Twilight brushed through her damp mane. She stared at her reflection. Though she looked tired, nothing was seemingly wrong with her anymore. Nopony will know, Twilight assured herself. You're not a bad pony. You just got caught up with one. You're doing this for Starlight.

A light knock came from the door, causing Twilight to fling into the air, yelping. "Oops! Didn't mean to scare ya, dearie," Mrs. Cake yelled from the other side of the door. "Just wanted ta check up on ya."

"I-I'm fine," Twilight croaked, her chest heaving. "I-I'll be out in a minute!" Setting down the brush, Twilight took one more look at her image in the mirror. To her horror, she spotted a small spot of blood on her foreleg.

The faucet turned, and water began to flow out. Twilight frantically began trying to scrub it off. After she was sure it was gone, she took another peek. It hadn't come off. She tried again, this time using even more soap than last time and using the hottest water she could get from the faucet. Still, the tiny blood spot stayed.

T-That's impossible, Twilight thought. She began combing through all the possibilities. Maybe it's a scar? No, the regeneration would've erased it. M-Maybe it's some sort of curse? No, Trixie couldn't even cast magic, let alone put a curse on me. Oh, what could be causing this?

Another small knock came from the door. "Uh, princess?" Mr. Cake asked wearily. "Are you coming out any time soon? I-I don't mean to rush you, but Pinkie's left for work, and the store's about to open."

"J-Just give me a moment," Twilight begged, still staring at the bloodstain. Why won't it go away? She wondered. Looking over to the medicine cabinet, an idea popped into her head. She opened the door, levitating out a bandage, hastily applying it over the bloodstain. There! Now nopony will see.

Satisfied, Twilight stood and walked out of the bathroom. As she entered the hall, she noticed the time was 8:30 AM. If I hurry, maybe nopony will notice… She bolted down the stairs and entered the storefront of Sugar Cube Corner.

"Oh, hey there, princess," a rough voice called. Twilight froze and turned to see an all too familiar face.

"D-Detective," Twilight greeted, her clean forehead being stained by sudden sweat. "H-How nice to run into you! You getting doughnuts for everypony?"

"Actually, not quite," the detective responded. "We got another report about a missing pony. Trixie Lulamoon. She was spotted somewhere around here, so here's hoping we can find her."

Her muscles tensed. I can't let him find out! If he does, Pinkie'll kill Starlight! "Y-You mean somepony went missing here? As in Sugar Cube Corner?"

Thankfully, Detective Pickles shook his head. "Nah, nothing like that. See, she was spotted near the edge of the financial district, so I figured I'd question some of the store owners. See if they know anything. Speaking of which, I'd better get on that. I'll call if we find anything."

"Oh, um, alright then. I'll… talk to you soon," Twilight said wearily. She backed out of Sugar Cube Corner, letting the detective question Mr. and Mrs. Cake. "It'll be fine," Twilight muttered. "They don't know anything."

Twilight began running toward the school. The school was on the far end of the town, opposite to Sweet Apple Acres. Thankfully, the financial district was near the center, so it wasn't the furthest trot.

Soon she saw the stone bridge leading up to the school's entrance. She slowed her pace, seeing Applejack and Rainbow near the entrance. "I'm just sayin' ya'll should be a little more careful now."

"I'll be fine, Applejack," Rainbow assured. "I'm the fastest, strongest, most toughest mare in all of Equestria! Hell, I'm a Wonderbolt!" Applejack rolled her eyes, and Rainbow glanced over to Twilight. "Oh, hey Twi. What's up?"

"J-Just headed to my office," Twilight nervously replied. "What about you two?"

Applejack groaned. "Rainbow here thinks it's a good idea to take Crusaders campin' despite a killer bein' on the loose."

"Oh come on," Rainbow complained. "We'll be fine! Besides, it's the perfect time of year!"

"I thought camping happened mostly in the middle of summer," Twilight chimed. Rubbing her chin, she pondered, "I suppose it isn't the worst time to-" She froze. Her eyes grew wide as she spotted her hoof. A thin streak of blood on the tip of her hoof appeared.

"Uh, you okay, Twi?" Applejack asked, looking over to Twilight. "Somethin' wrong?"

Twilight couldn't keep her eyes off her hoof. B-But I washed and washed! I-It wasn't there when I left, was it? "Twilight?" Rainbow asked, concerned. "You're looking pretty pale. You're going to be okay, right?"

Can they see it? Twilight wondered. Is it.. just in my head? Looking up, her eyes locked onto the two. "I-I need to go," she said, pushing past them. She ran inside, making sure not to place down her bloodstained hoof.

She raced through the halls, seeing the double doors to her office. She threw the doors open, slamming them behind her. She flew over to her desk, pulling open a drawer. "Come on, come on! There's gotta be something here that can cover this!"

Soon, she had emptied everything in her desk and began searching the room itself. Nothing caught her eye—no bandages to cover it. No cloth, no handkerchief; nothing in that room would help her. "No no no! T-This can't be happening!" She felt her heart pounding, the world around her going dark. A small ringing screeched in her ear.

The screams and cries Trixie made replayed in her head. She felt cornered, trapped, even. She could feel eyes burning into her. "Princess of friendship," a voice mocked. "Please! She's no better than Sombra."

"I-I didn't have a choice," Twilight pleaded. "S-She has Starlight! What else was I supposed to do?" She heard Pinkie's manic laugh. She smelled the metallic odor of blood. Her mouth felt dry, her eyes taking up all the water out of her body. Tears flowed down her face, her chest tightening up. She breathed faster and faster, not a single breath calming her.

She violently shook her head, pressing against her temples. The laughter she once thought friendly mocked her. She clamped her eyes shut and screamed, "I did everything I could!"

"Wait, is that what's bothering you?" a rough voice asked. Twilight dared to open her eyes, meeting with rose-colored ones. "Twilight, whatever you're worried about, I'm sure you did fine."

"R-Rainbow? W-W-What are you doing here?" Twilight asked.

"You looked scared, so I went after you," Rainbow explained. She looked down at the pile of assorted items on the floor. "What's this stuff doing on the floor?" Slowly, Rainbow picked up a few of the books Twilight had thrown down and began reshelving them.

"Ugh," Rainbow complained. "How can you read such boring books? Bright's Guide to Dusting? Who needs a guide to dust stuff?"

As Rainbow looked at the final book she was holding in her foreleg, she raised an eyebrow. "What's this?" She looked over the cover. "Taxidermy 101: A Guide for New Taxidermists," Rainbow read. "Hey! Pinkie does taxidermy! Maybe I should get her a copy as a present."

"You can have that copy," Twilight sheepishly said, covering the bloodspot with her other hoof.

Rainbow raised an eyebrow. "You're giving me your copy? But, why?"

"I-I have another copy in my castle," she lied. I never want to read that book again! "Besides, you deserve to get your girlfriend something special. That book is really hard to come by right now."

"Well, thanks," Rainbow replied. She held it out in front of herself, examining its cover with fine precision. This was undoubtedly going to be an excellent gift to her girlfriend. "You know, I don't think I've seen Pinkie at all today."

Twilight's ears perked up. "Wait. You haven't seen her at all? But I thought she was coming here." What if she was arrested? If Pinkie is arrested, then Starlight'll starve! I'll never find her in time!

"Guess she's skipping her summer class. Wonder where she is," Rainbow pondered, tapping her chin.

***

Starlight looked up from the cage floor she lay on as the door squeaked open. Sure enough, her captor bounced in. However, she didn't have any food for her. Her stomach grumbled. "Goooood morning, Starlight," Pinkie sang.

"Please let me go," Starlight pleaded. "I just wanna go home…" Her stomach grumbled again. She ran a hoof down the bars surrounding her.

"You know, if I were going to let you go, I probably already would've," Pinkie retorted. She trotted up to Starlight, sitting down in front of her. "I really should be at the school right now, but I figured I'd come and give you a little visit first. Hey! Wanna play a little game?"

Although her stomach felt sour, and her mind said no, she nodded her head. Better to comply than to make her angry, she thought. "Perfect," Pinkie exclaimed. "Alright, so here's how the game works. I'm going to give you a name. All you have to do is guess if I've killed them or not."

Sitting as upright as she could in the cramped kennel, she asked, "What happens if I get it wrong?"

Giggling, Pinkie said, "Nothing, silly. I mean, it's just a game, right?" Tapping her chin, Pinkie hummed. "Okie doki! We'll go with three rounds! The first name is… Maud!"

Starlight's face scrunched up a tad. Is Maud dead? I mean, I can't remember seeing a poster, but… what if Pinkie killed her last night? The sound of Pinkie's peppy whistling backed her thinking, building the suspense. "… She's alive," Starlight answered.

A bright smile grew on Pinkie's face. "Correct-a-mundo!" Pausing to think for a moment, Pinkie gave another name. "How about Lyra? Is Lyra dead?"

The name itself was enough to make her cry. If she had tears left to cry, that is. She remembered the nightmare that ensued. She was the first mare to disappear and the third pony overall.

Lyra's spouse, Bon Bon, walked the streets, knocking on each and every door she could find. When she ran out of doors, she repeated her route. It only stopped when she herself disappeared from Ponyville. "… She's dead."

Pinkie giggled. "Yep! She was fun too. She even taught me how to play the lyre. Hey! You know, now that I think about it, her name sounds kinda like her special talent, huh? That's so cool!" Breathing out a sigh to calm herself, Pinkie continued. "Alright, last one. Let's go with… Trixie! Is Trixie dead?"

Her pupils shrunk to pinpricks, her heart fluttering. Trixie? Starlight's fur stood on end, her body quaking. No. No, she has to be alive. She has to! Her eyes scanned Pinkie's face. A sick grin greeted her. As she felt the world collapsing around her, she shouted, "NO!"

"Is that your final answer?" Pinkie asked with her sing-song voice. With the way she was literally vibrating, Starlight could tell she was giddy with excitement.

"I…" Starlight bit her tongue. She felt her heart pounding like a drum. "She's… She's…" There was no denying it. There was only one reason why Pinkie would be so eager to hear her answer. She choked on her words as she uttered, "Dead?"

The smile on Pinkie's face nearly split her head in half. A mad cackle echoed through the clubhouse. She fell to the floor, clenching her stomach. On and on did she laugh, not even bothering to grace Starlight with words. Finally, she spat, "Dead! She's dead! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Staring at the mad mare on the floor, Starlight felt water hit her cheek. Somehow, more tears flowed. Trixie was gone. She was alone once again.

***

Steam spewed out the kettle's spout. A leafy green scent flooded her nose. Sighing, she walked over to her makeshift countertop and poured the green liquid out into two small ceramic cups. "Tea's ready," she said plainly.

"Thanks," A rough stallion's voice spoke. Leaning back in his chair, he asked, "So, you're boyfriend went missing a month ago, right?"

"Yes," the mare spoke. It was almost unsettling how calm the mare was. There was almost no emotion at all.

"Any idea where he might be?" he asked, taking a sip of the tea the mare offered.

"No," she answered, her eyes squinting.

Smirking, the stallion commented, "You sure aren't one for conversation, are you?"

The mare's teal eyes were unmoved. "Can I go back to my work now?" she asked. "I found a large mineral deposit and was about to examine it before you came here."

"Is that so?" the stallion asked, the smirk not wavering. Reaching into his saddlebag, the stallion pulled out a file, sliding it towards the mare. "Well, I'm afraid that's gonna have to wait, sweetheart." As the mare picked up the file and opened it, the stallion continued, "I think you know more about this than you're letting on."

Teal eyes locked onto the papers within. "Is that so?" She asked.

"Turns out this isn't the first time you've been around a series of kidnappings," the detective reminded. "There was another series of killings back in your home town, remember?"

Her teal eyes moved back to the detective. There was a long, unsettling pause before she replied. "My grandfather was arrested for that."

"Yeah, well…" The stallion trailed off, taking another sip of his tea. "Call it a hunch, but I think he might've been covering for somepony."

"And you suspect me?" The mare asked, her voice still as monotone as always.

The stallion shook his head. "Not necessarily. All I'm asking for is a little cooperation. Just a little bit. That's all."

The mare squinted and sternly suggested, "If you aren't blaming me, you're blaming my sister, correct?" Taking a sip of her own tea, the mare glared at the stallion. "If you're blaming me or my sister, I won't cooperate."

Huffing, the stallion stood. "So that's how it's gonna be, huh? Well, can't blame me for trying. See you around, Maud," he said, walking towards the cave's exit. "Oh, and feel free to keep those files. We've got plenty of copies." As he left, he looked back one more time. Maud sat there at the dining table, watching him with a glare.

Guess it's finally time I told Twilight about this, he thought. Least she'll get off my back a little. Hope this ends well.

Author's Note

Sorry this took so long. I know this one was a short one, but it's pretty much set up for what's to come. I do hope you liked it. If you did, please stay tuned for more! It might take a while, but there are still many chapters to come.

Thank you for reading and have a lovely day!