The Starling residence had fallen into a quaint silence now that the young night was upon it. The mansion lay dark and quiet with the exception of one light still shining through the windows on the top floor. Aunt Figg was fast asleep and Lickboot was gone for the night. However, Robyn was still awake in her room, still lamenting the loss of her father. Every night, she would think about him; the times they had together, the memories they created, the places they journeyed to. At one point it brought the young girl such joy reminiscing about their jam-packed past. But, now, it only brought her sadness, heartbreak, and loneliness, knowing such wonderful experiences would never happen again now that her father was gone and Aunt Figg was running the show. And it began blatantly obvious that her cruel guardian was not interested in taking care of her. Instead only caring only about the wealth. Those times Robyn felt she was alone with nobody around the notice or care about her.
However, for a time, it felt that Robyn was with others that she could share her pain with. Others that could truly sympathize with her and comfort her. Tom, Jerry, Twilight, Applejack, and all the others all seemed like kind companions. But all that came to an abrupt end when Figg sent them to some animal sanctuary where she would, undoubtedly, never see them again. More good people in her life were now gone. She had nobody and there was not much she could do about it. Robyn knelt against the windowsill of an open window, clutching a framed picture depicting her and her father.
A knocking one her window startled Robyn out of her saddened state. She looked over and saw, to her shock and delight, Jerry holding onto Tom's tail, along with Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Twilight hovering against the window.
"Robyn, it's us." Rainbow's voice was muffled against the glass.
From outside, Tom was desperately clinging to the gutter while, Pinkie, Applejack, Spike, and Rarity clung against the roof shingles.
"Why couldn't the flying ones give us a hand here?" Tom said as he struggled to keep a firm grip.
"Hey, it was hard enough to get you all onto the roof." Twilight argued.
Before any actual argument could start, Robyn fervently opened the window.
"Jerry! Tom! Rainbow, Fluttershy Twilight! You're all here!" She said with delight.
"Of course, Robyn. We ain't plannin' on givin' up on ya." Applejack replied.
"Robyn, have we got news for you!" Jerry jumped onto the windowsill.
"That's right! It's something of the upmost importance." Rarity managed to slide down the open window and into Robyn's room.
"Yeah, and I'm sure you'll be happy to hear it." Rainbow said.
She along with Fluttershy and Twilight flew into her room. Applejack, Pinkie, and Spike all climbed onto the windowsill to get in. The last one in was Tom, who dropped onto the ledge with a thud and an "Oof." He gave an assured smile, but then began to slide off the windowsill.
"Yeee-aaahhh!" Tom squawked.
Luckily, Robyn and Rainbow were quick to grab the grey pussycat and pull him back inside. Now that everybody was inside and situated, Robyn closed the windows.
"Why did you guys come back and what was it that you needed to tell me?" Robyn asked.
"I suppose it would be best if we explained everything to you." Twilight said.
And so the purple alicorn began to explain everything that went down that day with her friends helping along the way. And then came to big piece of news.
"He's alive!? My daddy's alive!?" Robyn gasped.
"Yes, Figg received a telegram explaining that your father survived the avalanche." Twilight explained further.
"And, bein' the greedy witch she is. try ta keep it secret from ya and had all 'o us carted off ta some creep's place." Applejack added.
"But, we managed to break out and return here to tell you the news." Fluttershy added.
"And now you'll escape this place to find him." Pinkie added.
"Wait, what?" Jerry said in confusion.
"I've got to go find him. He might be hurt. I'm sure he needs me." Robyn began rummaging through her dresser. "It'll be cold in Tibet. I better wear a hat."
"Hold on. You're actually planning on tracking down your dad?" Rainbow asked.
"And to Tibet?" Jerry added.
"If that's where my daddy is, that's where I'm going." Robyn had put on a yellow winter coat and hat.
"Now hold on a second ther', Sugarcube. Don't ya think it might be better to get the law involved instead?" Applejack suggested.
"I need to find him. He needs me now more than ever. And I need him." Robyn answered with determination.
"Do you have any idea where Tibet is?" Tom asked.
"No." The girl then began pulling the sheets off her bed.
"Does you two know? Because none of us don't." Spike said.
"Yeah, we know almost nothing about this world." Twilight added.
"It's...way, way, way out there." Jerry said as he was pulled off the bed.
"Put you finger here, please." Robyn requested.
Tom put his finger against the knot the girl was making on the bedknob.
"It's...It's across the river." Tom said.
"Into the woods." Jerry added.
"Over the hills." Tom interjected.
"It's past Cleveland." Jerry jumped off the bedknob.
"It sounds like it's really far away." Fluttershy said.
"It is. I'm pretty sure we'd have to cross a whole ocean to get there." The pussycat said.
"Oh...wow. Yeah, I'm not so sure about this mission, girls." Rarity said. "Wouldn't it make more sense to wait for him to come back here?"
"No way. For the longest time I thought my daddy was dead and that I had nobody left in my life. Now that his, in fact, alive, I need to find him and reunite with him." Robyn said in defiance. "Besides, Aunt Figg will just get in the way again if he came back here. Like how sure did with you all."
"She does have ah point there, girls." Applejack said.
The others knew that the earth pony was right. Having Robyn's father arrive back here were created a cesspool of problems concerning Figg and Lickboot, seeing as how they were willing to do all the unethical things they pulled to keep Robyn in the dark. Robyn was adamant on finding her father and getting away from her cruel aunt and that was something Tom, Jerry, and the Main 7 would not get in the way of.
"If your going, then you're not going alone. Count me in." Rainbow put a hoof on Robyn's shoulder.
"Count me in, too. ya deserve to reunite with ya pa." Applejack added.
"You can count us all in, right everypony?" Twilight said.
"Of course, darling." Rarity replied
"Yeah." Fluttershy added.
"Heck, yeah!" Pinkie added with an excited vigor
"Count me." Spike added.
"Same goes for us." Jerry added.
"Yeah." Tom also added.
"Great! Thanks, guys." Robyn said sincerely.
"Of course. What friends would we be if we didn't stick by you for something like this." The cyan pegasus said
"What do you need us to do?" Twilight asked.
"Here, Tom. Throw this end out the window." Robyn handed the cat a wad of tied up sheets.
Tom waddled over to the window and threw the sheet wad over the edge, watching as it unraveled to the ground. Robyn grabbed her green backpack, then went over to the windowsill and peered over the edge. It was a pretty large drop between her room and the damp ground below.
"That's...quite a distance." Rarity said, uneasiness apparent in her tone.
"That's why I made this escape rope." The girl said.
"Well, let's not waste anytime and get going." Spike said.
Taking the little dragon in her magic, Twilight put him on her back and took to the air. She fluttered down onto the ground. Fluttershy and Rainbow followed. Meanwhile, Robyn began climbing down the makeshift rope. Once she made it down, she pressed against the wall of the mansion next to a window.
"All right, Robyn." Rainbow said.
The girl was quick to shush the loud pegasus.
"We need to be extra quiet. Aunt Figg's bedroom is right there." She pointed to the window.
"Oh...that's quite inconvenient." Spike winced.
Soon, Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkie slid down the sheet rope.
"Weeee!" Pinkie glided down the rope.
"Sshh! Pinkie, we need to stay quiet." Rainbow hissed.
"Oop. My bad." The cheering pony covered her mouth.
Tom and Jerry were left to leave. The cat looked over the ledge.
"Tom, hurry." Robyn said in a hushed tone
Tom dangled over the windowsill. He clung to the rope to keep himself from falling.
"Down please." Jerry requested.
"I'll give you down." Tom angrily snatched the mouse in his hands.
Jerry then pointed down to the ground with a knowing smile. Tom looked down and swiftly realized that he was no longer holding onto the escape rope and he was still a far above the ground. The two dropped to the ground with a thud.
"Nice one, guys." Twilight said sarcastically.
"We need to go. Quickly." Robyn warned.
The group of friend all made a quick and quiet escape from the mansion. Meanwhile, Tom's audible meet-up with the groud had unintentionally startled Aunt Figg awake. She turned on a lamp and removed the sleep goggles from her eyes to see what the noise was. That's when she noticed the sheet rope dangling in front of her window.
"She's escaped again." The greedy lady gasped. "I've got to call Lickboot."
Figg grabbed a nearby telephone and began dialing the lawyer's number.
The group of runaways ran and ran, all the way to the old, stone bridge where they first met Robyn. The scrambled down the steps and the hid under the bridge to stop and catch their breaths.
"Where do we go from here?" Spike asked. "Aunt Figg is bound to turn up here sooner rather than later."
"Robyn, where did ya plan on goin' the last time ya came 'ere?" Applejack asked in between deep breaths.
"I really didn't have a place in mind. I just went where I thought was safe." The young girl explained.
"Maybe we should've brought a map." Fluttershy said.
Robyn then noticed something sitting on the shore a few feet away from them.
"What's that over there?" She pointed at it.
The others looked for themselves.
"Eh, it's just an old crate." Tom said dismissively.
Jerry stepped on it for a closer look. He smiled when he realized what it was.
"Wrong again." He said.
"It's a raft!" The ponies all said in unison.
"Well that's quite convenient." Rarity said.
"And it's our ticket out of here without running the risk of being spotted." Twilight added.
Before the gang could start to set sail, a set of headlights and the sound screeching tires pierced through the thick, dush fog. Lickboot's red convertible came to a screeching halt and both he and Aunt Figg stumbled out with flashlights in hand.
"This is where they found her last time." The greedy woman said.
"It's Aunt Figg." Robyn gasped and ducked back underneath the bridge.
"Wow. Can I call them or can I call them?" Spike said, impressed with himself that he figured Figg would show up.
"Now's not the time for that. We need to get that raft moving and get out of here with Figg or Lickboot noticing." Twilight reminded.
Meanwhile, Figg and Lickboot hastily search each side of the bridge, shining their flashlights over the side to try and find Robyn.
"She'll come back here again. I'll stake everything I got on it." The lady in purple said angrily.
"That's exactly what you're doing." Lickboot said nonchalantly.
"Shut up, you twit!" Figg snapped, getting in the lawyer's face.
Out from the car, Ferdinand bounced onto the stone-paved street, chuckling all the while.
"Twit." He repeated in a joking tone, before peeking his head through the guardrail in search of the girl.
He sniffed the air for Robyn scent while Aunt Figg called for her.
"Yoohoo! Robyn Starling! It's your Aunt Figg, darling come to take you home." She said in sickly sweet tone.
All the while, Robyn along with Tom, Jerry, Spike, and the Main 6 all boarded the raft and got it moving down the river.
"Hurry! Get on, and be quiet." Robyn said in a hushed voice.
"Don't need to tell us twice." Rainbow said.
The young girl grabbed a large stick and push the raft forward to catch the current. They began gliding down the river as silently as possible. Ferdinand was still sniffing when he got a whiff of Robyn's scent. His eyes zeroed on the raft that was slowly floating away. He pulled his head back, but did so too quickly and banged his head against the stone guardrail. He raced back to his owner. Ferdinand tugged at Figg's robe to get her attention and tried relaying his discovery.
"Didn't he go before we left home?" Figg grunted.
She thought Ferdinand was whining at her to use the bathroom.
"No, no no!" The obese pooch shook his head and pointed down at the river. "River! River raft! River raft!”
He knew that Robyn and the others were getting farther and farther away from them, and that made Ferdinand more frustrated.
"Rivet raft! Raft! Raft!" He practically shouted. "River raft! River raft! Raft!"
"Oh, shut up." Figg violently shoved Ferdinand's skateboard away with her foot.
The rotund hound wailed as he clung to his skateboard. It careened across the bridge and down the steps. Ferdinand flew through the air and bounced against the water's surface like a skipping stone. He was in a full-blown panic until he realize he was heading toward Robyn and the others.
"Gotcha! I gotcha!" He paddled to get closer to the raft.
He would've made it if Pinkie didn't notice.
"Aaahh! Pot-belly missile at six o'clock!" Pinkie said half-panicked, half-joked.
"Pinkie, what are you talking abou-Wha! It's that dog again!" Rarity shrieked.
"No! Get away from us, Ferdinand." Robyn demanded fearfully.
"I gotcha!" The overweight dog said manically.
"Get away from us!" Rainbow grabbed the edge of the raft and flapped her wings to push them forward and away from Ferdinand.
The plump pooch was just inches from grabbed the edge of the raft before it raced away from his grasp. Now that he was out of momentum he began to sink into the water.
"Uh, oh." He balanced himself at the end of his skateboard to keep from touching the water. "Robyn, raft!"
Ferdinand continued to say some other unintelligible things before he and his skateboard were completely submerged and sunken. The ponies and dragon watched as the dog disappeared into the murky water.
"We have to least save him from drowning." Fluttershy said.
"Sorry, Flutters, but we can't risk him getting on the raft and ratting us out." Rainbow said.
"But...he could drown!" The pitying pegasus wailed.
"He's a dog. I'm sure he knows how to doggy-paddle." Tom said.
Lo and behold, Ferdinand popped out from the surface, paws flailing about. He was just barely keeping himself afloat with his frantic paddling.
"See. He'll be fine." Tom looked out Fluttershy, who was still a bit unsure. "For the most part."
Fluttershy let out a uneasy sigh.
"I hope he at least makes it to the shore." She said quietly.
"Well, we can't exactly fault ya for that, Flutters. That there dog may be more petty than a bandit, but even ah know he don't deserve ta drown." Applejack said.
"Well, with him out of the way, let's focus and trying to get to Tibet." Twilight let out a yawn. "And possibly getting some sleep."
"Now that's something I can agree with." The rainbow-maned pegasus concurred.
And so Tom, Jerry, Robyn, the Main 6, and Spike all began to hunker down for the remainder of the night. The raft disappeared into the mist, while Aunt Figg and Lickboot vainly searched around the bridge to find Robyn. Though, they would never find her.
The group of friends were all now fast asleep on the raft as it softly coasted down the river. The subtle rocking of the craft soothed them all into a deep slumber. Unbeknownst to them, the riverbanks were beginning to widen. Normally that wouldn't sound like a problem, but it was about to be.
Jerry lay snug against Tom's arm as he slept. Tom woke up upon feeling the mouse massaging his head against his fuzzy elbow. Tom, being a cat that didn't appreciate such sappy affections, lifted his arm and let Jerry's head flop against the wood. He then laid his hands under his head not only for comfort and support, but also so Jerry couldn't sleep against them. The grey pussycat went back to sleep, but that didn't last long when Jerry pushed himself against the side of his torso.
Getting more irritated, Tom slid his whole body away from his mouse friend. Satisfied with himself, he went back to sleep again. But, Tom didn't realize that while a pushed himself away from Jerry, he had completely slid off the raft. Just as he could close his eyes, he dropped into the water with a splash. He quickly lift himself onto the board and shook the water off his fur. Now angry, Tom was prepared to slash the sleeping mouse with his claws when an ominous sound echoed in the distance. It sounded like a horn. Tom turned his head and was meant with a great big, dark shape. The shape was a massive cargo ship and it was heading right for them. Tom let out the loudest and most terrified scream he ever made, which woke up the others.
"Augh! What's going on now?" Rarity rubbed her tired eyes. "Can't a mare get her beauty sleep."
That's when she noticed the giant boat aiming right for them.
"Look out!" Twilight shouted fearfully.
She too let out a scream as the others began to comprehend the nightmarish situation.
"Sweet Celestia, what is that!?" Spike asked in sheer terror.
"It's heading right for us!" Rainbow shouted.
"Abandon ship!" Pinkie leapt from the raft.
Tom, Jerry, Robyn, and the Main 7 all jumped from the raft as the ship smashed into it with a hellacious crash. The raft was smashed to pieces, the splintered wood sinking into the deep, dark depths of the water. And just like that, it was over. The ship trudged on its journey like nothing happened. Now raftless and separated, our friends are at the mercy of the bubbling waters that surrounded them. conscious or not, their fate was now uncertain.
To be continued