Trottingham was very much a time capsule in terms of its architecture. It's ponies kept a firm idea of preserving their culture, steering away from modern housing and keeping with the historic look of castles, cobblestone streets, stone work, and theatres. While mostly cloudy for many of its days, Trottingham did have some of the most breathtaking hillsides, and eye opening structures to be found anywhere in Equestria. Not to mention some of the best tea and chips.
The Royal Carriage from the Frozen North flew in over the city, Rarity and Pinkie Pie huddled close to the window to take in the sights. The River Reigns could be seen cutting through the southern part of Trottingham, the most noticeable sight being the Tower Bridge that had been two very old watchtowers from the old ages; repurposed centuries after. With the carriage dipping towards the ground, the Royal Pegasi Guards had been given orders to head to the Trottingham Council House where a representative of Buckingham Palace would be awaiting to welcome their guests.
"Can you believe it, Pinkie Pie? Trottingham! Oh, what an extraordinary chance to absorb the culture and take in such beautiful sights." Rarity remarked, sighing with wonder.
"I heard that the ponies here like to eat chips, and not the kind of chips we eat." Pinkie Pie replied happily.
"Well, I guess that is something to look forward to as well." Rarity replied, finding it somewhat lacking in wonder.
The Royal Carriage touched down on the cobblestone road, rolling up next to the Council House, made of stone and granite. It had large pillars and arches gracing the face of it, the building like very weathered but it stood unshaken by time. Dozens of ponies could be seen coming to and from the building; each dressed quite formally. It was safe to say that this was a political building, concerning anything and everything that had to do with Trottingham.
The door to the carriage was pulled open by one of the Royal Pegasi ponies, allowing Rarity and Pinkie Pie to de-board in a rather extravagant manner in front of all the on looking ponies. No pony of Trottingham could tell if Pinkie Pie and Rarity were of any political or royal significance, but whispers did follow them. From the entrance, Rarity and Pinkie Pie could see an old, long, sullen, but familiar face approaching them.
"It's the Duke!" Pinkie Pie cried, bouncing up and down.
"I had a feeling you'd be the pony they'd be sending here." Duke Wellington replied with a defeated sigh.
Duke Wellington was part of the Buckingham monarchy, several positions away from being next in line to rule, but never concerned himself with it. He was an elder looking donkey, known to throw his hat into the mix, get his hooves dirty when it came to political squabbles or issues, but was very reliable when it came getting things done.
"What a pleasure it is to see you again, Duke Wellington." Rarity greeted him.
"You're looking a lot less wrinkly then you did the last time we saw you." Pinkie Pie remarked.
"Yeah well, the Ashen Fields is about as cloudless as a desert. At least here I don't have to worry about liver spots." Duke Wellington remarked with a forced laugh.
"Has Princess Sapphire informed you of our reason for coming here?" Rarity asked curiously.
"I got a message just this morning informing us of your arrival. About time if you ask me." The Duke remarked.
"What do you mean?" Rarity asked curiously.
"Ice Ponies like to take their sweet time when it comes to getting things done. They like to waste all of their time ice sculpting, meditating, and a whole bunch of other mystical jargon; bunch of nonsense if you ask me. I like taking a more proactive approach to things. So I've already put together a research team to find out whatever they can about the Void." The Duke replied.
"Have you really?" Rarity asked in surprise.
"The minute I got back from the aftermath of Castle Char, I informed our Parliament of the situation and the events that had taken place in the Ashen Fields. They weren't so quick to jump on board to help the Flame Ponies, seeing as they were across the pond, but I can be quite persuasive when I want to be." The Duke informed them.
"If Princess Sapphire had known that you had ponies already researching the Void here, I don't think our presence would have been necessary." Rarity stated solemnly, feeling that the trip was for naught.
"The research team has made some headway on some minor things, but we're always looking for ponies to lend a hoof wherever they can. I'm sure you two can be of some help, in fact, I could do for an update on their progress for today." The Duke commented, pointing down the street to show them where he would be escorting them.
"What sort of information has your research team discovered so far, your Dukeyness?" Pinkie Pie asked curiously, hopping alongside him.
"You can just call me Sir Duke, Pinkie Pie, and the research team hasn't found anything ground breaking but we've got some clues linking us to parts of our own past to the Void." The Duke replied.
"Do they have an idea of where the Obelisks are?" Rarity asked.
"They've been trying to narrow it down, the clues they've found have hinted two certain areas around Trottingham, and the circle gets smaller day by day to where we should 'start' looking. Until then, I have them set up in a part of the museum to examine old texts and artifacts that might give us the next clue." The Duke explained.
Trottingham was vastly larger then Ponyville, although not as spacious in its buildings as everything seemed to loom over them. The ponies of Trottingham were not all that different to the ones back home, an accent and some word play set them apart but every pony seemed relatively friendly. Street lamps, carriages, vendors, street performers, local pubs, and the occasional herd of tourist ponies lined the streets. What did seem rather unusual was the Duke walking amongst the common ponies without any sort of security.
"Shouldn't you be escorted by some royal guards or something, Duke? Seeing as you are, in fact, royalty?" Rarity asked curiously.
"I don't even break the top ten in line for the crown, giving no real pony a reason to start with me if they wanted to try some sort of hostile takeover. We've got local law enforcement dealing with the rift rafts and punks that seem to turn up every now and again, but we don't have any enemies to speak of." The Duke explained.
"I feel sorry for the pony that wants to pick a fight with the Duke." Pinkie Pie stated.
The Duke chuckled at that remark. The cobblestone road led them down towards the Royal National Theatre; a rather new building built over the old Trottingham Theatre several decades ago, built to blend in but was more contemporary on the inside. Several banners depicting several different plays that were to be performing over the next few months fluttered in the soft breeze.
"Perhaps we can catch a play or two during our stay here, Pinkie Pie?" Rarity asked hopefully.
"Bunch of overly dressed, long winded ponies strutting about playing make believe if you ask me." The Duke remarked; obviously not a fan of plays.
"Plays are more than just make believe, Duke, it tells a story or romance that needs to be portrayed, lived, to really understand the nature of it." Rarity contested.
"It's also a great place to eat popcorn." Pinkie Pie chimed in.
"Well count me out if you two end up going to that snooze fest." The Duke remarked, sticking out his tongue.
Rarity and Pinkie Pie could see a large; almost castle like, building come into view just over the rooftops of the houses that lined the streets. With similar large pillars, a grand size dome encompassing a majority of the building, several towers that spotted the walls, it was a massive and beautiful structure that had been repurposed from a stronghold to a museum many years ago. The stone steps themselves seemed just as weathered, beaten, but holding together to allow ponies a climb towards the main doors.
"This here is the Natural Equestria Museum, one of the most prestigious and eldest buildings to house countless untold and unseen relics from the world over. Studied by scholars, scientists, and put on display for any pony to see; to further their own interests and education." The Duke introduced them to the museum's history.
"Is that why it's locked?" Pinkie Pie asked curiously, pointing over his shoulder.
"Say what?" The Duke asked in surprise looking towards the doors.
The museum had two large blacken iron doors that would normally be open to the public were now shut bearing a small sign that said 'Closed Until Further Notice.' The Duke quickly approached the doors, trying his best to open the immensely heavy iron doors, but to no avail. Deciding to knock his hoof against the iron doors to get some pony's attention on inside the museum; the metal ringing with each hit.
"Hello? Can anypony hear me?" The Duke called aloud.
"Hello!" Pinkie Pie bellowed loudly, banging on the doors with her hooves in rapid succession.
Amazingly, there was a sudden click from the other side of the iron doors. A heavy latch could be heard scraping on the other side, the iron door groaning open before them. There appeared a pony with a rather large black hat with several white feathers protruding from it, wearing a rather official looking coat that bore the colors of black and red with gold ropes adorning his chest.
"Constable?" The Duke asked in surprise.
"Sir Duke, I was not expecting you to be here." The pony titled Constable said in surprise.
"I am leading a research team here at the museum; Sir Lancaster is the head of this team. Why has the museum been closed?" The Duke asked authoritatively.
"A thousand pardons, Sir, but Sir Lancaster has been reporting missing as of this morning." The Constable informed him.
"What?" The Duke asked in surprise.
"Missing?" Rarity asked in shock.
"We've detained the rest of your research team to gather their statements, and already have one suspect pony in custody." The Constable informed him.
"I want to speak to the research team. I want to know what's going on." The Duke demanded.
"Of course, Sir, and your… guests?" The Constable asked looking at Rarity and Pinkie Pie.
"No need to worry these ponies are with-" The Duke stopped short, turning to look at them.
Rarity was also at a loss for words as Pinkie Pie stood before them wearing an inverse cape, a deerstalker hat, a bubble blowing pipe, and holding a magnifying glass in her hoof.
"Take me to the scene of the crime, Constable, the game if a hoof!" Pinkie Pie declared.
"Oh my dear Celestia…" Rarity mumbled in shock.
"This cannot end well." The Duke mumbled, rubbing his temples.
The museum was massive, having a complete fossilized dragon on display right at the entrance. There were several banners the fluttered overhead, directing visiting ponies to different places in the museum. Roped off exhibits depicting the early days of pony kind, several glass cases containing old pony pottery and tools, and murals of old pony cave paintings. It would take days if not weeks to view everything the museum had to offer but their first priority was this missing pony case.
"Can you fill me in on the details so far, Constable?" The Duke asked, following him through the museum.
"Sir, Misses Minerva claimed to have seen Sir Lancaster unwell last night within research room; feverish and paranoid, having the mannerisms of a pony being chased. During this time, Misses Minerva was in the Storage Room observing Sir Lancaster from the doorway; just on her way out for the night." The Constable began.
"Take note of that, Watson." Pinkie Pie stated, passing Rarity a notepad and pencil.
"Watson?" Rarity asked in confusion.
"Mr. Montague was on his way to the local pub called 'Silly Whispers' to meet up with some friends when he said he saw Sir Lancaster ranting and raving like a lunatic; running down the streets as a pony possessed." The Constable continued.
"M-O-N-T-A-G-U-E, is how you spell Montague, Watson." Pinkie Pie informed her.
"Thank you, Pinkie Pie, I wasn't sure- how did you know I needed help spelling his name?" Rarity asked in surprise.
"Elementary my dear, Rarity." Pinkie Pie said conclusively. "Here."
Rarity felt Pinkie Pie's hoof bop her on the nose, a rather bushy mustache was left hanging from her upper lip.
"Is this really necessary?" Rarity asked, finding it rather itchy.
"What of the other, James Bartlesby?" The Duke asked.
"I have some of my officers getting a statement from him as we speak, Sir. Just this way." The Constable stated, escorting them into the Research Room.
Entering the room, Rarity and Pinkie Pie could see two ponies sitting at a table with four officer ponies standing nearby watching over them. Mr. Montague was a middle aged pony, dressed in finer clothes; a pair of half circle glasses sat upon his face, his hide was a light brown, his mane a dark brown, and his cutie mark depicting a knight's armor. Beside him sat Misses Minerva, much younger by comparison to Mr. Montague, dressed casual, her hide was a soft yellow, her mane a dandelion yellow, and her cutie mark bore an olive branch.
"Sir Duke!" Misses Minerva shouted loudly; obviously relieved to see him.
"Calm down, Minerva, we'll get to the bottom of this." The Duke instructed, waving his hoof to have her remain seated.
"James Bartlesby is just in the next room, giving his statement as we speak. Standard protocol, no pony is being charged with anything at this time." The Constable stated.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Montague, I am Detective Pinkamena Pie, and this my good friend Rarity." Pinkie Pie provided introduction.
"G-Good afternoon. Are you really a detective?" Mr. Montague asked, sounding impressed.
"She's not really a detective." The Duke replied.
"Then how is that I know Mr. Montague is a family colt, left handed, married nearly twenty years, no children to speak of, and prefers peaches to apples, but apple tarts over peach ones." Pinkie Pie stated quickly.
"H-H-How could you have possibly known that?" Mr. Montague asked sounding flabbergasted.
"How did you know that, Pinkie Pie?" Rarity asked in surprise.
"Mr. Montague's necktie has been tied by a right hoofed pony; obviously someone helps him dress in the morning, which alludes to the doting wife who has no other distractions, namely children, to occupy her time. The slight aroma of peaches still lingers upon his breath, but the crumbs in his mustache show clear signs of apple tart crumbs; a noticeably redder color then the peaches." Pinkie Pie deduced.
"That's amazing." Rarity said sounding very impressed while Mr. Montague quickly brushed his mustache with his hoof to clear the crumbs.
The officers in the room seemed rather impressed with Pinkie Pie; even the Constable was even looking astounded by it. The Duke rolled his eyes, knowing better then to argue it further.
"Misses Minerva, the Constable has told me that you were first to see the Sir Lancaster in a paranoid state last night." Pinkie Pie stated, blowing on her bubble pipe.
"That is correct Ms. Pie, I saw Sir Lancaster ranting and raving in this very room. I could see him from the Storage Room just across the way, to the east, but I could not hear any of what he was saying. Moments later he bolted from the research room, stumbling under his own hooves before leaving the museum all together." Misses Minerva replied.
"I'm guessing the Research Room was tidied up this morning?" Pinkie Pie asked curiously, looking around at the neatness.
"Normally the Research Room is rather cluttered; we do our best to keep it tidy. Sir Lancaster wasn't reported missing until a few hours ago by his wife when he did not return home last night." Mr. Montague explained.
"Not knowing that this was a potential crime scene." Rarity concluded.
The door to the neighboring room opened up revealing James Bartlesby being accompanied by the officer that had taken his statement. James Bartlesby was a young colt, his hide a silver grey, his mane a platinum, dressed in a suit; his cutie mark bore the top hat and a monocle. It was clear that he hailed from a Noble Family, most likely one that donates generous amounts of coin to the museum every year.
"Constable, Sir, James Bartlesby has given his statement." The officer escorting him stated, passing over the paper.
"What did you see, James?" The Duke asked James Bartlesby.
"It wasn't so much what I saw; it's what I heard Sir Lancaster said." Mr. Bon Bartlesby corrected.
"You spoke with him?" The Duke asked in surprise.
"Not so much spoke but listened to his paranoid delusions. I swear he's gone mad from all this research." James stated.
"Elaborate." Pinkie Pie said, stepping in.
Looking at her attire, James found her rather curious, but her intense stare was enough to have him feel confident that she was confident in her abilities.
"Sir Lancaster was in charge of the location of the Obelisks, following any and every lead we could find. He studied old texts of the first Empire of Trottingham Ponies that mentioned 'shadow creatures', and deciphered their meanings to hypothesize a location in which the texts had spoken of." James explained.
"A case of work fatigue?" The Constable asked curiously.
"Unlikely." Pinkie Pie commented.
"Highly unlikely. I approached Sir Lancaster late last night, after hearing the commotion he was making here in the Research Room. I could barely understand him; he was panicked, out of breath, and was hurrying to gather his things. He claimed some pony was chasing him, that it had already taken another. Claiming to have seen a monster that crawled out from the moor he had visited earlier in the day." James told them.
"A potential site to where the Obelisks might be located no doubt." Pinkie Pie replied.
"Quite possibly, the moor is a rather large area; it was just one of the most promising leads we had found." James informed her.
"Just take a seat with your team, Mr. Bartlesby." The Constable instructed pointing to the empty chair.
"What of the pony you have in custody?" The Duke asked curiously.
"She is currently waiting in the Police Cart out front, Sir, we made our stop here to collect the rest of our suspects" The Constable reported.
"We had nothing to do with Sir Lancaster's disappearance!" Misses Minerva stated quickly.
"It's simply standard procedure, Miss, we will take you down to the Yard for questioning and if there is no reason to detain you, you will be free to go." The Constable reassured her.
Mr. Montague seemed content with this, while Misses Minerva and James Bartlesby looked rather nervous.
"If you three would follow Officer Cash outside we'll get this over before you know it." The Constable stated.
"I would like to speak with the pony in custody." Pinkie Pie said approaching the Constable.
"I'm sorry; Ms. Pie, but you are not part of this case. I cannot allow you to interfere with our work." The Constable replied.
"I know it isn't standard procedure, Constable, but the information regarding the Void is quite critical to the Royal Family in the Frozen North as well as the Ashen Fields. It would imperative that you allow us to be a part of this investigation to ensure that the information does not fall into the wrong hooves; if it hasn't already." Pinkie Pie stated.
"Well-I-uh-I don't know if- uh…" The Constable mumbled, feeling the pressure of foreign affairs butting in.
"It will be fine, Constable, I vouch for these two ponies. They will aid you in your investigation." The Duke reassured him.
"V-V-Very well then." The Constable agreed.
The group of ponies was escorted outside to where a black cart with a rather aged white shield painted upon the side sat waiting to take the Research Team to the Yard. There wasn't much of a crowd to speak of, although there were some ponies standing around wondering what was going on. The latch from the back of the Police Cart was being unlocked while every pony waited on the sidewalk.
"I have another cart coming to escort you to the Yard, Sir, it should be here momentarily." The Constable stated.
The latch of the Police Cart opened as the doors suddenly swung out with a bang.
"You cannot do this to me! I haven't done anything! This is clearly profiling and I will not stand for it!" The pony from within the cart screamed.
Attempting to get away, two Police Ponies took a firm hold of her, as a sky blue unicorn pony with silver hair struggled to get free.
"Is that…" Rarity began.
"Trixie?" Pinkie Pie asked in equal surprise.
Trixie stopped struggling almost immediately, having heard her name from a familiar voice. Taking notice of Pinkie Pie and Rarity, she once more struggled to move towards them against the two Police Colts.
"Please! You two have to help me! I'm innocent!" Trixie whined.
"Constable, why has Ms. Trixie Lulamoon been placed in custody?" Pinkie Pie asked curiously, blowing on her bubble pipe.
"She was found with Sir Lancaster's book bag, containing all of his notes out on the moor. Naturally we assumed she was the culprit and placed her in custody." The Constable reported.
"Sir Lancaster gave me his book bag! For safe keeping! I swear!" Trixie pleaded.
"Ms. Lulamoon is part of one of the plays taking place at the Royal National Theatre, in charge of all the special effects and illusionary work. Needless to say that she scared Sir Lancaster with some sort of illusion like monster before doing away with him." The Constable reported.
"Subjective to what evidence we have so far, Constable." Pinkie Pie remarked. "Ms. Lulamoon is most likely a pony of happenstance; I believe whatever was chasing Sir Lancaster is still out there."
"Yes! Thank you Pink-uh- Pink-uh-" Trixie struggled to remember her name.
"Pinkie Pie." Rarity stated.
"Pinkie! Yes! Please! I swear, Sir Lancaster came to me last night asking me to take care of his research. He made me promise to meet him out on the moor this morning." Trixie explained.
"All this can be explained at the Yard. Let us not attract anymore ponies then we have already." The Duke insisted, noticing the number of on looking ponies starting to grow.
"Do not worry, dear, Pinkie Pie and I will make sure you aren't blamed for something you didn't do." Rarity said reassuringly to Trixie.
No longer struggling against the Police Ponies, Trixie reluctantly boarded the Police Cart along with Mr. Montague, Misses Minerva, James Bartlesby, and two Police Colts. The other Police Colts hitched themselves to the front of the cart, after locking it, and galloped off to the Yard. A second Police Cart came around the corner, the second ride the Constable had promised.
"We should get going." The Duke stated, approaching the cart.
"You go on ahead; Duke, Rarity and I have some clues that need finding in the museum." Pinkie Pie stated.
"You're going to be looking for clues?" The Duke asked in surprise.
"Have the cart come to pick us up in two hours." Pinkie Pie replied, heading back up the steps to the museum.
"Wait for me, Pinkie Pie." Rarity said quickly, chasing after her.
"I will have Police Ponies appointed outside the doors, Sir, while Ms. Pie does her clue finding." The Constable reassured him.
"I'll be at the Yard, trying to hammer out the details on what they were doing before this whole mess happened." The Duke replied, climbing into the cart with the Constable.
The Police Cart rolled away with Pinkie Pie and Rarity climbing the steps. Pinkie Pie looked very stern, focused on her thoughts, a very unnatural look to see her with.
"Pinkie, sweetie, are you sure you know what you're doing?" Rarity asked softly.
"I'm just absorbing the culture like you said, Rarity, besides there's a pony out there that needs our help. In fact, Sir Lancaster, Trixie, Mr. Montague, James Bartlesby, Misses Minerva and Smolder need our help; and I'm going to need your help if I'm going to solve this mystery." Pinkie Pie said to her.
"You're absolutely right, Pinkie Pie. You can count on me." Rarity said feeling confidence in herself.