Chapter 3: Extraction
Coco Pommel moved slowly and carefully, doing her best to gently nudge the ponyquin out of the way. According to Rarity, Twilight Sparkle's fitting would be starting shortly. For that, Rarity needed room...which was a bit of a problem, considering their current situation. The house that belonged to Rarity's parents wasn't exactly cramped. In fact, it was quite roomy, with enough space to house Rarity, her younger sister, her tenant/accountant, and her apprentice. However, it was roomy in a 'family living-space' sense, rather than as a workplace.
The living room, while spacious, had been occupied by the various pieces of furniture that tended to be found in such rooms. The couches and easy chairs had been moved to the edges of the room to open up a larger workspace. But, with the addition of a table for their sewing machine (none of the tables already in the room were suitable for the task), along with a couple of ponyquins to hold completed work, all of the fabrics and other assorted materials Rarity needed (without any of the shelving that would have made it easier to save on space), and the easel for Rarity's sketchpad, the room was now quite cramped. Navigating from one end to the other was a tricky process as one had to avoid knocking over ponyquins or tripping over a stray fabric roll.
And now Rarity was insisting that they somehow open up more space to make room for a dress fitting. As she looked around the room, the young, off-white mare sighed heavily. Maybe if I change the angle on this ponyquin, I can slip it between the couch and the end table. She reached up with a hoof to brush back her two-toned cyan mane and used her head and shoulders to carefully nudge the ponyquin towards its intended destination. To her relief, the ponyquin slipped into place and now rested just barely out of the way. Surveying her work, Coco noted that she'd managed to open up a space in the center of the living room that was large enough for two ponies to stand shoulder to shoulder, which would hopefully give Rarity enough room to work around Twilight as the dress was fitted. There wasn't much more Coco thought she could do without blocking exits or access to the sewing machine. I hope that's good enough for Rarity.
Coco's thoughts were disturbed by a rough knocking on the door. Startled by the sound, Coco let out a squeak and jumped. She was the only pony in the house at the moment. Flaxseed was apparently off helping with something at the Mayor's behest. Sweetie Belle was at school, and Rarity was out to bring Twilight back. Who could that be?
Trotting to the door, Coco unlocked it and eased it open. As she did so, her eyes caught sight of a pony's emerald-green coat, covered in numerous scars. With a terrified, albeit quiet, shriek, she jumped back, already moving to slam the door shut. However, the pony on the other side of the door moved with frightening speed, jabbing a hoof between the door and the jam, stopping it from closing. Before Coco could back away, he slammed the door open from the other side, smacking Coco with enough force to knock her onto her back as the heavyset stallion on the other side strode in as though he owned the house.
"What's this now?" said Greenblight with a sickening sneer, his one good eye narrowing as he looked at her. "Ms. Pommel, I know you weren't trying to force me out. After all, that would be considered a betrayal of our mutual employer...and you know the penalty for that."
"Y-yes," squeaked Coco, her eyes tearing up from pain and fear.
"Good," said the stallion with a boisterous laugh. "Our esteemed employer has told me that the time has come to take action. He wants you to make use of the gift that I delivered the last time we spoke."
Coco felt cold. Her breath hitched and she began to tremble. Oh no! Please! Not that!
Greenblight's smile widened. "My compatriots and I shall be waiting for your signal, Ms. Pommel. We are arranging the situation to suit your needs. I trust that you shall know what to do."
"Y-yes," whimpered Coco, ducking her head in a futile attempt to hide her tears. It's over...It's all over...
"Excellent," said Greenblight. "Until later then." With a cheerful wave, he turned around and marched back out the door, slamming it shut behind him.
For a moment, Coco simply rolled onto her side and curled up in a ball on the floor, sniffling and whimpering. It took a few minutes to pull herself together. Part of her was desperately hoping that Rarity would come in the door with Twilight any moment now and catch her in this position. At least then, the charade would be over and Coco would have no choice but to come clean. However, even as she thought about it, Coco recalled Greenblight's malicious grin, along with the razor-sharp blade of the scythe he'd once threatened her with. She also remembered the dirty-white mare with the dead eyes that had accompanied him. She's probably here too, she thought.
Those memories and thoughts galvanized Coco into action. Rolling back onto her hooves, she took a moment to brush back her mane again before reaching to adjust her hair-clip and the sailor tie around her neck. She then took a quick trip to the bathroom to wash her face and hopefully erase the evidence of her crying. Then, she made her way to the room Rarity had given to her. In the dresser drawer was the item Greenblight had given her the last time they had spoken.
It was a tiny vial of crystal-clear liquid, so transparent that the vial almost looked completely void of any contents at all. She held it delicately in her hoof, considering it for a moment. All it would take was one slight accident...and the vial, as well as the despicable contents within, would be no more. She could claim that the plan was a failure and there would be no choice but to abandon it.
Even as she considered it, Coco knew it was a hopeless idea. Greenblight had made it clear that the vial and the liquid within were worth as much as her life. If she broke it, her head would roll. Chewing the inside of her lip, Coco stared at the vial for several long minutes before grimacing and slipping it inside the hairs of her tail. I'm sorry...Ms. Rarity...Ms. Twilight.
Her "gift" from Baron Elderflower safely stowed, Coco made her way back down to continue preparations for the fitting.
Let's see...the expenses to rebuild the tavern should come from the Business Relief Fund. According to the budget, that should account for a little over 70% of the costs...So by those counts, Ms. Berry Punch would owe...
The beads of the abacus clacked rhythmically as Flaxseed went over his sums. As good as it felt to be doing such important work, Flaxseed still couldn't help but feel dissatisfied with the results he was getting. It felt wrong that the owners had to pay any amount of money out of their own bit purses for damages by what could only be labeled as a natural disaster in pony form. He could already see the scowl on the magenta mare's face as she got the notice of what she "owed" to pay for the reconstruction of her business. Worse still, Flaxseed internally cringed at the possibility that she would hold him responsible for the shortfall, whether as an accountant or one of the ponies with the condition that had drawn Terra Heart's wrath down on the town in the first place.
But the numbers didn't lie. For all his skill, Flaxseed couldn't magic money out of thin air. All his work was really good for was illuminating the reality of the situation and helping to find ways to deal with that reality. I hope that this Fancy Pants stallion can pull through for us. If a fundraiser works well enough, maybe we might be able to eliminate everypony's expenses. That was a long shot though.
Scratching his head, Flaxseed decided to move on to the next business needing reconstruction. His magic gripped the pen and raised it over the paper when...
A faint whistling noise, starting out distant but suddenly becoming much closer in less than a second, reached Flaxseed's ears. The side of the tent that had been set up for the Mayor and her staff, emitted a hushed sizzling noise. However, Flaxseed barely noticed it because a pencil-thin beam of jet-black energy had suddenly struck his pen, breaking it in two.
"What the-?"
Flaxseed's exclamation was interrupted by two more whistling sounds, accompanied by fresh sizzling noises. One struck his abacus, the abacus he'd received as a gift from Rarity on Hearth's Warming, shattering it into pieces. Another struck the leg of the table, causing it to tip over and fall to the side. The whistling noises began to increase in frequency and several ebony beams burned through the tent wall, striking at random. With a cry of terror, Flaxseed threw himself down, using the fallen table as a shield.
They're here! They came for me! His eyes turned a vivid, bright-red color, the pupils elongating and narrowing into vertical slits. Screaming for all he was worth, Flaxseed curled into a ball behind the table as the black beams continued to whistle around him.
Then the noises and the beams stopped...just as Mayor Mare came barreling in from an adjoining room in the tent. "What in Celestia's name is going on here?" she yelled.
It was perhaps the worst thing she could have done in the situation. Flaxseed's draconic gaze fixed on her immediately. Mayor Mare barely had the time to register the panic in his gaze before his magic seized the entire table and swung it at her. Only by jumping back was she able to avoid being crushed by the broad, heavy slab of wood.
"Get away from me!" screamed Flaxseed, brandishing the table between him and the Mayor.
Mayor Mare backpedaled, automatically defaulting to an authoritative tone. "Drop that desk this instant! You could kill somepony with that." Sadly, her tone only served to agitate Flaxseed more as he threw the table at her. Mayor Mare dropped down to her stomach, actually feeling the table brush against her mane as it sailed over her head, past several horrified members of her staff, and out through the other wall of the tent. Not getting up from the ground, the Mayor set her sights on one of her aides. "Get Ms. Rarity here immediately! She's the only one who can calm him down!"
"Right away, Ma'am," said the stallion before darting out through the exit.
Mayor Mare turned her attention back to Flaxseed, who was now pulling the drawers out of several file cabinets. "Please hurry," she said the faintest hint of a whimper in her voice.
As she and her staff struggled to contain the situation, the commotion drew the attention of the ponies outside the tent, prompting them to converge on it, muttering in confusion, which only served to frighten and panic Flaxseed further. All the while, none of them noticed a single unicorn mare who stood on a hilltop over a kilometer away. As the crowd continued to gather, she turned and slipped off the hill and out of sight.
"Really Twilight...are you sure you wouldn't like me to make you a new dress?" Rarity used her magic to open the door as she looked over her shoulder at her friend.
"No, it's fine," said Twilight with a smile. "Besides, I really love this dress, especially all the effort you went through to make it for me." In a shimmering veil of Twilight's own violet magic hung the dress in question, a dark-purple number that seemed relatively plain at first glance. However, upon closer examination, the pleats across the skirt seemed to differ in shades. Upon even closer examination, it became apparent that the difference in shades was actually caused by the fabric itself, smooth on one pleat, ruffled on the next. It had been Rarity's special creation for Twilight, whose coltfriend was completely blind. In an effort to make Twilight appealing to a stallion who could not see, she had chosen to decorate in textures, rather than colors, as well as working certain scents into the garment itself. The dress had been wildly successful, something Rarity was immensely proud of...
...She only wished Twilight would allow her to make another one.
"I'm very proud of this dress," Twilight said with a happy smile. "I could never be happy wearing it just once. Besides, I think this dress really shows the breadth of your creativity when it comes to fashion design."
"I suppose," said Rarity, still a bit troubled. However, her personal muse practically demanded a dress specific to the occasion. Still...she is right. It's a shame to let such a fine creation languish after wearing it in public only once. At least this will save me some time.
"Then, without further ado, let's get right to work," said Rarity as she led her friend into the living room. Rarity was delighted to see that Coco already had everything set up. It was unfortunate that there wasn't a podium to put Twilight up on, but one had to work with the tools at one's disposal.
"All right, I'll have you step in the center here and we'll put your dress on," said Rarity, already using her magic to slip the garment over Twilight's head. Coco joined in, using her hooves to gently tug the garment into place, adjusting how it sat on Twilight's body.
Once they were finished, Rarity and Coco stepped back to survey their work. "Hmm..." mused Rarity, "You seem to have lost some weight since the last time I fitted this. Have you been eating all right?"
Twilight nodded. "Probably better than all right. Both Spike and Arkenstone do a lot of healthy cooking." She sighed. "It might be stress."
"Ah yes, that can indeed burn calories," said Rarity. After all, Twilight had plenty of things to be stressed over lately. In rushing from one task to the next, she had probably ended up skipping a few meals. "Still, it's a rather minor change. It shouldn't take long to make the adjustments at all."
Rarity used her magic to reach for a pincushion resting on a nearby table. Lifting it up, she levitated it over so that she could begin pinning up sections of Twilight's dress where it needed to be taken in. She had just withdrawn the first pin and was about to get to work when a harsh, frantic pounding emitted from the door.
"Ugh! Do ponies know nothing of manners?" exclaimed Rarity, setting her pincushion back down and heading to the door.
Because both Rarity and Twilight were focused on the knocking, they failed to notice Coco pale and sway on her hooves with a sharp gasp, taking an involuntary step backwards. She looked at the door with terrified expectation as Rarity wrenched it open with her magic.
"What in the world is wrong with you?" demanded Rarity as she glared at the stallion standing in front of her. She recognized him as one of Mayor Mare's aides.
"It's Flaxseed!" exclaimed the stallion, drawing a sharp gasp from Rarity. "Something happened and he's out of control."
Rarity shuddered at the thought. Flaxseed's panic attacks tended towards the wildly violent. She could only hope that he hadn't injured somepony or himself. "I'll be there right away," she said.
"I'll come too," said Twilight, already raising a hoof.
"Ah!" exclaimed Rarity, quickly turning on Twilight. "This is something I should do alone. It's easiest to approach Flaxseed when there aren't too many ponies crowding around. Don't worry about me." She smiled at Coco. "Coco darling, please be a dear and finish Twilight's fitting. We'll make the actual adjustments when I get back."
"Y-yes...of-of course," stammered Coco, her entire body shaking with nerves.
"Please Ms. Rarity, we need to hurry," urged the stallion.
"Let us be off then," said Rarity, trotting out the door and quickly closing it behind her, leaving Twilight and Coco alone in the living room.
Twilight sighed and watched through the window as Rarity and the stallion galloped off. "I hope she's going to be all right," said Twilight.
Coco nodded and moved to retrieve a pincushion resting on the table that also held the sewing machine. Using her teeth and hooves, she began to, very carefully, slide the pins into place. It was delicate work, especially since she didn't have a unicorn's telekinesis to work with. Even so, she managed to work with surprising precision and efficiency.
"So..." said Twilight, "how's you're apprenticeship going?"
"It'sh going well," said Coco through her teeth as she moved to position another pin.
"I'm glad to hear that," said Twilight. "Whenever Rarity talks about work lately, she can't stop going on about what an amazing job you're doing. I'm sure that, once you finish, you'll be a fantastic design-OW!" Twilight's words terminated in a yelp of pain as a needle pricked her shoulder.
Coco reared back, gasping. The action caused the needle, which had been held between her teeth, to fall to the floor. "Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry."
"It's fine," said Twilight, grinning sheepishly and blushing. "I actually barely even felt it. I was more surprised than anything else. I suppose it's my fault for distracting you like that when you can't really afford it."
"O-okay..." said Coco, hesitantly reaching for another needle. She went to work once again, trying hard to avoid any further mishaps.
"I hope Rarity can help Flaxseed," whispered Twilight. "I wonder what happened-" Her voice tapered off as she yawned. Twilight suddenly felt very tired. Her eyelids were starting to grow heavy, drooping down as darkness creeped in from the edges of her vision.
That's odd. I slept pretty well last night and I didn't stay up too late. I haven't even done all that much today. She yawned again, barely resisting the urge to raise a hoof up to stifle it. Yawning was impolite, but moving while Coco was trying to fit her dress would have been even more so. It shouldn't be too much longer. Then I can get this dress off and go...take...a...nap...
Twilight's gaze slowly drifted down to the abandoned needle on the floor. Her mind sluggishly tried to put two and two together as she thought laboriously about the sequence of events. It...can't...be...she...wouldn't...Why?
Twilight didn't notice that Coco had stopped trying to fit her and had instead stepped back to watch, a look of resignation on her face as Twilight slowly slumped to the floor, her eyes falling closed and not opening again. The only signs of life were the faint sounds of breath from Twilight's muzzle. Otherwise, she was completely unconscious.
Coco breathed out slowly, tears once again running down her cheeks as she observed the product of her treachery, her mind going back to that night, when Greenblight and her companion had dragged her into an alley in order to force her to execute their plan.
Coco stared down at the tiny vial in her hoof. It looked so small, so insignificant, that it was hard to believe that these two ponies were willing to kill her if anything happened to it.
"Iocaine extract," said Greenblight, "odorless, tasteless, and otherwise undetectable. This is a potent sedative. It's said that a few ounces is enough to put a full-grown dragon to sleep for almost a week. It can be delivered orally or via direct injection. Even a tiny drop is enough to knock out a full-grown pony in just a few minutes. The truly nice thing about it is that, in spite of its potency, it's impossible to overdose on iocaine extract. You don't have to worry about giving Twilight Sparkle too much or too little as even the smallest amount is effective."
"H-how am I s-supposed t-to use it...?" stammered Coco.
Greenblight chuckled. "The Lord Baron has received word that Marquess Fancy Pants is preparing a gala fundraiser to obtain additional financial assistance for Ponyville's reconstruction. Furthermore, the nobles have been pulling for Twilight Sparkle to attend this gala to better present Ponyville's need to the donors.
"Naturally, if Twilight Sparkle is to attend such an event, she will need a dress, whether it's one she already owns or a new one. Of course, she will be going to your employer for this dress. During that time, you are to find an opportunity to administer the extract to Twilight Sparkle. We will take care of the rest from there."
"What if I can't find a chance?" asked Coco, barely able to hold on to the vial as she was shivering so badly.
"I'm sure that you will," said Greenblight with a savage grin. "It's in your best interests to make sure that you do. However, Inkwell and I shall endeavor to help in creating some of those opportunities. We have a great deal of intelligence on Twilight Sparkle, her friends and associates, as well as the associates of those friends. We have some ideas. I'm sure, when you see your moment, you will take it. If you don't..." He hefted his scythe.
"I...understand," said Coco, looking again at the vial she held in her hoof.
"I'm sorry," whispered Coco, staring down at the prone form of Twilight Sparkle.
A shadow moved across the window and the door opened, much more slowly and silently this time. Coco looked up to see Greenblight standing there. This time, there was no grin on his face, only a stoic look of pure professionalism. "It's done then," he said, taking in the state of things with a single glance.
Trotting over, he reached down with his mouth and unceremoniously yanked Twilight's dress off with a loud ripping of fabric. Coco gasped as one of Rarity's most magnificent works was ruined in an instant. However, she was ignored as Greenblight focused on getting Twilight settled onto his back.
"Now then," he said, turning his eye on Coco, "Come..."
"Come...? But..." Coco trailed off as Greenblight glared at her.
"You think that we would be so foolish as to leave you behind with everything that you know?" growled Greenblight. "Even if you don't decide to sell us out, anypony who looks at the situation will know within seconds that you had something to do with it. Your time here is up, one way...or another..."
Coco swallowed hard and nodded. "All right," she said.
"Let's go," said Greenblight, "We have a chariot to catch."
It's really all over for me, thought Coco, her entire body sagging in despair. Nonetheless, she did as she was bid and followed the scarred pegasus out the door. They darted across the street to a path that led between two more houses. As they did so, Coco cast a forlorn glance over her shoulder at the house she was leaving behind. Thank you for everything, Ms. Rarity. I'm so sorry.
"Shh...there there dear," whispered Rarity in her most soothing tone as she held the quivering stallion and gently stroked her hoof through his mane. "It's all right. You'll be fine. You're safe now."
Flaxseed said nothing. He simply continued to whimper and shiver in Rarity's arms. As she spoke, Rarity looked around the room and took in the scene of destruction. The table was gone, having been thrown out through the other side of the tent. A nearby filing cabinet lay on the ground, with its drawers scattered throughout the neighboring room. The ground itself was covered by the cabinet's contents, which had been thrown all over creation, while the cabinet itself was dented to the point of nearly being folded in two.
Rarity thanked her lucky stars that Flaxseed hadn't actually managed to hurt anypony. Mayor Mare had already been informed about his condition and had been wise enough to keep everypony back to avoid provoking the stallion, as well as avoid making him feel cornered enough that he had to bolt.
What on earth could have caused this? wondered Rarity. Mayor Mare's description of events hadn't been all that helpful. She'd heard a couple of things break in Flaxseed's room and then heard him start screaming. When she came to investigate, the stallion suddenly went on the warpath.
As her eyes took in the state of the room, Rarity suddenly noticed several unusual points of light in the wall. Her eyes narrowed and she leaned over just close enough to get a better look, still holding Flaxseed in her arms as she scrutinized the wall of the tent.
Several tiny holes had been burned through the fabric. The entire wall was peppered with them. "Ms. Mayor," she said, doing her best to keep from shouting, "Can you get Mr. Arkenstone for me?"
"Of...course," said Mayor Mare, her voice betraying her confusion.
Oh...right...She doesn't know, thought Rarity. She'd briefly forgotten that Arkenstone's status as one of the seven Knights of the Celestial Order was one of the best kept secrets in Equestria. Still, the fact that Arkenstone was a formidable fighter was practically common knowledge to Ponyvillians after his fight with Terra Heart had leveled much of the town.
It took several minutes for Arkenstone to arrive. Rarity spent the time focusing as much as she could on keeping Flaxseed calm and relaxed. She was so engrossed in the activity that she barely even noticed when the flap leading to the rest of the tent was slowly pushed aside and the Knight stepped through.
Arkenstone was rather unremarkable at first glance. His beige coat was offset by a mane of darker brown. However, his physique was quite enviable, especially by a stallion's standards, his skin barely doing anything to hide the layers of sculpted muscle beneath it. He didn't have Big Macintosh's statuesque bulk, being a fair bit smaller than Applejack's older brother. However, his muscles moved fluidly and he practically glided into the room on silent hooves. As he came in, he sniffed sharply before turning his muzzle towards Rarity and her charge. His eyes were almost perpetually closed. Even when they were open, the only color behind them was white. Arkenstone was completely blind, though he moved with a degree of certainty that made it seem like he wasn't.
Lifting his head, Arkenstone sniffed again. "I smell traces of violent magic."
Rarity's eyes widened. "Oh?" She knew better than to doubt Arkenstone's acute sense of smell. At times, she wondered if a bloodhound would be able to detect a scent better than this stallion.
Still sniffing, Arkenstone made his way to the side of the tent, leaning over and sniffing gently at the holes that had been burned into the fabric. After a moment, he lifted a hoof and gently ran it straight down in a line on the fabric. The cloth split as though it had been cleanly sliced with some kind of blade, allowing Arkenstone to push open the improvised tent flaps and step outside.
After a moment, he came back in. "Odd," he said, "I don't smell the pony who used this magic in the immediate vicinity."
"If it were a unicorn, then couldn't she have used magic to attack from a greater distance?" asked Rarity.
"Perhaps," said Arkenstone, "But the range normally wouldn't be all that far, easily within twenty meters or so." He frowned and his ears swiveled towards Flaxseed, who appeared to have finally calmed down. "I'm sorry to do this, but could you tell me what happened, as best you can remember?"
Flaxseed nodded and he began to describe the incident. When he finished, Arkenstone was frowning and tapping his lips with the tip of his hoof as he sat by Rarity and Flaxseed. "Strange," he muttered.
"What is it?" asked Rarity.
"If this was an attack by a pony aiming to hurt or kill Flaxseed, it's a rather half-flanked one," said Arkenstone. "From the way Flaxseed described it, the shots were spaced too far apart to suggest a serious attack. Also, from the way the attacks hit the tent, it almost seems as though the attacker was actually trying to avoid hitting Flaxseed. The shots all avoided the center of the room and were instead targeted around the sides."
"But why do that?" asked Rarity.
"Why indeed," mused Arkenstone. "The fact that I couldn't detect any traces of the attacker in the immediate vicinity is troubling too...unless..."
"Unless what?"
"Unless there was another reason there was so much time between individual shots," mused Arkenstone, going to the opening he'd cut into the side of the tent. "I wonder..."
He began to set off, heading out in a straight line from the tent, following the path that he assumed the attacks had followed. With uncertain glances at each other, Rarity and Flaxseed hesitantly followed him.
"Good grief...this...is getting...ridiculous," panted Arkenstone as he climbed the slope of another hill, Rarity and Flaxseed still following in his wake. Nearly half an hour later and they still hadn't found any signs of the attacking pony. They'd wandered almost a full kilometer away from the tent housing Mayor Mare and her staff, but still had yet to find anything.
"Are you sure we need to keep going?" asked Rarity, concerned as she watched Arkenstone's stiff movements and the stallion's hard breathing. Although he had emerged the winner of his fight with Terra Heart, Arkenstone hadn't emerged from the battle with the Mountain Root master unscathed. From what Rarity remembered, Arkenstone had suffered numerous fractures and cracks across his entire skeletal structure, including one that had nearly split open his skull. Worse, according to the doctors, his body had been infused with hostile earth pony magic, which had weakened and slowed the healing spells cast on him. Rarity wondered if Arkenstone was in any shape to be trekking about like this. Twilight certainly wouldn't be happy if her coltfriend hurt himself at Rarity's behest.
Arkenstone said nothing, merely making his way to the top of the hill and turning his head about, sampling the air. For a moment, Rarity and Flaxseed watched him, fully expecting Arkenstone to find nothing and move on. Then Arkenstone's eyes shot open, revealing the blank, white orbs that hid behind them. A sharp intake of breath signaled his surprise.
"I don't believe it. Our mystery pony was here."
"What?" gasped Rarity, whirling around and squinting. She could still make out the shape of the staff tent in the distance. But from here, she couldn't make out the position of Flaxseed's room in it. "How is that possible?"
"Somepony has very good eyesight," mused Arkenstone. "I can smell the same magic that was in the tent here. She fired the spells from here. The time lag between individual casts was actually because she needed to focus the spell to use it to strike over such a long distance without charging it with too much power."
"That's truly remarkable," said Rarity, shivering. Beside her, she could see Flaxseed casting his eyes about nervously, clearly expecting the unknown pony to start firing on them from another location, now that they were out in the open.
"She retreated from this hill and..." Lowering his nose to the ground, Arkenstone sniffed deeply and began to make his way down the opposite side of the hill.
"How far are we going to follow this?" asked Rarity.
"As far as I need to," said Arkenstone, one ear turning towards Rarity. "You two don't need to come with me. I can understand if you want to go home and get some rest after everything that's happened."
"Well..." Rarity turned to look at Flaxseed, who, in turn, was looking at her. Flaxseed was especially tired after exerting his magic so heavily. But, at the same time, he felt incredibly safe at the side of Arkenstone, even if Arkenstone's path might bring them muzzle to muzzle with the attacker. After a moment, they nodded to each other. "We'll stay with you, dear," said Rarity, stepping closer to Flaxseed and letting him press up against her side.
Arkenstone nodded and continued following the scent. It wasn't too difficult for him. The mare responsible had left a clear trail. Even without her scent, Arkenstone could feel the softened grass beneath his hooves, where it had already been compressed by somepony's steps. The only thing keeping him from breaking out in a gallop at the moment was his condition, his legs feeling stiff and sore, especially after he'd worked them so hard for a pony in his condition.
The sun was starting to dip down towards the horizon as the mare's trail led them back down through Ponyville, winding between several buildings and along alleyways before leading them back outside of the town limits towards the local quarry. In the past, Rarity had done her gem hunting out there and, in the recent present, Scootaloo and Dawn had used it for their training sessions.
Arkenstone was feeling frustrated. Normally, he would have been able to detect the presence of a pony like this the moment she'd arrived in town. Whoever this mare was, she wasn't skilled enough to hide traces of her presence, especially not from a pony with Arkenstone's acute senses. However, the combination of healing magic and Terra Heart's hostile magic in Arkenstone's system, combined with the pain from his slowly mending injuries, had left his awareness dimmed. To make matters worse, Arkenstone realized that he'd dropped his guard. After the battle with Terra, he hadn't thought about anypony else following in the cultist's wake and had allowed himself to relax.
That was a glaring oversight from Arkenstone's perspective. Right now, he was the only pony in any condition to maintain an alert state. Both Red River and Storm Front were much more badly injured than him and focusing their energies on recovering enough to simply function. Likewise, Dawn Lightwing's magic had been completely drained and was out of commission until he finished his recovery. Aside from them, the only others who might have been vigilant enough to notice an intrusion like this were the two griffon mercenaries charged with protecting Fluttershy. However, they remained near their charge and wouldn’t have been in a position to notice anything over on this side of town. Neither Scootaloo nor Rumble had trained enough to maintain the state of awareness perfected by seasoned martial artists. I've been lax, thought Arkenstone bitterly.
Still, he continued to follow the trail as it made straight for the quarry. There, in the open space amongst the walls and rock ridges, the trail came to an end. Moving about, Arkenstone immediately picked up traces of other ponies. His hooves also felt shallow grooves in softer portions of the ground. “There was a carriage here of some sort.”
“If it was a carriage, then it must have been pulled by pegasi,” noted Rarity, looking around. After all, the area between the quarry and town couldn’t exactly be called level terrain. Even the paths and roads leading out to the quarry were broken and overgrown. Rarity usually had a hard enough time simply getting her little wagon out there for her gem-gathering excursions. A full-sized carriage, large enough for passengers, wouldn’t have a prayer of making it out with its wheels intact.
“I smell some other ponies as well,” said Arkenstone, his muzzle wrinkling in a grimace. “They don’t smell like pleasant individuals.” That was an understatement. He could pick up traces of a pegasus stallion, whose scent was mixed with dried blood and other, less-pleasant, substances. The stallion’s scent was almost overpowering, obscuring the scents of the other ponies that had been with him to the extent that, aside from the unicorn mare that had attacked Flaxseed, it was almost impossible to discern any details or even the number of accomplices present. Then Arkenstone picked up faint traces of yet another pony…which he had only noticed because it was a pony he was very familiar with. “Twilight…”
“What?” gasped Rarity, looking around. “Are you saying that you’re smelling Twilight Sparkle here, in the presence of these…ruffians.”
Arkenstone pursed his lips and nodded. He lowered his nose almost to the ground and inhaled deeply. “I can definitely smell Twilight here…along with somepony I’m less familiar with…Who was it…?”
Rarity felt her knees growing weak. “Wait! Twilight was here? But I left her back at the house with…”
Arkenstone’s eyebrows went up. “Oh! I remember now. I do smell traces of your assistant’s scent here.”
The confirmation sent the bottom plummeting out of Rarity’s stomach. “Oh no!” Without another word, she turned and galloped in the direction of the town, rushing toward her parents’ house as fast as her hooves would carry her. Arkenstone and Flaxseed did their best to keep up, but Rarity outpaced them easily, given their respective conditions.
She was sweating and gasping when she reached the house, but Rarity hardly noticed her state. She slammed open the door and burst through, looking about frantically. “Coco! Twilight!”
“Eek!” A surprised shriek sent Rarity rushing into the living room, where she found Sweetie Belle standing over the torn remains of Twilight’s dress. “It’s not my fault!” exclaimed Sweetie, waving her arms frantically. “I found it like this!”
Rarity, however, ignored the dress. “Sweetie! Where are Twilight and Coco? Have you seen them?”
“Umm…no,” said Sweetie. “I just got home and I found everything like…this.” She gestured to the room with her hooves.
“Oh no,” whispered Rarity.
A heavy clopping of hooves signaled the arrival of Flaxseed and Arkenstone behind her. Arkenstone immediately went into the house, sniffing around thoroughly. He could still detect that stallion’s scent. It seemed he had been there more than once. He also smelled something else…the cloying scent of fear. Somepony had been scared…terrified in fact. That scent had actually seemed to have seeped into the house itself. “I don’t like this at all,” he said softly, making his way into the living room.
He could smell Twilight in the center of the room, Coco Pommel as well. However, he also picked up faint traces of something else…something he didn’t like at all. Once again lowering his head, Arkenstone traced the scent to a single pin, lying abandoned on the floor.
“What’s the matter?” asked Rarity.
“It’s familiar,” said Arkenstone before turning his head towards Rarity, “Where is your assistant’s room?”
“Up on the second floor,” said Rarity, quickly leading the stallion in the direction of the room in question.
The second she opened the door, Arkenstone stepped back, coughing and gagging. The smell of sweat and the pheromones released by a pony in the grip of terror came billowing out of the room, as evident to Arkenstone’s nose as the stench of month-old garbage.
“Whatever is the matter?” asked Rarity, clearly not picking up on the smell.
“Your assistant…was afraid of something…” said Arkenstone, finally regaining his composure and stepping into the room, taking a couple more whiffs to confirm his suspicion, “…deathly afraid.”
“Whatever of?” asked Rarity, thinking back to all her memories of Coco. There had definitely been times when Coco had seemed strangely on edge. She’d been especially troubled after that time that young mercenary stallion, Perlin Bluestreak, had forced her to give up a sample of Rarity’s new fabric to him. She gasped as the thought occurred to her. “Was Perlin the one here?”
Arkenstone shook his head. “No. I don’t recognize this scent. This stallion also smells much worse than Perlin ever did.”
Rarity swallowed. “What are you looking for here?”
Instead of answering, Arkenstone followed his nose to a dresser. Resting atop it was a vial of some kind of transparent fluid. Using his teeth to carefully remove the stopper, Arkenstone sniffed the contents and frowned. “Iocaine extract…I’d bet my life on it.”
“I-Iocaine?” asked Rarity.
“A powerful sedative,” said Arkenstone. “Also very rare and expensive.”
“What is Coco doing with something like that?” asked Rarity, horror coloring her tone as she thought about her sweet assistant with such a potent drug.
“I’m beginning to get an idea of the shape of events,” said Arkenstone. “But they don’t seem good at all.”
“Y-y-you d-d-don’t think Twilight Sparkle and Coco have b-been f-f-f-foalnapped, do you?” asked a quivering Sweetie Belle as she came up behind the adults.
“It seems that might be the case,” said Arkenstone darkly.
“Oh no!” gasped Rarity. Something else occurred to her. Arkenstone had recognized the liquid in the vial, which had apparently been on the pin in the living room downstairs, the same kind of pin that she and Coco regularly used to help fit dresses. “You don’t think that Coco…”
“I’m afraid so,” said Arkenstone with a resigned sigh. “She seems to have been an accomplice in this. However, if her fear was anything to go by, she was clearly an unwilling one.”
“Oh!” cried Rarity, “My dear, sweet, innocent Coco! What could they have possibly done to force her to do this?”
“What about me?” asked Flaxseed, looking around in confusion. “If that mare was with the stallion who came here, then what was she doing attacking me?”
“If I had to guess,” said Arkenstone, “She was trying to deliberately set off one of your panic attacks in order to draw Rarity away so that they could subdue and secure Twilight.”
Flaxseed’s ears folded back and he seemed to shrink in on himself. “Y-you mean I…”
“Flaxseed?” said Rarity, looking at him in confusion.
“Th-this is…my fault.” Flaxseed’s voice was barely a whisper as he sank down to the floor and covered his head with his hooves.
“Oh…of course not!” gasped Rarity, rushing to his side. “If anything, it’s the fault of those beastly ponies. They must have been planning this for some time. Please don’t blame this on yourself.”
As Rarity tried her best to console her friend, Sweetie looked up at Arkenstone, who seemed to have frozen in place. “What do we do?” she asked.
“We need to find Twilight,” said Arkenstone, a low rumble building in his chest, “And I will find her, no matter what it takes.”