Sunlight streamed into Sweetie Belle’s room, momentarily blinding the two fillies as they rubbed their eyes. Once their eyes had adjusted to the light, they heard Sweetie Belle’s mother calling for them.
“Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, come on you two slowpokes,” MayBelle called, “your breakfast is getting cold. It’s your favorite Sweetie, haycakes”
Upon hearing that their favorite breakfast food was waiting for them, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle tore out of the room and down the stairs. The two fillies sped past Magnum, on his way to get cleaned up after breakfast, and entered the kitchen at a full gallop.
“Whoa,” chuckled Magnum, “I guess some ponies didn’t get enough to eat last night. You two should be careful or Krampus might decide that two little fillies don’t need any more fattening up”
The two fillies didn’t hear him, being already absorbed in making their haycakes so sugary that even Pinkie Pie would only be able to eat a bite or two. As they ate MayBelle cleaned up the kitchen.
“So,” Maybelle asked as she put the frying pan away, “what are your plans for today girls?”
“We’re going to meet up with Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara and do some Hearths Warming shopping” Sweetie Belle explained, her mouth full of haycake and maple syrup.
“Don’t talk with your mouth full, young filly,” said MayBelle reproachfully, “but I am glad you two as well as Apple Bloom have been able to bury the hatchet, you could say, with those two”
“Yeah, we just never actually bothered to find out why Diamond Tiara was so mean to us,” Scootaloo stated, “it was just because her mother taught her to always think about improving her social status. Silver Spoon just felt sorry for her. That’s why she always went along with Tiara”
“Well, I’m still proud of you both” MayBelle said turning to lift the plates the fillies had been eating from, “what time are you meeting them?”
“Around 10:00,” said Sweetie Bell, “we’ve got plenty of time, don’t we?”
Scootaloo glanced at the clock hanging above the sink.
“Not really,” Scootaloo said slowly, “It’s already a quarter to ten! We gotta get going”
“Horseapples!” Sweetie exclaimed.
Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo jumped down from the table and ran into the hall, threw on their scarves, and threw the door open.
“Thanks for breakfast mom” Sweetie Belle called as she jumped into the wagon behind Scootaloo’s scooter. Scootaloo hopped onto the scooter, clipped on her helmet, and started up her wings. With a buzz, the two fillies tore out of the yard and took off towards Ponyville square.
“Those two are always in such a hurry, aren’t they dear?” asked MayBelle her husband as she came into the living room with two cups of coffee.
“When you’re young, you think there’s all the time in Equestria to smell the roses later” Magnum responded taking one of the cups and taking a sip.
Scootaloo sped through Ponyville, she wove in and around the buildings on the route she had chosen from Sweetie’s house to the square, narrowly avoiding the denizens of the town. Thankfully, most ponies knew the sound of Scootaloo’s wings by heart and were able to dive out of the way just in time to prevent being mowed over by the little orange Pegasus.
A few minutes later, Scootaloo ceased her buzzing and came to a stop in the center of Ponyville square.
“10 seconds flat” Scootaloo smirked, imitating one of Rainbow Dash’s catchphrases.
“Not quite, Scootaloo,” Sweetie Belle said, shaking her head at her friend’s obsession with Rainbow Dash, “do you see Silver Spoon or Diamond Tiara anywhere?” The square was filled with ponies of all kinds walking in and out of stores and carrying bags filled with presents. There was a group of young fillies and colts with their muzzles pressed against the glass of a toy shop, ogling the toys within.
“There’s Silver Spoon,” said Scootaloo, pointing towards where the silver earth pony sat on one of the many benches around the square. Silver Spoon waved, climbed down, and started walking over to them, “I don’t see Tiara anywhere though”
“Maybe she’s running a little late,” Sweetie Belle suggested as Silver Spoon approached, “hey Spoon, have you seen Diamond today?”
“No,” Silver Spoon answered, “I saw her last night at her parents Hearths Warming party and we agreed she would come over to my house before we came to meet you girls, but she never came over. I’m a little worried honestly”
“We can head over there and see if she’s just running a little behind or if she got sick last night” Sweetie Belle suggested.
“Sounds like a good idea,” Scootaloo said handing Silver Spoon a helmet, “hop on and we’ll go check it out together”
The three fillies hopped onto the scooter-wagon and Scootaloo drove out of Ponyville square. As they approached the Rich mansion, the three fillies noticed a large collection of police ponies were milling around the house, taking pictures and talking with the staff. They noticed Filthy Rich, Diamond’s father, was talking with what appeared to be the head police pony.
As they came up they heard him say “No, I don’t have any business enemies or ponies of a less than scrupulous nature that would take her. I always do my business legally and without causing any harm to others”
“Well if you think of anything, please let us know” the officer, a light brown earth pony with a sandy mane, said.
“Mr. Rich,” Silver Spoon said, as the police pony walked away to meet with the other officers, “What happened here? Did something happen to Diamond Tiara?”
“Oh, hello Silver Spoon” Filthy Rich said turning to the three fillies, “yes, I’m afraid something has happened to Diamond Tiara. It seems she’s been foalnapped”
“WHAT!?” exclaimed the three fillies loudly.
“Yes, it seems that after she went to bed, somepony broke in and abducted her from her bed,” Filthy said, close to tears, “the only clue they found was a lump of coal on the floor of her room” Sweetie Belle’s ears perked up at this, “they’re taking it in to be analyzed to try and find out where it might have come from”
“Let us know if there’s anything we can do, sir” said Sweetie Belle
The three fillies turned and walked back towards Scootaloo’s scooter. Once they were outside of the gates, Sweetie Belle turned to the other two and said, “I think I know who took Tiara”
“Who, and why didn’t you say anything?” Scootaloo and Silver Spoon asked her.
“Because, I don’t think any adults will believe me,” Sweetie Belle said. She took a deep breath and said, “I think it was the satyr creature we heard about last night, Scoots. I think it was Krampus”
Scootaloo and Silver Spoon looked at her as if Parasprites had just flown out of her ears.
Meanwhile, several hundred miles away, beyond the reaches of the Crystal Empire, a massive sleigh flew across a frozen lake. In the front, holding the reins in one clawed hand, was a large satyr. Every few seconds he would crack the large black whip he held in his other hand at the creatures pulling his sleigh, urging them on faster and faster towards his fortress. In back of the sleigh was a large bag, and inside the bag was a very scared little filly.
Diamond Tiara had gone to bed the night before with the plan to wake up around 8:00 the next morning. Around 11 pm, she had been awoken by a jingling and scratching noise that seemed to be coming from just outside her window. Thinking it was a cat that had gotten stuck up a tree, Tiara had climbed out of bed and walked over to the window to take a look. She glanced outside and, upon not seeing anything in the trees or on the snow covered ground outside her window, had turned around to head back to bed. That was when she heard the jingling and scratching again. Resolving to find out what was making the noise she turned around again.
There, on the windowsill, lit up by the light of the moon, was a satyr. It stood watching her with large red eyes that seemed to glow like embers. It was wearing a large red coat with several bells on it. Diamond realized that this was what had been causing the jingling noise.
“Who are you?” she had asked, “what do you want?”
The satyr lifted its clawed hand and pointed straight at her.
“I want you” it said in a deep threatening voice, grinning with a mouth full of sharp, pointy teeth. Suddenly it was standing right in front of her, inside her room.
Diamond Tiara had tried to scream, but the satyr grabbed ahold of her and tossed her into its sack. With a cackle, the satyr turned and leaped through the window, onto the sled that was just below the window, and tossed the sack into the back of the sleigh. Tiara then heard the crack of a whip and the next thing she knew she had felt the sleigh start to move.
“What are you going to do to me?” Tiara remembered asking, to which the satyr had responded, along with another cackle,
“Why, my sweet little filly, I’m going to eat you”
Reeling from this terrible revelation, Diamond Tiara blacked out.