Journey Into Darkness

by Novus Draconis

Rating: teen
Tags: Tragedy, Adventure, Human, Dark, Alternate Universe
Length: 12632

An unknown enemy is stealing foals from Equestria and Princess Celestia assigns Princess Twilight Sparkle to investigate. But, when progress stalls, she sends in a special investigator to take over the case.

When foals begin to disappear from Ponyville and Equestria, Princess Celestia assigns Princess Twilight Sparkle to investigate the disappearances. After a year, progress stalls, prompting Celestia to call in outside aid. Twilight, demoted to an assistant, finds herself thrust into a headlong chase through the stars to find the missing ponies and prevent an interstellar war, one that would surely be the end of Equestria.
Cover art courtesy of TurboSolid!
This is my first story dabbling in the Poniverse so I happily welcome any critiques and criticisms.

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2013-05-11 23:15:16 UTC

Chapter 1

There was something new in the air as Twilight peered through the eyepiece of her telescope, identifying constellations that she had identified a thousand times before.  She found this a quiet and relaxing activity that she practiced every night before retiring.  It helped to calm her and ease her mind, allowing her to sleep peacefully.

Behind her, Spike was already in his bed, snoring softly.  She had thoroughly overworked him today and he was exhausted but he never complained about the workload, which is why she considered him her number-one assistant, despite the grief he occasionally gave her.

She was grateful to Princess Celestia for allowing her to stay in Ponyville.  Though it really served no purpose, it allowed her to be in familiar surroundings and near her friends.  Her new-found Alicorn status hadn't really changed anything.  Despite her official “Princess” title, she was still Twilight Sparkle to the citizens of tiny, quiet, Ponyville.

The clopping of hooves caught her attention and she looked down into the street to see a group of Equestrian soldiers trot by.  They were another sign that Ponyville was not as quiet as it seemed on the surface.  This group was one of many stationed in the town by the Princess since the problems had begun.  Ponies had been disappearing, specifically young colts and fillies.  They vanished from their beds in the middle of the night, leaving only terrified parents.  There were never any witnesses to the disappearances.  It was like they had simply vanished.  The Princess was exasperated enough to send her personal guard to protect the town.  She had also assigned Twilight to oversee the investigation.  However, even with Twilight's considerable investigative prowess, no headway had been made in the case.  The Princess was stressed and had alerted Twilight, by letter, that she had called in outside help.

Twilight had never been outside of Equestria and, as far as she knew, there was nothing outside of that world but she trusted her princess and would follow Celestia anywhere.  Hence why she had not objected at this news but simply awaited this new assistance and wondered what they would be like.

A sound like thunder erupted from the air above her and Twilight immediately returned her attention to v the telescope, searching for the source of the noise.  She knew the pegasus ponies hadn't scheduled a storm this week and she saw no clouds on the horizon.  There were three more of the thunder-sounds in quick succession and she saw a flash in the sky and traced what looked like a long tongue of flame as it arched across the stars before landing with a crash more felt than heard in the Everfree forest.

Twilight continued to watch the area where she had seen the thing crash, waiting for more movement.  When there was nothing, she turned and grabbed her saddlebags.  Her curiosity was piqued and she wanted to find out what that thing was.  On her way out, she paused as Spike's bed and considered waking him but decided against it.  He was still a baby dragon and needed his sleep, she reasoned.

She left the library behind her, spread her wings, and took flight.  Her areal route ensured that she would have an easier time finding the crash site.  If she had walked, the patrols would have spotted her and insisted on accompanying her.  Having a small army following her would have made her search that much more difficult.

She searched the horizon, looking for the smoke or flames that would indicate where the thing had crashed but saw nothing.  That made her more curious, what could crash into an dense and overgrown forest at an obviously high rate of speed and not cause a fire.  Looking straight down, she noticed an odd glow beneath the dense forest canopy.  She banked her wings and turned, circling the area as she searched for a clear place to land.

There was a strip of land where the trees had been cleared away suddenly.  Something had torn through the forest at an incredible rate of speed.  She widened her circle as she came in to land on the soft, uneven, ground.  Her hooves sank into the soft, thick, mud and it was an effort to move towards the glow.

A high-pitched squeal, just on the edge of her hearing, caused her to wince.  She twitched her ears, as if trying to block the sound, but it reached her all the same.  Much to her relief, it ended suddenly as she came upon the source of the glow.

There was an odd, egg-shaped, structure partially buried in the earth.  Steam rose from the puddles of muddy water and hung in the still air, making it a little difficult for her to breathe.  The entire egg seemed to glow with the ethereal reddish-orange light.  The heat bleeding off of it was intolerable and Twilight found herself forced to back off a few steps, despite her insatiable curiosity which was only heightened by these peculiar circumstances.

There was a loud metallic thud and the egg started to hum again.  An oval of light appeared.  Twilight quickly ducked into some nearby brush and hid herself as the oval grew and something came out.  Whatever it was, it certainly didn't look like a pony.  It resembled a Minotaur in build and stance.  It walked on its long hind legs which bent back, as opposed to the norm of bending forward.  The creature was twice again her height.  Aside from that, she really couldn't see any detail.

The creature chattered in a strange tongue as it waved it's forelegs in frustration.  It kicked the egg, which sounded with a dull thud.  The creature muttered a little and disappeared within the egg, only to return, carrying a large pack and some kind of strange object that glowed with a blue haze.

The creature's eyes glowed a bright red, shedding light on the forest around it and it lumbered directly toward her hiding place.  Twilight panicked and bolted, running as fast as she could back to the clearing, where she would have room to take flight.  The mud and uneven ground made running difficult for her but not, apparently, for the creature, which spotted and pursued her.  It rapidly gained ground on her.  Her front hooves slid some but she corrected herself, breaking into an evasive pattern to make herself harder to catch.

Finally, she saw starlight and spread her wings.  Her pursuer put on a burst of speed and she only got a few inches from the ground before she felt the creature leap onto her back and ride her to the ground.  She tried to push it off but couldn't get her legs under her properly.  The creature barked in it's odd language as it pawed at her, finally grabbing her head and pushing it up, exposing her throat.

She instantly regretted traveling out alone and not telling anypony where she was going.  She was going to die here, in the middle of the Everfree forest, and nopony would ever know what became of her.  She thought of Spike, who still needed her, and wondered who would care for him.  She wept with fear as she struggled against her attacker, “No!  No, please, don't do this.  Please, for Celestia's sake, don't hurt me!”

The creature paused but didn't release her.  For a horrifying moment, She was unsure as to whether or not it had understood her pleas.  She heard and odd click and it shifted slightly.  She could see, out of the corner of her eye, that it was holding something above her head.  She doubled her efforts to free herself, “No!  No!  No!”

A bright light flashed in her eye, nearly blinding her.  She whimpered, trying to move her head to bring her horn around in an effort to cast a spell and defend herself.

The creature began to gently stroke her neck and she found herself soothed somewhat, “You're okay.  You're okay.  Calm down, now.”

She froze at the voice.  It was deep and soft.  The creature was no longer speaking in it's own language but speaking in her's.  She could understand it but could it understand her, “Please.  Please don't hurt me.  Please just let me go.  I won't tell anypony about this, I promise.”

“No.  No, I won't hurt you.  Don't worry.”  It climbed off of her and allowed her to get back to her hooves.  She stood and backed off a few feet, putting some distance between her and the creature.

“Please, don't leave.”  It said, “I know I scared you but I promise, I mean you no harm.”

“That wasn't the best introduction.”  She said, stomping a hoof in irritation.”

“I know.  I'm truly sorry but I didn't know what you were.  What are you?”

Twilight snorted, “I'm a pony.  An Alicorn.”

The creature was silent as it stared at her, “I've seen ponies before but they didn't have wings or horns, nor were they able to speak.”

She blinked, “You've seen ponies before?  Where?”

“On my world.”

Her eyes narrowed, “Your world?  What are you?  Where did you come from?”

“I'm a human, kind of.”

Twilight wrinkled her muzzle, “Hu-man?  What's a human?”

The human set a small cylindrical object between them and turned it on.  The blindingly-bright white light hurt her eyes and she groaned as she turned away, allowing her eyes to adjust slowly.  When she turned back, she was pleasantly surprised that she could see this human in clear detail.

It possessed legs that made up roughly half of it's actual height and it's girth was twice her own.  It's mane was tiny, covering only the top of it's head and the back of it's very short neck.  It's muzzle was tiny and it's face, broad and flat.  She saw that the red light's she had seen on it's head were not, in fact, it's eyes, which were lower down, set on each side of it's tiny muzzle.

She realized her mouth was hanging open and slowly shut it.  This was beyond anything she had ever seen in her extensive studies, beyond anything she could even conceive.  This creature, this human, was the strangest thing she had ever seen and she desired to study it further.  She decided to go out on a limb, “Listen, we can't very well discuss here in the middle of the forest.  Why don't you come back to Ponyville with me and we can continue talking?”

“That sounds like a fine idea.”

She smiled, “Well then, come with me.”  She paused and her ears drooped a little, “I don't know how we're going to get you into Ponyville without causing a panic.  You're somewhat noticeable.”

The human frowned as he thought for a moment.  Finally, he smiled, “Turn around, please.  This might be a little disturbing.”

Twilight cocked her head curiously before complying.  Behind her, she heard strange popping and cracking sounds punctuated with the occasional pained grunt.  Finally she heard a sigh, “Okay, you can look.”

She did so and gasped.  The human had turned into a massive unicorn stallion.  His coat was completely black, save his white face and fetlocks.  The pack had become saddlebags and the strange object he had been carrying had vanished.  Presumably, he had hidden it in the bags, “How did you do that?”

He smiled, “I have some abilities, Twilight Sparkle.  Among these is the ability to disguise myself as anything.”

She blinked, “How do you know my name?  I didn't tell you my name.”

His smile grew, “I know a lot about you and more than just your name.  Wrap your brain around that.”  He took a few steps towards her, “After you, my dear.”

She shook her head, already irritated with her guest's hints.  A strange changling-like being that fell from the sky was going to come and sleep in the Ponyville Library with her and she didn't know anything about him.  She was trusting him to not attack her in her sleep.  Had she change places with one of her friends, like Rarity or Pinkie, she would have thought they were mad.  However, something told her that she was perfectly safe with him, safer with, in fact, than without.

Because he had neglected to grow wings, they were forced to walk back to Ponyville.  Luckily, She knew where the paths leading out of the forest and she had an infallible sense of direction.  It didn't take them long to find the road that led past Sweet Apple Acres and into the town.  She trotted through the town square, casting uneasy glances at the guards that milled about, expecting them to stop and question her and her companion.  However, it seemed that Princess Twilight and anyone traveling with her had total freedom of movement to go where, when, and how they pleased.

They returned to the Library without sharing more information.  Once inside the door, she deposited her bags by her desk and cast a spell to light the lamps and the fire.  With that completed, she turned to her guest, “I suppose you'll be staying for a while.  What do I call you?”

“My name changes with the locale.  My given name is Sherloch but, since you're from around here, why don't you choose my cover name.”

“A cover name?”

“Well, if your name is any indication, Sherloch isn't a common name.  I need a common name to help me blend in with the locals.”

“Why would you want to blend in with the locals?”

Sherloch's gaze hardened, “You ask too many questions, Twilight Sparkle.”

She frowned but kept her silence.  She angled her head to stare at his flank, “Where's your cutie mark?”

“What's a cutie mark?”

She stood up straight, “A pony's cutie mark is an indication of our special talent.  We're usually named for those talents.”  She turned to show him her cutie mark, an indigo star surrounded by white sparkles, “My name is Twilight Sparkle and my special talent is magic.”

“Do I need this cutie mark thing?”

She shook her head, “Not really.  Only young foals don't have their cutie marks.  An older stallion, like you, without their cutie mark is almost unheard of.”

“I see.”

“It will help you blend in better.”

He blinked then turned to reveal a magnifying-glass cutie mark, “What do you think?”

She stared hard at the strange icon, “What are you, some kind of detective?”

He smiled that same smirk, “You could say that.”

“Why are you here?”

“I was called here.”

“Here?  To Ponyville?”

“No, not here specifically.  I was summoned to some place called Canterlot.  Do you know where that is?”

“Canterlot is my home town.  Who called you there?”

“A princess named Celestia sent the summons and, given the look of the locals, I'm going to guess she's like you?”

Twilight nodded, “Correct.”

“I was supposed to go directly to Canterlot but my ship ran into some issues while setting up a deceleration orbit so that I could land.  I lost control and landed in that forest, where you found me.”

She stared at him, not quite comprehending what he was saying.  Ship?  Deceleration orbit?  “I don't understand.”

“Astrophysics, dear Twilight.”  He withdrew from his saddlebags something thin.  She stared at it curiously, knowing, from experience with Sherloch, that it would be something amazing.  He touched it with a hoof and it began to glow.  Words scrolled across the device and he turned it towards her, “A bit of light reading.”

She read through the neat print the device presented.  It explained how things called spacecraft moved through space, using gravity to help with maneuvering and keep fuel consumption to a minimum.  She had spent her entire life deep in study about anything and everything she could but she was appalled about how little she knew about the universe outside of her world.

Looking up from the device, she stared at him, “Can you do magic?”

He seemed surprised by her question, “Magic?  No.  I do possess certain abilities but those aren't magic, it's genetics.”

Her muzzle wrinkled, “What are genetics?”

“Genetics decide everything about you, from the color of her coat to the color of your eyes to how tall you'll be when you're fully grown.  These genetics come from your ancestors but mostly from your parents.  Everypony gets half of their genetic code from their father and half from their mother.  My father was an investigator, like me, so his abilities were passed on to me.

“Because of my profession, my 'special talent', if you will, I must be able to disguise myself as anything so that I can do what I need to more easily.  The reason I knew things about you that you hadn't told me is because I can read minds.  Its another ability that assists me in my investigations.  The people I question lie for various reasons.  I can listen to their mind, their memories, while speaking with them.”

Her mind was whirling with this new information, “And this actually works?”

“Without fail.”  He assured her.

She sat down and pressed a hoof to her eye, “This is a lot to absorb.  Let me get this straight.  You're some kind of investigator that uses not-magic like transfiguration and telepathy to help you find the truth?”

“Correct you are.”

“What do you do when you have this information?”

“Whatever needs to be done.”

Twilight hunched forward, “Why are you here?  Is it because of the missing ponies?”

He shrugged, “Ponies were not mentioned in the summons, just missing citizens.”

She smiled, “I was Princess Celestia's star pupil before I knew enough to become an Alicorn, a princess.  I'm sure, given your situation, that she would be willing to come here if I ask her.”

Sherloch presented a smile of his own as he took the device back and touched it, “To client Celestia of Equestria.  Subject:  Arrival of hired investigator.  Begin message:  To the Princess Celestia of the great nation of Equestria,  Greetings from Sherloch Holmes.  I have arrived on Equestria but have unfortunately run into some technical difficulties while in route to the assigned rendezvous point.  I am currently residing with Twilight Sparkle in the town of Ponyville and will meet with you as soon as possible.  Signature: Sherloch Holmes.  Send.”

The device beeped in response and went dark.  She stared at it a moment longer before speaking, “I don't think she has one of those.”

“She does.  She sent her summons to this and, if she can send to it, she can receive from it.”  He stood and returned to his human form.

She noticed how he was dressed and inquired, “Do you humans always wear clothes?”

“Except when we're bathing.  In the society I live in, it's considered extremely improper for a human to walk about in the buff.  In fact, there are rather severe consequences should we even attempt to.  And you, you obviously know about clothes yet you choose to walk about without them.  Why?”

“I've always found, and you'll find ninety-nine percent of ponies agree, that clothes are rather binding.  We really only wear them for special occasions when we need to look our absolute best.”

“I see.”  He replied before turning around.  His gaze roamed around the entire room and across the shelves of books.  He pointed to the flight of stairs in the corner, “Where does that go?”

“To my bedroom, which is completely off-limits.”  She warned him.

“Oh, of course.  I wouldn't go up there anyways.  Don't worry, Twilight Sparkle.  I'll respect your personal space.”  The device on the floor beeped and he picked it up, “The Princess replies that, due to the severity of the situation, it is necessary that we begin the investigation as soon as possible.  She says she'll come to me tomorrow morning.  She also requests that, since I am already with you, you allow me to stay for the duration of the investigation and give any assistance that I may need.”

She turned the device towards her and read the message for herself.  When she finished, she looked at him, “Alright but I need some information about you.”

“Ask away.”

“Where are you from?”

He looked about briefly and beckoned to her.  She followed him up to her telescope where he hunched forward and peered through the eyepiece.  After a short search, he stepped back and motioned her forward.  Taking her turn, she saw something like a small, quivering, ruby.

“That is the planet Jupiter.  Jupiter has many moons and one of them is Ganymede, where I'm from.”

“How far away is it?”

“Twenty-three light years away.”

She turned to him, “What?”

“The distance is the equivalent of twenty-three years traveling at the speed of light.”

“So you started out twenty-three years ago?  How did the princess know she would need you?”  Her ears drooped in disappointment, “How did she know I'd fail?”

“The only thing you've done is jump to conclusions.  I received the message two days ago.  Because of the Hyper-gate system, the flight time was cut dramatically and I was able to get here in time to help.”

There was a pattering noise from upstairs.  They both turned and, as Spike came down the stairs, a bolt of electric-green energy blazed across the room and blew apart one of the bookcases near him.  Twilight yelped as she ducked and Spike all but flew back up the stairs to, presumably, hide beneath his blanket.

She searched for the source of the attack, her horn already glowing and ready to cast spells in defense.  She noticed that Sherloch held a strange-looking contraption that was shaped like a horseshoe and glowed with the same green energy.  Her ears lowered, “What was the meaning of that?”

He slowly lowered his contraption before answering, “You wouldn't believe how many people want to kill me.”

“And you think Spike, my assistant, is one of them?”

“Unlikely but one can never be too confident.  Confidence is arrogance and arrogance gets people, and ponies, killed.  That would be an excellent first lesson for you, Twilight Sparkle.  If we're going to be working together, know that I won't be able to protect you at all times.  You need to learn to not be so trusting.  I could have killed you back there in the forest.”

“If you were going to kill me, you would have done it by now.”  She retorted, “You need to learn to trust.”

“I do trust.”

“Prove it!”  She challenged.

He smiled a cold, terrible, smile that sent a chill down her spine, “You're still breathing, aren't you?”

She watched him from the corner of her eye, “I'm not entirely sure I want you to stay with me.”

“Unfortunately, that is no longer your decision, is it?”

She frowned and  turned, “I have to go calm Spike down and, then, I'm going to bed.  Feel free to sleep on my sofa but, short of an emergency, don't you dare come past this bottom step.”  She clopped a hoof on the stair in question.  “If I catch you anywhere near hear tonight, Celestia, herself, won't be able to save you.”

“Good night, little pony.”

Chapter 2

Twilight awoke to the smell of cooking.  She slowly dragged herself from her bed and dragged a brush through her mane.  She had been up for much of the night trying to calm her baby dragon, who was beside himself with fear from what he felt was an unprovoked attack by a complete stranger.  She had repeatedly assured him that Sherloch was only here to help.  Spike had startled him and Sherloch had overreacted.  She promised him that it was perfectly safe to come downstairs and a situation like what happened the night before would never happen again.

Descending the steps, she sniffed the air, trying to identify the smells of cooking coming from her kitchen.  She paused at the couch and saw that it was vacant.  She followed the smell to her kitchen where Sherloch was standing over her stove, cooking breakfast.

Without looking up from the skillet he asked, “How do you like your oatmeal?”

“Oatmeal?”

“You do eat oatmeal, right?”

“I prefer it with honey and brown sugar and I didn't expect you'd be preparing breakfast.”

“Why not?”

She sat down at the table and poured herself a cup of hot water from the teapot, “Should I have expected it?”

“Why was it unexpected?  I brought out the teabags from the cabinet.  Hope you don't mind.”

“Not at all.  In fact, this is my favorite tea.”  She replied, dropping one of the teabags into the steaming mug.

A bowl filled with oatmeal and toast slid across the table, coming to a halt right in front of her.  Her horn glowed and a spoon floated across to her, burying the tines deep into the fluffy, beige, pile.  Sherloch watched as she lifted a spoonful and deposited it into her waiting mouth.  She sighed and rolled her eyes in ecstasy as she chewed and swallowed, “This is incredible.  Where did you learn to cook like this?”

“When you've lived life alone as I have, you learn to care for yourself.  I didn't want to spend my life living on MREs so I learned to cook.”

“What are MREs?”

“Meals Ready to Eat.  They are prepackaged meals that are carried primarily by soldiers but they're sold to the general populace as well.”

“So, you're a soldier?”

He frowned as he considered her question, “Among other things, yes.  To explain my profession, I must first explain the universe and life outside of your tiny planet of Equestria.  Outside, in the galaxy, there are other planets with intelligent life of their own.  The peoples of these other planets are aware of the peoples of their neighboring planets, including Equestria.  Despite your mastery of magic, Equestrians are actually rather primitive.”

Twilight growled.

“It's nothing personal, just a fact.  Some of the less-desirable species see this and desire to take advantage of that for their own gains.”

“I'm sorry.  I don't think I understand you.”

“It is my theory that these missing ponies are being taken by one of these species.”

Twilight's fur raised, “For what purpose?”

Sherloch's eyes narrowed, “For slavery.”

Her blood ran cold as she thought about it.  She was assaulted with mental images of ponies in chains, in cages, whipped, starved, exhausted.  A painful lump grew in her throat as she reeled from this assault.  She forced the flood of emotions back and brought forth her logical, tactical, mind.  There would be time for emotion after they had found who was responsible for this.  “Whatever you need,” she said with conviction, “whatever I can do for you, name it and it'll be yours.”

“Twilight Sparkle, I am a soldier, I am an investigator and I am a diplomat.  It is my task, and the task of my people, to protect people such as you Equestrians when called upon to do so.  Each leader, like your Princess Celestia, is able to reach us when in crisis.  She believes that there may be an outside instigator to your problem and has called me in to assist in any way possible.  Twilight, I'm going to need your help and the help of anyone you trust.  I will not lie to you, this will be difficult, it will dangerous, it might even be lethal but I must insist that, if you agree to help, you'll stand by me regardless of what occurs.”

She pushed herself up with her front hooves, “I will.  I promise to help you in any way you need.”

He nodded, “Then you will sit with me in today's briefing when the Princess comes.”

“When is she due to come?”

“She didn't say, probably for security reasons.”

She picked at the remains of her oatmeal, having found that her appetite had left her.  If Sherloch was right and the missing ponies had been taken for slavery, she didn't want to imagine what that could mean.  She knew enough about politics to know that the abduction of  citizens by a foreign power constituted an act of war.  If it came to that, the best of the Equestrian military wouldn't stand a chance against a faceless enemy that could snatch foals from their beds without anypony the wiser.  “How do we deal with this?  What do we do?”

“We conduct a thorough investigation.  Once we find out who is responsible, we rescue those we can and...discourage...those parties involved from participating in such an activity again.”

“Rescue those we can?  I can only assume that you're referring to the missing ponies, why can't we rescue them all?”

“We wouldn't be able to find out where they all are.  Even if we could, there's no absolute that states we'd be able to access them or that they'd be still alive.”

“So we just give up on them?”

“Calm yourself, little pony.  We will try to find them if we can, but keep in mind that we may not be able to.”

Twilight simply stared at him, “Are you giving up on them already?”

“Nonsense.  You mistake my realism for pessimism.  I've worked abduction cases like this before and, unfortunately, they don't always turn out for the best.  One of the sayings that I live by is to hope for the best but to expect the worst.  I must be prepared for any possibility.”

“Is that why you carry that...thing?  That thing you shot at Spike with last night?”

“My Pulse Rifle.  Yes, among other things.  I possess a battery of technology that assists me in all endeavors, not just the ones concerning the cases that I may be working.”

“Do you have to kill other...beings?”

“Often.”  He replied.

She pushed her bowl away, “I think I'm going to be sick.”

“Why?  I'm certain that, in your line of work, you've had to take lives before.”

Twilight opened her mouth to deny his words but she remembered the “Pinkie Fiasco” when one of her friends had managed to make several clones of herself.  Though they hadn't been living in the conventional sense.  She had ended their lives.  She closed her mouth.

“You see?  It's not like I enjoy killing.  In reality, I rather dislike it but my hand is forced, on occasion.”

She nodded.  She hadn't enjoyed killing the Pinkie clones but it was something that had to be done for the sanity of all involved, “Will we have to kill again?”

“It's a possibility.  I doubt they're going to just hand over the ponies without a fight.  We may have to fight and kill to succeed in our objective.  Make no mistake, little pony, this will be difficult.”

“I understand.”

“There is something I need you to do, if you can.  We cannot do this alone so I need you to put together a team of ponies that would provide invaluable assistance.”

She thought for a moment before replying, “I know just the ponies but I don't know if they would be willing to go to the lengths we'll be forced to go to.”

“Why do you say that?   Do you think they wouldn't be willing to do anything to rescue those innocents affected?”

“It's not that.  I'm not sure I'd be able to ask them to do what we need to do.  I don't want them to experience what you and I've experienced.  It's difficult and, once it's been done, there's no returning to what you were like before.”

“Understandably so, Twilight.  But we will need others to assist us.  If you don't think your first choices are right for the task, perhaps you should select others.”

She shook her head, “No, there are no others that I'd trust as much.”

“Then I want you to recruit them and I want them together here before the Princess arrives.  I want them to hear everything straight from the horse's mouth.”  He paused as he rethought his words, “No pun intended.”

She stood up and started for the door, “The Princess will be here soon.  I should get going.”

Chapter 4

They found a wagon behind the library and, though it wasn't in mint condition, he assured her it would fit their needs nicely.  She helped him into the harness and followed him down the street to the Everfree Forest.  They walked in silence for a while and it wasn't until they were well past Sweet Apple Acres when Twilight began to ask the questions that had been bothering her, “Where are you from?”

“Ganymede is one massive metropolis and, while we possess no magic like Equestrians, our technology is unsurpassed.  As such, we've taken it upon ourselves to protect and defend the denizens of less-advanced systems, such as Equestria.  Equus Sapiens, while being an intelligent and sentient race, are generally unaware of the other races and systems in your portion of galaxy.”

“If you've taken it upon yourselves to protect us less-advanced beings, how is it that all of this escaped your notice until now?”

“Well, think about it.  Do you have the ability to predict crimes?”

“No.”

“Neither do we.  For all of our technology and abilities, we never know that there's going to be a problem until one arises, at which time we work as quickly as we can to correct the issue and make sure another never occurs again.”

“How do you do that?”

“Usually, after an incident, an agent will be stationed on-site to prevent anything further.”

“Does that mean, after you're done, you'll be staying here?”

“It's a strong possibility.  Why do you ask?”

She shook her head, “Just curious.”

The heat around Sherloch's shuttle had dissipated over the night and she had no problem approaching it.  Sherloch adopted his human form and slipped from the harness without bothering to unbuckle it.  She followed him to the entrance, what he referred to as an airlock.  With a loud click and hiss, it opened, revealing a messy, dimly-lit, and cramped space within.  Ever curious, Twilight wandered in, her hooves clanking loudly against the metal floor.

Sherloch busied himself in the back of the shuttle, gathering whatever equipment he needed while Twilight perched in one of two chairs in the front and began to poke around.  A small lever-like construction was bolted to the floor but, she discovered upon nudging it, it was actually quite loose and wiggled a bit.  Screens, buttons, and gauges covered the console before her and, experimentally, she pressed one of the buttons, a large green one.

The shuttle suddenly came to life as lights on the console flashed first green, then yellow, and finally, red.  The high-pitched whine from the night before returned as several other lights above her head began to flash red.  There was a loud pop as sparks began to fly.  Startled, she yelped and tried to edge away, torn between fear of what she had done and wonder at what would happen next.

Sherloch appeared next to her and opened a tiny compartment by the seat.  He gripped the red lever inside and slammed it into the down position.  Immediately, all of the lights on the console winked out and the noise died away.  He turned to glare at her and she lowered her ears, blushed, and grinned sheepishly.

“Don't touch anything.”  He said in a stern voice.

Twilight's blush deepened.  She hadn't been spoken to like that since Princess Celestia had found out she had used a rather potent love spell to manipulate the citizens of Ponyville.  She didn't have her ignorance or desperation to blame for her actions now and that make the embarrassment all the worse.

“Right,” she confirmed, climbing down from the chair, “I'll just...be outside...waiting.”

“Very good.”

She sat under a tree as he carried out armloads of equipment, some of which she had never seen before.  She recognized the cameras but she didn't know what to make of the large black boxes or shimmering glass plates that he loaded into the wagon, “What are those?”

“Surveillance equipment.”  He replied simply. “Monitors, Computer Towers, Photovoltaic panels.”

“And those are?”

“Photovoltaic panels absorb solar energy, energy from the sun...”

“I know what solar energy is.”

“...and transfer it into electrical energy, allowing me to power my equipment.”

“But what do you do when there is no direct solar energy to power your equipment?”

From inside the wagon, he withdrew a heavy silver box, “A battery, for storing power.”

“You know, we may not be as technologically advanced as you humans, but that doesn't mean we're completely backwards.  We do have some technologies.”  She pointed out.

He frowned a bit as he stared at her.  Finally, he returned the battery to the wagon, “My apologies.  I'm used to dealing with races as advanced or more so than the humans.  To deal with a less-advanced species is kind of a culture shock.  I don't mean to offend but I don't know what technologies you do possess.”

Twilight took a deep breath, “We have cranes and welding torches, windmills and...”

“Let me stop you right there.”  Sherloch held up a hand to stop her, staring up at the sky.  “The weather looks like it's going to turn.”

She stomped a hoof, “That's right, the pegasus ponies did have a storm scheduled for today.  I  completely forgot.  We should go.”

“Scheduled weather patterns, how interesting.  I would like to know more but, you're right, we should go.  This equipment is sensitive and the rain would damage it.”

l-l-l-l

The first rain drops had started to fall by the time Sherloch had set the last of his equipment and supplies in the library.  He sat down and began to sort through it all, counting each bit as he went.  His Computer towers, of which there were five, went into one pile.  His monitors were set into another.  Boards of letters were stacked before him  Twilight brought several tables for him to set the equipment upon and he handed her a stack of Photovoltaic plates with the instructions to carefully carry them to a corner of the door.

She saw that he had returned to his human form and was attaching wires between the towers and the monitors.  The boards of letters were set before of each monitor  and was attached to the adjacent tower.  A final set of wires ended in the battery but nothing was attached to the battery to power it

He glanced at her, “As soon as it stops raining, I'm going to set up those solar panels.  Then, we can get to work.  While we wait.  Why don't we have something to eat?  If I recall correctly, you didn't eat more than a few mouthfuls for breakfast this morning and I haven't eaten anything.”

Twilight's stomach growled in response and she blushed again, “I guess I am a little hungry.”

He smiled and began digging in a large box, finally withdrawing a pair of large brown packages and a canteen of water.  He tossed one of the packages to Twilight.

“What is this?”

“Remember those Meals Ready-to-Eat that I mentioned?  That's one of them.  Red beans and rice with cheese, wheat bread, and peanut butter.  Over three thousand calories, more than enough to satisfy the largest human.”

“And what about ponies?”

“I'm certain that you'll find it meets your needs well.”

“What do you have?”

“Meatloaf in brown gravy.”  He replied, opening the package.

“Meat?  How could you eat meat?  Why harm another creature just to satisfy your own hunger when there are plenty of plants and grasses you could eat?”

“You wouldn't understand.  Human physiology dictates that we must consume meat to satisfy our need for the mineral, iron, and the necessary amount of protein our diet requires.  I know that iron and protein can be found in plants in larger quantities but, the enamel  that covers our teeth is too thin to allow us to eat plants constantly.  Our teeth would wear down faster and we would, eventually, starve to death.  As such, we must have a varied diet of vegetables, fruits, grains and meat in order to keep at our best health.”

Twilight snorted.  She was beginning to like humans in general, and this human specifically, less and less.  She watched the way he heated the packet containing the main dish and listened to his instructions carefully.  She slid the packet into the heating bag and carefully added the water.  The predicted chemical reaction began almost immediately and the bag began to heat and steam.  She waited until he signaled her before she opened the bag and removed her packet.  Carefully, she tore open the packet.  Inside was a slab of something that looked nothing like the described red beans and rice.

“Are you sure this is beans and rice?”

“That's what was written on the packet.  Give it a try.”

She hesitated before taking a tiny bite of the slab and chewing thoughtfully.  Much to her surprise, it actually tasted quite good.  She took a second bite, then a third, and, then, it was gone.  She looked about her, wondering if it had slipped from her hooves but it was nowhere to be found.

“Something wrong?”

“It's gone.”  She replied, sounding somewhat disheartened.

He laughed, “You don't have to sound so depressed.  It's not the end of the world.  Try the cheese, it's even better.”

She found the small packet and immediately used her teeth to tear it open.  Holding it with her magic, she squirted the soft delectable treat directly into her mouth.  She repeated the process with the peanut butter and, finally, the dry, dense, slice of bread.

She fell back and curled her legs against her distended belly.  For her, this was a large meal which had quite satiated her hunger.

“Better?”

She belched loudly in response.

“I'll take that as a yes.”  Sherloch replied with a wry smile.

She giggled and rolled on her side, “That wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be.”

“Well, I'm glad you enjoyed it.”  He replied sarcastically.

“I'm sorry.  I meant...”

“I know what you meant.  While it isn't the best gourmet fare, it is palatable and appetizing.  It's a purposeful food, designed to keep soldiers going in the field for long periods of time.  They can be kept in the worst conditions for the longest time and still be as edible as the day they were made.  Take these for instance.  How old do you think these two particular MREs are?”

She shrugged, “A few weeks?”

“I received these when I first enlisted in Ganymede's military, nearly twenty years ago.”

She froze, her eyes slowly drifting to her stomach, waiting for the tell-tale quivers of illness.

“Don't worry.  The package was sealed up until you opened it so it hasn't been contaminated in any way, shape, or form.  Trust me, little pony, despite it's age, it is perfectly safe to consume.”

“All the same, I do hope I don't wake up tomorrow with my head in the toilet.”

“Unfortunately, we won't be sleeping much tonight.  There is far too much work to be done.  We have to set up surveillance cameras all throughout the town , which I really need your assistance on.  We need good locations to place these cameras where they will be both hidden and have a wide visual range.”

Twilight trotted to a corner of the library and withdrew a rolled bit of paper.  She returned to Sherloch and spread the paper over a table, “This is a map of Ponyville.”  She motioned to the hoof-draw icon of a tree, “We're here.  In the center of the square, here,” she moved her hoof, “is a fountain.  It's not very tall but there's nothing near it so the camera will have a three hundred and sixty degree view of the entire square.  Here,”  Her hoof moved again, “is the Town Hall.  The pinnacle is over ten meters in height.  That would be a good spot, don't you think?”

Together, they went over the entire map, marking off areas that might be good for mounting his cameras.  Outside, the rain gradually slowed and stopped.  Sherloch noticed this and pulled another of his odd-looking devices from his saddlebags.  Twilight took up the map and followed him out into the town.

The storm had chased the other ponies, including the guards inside so the town was practically abandoned.  They moved about unhindered and unknown by the populace.

“How difficult will it be to hide these cameras?”  She asked him

He pulled something small from the device and held it out for her inspection.  The camera was roughly the size of a bottle cap and included a small antenna for transmitting images back to the computers at the library.  He returned the camera to the device and levitated it.  With a hiss, the device launched the camera through the air, where it collided with the top of the fountain and stuck fast.  Watching where the camera landed closely, she noticed a tiny red light begin to dimly flash.  She was dumbstruck.  Nopony would ever notice it up there unless they landed directly atop the fountain  and knew what to look for.

She followed him to the various points they had marked off, marveling each time he attached another of his cameras.  From the Town Hall to Carousel Boutique to Sweet Apple Acres, they attached their cameras.  At the farm, he chose the weathercock on the hayloft atop the barn.  He returned to his human form and raised the camera launcher.  Moving about, he muttered to himself, trying to check his angles.

Finally, he returned to her, “I can't get a good angle for a launch.  I need to get up there.”

“I'll see if I can find a ladder.”

“No need.  There's a school of thought that states we humans evolved from apes.  Apes are the best climbers on our mother planet of Earth so it makes sense that I'm able to do this.”  Immediately, he turned and leaped into the air.  He clung to the drainpipe and quickly scaled it, making not a sound.  He swung onto the roof and fired his launcher before leaping to the ground, he rolled, returning  to his pony form before he was on his hooves.

Twilight realized that her mouth was hanging open and closed it, “That was amazing!  How did you do that?”

He quickly hushed her, “Keep your voice down.  Do you want to wake up all of Ponyville?”

Her ears dropped, “Sorry.  But, still, how did you do that?”

“Years of practice.”  He replied, taking off at a trot.

She followed behind, “Are we done?  What do we do now?”

“Now that all of the cameras are in place, we wait.  Before we pack it in for the night, I'm going to set up proximity alarms around the library as an extra security measure.”

“I could erect a shield around it, if need be.”

“I'd rather you didn't unless we absolutely had to.  I don't want the populace to be too worried.  Besides, I'm not sure if your magical shield will affect the cameras' transmissions or not.  I'd rather not take the chance.”

She nodded in understanding.  Once back at the library, he picked up four assemblies, black boxes on stakes, and went outside.  She followed him back outside and watched as he set up the sensors, one on each corner of the library's property, “Is there any chance something small, like an squirrel or a bird, might set them off.”

“No.  Their set to ignore anything weighing less than fifty pounds.  If a pony or...something else...steps between any two of these sensors, it will trip an alarm.”

As he turned to go inside, she watched the way he moved, the way the muscles rippled beneath his coat.  A hot blush crept up her cheeks and she fidgeted, pawing at the ground,“That's enough, Twilight Sparkle,” she chastised herself quietly.  “He's a human, not your type, not even a pony.  He probably has some kind of disease that's deadly to ponies.  He's probably not even interested in you.  Get those thoughts out of your head."

“Did you hear me?”  He asked, suddenly appearing in front of her.

She shook her head, “Sorry, I was kinda lost in my own thoughts there.”

He rolled his eyes in annoyance, obviously not used to repeating himself, “We have a few hours until sunrise.  I recommend we get some rest.”

She sighed heavily, banishing the sudden thought of sweaty intertwined bodies and a distinctive lack of rest, “Right.”

He frowned briefly, noticing something in the tone of her voice.  But, he shrugged it off with a grunt and turned, going back inside.

Twilight sighed again.  Was this how lonely she was that she would look at a male of another species, an alien species, and be aroused?  How pathetic was that?

She knew it was pathetic.  But that didn't change how lonely she was.

Chapter 5

It had been only a week since Sherloch arrived and Twilight could already see that the investigation was picking up pace.  Since he was a trained investigator, some of the things she would have never thought of were second nature to him.  He had erected a writing board next to the tables that held the equipment and had listed on it all of the things that they already knew.

The foals being taken were between the ages of five and twelve and were never taken on consecutive days.  As for a time line, the nearest that they could figure was that the foals were taken in weekly cycles.  No more than six foals would be taken on any given night that was proceeded by and followed by a week when nopony would be taken.

It had been a few weeks since the most recent abductions and Sherloch expressed a desire to interview the parents.  Fortunately, Twilight knew the parents personally.  She informed Sherloch of this and he insisted that she take the lead in the questioning.  He followed her around to Sugarcube Corner, to the parents of the most recently abducted foals, the Cakes.

Cup Cake, the foals' mother, seemed to be able to continue only by living in a perpetual state of denial.  She rarely slept or ate, really only when her husband, Carrot, forced her.  She acted as if the twins would be showing up at the door in any moment.  Carrot was a little more grounded and, while upset, he knew Twilight was doing everything within her power and was ecstatic that Celestia had seen fit to send in an expert.  He eagerly reviewed everything he knew with Sherlock and Twilight.

He and his wife had put the twins to bed at half past eight exactly.  They had retired an hour and a half later and slept completely undisturbed until five the next morning when they were awoken by the alarm clock.  After preparing breakfast, she went up to wake the twins but found two empty and, oddly enough, perfectly made beds.

Sherloch quietly took notes on his electronic tablet but never said a word, not even when directly addressed.  He would simply stare at Carrot Cake until Twilight fielded the question or changed the subject.  Carrot kept tossing uneasy glances at the silent investigator all throughout the interview and she could feel his tension rising until, finally, Sherloch glanced at her, telling her that he was done.  She thanked Carrot for his time, wished him the best, and assured him that they were doing everything within their power to find the missing Cake twins.

Upon leaving, She cast a glare upon Sherloch, “You were very rude back there.”

“Do you think so?”

“I do.  Why wouldn't you answer Mr. Cake when he asked you something?”

“Because I'm staying incognito.”

“You're what?”

“It means I'm trying to stay unknown.  I don't want the unknown subjects to know that I am here.  If they were to catch wind of my presence, then they could potentially be scared off before we could find them and the foals they've taken.  The less the ponies here know about me the better.”

“Why do you say that?  Wouldn't it get ponies to open up to you if they knew you were only here to help?”

“Have you ever heard the saying 'loose lips sink ships'?”

“No.  What does it mean?”

“It means that information can be casually passed along in the form of gossip.  Should that gossip reach unfriendly ears, as it so often does, it could be detrimental to our cause.  Therefore, by remaining disguised, not speaking with any of the affected, and, as you put it, being rude, I'm protecting my identity and this investigation.”  He stopped and turned to her, “Remember, I am the more experienced investigator here.  There is always a method to my madness, Twilight Sparkle.  Do not question my methods or...my madness.”  With those final words, he turned and trotted back to the library.

Twilight rolled her eyes and snorted.  He certainly did have a flair for the dramatic, she could think of a few other ponies she knew who shared such a characteristic.  This was one of the few times when she felt the need to question the princess'  decision.  Though he had made more headway in a week than she had in a year, she had little faith that this human, his methods and his technology would be successful.  Still, she had been ordered to assist him and she would never dream of disobeying the princess.  With an irritated flick of her tail, she followed him.

X-X-X-X

The photovoltaic panels were well hidden within the foliage of the tree and the cables running to the battery inside blended with the bark and creeping vines perfectly.  Entering the library, the cables were more obvious as they ran down the wall through a hole drilled through near the ceiling.

“I really wish you would have asked before doing any renovations to my home.”  She groused.

“It's easily repaired and will be when I'm done here.”

She growled, “Next time you're going to do something like this, consult me first.”

He gave her a disinterested wave, “Will do.”

She turned and went up to her room.  All of the stress had given her a headache and she wanted to lay down for a little while.  Something was in Spike's basket, she prodded it with a hoof.  Spike poked his head out from beneath the blanket.

“What are you still doing here?” She asked.

“Is he still downstairs?”  Spike asked.

“Yes.”

“Then I'm staying here.”

“Why?  I told you it's perfectly safe.”

“Safe?  If it  was safe, he wouldn't have shot at me.”  The dragon grumbled.

“I told you, that was an overreaction because you startled him.  The job he does is dangerous and there are ponies...beings,” she corrected herself, “...that want to kill him.  It's perfectly safe now, I promise you.”

“I'm going to stay up here all the same.”  He replied.

“But, what if you need to use the bathroom?”

Spike smiled smugly as he pulled a vase from behind his basket and displayed it.

“Eww!”  She cried.  Her horn glowed as she levitated the vase and pitched it out a window.

“Hay!”  Somepony below yelped.

She carefully poked her head out to find a very annoyed and somewhat damp-looking gray mare with a distinctive pink bow-tie glaring up at her.  Timidly, she waved a hoof, “Sorry, Octavia, I didn't know you were down there.”

“Do watch where you're throwing things, Twilight.”  She turned and sniffed at the  shards of porcelain, ”What was in this?”

Twilight's ears lowered as she blushed brightly, “Spike's mess.”

Even from her third-story window, she could see Octavia's pupils shrink to the size of pinpricks.  The mare squealed in disgust before tearing off in the direction of the cottage she shared with Vinyl Scratch, presumable to take a bath, or several dozen.

“Sorry!”  Twilight called after her.

Taking a broom and dustpan, she went downstairs.

“What was all of that about”  Sherloch asked.

“Oh nothing.  I just threw a vase full of dragon urine at a fairly-famous local musician and casual friend, who will probably never speak to me again.”

He looked genuinely confused, “Why would you do something like that?”

Twilight let out a frustrated growl, certain that her superior was being purposefully dense simply to irritate her.  Going down the second flight of stairs to the library itself, she opened the front door and stepped outside.  Fortunately, the ceramic had shattered into large chunks.  She thanked Celestia that her poorly-timed toss hadn't actually struck Octavia and that the vase had simply dumped it's contents over her and startled the mare.  Still, she felt the need to make it up to the cellist and, as she swept, she thought of ways to do just that.

“Twilight Sparkle!”

She turned to find the pony who had shouted her name and wasn't surprised to spot Vinyl Scratch herself marching angrily up to her.

“Ponyfeathers,” she muttered before putting on a massive smile, “Hi, Vinyl.  How are you doing today?”

“Oh, I suppose I'll make it another day.”  The DJ's casual tone was belied by the furious glare behind her trademark violet shades, “The only hiccup was when somepony threw a vase full of dragon piss as my fillyfriend.  You wouldn't happen to know who that pony was, would you, Twilight?  I would just love to teach them a lesson in respect.”

“Vinyl, I am so sorry...”

“You're right about that.”

“...I honestly never meant to embarrass her like that.”

Vinyl snorted, “Y'know, Tavi's had a lot of things thrown at her, especially when she's had an off performance.  There's been tomatoes, apples, pears, bottles, and, once, a watermelon but never a container of piss.”

“I can't express how deeply sorry I am.  I'll make it up to her, I promise.”

Vinyl grinned, “Well, isn't this just your lucky day, sugar rump, because I have the perfect idea.  As soon as she calms down enough to be in the same room as you, I'm going to come find you.  I recommend you use the meantime and in-between-time to study every grooming spell ever because you, Twi, are going to scrub every inch of her until both she and I are satisfied that she smells better than any rose.”

Without giving her a chance to reply, Vinyl turned on her hoof and march away, still obviously in a foul mood.  Twilight couldn't blame her, she was certain she would feel the same way if somepony did anything similar to any of her friends, especially Rarity.

Nopony knew this but she had been harboring a secret affection towards the glamorous mare for quite some time.  Rarity was different from the fashionistias of Canterlot.  She knew those mares to be so self-centered that they were convinced, should some part of their daily routine be interrupted, the universe would simply cease to exist.  They looked down on anything out of the ordinary and only gave charity passing notice.

Rarity was none of these things and, while she had a love of melodrama, hers was more of a comedic style.  She only behaved that way because she thought that was how she was supposed to act.  The fact that her words and gestures were often too grand for the circumstance made everything she did all the funnier and Twilight often found herself biting her tongue to keep from laughing out loud.

Her Canterlotesque accent was another part of her that Twilight loved.  It wasn't her's but something she affected when in public.  Twilight had once heard Rarity talking in her sleep and thus discovered the truth.  Rarity's actual accent was something of a cross between Applejack's and Rainbow's.  Her public character, she wore like a costume but an uncomfortable one that she shed the moment she thought she was alone.

As if summoned by her thoughts, Rarity appeared at her side, “Twilight, darling, it's often said that if everypony swept their own doorstep, the world would be a cleaner place but don't you think you're being a little ridiculous?”

She dumped the shards into her garbage bin, “What can I do for you, Rarity?”

“Only moments ago, I saw Octavia positively flee past my shop as if Cerberus of Tartarus himself were after her.  She seemed to be coming from here and I thought you would know something about that.”

“Being a bit nosy, aren't we?”

“You know how I love a good bit of juicy gossip but, no, I actually thought Cerberus had returned.”

“If he had, don't you think you would have noticed.  His presence isn't exactly discreet, is it?”

“Admittedly, no.  Why, then, was she acting so strangely?”

Twilight sighed, “It's a long story.”

“Oh, I love a good story.”

“Then, you'll have to wait for another day.  I'm a bit busy, right now.”

“How is your investigation coming along?  Are there any clues as to who might be the culprit?”

“No.  We haven't really found anything at all.  We've managed to organize things a bit more and begin interviewing the parents of the missing foals but there haven't been any real leads.”

“And that handsome stallion, Sherloch, I think you said his name was, how is he getting along?”

“Spike seems to be afraid of him.”

“Whatever for?  I've always known my Spikey-wikey to be fearless.”

“They had a bit of a misunderstanding the night Sherloch arrived and he cast a rather powerful offensive spell at Spike when Spike startled him.”

Rarity gasped, “Oh, my.  Spike wasn't hurt, I hope?”

“No, no, nothing like that.  But it did give him a good scare and, now, he refuses to come out from under his blanket if Sherloch's anywhere nearby.”

“I've never seen such a stallion about before.  Where did you say he was from?”

“Gany-”  Twilight realized her mistake in the nick of time and coughed loudly to cover it, “Excuse me.  Canterlot, why do you ask?”

“Well, as often as we've been to Canterlot, I've never seen him.  Did you know him growing up?”

“No, I'd never met him before a week ago.  Apparently, he knows the Princess personally.”

“Does he now?  How so?”

“I don't know.”

“Twilight, if you're going to be working with somepony, you should, at least, know a bit about him.  For instance, is there a special somepony in his life?”

“I don't think so.”

“Then he's unattached?  Oh lovely, I think I'll go and see him.”

Twilight immediately leaped in front of the alabaster unicorn, “No, you can't.”

Startled, Rarity took a step back, “Why not?”

She scrambled for a reason, “He's...not dressed.”

Rarity laughed, “Twilight, we don't normally wear clothes.  Besides, he wasn't dressed when I last saw him.”

“He's...uhm...embarrassingly large.”  That excuse sounded terrible, even to her.

Rarity's eyes grew to the size of dinner plates, “Oh, then I must see him.”

“No.”  Twilight pushed Rarity back.

“Twilight, why are you acting like this?  Do you want him?”

“What?  No, he's old enough to be my father.”

“Age is only a number, dear.  Anyways, if you don't want him, I should be  able to have his affections.”

“You're not his type.”

“Any stallion would be blessed to have me by his side.”  Rarity retorted angrily.

“Believe me, it's not what you think.”

“I disagree.  I think you're only trying to keep me away from him because you want him for yourself.”

“I don't.”  Twilight shoved Rarity back again.  This time, she put too much force into it and knocked the unicorn to the ground.

Rarity turned a furious glare on the purple alicorn, “It...is...on!”

With a feral cry, Rarity was up, charging at Twilight with her horn lowered.  Twilight dodged the first attack but managed to catch a kick in the ribs, which threw her several feet.  She worked to her hooves, wincing, as Rarity turned and charged again.  Twilight's ribs hurt and she didn't react as quickly.  Rarity's horn gouged deeply into her left hind leg.

Enough was enough.  Twilight reared, beating her wings to compensate for her injured leg, and began to beat at Rarity with her front hooves, screaming all the time.  Rarity met her challenge and the two mares exchanged blows and threats until a third roar interrupted them.

Sherloch reared to his full height, kicking his forelegs and bellowing at the sky.  Both Rarity and Twilight separated an instant before his slammed down exactly where they had been.  He charged Rarity, stomping aggressively, and she bolted to a safe distance before turning back to watch him.

He stood between the two mares, his head lowered defensively, and snorted hard enough to blow dust from the street.  “Go home!”  He commanded.

When she made no move, he bellowed and charged again, causing Rarity to panic and retreat.

It was only then that Twilight noticed a crowed had gathered to watch the battle.  Mortified, she tried to limp back to the library.  Sherloch's head appeared beneath her barrel and she was lifted up, sliding down his neck to his back.

“All of you, return to your lives immediately.  There is nothing more to see here.”  He carried her inside and slammed the door shut behind them.  Up the stairs, he paused long enough to sit a moment and allow her to slide from his back to the floor, which jarred her wound a bit, causing her to wince.

He didn't notice as he returned to his human from and knelt to rummage through his pack, “What were you thinking?”

“She attacked me.”  She replied defensively.

“And, instead of retreating, you chose to exacerbate the circumstance by fighting her.  This will not happen again, Twilight Sparkle.  If you cannot keep calm and allow your emotions to get ahead of you, then I cannot allow you to continue on this case.  Need I remind you of how many lives are at stake, should you lose your temper again?”

“Why are you taking her side?”

“There are no sides to take.  Because of Princess Celestia's rather glowing recommendations, I expected better of you.”  He returned to her carrying a small box labeled with a red cross, “You've disappointed me.  Don't do it again.”

He opened the box and pulled out a small razor, which he used to shave away the fur from around her cut, “I should shave you bald as punishment.”

Carefully, he cleaned the cut before removing a curved needle and strong thread  She watched as he jabbed the needle into the skin at the edge of the cut, yelping and flinching involuntarily.

“Stay still,” he growled, pulling her leg and holding the hoof between his knees to make sure it didn't move again.

She held back her whimpers as he carefully sewed the cut closed and bandaged it.

“How is your flank?”

“Tender.” She replied.

Gently, he pressed his hands to her ribs and manipulated the flesh until she cried out.  “Nothing's broken,” he told her, “but you're going to be sore for a few weeks.”

“Gee, thanks.  Now, tell me something I don't know.”

“Actually, maybe you can tell me something I don't know, like why you and Rarity started fighting.”

She looked away, “It's a long story.”

“Luckily, I have nothing planned for tonight and I like a long story.”

“Rarity was interested in you.”

“Interested how?”

“Romantically.”

He nearly fell over with surprise, “Excuse me?”

“She wants you to sire her foals, if you get what I'm saying.”

He frowned, “Well, this is a problem.  First of all, I don't think it's biologically possible for two members of different animal phylum to produce offspring.  Secondly, I'm not physically attracted to her in the least.”

“She thinks you're a pony.  An actual Equestrian.”

“Perhaps my disguise is too good.”

"You think?"

Sherloch stood and paced, "What to do, what to do."

"You need to tell her the truth before she makes a foal of herself again."

"Then we risk the integrity of the investigation.  Loose lips-"

"-sink ships, I know.  But Rarity is out there thinking about the stallion you and somehow has it in her head that you're well-endowed."

"Am I not?"

"Are you joking?  Not for a pony."

"I wonder who could have given her that idea."

"I was trying to scare her off."

"It seems to have had the opposite effect."

An alarm on computer began to  ring, catching their attention, "What does that mean?"  Twilight asked.

"The proximity alarm.  Are you expecting company?"

"No."

Sherloch reached into his pack and withdrew the pulse rifle, "Neither am I."

Chapter 3

She decided to start the furthest out from Ponyville and gradually work her way back, picking up her friends as she went.  Fluttershy, who lived in a cottage at the edge of the Everfree Forest, was the general animal guru and tended to all of the animals, both feral and domestic, of the local area.  Her small cottage was always flooded with all kinds of animals.  The din was incredible but it never seemed to bother the yellow pegasus.

Tapping on the door, she called out, “Fluttershy, are you home?”

Hoofbeats sounded on the other side of the door and a pink-maned head peered out, “Oh, good morning, Twilight.  Is there something wrong?”

She smiled, “No but I need you to come with me.  It's very important.”

“Uhm, okay.  What's this all about?”  She asked, coming out and closing the door behind her.

“It's about the missing ponies.  The Princess sent somepony to help and he's assigned me to put together a team.  I want all of you on that team.”

“Where are we going now?”

“To Sweet Apple Acres to pick up Applejack.”

Twilight told Fluttershy about the events of the night before while they trotted down the lane that led up to the barn.  Applejack was usually out amongst the apple trees checking the produce or bucking the apples but the farm pony was nowhere to be found.

“Where could she be?”

Fluttershy's ears drooped, “I think I know.  She might be visiting her parents.”

“Her parents?”

The pegasus led the way to a secluded corner of the farm that Twilight had never been to before.  The trees surrounding it looked well-maintained but unharvested.  From the hill above the corner, she could see Applejack sitting in front of a pair of gravestones, her hat resting on the grass beside her.  She seemed to be talking quietly, occasionally wiping a hoof across her eyes, “Are those her parents?”

“Yes.  Haven't you always wondered why we've never seen either of them?  Her father died in an accident. He was making a delivery up to Canterlot and was on his way back when he slipped and fell.  His name was Applebuck, she told me. She told me her hat was his and he had given it to her right before he left.  Her mother, Honey Blossom, died in foal with Apple Bloom around the same time.”

Twilight started down the hill but stopped when Fluttershy appeared and blocked her path, “No.  Leave her to her privacy.”

Applejack wiped her eyes once more and picked up her hat.  Putting it on her head, she turned and spotted her audience.  She trudged up the hill towards them, her face set in a grim mask.  As she reached the top, she sat down in front of her two friends but ignored Fluttershy, “So now, you know.”

“A.J., I'm so sorry.  When?  How?”

“Right after Apple Bloom was born.  Papa was on his way back from Canterlot when Mama went into foal.  Ah was really young so Ah don't really know what happened.  Granny put me and Big Macintosh in a room so we'd be out of the way.  There was a whole lot of noise and running around but, then, everything got really quiet.”  A tear ran down her cheek and dripped off of her jaw, “The doctor said that the foal was fine.  A perfectly healthy foal, he said,...but Mama was gone.  We had a new baby sister but we had lost our Mama.”  She began to whimper as she shook with silent sobs.

Twilight and Fluttershy wrapped their forelegs around Applejack and held her as she wept.  The world was completely silent.  The birds seemed to stop in their singing in respect for her grief.  Finally, after a long moment, she calmed enough to continue speaking.

“About a week later, we learned what happened to Papa.  In less than a month, we had lost both of our parents.  Poor Bloom never knew Mama.  She's never heard her voice or her singin'.  Sweet Celestia, Ah miss her singin'.  And his voice, he had the best voice.  He always told us bedtime stories when we were growing up.  Ah remember not being able to sleep for a month after he died because he wasn't there to tell me mah stories.  Oh, Granny tried, she tried her best, but it wasn't the same.”

Twilight bit her lip to keep from crying as Applejack waved a hoof, “But that's enough of mah bellyachin'.  What did ya need?”

She sniffled, trying to regain her composure, “The princess sent somepony to help with the investigation into the missing foals.  He's asked me to put together a team of ponies I trust to help with that investigation.”

I-I-I-I

With all of her friends in tow, Twilight returned to the library.  She hoped that Sherloch had enough sense to take his pony form so as not to terrify her friends, who, she was fairly sure, had never seen a creature such as him before.

Pushing the door open, she entered, “Hello?  Anypony here?”

She was relieved to hear the slow clop of hooves that signaled Sherloch's arrival.  He looked exactly as he had the night before.

He eyed the six dispassionately, “Are these them?”

“Yes.  This is Apple Jack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy.  Girls, this is Sherloch, the pony the princess sent to aid in the investigation.  Sherloch, has the Princess arrived yet?”

“She's waiting for you upstairs.  Both of them, as a matter of fact.”

Twilight's heart quickened, “Princess Luna is here as well?  How long have they been waiting?”

“Not long at all.  They got settled right before you returned.”

The group hurried up the stairs to her apartment above the library.  Sitting before the dark fireplace were both Princesses.  They turned as the others bowed.  Sherloch mimicked the bow, but a fraction of a second too late, which earned him strange looks from the others.

Celestia smiled, “Twilight, it's wonderful to see you again, although I wish our meeting was with better circumstances.”

“Good morning, Princess.”

“Time is of the essence so we must be brief.  You've been made aware of what has been occurring in Ponyville.  We have discovered that these events aren't specific to Ponyville, ponies have been disappearing from all over Equestria.”

“Do we know how many?”

“Hundreds.”  Celestia replied with a shake of her head, “Too many to number.”

Twilight shuddered.  This was far worse than she had anticipated, “Thank you for sending Sherloch to assist me.”

“Ah, yes.  Thank you for coming so quickly, Master Sherloch.  How soon can we begin our investigation?”

“We've already begun, your Majesty.”  He replied, “This morning, Twilight went out and gathered together a team to assist us in this investigation.  They've only just returned and we were going to discuss their potential involvement with us.”  He turned to the others, “What say you?”

“Ah'm sorry,”  Applejack replied, “Ah'm afraid I don't really understand what's going on here.”

“Girls, we need your help.  For close to a year now, fillies and colts have been disappearing without a trace.  Princess Celestia assigned me to look into the disappearances but I have made no headway whatsoever.  It seems like the more I find out, the less I know.  She sent Sherloch here to help me and he asked me to gather you together and see what assistance you could render.  Please,girls,” Twilight pleaded, “help us.”

The five began to shuffle uncomfortable.  Finally, Rarity spoke, “I'm sorry, Twilight.  I don't have any experience in investigating.  I just don't see what assistance I can offer.”

“Me neither,”  Applejack said, “Ah know about apples, not foal-nappers.  Ah think Ah would get in the way, more than anythin' else.”

In turn, each insisted that they had nothing to offer the group.  Twilight's heart sank further with each statement, “Girls, please, we need your help.  They need your help.  If only you could-”

Sherloch held up a hoof to silence her, “Thank you for your honesty and please let us know if you see or hear anything unusual.  But, because of the sensitive nature of what we are about to discuss, I'm going to have to ask you to leave now.”

The mares all nodded and turned to leave.  “He's very handsome,” Rarity murmured to herself, causing Sherloch to grin.

“Master Sherloch, what are your first impressions?”  Celestia asked.

“I haven't had the chance to do any actual investigating.  I really only know what Twilight has told me.  She's informed me that nopony has seen any of the actual crimes.  There are no reports of strange ponies in town, none of the guard have reported seeing anything.  It's as if they've simply disappeared.  Unfortunately, it seems that there may be outside influence.  I suspect Eurekarian slavers or Evangelian poachers, those are the two closest systems and most-likely suspects but that really doesn't mean anything.  With the new Hyper-gate system, they could be coming from, literally, anywhere.”

Twilight's confusion was beginning to give her a headache.  Only a few hours ago, she had learned that there was life on other worlds.  Now, she had just learned that life wished her and her fellow ponies harm, “What do they want with us?”  She dreaded the answer.

“I told you before, Twilight.  There is a thriving illicit slave trade in the galaxy.  The Eurekaians don't keep the slaves but sell them to other races as workers, pets, or...food.”

“What?”

“Pony flesh is considered a delicacy in many systems.”  Luna informed her.

A wave of nausea nearly knocked her to the floor as her mind called the unbidden mental image of a table set for a feast, it's centerpiece a steaming unicorn with an apple in it's mouth.  She groaned, “I think I'm going to be sick.”  Glaring, she turned to Sherloch, “And you, you're supposed to be some kind of galactic law-enforcement type.  How can you let these...monsters...do what they've been doing?”

“We've known for years but, the way our system of law works is that, in order to bring criminal charges against an individual or a race, we must first have indisputable proof of their crimes.  This prevents innocent beings from being falsely accused, tried, and convicted.  Unfortunately, though we may know that they are committing these atrocities, we have no actual proof.”

“But you know.”

“Knowledge and Proof aren't the same thing.

Celestia cleared her throat to get their attention, “The fact of the matter is, something is taking my youngest citizens and using them in its terrible deeds.  Go forth Princess Twilight Sparkle and Master Sherloch of Ganymede.  Find who has been committing these atrocities and stop them by any means necessary.”  She turned to Luna, “Come, sister.  Let's leave them to their work.”

Luna followed Celestia to the door but paused a moment, turning to the pair, “Good luck and godspeed to the both of you.  The might of Equestria is behind you.”

The two sat alone and silent long after the two royals had vanished.  Finally, Sherloch sighed and stood, “Come, we have a lot of work ahead of us.  I need to fetch the equipment from my shuttle.”