> Fancy Pants In: The Mystery of The Blanks
>  by TheTeaTurtle
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter One: A Fancy Morning
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter One: 


A Fancy Morning


“Oh dear.” 

Fancy Pants was primarily a gentlecolt who acted as a sort of influencer for the creme dela creme of Canterlot. While he was of course wealthy and had earned his way to the top, he never once considered himself above any other pony. Recently, however, his life had taken a rather interesting turn. A turn that his mail pony would be complaining about to him for many years to come. 

His humble mailbox, usually only containing gifts or thank you letters, was filled to the brim with parchments to the point where they were vomited onto the freshly trimmed grass.

He sighed as his horn lit up with a dull orange aura, using his magic to grasp all of the signed and sealed documents in one go “I must say, this is getting rather inconvenient.” 

Deep down, Fancy was hoping these letters were all from ponies doing their darndest to butter him up, begging him to squeeze them into his trips to the derby or The Spiced Peach. 

But he knew better. No doubt these were more “mysteries” for him to solve after his little foray into solving the mystery of the once mythical “Phantom of Canterlot” one month prior. Needless to say, this tale had simply emboldened his already stellar reputation, despite his misgivings. As he walked toward his abode, his nose was hit with a rather interesting scent. He paused, gazed around, and raised a brow. It almost smelled like…

He looked at the floating mass of parchment for a moment before shrugging it off and continuing forward. 

Stepping back into his lovely home, he was instantly hit with the marvelous scent of the living area, which consisted of the tantalizing scent of different arrays of herbs and the instantly recognizable aroma of the expensive perfume worn by his lovely wife, Fleur. 

“More mysteries, I presume?” 

Fancy smiled wearily as he observed his wife coming down from upstairs, her previously tousled pink mane now brushed to perfection “Do I have the most beautiful wife in all of Equestria?” 

The white coated mare rolled her eyes and giggled, approaching the stallion to nuzzle his neck as she used her light pink magic to open one of the scrolls “Oh my, it looks like Banana Bliss has lost her contact lenses again and needs the aid of the greatest detective in all of Equestria to find them.” She read with a smirk.  

Fancy scoffed, keeping a smile “It is odd how many ponies need some kind of help around here.” He said, opening a scroll himself and reading about how a filly broke her toy and needed help finding a replacement “Rather concerning, to be honest.” 

“I suppose when they all heard how the great Fancy Pants managed to solve an ancient mystery, they thought all their small problems wouldn’t be a bother to him.” Fleur commented, disposing of a tea bag that sat in a steaming cup “Really though darling, why haven’t you taken any of them recently? Pip loves solving these little mysteries with you.” 

“I’m well aware but the mundanity has worn me down.” He sighed, heading toward his study “The thrill of solving a mystery is measurable only to the stakes involved. I don’t expect ancient conspiracies to fall into my lap, of course, but still.” 

“You would love nothing more than another giant shadow stallion to come stomping through Canterlot, I know dear.” Fleur teased, placing a cup of Chamomile tea on Fancy’s desk, noticing him placing the pile of requests beside his desk. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted an empty school desk sitting in front of a black board. A few open scrolls littered the doodle covered desk. “Where is Pip, darling?” 

“We were running low on chalk, so I sent him out to acquire some more.” Fancy said, sipping his tea and chuckling after he had taken a seat “The poor boy was dying to get out of the study for a little while, so I found a good excuse. I also needed time to prepare today’s lesson on pony physiology and magical theory, so it was a doubly helpful assignment.” 

“Oh, I’m sure he’ll be delighted to hear about it when he gets home.” Fleur poked, the gentlecolt giving her a lighthearted eye roll and smile as he telekinetically pulled the relevant books from his shelf. Despite his apparent lack of interest, she noticed Fancy giving the pile of mysteries a few looks as the magic faded from his horn.

“Quite! Though I am sure he will be more than happy with the proceeding lesson,” Fancy paused and produced a book from the bottom of the three he had pulled from the shelf. Fleur’s eyes widened as her eyes scanned the cover. 

“‘A True Gentlecolt: An Autobiography’ by Brisk Bronco.” She read, smiling warmly “He finally finished it?” 

Fancy turned the cover around to examine it himself, smiling sadly at the stoic, aged black and white stallion on the cover “I can hardly believe it myself. I got it just last night, after we had finished up our tea. I tried for hours to convince him to let me sponsor him or even just refer him to a credible, well known publisher but he wouldn’t budge.” Fancy rubbed the cover with his hoof “He said: ‘No pony gives flying hay bail about the art of being a gentlecolt anymore! They just want the glitz and glamour that comes with it! So I will not dare publish my lessons, to spare myself the guilt of enabling a spoiled brat!’”

“Glad he’s as stubborn and old fashioned as ever.” Fleur said with a flick of the mane.

Fancy chuckled after sipping more tea  “Indeed. But I can’t argue he was an amazing teacher, even if he is rather particular with who learns his lessons.” He said wistfully, placing the book in his drawer as he let his eyes turn to the small desk resting only ten hooves from his own. “I guess I’ll have to be the one to pass the gentlecolt torch, then.” 

“And you’ll do better than he ever could, dear.” Fleur cooed, taking a spot at his side and nuzzling his neck. Fancy smiled and returned the gesture. 

The loving embrace was interrupted by the hasty sound of a door being kicked open and the clacking of tiny hooves on the marble floor as they rushed through the kitchen toward the study. An exhausted yet chipper sounding voice yelled out “Sorry I’m late, Mr. Fancy!” before a tiny, white, brown spotted Earth Pony colt appeared in the doorway, saddlebags covering his flanks. 

“Great to have you back, young master Pip!” Fancy greeted his apprentice before looking down at his pocket watch “You’re just in time, so no worries at all!” 

Pip sighed and went to shrug off the saddlebags before a light pink magic enveloped the leather straps, Fleur smiling down at the lad as she nuzzled him lightly on the head “Thank you Mrs. Fleur.”

“You’re welcome, darling. Did you-” 

“-get the new tea cozies we needed? Yep!” he finished, raising his chin in pride “Rule number four: A gentlecolt always remembers a lady’s request!” 

“Always a star pupil.” Fleur grinned and opened the saddlebags, giving a coy look to her husband. She promptly retrieved the bag of fresh chalk and magically placed it on Fancy’s desk “By the way, Pip. Did you know that some new request came in while you were gone?” 

The little pony’s eyes widened and he immediately looked at the pile of parchments she gestured to, a toothy grin cutting into his face “Awesome! Are we gonna do more today, Mr. Fancy? Can we? Can we?!” 

The young one’s enthusiasm was quite contagious and Fancy couldn’t stop the weary smile from appearing as Fleur left the room, that cheeky grin never leaving her face “First things first, young Pip.” He gestured to the two large books on his desk “We have your lessons to go over. Remember: a gentlecolt places-”

“-knowledge before action.” Pip said in sync with the older stallion, looking slightly deflated “I know. Can I please just look at one, though? Just one and I’ll focus entirely on my lesson, I promise!” 

Fancy gave the colt a skeptical look. Pip’s eyes widened in response, the large brown pools doing their best to play his heart strings like an Earth Pony fiddle. Finally, the older gentlecolt relented with a sigh “Alright, dear boy.” 

“Yay!” 

The young colt sauntered over and gave the pile of rolled up paper a once over. The pile was around the same height as he was, making it all the more difficult to choose just one. There had to be at least fifty in this pile alone! Rather than pick one at random, he gave the mass of paper a careful look, rubbing his chin with his small hoof. His eyes suddenly lit up. 

“Mr. Fancy! This reminds me of something!” 

Fancy, a knowing grin on his face, raised a mock questioning brow “Oh? And what would that be, my boy?” 

“A puzzle!” He declared victoriously, turning his attention back to the papers “All of these messages look similar, using standard parchment paper provided nearly everywhere in Equestria. But something tells me one of them sticks out more than the others!” 

Fancy nodded along to this, relaxing in his chair and taking another sip of tea “Well, go on! Show me which one you mean.” 

The colt was more than happy to. He turned and began to deconstruct the pile. First manually, as he began by rearranging them from their misshapen pile form into something more manageable, being a straight line. It took a few minutes, but Fancy was more than willing to help with his magic. Next he did a more cohesive visual analysis. His eyes scanned not only the color of the ribbon used to bind the scrolls, but also the wear and tear of the paper itself. So far, everything seemed normal, since most of them had minor wear and tear from their journey to Fancy’s house. 

Analyzing the wax seals proved fruitless as well, since they all used the typical Sun and Moon seal that was reinstated over a year ago after Princess Luna’s return. 

Then he used his nose. It was not uncommon for Canterlot ponies to spritz perfume or another fragrant product onto their message, so as to give extra ‘ownership’ to the letter, something Fancy had taught him in one of his lessons months ago. He looked to his teacher, who simply gave him an encouraging nod. Pip nodded back, smirking as he got to work. 

Sniff...sniff...sniff…all typical Canterlot pony products. Mountain flowers, some valley herbs here and there, cherry scent. It was not until he got halfway down the line did he smell something rather out of place. So strange was it, in fact, he announced it immediately. 

“Cake frosting?” 

Fancy answered him with a nod “I smelt it myself. A rather odd scent for an upper crust pony to wear, don’t you think?” 

“Yeah. I think that went out of style a couple months ago, didn’t it?” Pip questioned, earning a proud smile from Fancy. 

“Indeed it did! Glad you’ve been paying attention to such things, my boy.” Fancy beckoned for the young pony to approach. 

“A gentlecolt is always up to date on social trends, no matter how insignificant!” The young colt beamed and stepped closer, handing the letter to his mentor. 

Fancy unfurled the parchment with a small application of magic, his lips parting as he prepared to read its contents aloud. He paused, his mouth closing slowly as he quietly scanned the letter.

Pip’s previous bouncy excitement settled upon seeing his teacher’s expression shift, making him tilt his head questioningly  “Mr. Fancy? Is something wrong?” 

The moustached gentlecolt was silent for a few moments, re-reading the letter once more before shoving it into his suit pocket. His expression had settled on one of stoic determination, but Pip could sense the anxiety in his eyes as their gazes met. 

“Gather your things, young master Pip. It appears your lesson has been cancelled.” 
> Chapter Two: A Tearful Reunion
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Chapter Two: 


A Tearful Reunion


“Something awful has happened and I believe only you can help. Please, I urgently request your presence in Ponyville. 

-Rarity”

The click-clack of the train wheels on the metal tracks drew Pip out of his third reading of the letter, causing him to look toward the window. The train to Ponyville had started its descent down the mountain and he couldn’t help but feel nervous. Although he had always been anxious when on trains, he couldn’t tell what was making him more nervous: the prospect of falling off the mountain or the aura of dread the letter was giving off. 

He looked up at Fancy Pants, the broad gentlecolt looking as calm and composed as ever. A stark contrast to the small, apprehensive colt. 

“Mr. Fancy? Who is Rarity?” 

The question made Fancy turn, his soft smile returning when he faced his apprentice “Ah, I suppose I’ve never spoken of her before, have I?” 

Pip shook his head “I don’t think so. Is she a friend?” 

“Indeed. I actually met her not long before I took you under my wing.” Fancy magically took the letter out of Pip’s hooves, giving it another sniff “The cake frosting scent was a rather clever way to get my attention. To think, a throwaway excuse would lead me to a new mystery.” 

Pip cocked his head questioningly “Was she a baker?” 

This earned a chuckle from Fancy “No, dear boy. It’s a long story, to say the least. But to be honest, I am surprised you don’t know her! Given she was the premiere dress maker in all of Ponyville.” 

Pip shrugged “I didn’t live in Ponyville too long, sir. My grandparents moved there about a year ago and I didn’t get to know a lot of ponies. But Nightmare Night was a lot of fun!” He said, eyes lighting up at the memory “That’s when I met Princess Luna for the first time!” 

“Ah yes, I remember you telling me.” Fancy smiled, rubbing his chin. “A lot of interesting things seem to happen in that small town, from what I hear.” 

Pip nodded, giving the letter in Fancy’s magical grip another look. He frowned “What do you think happened, Mr. Fancy?” 

The stallion looked at the parchment once more before putting it in his pocket, shaking his head and giving his apprentice a smile “I can’t rightly say, young Pip. But I know that whatever it is, we’re going to get to the bottom of it.” 

Pip’s frown shifted into a smile of his own and he nodded resolutely. As the young colt pulled out a book to read, Fancy turned his sight toward the window and frowned. He closed his eyes and opened the desk drawer of his analytical mind. Rarity was a dear friend, and while it had been a while since he had seen the mare, the way she had laid out her letter had been rather chilling. It wasn’t dressed up in any of her usual flowery prose like the previous letters she had sent him. Straight and to the point: ‘Something awful has happened and I need your help’.

A light touch of magic adjusted his monocle and he sighed to himself, quietly observing the green fertile valley below before the sight was taken from him as the train entered one of several nearly pitch black tunnels as it climbed its way down the mountain. 

Creeping ever closer to his next mystery. 


-----


“Little Pip!” 

“Daddy!” 

Pip’s little brown eyes were practically glowing at the sight of his father in the doorway. The brown, white spotted stallion had a wide grin on his face, matching the ear to ear smile Pip was wearing as they rushed to embrace. 

“How’ve you been, kiddo?” 

Pip held back sniffles, nuzzling into his father’s chest “I’ve been great, daddy! Just wait till you meet Mr. Fancy! He’s an explorer, just like you!” 

“Oh, is he now?” Pip’s father replied, an unexpected edge to his voice. Before Pip could react to his father’s tone shift, he suddenly heard the crashing of waves against wood and looked around. No longer was he in Fancy’s house. He was on the deck of a ship, one that was in the middle of a terrible storm, no less. 

“Daddy? What’s going on?!” He yelled over the harsh rain and looked up, terror filling his chest when he saw his father’s sneer. 

“You think you can just replace me, huh? Replace your own father?!” 

The stallion’s grip on the colt tightened, Pip yelping in surprise when his father began to hold him just over the churning and roaring water below. 

“Dad, please stop! I’m not trying to-” 

“Liar!” He screamed, his face morphing into pure fury “You’d rather pal around with that rich hay sucker than your own father!” 

Pip began to cry but his tears were indistinguishable from the rain slamming into the both of them. He shut his eyes “Dad, no! I l-love you!” 

Everything seemed to stop and Pip’s eyes fluttered open, tears falling off his cheeks. His father’s face had changed into that of Fancy Pants.

The gentlecolt’s brow furrowed and spoke. His voice was a mix of his father’s and Fancy’s.

“I’m glad I left you.” 

He was let go and hit the water before he could scream. 


-----

“Pip! Wake up!” 

The little pony jolted awake and gasped, looking around frantically until he met the blue eyes of his concerned mentor. 

“My boy, are you alright?” 

Closing his eyes, Pip shook his head to attempt to rid himself of the nightmare he had just experienced and nodded “Y-yeah, I’m fine Mr. Fancy. Just...just a bad dream, that’s all.” 

Fancy’s look of worry didn’t leave “Are you sure?” 

Pip sat up straighter and gave a tired smile “I’m sure, don’t worry.” 

The stallion closed his eyes and sighed, standing up from his chair “Alright. We’ve reached Ponyville. Be sure not to forget your things.” 

As Fancy squeezed past, Pip put away his drool stained Daring Do novel and paused when he heard the clinking of a chain in his bag. Slowly, he reached inside and pulled out his lucky golden pocket watch, the skull and crossbones symbol adorning its shell. He gave the shiny trinket a rub with his other hoof and felt his chest get heavier the longer he looked at it. 

Wordlessly, he put it away and went to follow Fancy Pants. 

As the duo stepped off the train, the warm, fresh country air of Ponyville entered their lungs. It was quite the contrast from the typically cool and heavy air of Canterlot and Pip would be lying if he said he hadn’t missed it. He looked down at his sweater vest and necktie, sighing. 

“I wish I had brought a warm weather vest.” 

“A gentlecolt always wears his best, remember Pip.” Fancy said with a coy grin, making Pip giggle “In truth, I forgot to pack a change as well. But we’ll make do.”

“Right!” Pip gave a look at the number of ponies boarding and leaving the train on the wooden platform. He quickly pulled out his notepad and took a pencil into his mouth “Now, where do you think Ms. Rarity is?”

“She runs the Carousel Boutique, but I am having a hard time remembering where it is.” Fancy adjusted his monocle, analyzing his surroundings as he led them out of the station. 

Stepping onto the grass, the first thing Fancy noticed was how different the atmosphere was around Ponyville. Pony’s of all kinds were trotting on the flattened grass that made up the streets  with smiles on their faces and conversing with their fellow neighbors. Quite a shift when compared to Canterlot, whose atmosphere was weighted with expectations, status, and the regality of the city itself. A subconscious knot in Fancy’s chest almost seemed to loosen when observing the architecture and taking in the relaxed ambience. He blinked and focused back on the present moment, his apprentice stepping ahead of him and turning to face him. 

“Maybe we should ask somepony for directions?” 

“Quite right,” Fancy nodded and waved down the only pony close enough, a yellow Earth Pony stallion with blue horseshoes for a cutie mark “Excuse me, sir. Would you happen to know where Carousel Boutique is?” 

The stallion blinked, as if he were just now registering the well-dressed stallion’s presence “Oh, um, sure! It’s…” he patted his chin and pointed to the southeast “Just follow the river that way and you’ll find it in no time. It’s the fanciest looking building on the block, can’t miss it.” 

“Thank you very much, sir.” Fancy bowed slightly and went to step away but stopped, facing the stallion once more, trying to read his face “Is everything quite alright?” 

“Oh! Um, yeah. Sorry, it’s just...work problems. Don’t worry about it.” He dismissed with a wave, moving to rub the back of his mane “I’m Caramel, by the way.” 

“Fancy Pants, and this here is my apprentice, young master Pip.” Fancy gestured to the small colt, who raised his chin with pride. 

“I’m a gentlecolt in training!” 

Caramel smiled and nodded “Nice to meet you both.” He then took on an uncertain look once again “Hate to tell ya, but the Boutique’s been closed for a few days now, so I wouldn’t expect any business.” 

Fancy raised an eyebrow “Really? Why is that?” 

Without needing a prompt, Pip began to take notes. 

“I don’t really know, I heard somethin’ about some family trouble or somethin’. I tend to stay outta the rumor mill, you know?” 

Fancy nodded, his mind going back to the letter: ‘Something terrible has happened’. He could tell that the stallion wasn’t lying, so he dismissed him with a slight bow “I see. Thank you for your time, sir Caramel.” 

“Nothin doin’. Stay safe now.” The yellow pony gave a farewell nod and made his way past the two. Pip closed his notepad and spit his pencil into his bag. 

“Our first bread crumb, Mr. Fancy.” Pip smiled then looked toward the southeast with a frown “Family trouble, huh?” 

“Seems that way.” Fancy acknowledged, taking a step forward “Come, let’s make our way there before making any assumptions. Remember, a gentlecolt-” he led.

“-prepares all the facts before taking a guess!” Pip finished, sauntering to his mentor’s side. Fancy gave him a wink with his monocled eye. 

“Bingo, young master.” 

The pair navigated the cozy streets of Ponyville, eventually finding the river Caramel described. After a few minutes of trotting along, the calm babbling of the river accompanying them all the while, they eventually found a tall, cylindrical shaped building decorated with the most lavish of decor. It truly did look like a carousel in appearance and Fancy was quite impressed. It was as if a piece of Canterlot fell down from the mountain and made its home in this cozy villa. 

“I believe this is the place,” Fancy observed, noticing Pip taking in the building’s appearance as well with a look of awe “It is rather beautiful, isn’t it?” 

Pip agreed with a quick nod and, after a moment more of staring, he produced his notepad once more “Let’s go see if anyone is home, Mr. Fancy.” 

Fancy Pants took a breath and made his way toward the door. A small sign covered the diamond shaped window from the inside, the words ‘CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE’ were written in bright red ink. Fancy rapped three times on the wooden door with his hoof and waited. The chirping of nearby birds and the distant cries of happy ponies farther in town acted as ambience. After around a minute, Fancy decided to knock once more. Eventually, the sound of hooves quickly shuffling could be heard from within. 

“Twilight? Is that you? Did you manage to find anything?” 

Before Fancy could answer, the sound of the door unlocking and being swung open cut him off. Standing there with the handle in the grip of her light blue magic was none other than Rarity. Her usually bright and lovely white coat was frizzy from a lack of grooming and her bedazzling purple mane was disheveled and oily in appearance. Her sapphire eyes widened when she spotted Fancy Pants, who bowed respectfully. 

“Sorry I took so long, my dear. The train was running a little late today.” 

“Fancy Pants…you’re here!” She got out, her voice strained. A quick study of her face revealed bags under her eyes and the shadow of tears on her cheeks “I-I’m sorry if I interrupted your busy schedule but I-. I mean I-.” 

“It’s quite alright my dear. May we come in?” He asked, gesturing to himself and Pip. Rarity sniffled and bobbed her head, stepping back inside. 

“Of course. I’m terribly sorry about the mess, but I’ve not had a lot of time for anything. Not since…” She trailed off and sniffled once more “Please, follow me.” 

Fancy obliged, as well as young Pip, and the two entered. Inside the boutique, there was a bit of dissonance when compared to how it looked outside. While it was still rather nice, the dimly lit interior was obviously a shadow of its former self. A few of the naked mannequins were laying on the show floor, thread spools were strewn across the room, and half-finished dresses were placed randomly around on tables. Seeing a pony who made sure she looked fabulous no matter where she went reduced to such a state made Fancy worry even more. The trio passed the show room and into the kitchen, where Celestia’s light was barely illuminating the table to which Rarity was guiding them toward. The smell of old hay fries and parsley permeated through the modest kitchen. 

“I can prepare some tea, if you like.” 

“Oh no, that’s alright Rarity. Please, you look like you need to sit. I’ll prepare the tea in the meantime.” Fancy walked over and pulled a chair out for the mare. Pip remained standing, eyeing the mare with sadness in his little brown eyes. 

Rarity didn’t attempt to dissuade the stallion and gladly took the seat, nearly collapsing into the lavish, cushioned steel chair “Thank you, Fancy. The tea is on the top shelf next to the oats.” 

Pip took a seat, watching as Fancy went to prepare tea. The young pony looked at the lady of the house and placed the notepad on the table, opening it up to the most recent page. He tried to look even smaller than he already was and hoped that Rarity would not-

“You’re Pip, aren’t you?” Rarity asked, breaking the ice. The spotted colt froze and cleared his throat, hoping to expel his awkwardness. 

“Yes, mam. I’m Mr. Fancy’s apprentice.” He stated, taking the usual amount of pride in that fact despite the atmosphere. Rarity tilted her head, raising a brow. 

“Oh? What does that entail?” 

“Reading up on etiquette, mostly.” He said with an awkward laugh “That and learning the natural and magical sciences, plus some history for good measure. Also helping him solve some mysteries!”

“And wearing adorable ties?” She ribbed. Pip blushed and looked down at his small, forest green straight tie. 

“W-Well, um. I’m not at bow tie level yet. But someday I will be!” He insisted. This made the miserable looking mare laugh lightly. 

“Oh, I’m sure you will be.” She replied, smiling at the determined colt. Her eyes then went wide as she leaned a little from the table to get a better look at something on Pip’s side “You don’t have your cutie mark?” 

Pip went silent as he looked down at his blank flank, feeling a new rush of embarrassment rise to his face and chest. The purple maned mare seemed to pick up on this immediately and looked as if she wanted to apologize before Pip spoke first “It’s okay, Mrs Rarity. I’ll get it someday, that’s what matters.” 

Her eyes were laden with guilt despite his words, but Pip could tell that there was something else there. A longing, perhaps? Just as he was about to pry a little deeper, the heavy hoofsteps of Fancy made them both look in his direction, seeing him carrying a teapot and three teacups in his magical field. 

“Tea is served. Chamomile.” He announced, lowering the Canterlot inspired porcelain ware onto the table, pouring each pony at the table of a serving of the steaming, yellow liquid. 
Rarity was the first to sip, sighing afterward 

“Thank you so much, Fancy Pants. I’m sorry for not being able to do it myself but, as you’ve noticed, things have been...rough for me.” 

“Apologies are not necessary, my lady.” Fancy said, taking his seat and giving her a gentle look as he did. “We can enjoy the tea before getting into the details, if you prefer.” 

The white coated mare looked away for a moment, staring out the kitchen and into the nearly dark showroom beyond. She released a deep breath the duo didn’t see her take and took another sip of tea. 

“No, I’m ready to talk. Holding it in is doing nothing but make me miserable.” She let out a single, mirthless laugh. Fancy took a drink before nodding to Pip. The colt nodded back and withdrew his pencil, preparing to write. 

“Very well, Rarity. Please, start from the beginning.” 

She was silent for a moment as she seemed to organize everything into an orderly explanation. “Around three days ago, I was working on dresses for my new summer line. I had gathered all the necessary threads and gemstones and went to work immediately. The only problem is that when I get into the zone, as it were, I am fully focused on my work, ignoring nearly everything else until I am finished.” She said, stopping to stare out the window of her kitchen. Fancy noticed the gleam of tears in the corner of her eyes “I remember on that day, Sweetie Belle came to tell me about something. Whatever it was passed through one ear and out the other as I was in the middle of my work, but I do remember her saying something about a “new and awesome way” to get her cutie mark.” 

“Sweetie Belle is your sister, correct?” Fancy asked. Rarity nodded, the tears welling up. 

“Y-Yes. I didn’t think anything of it, I just assumed it was another one of her and her friends' wacky adventures or something of the sort. It’s become the new normal for me. I never thought that she...that she…” her tears flowed freely but she met Fancy’s sympathetic eyes “That she wouldn’t come back…” 

Fancy Pants reached a hoof across the table and placed it over hers as she wept quietly into her right foreleg. Pip stayed silent, halting the scratch of his pencil as he felt his chest get heavy with empathy. A minute passed before Rarity took a breath and steeled herself, ready to continue. 

“My friend Applejack’s sister, Applebloom, and another little pony named Scootaloo disappeared along with her. They were inseparable and not one left without the others following behind. They called themselves the Cutie Mark Crusaders.” 

Pip’s eyes went wide for a moment, but he remained silent, his pencil streaking down her testimony after a drink of his tea.  

Fancy listened intently, sipping his tea on occasion as she spoke “What did these three little ponies look like?” Rarity cleared her throat. 

“Sweetie Belle has a white coat like mine, big beautiful green eyes and a pink and purple mane. And she’s a Unicorn like me. Applebloom is a yellow Earth Pony with a pretty red mane, amber eyes, and a large pink bow she loves to wear.” Rarity paused to drink some tea. “Scootaloo is an orange Pegasus pony with a purple mane and purple eyes.” 

Fancy went silent as he considered his next question “And they’ve been missing for three days?” 

“Yes. Applejack and Twilight have been handling most of the searching, as well as Fluttershy since she knows the Everfree Forest better than anypony. That’s where they believe the three of them went but I can’t see it.” She shook her head “My little Sweetie Belle was terrified of that place, and I know she would try to talk her friends out of going in there if they tried.” 

Fancy put a pin on the Everfree Forest in his mind and finished his tea with one last gulp. He looked at Rarity with an empathetic eye “I’m sorry you’ve had to go through this, Rarity. But I assure you, on my honor as a gentlecolt, I will help in the search for your sister.” 

The white unicorn pony let out a relieved sigh, smiling at Fancy through the remaining tears in her eyes “Thank you, Fancy. That means more to me than you will ever know.” 

The monocled stallion nodded and looked to his apprentice “Let’s go, Pip.” 

“Right away, Mr. Fancy.” 

Fancy gave one more bow to Rarity, Pip following suit, and they turned to leave. 

“Wait!” Rarity said rather loudly, her voice hoarse from crying “I just remembered something! Wait here.” 

The unicorn mare trotted out of the kitchen and up a set of stairs. The pair of gentlecolts looked at each other with confusion and remained where they were. Not a moment passed before Pip spoke up. 

“Mr. Fancy, I think I remember the three ponies she’s talking about.” 

Fancy crooked an eyebrow “Really? Did you know them?” 

Pip shook his head in affirmative “I recall them asking if I wanted to join them in their search for their Cutie Marks. I was too nervous to say yes. I hung out with them for a little bit before moving in with you. ” 

“Interesting. Then you’ll be my eyes when it comes to finding them, agreed?” Fancy suggested with a grin. Pip agreed with a toothy smile. 

“Of course, Mr. Fancy!” 

Rarity eventually came downstairs out of breath with what appeared to be a scarf clutched in her sapphire blue magic. Upon closer inspection, the item was a pink and white layered scarf with pink tassel on each end “Before Sweetie Belle left that morning, one of the few things I remember is her taking a scarf like this one, but with blue replacing the pink. I...made it for her myself a month ago.” 

Fancy hummed to himself as he looked it over “I see. Thank you, Rarity, we’ll keep an eye out for its match.” 

“Good luck and please be careful...and thank you again.” 

Fancy bowed once more “It’s a gentlecolt’s job to lend a hoof, my dear. Think nothing of it.” Pip gave a bow as well and stomped a tiny hoof. 

“We’ll bring Sweetie Belle and her friends back; don’t you worry Ms. Rarity!”  

And with that, the duo left the glamorous little shop. Leaving not only their promises, but a hope within the heart of the generous and beautiful Unicorn. 

In the back of Fancy Pant’s mind, however, he couldn’t help but feel there was something more at work. Something sinister. And he felt reminded of his trifle with Waning Gibbous one month prior. Whatever it was, he hoped he and Pip found those fillies before it was too late...
> Chapter Three: A Promise Made
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter Three:


A Promise Made


The evening glow of Celestia’s glorious light bathed the streets of happy little Ponyville. Ponies came and went, passing Fancy and Pip either without much acknowledgement or an ear to ear smile on their face as a greeting. It was all rather idyllic, Fancy had to admit, as he followed behind his young apprentice. The brown spotted colt had declared that he had been to Twilight Sparkles house once before and had offered to lead, which Fancy obliged. 

“Her tree house should be....this way!” Pip pointed and strode confidently toward the north, past the Quill and Sofa shop. As Fancy followed the young lad, he began to ponder everything he knew about Celestia’s star student. The rumor mill spins fast in Canterlot and most of the gossip that sticks is usually discarded by Fancy as simply slander, but some of what he recalled said about Ms. Twilight was rather positive, if a little dramatic. Being the pupil of the Princess was of course grounds for praise but the upper echelons also talked of her being rather high strung and no nonsense. She was as smart as she was beautiful, using her knowledge to play the game of politics without remorse like a true socialite gentlemare, despite her ‘bumpkin station’. 

But whenever Fancy thought of these things, he couldn’t help but chortle. The only thing he knew about the supposedly ruthless and cunning Twilight Sparkle was how...charming of a dancer she was and how understanding she had been toward Rarity during that whole garden party fiasco. If that socially awkward purple unicorn was as ruthless and cunning as Fancy’s social circle had talked about then she was an amazing actor. 

“There!” Pip called out, shaking Fancy out of his thoughts “I knew I didn’t forget!” 

Fancy followed the gaze of his student and laid his eyes upon the Golden Oak Library, and it certainly lived up to the name. The huge stumps left behind from the huge, long removed branches had been hollowed out to fit windows, with green shrubbery placed above to act as both natural curtains and minor insulation from the outside elements. Even the crown of the tree, with its marvelously green leaves, had been fitted with branch inlined windows. A truly stunning piece of architecture, in Fancy’s mind.
 
“After you, Mr. Fancy.” Pip waved toward the large red door of the library. A lit candle was painted onto the top half of the entryway, reminding Fancy of all the times he spent studying under candlelight in Canterlot libraries in his younger years. Clever design.  

“Thank you, master Pip.” Fancy bowed his head and knocked on the large door. 

“Coming!” a young, boyish voice called back. Soon after, the door creaked as it was pulled open and on the other side was a short, purple scaled dragonling with green eyes and spines along his back that ended at the top of his head with a large rounded spike. The young dragon looked up at Fancy with a questioning look and set his eyes on Pip, smiling when he saw him “Oh, hiya Pips! Long time no see!” 

Pip smiled back, giving a wave “Hi Spike, sorry it’s been so long. I moved to Canterlot not long ago!” Spike put his hands on his sides and looked Pip up and down, smirking. 

“Yeah well, you definitely look like a high falutin Canterlot type with that dorky little suit.” Spike said, giggling at Pip’s annoyed face before looking up at Fancy “No offense, big guy.” 

Fancy Pants chuckled “None taken, dear boy. Me and young Pip are here to see Ms. Twilight Sparkle. Would she happen to be around?” 

Spike’s mischievous smile disappeared instantly, replaced with a dour expression as he looked back into the library “Um, yeah, she’s here but I dunno if she would want to see anyone right now. Things have been...rough around here.” 

Fancy nodded “I understand. I spoke to Rarity and learned about the missing little ponies. I was hoping Ms. Sparkle would have more information for my investigation.” 

Spike’s eyes went wide with worry “You spoke to Rarity? Is...she doing okay?” 

“She’s staying strong, despite the awful circumstances.” He replied. The dragon sighed, the trouble remaining in his big green eyes. 

“That’s good, I guess.” Spike stuck his head out the door and looked around “So are you a detective? Like in one of those books?” 

“Well, er,” Fancy, for the first time in a while, looked nervous “I wouldn’t-” 

“You bet!” Pip cut in, enthusiasm at the max “We solved a big case in Canterlot a month ago! There was a big shadow pony stomping around like *boom* *boom* *boom* and me and Fancy put a stop to it by solving some puzzles and getting help from the Princesses!” 

Spike raised a brow and looked at the two. Fancy was rubbing the back of his head while Pip kept his wide smile.  

“Uh, okaaay. Sure.” Spike’s dubious expression remained as he pointed behind him “I’ll see if Twilight wants any visitors mister, uh, what’s your name?” He asked the mustached stallion. Fancy cleared his throat and adjusted his monocle. 

“Fancy Pants, at your service.” 

Spike nodded “Don’t go anywhere.” 

The door shut and Pip waited a moment before he let out an exasperated grunt “Why didn’t he believe me? We should be known all around Equestria because of that! Right, Mr. Fancy?” 

Fancy shook his head “Now Pip, a gentlecolt can take pride in his actions but must remain humble, remember that.” He then smiled “Besides, not everypony keeps up with events such as that. They want to live their lives as quietly as possible without worrying about the possibility of a giant shadow stallion stepping on their cabbages.” 

Pip didn’t look satisfied with that answer but he nodded regardless, letting out another sigh “You’re right, Mr. Fancy. I’m sorry.” 

“No need to apologize, my apprentice. You’re still learning.” The white stallion replied calmly. He looked down at his student as the young colt produced his notepad to go over his notes. He felt a pang of worry enter his chest, one that had bothered him ever since he took on Pipsqueak as his understudy. Was he a good enough teacher for the lad? Was he truly practicing what he taught? These questions were cut off as the telltale shimmering sound of magic hit his ear and the door was coated in a sparkling pink aura. 

The door was pulled open slowly, the Unicorn it revealed looking just as exhausted as Rarity had. Twilight’s dark mane was frizzy and she had heavy bags underneath her dark purple eyes, an indication of either late night studying, or anxiety induced insomnia. Nevertheless, she tried her best to put on a smile. 

“Hello, Mr. Fancy Pants. It’s-” She yawned, covering her mouth with a hoof “-good to see you again.” 

“You as well, Ms. Twilight Sparkle.” Fancy bowed “I must say, you look rather...tired.” 

Twilight let out a good natured, exhausted laugh “Yeah, I’m a disaster right now.” She looked down beside the stallion “Good to see you again too, Pip.” 

“You too Twilight!” He said cheerfully “I got to see Princess Luna again! She is so amazing!” 

Her eyes widened slightly. “Oh, that’s wonderful!” She yawned once more but shook her head to fight off the tiredness “Anyway, would you two like to come in? I would offer tea but I’m fresh out.” 

“Of course, thank you Ms. Sparkle.” Fancy replied gracefully. Twilight’s face flushed in embarrassment, and she rubbed the back of her head. 

“Just Twilight, please. Formalities make me nervous.” She said through an anxious smile. Fancy chuckled and nodded politely. 

“Very well. Lead the way, Twilight.” 

The interior of the library was just as impressive as its exterior. The inside had been carved by nopony less than a master artist, carving bookshelves into the walls, along with tables, doorways and even stairs out of the tree itself. Speaking of bookshelves, this library was stuffed with countless works of literature. Just from a passing glance, the gentlecolt noticed works by numerous philosophers, both pony and not, many books on the magical, alchemical, and practical sciences, along with fantasy novels of all kinds. Fancy made a mental note to bring Fleur here on one of their trips someday, once all this mystery solving was over. 

Twilight led the two ponies to a log table in the center of the library, which seemed to be used primarily for displaying new book releases as well as a hedge trimming of a regal looking pony. Twilight waved a hoof at the available chairs and took one herself “I have to ask, Fancy. What brings you to Ponyville?” 

“I received a letter from Ms. Rarity requesting my presence.” He stated, pulling out said letter and magically gave it Twilight, who in turn took it in her own telekinesis to analyze it “I am assuming she heard of my...adventure in Canterlot a month prior.” 

Twilight grimaced and looked away nervously “Yeah...that might have been my fault. I got a letter from Princess Celestia explaining everything after I freaked out a bit over her not replying to my messages for a few days.” She shook her head and placed the letter on the table “I’m assuming this means you spoke with Rarity already?” 

He closed his eyes in affirmation and she went silent. For a moment, Fancy assumed she may have dozed off before she spoke again. 

“I never thought something like this would happen. Three little ponies vanishing into thin air.” She said grimly, keeping her eyes to the ground “I have been up for days trying every single variation of a locate pony spell I can find, but nothing seems to work. Even ones that can locate ponies halfway across Equestria can’t find them, I…” She sighed “I don’t know what to do anymore. Magic can’t solve everything, I know, but I just...feel so useless right now.” 

“You’ll figure it out, Twilight. I know you will.” Spike said, entering the room from what must have been a kitchen with a hot cup of coffee. The mare eagerly took it and gulped down half the mug. Pip eagerly agreed with the short dragon. 

“Yeah! You’re one of the smartest ponies ever! If you can save Princess Luna’s reputation, you can do anything!” the little colt nearly sang. Twilight looked at the both of them, her eyes a bit brighter thanks to the caffeine. 

“Thanks, you guys. I’m sure we’ll figure this out...eventually.” She said but Fancy could sense the undercurrent of dread in her words. 

“I heard from Rarity that you and Ms. Applejack are in charge of searching for the three. Have you found anything at all?” 

“No, nothing.” She dipped her head “I told Rainbow Dash to gather some local pegasi to search from the skies and Applejack has been leading the ground search parties.” 

“Rarity also mentioned a Fluttershy helping in the search due to her knowledge of the Everfree Forest.” Fancy added. Twilight sipped more coffee. 

“Yes. After spending the first day combing the outskirts of Ponyville and the surrounding mountains, we turned to the Everfree Forest. We can’t send too many ponies out there though, due to how dense and dangerous the forest is. Fluttershy has been helping them find their way through.” 

Fancy looked to Pip, who was doing his best to take notes on everything important “I see. Do ponies go missing in the forest often?” 

“Most ponies know to stay away from the forest, so it’s been a long time since anypony other than my friends have gone in there.” She rubbed one of her eyes with a free hoof “Although, Applebloom did go see Zecora sometimes. She’s a zebra friend of ours who has made the Everfree her home.” 

“I am assuming she hasn’t seen them either?” Fancy inquired. Twilight shook her head. 

“She was the first pony we thought to ask.” Twilight stared into her mug, as if hoping the answer would float to the top of the light brown liquid “The only ponies who saw them that day, Rarity and Applejack, said nothing seemed out of the ordinary with them. They talked about how they had found a new way to get a cutie mark, like usual, and seemingly...fell off the edge of Equestria.” 

Fancy opened his mouth to ask another question but a loud knock on the door surprised everypony present and the second they turned to look, the door was pushed open by an orange Earth Pony, donning a stetson on her head with a blonde ponytail over her shoulder. She looked just as worn out as Twilight and had grime and scratches all over her body. 

She went to say something but fell to the ground the second she stepped inside. 

Twilight was already on her feet and making her way over to her friend with everypony else close behind “Oh Celestia, Applejack! Are you okay? What happened?” 

“I’m fine. The search party got jumped by a buncha timber wolves just as we were leavin.” She got out through deep breaths, looking up at her friend “I bought Flutters time to get everypony else back to safety. I’m just a little banged up, that's all.” 

As if on cue, a yellow Pegasus pony with a pink mane flew in through the door and gasped, fluttering down to the ground to be next to the injured mare “Applejack! Oh my goodness! We need to get you to a doctor!” 

“I don’t need no doctor!” Applejack said incredulously and tried to stand. She faltered and fell back down with a grunt. 

“Applejack, you’ve been running yourself ragged the past few days! You need to rest!” Twilight insisted desperately. Applejack shot her a glare. 

“I ain’t resting till I find my baby sister, Twilight! I feel like I’m the only one trying here! I’m out there every-,” she coughed, gritting her teeth afterward “-day bustin my butt in that awful forest and nopony else is trying near hard enough!” She yelled, causing Twilight and Fluttershy to recoil. Fancy and Pip stood solemnly nearby, observing the scene. 

This bout of rage did not last long, as tears immediately began to fall from the cowpony’s eyes and her face scrunched from effort as she tried to hold back her tears. “...I just miss her so much, Twi. I-I’m so sorry I snapped at you two...” 

“I know. You don’t need to apologize, Applejack.” Twilight helped her friend to her hooves along with Fluttershy, who nuzzled the orange pony’s neck. Fancy approached them, hoof on his chest. 

“If I may, I’ll volunteer to help take her to the hospital.” Fancy looked down at Pip “Pip, you stay here and research all you can on the Everfree Forest until I come back.” 

The suit wearing colt looked surprised but quickly stomped his hoof “Of course, Mr. Fancy. I’ll do my best.” 

“No! I said no doctors!” Applejack seethed, barely staying on her hooves “Just...just take me home. I’ll be fine, I promise.”  

The adult ponies exchanged a look of uncertainty until Fancy spoke up “In that case, I shall take her home myself so that Ms. Fluttershy may be of use somewhere else.”

Twilight groaned. 

“Fine. Fancy, take her to Sweet Apple Acres. I’ll stay here and help Pip. I’m not in much shape to do anything else.” Twilight admitted, turning to the yellow pegasus “Fluttershy, I want you to find the mayor. We need to warn her about the possibility of timber wolves making their way into town in case there are any stragglers.” 

“O-Okay Twilight, I’ll do my best.” The pegasus squeaked bravely and took to the sky as soon as her hooves touched grass. 

“No time to waste then, I suppose.” Fancy commented and lowered himself slightly “Young Pip? Spike? Would you two care to assist Ms. Applejack?” 

“Right!” they said in unison and helped the orange mare onto the older stallion’s back. While Fancy could definitely feel the weight of the brave pony on his spine, his natural strength would prove more than able to get her home. Without another word, he took off into the streets of Ponyville. 

As Pip watched his mentor go, he mentally steeled himself as he galloped over to the nearest bookshelf. 

-----

The evening sun was getting closer to the horizon and Fancy could feel the air around him get cooler with each passing minute. Despite her state, Applejack was helpful in providing directions and the two were soon on the long dirt path to Sweet Apple Acres, where Fancy slowed to a trot. Along the path, apple trees seemed to stretch for miles on either side of the fence, rolling over hills and dipping into the valleys as far as the eye could see. 

The walk was mostly quiet, and as much as Fancy wanted to take the mare to the hospital for her injuries, he knew arguing with her would do nopony any good. Best to let sleeping manticores lie. 

“Say, Fancy Pants,” Applejack began, speaking for the first time in several minutes “What brings you all the way down here?” 

“Your friend, Ms. Rarity, sent me a letter requesting my presence here.” He replied, feeling as if he would be saying it more and more as time went on. He decided to skip straight to her next question. “I suspect she thinks I can aid in finding the three missing fillies.” 

“Really?” Applejack asked, hopeful “Do ya have some kinda advanced locate pony spell or somethin’?” 

Fancy looked to the eastern field with a regretful look in his eye “I’m sorry, no. However, I am rather good at solving mysteries. At least, that seems to be the case so far.” 

“Oh, so you’re some kinda detective.” She stated rather than asked. The mustached stallion sighed. 

“That’s what some like to call me. I’m simply a gentlecolt who enjoys helping ponies, nothing more, nothing less.” 

Applejack let out a tired chuckle “Well that’s admirable, no matter what label ya put on it.” 

“Indeed it is, Ms. Applejack. Indeed it is.” 

“Ms. Applejack?” She let out a laugh that turned into a cough “I ain’t heard that in a long time.” 

With a smile, Fancy continued down the path in silence. Soon, he saw a wooden white archway adorned with greenery, red delicious apples and a large wooden sign with an apple on it. Beyond that was a large red barn and house combo with the same apple motif present on its exterior walls and doors. He came to a stop when he felt Applejack tap his side. 

“This here’s the place.” the proud mare said as she climbed off, wobbling a bit before she found her footing “Thanks for the ride, partner.” 

“No problem at all, Ms. Applejack.” Fancy gave her a concerned look “Please, try to get some rest. I know how worried you are and I understand your eagerness to-.” 

“No offense Fancy, but I don’t think ya do.” She replied curtly, turning away from the stallion abruptly, surprising him “I don’t mean to be rude, but the only pony that knows how I’m feelin right now is Rarity. I appreciate the sympathies, truly. But please don’t pretend ya know what’s goin on inside ma head.” 

Fancy was stunned into silence but managed to shake it off “Fair enough, Ms. Applejack. Have a wonderful evening.” 

“Wait.” She called out, stopping him as he turned around. There was a long pause before she spoke again “Iffin you already saw Rarity, I’m guessin’ you promised to help find em, yeah?” 

“Yes, I did.” 

A light cool breeze blew through the farm, rusting the nearby corn stalks. 

“I need you to make that promise to me now. Promise you’ll do everythin’ in your power to help find my little Applebloom and her friends.” She begged, her voice cracking as she did her best to keep her tears at bay “I need to hear you say it without any of that window dressing you city ponies like to do.  Please.” 

The wind picked up, rustling Fancy’s blue mane slightly as he closed his eyes. He could feel the weight in his chest get heavier with each breath he took as he pondered his next words.  

He opened his eyes. 

“I swear I will bring her back to you, Applejack. You have my word.” 

The wind calmed. 

What felt like an hour went by and the stallion heard the mare take her first steps toward her humble home. She said one last thing before they parted, her voice carried by the chilling winds. 

“Check out that path halfway up the trail. You might just find somethin’ that’ll help.”

Fancy gave the back of Applejack’s head a surprised look before he began to make his way up the dusty trail, Luna’s silver light bathing him in its radiance as he organized his thoughts. His strut then turned into a gallop. 

Whatever clues awaited him at this new location, he knew he wouldn’t be able to do anything without his trusty apprentice. 
> Chapter Four: Clues Unearthed
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter Four: 


Clues Unearthed


“Hello?” 

The first word Pipsqueak spoke echoed into the inky black void he had woken up in. His beady eyes cautiously scanned around, trying to find a semblance of anything or anypony in the infinite darkness. 

“Twilight? Spike? Mr. Fancy? Where are you?” 

His call faded into the surrounding realm, not seeming to reach anypony. Suddenly, his ears perked up when he heard the sound of...crickets? Turning quickly, he found himself standing in a forest clearing. The night sky above was barely visible through the thick canopy and the surrounding forest was dimly lit from what little moonlight could pierce the thicket. Fear gripped the little pony’s heart but he managed to gather enough courage to trot to the center of the clearing. 

“Help...me…” 

A voice Pip had never heard before nearly made him jump out of his skin, making him turn and try to find its source. It was a soft, filly sounding voice. 

“Hello? Anypony there?” He asked, panicked. The colt spun around until he caught the brief glimpse of a golden light shimmering through the trees.

“Please...help me…” 

Pip’s gentlecolt instincts were flaring up, begging him to rush into the trees to help the filly. Everything else within him, however, was pulling him to not do something so foolish. With only a few seconds' consideration, Pip rushed into the dark unknown, pushing through the brush to follow the golden light. 

“Hold on, I’m coming!” Pip yelled, dodging branches and jumping over fallen trees as his short little legs did their best to keep up with the ethereal glow. The farther in he galloped, the more coherent the shape of the source became. The ball of light slowly began to take the shape of a grey Earth Pony filly, her mane and tail a brilliant yellow. Her hooves were not touching the ground as she led Pip, as if she were flying without the use of any visible wings. The terror in his heart was filtered out by the adrenaline pumping through him, making him speed up. 

“S-Slow down!” He yelled out. She didn’t reply. 

Just as he got a pony’s length away, the mysterious filly vanished in a flash, causing him to yelp as he tried to come to a stop. His efforts failed and he crashed into the ground, tumbling forward until he finally bumped into what felt like a large rock. Groaning, he slowly got to his hooves and readjusted his now dirty necktie. 

His head light from the fall, he took some time to recuperate. The surrounding forest had become even darker, making it so he could barely see his own snout in front of his face. His breathing quickened as his courage began to dissipate, causing him to back into the rock that had halted his tumble. 

In his panic, he began to dart his eyes in every direction as the sound of twigs snapping made him anchor himself more to the rock. A loud snap to his left made him jump and turn. 

The little filly from earlier was now right beside him. Her eyes, from iris to sclera, were pure gold in color. Pip took two steps away, cautiously, and was about to ask a question before it got caught in his throat. The darkness behind this mysterious pony began to shift into what appeared to be a...pony? Monster? Pip was unsure but it made him step farther back. Whatever the creature was opened its eyes to reveal pure red, glowing eyes. Its face seemed to rip apart as a jaw with jagged teeth the same color as its “skin” formed out of the chunks it tore from its own face.

The little pony didn’t seem to notice and smiled at Pip as an inky drool fell onto her shoulders. Without a word, she produced a pink bow from seemingly nowhere and laid it on the ground. Pip looked at it for only a second before turning his attention back to the horrifying creature that only seemed to grow more hideous by the second, his pupils shrinking as he began to hyperventilate. 

The filly then spoke one last time. 

“Find me.” 

Then the darkness encased everything. 


-----


The first thing Pip felt as he awoke was the rise in his chest from falling backwards and then feeling an impact as his head met a hard wooden surface. Acting quickly, he scrambled to his hooves and rapidly shot his eyes around the room. The setting was familiar, if darker than he remembered. It was the Golden Oaks Library. 

“Whoa, Pip!” a familiar voice exclaimed “What the hay happened?” 

The young gentlecolt turned to see Spike coming from upstairs, his pace quick and expression one of panic. The paranoia gripping the little colt’s lungs released its hold and he sighed, plopping down onto his flanks to rub the back of his head. 

“Sorry Spike, I-I just had a horrible nightmare.” 

Spike made it down and looked Pip over, his eyes wide with concern “Must’ve been some nightmare! Are you alright?” 

“Y-Yeah, I’m fine. Thanks.” Pip responded with a calming smile and looked toward a nearby window, seeing the stars of the night sky “How long was I out? Where’s Twilight?”

“She finally managed to get to sleep, thank Celestia.” Spike answered, obviously relieved. “And you’ve been asleep for about an hour, I think.” He crossed his arms “I don’t blame you really. I’d rather sleep than read anything about the Everfree Forest.” 

Briefly, the image of that little pony with the golden eyes flashed in his mind and he shook his head, chuckling at Spike “It’s not that bad. Sure it’s pretty scary, but it’s also fun to read about!” 

A dubious brow rose so high on Spike’s face that Pip thought it would hit the ceiling “Whatever you say, buddy. But that didn’t sound like a fun scream when I came down here.”

“It’s not as scary as The Phantom was!” Pip insisted, crossing his forehooves and turning his muzzle up. Spike rolled his eyes and sighed. 

“I was just messin with ya before, Pip. I know about what happened and, I gotta say,” He smirked at the little colt and elbowed him good naturedly. “You and that Fancy Pants guy did a pretty good job!” 

Pip opened his eyes and relaxed, rubbing the sore spot on his head “Yeah, we did! It was Mr. Fancy who did most of the work though.” 

“Ah don’t be so humble,” Spike waved dismissively, snickering “I get enough of that outta Twilight. Anyway, I’m going back to bed. You should probably-” 

A knock on the door roused the two boy’s attention, surprising them both when the door opened not a second later. It was Fancy Pants. Pip immediately whirled around to fully face him and smiled at his mentor but noticed that Fancy’s expression was one of stern determination. 

“Mr. Fancy? Is everything okay?” 

Fancy Pants looked down at him, expression unchanged “Pip, I need you to gather your things and follow me. It’s of the utmost importance.” 

“Wait, is Applejack okay? What’s going on?” Spike asked, stepping forward. 

“She is, don’t worry Sir Spike. I apologize, but I don’t have time to explain.” The mustached stallion furrowed his brow “Please, follow me young Pip.” 

“O-Of course, sir!” Pip blurted out, quickly going and gathering his traveling bag and heading for the door. Fancy nodded to Spike before shutting the door, leaving the young Dragon confused. 

He shrugged and made his way back to bed. 


-----


“Mr. Fancy, where are we going?” Pip yelled as he and his mentor galloped through the nighttime streets of Ponyville. The cold air made his eyes dry out as he ran against it. 

“I found a location that I believe will be critical to our investigation!” He replied, leading his apprentice toward the path of Sweet Apple Acres “You’ll understand when we get there!” 

“Yes, sir!” 

The rest of the journey went without speech as their hooves beat against the ground. Pip’s eyes wandered as they traveled down the path, observing the beautiful light of the full moon shining down on them. He hoped that Luna was watching over them during their investigation and, as his mind went back to that horrid creature, prayed that she would protect him from such a nightmare again. 

“This way!” Fancy declared and made a right turn. Pip followed suit, barely making it in time. The gentlecolt duo slowed their speed down to a trot as they transitioned from a dirt road to a lightly tread grassy path that led into a part of the orchard. Fancy closed his eyes and cast a light spell, coating the area in a bright orange light, since the moon was obscured by the sheer amount of blossoming apple trees.

“Not much farther now, my boy.” He pointed with his horn. After squirming their way through a few bushes, they came to a small clearing with a rather notable sight in it. Built into one of the hundreds of apple trees was a large treehouse accompanied by a long ramp that led into the singular entrance that Pip could see. The door was closed and had a small heart shaped glassless window carved into it. Poking out the crown of the tree was what appeared to be an observatory of some kind with the head of a telescope poking out of its window. The howl of the evening wind gave Pip chills as he looked it over. 

“Is this the place, Mr. Fancy?” Pip prodded, tilting his head. Fancy nodded and started his approach. 

“Indeed. It doesn’t look remarkable but take a look there.” He pointed. Pip narrowed his eyes and saw a small sign next to the door. 

“‘Cutie Mark Crusaders official headquarters!’” Pip gasped “You think there might be a clue in there, Mr. Fancy?” 

Fancy looked neutral as he started at the entrance ramp “Ms. Applejack has already searched this place, no doubt. However, I think with our critical eyes, we may be able to find something she overlooked.” He winked. 

Pip nodded eagerly “Right!” 

Fancy looked to the ramp and grimaced “I believe you should take the lead, young Pip. I shall be right behind you once you make it to the top.”

The small colt was easily able to ascend the ramp with no issue and was quickly in front of the door. Pip reached forward and turned the bronze-colored knob carefully. The door let out a creek that made the little pony shiver as he peered his head inside. The interior was small but densely decorated. The walls contained posters of the wonderbolts and pictures of friends and family. Behind a podium that sat at the far end of the room was a large map of Ponyville and the surrounding areas, along with a list of activities that had some of them crossed out next to it. Other than this, there were chairs, books, and toys scattered about on the floor. Right next to the door was a ladder that Pip guessed led up to the observatory. 
Despite the homey appearance, Pip felt uneasy as he stepped further inside. It felt wrong that it was so quiet here, a place that once held three dear friends sharing their joys and hardships in achieving their special talents. His head sank, the true horror and weight of the situation hitting him for the first time. If they failed, these three friends would never again share their laughter, their struggles or their fears in his space ever again. 

This once happy place would be left to decay. Their memories here never passed on. 

“Pip? Is everything okay, dear boy?” 

Pip’s head rose up and he sniffed, wiping away the beads of tears that had formed in the corner of his eyes before turning around. 

“Yes, I’m fine Mr. Fancy.” He responded with a sniffle, shaking his head “It’s just...nothing.” 

Pip felt a familiar large hoof touch his cheek and gently turn his head toward Fancy, who smiled in understanding. 

“We’ll find them, young Pip, don’t you worry.” He affirmed, the confidence in the both of them clear in his tone and smile. Pipsqueak shut his eyes once more, a feeling of determination surging in his soul from his master’s words. While his doubt and fears would remain deep within until the case was resolved, he pushed them down and opened his eyes, a new flame burning within. 

“Right, Mr. Fancy. Where do we start?” He asked as he looked over the clubhouse once more. Fancy went to respond as he rose to full height but grunted when he bumped his head against the low ceiling. 

“I, ow, believe you’re more suited to looking around, young Pip. Just bring me anything you find, and I’ll examine it from the outside.” He said, laughing at his own expense. The student couldn’t fight a giggle as his normally regal and composed mentor slowly walked out of the clubhouse with all the finesse of a large dog. 

The first thing Pip decided to do was examine the piles of books and toys which, predictably, didn’t have anything of note other than one of the newer Daring Do books that Pip had yet to acquire. Reluctantly, he put it back where it belonged and continued his search. He scanned the posters and framed photos with his eyes, looking for any possible outdents that revealed a secret safe or anything of the sort. But even with the light of Fancy’s magic lighting the entire space, he didn’t notice anything of the sort. Then he set his eyes on the podium.

Resting on the podium was a series of pictures of different activities, from snorkeling to book writing, and hoof written notes that read like some kind of speech one of the Crusader’s would give to the others. More than likely it was Applebloom, Pip guessed, due to the slang used throughout. The lower shelves on the podium were stuffed with crumpled up papers, most of them being previous versions of the same speech. 

With nothing else there he could see at the moment, Pip looked over the large map on the wall. Many locations were circled but many were x’d out as well, the little colt guessing that this coincided with the Crusader’s activities in town. So far, everything seemed normal to Pip and he was about to announce it to Fancy until he spotted something odd. Drawn next to certain locations were doodles that portrayed different ventures that the Crusaders could partake in, such as fishing in the river and hang gliding in the hills. But five locations in particular had a tiny doodle of a telescope drawn above them and judging from the intensity of the ink, it had been a recent addition. 

Pip tapped his chin, and he felt a familiar rise in his chest, an excitement that coincided with only one thing. 

“Mr. Fancy, I think I found a puzzle!” 

“Excellent work, my boy!” Fancy chortled “I’ll leave this one to you but if you need assistance,” he gestured helplessly to the doorway “You know where to find me.” 

Pip bowed and turned back to the map, pulling out his notepad as he did his best to copy the hoof drawn map. Location names were absent, Pip guessing that the little ponies who drew it knew them already and didn’t feel the need to write them down. 

“Would be too easy if they did.” the colt thought with a feeling of pride. Deep down, he hoped his memory served him well enough. 

After a few minutes of scribbling, Pip put away his pencil and looked at the observatory ladder. “I’m going up, Mr. Fancy.” 

“Be careful, young master.” 

Pip ascended, notepad in mouth, rather easily up the ladder and found himself in a tiny room fit for two little ponies at most with a large, stallion sized telescope hanging halfway out the window. The cool evening breeze had gotten colder, and Pip shivered as the wind tickled his nose. 

Getting to work, he pointed the huge scope at the marked locations, and he was surprised with how quickly he remembered most of them. First up was the Ponyville schoolhouse, followed by Sugarcube Corner, then a large house that stood above the others around it, the large town hall building, Carousel Boutique and back to the schoolhouse again. As Pip observed these locations and marked them down on his map, he recalled as many memories as he could of last year’s Nightmare Night, remembering the times he spent with Pinkie Pie and her entourage of other little ponies as he stared at the unknown house that had been marked. 

Then, a spark went off in his mind. 

“Oooh, that’s the Mayor’s house! We better get candy before she starts the party in town! She gives out the BIGGEST candy bars!” He recalled Pinkie Pie yelling to him and the other ponies. He smiled warmly, reminding himself to visit the chaotic mare after all this was done. With all the locations named and marked, he began to look for the answer. 

“Maybe…” he thought aloud and looked through the scope again “...the place at the center of these other locations is the solution?” 

He mentally connected the locations and found an innocent little toy store at the center of it all. He was confused. Could the answer be there? No, not likely. Was the answer in one of the toys downstairs? He made a mental note to check when he went back down. He scribbled a question mark on the toy store at the center and began to draw lines to link all the indicated landmarks. When linked, they formed a short, backwards, crooked number seven.

Seeing this only made him more confused and he finally decided to climb back down. 

“Mr. Fancy, I need you to look at something.” He said when he got to the bottom. Fancy Pants looked over and tilted his head. 

“Oh? Did you find the answer?” 

“Take a look,” Pip presented the notepad and pointed with his hoof as he explained “I marked all these places and linked them and I formed this weird backwards seven. This toy store,” he tapped “is in the center of it all but I don’t think that’s it.” 

Fancy adjusted his monocle and got a closer look “Hmm. Perplexing indeed. However, I may be able to offer a hint if you’d like.” 

Pip looked up, bewildered. Fancy had already figured it out? It wasn’t surprising but it still caused a pang of jealousy in his gut and he shook his head “No, I’ll take another look at it.” 

“Very well.” Fancy dimmed the light slightly on his horn and yawned “I’ll be here.” 

Pipsqueak first trotted over to the toys to give them another look. Wooden pony figures, wooden carts and other such paraphernalia relating to frontier ponies littered the floor. Nothing that would connect to the puzzle at hoof. Sighing, he went back to the large map and did a compare and contrast, using his pencil to draw on the original map. 

Everything lined up and formed the same shape: a backwards, slightly crooked number seven. Just as he was about to give in and ask for a hint, an idea struck him. He quickly added another line that connected everything back to the schoolhouse, forming a not so perfect triangle. Or was it an arrow? If it was, then it was sort of pointing back at the clubhouse. Sadly, this didn’t help him at all and he turned to his teacher. 

“Mr. Fancy, I can’t figure it out.” He confessed, his pride stinging from the admission. Fancy crawled his way inside and gave Pip a pat on the head. 

“A true gentlecolt admits ignorance without shame, young Pip.” Fancy stated with a half-smile and looked the map over “You are on the right track. The locations do connect to point back to the clubhouse, despite the odd shape of the arrow. Why do you think that is?” 

Pip raised his chin, the disappointment fading when the reigns were given back to him. The colt wracked his brain as he tried to piece together what he knew “Maybe it’s a sign that the clue is...here?” he asked with fading confidence as he gestured to the whole clubhouse. Fancy nodded. 

“Correct. However, if that’s the case…” he peered around, twirling his moustache “Where is it?”

The little gentlecolt followed the arrow on the map carefully. It was indeed pointing at the club house, but he couldn’t help but feel there was a double meaning to it. He walked to Fancy’s left and circled around the podium to get a closer look. 

Then he felt a floorboard sink slightly under his hoof, making him look at it immediately. It wasn’t unusual, this was a treehouse after all. However, when he looked back at the arrow on the big map and lined it up with his eye…

“I got it!” Pip yelled and tapped the loose board “Mr. Fancy, can you use your magic to take the nails out of this board?” 

“Right away, young master.” Fancy said, beaming at his apprentice “I knew you could do it.” 

In no time at all, Fancy’s magic had removed the nails and lifted the board out with little issue. The hole it left revealed the grass below, along with a few branches of the tree the house was built into. Taped to the underside of the board, however, was what looked like a journal of some kind. This made Pip leap with joy. 

“I was right!” He declared, puffing his chest out “Score two for the gentlecolts!” he held up a hoof, a signal to Fancy. The older stallion chuckled and hoof bumped the smaller pony. 

“Quite a show, Pip! Now, let’s see what we’ve uncovered here.” Fancy applied some magic and undid the tape in a sinch. The cover was green and had the words “TOP SECRET CMC PROJECTS” inscribed on its surface in black ink. Cracking it open, Fancy sat down low enough for Pip to get a look at the contents as well. 

The first few pages contained what could be called ‘unsafe’ trips that the trio of fillies embarked on, including going into Diamond Dog territory, scouting out Froggy Bottom Bog, and other dangerous locations. What they both noticed, however, was that only four of the many remaining pages were written in, the rest that followed being blank. 

“No, that can’t be it.” Pip said, worried “There has to be more!” 

Fancy narrowed a brow, determined, and continued to flip through until he hit the second to last page, where there appeared to be an entry written once again by Applebloom. Pip’s eyes went wide with excitement, but his smile soon faded as he skimmed the page ahead of Fancy’s reading. 

“It’s been five days in a row that we’ve all dreamed of that blonde maned filly. I don’t get it! Is Princess Luna trying to tell us somethin?  It’s weird for three ponies to have the same dream right? She keeps tellin’ us to go to the Everfree Forest, to save her. I don’t know what the hay that’s all about, but Scootaloo thinks we should go on ahead and try! Sweetie Belle is very insistent on us not goin’ but Scootaloo is right. If a filly is in trouble, we need to help her! I hate to lie to Sweetie Belle but it seems like the only way to get her to come along. Scootaloo and I came up with the idea of Cutie Mark Crusader Potion Makers, which will take us toward Zecora’s place and we’ll branch off before we get there! I just hope that filly will lead us to where she is. I don’t wanna get lost in the Everfree and Celestia knows I don’t wanna meet another Cockatrice! We’ve got supplies packed and we’re heading out tomorrow! We’re coming, little filly!” 

A pit had formed in Pip’s stomach before Fancy even finished reading and he stepped away slowly. There’s no way...a blonde filly in the Everfree Forest? His heart rate quickened and his lips began to tremble.  

“Pip, are you alright? 

Pip’s eyes stayed focused on the book as he backed into the podium, nearly knocking it over as he tried to stabilize himself. Quickly, he thought of a cover for his reaction. He couldn’t find the courage to tell Fancy. Not yet. “They actually went into the Everfree Forest…”

“It seems that way.” Fancy closed the journal and put in Pip’s bag “We will inform Twilight and her friends tomorrow. In the meantime,” He let out a long yawn and checked his pocket watch, Pip noticing just how tired the stallion actually was “It’s around midnight now. I recommend we find a good place to rest. A hotel, maybe?” 

“Yes that...sounds good.” Pip agreed, his gaze focused elsewhere. Fancy Pants looked at his apprentice with concern but chocked up the behavior to the young one's tiredness. It was way past his bedtime, after all. 

“Come along now, Pip.” 

Absent-mindedly, Pip followed behind as the two left the clubhouse. After he had shut the door, the blank flanked colt looked to the Everfree Forest that lay not far beyond. It towered over the trees of the orchard, the darkness of its leaves contrasting with the bright green of the happy apple trees. It was like a completely different world there. A world of unknown horrors and nightmares that awaited just beyond the bushes. 

As he peered into that mysterious darkness that lay within, he swore he saw a faint yellow glow moving between the trees. 

He then galloped to catch up to Fancy, his heart pounding out of his little chest. 
> Chapter Five: Into the Everfree
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter Five:


Into the Everfree


Celestia’s light shined through clover printed curtains, casting a dull green hue over the rest of the room.

 Fancy Pants rubbed his eyes and groaned as he sat up. 

Waking up in a strange bed without his lovely wife was a minor shock but the memories of the previous day flooded his mind the second he saw his young apprentice laying sound asleep in a separate bed. Without ceremony or complaint, he began his morning routine with the limited facilities available. 

While he was due for a trim, he decided that the Sleepy Sheep inn was not the best place for it as he stared at a pair of well used scissors. He decided instead to tidy his mane with a provided brush, staring back at his reflection with a weary expression. Fancy Pants was in the prime of his life, or so he had been told many times, and he looked like he had aged ten years in just a day. 

“A gentlecolt’s work is never done, I suppose.” He said, slipping on his monocle before leaving the bathroom.  As he walked back to his bed to retrieve his suit, he was surprised to see Pip up and about, already getting dressed. 

“Good morning, Mr. Fancy.” Pip greeted him with a smile, clearly still tired but raring to go anyway. 

“And good morning to you as well, Pip. Did you sleep well?” 

“Yeah, I think so.” He said, rubbing his bed head mane “Can we get breakfast before going to Ms. Twilight’s place? I’m starving.” 

Fancy chuckled “Of course, I am nothing without my cup of chamomile after all.” He used magic to retrieve his brush and began to fix Pip’s rowdy mane. 

Despite the colt’s words, Fancy could still tell something was eating away at his apprentice. He wanted so badly to ask and delve deep into Pip’s problems, but he knew the little pony would get defensive and the duo did have an investigation to finish, so distractions would have to be avoided for now. After everything else, that would be Fancys time to sit down and have a nice long talk with him. He even pondered talking to him about the owner of that golden pocket watch the little colt held so dearly. 

Even if Fancy would be perfectly fine without having that stallion's name grace his tongue ever again.


-----


“So, we weren’t far off.” A now slightly rested Twilight mused as she closed the CMC’s journal. Fancy nodded as he placed a hoof on the table. 

“Indeed. The trio went into the Everfree Forest searching for a golden maned filly they all dreamed about. Whether these dreams were caused by this filly or another outside source, is a mystery.”

Applejack kept her eye on the journal as Twilight put it on the table, disbelief painted on her face as she listened “I don’t believe it! That silly little filly! Going into the most dangerous place in all Equestria ‘cause of some dream!” 

“Maybe they were under a mind control spell or something?” Spike proposed. Twilight looked unsure. 

“Even if they were, why can’t I detect them at all with my locate pony spells? There must be some kind of advanced magic suppression field or maybe a reality warping spell?” 

Rarity sat up, looking uneasy “You don’t think that it could be…” 

“Discord.” Applejack finished, venom practically leaking from her muzzle. 

“No way.” Twilight shook her head “Discord is crafty but we would have heard immediately from the Princesses if he escaped again. There has to be something, or somepony, else at play here.” 

“Umm…” Fluttershy raised a timid hoof “Maybe it’s the Everfree’s natural state of being uncontrollable by ponies? M-Maybe that includes outside magics?” 

Twilight tilted her head in thought “Good theory, Fluttershy but I don’t think that’s it either.” Applejack groaned and stood up.

“All this theory craftin’ ain’t gettin’ us anywhere! Where the hay is Rainbow?” 

“Right here!” a high pitched, feminine voice announced. Suddenly, a rainbow-colored streak shot through the open door and zipped around the room until a cyan, rainbow maned, pegasus fluttered down to the wooden floor, looking brash “Sorry for the wait, Pinkie was gathering some more ponies to help in the search today and I had to evaluate em.” 

“I’m guessing that the timber wolf attack scared off some potential help?” Twilight questioned. Rainbow Dash shook her head. 

“Not as much as you’d think. Ponies around here are really determined to find those kids.” She responded, rubbing a hoof on her chest. Twilight sighed in relief and withdrew a map of Ponyville from the floor and laid it flat on the book display table. 

“Alright, we’re going to divide the teams a little differently this time. Rainbow, you’ll split your group into teams of two to cover the northern and western part of the forest. Applejack, you and…” 

For Pipsqueak, who sat in front of one of the rear room bookshelves, the conversation faded into the background as he retreated into his own mind. His thoughts bounced between many subjects, as normal, but one dominated over the rest. The tall, dark trees of the Everfree Forest had appeared again in his dreams, as did that mysterious filly. Again, she had requested help only to be shadowed by that nearly imperceptible figure. But this time, before he awoke, she showed him something. A natural archway that contained a bright light that penetrated through the infinite darkness of the surrounding forest. He could still hear her last words as her soft, melodic voice echoed in the darkness. 

“Find me, and you’ll find them.” 

“-ip?” Pip raised his head and met the stare of Fancy Pants, a quizzical look on the stallion’s face. 

“S-Sorry Mr. Fancy, my mind was just wandering.” He laughed awkwardly, rubbing the side of his head. 

Fancy looked dubiously at him, but he nodded regardless, despite the fact Pip knew his mentor could see right through his lies “I see. Do pay attention, though. This is quite important.” 

Pip nodded and got to his hooves, following Fancy back to the planning table. 

“-and we’ll meet back here around six. I don’t want anypony in the forest after dark, it’s dangerous enough during the day.” Twilight concluded, rolling the map back up with her magic. She noticed Fancy’s approach and looked at him questioningly “What about you and Pip, Fancy Pants? Are you going to stay here?” 

Fancy shook his head, looking resolute “I’m afraid not, Twilight. I made a vow to these two mares that I would find those little ponies and a gentlecolt never goes back on his word.” 

Twilight looked uneasy, but Rarity and Applejack shot him appreciative looks “Alright then, just stick with Applejack’s group. Fluttershy, are you still comfortable leading the ground group?” 

The yellow pegasus looked as if she were having second thoughts as she looked toward the ground. One look toward Rarity, Applejack and Rainbow Dash, however, caused her to raise her head high. “Yes, I’m ready Twilight.” 

“Alright, everypony. Gather your supplies and meet at your designated points. Those fillies are counting on us, and we’ll bring them home by tonight no matter what!” 

Everypony began to pack their saddlebags with food, water, and search equipment that included ropes, harnesses, a whistle, chalk, flashlights, a single pocket watch, and knives for dealing with vines. Fancy packed for both Pip and himself, looking at his apprentice on occasion to notice a distant look in his eyes. 

“Are you alright with going, master Pip?” He asked, setting the saddle bags aside “You can stay here with Spike if you wish.” 

“No, Mr. Fancy!” Pip yelled rather suddenly, covering his mouth when everypony looked in his direction “I-I mean, no. I’m just a little nervous but I’ll be fine, I promise. A gentlecolt always faces danger bravely, after all.” 

“...and smartly, don’t forget that part.” Fancy smirked and patted him on the head, making the young colt giggle “Stay close to me, no matter what.” 

“I always do, Mr. Fancy.” Pip nodded, the brave smile he put on being an effective suppressant for his addled mind. 

“Alright, Fluttershy and Fancy, follow me!” Applejack shouted and ran out of the open door. Fluttershy strapped her saddlebags on and took flight, following closely behind the Earth Pony. Before Fancy followed, he met Rarity’s eyes and smiled. A smile that held with it the promise he had made only a day earlier. She smiled back, her eyes filled with a renewed sense of hope, something Fancy was all too happy to see.

He then galloped out of the library with his faithful apprentice hot on his hooves. 


-----

The tall, imposing trees of the Everfree Forest were as unnatural as they were oddly beautiful, in Fancy’s eyes. After the ground squad had met up with the volunteer ponies, Pip had told Fancy what he had learned of the location through Twilight’s extensive library. 

While the fact that the Everfree Forest’s creatures and plants acted independently of ponies was not uncommon knowledge, the sheer amount still unknown made the true nature of the forest even more chilling to the average Equestrian, discounting all of the terrifying magical creatures that dwelled within of course. It was one of the few locations on the continent to never be fully mapped, and that was going to make it even harder to find the three little fillies who had gotten wrapped in its clutches. 

Applejack sat a short distance away from the party, looking over her homemade map that had been filled in piece by piece over the past three days of searching. While they waited, Fancy decided to give the volunteers a once over. There were around twenty ponies in the ground team. Large enough to cover quite a bit of ground, small enough to not lose track of anypony. They were split nearly even with stallions and mares, with stallions winning out with eleven. The majority were Earth Ponies but there were three Unicorns, whose magic would certainly prove useful. 

Fancy’s eyes met with a familiar face in the crowd, Caramel. The dark yellow stallion gave him a gentle smile and nodded in his direction when he noticed him, a gesture Fancy returned. 

“Alright, y’all!” Applejack yelled, now facing the group “Remember to stay close until we get to Zecora’s place! Since we searched the north yesterday, we’ll search the western half of the forest this time and only split up when necessary!” She then pointed at Fancy Pants “Fancy! You and Pip get up near the front with me. Gonna need your critical eyes to look for clues!” 

“As you wish, Ms. Applejack!” Fancy responded and marched to the front with Pip only two steps behind. 

“Let’s go, everypony! Keep your eyes and ears peeled! And if we bump into anything dangerous, just leave it to me!” She declared, causing whispers to begin among the group as she turned around. Fancy took notice that, despite the long nights rest, Applejack still had a slight limp from her encounter yesterday evening. She was putting on a brave face and he hoped she wouldn’t get foolish in her efforts. 

The venture into the Everfree was quiet, aside from the cracks of branches and fallen leaves under the hooves of the party. Around five minutes into the walk, Fancy heard the air above him make a whipping sound and he saw several Pegasi streak over the canopy, a rainbow trail leading them ahead. 

“Looks like Rainbow finally showed up.” Applejack snarked and looked ahead “We’re not far from Zecora’s now. Her entry said she got halfway there and split off, reckon?” 

“If everything went according to their plan, I would think so.” Fancy responded and scanned the ground carefully as he went, analyzing every fallen leaf and crack in the dry ground. This is a trail that had been walked many times by many ponies over the course of the past few days, so it would be more difficult to pin down hoofprints belonging to the fillies. The trail continued on, and Fancy kept scanning, adjusting his monocle as he peered into the brush and between the trees. His eyes went wide “Wait just a moment!” 

Everypony in the line froze and Fluttershy yelped at the sudden command and came down to the ground. Applejack was the first to speak up amongst the confused murmurs. 

“Didja find somethin’?” Fancy stepped off the trail to the left and next to a large, dark green bush. His horn lit up with an orange aura and he snagged something small from within and looked it over carefully, humming to himself. 

“Did these fillies carry saddlebags often?” He asked. Applejack nodded. 

“Yeah, Applebloom had a green one I passed onto her but I’m not sure about the other two. Why’dya ask?” Fancy levitated the object over to Applejack, making her squint to see it. It was a light green saddlebag thread. Her eyes widened “Well I’ll be! That looks like the same color but...I dunno. That could be from anypony.” 

“Luckily, that’s not the only clue.” Fancy claimed, his horn lighting up again and producing a red apple shaped patch from within the same bush. Applejack gasped loudly.

“T-That was on her saddlebags!” she exclaimed and caught the patch when Fancy released it from his magical grip, looking downcast “Three days...three days and we didn’t find this until now…” 

“Don’t worry, A-Applejack.” Fluttershy comforted, patting her friend on the back “Now we have a trail to follow!” 

“Fluttershy’s right, Applejack!” Pip explained and pointed into the unknown “We can’t give up yet!”  The orange Earth Pony was silent for a few moments before raising her head and tilting her stetson back. 

“Thanks, y’all.” She smiled and turned back to the rest of the search party “Listen up! We got a rough idea where to search now. I want everypony to split up into groups of four and if you find something or stumble into any danger, use your whistle as a signal. Anypony hears that, you rush to check it out.” She then takes out a stick of white chalk from her bag and begins drawing large Xs on the surrounding trees “We meet back here at four o’clock regardless. Everypony understand? Now move out!” 

With this, the ponies divided amongst themselves evenly, creating six groups of four ponies. Fluttershy was instructed to tie her provided rope around the branches of the graffitied trees in order to form a noticeable square shape that would be noticeable enough to mark the spot as a “base” of sorts.

Fancy’s group consisted of his apprentice, Fluttershy, and Applejack. With the meeting adjourned, the groups went their separate ways. 

Whatever trail the Cutie Mark Crusaders left on their journey had long since formed back into a natural looking forest floor. Meaning that whatever clues they had left behind may have also been affected by whatever weather had occurred within the forest. Hours passed and many stones were unturned, but no whistles were ever set off by the other groups. Fancy and Pip had kept their analytical eyes peeled but hadn’t managed to spot anything else, much to their chagrin. 

Fluttershy withdrew her watch as she munched on a hay sandwich “It’s almost four. We should head back really s-soon.” 

“Have you all noticed anything odd?” Fancy asked, dabbing his face with a silk handkerchief. Applejack looked around; her previous bravado replaced by a waning stoicism. 

“That we haven’t found any clues the past couple of hours?” She kicked a rock idly, knocking it away a couple of inches. Pip didn’t have to look to feel Fancy’s prodding stare on him as he too began to look around. He flopped his ears and focused. 

Silence. 

“It’s...so quiet.” Pip nearly whispered, earning a nod from Fancy. 

“Indeed. For a forest that is infamous for its fill of untamed magical and mundane creatures, it is odd that we haven’t encountered a single one.” 

“That’s a good point.” Fluttershy said, suddenly more alert than before “I haven’t even heard the chirps of birdies since we got in here!” 

“Something fishy's going on…” Applejack slowly rose to her hooves, eyes darting between the numerous trees and bushes that surrounded them “Ain’t that a sign that a really big threat’s around?” 

Fancy adjusted his monocle and rose to attention as well. The evening sun’s rays were casting a dull orange and yellow glow, giving the illusion of fire dancing between the bushes and branches. A light breeze penetrated the silence, the four ponies now standing back to back with their heads on a swivel. 

The stalemate lasted for what felt like hours until a loud whistle went off in the north, followed shortly by the loud snap of a branch. 

Applejack wasted no time “Move!” 

Fancy scooped Pip up with his teeth and placed him on his back as Fluttershy rushed in and took flight behind Applejack “Hold on, Pip!” 

The small colt obliged, feeling the pounding of Fancy’s hooves on the forest floor traveling up the stallion’s shoulders. The trio of retreating ponies ducked and dodged branches and fallen trees, the forest doing its best to work against them every step of the way. 

“T-Timber wolves are behind us!” Fluttershy screamed as she gained speed. 

“Consarn it! Knew they wouldn’t give up!” Applejack yelled and turned to look at Fancy, who was only a pony apart behind her “How good are you in a tussle, Fancy Pants?” 

“I prefer not to fight but-” 

“Mr. Fancy!” 

Fancy Pants turned his head, looking over his scared apprentice. Tailing shortly behind him was something that he could only describe as a mad unicorn pony’s science experiment. What he was looking at did indeed appear to be a wolf. The only difference being is that it was made purely out of wood, the holes it had in place of eyes were giving off the sickly green glow of unnatural magic with teeth like jagged oversized thorns. It was eyeing Pip with predatory intent, its maw wide open as it got ever closer. 

Fancy picked up his pace and was now side by side with the orange mare, his natural tendency for analysis kicking into overdrive thanks to the shot of adrenaline he just received. The environment was littered with potential weapons, excluding the knives they were carrying. Sticks, branches, and rocks of all shapes and sizes littered the ground that could be utilized if needed. His thinking was cut short when he looked ahead and noticed a thick, low hanging branch that would surely bash him in the head if he didn’t act fast. 

His horn began to glow, the intensity of his magic causing the orange aura to ripple around his horn as he pushed the branch out his and Applejack’s way just in time, the cracks of stress ringing in his ears as they passed it by. Then he sighed, releasing his magical hold and letting it fly back. 

A distorted yelp was uttered by the wooden construct as Fancy looked back and saw it split into hundreds of pieces from the impact. 

“Nice work, Fancy!” Applejack howled as the group burst into a clearing. Just then, the orange pony’s previous injuries caught up with her and her knees gave out, letting out a yelp as she tumbled to the ground and collapsed in a groaning heap..

“Applejack!” Fluttershy squealed and quickly descended, the remaining five timberwolves breaking through the bushes and charging toward the two mares. Fluttershy screamed, covering her downed friend before a bright, orange flash lit up the shaded valley. The wolves yelped and Fluttershy heard the sound of them scrambling away, opening her eyes just as the bright light faded. Fancy Pants was sweating and panting as he watched the wolves retreat into the forest, looking down at the two mares. 

“Are you two alright?” 

“Y-Yeah.” Applejack moaned, clearly in pain as she looked up at the two ponies “Sorry y’all, guess I s-shoulda have gone to the doc after all.” 

“Pip, did you remember to pack your basic medical kit in your bag?” Fancy quizzed, still on guard. Pip’s face lit up in remembrance and he leapt off his teacher’s back. 

“Yes, sir!” 
“See what you can do for Ms. Applejack, I have a feeling those creatures will be back soon. In the meantime, Ms. Fluttershy? Could you please hand me your survival blade? You as well, Pip.” 

“Y-Yes.” They said in unison, letting Fancy take them with his telekinesis.

“It’s a shame I neglected to learn any barrier spells.” Fancy mumbled to himself as he fished out his own knife from his pack, giving it a look. Nice and sharp but a little short. “I’ll stand watch, you two focus on-” 

A series of growls from the bushes drew Fancy’s attention and he saw the pack of five had regained their bravery as they inched their way out of the shrubbery. Their wooden teeth bared, they formed a circle around the trio of ponies, more cautious after Fancy’s magic flash as they sized up the stallion. 

“Don’t move.” Fancy ordered. His horn lighting up, he lifted all three knives in front of him and used his telekinesis to move the blades to form a triangle around them, a knife at each point. Then he grunted as the aura intensified and, before Pip knew it, the knives began to spin rapidly around them like a carousel of steel, kicking up a draft that tousled their manes and tails. The brown spotted colt looked up in amazement at Fancy Pants, a bead of sweat trailing down his furrowed brow as he put every ounce of focus into keeping the makeshift barrier up. 

The magic infused predators seemed hesitant to act at first but one of them wasn’t so cautious. It growled and leapt forth, leaping high enough to clear the spinning blades in a single bound. Fancy’s eyes shot to it and, in an instant, the circle moved up to level with the incoming creature. 

CRASH

Instantly the creature was reduced to sticks and logs, its various pieces scattering across the clearing. Suddenly another beast rushed forth, taking advantage of the newly created opening! However, just as before, Fancy swiftly and precisely reduced it to kindling with the buzzsaw barrier. 

Fancy gritted his teeth as he watched the wolves reform, their wooden bodies now scarred from their attempts. While they seemed more hesitant to charge, Pip noticed how they didn’t seem to be in any mood to retreat and one look at his teacher told him that he wouldn’t be able to keep up the defense forever. 

“Ms. Fluttershy, I’ll finish this splint! Grab your whistle and call for help!” He said, loud enough for Fancy to hear over the whirlwind. 

“R-Right! Great idea, Pip!” She exclaimed and dug into her bag, soon producing the small, silver noise maker. Taking a deep breath, she gave a long blow into the device. The drawn out, shrill noise nearly made Fancy lose his focus but the preemptive warning let him hold on just a while longer. The wolves didn’t seem keen on the noise either, stepping back as Fluttershy repeatedly blew into the whistle until they were at the edge of the clearing. Pip watched this in amazement, quickly retrieving his own whistle. 

“Keep doing that, Ms. Fluttershy!” He exclaimed, blowing on his whistle repeatedly as he stared at the timber wolves. The combined, ear piercing sound was enough to convince the monsters to finally retreat. After Fancy was sure they were not coming back, he slowed the rotation of the knives and let out a loud exhale, dropping to the ground in exhaustion, the blades plinking onto the ground immediately after. 

“G-Great thinking, my boy.” Fancy complimented through gasp, slowly raising to his hooves with the aid of Fluttershy and his apprentice “I’m alright, thank you, j-just a bit winded. What about Ms. Applejack?”

The young mare was on her hooves, grimacing “Right as rain, thanks to y’all” she said, smiling through the pain as she shook her splinted leg “That was mighty impressive, Fancy Pants. For a Canterlot pony, anyhow.” She added with a smirk. Fancy chuckled and adjusted his monocle. 

“It was nothing a couple of gentlecolts couldn’t handle, Ms. Applejack.” He smiled down at Pip, who instantly returned it. 

“Something e-else is coming!” Fluttershy announced, pointing toward the south. Everypony got on guard, despite their unlikely chances of winning against whatever lay beyond the shaded trees. All of a sudden, the chirps of a whistle began to ring out and the sound of hoofsteps made the ponies relax as one of the six teams had finally heard them and caught up. 

“What took y’all so long?” Applejack asked the first pony who stepped into the light. Caramel wiped his brow and shook his head. 

“Sorry, Aj, this place is a maze. We nearly got stuck in-” He went wide eyed “Sweet Celestia, Aj! What happened to your leg?” 

Applejack looked casual. “I just sprained it running from some timber wolves, ain’t no big thing.” 

“Timber wolves?!” Caramel exclaimed as he peered around rapidly at every shadow “D-Did you fight them off?” 
“Course we did! Ain’t no way I’d let somethin like timber wolves get in the way of findin’ my little sis!” Applejack declared and winced afterward, holding her leg up. 

“Ms. Applejack, I must ask you to please return to Ponyville.” Fancy Pants chimed in “I respect your bravado and your guts, truly I do, but I’m afraid you’re in no shape to continue.” 

Applejack went red in the face and looked as if she were ready to argue the point to Canterlot and back. But then she sighed “You’re right, I know ya are. But...I can’t just leave.” 

“I made you a promise, Applejack.” He reminded gently before removing his monocle “I’m asking you to leave not as Fancy Pants the gentlecolt detective. but as a friend.” 

She gave him a long look, her green eyes studying his blue orbs carefully as she wrestled with her conflicting thoughts within. At last, after one side had taken victory, she bowed her head “Okay...you win. Don’t let me down, Fancy Pants. You hear?” 

Reapplying his monocle, Fancy nodded resolutely while giving a coy smile “As you wish, Ms. Applejack.” He then looked down toward Pip, mouth open as he prepared to pose a question.

But rather than meeting the enthusiastic face of a young colt, his eyes beheld the cold and grassy carpet of the forest floor. A panicked scan of the valley revealed much the same, Fancy’s chest swelling with a panic he had seldom experienced before as the fact of the matter dawned on him.

Pip was gone. 
> Chapter Six: Welcome to Sunnytown
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter Six:


Welcome to Sunnytown


The crickets had begun their song, their chirping starting as a low ring before picking up into a chorus of cries. Pip heard their melody as he rushed through the forest, every fiber of his being screaming at him for being so moronic, so foolish as to rush ahead by himself. 

But when he had caught sight of...her when he peaked over his shoulder to check for more timber wolves, he knew he had to follow while his mentor and new friends were distracted by the rescue ponies. 

He stopped to catch his breath, the thick, wet air of the late evening Everfree making it harder to keep up his rapid pace. He felt his chest heave as his thoughts turned to Fancy Pants, the sting of guilt making it harder to recover his breath. His head hung low, the doubt and anxiety that hung over him like a dark cloud nearly causing him to collapse. 

But in his peripheral vision, he saw a bright light that made him raise his head instantly. Standing between the gigantic trees, hidden just behind a thin wall of vines, was a grey coated filly with bright yellow eyes and mane. She beckoned him with a hoof and trotted away, the light following her. 

“W-Wait!” Pip gasped out and stumbled as he tried to gallop once more, falling to the moist forest floor. With a grunt, he pushed himself back up and forced himself to run, ignoring the painful protest of his little legs. 

The orange light of the horizon hugging sun was hidden behind countless, menacing looking trees. Were it not for the filly, he would have surely gotten lost by now. But from his short time researching the Everfree, getting lost wouldn’t be the worst thing that would happen to him when night came. 

He had to hope that his hunch was correct and that this filly could be trusted. If not....

He yelped as he barely ducked out of the way of a large spider web, his fear building more and more as he charged through the darkness, that bright light ever just out of reach. 

“‘Find me and you’ll find them’ she said.” He thought, jumping over a puddle “I’m sorry Mr. Fancy. But you’ll understand...I hope.”   

His hoof suddenly caught on something, causing him to scream before he hit the coarse ground with a thud. Pain shot through his tiny body and he rolled over, groaning. His brown eyes went wide when he noticed the filly standing on the other side of the small clearing he had found himself. 

Something that stood out more than her, however, was the object she was standing over: a bright pink bow that had been seemingly untouched by the elements. 

“A-Applebloom’s bow.” Pip muttered as he stood up and cautiously approached, taking it into his hoof. His fearful expression went dour as his thoughts took a dark turn, meeting the expressionless glowing eyes of the filly before him “I-Is she…?” 

She did not respond verbally, choosing instead to turn her head to the right. Pip followed her gaze, seeing another familiar sight only ten hooves away. A blue and white striped scarf was tangled in a bush, briars doing their best to keep a hold of it until Pip pulled it free. 

“S-Sweetie Belle’s scarf…” with both objects in his hooves, he turned to look back at the filly. 

She was gone. Where she had been standing, however, a treaded path that Pip didn’t notice before lay in wait. At the end of said path, sat between a natural archway, was a light that bore a resemblance to the one that mystery filly had been giving off. It almost looked like a doorway of some kind. 

Pip gulped and looked once again at the items in his hooves for a few moments, unsure of how to proceed. “What would Fancy Pants do?” He asked the ribbon and scarf, closing his eyes as terror began to grip his heart and tears began to well up in his eyes. 

The rustle of a nearby bush made him jump, dropping the vital clues onto the ground as he faced the darkness. He backed away slowly, trying to make out any shapes coming through the trees as his lower lip trembled. 

For but a split second, he caught sight of a pair of dark red eyes staring right at him. That’s the moment he dashed toward the light, screaming all the while as his little legs carried him toward what he thought was safely as quick as they could. 

Everything went white when he passed the threshold and his ears began to ring. A sudden dizzy feeling took hold and he came to a standstill, falling onto his haunches as he covered his eyes. 

“Help me!” He cried and curled into a trembling ball, seeking comfort within his mind. He thought of Fancy Pants, Fleur, his grandparents and even his father, mumbling to himself words of comfort. “A gentlecolt always faces danger bravely, a gentlecolt always faces danger bravely, a gentlecolt always faces danger bravely…..” 

“Um, excuse me little guy? Are you okay?” 

A voice. 

Pip’s eyes shot open and he looked up slowly, his body still shaking. He met the face of a gray stallion with a black mane, whose face was one of concern. 

“W-W-Wha…?” 

The pony looked Pip over and smiled “Well you don’t seem to be hurt so that’s good! Lots of dangerous things in the Everfree Forest, yep!”

Pip remained silent, too stunned to speak. He chose instead to observe his surroundings and his confusion only mounted the more he saw. 

It was like a piece of Ponyville had been sliced from the cake of Equestria and dumped into the middle of the Everfree. Cute, square buildings littered the clearing and party decorations were strewn up everywhere. Tables with different confections, such as cupcakes and bowls of punch, were littered about as well. The strangest thing of all was the fact that Celestia’s wondrous light was hanging bright in a slightly cloudy sky.

“W-W-Where am I?” Pip sputtered and rose to his hooves, eyes wide with wonder and confusion as he looked back to the stallion. 

The stranger smiled warmly and waved a hoof “Welcome to Sunnytown, the happiest place in Equestria!” 

“S-Sunnytown?” 

“Yep! Now, I know what you’re thinking,” The stallion gestured with his hoof to the surrounding trees of the Everfree “Why build a humble little village in the middle of the Everfree Forest? Well, the answer is quite simple really!” the grey pony leaned in close, as if he were about to whisper a secret. Pip turned his head and raised an ear inquisitively as the stallion said: “We just wanted to!” 

Pip’s face was a cocktail of confusion and amusement as the stallion chuckled at his joke “Uh huh. But why is it sunny here? It was almost nightfall when I ran in here and-” 

“Whoa whoa, little guy. I’m gonna need a name attached to all these questions you’re throwing at me.” His smile was mischievous “I’m Greyhoof! Town greeter and shindig starter extraordinaire!” 

Pip, remembering his manners, bowed his head “I’m Pipsqueak! My friends call me Pip, though.” He looked around and pointed to the sky “So, about the sun?”

Greyhoof looked up, his smile faltering slightly “Well ya see, I’m not exactly supposed to tell anypony. The head of the village is always going on about ‘keeping need to know things in the know’. You know?” 

Pip tilted his head but nodded slowly nonetheless. It was clear he was either lying or he really was just not ‘in the know’, whatever that meant “Okay then. The party then, what’s the occasion?” 

Greyhoof’s face brightened instantly “Glad you asked! It’s a special day for a special little filly named Ruby today! She’s out and about gathering herbs and we’re gonna surprise her when she gets back!” 

Pip’s eyes widened and he looked back the way he had come. The red eyes flashed in his mind “U-Um are you sure it’s safe for her to do that? C-Cause I saw-” 

“No no no, don’t you worry now! Ruby is the best little forager this side of Equestria! I’ve seen her sneak her way past freaky monsters of all kinds, if you can believe it!” Greyhoof said with a bright smile “Now, enough pounding the greeter with questions! Go on, enjoy the party!” 

Pip’s dubious expression never left, and he turned to look back to where he had come. The natural archway that had guided him into this town appeared to have vanished, replaced instead with a couple of bushes and trees. While Pip had no magical sense of any kind, he knew a thing or two about the subject from his studies and this positively reeked of some kind of magic. 

He resolved to keep an eye out and looked at Greyhoof, smiling “Okay, thank you!” 

With a synchronized nod, the two parted ways as Greyhoof went to look over one of the treat tables. Pip watched him go and noticed something rather odd that had escaped his attention before. 

Greyhoof didn’t have a cutie mark. 

It was not unheard of for adult ponies to lack cutie marks, as Pip had researched himself quite a few times, but it was quite a rarity indeed. He looked down at his own blank flank and sighed. It brought him comfort, in a way, to see a pony so chipper despite not knowing what his special talent was. Turning his attention back to the path, Pip caught sight of a white mare with a red mane sitting idly next to one of the trees at the border of the town, her expression rather morose. 

“A gentlecolt must always help a lady in need.” Pip said to himself and approached her. She didn’t seem to notice him “Hello there! Is everything okay?” 

The mare gave him a passing look before turning her attention back to the tree, a sigh leaving her lips “I’m fine, thank you. It’s just...oh I wouldn’t want to be a bother.” 

“No, it’s fine madam! I’m a gentlecolt in training and I’d love to help, if you’ll let me.” Pip said proudly, his chest stinging slightly as he thought of Fancy Pants once more. The mare gave him a once over and looked past him. Pip followed her gaze and noticed she was staring at a beige stallion standing next to a building farther down the path. 

“Roneo hasn’t talked to me all day. He’s usually so happy to speak to me but he’s been distant and I…” She sniffled, turning away “I’m worried he may not like me anymore.”

Pip nodded “I’ll go ask him for you! I’m Pip, by the way.” 

“Starlet.” She replied, clearly not intent on continuing the conversation. Pip turned to leave and noticed something out of the corner of his eye. She didn’t have a cutie mark either. One is rare enough but two adult ponies without cutie marks? Pip rubbed his chin and hummed to himself. Something was odd here. Tabling the thought for now, Pip continued down the path and made his way over to Roneo, who seemed to be occupied with his own thoughts. 

“Hello, Roneo is it?” Pip greeted and placed a hoof on his chest “I’m Pip!” 

The blue maned stallion looked down at the little colt and quickly looked away “Hi, Pip. I...saw you talking to Starlet. Is she doing okay?” 

Pip looked back over at the mare, who still looked as downcast as she did before “She’s, um, just confused as to why you haven’t talked to her all day.” 

Roneo facehoofed and groaned “I knew it was my fault! It’s just...I got her a really nice gift earlier and I know she’s gonna love it! But I...kind of lost-” 

“There ya are, Roneo!” A chipper voice with a distinct drawl called out, making Pip freeze. Another voice soon followed, this one higher pitched and without a drawl.

“We finally found that gift of yours! It was just lying on the ground near the edge of town!” 

“How in the hay did you lose it over there anyway? You’re such a klutz!” Another filly teased. 

Pip finally turned his head, everything moving in slow motion. Coming down the path that led deeper into town were three little fillies: a light yellow Earth Pony with a red mane, a white Unicorn with a purple and pink mane, and an orange Pegasus with tiny wings and a purple mane. 

His jaw dropped and he took a step back as the fillies approached Roneo, the stallion smiling when he saw them. 

“Thanks, girls! Now I can finally clear things up with Starlet!” He said excitedly and galloped past Pip “Thanks again!” 

Pip stared at the three fillies in disbelief, feeling a sense of relief build in his chest as they finally met his eyes, their expressions curious. 

“Pip? Is that you?” Applebloom asked, tilting her head “What the hay are you doing out here and why are ya dressed like a prune?” 

“I-I could ask you the same thing!” He nearly yelled and bounced in place, ignoring the dig at his suit “Everyone in Ponyville was worried sick about you! I and Mr. Fancy Pants came all the way from Canterlot to help look for you and-” 

“Well you don’t need to worry, we’re fine where we are!” Sweetie Belle cut in with a smile. 

“Yeah, this place is super awesome! Way better than Ponyville ever was!” Scootaloo bounced, fluttering her little wings. Pip looked at them like they had told him they were secretly griffons in disguise. 

“W-What are you three on about?! Your families are worried sick about you!” He pointed to Sweetie Belle “ Sweetie, Rarity is the one who called me and Mr. Fancy here in the first place! She misses you so much!” 

Sweetie Belle kept her smile despite the revelation but for a moment so brief Pip would have missed it if he blinked, her green eyes lost their sparkle of joy and shifted into...something else that the little colt couldn’t describe. 

“She worries too much, just like Applejack!” Applebloom said, giggling “Look around ya, Pip! Didn’t ya notice somethin’? Everypony here doesn’t have a cutie mark!” 

“Yeah! Isn’t that cool?” Scootaloo piped up, resting her right foreleg on Applebloom’s back “Now we don’t have to worry about ponies judging us anymore! We fit right in!” 

Pip looked between the three of them in incredulity, his jaw nearly falling to the forest floor as he listened to the insanity coming out of their mouths and he opened his own to object. 

“Oh, hey you three!” A brown colored stallion with a golden mane trotted toward the little ponies, having come from further down the path where Pip saw even more colorful buildings “I needed your help with bringing out more desserts and-” He noticed Pip and tilted his head “Say, who’s your well dressed friend?” 

“This is Pip! A friend of ours from Ponyville!” Sweetie Belle introduced. The stallion bowed slightly at the colt. 

“Well, howdy Pip! I’m Gladstone, the town baker and decorator!” He said cheerfully “Well, one of the decorators anyhow. Three Leaf is the other one but, to tell ya the truth? I’m way better at it.” He whispered with a laugh afterward “Just joking! Anyhow, since you’re new, would ya like me to give ya a tour of the place?” 

“Ooh ooh! We can give him the tour!” Applebloom chirped, the other two crusaders coming to her side with innocent smiles as they looked up at him. Gladstone pretended to look dubious before conceding with an exaggerated sigh. 

“Alright, you win! Don’t worry there, Pip. Even though they’ve only been here a few days, these little fillies know every nook and cranny of this little hamlet of ours!” Gladstone declared and turned around “Got lots of baking to do before Ruby gets here! Have fun, you four!”

Pip stood there, still processing the last five minutes. He looked at Scootaloo as she came to his side, gesturing down the path with a hoof

“Come on, Pip! I wanna show you this cool little spot over here! It’s right next to the….” 

As the trio of fillies led him around, spouting random bits of trivia about the town, Pip kept his eyes trained on them and didn’t say a word as he tried to wrap his mind around everything. It had been nearly a year since he last saw the girls, and even then, he hadn’t really gotten to know them too well, but they seemed to be acting just like the excitable fillies who had invited him to join their club. It really did seem like they came to this cutie markless town of their own volition. To be free of societal pressures and to be themselves. It was tempting in its own unique way, Pip had to admit. He had his own anxieties about his lack of a cutie mark and stressed over getting it constantly. 

But it didn’t feel quite right to the young colt. He couldn’t put a hoof on it but something about a happy little village in the middle of the Everfree Forest felt...wrong. Even if this place had somehow escaped the notice of cartographer ponies that dared venture into the Everfree, he would have at least expected to have heard of a quirky little village full of cutie markless ponies. 

“Hey, Pip? You listenin’?” 

Pip shook his head as he jumped out of the comfy couch of his brain “What?” 

“We said: that’s the tour!” Sweetie Belle said with a bounce and a voice crack “Wanna go get some cupcakes? Gladstone makes a mean cupcake!” 

The colt looked around and noticed that they had indeed reached what could be called the edge of town. Even though it had felt like an hour's worth of time that he had spent pondering his current predicament, it appeared that only five minutes had passed in real time. With a turn of the head, Pip noticed another trail behind him that seemed to lead back into the Everfree Forest proper, judging from the darkness that lay beyond. 

“Um, what’s that way?” Pip pointed down the path. The three fillies' faces were neutral as they looked past him. 

“Nothing important, don’t worry about it.” Scootaloo said, her voice near monotone as the other two fillies shook their heads in unison. Pip quirked an eyebrow before noticing that, just like Sweetie Belle earlier, their eyes had gone...blank for lack of a better word, the vibrance of life vanishing for only a few seconds. In those different colored pools of faded tones, Pip could swear he saw hints of sadness and fear. 

Then suddenly, everything was right as rain as Applebloom regained her smile “Now, what’dya say to those cupcakes?” 

“I-I’ll pass for now. This place is so cool, I might just wander around and get cozy!” Pip half-lied, his gentlecolt heart stinging him in the process. The trio of fillies looked at each other with raised brows. 

“Alright, suit yourself!” Sweetie Belle responded, seeming to answer for the other two as they all three trotted away and began talking amongst each other. The little colt felt some of his anxiety leave as he sighed. He gave the mystery path another glance. 

“Nothing interesting, huh?” Pip muttered under his breath. His curiosity was peaked at the Crusader’s reactions when he prodded them about it, he had to admit. Then again, going into the darkness and possibly running into that red eyed horror wasn’t exactly high on Pip’s list of ambitions. 

Following the trail back to the building where he first encountered the trio and doing his best to stay out of sight of any of the blank flanked townsfolk, Pip got into the shade and withdrew his notepad. Noticing numerous mud splotches on his saddlebag, he took the time to look himself over. 

“Oh bother.” He groaned as he noticed the poor, dirty condition of his suit “Mrs. Fleur is going to give me an earful for this.” 

Deciding to ignore the physical and metaphorical stain on his gentlecolt-hood for now, Pip began to scribble down some notes. Despite the odd circumstances, it felt rather nice to be one of the first ponies to write something down about a location that was unknown to the rest of the world. It made him feel like Daring Do, in a way, and he couldn’t help but feel giddy about that. 

Just as he raised his pencil from the paper, having just finished his observations, his ears perked up when he heard something odd over the cheers and laughter of happy ponies farther into town. It almost sounded like...weeping? Pip slowly got onto four hooves and put away his things, trying to pinpoint the source. It didn’t take him long to realize it was coming from the very building he had chosen to be his writing spot. 

Looking around to make sure nopony was watching, Pip slowly opened the door. The groan of the hinges made his fur stand on end as the light from outside clawed its way from the floor and to the walls. With the boxes stacked here and there, the location resembled a storehouse of sorts and judging from the cobwebs that lined the wooden ceiling and walls, it hadn’t been used in quite a while. 

Pip stepped inside and carefully closed the door, pulling out his flashlight from the survival pack. Clicking on the light, he used the bright yellow beam to inspect the room to find that one of the storage crates had been moved to clear a path farther into the building. 

“Hewwo?” He called out through a mouthful of flashlight. The only reply he received was the continuous sobs coming from deeper within. Swallowing his fear, Pip crept through the warehouse, navigating the large crates with little issue. Rounding the corner of his sixth crate, Pip nearly jumped when his beam revealed the source of the crying: a light grey mare with a messy red mane. She was too lost in her grief to even notice the light shining on her. 

“It’s all my fault...I couldn’t save them either! T-They...t-they…” She sobbed louder and buried her face into her forelegs. Pip sat the light down and approached the miserable pony, his expression one of empathy. 

“Are you okay?” He asked and placed a hoof on her back. Her reaction was immediate as she screamed and smacked his hoof away, backing away from him as Pip leapt back in surprise. 

“Get away from me you mur-!” Her light pink eyes went wide when she saw the timid little colt “No...they’ve already lured another one here…” 

“W-What are you talking about?” Pip inquired, taking a cautious step forward. The mare’s expression shifted to one of panic. 

“You have to get out of here...you have to go!” She yelled and crawled closer her eyes making her look insane “Please, it’s almost time! You have to listen to me! Run!” 

Pip did not need any more encouragement. Leaving his light, he whirled around and began to gallop through the darkness as quickly as he could. What little light was funneling in through the windows was enough for him to navigate his way back to the door, which he promptly kicked open and threw himself against to shut, gasping for precious air all the while. 

“Whoah, Pip! Are you alright?” 

The colt nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard the squeaky voice from his right flank, turning to see Sweetie Belle giving him a concerned look. For the briefest of moments he considered not saying anything but his tongue moved first “T-There was a pony in there and s-she was crying and I-!” 

“Oh! You met Mitta!” She said nonchalantly “Yeah, she’s sad all the time. Greyhoof said it’s because she had a friend who left the village a long time ago.” 

“W-What?” 

“It’s really sad, I know.” Sweetie tilted her head as he looked toward one of the building's windows. Pip approached her after making sure nopony was staring. 

“Sweetie, there’s something weird going on.” Pip whispered urgently “She told me to run, that it was ‘almost time’. What does that mean?” 

The white filly looked him directly in the eye before biting her lower lip as she looked over to see Greyhoof still near the entrance, seeming to be fighting an internal conflict. The stallion seemed oblivious as he scarfed down another cupcake. She then spoke in an edged hushed tone “Listen, Pip. Go to the edge of town and follow that path. Then you’ll know.” 

“H-Huh?” 

“No more questions.” She shushed him “Go. Now.” Then she walked away, all smiles as she trotted over toward the other two crusaders. 

Pip spared her one more look of confusion as he watched her go before straightening his tie and sighing. The feeling in his chest was a mixture of anxiety and excitement at the thought of having to solve a mystery on his own. He was so used to playing the sidekick, being the little helper who Fancy could bounce ideas off of. But Fancy wasn’t here and while Pip had faith his mentor would find him in no time at all, it was up to him to find out what to do next . Talking to Mitta wasn’t an option as she was too hysterical, despite the pile of questions he had for the mare and while running away was definitely an idea, he simply couldn’t leave without the fillies. This left him with only one option: to follow Sweetie Belle’s suspect advice. 

“A gentlecolt’s work is never done.” He mumbled and began to creep between the buildings, taking the same route he had before to avoid contact with the happy go lucky residents. 

Eventually, he wound up near one of the houses near the edge of town, where Gladstone and Three Leaf were busy putting up a large sign in the center of the villa that read ‘Happy Birthday Ruby!’ in red font. As Pip stepped out of the shadows, the brown stallion turned and looked in his direction, making eye contact and causing the colt to freeze. Either Gladstone didn’t have good eyesight or he simply didn’t care because he turned and went back to whatever he was doing. 

Odd.

Feeling his heart start beating again, Pip galloped behind another building, soon arriving at the mystery pathway once again. The dark that lay beyond the pastel village had only grown more intense and without his flashlight, it would be rather hard to navigate. Pip felt his courage waning the longer he waited, so he took a deep breath and muttered a familiar phrase:

“A gentlecolt always faces danger bravely...and smartly.” 

He took his first step into the cold gloomy forest, the warm light of Sunnytown being sorely missed the farther he went. Briars and fallen tree limbs were a constant threat, the path having been sorely neglected for many years from what Pip could tell. The sounds of the forest were an unwelcome return, with the distant roar of manticores and the loud chirping of crickets only aiding in whittling down Pip’s resolve. He shivered from a sudden cold gust of wind that shook the nearby trees. 

As he rounded a bend in the path he spotted something that made him halt his course. Further along the path was a long abandoned cabin, its wooden exterior long touched by decay and the passage of time, with holes in the walls and moss growing on the logs. What drew his attention immediately, however, was what was talking toward the cabin. Or rather, who. 

The very same filly who had led him here gave off her familiar golden glow as she seemed to float up the small set of stairs, turning her head to gaze at Pip before heading inside the open doorway, her light vanishing afterward. 

“Wait!” He called out and dashed for the dilapidated home, the adrenaline surging in his veins letting him leap up the stairs with ease before he headed inside. The interior was dark and devoid of furniture with glass fragments littering the floor beneath small windows broken long ago. Pip’s nose twitched as he picked up a concerning scent. The floor, walls and ceiling all gave off a strong burnt smell and, thanks to the little amount of moonlight that leaked through the windows, he saw scorch marks that seemed to originate from the fireplace near the back. 

 He approached slowly, hoping internally that Applejack had packed a fire starter and simply forgot to mention it. Suddenly, the moonlight coming from outside seemed to get brighter as a tree in front of one of the windows was blown by a heavy gust of wind that belted against the house. 

The young gentlecolt’s eyes widened and he felt his stomach drop when Luna’s light touched the fireplace, revealing what lay in the ashes. 

The charred skeleton of a young pony, its eyeless sockets seeming to stare back at him as he fell on his haunches. 

Pip screamed. 
> Chapter Seven: A Waking Nightmare
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter Seven:


A Waking Nightmare


Fancy Pants didn’t consider himself to be a superstitious pony. 

Logic and reason were the foundations for being a gentlecolt after all, and he had long stopped being afraid of the dark. However, he had to admit that the moon kissed Everfree Forest was definitely rather eerie and having to track down his young apprentice in this dark, barely explored forest filled with creatures of all kinds made him feel the most scared he's ever felt in his life. 

Yet he kept a stoic air about him, no matter how shaken he truly was. For if he lost his cool, he would endanger both him and the pegasus mare who accompanied him: Fluttershy. 

The split from Applejack’s group had been a rather messy one, with the agreed end time for the investigation, 6 PM, getting ever closer when Pip disappeared. However, Applejack had let Fancy go on one condition: if they took a pack of fireworks with them that Rainbow Dash had acquired from town on short notice. It was an odd request, but it did make sense when she explained it. 

“If ya’ll get in trouble or find Pip, light those suckers up and Rainbow Dash will be there with her team lickety split.” She had said, clearly not eager to enact this plan. Even without the guarantee of assistance, Fancy would have gone alone without complaint. But Fluttershy, of all ponies, had volunteered to tag along with him with the insistence he will need a guide home. 

The unicorn smiled at Fluttershy when he looked back at her, her yellow coat stained orange from the light originating from his horn “Thank you again for accompanying me, Ms. Fluttershy.” 

The mare shook her head, clearly shivering with fright “I-It’s fine. I couldn’t j-just sit by and let you go a-alone.” 

Fancy nodded to her and went back to examining the trail he had picked up. Wherever Pip had gone, he had been in a hurry. His hoofprints were close together and foliage had been pushed aside harshly to clear his path. Further analysis revealed that there were no shadowing prints, meaning he wasn’t being chased or hunted by something else as far as Fancy could tell. 

A distant roar from deeper in the forest made his heart skip a beat and he felt a warm mass rush to his side, trembling horribly. Adjusting his monocle, he continued forward “A manticore. About four miles away, I believe.” 

“T-T-That’s a little close.” Fluttershy got out through chattering teeth as she remained magnetized to his right flank. 

“We should be fine, Ms. Fluttershy. Just stay within my light and everything should be-” 

“L-Look out!” 

Fancy stopped in his tracks instantly and put all his senses of max alert, glancing about for any sign of a threat. Catching a shimmer in front of him, Fancy ceased his swiveling and saw a pony sized spider web woven between two trees, dotted with tens of imprisoned insects. The head sized spider who owned the web was sitting in the dead center before the light shone in its many eyes, causing it to retreat further up the web into the shadows. 

“Goodness. Much obliged, Ms. Fluttershy.” Fancy said with a nod of the head. Casually, he gave the large web one last glance and went to go around it, stopping when he saw something odd. Sitting on the western most side of the web was a small, orange feather that glistened with evening dew under the light. This wouldn’t be so odd, after all the wind could blow any stray bird feather into a spider web, but the shape and size is what caught Fancy’s attention immediately. Carefully, he channeled his telekinesis spell alongside his light spell and gently pulled the feather from the intricate weave, the concentration giving Fancy a minor headache. 

“There we are.” He announced, holding the feather in his aura “Ms. Fluttershy, it is normally unbefitting of a gentlecolt to ask this, but may I please borrow a feather?” 

“O-Oh! S-Sure.” She replied and winced as she pulled a sample from her wing, handing it Fancy with her teeth. 

“Thank you.” He juggled both feathers in his magic and held them close, squinting as he looked at the finer details of the feathers “I see. There is no mistaking it, this is a Pegasus’s wing feather. And the size difference indicates it could only come from a filly.” 

“S-Scootaloo...” Fluttershy said mournfully, head hanging low. Fancy’s forehead creased as he put a hoof to his chin. Coincidences happen all the time, Fancy knew, but finding a clue to his initial investigation while on the trail of his missing apprentice? 

“I feel like we’re getting closer, Ms. Fluttershy.” He declared and put the feathers away in his saddle bag. It was then he noticed just how downcast the Pegasus truly was as she gave a sniffle, keeping her eyes to the ground. He approached her and placed a gentle hoof on her shoulder “We’ll find them, Fluttershy. I won’t rest until I do.” 

She raised her head and forced a smile, nodding as she wiped the beginning of tears from her eyes “I-I know, thank you Mr. Fancy.” 

“Now, let us-” 

Piercing through the night air and cutting Fancy off utterly was a loud, horrified scream that seemed only a short distance away. Fluttershy reacted with a wail of her own and cowered behind the stallion. Fancy’s brain kicked into overdrive as he processed that yell and narrowed the source down to only one result. 

His eyes widened in horror. 

“That was Pip! Ms. Fluttershy, I need you to go find Rainbow Dash immediately!” He nearly yelled as he looked down at her. She recoiled but stood her ground. 

“W-W-What? I can’t leave you, I’ll-” 

“Please, Ms. Fluttershy!” Fancy shouted, guilt piercing his chest for cutting her off “I’ll set off the fireworks when I find him but I need you to go and retrieve Rainbow Dash and her team immediately!” 

The yellow Pegasus looked incredibly unsure as to what to do at first and felt as if the pressure would drive her to tears. Meeting Fancy’s eyes, however, made her pause. A fire burned behind those gentle blue irises, a determination that would move mountains if it meant saving those he loved. 

It reminded her of herself, in a way, as images of a red dragon and a cockatrice flashed in her mind. She bowed her head and rose to her hooves, giving Fancy one last smile before taking flight and weaving between the branches that tried to impede her mission. 

Fancy Pants turned on his hooves and galloped toward the direction of his apprentice’s shriek. 

He just hoped he was not too late. 


-----


“N-No! This can’t be!” Pip screamed as he tried to stand, his limbs heavier than a slab of concrete. He couldn’t take his eyes off of the skeleton no matter how hard he tried, its mouth open to showcase its last living moments of pure agony. 

The floor creaked behind him and he whirled his head around to see the Cutie Mark Crusaders standing side by side in the doorway, their expressions all sorrowful.

“It’s really sad what happened to Ruby.” Scootaloo said, eyes to the burnt floor. Apple Bloom nodded solemnly. 

“Yeah. You followed her here too, didn’t ya Pip?” Applebloom inquired, shaking her head “I dunno why she called us all here, to be honest with ya.” 

“She wanted us to be a part of a community. To be with ponies who would understand us, right?” Sweetie Belle answered, her tone desperate as if she were grasping for the solution herself “Please, you have to-” 

“Join us, Pip.” A fourth pony stepped into view from outside, the three fillies parting to let him pass. It was Greyhoof, who was still all smiles as he looked at the mortified colt “You can be a part of our family too.” 

Pip finally found the energy to stand as he looked between the fireplace and the four ponies before him “What are you talking about?!” 

“She had the mark, Pip.” Greyhoof said sternly, his eyes losing all joy in that instant “I’m sure you’ve noticed, but we all lack the mark as you do. Those marks…’cutie marks’...bring nothing but misery to those who bear them and those who surround them. We did what we had to do to save our village.” 

“You’re insane!” Pip stomped, eyes filled with fury “Cutie marks appear when a pony learns their special talent! The thing that will...g-give their life meaning!” Pip stuttered, trying to find the words in his rage. 

“Oh Pip.” Greyhoof shook his head as if mourning a dear friend before looking down at the Cutie Mark Crusaders “That’s exactly what these fillies told me before we welcomed them into our family.” He met Pip’s eyes again, the spark of life gone from his irises “But don’t worry, you’ll be just like them soon enough.” 

Pip watched in horror as Greyhoof and the three fillies in front of him began to change. Their fur falling from their skin, their bones snapping as their bodies began to shift. Horrific groans emanated from them as their flesh seemed to melt and turn black. Their ribs poked out from their mid sections and their manes and tails were reduced to just a few strands of hair. The colt was backed into the wall, his throat too tight to scream as they all opened their eyes. 

Their red, glowing eyes. 

“It won’t hurt, Pip. Don’t struggle and you’ll finally be happy.” Greyhoof said, his voice seeming to come from everywhere at once. 

They stepped closer, their movements slow and painful looking as Pip finally let out another scream. His eyes shot everywhere but at the four monsters coming toward him before landing on the window that lay just behind him. His thoughts running at a thousand miles an hour, Pip hurled himself through the window and hit the cold ground with a thud, groaning from the impact. 

Not wasting another second, he bolted around the house and back onto the path, with one look over his shoulder to the cabin revealing the four monstrosities slowly making their way after him. 

“She had the mark! She had to go!” Greyhoof’s voice echoed in his mind. Pip ignored him as he came upon the pathway exit and he stopped. The idyllic little village that had been so warm and welcoming was gone, replaced instead with the decayed remains of long destroyed houses, the vines of the Evefree having long since reclaimed the large, dark clearing. Not sparing another look behind him, Pip galloped as fast he could, feeling the fatigue catching up with him as he struggled to jump over the support beam of a fallen house. 

“Just give up. Nopony ever gets away.” Pip turned to see the twitchy, horrifying visage of what must have been Gladstone shambling toward him “You’ll never get the mark. We’ll keep you safe from it!” 

A hit of adrenaline made him finish his climb and he jumped, darting between the ruins at a rapidly slowing pace. He gasped for precious air as he took shelter inside the remains of the former warehouse, the cold chilling his throat and lungs rapidly. He peered into a crack in the wall, noticing the ‘entrance’ where he had met Greyhoof was open once more, the trees having parted. 

A figure suddenly rose into view, its red eye staring right at him. Pip shrieked and jumped back, nearly tripping over a smashed crate as the creature cackled. 

“Come on, Pip! Just let me touch you!” Starlet shrieked maniacally and bucked the door, the weak frame nearly breaking from that one hit. Pip scrambled to his hooves and went to leave out of the hole he came in but saw the maimed form of what must have been Roneo blocking his exit, the red jewel Applebloom gave to him now hanging from his neck, swinging as he crawled into the hole. 

“You’ll be one of us. You’ll be whole, Pip.” he groaned. Starlet delivered one final kick to the door and it splintered into hundreds of pieces. Unlike the others, Starlet was much faster and galloped toward him at full speed, her mouth open to reveal jagged teeth covered in a black goo. Pip knew he couldn’t get away in time and he covered his eyes, screaming as he thought of his mentor one last time. 

Suddenly, a loud crash sounded, followed by a yell from Starlet. Pip opened his eyes and saw the skeletal mare was prone near the eastern wall, apparently having been struck by a flying crate. The colt turned his head and saw Mitta in a bucking position, her form barely recognizable but still more coherent than the rest. The red eyed mare looked at him and pointed to the now open door. 

“Get out of here you fool! Run!” She screamed and ran past him, tackling Roneo to the ground after he had squeezed through the hole, the ‘tink’ of his gem acting as Pip’s cue. 

“T-Thank you, Mitta!” Pip squeaked as he galloped out the door, the path to exit just a straight shot from his position. Getting closer, he could see a faint light in the distance that seemed to get brighter with each passing second. Was it Ruby? Was she trying to lead him out of the village? 

Before he could find out, his knees buckled as his legs finally gave out and he yelped. He hit the ground hard, tumbling forward into the coarse dirt and grass. He moaned in pain and tried to push himself up, raising his head to gaze at the light once more. 

It was gone. 

“Help us, Pip.” The voice resonated in his mind and he recognized it immediately. He craned his neck and saw the deformed versions of Applebloom and her two friends standing side by side, with Greyhoof, Gladstone and what must have been Three Leaf right behind them. 

“We didn’t want this.” Sweetie Belle pleaded, her flickering, crimson eyes dripping with black sludge “I just want to see my sister again. Please.” 

Pip gritted his teeth and fought to stand, barely managing to get to his hooves as he turned to face them. Every bone in his sore body pleaded with him to run as he saw their maws dripping with the dark drool. Whatever remained of his courage, he summoned it as he narrowed his brow and met the eyes of Greyhoof, righteous anger burning in his eyes. 

“L-Let them go, Greyhoof!” He yelled, nearly falling again as he stomped a hoof. A low, rumbling laugh sounded from the malformed creature, giving Pip a headache as it rang in his mind at the same time. 

“It is too late for them, foal. They have been marked by us, forever doomed to roam this graveyard of a village. Forever blessed to never receive ‘the mark’.” He said and stepped forward, pointing a hoof. 

Pip heard the cracking of bones and he turned to see at least ten more of the zombified ponies making their way into the village through his only reliable exit, their groans and moans echoing through the village. The little colt was fully surrounded and the little hope he had remaining began to fade away, his eyes welling with tears as Greyhoof approached him. 

“Give up, Pip. You don’t need anypony else. We’ll keep you safe...forever.” 

From behind, Pip heard the ghoulish screams of the zombie ponies as a bright light bathed everypony in an orange glow. Greyhoof stumbled back, howling along with the rest of the skeletal monsters as they retreated from the sudden radiance and ran further into the village. Pip slowly turned to look at his savior and he let his tears flow freely when his little brown eyes landed on a very familiar unicorn stallion, his horn glowing with his splendid orange magic as he looked down at the little spotted colt with great concern. 

Fancy Pants had arrived. 


-----


“M-Mr. Fancy. Thank Luna you finally came.” Pip exhaled, all his worries disappearing as the stallion took his suit collar in his teeth and placed him on his back. 

“There will be time to talk later, my boy. We need to get out of here.” Fancy asserted and gazed around, his chest tightening at the sight of the nightmarish pony-like creatures that crept just at the edge of the light his horn produced. Such a sight should have only existed in one's nightmares, but if such a place were to bear such monstrosities, it would be the Everfree Forest. 

“He has the mark! He has the mark!” One of them screamed as it pointed at his flank, shocking Fancy with their ability to speak. This phrase was repeated by all except for three of the smaller ones, who averted their gazes when he looked at them. Not wanting to waste anymore time with these horrors, Fancy turned and went to gallop out of the village. His apprentice stopped him at the last second with a near breathless yell. 

“W-Wait! W-We can’t leave Mr. Fancy!” 

“Come again?” Fancy retorted, surprise heightning his pitch “Why ever not?” 

“T-Those three,” he pointed with a hoof at the three little abominations that scutteled farther backward and tried to huddle with the larger creatures “They’re the Cutie Mark Crusaders. You have to find a way to help them!” 

Fancy’s eyes widened and for the first time in a while, Pip heard his mentor stutter “W-What?” 

“Foals! We can’t let them leave!” Greyhoof yelled and waved a hoof “Encircle them! Now!” The cracks of settled limbs filled the air along with the moans of these outwardly undead ponies, their red eyes flickering in the darkness outside of Fancy’s safe zone as they formed a circle that blocked all means of exit. Greyhoof laughed mockingly “You won’t be able to keep that spell up for much longer, am I right marked one? You do look rather tired.” 

Fancy Pants bit his lip, the headache that had settled after the battle with timberwolves a couple of hours ago was resurfacing as the minutes passed. A light spell wasn’t incredibly taxing for a Unicorn but the monster was right. He wouldn’t be able to keep this up forever, maybe another ten minutes at most if Fancy had to guess. The gentlecolt let out a calming breath and raised his head, meeting the eyes of who seemed to be the leader of these creatures.

“I don’t believe we’ve been properly introduced. I am Fancy Pants, gentlecolt extraordinaire and amatuer mystery solver. Might I ask your name?” The expression of the darkness enshrouded undead pony was unreadable, a faint hint of black saliva leaking from his maw. 

“......Greyhoof.” He answered, his tone deadly. 

“Greyhoof? A fine name I must say.” Fancy adjusted his monocle and gave a quick look to Pip, the young pony following his master’s eyes when he faced Greyhoof again. The colt’s eyes went wide when he saw a strange bundle in the bushes to the right surrounded by the orange aura of Fancy’s magic, just outside the circle of skeletal ponies. “Now, if you don’t mind, would you care to explain what you are? I must admit that in all my travels I have never met a pony such as you before.” 

“I don’t know what you're playing at, marked one. This stalling is only costing you time to keep your precious light spell up.” He chuckled darkly “But if you must know, we are the Markless. Ponies who have been blessed with a life free of cutie marks.” He snarled the last pair of words. Fancy nodded his head in genuine interest, clearing his throat loudly as Pip saw the fuse on the bundle of fireworks set alight by a spark of magic. 

“I see, I see.” He nodded, hoof to chin “Now, I have another question for you, if you would oblige a doomed soul.” Fancy tilted his head and gave a calm smile “Do you enjoy fireworks?” 

If Greyhoof had a brow to raise, Pip was certain it would be to the sky at that question “What? Why would you ask-”

What started as a crackle of colorful sparks soon turned into an explosion of colors that shot just over the heads of the clustered group of ponies and non ponies. The loud bang combined with the shower of colors and light that rained down from the sky made the undead group scatter, breaking their formation and forcing Greyhoof to retreat farther into the ruins, along with the other village Markless. 

As soon as this opening appeared, Fancy galloped through it and proceeded into the former village with his light spell still up, easily dodging the frightened undead. Pip held on for dear life, looking at his teacher in amazement. 

“How did you do that, Mr. Fancy?!” Pip shouted over the explosions. 

“I planted them there shortly before I made my entrance, figuring that was the best use for them.” He answered as he jumped over a fallen tree “Now, care to tell me what is going on here?” 

Pip organized his thoughts before taking a deep breath “According to Greyhoof, this village was cursed after they...hurt somepony named Ruby really bad for getting her cutie mark. When the Cutie Mark Crusaders followed that pony here, they couldn't escape and were turned into those...skeletal ponies.” 

“This Ruby, you followed her here too, didn't you my boy?” 

Pip looked down at the grass that rushed by, ashamed as he finally connected the dots. “Yes. Mr. Fancy. I-I’m sorry for running off alone. It was not befitting of a gentlecolt and I understand if-” 

A stone that just barely missed Fancy’s head slammed into the ground and bounced, causing Pip to yelp and turn to see the Markless had regrouped and were in pursuit. Fancy’s hooves pounded the ground as he dodged obstacle after obstacle, his breathing becoming more labored. 

“We’ll have time for that later, Pip. Do you have any clues? Anything that would lead to a solution?” 

Pip’s tongue froze, caught utterly off guard. Usually he was the one asking that. Shaking his head, Pip wracked his brain and tried to focus as Fancy grew nearer toward the path that led back to that awful cabin. 

“Find me.” A familiar and soothing voice said in his mind, making him gasp. Pip looked ahead and gulped. It seemed like they had no choice, even though he would rather be anywhere else right now. 

“Stay on this path, Mr. Fancy and keep going till you see a cabin!” Pip yelled out as he placed all his bets on this one clue. Fancy Pants nodded. 

Their journey was fraught with numerous stones being lobbed their way, with one slamming into Fancy’s side and nearly causing him to fall. Nevertheless he kept going, his light shining the way as his pace began to gradually falter in speed. Just as they rounded the bend and the cabin came into view, Fancy grunted and shut his eyes, clearly in pain. 

“What’s wrong?!” 

“T-They’re bombarding my mind with horrible screaming.” He groaned as his light began to dim “I-I can’t keep focus much longer!” 

Pip whimpered and did not dare look back “Keep going, Mr. Fancy! We’re almost there!” 

Fighting through the mental agony, the gentlecolt grinded his teeth and put every last bit of his energy into that final sprint. It was not long before the stallion leapt up the stairs and slammed the door behind him, catching just a brief glimpse of the sea of red eyes that lurked not far behind. He silently thanked Celestia when he noticed the bolt on the door and promptly locked it, collapsing against it to regain his breath after Pip dismounted. 

“This won’t hold them back for long.” Fancy said through gasps as he dispelled his magic, grasping his head as he winced. The stallion opened one eye to see Pip slowly approach a fireplace, Luna’s moonlight barely illuminating the dark interior. 

“Y-You idiot. How did I know you’d come back here?.” Both ponies' heads jerked to the right to see crimson eyes glowing in the darkness before a figure stepped into the silver light, revealing a dark coated mare with a dark red mane. Fancy’s horn began to glow as he prepared to reignite his horn before Pip intervened. . 

“Mitta! Are you alright?” He blurted and looked at her carefully. The mare was banged up rather badly, her injuries mostly covered up by her dark coat. Fancy sighed and cancelled the spell. 

“You know her, Pip?” 

“She saved me just before you arrived, Mr. Fancy.” Pip smiled at the undead pony. Mitta scoffed and spat up some black goo. 

“Answer me: Why are you back here? Are you trying to save us? We deserve this for what happened to...to Ruby.” She uttered sadly and nodded to one of the windows “You still have a way out. Don’t throw your lives away over those three fillies, just go!” She yelled and weakly stomped a hoof. 

“Sorry Ms. Ritta, but that isn’t an option.” Fancy said evenly “If we can save them, even if there is only a sliver of a chance, we have to.” 
“You have to help us, Ritta. Please.” Pip begged and went to touch one of her hooves only for her to rapidly shuffle away. 

“No! If you touch me in this form, you’ll become one of them!” She screamed incessantly, nearly falling over. 

A loud series of bangs on the door, coupled with the moaning of the monsters cut off the conversation and let everypony inside know the horde had arrived. Fancy looked over to the front windows and could see the decayed black limbs of the undead as they tried to crawl through, their sheer numbers keeping them from piling in immediately. 

Fancy looked at Pip and Mitta, his horn beginning to glow as he got to his hooves “I’ll hold them off, my boy! In the meantime, you and Ms. Mitta will try and solve this mystery once and for all!” 

Stepping away from the door to position himself halfway into the cabin, Fancy channeled his light spell and tilted his head toward the door, causing the undead in the windows to screech as they clambered their way back out of the orange light. 

Pip swallowed hard and looked to the fireplace, both the pressure and the sight of the skeleton filly causing whatever ideas in his head to disappear. Mitta remained where she was, whether out of apathy or despair, Pip could not tell. The little colt closed his eyes and took a slow deep breath, remembering the breathing exercises he practiced with Fleur, time seeming to slow down as he organized his thoughts. 

The curse on the town was inflicted by an unknown source at an unknown date, probably hundreds of years ago judging from how many zombie ponies there were. But if that was the case, why was Ruby’s skeleton nearly perfectly preserved after so long? Well, her fate was the catalyst for the curse in the first place so, in theory, her skeleton might be the vessel perpetrating the curse. Morbidly fitting. Even if this were true, then without the perpetrator of the curse to repeal it, then knowing this would solve nothing. 

Unless…

Pip let his brain go off the rails as he processed a truly far fetched idea. What if the one who instilled the curse was no individual shaman? What if it was the Everfree itself? It sounded ridiculous but the Everfree truly was like no other location in Equestria and seemed to possess magic in and of itself. So what if….

Pip opened his eyes and time resumed its normal flow. He looked at Mitta with a determined expression. “Mitta, do you know who cursed the village in the first place?” 

She looked up from the floor confused “No. It just happened after what we...did to Ruby.” 

Score one for his theory “If we end the curse, what will happen to Applebloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo?” 

The dark mare looked skeptical, the screams of the horde making her wince “Even if you were to miraculously know how to end all of this, they’ve already been claimed by the curse. There is no way out once you’ve been converted as far as I know.” 

“But they were only recently converted. Is there a chance they might return to normal?” Pip asked desperately. Mitta’s dubious expression didn’t leave. 

“I don’t think curses work like that kid.” She shook her head but gave the colt an impartial expression “But...I guess I don’t fully understand it either. Maybe there is a chance? Are you asking because you figured something out?”

Pip looked unsure as he turned to the fireplace “I have an idea but I...don’t know if it’ll work. Can you help me...get Ruby out of there?” 

Mitta shook her head and showed off her front forehooves. Only now did Pip notice the numerous burn marks on her hooves and upper legs “We can’t touch her without being burned. I’ve tried for so long to get her out of there but, even without flames, it feels like the fire is still burning around her.” 

An uneasy Pip closed his eyes as his throat tightened. “Okay, I’ll see what I can do.” 

Slowly, the young gentlecolt brought his hooves to the ash covered pit. His heart beat rapidly as he stared into the vacant eye holes of the skeleton that seemed to meet his gaze, his forehead growing damp with sweat. With great hesitation, he touched the skull between its eyes. 

Nothing. That was a good start. 

Feeling the pressure decrease in his chest, he carefully began to pull the skeleton from its resting place. Despite improbable odds, it held together perfectly. Mitta watched but Pip was unable to read her expression. 

“I never thought I’d see the day…” she said in awe, reaching a hoof toward the skeleton but refraining from making contact “What now?” 

A good question. The little colt did not see any way to get outside and enact his plan without going through the door. The door that was currently being beat on by the undead horde that wanted nothing more than to get their hooves on them.

“Mr. Fancy? Are you doing okay?” 

Fancy grimaced but managed a nod without turning his head “I’m holding up alright. Did you figure it out, Pip?” 

“I believe so. But we need to go outside for me to truly solve this mystery, Mr. Fancy.” 

Fancy looked out of the corner of his eyes and noticed that his young apprentice was carrying a young pony skeleton with his hooves. He only just managed to suppress his look of horror before turning his attention back to the door “Alright, I’ll trust your judgement my boy. Ms. Mitta, if you don’t mind I’d like you to-” 

“I’ll go out the back window and see what I can do from there.” She cut in and limped her way over, giving the duo one last look before she crawled out “Good luck you two.” 

Fancy Pants grimaced as he watched her go and allowed his magic to flow freely once more, lighting up the whole cabin with ease before looking back at his apprentice “Stand back, young Pip.” 

With his headache growing stronger, Fancy winced as he dimmed the light and channeled his telekinesis, undoing the lock and swinging the door open in short order. The result was immediate as the undead ponies who had piled up against the door were sent reeling back, letting out horrific screams as they climbed and trampled over each other to get away from the light. Pip looked past and felt his heart stop. In the short time they spent in the cabin, a thick fog had descended upon the forest and coated everything in a thick cloud that nearly blinded the duo. Even through this mist, Pip could see that the numbers of the Markless had grown considerably, seeing at least a hundred red eyes gazing at them as they gave the cabin entrance a wide berth, resembling a sea of crimson that threatened to pull them in with its dreadful current if they got too close. 

“Stay close to me.” Fancy muttered warily as he descended the stairs, Pip following close behind as he carefully pulled the skeleton with his forehooves. The moans that echoed all around them was a symphony of terror that made the gentlecolt’s skin crawl. 
“T-This should be far enough.” Pip said the second their hooves touched soil, gently placing the skeleton down before he dug through his pack, sighing in relief when he found a small garden shovel in AJ’s survival pack. It wasn’t perfect for the job but he didn’t complain as he stuck the shovel into the earth. 

“They have the body of the betrayer!” A fanatical voice yelled from the crowd, resembling Gladstone’s, causing the moans and groans of the group to turn into animalistic snarls and growls. 

“And just what do you plan to do, Pipsqueak?” Greyhoof asked, his calm yet stern tone silencing the surrounding horde “Do you think burying her will do anything more than taint this already rotten forest? She was better served as kindling!” He yelled, quickly losing his cool. 

Pip ignored him as best he could, the rage making him sweat as he gripped his tiny shovel harder in his teeth and dug quicker. 

“I believe your quarrel is with me, Greyhoof.” Fancy intervened, clearly upset as he fought through his splintering headache “Tell me, where are the Cutie Mark Crusaders?” 

Silence reigned for a few moments before the stallion saw three pairs of eyes that came up to his knees at the edge of his safe zone. He could feel their turmoil just from how they looked at him.  

“They are here, safer than they will ever be in a world that deems Marked Ones as more worthy than those without.” Greyhoof declared plainly “You were better off remaining in your ivory tower...Fancy Pants, was it? Why couldn’t you just leave us in peace?” 

“Apologies, but I have a bad habit of sticking my nose where it doesn’t belong.” Fancy gave a smirk before squinting, trying to keep his focus “I also know evil when I see it, sir Greyhoof. If you had simply kept to your own devices and left innocent ponies alone, then I wouldn’t be here and you would be free to stew in your mistakes.” 

“I protected this village when nopony else would!” Greyhoof screamed, his voice penetrating Fancy’s mind harshly and causing the light field to flicker “She had the mark! She had to go!”  

This phrase was echoed hundred fold by the surrounding undead, the pressure of which caused Fancy to drop to three hooves, his eyes closed as he put everything he had into his magic “Hurry, young Pip. I-I can’t keep this up much longer.” 
The little pony felt light headed from his constant shoveling, his own body about to give out as well from the lack of food and sleep. Overlooking his progress and comparing it to Ruby’s skeleton proved unfavorable. 

“I just need a little more time, Mr. Fancy!” Pip called out and continued, his neck sore from his efforts. 

“You’ll never dig a hole deep enough in time with that puny thing!” Greyhoof laughed mockingly before waving a hoof “Get ready for a feast, everypony!” 

Fancy’s eyes cracked open, his vision blurry. He analyzed the odds of making it out and, while he was used to solving near impossible odds, this seemed like a tough puzzle for him to solve. Thoughts of his wife filled his mind and he bared his teeth in defiance as he fought to stand upright once more and backed closer to Pip. If he had to guess, he had maybe another minute before his magic ran dry and left them vulnerable. He opened his mouth to say something, to tell Pip he was sorry for failing him and how he should have been a better mentor. 

But before he could utter such words that would tempt fate even more, a loud shrill cut through the air and he saw one of the undead ponies pushing through his magic light. Pip jumped out of his small hole and his jaw dropped.

It was Mitta and she had a large rusted shovel in her teeth.

“M-Ms. Mitta! You can’t stay in the light, it will-” 

She fought through the horrible burning sensation and planted the shovel into the hole, screaming out “S-Shut up and let me h-help somepony for once in my pathetic life!” 

Fancy Pants didn’t say anymore and nodded resolutely, this act giving him enough will to hold on longer than before. 

“You were always the weakest of all of us, Mitta! No resolve, no drive to protect the ones you claimed to love!” Greyhoof yelled. The mare ignored him. 

Pip watched as Mitta began shoveling, quickly helping out as best he could. Her fur was sizzling harshly under the light and the colt was tempted to tell her to stop for her sake. But her eyes burned with the same intensity as her body and he knew no amount of begging would stop her. With both of their efforts, it was only half a minute before they had dug a deep enough hole. 

“N-Now, get her in there!” Mitta exclaimed and dropped on her haunches, trying her best to shield her face as she whimpered in agony. Pip wasted no time as drug Ruby’s body into the hole and began to rapidly kick the dirt mound into its proper place. Once it was filled, Pip stomped it firmly and collapsed atop it in exhaustion, his whole body past the point of exhaustion as he closed his eyes and began to pray for a miracle. 

The hum of Fancy’s weakening magical aura was all that filled this section of the forest for what felt like hours, the mist seeming to grow thicker around the small cabin for each moment that passed. A collection of terrible laughs broke the silence, Pip’s eyes opening in shock. 

“Too bad, foals. This is what happens when you trust a marked one, Pip.” Greyhoof taunted and stepped forward, Fancy’s light flickering as he sat on his flanks, eyes twitching from effort before he finally fell over, collapsing from exhaustion with a groan “Don’t worry though. As I said, we’ll keep you safe…FOREVER!” 

Then the horde began to approach, maws open and leaking their blackened saliva in anticipation. Pip shut his eyes and began to cry, looking over at his heavily breathing teacher “I’m..sorry Mr. Fancy Pants. I...failed.” 

“I-It’s o-okay, my boy.” Fancy managed to say and tilted his head to smile at his apprentice “But I wouldn’t, urgh, count us out just yet. Look.” 

Pip raised his head with great effort and noticed that the horde had...stopped. Their red eyes were still focused on the downed duo but they seemed to be unable to move, their undead forms twitching with effort as their scarlet eyes began to flicker. The mist that surrounded all within the area began to swirl. It started slow at first before the wind began to pick up like a tempest, forming a funnel that, when Pip looked up through squinted eyes, allowed him to see the moon shining down upon them 

“What is happening?! What did you do?!” Greyhoof yelled and darted his eyes to his now frozen companions “Get them! Get them you foals!” 

His words fell on deaf, undead ears as the hundreds of monsters remained motionless. Then, one by one, they began to turn to dust and were swept up into the small cyclone. Pip heard Starlet cry out and attempt to rush over to one of the undead stallions. 

“R-Roneo, help me!” She screamed before being reduced to dust, the same thing happening to the heartbroken stallion before he could respond. Greyhoof began to panic as he witnessed Gladstone silently accept his fate, the leader attempting to flee in terror before he was swept up and disintegrated with the rest. 
“W-What’s going on?” Pip cried out over the rushing winds. Just out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a bright, golden light. He saw Ruby standing next to Mitta, who was looking up at the small filly, her eyes leaking blackened tears. 

“I’m so sorry R-Ruby. I should have stopped them, I-” her words were cut off by Ruby placing a hoof on her cheek. The grey filly gave a soft smile and shook her head.

“Everything is okay now, Mitta. We’ll finally be together again.” Mitta broke down into sobs, her smile remaining when she turned to face Pip one last time. She mouthed the words ‘thank you’ before turning to dust. 

Ruby stood still for a few moments as the wind began to calm before looking at Pip and Fancy Pants, giving them a smile “I’m sorry I dragged you into this, Pip. Thank you for all you’ve done for me and my friends.”

Pip blinked, realizing only then that he was crying. He sniffled and wiped away his tears “Y-You’re welcome, Ruby. I hope you can rest in peace now.” 

She closed her bright yellow eyes, nodding happily before pointing past the two gentlecolts. Pip followed her hoof and covered his mouth. The three Cutie Mark Crusaders were back to normal and laying in the dirt unconscious, tangled together from their efforts to stay grounded. Before his gratitude and joy could be expressed, the colt turned to thank the ghost filly one last time. 

Alas, she was gone. 

The wind had died and was quickly replaced with the cries of crickets and other nocturnal creatures, the two gentlecolts remaining prone as they basked in the moment of peace. 

“Well done, my boy. I knew you could do it.” Fancy Pants chuckled, moaning in pain afterward “I could use a nice cup of tea. How about you?” 

Pip finally found the energy to laugh “I want a fat hay burger with some fries. Tea after, if that’s alright Mr. Fancy.” 

The pair laughed together as the stress of today began to melt away, the soreness of the past hour catching up to them quickly. It was not long before they heard the whoosh of something flying overhead, making the duo look up to see a squad of pegasi circling the clearing with intent to land.

“Good work, Ms. Fluttershy.” Fancy said as he tiredly got to his hooves “I knew I could count on her.” 

Pip glanced back at the trio of fillies as Fancy shakily grabbed him and placed him on his back, feeling his chest swell with joy and pride as his eyes went to close. The last thing he saw was the blurry sight of pegasus ponies hitting the ground near the Crusaders, followed by the unintelligible cries of Fluttershy. 

He then fell into a deep, peaceful sleep. 
> Chapter Eight: The Way Home
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter Eight: 


The Way Home


Pip’s eyes opened slowly, the first thing he saw being the white glow of a fluorescent light on a plaster white ceiling.. He winced and raised a hoof to cover his face, groaning as he felt soreness all over his body from the motion and he spared a look around the room. A nearby half curtained window offered shade to his bed and showed the green hills of Ponyville in the distance. The calm light of the morning sun eagerly invited itself in and bathed the floor and opposite wall in a relaxing yellow gleam. A door sat just across from him, half cracked to let in a touch amount of light from the hall and he could faintly hear voices from deeper in the building. 

“Good morning, my boy. You slept well, I imagine.” Fancy Pants sat next to him in a small chair, a steaming cup of tea within his magical field as he smiled down at his apprentice warmly. Pip noticed a similarly floral scented hot cup of liquid next to his bed. 

“Good morning Mr. Fancy. W-Where are we?” 

“The hospital. Ms. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash were insistent we come here right away after our little venture. I didn’t argue.” He said and sighed, his expression shifting to one of worry “How are you feeling?” 

“Never better.” Pip grunted and tried to sit up, leaning against his large pillow. His eyes widened with panic “Wait, where are the-” 

Fancy silenced him with a hoof and pointed to his left, revealing three beds adjacent to his that had a familiar filly in each one sound asleep and breathing softly. Next to these beds were different ponies for each filly. Applebloom’s bed had Applejack, a large red stallion and a rather old green mare. Sweetie Belle’s bed had Rarity and Scootaloo had two mares next to her bedside, a beige pony with a dark blue mane and a pale amber colored mare with an orange mane. Everypony was asleep in their chairs, some using the beds before them as a makeshift headrest. 

“They are perfectly fine according to the doctors. We just have to wait for them to awaken.” Fancy said and leaned back in his chair, finishing his tea with a final gulp. Pip sank into his bed, relieved as he listened to the low hum of the hospital lights above. The memories of the previous night came in flashes, different emotions rising and falling as he sorted through everything mentally. One event stood out, occurring even before the nightmare inducing Markless ponies: when he had abandoned his mentor and his new friends. 

“Mr. Fancy?” 

“Yes, Pip?” 

The colt remained silent for a few ticks before he hesitantly looked to his teacher “I’m...sorry for what happened last night. I was rash and didn’t act as a proper gentlecolt would.” These next words were extremely hard for him to say as he gripped his sheets. “I understand if...you don’t want me as an apprentice anymore.” 

Fancy didn’t respond immediately, seeming to ponder the colt's words carefully before the sparkling sound of his magic filled the air as he refilled his cup of tea, taking a sip before he met his apprentice's eyes with an understanding expression. 

“Have I ever told you of Brisk Bronco, my boy?” He asked, keeping his voice low. Pip put a hoof to his chin to ponder before a memory struck him, making him gasp quietly. 

“Wasn’t he that really famous gentlecolt who disappeared from the public eye about...ten years ago?” 

“Indeed. He was the envy of many of the Canterlot elite, being the pendulum that swung public opinion of anything to either extreme without even trying.” Fancy started with a sad smile as he stared into his cup “Many ponies called him the greatest gentlecolt in Canterlot history and he was offered many public positions on that fact alone. But he never once considered accepting. Not out of arrogance or some petty desire to be different, he was just...a gentlecolt, and he thought of himself as nothing more or less than that.” 

Fancy swirled the liquid in his cup, looking up to see his apprentice listening intently “Anyhow, one day a rather arrogant and ruthless business pony who was an up and comer in the Canterlot elite world decided to challenge him to a public fencing duel for the title of greatest gentlecolt in Equestria. He was young and Brisk was getting grey hairs so he thought he had a chance.” Fancy chuckled after sipping some tea “It wasn’t even close. So thoroughly was he humiliated, the stallion clamored to Brisk Bronco’s hooves after the event and begged him to teach him everything he knew.” 

Pip listened intently and he gradually pieced everything together, his expression becoming more surprised before Fancy finished with a light smile and a laugh “That arrogant upstart was me and it was the best duel I ever lost.” 

“M-Mr. Brisk Bronco was your mentor?!” Pip nearly yelled, covering his muzzle afterward and shooting the still sleeping fillies a quick look “Gosh, Mr. Fancy, that’s incredible!” 

“It wasn’t for a while,” Fancy admitted with a self-deprecating laugh, fixing Pip with a gentle look “But I told you this to say that becoming a gentlecolt is a long process, my boy, filled with mistakes and trials. It’s a team effort between master and apprentice, where being in sync is incredibly important.” 

Pip bowed his head to gaze at the white sheets, his shame coming back ten fold at his teacher’s words. That was until he felt a hoof placed on his bed, causing his eyes to meet Fancy’s. 

“I’m very proud of you, Pip. Without you, those girls would have never made it home. All I ask is that we work more on our communication skills in the future. Is that acceptable?” 

Pip brightened up immediately “Yes sir, Mr. Fancy.” 

Fancy Pants gave the colt a light pat on the head and stood up, nodding unsubtly to the now lightly steaming cup next to the bed. The brown eyed colt didn’t need any more hints as he reached over and softly sipped the cooled tea. chamomile. A flavor Pip used to despise but came to love just as much as his mentor as the months had gone on. The relaxing effect the drink had caused him to lean his head back onto the pillow, sleep threatening to take him again. He felt the sheets move on their own to cover him once more, the light sparkle of Fancy’s magic being the culprit as he set the tea back down. 

“Get some more rest, my boy. I’ll be here when you awaken.” 

The little Earth Pony nodded and let his heavy eyelids fall closed, snuggling deeper into the covers as he heard the hoofsteps of Fancy making his way to the door. 

Sleep soon claimed him once more. 


----


Standing outside the hospital, Fancy Pants drank in the morning atmosphere. The early hours of the day were always his favorite time to be out and Ponyville only made him enjoy it more. The quiet in the streets as ponies were only now being aroused from their beds to attend work, the cooler air, and the sheer beauty of the sky. The pegasi had done a marvelous job with cloud placement and formation on this particular day, the usually silver-white marshmallow like puffs had been smeared across the sky like a splatter of ink on a table, the glow of the sun making them a beautiful rose and orange color.

 It was almost storybook really, the perfect scene after a mystery well solved. 

“A beautiful morning, isn’t it?” 

Fancy craned his neck to see Rarity exiting the building, her eyelids still low as she let out a yawn and made her way to the stallion’s side. 

“Indeed. How did you sleep?” 

“Better than I have in months.” She said without hesitation and stared into the rolling hills of Ponyville, giving Fancy a heartfelt smile “I was so caught up in my joy last night that I didn’t get to thank you properly so…thank you for bringing my sister back to me, Fancy Pants. I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you.” 

“Consider it as simply a favor for a good friend, Rarity.” Fancy adjusted his monocle, returning her smile “Though if I am being honest, Pip is the one you should be thanking. Without him, I never would have solved this case.” 

Rarity nodded and glanced at the glass entrance door, her reflection staring back “How is he doing, by the way?” 

“He just needs another hour or so of rest and he’ll be right as rain. It was a long night for the both of us.” Fancy answered and bowed his head. A quilt of quiet smothered any conversation for a good minute as they admired the view presented to them, Fancy’s thoughts idly trying to wander to images of the Markless before he abandoned that train of thought before it even left the station. 

“Cake frosting, eh?” 

The Unicorn mare giggled and shook her head “It’s silly but I knew if I wanted to give my letter the proper identifier, that’d be the one to get your attention.” She joked, pausing before turning to face the stallion completely. “Honestly, when I first penned that letter, it took everything I had to send it. I had no idea if it would be lost in the sea of letters you already receive or if maybe it would be too mundane of a mystery for you after that whole Phantom of Canterlot business.” 

“The thrill of solving a mystery is measurable only to the stakes involved.” 

The mustached gentlecolt was silent as his words from the morning prior ran through his mind and he grimaced, looking away for only a moment to hide the expression. 

“I must admit that, for a time, I was caught up in trying to find my next Phantom of Canterlot. I fell into the mindset that seemingly mundane mysteries were not as significant as something like a grand conspiracy.” Fancy glanced at the hills as the sun had risen above them, smiling “But now I remember why I started doing this in the first place. Not yearning for the thrill of the solution but for the happy faces at the end, the process of learning and growing through it all. That is what a true gentlecolt strives for.” 

Rarity stared at the well dressed stallion, awestruck for a second before lightly laughing and covering her mouth with a hoof “Forgive me. That was beautiful, Fancy Pants, but you sounded just like a mystery novel character from a series I peruse every once in a while.” 

Fancy chuckled “Ponies do say I have a flair for the dramatic.” 

Further conversation was halted when the sound of the hospital doors being shoved open drew their attention, their eyes beholding a heavy breathing yet ecstatic looking Applejack. 

“They’re awake!” 

Letting out a gasp, Rarity exchanged a quick look with Fancy Pants before rushing inside with Applejack, leaving the stallion alone again as he heard distant cries of joy from behind the glass doors. With that free moment, he regarded the wondrous city of Canterlot on its far off mountain perch, the city sparkling under the glow of Celestia’s golden light like a gem as it cast a brilliant shadow on the valley below. No matter how much he had grown to love the scenic Ponyville, his heart yearned to trot on the shining streets of his home city once more. 

“Fancy Pants? Are you alright?” 

Exiting his daydream rather abruptly, he blinked and refocused to see Twilight Sparkle giving him an odd look, brightening when he acknowledged her. Even with just two nights worth of sleep, the purple Unicorn looked significantly better than when Fancy first arrived. 

“My apologies, I was just thinking of home.” He admitted, clearing his throat as he tilted his head toward the hospital “The Crusader’s have awoken from their slumber, if you were curious.” 

“Oh my! That’s great news!” Twilight exclaimed, a relieved sigh following “Spike couldn’t wake me up last night after Rainbow stopped by to tell me the news, that’s the only reason I wasn’t here earlier.” She tilted her head curiously. “He said she talked about finding you guys in a destroyed village of some kind. What happened out there?” 

Fancy looked away before answering “I’m afraid I am not sure, Twilight. It was all a rather strange affair and I’m still piecing the answers together myself.” He paused and shook his head “Anyhow, what matters is those fillies are safe and sound. If you prefer, I’ll send you a letter detailing everything when I get back to Canterlot.” 

“That sounds like a great idea.” She nodded empathetically and strolled past, making her way to the doors “We all deserve a bit of a break after how hectic the past three days have been. Let’s go celebrate with everypony, yeah?” 

Fancy Pants smiled, taking one last look toward the thankfully distant Everfree Forest to the south. 

“I would like nothing more.”


—-



One Week Later


There was a tense silence amongst a small restaurant in Canterlot.

 The Spiced Peach was a rather well known establishment, having garnered a fantastic reputation due to the frequent visits by certain ponies of high status and reputation. Its peach cobbler, or the ‘Blanketed Peaches’, was a rather well known delicacy in the northern parts of Canterlot, especially when topped with their home made vanilla ice cream. Recently, however, the establishment had come under fire due to its unwillingness to serve said dish for the past four days, giving half-baked excuses as to why. But why would a restaurant refuse to serve its most prized dish?

That was the question the crowd who was on the edge of their seats was hoping to have answered as they watched a white, well dressed Unicorn pace back and forth in the body of the establishment. Sitting off to the side, notepad in hoof, was a young Earth Pony colt who watched with silent confidence. 

The stallion stopped in his tracks, adjusting his monocle as he scanned the crowd. His expression remained neutral as he turned to his apprentice. 

“Care to join me on this one, Pip?” 

The young pony gasped and eagerly nodded his head, jumping out of his chair and trotting up to his mentor’s side. They smiled at each other before closing their eyes in sync. 

“The one responsible for this…was you!” 

The audience gasped as the duo’s hooves stabbed through the air like fierce javelins as they yelled in sync, their target being a brown unicorn stallion with a floppy blonde mane. The pony gasped and darted his head around, seemingly trying to find a way to escape before giving up with a dramatic sigh.

“What? Absurd!” He yelled as sweat began to form on his brow “What evidence do you have?” 

“More than enough, Mr. Trenderhoof.” Fancy said and produced a dirty clipboard from his saddlebag “This order form you tried to discard was signed exactly four days ago by you alone, meaning that you never sent out the order for the peaches this establishment needed for its prized dish.” 

“And let’s not forget how you tried to cover it up with this weird…calling card you drew in crayon.” Pip added, pulling out a poorly drawn picture of a shadow shrouded pony posing menacingly, the words ‘Stolen by the Phantom’ written underneath. 

The Unicorn looked between the two and then toward the black coated Pegasus mare who ran the establishment, Midnight Song, and sighed in defeat. “Alright, I confess! I didn’t mean to cause such a commotion! When I went to sign the paper, somepony bumped into me and it ruined my signature! I tried to rewrite it but it was too late, my name had already been tarnished! So I threw it away and lied to buy time until I, Trenderhoof, could come up with a brand new recipe to shock the cooking world and save the business!” 

“You hurt my sales because you messed up your signature?” Midnight Song asked, eye twitching. Trenderhoof rubbed his hoof on the ground and nodded shamefully. 

“Yes, my lady. Can you ever forgive me?” He pleaded with big eyes. The mare looked as if she wanted to explode and bared her teeth in preparation to scream at the stallion as her eyes widened. 

“Mrs. Midnight, if I may?” Fancy cut in, sensing the incoming assault “I know Mr. Trenderhoof well enough to say that this was not done out of malice. While he is a rather…interesting fellow, he simply messed up and I wouldn’t be too harsh on the boy.” 

The Pegasus stared daggers into the brown stallion and blew her white mane out of her purple eyes. Eventually she expelled her anger in a long sigh, Pip swearing he could see steam leave her ears. 

“Alright, Mr. Fancy Pants.” She conceded and stabbed a hoof toward Trenderhoof “You get one more chance, mister! But if something like this happens again, you’re fired!”

Cheers erupted throughout the restaurant as Fancy Pants beckoned for his apprentice to follow, the pair exiting the business as casual as possible. When they found themselves on the late evening streets of Canterlot, the streetlights just beginning to turn on, Fancy grinned at his apprentice as they started the long walk home.

“Great job, my boy. That was a rather quick case, was it not?” 

“Yep! That makes five in one day, Mr. Fancy!” Pip said with a bounce, marking down something in his notepad prior to glancing at the sky “We might still have time to do one more!” 

Fancy Pants let out a yawn and shook his head “Apologies Pip, but I believe that’ll be enough for the day. Plenty of time tomorrow to comb through more of those requests.” 

The colt looked disappointed as he put away his notes but brightened up not soon after “Oh! I had another dream with Luna last night!” 

“Really?” Fancy asked with a smile “What was it about?” 

“We were walking and talking in this beautiful moonlit valley and there was a silver river and…” Pip went on, ecstatic and full of energy like he had just woken up. Fancy was glad for the boy. The first few nights at home had been rough going, the poor lad waking up from horrible nightmares involving Greyhoof and his Markless. A quick letter to Princess Luna had taken care of the problem, thankfully, with the mare doing her best to safeguard his dreams. 

“Fancy Pants! Waaaait!” Quirking a brow, the two turned and saw none other than Trenderhoof galloping down the street, stopping before them as he spoke through his gasps “I…wanted to…thank you for…helping me keep my job!” 

“It’s no problem at all, Trenderhoof. Might I ask why you’re working there in the first place?” Fancy prodded. The blonde maned Unicorn laughed nervously. 

“Well, my latest pieces haven’t been doing too well and my book deal fell through again so I’ve been doing my best to make ends meet.” He then slinked closer to the white stallion “If you would be so kind, Mr. Fancy, it would brighten my world ever so much if you were to sponsor my book! It’s about you and your amazing sidekick’s mystery solving skills! Please, please, please?”

Fancy noticed Pip roll his eyes and shake his head. While the stallion didn’t fully enjoy the idea of having a book written about him, Trenderhoof was clearly in a rough place financially and was already on thin ice as it was with Ms. Midnight. 

“Alright, Mr. Trenderhoof.” Fancy sighed “Send me the details by this Friday and I’ll consider it.” 

A high pitched squeal filled the air as the well dressed gentlecolt found himself in a rather tight hug that threatened to push all the air out of his body “Thank you, thank you! You won’t regret this, Mr. Fancy Pants, I promise!” 

Without so much as a goodbye, Trenderhoof galloped down the street past the two, whooping and cheering past confused passerbys. 

“I hope you know what you’re doing, Mr. Fancy.” Pip said, causing Fancy to chuckle and continue his course. 

“Oh I’m sure it’ll turn out fine, Pip. Come, we’re nearly home and I’ve got a stunning recipe I can’t wait for you and Fleur to try.”

The journey home had been rather uneventful, aside from exchanging pleasantries with passing ponies who recognized the gentlecolts. The moon had raised rather comfortably in the sky by the time Fancy opened the door to his large home, the lovely smell of tea and flowers slamming him in the face the second he stuck his head in. 

“We’re home, my dear!” Fancy announced and shut the door, helping Pip remove his saddlebags with a light application of magic.

“Welcome home, you two!” Fleur called out and sauntered down the stairs “My Fancy sense was going off and it was telling me to quickly make tea since you were almost home. Looks like it was right again.” she laughed and quickly nuzzled the two ponies. 

“It smells wonderful, dear. Is that Darjeeling?” Fancy guessed, earning a giggle from Fleur. 

“Of course! I got it in a package today from Hoity Toity for your endorsement of his fashion show a few days ago.” She said and winked “He also sends his congratulations on your new detective agency.” 

Fancy smirked and shook his head “Well I guess I’m not doing much to fight that reputation anymore.” 

“We’re the best gentlecolt detectives ever!” Pip shouted and made his way to the table eagerly “But a good detective needs his food! Are you making haybrugers, Mr. Fancy?” 

“By Celestia I hope not, that stallion is hopeless when it comes to hay.” Fleur teased and took a seat next to the colt. 

“We shall see, my boy. I’ve got a few things to tend to in my study first and I’ll be ready to start cooking.” He said and went past the kitchen. The pinkish-white unicorn mare gasped. 

“That reminds me!” Fleur called out as he left “You got a package not too long ago! I set it on your desk!” 

“Thank you, my dear!” He called back and used his magic to light a few candles in his study, seeing the mentioned package as soon as the flames came to life. Regarding the box with curiosity, Fancy sat his saddlebags next to the door and went to take a seat, beginning his analysis. The box was unmarked, missing a name as well as the symbol of the official Canterlot Post Office. This wasn’t too strange, as some couriers acted independently, but it did make him raise a brow. 

Carefully cutting the tape holding the box shut, Fancy peered inside and felt his heart skip a beat when he laid eyes on the contents. 

Inside was a ripped piece of a black flag that was adorned with the skull and crossbones, as well as a single, wrapped parchment. Fancy felt his teeth begin to grind as he slowly levitated the parchment up to eye level, tossing the piece of flag in the trash without a second thought. 

Everything within him was telling him not to open the letter, to just toss it along with that cursed flag. But his thoughts soon filled with the face of his apprentice and how disappointed he would be if he did such a thing. Releasing a breath he didn’t know he was holding, Fancy unfurled the letter and read it silently. 

“Seaward Shoals. Meet me there before the month is up. Bring the watch.” 

- Marble Spots

“Mr. Fancy? I’m starving, please hurry up!” 

Fancy closed his eyes, the rage within simmering down as he quickly shoved the letter in his top drawer and arose from his desk. He took a deep breath and exhaled before making his way over to the study exit.

“Coming, my boy!” 

The flickering light from the candles was extinguished, bathing the room in complete darkness.



FIN