Eyes Wide Closed

"It's been three days, Applejack. I'm not leaving them out there!" Rainbow Dash turned to stare her friend down. She knew Applejack was just as worried as she was; after all, Applebloom was missing, as well as Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. But she couldn't believe she was hearing this.

"Look, we've been at it non-stop now, Rainbow. We looked all over the place, from Ghastly Gorge to Saddle Lake and everythin' in between. We ain't seen hide-nor-hair of em and, as much as I hate to say it, we need to get back to Ponyville and get more ponies." Applejack looked around the forest around them, the foreboding Everfree Forest, so close to home. Yet, right now, it felt like it might as well be miles away. Home just wasn't home without Applebloom there. The dark of the night seemed oppressive and Applejack couldn't help but wonder; was her sister thinking the same thing?

"I'm not going back, AJ. I won't even sleep until I find them." Rainbow tried to fly a little higher, but she was unable to. She was exhausted, though she'd never admit it. Between the stress of Scootaloo's disappearance, not being able to find her, and now this, she was being slowly worn down. She felt like, if she gave up - even for a second - she would fail her.

"Dear, listen to Applejack." Rarity joined them, walking from some nearby bushes. "We aren't getting anywhere by ourselves. We need help." Even Rarity was disheveled; three days without even a good mirror to tidy herself. Were it for anypony except Sweetie or her friends, she would've given up long ago, at least to take a break and tidy up. "You look dreadful, Rainbow... Please, consider getting some rest."

"Zecora?" Rainbow asked with hope, ignoring Rarity's input.

Rarity sadly shook her head. "Nothing. She warned me about something though, in her usual, vague way." Rarity sighed, closing her eyes. "Shadows move throughout this land. Something dark is close at hand. That's what she said." This didn't exactly fill the three with confidence.

"So you expect me to go back now? After hearing that?" Rainbow shook her head, frowning. "You two are nuts."

"No, but we just know we ain't gonna do those three no good, passed out. If they got taken by somepony or somethin', we need to be in tip-top shape to kick some flank and get the girls back." Applejack trotted over to Rarity, but kept her eyes on Rainbow Dash. "We ain't leavin' em, Dash. We just can't do it alone."

Rainbow wanted to argue more, but she was just too tired. As the last spark of defiance left her, she sighed, drifting back down to the ground and nodding. "Yeah... yeah, you're right." She didn't say any more as the three started home. Her gloom was contagious and the walk back to Ponyville was a silent one. Nopony wanted to mention the fears that loomed over their heads.

It was weeks ago now; when Twilight had returned from the world of Canterlot High, bearing with her a few minor bits of technology from that world. She had hoped to unlock their secrets and better Equestria with the knowledge. However, something or somepony didn't take well to the idea of advanced technology. The very next day, ponies began vanishing, leaving behind no trace, nor any clues as to where they could have gone or what could have happened to them.

Paranoia spread over Ponyville and soon, nopony would leave their homes, afraid of becoming the next victim. Finally, things reached a grim climax; the Cutie Mark Crusaders vanished, three days ago. Worse still, a few pieces of Twilight's tech vanished with them - a video recorder, a pile of tapes and a playback machine that went along with them.

The Crusaders had taken the devices with hopes of finding their cutie-marks in video making. Twilight had begrudgingly let them take the machines, not able to say no to the fillies' bright eyes and excitability. Nopony could have imagined the repercussions of such a small, innocuous decision.

Twilight greeted her three friends as they found their way to the Castle of Friendship the next morning. "Did you find them?" The silence was all the answer she needed. "Don't worry everypony, they'll be fine. With you three looking for them, I know you'll find them." She motioned them further in, but stopped when her friends didn't follow.

"That's actually why we're here, Twilight." Applejack took off her hat, fiddling with it nervously. "We've been at it for over three days now, and we ain't found a single clue. It's like they just vanished. We need help, Twilight."

Twilight looked between the three, frowning. Sadness battled with the neutrality of her features as she bottled her emotions. "Girls, I... I've been tasked with finding out about all of the missing ponies, not just the Crusaders. They're special to me, but if I singled out looking for them, how would it look to anypony else who lost somepony important? I'm sorry, but I can't look for them specifically, as much as I want to. Have you spoken to Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie?"

"Fluttershy has been locked in her cottage for days now." Rarity spoke up, keeping her eyes downcast. "She's terrified, with ponies vanishing like this. We can't ask this of her, not seeing how afraid she is. I doubt she even knows what happened to Sweetie Belle and the others. It's better that way; she won't feel guilty if she doesn't know. She's always been so good with the Crusaders... We couldn't tell her..." The unicorn trailed off, biting her lip and fighting back tears.

As Applejack moved to comfort Rarity, Rainbow Dash picked up where she left off. "And Pinkie Pie is away right now, remember? She's been with her family for a week now, helpin' them around their farm. We're outta options, Twilight."

Twilight shifted on her hooves. "No pressure, or anything..." She muttered under her breath. "All right, I can't help directly, but I can share what I've learned with you." Twilight walked further down the hall, the others following. "Nopony saw anything, as far as I can tell. The victims just vanished; some disappeared right in public, in the middle of the day. They'd walk around a corner and just... be gone." Twilight stopped at one of the hall's many doors, opening it to a room filled with clutter. A massive pin-board dominated the far wall, strings leading from one thing to another, linking key events to bits of minutia and back again in a pattern that no one but Twilight would understand.

"The vanished ponies had very little in common... Berry Punch, Cheerilee, Vinyl Scratch, and Bon-Bon being a few of them, as well as several foals from the school; Silver Spoon, Pipsqueak, Snips and Snails being the most recent of that category..." Twilight searched through the massive chart, finding one string and following it. Her hoof stopped on a piece from the Foal Free Press. "I started putting things together when I saw this."

The article was about Twilight's video recorder. Apparently, the Crusaders brought it to show and tell, causing a big fuss at the school with the amazing technology. Several ponies were recorded by them, all of which had pins attached to their names, leading off to pictures, crossed off with large Xs.

"The Cutie Mark Crusaders recorded every foal who vanished, as well as Cheerilee, just days before they all disappeared. When I did my research, they were seen recording each and every pony who vanished over the course of these past few weeks." Twilight looked to her three friends. Rarity looked stunned, but Applejack and Rainbow Dash looked more angry than anything.

"Are you sayin' my sister is the kidnapper, Twilight? 'Cause that's ridiculous." Applejack said, deceptively calm.

"No, I'd never accuse them of this. Especially when..." Twilight looked to the corner of the board, a picture of the Crusader's there, each one crossed off. "I'm just as worried about them as you three are, believe me. Those three were a beautiful group of fillies, destined for great things and beautiful friendship. I adored them, you know that."

Applejack calmed down instantly, ashamed at her anger. Rainbow Dash nodded to herself, but still looked angry. "So, what are you saying then, Twilight? That somepony was following them, picking the ponies they recorded as targets? That's just as ridiculous."

"It is indeed. Why would somepony go through such unusual methods to take their victims? And why take the Crusaders at all, if that's the case? It doesn't make sense." Twilight sighed heavily, shaking her head. "But I can't lie, you three. Ever since the Crusaders vanished, there hasn't been a single disappearance. I'm not accusing them, never that, but it's directly linked to them somehow. I think..." Twilight followed another string, stopping at a picture of her recorder. "I think it might have to do with this."

"Your recorder? But darling, how could it be responsible?" Rarity asked, recovering herself from her earlier sorrow.

"I don't know yet. But technology like this has never existed in Equestria before. Who knows what it could do here." Twilight bit her lip again and turned back to her friends. "There is one theory I have. I haven't put it up here, because there isn't any supporting evidence, but..."

When Twilight didn't immediately continue, Rainbow gave an agitated groan. "Out with it, Twilight! I need to get back out there and find Scootaloo!"

Twilight took a deep breath. "It is the idea of creatures with unusual abilities, ones that are too advanced for the world they're born in. Things that are ahead of their time, born with latent abilities that utilize things Equestria hasn't accomplished yet, if that makes sense." Rainbow Dash adopted a confused look, but Rarity nodded.

"I see. You're thinking that something, perhaps somepony, is using the technology of the recorder to kidnap these ponies with some kind of magic or ability." Rarity pondered, shaking her head. "But that can't be proven, can it?"

"Of course not. Which is why it's just a theory. It's just postulation on the idea of advanced entities. But I know for a fact that the recorder has no special properties of it's own. It's just metal and plastic, applied together in the correct order with electricity to power it. It's nothing special, beyond that. But what if, to something else, it's like a gateway." Twilight looked back to her board, eyes growing distant. "If it is, then this is all my fault. The Crusaders are in trouble, they might already be..." She trailed off, fighting back a fit of tears. One or two still slipped free down her cheek. "All these ponies, gone because I decided Equestria needed something more."

Applejack stepped forward, putting a hoof around Twilight. "Listen, Sugarcube, you said yourself, it can't be proven, right? So don't beat yourself up over it. If it didn't do nothin' like this in that other world, how could you know it'd do this here, if it even is doin' it? Don't blame yourself. We need you at the top of your game." Applejack poked Twilight in the chest with a hoof. "Thanks for all the help. We'll get back out there and keep lookin'." Applejack looked Rainbow Dash and Rarity, who nodded their agreement. They'd learned all they could here.

"If it helps any, you should go talk to Roseluck. She was the last pony who saw them, from what I've learned." Twilight said, just as her friends turned to leave.

Applejack smiled, looking over her shoulder to nod to Twilight. "That's news to us. Thanks, Twi."

"Your welcome." Twilight whispered, then turned back to her board, staring at it with a blank, defeated stare.