A renovated Twilight flew happily all her way to the Canterlot Station. A few hours of sleep did wonders to her mood, and she was now certain she could face whatever is expecting her in Mareami.
And the moment disappeared as soon as she saw the luxury train wagon with a purple banner with her cutie mark on it, and the words "Propriety of Equestria Royalty" prominently engraved on the access door. Worst, Agents Full Circle and Block were waiting for her.
"Agh, so much for being discreet."
"Welcome, your highness." said agent Full Circle.
Before Twilight could complain, Spike appeared on a wagon window: "Twilight, come see, this wagon is fantastic!"
"Full Circle, can we talk for a moment?" Said Twilight, pushing the agent to a corner "What is the meaning of this? All that is lacking is that four mares singing 'behold princess Twilight Sparkle'."
"Standard procedures, your highness."
"Well, I'm changing those standards now. I just need Spike and a normal wagon, thank you. And forget all the noble vocatives."
"National security. Not even a princess can change it. But I have something for you. Celestia named you the head of the investigation. I'm here with everything we discovered until now."
"Even so-"
"Hey, Twilight, this is great" The baby dragon got close. "I just gave your name on the station and got a free ticket to anywhere you want. And wait to see the size of your bed."
"Next time, don't mention it, Spike. Let's board."
"We'll depart as soon as your personal chef returns, Princess." Said Agent Block
"My what?"
"Your personal assistant requested gems on the menu. He's catering them now."
Spike laughed shyly, fighting Twilight stare.
As the train started to move, Twilight installed herself on a small table complained to Spike.
"Well, Two-thirds of the wagon are privative with one office, one bathroom and a room with a bed twice the size of mine in Ponyville. Meanwhile, two agents and a chef cramp themselves on the rest of the wagon. If I didn't speak on your behalf, you would sleep with them, too. Do you think it's fair, Spike?"
Twilight turned to see the dragon using the large bed as a trampoline. "Spike!"
"Uh? You said something, Twilight?"
"Nevermind. Call Full Circle, please?" While waiting, Twilight performed a counter-spell on the wagon, to weed out spying magic.
Soon, the agent was spreading some parchments in front of Twilight
"This is all we discovered. Trixie was stabbed eight times by a perforating object, and her body was discovered on an alley, Monday morning, the 17th."
"A perforating object?"
"The doctors that made the autopsy said there were no major cuts or rips, so the object was either used to stab only or was blunt on the edge. Dagger, ice pick, lance, we don't know."
Twilight thought about Sugar Skull for a while
"Arrow?"
"It would be an odd way to use those, but, yes, arrow. Those are pure conjecture, by the way. The doctors don't dare to give an official shortlist of possible weapons. Something made to stab, not cut. That's their answer."
"Do we have a time of death?"
"One of the guards that found her thought the body was still a bit warm… but, as you will see, Celestia over-blesses Mareami. Anything gets warmer there."
"And what else they discovered during the autopsy?"
"That's all."
"What?"
"Twilight, the ponies had to rush to museums and old houses trying to find journals of wartime doctors to learn how to perform an autopsy on a victim of murder. Decades and decades without such thing, remember?"
The alicorn sighed "So, no clues?"
"One, Twilight, but I don't think you will like it."
"Let's hear it."
"Seems that Trixie was hired by a history researcher… the kind that writes academic books. Her name is Jolly Horsing. For a while, Trixie was the assistant of miss Horsing, until one day she stole part of her research for a new book. Care to guess the subject of the research?"
Twilight rubbed her forehead, waiting for the inevitable "The Alicorn Amulet."
Full Circle nodded. "Jolly Horsing said Trixie went to Mareami also to make amends with her."
"Proceed."
"Miss Horsing said she stole key points of the research, such indications of where the amulet could have being… we learned by other means it was in a trinket shop at Canterlot all the time. We didn't get much more from her. Maybe you will have better luck. You know…" Full Circle made a drinking gesture "That mare is a cider sponge."
"Fine." Twilight wrote something. "How about what the Night Guard discovered?"
Full Circle shrugged "Who knows? They went and poked around Mareami, but nothing official."
"They are not officially on the case?"
"Twilight, they are not officially even on Equestria Defense Organizational Chart."
"Come again?"
"Short story, when Luna returned, she asked to have her own bodyguards instead of Bridle protection… Celestia agreed."
"And now they are an execution squad that owns explanation and answer to nopony but Luna. Thank you, Full Circle... Wait. How do you learn about the shop where the amulet was?"
"Nothing dramatic; after Trixie messed with Ponyville, the shop owner came to us, offering to help on the case, if needed."
With a small bow, she left.
When alone, she called the dragon. "All right, Spike, your turn. Report"
Spike sat on the chair, with a rectangular red gem dangling from his mouth. Seeing the alicorn ensuring stare, he quickly put it away.
"My report... Yes! The Crusaders said you were right, Twilight. They didn't find Zecora anywhere. And they said her house seemed in order, without signals of struggling or fights."
"Hm."
"They said they didn't have any luck with the hoofprints, however."
"I didn't ask about-"
"Sweetie Belle said they learned that 60 pounds of powder may be a bit too much for revealing hoofprints and that the trio will only know if they got their cutie marks in espionage after a good bath."
Twilight allowed herself a good, needed laugh. Things are getting better. She had a few clues to follow, and hopefully, Pinkie Pie would also help to get some information about Trixie's past from her family.