Malignant

Well. Yesterday was certainly...interesting. After getting, ahem, lectured by Twilight on how there are young eyes about, and that it simply cannot do to let my...things stray to the open floors, I woke up this morning feeling quite refreshed, especially after having found said...toy.

I still really, really want Twilight, but at least I’m able to control my feelings now. Not like before. Back then, I really couldn’t help myself. I was actually quite scared. Somepony could’ve taken advantage of me! And I wouldn’t really have been able to do anything about it. Until I got those drugs. Sad really, that I had to rely on such things to maintain a relatively safe life.

I actually crafted those two bracelets that I used against those guards myself. It was a simple task, and I’m glad I did so. I’ve already had to use them at least a dozen times. It’s really been putting a damper on my savings, drugs like that aren’t cheap nowadays. I’ve had to...work overtime in order to afford them.

But I haven’t had to use them in quite some time. Ponyville is a wonderful town, it’s always shining brightly here! And everypony is so wonderfully kind and welcoming. I haven’t had any...incidents, whether it be a danger for me or...forcing myself onto somepony else. At least, not yet anyways. And I intend to keep it that way. So far, so good! No longer will my life be controlled by lust!

I was, however, forced to go to special...classes. Twilight said that if I didn’t attend, I wouldn’t be allowed to stay in her home anymore. And I didn’t want THAT, obviously. She’s what keeps me going, more than anything else.

Oh, Twilight...maybe someday my hopes and dreams will be realized. Until that day, I’m just going to keep on doing what I do best: seduction. Like right now, for example...

I remembered that I still had my maid outfit from before. After some careful and thought out pondering, I decided to quickly slip into it. After talking to Spike, who wouldn’t stop staring at me, he went and retrieved a feather duster from somewhere around the house.

Twilight Sparkle was sleeping in her bed after one of her usual all-night study sessions. This was going to be too easy. I sat on the edge of her bed, giggling with anticipation. I slowly brought the feather duster to her horn, causing Twilight to utter a slight chuckle. Ha! I knew all about unicorns and their...”special spots.” Remember, I’m a professional.

I began to drag it up and down her horn, making her moan sleepily. I’ll be honest, I was starting to get quite turned on. My fun was cut short, however, when her eyes suddenly fluttered open. They then proceeded to reach about dinner plate-sized as they realized what they were looking at.

“Morning hun~. Don’t mind me...just lie back and enjoy yourself...” I purred sexily. Twilight’s eye twitched.

“APHRODITE!!”

***

“Angel! No! Bad bunny!” I scolded my pesky pet rabbit. Of course I love him very much, but sometimes he can get just a teeny-tiny bit out of hoof. Angel looked up at me with an exasperated look and promptly ceased what he had been doing, muttering to himself as he headed outside. I briefly considered following him, as it was quite a beautiful day out, but my thoughts were suddenly interrupted.

“Does he always act like that?” Warble asked, not taking his eyes off the chaotic bunny rabbit as he headed out the door. I gave him a sincere nod, while biting the inside of my cheek.

“Ok, well,” he continued. “What else needs to be done today?”

“Well...” I began, mentally going over the long list of chores I had to do. One might not believe me, but it takes a lot of effort to feed and care for as many animals as I do. Warble’s been a really great help ever since he showed up. He and I...have a few things in common I suppose.

“Some of the chickens should be fed. It’s almost lunch time for them. Do you remember where the birdseed is?”

Warble stood up and nodded confidently. “Yep! In the shed out back.” He pointed with his hoof in the general direction. Warble didn’t hesitate to take the lead and sprint off to find it.

“Do be careful, it can be a bit...tricky to navigate sometimes.” The stallion nodded again. “Oh, and Warble?” He paused for a moment and looked back at me, his eyes wide in anticipation. “...Try not to snack on any this time. If, um, that’s okay with you.”

Warble blushed and gave a slightly embarrassed sigh before giving me a nod of confirmation. “All right,” he simply conceded, eager to get the duty done and over with. I couldn’t help but giggle at his antics. He was really cute when he was flustered...

I let out a soft sigh as he left. There was still so much that needed to be done! I hovered into the kitchen and began to collect the proper amounts of food for the mice and rabbits. Not five minutes later, there was a sudden knocking at my door. Wow, that was fast. I’m not sure he could’ve done a good job in that amount of time...

“Wow, that sure was-” I began as I opened the door, fully expecting to see Warble and his silly sheepish grin that he often wore. The pony that actually greeted me, however, was the LEAST likely pony  I would expect to see at my front door.

“C-Covette? What...what are you doing here? When did you come to Ponyville?” I looked left and right nervously. This was all very strange. I hadn’t heard anything about her in the past week or so. I thought she actually hated me! All of us, in fact! I hoped she wouldn’t start yelling...or cursing. I don’t like it when ponies yell...or curse.

“Oh, you know. Recently. Nothing very special. What’s up?” she asked, barging her way past me and entering my cottage rather rudely. I had a bad feeling about this...

“Oh...nothing much. I was just...taking care of my animal friends like I always do...” I trailed off, trying to hide behind my mane.

Covette turned and smirked at me. Obviously she was rather amused by my actions. “Well...that’s nice, I suppose.” She took the liberty of plopping down on my couch, stretching her whole body across it. She let out a loud yawn, and brought a hoof to her mouth to cover it up. She glanced uneasily around the room, taking it all in. “Nice place you have,” she said softly. “Way better than mine...”

“Oh...thanks. It isn’t much. You...you have a place to stay?” I hesitantly inquired. I hope she didn’t steal it or something. I also hoped she wouldn’t get jealous. I knew what would happen then...

“Yep!” she proclaimed loudly. “I got some money from...uhm, a friend. Or rather, an acquaintance of mine. It’s nothing, really.“ I really doubted that. She said so herself, she spent her life on the streets alone. I didn’t mean to be rude, but I don’t think she has any friends. Besides me, anyways. Well, I at least hope we’re friends .

“Oh, well that’s...nice.” I trailed off again, unsure of what to say. She also seemed rather uneasy. An awkward silence ensued. “So, Covette...what brings you to my place? I mean, if you don’t mind telling me...”

“Oh, nothing really,” she lied, sitting back on the couch and staring at the ceiling. I noticed that she was having a hard time even looking at me. I was getting more and more nervous by the minute. I hoped she wasn’t trying to tell me something...big...

“R-really?” I stuttered. “Because, well, it certainly doesn’t seem like nothing. At least, that’s what I’ve noticed, I hope you don’t mind...” Covette growled at me as the words left my lips, indicating her frustration. She soon calmed down, though. She seemed to be having an internal struggle of sorts.

Covette opened her mouth, but right at that moment, Warble slammed open the door. “I’m back! And the chickens are all fed!” Apparently he was too, judging by the birdseed on his chin... Warble gasped as he saw Covette lying on the couch. The green mare, for her part, went rigid as her eyes narrowed at him. “Oh...hi, Covette. Fancy seeing you here...” he said unsurely.

Covette said nothing for a moment or two, simply choosing to glare at the portly stallion instead. “Hullo, Warble,” she muttered after a brief silence. Suddenly, her face twisted into a nasty sneer. “Eat any ponies recently?”

Warble’s face flushed bright red as I gasped in horror. “Covette!” I admonished, but she ignored me.

“No, of course not!” he sputtered indignantly. “I’ll have you know that I would never-”

“Oh, shut your trap already! Celestia knows you spend enough time with it open,” Covette said angrily. I gasped again, but this time in anger.

“Covette! That is no way to treat my guest! Now say you’re sorry!”

“Sorry?! He should be the one apologizing to ME! Bastard almost ATE me!”

Warble looked quite visibly upset by this, but valiantly stood his ground. “I did say I’m sorry! I’ll even say it again! I’m sorry! I’m sorry, ok?! I wasn’t myself! Just...just chill!”

Covette blew a strand of mane out of her face and stood up angrily. “Whatever. I was just leaving anyways. See ya ‘round.” And with that, she shoved Warble out of the way, a bit more forcefully than what was necessary, and headed out the door. I fluttered over and checked on Warble.

“Are you alright?” I asked softly. Warble looked right into my eyes. There were tear stains on his cheeks and he was sniffling to himself. I could tell that he was trying to put on a brave face, but he was really hurt on the inside.

“I-I think so...” he muttered softly, sniffing loudly once again. “Why...why must she always be so mean? I didn’t mean to do it...I swear I didn’t...”

“Shhh...” I cooed softly, stroking his mane. “It’s okay. I know you didn’t. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about you this week, it’s that you’re not a monster. I don’t know what her problem is, but we shouldn’t worry about it too much. Give her time.”

Warble nodded slowly, processing what I was saying. “Yeah...I guess you’re right. Thanks, Fluttershy.” I smiled warmly at him. What I did next...I’m not quite sure why I did it. Leaning in, I quickly pecked him on the cheek. The stallion went rigid, and his breathing quickened. I blushed profusely.

“Now, why don’t you go get started on the food for the ferrets. I’ll be right behind you.” The stallion nodded dumbly, clearly at a loss for words before getting to his hooves and heading into my cottage. I was about to follow, but turned to see the receding form of a green mare.

“Oh, Covette...I want to help you, I really do. Why won’t you let me?”

***

The first thing I heard was the birds chirping outside my window. Ahh, what a lovely sound. The birds here in Ponyville sure are lovely. I don’t think I ever heard any birds back in Fillydelphia. Opening my eyes groggily I am greeted by my plain white ceiling. Turning to my side I check the time. ...Wow. I really slept in. Usually I’m up pretty early. Must have been all the stress of yesterday...

Oh my goodness! Ennui!!

I threw the covers off, leaped out of bed, and practically sprinted into the living room. “Ennui?” I called hopefully. Skidding to a halt, I inspected my surroundings. Nothing. The living room looked exactly the same as it did last night. Trotting into the kitchen, I noticed that my saddlebags were still on the counter. Even the hay chips and guacamole were still untouched. Wow, can’t believe I forgot to put them away. I NEVER do that.

But if there’s one fact that was rapidly making itself known to me, it was this: Ennui was now, without hardly any doubt, missing. Oh my goodness! Oh sweet Celestia! What could’ve happened to her? Was she mugged? Foalnapped? Ponyville seems like such a nice town, I struggle to think that something like that would’ve happened. Is she lost? Is she hurt? Is she lying in a ditch somewhere, her life force slowly bleeding out?

No...my only friend...my one true friend that I’ve managed to make...gone...

I’ve started to panic. I’ve never felt this scared before. My heart feels like it’s going crazy. I’m beginning to hyperventilate. I used to do that every now and then, but it hasn’t been a problem recently. I grabbed the paper bag the hay chips are in, tore it open, and breathed in and out of it. I’m sure Ennui won’t mind. That mare will eat food off of the floor. Celestia forbid!

After a moment or two, my breathing returned to normal. But I’m still as scared as a little lost filly. What do I do? I have to find her! I can’t just give up on her! “Ennui!!” I screamed, perhaps a little more shrilly than I would have liked. “I’m going to find you! I promise!” I don’t know why I said that. Maybe it was just that little part of me that still hoped this was all some silly game. After all, she’s my friend right? Surely after hearing the panic in my voice she would have given up? ...Right?

I waited for a few moments, my pounding chest and gasping breaths the only audible noises. Still nothing. Ok then, time for plan B. “TWILIGHT!!” I shrieked loudly before bolting out the door.

***

I’m really getting sick of this mare.

Every day it’s something new with her. She’s always...touching me. Like right now, when I woke up to find her tickling my horn! With a feather duster! Who does that?!

Although, I must admit. She doesn’t look half bad in that maid outfit of hers.

I managed to magically toss her out of the room and lock the door behind her. Letting out a contented sigh, I rested my head back on my pillow. I was still exhausted, and my brain was all over the place after my study session last night.

When I opened my eyes next, Aphrodite was staring directly into my eyes from less than a foot away from my face. I let out a jarred scream and flew out of my bed, landing on the floor in a heap. Again. What is up with ponies always doing this to me? I mean, really! This is the third time within the last two weeks!

I got to my hooves, shaking the grogginess out of my head. I seethed at the mare, who simply lounged on my bed, oblivious to her actions.

“How did you get in here!?” I shouted at her, my eye twitching once again. I only do that when I’m really, really frustrated.

“Your window was open!” She pointed rather giddily at the open window that was perched right next to my bedframe. I found myself growling at her, quite ready to wring her pretty little neck. Somehow, I managed to restrain myself. Why did I ever think that letting her stay in my house would be a good idea?

“Get. Out,” I growled angrily, throwing open the door with my magic and pointing at it. Aphrodite’s giddy expression fell into one of feigned sadness.

“But, Twilight...”

“Downstairs. NOW!!” I screamed, my eye once again twitching in my fury. Aphrodite wisely decided not to piss me off any further and quickly scampered out of the room. But not before turning around, winking, and blowing me a kiss. “Ugh!” I moaned in frustration as I slammed the door closed and leaned against it, slowly sinking to the floor. I brought a hoof up to my face and dragged it downwards. This was going to be another long day.

I wanted so much just to crawl back into my bed and sleep eternally, but I was awake now. Not even ten seconds later, there was a soft knock on my door. I felt my frustration rise again.

“Go away Aphro!” I yelled to the door, barely turning my head.  I double checked to make sure that the door was locked before taking a swift step away from it.

“Twilight! It’s me!” I heard Spike call from the other side of the door. Oops. I quickly unlocked the door with my magic and flung the door open. I was greeted by Spike raising a single eyebrow at me. “Trouble with Aphrodite again?” he questioned, and I gave him a brief shrug.

“Yes...” I sighed rather loudly. I really didn’t want to get into details. “Anyways, what’s up?”

“Uh...” He looked at the ceiling and brought one of his claws up to his chin. “Oh right!” He snapped his fingers as he remembered. “Vanity’s at the door, and she says it’s urgent.” He looked left and right and leaned over to me. “I think she’s lost it...”

Oh boy.

And with that, Spike led me down the stairs. I was increasingly curious as to what’s going on. To be honest, I’m also quite excited. I haven’t seen Vanity in at least a week. Yes, I did learn from Aphrodite that she and Ennui had bought an apartment here in Ponyville, but I just never got around to seeing them. After all, somepony has to do all this important research!

As I began to trot down the stairs, I saw Vanity sitting on a nearby chair. Her eyes were shifting around restlessly, looking at almost everything. There appeared to be tears at the corners of them. For once in her life, her mane was not well-groomed and her coat was messy. She was nervously kneading her front hooves together when she noticed me. “Twilight!” she shouted as her eyes rested on me. Her voice was filled with worry, but her eyes seemed hopeful.

“Vanity? It’s been a while!” I exclaimed, smiling at her as I reached the bottom of the stairs. Vanity was in my face in a matter of seconds.

“Twilight! I...I...” she stuttered. She was trying desperately to get out the words, but she kept choking. Spike was right, she was a total nervous wreck.

“Vanity, darling! So good to see you!” Aphrodite cheered as she trotted into the room from the kitchen. She reached over and gave Vanity a warm hug, who returned it half-heartedly. Much to my surprise, she was no longer wearing that ridiculous maid outfit. Sometimes, it seems that mare has a magic of her own.

“Uh, you too.” She looked away from Aphrodite, obviously not wanting to make small talk at the moment. She suddenly faced me, biting her lip nervously. “Twilight! I need your help!” she shouted, a little too loudly. I furrowed my brow at her.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

“Ennui! She’s missing! I can’t find her!” she cried, a few nervous tears in her eyes. My expression didn’t change much as I gave her a reassuring smile.

“Vanity, I think you’re overreacting. She’s probably just hanging out with Rainbow Dash,” I suggested. Vanity forcefully shook her head, almost cutting me off.

“No! She’s missing Twilight!” she repeated. “She’s been missing since I came home from the market yesterday! The hay-chips and guacamole!” She hung onto me rather dramatically. “She didn’t come running!”

Well, I think Vanity just had a mental breakdown. I’m...sure that she’s just overreacting. I’ll be honest, I haven’t really talked to Vanity very much before, and right now was probably the longest conversation we’ve ever had.

“Vanity...this is Ponyville we’re talking about. I don’t think we’ve had a missing pony case in five years! I’m sure there’s a perfectly logical explanation for all of this.”

“Like what...?” she mumbled sadly, sniffing slightly. I could tell that she was trying really hard not to cry. Wow, I had no idea they had become such good friends. It warmed my heart a bit to see the sins starting to turn their lives around.

“I don’t know, but it sounds like it’s time for an investigation!” I proclaimed proudly, drawing myself up to my full height. “Spike!” I called. The response was immediate. Clearly, he had been waiting in the other room and listening to our every word.

“Yes, Twilight?”

“Bring my investigation kit, stat! Vanity and I will be heading out in just a moment,” I declared confidently. There was a mystery at hoof, and I was the mare to solve it! The Case of the Missing Sleepyhead! Maybe I can use this experience to write my own detective novel...

Unfortunately, my stroke-of-the-moment and brilliant train of thought was derailed by a most obtrusive voice. “What about me, Twilight~”

I thought for a moment, weighing my possibilities. I didn’t want to tell her no, but...oh, who am I kidding? After the stunt she pulled this morning it’s time for a bit of payback. “You,” I began, keeping my voice suspiciously light-hearted, “shall stay RIGHT here, make NO noise, and pretend that you do not exist. Unless guests arrive. You will then do EXACTLY what Spike says and nothing else.”

“But Twiiii~” she complained. I hardened my gaze on her, using nothing but my facial expression to tell her that I meant business. She pouted, of course, but eventually relented. “Oh, fine,” she sighed. “Have it your way.” Even though she’s really, REALLY good at getting on my nerves, I still get the final say in pretty much everything. After all, she still thinks she’s in love with me or something ridiculous. I intend to disillusion her of this notion at some point, but I digress.

“Thank you. I think I will,” I replied, perhaps a hair too smugly. But oh well, she deserved it. I turned back to Vanity, who still had a smidgen of doubt on her face. I smiled at her rather warmly before ushering her towards the door.

“Come on. Twilight Sparkle is on the case!”

***

I stood before Vanity’s apartment and shuffled my hooves rather impatiently as I waited for her to unlock the door. Hey, what can I say? I love solving mysteries! I always know who the criminal is before the end of the book. Always. Anyways, I decided that it was never a bad time to start gathering more data. “So, Vanity. When was the last time you saw Ennui?”

Vanity’s face contorted into a grimace as she attempted to answer the question. “It...it was the night before yesterday. We went to bed at the same time, like we always do. I got up early that morning to do some shopping, and when I got back she was nowhere to be found. I haven’t seen her since,” she finished sadly, holding the door open for me. I strode confidently inside. My eyes almost bugged out my head at what I saw next.

“Vanity! This place is a total mess! It looks like Ennui was foalnapped by force!”

My sudden outburst appeared to have no effect on the cerulean mare, who simply chuckled in amusement. “Oh, Twilight. It always looks like this. Remind yourself who I live with,” she finished, smiling slightly at me.

I paused to think for a moment. And then proceeded to feel rather foalish. “Whoops. Hehe, I suppose that does make sense. Applejack certainly had a few things to say about the state of her house once I got the whole story. But really,” I continued, raising my hoof in slight disgust as I stepped on...something. “How can you stand this? It’s awful.”

Vanity simply shrugged. “It’s not too bad. I don’t spend much time in here anyways. I keep my room, the kitchen, and the bathroom spotless, and that’s good enough for me. Letting Ennui have some space is more than worth it to keep her friendship...” she finished sadly. Wow, I had no idea the two of them were so close. She was really worried. Time to figure out what had happened.

“She doesn’t need space. She hardly moves, right?”

Vanity rolled her eyes. “You know what I mean. Space to be herself. And she’s been getting better recently. Did you know we managed to get her to start exercising? It’s rather amusing, actually.”

My eyes went wide yet again. “Really? How’d you manage to do that?”

Vanity shrugged again. “Like I said, we make sacrifices for each other. That’s her end of the bargain. That’s what friends do, right? If she’s going to be lazy, she’s at least not going to be a slob,” she finished, the corners of her mouth lifting slightly. “Now come on. It’s her room that’s...strange.”

My eyebrows lifted but I said nothing as I followed the blue mare down a hallway. She stopped before a door on the right and turned back to face me, grimacing slightly. I was about to ask why but a moment later I found out myself. There was an awful stench coming from that room! “Ennui’s room?” I asked in a deadpan voice.

“You bet,” she replied, equally unenthused. Carefully, waiting for some sort of mutant monster to jump us, I pushed open the door. I was quite shocked at what I actually saw. The bed was made and the floor was clean. It still reeked, however.

“Her room is...picked up?” I asked in disbelief. After seeing the disaster in the living room, I expected the lazy mare’s personal quarters to look like a tornado hit it.

“I was just as surprised as you...I’ve never seen it like this before,” she stated, also staring into the room. She found the stench to be quite overbearing, and placed a hoof over her snout defensively. I resisted the urge to do the same.

“Okay. So something obviously strange happened in here, right?”

Vanity nodded, unsurely. “I would assume so...”

“Alright then. Stand back.” I entered the danger zone and headed to what I judged to be roughly the center of the room. Closing my eyes, I began to focus. Activating my horn, I reached out with magical energy, searching for anything out of the ordinary.

I gasped audibly at what I found. I sensed something very odd and unfamiliar. Something that definitely should not be in a non-unicorn’s room. I felt a power that nearly caused me to collapse as I tried to discern its nature. Quickly retracting my power, my eyes snapped open. Vanity looked visibly upset. As much as I hated to do so, I gave her a look that clearly did not carry good news.

“There’s something wrong here. Something very, very wrong.”

***

I must say, I was most concerned when a very worried-looking Twilight Sparkle knocked on my door this fine afternoon. Knowing her, there was almost certainly trouble about. “Twilight, my dear! Good heavens, just look at you. You look like you’ve seen a ghost! What ever is the matter?”

Twilight began to speak quickly. “Rarity. There’s something going on. I’m not sure what yet, but it’s nothing good. I have some theories but I need more data. I need you to help me find the rest of the sins. Have them gather at the library.” She turned to leave, but before doing so she looked back at me over her shoulder. “Oh, and bring our friends too.” And with that, she teleported away in a bright purple flash.

I carefully shut the door behind her, musing to myself on what could possibly be going on. What could possibly warrant a meeting of all thirteen of us? The changelings had been defeated, right? My thoughts were cut incredibly short when another knock was heard at my door. “Cooooming~” I called as I strode to answer it.

I must say, I was quite astonished to see a very familiar chartreuse stallion standing before me as I subconsciously flung the door open. “Cashmere!” I said in surprise, all pretense of a formal greeting forgotten in my shock.

Cashmere, for his part, looked rather nervous for some reason. “Um, hello Rarity. How...how do you do this fine afternoon?” Was it just me, or was he avoiding my gaze on purpose?

“I can’t say all is well right now. Twilight showed up earlier, and something has her mane in quite the tangle. And I’m sure you know what that means...” I trailed off, giving him a knowing look.

Cashmere’s eyes darted side to side uncertainly. “Oh, dear. Has something grave occurred?”

“I’m not sure, my dear stallion.” Did he blush slightly at that? “But I intend to find out. As it would happen, it’s most fortunate you stopped by. Twilight wants the six of us and the seven of you to gather in the library.”

The stallion’s eyes widened. “What? Are you serious? This...this doesn’t sound good at all. I should help you. Whom do you still need to fetch?”

I paused for a moment to do a quick mental headcount. “Well, let’s see. There’s Fluttershy and Warble out at the cottage. Kindling and Applejack are on the farm. You and me are here, Aphrodite should already be at the library, and Ennui and Vanity at their apartment. That leaves Pinkie, Rainbow Dash, and...I think that’s everypony. Personally, I was just about to head to Fluttershy’s cottage.”

“Oh. Well, if you’d like I wouldn’t mind assisting you in gathering them all. I’ll go find Ennui and Vanity. I know where they are. After all, I helped them seal the deal on their rent.” He brought his hoof to his mouth and coughed suddenly. His next words were spoken rather hoarsely, as if his throat was dry. “Listen, Rarity...perhaps, maybe...” he paused, shuffling his hooves nervously.

“...Yes?” I asked expectantly when he failed to continue.

“Never mind,” he cut in suddenly. “Now isn’t the best of times. We’d best hurry.” And with that, we were on our way to find our respective quarries.

***

It was some time later that we were all finally gathered in the library. It was slightly crowded, but then again it’s been worse during one of Pinkie’s parties. Suddenly, Twilight appeared in a bright flash in the middle of the room, Kindling and Applejack materializing next to her. Both of the earth ponies looked rather dazed.

“Ok! Quiet, everypony! Quiet please!” Twilight called, trying to get everypony’s attention. The humdrum of voices slowly died down before dying away. She cleared her throat and opened her mouth to speak, but suddenly squeaked and moved violently away from Aphrodite. She shot her a glare, but didn’t say anything. She cleared her throat again, a heavy blush now gracing her features. Aphrodite, for her part, was grinning like a cat. I immediately felt a pang of pity for Twilight.

“Okay, so I have brought you all here to inform everypony of grave news. First of all, is everypony here?” There was another buzz of excitement as everypony tried to do a separate headcount. I could see Twilight’s hoof moving and her face scrunched up in concentration. Suddenly, her eyes shot wide open. “Oh my goodness! Somepony’s missing! Where...where’s Covette?”

The room quieted as everypony scanned the room themselves. I had to resist the urge to slap myself. How could I have possibly forgotten Covette? But then again, I hadn’t seen her since the changeling incident. Was she even in Ponyville?

“Uhm. I know where-”

“Has anypony seen her? Anypony at all?” Twilight called.

“I-I think she moved somewhere-”

“Seriously! This is important!”

“No, really . I talked to her just-

“Ugh! Fine, I guess we’ll have to get a search party. Aphrodite and Kindling, you two go search the-”

“WILL EVERYPONY SHUT UP! FLUTTERSHY IS TRYING TO SPEAK!” Warble screamed over everypony in the room. All eyes turned to him, causing him to immediately regret his very loud and rather obnoxious decision. However, he continued. “She stopped by this morning.”

Twilight whirled on Warble, that tell-tale manic grin gracing her features. “Really? She’s here in Ponyville? Wonderful! Where does she live?”

Warble shifted uncomfortably. “Uh, I...I don’t actually know...”

Fluttershy cleared her throat. “I believe I can explain. Given the direction she chose to depart my humble abode from was west by northwest, and considering that she most likely purchased a rather cheap establishment, I would say it is highly probable that she has taken up residence on Bridle Street.” Everypony in the room had to suppress a cry of surprise. I must say, the dear is very soft-spoken, but she can be quite articulate when given the chance.

Even Twilight was rather stunned. She looked around the room, hesitating a moment as her jaw opened and closed uselessly before speaking again. “Uh, right! We’ll go search there!”

“Although,” Fluttershy continued. “Bridle Street has at least twenty residences on it. If I were you, I’d stop by the Mayor’s office to see if any new purchases have been made recently.”

Twilight’s eye twitched. “Excellent idea, Fluttershy!” she declared. “I’ll go talk to the Mayor. Meet you on Bridle Street, Rarity! Everypony else, stay here and DON’T. GO ANYWHERE. Yes, Pinkie, that means no cupcakes.” And with that, she disappeared in a bright purple flash.

“Or we can just ding-dong ditch houses until she pops out?” Warble spoke up in the silence, grinning mischievously and rubbing his hooves together. Everypony glared at him. Except for Pinkie, who immediately recovered from her cupcake ban and began to giggle madly. “Or not...”

***

It was only a few moments later that I arrived at Bridle Street. Sure enough, Fluttershy’s guess was probably accurate. I hated to say it, but the residences here were...lackluster at best. Unsure of where to go, I simply waited in the middle of the street, scanning for any purple flashes. Sure enough, one soon appeared next to a house on my right. “It’s here~!” Twilight called in an almost sing-song voice. She scanned the road quickly, her eyes soon finding mine. “Ah, Rarity! There you are. Come on, there isn’t much time!” I hurried over to Twilight’s side.

“Let’s see...” she muttered. “3456...Ah! This...one...oh, dear.” I paused next to her, undoubtedly feeling the same sinking feeling as the purple mare next to me.

The door to the house was swinging freely in the breeze.

“Twilight...?” I said uncertainly. The mare in question continued to stare at the door for another moment or two. I could practically hear the gears turning in her head. Suddenly, she shook it off.

“Come on, let’s check it out. Be on your guard.” I nodded, and slowly followed her into the house. I may not be nearly as skilled as Twilight when it comes to magic, but I certainly knew a trick or two to keep myself safe.

“Isn’t this breaking and entering?” I couldn’t help but question. Twilight simply shrugged at my statement.

“We’ll find out soon enough. I don’t think anypony will mind. It’s important.” She stopped in what appeared to be a living room. It was difficult to tell due to the lack of furniture. At least Covette had some things now, but it still wasn’t much. Two sets of eyes, one purple and one blue, carefully scanned the interior. “I’ll check upstairs. You search down here. Meet back in ten,” she said curtly before heading to the stairs. I nodded and trotted into the kitchen.

After five minutes of nosing through empty rooms and scarcely populated cupboards, I heard Twilight’s voice call from upstairs. “Rarity! Come quick! I think you need to see this...”

That didn’t sound good. I hastened to get upstairs. A few moments of searching found Twilight standing alone in a room. She was staring at something on the ground. Upon noticing my entry, she stepped aside to let me get a good look. “Well? What do you think?”

I...I didn’t know what to think. Sitting on the ground was what appeared to be an overturned box and a decent sum of money. Or at least, it had been money. What was left looked rather...charred. “Was she...burning money? But the poor dear is practically penniless!” I said, confusion fighting with worry in my chest.

Twilight’s eyes narrowed. “I know. There’s something strange going on.” She turned to meet

my gaze. “Rarity...in the library. Did you notice that somepony else was missing?”

I thought back. No...everypony seemed to be... “Ennui! Where was she?” I said suddenly, resisting a second urge to slap myself. Wow, I really needed to go back to school or something if counting was this hard.

“Exactly. Vanity’s been in a panic. When I went to investigate...her room was clean.”

I took a moment to think this over. “Clean? Well that doesn’t seem particularly-”

“Ennui’s. Room.”

Oh, right. Laziest mare alive. “Ah.”

“I’m going to scan the house for any signs of life. I want you to join the spell...and tell me what you feel.”

I nodded once before closing my eyes in concentration. I stretched out with my magic. I wasn’t nearly as good at this as Twilight was, but I could still manage. I quickly felt her magic brush up against mine. We acknowledged each other’s presence and then continued our search. Our magic washed over the entirety of the house, but one simple fact became painfully obvious: there was not a living soul but us in that building.

Suddenly, I felt something else. It was...powerful. Terrifying. It reminded me of a snake, sitting in the corner and waiting for the opportune moment to strike. I must’ve gasped audibly, because Twilight quickly retracted the spell. Opening my eyes unsurely, I met her gaze. “Twilight...what was that?”

Twilight stared at me a few moments before responding. “I have no idea.”