Phantom awoke first, again. Rainbow Dash was still asleep at his side, but it looked as if she had stirred during the night. Cold, thick morning dew covered the two Pegasi. Yawning away his drowsiness, Phantom slowly stood back on all four hooves. He examined his surroundings. Dense fog cut the two ponies off from the rest of Equestria, except for the still-smoking remains of the once iconic barn. Something caught his eye, though, something that was contrasted against the black ash and orange embers. His Royal Intelligence training took over, and he moved in to investigate. Just as he reached the remnants of the barn, he looked back to make sure Rainbow Dash was still sound asleep. She was.
Phantom continued forward towards the object. Each step was accompanied by a hiss as the dew steamed on the warm ash, and a curl of vapor rose from around his hooves. He could see the occasional glint of silver from metal nails and was careful to avoid stepping on them. The heat rising from the ashes greatly differed from the cold air on his back. In the center of the rubble, under a charred four-by-four, was the mysterious object. A light brown stetson, singed at the edges, worn and tattered. Phantom moved the disintegrating block of wood, then picked up the iconic hat with the tip of his left wing. From behind, he could hear the hissing of more ash being cooled by the dew. His ears twitched to face the sound. Somepony was approaching. Remaining calm, not expecting any trouble, Phantom looked. He saw a still teary-eyed, cyan mare, examining what was left of her best friend’s barn absently.
"Miss Dash..." Phantom tried to say something, but still couldn't. Rainbow Dash seemed to freeze in place upon seeing Applejack's old stetson hat. Drops of water rolled off of her face. Phantom had trouble telling whether it was dew or tears.
"I thought I asked you not to call me that..." Rainbow moved forward. She used her one good wing to grab hold of the hat. Her mouth opened and closed, as if trying to speak, but there was no sound. She examined it closely, remembering the pony that once wore it. Rainbow then did something Phantom didn't expect; she put it on." I miss her, Phantom..." Tears formed at the base of her eyes, her lips began to tremble. She moved closer to the stallion and rested her head on the side of his neck. Phantom could feel her tears dripping down.
"Dash, you should probably go see your friends."
She looked up into his eyes. "Wh-where are they?"
"I overheard Princess Celestia and Princess Sparkle talking last night. Sounded like they were going to the library. I suggest we start there."
"Okay." She sighed. Phantom noticed, but chose not to push her. He knew just how fragile her emotional state was right now.
"Come on, I'll walk you there." Rainbow Dash nodded in agreement. She was the first to turn away. Phantom hesitated, seeing something shining where the stetson had lain.
He inspected the item closely. It appeared to have once been a bronze oil lamp. Now, it was a charred piece of twisted metal. Phantom wasn't an official CSI pony, but he had taken their field courses as part of his spy training, and he could tell that this lamp was the point of ignition. Melted glass around it indicated that it had fallen, causing the fire with its leaking oil. On the bottom, he barely see what was left of an owners stamp: the initials 'C.M.M.' over a cloud, chisel, and hammer. Where have I seen this before? he thought.
"Phantom," Rainbow Dash called, her voice still strained from the constant crying. "You coming?"
"Yeah, sorry." Phantom let the lantern lie, leaving it for the CSI to investigate. "Let's go."
The two ponies departed the eerie scene into the morning fog, towards the Golden Oak Library.
"Ohhh, this is just horrendous!" Rarity cried aloud in the main room of Twilight's library. Princess Celestia and Twilight had spent the night gathering the remaining friends and getting ready to tell them. Since Fluttershy had some last-minute TLC to give to her animals, Twilight had to wait until morning to tell her friends. Finally, that fateful moment had arrived. Rarity thus far had had the most... outward... reaction. "Our poor Applejack!" She attempted to yell more, but succumbed to her tears.
Fluttershy was softly crying into the side of Pinkie Pie, who hadn't moved since Twilight had told them. In fact, the only noticeable physical change in Pinkie was that her hair had deflated, and her eyes grew wide. Spike was trying to comfort Rarity as best he could. Owlowicious sat on his perch next to the window, staring out into the fog, trying to escape the somber mood. He hooted a few times, trying to indicate to Twilight that somepony was approaching, but she was too busy lost in her own thoughts. Princess Celestia was at her side, writing with a quill on some parchment. Even after what had happened, she was still the ruler of Equestria, and when the fog cleared, the pony who would officially start the fair. Nopony outside of this room could be allowed to see how she felt.
A quiet knock at the door prologued its slow opening.
In came Phantom, closely followed by Rainbow Dash, who was still wearing Applejack’s tattered brown stetson. The ponies paused their crying to see who entered, but began once again upon seeing their friends iconic hat. Princess Celestia looked up from her parchment and sighed quietly to herself. She stood up and headed for the door.
“I’m sorry, girls, but I must leave. Today is the first day of the fair, and I still have duties to fulfil for the rest of Equestria. I do hope you understand.” The mares nodded in understanding, accepting that she couldn’t stop the sun from rising and setting everyday, even for them. “Thank you. Phantom, could you come with me, please?”
Phantom opened his mouth to protest, but seeing the Princess’ face halted that plan. He shot a glance to Rainbow Dash to make sure she was okay; she circled in area of floor a few times before lying on a pillow, staring down at the wooden floor. He replied, “Yes, your highness.”
The two ponies exited the tree library, emerging into the dispersing morning fog. Ponies were finally leaving from their homes, shops, and hotels to begin their day. Most of the ponies around were here specifically for the fair. Dew was still dripping off of Phantom’s body. He had yet to notice, nor did he care to. He did, however, notice Princess Celestia start to head towards the town hall. He guessed that that was where the fair was going to officially open, similarly to the 1000th Summer Sun Celebration.
“Your highness, I really should be protecting Miss Dash, per my mission orders...”
“I know, and you have been doing an excellent job. That’s why I’m worried. How personally are you taking this?”
Phantom raised an eyebrow. “I don’t follow, your highness.”
“Getting close to your assignment, watching ponies around you suffer. Shining Armor and I know what you’ve been through, and we’re worried. Especially after that terrible fire.”
“Are you referring to-”
“Sky? Yes. I saw the way you watch the fire last night. You stayed with Rainbow Dash all night. You could have protested, but did very little. You could have left at any point during, but didn’t. You stayed with her, all night. Why is that?” Phantom opened his mouth to answer, but was unable to find the proper words. Princess Celestia continued while he struggled with his thoughts. “I’ll tell you why. You know how she feels, Phantom. You lost your best friend, she just lost her best friend...”
“I didn’t lose anypony. Sky didn’t die that night. He’s just... missing. No remains were ever found.”
“Just like with this fire.”
“Which is why I don’t believe their friend is dead. Neither does Rainbow Dash. So, yes, you were right. I know exactly how she feels. Difference is, nopony was around to help me... I won’t let that happen to Miss Dash; she’s too good of a pony to let that happen.”
“A good answer. Do you have feelings for Rainbow Dash?”
“...What do you mean?”
“My student, Twilight Sparkle, has expressed a worry that Rainbow Dash might have developed a... crush... on you. I wasn’t sure if that feeling was mutual.”
Phantom seemed to recoil back a few steps, surprising the the solar princess. His dark fur masked his blushing, but not to the princess. “I... uhh... ahem... No, it’s not.” The white mare stared at him with a mother’s eye. “Okay, okay. Only slightly though. Nothing that’ll get in the way of this assignment.”
“For my best spy, you are one of the worst liars. It’s fine if you like her. Those are feelings that can’t be stopped.”
The two ponies arrived outside of the town hall. The town was in full swing. Princess Celestia led Phantom up the stairs to the door. They swung open, revealing a light brown earth mare. “Hello, your highness,” she spoke with a clear, elegant voice. “Ready to begin?”
The Princess Nodded. “Yes, Mayor Mare.”
The Mayor of Ponyville led the two into the courthouse, up the grand staircase to the second story. They followed a circular walkway around the main room towards the front of the courthouse. Mayor Mare opened another door, this one leading to the second story balcony. Before the trio was nearly everypony in Ponyville, along with the countless others who had come for the fair.
“You’re doing a great job, Phantom.” Princess Celestia whispered into his ear. “Keep it up."
"But... but I couldn't protect one if Princess Sparkle's friends... I... I let my feelings get in the way and I fixated on Miss Dash... I... failed..."
“Nopony asked you to protect all of Twilight’s friends. I only had Shining Armor pair you with Rainbow Dash because I thought she was in the most danger. It appears I was wrong...” The princess seamed to lower her head in shame.
“You still may be right, your highness.”
She nodded and smiled, silently thanking him before stepping the rest of the way onto the balcony, revealing herself to the ponies below. They applauded loudly at the sight of their leader. Phantom stood to her right, just behind her, and slightly out of view of the crowd.
“Fillies and gentlecolts,” she began. “We are here to celebrate my student, Twilight Sparkle, becoming an Alicorn, and a princess. She is as of this moment preoccupied with more pressing matters, but I assure you she will be at the fair, and more than willing to meet you. We have many events scheduled for you over the course of the fair. Today, we will have an Iron Pony competition. Tomorrow, there will be a show of magic for any Unicorn who thinks they have the greatest magical ability. On the next day, there will...”
Phantom stopped paying attention to what the princess was saying. Something at the back of the crowd caught his eye, and his training was taking over. From the distance he was at, he could recognize an ice blue pegasus stallion with a dark blue mane, wearing a blue suit. The stallion was paired with a cyan pegasus mare, who had a rainbow mane... Rainbow...? Looking around the balcony, he saw that there were two more guards, both stationed by the door behind him. More guards patrolled in and around the crowd, with several watching from above on nearby rooftops around the square. Shining Armor himself was looking around on the far side of the crowd, almost exactly where Phantom had seen Soarin’ and Rainbow Dash.
At a fast trot, Phantom left through the rear balcony door. “Nopony gets past you,” he instructed the two guards.
“Yes, Staff Sergeant,” the eldest of the two guards replied, giving Phantom a respectful salute.
Phantom merely nodded before heading out. He didn’t even bother taking the stairs back down. Instead, he hopped over the railing, glided down to the first floor and out a side window. Outside, he flew straight up, into the clouds. Once above them, he flew horizontally, using the clouds for cover from the crowd. Below, Soarin’ and Rainbow Dash were still walking towards the center of town. Their destination appeared to be a giant frosted gingerbread house with a pink cupcake on top, the same one she and Soarin’ went into earlier. Phantom swooped onto the roof of a nearby building, putting himself in a good position to ear the two Pegasi’s conversation.
“That’s terrible,” Soarin’ told Rainbow. “I... I can’t imagine how you feel.”
“Believe me, you don’t want to know. I just can’t accept that she’d dead yet.”
“But you saw the fire... Nopony could have survived.”
A red flag shot up in Phantom’s mind. Did Rainbow describe the fire to him? I don’t remember seeing him there... and the news hasn’t gotten out yet...
“No remains have been found, either.” The two ponies were leaving Phantom’s hearing range, so he flew a few roofs over to get a better position. “...exactly what I think. Somepony is involved. Applejack knew the fire hazard and did everything she could to prevent one from starting.”
“Everypony makes mistakes, Dash. You should know that.” Soarin’ added a laugh, trying to reference Rainbow’s crashes whenever she tried a new aerial stunt. Rainbow didn’t seem to understand what he had meant. “Breakfast isn’t off, is it?”
“No. You’re buying this time.”
The two ponies stopped outside of an older house, just a few blocks away from Sugar Cube Corner.
“Look,” Soarin’ began, “I gotta take care of something for Spitfire real fast, think you could go ahead? Maybe claim a table before some other pony does? It looks like Princess Celestia’s speech is almost over, and with it being breakfast time, those food vendors are going to be really busy.”
“Okay. I’ll see ya in a few minutes.”
Both Phantom and Soarin’ watched Rainbow Dash trot over to Sugar Cube Corner, lost in their individual thoughts. Once the cyan mare was out of sight, Phantom watched as Soarin’ looked around, double checking that he was alone. The Wonderbolt even looked up, but failed to notice Phantom. Phantom expected him to go back in the other direction, towards the fairgrounds, to where the Wonderbolts were staying. Instead, he turned to his left and swiftly entered the abandoned building, trying his best to make sure nopony saw him. In that, he failed. Once the door shut, Phantom swooped down in front of it. Slowly, he pushed his way inside, the door creaking as it opened.
The house was old and musky. Spiderwebs dominated corners and shelves. The wooden floors and stairs were rotting away. Hazy windows provided the only light source. Phantom sniffed the warm air, something was burning. He looked around but didn’t see any smoke; the haze in the room was too thick. His ears twitched struggling to hear any sounds other than those coming from outside. Then he heard it. The creaking of rusty hinges moving, echoing through a hallway.
Phantom looked ahead. Just behind the stairs, there was a hallway. He swiftly flew to the corner of it, making no sound whatsoever. He couldn’t help but smile whenever he realized just how quiet he really was. And he loved it.
He peered around the corner, just in time to see a dark blue tail flick through an open doorway. What’re you up to? Phantom stealthed into the hallway, stopping when he reached the near corner to the open door. He heard stone grinding against stone coming from inside. When it stopped, he took a quick peek. It was a small, all stone room. When Phantom went and stood in the center of it, there was barely enough room for him to turn around. Where did you go...
Phantom figured there must have been a hidden door somewhere, so he used a trick he had taught himself a long time ago. He expanded his wings, to the point they were just millimeters away from the wall, and used their sensitivity to feel for air movement. Slowly, he turned in place. The burning scent was stronger now, so he was sure he was close. But no wind ruffled his feathers. Sighing in defeat, he brought them back to their original position. Just before they closed in, he felt something. A few of his smaller feathers moved slightly, and not from him moving his wings. The brush of air came from under him.
He looked down. There was a slight, barely noticeable line that formed a circle around the stone floor. Backing up, Phantom’s left hoof landed on a block of stone that moved under it. Slowly, the outline of stone in front of him moved up and to the side, making the same grinding sound he had heard earlier. The smell of oil burning hit him harder than before, forcing him to cover his nose until it spread out. Once the smell dissipated, and the section of floor ceased to move, Phantom could see that it revealed a dimly lit tunnel dug into the rock. Cautiously, he proceeded. He could hear the sounds of hoofsteps ahead of him. Lanterns hanging low from the rock ceiling provided the only light. Phantom had to duck under one to avoid hitting his head. When he did, something on the bottom caught his eye. The initials ‘C.M.M.’ stood out in the bronze.
Just as he was about to take the lantern with him, he heard somepony. “Hello? Anypony there? Ah hear hoofsteps. Hello?” A mare voice cried out with a southern accent.
This captured all of Phantom’s attention. Not hearing anymore hoofsteps, he felt it was safe enough to run through the corridor. Silently, he proceeded with his plan. The tunnel weaved, dipped and rose; as if whoever dug it wasn’t sure of where they were going. Phantom barely noticed when he passed a black iron-barred prisoner cell. His only indication was the pony who yelled at him.
“Aye, let me outta here! You have no right ta keep me here.”
Phantom slid to a stop. Quickly, he backtracked to the cell. The mare inside was an orange earth pony with a blonde mane and several freckles under her eyes. Her cutie mark was a trio of red apples. But other than her emerald eyes, the rest of her face was covered with so much dirt that Phantom was unable to recognize her right away.
“Who are you, ma’am?” Phantom asked quizzically.
“Oh, ya should know. Ya ponynapped me after all!” She swung her hooves in between the bars, trying to land a hit on Phantom.
“What? No. I didn’t ponynap you. I’m from the Royal Guard. Do you know ponynapped you?”
“Royal Guard? Ya don’t look like a guard...”
“I’m Phantom Knight, from the Intelligence division. Do you remember who ponynapped you?”
“Name’s Applejack.” Phantom rolled his eyes. Yes, she answered his first question, but not when he had asked it. Every moment she spent rambling on and not answering his questions on time was another moment he could get caught.
“Who. Ponynapped. You?”
Her expression fell, along with her ears. Her body in general shrank down. A shadow was cast upon the two ponies. “B-behind... y-you...”
Phantom sighed in frustration. “Let’s get this over with...” he spoke loudly. Turning around, he was greeted by a 2x4 being swung, smacking him in the face. The dark tunnel went even darker.