Skeletons in the Closet

The night was young, and the increased amount of lanterns outside only meant one thing—it was a new moon. The streets of Ponyville were empty, apart from a couple of ponies walking around cautiously, probably out to buy something, or in the midst of returning home from a late-night visit. Apple Bloom frowned as she positioned herself next to Sugarcube Corner, idly leaning on the wall. She hoped that if something bad were to happen, she could scream and easily get Pinkie Pie or the Cakes’ attention. She also didn’t want to be caught unnecessarily, so she stayed quiet and in the shadows.

Nothing was really happening, and Apple Bloom found herself kicking pebbles on the floor and counting how many ponies walked by. She didn’t want anything bad to happen, but she wanted something to happen. The only exciting thing to have happened up to that point was that she noticed Mayor Mare walk into the town hall, then out of it rather quickly, carrying a bag with several small boxes in it. Apple Bloom held back a snicker, a guilty memory from when she was even younger popping back into her head.

Then, Apple Bloom heard the last thing she ever wanted to hear. The whistle. Her body perked up and she looked toward the area where the whistle had come from. It was over near Carousel Boutique which meant…

“Sweetie Belle!” Apple Bloom set off into a trot toward the shop. She noticed Scootaloo arriving from her position near Twilight’s castle. They both made eye contact, then went directly to the source of the sound where Sweetie Belle stood in shock. She stared into the forest in the distant horizon line. “What happened?” Apple Bloom asked as she met up with the other two fillies.

“I saw somepony…” Sweetie Belle fumbled with her words and shook her head. “I don’t… Maybe it was Lyra? Somepony took her and dragged her into the Everfree Forest!”

Scootaloo cocked her head. “Lyra? Why would somepony take Lyra?”

“Why would somepony take anypony?” Apple Bloom shot back. “We have to tell someone!”

Scootaloo took a step closer to Sweetie Belle. “Did you see who it was?”

The white filly shook her head. “No, it was too dark. And I think they were wearing some kind of cloak? I’m not sure.” Sweetie Belle shook her head and closed her eyes. “All I saw was somepony call her over and then hit her in the head with…. Something.” She opened her eyes and furrowed her eyebrows. “They tied her up and dragged her away.”

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo looked at each other with a frown. “I think we should go back home, girls. Or at least somewhere we can stay in,” Scootaloo suggested.

The yellow filly turned to look at Sweetie Belle. “Do ya think Rarity’ll let us stay with her?”

“I guess, but can’t we go to Twilight or Pinkie? Rarity’s going to get upset if she finds out I was out at night.”

Scootaloo scoffed. “Well, if you want to walk across town by yourself, then be our guest, but Apple Bloom and I are going to stay here with Rarity, right AB?”

Apple Bloom shuffled awkwardly. “Uh, yeah I guess.”

Sweetie Belle frowned and looked at the floor, shifting her weight between her hooves as she pondered. Eventually, she shot her gaze back up. “Okay, alright fine. But I know Rarity’s going to tell Applejack and Rainbow Dash we were out!”

“Then I guess we’ll just have to tell them the truth,” Apple Bloom said. If anything that Applejack taught her shone through at that moment, it was the importance of honesty.

The three fillies steeled themselves for the inevitable reckoning that Rarity would give them. The scolding, the punishing, the threatening to tell their sisters (or in Scoot’s case, the mare that was as close to a sister as she had), the dramatic whining, the warnings, everything that they knew was coming. Sweetie Belle knocked on the door and smiled innocently as a taller, light grey mare opened the door and looked down at them in surprise, then in anger.

Everything Apple Bloom knew would happen, happened.

“How could you possibly think this was acceptable, Sweetie Belle?” Rarity spoke sternly, pacing in front of the couch where the three fillies now sat. She turned to look directly at her sister as she spoke her name, causing the yearling to squirm.

“I’m sorry, Rarity... But—”

“No buts, Sweetie! You shouldn’t have been outside at all! You know the rules!”

“Yeah, but Rarity—”

“No, Sweetie Belle. I think I’m going to step in and ground you, I’m within my rights and surely our parents wouldn’t disagree.” Rarity began pacing again. “As for you two, surely you know I’m going to tell Applejack and Rainbow Dash.”

Scootaloo and Apple Bloom both looked down.

Sweetie Belle sighed. “Rarity, you have to let me explain—”

“And Sweetie Belle! What has gotten into you?” Rarity once again stopped her pacing to look at her sister. “You never disobey when it’s something important like this!”

“I know, Rarity.” Sweetie Belle sounded exasperated, and Apple Bloom could understand why. “But—”

“I am just trying to be the big sister you deserve!” Rarity’s voice grew shrill. “There are awful things happening. Do you blame me for wanting you girls to be safe?”

“No, but—”

“If you go out at night, especially on nights like tonight, who knows what could happen.” Rarity looked in turn at each of the fillies. “We wouldn’t want any accidents to happen, would we?”

It seemed Sweetie Belle had had enough. She stood up and glared at Rarity. “Let me speak!” she yelled at her sister, who looked at her in shock, then in surprised anger. “We were only out there because we wanted to catch whoever’s doing all this!”

Scootaloo and Apple Bloom both looked at their friend with widened eyes. Apple Bloom lifted a hoof and placed it on Sweetie Belle’s shoulder. Before she could tell her to calm down, Sweetie Belle shrugged her off and continued to look right at Rarity, who returned the gaze, although it softened.

“Sweetie, I appreciate that you and your friends had your hearts in the right place,” she started, her voice calm, “but your intentions do not make up for the fact that you put yourselves in danger.”

Sweetie Belle sighed. “I understand, Rarity. And maybe we were being dumb. But we saw something.”

This seemed to get Rarity’s attention. Her expression changed into one of concern, an eyebrow raised and she looked at each of the fillies. “What did you see?”

This time, Scootaloo spoke up. “Sweetie Belle said she saw somepony kidnap Lyra Heartstrings.”

“Err, I think it was Lyra. It was sort of hard to tell, to be honest,” Sweetie Belle admitted. “But I have no clue who the other pony was. They were wearing a cloak and had something with them they used to knock her out. Then, they used a rope to tie her up and dragged her into the forest.”

Rarity frowned and glanced out the window. “But why was Lyra all the way out near the forest?”

Sweetie Belle shrugged. “She wasn’t at first. I think she was heading home, but that pony called her or waved her over or something. I couldn’t hear anything because it happened too far away.”

Apple Bloom raised a hoof to her mouth. “Why would she go to somepony who’s calling her in the middle of the night, though?”

“Perhaps it was somepony she knows,” Rarity murmured under her breath. She stood up. “You girls stay here. I’m going to go see Twilight about this. If this just occurred, maybe we can figure out what happened, or at the very least check everypony’s alibis. This had to have been someone Lyra trusts. We can save her yet.”

The Crusaders looked at each other. “Shouldn’t we go with ya?” Apple Bloom asked, unsure of why Rarity wouldn’t offer to take them.

Rarity simply shook her head. “No, I think it’s best if you girls stay here,” she repeated. “This is serious, and besides, you three should sleep. It is very much past your bedtime, Sweetie Belle, and I’m sure it is for you two as well,” she pointed out while glancing at the trio of friends.

Without leaving time for the fillies to argue again, Rarity magicked open the door and made her way out, taking a saddlebag with her and adorning a dark fabric she pulled over her body, masking her shape and deep purple mane. “Make sure you go right to bed, and no snooping! I’m working on a new line, and I do not enjoy it when little ponies poke around my ideas.” She shut the door behind her, leaving the three fillies sitting in the dark, looking at each other uneasily.