Rainbow Dash,

I apologise for not telling you about this in person, but I am too busy to help you today. If you have any questions that I could answer or need to request any books to help you on your endeavour, I will be in my library. Sorry I cannot make it to our meet up at Fluttershy’s cottage. I have asked her to meet you at the library as well.

Sincerely, your friend,

Twilight Sparkle.

It wasn’t in Twilight’s usual style, but its message was clear enough. Twilight couldn’t come to the meet up between her and Fluttershy for some reason she was neglecting to mention. It was hardly surprising that she was caught up in her work. She’d been organising search parties of her friends and asking around if anyone had seen ‘an orange canine, about yay high’ she indicated with a hoof about the height of Spike. She looked tired and worn down. She had been searching for Lunar all night.

‘Twilight, ah y’all alright?’ Applejack asked, ‘Ah’m part of y’all search party and you’ve asked me ‘bout five times…’ All of her fellow elements of harmony except loyalty were with her and concerned about her welfare. She kept telling them she wouldn’t rest until he was found. The closest they came to him was asking Granny Smith. If only she had told them that she’d found him in the hay cart, muttering something about leave friends behind. But in Granny Smith fashion, she fell asleep before getting to that part.

‘Y’know Twilight. He’s a strong young animal. I’m sure he’d be more than capable of looking after himself and his luxurious coat. If not, he can find his way back. He can’t have gone very far.’ Rarity reassured her, putting her hoof on Twilight’s back. Twilight looked up into her friend’s eyes and stifled her tears. She smiled and stood up straight, like she usually did.

‘Thanks every pony…’

Rainbow Dash arrived at the door to Twilight’s library. She was, as usual, late. She knew she didn’t have to worry, every pony knew that if any pony was going to be late, it was her. But when Rainbow pushed open the door, every pony else seemed to be late. She was alone, in the dark, usually cheery, environment of the library.  She walked further into the centre of the room and looked around…

‘Hello? Twilight? Spike? Any pony in here?’ Rainbow shouted, her voice echoing around the room, ‘Where are you guys. I know you’re in here!’ She was getting slightly scared, not that she’d admit it.

The door slammed and locked. The large clunk of the locks usually was drowned out by the laughter and chatting of friends, but now, it echoed with the same effect as Dash’s voice, only the noise was strengthened and sounded louder than she thought possible. It made her jump out of shock and surprise.

‘V-very funny, Pinkie. You can stop your p-prank now. I-it’s not funny, y’know.’ Dash stuttered, almost wanting to take up a foetal position and suck on her hoof like a foal. She was getting scared and her body language showed it, but in true Rainbow Dash fashion, she growled and put on a brave face.

‘I dare you. Just try and touch me! Come, let’s go!’ She screamed at the top of her lungs, doing her usual intimidation routine as a defence mechanism for being scared. She almost blew a lung yelping as something flew over her head and body and tied her legs together in an almost hogtied state.

‘Let me go! Fight me like a stallion!’ She bellowed. Nothing was going to get her to surrender, not even if it had tied her up, almost made her act like a foal and scared the living daylights out of her. Some pony laughed. Another joined in. They were amused by Rainbow Dash’s antics, they knew she would give up and they wanted her to struggle.

‘Why were you at Sweet Apple Acres?’ one exclaimed in the best fake voice they could do; it was hard to tell whom it was.

‘What? How did you know?’

‘What did y’all want from Twilight Sparkle?’

‘Nothing special. I came for a book. It is a library, smart-ass.’

‘That’s a lie. Now answer the question!’

‘Okay. Princess Celestia asked me to ask Twilight to move back to Canterlot, to be an Advisor to Princess Luna.’

‘…That’s a lie too! Again, why did you come here?!’

The voice began to become angry, until a mild whisper became audible.

‘Don’t be too harsh on Dashie. She’s only protecting her friend…’

‘Wait…Dashie? Rarity, come out of there. I know you’re up there with AJ.’ Rainbow had realised who was tormenting her but she almost bucked in the face of AJ, who had approached from behind, instead of in front, like Dash was expecting.

‘Easy there, Darling. I know you’d like to know why we brought you here-‘Rarity explained in a calming voice until she was interrupted.

‘How’d ya know it was me? Even Rarity didn’t know it was me when ah was practicing…’

‘AJ, you kinda said ‘y’all?’ Not many other ponies say that and one of them doesn’t even speak that much anyway. Plus, you’re the only one who knows when I’m lying.’ Rainbow moaned, rolling her eyes at the seemingly obviously answered question. She rolled onto her back and shoved her hooves into the air, suggesting that she be untied before anything else happened. Both the unbound mares shot each other looks of humour and started laughing. Applejack even fell over with laughter.

‘Y’all are a hoot, Dashie. Ah’ve never known a mare think that we’d be that gullible.’ Applejack chuckled, not able to look at Rainbow Dash except when taking in air for a seemingly over-exaggerated laugh. Once again, Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and sighed.

‘Fine… I was looking out for a friend, who I found at the tree house.’ She didn’t lie; she just omitted pretty much every detail and most of the events too. She had found Lunar at the tree house today, and had brought him some food. She didn’t tell them about Scootaloo or the tree house. Yet they seemed to know about it.

‘Let me guess. Scootaloo?’ Rarity laughed, seemingly knowing more than Rainbow Dash had wanted her too, ‘Applebloom and Sweetie Belle told me about the princess. Why in Equestria were you meeting with Princess Luna? I’d have thought she’d at least tell us what was going on.’

Rainbow Dash’s face grew into a look of confusion as she pondered how the princess of the night had become involved in Rarity’s odd summary. It was a second or two until Dash realised the similarity of the names. Probably a coincidence. But the facial expression she had made when she realised this gave away that it wasn’t Luna she had met…

‘No. You haven’t have you?!’ Rarity snapped on instantly, ‘Where is he? What have you done with him, you ruffian?’

‘Ruffian? Him? Rurrity, what’s wrong? Ah don’t get it.’ Applejack, as slow as she was, probably should have caught on. She began to have the same look on her face as Dashie, while Rarity started at Rainbow until she would give up the truth.

‘Rurrity, please? What’s going on?’ Applejack pleaded. She had no clue of why Rarity had gotten worked up of ‘him’. Who was ‘him’, anyway? A cold breeze came through the window from Twilight’s room and so did a loud snore, with the muttering of names. Rainbow wanted this to be a dream to, but the shocks she’d experience would have woken her up by now. She struggled to break free of her rope bonds and noticed the looseness of the knot. Pretty shabby by Applejack’s standards. She pushed her legs outwards, the rope loosening as it took extra length to reach around the widening legs in encompassed. She freed one foreleg after the rope slipped down on one side. She used it to push herself upright and move towards the scissors Twilight kept in her kitchen.

It was a while until the explanation finished, but it was fairly quick once Applejack realised who she was talking about. Rarity sighed with relief and turned to her captive.

‘Rainbow-’ her blue eyes darted back and forth as she examined the room for the now missing Rainbow Dash, ‘Rainbow Dash, where are you?’ Rarity walked into the middle of the room, only to notice a trail of string that had snagged onto a large splintering piece of the old wooden floor of Ponyville’s Library. She followed it to the kitchen where she heard the sawing of knife and rope. She knew what was happening.

‘Rainbow Dash, darling. Stop trying to escape and come over to answer our questions. We’ll even untie your bonds.’ Rarity calmly stated. She was sincere and honest in her convictions but she knew that it would take a lot more to convince Rainbow Dash to sit still for even a fraction of a second. She was worse than Pinkie in that way. She peered over the table to see Rainbow gnawing at her bonds, with a knife beside her. She giggled, alerting Dash to her presence. Rarity gently strolled around the table to help Rainbow Dash. She grabbed the end of the rope and pulled ever so slightly. The bonds instantly became loose enough to fall of the now confused mare, bemused at her captor’s help.

Rainbow Dash looked around for something to help her escape. She though that Rarity would trust her to stay. She thought wrong. She scrambled for the window, almost certain she would escape. If only the white unicorn wasn’t standing on her tail.

‘Oh, dear. You can be so predictable sometimes.’ Rarity sighed and shook her head in disappointment. She used magic to take the rope and bond the struggling Rainbow Dash’s midsection to the nearest available object that Rainbow Dash couldn’t escape whilst still attached. Herself. On both, she used the same shabby knot that she had used for AJ’s lasso. She dragged a resistant Pegasus to the main room, where Applejack was situated, waiting for their return.

‘Ah really don’t appreciate the escape attempt.’ Applejack moaned, one eyebrow raised, wondering how Rarity had actually caught Rainbow Dash. She walked over to the cyan mare to question her further.

‘Now Rainbow. Where exactly is Lunar? Since y’all have been keepin’ it a secret,’ Applejack asked, highly doubting the element of loyalty would betray a friend, so she used the fact that she’d let down five friends as a ploy, ‘You know we’ve been for searching for him for days. Lookin’ round every corner and asking every pony if they’d seen him. It’s caused all of us a lot of stress. And ah ain’t saying it ya our fault. It just we all care for him. New in town, don’t know what he’s gonna do next. It was only coincidence he must us, six of the best mares this place has got ta offer. Please Rainbow Dash. Just tell me where ma friend is.’ She did her best to guilt trip Rainbow and almost fake cried to do it. Although, she hardly believed it was needed since she kind of drove her point home.

Rainbow Dash’s attitude changed through the speech. She went from stubborn and determined to confused and concerned. Was she really harming her friends by keeping him away? Was it really worth the effort to keep him away from them, five of the friendliest, kindest and best of friends, just so she could actually meet up with him?

‘Applejack, I’m sorry. I really am sorry.’ Rainbow Dash sighed, AJ smiled, finally about to get her answer, ‘but I just can’t tell you that.’ Applejack went from happy to confounded. She sat almost instantly, unable to stand from shock. Rarity watched as her partner stared at blank space, and then turned to her.

‘Rurrity. Let her go.’ Applejack said, still with a vacant look. She didn’t appear to know what she was saying but the smirk that had formed on her face in the last five seconds proved otherwise.

Rarity was shocked. Never had she seen Applejack give up like this; beaten without reason. She had heard only what Applejack said to Rainbow. What could Dash have said that made Applejack, of all ponies, give up and let her go? As she pondered the question, she turned and untied the knot rather easily. The rope fell off her body, limp and lifeless, and gave Applejack free rein to untie the thankful Pegasus. She did, showing little reluctance, just a blank expression.

Rainbow stood up, trotted over to the door and opened it. She turned to her former captors and looked at them. She smiled, and chuckled.

‘Thanks for understanding, AJ.’ She stared directly into Applejack’s vacant expression and brought her out in a smile. She tipped her hat and nodded. Rainbow took it as indication she could leave. She turned and walked out the door; it locked itself behind her.

‘What was that about?’ Rarity asked, still confused about what had just transpired. Applejack just looked at her, still smiling. In a way, it calmed the white unicorn down, but in many other ways; it allowed her to come to a realisation.

‘We’re going after her, aren’t we?’