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Sweetie Belle rolled over at the sound of her sister’s voice, letting out a quiet sigh through her nostrils as the early morning sunlight filtering in through her bedroom window fell across her eyelids. She stretched comfortably, snuggling against her soft pillows and glad to have slept in on a weekend while staying at her sister’s.
Sweetie Belle also froze, listening intently to something that she never woke up to.
The sound of faint crying tickled her ears, and she scratched them uncomfortably as she slowly pulled herself from beneath her blankets. Leaving her bed unmade, Sweetie Belle sleepily started down the stairs, where the noise was coming from.
It was a horrible, heart wrenching noise that pulled Sweetie Belle almost forcefully toward the kitchen, where she silently poked her nose around the corner. Much to her surprise, she discovered Spike sitting next to Rarity with his little legs dangling off the wooden chair. He sobbed quietly into an embroidered handkerchief, blubbering and blowing his nose miserably as Rarity kindly patted him on the back.
“What’s goin’ on?” Sweetie Belle’s voice came out drier than she expected it to, and she cleared her throat.
“Everything’s going to be alright, dear,” Rarity said without a single hint of conviction, looking almost as worried as he was.
“Is – is everypony okay?” Sweetie Belle asked, uncomfortable.
“Oh, it’s nothing to worry about,” her sister insisted with forced optimism. “I’m certain that she’s just a little… delayed, is all.”
“She’s been gone for days, Rarity!” Spike wailed.
“Who has?” Sweetie nearly begged for answers. “What is going on?”
“Twilight left on urgent business a couple of days ago,” Rarity explained, trying to hide the fact that she looked just as concerned as Spike did. “She left a letter, saying that she was needed in Canterlot for an important meeting with the princess herself-”
“No warning!” Spike thrust his claws out palms up. “She didn’t even say anything to me! Just a letter on the table, then… poof!”
“I’m sure it’ll be okay, darling,” Rarity cooed, unconvincingly putting on a chipper expression. “Twilight’s probably just – just held up a little. We’ll get as many contacts as we can to find her, Spike, just-just please stop crying, dear.”
Sweetie felt awful about not having anything at all to say to help, but Rarity seemed to have the situation mostly under control. Spike eventually calmed down, and Rarity thankfully distracted them both with breakfast. He did seem a bit more enthusiastic after she ensured him multiple times that she would gather her friends and do what they could do make everything better, but Sweetie was still left with a sinking feeling that Rarity didn’t really think the situation would end well.
“I’m going to meet up with Scoots and Apple Bloom,” Sweetie Belle stated quietly as soon as she finished with her toast, wiping the jam from her lips hastily. She didn’t think that she could spend much longer just sitting in uncomfortable silence while Spike sniffled.
“Be back before lunch this time. Understood, Sweetie Belle?” Rarity said sternly, and Sweetie nodded vigorously. It wasn’t any real wonder that her sister was on edge; if one of her own friends went missing, she would probably be pretty upset, too.
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“What do you mean, she’s missing?”
Sweetie Belle gawked at Apple Bloom in horror, the clubhouse feeling eerily empty without their pegasus companion.
“I haven’t seen her since the other day,” Apple Bloom said fretfully, running her hooves over Scootaloo’s Cutie Mark Crusaders cape. “She didn’t come back after our last meetin’ – she wasn’t at the park like she said she was gonna be, Scoots didn’t even show up to Twist’s birthday party!”
“I didn’t know Twist had a birthday party,” Sweetie Belle frowned. She hadn’t even been invited?
“Eeyup,” Apple Bloom nodded seriously. “Every year.”
They both shared a weak chuckle, but it quickly faded into awkward silence. Apple Bloom rubbed her forehoof in agitation, biting her lower lip.
“I-I think it might be connected…” Sweetie Belle began pacing slowly.
“To what?” Apple Bloom pried, pacing alongside her as they circled the inside of the clubhouse. The clopping of their hooves filled the air, each in tune to the other.
“Thunderlane didn’t come to school Friday, did he…?” Sweetie thought deeply, her suspicions growing.
“… Nah, I don’t think he did,” Apple Bloom shook her head and furrowed her brows. “You don’t think-”
“I do,” Sweetie Belle clapped her hooves together. “I think – I don’t think these are just coincidences.”
“Well…” Apple Bloom rubbed the back of her head, thinking. “Jus’ because Thunderlane skipped school and Scootaloo –”
“It’s not just them, though!” Sweetie picked up pace, walking in circles even faster until she was almost trotting. “I mean, Twilight Sparkle has been missing for days.”
“She has?” Apple Bloom’s eyes widened in surprise, a hint of worry crossing her features.
“They’re connected!” Sweetie insisted, stamping the floorboards. “Spike was just over at our house this morning, because Twilight got a letter for something really important saying that she’d be gone – but Twilight gets her letters from Spike, remember?” she was nearly out of breath, horror and elation rising as she was almost positive that she was drawing closer to an answer.
“So that means…!”
“Somepony is going around foalnapping innocent ponies!” Sweetie finished, wiping a bead of sweat from her brow.
“What’re we gonna do?” the farm pony ran a hoof through her mane in apprehension, ruffling her skewed bow. “Who are we supposed ta go to about foalnappin’?”
“Everypony we can,” Sweetie said breathlessly, the gears in her head turning rapidly. “We’re going to find out who’s been foalnapping ponies and save Scootaloo!”
“We – we gotta, we gotta…!” Apple Bloom sputtered excitedly, her words coming faster than she could form them. “We gotta go, we gotta go get help!”
“I know!” Sweetie Belle barged out the door, flinging it open. “Come on – there’s no time to waste!”
“I’ll tell my sister,” her friend nodded furiously. “We’ll get the whole darned family lookin’, fast as we can!”
“I’m going to check out the library,” Sweetie agreed. “Maybe the foalnappers left some clues as to where they took Twilight!”
Apple Bloom tried to dissuade her from running off – after all, if the foalnappers could subdue a unicorn as powerful as Twilight, what would happen to Sweetie if she ran into them on the way?
However, the filly was out of sight before she knew it, galloping at top speed toward Ponyville’s library. Apple Bloom chewed her lip again, moving with haste back home early.
Applejack would have the answer.
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The Ponyville library was a rather impressive structure.
It was one of the few buildings in town that were actually molded from living foliage, a growing and winding tree with a heavy wooden door set in the front. The little ‘Golden Oaks’ sign swinging in the breeze outside welcomed Sweetie Belle friendlily.
She pushed the wooden door open without hesitation, the darkness of the library overtaking her. It seemed odd that the library would have all the window shades drawn on such a bright day. Silently scolding herself for her foalishness, Sweetie strained to push a chunk of magic into her horn for a light. It was difficult as always, but she finally managed to funnel enough to make a little pale blue spark appear. Satisfied, Sweetie ventured into the darkened library with all the boldness of one of Celestia’s finest warriors.
At least, until the wind pulled the wooden door shut with a loud snap.
Sweetie jumped, simultaneously extinguishing her light by accident. Hastily struggling to create another magic light, Sweetie uneasily cleared her throat. The noise seemed almost too loud in the empty tree-building, and echoed back at her.
That definitely wasn’t creepy in the slightest.
Nope.
Sweetie peered around in the darkness, the strain of magic beginning to pull at her. She cursed her weak magical gift, hurrying along her way. She checked the entrance way first, before checking the kitchen. Didn’t Spike say that he found the letter on the table?
Sweetie poked her head over the table, finding nothing. Her searches over the pristine countertops also showed no sign of any letter. However, a light crinkling beneath her drew her attention to the floor, and she rapidly snatched up the letter in her mouth. Spike must have dropped it, or something. It didn’t seem much like him, though. The rest of the library was so tidy.
She spread it out before her, and the letter seemed like any other one would expect to find.
Spike,
Celestia herself has called me to Canterlot on royal business. I shall return in a couple of days. Don’t tell anyone.
- Twilight
Well.
That seemed rather odd.
Sweetie inspected the letter closely, tongue between her teeth. Something just didn’t add up. Why would Twilight tell Spike not to let anypony know?
It took Sweetie nearly a full minute of reading and rereading the letter before she caught it.
‘Anyone’.
That was such a strange phrase to use. Why not ‘anypony’ like normal?
Certain that this held significant proof of some sort, Sweetie rolled the letter up and carried it in her mouth, making straight for the door. Whatever was going on was definitely out of the ordinary, and this was somehow important. Maybe Rarity could help find some clues in it, or perhaps Spike knew something else but she just hadn’t heard it.
Sweetie was halfway to the door before she heard the feminine whisper.
“Spi~ike…”
Sweetie shivered, dropping the letter and whirling on the spot.
“Twilight?” she called out, struggling to relight her horn. “Hey, Twilight! Are you still in here?”
Sweetie Belle instantly regretted calling out, because the whispering stopped immediately.
An unnatural tingling running up her spine, Sweetie abandoned the letter and spun toward the door. Something was just wrong.
Darkness overtook her before her hooves ever touched the handle.
Sweetie screamed in futility, wet cloth wrapping over her head without warning. She struggled hard, a painfully pungent odor of ether penetrating her nostrils as she suddenly discovered her capacity for staying conscious rapidly stealing away from her.
“Oh, yes. You’ll do just fine.”
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Author's Note
Sweetie Belle is now Liam Neeson.
