“Well then,” Moondancer said slowly, leaning back in her chair. “That does sound like you’re in a lot of trouble.”
Daring Do rolled her eyes. “No kidding,” she snapped. “Can you help us or not?”
Moondancer scowled. “Fine, then. Yeah, I can help you. You want to know who took your friend, well, there’s only two ponies in this city with enough power to think they can kidnap a Wonderbolt and get away with it.” She rummaged through her desk, and pulled out an image - a blurry picture of a light blue pony with a purple mane, too obscured by shadows to make out clear features or a cutie mark. “First one’s Abacus Cinch. She’s a mean piece of work. Brilliant and ruthless. She’s involved in everything from money laundering to tax evasion to corporate espionage. She wouldn’t have done the kidnapping herself, but a cryptic ransom demand? That sounds like something she’d do. Any crime with enough money behind it, she’s probably involved.”
Angel Wings picked up the picture. “Where can we find her, then?”
“I’m getting to that,” Moondancer grumbled. “Besides, do you really think you can just walk right up to her and ask her where your friend is?”
Sheepishly, Angel Wings put the picture down and took a step back.
Moondancer pulled out another picture. This one wasn’t a photo, just a sketch of a pony wearing an elaborate masquerade mask. “I don’t even know much about this one. He goes by ‘The Smiling Mask’ but he’s definitely not friendly. He’s got a whole posse of fanatics that keep smart ponies in their homes on nights like this. Kidnapping is right up his alley, but most of his victims don’t come home in one piece. He’s a thug, but he’s ambitious and charismatic, and his followers love him. You don’t want to cross him unless you’re really sure you’ve got him outnumbered.”
Daring tapped her hoof. “So how does this help us?”
“I was getting to that,” Moondancer replied, unrattled by the adventurer’s impatience. “Your mysterious kidnapper wants you to deliver a package to the Lucky Stallion Casino, right?”
Daring nodded.
“Well, I happen to know that the Lucky Stallion is a front. If you know the right hoofshakes and passcodes, there’s a whole secret cavern hollowed out of the cloud it’s built into. Both of these two have a presence there. If you want to learn who’s behind this, that’s the place to look.” She shrugged. “I can tell you the codes you’ll need to sneak in, but the rest is up to you.” She looked to Daring, and then gestured to Angel Wings, Vapor Trail, and Midnight Strike. “It’s gonna have to be one of them that does it, though. You’d be recognized in a heartbeat.”
Daring hmphed. “And what do you suggest I do, then, if you’re so smart?”
Moondancer smiled. “Deliver the package. You’ll be right where they expect you to be, and they’ll never suspect you’re infiltrating their own hideout. Maybe they’ll even return Sky Stinger to you, though that’s a bit of a longshot. But it’ll keep them off their guard.”
Daring rolled her eyes. “Sure, right up until they learn we don’t actually have what they asked for, and kill us all.”
“Well, it wouldn’t be the first time everyone around you is trying to kill you,” Moondancer quipped. “I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”
******
“This sucks,” Daring grumbled. “I can’t believe I’m the freaking decoy.”
Vapor Trail exchanged a glance with the other Wonderbolts. “Well, we don’t have to do what she suggested,” she suggested delicately. “We could find some other way…”
Daring shook her head. “No, she’s right,” she huffed. “It’s the best plan we have. I’m just mad that she’s right.”
“Well, you did say she was the best,” Midnight Strike added. “It was your idea to talk to her, so it’s kinda like it’s your plan too, right?”
Daring chuckled. “Sure, if you want to call it that.” She straightened her shoulders, and took a slow breath, centering herself. “Alright. C’mon then. We’ve got a lot to prep before tomorrow.”
******
“That should do nicely,” the masked pony sounded almost gleeful as he held up the bag of wing clippings, before looking down at Sky, who was still bound to the table, tears slipping down his cheeks. “Take him away,” he said imperiously to Grubber, before turning to leave the room. “I need to go remind Daring just what is at stake here.”
Sky barely reacted as he was dragged from the table, numbly shuffling as best he could with his limbs chained together. The laughter of the masked pony echoed off the walls, and even after he was no longer in sight Sky could still hear it in his head, mocking him.
He barely noticed as he was shoved into a cell and the door slammed behind him. Instead he collapsed onto the dirty straw bed, and looked up through the tiny window, through which only gray light filtered in. “Please show up,” he whispered softly. “Please. Don’t leave me down here.”
Soon, he had dropped into a fitful, nightmare-plagued sleep.