Chapter I- Investigation Gone Wrong
The morning was quiet. A few ponies walked around the Special Investigations Unit office, barely saying a word or glancing at each other. I was preparing to start my day, when my boss walked in, tossing a set of files onto my desk. His brown Earth Pony body was dimly illuminated in the sunlight that shone through the cracks in my curtains. “I need you to investigate this, DustStorm. FlashRain.”
Taking a sip of my hot chai, I opened the folder, to see many clippings of missing pony reports, complete with photos and personal records.
“In the past month, fourteen ponies have been missing. The Missing Ponies Unit has asked for our assistance in this matter. They’ve investigated, and hit a total dead end.”
My partner, FlashRain, walked up behind me, browsing the papers in the folder. I nodded at my superior. “We’ve got this handled.” He nodded back, and left the room. I turned back to my partner. “Anything?”
“Shh.” I knew better than to bother him when he was in this state. I let him read through the documents in silence, for almost an hour. He then stacked the papers again, frowning. “There’s something here.” He closed his eyes, and fell into a state of deep concentration. His eyes suddenly snapped open. “I’ve got something!” He roughly slid out the papers again, spreading them across the desk. “Look here!” He grabbed a red pen in his mouth and circled something on each paper. “Every one of these ponies had met a certain pony. Her name is… Corona? She’s a Pegasus pony in Ponyville who offers life advice and aid for ponies… ‘who have lost their path in life’, in her words. I’ve heard a lot about her, she’s pretty well known in Ponyville. I know where she lives.”
“Then let’s take a look.” I pulled on my traveler’s cloak, grabbed my badge, bags, and magical, bladeless sword. “When a pony disappears, the last pony to have seen them is usually the culprit, or knows something that he or she is not revealing. I honestly don’t see how the MPU wasn’t able to see this before.”
“Hey, hey, that’s my old unit you’re talking about.” Flash gathered his belongings, too, slipping his collapsible halberd into his utility belt. His tone was light and joking.
We left the office quickly and silently. The light of the sun shone down brightly, causing me to squint in the morning sun. Flash flapped his wings and flew up into the sky. “I’ll meet you by Town Hall. I fly, you teleport? Once we get there, I’ll bring you to where she resides.”
I nodded. “Fair enough. See you soon.”
***
“This is the place?” I looked up at the huge and ornate mansion, the entrance pillars towering over me. “How does one Pegasus get a place like this to live?”
“I dunno. I’ve just heard of her, that’s all.”
I walked up to the door, and rapped my hoof against the door three times sharply. I heard hoofsteps, and the door swung open.
A white Pegasus with golden eyes stood at the doorway. Her cutie mark was a shining ray of light. She had a friendly smile on her face, and kind eyes. “May I help you?” she asked sweetly.
I pulled out my badge and showed it to her, FlashRain following suit. “Special Investigations Unit. Are you Corona?”
“That’s my name, yes. Is something wrong?”
“We’re running an investigation on some ponies who’ve gone missing in the past month. We feel that you may have information that may be of use to us. May we come in?” FlashRain asked.
Corona seemed to think about it for a while, then smiled again. “Of course.” She stepped aside, allowing us entry.
The entrance hall was even more magnificent than the front doors. Fancy tapestries hung down from the walls, and fine china on mahogany stands lined the hallway. She led us to what seemed to be her living room, the ceiling having a very detailed painting of Cloudsdale on it. Corona motioned to one of the couches, and we sat down. She took a seat across from us, and folded her hooves. “Now, how may I help you?”
I took the folder out of my bag, and spread the portraits of the missing ponies across her coffee table. “Do you know these ponies?”
For a moment, I thought I saw something in her eyes, but it was gone so quickly, I thought I imagined it. She was silent for a short time, then nodded. “Yes, I know them. They were my patients.”
“Well, can you explain why you were the last pony to see them? They vanished shortly after meeting you.” Flash asked, narrowing his eyes.
Her smile stayed on her lips. “No.” she answered curtly.
There was an awkward silence, during which my eyes fell on a picture of a younger Corona with a Yellow Pegasus around her age, and two foals, one gray, one white. “Is this your husband and children?” I asked, motioning to the picture. “They look like good ponies.” Her smile flickered, then fell.
“They were.”
I processed the words, and then hung my head, with FlashRain. “We’re very sorry for your loss, Miss Corona.” I said quietly. Her smile came up again.
“Do not worry. It was a long time ago.”
"May I ask how they came to pass?" I questioned tentatively.
She tilted her head, considering. "It was a stormy night." She started. "My husband, children, and I were headed back from a sporting event. Each of us had one of our children on our backs. The weather was horrendous. The winds were powerful, the rain and lightning unrelenting. But we had to get home. I was tiring quickly, and my husband noticed. He offered to take them both. I was so exhausted at that point that I allowed him to do so. Then.... there was a bright flash of lightning. The sound of an electrical shock. When my vision cleared, my husband and my children were.... I tried flying down to save them, but the wind buffeted me too much. I never found their..." she broke off and looked away.
"We're very sorry." I repeated.
She nodded. "I appreciate your concern."
While Flash took a closer look at the photograph, another awkward silence fell over the group.
Something flashed in the back of my mind. I closed my eyes, and allowed my vision to accumulate. Shards like glass were swirling in my mind, slowly drawing together. I then saw the silhouettes of a group of ponies, in a strange white room. The vision was gone almost as soon as it came.
My partner noticed my actions, and moved away from the photo. FlashRain walked over to me and whispered in my ear. “Anything wrong?” he muttered.
I lowered my voice and answered. “Something isn’t right. My intuition tells me that there’s something wrong.” I turned back to Corona.
“Miss Corona, is there anypony else in this house?” I asked, standing up.
“No, it’s just me. It’s been just me for quite some time, aside from when my patients come into the house.”
“Do you mind if I take a look around?” I asked.
She seemed to hesitate again, smile twitching. “Go ahead.” She nodded at me.
“Stay with her.” I ordered Flash. “I’ll do a quick sweep of the house.”
He nodded, and engaged Corona in conversation.
I followed the hallway to a set of stairs. As I slowly walked up, something tugged at my mind again. I closed my eyes and concentrated. Image shards pieced themselves together, and a painting flashed up into my mind. As I opened them, I saw the painting from my intuition, a huge one, hanging at the top of the stairs. Looking behind me, to make sure nopony was watching, I reached out and touched the painting. It seemed normal, but I still had a nagging feeling. “Oh, no, don’t be so cliché.” I muttered, as I examined area between the wall and the painting. I used my magic, swinging the painting away to reveal a hidden door, slightly ajar. I drew my sword with my magic, the twisted blade forming itself out of my arcane energy. I considered calling for FlashRain, but I didn’t want Corona to know I was onto her. I would just look quickly, and see if there was enough there to arrest the oddly friendly Pegasus.
Taking a deep breath, I cautiously approached the door, listening at it. I heard nothing but silence. I counted to three in my head, and burst into the room, ramming the door open with my shoulder. Something fell down from the top of the doorway, spilling all over me. A cloud of white dust rose up around me, and I started coughing. The smell was familiar. Something I haven’t smelled in a long time. Foal powder? My senses started swimming, and exhaustion racked my body. I opened my mouth to try to call for FlashRain, but only a short groan came out. I sunk to the floor, my magical hold on my weapon falling away, and the blade crumbling into the air. I could hear a struggling coming from the Living Room. My partner was in danger. “Help…” I managed to moan weakly, before sleep enveloped my mind and body.