“—just like the magic inside of you!” Coloratura finished the song with a flourish, slowly lifting her hooves off of the piano keys.
 
A single set of hooves stamped out in applause nearby. “Rara, that was fantastic,” Applejack smiled at her friend. It was just the two of them in the auditorium, standing on the stage beneath the one lit spotlight while Rara rehearsed for the concert.
 
“Thanks, AJ,” Coloratura smiled, rising. “Hold on, I left the other sheet music in my dressing room.” She walked off the stage and into the backstage, walking into the dressing room. She looked around and spotted the sheet music for the next scene laying on the makeup table. “There you are,” she mumbled to herself, snatching up the sheets. She looked up into the mirror and froze. There was her reflection. And there was the reflection of a pony in a mask behind her.
 
Before she could react, the masked pony grabbed Coloratura and clamped a damp cloth over her mouth and nose. Coloratura struggled, but the chemical odor soon overwhelmed her, and she passed out.
 
When she came to, she found herself laying on the stage. Her front hooves were unnaturally bound behind her, sending sharp jolts of pain up her shoulders when she tried to move. Her hind legs were firmly bound together, and a strip of tape covered her mouth. She struggled as much as she could, trying to scream for help even though she knew there was none to be summoned.
 
A noise caught her attention, and Coloratura looked up in shock to see the masked pony walking onto the stage. Applejack was laying across his back, similarly bound and gagged: she writhed and strained against the ropes, letting out a stream of muffled curses and threats.
 
The abductor laid Applejack down on the stage, next to Coloratura. Beneath the spotlight, it seemed as though the two of them were on display for an audience of one. Turning away from his secured captives, the kidnapper reached into his pocket and pulled out a cell phone.
 
“Yeah, I got the countess,” he spoke into the device in a gruff voice. “Also had to snatch another mare that was with her. What should I do with her?”
 
There was a pause while the pony on the other end responded. The masked pony looked back at his two captives. The mares looked back at him: Coloratura fearfully, Applejack in defiance.
 
“Yeah, boss. I understand. I’ll bring ‘em both.” Closing the cell phone, he walked back to his two victims. “You’re both coming with me.”

@Jerkface  
It just ain’t fair!  
#legalize-kidnapping-for-cuddles  
#consent-is-optional

@Background Pony #542B  
Have fun being snuggled by Bubba for several years.

@Jerkface  
A day of snuggles and playtime with two pretty, bound mares, though.

@Background Pony #542B  
You’ll have about a day or so before the police come and arrest you for kidnapping a celebrity and a second pony.

@Jerkface  
Ransom? How utterly daft!  
Keep them for cuddles!

What’s the ransom price, then?