When she crossed the front door of the house, the first thing Applejack noticed was a strange sound coming from upstairs. She walked to the kitchen to leave the bags of groceries, greeting Granny Smith on her way, who was baking some pies. The sound came again. Applejack thought it sounded like a rooster being strangled mid-cry.

"What in tarnation is that, Granny?"

"I got no idea, youngling." replied the old woman.

The sound came a little louder, and Applejack cringed. She still couldn't figure out what it was, but it sounded awful.

"I'm gonna check."

Applejack left Granny Smith to her business in the kitchen and went to the wooden stairs. The sound increased, but it still was hard to figure out. It sounded familiar. Applejack climbed up the stairs and noticed, much to her short-lived surprise, that the sound was coming from AppleBloom's room. That girl.

Applejack approached the door and stopped when she realized something. The sound was familiar because it sounded like a way off-key bass.

Applejack burst through the door. Sitting on her bed, AppleBloom flinched and turned to look at her older sister with a terrified expression on her eyes. The oldest sister set her eyes on the bass sitting on AppleBloom's lap. Applejack's bass.

"Whoa, there nelly!" Applejack was in front of AppleBloom in two seconds, and she took her bass from her sister's hands. "What do ya' think yer doin' with my bass?"

AppleBloom pouted, not happy at all of being caught. "I was just tryin' to play! For the Musical Showcase!"

"Really now? Well, let me tell ya somethin'." Applejack sat next to AppleBloom and gave her a playful noogie. The teenager grunted but chuckled. "Don't ever touch mah things again, ya hear?!"

"But ya never use that bass anymore!" AppleBloom pleaded. "Can't I have it? I promise I'll take good care of him!"

"No can do, 'Bloom. This bass is important to me." Applejack caressed the chords of her beloved instrument. "Brings back happy memories."

AppleBloom snorted, crossing her arms. Applejack frowned.

"Now, don't ya be like that..."

"Can't you at least show me?"

"Anytime, little one," Applejack ruffled her sister's hair. "But I'm afraid you can't learn an instrument in a week. Also, wasn't Sweetie Belle performin' on her own for the Showcase?"

"Yeah, but she said that maybe the CMC should make a group..." AppleBloom crossed her arms. "I thought that was a good idea."

Applejack pondered for a bit. After the fiasco of the Talent Show years ago, and the Battle of the Bands... It probably wasn't the best idea to allow those three to plan the performance on their own. Sweetie was the singer of the group, and while Scootaloo and AppleBloom had a pretty voice, none of them played any instruments. She knew Sweetie played the piano and was probably thinking to perform with that.

Yeah, definitely not a good idea.

Applejack put her bass to her side on the bed and turned to be face to face to AppleBloom. "Do ya know if Sweetie's already decided what her performance's gonna be?"

"She said somethin' about a love song... I'm not sure what she's gonna sing, though. I do know she had Rarity sew her a dress and has done a few sound checks in the gym."

"Mhmm, and you really what to make her start her plans all over? Especially when Scootaloo and ya weren't as excited as she was from the beginnin'?"

"Well, no... But how are we gonna help her then?"

Applejack chuckled. "I'm sure Sweetie will be glad to have her own fan club on the front row, don't ya think?"

AppleBloom thought about it, then she perked up and smiled. "Yeah! I'll tell Scootaloo about it! You're right, we're not as good musicians as Sweetie is, but we sure are goin' to support her!"

The teenager got up with a jump and ran over to her desk, where her cellphone was charging. The girl sat at her chair and started chatting with her friend, and Applejack left with her bass, glad of having stopped a disaster from happening.

Twilight grunted when her back hit the padded floor. The back of her head hit the pad a bit roughly, but it wasn't enough to harm her anyway. Her sensitive shoulder, however, did not take the fall kindly.

Das appeared above Twilight, clad in lycra high-waisted, black pants and white shirt, and clicked her tongue.

"You still let your guard down too often."

Twilight moaned, feeling at the same time frustrated and ashamed of her frequent mistake.

"I know, I know... I'm sorry," Twilight said as she started to get up.

"Don't be sorry. Correct it." Rainbow Dash offered Twilight her hand and helped her stand back on her feet. Something Twilight had noticed ever since the first day Dash had been training her was that when Dash meant business, she meant business And she didn't take training lightly. She claimed that 'it takes hard work to be the best of the best', and while she was absolutely right, Twilight's muscles certainly weren't fond of Dash's training sessions. Or workouts. In fact, they weren't fond of Dash at all.

Dash untied her ponytail, allowing wild locks of color to rest on her slightly-sweaty, bare shoulders. "We're done for today," she instructed, shaking her head. Twilight admitted that she looked gorgeous with that unkempt look and messy hair. Instead, Twilight assumed she wasn't in her best appearance, sweating more than a sinner in a church and panting like a thirsty dog.

That was a pretty obvious thing to happen, of course. Twilight didn't have yet half the stamina Dash had, and the training sessions tired her out way quicker. This probably was barely warming up for Dash.

No wonder she practices with Applejack.

Both girls turned to the door the moment it opened. Like reading her thoughts, Applejack appeared in the threshold, carrying a sports bag and dressed in a training suit similar to Rainbow's. She was followed close behind by Sunset Shimmer and Fluttershy.

"Where's Rarity? And Pinkie?" Dash asked.

"Rarity's doing a fitting for a wedding dress, and Pinkie had to go over some events with Cheese Sandwich and the Cakes. A book launch, I believe." Sunset set her bag on a bench. "They said they would come over as soon as they could."

Dash huffed. She had never liked it when anyone skipped practice, which was the reason she got so pissed with Twilight pretty often in the past. However, she knew there was nothing to do. The whole group wouldn't leave their jobs behind, especially since some of them had worked hard for it since Middle School.

Twilight picked up her stuff and started walking to the exit. A few tuts stopped her.

"And just where do you think you're going?" Dash asked her. Twilight was confused.

"Um, you said we were done for today?"

"Yeah, we, like in you and I. You still have to train with the others."

Twilight dared to groan in discontent, prompting a raised eyebrow from her mentor.

"What was that? I think someone was asking for some burpees,"

Twilight squeaked. Burpees were the worst, ever since High School, she cursed whoever dared to invent such torture. Dash was aware of this and seemed to enjoy to make her do endless burpees if she ever dared to show the slightest bit of discontent to her exercises.

"So, what do ya say Twi?" Applejack laughed. "Burpees or fighting Fluttershy?"

Twilight reluctantly positioned herself in the mat, in front of Fluttershy as the girl stretched, her long hair braided to her skull. Sunset, on the other hand, sat at the side with the sports bag, judging the matches and waiting for her turn.

Twilight was amazed at the ability shown in the match by Applejack and Rainbow Dash. They were both going at it, delivering and dodging punches without losing their balance. Even when one of them scored a hit, the other didn't falter or stayed dizzy for long before going back to the fight, and it went on even after Twilight was beaten by Fluttershy and was replaced in the mat by Sunset. Twilight observed her two friends. Each girl had their advantages and disadvantages. Applejack was bigger, taller and stronger even without her geode (which were prohibited in the training sessions), but because of her size, she was slower. Dash, on the other hand, was much smaller and thus faster and agile, which made her harder to catch; but she lacked the immense strength Applejack had even though she was strong herself.

In the end, force prevailed over speed and Applejack won the match when she pinned Dash to the mat, effectively holding her captive. Dash groaned. "Seriously, you've got to help me with my strength training."

"More than twenty years of farmwork, sugarcube. That's the key." Applejack let go of Dash.

Twilight took a long gulp of water at the exact moment Sunset caught Fluttershy in a headlock. Knowing that meant she was up next, Twilight stood up.

"Nope!" Applejack grabbed Twilight by the shoulder and pushed her to her mat Twilight stood there confused. Applejack grinned. "Now yer fighting me, Twi."

Twilight's pupils shrank to tiny dots.

"Oh, damn it..."

AppleBloom stopped dead on her tracks on her way back from the dance practice. In front of Principal Celestia's door, she could have sworn she heard sobbing coming from the inside. The door was slightly ajar. AppleBloom, burying the guilt forming at her stomach, leaned closer and peeked into the office.

Celestia sat at her chair, with Luna behind her, both looking pretty concerned. Sitting in front of them were Filthy Rich and Spoiled Rich, Diamond Tiara's parents. The sobs were coming from Spoiled Rich, who cried into her hands. Celestia handed her a box of tissues from the drawer with a sympathetic look.

"There, Mrs. Rich. Please calm down and tell us again. What do you mean Diamond Tiara has disappeared?"

AppleBloom's eyes went wide. Disappeared? So that was why the girl had been skipping classes. She thought she had just been sick, but Tiara never replied to her texts. Although they didn't get along very well at the beginning, the CMC had befriended Tiara and Silver Spoon after the elections which Tiara had lost to Pipsqueak. They weren't the best of friends but sure cared about the others' well-being.

Spoiled Rich wailed. "S-She was kidnapped!" the woman cried. "We don't know by who or why, but she was taken away when she was on her way back from her French lessons. The police have been trying to find her, but it's been almost a week since that and they haven't found anything!"

"How are you sure she was kidnapped?" Luna wondered. "Couldn't she just have... ran away?"

Filthy Rich scowled. "Our daughter would never do such a thing! We aren't the best parents, sure, but we love her and she knows that." AppleBloom noticed the man was fidgeting with his cufflinks, a thin layer of sweat on his nape. He seemed nervous.

"The police went through all her stuff. They didn't find anything out of the ordinary. And around the time she disappeared, som people say they heard screaming near their houses. Oh, but it was late at night... She always comes home late..." Spoiled Rich went back to sobbing. "M-My daughter is gone..."

"She's not gone, Mrs. I'm sure they will find her soon." Celestia tried to comfort the woman.

Luna nodded. "Trust the authorities. They are sure to find something soon."

"AppleBloom!" the mentioned flinched hard. She had to bit her tongue to stop a scream of surprise. Turning around, she saw Tender Taps approaching her with a confused smile. AppleBloom shushed him and hurried to approach him before getting caught. She grabbed Tender Taps' arm and dragged him with her to the closest locker row.

"What were you doing?" Taps asked, amused. AppleBloom puffed her cheeks.

"N-Nothin'. It's nothin'. What did you want?"

"Oh, I was just wondering if you wanted to go grab something to eat? A snack after practice sure sounds great, don't you think?"

AppleBloom pondered the offer. She wanted badly to go back home and ask Applejack if she could find out anything about Tiara, but... well, she liked to spend time with Tender Taps. Thanks to him she had discovered she could dance well enough to join the dance club. It took her just a bit of practice.

"Sure thin'!" AppleBloom smiled. "Let me warn my Granny real quick, alright?"

"Alright!"

AppleBloom stepped aside to make her call. In her mind still wandered the subject of Diamond Tiara. Was she kidnapped for real? Tiara didn't look like the girl to run away from home, even if her bond with her mother wasn't the best there could be. She wondered if there was anything she could do to help her.

AppleBloom sighed. She would ask Applejack later. Surely her sister could tell her a bit more since she couldn't' hear the whole details of the incident.

Hopefully, this was nothing to worry about. Hopefully.

"I hate to ask ya for this, fella." Applejack said as she followed Shining Armor to his office. Around her, the Police station was buzzing with activity. People were going everywhere, answering calls and carrying files. Applejack stopped when an officer dragged a thief in front of her.

Shining Armor shot her a smile. "What are you saying, Applejack? It's my pleasure to help. Come on in."

Applejack entered the office and sat at the chair in front of the desk. Shining went to the one behind it and turned to the computer. "Now, what was the girl's name?"

"Diamond Tiara. AppleBloom says she disappeared around a week ago."

"Ah, yes! I remember that case. I went to investigate it myself,"

Applejack arched an eyebrow. "Isn't that the Detective's work? It sure doesn't sound like somethin' a Captain would do."

Shining Armor smirked, typing on his computer. "The office can get a tad boring sometimes. I need some excitement too." He frowned. "But I'm afraid to tell you there isn't a lot about this one. If it was indeed a kidnapping, it was very well done. The area had no cameras and there are no visual witnesses,"

"Have ya talked to the parents?"

"I have. The mother's devasted. The father, however, was a lot more composed. He seemed tired." Shining Armor narrowed his blue eyes. "He seemed pretty worried that the case may go public."

"Do you think he's hidin' somethin'?"

"Maybe. That, or he's just trying to keep appearances. You know how those people are, always keeping appearances. Which one seems the most likely to you, Applejack?"

"Both. But no kidnappin' happens without a reason. If she really was kidnapped, then there's probably some shady business behind this."

Shining nodded. "Well thought. We're working on investigating the parents. It probably has more to do with the father than the mother."

"What makes ya say that?"

"Let's just say a bear hibernation is more eventful than that woman's life," Shining rolled his eyes. "I'm gonna print this for you. Maybe that'll calm down AppleBloom a bit about her friend. Are they close?"

"Not that much, ah think. But AppleBloom wouldn't tell me how she found out about this. She wanted me to ask around ATIDA, but since this isn't the kind of stuff we deal with I assumed ya would be the closest help." Applejack sighed. "Sorry, ya must be busy. I'm takin' a lot of yer time."

"A friend of Twilight's my friend too. And my friends never rob me of my time," Shining laughed. The printing ended and he handed Applejack a sheet about the case. Applejack checked it. There really isn't a lot to see about it. "If there's anything else that comes up, then I'll tell you immediately."

On her way out of the police station, Applejack read the report about the disappearance of that girl. Diamond Tiara. There was a picture of her attached to the document. She was looking to the camera, a bright smile on her face and with a spark on her sky blue eyes. It looked like a selfie, probably from social media. Next to that one was another picture, black and white, this time of her and her parents, probably taken on a studio. She was looking to one side, her expression cold and distant, looking a bit like one of those old pictures Granny Smith kept in her photo albums; her parents were sitting behind her, her father with one hand in her shoulder and her mother holding the patriarch's arm. None was looking at the camera.

Applejack looked closely at both pictures. The teenager of the picture on the left was nothing like the one in the picture of the right. The one in the right looked stiff and serious. The one on the left was happy, smiling like she was having the time of her life.

Applejack shook her head. There was no way that that girl had ran away from her house. AppleBloom said she loved CHS. She wouldn't abandon that.

There was something else going on here. And AppleBloom seemed determined to find out what. That meant Applejack would also follow this to the end, until that girl was back at her house, safe and sound with her parents.

When AppleBloom went to class the next morning, there was still no trace of Diamond Tiara. She breathed a sigh of disappointment. She shouldn't be disappointed: after all, they couldn't have found her with so little proofs in one afternoon, but she was hoping anyway she would see her today, sitting next to Silver Spoon.

Who, by the way, looked like her head was elsewhere. She looked at her desk with a vacant expression, her arms crossed tight to her chest. AppleBloom hadn't stopped to consider how she must have been feeling. Tiara and Silver were best friends after, that coming even from back when they were the biggest meanies (a title which, by the way, was given to them when freshmen). She must be devasted, thought AppleBloom.

Behind her were sitting Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, who waved at AppleBloom with wide smiles. She hadn't told them yet. It was too personal for the Rich family, it wasn't her secret to tell. But it was obvious Silver Spoon knew, one way or another. Maybe Mr. and Mrs, Rich told her? She was their daughter's best friend, after all, they couldn't keep her in the dark for too long.

AppleBloom walked over to the seat next to Silver Spoon, usually occupied by Diamond Tiara, and sat down there. Silver Spoon didn't notice. 'Bloom turned and looked at her two friends, who looked back at her with puzzled expressions. AppleBloom mouthed 'Complicated' for them before turning to look at Silver Spoon.

"Are you alright?" she asked. Spoon looked at her, perplexed at first, but realization soon glowed in her eyes. She frowned and AppleBloom noticed with a bit of panic that her eyes were misty.

"You know?" she replied in a hush. AppleBloom nodded.

"I'm really sorry,"

"It's not your fault. It's no one's fault, actually," Spoon lowered her head and rested her chin against her arms. "How did you find out?"

AppleBloom blushed. "Uhh, I, hm, kind of... eavesdropped..." She coughed. "How about you?"

Spoon didn't seem mad at this revelation. Maybe she's not surprised? We are known for bein' nosy. "Her mother told me when I went to give her my notes the day after." Spoon sniffled. Oh, shoot, she's gonna cry. "I can't believe it's been a week..."

"I know... I heard Shining Armor's in charge of the investigation?"

"It's actually some other Detective. Shining Armor's just supervising." Spoon sighed. "I hope they can find her."

"You and I, both." AppleBloom glanced at her friends, who were chatting silently, but glancing at the two girls in front of them. AppleBloom looked at Spoon again, but she heard the door open before she could say anything.

Ms. Cheerilee came into the room, greeting the class with a sad smile. Behind her, Vice-Principal Luna was coming in with a solemn expression. Everyone who was standing or talking immediately went back to place at the presence of the teacher and the Vice-Principal.

"Good morning, students." Luna's greeting was met with multiple replies at once. "I shall be brief. As you may have probably noticed, your classmate Diamond Tiara has been absent for a while now. I'm here to inform you that she's not coming to class for a while."

Silver Spoon whimpered.

"Because of that and other delicate issues, the Musical Showcase will be delayed." a few protests were heard. Luna sighed. "I'm afraid there's nothing we can do. You can continue with your preparations, but you'll be informed of the next date as soon as we solve this. We promise it won't be long before it resumes." Luna nodded. "That'd be all. I'll leave now so you can continue with your schedule."

"Why's Diamond Tiara skipping class?" some guy at the back yelled.

"That's not your business!" Pipsqueak, to everyone's surprise, yelled back from the front row.

"Indeed, it's a delicate matter and we are not in place in to divulge that information." Luna started walking to the door. "Have a good day, class!"

AppleBloom heard Sweetie Belle huffing behind her. "What a bummer! I was really looking forward to the Showcase,"

"AppleBloom, do you know anything about this?" Scootaloo asked. AppleBloom exchanged a look with Silver Spoon, who nodded in response to her unspoken question.

"I'll tell you later, alright?"

Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo nodded. Sweetie looked at Silver Spoon. "Would you like to join us today in the clubhouse, Silver Spoon?"

The girl was surprised at this suggestion. "Why's that?"

"Well, uh, you seem like you need it."

Always so perceptive, Sweetie. Good one.

"Yeah! You can join us today!" Scootaloo smiled.

"Girls, please pay attention to the class," Ms. Cheerilee warned them All four girls apologized, and Silver Spoon replied in a whisper with a small smile.

"Thanks a lot for the offer, I appreciate it, but I've got ballet today. Maybe some other day. AppleBloom will fill you up on what's going on."

The conversation ended there, but AppleBloom could hardly concentrate on what Ms. Cheerilee was explaining. In her mind, she prayed that, wherever Diamond Tiara was, she was alright.

"What do ya' mean 'shady business'?!"

Applejack stared dumbfounded at the wall of the training room. Behind her, she heard the matches end abruptly, and she didn't need to turn around to know her friends were looking at her. Perhaps she said that a bit too loud. Oops.

On the other side of the line, Shining Armor's voice replied: "We've been investigating the father... there are things that raise some suspicions. His assistant told us he got really nervous when he got a call from unknown numbers. There are some mysterious numbers on his log..."

"What's so mysterious about those calls?"

"They appeared out of sudden, called him practically every day, multiple times a day. Untrackable."

"What's going on, Applejack?" Fluttershy's worried voice startled Applejack.

A pang of guilt hit Applejack right in the heart. It had been days since she had involved herself in this case, frequently contacting Shining Armor to know if there was anything new, under AppleBloom's constant request, and not once had she confided in her friends about it. There really was nothing any of them could do. They were focused on bigger stuff and kidnapped children were not their field of work. That's what the police existed for.

I really need to stop keepin' mah problems to myself.

She quickly filled in the girls about the situation and put Shining Armor on speaker so all could hear what he had to say.

Fluttershy gasped. "Oh, poor thing! Wherever she is, she must be terrified!"

"I'm glad you've been helping Applejack, Shining."

"Who do you think you're talking to, Twily? Of course, I'd help her!"

"Sweetie hasn't told me a thing about this..."

"That's probably 'cause the family is not sharing it yet. I still don't know how AppleBloom found out."

"Girls, can we get back on topic? I have an appointment in an hour,"

"Sorry, Shinin'" Applejack scratched her head. "You were sayin' somethin' 'bout some numbers."

"Ah, yes. Well, add to that some big money withdrawals lately... Sounds like a shady business, don't you think?"

"Absolutely," Rainbow Dash nodded but stopped mid-gesture when she remembered Shining Armor couldn't see her. Pinkie stifled a laugh. Dash shot her a dirty look before going on. "A kidnapped girl, mysterious numbers, money withdrawals, and the family refuses to let the case go public... Sounds pretty much like something illegal to me, don't you think?"

"Careful, Dash," Sunset warned. "Let's not jump to conclusions just yet,"

"That's my theory too, though." Shining Armor said. "Actually, my appointment is with Filthy Rich. I was about to expose these proofs to him and see if we pry any reaction from him,"

"Sounds fun! Can I tag along?"

"Pinkie!"

"Whaaat? I was just saying!"

"She's got a point, though," Sunset claimed. "Maybe I could go too. If Mr. Rich won't give in, all I need is a simple touch on a fraction of skin."

To emphasize her point, she played with her geode. All the girls smirked knowingly.

"Haha! No," Shining Armor replied to Sunset. "Let's not commit crimes while we're trying to solve one, alright?"

"It's not a crime!" Pinkie scoffed. "It's just... a shortcut!"

"I'll go too." Applejack checked the clock. A quarter past two. "Let's take a quick shower and meet there. Where is the appointment, fella?"

'The appointment' happened to be in one of the most luxurious corporative buildings of the whole city. Rarity almost fainted on the spot when Shining Armor told them and dashed faster than anyone thought she could to her wardrobe while Sunset and Applejack showered. She came back with two of her 'casual-formal' dresses. Sunset and Applejack had no other choice than to wear them, no matter how much they refused.

Neither of them was exactly Rarity's size. Applejack was taller than her. However, thanks to their friend, they looked pretty decent wearing those.

Which was kind of embarrassing when Shining Armor showed up with his uniform.

In the waiting area, Shining Armor was going through a file. Applejack noticed the file had Diamond Tiara's name on the cover and that, much to her relief, it appeared to be full of more information than before. AppleBloom would be thrilled to know about her friend's case tonight. Sitting next to her, Sunset was smoothing her skirt with a thoughtful look.

Applejack reclined a bit to her. "Thanks for comin', Sunset,"

Sunset smiled at her. "Hey, it's no problem. Whatever to help a friend, remember?"

Applejack smiled back, sheepishly. "I know sometimes ah can be a bit... reserved."

"Don't you say?!" Sunset laughed.

"But it's not like ah don't trust yall, honest!" Applejack added. "It just... passed me by..."

"We know, Applejack, don't beat yourself over that. I'm glad you told us in the end, though. That's great progress already,"

"Not enough progress for my likin'...."

"But it's progress anyway! Though maybe next time you're looking for a kidnapped girl, you could tell us right away," Sunset laughed.

Applejack replied with laughter. "I'll keep it in mind,"

In that very instant, a young girl with a pencil skirt and glasses approached them. It was the same girl that had told them to wait there in the first place. She stood before the three adults and cleared her throat to draw their attention.

"Mr. Rich will see you now. Please, follow me,"

All three complied and followed the girl to the double door that awaited them. Shining Armor led the march inside the office, followed close by Applejack and then Sunset. And though Applejack was really tall, she couldn't see past Shining Armor's head as she walked.

"It's such a pleasure to see you once again, Mr. Rich,"

Applejack came around Shining Armor and took, for the first time, a good look at Filthy Rich. Despite his daughter and her sister studied at the same class, she had yet to meet the man, but somehow Applejack could figure out what he looked like even before looking at him. Not very tall, with a dull look on his eyes, almost cold, and with a fancy (and expensive, important to note) suit hugging his figure. A laid back hair, already turning gray in some spots, elegant stubble and a few wrinkles around his eyes and cheeks; those appeared to be more of stress than age. He couldn't be that old. There were also bags under his eyes, just barely starting to pop up. Lack of sleep? Because of his daughter's absence, perhaps?

He seemed surprised when he saw the Captain wasn't alone. His eyes widened when he saw Shining's two companions, moved by curiosity, but replied to the greeting the policeman had uttered upon entering.

"Good Afternoon, Captain Armor. I hope this meeting brings us both some relief about our respective concerns. Can I assume you've found something new about the disappearance of my beloved Diamond Tiara?"

"That depends on you, Mr. Rich," Shining Armor claimed, never losing his smile. The door closed behind them and Mr. Rich arched an eyebrow.

"Oh, really? Please, tell me more. Have a seat."

They did as told, and Applejack fixated her eyes on the man before her. He seemed calm. Almost completely calm, in fact, if it weren't for the way he grabbed his cufflinks. Shining Armor, if he noticed it, did not mention it

"Tell me, how can I help with my daughter's search? You know well, Captain, I'm willing to everything to find my sweetheart."

Applejack narrowed her eyes. He sounded way too calm for being a man on this position. Any other father would be eager to hear what the police's got to say about his daughter's kidnapping, though. Maybe there is something fishy about this man.

"Let's cut to the chase, shall we?" Shining Armor crossed his fingers in front of his face, his smile never faltering.

We're about to find out.

"I've got pretty solid proof to know you may have something to do with your daughter's disappearance. Kidnapping? We're yet to set that down,"

"My daughter was kidnapped!"

"Why are you so sure?" Sunset arched an eyebrow to the man.

"Exactly," Applejack nodded. "There were no witnesses, no records, no traces... What makes ya so sure she's kidnapped and not, let's say, dead maybe?"

Alright, that was blunt. But it seemed to do the trick.

Filthy Rich, who had jumped to his feet when he spoke, was beginning to show cracks on his armor. A nervous frown wrinkled his brow. "I... I... My daughter's...! She's not dead! I... I don't know where she is!"

Call it instinct, call it magic, or maybe her Element had some influence, but Applejack knew that was a half-lie.

"Mr. Rich." Shining's face went serious and he stood up to tower over Filthy Rich, even with the desk in-between. Filthy Rich's strange demeanor increased by the second. "Your case is serious. You could as well be arrested for justice obstruction if we indeed prove you have something to do with it. If you really care about your daughter's well-being and want her back, you should tell us everything you know. Even the slightest bit of information helps."

"I... I can't..."

"Why is-?"

"Because they'll kill her if I talk!"

His sudden outburst seemed to be just what Shining was expecting. However, this revelation, although expected for the Captain, was slightly shocking for the two women with him. Applejack gaped at him, indignant. How could he hide information about his daughter's kidnapping?

Was he being threatened?

"Why don't you have a seat, Mr. Rich?" Shining instructed.

Filthy Rich fell into his chair like the revelation had drained him of his energy.

AppleBloom had tears squeaking out of her eyes. She shook her head, in denial, her eyes wide out of sheer terror. "How... How can that be? How can someone do such a thing!?"

Applejack frowned, sitting in front of her, and grabbed her sister's hand. "Sometimes people make mistakes... when they're scared, they make mistakes,"

"He must have been terrified then," AppleBloom shook her head. She hugged a pillow to her chest, burrowing her face in the soft fabric. "How can someone hide information about their daughter's well-bein'?"

Applejack bit her lip. She had been just as indignant when she knew, but after all, she wasn't in a position to judge him. And after what she had heard that afternoon? It surely wasn't her place to criticize him. She doubted she would've acted any different if it was AppleBloom the one in danger.

AppleBloom took no notice of Applejack's silence. Instead, she lifted her head and asked: "Why did these... people try to harm Diamond Tiara? What does Mr. Rich have to do with them? Wasn't he an importer or somethin'?"

"Yes, he is an importer. That's the problem..."

"... In one of his cargoes, these foes had sneaked in arms." Sunset explained to the girls, in their conference room. Celestia and Luna were also present, listening with close attention. "Lots of arms. Filthy Rich has every shipment checked, so when this was found, he was about to denunciate it to the police. Of course, until they decided to show up and threaten him. Turns out they had been keeping an eye on him, and threatened to hurt his family if he didn't collaborate with them. As a warranty, they took his daughter."

Dash scowled and let out a growl, "Threatening a girl..."

Rarity huffed, indignant. "Those pigs!"

"How are you so sure of this?" Celestia wondered.

Sunset cleared her throat. "I may have had a quick glance at his memories. Just a tiny one..."

AppleBloom snorted. "Sunset sure is somethin'"

"That's right, girl," Applejack shook her head. "She sure is. Anyway, that's where this ordeal led us. Diamond Tiara is bein' held hostage by some really bad people who want to take advantage of Mr. Rich, asking him for money and to let them use his importer as a facade for their shady business."

"That'd explain why he doesn't want the case to go public. He's thinking of his daughter's safety..." Fluttershy, who was hugging her knees to her chest, stated.

"That also explains the money withdrawals," Twilight rubbed her chin. "I assume Shining Armor is already aware of all this?"

"You can't even begin to image the death stare he gave me when I shook his hand!" Sunset snickered. "He was so mad!"

"Shining Armor is like that," Twilight laughed. "He doesn't like one bit breaking the law to apply justice,"

"Must've been so much fun explaining to him your job, Twilight!" Pinkie laughed.

"Stop, little squirrels, you're going through the branches," Celestia shook her head with a smirk.

Sunset sent a look filled with hope to Celestia. "Do you think there's something we can do?"

"There's nothin' ATIDA can do,"

"Aw, shucks!" AppleBloom pouted. "Why not?"

"Because ATIDA doesn't mingle with that business, Kidnapped girls is not our thing, that's the police's job,"

AppleBloom pouted, visibly miffed by this. However, she was aware of this since the beginning, when Applejack sat her whole family in the table, the night the girls and she had accepted the proposal given by Celestia and Luna. After the initial shock passed, AppleBloom had tons of questions. Tons. Applejack let out a chuckle at the memory. AppleBloom arched an eyebrow at this but said nothing.

Both sisters' sat there for a moment, in contemplation. Just when Applejack was thinking of leaving, AppleBloom gasped so loudly it startled Applejack.

"I KNOW!" AppleBloom looked at Applejack, who stared back with wide eyes and a dumbfounded expression. "I know how you can go after her!"

Applejack sighed. "AppleBloom, ah told ya it's not ATIDA's-"

"Not ATIDA's job, I get it. But kidnapped girls aren't. Criminal organizations are!"

Applejack stared at her for a second. Then two. Then three. Then, she smiled and grabbed AppleBloom on a headlock, giving her a rough noogie while laughing.

"'Bloom, you're a genius!"

"Agh! Lemme go!"

Author's Note

Someone kidnapped Diamond Tiara? But what does that even have to do with the Myths?

Well, stay tuned to find out! I hope you enjoyed this first part of the arc! Actually, this arc is a little shorter, but it's just as important as all the others! Soon you'll see it!

Until next time!

~Midday Giggle