The Children

Part 1 – Missing

As the dew from the morning grass glimmered in the sun, rainbows reflected in the puddles from the night's previous rain. The Rainbow Nursery was one such place where the rainbows were especially colourful, thanks to both the Rainbow Baby Ponies and the Rainbow Curl ponies. The Rainbow Curl ponies looked after the Rainbow Babies, and all of them ensured the rainbows shone brightly.

Baby Rainribbon was up with the sun, ready to start her day. She went to find Baby Sunribbon, only to find her the bed empty. She frowned slightly. Baby Sunribbon didn't usually get up early, she often spent her nights with Baby Starbow creating rainbow ribbons in the night sky.

She shrugged and trotted outside. She took a deep breath of the morning air, then smiled to herself. It was a beautiful morning now the rain had stopped. Birds flew between the trees, landing on branches then flew past the rainbows. Baby Rainribbon splashed in the puddles, dashing between the wet grass and the next puddle ahead of her. She ran ahead, past the home of the Rainbow Curl ponies, though she found Streaky to be already awake. The purple unicorn smiled at her and approached her.

"Good morning, Baby Rainribbon," she greeted her, "You're up early."

Baby Rainribbon nodded. "I was going to wake Baby Sunribbon to see if she wanted to come with me to play, but I couldn't find her."

Streaky cocked her head to the side. "She's not in the nursery?"

Baby Rainribbon shook her head.

"Hmm, how very odd." She walked ahead, then motioned for Baby Rainribbon to follow. "Let's see if we can't find her, I'm sure I could do with some help brightening the rainbows up."

They walked through the valley, galloping through puddles and laughing. Streaky was Baby Rainribbon's favourite, the purple unicorn was always the most approachable of the ponies, and Baby Rainribbon had no qualms about coming to her for advice whenever she had needed it.

The two ponies made their past rainbows where Baby Rainribbon handed Streaky her paint pots and brushes. Streaky leapt into the air with a grace Baby Rainribbon could only admire. She splashed the colours across the rainbow, the different shades reflecting onto the grass and the water of the puddles. Streaky held Baby Rainribbon up and she added her own colours to the rainbow as well.

When they were finished, it was just in time for lunch, and the two headed back to the Rainbow Nursery.

By this point, Baby Brightbow and Baby Starbow were awake, though the latter yawned and rubbed her eyes. Stripes ushed them over to the table and the places set out for them. Streaky nudged Baby Rainribbon forward and she sat with her friends while the food was handed out.

She looked at the empty place where Baby Sunribbon should've been.

"Have you seen Baby Sunribbon this morning?" she asked.

Both Baby Brightbow and Baby Starbow shook their heads. "I thought she was with you," Baby Starbow replied.

"She wasn't in bed when I woke up."

Baby Starbow frowned. "She wasn't with me last night. I was making rainbows on my own."

"I'll try and find her today, see where she's been."

At this, Stripes and Ringlet placed steaming bowls of soup in front of them, a plate of warm, crusty bread in the middle of the table for them to help themselves. Baby Brightbow was the first, grabbing several slices, then spread butter on them. She dipped these into her soup and was finished before anyone else at the table could start. She hurried off and flew into the air.

Ringlet laughed, then turned her attention to her own meal.

Baby Starbow poked Baby Rainribbon lightly. "I'll come with you to find Baby Sunribbon."

Baby Rainribbon nodded.

When they finished their lunch, Baby Rainribbon and Baby Starbow went back to the Rainbow Nursery to check for Baby Sunribbon there. Still she could not be found. Her bed was made, her toys put away in their rightful places, her ribbons carefully folded on top of her dresser.

"It's not like her to go off without telling anyone," Baby Starbow remarked.

"I know," Baby Rainribbon replied. She sighed. "I'm getting a bit worried about her."

Baby Starbow patted Baby Rainribbon's shoulder. "We'll find her, she can't have gone too far."

They left the nursery and wandered into the valley. The Rainbow Curl ponies danced and played among the puddles. Ringlet flew high above, painting rainbows and the sunbeams that shone down onto the ground. Raincurl lay on the ground under a tree, a book in front of her while drips from the leaves above pattered softly around her.

Everything was so normal, and yet Baby Rainribbon could not quell the pit in her stomach that screamed something was deeply wrong.

It was.

Baby Sunribbon was missing, no matter which way they tried to pretend she was not. Baby Starbow could feel it too, her mood slipping lower and lower when still they could not find their friend.

Baby Sunribbon was the youngest of them, and Baby Rainribbon felt especially protective of her, as did the rest of the Rainbow Curl ponies. They indulged her curiosity, he penchant for ribbons of all colours, and made sure to keep them as brightly coloured as possible. She was soft spoken, though happily went all out for her friends.

There were voices ahead of them, and Baby Rainribbon frowned. It sounded like a crowd of ponies, all gathered around in one place. The two baby ponies followed the noise and came upon the crowd.

A platform was set up in the middle of the square. There was a small town near the Rainbow Nursery where the Rainbow Curl ponies bought their paints and supplies to make the food for everyone. Today, however, there was a platform filled with pale looking ponies with stringy, dark hair.

Baby Rainriboon scooted between the ponies gathered to get closer to the platform.

"Listen to us. We are on the cusp of something great, of magic far more powerful than any of us could've imagined," the lead pony was saying. Her hoof shot out to point at the crowd. "And it is all within our grasp." She walked to the other end of the platform. "We will return your baby ponies to you, this is a promise. When we do, they will tell tales of great deeds achieved, not only by us, but by them too."

Baby Rainribbon's eyebrows shot up. Baby ponies? Surely Baby Sunribbon hadn't been taken in by these ponies. She stood longer to listen to what they were saying.

"There is so much untapped potential," she continued, "So much talent they possess that were are simply not aware of."

She locked eyes with Baby Starbow, who shook her head, pleading with her to not go through with what she was planning. Baby Rainribbon gave a helpless shrug, and went between the crowd of ponies. Soon, she was at the front of the group and caught the eye of the lead pony.

"You. What is your name?" the pony asked, crouching down on the platform.

"Baby Rainribbon," the little purple unicorn replied.

"And you're a unicorn too. There is much we could teach you, little pony."

A coldness swept over her, and try as she might, Baby Rainribbon hide the nervousness she felt. She looked back to Baby Starbow, who shook her head frantically. Baby Rainribbon took a breath, and stepped forward.

"I'd like that."

The pony smiled. "Come then. We should begin as soon as possible."