• Published 7th Apr 2020
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Rainbow in the Dark - Raeligath



Rainbow Dash isn't about to let something like 'being a creature of the night' or 'thirsting for blood' stop her from having a good time.

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Chapter 9: Second Verse, Same as the First

Breaking News! Local Pink Party Pony is Prancing About in a Panic!

Had Ponyville its own newspaper— one outside of the schoolhouse anyway— this would likely have been the day’s headline. Normally, ponies would not bat an eye at such behavior coming out of Pinkie Pie. Even as the years had dragged on and most ponies would have settled down on some literal or even existential level, Pinkamena Diane Pie had continued to defy the odds and remain a young, spry soul.

Strangely, today, she looked absolutely haggard and beyond her years.

Still, she had a sort of spring in her step, if not the usual kind. A pink blur zipped about an otherwise quiet and uneventful Ponyville. She stopped occasionally to closely inspect the ground or a random passerby, but never for more than a second or two. That is, except for those she spoke to.

“Hey! You!” Pinkie shouted across the town square. “Rosey-somethin’!”

The fellow earth pony, no less than fifteen meters away and previously minding her own business, glanced back, puzzled. “Um… yes?” she said, unsure of what to make of all this.

The next thing she knew, Pinkie was in her face. “Where were you last night? Huh? Huh?!

Roseluck shrunk back, shaking in her hooves. “I-I was at home because of the curfew! Why?”

“And what were you doing at home, hmm?” Pinkie asked with a twitch in her eye.

“Um… drinking tea and reading a book. That’s all, I swear!” Rose nervously glanced about for anypony who might come to her rescue, but alas, the mares were alone on this street.

Pinkie glared sharply into Rose’s eyes, then sighed as she saw no hint of ill intent behind them. “Fine, I believe you,” said the party pony. “Did… did you hear anything weird last night? See anything?”

“Not more than usual. Well, usual since the lockdown.” Roseluck shuffled her hooves. “Am I in trouble?”

“No, no,” said Pinkie. “Just… anything at all? Even the teensiest weirdness?”

“... does this conversation count?”

“Is this last night?!” Pinkie snapped.

Rose flinched. “Then no, honest! It was just a calm, normal evening!”

Then Pinkie, surprisingly, broke into tears and squeezed the other mare in a sniffly hug. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m just… trying to figure things out, and it’s all so confusing, and nopony has any idea what happened, and— and…”

While wary at first, Rose soon returned the embrace, if only to hopefully move this along faster. “Th-there, there,” she said, patting Pinkie on the back.

Resisting the urge to cling to the other pony and squeeze the daylights out of her forever and ever, Pinkie relinquished her grip long enough for Rose to step back.

Then she said, in a somber tone, “If you see my sister, please let me know. She’s… g-gone missing. Just like...”

A look of realization and shock came across Rose’s face. “Like the ponies a few days ago…”



Word spread like wildfire that another pony was missing. Then another pony, too, was reported. Then another. And then another. Soon, a mob had formed outside of the Mayor’s Office and the Agency’s Tent. This time, however, the agents seemed far less prepared. They scrambled to find somepony to put in front of the mob to stall for time, going through at least three very-slightly-different ponies in just the first hour.

Even the foals of Ponyville could not evade the news. Many ran home into the waiting arms of their parents, desperately pleading to know who was still alright.

Amidst the chaos, Scootaloo and Apple Bloom crept around the edges, scanning the scene intently.

“It’s not that I don’t believe you, Scoot,” said Apple Bloom. “But we haven’t seen hide nor hair of Rainbow Dash all day. So it’s not like I’ve seen any proof yet.”

Scoot groaned. “Nopony answered when we knocked on her door. Since then we’ve been to both schools, Sugarcube, the hospital, even the spa. Heck, we even checked that clearing I followed her to!”

“Assuming of course that that was the right spot. Just looked like more of Everfree to me.”

The pegasus rolled her eyes. “Even if I got it wrong, nopony else has seen her today. And now we hear about more missing ponies in general?!”

As Scoot raised her voice, Apple Bloom looked around at the nearby ponies. “Might wanna keep it down, girl!” she hissed at her friend. “If you’re right with all this conspiracy hoo-hah, what if she’s the one making ponies go missing in the first place?”

“Don’t even start with that!” Scoot snapped back, albeit at a more hushed tone. “Rainbow Dash would never hurt anypony.”

“Looked like she was gonna hurt you,” the apple pony deadpanned.

“Sh-shut up,” said Scoot, averting Apple Bloom’s gaze. “I’m sure she had some other reason to, well…”

Apple Bloom smirked. “To hunt you down like a greased pig?”

“Are you calling me a pig?!”

“So you admit you’re greasy.”

The pegasus filly nickered. “This isn’t funny, A.B.,” she grumbled. “Just look at all these ponies. Something bad’s going on. If Rainbow’s involved… I refuse to believe she is, and I’ll fight to prove that.”

“I’m on your side, Scoot,” said Apple Bloom, resting a hoof on her friend’s shoulder. “But… what if you’re wrong?”

The two stood in relative silence for a moment.

This silence was broken not by either filly, but by a familiar static from a microphone, coming from town hall. This silenced everypony else shortly after.

One of the Agents stood at the top step, a megaphone held aloft in magical glow. He cleared his throat and straightened his hat before beginning his speech proper.

“Attention Ponyville residents: we are aware and investigating a new wave of disappearances in the area.” He paused, tugging at his trench coat collar. “The fact that this has happened at all is an unfortunate fai— erm, error on our part. For this, we are deeply sorry. However, we do have a contingency plan in place for this circumstance.”

A worried murmur spread throughout the mob before him.

“Starting at sundown tonight, we are initiating lockdown phase two: full-time surveillance."

That murmur grew immediately into a dull roar.

“We will be tripling our efforts, with overlapping patrol routes and increased redundancy. As needed, we will be questioning ponies on a regular basis, and will perform wellness checks upon request. The curfew will remain in place, although the punishment for breaking curfew will be, at a minimum, a night’s stay in our local detention center.”

Scootaloo shot a weary, sideways glance at Apple Bloom. “That’s gonna be a problem.”

The stallion continued his amplified announcement. “As we continue to gather information, we ask that all reports of missing individuals be funneled through our information reception station, located in the front lobby of this very establishment. Thank you for your cooperation in these trying times.”

He then quickly darted inside before anypony could reasonably have time to react. This was wise, as the mob swarmed the stairs of town hall, everypony attempting to shout their own questions and concerns over everypony else.

Apple Bloom smiled meekly at her friend. “Well… if they put ‘er in jail, at least we’ll know where to find her.”

“What about us, though?” asked Scootaloo. “Like… I’d probably not really care, but Applejack would murder you.”

“She wouldn’t… I mean she couldn’t, I—” The earth pony shuddered. “No, she absolutely would if I got in that much trouble. You’re right, and that’s terrifying.”

“We need more help,” said Scoot. “Some, uhh, not-so-criminally-minded help.”

Apple Bloom scoffed. “So… Sweetie Belle.”

“Sweetie Belle,” Scoot concurred.



Meanwhile, a pegasus mare lurked behind the crowd, unassuming and unnoticed. She stared unwaveringly at where the trenchcoated stallion had just stood, her breath quavering. Shaking herself out of it, she crept back into the alley. Out of sight, and out of mind.

Nopony noticed as she silently soared off into the distance in an unnaturally swift glide.