The next day was cold, a teaser for the oncoming winter. The sun was hidden behind a curtain of thick gray clouds and the few leaves that were left in the trees were rattled by a northern wind that chased most ponies into the safety and warmth of their homes, where hot cocoa and warm fires were shared.

Flash shivered in the cold wind and turned up the collar on his sweater. He'd wanted to wear his armor, which was a little warmer, if a bit heavier, but Twilight had pointed out that it sometimes had the effect of intimidating the locals, who weren't used to having a Guard in town all the time. "You should go back to the castle, Princess," he said, forcing his teeth not to chatter. "You'll be warm there."

"First of all, don't 'Princess' me," Twilight snapped impatiently. "Second of all, I'm not going back to the castle. We have a job to do, and I'm going to do it."

Flash didn't know whether to admire or curse Twilight's tenacity. He chose instead to closely follow behind Twilight as she made her way to the next cottage in their door-to-door quest for any information on Lockpick, which had so far turned up nothing.

Twilight knocked on the door. It opened to reveal Amethyst Star, who looked up at them with hopeful eyes. "Twilight? Is this about Lyra and Bon Bon?"

"Yes. Could we ask you a few questions?"

"Of course, come in," Amethyst said, widening the door to allow them in.

"Thank you," Flash said, entering after Twilight and casting a quick glance around the room. He noticed the yellow-coated unicorn stallion sitting in the chair next to the fire and gave him a quick look-over, noting the scissor cuts on his ears that his bad manecut failed to cover (lives alone), the slightly overweight build and unbrushed coat (unemployed), and the nicotine patch on his left foreleg.

"This is Dreamcaster, my coltfriend," Amethyst told them, sitting down next to him. "He moved here a few months ago." The stallion nodded hello. With her magic, Amethyst brought over two mugs of hot chocolate, which her guests sipped at appreciatively.

"Twilight, please," Amethyst said, "Tell me what's happening with Lyra and Bon Bon. Tootsie's been worried about them, and so have I. What's going on?"

Twilight and Flash glanced at each other before deciding to answer. "We believe that somepony is stalking Bon Bon," Twilight stated.

Amethyst gasped in shock. "Who would do that?"

"We think it's somepony in town," Twilight said.

Amethyst looked down at the floor, recovering from the shock of the news. Flash, however, noted that Dreamcaster had not yet reacted to anything.

"What can we do to help?" Amethyst asked, raising her head.

Twilight flipped open a notebook. "Have you seen anypony suspicious watching Bon Bon recently?" she asked.

"No, nopony," Amethyst said. "Dreamcaster and I see them a lot around town, but we haven't noticed anypony suspicious."

"What do you mean, suspicious, anyway?" Dreamcaster asked.

"The pony we're looking for is a unicorn, about three and half feet tall, heavy build, blue eyes, black mane, silver coat, and cutie mark of an open padlock," Flash said. "Have you seen anypony fitting that description?"

"Every time I look in the mirror," Dreamcaster said with a laugh. "Except for the silver coat and the cutie mark."

"I keep telling you, you should get some exercise," Amethyst said. "Help you lose some weight."

"Babe, it's not my fault if I'm big boned," Dreamcaster replied impatiently.

Amethyst sighed and rolled her eyes. "Big boned, my—"

"Hey!" Dreamcaster snapped, his tone rising dangerously.

"Please, you two, there's no need to fight," Twilight said, trying to quell the situation. The two fighters returned to their corners, both of them pointedly looking away from each other.

"Have there been any incidents at the candy store?" Flash asked.

"Not that I know of," Amethyst said.

"Has anypony strange been asking you questions about Bon Bon or Lyra?"

"No," Amethyst said. Dreamcaster also shook his head.

"I think that will be enough for now," Flash said, finishing his cocoa. "If we need more information, we'll talk to you again."

"You will find this creep, won't you?" Amethyst asked Twilight.

"You can count on us," Twilight said with a reassuring smile.

"When you do, don't go easy on him, okay?" Dreamcaster called.

Nodded their goodbyes, Twilight and Flash exited the cottage and headed back out onto the street.

"We've still got a few more ponies to question," Twilight said, already heading off.

"Oh, splendid," Flash said through tightly-clenched teeth.

That night, the only light came from the distant stars and the tiny sliver that was the moon. The brisk wind had settled down hours ago, leaving the city soundless.

Except for the hoofsteps of a single pony, clad all in black, stalking the dirt streets. A pair of blue eyes peered out of a ski mask as he sought out his target: the Ponyville jewelry store. Looking through the window, he stared with greed at all the beautiful jewels and precious stones displayed in the glass cabinets.

Approaching the back door, he summoned up the magical energy within himself. A yellow aura surrounded the locks on the back door. In less than three seconds, the tumblers had been pulled back and the door unlocked. The thief smirked to himself as he entered. Too easy: then again, after the vault in town hall, everything was easy.

He stepped into the empty store, practically salivating as he looked over the valuable jewels, glowing like stars in the faint light of his horn. Fallen stars that he could take for his own, plucking them out of their cases like selecting apples at the market. But first...

In the back of the store was the safe where the uncut diamonds and sales profits were kept. This was a bit more of a challenge: three-inch thick door with a four-number combination lock and a key. He took a breath and concentrated, reaching out with his magic. He felt the wheels on the inside of the lock and slowly, patiently began to turn them, feeling out where the wheel flies were. The key was getting them all to line up right.

Within a minute, he'd succeeded. All of the wheels had lined up, and he was able to unlock the first lock.

Next step, the keyhole. He reached inside with his magic, feeling the tiny tumblers within. One at a time, he gently pushed and pulled until all of them were in the right position for the lock to turn and open. The thief grinned as the door to the safe opened and his greedy eyes were treated to the sight of uncut jewels and piles of golden bits, all his for the taking. He took a sack out of his pocket and swept all the valuables into the sack.

Now for the other gems. Turning back to the showroom, he cast his gaze around. His eyes were drawn to a large ruby ring displayed in it's own case in the corner. Eyes shining with greed, he used his magic to open the case.

Instantly, every light in the store turned on and an alarm bell began ringing, shattering the stillness of the night with its cacophony. The thief froze for a moment in shock, then quickly turned and ran, cursing himself for allowing himself to get cocky. Leaping out the back door, still clutching his bag of spoils in a magical grip, he turned to sprint down the alleyway, weaving his way through the back streets of the town.

Until a pony dressed in the armor of a Royal Guard dropped down in front of him. "Stop!" Flash Sentry ordered.

Instead of stopping, the thief sped up. Before Flash could react, the thief had tackled him. The two wrestled, hooves scrabbling in an attempt to gain or release a hold. Flash managed to seize the thief's mask and pull, but was rewarded by having his head slammed hard against the unyielding ground. Dazed by the blow, it took Flash a second to get up again. By that time, the thief had already gone.

Looking around, he spotted something at his hooves. Lying on the ground was the thief's mask. He picked up it as he heard hoofsteps behind him.

"He got away?" Phillip asked, running up.

Flash nodded, gritting his teeth. "Sorry."

"You did your best, mate," Phillip said. "That their mask?"

"Yes, sir," Flash said, handing the mask to him.

"Start a search, knock on doors," Phillip told him, turning the black fabric over in his hooves. "I'm going to the jewelry store." He looked up at Flash, gray eyes hard in the moonlight.

"All it takes is one mistake, Flash. We've got this wanker."

Author's Notes:

More soon...