Groaning, Starlight sluggishly turned to her side and cracked open her eyes. A cool glow covered the room. The floor was a pale green, similar to the inside of an avocado, but the paint had slowly started chipping, exposing the floor’s natural color. Though her ears rang, she heard the faint sound of crickets far in the distance. Where am I?

As she lifted her head, she suddenly got a stabbing headache. “Ugh,” she grunted, lifting her hoof to her head. When her hoof made contact with her horn, she froze. She felt the cold metal of a magic diffuser.

Magic diffusers weren’t uncommon. In fact, they were about as common as hoofcuffs. Many sex shops sold them, and prisons had crates full of them. However, seeing how she was in an unknown location that was most definitely not a prison nor jail, she felt uneasy.

I’ve been kidnapped, she realized. “Somepony help,” she shouted. “Somepony! Anypony!” All she heard was the crickets’ singing.

Wait, she thought. Pinkie! Her memories came back to her in a flash. She remembered searching for Ocellus and how Pinkie offered to help, and how she was lured to the Crusaders’ Clubhouse and knocked unconscious.

Her heart began racing as she began to worry about what might happen to her. Spike, Rarity, and all those other ponies all disappeared without a trace. If Pinkie really was the pony behind it, there was no telling what would happen to her.

Starlight looked around the room again. She appeared to be in a kennel that had a lock hooked onto it. Outside the kennel, she spotted a small wooden podium along with a few chairs and a bookshelf shoved in the corner of the room, near the wooden door. The door itself had a heart shape cut into it for a window.

A bit of hope gleamed in her eyes. I’m in the Crusaders’ Clubhouse! The clubhouse wasn’t too far off from the beaten path, meaning if she shouted loud enough, somepony might hear her. “Somepony help,” she shouted at the top of her lungs. Silence. She shouted again. “Help! I’ve been kidnapped! Please! Somepony! Anypony! Help!”

She shouted, her voice hoarse, yet not a single pony came. Why is nopony hearing me? It can’t be that late, can it? She looked around for some way to tell the time and came across a small clock on one of the walls. A little past five. Judging by the dark sky outside, she guessed that it was five in the morning. That can’t be right, she thought. If that were true, then that would mean I was out for… 20 hours?

Her eyes scanned the room once more, desperate to find something that could help her escape. In the corner closest to her, she saw a trash bin with a needle inside it. The needle had been emptied, which clued her in. Pinkie must’ve drugged me while I was unconscious. No wonder it’s so late!

Near the bin was a lit candle, only the flame didn’t burn a warm orange glow. Instead, it was a frosty blue. It blended well with the moonlight that shined in.

Starlight felt a sickening feeling in the pit of her stomach. Different colored flames meant the candle was enchanted, and she had a guess as to what enchantment was cast onto that candle. “Nopony can hear me,” she concluded, her eyes watering. “Nopony will find me…”

***

Licking the envelope, Pinkie sealed it shut. Giggling, she picked the letter up in her mouth and bounced down the stairs from her room. Mr. Cake smiled from the counter as Pinkie made it down to the shop floor. “Morning, Pinkie,” Mr. Cake greeted. “In a hurry?”

Pinkie nodded profusely. “I’ve gotta deliver this letter,” Pinkie explained, showing the letter to Mr. Cake.

Looking the envelope over, Mr. Cake noticed it was a plain white envelope with nothing on it. “Wow, Pinkie,” Mr. Cake remarked. “That’s… very… uh… professional! You applying for another job?”

Shaking her head, Pinkie leaned next to his ear and whispered, “I’m looking for a new assistant.” She glanced around the empty shop, eyeing any places where ponies might be hiding.

“An assistant?” Mr. Cake asked. “Why would-”

“Shhh,” Pinkie scolded. “It’s a secret!” She winked, pulling away. “Anyway, I’ve gotta go. Tell Dashie I said hi,” she shouted as she bounced out the door.

Mr. Cake rolled his eyes, chuckling to himself. “That mare’s gonna be the death of me,” he joked.

Pinkie bounced away from Sugar cube corner, humming a peppy tune. She bobbed her head side to side as the song played in her head. “Hey, Pinkie,” a rough but high pitched voice greeted. Turning towards the voice, Pinkie saw Scootaloo skidding to a stop on her scooter. “Whatcha got there?”

“A letter,” Pinkie answered.

“For who?”

“Oh, silly,” Pinkie said, patting Scootaloo’s head. “I can’t tell you that. It’s a secret!”

“It is?” Scootaloo asked, pulling away from Pinkie.

Nodding, Pinkie affirmed, “Yep!”

Scootaloo eyed the letter, seeing how plain it looked. “Are you delivering it for somepony else, then?”

“Y-Yep,” Pinkie lied. “A-Applejack wanted me to give this to somepony. Speaking of which, she said it was urgent, so I’d better get going. Good seeing you, though!”

“Great seeing you too,” Scootaloo shouted as Pinkie bounced away, waving goodbye.

Pinkie felt a bead of sweat pour down her forehead. Whew, that was a close one, she thought to herself. Better be more careful next time. In the distance, she saw her destination. Twilight’s castle. Maybe I can get there before she leaves!

With that thought, she dashed through the streets, nearly knocking down a few ponies as she ran. She zipped past building after building, running by the now-abandoned boutique. Wonder what Sweetie Belle’s up to now that Rarity’s gone, Pinkie pondered.

Finally, she approached the castle, only to feel an ear flop, an eye flutter, and a knee twitch. Gasping, she dove into a nearby bush, hiding inside. Just as predicted, the castle door swung open.

“I can’t take another fucking problem this month,” Twilight muttered to herself. “I swear to Celestia, if one more pony goes missing I’m going to hang that damn detective! ‘Doing our best’ my ass. How fucking hard is it to look for one kidnapper? I mean, there should be a trail, right?”

Pinkie watched as Twilight passed the bush. As Twilight’s ranting went silent, Pinkie poked her head out, seeing Twilight far away. Breathing a sigh of relief, she crept out of the bush and sneaked to the door of the castle, laying down the direct letter on the golden stairs. “Right. Now all I’ve gotta do is meet up with Starlight,” she muttered under her breath.

With a kick in her step, Pinkie bounced back the way she came, a wide, almost eerie smile growing on her face. She passed Sugar Cube Corner and headed in the direction of Sweet Apple Acres. Fortunately for her, not many ponies were out and about that day.

While she paraded through the streets, Pinkie saw a new poster added to the collection of missing ponies. Only, this one wasn’t a missing poster. It was a wanted poster. The poster read, “Wanted: Spike. Reward: 500,000 bits. IF YOU SEE THIS DRAGON, DO NOT APPROACH! CONTACT ROYAL GUARD IMMEDIATELY!”

Pinkie giggled at the sight. Reaching the outskirts of Ponyville, Pinkie saw Applejack slowly walking towards her direction. “Howdy, Pinkie,” Applejack greeted. “Lookin’ for me?”

Freezing, Pinkie’s mind began to panic. If I tell her, I’ll look suspicious, she thought. “No, I-I was just… uh… going for a walk.”

Applejack raised an eyebrow. Pinkie could easily read the skepticism on her face. “Uh huh,” Applejack breathed. “Pinkie, you know that ain’t safe right now, right? Royal Guard said yer only ‘sposed to go out if ya got business doin’ so.”

“Oh, well I-I just figured that my Pinkie Sense would keep me out of harm’s way,” Pinkie nervously lied.

There was a moment of quiet before Applejack asked, “Pinkie, is there somethin’ ya wanna tell me? Ya look nervous.”

“I…” Pinkie thought on her hooves. “I am having trouble with something, but I can handle it! Just need to clear my head a bit… which is why I’m on this walk! Y-Yep! Just clearing my head!”

A small, caring smile came on Applejack’s face. “Why didn’t ya tell me?” she asked, chuckling. “If ya need any help, I’d be happy to lend a hoof.”

“Oh, I couldn’t ask you for that… After all, your workload is gigantic now. I wouldn’t feel right accepting help right now…” Though Pinkie frowned, inside, she was giddy. It’s working!

“I do have a lot on my plate,” Applejack agreed, “but it ain’t so bad that I can’t help my friend.”

Damn it, she cursed. How do I get her to leave me alone? …Wait! I know! “Well, the thing is, I kinda need some bits,” Pinkie explained. “I spent all this week’s salary on party supplies and I just realized I need a new mount for a badger Fluttershy gave me, but I don’t have any bits to buy the wool I need.”

Applejack remembered the day she introduced Pinkie to Taxidermy. Pinkie came into the barn when she was working on mounting a deer head and asked a billion questions. It was a bit annoying at the time, but she was happy to introduce a new hobby to her friend. “Is that all?” Applejack asked. “Shoot, I could just give ya the supplies. After all, we’ve got plenty of the stuff.”

“You’d do that for me?” Pinkie asked, smiling softly.

“Corse. I’ve got some errands to run, so why don’t ya come by later an-”

“Or I could just wait for you back at the farm,” Pinkie suggested. “I’ve got nothing else to do anyway.”

“Well, it’s gonna be a while,” Applejack informed. “Heck, it might take all day, knowin’ who I’m dealin’ with. You sure you wanna wait that long?”

“I don’t mind. And like I said, I’ve got absolutely, positively nothing to do today anyway!”

Rolling her eyes while still smiling, Applejack conceded, “Alright then. Just be careful. Call fer help if ya come across any trouble. I’m sure Mac’ll hear ya.” With that, Applejack waved a hoof and strolled away. Whew! Another close one!

Pinkie bounced off into Sweet Apple Acres, following the same path she took Starlight the day prior. With a wide smile on her face, she approached the clubhouse. Finally, she thought. Wonder if Starlight’s awake yet. I did give her a big dose… Did I use too much? Nah. I’m sure it’s fine.

Trotting to the door, Pinkie pulled a small key out from her mane, sticking it into the newly installed lock. With a click, she creaked open the door. Immediately, as she entered the magical field holding in noise, she heard Starlight cower. “P-Pinkie,” Starlight spoke, her voice surprisingly soft. “P-Please. D-Don’t hurt me.”

Giggling at the thought, Pinkie shook her head. “Of course I won’t, silly! Not unless you make me, anyway,” she affirmed. She bounced over to a small wooden podium shoved into a corner. “You look thirsty. Wanna drink?”

Pinkie lifted a small cup of water from the podium, carrying it over to Starlight. It was apparent to her that she had been crying for hours. Her eyes were red, yet they were almost dry at this point. Her pupils were shrunken to pinpricks, and her lips were cracked. She shook violently.

“Drink up,” Pinkie ordered as the cup was lifted to Starlight. Without hesitation, Starlight stuck out her tongue and pushed her muzzle as far out as she could. It wasn’t too far, seeing how small the gaps were between each bar, but it was enough for her to drink.

Slowly, Pinkie poured the water down Starlight’s throat, causing her to take greedy gulps at the refreshing liquid.

“Wow, you really were thirsty,” Pinkie commented as the last of the water was drained. “Guess I should’ve brought more. Oh well,” Pinkie shrugged.

Starlight’s stomach grumbled. “Please… Let me go,” she croaked.

“Sorry, but no can do,” Pinkie replied, sitting down in front of Starlight. “If I did, Twilight would never accept my offer.”

“Offer?”

Pinkie nodded but didn’t say anything. Instead, she walked back over to the podium, picking up a small brown bag. She bounced back to Starlight, setting down the bag and opening it. Without warning, she poured the bag down onto Starlight, causing a cascade of popcorn to hail down on her prisoner. “Hope you like popcorn,” Pinkie mocked.

***

Twilight entered the small Royal Guard station and walked right up to the receptionist. “I would like to speak to the chief detective. Is he here?” she asked, bluntly.

The stallion at the desk nodded, replying, “He’s in his office, first door to the right.” Taking a bite out of a doughnut, he continued to talk while chewing. “Said nopony was allowed in, but I’m guessing you’re going in anyway,” the stallion swallowed, “right?”

Twilight stormed off to the detective’s office without answering him, not bothering to knock before she entered. Inside was the chief detective, sipping on some coffee while looking over a file.

Detective Sweet Pickles was his name. A middle-aged, brown pegasus who typically would wear a white, button-up shirt and tie. Initially, he was stationed in Canterlot, though he transferred to Ponyville once he heard how much trouble the Royal Guards were having. “Hello, Pickles,” Twilight greeted, taking a seat down in front of him.

Looking up, the detective smiled. “That’s detective Pickles to you,” he joked. Setting down the file he was reading, he pushed his cheap black desk chair back. “Guessing you’re looking for a progress report, right?” He stood up, walking over to a whiteboard. “Well, to summarize, we’ve got a lead. And it’s all thanks to you, princess.”

The whiteboard had a bunch of photos on it, with magnets holding them up. Twilight recognized a few of them. Rarity, Spike, Lyra, Minuette, and Starlight. “Thanks to me?” Twilight asked.

“You bet,” Detective Pickles affirmed. “Take a look at the board. Now, notice anything strange?”

“Uh, no, not really,” Twilight replied.

“Then let me spell it out for you. Every single one of these ponies are unaccounted for. Not a single bit of evidence of where they are. Not a single body’s been found either. Don’t you find that odd?”

“I… guess?”

Sighing, the detective explained, “It’s because everything’s been burned.”

“Burned?”

“Turned to ash and dumped somewhere, likely spread far away by the winds,” the detective explained. “Now tell me something. Who on this board can create fire from absolutely nothing, anywhere they want, without suspicion?”

It didn’t take Twilight a second before she rolled her eyes. “Detective, Gallus explained that Rarity was left unharmed. It has to be somepony else.”

“You honestly believe that?” The detective chuckled to himself. “You’ve gotta be kidding me. There’s no way in Celestia’s name that gryphon’s telling the full story.”

“Detective, you’re forgetting he’s the one who outed Spike.”

“So? He’s an accomplice. He probably didn’t wanna get in that kind of trouble.”

“Then why would he tell me anything at all?” Twilight asked. She could feel a tension headache growing in her skull.

“Look, it’s the only lead we’ve got so far, and it’s a solid one at that,” Detective Pickles explained. “I know it isn’t perfect, but we’re trying the best we can.”

“Best you can,” Twilight scoffed, spite emanating from her words. “You don’t even have a motive!”

“We’ve got a motive for Rarity,” the detective offered.

Groaning, Twilight stood up from her chair. “I’m heading back home. If you find anything, feel free to call me,” she said as she stormed out of the detective’s office.

Leaving the station, Twilight dragged her hooves along the dirt road. How much longer is this going to take? she wondered. My citizens are disappearing, and they can’t even find out why? There’s gotta be some sort of explanation.

In the back of her mind, she knew it wasn’t that easy. The Royal Guard had been investigating the disappearances for months without a single lead. There didn’t seem to be a pattern between victims, either. It was just random.

No bodies were found either. They knew there had to be bodies, seeing how many ponies the kidnapper had racked up, but there was no sign of them. They had thought about a cannibal for a short period of time, though the sheer volume out ruled that possibility. So it didn’t come as a huge surprise to her when she heard about the incineration theory.

As the gears in her brain began to turn, Twilight slowly strolled back to her castle. However, her thinking was interrupted when she saw a plain, white envelope rested on her doorstep. Levitating the envelope with her magic, she stepped inside her castle, closing the door behind her. “Wonder who sent this,” she pondered aloud.

Author's Note

Second chapter is complete! Sorry for the delay. The holidays took up more time than I thought they would. Hope you enjoyed, and stay tuned for more!