinked in surprise to find herself at the top of the hill just as the day ended.  She followed her own directions on autopilot, not even taking notice of her actions as she had been setting up a small campsite.  Only when the fire was burning brightly did she snap to attention.

“Get a hold of yourself, Twilight!  Stay calm, stay focused, but stay attentive.  You’re probably just having a hard time adjusting to...”  She swallowed a lump in her throat.   “To being alone.  You were fine back in Oakvale.”  The fire crackled at her as the temperature continued to drop, and Twilight scooted herself closer to it.  She plucked an apple from her bag and took a bite.  It was a good apple.

Applejack...

Twilight blinked back a few tears and tossed the apple aside.  She didn’t feel very hungry anymore.  Reaching back into her saddlebag again, she pulled out the thick blanket.  The coat stayed in place, perhaps for use another day.

Wooly, off-white fabric rolled out into a large rectangle—easily large enough to accommodate three ponies—and Twilight found herself staring into the cosmos.  Though it would rise earlier than the last few nights, the moon was still absent.  Nonetheless, the stars twinkled beautifully.  She briefly regretted not having her telescope with her to study a whole new sky before realizing she’d curled up underneath the blankets without thinking.  She should have felt very worried by all the vacuous, unconscious things she’d done that day, but without another thought, she drifted off to sleep with more ease than the night before.

Five Gems

Twilight awoke with a start, immediately noting that something was off.  Literally.

The blanket she’d been sleeping under was missing.  Glancing around her makeshift campsite, she saw the charred remnants of the fire, her saddlebag, and nothing else.  No blanket in sight.  After a moment’s pause, she raised an eyebrow.  No half-eaten apple, either.

Making use of the bright, early-morning sun and her relatively high vantage point, Twilight did a brief scan for anything suspicious.  She found nothing of the sort, though she did note a settlement a good distance South... err, North.  From where she stood it was hard to tell, but it looked a little larger than Oakvale.  If she really booked it, she’d probably make it in three or four days.  It sat out in the middle of yet another mostly-empty plain that stretched very, very far North and East, eventually fading into yet more mountains.  To the West, there were a few rivers and some rockier features.  Somepony had stumbled on her and taken the apple and the blanket, but nothing else seemed amiss.

She gasped and rummaged through her saddlebag to find a polished wooden box, lifting it out and flipping the lid open, breathing a sigh of relief.  Five gems glistened up at her, but not one of them showed any sign of a spark.  The yellow one had teased her once, shortly after her arrival in Oakvale, but the five of them had otherwise been inert.

With a small groan, she closed the lid and put the box away.  She pointed herself toward the little town took one last look around.  The area wasn’t particularly dangerous, but with lapses in awareness and a blanket/apple thief, she’d need to stay on guard.  She set off down the other side of the hill at a brisk trot, managing to reach the bottom in one piece, still watching and listening vigilantly.  As the ground leveled beneath her, though she suddenly found the sun about to set.

Somehow she’d shrugged off her episodes the previous day, but after a theft she couldn’t do it again.  Panic gripped Twilight as she whipped her head around, making absolutely certain she was alone.  Her attention snapped to a nearby tree when a breeze made its branches sway and creak, and when she pulled her eyes off of it, she was wearing the coat.

“Gah!” she shrieked, scrambling out of the garment and tossing it to the ground.  Eyes darting every which-way, Twilight panted for breath.  Calm down... you need that coat for now, since you don’t have the blanket.  It gets very cold out here, remember?  Just put it back on and start running for that town.  You can go a few days without sleep.  You’re tough.  And once you get there, maybe find a doctor... see if you’re running a fever or something, she thought.

Her internal monologue was loud enough that she didn’t hear the rustling in the grass, grabbing the coat and carrying on with a slight twitch in her eye.

Oakvale

“She’s not dead, look!  See?  She’s moving.”

Twilight’s mind swam through a haze.  Where... the town!  Had she made it?  When?  What happened?  What was happening to her?

“Hey!  Can you hear me?”

She struggled to peel her eyes open, seeing first only grass until she lifted her head a few inches.  A settlement, slightly larger than Oakvale, sat not more than a minute’s gallup from her.  Two earth ponies stood at the edge, calling out to her.  Clarity came rushing back, and she quickly checked herself, finding only a saddlebag.  And in the saddlebag, there was no coat, and no blanket.

“Hello?  Miss?”

She laughed nervously.  “I’m... I’m okay!”

“See, Trevor?  Told you,” one stallion said to the other.

Twilight began trotting toward them.  “Actually, though, I was wondering if there might be a doctor around?”

The stallion whose name she didn’t know gave her a quizzical look.  “But... you’re a unicorn!”

“I’m... sorry?  I don’t follow.”

After hesitating for a moment, he shook his head.  “Nevermind, nevermind.  I’m Speedy,” he said, pointing a hoof at himself before turning it to his friend.  “And this is Trevor.  You’re in luck... err...”

“Twilight,” she replied as she reached the two stallions.

Speedy smiled.  “You’re in luck, Twilight, because we do have a doctor here in our humble little home, and Mr. Hoof is very good at what he does.  I can show you to him, if you like, but it’s best not to take up his time if you don’t have to.  You seem to be in decent enough health,” he said, tilting his head to one side.  “What’s bothering you?”

She took a deep breath.  “I’m not entirely sure what to say.  I’m... losing time.  I’ll start walking, then the next thing I know I’m somewhere else with no memory of the journey in the middle.  Like just now!  Night was only just falling and I was still a long distance off from here.  The next thing I know, you two are calling me.”

Trevor rubbed his chin.  “Exhaustion?  You’ve obviously come a long way, and with very little in the way of supplies.”

“I don’t think so,” Twilight replied.  “A few days isn’t too bad.  I’ve made a lot longer trips.”

Speedy held up a hoof.  “Wait wait wait.  A few days?  What do you... you came from the South, right?”

She nodded.  “Yes, that’s right.”

“There’s nothing out there.  Not within any reasonable distance.  Banor’s at least two weeks away, and that’s if you’re a pegasus.”

Now it was Twilight’s turn to scrunch her face in confusion.  “What?  I’m afraid you’re mistaken.  I just came from a charming little village that, at most, is a week away.  Because of my fugue state I can’t be sure how quickly I was moving or how much sleep I got, but I got a good look from the top of that hill,” she said, pointing back to the distant hills.

“Sure, the hills are close, but it’s a lot further than that!” Trevor said.

Speedy’s gaze hovered between Twilight and Trevor.  “Maybe she does need to see the doctor.  She might be a little delirious.”

“Excuse me?”  Twilight stomped a hoof.  “I’m currently doing just fine, thank you very much, and for your information Oakvale is about a day from those hills.  I was just there!”

Speedy’s eyes grew wide.  “Trev, go get Mr. Hoof.”

Trevor nodded once and sped off into the town.

“Twilight?  You’re going to need to calm down.  Did I hear you right?  Did you say you just came from Oakvale?”

“Speedy, what’s going on here?”

Speedy placed a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder.  “Twilight, this is Oakvale.”