The armor weighed heavily on him, more so than usual. But this time he could think of several reasons. Perhaps flying in comfort of a royal carriage made his bulky stiff defenses much more awkward. Perhaps it was the fact that he was still awake: It was past noon when he left Canterlot and his sleep cycle had become attuned to night patrol over the past three years. The most likely cause however was the reason his usual routine had been disrupted and why he was currently traveling in the royal carriage.

Hen Runner had requisitioned the royal carriage out of necessity. Flying was the quickest way to get to Ponyville. The carriage was enchanted to fly on its own, merely obeying the directions of its occupant.

Knight-Sergeant Hen Runner of the Equestrian Royal Guard was in pursuit of a traitor. The night before he had witnessed the assassination of Princess Luna by her sister’s former protégé Twilight Sparkle. Since she had escaped when he discovered her treachery, word had been sent out to every major city in Equestria that Twilight was now a fugitive from justice. So far the news of Luna’s death had not been released, but Hen knew it was only a matter of time before word got out. The Royal Guard was worried it would cause a panic outside the capital and they all wanted Twilight Sparkle apprehended as soon as possible.

In addition to Ponyville, a squad had also been sent to Hen’s former commander, Shinning Armor, in the Crystal Empire. Nobody had seen Celestia since she had fled the courtroom when told of her sister’s death. With both it’s rulers indisposed, Equestria was more vulnerable now than it had ever been in the nation’s history. There was no telling how long Celestia would be in mourning, so the squad had been dispatched with an urgent request for Shinning to return home and resume his position as Knight-Commander and temporary steward to the throne.

Since Hen was the one who had identified Shinning’s sister as the assailant, he was glad he would not have to face him when Shinning arrived in Canterlot.

Hen Runner was not travelling to Ponyville alone. Two golden chariots followed him each containing one unicorn and one earth pony member of the Royal Guard. Each were heavily armed and armored. Flying in front of them in a V-formation were three pegasi. They wore the black and purple armor of Princess Luna’s personal guard. In the all too short time since her return to Equestria, Luna had found it easier to be around her own gender. As a result, most of her guard were female, as were two of the three pegasi before him.

Now that their mistress was dead, her former guard was honor bound to assist in finding her killer. These three had been the first to volunteer.

“Knight-Sergeant Hen Runner” The dark grey pegasi in the lead called back to him “Ponyville is in sight. What are your orders?”

The aging soldier straightened up in his chair and addressed the others. “Unless Twilight shows herself first, our primary target will be the Golden Oak Library. Black Rein, Jade Caster and I will approach the library while Dappled Willow and Halberd secure the train station. You are not to let anyone leave or enter the town without being thoroughly searched.” Hen made a deliberate choice to pair the spotted unicorn mare with the brown earth pony. He knew first hand just how dangerous Twilight Sparkle was. Until she had been apprehended, nobody was going to be separated from the main group without at least one unicorn to accompany them.

“The pegasi will be keeping watch overhead incase of an ambush. Remember to watch the Library and keep a look out for any of the other Element bearers. Until proven otherwise, we must to regard any and all of the former princess’ companions as probable co-conspirators and potential hostiles.”

As they passed through the clouds Ponyville came into view. The carriage and the chariots slowly began their decent. The Library was in the center of town and there was plenty of open ground around it. Hen Runner decided to land right in front of the tree. There was little point in trying a sneak attack, since Twilight would have known they’d be coming for her sooner or later. That’s even if she was foolish enough to return here after her crime had been discovered.

As the wheels touched down on the ground, Hen and the Royal Guard leapt out to assume their positions. Dappled and Halberd raced off to the train station. Hen Runner took point while Jade and Black Rein stood at his shoulders. Luna’s personal guard circled around the tree at a safe distance, ensuring that anyone inside the Library couldn’t escape undetected. Even with Twilight Sparkle’s skill at teleporting, the tell tail pink flash would not go unnoticed through the many windows.

Hen Runner erected a barrier around himself and the other Royal Guards. Together they approached the door, marching in unison until they halted a few feet away. Hen Runner cleared his throat and delivered his ultimatum to the candlestick painted on the front of the door.

“Twilight Sparkle, former princess of Equestria: You stand accused of high treason against the crown. Show yourself and surrender peacefully so that you may be taken back to Canterlot to answer for your crimes. If you do not you shall face the wrath of the Equestrian Royal Guard.”

Hen Runner waited, but no response was forthcoming. There were no sounds coming from inside the Library and the door remained still. Even though it was looking more likely that Twilight wasn’t home, Hen’s words were as much for the benefit of the onlookers as they were a formality. He could hear a few people gasp in surprise as he made the announcement.

“Jade, the door.” He said to the green female unicorn on his right. Her horn glowed, as did the handle on the door. The black stallion on Hen’s left raised his sword as the door swung open. Inside was round, open space which appeared to be as much a living room as a library. More importantly it was devoid of any living creatures. Hen Runner sighed: Although he would never admit it to anyone present, a part of him was relieved.

Black Rein grumbled as he lowered his sword. “Looks like the bitch is long gone sir.”

“Don’t be too sure, Knight Errant Black Rein.” Hen Runner cautioned, “She could still be concealing herself. And even if she has fled we shouldn’t let our guard down. Twilight could still have left a few traps waiting for us. We still need to investigate the premises for any clues to her whereabouts or a possible motive.”

Hen Runner stepped forward then turned sideways to address his companions. “You two stay here while I clear the rest of the tree house. Once I give the all clear we can begin our search in earnest. If anything happens, don’t enter the Library unless I call for you. Is that understood?”

“Yes Sir,” Dark Rein frowned, but nodded. Jade Caster however reached out to put a hand on Hen’s arm.

“Commander,” she said in a worried tone. “You don’t need to prove anything to us. Not a single member of the Royal Guard blames you for what happened last night.”

Hen Runner gently pushed her hand away “It was my watch and my responsibility, Knight Protector Jade. Since I failed to prevent her escape, I am honor bound to capture her.” He said sternly “Besides, I’m the senior officer and I have the most experience with magical special operations. I have the highest chance of surviving whatever might be waiting for me inside. No point in all of us getting caught.” He reasoned.

Jade straightened up and nodded “Yes of course, sir. Sorry, sir.”

Hen Runner turned around to face the Library again. Shrinking his barrier down to fit snuggly around his person, he crossed the threshold. As he walked into the room he glanced around, taking in all the furniture, shelves, doors, windows, the fireplace and the stairway embedded in the wall. When Hen Runner reached the center of the room, his horn began to glow brighter. He emitted a brief humming pulse that emanated outward in a thin band of light. It was a detection spell designed to reveal any hidden enchantments over a small area. It touched everything in the room, but apart from some residual mana from some levitation spells, there was nothing.

“Nothing.” Hen Runner said out loud to himself.

“Sir?” Jade called from the doorway.

“Stay where you are, Knight Protector. I still have several rooms left to go.” He called back.

“Yes, sir.” She replied.

Hen Runner ascended the stairs, keeping an eye on each step as he set foot on them. Most of the second floor was taken up by Twilight’s bedroom, with one set off to the side for her assistant Spike, as well as a bathroom. Hen checked Twilight Sparkle’s room first. It was divided into a lower floor with a loft for the actual bed. There were no traps there either but the room looked as though it had been cleaned recently. The bed was made, but there was a faint smell in it that Hen Runner couldn’t quite place. The dragon boy’s room was smaller and like Twilight’s it had also been cleaned. The bathroom was also well kept. There were no curses or hexes waiting in any of them.

Having cleared the upstairs Hen returned to the ground floor. The door to the cellar was right next to the staircase. Hen used his magic to open it. He was surprised to see that it went deeper than the main reading room was tall, and it was filled with a strange collection of scientific instruments. He didn’t try to guess what their purposes could be, all Hen Runner understood was that the Golden Oak Library was indeed unoccupied except for him. Hen’s horn sent out one last pulse to confirm the room was safe. Then he quickly turned around and walked back into reading room.

“All clear, tell the Pegasi to land and come inside.”

The Black Rein came in first while Jade signaled the circling signaling pegasi with a few sparks from her horn. They soon land and joined the others in the reading room. Hen Runner took off his helmet and pulled up a chair at the reading table in the center of the room. He scratched the top of his mostly bald head. What little hair he had was low on the back of head in a ring between his ears, and tied in a rogue knot.

After a few moments of silence he looked up to address his troops.
“Well, it’s clear now that Miss Sparkle is no longer here, and likely not in Ponyville either. It’s not clear if she’s been here since she attacked Luna, but right now we have no idea where she is at the moment. Since we’re not in any immediate danger, I’ve decided to send Jade and Dark Rein back to Canterlot until further notice.”

“Sir?” Jade asked in confusion.

“Luna’s Guards should be more than enough to search the Library and interview the locals. We’ll keep Halberd and Willow on alert until we know for sure that she and her friends are not in Ponyville. It wouldn’t be a good idea to keep so many Royal Guards in one place until we know where Twilight is headed.” Hen Runner explained.

Jade looked disappointed but she held her tongue.

“Right now we need mobility more than anything. Twilight has day’s lead on us. Once we know where she is, I’ll send for you. Now get going.”

“Yes sir.” Jade and Black Rein said in unison. They turned and left the building.

Hen Runner turned to Luna Guard. He spoke first to the dark blue female “Raven Racer. You check the dragon boy’s room.” Then he addressed the cream colored female, “Whisper Winds you check the cellar. Iron Wing.” He said looking at the dark grey pegasi “Check Twilight’s bedroom, that’s the one on the right at the top of the stairs. When I did my sweep of the Library there was a faint scent on the bed I didn’t recognize. I think it might have been the stranger they brought with them to Canterlot a few days ago. You’re the only one of us that met him. Do you think you could recognize his scent?”

Iron Wing nodded stoically “It was very distinct, I’d know it if I smelled it again.”

Hen Runner nodded “Good. I’ll be searching this room. Be on the lookout for anything that looks like it’s been handled recently or is relevant to the assassination.”

“And one more thing.” He added raising a finger as the pegasi turned to go. “I know how some of you must feel being in the home of Luna’s killer. No doubt you are tempted to take out your anger on her possessions.” His eyes went back and forth between the two female pegasi. The bitterness on their faces had only become more deeply set since they left Canterlot.

“However this is still a public building, and vandalism will accomplish nothing. I expect you all to conduct yourselves with dignity and pride befitting the defenders of Equestria. Plus you are all far too old for me to be cleaning up after you. Now get to work.”

The pegasi saluted and went to carry out their orders.

Hen Runner stood up and crossed the room to Twilight Sparkle’s writing desk. The sunlight from the window over the desk showed that there was hardly a speck of dirt on the wooden surface. He opened the lid and began examining the contents. It was mostly quills, blank parchment, and spare ink: nothing that could provide him with any clues.

Hen glanced down casually at the waste paper basket on the floor beside the desk. Twilight or her dragonling assistant apparently didn’t have the time to empty it before they fled. Picked up the bin and emptied it’s contents on the desk. It was full with used crumpled parchment, but there was something else that caught Hen Runner’s eye: a slightly folded scroll with a broken seal.

Hen Runner brushed the other papers aside and carefully flattened the scroll out on the desk. It was receipt from an antique dealer in Manehattan meant to confirm the delivery of a set of curved daggers that, according to the date on the receipt, had been delivered to the library only three days before. The picture at the bottom of the receipt left Hen Runner with little doubt as to what they were used for. He recognized the horse head pommel on the daggers as the ones he had seen on the alicorn assassin’s belt when he charged into Luna’s chamber.

Hen Runner sat down at the desk and began to tug on his grey mustache. He started to consider where Twilight might have fled. It was obvious that there was more to her treachery than just killing the Moon Princess. What she planned to do next was anyone’s guess.

If she was still in Equestria, then Hen doubted she intended to remain in hiding for very long. She would most likely stage another more public event to undermine faith in Celestia’s leadership. Perhaps she and her friends were preparing to attack one of the major cities. Maybe they would take control of Cloudsdale and disrupt the weather all over Equestria. Or even use the Elements of Harmony to attack Canterlot openly. He had heard just how powerful the elements could be. Even the entire Royal Guard would be hard pressed to combat such a force, and Celestia’s currently distraught state made her especially vulnerable.

Outside of Equestria there were even worse possibilities. She could have formed an alliance with the diamond dogs, griffins or even the dragons. Fluttershy, the Element of Kindness, had a well-known affinity for animals. Her own assistant was a dragon she had hatched herself the day she received her Cutie Mark. There was also the stranger she had brought with her to Canterlot. Even though he looked and spoke like a pony, he was of a species even Celestia herself allegedly could not identify. His sudden unexplained appearance, just a few days prior to Luna’s death, couldn’t be a coincidence.

There was one more possibility that occurred to Hen Runner: If the other bearers were in league with Twilight, who’s to say the conspiracy only went that far? Hen could think of at least two other people that had a close relationship with Twilight. Two people who stood to gain from Equestria’s current fragile state. One of them might even be on his way to Canterlot at this moment.

An alliance between the Elements of Harmony and Shining Armor and Princess Cadance actually made sense. Twilight had only recently become an alicorn, and, by all accounts, the transformation had been completely unexpected on her part. Meanwhile Cadance had been a princess since the day she came to Canterlot as Celestia’s adopted niece. It was not hard to imagine that she might resent Luna’s return, or that becoming ruler of the Crystal Empire would’ve made her more ambitious. Getting Shining away from Canterlot could have provided a good opportunity to turn him against the Heavenly Sisters. Or perhaps Shining had always had his eye on the throne, and had allied himself with Cadance when Luna and Celestia proved beyond his reach. And if anyone could have turned Twilight against Celestia, it would be her former foal sitter. Or her big brother. Everyone in the Royal Guard knew how close they were.

Hen Runner shifted uncomfortably in his chair, weighing each option. Unless the others found some evidence, he couldn’t justify acting on any of his suspicions. Even if Shining had betrayed Canterlot and they were playing right into his hands, there was nothing he could do at the moment. He was still honor bound to capture Luna’s killer, a task he intended to complete. Hen would just have to wait for Shining to show his true colors in Canterlot. If he proved false, Hen or one of the other Knight-Sergeants would have to deal with him. It would not have been the first assassination Hen Runner had carried out in Celestia’s name, but chances were it would probably be the last. Shining Armor had become the youngest commander of the Royal Guard in history for a reason, and Hen was not a young man anymore.

During this contemplation, Hen had been sitting in the chair sideways to the desk. It was part of his training to never leave his back turned to the door, but he wasn’t paying any particular attention to the points of entry. Just now he caught some brown shape moving out of the corner of his eye. He turned quickly to identify it.

Perched on the reading table in the center of the room was a brown owl with a tan underbelly. It stood there regarding Hen Runner with a blank expression. Hen looked around. He assumed that it had flown in through one of the windows. He stood up and faced the bird. His horn glowed and he shined a beam of light at the owl. Aside from a confused “who” the owl didn’t react at all as Hen Runner scanned him. Once he was sure the bird wasn’t under any type of spell, he approached it curiously. Hen reasoned that since the owl seemed to be very at home in the library, there was a good chance he had been Twilight’s pet.

“I don’t suppose you could tell me where Twilight Sparkle is? Or why she killed the Moon Princess?”

“Who.”

“No, Who’s on first. I’m asking about Twilight. The alicorn that lived in this library.”

“Who.”

“Well this is going nowhere.” Hen Runner frowned. It was possible the bird could provide some information, but Hen did not have the knowledge or the means to perform any further examination.

Iron Feather, Raven Racer and Whisper Winds returned from their searches. While the two females regarded the Owl with a mild wariness and curiosity, Iron Feather maintained his usual stoic complexion. Hen Runner also noticed that he was carrying a book under his arm.

“Never mind the owl, it’s harmless. I suspect Twilight may let him have the run of the place. Anything to report?”

“No sir. No clues in the cellar.” Whisper Winds replied.

“Hardly anything in the dragon boy’s room to begin with, just a stash of comic Power Ponies comics and some cleaning supplies.” Raven Racer said.

“And what did you find Iron Feather?” Hen said, turning to the senior pegasi.

Iron Feather handed Hen the book. “I found this in the bed stand in Twilight’s room. You were correct, that was indeed the stranger’s scent. He slept there last night, along with Twilight.”

“Well that’s hardly surprising, just makes it all the more likely he played some role in turning her against Canterlot.”

Hen examined the book title: A Study of the Alicorn by J.R.R Topaz. He noticed that there was a bookmark near the back. It opened to a chapter titled ‘magical properties unique to alicorns: theoretical applications.’ The Knight Sergeant decided to read it and see if it might be relevant to Luna’s murder.

It began by repeating the storied origins of the Heavenly Sisters. Luna and Celestia had become alicorns when they learned to wield the Elements of Harmony. As alicorns they achieved near immortality as well as the ability to command the Sun and the Moon. The author theorized that this implied the transforming unlocked the ability to manipulate the primal forces of the cosmos. If this was true, it meant that alicorns themselves could be manipulated into serving as conduits, either by trickery or by having their power harnessed in some way. The idea disturbed Hen Runner greatly as he closed the book and placed on the table.

“What did it say?” Whisper Winds asked.

“Some troubling ideas, but nothing that can help us locate Twilight at the moment.” Hen Runner replied, scratching his chin.

What had Twilight intended to accomplish by killing Luna? Perhaps she believed that with Luna dead she could usurp the power of the Moon? It was not unheard of: After banishing Luna, Celestia had assumed her sister’s duties in addition to her own for more than a thousand years. But surely Twilight could not hope for Luna’s powers to pass to her while Celestia still lived?

If Twilight intended to usurp the powers of both the Heavenly sisters, then she certainly had the means to do so. The Elements of Harmony had proven to be more powerful than single princess, and now there was only one left. It would certainly be easier to overpower Celestia in her current state. Whether Twilight intended to kill her former teacher or simply incapacitate her and manipulate her powers was anyone’s guess.

Hen Runner frowned: “I suppose if we want to find out where Twilight and the other elements went, it’s time we started questioning the residents to see if anyone saw something.”

“Very well, sir.” Iron feather said.

“What about the owl?” Raven Runner asked. “Who,” Replied the owl.

“He might still be able to tell us something, and we can’t risk it flying back to Twilight Sparkle and revealing our plans or anything that could give her an intelligence advantage.” The Owl tilted its head to one side, as if it was confused by Hen Runner’s words.

“Raven, go into town and see if you can find a big enough bird cage for our friend here.”

“Yes sir.”

Hen Runner’s horn glowed and held the owl in place while Raven left to find the cage. The owl hooted indignantly at his confinement.

“You should be grateful.” Hen said grimly “This is a mere inconvenience, I know people who are having a far worse day than you.”

**

After Raven returned with the cage, Hen Runner and his squad set out to investigate the homes of the Element bearers. The closest was the home of the Element of Laughter, Pinkie Pie, at Sugarcube Corner.

When they reached the bakery, a woman in her middle thirties, with blue skin and hair like cupcake frosting was sitting on the front porch, smoking. Judging by her apron, Hen Runner assumed she worked there.

He addressed her formally “Excuse me, madam, I am Knight Sergeant Hen Runner of the Canterlot Royal Guard, here on an urgent mission on behalf of Celestia herself. Is this the residence of one Pinkamena Diane Pie, also known as “Pinkie”?

“Indeed it is. I am Mrs. Cake and my husband and I own and run this establishment. Pinkie works part time as our assistant, and we rent out the loft above the store to her.”

“Is she in at the moment?” Hen Runner asked

“I’m afraid not. She left early this morning, and she hasn’t come back yet.”

“Do you know where she went or when you expect her to return?”

Mrs Cake shrugged “She wouldn’t say. All she said was she was going out with her friends and that Twilight had made her Pinkie Promise not to tell anyone what they were doing or where they were going. And you never ask Pinkie to break a Pinkie Promise.” She finished, shaking her head. “She should be back soon though. Pinkie could never leave Gummy by himself for more than a day.”

Hen Runner digested this information. It certainly was starting to look like the Elements were in league with Twilight at this point. This was going to make his job that much harder. Perhaps he would be calling back Jade Caster and Halberd sooner than he thought.

“Sorry to inconvenience you, but I’m afraid we’re going to have to take a moment to search Pinkie Pie’s room as part of our investigation.”

Mrs. Cake took a long drag on her cigarette. “I was afraid of that.” She stood up and stamped out the cigarette before turning to open the door. Hen Runner and the others followed her inside.

“Listen” she said as she led them through the store “You lot weren’t exactly subtle when you arrived here, and word gets around. I heard you were outside Twilight’s house a little while ago, talking about treason. You think our Pinkie is involved somehow?”

“Well we can’t say for certain until we’ve searched her room.”

“Well, she and Twilight are close, but treason? There must be some mistake. Twilight would never betray Equestria. Just what exactly is she supposed to have done anyway?”

“I’m afraid I can’t say at this point in the investigation. But I assure you, there is no mistake Mrs. Cake.”

“I just can’t believe it.”

Just then a thin man with a short beard and yellow skin came down the stairs. He stopped short when he saw Hen Runner and the pegasi.

“Hello, ladies and gentlemen, what can we do for you? Is something wrong, Buttercup?”

“I’m afraid they aren’t here to buy anything dearie. The Royal Guard says they’re here at the order of Celestia to search Pinkie’s room.”

“Oh dear.” The man said, fidgeting with his red and white-stripped bowtie as he reached the bottom of the stairs. “I know Pinkie can be a bit rambunctious, but she’s never gotten in serious trouble before.”

“I’ll explain later dear.” Mrs. Cake said as the man walked over to stand beside her.
“Knight-Sergeant, this is my husband Carrot Cake. Carrot dear, this is Knight-Sergeant Hen Runner of the Canterlot Royal Guard.”

Carrot slapped his forehead “Oh right, sorry I didn’t introduce myself.”

“Never mind, I’d like to conduct the search as soon as possible. Please do not attempt to leave the premises until our search is concluded. We may need to question you afterwards.”

Mr. Cake rubbed the back of his neck nervously. “Weeeellll… we do have three orders that need to be delivered by this evening.”

“We’ll try to get this over with as soon as possible sir, again we apologize for the inconvenience. Whisper, stay down here with the Cakes” He said to the cream colored pegasi.

“We understand; Pinkie’s room is just at the top of the stairs, you can’t miss it. And don’t worry about Gummy, he’s harmless.” Mrs, Cake said.

“And just who is this Gummy?” Hen Runner asked suspiciously.

“That’s Pinkie’s pet baby alligator. Sometimes he likes to chew on things, but it’s fine because he doesn’t have teeth.” Mrs. Cake explained.

“We’ll keep that in mind.”

As Hen, Iron and Raven headed up the stairs Mr. Cake called after them. “Please try not to make too much noise. The twins are taking a nap.”

Upstairs, the sign that read PINKAMENA’S ROOM in big pink letters left little doubt. Considering her personality, Hen expected her room to be a lot messier than it turned out to be. There wasn’t much to search. There was a waterbed, a bin full of candy, a mirror on a nightstand, a cabinet full of party supplies and a bathtub with shower curtains. There were even less clues here than at the Library.

“Commander,” Raven called from behind the shower curtain “I’ve found the reptile.”

She came over to him holding the tiny alligator by the tail. It looked up at Hen Runner with a blank expression in his big pink eyes. Hen rolled his eyes: this was going nowhere.

“Alright, I think we’re done here. We’ll see if the Cakes know anything and then go investigate the Carousel Boutique.”

“And what shall we do with the pet, sir?” Iron Feather asked.

“Might as well leave him in the Cakes’ care. We’ve already got one pet to look after, and I don’t think we can learn anything from this one.”

Raven Runner placed Gummy on the bed and he watched them leave the room.

Downstairs, the Cakes could tell them little about what Pinkie Pie had been up to in the past few days.

“Pinkie has a tendency to behave impulsively, that’s why she only works here part time. We have no idea where she’ll be most of the time so we try to accommodate her as much as we can.”

“Sounds like a lot of trouble” Hen observed.

“Oh no.” Mr. Cake said, “When she is here, Pinkie always works so hard and she always sees her job through, even if she does get sidetracked. She can be a bit wild, but that’s what we love about her. She never runs out of energy and she’s also the best party planner in Ponyville.”

Mrs. Cake added, “Honestly, ever since she’s moved in, she’s been like a daughter to us. And she’s been a great help with the kids.”

“Have you noticed anything strange about her behavior recently?”

“Well, strange is relative when it comes to Pinkie.” Mr. Cake joked “But then… she has seemed a bit less ‘exuberant’ since she and her friends returned from Canterlot a few days ago.”

Mrs. Cake shifted uncomfortably in her chair. “That may have had something to do with that stranger who’s been staying with Twilight.”

Hen Runner perked up at the mention of that individual. Perhaps they had finally found a lead.

“Can you tell me anything about this stranger? How he arrived, his behavior, what effect his presence may have had on Twilight and the others?”

Mrs. Cake looked off into the distance with a smile on her face. Hen heard Whisper Winds chuckle softly. Mr. Cake spoke up.

“Pinkie said he’d been staying with Twilight ever since he appeared in her Library two-three weeks ago. I only met him briefly. He seemed friendly enough, but a little… bewildered. Cup got to know him a little better than I, didn’t you dear?” He said nudging his wife and giving her a playful grin.

“I certainly did dear.” She said smiling back at him. “Poor boy certainly was a bit lost, heard him talking to himself once while he was walking past the shop. He had a hard time getting used to the way things work here in Equestria. Didn’t stop him from getting intimate with several girls here, including our dear Pinkie. But, then again, he did show up when they were in heat.”

“Did he now?” Hen Runner asked as he stroked his mustache.

Even if it didn’t bring him closer to finding Twilight, this new information was filling in some blanks. Hen Runner suspected that the stranger’s appearance coinciding with the girls’ heat cycle might not have been by chance. Perhaps he had planned on seducing Twilight and turning her against the Heavenly sisters. If he had been sleeping with Twilight then it was possible he had been the one researching alicorns. A bit chauvinist perhaps, but for now it was the only theory with any evidence behind it.

“Is there anything else you can tell me about him?” Hen asked.

A smile crossed Mrs. Cake face again and her cheeks flushed a slightly darker shade of blue as she thought for a moment.

“Nothing that could be of any help to you dear.” She shrugged.

Hen Runner got to his feet “Well, if and when she does come back, please let us know. It’s very important that we talk with her.”

The Cakes nodded. “We understand, sir, have a nice afternoon.”

When they had all left the Bakery, Hen turned to the two female pegasi.

“Assuming what the Cakes said is true, then none of the other Elements of Harmony should currently be in Ponyville. Since I doubt we’ll need all four of us to continue searching, so I’m sending you two off to keep watch. Be on the lookout for Twilight or any of her friends returning. If you see them, do not try to engage any of them by yourselves. Report back to me immediately,” he paused briefly. “Iron Feather and I will continue the search on foot. If we run into trouble I’ll signal you with red sparks. If I want you to return, it will be green sparks. Understood?”

The cream and the dark blue pegasi nodded and took off. Iron Feather and Hen Runner continued on to the next stop: Carousel Boutique.

Once again, the woman in question was absent when they arrived. All of Twilight’s friends were indeed no longer in Ponyville. As he and Iron Feather entered the Boutique, Hen decided that he would send Halberd and Willow back to Canterlot as well. There was no more point in them watching the train station than there was having Jade and Black Rein with him at the library.

The bottom room of the building was stocked with materials and supplies such as mirrors, dress form mannequins, and movable screens. Obviously nothing suspicious at first glance. The upper floor would be Rarity's bedroom. Hen instructed Iron to keep searching the Boutique while he went upstairs. As he climbed up to Rarity’s personal living space, a thought occurred to Hen Runner that made him chuckle. In just one afternoon away from Canterlot, he had already been in more women’s bedrooms than in his past year as a Royal Guard.

As Hen Runner opened the door to Rarity’s bedroom he was greeted by a loud meowing sound. “Again?” He thought out loud as he looked down to see the source of the noise. From the floor, a small white Persian cat looked back up at him. It had a bow on top of it’s head and a haughty expression on its face as it approached him. Once Hen stepped inside and closed the door behind him, she unabashedly circled between his legs as if she appraising him. Hen rolled his eyes and dutifully bent down to scratch her behind the ears. The proud feline accepted his gesture and nodded up at him approvingly when he had finished. Then she walked over to the bed, jumped onto and proceeded to groom herself while paying Hen Runner no more attention whatsoever. Hen noticed that it had collar inlaid with opals, before proceeding to investigate the room.

Once again, there was nothing that Hen Runner could find that he could link to Luna’s assassination or Twilight’s plans. Rarity’s room was much like the one downstairs, except with more drawers and cupboards. Six dress mannequins along with several rolls of cloth, spools of thread, decorative gems and dress designs out on a desk. Food and water dishes told Hen that the name of the cat sitting on the bed was Opalescence, but nothing else offered insight to the owner of the store.

The only thing that looked out of place was an arts and crafts project on the nightstand next to Rarity’s bed. Several baby blue sapphires had been arranged in the shape of a heart around two crudely drawn ponies. One was clearly Rarity herself while Hen assumed that the smaller one was a younger sibling. The image was slightly discolored and the paper had some dried damp spots, as though someone had been crying over it.

Hen considered taking it with him as evidence, but decided not to. He didn’t have any way of carrying it without folding it up and destroying the sapphire heart in the process.

Instead his attention turned to the cat. ‘I suppose I’ll have to take this one back with me. There’s nobody here and I doubt she’s an outside cat.’

He looked inside Rarity’s closet and found a carrying case with the same color opal on the front as on the cat’s collar. He also found a mouse chew toy that he placed inside the case. His horn glowed and the cat was levitated into the air. It flailed around and hissed indignantly as he floated her into the case.

“It’s not my fault nobody’s here to look after you.” Hen said as he picked up her food and water dishes. He left the room and headed back down stairs “And I bet you’ll be a lot more grumpy once you get hungry.”

Hen Runner found Iron Feather waiting for him down in the boutique. He looked nonplused as he noticed the carrying case under his arm.

“Another one, sir?”

“Yes, a cat this time. There wasn’t much else besides some artwork by her little sister. Did you find anything?”

“Nothing,” Iron Feather said nonchalantly. “Except Rarity’s sex dungeon.”

It was a good thing Hen Runner wasn’t drinking water when he heard that, otherwise he would have spat it out in surprise.

“Sex Dungeon?”

“At least I hope it was a sex dungeon. She wasn’t keeping anyone there at the moment at least.”

“Okay…” Hen Runner paused, unsure of how to respond further.

“There is some cat food upstairs. If you get that we’ll be on our way. We’ll have to stop by the train station on our way back to relieve Willow and Halberd, so hop to it.”

**

The sun had almost slipped below the horizon and the stars were beginning to shine as the two solders made their way back to the library with their unexpected luggage. The other knights had departed back to Canterlot, while Hen continued the search with Luna’s Guard.

“Don’t you think this is odd, Iron?” Hen asked Iron Feather.

“What do you mean, sir?” the Royal Guardsman replied.

“I mean the pets. That even though the Element bearers appear to have fled, they still left them behind.”

“Perhaps they felt these would only slow them down.”

“Perhaps,” Hen Runner frowned “But at least Pinkie Pie left hers with the Cakes. Twilight and Rarity appear to have abandoned them completely.”

“They can’t have been that concerned about their pets’ welfare if they were willing to commit treason. Besides, the owl is probably more than capable of feeding itself.”

“True, but there’s something else that’s been bothering me…” Hen’s voice trailed off as he tried to remember something that had registered in the back of his mind. He stopped suddenly in his tracks as his eyebrows shot up underneath his helmet.

“Sir?” Iron feather asked as he stopped and turned to face his commander.

“Maybe you’re right. Leaving their pets might not mean anything by itself. But there is something else that doesn’t make sense about this case. That and leaving the pets behind makes it even more suspicious. I’ll explain when we get back to the Library.”

Once they got back, the sun was down and Hen knew there would be no moon out tonight. Setting down the indignant cat in the reading room, he sent green sparks out into the dark night sky. Raven and Whisper returned almost instantly.

Now that the whole team was present, Hen Runner began his explanation.

“I think we may have been approaching this whole pursuit the wrong way. There are two factors that simply don’t add up. First is the fact that Twilight and the Elements have apparently fled, while three of them have left their pets behind. Normally that wouldn’t mean anything, but it might be relevant because of something that happened last night when I discovered Twilight’s treachery. I didn’t recognize her when at first, so I didn’t have a personal barrier up when I tried to stop her from escaping. She could easily have killed me, given the element of surprise, but she did not. Given the circumstantial evidence we’ve uncovered so far, sparing me might have been a deliberate decision on her part.”

“Are you saying… she wanted to be discovered?” Whisper Winds asked.

“How should we proceed then, sir?” Iron Feather asked.

Hen Runner folded his arms behind his back and began to pace back and forth.

“The Cakes said Twilight and the others left town shortly after dawn. The first thing tomorrow morning will be to confirm the pet trend with the other Element bearers. Rainbow Run and Fluttershy reportedly lived alone so Raven Runner and Whisper Winds will go search their houses. Iron Feather and I will head to Sweet Apple Acres. We’ll meet back here at noon once our assignments are complete.”

“Very well, sir. But if Twilight wanted to be seen, what does that mean?” Whisper Winds asked tentatively

“Right now, I just don’t know, lieutenant ” Hen Runner replied to cream colored pegasi as he pulled on his mustache. “But I think we could all use some rest. That’s an order.”

Author's Notes:

A BIG thank you to Hentai-Foundry's Hanky-Spanky for writing this. Check out his profile, if you're interested in his other writings: http://www.hentai-foundry.com/user/Hanky-Spanky/profile

Warning, Not Safe for Work stories can be found there.