Greengrass trotted after Snails as he walked through the garden. "You have a lot of really awesome bugs," Snails said, craning his long neck down so he could look under a petal at a rare blue ant. "Where did you get them?"
"Oh, hither and yon," said Greengrass. "I have arrangements with companies that collect and breed bugs from various provinces. And of course I picked up a few myself on occasion. Even went to the Everfree Forest one time to collect some rare West Everfree Bumblers."
"Are those them?" Snails pointed to a sleek little bee with rainbow stripes that was zipping between flowers with unparalleled efficiency. "I've been looking for some forever! I heard they can pollinate flowers three times faster than a normal bee, and their honey is sweeter! And they look so cool!"
"Indeed they are!" said Greengrass. "I find that, to make a truly beautiful garden, it's not enough just to have the right flowers or fertilizer. You need to get everything perfect, from the warmth of the light to the bugs in the soil." They reached the pond in the center of the garden, and Greengrass picked a double hoofful of grapes from a small trellis. He offered them to Snails and then gestured for him to sit on a bench. "Now--what brings you here, Snails? Did you just want to discuss bugs? Are you looking for another game of Diplomacy?"
Snails shook his head, seeming to deflate a little as he did so. "No," he said in a sad voice. "I just got lost, and I followed a bug in."
"Lost?" prompted Greengrass, while he began thinking of a way to prevent other ponies from trailing bugs into his garden. I hope my enemies don't know about that one yet.
The foal nodded. "I was really upset 'cause Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon said that I'm going to get traded in for an Alula because my warranty's gonna expire and I'm dumb and ugly and not good at anything and all the new foal models have wings and good talents and are totally awesome, and so I ran away but I got lost, and now Raindrops is probably really mad at me and she'll want to return me even if all she'll get is a crummy gift certificate."
Greengrass had, as a noble, made himself understand the most complicated and arcane pieces of legislation. He had written documents that used every trick of the Equestrian tongue to mean precisely the opposite of what they seemed to say. He was a master at manipulating the most confusing jargon and legalese. And yet even he had to say, "I'm sorry, I don't think I understand. Your... warranty, is expiring?"
Snails repeated his story a few times until Greengrass got the gist of it. When he did, he settled back and gave Snails a sympathetic look. "I see," he said. "It sounds like quite a problem."
"It is!" said Snails, spreading his forehooves wide as he reared back on his hind hooves. "I want to be a good brother. I don't want to get traded in for a new model!" He gulped. "When I got a better butterfly net my mom threw the old one out. I don't wanna get thrown out with the other bad brother! And... I don't want to be a bad brother even if I don't get thrown out!"
Greengrass put a hoof to his chin as if he was seriously considering the problem. He knew that foals liked it when adults treated their problems with the same gravity and concern as they treated their own. Now that he's calmer, I can figure out why he's here, and hopefully I can do it relatively soon. I do have gardening I want to get to, I have errands--why does the train station have to lose my packages on the most inconvenient days?--and more importantly, I don't want Raindrops to show up and think I abducted Snails. Luna would probably exile me for that... or just have Raindrops throw me off the Canterhorn. Now, I can't explain to him that the idea of returning foals is absurd; he's a foal. He thrives on absurdity. But if I go along with it... "Snails," he said. "Something occurs to me. You look a little bit dusty." He tilted his head quizzically. "Did your sister give you a bath before bringing you into town today?"
"No..."
"DId she comb your mane? Style your tail? Shine your hooves?"
"No. Why would she do that?"
Greengrass grinned. "Well, Snails, it seems to me that, if your sister really wanted to trade you in, wouldn't she restore you to original mint condition? She'd want to make you look as good as possible so she could get the best possible replacement. Isn't that right?"
Snails blinked. "Um... I guess so, but..."
"Also, did she bring your baby clothes?"
"No, she didn't bring anything--"
"Why, that's even better! Snails, don't you know that you can't return a foal unless you include the original packaging?" The gardener smiled. "She'd never try to get rid of you without those."
Snails smiled for a moment before pausing. "Yeah, but what if she lost my baby clothes? Then she couldn't bring them with, and, and if she still doesn't want me she might try to get something for me even without my packaging."
"Hmm. Yes, that is a concern, but..." Greengrass flashed an easy smile. "I've got it. Snails, when your sister packed to go today, did she take your original receipt?"
"Receipt?"
"Yes, receipt. Foals are very expensive and are often finicky. No pony would ever order one without hanging on to the receipt in case of manufacturer's defects or other problems. And I'm sure you know that you can't return anything without its receipt."
"That's true..." mused Snails.
"There you go! Clearly, she has no intention of returning you. You have nothing to worry about." He rose back up to his hooves. "Now, if that's all, I can take you back--"
"But..." Snails paused. "I mean... even if she doesn't want to return me right now... aren't I still a bad brother?"
Now it was Greengrass's turn to pause, one eye flicking towards a water clock in the corner of the room as he did so. The foal was more depressed than he thought, and at this rate, would it would probably take at least another hour to work through the foal's troubles and get through to him. But Greengrass didn't have an hour. He had no desire to be blamed by Raindrops for abducting the foal, and the odds of that grew with every moment.
Greengrass knew that other ponies, even other nobles, would make a different choice. Baron Max, for example, would probably clear his schedule and work with Snails until the foal was fully convinced of his own self-worth, whatever the consequences later. That was the kind of pony he was. But Greengrass was not that kind of pony, and no longer even claimed to be. He wouldn't risk looking like he'd once again attacked the Elements just to help out Snails, especially when he had nothing to gain from it. I'm not going to risk getting stung unless I have an actual chance at some honeycomb...
So he once again acted as if giving the question serious thought, and then said, "Well, I don't think that's true. After all, your sister seems to love you very much, and she wouldn't love a bad brother. Why don't we go ask her?"
Snails frowned. "Aw, can't I stay with the bugs a little longer?"
"Sorry, Snails. But I'm very busy today. And besides..." He knelt by Snails as if confiding a secret. "If I keep you here, your sister might think I stole you away. And then she'd come looking for you because she misses you very much. And if she found us, she'd kick with her hoof--" He mimed a kick, "And knock my head right off the Canterhorn. You wouldn't want your friend Greengrass to get his head knocked off the Canterhorn, would you?"
Snails managed a giggle, though much weaker than he usually laughed. "No!"
"Alright then. I'll take you back to the Insectarium and have the docents start looking for your sister, okay?"
Snails nodded. He didn't look happy, exactly, but his more-or-less contentedness would last until Greengrass could return him to his sister or another adult, which was sufficient for his, Greengrass's, purposes. I'll get him to the insectarium and drop him off with a docent, then return here. That's my best option here.
Gesturing for Snails to follow, he headed up and out of his garden.
***
"Hello, Duty! It's me, Blackcherry!" Cheerilee grinned as she knocked on the door of the old house. It was a stately structure in a middle-class part of Canterlot, a nice old house with a fresh coat of white paint and a big tree in the front yard that was perfect for climbing. She smiled to herself, knowing full well what kind of adventures had been prepared for behind those walls, what routes had been planned and what supplies stored up in preparation for another run past the Equestrian or Griffin Kingdom border patrols.
"Yoohoo!" She knocked again. "Duty, open up! It's been ages!" And a smile came to her face unbidden as she thought back to their last adventure...
***
Duty and Cheerilee laughed merrily as they lay amidst the remains of what had once been a Pferdreich Councilor's silver-plated battle-wagon.
"Remind me not to let you handle the diplomacy next time," said Duty, a cream-colored earth pony with a frizzy red mane. Despite her words, there was no malice in her voice. "You just had to challenge the Generalissimo to a cider drinking contest..."
"Oh yeah? Well, you were the one who tried to drag race that elken track squad out of the country!"
"Pshaw. Only cause you ticked off the hippogriff ambassador and we had to beat a fast exit."
"Yeah, cause he gave you guff about your mane. It's too awesome a mane for some stuck-up featherbrain to insult."
The two burst into laughter again as they looked over the quiet field.
"So, any ideas how we're going to get this cider back to Equestria?" asked Cheerilee at last.
Duty reached back into the wreckage and grabbed two bottles of cider. Passing one to Cheerilee, she said, "Well, I know a pony who knows a pony who knows a camel wagoneer...
***
Bringing herself back to the present, Cheerilee realized that she had been waiting for a rather long while. "Duty?" Cheerilee called. "Are you there? I..."
She touched the door, and it swung open.
The teacher froze. Duty always locked up, she knew; it came from long experience with hauling goods one was not supposed to have. Something was definitely wrong.
Glancing around, Cheerilee quickly eased her way into the house and shut the door behind her. A faint stench instantly hit her nose; following it to the kitchen, she saw a jug of milk that, by its smell, had just started to go bad. Duty drank raw, unpasteurized milk, Cheerilee knew, and that kind of milk spoiled very quickly, but it had probably still been out for at least a few hours. Duty was always meticulous. She wouldn't leave milk out to spoil. Why?
Cheerilee quickly searched the house, found nopony, and also noted that nothing seemed to be missing. Jewelry, bankbooks, and valuables were all present in various places. In fact, absolutely nothing was turned over or opened, so it didn't seem like there was even an attempt at a robbery. Besides, she's been out of the smuggling business for ages now. She doesn't have anything really valuable to take except for money, and that's in her bank. So why would anypony attack her? And also... nothing's broken. I know Duty; she was strong--could probably put up a decent fight against Big Mac. If she were attacked, wouldn't there be some kind of a struggle?
Puzzled, she returned to the kitchen. Okay. She took the milk out, and then she was grabbed by somepony--or maybe she left. What if something happened and she just fled? That would explain why nothing had been taken and there were no signs of combat. Unfortunately, though, that raised other questions. Was she afraid of something? So afraid she just bolted?
Cheerilee sat down in one of the kitchen chairs and spoke aloud to herself. "If she did run, where would she go? She wouldn't just leave, because anypony who could trace her here could probably trace her if she went to a train station or a chariot stand. She doesn't have any hideouts in the city, at least that I know of." She thought back to what she knew of Duty's smuggling career. "Whenever she got caught, her first move was never to just run for it. She was smart, she made plans, she..."
She nodded to herself. "Right. Her first step was always to get a new set of papers. If she's running now, I'll bet she tried that again. And... if he's still in business... I bet I know whom she went to get them from."
She rose to her hooves. She had an idea of where Duty had gone, if indeed she had run away. Cheerilee would go collect the other knights. Then she would pursue, and if Duty were in trouble, she would make it right.
***
Carrot Top, head buzzing after a few lectures on breeding farming bugs, walked into the main hall of the museum to get a drink of water and bumped into her banana-coated friend. "Hi Raindrops!"
"Hi." Raindrops smiled as she looked at an exhibit on cloud ants. "Think it'd be a fun prank to leave a few of these guys for Rainbow Dash?"
Carrot Top chuckled. "Probably shouldn't risk it. Where's Snails?"
"Still in the playpen."
"Um." Carrot Top glanced out the window. "It's been a while..."
"Well, he has to be here," said Raindrops. "I mean, he wouldn't leave."
"Are you sure?" asked Carrot Top.
"Yes! I mean, he'd better not have wandered out into Canterlot!" snapped Raindrops. "And the museum better not have let him!"
Carrot Top raised a hoof and flagged down a docent. 'Have you seen a young colt with an orange coat, green mane, and a snail for a cutie mark?"
The docent nodded. "I think I saw a foal like that. He was talking to two earth pony fillies, a pink-coated one and a gray-coated one, and later I just saw the two of them, so I figured he left..."
"You let him leave?!" The foals turned and watched as Raindrops backed the docent up against a wall. Her voice seemed to fill the room. "How could you--"
"Raindrops! We'll find him!" hissed Carrot Top, sticking her head between Raindrops and the scared docent. "This won't help!"
Raindrops shut her eyes and forced herself to take three deep breaths. Right. Right. Anger later, find Snails now. "You'd better hope he doesn't get hurt," she growled to the docent, and ran for the door.
Carrot Top chased her down just outside the insectarium. "Don't worry! We'll find him," Carrot Top said. "He probably wandered into a candy shop or something."
"What if he got lost?" Raindrops galloped towards the outside gate, leaving Carrot Top to race after her. "Or hurt? Or what if some stupid criminal caught him?"
"We'll tell the Guards. Put out a missing foal report."
Raindrops' eyes narrowed. "If anypony hurts my brother," she said, "I'm going to--"
She burst through the insectarium's front gate and almost ran over Greengrass. Her eyes flashed over his face, and she opened her mouth to snap at him--and then she saw Snails riding on his back and almost skidded into a potted plant by the entrance.
"Dame Raindrops!" said Greengrass. "Glad I found you. I believe you misplaced somepony?"
Carrot Top helped Raindrops up. "Um. Hi, Duke."
"Oh, no need for formalities among such old friends as us. Just call me Greengrass." The Duke beamed. "But anyways, I believe you will be wanting your brother returned to you, Dame Raindrops?"
"Snails!" called out Raindrops. "Why are you on Greengrass's back?"
"He was too short to see you over the crowd, so he had me sit up here so I could help look for you," said Snails in a listless tone.
Greengrass frowned. "Yes, thank you Snails. Now if we're done critiquing my height--"
"I don't care about your height," snapped Raindrops. "What are you doing with my brother? Is this some scheme of yours to get more influence in the Court?" The weathermare approached Greengrass. "Because, if it is, I can be in Luna's office in an hour. She'll ship you to Neighpon--"
"Honestly, Dame, I have much better things to do with my time these days than plan some scheme involving you or your brother." Greengrass knelt and helped Snails get off his back. "He wandered into my home; I fed him and returned him. That is all."
Raindrops looked at Snails. "Snails? What really happened?"
Snails looked at the ground. "I'm sorry I ran away," he managed. "Thank you Mr. Greengrass for bringing me back here. And for giving me a snack."
Raindrops paused, then turned back to Greengrass. "And what else were you doing while you were 'feeding' him? Exploiting his weaknesses, maybe? He looks a lot sadder now than he was--"
"Oh, for... look, would you rather I kicked your brother back out into the abandoned warehouse district? I'll make a note for next time--"
"I'd rather you weren't a total bastard! Then maybe I could trust--"
"I am not the one whose little sibling believed I wish to return him to the manufacturer for an upgraded model, Dame--"
"I don't--"
"HEY!" Both ponies turned to look at Carrot Top. "Um, I mean... maybe we could talk about this later? Not in public?" She dropped her voice. "Away from Snails?"
"Of course." Greengrass straightened himself. "Dame Raindrops, I have returned your brother to you in the same condition I found him. If you have complaints about his mood, I suggest you speak to his school companions. As for myself, I have other things I must do today--"
"Like what?" demanded Raindrops.
"Well, for starters, I must purchase some groceries, buy some more gardening supplies, meet with a pony to discuss some investment opportunities, and collect my mail. I received notice yesterday that a shipment of gardening tools from Caballeria was misplaced somewhere in the train station, so I must find it. Then there's gardening, and weeding, and watering. I'm sure Dame Carrot Top understands." He turned on his hoof, and then said, in a tone of sarcasm, "Also, incidentally, I received a fortune stating that today will be the worst day of my life so far, so I must prepare for that. So unless you wish to experience it with me...?"
"No way," said Raindrops.
"The worst day of your life?" repeated Carrot Top.
"So far," added Greengrass.
"Good," said Raindrops.
Greengrass ignored this. "So, if you'll excuse me, I must get on with that. Good day Dames, Snails."
"Bye Mr. Greengrass," murmured Snails as the noble walked off into the crowd.
Raindrops immediately knelt by Snails. "Hey, Snails. Talk to me. Are you okay?"
"You're mad at me, aren't you?"
"I'm worried about you. What happened in there? Greengrass mentioned your schoolyard companions. Did the bullies--"
"Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon said you wanted to return me and get a better little brother," said Snails. "And Greengrass told me that didn't make sense... but then I asked him why you didn't want to return me. And he didn't have a good answer."
"Greengrass is good at tearing things down," said Carrot Top. "But he doesn't know how to value things. Just because he can't see your value--"
"But I can't see it either!" Snails looked at his sister. "I mean... you don't really want to return me, right?"
"No!"
Snails stared into her eyes. "Why not?"
Raindrops sputtered. "Because... because you're a kind, loving, caring, friendly foal--"
"All foals are those things." Snails sat down on his butt. "And you're a big hero. You're wonderful. You could get any little brother you wanted. You could get a really good one. One that's good at sports and is smart has good manners and doesn't forget about mowing the lawn because he's teaching his spider to do backflips."
Raindrops looked helplessly at Carrot Top. "I... how about we get an ice cream or something and talk this out, okay? You like ice cream. What flavor do you want?"
Snails shrugged. "Whatever."
"Look, bro--"
"Raindrops! Carrot Top!"
The two knights turned to see Cheerilee trotting towards them. "I hope you're having a better day than we are," said Carrot Top. "We've had--"
"There's a problem. Duty's gone. I think somepony scared her off." Cheerilee's eyes were narrowed. "And I saw this notice on the way back." She passed them a copy of the warning about the escaped prisoners; it included pictures and descriptions of the Luca brothers and Soleil. "I think they're connected."
"How?" asked Carrot Top.
"The mob tried to cut off some of Duty's supplies a few times. She managed to get their soldiers thrown in jail. If the dons broke out, it could explain why she ran." She paused. "But if she's in that kind of danger, running won't be enough. We need to find her."
Raindrops looked between Cheerilee and the withdrawn Snails. "I... can't we just ask the Guards?"
"And tell them what? That one of my friends wasn't home? They don't know how unusual it is for her to miss an appointment; they won't start an investigation over that. And we'd need to wait a few hours to file a Missing Pony report." Cheerilee glanced around. "Besides, haven't you noticed there aren't that many Guards around here today? I think they're mostly sweeping for the escaped prisoners. By the time we get enough of them to protect Duty, she could already be hurt. We have to rescue her."
Raindrops was on the verge of refusing, but then Snails piped up. "I don't want another pony to get hurt because you're stuck with me instead of doing knight stuff," he murmured.
Cheerilee heard the sad tone and was at his side in an instant. "Did something happen?"
"Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon, and apparently Greengrass," said Raindrops. "The first two lied to him that he's worthless and that I want a new brother or something, and Greengrass... well, he brought him back, probably so he wouldn't get in trouble, but apparently he didn't care enough that Snails was depressed to do anything about it."
Cheerilee immediately wrapped Snails up into a big hug. "Snails, I'm sorry--"
"It's okay," said the foal. "I'm fine."
"No, you aren't." Raindrops turned to Cheerilee. "Look... I want to help your friend. Really, I do. But I'm not taking Snails somewhere where he might get attacked by mafia thugs. And we can't leave him here because there's escaped criminals walking the streets. Not to mention, the last time we tried that, he wandered into Greengrass's house."
Cheerilee thought for a moment. "Carrot Top, could you watch Snails for a bit while Raindrops and I find Duty?"
Carrot Top frowned, but then said, "Yeah, I guess that makes sense. Cheerilee knows these ponies, and you both have more experience with this kind of thing than I do."
"I didn't mean--"
"No, it's fine. Really." Carrot Top smiled, though to Raindrops it looked forced. "It's important to keep Snails safe, and I can handle that. Come on, Snails. Want to go back into the insectarium?"
"No." Snails shook his head. "Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon are there."
"Then... well, want to hang out with me, then?" Carrot Top plastered a big smile on her face. "I'll show you the bugs wandering around this neighborhood! That sound good?"
Snails slowly nodded, and then Cheerilee nodded too. "Alright. The plan is, first find Duty, and then Snails, we're going to talk--you, me, and Raindrops, okay? You're a good foal, and you should understand that. So we'll get ice cream or something and we'll figure out what's wrong, and how to make it right. Sound good?"
Snails nodded a little.
"And, until then, can you do me a favor? Can you keep a stiff upper lip and trust that--even if you don't know why at the moment--we all think you're a wonderful foal, and it would be a privilege to have you as a brother?"
"Okay, Miss Cheerilee," said Snails with what might have been a bit of conviction.
"Where are we going?" asked Raindrops.
"Duty'll want new papers if she's going to leave town. The best forger in the city is this stallion named Don Arnaqueur. He'll have seen her, and he might know where she went." Cheerilee nodded. "Let's go."
The ponies moved out into the streets of Canterlot.
***
Don Arnaqueur lived in a very nice neighborhood.
Raindrops waved goodbye to Carrot Top, who would wait for them with Snails at a nearby intersection, then whistled softly as she looked at the building. They were near the castle, and the housing complexes in the area had such ornate styling and architecture that she could practically see the massive rent bills. "Wow. Who can afford these places?"
Cheerilee chuckled. "Most of the ponies that live in these buildings are nonresidential castle servants--lawyers, doctors, craftsmares, and other ponies who serve the Court but don't sleep in the castle. Arnaqueur's day job is a calligraphy specialist. Whenever anything needs perfect penmareship, he's your stallion."
"If he's so close to the Court, I'm surprised he wasn't caught yet," said Raindrops. "Especially after the Gala. What's he like?"
"Well, I've never met him personally. Honestly, I heard he's kind of a sleaze. But Duty told me once that he's the best in the city. As for why he wasn't caught, Duty said that he doesn't forge for the nobles and doesn't want to be involved in politics. He's strictly a 'You want to vacation in Zaldia but you're technically banned from the country? No problem!' kind of guy."
Raindrops snorted at that.
They got into the complex thanks to Cheerilee successfully distracting the doorguard with a quick story about vandals outside, and Raindrops and Cheerilee took the stairs up five floors. "Remember," Cheerilee told Raindrops, "We just want to find out where Duty is. Anything else can wait."
"Fine." Don't know why we're being so nice to a criminal, but... it's for Cheerilee's friend. I trust Cheerilee. I can handle this.
Raindrops and Cheerilee walked through the hallways of the building. The door was closed, apparently solidly--but when Raindrops put a hoof on it, it fell backwards. It had been knocked from its hinges and then propped back up.
The two looked at each other, and then entered the condominium.
The room was dark, with the shades drawn tightly and all the lights off, and had evidently been the scene of a great struggle. Most of the furniture in the first room was smashed in the center of the floor. Raindrops shuddered. "I think we might be too late."
"This doesn't make sense," murmured Cheerilee. "Even if somepony wanted Duty, why wreck Arnaqueur's place? How would that help?"
"Maybe Duty was captured here?" asked Raindrops.
"Maybe, but then where's Don?"
A door in the back of the first room opened up, and a figure walked through. It was too dark to make out his expression or face, but he looked like a stallion with an athletic build. "Hey!" he yelled. "What are you--"
Cheerilee was on him before he could finish, sliding under his legs and throwing him into the couch. "Where's Arnaqueur and Duty?" she yelled. "Tell us!"
"I--"
"Tell us! I know you aren't Don, and--"
"You tell me!" The stallion hopped to his hooves. "You're under arrest for abduction!"
"What? I'm--"
Before Cheerilee could say anything else, Raindrops got the windowshades open, and she realized whom she was talking to. She had seen him, briefly, at the Grand Galloping Gala. "...Baron Max of Nulpar. Um, hello."
Max blushed. "Dame Cheerilee. Dame Raindrops."
The three ponies looked at each other for a long moment, and then Cheerilee let out a nervous giggle. "Alright, I'm sorry for thinking you were abducting anypony. Um, you're okay, right?"
"I've had worse." Max rubbed his legs. "Why are you here, Dame Raindrops, Dame Cheerilee?"
"Looking for a friend. What are you doing here?"
"I was asked to look for a pony named Fetlockson. He vanished out of his house, but the door wasn't locked, so I was suspicious. Arnaqueur was one of his contacts, but when I looked up his address and came to visit him, I found this." Max gestured at the destroyed apartment. "I was checking to see if anypony was still here when you showed up. You?"
"Same, except we're looking for a different vanished pony." Cheerilee paused. "Wait, that's three ponies missing in one day... what do you know about Fetlockson?"
"Um, he was an old stallion, I think he used to be a track star... and he collected articles on a burglar named the Cat-like Colt. And--"
Cheerilee held up a hoof to pause Max while she thought. What do they have in common? Duty was a smuggler, Arnaqueur was a forger, Fetlockson read about a burglar... or, wait... "Baron, is it possible that Fetlockson might have been the Cat-like Colt?"
Max frowned. "I didn't find any certain proof of that. Just a bunch of trophies and the articles. They said that the Cat-like Colt stole all kinds of stuff, including this thing called the Canter Trophy--"
"The Canter Trophy?" Cheerilee grabbed a sheet of paper from an overturned notepad and quickly sketched a picture. "It looks like this. Did Fetlockson have this trophy?"
Max looked at it. "Yes, actually--it was a really big one right by his bed."
"So he's the Cat-like Colt, then. Or he used to be," said Cheerilee. "And now he's missing too..."
Raindrops turned to Cheerilee. "How did you know what it looked like?"
"Oh, I dated a sports historian for a while." Cheerilee nodded slowly. "I don't think this is related to Fetlockson or Duty, or even Arnaqueur. Then we've got a thief, a smuggler, and a forger--one retired, one reformed, one still active. They don't know each other, they have nothing in common that we know of, but they all vanished. Raindrops, I think somepony is hunting down--"
"Ponies with criminal records," finished Max.
"And doing what to them?" asked Raindrops.
Cheerilee shook her head and said, slowly, "I have no idea."