Chapter 9 - Sink or Swim
Early the next morning Arc awakens to the sights and sounds of dawn. Birds chirp and the wind blows through the trees. He sits up and looks down at the filly before him.
“Snowflake? Time to wake up.”
She groans as she slowly raises her head.
“Alright, dad. I’ll get breakfast going with mom.”
Arc chuckles. “I don’t think that’s going to be necessary.”
Snowflake rubs her eyes and looks around.
“Where… am I?”
“In the barn with me, remember?”
“Kinda. It’s slowly coming back to me.”
She puts a hoof to her head and rubs her temples.
“Head kinda hurts.”
“You okay?”
“I think I am. But what exactly happened last night?”
“No idea. I’m kinda hoping your father can tell us more.”
A short time later the sound of the barn door opening can be heard. Snowflake’s mother hurries over to her daughter as Shadow waits by the door.
“Oh, Snowflake! Are you alright?!”
“I’m fine, mom.”
“Your father told me what happened! What were you THINKING letting that Crimson go?!”
“I don’t even remember doing it!”
Sunrise smiles at the filly as she leads her toward the door.
“Let’s get you inside for a nice breakfast. Maybe it’ll help you remember.”
Shadow clears his throat loudly. “There’s a few things we need to go over first.”
Arc appears confused. “Huh?”
“First, the townsponies are very… unnerved about what you did last night, Snowflake.”
“They’re mad?”
“Very. Some of them even suggested banishing you.”
Sunrise wraps her hooves around Snowflake. “What?! But… but they CAN’T! After all, she’s only a filly!”
“I know, Sunrise. But the mayor’s really on the fence here.”
Arc raises an eyebrow. “On the fence?”
“He’s trying to balance the security of the village against Snowflake’s personal safety. Let’s just say if she was older I don’t think he’d have let her stay after what happened last night.”
“What DID happen?”
Shadow sighs. “Nopony knows. But I found you unconscious next to the open basement door. And that was just after our town crier here saw the Crimson fly out the door.”
“That is true, yes. You went inside and it came out.”
Sunrise looks to Arc. “Are you sure nopony else could have done it?!”
“I didn’t see anyone else around, no. But your daughter was walking kinda funny. The idea she was being controlled is definitely plausible. So I don’t see how what happened is actually her fault.”
Shadow groans. “Try telling that to everypony else.”
Sunrise continues holding Snowflake. “So where do we go from here?”
“I was able to convince the mayor to let this go by assigning our beast here to keep an eye on her at all times.”
“You mean he’s going to be my personal servant, or something?”
“More like your caretaker actually. You won’t be giving him any orders. If anything he’ll be telling you what to do. Kinda like your mother and I.”
He turns to Arc.
“I’m giving you the job of keeping Snowflake here out of trouble. See to it she doesn’t cause any more mischief. If she does you are free to punish her as you see fit.”
Sunrise gasps. “But why HIM?!”
“Because he’s big enough to subdue Snowflake if she gets out of line again.”
Arc turns to Sunrise. “Has this happened before?”
“Several times, yes. Truth be told, I’ve been working on a cure for some time to break the hold these Crimsons have on her.”
Snowflake frowns. “Hold? But I’ve never done anything!”
“You have actually.”
“Huh?”
Sunrise nods. “Several times in the past when the Crimsons attacked you’ve helped them by giving them food and other supplies.”
Shadow sighs. “You’ve tried to follow them before as well. Fortunately either myself or your mother was able to hold you back before you left town with them.”
Arc turns to Shadow. “What do you suppose they want with her?”
“Food probably. I don’t know why else they would want her.”
Snowflake looks to her mother, sadly. “Mom? Is… is that why everypony in town hates me?”
Sunrise nods sadly. “Yes dear. Several times it’s taken me along with several other villagers to hold you down.”
“But I don’t remember any of that!”
Shadow frowns. “You never do. That’s why you need a caretaker.”
Sunrise looks to her husband. “Are you sure he’s strong enough though?”
“Based on what I saw the other day during our foraging, yes.”
Snowflake nods. “He took on some Timberwolves! That and a manticore ran when they saw him!”
Sunrise grimaces. “Could he be too strong then? I don’t want Snowflake hurt by him.”
“Well… let’s see.”
He turns to Snowflake.
“I want you to run for the door while your pet here tries to stop you.”
“Okay.”
“Snowflake… RUN!”
The filly makes a dash for the door. Arc dives forward and wraps his arms around her. She tries to get away, but he pushes her to the ground. For a solid minute Snowflake flails around trying to escape. Eventually she sighs and shakes her head.
“He’s got me.”
Sunrise gasps. “Are you okay?”
Snowflake nods as Arc lets her up. “Yes mom.”
“You see, dear? A perfect caretaker for our daughter. If she really gets out of hoof he could always use his larger mass to pin her down. All he’d have to do is lie on her.”
Arc sighs. “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”
Sunrise shudders as Shadow turns his attention back to Arc.
“You’ll be with her at all times and I mean at ALL times! That also means you’ll be sleeping in Snowflake’s room from now on.”
“YAY!”
Sunrise’s eyes twitches. “Are you sure that’s wise, Shadow? I mean, you told me yourself just yesterday that he eats meat!”
“He’s already protected our daughter twice now. That’s good enough for me. Now then, I want you two to get cleaned up for breakfast.”
Sunrise heads for the door slowly. “The porridge should be just about done simmering by now. So don’t take too long.”
“Okay mom.”
They leave the barn and head for the pump behind it. Snowflake shakes her head as Arc washes his hands and face.
“I just don’t get it, Big Brother. What’s happening to me?”
Arc shrugs as he wipes his hands on his shirt. “No clue. Truth be told, I’m as confused by this as you are.”
Snowflake walks toward the pump. “What else am I doing that I don’t remember?!”
Arc leans heavily on the handle. “There might be more your parents aren’t telling you. But if something like this happens again, I’ll be sure to watch you carefully and let you know exactly what’s up.”
Snowflake frowns as she holds her hooves under the stream of water. “Thanks. Not really sure I want to know though. I mean… this is scary enough as it is.”
“Well, next time you won’t be alone. I’ll be there to stop you.”
“That’s great and all, but… um…”
“Something wrong?”
Snowflake looks at the ground nervously. “I, uh… kinda have to pee.”
“What’s wrong with that?”
“My dad said you were supposed to stay with me at all times though, remember? Does that mean you’re going to watch me when I… you know…?”
“Oh… um… how about I wait just outside the door then?”
Snowflake sounds relieved as they walk toward the outhouse. “Yeah. I don’t want anypony to see me without my cloak on.”
Meanwhile, quite some distance away, Sereb stands and stretches before turning and nudging the fillies.
“It is time to rise, little ones.”
Sweetie Belle groans. “Are you… sure?”
Apple Bloom sits up and looks out the tent flap. “Yup. We need to get an early start, right Dinky? Dinky?”
The little unicorn sighs and sits up.
“Yeah…”
Sweetie Belle looks to her friend. “You okay?”
“I just didn’t sleep very well… that’s all.”
Apple Bloom nods. “We understand if you want to rest a bit longer.”
“Indeed.”
Dinky shakes her head. “No, we need to keep going.”
Sereb holds the tent flap open as the fillies pass him. Opening his saddle bags, he turns back to them.
“We should eat a bit before moving on.”
Apple Bloom pulls out some apples and passes them to the others. “Sereb’s right. We need to keep our strength up.”
Sweetie Belle nods as she takes a bite. “So what IS our next step?”
Sereb turns to Dinky. “That is up to her.”
Dinky sighs as she rests a small hoof on her father’s gauntlet. “We already checked the lake and didn’t find anything. But finding this proves that my dad was here. Can you pick up a trail, Sereb?”
Sereb shakes his head. “It has been too long, I’m afraid.”
“So we don’t know which way to go?”
“Pretty much. Unless we can find some kind of clue.”
Dinky smiles. “I believe we already have one.”
Sereb appears confused. We do?
Dinky looks down at the gauntlet. “Sereb, you found this in the lake, so it stands to reason that my dad landed in or near the water. Since he was most likely badly hurt, I imagine he would have used that to his advantage.”
“How?”
Dinky points a hoof toward the waterfall. “The lake feeds a stream that runs away from the capital. Assuming he survived, the most logical escape route would be to let the current carry him away.”
Sereb nods. “There is a good chance he did.”
Apple Bloom grins. “So we start at the base of the waterfall?”
“Yes. Then we follow the river and look for clues.”
Dinky taps the gauntlet as she thinks. “This might be able to help us.”
Sweetie Belle frowns. “How so?”
Apple Bloom gasps. “You thinking we could use it to open portals?”
Sereb looks to Dinky. “With your abilities that does not seem necessary.”
“Sereb’s right. We can go anywhere we envision instantly without a portal. But I was thinking to use this for sending things away.”
“What for?”
Dinky walks over to Sereb’s pack and pulls out Sweetie Belle’s saddlebags.
“I’ll show you two in a minute. Just finish your breakfast while I do something real quick.”
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle shrug as Dinky heads back to the tent.
“Should we… follow her?”
“I dunno.”
“Give your friend some time to herself. She will come out when she is ready.”
Sometime later Dinky exits the tent and rejoins the others.
“Sorry. That took longer than I thought it would.”
Sweetie Belle raises an eyebrow. “What were you doing in there?”
Dinky holds up her school notebook.
“Writing a letter.”
“To whom?”
“My mom. I wrote down everything we learned so far and asked her to tell Miss Twilight. She can probably investigate this more officially.”
“That’s a great idea!”
“Yeah! We’ll do the legwork out here while they look into what was originally reported!”
Sereb nods approvingly. “A sound plan, to be sure.”
“I also asked her to tell Miss Rarity and Miss Applejack not to worry about us, as Sereb’s here too.”
“Oh?”
“I think Applejack will feel better knowing that.”
“Rarity too.”
Dinky nods as she picks up the gauntlet. “Now if I can figure out how to power this thing up, I can open a portal and send this note to my mom at home.”
Sereb looks to Dinky. “Are you certain she’ll notice it?”
“I sure hope so.”
A few minutes later, as her horn glows, Dinky is able to power up the gauntlet and open a portal. With a flick of her fetlock she tosses the note through and closes it. Turning to the others she sighs.
“Let’s get moving, shall we?”
Nodding, the fillies surround Sereb and put their hooves together. Vanishing, they reappear at the base of the waterfall. Looking at the churning water for a few moments soberly the gaze up at the top of the waterfall overhead. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom look to one another.
“That’s… really high!”
“Yeah. But I think Arc could’ve made it.”
Sereb stares at several larger branches twisting in the current. He turns to the fillies.
“Wait here a moment.”
Jumping into the water, Sereb submerges and disappears from sight.
“What’s he doing?”
“Looking for clues, maybe?”
Dinky grimaces. “I think he’s checking to make sure my dad’s body isn’t pinned underwater.”
“Don’t say things like that, Dinky!”
“Yeah! I bet your dad’s okay!”
Dinky sighs. “I sure hope so. But we’re either going to bring him home safe and sound… or for a proper burial.”
A few moments later Sereb surfaces and swims over to the bank. Hopping out of the water he shakes himself dry and looks to Dinky.
“I did not find him.”
Dinky appears relieved. “Thanks for looking.”
She turns to the others.
“We should check the riverbank next.”
“Which one?”
“Both actually.”
Sweetie Bell looks across the river. “Two on one side, two on the other?”
“That is inadvisable.”
Dinky nods. “Sereb’s right. We should stick together and stay safe. After all, if one group was attacked by wild animals, the other pair might not be able to reach them in time to help.”
Apple Bloom frowns. “But what if Arc got out on the other side? We’d miss a clue.”
Sweetie Belle shrugs. “We could check both sides. Just one at a time.”
“I recommend walking on this side until noon. After lunch we could ford the river and head back via the other bank.”
Apple Bloom nods at the wolf. “With luck we would be back at the waterfall before evening.”
“Then what?”
“The next morning we would retrace our steps and walk this side until noon to get back to where we forded. Then we could search that side of the bank until evening, ford the river again, and make camp for the night before it gets too cool.”
Dinky grins. “Then we head back and keep repeating the process.”
Sweetie Belle appears nervous. “For how long though?”
Apple Bloom looks to Dinky, soberly. “Until we find something!”
“Yes. Or until we reach the ocean.”
Sereb sighs. “It is possible he drifted that far, yes. However that would be very unlikely.”
“I know. But I won’t give up my search. Now let’s pack up the tent and get moving.”
Nodding, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle turn and follow their friend back to the campsite. A short time later they set out with Dinky in the lead. Sereb turns to her as they walk the bank very slowly.
“Are you certain you wouldn’t like a ride?”
Apple Bloom nods from the saddle. “We could cover more ground in less time.”
Dinky keeps her eyes on the ground. “No thank you.”
“Are you sure? You’ve got to be getting tired. And I know you didn’t sleep well last night.”
“I don’t want to risk missing a clue. That’s the whole reason we’re out here, after all.”
Sereb frowns. “While I cannot argue with that logic, I must caution against such action.”
“Duly noted.”
Sereb smiles as Dinky pauses momentarily for a drink.
“Very interesting.”
Apple Bloom looks down. “Did you see something, Sereb?”
“Not a clue, no. I was just… thinking.”
Sweetie Belle raises an eyebrow. “What about?”
“Little Dinky here.”
“Me?”
Sereb nods. “Yes. I must say I’m very impressed with your focused mindset in this matter. But it’s important not to push yourself too hard.”
“My dad never gave up on me, or anypony else for that matter! And neither will I!”
“You remind me quite a bit of your father. While you were not present for most of our missions, your attitude is nearly identical to his.”
Apple Bloom turns to Sereb. “That’s a good thing though, right?”
“Somewhat. Arc did have a nasty habit of working too much and pushing himself too hard. However he was also very good at getting results.”
Sweetie Belle giggles. “I think that’s one of the reasons my mom liked him so much. His goal driven mindset is really similar to hers, after all.”
As afternoon falls they stop for lunch. Dinky looks across the river at the opposite bank as her friends eat.
“This is a good place to ford.”
Sereb nods. “Indeed.”
Sweetie Belle frowns. “Why’s that, Dinky?”
Dinky points a hoof at the water. “The river is really deep here, which makes for a slower current.”
Sereb appears to approve. “We can swim it without running the risk of being swept away.”
“How about something to eat, Dinky?”
“You haven’t hardly touched food since we left Ponyville.”
Dinky shakes her head. “I’m not really hungry. You two go ahead though.”
As they finish their meager meal Sereb stands up and stretches.
“Shall I ferry you three across on my back?”
Apple Bloom looks out to the water. “Nah. We can make it.”
Dinky nods. “Right. The river’s really slow here, after all.”
“Very well. However I will go first whenever you’re ready.”
Dinky walks toward the bank. “Let’s get moving.”
Sereb walks into the river and begins to swim. Dinky jumps in and paddles her way across as Apple Bloom turns to Sweetie Belle.
“You okay?”
“Sure. Why wouldn’t I be?”
“I dunno. Just a feeling I had.”
Sweetie Belle gestures with a hoof. “You go on ahead. I’ll be right behind you.”
“Okay.”
Apple Bloom trots into the water and swims after Sereb and Dinky. Sweetie Belle puts a hoof in the water and gasps.
“That’s cold!”
Sweetie Belle looks at her friends as the reach the halfway point. Taking a deep breath she steps into the water and begins kicking her legs. A minute later the others step out onto the opposite bank. Sereb shakes himself dry as Apple Bloom looks to Dinky.
“Kinda chilly in here for summer weather.”
“I read that this river is fed by runoff from the mountain peak Canterlot is built on.”
Sereb raises an eyebrow. “But we’re quite a ways from the city.”
“True. But water is more difficult to heat than the air around it.”
“I wonder why. Any ideas Sweetie Belle?”
They turn around to see the young unicorn roughly halfway to the bank. Sweetie Belle is visibly struggling to advance and appears to be having great difficulty staying afloat. Sereb turns and bounds back into the cold river as her head dips under the water. Within moments he reaches her and vanishes under the current. The pair surface a few moments later with the young filly coughing violently. Sereb ferries Sweetie Belle to shore on his back. Dinky and Apple Bloom run toward the pair and help Sweetie Belle down.
“Are you okay?!”
“What happened?!”
Sweetie Belle looks away. “I… don’t really know how to swim.”
Apple Bloom gasps. “But it’s easy!”
Sereb growls. “If you could not swim why did you not simply say so, little one?”
Sweetie Belle sighs. “Because the three of you seem to be good at all of this.”
“Huh?”
“Good at what?”
“Planning, foraging, living off the land, and swimming too.”
“Well, I learned all this from Applejack. Everything except swimming, that is. Big Mac taught me that.”
“Our tribe is taught from a young age to not just survive, but thrive in nature.”
Dinky nods. “I did a lot of reading prior to my family trip to the Winsome Falls.”
Sweetie Belle looks away. “Right. I don’t know the first thing about… any of this stuff. Rarity isn’t much for camping or outdoorsy stuff, so nopony ever taught me.”
“Then why didn’t you say something?!”
“I didn’t want to hold everypony back! Be a burden to you all!”
Sereb shakes his head. “There is no shame to admitting you cannot do something.”
Dinky nods. “Right. We don’t want to see you get hurt.”
Apple Bloom looks back toward the river. “Or worse.”
“Indeed. But we should get moving. Let’s talk on the way.”
Nodding, they begin walking. Sweetie Belle sighs.
“Sorry everypony. I’m not much use out here.”
“We’re friends, and stick together through it all!”
“Right! Beside, I’m sure there’s plenty of things you’re better at than we are.”
“Like what?”
Dinky puts a hoof to her chin. “Well… um…”
“How about your voice?”
Sweetie Belle sighs. “Shrill like Rarity’s?”
Apple Bloom shakes her head. “I meant that it’s very melodic.”
“Your friends are correct. Everyone has at least one skill in which they excel in over everyone else.”
“Well, not me.”
“Perhaps it has not yet come to you.”
Dinky smiles at her. “Right. You just have to be patient, Sweetie Belle.”
“But what if it never comes?!”
“I’m sure it will. But even if it doesn’t, you’ll always be our friend. Right, Dinky?”
“Right. You just need somepony to teach you a few things. Starting with swimming.”
“How’d you learn, Dinky?”
“My dad taught me the basics back on Earth. But a… uh… friend of his showed me some more advanced techniques.”
Apple Bloom giggles. “Oh? I thought you were pretty good back there.”
“Well, it was easy to learn when I had an expert showing me the ropes. You see, she was…”
Sweetie Belle gasps. “SHE?!”
Apple Bloom raises an eyebrow. “Did Arc have a marefriend back on Earth?!”
“K-kinda.”
Sereb sighs. “He was very… interested in the one known as Hammer.”
“But what about Rarity?!”
“She and my dad weren’t actually dating. That and he we just trying to get to know her to get information on Princess Celestia’s captors.”
Apple Bloom breathes a sigh of relief. “Good! Applejack wouldn’t have liked that either. But if it wasn’t real love…”
“It… kinda was.”
Sweetie Belle raises an eyebrow. “I don’t understand. Doesn’t your dad really like Rarity?”
Sereb grimaces. “He was very… conflicted about this subject back then. Whether or not he was able to resolve it in his mind is unknown to me though.”
“Well, we can ask him about it when we find him.”
“If he survived, yes.”
Sereb groans. “Sweetie Belle!”
“Oh my, I’m really sorry Dinky!”
“It’s okay. I’m… emotionally prepared to face whatever outcome befell my dad. If he survived we’ll bring him home. If not… I want to see him properly laid to rest back in Ponyville.”
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gosh dinky the poor little filly needs closure bad
11006512
Thanks. Fixed it.
11006515
It's partially cloture, yes. But the other part is that she can't just let someone she cares for be treated in such a way. The truth must be told.
Walking twice the river will take time, but will they find Arcs extraction trail?
11007385
As carefully as they are searching, I can give you a definite maybe.