An expensive-sounding symphony of chimes reverberated through the air as Twilight eased off the magic pressure on the Rich estate doorbell.
“Really now, that’s a little much, don’t you think?” Rarity muttered to Trixie, who only nodded as if she hadn’t attempted to install a similar mechanism on her trailer to less than stellar results.
Twilight merely rolled her eyes. “Ladies, a little professionalism, please,” she said.
“Oh, like how you’re totally acting like the princess you are and not a cheaper Shadow Spade?” Trixie asked innocently.
Any completely professional and princesslike retort Twilight was about to make was quickly cut off by Filthy Rich himself opening the door. The three mares smiled and shuffled in place as the businesspony looked them up and down.
“Why, Princess, what a lovely surprise!” His voice was smooth and self-assured, just like his smile and casual hoof-wave to invite the group in. “I’m honoured to host you, of course. Come in, come in! What can I do for you today?”
“Nothing big, Mr. Rich,” Twilight assured. “My friends and I just had a few questions for you.”
In short order, the four ponies were seated in one of the several drawing rooms of the Rich estate, with a pitcher of water on the table between them. Rarity had wordlessly been relegated to Trixie Supervision Detail after the third ashtray that the magician had tried to misappropriate, and so her eyes were fixed on Trixie’s wandering hooves and horn even as they waited. Twilight took a moment to gather herself before speaking up.
“We know,” she said.
Filthy’s smile didn’t waver. “Know what?” he asked. “Barnyard Bargains delivers a lot of documentation to the government quarterly, I’d be more surprised if any of the Princesses had questions left unanswered!”
The attempt at humour was not well received, and Twilight snorted irritably. “We know,” she tried again, “about the cave. About the nightmare gas. About the hired henchponies.” She paused. “About Silver Spoon.”
“Ah, you have news about her?” Filthy tried, “my dearest little Diamond has been so concerned about her friend, you s–”
“We know that you had her kidnapped!” Trixie snapped. Rarity and Twilight turned to look at her. “What? Trixie was just saving time. Were you hoping to dance around the matter a little further?”
Filthy Rich looked around the room. All three mares had serious expressions, and he could barely make out Rarity’s horn glowing, keeping the entrance shut. He bowed his head slightly, still smiling. “I see. Did you hope to gain anything by confronting me about this?”
“How about some answers?” Twilight asked, wings ruffling. “You paid to have a filly kidnapped and threw her into a cave. What could you possibly have to gain?”
“That’s quite simple, dear princess. In fact, I’m surprised you wouldn’t understand already,” Filthy said. He took a sip from his glass and shook his head. “The Rich family is only, well, rich, I suppose, through my actions. Before I made Barnyard Bargains into what it is, we had but a single store and devoted ourselves wholeheartedly to running it. This left us rather tight for money, as you can imagine.
“But as my expansion strategy paid off we saw more and more how much we could enjoy the luxuries of high society. Now all I’m doing is trying to secure this future for my family. I regret that I had to involve little Silver Spoon, but I believe anyone in my position would do the same.”
There was a brief silence. Then: “You mean the position of being a heartless kidnapper, I assume,” Rarity scoffed. “I can’t believe anyone would be so callous with a child.”
“I never intended to hurt her, I can assure you,” Filthy Rich answered smoothly. “I had every expectation her family would cooperate, and eventually move away from Ponyville to help their little girl feel safe again. We would be the richest and most influential family in a developing city, they would be left alone and retain most of their wealth. Everypony wins.”
Trixie had gotten up and started pacing. “You mean to tell Trixie that this guy has been living here for years and everypony still considered me the most pressing issue when Trixie first came to Ponyville?”
Twilight winced. “Ponyville has never had the best common sense,” she conceded. “But the buck stops here, Filthy Rich. Now that you’ve been foiled, you’ll be going away for a long time!”
“Of course, Princess,” the stallion said. “I admit, I could have done things a fair bit differently.”
“That’s an understatement,” Rarity muttered. She eased off her magic on the doors and looked to Twilight. “So, darling, where do we go from here?”
“Us? We go nowhere, at least until Fleetfoot returns with the guardsponies I sent her to notify.” Twilight flared her wings slightly, getting into the Princess mindset. “Then we have to figure out how much Filthy’s wife kne–”
She was interrupted by a teary-eyed Spoiled Rich peeking her head in through the drawing room door. “Filthy, dearest, I noticed the Princess was visiting?” She sniffled theatrically. “I wanted to know if they had any news on the poor little missing filly Diamond is friends with?”
Filthy shook his head. “They know, Spoiled. That's why they’re here.”
“Oh.” Instantly, the mare’s demeanour changed. “So I suppose you were sloppy enough that they found you out. Oh well. Nothing I didn’t expect.”
“Sorry, one moment please, Trixie thinks she just got whiplash.”
Twilight narrowed her eyes. “Spoiled Rich, did you know about this plan?”
“Do you believe my fool of a husband would have been smart enough on his own? Of course I knew of it. That doesn’t mean you can prove it, dear Princess.” Spoiled pushed the door open the rest of the way. “I do believe I saw Filthy’s… ah, escort, on their way up the grounds. Be a dear and go meet them at the door, my love. We don’t want those mucky working-class hoofprints all over the foyer.”
While the three investigators stared, wide-eyed, Filthy Rich stood up and pulled on a smart suit jacket. “You’re right, of course. What would the neighbours think?”
The group walked back to the main entrance, where a confused Diamond Tiara was talking to Fleetfoot.
“–do you want to talk to father?” Diamond was saying.
“Well, Princess Twilight had a few questions for him, so she asked us to come and pick him up,” Fleetfoot explained. “And here he comes now!”
The small, pink filly jumped a little, but shuffled out of the way with a thoughtful look on her face. “Is there a problem, daddy?” she asked Filthy, with a much more affected tone.
“That remains to be seen, Diamond,” he replied. “You’ll be staying with just your mother for a little while, so be good for her. Maybe go and visit Silver Spoon, as well. I hear she’s been returned to her family.”
At this, Diamond brightened up for real. “Silver’s back? She’s safe? I, ah, I shall see you later, father. Best of luck with Princess Twilight!”
Twilight and her friends watched the filly scamper off, feeling a little lighter for the first time since their investigation began. The guards, professional as ever, had already set about restraining Filthy Rich and walking him away.
“So… job well done, detective?” Rarity bumped her shoulder up against Twilight’s, smiling softly.
“Looks like it, my faithful assistant,” Twilight smirked back and wrapped a wing around her marefriend. “Shall we get going? I’ll get someone to keep an eye on Spoiled Rich for us.
Trixie sidled up as well, staying just a little farther away. “Ah, Twilight Sparkle, in return for Trixie’s magnanimous assistance in this most important of matters, I would like to ask you fo–”
“I’ll let Starlight know you’re looking for her, yes.”
The blue unicorn pulled her hat over her blushing face. “Thank you,” she whispered.
A puff of smoke, the sound of trotting hooves, and Rarity and Twilight were alone.
“A quiet night in sounds in order,” Rarity hummed. “Interested?”
Twilight nodded. “Very much, yes. We could read something, wind down with some tea?”
“That sounds delightful, darling. Just…”
“Yeah?”
“No detective novels, please.”
“You got it.”