Case Report: Summary of Events
Submitted by: Verdant Vines
Location: Ponyville
Dates: April 16th to April 23rd
Case: Ponyville Mass Disappearance
Classification: Top Secret

To whom it may concern,

What follows is an update on the status of the investigation into the disappearance of the entire citizenship of Ponyville. Since the discovery of the state of the town on April 16th, a full detachment of investigators has been relocated to the town. In addition, the adviser representing Her Majesty, Princess Celestia, remains on site, and continues to offer us as much aid as he can with our attempts at research.

Since our arrival, several key updates have taken place. We have finished filing the requisition forms for the remaining 3 of 16 shipments from the Canterlot Archives. Once the final shipment arrives, we should have all possible relevant material available to our investigations. This also leads to the contents of the book Miss Sparkle mentioned in her journal entries, Ghosts, Goblins and Ghoulish Figures, which seemed to contain information on the “Shadow Walkers” that she believed could be responsible. After a bit of searching, we discovered that the book did indeed contain an entry on the myths surrounding these creatures, and it is included as supplement A, attached to this report.

Our main efforts remain divided on three fronts. The first is the quarantine of the area; several guards and agents, working in shifts, have been dispatched at the major roadways leading into Ponyville, and the skies surrounding it. Access to the town is restricted under the pretense of a viral outbreak, though the reason offered may need to be modified the longer the investigation continues privately. This also includes the restriction of mail intended for Ponyville, which is currently being held by all postal officials, and unfortunately, barring entrance to residents who were away during the events.

The second is a nationwide attempt to bar access and information until the disappearance is made public. Railways have been rerouted to pass far around the town, and scheduled weather is being held in Cloudsdale under the quarantine pretense. In addition, agents in various major cities are seeding information about the fabricated events in the town.

Lastly, our investigation within the town continues in full force. As stated before, the Princess’ adviser and some investigators are combing through every book available from the Canterlot Archives to search for relevant information. This search has not brought much more to our attention, but the final shipments may shed some light. While there are still searches through the town to find additional logs, we are retaining the curfew of one hour before sunset and mandatory check-in and check-out for all personnel, just incase any similar events begin to happen. However, the bulk of our search remains at Sweet Apple Acres.

There were no fresh plots of soil we could find beyond the graves mentioned by Miss Sparkle, which were found to be empty after attempting to exhume any bodies there, and random digging or searches for any kind of marked spots turned up nothing else, until we searched in a cellar at the edge of the property. It was not included in the original search due to its distance from the farmhouse and barn, as well as the lack of any lights set up nearby that might have indicated it had been occupied.

On first inspection, the cellar appears to have been for the storage of seeds and farming equipment not regularly used, which were found instead in the barn. It is fairly small, roughly ten feet by twenty feet with a roof six feet tall, and the walls and floor are dirt, with a series of wooden supports for the structure. While taking stock of the items located inside, one of the investigators noticed an indentation near where a trio of barrels were located, which seemed to indicate that one had been moved. We dug into the wall near that location, and after an hour of searching, we found the journal, wrapped in heavy cloth. A transcript of the journal is being copied now, and will be included in this letter.

We will continue searching for any relevant clues until further instructions are given.

Sincerely,
Verdant Vines
Head Investigator
Case #3467

Supplement A - Excerpt from: Ghost, Goblins and Ghoulish Figures

Shadow Walkers

Believed Origination: 386 A.C.

The tale of “Shadow Walkers” originated in the northern provinces of Equestria, near the once vast Blue Blossom Brakes. At its peak, the Blue Blossom Brakes was a major center of naturally occurring herbs, and many nearby towns, particularly Mustang Marches, thrived from harvesting and selling either the herbs or concoctions made from them. As such, many of the ponies there worked within the woods, some into the dark of night. As such, it was only natural that campfire stories and warnings of danger would arise about something living within the woods.

The tale would often go as follows:

Several years ago, there was a pony who wandered into the Blue Blossom Brakes as the sun was setting in the sky. He was in search of a grove, rumored to hold dozens of herbs in abundance, but he worried that a search in the day would risk some passerby following him and challenging his claim to the grove. Thus, with his lantern and a half-full pack of provisions, he ventured into the woods, alone.

For the first hour, he kept on the path, sure to mark a map in his satchel to lead him back once his search was done. It was after that first hour that he began to feel unsettled. He heard twigs cracking and leaves crumpling in the woods around him, but when he turned to look towards them, he saw nothing. He dismissed the noises as critters, unconcerned with him, and pressed on. After the second hour, the noises had ceased, and he took a moment to rest. As he ate, in the warmth of a small fire, he heard a screech, like that of an owl. He tried to ignore it, until he heard another, and another. With each screech, the noise became louder and louder, until it sounded like it was only a few feet away.

He hid within the fire’s light, feeling a shiver of fear run up his spine, but after minutes of waiting, he heard and saw nothing. Carefully, the pony extinguished the fire and continued on his way.

With every dozen steps he made deeper into the woods, the pony’s eyes darted from side to side, glancing at the barely lit brush and trees within his eyesight. Every minute or so, he would see some faint silhouette in the corner of his eye, but as he turned towards it, there was nothing. His pace quickened with each step, until he was galloping through the woods, not in search of the grove, but in search of escape. He fled in every direction he knew should lead him to the forest’s edge for what seemed like hours, but there was nothing except the endless forest.

Before long he was exhausted, and his galloping grew to a trot, and then to a crawl. The screeching began again, slowly coming closer and closer, accompanied by a strong wind that caused his lantern to flicker. The last thing he saw was the faint image of a four-legged beast at the edge of his lantern’s light, before its flickering light went out.

The myth still lives on as a campfire story in the northern parts of Equestria today, and while the Blue Blossom Brakes are not the bustling center of herb harvesting that they once were, rumors of mysterious noises within the forest deter any would-be harvesters to this day.

(The following is a letter that was attached to the official report filed by Verdant Vines. It was intended for the Chief Investigator, White Clover, and upon her recommendation, a copy has been included with this report.)

Clover,

I hope you’re doing alright in Canterlot. I’m sure there’s more work than I could imagine to handle there. I don’t know how the attitude is, but everyone’s a little on edge here, despite the curfews and check-ins. I can’t go an hour in the day without hearing someone worrying about this “happening over again,” or that they’ll wake up without the sun in the sky. It’s all just silly superstition at this point if you ask me, but I think everyone else’s worry is starting to rub off on me.

I mean, it’s crazy; how could an entire town disappear without a trace? No bodies, no trail out of town, no word from any other town, village or city nearby. What’s even worse is the rumors spreading around camp, and the pranks somepony must be pulling. Everyone keeps finding these faint, barely visible notes scrawled on the copies of the journal we have. I’ve even found some on my personal copy. They’re all cryptic messages that don’t seem to mean anything. I’m trying to track down whoever’s responsible to correct their poor sense of humor, but I haven’t had any luck.

Then there’s the ponies complaining about bad dreams and sleepless nights. It seems to be someone different every night, and they’ll be barely awake to help the next day. I can’t say I’ve had any, but you and I both know I’ve never had nightmares.

The worst thing is what Lantern said after finding that cellar. I know the official letter said we looked into it as a last option, but what he claims happened is too strange to believe. We were starting to wrap up for the day, an hour before the curfew. Lantern was on the other side of the farm, filling back in holes and marking them for the next day. He said he heard something, like a knock and a muffled yell from the far end of the field. We tried to call out to him, but he just started running and digging at the ground. We ran over to try to find out what he was doing, and that’s when he hit the cellar door.

I could knock it up to a hunch, but he says he heard the noise and then just zoned out. He says the next thing he remembers was hitting the cellar door with his hoof, and us shouting at him. We marked it and came back the next morning, but Lantern had been up the whole night. He said he just couldn’t sleep. Hopefully he can shake the nerves before they get the better of him.

Good luck with everything on your end.

Love,

Vines