It all started out like almost any other day since the School of Friendship had opened its doors, at least as far as both Rarity and Rainbow Dash were concerned. They had classes to teach, lessons to give and homework to assign.
But it soon became a day unlike any other when both were basically "recruited" by Starlight Glimmer. The unicorn turned guidance counselor started first with Rarity. "Oh! Rarity! There you are! Just the pony I've been looking for!" She exclaimed while panting.
"Starlight, whatever is the emergency?" Rarity inquired of her friend. "And why exactly do you need me in particular? If it's really something urgent then wouldn't Twilight come to get me?"
"There's no time to explain, you need to get to Twilight's office right away!" Starlight protested as she grabbed Rarity by the hooves. "It's urgent!" And she teleported away before Rarity could utter even a syllable of protest!
Starlight then quickly appeared to Rainbow Dash and said mostly the same thing, before whisking the pegasus away and bringing her to Twilight's office as well!
"Okay, does somepony wanna tell me what the hay's going on here?" Rainbow Dash grumbled. "And couldn't it have waited until after classes were done for the day?"
Rarity commented. "That's funny, because I had just the same reaction as you did, Rainbow Dash."
Rainbow gagged. "Ugh! If this is supposed to be another one of Twilight's 'demonstrations' I want no part of it! That last one was all kinds of awkward."
"Come now, darling, it wasn't that bad. I thought you looked splendid." Rarity pointed out.
Just then, Starlight appeared before them and quickly ushered them into the headmare's office. "No time to explain! Twilight needs your help, now!" Then she called out. "Twilight, I brought them both here as you requested."
Twilight was currently searching through piles of books while frantically flapping her wings, so she didn't bother to turn around to answer Starlight. "Oh, great! Just what I wanted to hear," And then she resumed her desperate search as she said aloud. "Come on! Where is it?! Where is it?! Where IS it?!"
Starlight seemed to know what her former teacher was saying as she gulped. "Uh-oh, I don't like the sound of that. Any luck?"
Twilight finally turned around and shook her head as she groaned. "No! It's goooone! Oh, Princess Celestia is gonna kill me when she finds out about this!"
"Oh come on, Twilight. Whatever it is, it can't be that bad," Rainbow protested before asking. "What's gone, exactly?"
The young alicorn confessed with shame. "The Amulet of Aurora!"
Upon hearing that name Rarity gasped in realization! "One of the magical items Princess Celestia loaned to this school?"
Twilight nodded in confirmation. "The very same. And it's no ordinary amulet either. According to legend it has the power to reverse the tides and summon tsunamis!" And she declared with dismay. "If it falls into the wrong hooves, claws, talons or otherwise, all of Equestria and beyond will be in grave danger! And not only will Princess Celestia chew me out, but so will Queen Novo for again betraying her trust."
"That's why I brought you two here," Starlight declared with something of a smile as she looked to both Rarity and Rainbow Dash. "You two have the kind of skills that could really come in handy for tracking down the culprit."
"I see what you mean," Rainbow nodded back. "I've got plenty of experience searching for lost treasures with Daring Do. Not to mention I'm super fast!"
Rarity grinned. "And as Rainbow Dash can attest, my detective skills are second to none. Much like Shadow Spade herself, I'm certain I can find out who took your amulet and make them give it back," Then she looked down at herself. "Although, my current attire is hardly suitable for mystery solving. I'll need to change into something more suitable."
But Twilight protested. "There's no time for that! You two need to search now before the culprit gets too far away!" And she pleaded. "Please, you must get on the case right away! I'll feel so much better knowing you two are looking for it together!"
And Starlight was quick to add. "While Twilight and I work on a locator spell together. And don't worry about your classes, we've got it covered if the search takes a while," With a sincere smile she declared. "It's the perfect solution! Now get going, before it's too late!"
So Rainbow Dash and Rarity were reluctantly assigned to the case of the missing Amulet of Aurora with three simple goals: Find out who it took, find out where the guilty party had fled to, and make the culprit give the amulet back before it could cause any lasting damage.
Yet the two knew it was going to be difficult, and in more ways than one. Although neither of them could truly anticipate how this search what unfold and what would come of it.
"Well, Rarity," Rainbow sighed as the two friends began to make a plan on how to solve the mystery they'd been called to investigate. "You're the detective expert here. Last time we did this you were calling all the shots."
"But Twilight clearly wants us both to do this," Rarity protested. "And for something as important as that amulet I'm going to trust her judgement for the time being. Besides, you're more of the daring adventurer type, and I imagine we'll be doing a fair deal of chasing before all's said and done."
The brash speedster seemed to nod in agreement. "Yeah, that's true. And I love a good chase!" She then smacked her hooves together. "Let's start by interrogating anyone who came near the artifacts in the past twenty four hours! Even if none of the students took it, I'll bet you anything that one of them saw who did."
But the fashionista protested again. "There's no need to cause a commotion. We can't let the thief know we're onto them if indeed they're here or have somepony on the inside helping them out. Let's investigate the scene of the crime and look for any kind of clues. Thieves always leave something behind."
"Great! The sooner we get that amulet back to Twilight, the sooner we can both leave!" Rainbow declared. "Come on, let's check where the artifacts were kept."
So the two made their way to a nearby storage closet, inside of which rested a well hidden display case where the six magical artifacts that had been loaned to the School of Friendship were stored. Except now there was one missing, The Amulet of Aurora. A quick inspection of the surrounding area indicated that none of the other objects had been touched.
Rarity observed as much. "How peculiar. There appears to be no signs of forced entry or a struggle. And no signs of damage to any of the other artifacts either. This all suggests the thief did not leave in a hurry, and that they only cared about the Amulet of Aurora. Either because they knew about its powers or because it was the easiest for them to snag."
Amidst the sound of clattering from other supplies, Rainbow groaned. "Really? All this trouble just to steal one artifact? Why not steal the whole display case?" And she then suggested. "You know what, I'll bet that pesky Chancellor Neighsay took it. Not only would it give him incredible powers, but he'd also be able to make Twilight's school look bad and get her in trouble with the hippogriffs."
"Darling, don't be ridiculous," Rarity shook her head in disapproval. "We haven't even the slightest clue who took it or why. You really think Neighsay would be so petty as to sabotage Twilight's school? He seemed to be smarter than that," And then she frowned. "Now, do you have any actual clues to show me? Because if not I'm going to get back to my investigation."
But the currently off-duty Wonderbolt groaned anew in frustration. "Rarity, your stupid boots are leaving sparkle all over the floor! And I'm not cleaning that up!"
"Sparkles?" The fashionista inquired as she turned around and looked down at the floor. A closer inspection indicated a key detail that her considerable less fashion literate friend had missed. "Darling, I know you're not color blind. Surely you can tell the difference. My sparkles are magenta, not blue. And I most certainly wouldn't leave sparkles on the floor with such boots."
"Have you forgotten that they were spilling glitter and sparkles the day you bought them?" Rainbow frowned. "That was the day you promised that if I helped you with some shopping, you'd agree to play a one on one buckball game with me." And her mind began flashing back to that day, which had unfolded only a few days prior to the current incident.
Although the high class athlete had started to come around to the idea of spa treatments from time to time since becoming a Wonderbolt, she still was not the kind of mare who would go shopping. Let alone shopping for shoes. "I can't believe I let you talk me into this, Rarity!" She complained. "If I've told you once I've told you a thousand times, I don't like shopping! Please, just make this quick so we can get to the buckball match."
"All in good time, Rainbow," Rarity reassured her friend. "It's quite lucky I ran into you when I did. While I am intrigued by the idea of buckball, I was hoping to get your insight on a possible boutique in Cloudsdale."
"Seriously? You're not satisfied with three successful boutiques? Now you wanna add a fourth one?" Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Talk about greedy."
The fashionista only scoffed at the suggestion. "It's not greedy, it's a simple matter of business. One must go wherever there is a market to tap. The truly best of the best get ahead of the curve by looking for new and unexplored markets to break into. So what if I need to have the cloud-walking spell done whenever I have to deliver merchandise? That can be easily resolved if I find a suitable pegasus partner, just like Sassy in Canterlot or Coco in Manehattan."
The rainbow maned pegasus just snorted. "Well I can't help you there, you're barking up the wrong tree. And if you ask me, there's not many places in Cloudsdale where you could set up shop. And don't get any ideas, the Wonderbolts don't need a new tailor."
Rarity couldn't help but tease. "Are you sure I can't interest you in a dazzling new outfit? It would put even your old gala dress to shame."
"Rarity, I don't need ponies staring at me! And I don't need you trying to play matchmaker for me either," Rainbow growled. "Now are you gonna buy something or not?"
"Patience, darling. I'm currently contemplating some important facts," The fashionista replied to her friend as she eyed a lovely pair of pink boots with magenta colored sparkles on the heels. " Hmmm... I'm genuinely not sure. Are these boots too in style?"
Rainbow Dash impatiently remarked. "Do I look like I know? Besides, isn't 'in style' what you want?"
Rarity explained. "Yes, obviously. But there is such a thing as being too in style. They should also be ahead of the curve so they'll see more usage. If they're in fashion right now, then they're practically already out."
"I have no idea what any of that means. That doesn't make a lick of sense," Rainbow frowned at her fashion friend. "Just pick something, we don't have all day!"
However, Rarity had her attention drawn to a set of ruby red high heels not unlike the glass slippers she'd worn with her first gala dress. "Hmmm... Perhaps I should just get these instead. What do you think? Are the boots I have now fashionable or not?"
"Heels are practically useless unless you like tripping with every step you take." The brash speedster scoffed and rolled her eyes.
Rarity just smiled as she held one of the boots up. "Au contraire, my fashion challenged friend. Heels have a multitude of uses," And she started listing them off at length. "Formal functions, afternoon teas, evening teas, high tea, tea by the sea, royal tea—" As she spoke she didn't seem to realize that some of the glitter was falling off the boots and spilling onto the floor.
Rainbow interrupted. "-Uh, can they clean up glitter? Ew! It's on my hooves! How many times do I have tell ponies I don't like having my hooves touched?"
"My sincerest apologies, Rainbow Dash. If it'll make you feel better, these boots speak to me," Rarity smiled as she used her magic to remove them from her hooves. "That settles it, I'm taking them!"
"Great! Now can we get out of here and get tot the buckball match already?" The athlete declared as she grabbed her fashion friend by the hoof the second the purchase was completed, whisking Rarity away at lightning speed.
The flashback ended as Rarity retorted. "I kept my promise in the end, didn't I?"
"Just barely, you didn't really want to play and I could tell," Rainbow frowned. "Besides, if your boots aren't causing it that means we've got a trail to follow. You think the thief wouldn't notice something like that?"
Rarity nodded. "You'd be amazed what you can overlook given the circumstances. Even I am guilty of missing things that were right in front of me," And she suggested. "Let's follow that trail, wherever it goes! It's our first clue."
"Now that is a good idea, let's get a move on!" The brash speedster declared as she zoomed away in a rainbow colored blur of motion!
Rarity followed as best as she could given her current attire, panting heavily as she tried not to lose sight of her athletic friend. "Oh, must you always go so fast? You know I can't keep up with you."
But Rainbow only answered. "You gotta pick up the pace, Rarity! We'll never catch the thief if you keep literally dragging your heels."
The fashionista frowned as she inspected the glamorous boots. "My apologies, darling. It would appear these boots are not, in fact, 'made for trotting' as advertised," And she then questioned. "Just where do you think you're going on your own? How are we ever supposed to find that amulet if you keep leaving me in the dust? Remember, we promised Twilight we'd work together!"
"I haven't forgotten, I was in the room with you," The pegasus groaned. "And it's not like I'm just leaving you behind because I want to. I'm trying to follow that trail from the amulet. It has to have been made out of Azurantium! That's the only reason why it would leave sparkles."
"Azurantium?" Rarity scratched her head. "Should I have heard of that before?"
Rainbow explained. "Not unless you're into Daring Do, which I know you aren't. You wouldn't read the books even after I told you Daring Do was real!" She then cleared her throat, realizing she was getting off topic. "Anyway, Azurantium is the same metal that the Amulet of Atonement from book four of Daring Do is made out of. It always leaves a trail of sparkles wherever it goes."
The fashionista, meanwhile, gasped in realization! "Wait, now I remember! There was a Shadow Spade story involving an object made out of Azurantium. It came out not too long after that the fourth Daring Do book too. But it's been so long since I read it I'd completely forgotten."
"So you're slow on the move and slow on the uptake when it comes to rare metals," Rainbow Dash groaned. "I'm beginning to see why you weren't interested in buckball. You've got to be able to think on your hooves."
"It's not like I didn't try, Rainbow Dash. To be fair, your way of explaining the game was basically throwing me right into a match without any practice." Rarity spoke in reply as she was now recalling that "friendly" match from the same day Rainbow Dash had gone shoe shopping with her.
Rainbow Dash had been quite relieved to put on her blue buckball uniform and take to the skies. "Finally! No more having to touch glitter."
"I thought you said you don't like having your hooves touched? Is a buckball different somehow?" Rarity pondered as she wore an old white and purple buckball uniform that had clearly seen better days.
Rainbow shook her head. "I don't need to use my hooves. Some ponies do, but I'm capable of working with just my wings and my head," She lamented aloud. "It's too bad we don't have some earth ponies and another pegasus and unicorn to join us. But we can still have a one on one match. It's a classic way to test goal keepers and ball catchers."
"Ah, so that's what the bucket is for!" Rarity realized.
Rainbow nodded. "Exactly! Now enough talk! Game on!" And she immediately launched a new, bright red buckball towards her friend!
The ball soared right past Rarity who just stood there, apparently having dazed off to somewhere far away judging from the looks of her sparkling blue eyes.
The pegasus with a coat the same blue color as the sky above groaned as she zoomed down to confront her friend. "Hey, Rarity! Pay attention! You were supposed to be holding your bucket!"
"Well, darling, you only just explained a few of the rules before you shouted 'Game On!'," Rarity pointed out. "How can there be a game when I don't even know the rules?"
But Rainbow Dash was convinced something else was up. "Seems to me like you had your mind on other things."
The fashionista unicorn reluctantly confessed. "Okay, I suppose you got me. It's just that... wearing this drab jersey gave me an idea for a buckball-inspired line of 'athleisure' wear that would allow for maximum flexibility and style! Perfect for that Cloudsdale boutique I'm thinking about." She even showed off a sketch she'd drawn to show off the concept to potential clients.
"Again with that boutique idea?! I told you that it's not gonna work! I don't even know any pegasi who'd be willing to go into business with you," The tomboyish pegasus groaned anew in annoyance. "Now come on! Either play the game or stop wasting time. I did my best to tolerate your interest after all."
Rarity shook her head and cleared her thoughts. "Alright, fair enough. I'm ready now! I think I get the idea." And she used her magic to envelope the basket and hold it up.
Convinced that there would be no more mishaps, Rainbow picked up the buckball and flew back up. "Good! 'Cause this time, I'm gonna try something new and super-intense! I've been looking for an opportunity to test this baby out!" And she instructed. "Keep your eye on the ball, if you can!" She proceeded to unleash what could best be described as a sonic rainboom shot, harnessing her famous sonic rainboom of legend to shoot a fast paced buckball towards Rarity!
The frightened fashionista shrieked in horror at the rapidly approaching buckball and dove for cover! She tried to hold up her bucket, but with her hooves covering her eyes and her head it was impossible to tell where the ball was going. As a result it soared right over and right past her.
Rainbow flew back down and tapped a hoof on her frightened friend. "Okay, maybe that was a little more intense than I thought. Even so, you should've been paying attention. You were supposed to catch the ball."
"Well that sounds dangerous. Warn me the next time you're gonna do something like that!" Rarity whined before regaining her composure. "Let's try again. No fancy moves, just a good, clean match."
But Rainbow had had enough. "Forget it. When it comes to buckball you either have it or you don't have it, and you're in the latter camp I'm afraid. Stick to the sidelines from now on."
"Rainbow, I promise you I can get better. Give me another chance." Rarity pleaded.
The brash speedster refused to consider the possibility. "I couldn't even if I wanted to. My day off from the Wonderbolts and teaching is almost over now. I'm gonna go spend the rest of it relaxing on my own. You go do... whatever it is you normally do on a day like this." And she flew off without another word.
As the flashback ended and the search resumed, Rarity was starting to think to herself. "You know, that's the most recent occasion I can think of where Rainbow and I were hanging out without any of our other friends around," And then she realized! "Oh dear! That might be a problem, and we don't even realize it!" She made herself a mental note to try to bring this up later, preferably after the search was done and The Amulet of Aurora was safely back at the school.
There were more pressing details up front that needed to be addressed, however, as Rarity continued to lag behind her much faster friend. "Rainbow Dash, could you please slow it down just a tad? You keep flying past important clues we'll need to solve this case," She then eyed a small print near the ground. "Take this print, for example. It's not a hoof mark, something else had to make it. Perhaps a claw?"
"I already noticed that, and it's not much of a clue when there's plenty of creatures with claws to consider," Rainbow replied, having already flown ahead a considerable distance. "I've found a much bigger clue!" She gestured a hoof to the trail of sparkles that now traveled straight through a murky swamp surrounded by geysers shooting off hot steam.
The mere smell of the swamp was overwhelming to the fashionista, who did her best to avoid gagging. "Great. Good news is we're on the right track. Bad news is," She gulped. "We have to get to the other side of this disgusting swamp," And she told her pegasus friend in no uncertain terms. "I sure hope you don't actually expect me to..." She shuddered at the mere thought that played in her mind. "Wade through that. Because if so you've got another thing coming."
Rainbow didn't immediately answer. She instead took a nearby cat tail plant and dipped it into the murky swamp waters. It sank all the way up to the very tip of the plan. "Nope. We're not wading through that. It's too deep, we'd get stuck for sure."
"Ooh! Clever," Rarity exclaimed in amazement. "What Daring Do book did you get that from?"
Rainbow sheepishly confessed. "Well actually, I learned it at Scootaloo's Filly Guide camp," And she added. "Did you know that's how her aunts first met each other?"
"I didn't, but I shouldn't be too surprised. They seem like the type of ponies you'd expect from the Filly Guide," The fashionista blinked, before sighing. "But I don't think even they would know how to cross a swap this deep without getting covered in the... er... muck as it were. At least you can fly across."
The pegasus tried to do so, but she couldn't fly very far before the geysers started spewing up hot steam that blocked her path at every turn. And they shot so high into the sky that flying up to get over them was not possible. She was forced to turn back. "I sure can't, not in this crazy swamp. If any one of those geysers burns off my wing feathers, I'll be out of the Wonderbolts for weeks if I'm lucky. Don't know how I'd explain that to Spitfire."
"Well now what, oh fearless leader?" Rarity proposed. "You're always the first one to jump into action even before there's a plan. Surely you must have something."
Rainbow Dash didn't answer right away, she was too deep in thought. But after only a little bit she started to ponder aloud. "I wonder if..."
"-If what, darling? At this point I'd try just about anything," The fashionista tried to encourage. "We can't lose the trail now!"
Rainbow stopped thinking. "Well, I just came up with it off the top of my head. But I could try and slingshot my way through. But I'd need two perfectly placed trees, some stretchy rope, and a pith helmet for good measure. And don't say 'It's crazy but it just might work.' even Daring Do would say it's too dangerous," As she spoke she didn't seem to be aware of her fashion friend constructing something a ways back. And so she let out a groan of frustration. "Too bad we can't do what Daring Do did in book four and find a cragadile for a raft. That would sure come in handy right about now."
Yet only mere seconds after such a suggestion had been made, Rarity had something suitable to use. A wooden boat shaped just like a cragadile, and with space in the back for Rainbow to use her wings as a giant fan to propel the boat through the water. "Ta-daaa! The S.S. Cragadile, at your service!" She proudly presented her creation.
The brash speedster and Daring Do fan could hardly believe her eyes as they widened to the size of dinner plates! "That... is... awesome!" But then she coughed into a hoof as she tried to downplay her enthusiasm. "Uh, I mean, it's all right, I guess. It should do the trick."
"Exactly!" Rarity nodded as she began to push the boat towards the edge of the swamp.
Rainbow quickly joined in pushing, and as she did so she looked across to her unicorn friend and asked her. "How did you know how to do that just now?"
Rarity smugly replied with a smile. "We may have been friends for a super-long time, but you don't know everything about me yet. And I reckon there are things about you I still don't know," To prove her point she explained. "Like just why that last demonstration Twilight called you in for was so bad. I really don't see what you were complaining about."
"All you need to know is that I will never be caught wearing something embarrassing ever again!" The brash speedster declared, before the wooden boat was lowered into the swamp waters with a splash.
Rarity climbed onto the boat and positioned herself on the front, then Rainbow stepped up behind and unfolded her wings. She soon had them flapping fiercely, which generated enough momentum to propel the boat through the swamp and past the geysers to the other side!
When the two friends dis-embarked from their journey though, they were soon met with a most troubling sight.
"The glitter trail! It's gone! Our only lead just vanished into thin air!" Rarity exclaimed with dismay.
The brash speedster groaned anew. "Well that's just great," She sarcastically complained and then questioned. "How are we ever supposed to find the Amulet of Aurora now?"
As if in answer to that question, there came the sound of rustling leaves from behind the two mares. Before either had a chance to react, they heard a croaking sound as a rather strange creature suddenly leaped out from the bushes! It perched atop a moss covered rock, now revealing its features in greater detail. It looked like some kind of giant frog with yellow skin and brownish warts all over it, and it had six orange eyes (including two rather big ones).
Upon hearing this monster frog croak, Rarity turned around and immediately screamed at the top of her lungs!
The monster frog reacted by using two of its legs to cover its ears. It appeared to be saying something that was hard to make out, though it sounded something about "Hoof-hoofs yell?" and being "too loud".
Rarity stopped her screaming as she put a hoof to her own ears. "Sorry? What did you say?" She questioned.
Again, the monster frog seemed to say something about it being "too loud".
Rainbow Dash suddenly realized what this monster actually was! "Wait, Rarity! I think it's actually a bufogren," She explained. "Daring Do meet one in one of her earlier adventures. They have really sensitive ears. You need to speak softly or you'll scare it. Let a pro handle this," And she proceeded to ask in a tone barely above a whisper. "Excuse me, Mr. Bufogren. Did you happen to see anyone with a blue sparkly thingy pass this way recently?"
The bufogren nodded as he opened his mouth to speak. "Saw it." But as he spoke his bad breath seeped out, the smell overwhelming both ponies.
"Um, hold that thought for a sec," Rainbow insisted as she started to make a gag face. She and Rarity then rushed a ways away to breath in some fresh air, Rarity even trying to fan away the smell with her boots. "Ugh! I thought for sure I was gonna be sick!" The brash speedster gagged. "I've seen some bad morning breath in my time but that was the worst!"
"Tell me about it! I'm starting to see why the thief would come this way, hardly anyone would be willing to put up with stuff like this. It'd be the perfect hiding place," Rarity commented. "What should we do now?"
Rainbow reluctantly sighed. "He must know where the thief went. Unfortunately, his breath is so bad I can't even think! But there's no way we can hear him from all the way back here."
The fashionista began thinking about this dilemma, before suddenly she got an idea. "Aha! I think I have just the solution!" She declared as she pulled off mint leaves and presented them to her friend. "An old unicorn beauty trick. I remember my mom using this on me whenever I had to take foul tasting medicine. It should work the same way here for that bufogren. That is, if you can somehow procure us a tiny bit of cloud?"
The brash speedster nodded. "Now that I can do! Just sit tight." And she zoomed up to grab hold of a cloud, pinching off a small part of it and bringing it down with her.
Rarity combined the little tuft of cloud with the mint leaves and for good measure added some of the sprinkles from her boots, knowing they weren't toxic. "Ah, perfect!" She declared, before wrapping a bandana around her nose to use as a mask. "Just in case." She whispered while using her magic to hold up the treat.
Rainbow didn't protest. "Good thinking, Rarity," And she then encouraged. "You take the lead, I'm right behind you."
So the two ponies approached the bufogren, Rarity presenting the disguised mint leaves to him. Just as she'd hoped, the tuft of cloud and the sparkles made it look irresistible to him. "Ooh! What's that?" He asked as he licked his lips.
With her voice muffled behind the bandana, the unicorn explained. "A special treat for you in exchange for your information. It is a magical unicorn delicacy called 'Effervescence'. Very now. Very chic."
The bufogren accepted the treat without hesitation, chomping down on the leaves and digesting them. They worked just as intended. "Ah, my mouth," He remarked. "Fresh and minty."
"Good, that's better," Rarity sighed in relief as she was able to smell that it was safe to take off the bandana. And she proceeded with her question. "Now then, which why did the blue sparkly thingy go?"
The bufogren pointed one of his legs up to the sky as he answered. "Up there." And both ponies looked up to see that the trail of sparkles that had appeared to have vanished had actually just been so high up that they hadn't noticed before. The "thin air" comment had been more accurate than they might have thought.
"Now how in the wide world of Equestria did we miss that?" Rainbow commented aloud while scratching her head.
"Remember what I said about missing what's right under your nose? Whoever took the amulet was probably counting on that to throw us off the trail," Rarity explained. "Although I'm beginning to wonder if the thief wanted us to follow them?"
The brash speedster only shot her friend a puzzled look. "What are you talking about? What kind of thief would do that? This isn't like your detective stories where there's a twist at the end."
But Rarity wouldn't let the question go. "Think about it, Rainbow Dash. Not just anyone could've gained access to the Amulet of Aurora or any of the other objects," She pointed out. "Twilight wouldn't leave them lying around. Whoever took the amulet had to have inside knowledge about where the amulet was kept, and knew how to take it without touching any of the other artifacts or that they wouldn't get caught if they didn't leave right away. And it's already obvious it's not a pony who took it either, nopony would ever get this far on their own. It'd have to be a creature who could endure every inch of this nasty swamp, and have a way to fly up at the right time to make us think the trail had disappeared."
"You're making it sound like this was all some kind of conspiracy. I mean, I guess that would explain why Twilight wanted us specifically to track down the culprit," Rainbow seemed to realize, before asking. "But what reason would they have to do this? And why would Twilight want to single us out for this?"
The fashionista concluded. "Isn't it obvious? I've been meaning to bring this up ever since I started thinking about it, but I wasn't sure when the right time would be. Remember that day off you had a while back? The one where we went shoe shopping and then played buckball?" When Rainbow nodded she explained further. "Well, that was the last time we really hung out on our own. Think about it. We'd be drifting apart for some time now and we'd never even realized it."
Rainbow didn't seem to think so. "That's ridiculous! We've done plenty of things together that didn't involve our other friends. I mean, what about the time you wanted to support me when I had stage fright before the Best Young Flyers Competition, or the time when you were willing to clear my name when the Wonderbolts thought I'd done something bad to Spitfire? And what about all those times we've both gone with the CMC on their getaways or watch over them?"
"Those are all the examples you can think of, though. Besides our most recent encounter before this," Rarity explained. "Whether we knew it or not, our bond of friendship was always defined by knowing other ponies. Do you think if we didn't both know Fluttershy we'd have ever met at all?"
"Well... no... but..." Rainbow Dash began, only to trail off once she realized she didn't have a good counter argument.
Rarity pointed out. "So you see, that's exactly my point. This might have been like those various friendship retreats we go on with the other girls. The real reason for this theft was to get us to work together."
"Okay, so maybe we needed to reconnect with each other without relying on our friends. But right now I think we've got a more important problem to deal with," The off-duty Wonderbolt protested. "Regardless of what the thief wanted, we can't let them get away with the Amulet of Aurora in case they are planning to use its powers for evil!"
"Very well, then. Go ahead and go after them!" Rarity encouraged. "I'll find a way back out on my own, and then we can report back to Twilight when you have the amulet safely in hoof."
However, Rainbow thought otherwise. "No can do! We're doing this together, remember?"
The fashionista began to ask. "But how am I supposed to-" But her sentence was cut off as she was picked up by Rainbow Dash and flow a great deal upward, eventually being set down near a cave that the trail of sparkles led to.
"Sorry, but I wasn't leaving you behind in that swamp. You wouldn't last five minutes," Rainbow insisted. "And I'll be darned if I let something bad happen to any of my friends."
Rarity breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you," Then she pointed out. "Although you could warn me the next time you decide to 'give me flying lessons' as it were."
The pegasus mare couldn't help but giggle. "I couldn't resist. Besides, you were fine. I wasn't flying that fast," Then she quickly coughed into a hoof. "Now come on. We catchin' this thief or not?!"
The two ponies set about inspecting their surroundings, and soon discovered that the cave had a door on it. Strangely enough, the door appeared to have the same symbol carved into it as the one displayed throughout the School of Friendship.
There was a more pressing matter at hoof, though. Namely the fact that the stone door wouldn't budge no matter what the ponies tried. But they knew the thief had to have come this way, and they'd come too far to give up now.
Stepping back a bit, Rainbow declared in a perplexed tone. "Huh. Maybe the key to unlocking this thing is written somewhere in these inscriptions."
Rarity just smiled as she declared. "Or, perhaps the key is right here!" She promptly removed one of her boots, revealing a steel high heel tip. She inserted it into the lock as she explained to her friend. "I couldn't decide between the boots and the stilettos, so I got both! Aren't I lucky?!"
There came a clicking sound a second later as the lock was undone and the stone door opened. Needless to say, Rainbow Dash was impressed. "High heels could do that?"
Rarity nodded as it was her turn to giggle. "And you called them useless."
Now Rainbow found herself getting hit hard with guilt as the memories of that day off came back to her. She wished more than anything she could take back the things she'd said about the shopping. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that. And I shouldn't been so quick to insult some of the other stuff you were doing. I guess it's part of my delicate relationship with my parents and how they always wanted to dress me up nice, but I just don't feel the need to be so feminine," She then added. "But I'm starting to realize that there's nothing wrong with embracing my girly side from time to time. And I'd be lying if I said I didn't find some of the things you do neat. Some days, after nonstop Wonderbolt practice, I find myself longing for something like a cup of tea to help me unwind."
The fashionista smiled. "You're not the only one who should be apologizing, darling. Even if I'm not really into buckball, there's no reason for me to not care about it or disrespect the work you put into it. You're very good at it, and I can see why you're one of the coaches for our team," Then she added. "And after everything you mentioned, I've decided that a Cloudsdale boutique is not in the cards for now. I can barely keep up with the demands for my three boutiques as it is, there's no good reason for me to take on more work now. Besides, I'm thinking that with our alliances it might be time to start exploring markets beyond Equestria," And she concluded. "I never should've treated your interests like they were worth less than mine. We both should've been more respectful to each other."
Rainbow nervously question. "Soooo... does this mean we're still friends? Because I'd sure like to stay friends if possible."
"Of course we're still friends. A few rough patches aren't gonna be enough to tear us apart," Rarity smiled. "Now let's go find that amulet!" And she rushed through the door!
"Right behind you!" Rainbow grinned as she followed her friend.
After several minutes of wandering around in the dark, the two mares saw light at the end of their tunnel. They rushed through it and pushed aside a door, only to find themselves in a very familiar looking hallway.
"Wait a minute! The tunnel leads back to the school?!" Rainbow questioned. "Have we been running in a giant circle this whole time?!"
"Not exactly." A familiar voice called as its owner appeared before the two ponies. A very familiar light purple skinned dragon with green scales and wings soon appeared, the Amulet of Aurora clutched between his claws.
Rarity let out a gasp of dismay! "Spikey-wikey! I don't believe it! You stole the Amulet of Aurora?!"
Spike just grinned. "I didn't steal it. Honestly, I'm surprised you haven't figured it out already for yourselves."
Rarity and Rainbow exchanged glances as they both began. "You mean..."
The familiar voice of Twilight chuckled. "-Indeed I do," She then used her magic to pull the Amulet of Aurora out of Spike's claws and place it back in its storage case. "This was all part of a little 'demonstration' I had planned. Besides, who doesn't love a good mystery?"
Starlight sincerely apologized. "Sorry for deceiving you two, but Twilight knew you two would never just agree to be our volunteers. And she also knew that the demonstration wouldn't work if you two were put on the spot."
"So, this was all just a set up to make us get along!" Rarity exclaimed in realization!
"Partially, but it was also partially so the students here could learn what it means to get along even when you don't have much in common," Twilight pointed out. "You two were the perfect ponies to use. Besides, if I'm being honest you both really needed it."
Smolder then questioned. "So let me get this straight, even though you don't like any of the same stuff, you two are friends again?"
"We do have some things in common," Rainbow pointed out. "I think we just needed a reminder and a chance to talk things out. Besides, we don't have to like all the same things! Think how boring that would be."
And Rarity added. "It's only when we give each other a chance to share the different things we enjoy that friendships can truly blossom. it can be surprisingly wonderful too!"
"So you see, students?" Twilight instructed as she assumed her lecture mode persona. "Good friends always work through their differences."
Starlight couldn't help but laugh. "Even if it takes a little help from time to time."
And Twilight laughed back. "And you thought I was crazy."
Spike quickly interrupted. "Don't start, you two," And he moved to dismiss the students. "Okay, lesson's over. All of you get back to class. And knowing Twilight, I'd keep what you just saw in the back of your minds, it might be on the next pop quiz."
Twilight then waited for the students to leave before she told Rarity and Rainbow Dash. "You know, you two can take the rest of the day off. I called in your substitutes for a reason, after all. Even teachers need to take a break from time to time."
"Great!" Rainbow smiled before she said to Rarity. "So, you wanna... go hit the shops with me? I could actually use your help picking out some new buckball gear."
Rarity grinned as she offered. "Only if you help me choose some buckball fan attire, that way I can cheer for my favorite player at the drop of a fabulous hat!"
"Now you're talking! And after a trail run we can relax at the spa," The high class athlete declared. "Let's go already!" And the two friends trotted off together, their friendship now restored thanks to Twilight's most unusual idea of a "demonstration".