mylittlejamjar | Second Note: Bye Bye, Blackbird [Visual]

[When the scroll comes to life, it will show a concerned stallion, pawing at the ground.]

What ho, all! Sorry to be a bother, but I was wondering if anypony knows what it means if you can't catch hold of somepony via these fine little whatsits. There's this fellow, Jay, who's been staying with us on Vantas' farm, but he seems to have disappeared. I mean, I'm not about to go chasing down every fellow who finds an itch to go wandering, but it's been a day or more. There was also another chap I'm having trouble finding. A red fellow with a tiger on his flank by the name of Jan. And then there was another fellow, a very upstanding-looking gent with a rose on the hindquarters going by Tamaki Suou.

All three of them were humans before they were ponies.

[He pauses to ponder.]

Well... Jan might also have been a tiger. I wasn't very clear on the specifics, what with it all being byunbyun due to the zowazowa. Honestly, the cove could do to be a bit more precise about these things. Which does remind me: Are the rest of you actually speaking English? Jan said he wasn't when I mentioned it to him. He said I sounded like I was speaking Japanese, which is a marvelous notion, if utterly mad.

Right, but to the point. Has anypony else noticed their new chums buzzing off for parts unknown sans magical whatsity scroll?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Sure I do! Where else could they have gone, you know?

And of course the Princess has to worry. Rulers have to worry about their people even if those people aren't in danger. That's part of the job right?

[Even though much of her job required deception, Surprise was never great at lying. And this was a lie now. She had no clue what had happened to his friends and even if this Equestria wasn't as dangerous as hers...there were still places like the Everfree they could have gotten lost in.

But she still had to try. If just to put the weird not-pegasus' mind at peace.]

[Given Bertie really wants to believe her, he isn't going to be credulous about the tone of her commentary in the slightest.]

I suppose it is... though it does play merry hay on the nerves to have the highest mare in Equestria not in the know on these mysterious occurrences.

[His smile is nervous, but he offers one all the same. It just won't do to have his worries passed on to Surprise, as well!]

Right, but, well, I'm going to be searching for them all the same. Just to see every 't' is crossed and 'i' dotted as it should be in these matters, what? If they've returned home, that's brilliant, of course! Perhaps we'll all just need to wait a little longer to return to the homestead, as well.

Do you think they might still be ponies back where they're from, though? Hah! I dare say I'd give more than a few of my chums a heart attack if I turned up as a winged horse at the Drones Club! Hahahaha!

[He cuts off, because lapsing into mildly hysterical laughter isn't going to help.]

[You have no need to worry Surprise at the moment, Bertie. She has her own but mysteriously surprising ponies isn't something that bothers her. She supposes that should bother her.

It bothers her more that it doesn't bother her.]

Man, I dunno, but it's not going to do any good if you just keep worrying like this. You gotta relax man. Don't go into the search all worried or you're just going to jeopardize it.

I'm not worried, Ms. Surprise. Not in the slightest!

[If you thought you were bad at lying, Surprise...]

I'm sure we'll have it all sorted soon enough. The Doctors are going to help me. Jolly nice of them. And they've some experience in the area of heroing, what? The very finest heroes! Doubled up, no less. Fantastic there being two of them. Can you imagine there being two of you? What a laugh that would be!

[Man, Bertie, you need to calm it down some. Do you think you can really get anyone to think you aren't on pins and needles right now.]

See you got two great heroes on your side! That means this'll be cleared up in no time you know?

I guarantee it will be!

[Surprise wouldn't lie. Perhaps she knew the Doctors even better than he did. Few fillies could be that certain without being in the know somehow, right?]

Right! Right, yes... Of course.

[He relaxes visibly, then smiles at Surprise.]

I'm sure there's nothing nefarious. You're awfully good at putting a fellow's fears to rest, Ms. Surprise. Thank you.

Heh, you're welcome. So. You know. Just try not to fret so much! You only live once man!

[She feels guilty. About somewhat manipulating him like this. But at the same time?

It feels like it's for the best.]

[If he had a pound for every time he'd been manipulated in his life, half of Ponyville would be drowning in the things.]

That's very true! Well... unless Hindu chappies have got the measure of it more than the rest of us. Then I suppose you live rather a lot of times. But we ought to make the best of all of them, what? No sense in letting any version of a life go to waste!

You got that right man.

Worst thing you can do is let a life go to waste.

[Well, he agrees, but Surprise certainly seems dead set on the notion.]

Too right, old girl. I'll leave worrying over whatsits I can't change for the moment and look into this searching with a clear head, shall I? If you'd like to help, we'll be starting at Sugar Cube Corner and working out.

I'd be happy to see you again, Ms. Surprise. Always a pleasure.