Discredited

In a forest clearing near the base of Canterlot Mountain, a flock of birds took off in alarm.

“Oh ahhh am a maaaare of constant sorrowww, I’ve seen trouble all m-“

“You’ll see plenty of trouble if you don’t stop that howling. This locator spell is exhausting enough without your ‘Opal-in-heat’ impression.”

Applejack pushed up the brim of her Stetson and scowled at her fussy fashionista friend.

“Well ‘scuse me fer tryin’ to stay sane, Rarity. You’ve been re-triangulatin’ Twi’s position fer hours now! I’m startin’ to think that horn a’ yours is just fer decoration.”

“It’s a class-three divination! They require simply exorbitant amounts of concentration, more practice than I’ve had time for, and few unicorns ever have need of it anyway! If you’re so bored, try and think of what in Equestria we’ll say to Twilight when we find her. Her last memory of us isn’t exactly pleasant.”

“Understatement of th’ century….”

The ochre earth pony let the brim of her hat sink once more as she replayed the fateful footage in her head, as she had each day since Twilight disappeared over two years previously. At first, everypony had dismissed it as a simple tantrum at having her paranoid delusions dismissed. Twilight was known for acting erratic under stress, and a wedding rehearsal isn’t exactly the place to voice concerns. No proof, no earth-shattering revelations, just increasingly frantic ramblings and easily-refuted conclusions. Most of the attendees were glad Twilight had pushed off after that. The wedding went off without a hitch, and Equestria was all set to return to normal, but then Celestia and Luna had gone on an “extended sabbatical”, as Cadance had proclaimed. Things had slowly grown more dubious from that day on. Contrary to rumor, Applejack could be fooled by a convincing enough lie, but something about the way the royal messenger had smirked when he gave the news to Ponyville just hadn’t sat well with her. That was just a start.

That first decree soon multiplied, bringing a deluge of changes that raised even more eyebrows than the unveiling of Pinkie’s Incoherently-Screaming Lemon Tarts®. More intensive security measures for the capital city were understandable enough. Cadance obviously just wanted to make sure everything was perfect for the Sisters when they returned. Ponies would grumble under the new curfews and restricted travel, but ponies would always find something to grumble about. What didn’t make sense was that these changes came on the tail of half the royal guard being sacked. Every Pegasus guard, no matter the rank, was stripped of uniform, handed a pittance of discharge pay, and told to leave Canterlot with their civilian brethren. That last bit had caused an uproar, but what could they do? Rebel? Unthinkable. Rent in Canterlot was too high anyway, and there were plenty of local guard positions available in other cities. If the new Princess wanted to establish a no-fly zone over her city, then so be it. The pegasi of Canterlot packed their bags, made their farewells, and set off for friendlier pastures. There were a few dissenters, but they barely made it to the palace gates before being “forcibly discouraged” and sent away. With no aerial observation and ground access restricted to official business, Canterlot had gone dark.

Applejack prided herself on being able to adapt to political changes. As long as she had her farm, family and friends, the princesses could tap-dance on the Griffon ambassador’s head for all she cared. The new changes had given her pause, but she waved it away as Cadance just going a little overboard; caring too much. What finally vindicated Twilight in her mind was the incident in the North-East acre.

Applejack had dealt with crop thieves before. Normally a brief chase, stern lecture, and offer to let the miscreant do a simple chore as payment were enough. In this case, the would-be thief was no longer strong enough to stand, let alone knock an apple down with his horn-magic.  Hopping the fence had obviously used up the last bit of the unicorn’s strength. The Apple family wasn’t heartless. Show up in bad straits, and you could expect a measure of kindness. The interloper flinched at the sound when Applejack gave the nearest tree a gentle buck, and looked up in time for the ripest Baldwin on the tree to spear itself on his horn. He whispered a sheepish thank-you and began to eat. Applejack tipped her hat, retrieved an apple for herself, and took a moment to look the stranger over.

Gunmetal grey fur stretched over a distressingly pronounced ribcage, charcoal mane and tail, and a tattered cream cardigan tied around his neck were all the pony had to him. He was spattered with dried mud and his hooves were chipped. He had been traveling for a while, but without even a pair of saddlebags? No supplies. This pony had left home in a hurry. Odd, but even in his emaciated state, Applejack felt sure she had seen him before. Suddenly, recognition hit her like a flying tackle from her older brother.

“Ah remember you. Yer one of them high-falutin’ types from Canterlot. Me ‘n’ mah friends crashed a little garden party ‘a’ yers a couple years back. Jet Set, right? What’s got you runnin’ around all the way out here?”

The unicorn stiffened like a foal caught misbehaving, but Applejack’s easygoing smile loosened his windpipe.

“Had to leave Canterlot. Couldn’t stay after they took Upper Crust….”

“Woah there, ain’t Upper Crust-“

“My wife, yes. She refused to report to the palace when her number came up for the weekly survey, so they came and dragged her off in the night. Blew our front door clear from the frame, handed me a writ of “indefinite detainment”, and told me I would receive the same treatment if I interfered or made any sort of fuss.”

“All that fer not takin’ a survey?”

“It’s not a simple questionnaire. It’s another security measure they enacted after the pegasi were evicted. I was called in for it the first week it was enacted. I only remember handing my summons to the gate guard, following him inside, and then being led back out and handed a sugar cookie. I was halfway home when I realized it was mid-afternoon. I had reported for my survey first thing in the morning, and I couldn’t remember any of it.”

“That’s mighty fishy. Mah friend told me that amnesia-spells were outlawed, even for the princesses.”

“It gets worse. For days after that, I felt like I was sleepwalking. I couldn’t focus on anything, felt constantly tired, and could barely hold a conversation. I fear my behavior was what led my dear Upper Crust to take a stand and refuse her summons. I told her it was for the good of the city, but she was always the more headstrong of us. If only I had put on a better façade….”

Jet Set’s eyes began to glisten, and he cleared his throat, trying to collect himself. Applejack knocked the tree with her foreleg, and a few more apples landed between them. He smiled in thanks and took one. Applejack let him eat for a moment as she digested this new information. She wasn’t the most knowledgeable pony when it came to laws not related to agriculture and property zoning, but arrests in the night? Detainment without trial? Amnesia spells? It all seemed so excessive. These measures were unheard of when Celestia and Luna were in power.

“Did ya at least try to make an appeal? Ya had to have had some kinda legal options.”

The unicorn swallowed and looked even more hangdog.

“I am a coward. Princess Cadance abolished open-court, but I walked to the palace the morning after they took Upper Crust. I made it as far as the bridge to the gate when I saw the guards. They used to be so stoic, just looking straight ahead like the world around them didn’t exist. Now? They were staring right at me, whispering to each other and grinning. They were practically begging for me to approach them. I knew then that I had no options. Canterlot was no longer the city I once loved. I had to get out, and hopefully make it to my cousin’s Villa in Los Pegasus. Hopefully, I can seek some legal counsel from there for my Upper Crust and lay low for a bit until the princesses return.”

“How’d ya get out? I heard that the gates are all locked down.”

He smirked.

“There are more ways out of the city than the gates. Canterlot Mountain is riddled with tunnels from an old crystal mine. They’re easy to get lost in, but I memorized a path through it to the forest at the mountain’s base when I was younger. It was quite a trek, but worth it when Upper Crust and I wanted to have a picnic without troubling ourselves with the crowds at the local park. His ears drooped.

“The clearing outside of the mine’s entrance was always so peaceful, so disconnected from the rest of the world. It felt like we were the only ponies that existed in those days. We eventually married and saw no reason to sneak off any more, but I never forgot the route through the mine.”

Alright, girl, knowin’ mah life, it’ll be useful to know where that entrance is.

“Tell ya what, pardner, if ya can draw up a map to that mine entrance from here, I can put ya up in the barn loft ‘til ya feel strong enough to move on. I’ll even throw in all the apples ya can carry.”

That was the fairest deal the starving pony had been offered in weeks. He couldn’t possibly have agreed any faster. He even did a second one of the route through the mine itself. In its entirety, there were too many twists, turns and double-backs in the mountain for one pony to memorize, but the route itself was straightforward enough. Applejack’s guest rested and feasted for a few days, and then set off on his way, somewhat heavier for the apples in his newly-borrowed bags. The farmer waved as he left, gratified at having done some good, and then smirked as she patted the band of her Stetson where she had secured her new maps.

Every time some evil nonsense happens, it’s me ‘n’ the gals that get called in ta fix it. It’s about time we had ourselves a li’l advantage.

“Applejack, you impossibly dilatory, steatopygous excuse for a draft animal! Get your face out of the dirt and let’s go! The spell is locked onto Twilight again!”

Applejack jumped to her hooves and took stock of her situation; as much as she could with Rarity’s face glaring daggers mere inches from her own. Rarity backed away and breathed to calm herself when Applejack’s eyes focused on her.

“Finally! I’ve been calling you for five minutes. You really spend far too much time with Pinkie. Now look! The spell’s working again.”

Applejack looked up and sure enough, a strong blue line of light ran from Rarity’s horn through the air and around an outcropping of boulders.

“’Bout time ya got it going again. Guess yer good fer somethin’ after all.”

“Hmph!”

The verbally-dueling duo set about the task of following the locator spell. Trepidation at what would happen upon finding their quarry kept their pace at a canter, as both ponies knew it would be an awkward reunion. In two years of writing letters to Twilight’s relatives and searching her old haunts, none of the girls had thought of this: the simplest, fastest solution. Spike had come across one of Twilight’s old spellbooks one day as he cleaned the Library, and smacked himself on the head with the palm of his hand. Seeker’s Spells of Divination and Deduction Lay on Twilight’s desk, where it had been since before the fateful wedding. He gathered up the book and the girls, and hooves met faces all around. Being the only remaining unicorn of the group, Rarity had no choice but to volunteer her horn. It had been slow going, as she was no Twilight, but progress was progress.

“Ah hope it holds this time. Ah ain’t too keen on makin’ camp this close to the mountain.”

“Have faith, Applejack. We’re close. Look at how thick the beam is.”

Rarity increased her pace, and Applejack followed suit.

“Say, Rare?”

“What?”

“Steatopygous?”

“Fat-flanked.”

“Ya been eyein’ mah flank, sugarcube?”

“Only in horror. Now shut up and move.”