Chapter V
Abduction
===============
Twilight awoke in bed, her coat matted with sweat. How did I end up here? she wondered as she found herself trotting down the stairs in the direction of the door. It was unusually stuffy in the library today, almost suffocatingly so. When Twilight opened the door, she uttered a high-pitched scream at the sight that greeted her eyes. Tall flames rose from every structure of the town within her field of vision. An all-too-familiar cloud of purple fumes coalesced high above the centre of the city as if it gathered strength from the rising smoke.
Gritting her teeth, Twilight glared at the cloud. “You're not real!” she shouted defiantly. “The venom is leaving my system, and so will you!”
As the cloud continued to grow in both size and density, its retort quickly reached her ears. “I am more real than you know.” The whispered words took on a condescending tone. “Twist was the first, and she will not be the last. As long as the evil one continues to reign supreme, I cannot be stopped!”
Twilight's jaw dropped as she saw the cloud begin to take a physical form. It appeared to be a dark purple mare made entirely out of the strange fumes. “What are you? Answer me!” she demanded as it galloped toward her though the sky.
The ethereal mare came to a stop in front of Twilight, its form slightly wispy. “I am the lucid dream...” it whispered. “I am the monster in your nightmares. I am what has transpired and what has yet to be.” It let out a long, raspy laugh. “Cower before the fate of this village!”
Suddenly, the streets of Ponyville were crowded with the shadowy forms of fillies, colts, mares, and stallions as they ran in terror from the flames. As soon as they appeared, the mare charged toward them with blazing speed, the constantly rising flames strengthening it. Twilight could make out no details of the ponies themselves, but she saw them fade one by one as the mare systematically attacked them. When Twilight tried to intervene, both the mare and the shadowy ponies vanished in a puff of smoke.
Her horn crackling with a significant amount of raw magic, Twilight looked around frantically. “Show yourself!” she challenged.
Hearing laughter once again, Twilight saw the shadow of a mare emerging from a nearby burning building. She barely managed to stop herself from firing a magical blast at the mare. As it broke free of the blazing structure, she realized it was not the mysterious smog at all. It was a light pink unicorn with a brilliant mane of yellow, blue and purple. Twilight vaguely remembered that her name was Holly Dash. Scarcely had Holly cleared the building than the dark mare charged out after her in hot pursuit.
“Holly!” yelled Twilight, launching all of the magic she had gathered directly at the dark purple mare. The blast connected directly with its target, exploding in a brilliant shower of white light and purple fumes.
Holly turned around, tears of joy brimming from her eyes as she looked upon her saviour. “Thank you, Twilight! Th–”
The words caught in her throat as the cloud of smog reformed itself directly in front of her, the air permeated with its eerie laughter. Both Twilight and Holly screamed as the dark mare rushed at Holly, turning itself back into vapour and launching itself down her throat. Twilight helplessly looked on in horror as the smog seeped out from its victim's orifices. When the entirety of the smog finally left Holly, it reformed itself into the mare. Holly stood in place for a moment before her eyes rolled back into her head and she fell lifeless to the ground.
“Holly!” Twilight yelled again, rushing toward Holly's corpse. The scene before her faded into white light as the mare continued to laugh manically.
Panting heavily, Twilight blinked as she clutched her heart. The white light began to melt away in favour of the calm, familiar hospital room. She leaned forward and looked outside of the window. As she suspected, she was greeted by a warm summer's afternoon. There was no fire, there were no screaming ponies, and there was no purple cloud of mysterious fumes.
Sighing and trying to relax, Twilight turned her attention to the rest of the room. To her surprise, she was alone. She could understand Nurse Redheart's absence, but not a single one of her friends was waiting by her bedside. Even the bed where Greyhoof had slept had a pile of discarded bandages on it as its only sign of former occupancy. It was then that she noticed a scroll of parchment on the bedside table.
Twilight took a deep breath. Here goes nothing... Reaching within her, she grasped for her magic and focused on the scroll. To her delight, she effortlessly levitated it over to herself and unrolled it. When she had gotten over her elation, Twilight began to read the short note. It was written in Spike's familiar scrawl.
Dear Twilight,
Hope you are well. I'm sorry nopony is here to see you out of the hospital. If you're better, please come to Sweet Apple Acres ASAP. This is an emergency. Will explain when you get here.
Spike
Twilight dropped the parchment and blinked. What in the wide wide world of Equestria is going on? Swinging out of bed, she planted her hooves firmly on the ground. Taking a steadying breath, Twilight opened the door and trotted out of the room as quickly as she dared. Despite feeling slightly woozier than usual, Twilight was delighted. I think this medicine really worked! But I can't for the life of me think of what's happened. I hope it isn't too serious...
Twilight had eagerly clambered down the last flight of stairs, taking two at a time, before she was confronted by Redheart in the hospital lobby. “Out of bed? Where do you think you're going? You are not to leave this hospital until you've undergone at least twenty-four hours of observation, young lady.”
“I'm feeling just fine, thanks,” said Twilight dismissively, trying to edge past Redheart as she spoke, but the nurse would have none of it.
“I'll be the judge of that,” she said firmly.
“Well, how about this,” offered Twilight brightly, “if I can teleport out of the hospital, that means my magic's working just fine! Here, let's see if I can.”
Before Redheart could utter a word of protest, Twilight vanished and reappeared at the opposite end of the lobby. Ignoring the nurse's shouts of protest, Twilight made good use of the distance she had put between the two of them and galloped out of the lobby uncontested.
As soon as Twilight cleared the hospital, she took off toward Sweet Apple Acres at a full gallop. The gentle summer breeze swept away any remaining weariness she felt, filling her with renewed vigour. A chilling thought suddenly struck her mind. What if that cloud was right? What if these dreams have some significance? When Twilight neared Sweet Apple Acres, her ears perked up at the sound of dozens of voices. Her heart sank when she felt the worried vibes of the commotion before her. The gathered ponies shuffled amongst themselves uneasily, some even looking around frantically. Increasing her speed, she arrived in the middle of what looked like the entire Ponyville population. The Mayor stood on a wooden crate in front of the barn, with Applejack and Cheerilee at her sides.
“Make way, y'all! Let her through!” shouted Applejack when she spotted Twilight's approach.
The crowd parted as Twilight made her way to the front to speak with them directly. “I just got Spike's letter and came as fast as I could. What's going on?” she panted.
Cheerilee gulped, her features and unkempt mane evidence of a sleepless night. “It's – it's Twist.”
Twilight felt as if an anvil had been dropped in her stomach. Oh no... She took an uneasy breath. “Twist? What happened?”
“Her parents came to me late yesterday and were looking for her. They thought I'd kept her after class or that she was playing with her friends,” Cheerilee hastily explained, “but as it turns out, nopony has seen her since early yesterday morning. We spent all night looking for her and found nothing.”
Applejack tipped her hat at Cheerilee. “That's when I stepped in. I was going to Ponyville early in the mornin' to set up my apple cart early when I bumped into her. I'm sorry I wasn't there for you when ya woke up, Twi, but I went straight to the Mayor when I heard the news.”
“How can I help?” asked Twilight earnestly.
Looking down from the box, the Mayor cleared her throat. “I figured the best course of action would be to form search parties. Your friend Greyhoof was quite insistent that he organize everything himself, but due to... heated persuasion, we reached a consensus to wait for you.”
Twilight nodded resolutely. “Get me a map.”
“Rainbow Dash is already on it,” said Rarity as she emerged from the crowd and stood next to Twilight. Her eyes flicked skyward in the direction of Ponyville. “That should be her now, if I'm not mistaken.”
Sure enough, when Twilight followed Greyhoof's gaze, she spotted a rainbow speck. Turning to face the crowd, Twilight looked sternly at the gathered ponies. “Listen up, everypony!” she announced. “As soon as Rainbow gets back with –”
Rainbow landed beside Twilight and unrolled a large roll of parchment from her mouth, setting it on the ground. “The map!”
Twilight thanked Rainbow before continuing. “Right. We're going to split into groups to make this go as quickly and efficiently as possible. Somepony, pass me a quill please.” When a quill was produced, Twilight grabbed it and started drawing on the map of Ponyville. “Each group will be assigned a small search region. With luck, each search should only take a few hours and we can meet back here by sunset. If Twist is anywhere near Ponyville, we'll find her.”
“Excuse me, Twilight?” asked the Mayor, causing Twilight to pause in her map sectioning. “Wouldn't it be faster if we had smaller search areas and split up the search parties to one pony each?”
“That has got to be the worst idea I've ever heard,” scoffed Greyhoof, provoking a loud groan from Rainbow. “If you paused for a moment to think, then you would realize that a very real possibility is the filly has been ponynapped.”
The gathered crowd burst out laughing at Greyhoof's words.
“Did he say ponynapped?”
“And you are?”
“Who would believe that?”
“What a joke!”
The Mayor began eyeing Greyhoof over her glasses. “How would you know she's been ponynapped and hasn't simply gotten lost?” she chortled. “Where did you come up with such a radical theory?”
Rolling his eyes, Greyhoof huffed impatiently. “Once again, you are failing to analyze the situation. This isn't exactly Los Pegasus we're dealing with. This is a small town where everypony knows each other. Do you really think that a filly of school age would get lost?” Greyhoof took a couple of steps toward the Mayor. “There is no viable alternative to traveling in pairs. If we indeed have a ponynapper on our hooves, then the worst thing we could possibly do is be on our own.”
Twilight held a hoof to Greyhoof's chest and shot him a worried glance. “Easy, Greyhoof. Don't you think you're overreacting just a little bit here? You said it best: this is a small town where everypony knows each other.”
“Twi's right,” Applejack added. “I've known everypony for years, what with the Apple family business and all. I can honestly say that nopony here would do somethin' like this.”
Greyhoof's eyes flashed dangerously. “Whatever we do, we cannot rule out the possibility of foul play.” He raised a hoof to preemptively silence any forthcoming responses. “All I'm saying is that it would be foalish to rule out the possibility of murder. The most effective way to combat this is to travel in groups.” Greyhoof turned to glare at the Mayor. “I will not stand for the chance of Twist being the first of many, and neither should you.”
An icy silence fell over the crowd in the wake of Greyhoof's words. Twilight's eyes glazed over as she vividly remembered what the cloud from her nightmares had told her. “Twist was the first, and she will not be the last...” A chill went through her whole body. I know it was just a dream... but to see Twist being killed like that... It was just so vivid, so real... Twilight pawed at the ground uneasily. What if Greyhoof's right? Does this mean my dreams really are true? She forced herself to focus and scanned the crowd until her eyes fell upon Holly Dash's unique mane.
It can't be right, can it? Are these dreams more than my overactive mind producing nightmares based on the stress I've been feeling? Twilight gulped and looked glumly at the Mayor. “I think Greyhoof's right. As outrageous as what he's saying is, it's not worth taking the risk.” She turned to Greyhoof and rested a hoof on his shoulder. “Look, I know you mean well and have a good head on your shoulders,” she muttered just loud enough for him and those close to them to hear, “but can you please try to be a little less... aggressive? I know it can be tough at times, but if you try to be more tactful and modest, you won't receive as much grief. Let me take it from here. Trust me.”
Greyhoof's eyes were almost searing by this point, but he wordlessly took a couple of steps back and sat down, shifting his attention to the map on the ground. When he remained silent for several seconds, Twilight resumed delegating groups of ponies to different sections of the map. Each group consisted of three to six ponies and always included at least one pegasus and earth pony and, when possible, a unicorn to help ensure versatility.
Gradually, the crowd thinned out, the ponies going to their assigned sections of the town. Twilight used her quill to draw one final circle on the map's edge. “That leaves us. Greyhoof, Fluttershy, and Rainbow, we'll form the last party.”
Looking at the map, Greyhoof nodded slowly. “So, this is your plan. Not exactly what I would've done, but it is sound nonetheless.”
“Ooh, let me see!” Rainbow stuck her head in front of Twilight's and looked at the map eagerly. “Uh, which one are we again?”
Levitating the map so all four of them could see, Twilight drew a large X near the outline of trees. “Here, in the Everfree Forest.”
“Not again...” whimpered Fluttershy.
Rainbow flew to where Fluttershy stood and gave her a reassuring nudge. “Relax, Fluttershy. Nothing happened last time,” She puffed herself up proudly, “and if something does, I've got your back, and so does Twilight.”
“As do I,” Greyhoof added.
“Oh, right, you're here,” sighed Rainbow. “Thanks for reminding me.”
“I... guess...” said Fluttershy reluctantly.
Twilight started to walk toward the forest. “We don't have time to waste. We've got the longest section to search, so if we want to get back on time, we need to move quickly.”
“Yeah, we wouldn't want to be tardy or anything,” quipped Rainbow.
Sighing, Twilight set off at a brisk trot, the others in her wake. Noticing that Fluttershy was lagging behind, Greyhoof turned around and fell into step beside her. “We'll be fine, I promise.”
Rainbow flew beside the two of them. “Hey, Fluttershy, if we have time tomorrow, I'll help you search for your animals.”
Fluttershy's eyes went wide with joy. “You will?”
“Of course! I know how much they mean to you, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't getting a little worried about what happened to them myself. They've been gone for what, two days now?” Rainbow clapped Fluttershy on the shoulder.
Flying up, Fluttershy embraced Rainbow tightly. “Thank you... so much!”
“No sweat,” said Rainbow.
With Fluttershy's apprehensions at least momentarily set by the wayside, the ponies resumed their short journey to the Everfree Forest. Try as they might, they couldn't prevent themselves from thinking back to Greyhoof's speculations about Twist's fate.
“Um, Rainbow?” Fluttershy asked. “What if... you know... Greyhoof was right? What if something did happen to Twist? Or... what if somepony did something to her?”
“Lighten up,” said Rainbow casually. “She was a bit of a dork. Maybe she went to play in the woods and got lost. Besides,” she shot Greyhoof a disdainful glare, “I'm not listening to him anymore, and neither should you.”
“Rainbow!” reprimanded Twilight. “But... I hope you're right. Honestly, it's the only alternative to Greyhoof's theory, as far-fetched as it is.”
Greyhoof looked back at the others. “Is it truly so radical a theory, then? I did not come up with this on my own; many of these cases have been found in the annals of towns much like Ponyville. Believe me, I'm more than happy to be wrong in this instance, but I fear for her life.”
“Maybe she got turned to stone by the cockatrice!” Twilight suggested hopefully, before feeling slightly sick when she thought of what she had just said and the tone with which she conveyed it.
“P-perhaps another filly dared her to wander into the forest,” Fluttershy suggested. “We did ask the fillies about this, didn't we?”
“I think so,” Twilight mused. “There's no doubt that Cheerilee would've at least asked her students about Twist, and if she found anything suspicious, she would've told us.”
“Hey, maybe they did dare Twist to go into the forest and she did get turned to stone by the cockatrice,” countered Rainbow. “If I was a filly and this happened, I wouldn't be too eager to fess up about the whole thing.”
Twilight forced a chuckle. “Would you say that you have experience in such matters, Rainbow?”
Rainbow's ears and cheeks turned a brilliant shade of magenta. “No, of course not! I'm... I'm just speculating!”
Twilight couldn't help but join the others in laughter. She was taken aback at how soothing the simple act was. Even if it was just for a few seconds, the relief of the stress wrought from their present situation felt every bit as cleansing as the anti-venom. With their spirits lifted, the ponies found themselves in front of the inviting and yet intimidating opening in the canopy of trees that was the Everfree Forest.
“Rainbow, I'd like you to fly as high as you can within the forest,” Twilight ordered. “I'd like you to do some advance scouting. Fluttershy said the animals are still missing, so maybe that also applies to any monsters that live in the forest. Let's use this to our advantage. If you see anything, monster or filly, let us know.”
Rainbow tossed Twilight a salute. “Got it. You can count on me!” With that, she took off and was quickly swallowed by the darkness of the forest.
Fluttershy gulped. “Y-you don't want me to do that too, do you, Twilight?” she asked fearfully, taking a step back.
Twilight shook her head and smiled softly at her. “No, no. We need you with us. Your natural gift with animals is what I'm relying on to keep us safe. Now let's get moving. We've got a lot of ground to cover and precious little time to do it.”
Noticing that Twilight and Greyhoof were beginning to make their way into the forest, Fluttershy scampered up to the two unicorns, not wanting to be left behind. “O-okay.”
They made their way into the deadly quiet woods, their hoofsteps muffled by the soft forest floor, save for the occasional sound of snapping twigs. For hours, they meticulously ventured through the forest, their sojourn only impeded by the large, gnarled roots and other mundane obstacles on the ground.
Fluttershy broke the eerie silence impressed upon them by the forest, her eyes frantically darting from deserted birds' nests and old animal tracks branching off in every direction as she spoke. “Um, Greyhoof?”
“What is it?” Greyhoof asked almost impatiently.
“How come you're so... so...” Fluttershy couldn't quite the last word of her query out despite multiple attempts.
“So what?” prompted Greyhoof.
“Bossy,” Fluttershy whispered. When she realized that he had heard her, she yelped and jumped back several feet.
Twilight's ears perked up and she focused intently on Greyhoof. Her knee-jerk reaction was to intervene before Greyhoof went on another one of his tirades, something they could ill afford. Instead of speaking up, however, she decided to remain the silent observer, at least for now. I wonder what he's got to say for himself.
While Greyhoof's expression retained its usual neutrality, his eyes sparked like a fire that had suddenly been fed too much extra kindling. “I am not bossy, I'm projecting my wisdom upon others – forcibly, if I must.”
Greyhoof's answer took Twilight aback. While it was something vaguely similar to what she'd expect out of him, it was a far cry from his usual response. It's a good thing Fluttershy's so disarming, she thought. I have a feeling he wouldn't react like this if it was Rainbow asking.
“Allow me to explain.” Greyhoof filled the uneasy silence. “I've been in many situations over the course of my travels where all I've had to rely on was knowledge that I've gleaned from books or firsthoof experience. I've seen lives saved and lost depending on how action is taken.” He paused to stomp the ground angrily. “I have long since come to the conclusion that I shall brook no less-informed pony to simply turn my wisdom aside.”
“But Greyhoof,” Fluttershy squeaked, “even if you are right and what you're saying is usually for the best, being too mean and bossy can just hurt somepony's feelings.”
“Don't be so naive,” Greyhoof snipped. “I understand your views, but you simply lack my experience in these matters. A lack of will and action can cause greater suffering. I'd much rather step on a few pairs of hooves that I'll likely never meet again than allow innocent ponies to die fruitlessly.”
“And... what if you're wrong?”
Greyhoof narrowed his eyes at Fluttershy. “Wrong? Unlikely. I have more experience and knowledge than almost anypony in Equestria, and you would do well to remember that. When it comes to being wrong, I am the least likely culprit.”
“You're forgetting something,” interjected Twilight, having heard enough. “As far as I'm concerned, you're here to stay, at least for a good while. You will be seeing those sets of hooves again, and you have been wrong before. Remember the cave yesterday? That's where friendship comes in. There's more than one way to get your point across, you know. I'm not asking you to do it perfectly all the time, but at least try to learn where you can improve, and to be willing to admit you might be wrong.”
Greyhoof sighed reluctantly. “Very well. I suppose I still do have a lot to learn, don't I?”
Twilight nodded. “Yes, and I'm only too happy to teach you.” Suddenly noticing how dark it was getting, Twilight glanced overhead until she spotted Rainbow and called her down to them. “Find anything?”
Rainbow shook her head. “I think I know where I'm going to search next. Twist has gotta be here somewhere.”
Twilight held up a hoof. “That will have to wait, I'm afraid.”
“What?” Rainbow flared her wings and adopted an aggressive stance. “We're not just gonna give up!”
“Twilight's right,” said Greyhoof. “We're going back.”
Rainbow turned angrily to Greyhoof, her eyes narrowing suspiciously. “Oh, I see how it is. You put her up to this, didn't you?”
Hastily moving in between Rainbow and Greyhoof, Twilight firmly rested a hoof on each of their chests. “Rainbow, Greyhoof, calm down! We have enough problems on our hooves without the two of you getting in an argument.” When she was sure they would let her continue, she lowered her hooves and sighed. “Look, it's getting close to sunset, and we need to be back at Sweet Apple Acres to see if the others found anything.”
Rainbow reluctantly folded her wings and backed down. “You're... right. It just burns me up to have to go back so soon, you know?”
“Oh, I hope the others found her,” lamented Fluttershy.
The four of them earnestly began making their way through the steadily darkening forest. At Rainbow's suggestion, they took a slightly different route for their return trip in the hope of covering extra ground. Their new route was more difficult to navigate and proved just as fruitless as their original search had been. When they finally emerged from the forest, any traces of the sun were gone and darkness had fully set in.
“Oh no,” groaned Twilight when she looked at the moon high in the sky. “We're late! I hope nopony's worried about us!”
“If this forest is as dangerous as it's made out to be, then I'm sure they'll expect we might be a little late,” observed Greyhoof, not allowing his pace to slow. “If I'm not mistaken, those are multiple campfires in the distance. They're waiting for us.”
Rainbow took to the air. “I'll tell 'em you three are coming.” She sped off toward Sweet Apple Acres at top speed.
It was not long before she returned from the farm. When Rainbow landed beside Twilight, she was out of breath and looked pale. “Twilight! To the farm! Quick!” she panted.
Twilight felt her blood run cold. “What is it?”
“No time! Hurry!” gasped Rainbow before she took off again.
Looking at each other for a moment in confusion, Twilight and Greyhoof began galloping toward Sweet Apple Acres with Fluttershy in tow. When they arrived, they found every pony who was present at the morning gathering huddled around the campfires. Twilight couldn't make out any conversations, but their overtones were plain as day. Something was wrong.
Twilight and Greyhoof carefully made their way to the centre of the circle, where Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow, and the Mayor were waiting for them. Fluttershy flew over the crowd to join them. “What's the matter?” panted Twilight.
“It's – it's –” stuttered Rarity.
Applejack took off her hat and held it to her chest mournfully. “I dunno how to tell ya this, sugarcube... but Twist ain't the only pony missing...”
The Mayor's face was almost as white as her mane. “When we returned – one of the groups –” She gulped, her glasses ominously reflecting the dancing flames of a nearby campfire. “Somepony from a search party was missing! Upon further investigation, she was nowhere to be found, even at her house or the duck pond where she was last seen.”
“I thought everypony was supposed to stick together,” snarled Greyhoof.
Twilight dreaded asking the Mayor to elabourate, fearing that she already knew who it was, but curiosity got the better of her. “Who – who was it? Was it another filly, like Twist?”
The Mayor shook her head. “No, this was a fully grown mare. It was Holly Dash.”
Twilight fell flat on her flank as if she had been struck by a powerful uppercut. She couldn't stop herself from crying as the scene before her faded, replaced by the nightmare she had experienced this morning. The memory of the purple fume that had strangled Holly so effortlessly vividly played in her mind. How is this even possible? Am – am I seeing the future somehow? Could I have prevented this?
Rarity rushed over to Twilight and hugged her. “Twilight, darling, there was nothing you could have done!”
Twilight buried her face in Rarity's shoulder and continued to sob. “I... I think there was...” she managed to choke out between sobs. “Somehow... I think this is all my fault!”
Greyhoof looked at Twilight in alarm. “What do you mean? You were with us in the forest the whole time. What do you know?”
“I'll tell you later,” Twilight whispered, finally withdrawing from Rarity's embrace and wiping her still-leaking eyes.
“What do you know, Twilight? Tell me!” interjected the Mayor forcefully, taking a few steps toward her.
Applejack threw herself in front of the Mayor, preventing her from taking another step closer to Twilight. “Leave the poor girl alone!” she cried loudly. “Can't you see she's in pain? After what she's been through in the past few days, ya can't blame her.”
Greyhoof's brow furrowed. “I'm not sure how to tell you this...” his words lacked their customary steely assuredness, “but I have read tales of situations much like this one that occurred centuries ago. If there is any correlation between them, then Twist was merely the first...”
“Just what are you on about this time?” asked Rainbow in exasperation.
Greyhoof took a deep breath, closing his eyes. “To my knowledge, the last occurrence of something like this was over a few hundred years ago.” He glanced first at Rainbow, then at the Mayor, and finally rested his burning gaze on Twilight. “Look, maybe I'm just being paranoid, but I don't want to put anypony at risk. The last time this happened, one of the ponies that had the town's full trust went berserk, in a way. They systematically ponynapped and supposedly murdered ponies they would call their friends. Bodies were generally not found in either case, and the abducted ones never returned. Of course, the killers were caught every time, but not before tearing many families apart.”
“You know...” said Rainbow slowly. “Something may be wrong, but I think you've been reading too many weird books. Save your wacky theories for somepony else.”
The Mayor recoiled and interrupted Greyhoof's forthcoming rebuttal. “You don't mean –”
Rainbow stomped a hoof on the ground, kicking up a small dust cloud. “Yes. Think about it. First Twist, now Holly. Something, or somepony, has been ponynapping, or worse. Greyhoof may be nuts, but something's going down.”
“Who would do such a thing?” cried Applejack. “It just don't add up.”
“Yes, it does!” countered Rainbow defiantly. “I'm sorry, Applejack, but somepony is up to no good.” She eyed the crowd suspiciously, as if doing so would oust the hidden perpetrator. “Two ponies missing in only a few days. We all need to watch our flanks.”
Greyhoof craned his neck and surveyed the crowd. “I promise you, I will do everything in my power to help get to the bottom of this.”
“Me too!” chirped Pinkie, hopping out from the crowd and brandishing a large feather quill threateningly. “I'll make 'em talk!”
Twilight looked up at Pinkie's beaming face. “Sorry Pinkie, but this just isn't the time.”
Pinkie looked crestfallen as she dropped the quill. “No funny no funnerson... I just wanted to lighten the mood...” She trudged off into the crowd.
“Thank you for your offer, Mister Greyhoof,” said the Mayor, ignoring Pinkie's interruption. “I've never heard of anything like this happening in Ponyville's history, though...” she added perturbedly. “I can't shake the feeling that I'm to blame.”
“Miss Mayor,” said Fluttershy, gently putting a hoof around her shoulders, “please don't say that. I know you have everypony's best interests in mind and you're doing everything you can to protect us.”
The Mayor shook her head. “This is my town, and now ponies are missing, or worse. I've failed all of you as a mayor.”
Fluttershy shook her head vehemently. “I think you're being the best mayor you can be.”
The Mayor looked at Fluttershy, and smiled for the first time all day, and nodded gratefully. “Let's all get some rest, everypony. I don't think we're doing much good worrying ourselves sick out here. Let's come back at this fresh in the morning.”
“Y'all heard the lady!” said Applejack loudly, kicking dirt on one of the fires.
The crowd exchanged worried glances, and concerned conversation permeated the air as the congregation disbanded and they began returning to their homes. Greyhoof lowered himself to his knees as he looked at Twilight, his eyes burning with concern. “Hey, will you be okay?”
Twilight slowly got back on her hooves and wiped her eyes again. “I'm not sure, but I'll make it back to the library.”
Twilight and Greyhoof began their trek across town, the hardships of the day finally taking their toll on the unicorns. When they reached the first buildings of Ponyville, Greyhoof once again looked at Twilight, unable to contain his curiosity. “What importance does this latest disappearance have to you, Twilight? Was Holly Dash a close friend of yours?”
Twilight shook her head. “No, not particularly,” she answered guiltily. “I know this is going to sound insane but... I've been having dreams, Greyhoof. Not just dreams – nightmares.”
Greyhoof swallowed nervously. “Go on...”
“In these dreams... I see things... terrible things...” Twilight took a long, uneasy breath. “This morning, I had another nightmare. Ponyville was burning, and a dark cloud of purple smoke formed itself into a sort of strange mare. This mare pursued – and killed – Holly Dash.”
Greyhoof stopped dead in his tracks, his jaw dropping. “What?”
Twilight shuddered uncontrollably, the utterance of her strange visions and Greyhoof's reaction cutting into her heart like a knife. “The day before, I had a similar dream about Twist, only in that one the cloud seemed weaker and didn't take any shape. Am I somehow seeing the future?”
“Magical dreams...” Greyhoof said slowly, awe creeping into his voice. “I've read stories about them, but I never imagined I'd meet somepony that's had them. I don't know much about them at all, but I do think there's something more to these dreams of yours. What it is, I have no clue. You must be cautious, and thoroughly document what you see. If the previous two were any indication, the next one, if it does happen, could give us some insight into this mystery.”
Resuming her journey back home, Twilight nodded solemnly. “Is there anything that can be done?”
“I don't know.” Greyhoof shrugged. “I may be able to come up with something in the morning, but for now all we can do is sleep and hope. I'll come by first thing.”
“Sleep and hope...” Twilight repeated when the library came into view, candlelight visible from its window on the ground floor. “No, I think you should spend the night here. We need to get to the bottom of this without delay.”
“Thanks for the offer, but it's no trouble.”
“I insist,” said Twilight. “Spike usually keeps the guest bed ready in case of company anyway. This is urgent. Besides, where were you sleeping, anyway?”
“Outside. And the hospital, at least last night.”
“Well, that settles it,” said Twilight with a note of finality. “We're getting to the bottom of this tomorrow the second we wake up, and not a moment later.”
When Twilight opened the door, she found Spike asleep next to a lantern at the foot of the stairs. “Aw, the poor little guy was waiting for me this whole time.” Twilight levitated Spike into his basket and tucked him in gently. She was pleased to see that both beds were made and waiting for them. She gratefully climbed into her bed. “Sleep well.”
Curling up into a ball on the other bed without bothering to tuck himself in, Greyhoof closed his eyes. “I really should be wishing you that.”
Twilight cringed at these words and turned the lantern off, quenching the flame within before sleep took hold over her.