The Cutie Mark Ripper

Luster Dawn paced around the train station, mumbling to herself, “Oh I can’t believe the train to Ponyville is delayed.”

“Yeah, you say it, sister.” A voice says. Luster turned around and saw a blue coat kirin with a purple mane, “Honestly, I nearly turned Nirik, I’m so annoyed.”

Luster Dawn huffed, “Come on train we all have to be somewhere!”

“Yeah, train! Some of us got jobs and families to go to!” The kirin mare jumps in. Luster Dawn giggles a little, and the kirin continues, “I mean, I got places to be, this unicorn here has places to be, that changeling and dragon couple over there has some places to be, that deer over there has places to be, everyone here has some places to be!”

Luster burst out laughing, “Oh my Celestia, you are such a card!”

The kirin walks over to Luster Dawn, “Well I am Jokes Kard. A pleasure to meet you.” Jokes reached her hoove out for a hoove shake. Luster shakes Jokes’ hoove but is immediately hit with a powerful yet short electric shock. Jokes Kard laughs, “Oh the old electric hoove trick. Never gets old!”

“Ah... well…” Luster shook off her daze, “That was pretty funny.” Luster laughed along with Jokes. After a while, the train finally arrives, “Oh there’s the train.” Luster looks at Jokes, “You going to Ponyville too?”

“Oh yeah, I have to grab some produce from the market place there.” The two stepped onto the train, “I know it’s a long ways away to get some vegetables and fruit, but hey, support the ones who produce it directly, right?”

“Right!” Luster hops on a bench and gestures for Jokes to sit down. Jokes smile and sits, “Since we’re going to the same place, we might as well chat.”

“Thank you, Ms uh…”

“Oh! Luster Dawn.”

“Luster Dawn? Aren’t you the student of Princess Twilight Sparkle?”

“Why yes, I am.”

“You really shouldn’t be flaunting your title like that you know.”

Luster crooks her head, “Why not?”

Jokes Kard leads in close and puts her hoove next to her mouth so no one could read her lips. She then whispers, “Because the Cutie Mark Ripper is still at large.”

“Wha-! How do you-!” Jokes cover Luster's mouth.

“Not so loud.” She whispers as Luster nodded, signaling her to put her hoof down, “News travels fast if you're in the right groups, and us truth-speaking kirin can spread news fast.”

“Oh no… I gotta solve this case then. The more ponies that know, the more likely the wendigos will circle.”

“The… Wendigos?” Jokes suddenly got worried.

“Yeah. Didn’t you hear about it?”

“Hmmm…” Jokes Kard thinks for a moment, “So that’s why I saw Princess Cadance and Princess Flurry Heart earlier today. Off to spread hope and light.”

“Exactly. While I’m sent to catch this ripper.”

“Hm. Tell me more.” Jokes smiled devilishly.

“Well” Luster held up some pieces of paper, “according to my research-” But quickly put them away and gave Jokes a look, and stared at her for a while. The kirin was just sitting there, smiling not in any creepy way, eyes half close and just, so calm. But that expression shifted to a frown.

“That was a joke,” Kard explained, “A good detective won’t tell a stranger all the evidence they have accumulated.” Kard shifts herself so Luster could leave the booth. Luster took this opportunity and hopped off to find another booth.

“You’re a weird one, Jokes Kard.” She comments before leaving.

“Yeah, I get that a lot.”

Luster found a new vacant booth and sat down, taking out her papers to review what she could find. Out of the seven missing ponies, the five cutie marks she got to see to review special talents, and the series of questions she got to ask six out of the seven families, Luster finally had a picture to work off of: All of the ponies that were missing had no new friends and no unusual events happened leading up to the teleportation activating. Each of their special talents, that were reflected by their cutie mark, was something to do with magic, whether that be studying it, brew potions, use magical remnants to heal, or use magic to control the weather. No matter what tribe they belonged to, it was a shared trait among the ponies. Luster put away her notes and got out a piece of parchment and a quill, writing,

“Dear Princess Twilight Sparkle,

“While I failed to find the who or where the Cutie Mark Ripper is, I have found the why to this mystery. Through my detective research, I have found that each pony had great magic to them, no matter the tribe they were in. While you may fear that the students in the magic school may be under threat, I believe that they aren’t. The Cutie Mark Ripper isn’t aiming to only target unicorn magic, but magic from all the tribes, targeting primarily Pegasi for some reason. With unicorns being the minority. Thought that’s not to say you shouldn't take precautions. Right now, I got a few hunches and I need answers.

“Since the Cutie Mark Ripper is targeting innate magic users, I must figure out if the Cutie Mark Ripper is either taking it for themself or just killing the ponies just for being so powerful with magic. And to answer that, I must seek out Discord. You taught us that Discord was a chaotic entity, an anomaly of chaos and disharmony. So I reasoned that, since the Cutie Mark Ripper is such an anomaly, he can help me find them. I am currently on a train from Manehattan to Ponyville right now, going to go question the draconequus.

“However, all that may be unnecessary if this next hunch is correct because I met a shifty figure on the train just now. A kirin by the name Jokes Kard. She says she’s going to Ponyville to get produce, which isn’t a likely story. Can you get the local police to take her in and question her please? I’ll feel much safer with her cleared.

“Your best student, Luster Dawn.”

With the letter signed, Luster sent the letter to her mentor. With a heavy heart, she looks out the window to the scenery passing by, sighing. This adventure was taking its toll on the young unicorn.