"And then her and all of her little minions got blasted straight out of Canterlot in one swoop," Applejack finished her story.

The windows started to glow as the sun rose from its slumber. Scarlet took another sip of her coffee from that morning while they sat at the table together. Two other ponies, Twilight and the shy, yellow coated pony from her first night in Ponyville, kept them company that morning.

"Where did they end up being sent off to?" Scarlet's curiosity perked. "A spell that powerful must've shot them to the other side of the world."

"No idea," Applejack answered the gray colored filly, "But I reckon she won't be comin' back for another round anytime soon."

"That's amazing. I was in my office the day the changelings attacked," the detective remembered. "They just put us all on lockdown for the entirety of the time while my boss went to go investigate. I've never seen a Changeling up close though. I've only read about them in my files."

"They're everything you expect them to be," Twilight spoke up. "They can look just like your friends, and they feed off of love, just like the books say."

"Horns, holes in their body," Scarlet checked off, "and they travel in swarms."

"And they're...scary," Fluttershy squeaked.

"I imagine. I wish I could've seen the queen," Scarlet looked up. "She must be very strong."

Applejack scooted out of her spot at the table. "Well, ah'd sure love to sit here and chatter all day with y'all, but I have to get back to the farm. Big Mac can't handle the harvest all by himself."

"Sure thing. Thanks for coming to the party last night," Scarlet waved the orange pony, "I appreciate all of the effort everypony went through to do it."

"T'ain't nothin'," she opened the front door. "If you ever need anythin', feel free to swing on by."

"I will."

The other two ponies said their goodbyes before Applejack parted from the library. Scarlet looked down at her mug and inhaled the wonderful scent from her roast.

"You know something?" Scarlet turned her attention to the other two. "I actually had a chat with Applejack awhile back, when I first came into town."

"I remember. It was the day after your coworker spiked the punch," Twilight recalled. Fluttershy gave a tiny jolt when she remembered the experience.

"Well, while I questioned her about my assignment, we ended up at the little filly's schoolhouse in town, and I saw a bunch of the little ponies there."

Twilight and Fluttershy looked at each other, then back at Scarlet. "What's so special about that?"

"Well, to be honest, I've never seen a pony without a cutie mark before," she announced. "It was another first for me."

"You've...never seen one?" Fluttershy tilted her head.

"That's not possible," Twilight pointed at her. "You had to have been one of those ponies at one time yourself."

"Actually," Scarlet started, "that's not exactly the case." The detective cleared her throat and told the story of her birth, recalling the paper clipping she was always reminded of back at home. The image of her magnifying glass was plastered clean on her hind side, several photos taken right after her birth.

"I've always had mine," she said. "For a long time, I thought everypony was born with theirs, like me, but my mom and dad eventually talked to me about the whole ordeal. Apparently I'm a first-time kinda thing."

"Definitely," Twilight immediately replied. "I don't think I've ever read or heard about something so bizarre before."

"Yeah," Scarlet pondered, "What I was wondering about was how it felt like to have no mark at all." She remembered Nixie Hope's problem. "I've always been curious about it, but it never really seemed appropriate to ask other ponies about something like that. It's kinda personal, I'd imagine."

"I'm not sure how others felt about it, but it wasn't something I tried to force. It just happened one day," the purple pony explained. "There are a few fillies that do come to mind," she chuckled, "who obsess over finding their own cutie marks, but for the most part, it seems to be harmless fun."

'I guess Nixie Hope was in a minority?' Scarlet wondered. "How about you Fluttershy? More or less the same feelings about it?"

"Y-yes," Fluttershy inched away, still timid around her new friend.

"I can't see how somepony would let a blank flank really bother them. It's just something that comes with time. You can't force it," Twilight seemed to be reminiscing, "and trying to make it appear takes away the excitement."

"Excitement?" Scarlet asked. "I'm not entirely sure what you mean."

"Not having a cutie mark," Twilight's form seemed to beam, "means that you still get to experience the thrill of discovering who you really are. You still have that chance to find out who you're meant to be."

"Ahh," Scarlet looked down at her cutie mark, "I think I understand."

"It's a wonderful feeling to truly uncover the real you," Twilight almost seemed to rise from her seat. "I still remember when I got my cutie mark. I couldn't stop jumping around I was so happy."

"A satisfaction of knowing what your destiny is," Scarlet quietly spoke. "I guess it's different for somepony," she paused, disappointment drowning out her voice, "somepony like me."

Twilight recoiled at Scarlet's self-destructive attitude. "Don't think of it like that. Everypony is special in their own way, and you're no different than anypony else as far as I'm concerned. It doesn't make you any less of a pony to me."

"O-or to me," Fluttershy said.

"...Thanks, girls," Scarlet sighed. "It means a lot to me." She picked herself up and drank the rest of her coffee. "I think I have an idea for a place to check out today while I'm out investigating. Twilight, can you or Fluttershy point me to the place where the Ponyville Express is made? I think I might be able to find a trail in the newspapers if I look back far enough."

"Sure thing," Twilight replied, giving Scarlet a quick set of directions to take from the library.

Scarlet said her farewells, grabbing her hat before trotting out of the door. As she took a step over the threshold, she noticed a thin, rolled up scroll leaning against the wall of the house. Hesitating, she took a closer inspection of the letter, instantly recognizing the Princess' seal.

"T-Twilight," Scarlet called behind her, "Were you expecting any mail from the Princess?"

"Not today, Scarlet, why?"

The detective took another gander at the wrapped up parchment. "Nevermind then. I think I just got a letter from Canterlot."

She picked up the message and shut the door behind her, rolling it out flat to read. Her eyes darted with haste across the few pages that were delivered to her door.

"Mystery Hart!?" Scarlet yelped. "M-mom's working on the case!?"

=====

The day came and went without incident in Ponyville, the typical humdrum events of the day playing out in a very predictable, almost schedule-like pace. Scarlet's visit to the printing presses hadn't last long, and her optimism about finding a potential lead by tracing the papers several years back yielded results that were far less than desired.

Scarlet sprawled herself on her bed after tossing her jacket on the hook in the loft. She took her hat off and rested it on her hoof, spinning it around and watching the white stripe on the rim of the fedora. She turned to the staircase as an exhausted Twilight Sparkle made her way to her own bed on the opposite side of the room. She fell back onto her bed and stretched after the long, tedious day she had been through.

Scarlet continued to lazily spin her hat around her hoof. "Rough day today, Twilight?"

The mare didn't even put in any effort to turn her head towards the detective. "No rougher than yours I'd imagine."

"Yeah," she stopped playing with her headwear, placing it on her dresser. She grabbed a stack of newspapers and flapped them in the air to grab her friend's attention. "Fifty years of Ponyville ponies gone missing and being kidnapped. Fifty years, and only twenty instances, all of which were resolved at least a week after being printed. This town is ridiculously safe."

"I can agree to that," Twilight laughed at the way Scarlet was hopelessly tossing the paper around. "Ponyville isn't exactly a rough city. Our crime rate is amongst the lowest in all of Equestria."

"It's a small town too," Scarlet added. "If anypony committed a crime, the news would spread pretty fast around here. Everypony knows everypony else."

"That's true. It's an advantage of living in such a small place. It's comfortable, though."

"It's nothing like Manehatten."

"You've been to Manehatten?" Twilight finally turned towards Trace. "What's it like?"

"Well, it's a metropolis," she answered. "Very loud, very crowded. It's a sleepless city. The lights drown out the stars out there."

"That wouldn't do for me," Twilight motioned towards a telescope sitting at the corner of the room.

"Mmhmm. Ponyville is a stargazer's paradise," Scarlet nodded. "Nice and quiet, everypony's friendly, and everypony has a job to do. It's wonderful here." She scrunched up her face in thought, "Sometimes I feel odd walking down the street. My job is so different and inconsequential to everypony that lives here. It's kinda like I'm in the way, or interfering with the way the town works."

"That's an interesting way to look at it," Twilight motioned. "We get travelers that come through the town, but very rarely do ponies ever stay for keeps. Our last new resident was a donkey, but that was so long ago now, and he generally keeps to himself."

"Well, it IS a small town. You'd have a hard time finding a pony from another city who prefers this way of living," Scarlet reminded herself of Canterlot. "Even in Canterlot, you still find ponies who just aren't satisfied. It's crazy."

"Canterlot has its own pros and cons," the unicorn said, "I lived there for most of my life. I didn't really go out all that often, but I enjoyed it whenever I did." She seemed lost in her mind, "Though most of the time it was because I was with my family."

"Your family? Didn't you have any friends?" Scarlet asked.

Twilight shook her head. "I knew ponies...but the only real friends I had were my family and the Princess," she paused, tilting her head to the spot by her bed, "Oh, and Spike too," she looked at the baby dragon snoring at the foot of her bed. "How about you Scarlet?"

"Friends?" Scarlet grabbed her magnifying glass necklace, looking through the glass. "I have a few. I'm not the kinda mare who tries to get as many friends as possible. I like to keep it small, you know?"

"I get it," Twilight smiled at her. "Who are they, what are their names?"

"Well," Scarlet thought about it, "I can't say much, but I have three friends. We hang out a lot together whenever we get the chance. One's a pegasus, another is an earth, and," she hesitated, "the last is a unicorn."

Scarlet closed her eyes, thinking about where all of her friends were, and what they might be doing. "The Earth pony is a colt named Domino, but everyone just calls him by his last name: Locks. I do too, since most of the time I see him we're on the job. It's proper to call him Locks whenever that's the case. The pegasus is an athlete named Amethyst, or Amy for short."

"Amethyst," Twilight wondered. "There are old pony tales that talk about the significance of amethyst."

"That's how she got her name," Scarlet added. "Pre-Equestrian lore says that back in those days, ponies who traveled about at night would carry around a small piece of amethyst to keep them safe from predators and wicked ponies."

"She's a protector?"

Scarlet realized her error, "Kinda. I can't say more though; I let a bit slip out as is. Sorry."

"Oh, I'm sorry about that. I'm not trying to pry," Twilight apologized.

"It's fine. It's just a bit hard to talk about them without saying something like that. Anyways, my last friend is the unicorn who you all met at my first welcoming party. Jessica Scrawl. She's," Scarlet winced, "a 'special pony.'"

"I'm interested in her," Twilight mentioned off-hand. "A pony with her kind of magical ability is somepony that I'd like to talk to."

"I'm sure you'd get along fine. She likes hanging around unicorns that are savvy in their magics," Scarlet rolled over on her mattress. "Anyways, all I can think of is what I should do now," she spoke aloud. "I feel like I've dug up every little scrap of possible details I could in this town, but I've come up empty hoofed every single time."

"We'll know that for sure once I'm done with the census," Twilight reminded her.

"Yeah I know. I was just hoping that there would be something. Anything else that would help me out. I don't like having to ride on a single piece of potential evidence."

Twilight didn't respond, but Scarlet could still feel that her attention was on her. They marinated in the mixture of the cricket chirps outside of her window and Spike's snoring. Scarlet finished placing her goods on her desk and draped the covers of her bed over her. She heard Twilight doing the same on the other end of the room shortly after her.

"Hey Twilight," Scarlet finally spoke, this time her voice much more mild than before.

"What is it Scarlet?" Twilight's voice seemed muffled by her pillow.

"Earlier today, when you were talking about the cutie marks you and your friends got, you said something about the thrill of discovering yourself."

"What about it?"

Scarlet bit her lip, "The reason I was curious about it was because I...I don't think I ever really 'felt' that kind of a feeling before. Ever."

Twilight turned so that her voice was clear. "How? You have a cutie mark, right? Doesn't the knowledge of knowing what you're meant to be feel...fulfilling to you?"

"I don't know," Scarlet's ears drooped. "I was just wondering about it because I've always had my doubts."

"Doubts?" Twilight's bed creaked.

"About my job. About who I am right now. Where I work and what I do. Truth be told, I don't find myself any...good at what I'm apparently meant to do. I don't think I've ever had that 'thrill' you mentioned."

"Scarlet," Twilight started to say, but the hesitation in her voice made it difficult for her to continue without sounding insincere. "Perhaps...perhaps you need to try and pursue your job from a different angle."

Scarlet closed her eyes. "M-maybe. It just bothers me a little bit."

"Don't worry," Twilight tried to comfort the poor mare, "You just need to trust in your cutie mark. I know that you'll come to fully embrace it someday."

"Maybe. I'll do what I can until then to manage," Scarlet pulled the covers closer to her body. "Thanks, Twilight."

"No problem. It's what a friend's meant for, right?"

"R-right," Scarlet nodded. She heard her purple companion turn about in her bunk while her bed yawned.

'Who knows,' Scarlet thought about her cutie mark, 'maybe I'm more like Nixie Hope than I think.'

"What a horrible thing to say," Scarlet spoke aloud.

"What's horrible?" she heard a voice from the other end of the room.

"N-nothing Twilight, just thinking out loud," Scarlet stuttered.

"Okay then. I'm going to bed. Good night, Scarlet."

"G'night, Twilight," Scarlet replied. "Don't worry about me for breakfast tomorrow, I'm gonna be heading out of town for the day."

After hearing Twilight grunt a reply, the detective twisted to her side in her blanket, feeling an odd twitch at the base of her ear as she did so. Her busy mind finally started to come to a stop, her thoughts fading away for the remainder of the night.

=====

Early morning welcomed the groggy fillies and gentlecolts that walked in through the familiar doors. The smell of fresh roast floated about in the air around the building, coaxing customers inside with its alluring scent.

The owner's most faithful customer was already inside, sitting at a table for two, with his assistant sitting on the other end, eagerly awaiting her breakfast.

"Don't worry about the expenses," Locks assured his partner, "I got you covered for today."

A whistle came from the larger pegasus sitting on the other end of the table.

"Well, after all of the progress we did with Lada and Nixie Hope, and after sending off the report recently, I felt like we deserved a little pat on the back. Plus, you did an excellent job of roughing up Jessica, and pinning her down is something not very many ponies can say they've done."

Amethyst blushed at all of the praise she was getting. Her face shined with happiness at the sight of her breakfast being placed on the table: A large omelet, filled with cheeses, mushrooms, spinach, and several rose petals, served with a tall glass of orange juice. On Locks' end was a pair of stacked pumpkin spice pancakes with three cups of fresh coffee.

"For starters," Locks shrugged at Amethyst's questionable expression upon seeing his drinks.

The duo slowly ate away at their food, chattering on about their job, issues with coworkers, and other various facets of life.

Locks chased down a bite of his pancake with a gulp of steaming coffee. "By the way, Amy," he cleaned himself with a napkin, "I never really had the chance to apologize to you for what Jessica did when we left Lada's house."

Amy whistle came in a low tone.

"I didn't mean to bring down the mood," Locks said, "But I wanted to let you know that I'm sorry about it. I never thought she was the type to forget something so important."

Amethyst agreed, rubbing her neck with a hoof, losing herself in a memory that the two agents shared. A memory that was hidden far, far away.
=====

SIX YEARS AGO

The entire block was sealed off from the public, barricaded by a thick blanket of clouds brought in by weather ponies. On the ground were a handful of Royal Guards, one placed several yards apart in front of the cloud dome. At the very center of the dome was a humble home, neatly arranged amongst the rest of the evacuated houses nearby. A large group of officers lined up outside the front of the house, with several pegasi and unicorns prowling about the perimeter, trying to get a good look of the inner home through the windows and with their magic. Several ponies on the outskirts, beyond the cloud cover and behind several additional barricades, couldn't help but try to peer through the thick coverage, curious as to why there was such a commotion.

The house in question seemed normal enough, with a solid roof and built out of the same marble that you'd find in most of the towers in central Canterlot. The yard's grass was cared for, evident by its deep green color and fresh fragrance. A basketball hoop was sprawled out on the yard, now used as a cover for several ponies who were creeping up to the front door.

The windows to the house pulsed a toxic, purple color, keeping everypony that observed the foundation on edge. A familiar looking colt stood at the front of the line of the ponies on the other end of the street. Several carts and barrels of hay were put in front of them for additional safety. The older stallion nodded as he received an update on the condition in the backyard.

"Is the air team prepared yet?" a younger colt walked up to the graying pony in charge. His significant other, an ivory pony with a flowing pink mane, trailed behind him. The two of them saluted their superior before continuing. "And where's Jessica?"

"Leading a team on the roof of the house," Flex Steele groaned. "It's running a bit slow; she keeps flirting with the stallion in charge of the Royal Guard unit."

"Figures," the cobalt pony grimaced. He turned to his wife, "Mysty, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Conroy," she assured him. "Right now I'd rather focus on the ones inside with that maniac."

"Speaking of which, what do we have here, Flex? Just another nut job?"

"We wouldn't have put up so much security if that was the case," Steele sighed. "It's a bit more complicated than I'd hoped, but that can't be helped. We got ourselves a big fish here." He plastered a small map of the building against one of the carts blocking the road in front of them. Arrows and points were scribbled all over the paper.

"We have units surrounding the house all over, but the scumbag inside has the residents hostage right now. We can't move an inch until we're sure they're safe."

"He's threatening to kill them otherwise, I assume," Justis shook his mane.

"Yup. Fortunately he must've been in a hurry to do whatever he's doing," Steele motioned at the window to the house, another flash of purple catching Mysty's eye. "He didn't properly fortify the area around the yard with magic, so he has absolutely no idea how many of us are out here. Jessica was also nice enough to put up a magical barrier around the house. If he wants to get a view of anything or anypony here, he has to take several steps out into the yard to do so."

"Nice work," Mysty nodded at the job. "That purple aura is making me a little uneasy. I'll be checking in with the unicorns nearby. They might be able to use my help in identifying the spell that causes that kind of reaction."

"That's probably best," Conroy let her go, watching her hurried trot over to another unit. He turned back to Steele, "So what are our options right now?"

"Well, that's just the thing," Steele started, taking a deep breath that created tension. "Jessica may have blinded him from the outside, but he's plastered enough magic around the inner portion of the house to sense anypony who tries to break in. We're trying to gauge how much power he put into the warding spells so that we can break them undetected."

"And Jessica's gonna be leading the unit into the house to eventually do this."

"She's the best pony at these kinds of jobs. A unicorn who can sneak by undetected by even the strongest spells in Canterlot," he bragged about one of his top agents.

Conroy looked behind Steele. A much younger colt was completing another map, in full detail, of the house's interior. His coat was of a brighter blue in comparison to Conroy's, and his hair a spectacular white color, with the exception of a black stripe that tore down the center of both his mane and tail.

"Ah, Domino Locks, it's been awhile," Conroy greeted the intern from the office.

Young Domino looked up to his mentor, "Detective Justis, sorry, but I'm busy right now. The official blueprint to the house is a bit outdated right now. I'm busy bringing it up to date through several testimonies we got out of the neighbors to this place. If you don't mind," Locks went back to his work with his full concentration.

"Of course," Conroy smiled at the hard working foal. He returned to Steele's side, inspecting the house, flinching at another shot of color from under the doors.

"So who exactly's stuck inside?" Conroy asked him directly. "This many guards for a black magic user is uncanny, and I doubt he'd have chosen a random set of victims for his twisted little experiments."

Steele put the map to the home down, opening up a folder sitting right next to the rest of his documents on the cart. Several pictures and written work of the homeowners flashed before Conroy's eyes.

"You ever hear of the Sheen Family?"

"Vaguely," Conroy admitted, "I was on friendly terms with Mr. Ruby Sheen back when I first moved to Canterlot. He was a Professor at Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, if I recall."

"Well, that's a third of the problem. Take a look," Steele handed Conroy a family photo. Ruby Sheen was standing next to two other ponies. His large build took up a majority of the photo, with a pristine smile that made him friends wherever he went. His deep red coat clashed with his bright blue eyes, which were tucked gently behind a set of black framed glasses. His short white mane and tail gave him an heir of authority, and his stance was demanding and powerful, much like the pointed horn on his head.

On the left of the photo, with a hoof wrapped around Ruby's rigid neck was another pony. Her wings were spread wide apart from her body, her feet lifted off of the ground with a face full of determination. Freckles adorned her muzzle, with a set of glowing yellow eyes standing out amongst a coat of deep blue. Her hair was frizzled and all about her, colored a peculiar green. Her form was slender, hiding the muscle she had beneath her thin coat.

"That's his wife, Topaz Sheen," Flex introduced her. "Wasn't a typical stay-at-home-wife. She was one hell of an athlete, and an even better solider."

"She was a soldier?"

"Top of the line," the older colt replied. "She was a high ranking officer in Celestia's Royal Guard before she had a child. After that, she took to pegasi sky races to give her something to do on her free time."

"I see," Conroy scrolled down the center of the two ponies. "And this is their foal?"

Steele looked at the young filly Conroy's hoof pointed to. "Yessir. That there is little Lily Sheen. Still in school. Pretty timid pony if what I've heard is true."

Conroy stared at the youngster in the photo. Her coat was a dark brown, her raven black hair coiling down her neck and back. Her eyes strongly resembled the jade green of his own daughter, Scarlet, but without the solemn look he knew all too well. She sat between her parents with a fragile grin, her own pair of wings clutched against her body.

Steele had just finished chatting to another officer when Conroy and Locks turned to him.

"Jessica's in, but she's holding off the squad until we have confirmation that the family inside is safe," he explained. "She's still not entirely done getting rid of the wards, but they'll be gone give it another few seconds."

Locks and Conroy looked on at the house. "I hope so, Flex," Justis turned away, wincing at the grim face his wife had on, "I'm looking at Mysty right now, and I can tell you that we're running out of time."

=====

"Be quiet! All of you!" the colt shouted at his insurance. His eyes hadn't stopped glowing for the past thirty minutes, and he felt the impatience of his master ticking away at his mind. "Just follow my orders, and everyone will walk away from this with what they want!"

Three ponies stood against the wall of the den to their home. All of the furniture in the room: a couch, a coffee table, a birdcage, and a long rug that typically stretched across the floor, were ripped and shredded up, lying in a pile against a corner of the house, blocking out a single window from use. The hostages were huddled, the smallest one shaking with tears in her eyes.

Topaz Sheen had her hooves wrapped around the sobbing child, her anger burning up her eyes as she stared at the maniacal creature in front of her. Her husband, Ruby, was sprawled out next to them, each breath taking a momentous amount of effort to exert. His horn had been singed at the tip, burnt out from a fierce struggle he had with the intruder before the police arrived. He groaned, his body struggling to move, unable to budge from the hex placed on him.

The criminal was shrouded in a brown cloak, making it impossible to discern anything but his towering height. He was busy tending to a pillar at the center of the room, the surge of magic throbbing with a purple aura every few seconds, bright enough to cover the entirety of the house. The width of the spell grew with each passing minute, making the shrouded stallion anxiously shudder.

"They're here, I know they're here," he jumped towards the window, seeing nothing but an empty road out in the front yard, "I can feel it in my bones." He turned towards his hostages, "Once I satisfy its hunger, then you can go. It'll all be better afterward, I promise." He leaned closer to Topaz, "Had you just complied from the get go, then he wouldn't be laying there like a maggot right now."

Topaz grunted with fury, nearly rising from her spot. He quickly slammed a fist down against her face, sending her bouncing against the wall. Lily yelped, calling for her mother. Topaz recovered, tightening her grip of her only daughter.

"We'll have none of that," the sorcerer mused.

Topaz growled, leaning forward and spitting at him. It slapped him in the face, his expression widened. "Go back to the pits of Tartarus like the parasite you are," she clenched her teeth.

He slowly wiped away her saliva with his coat, turning around and ignoring her insult. "I didn't think you'd so readily volunteer, dear Topaz. You should be honored."

"V-volunteer?" she felt her confidence drain. "What the hell are you planning?"

"Language, Madame," the colt teased her. "We're in front of youth."

The spell in the center of the room howled as another surge came through the ground. The pony quickly turned around, observing the base of the magic he had cast. "Excellent, the second phase is completed."

He turned slowly back towards the family of three. "Now, I just need a few samples."

=====

The guards outside braced themselves as a large rumble shook the foundation beneath them, rippling out towards the cloud barrier on the outskirts of the block. Conroy and Steele looked to each other with concern. Locks picked himself up after tumbling over, grabbing all of his papers before turning to the leaders of the Agency.

"Detectives, what's going on?" Locks asked.

Conroy quickly turned around, dashing towards the unit Mysty was questioning. Steele followed quickly behind, the young apprentice following their lead in return.

"Mysty!" Locks shouted to his wife.

"Conroy!" Mystery Hart was already darting back towards the group. The unit of unicorns she was with scattered like wildfire, heading in the direction of Jessica's group. "It's a summon, Conroy! It's a goddamn summon!"

Right as they met in the center of the yard, a pillar of magic erupted violently through the roof of the building, a terrifying echo reaching through each and every barrier the Royal Guard had created. Several barrels of hay and a handful of the weaker carts rolled away from the source of the raw energy, along with several pegasi.

Mysty and Conroy grabbed each other, both falling on the grass and covering their heads from the debris that came falling down around them. Locks paused as a large piece of the ceiling barreling towards him. A pair of hind legs came from the side of his vision, shattering the debris into several harmless pieces. He turned and saw Steele, who grabbed him, shouting to duck and cover.

"STEELE!" Mysty shouted above the looming song of the pillar. Once the boss' attention was on her, she motioned towards the house. Jessica was shouting at both her unit, and the spare unicorns that managed to withstand the explosion. They were all moving into the house, with the witch herself leading the charge. The pegasi surrounding the borders tensed up, eager to get into the action with their comrades.

"NO!" Steele tried to stop her group, "IT'S TOO SOON! THE SPELLS AREN'T DEACTIVATED YET!"

=====

The criminal inside gave a devilish look to the family, admiring his work after the ear deafening boom erupted in their den. His hood poked upwards, his hidden horn gathering magic to complete his spell.

"The summon is almost complete," he pointed his magic towards the downed colt. "The severed link between Tartarus and Equestria...it's within my grasp."

Topaz put her daughter down, her eyes focused on the pony. She turned to her offspring, bringing a hoof to her lips before giving her a hard kiss on the cheek.

"Close your eyes," she told Lily. The young filly sniffled, turning her head away before blocking out her eyes with her hooves.

Topaz braced herself, her wings flaring to life before bursting towards the maniac.

"No!" He shouted, his head quickly turning to her. Topaz's forelegs rammed into the colt's body, sending him dangerously close to the pillar that was still widening in the room. He quickly bounced back, recoiling from the pain surging up his ribs. The speedy mare rolled up, springing back into the air and charging at him again.

He was ready for her, twisting his head as his magic regained control. Her yellow eyes failed to notice the blur of red and white hurdling towards her. She hesitated, recognizing her husband's body before it slammed against her smaller body like a heavy boulder. The two ponies were sent spiraling towards the portal near the mastermind, Topaz pinned down by Ruby's mass.

"You little bitch!"

Topaz felt his aura grip at a hind leg. His horn fired its magic again. Topaz's leg bent at an unnaturally sharp angle towards her back, a crack in her limb forced a high pitched scream out of her mouth that was drowned in the pulse of the magic.

Lily turned back around, hearing her mother's cry. The pony was standing over them as they lay there, just inches away from the pillar in front of them.

Suddenly, the colt jolted his neck straight up. A series of loud thuds echoed throughout the house.

"I KNEW IT!" He cried out, his teeth grinding against each other. His movement resembled panic as the pillar grew. "The offerings! There's no time! I've come too far to let the Princess destroy my dreams!"

Lily Sheen watched in horror as her parents were bucked into the center of the beam of magic. Topaz's eyes met her daughter’s for a split second.

She screamed as both her and Ruby's bodies evaporated into the stream. Not even a speck of dust or a strand of hair remained.

Lily's body turned to stone, her hoof slightly extended out towards the hungry beam, The colt's body darted in several directions, his fear starting to override his plans.

"The daughter! I need the daughter!"

Before the colt could act on his final ambition, a small squad of unicorns crashed in through the fragments of the roof of the building. He turned to the unicorns, quickly casting a wall of magic between him and the subsequent bolts that shot from their horns. He grabbed the daughter, darting to the parents' bedroom at the far end of the property.

"Just keep that way and we'll be fine!" He ordered Lily, whose body was limp and lifeless. He quickly shut the door behind them, pointing his horn at the lock after throwing her across the room. Her body rammed into the edge of the closet door on the other end of the room, her eyes wide and staring straight ahead of her.

"The wall's already broken, shit!" He shouted. "The pillar isn't complete! I can't...I can't let this happen!"

Hoofsteps stampeded down the hallway, stopping at the fork in the hallway, each one leading to another room that was shut.

"The wall hid their vision. That might buy me some time," he schemed his escape.

Tears started to roll down Lily Sheen's eyes.

He continued to work, paying no mind to the filly he just orphaned without remorse.

Lily muttered a cry for her parents. The colt turned around frantically, looking down at her.

"Shut the hell up. I'm warning you."

His anger quickly turned to fear. Lily Sheen's eyes squeezed tightly together as she let out a cataclysmic scream that grabbed the attention of everypony on the block.

"HERE, IN HERE!"

"No!" He shouted above her. He turned on the young pony, a murderous vibe emanating from his body. His magic channeled into a ball that hovered just outside of his hood as the door's magical lock was broken. He pointed it at her, the young daughter doing nothing to stop the spell.

The closet behind Lily suddenly shifted. A hole ripped itself open at the top of the door. The colt looked upward, his magic still channeling, and watched in awe as the lithe form of an orange haired pony came leaping out from the portal. She tackled him to the ground as the door ripped open. His spell discharged when he slammed into the ground.

The bolt bounced about the room, tearing through the air like a bullet before rebounding off of the unicorns protected at the door.

Jessica's eyes followed the beam. The bolt aimed straight at Lily Sheen. It landed perfectly along her neck, tearing into her meager flesh like a buzz saw before fizzling out. Blood splashed from her wound as the filly fell to the floor twitching.

"You idiot...!" The dark colored mare bellowed, her rage overriding the remainder of her sentence. Before he could react, she pointed her horn at him, firing a spell straight into his head. The spell drilled through him, Jessica's aura pulsing behind his eye sockets. Her magic lividly invaded him, his resistance quickly slowing to a crawl. His body instantly stopped struggling, collapsing into a heap on the floor moments later.

"Take care of him and the portal!" She ordered as she rebounded without hesitation, running over to Lily Sheen. Her spell quickly fired at the foal, coating her body and pulsing around her neck. Lily's body twisted, her form reacting to the lack of blood in her system. Her eyes remained open, but her mind had all but shut down when the spell made contact.

Jessica focused on the poor child. She looked at the blood that flooded through her wonderful black hair and onto the wooden floor. Her eyes narrowed when she saw Lily's essence: her magical disposition, the center of all of her potential, leaking from her body and into the atmosphere.

"No! I'm not going to lose." She clenched her teeth with grim determination at the dying pony beneath her. "Someone will live today, goddamnit. At least one."

Jessica's horn screamed with strength. The life force that Lily was leaking was brought to a slow, continuing to ebb out of her. Her bleeding was also contained to a crawl as Jessica mended the broken flesh. Lily's hooves continued to twitch during the impromptu operation.

"Your body needs to re-stabilize itself," Jessica grunted as her efforts weakened. "But you need more distribution. You've let too much leak out already." She looked up at the ceiling, as if chanting a prayer in her mind, "I think I know what I can do for you."

Jessica's power enhanced once again. This time, a thin stream of her essence flowed from her horn. She weaved it around in the air before drizzling it over the wound that ran down her neck. The flesh trembled as the final bits of Jessica's disposition filled the limp body. Sweat dripped down her sides, her magic weak from the tremendous procedure she had done. She finished cleaning up the flesh and repairing the skin, gasping for air as her horn went dead.

She panted, looking at her work. Lily's chest started to rise and fall with newfound breath, but the area around her neck continued to glow with a black stream of magic that matched in color to her parents' murderer. She looked back at the braindead colt. A pair of unicorns had removed his cloak to expose his body to the world.

He looked no different than an ordinary unicorn. However, along his legs and up his neck were a series of markings akin to those she had read about in several books regarding the dark arts. She grimaced at the sight of the pathetic soul in front of her.

"He's still useful," she assured her assistants, "I only gave him a lobotomy. You can still probe his mind for answers."

Her words woke the young filly underneath her. Lily coughed, spitting up some spare blood that had stained the inside of her mouth. Her voice cracked with an unholy sound that came from the black essence. She quickly stopped making a noise, looking up at her savior.

Her eyes slowly flashed as she drank in the situation. Jessica moved closer to her, the two still on the floor. Jessica's hair and hooves had been stained with Lily's own blood, and both of their eyes and ears sagged from fatigue. Lily looked down at herself. Her wonderful hair had hardened with her blood, and her coat was layered in it. She struggled to rise to her feet, tumbling over right after gathering her bearings.

Jessica wrapped her hooves around the daughter, bringing her to her chest and letting her feel the warmth of her body.

"It's okay. You're safe now."

Lily's mind started to register the horrific event. Topaz's eyes flashed before her. Lily's eyes watered up. Jessica held her closer to her body, muffling the terrible, painful sounds that came from the orphan.

Hoofsteps raced down the hallway. Conroy, Steele, Mysty, and Locks burst into the room, each one out of breath and gasping at the surroundings. The four of them could only stand there as Jessica comforted the victim in her arms, gently rocking her body back and forth, desperately trying to soothe the broken hearted filly.

=====

PRESENT

The doors to the cafe jingled as the pair walked out into the open. Amethyst clenched her eyes shut at the bright sun that had risen while they ate.

"It's not something out of the ordinary, but you get twisted ponies like that one in this job," Locks shook his head. "Ponies who crave the pits of Tartarus. Who want nothing but to bridge together the connection that separates those two worlds from one another.

"That was so long ago," Locks thought to his partner. "Do you forgive Jessica?"

Amy turned to him, almost in disbelief.

He reacted to her expression. "I know...but she was also the one who preemptively called for the attack. It was too soon. If she hadn't done that, then maybe-"

Locks' guardian sent out a solid whistle.

"You're right. We could play theoretical scenarios all day if we wanted to. What happened, happened. I'm just curious because it took her so long to remember." Locks looked ahead at the road, "It's not extraordinary for her though. She was chewed out to hell and back after that day by Steele. I think it might've been the first time she took anything he said seriously. She was upset for the rest of the month."

"Ever since then," he continued, "She loosened up in general, letting other ponies take charge and make the calls. She just does her own thing now a days. It's honestly what she's best at." He looked to his partner, "In any case, I'm glad she was the way she was back then. You wouldn't be here if she wasn't."

Amy looked down and away from him, her ears fallen and her form feeble.

"Yeah. I'm sorry too. I'm sure that she...that she knows everything now, at least." He looked at the large pegasus, "If it makes you feel any better, I wouldn't want it any other way."

Another questionable whistle prompted him further. "Of course. If you hadn't decided to join the Agency afterward...you wouldn't be the Amethyst I know. Besides, if it weren't for what happened, you wouldn't have your little gift either."

Amy shrugged, her wings stretched out to prepare for flight.

"I wouldn't sell myself short if I were you. If you hadn't been exposed to such a deadly concentration of dark magic, you would've never built up a natural immunity. That's a priceless strength, Amy."

"Amethyst," another voice called out. Locks and Amy looked ahead at the figure who uttered the name. Jessica Scrawl waved to the two with a spare hoof, floating above them with a magical aura surrounding her form, "An honorable title given to the strongest guardian at the Agency."

Locks' eyes pierced her hide like daggers.

"Relax honey. I have a good reason for being here this time," she said with a strange sincerity in her voice. She handed him several folded scrolls. "Extra reports a la Steele." The colt swiped them from her hooves. She turned back to Amethyst, who had since moved away from her.

"I never looked into it," Jessica continued. "I never thought that Lily Sheen would grow up and become THE Amethyst."

"It's the eyes," Locks told her in a quiet tone.

"Makes sense. It hides her identity pretty well," Jessica noted. "I didn't even know that unicorns underneath Steele's orders even knew any genetic-altering spells, so I never considered the possibility. All of these hidden secrets being kept from me," she turned away with a frown, "I must admit, I'm pretty upset."

Amy looked back at Jessica, her wings tucked into her sides. The witch in the sky gave the winged pony her attention.

"It's that look again," she repeated from their last encounter. "You're killing me, Lily."

Amethyst blew several notes into her whistle.

"Hmm...I suppose," Jessica took to the sky. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. And I mean it, that's a first for me." she blurted. "Appreciating gratitude isn't something I excel at. I just wish you didn't wait so long to tell me," her face soured, "but I suppose that's mostly my fault too."

"Interesting," Locks started, "When was the last time I've seen you take anything seriously?"

"Bite me," Jessica turned towards the detective, her tone almost completely changed back to her typical mannerisms. "Or better yet," she gave him a playful look, "Fuck me. I'm going through withdrawal. I haven't been able to find a suitable stallion ever since I started helping Scarlet on her case.."

"Pass."

"One day."

"Never."

"Anyways," Jessica's mood seemed to lift. "I need to prowl around some more. You two play safe, okay?"

"Can do," Locks sarcastically saluted his superior. Amethyst bowed to Jessica's form, the mare in the air repeating the motion in a silly manner. "But before you go-"

"Stop being so predictable, Locks," Jessica rocked herself in the air, her tail swishing in his direction. "You shouldn't have lived this long if you act like this on all of your missions. I know what you're going to say, and the answer may surprise you."

"Oh?" Locks cocked a brow. "And what exactly is the answer?"

Jessica twisted in the air, her lips curving upwards.

"Scarlet's in Canterlot, sexy."

"W-what?" He took a step back.

"Actually, let me rephrase that," Jessica paused. "Scarlet's at Canterlot Castle. With the Princess."
=====

Two ponies stood several feet from each other, one towering far above the other. She stood atop several steps that rose up to a pair of seats at the end of the throne room. Murals decorated the walls, each depicting a different tale of bravery from years past. Banners designed with utmost care hung from those walls near the windows. Sunlight invaded the room from each pane, creating bright shapes on the floor beneath the much younger mare.

Scarlet removed her fedora, putting it on her back as a sign of respect to her queen.

"You can leave the room now," Princess Celestia spoke to the guards in the room. She noticed their hesitation, "I'll be fine. We just need some privacy."

The knights of the Royal Guard obeyed, marching out as a singularity until the door on the other end of the throne room shut behind them. Celestia loosened her authoritative posture and looked down to her subject with curiosity.

"Scarlet Trace. Take advantage of this situation. I only approved of such an immediate request because of your father, and I can't be here talking with you all day."

"Understood," Scarlet bowed again in appreciation of Celestia's decision to approve her request. "I need to talk to you about the case Steele gave our group."

"I imagine so," the princess flapped her wings. "I assume Mystery Hart's report prompted you to take it upon yourself to return to Canterlot?"

"Yes, your majesty," Scarlet patted her coat, which held the document in question. "I brought it aboard my train ride. I even read through it several times to confirm my suspicions."

"What is it that has you on edge, Scarlet?"

Scarlet gulped, feeling that she was about to anger a god, "Actually, Princess, it's you."

Celestia's wings folded gently with her expression. Curiously, she took another step towards the young mare, "Me? Scarlet, what do you mean by that?"

"Locks' report said that Nixie Hope had contacted you about her problem after Ms. Helm helped her gain access to you," Scarlet started. "Then I recalled that my father had actually talked to you as well about the problem with my cutie mark," she looked down at her flank.

"My father found some kind of correlation between Nixie Hope and myself, and the only thing I can think of is that we both had unusual cutie mark situations. My mother's report only further confirmed that."

Celestia agreed, walking down another step. She walked past Scarlet, stopping only when she had a good distance separating the two. "So what are you trying to imply here, Scarlet?"

"You said Nixie Hope was special, but that other ponies had lived under the same circumstance with their cutie mark." Scarlet said. "Tell me this: Was Nixie's mark really extraordinary? Was there something there that you felt that you couldn't explain to her?"

"Scarlet," the celestial princess assured her with a gentle voice, "Ponies like Nixie Hope, those who go their entire lives without a mark aren't uncommon, but there was something inside Nixie Hope that I couldn't even begin to describe at the time."

"Can you at least try, Princess? What was it that made Nixie Hope stand out above the rest?"

"It wasn't her fame," Celestia looked out a window, "There have been similar stories through time. It was something deep inside her."

"Like what?" Scarlet tilted her head closer.

"I'm not sure. It felt weak. She felt weak. When I talked to her, and she mentioned her cutie mark, I had a sensation of some kind of," Celestia paused, hunting for the word, "deception."

"D-deception," Scarlet repeated. "You felt like she was lying to you?"

Celestia paced the walkway, "Something like that. Which is strange in and of itself."

"How is that?" the smaller detective's eye didn't leave Celestia's figure.

"Because," Celestia's horn emitted a flow of magic from the tip, "I feel a similar kind of feeling from you."

"S-similar?"

Celestia's face was lost in the constructions of her own mind. She flashed her eyes, standing further upright and spreading out her wings again as she made her quiet decision. "Yes, similar. I think I'm starting to understand why Conroy bridged the two of you together. He may have been on to something."

"You do?" Scarlet asked, "Then why haven't you acted upon it?"

Celestia walked towards one of the windows, looking over at the horizon. She could see a small blur of colors that made up the small town of Ponyville. "Because I was afraid of being correct in my presumptions. I wished above all else for this to simply be an isolated incident. Scarlet, I never had the chance to tell your father before he disappeared," she sighed, "Nor did I have the insight to inform Nixie Hope at the time, but after seeing you here in private, I think it's about time we finally bring this theory to light."

"Before he disappeared?" Scarlet strained on her words, "And what theory?"

"You're aware of your father's visit to me because of the reports from the first investigation," she looked at the gray pony. She continued when Scarlet affirmed her question, "Well, Conroy did come to meet me some time shortly before he passed on."

"And what did he say?"

"He asked the same questions, about how you and Nixie Hope could possibly be linked together, and what that could mean for you," she turned away from the window.

Scarlet felt her fedora's presence on her back. "And what did you tell him?"

"I sent him to the Everfree Forest to look for somepony that I knew who could help," Celestia explained to the anxious mare, "but when I turned to tell him more information regarding her location, he was already heading out of the door. He said something about being late to work that morning. It was...strange for him to say."

"Th-that might've been when I saw him at work that day," Scarlet pondered out loud.

"It very well might have, but I'm not too sure. He looked terribly ill the entire time. Was he like that when you saw him last?"

Scarlet thought back to that day. "That was the day Jessica glued the quill to my face," she muttered. "He looked a bit pale, but nothing else really seemed out of the ordinary. He was talking to Detective Locks before he left."

"Pale would be an understatement when I saw him," Celestia wondered. "He had a vicious cough. Perhaps it was a different day you're thinking about. Or perhaps it's my error."

"Princess Celestia," Scarlet turned to face the Princess. "If I may ask another question, what exactly was it that you were going to tell my father about Everfree Forest?"

She grimaced at the end of the sentence. She walked away from Scarlet, again lost in her own head. "Scarlet Trace, if you want me to answer that, then you must follow through with my next request. Will you accept that?"

Scarlet didn't hesitate, "Absolutely, your highness."

Celestia thanked her with another glorious smile. "The idea I had earlier that I mentioned links to this pony from Everfree. However," she prompted Scarlet to follow her to another window, "The location of this pony extends far beyond the Everfree Forest."

"W-what?!" Scarlet gasped. "There's...there's more beyond the forests?"

"Much more," Celestia bluntly blew Scarlet's mind. "But much of it isn't habitable by ponies just yet. Conditions are too severe, and the disposition out there is lacking. However, this pony has managed to survive out there with the support of the Royal Family."

"Royal Family? Is this pony related to them in any way?"

"Absolutely. Above that, as far, far back as I can remember, she was the first pony I had ever met to give me such a negative vibe upon meeting them. It's...much like your situation." she looked at Scarlet's marking, "or even Nixie's."

Scarlet couldn't help but fidget at the sour tone behind the Princess' words.

"This pony lives within a mountain that rests amongst a large, vast plain. These plains can be found at the outer edge to Everfree Forest. You must trek through the forest and get to the plains to find this pony. She's the only one who has the answers that might be able to explain all of these eerie connections to cutie marks that you can Nixie have to one another."

"How will I get there?" Scarlet looked beyond the mass of forest in the distance. "It's beyond Equestrian Borders. There are vicious creatures out there. I'll do it, but-"

"Speak no more," Celestia trotted back towards her seat. Her magic activated, creating a scroll and quill that appeared out of thin air, scribbling furiously on the official document. "I'm writing a letter and sending it out to Steele and Twilight Sparkle."

"Twilight? Why her?" Scarlet asked. "She has nothing to do with this case."

"That may be true," she finished her message, rolling it up, "But her friends will be of great use on your journey. Surely she knows somepony who can escort you through to The Plains of Woe."

"Plains of Woe," Scarlet's face drained.

"Do not be alarmed. Nothing lives out in the plains," Celestia added.

"That...doesn't make me feel any more confident, your majesty."

The letter wrapped itself and formed into a mist of green that wafted gently out of the windows. "I'll also have Jessica Scrawl join your little party.

"Please no."

Celestia didn't seem to hear Scarlet's weak cry. "Scarlet, you must return to Ponyville and prepare yourself. It's not going to be an easy trip, and Everfree is going to take days to get through."

"I understand," Scarlet backed up towards the door. She gave a slight cough before bowing to her Princess one final time. "I'll do what I can and find this pony for you. One more thing though," Scarlet added, "What's this pony's name?"

Celestia pinched her eyes shut, trying to block out an unwelcome memory.

"Her name is Gemini."

=====

TWO WEEKS LATER

Locks took a plentiful gulp of coffee from his favorite mug, placing it back down next to him as he read through the reports at his desk. He stayed home today, opting to marinate in the aura of his private study over dealing with the usual bustle of the office. Amethyst had still come to his side, perching herself on a cloud just above his apartment.

His home was subtle, hardly furnished, reflecting his on-the-go lifestyle. His den had a single couch resting against the wall nearest the front door, while the other was replaced with a stacked bookcase that covered the entire opposite wall. His kitchen had several coffee stains tarnishing its polish, and two to three coffee machines ready for some instant brews. His study doubled as his bedroom, having only a bed, a desk, and a lamp, with a large drawer that held documents from past cases.

His eyes scanned the report once more, reading through Mysty's additional document he had pinned to the front of Scarlet's and his own work. He scratched his chin, reaching over and taking in more of his fresh roast.

"Cutie Marks. Cutie Pox. Scarlet Trace, and Nixie Hope. Conroy Justis. And now two deaths. That about sums up the entire case so far," he groaned, switching between folders.

Upon saying this, he heard a knock at the window in front of him. He peered up to meet Amethyst's purple gaze. In her hooves was a rolled up scroll with the official seal on it. He opened up the pane immediately, hearing her charming whistle for the first time that day.

"Thanks, Amy," he grabbed the parchment and shut the glass. He unrolled it immediately, reading through an order Steele was informed of one day ago.

"To the Everfree Forest," Locks questioned the decision, "Scarlet? What's going on with that end of the project? Did she really find a link already?"

Lada's testimony rung in his ears, reminding him of Nixie's personal meeting with the Princess.

"Helm sent Nixie to the Princess," he thought as he leaned up against his desk. "Then she asks later if Nixie is cured."

A grim thought overwhelmed him. "Cured. Cured." Detective Locks looked up at the window, his eyes glistening and his expression hard. "They were looking for a 'cure,' like if Nixie had some kind of disease. Even Hope got that implication from Helm."

His mind retraced his steps back to Scarlet. "And they're related, like Conroy thought."

The color faded from his body. "Did Conroy think that Scarlet has a disease?"

Author's Notes:

Another week, another chapter :D
Please comment, rate, critique, whatever floats your boat.
Next update in another week!

- G.R.