I sighed looking away dejectedly, "So, there are no lawyers here....right?"
"Sir, please cooperate with the investigation. We will go easy on you if you tell us all about the pony who sold the gems to you." He said in a voice that was firm, yet polite.
There was no way I could tell them I didn't have any accomplices, I was the main perpetrator in this tax evasion case.
I looked into his eyes with a determined expression.
"I understand...." I began, as he gave me a slight smile, looking more relaxed.
"However, I will need more time to prepare a strong defense for myself." I said firmly as I lit up my horn getting ready to teleport to safety, to wherever Fluffy was at.
They both froze as they noticed, I was about to use my magic.
Princess Luna's own horn lit up as she got a defensive spell ready.
I felt a chill course through me as I realized to my horror that I couldn't feel Fluffy's presence at all.
I never had any trouble teleporting back to it before.
"Relax, I do not intend to do something as foolish as attacking the crown." I said incredulously as I sensed the multiple layers of defensive shields the princess put up.
I was already in trouble for tax evasion. Harming a royal would just end up with me being executed for treason.
"I shall willingly surrender myself to the crown on my own accord, once I have built up a strong defense for my case." I promised.
While it was extremely worrying how Fluffy's presence was completely gone, I could perhaps teleport somewhere else, to somepony I was familiar with.
"Wait..."
I suppose they realized by now that I was about to evade arrest.
"My sincere apologies for what I must do. Kindly grant me a months time to prepare my defense against the charge of tax evasion." I bowed respectfully, my tone filled with regret.
".....Tax evasion....WHAT?!" I grabbed my pet book and teleported to Fluttershy immediately before the princess could tell me how tax evasion was a serious offense.
Fluttershy shrieked as I fell right into her bathtub.
I shrieked as well, startled by the cold bath water.
I prefer my bath water to be scalding hot, thank you very much.
Well this is awkward.
I teleported to her when she was in the middle of a bath.
I immediately leapt out of the water, shaking myself dry.
Wait....Aren't ponies usually naked all the time.
Perhaps, it wasn't such a big deal in this world.
"Uh...Pardon the intrusion." I coughed awkwardly.
".....Get....Out...." She glared, throwing a soap at me.
I left hastily, quite surprised she could glare like that.
I politely stood outside, waiting for her to be done.
I suppose it was considered rude to watch a mare bath, even though ponies don't usually wear clothes here.
I opened the cage and let the spider book crawl about the place.
The rabbit kept on smacking it with a broom for some reason.
Toothy didn't seem to mind as it chewed on the broom enjoying the taste of wood.
"Aww....they get along so well." I smiled warmly at them.
"What is that....thing?" Fluttershy blinked in confusion as she saw the crawling book try to jump and reach Angel, who somehow managed to sit on top of the wooden shelf.
"Bought it at the auction. Thought it would be a good gift for you since you liked animals." I said proud of the good bargain.
"It looks like a book....it's an animal?" Fluttershy asked tilting her head curiously.
"Watch this." I grabbed a piece of carrot lying nearby and threw it as far as I could out of the window.
"FETCH!" I ordered and the book threw itself out of the window.
It crawled back inside, bringing back a drool covered carrot to me, it's spider like eyes shining with a slight red glow in excitement.
"Um....It does behaves like an animal." Fluttershy observed amazed as she curiously glanced at it, looking interested.
The spider book offered the drool covered carrot to the bunny who threw it back to it with an unreadable expression on it's face.
"Aww...the bunny is sharing it's food with Toothy. So cute!" I observed as the spider book turned the carrot to shreds with it's teeth.
"The Book on Monsters and Necromancy....Did you um...read this book?" Fluttershy read the title, looking slightly worried.
"Would be an invasion to Toothy's privacy, and extremely awkward, so nope." It would feel weird to read the contents of a semi sentient book.
Fluttershy hesitantly placed a hoof on its surface, but became more relaxed as the book slightly vibrated and made purring sounds of content.
"Um....Thanks for the book Doc. I love it!" She squealed in excitement as Toothy's pages rustled happily.
"Oh yes! I almost forgot.....Have you seen Fluffy?" I asked worried about it's lack of presence.
"No, You can't find the manticore?" She asked worried as well.
"I...I have a tracking spell on it. Unless there is a powerful spell around the area, repelling my magic, I should be able to find it immediately." I sighed.
She seemed as if she was deep in thought for a moment.
"I just hope nothing bad happened to it, and there's just something disrupting my spell." I continued dejectedly, hoping Fluffy was still alive despite his lack of presence.
"I have a Pegasus friend who is really fast! I could ask Rainbow Dash to search for it." She suggested.
With a name like Rainbow Dash, I had a strong feeling that she excelled in speed.
"Really! Thanks a lot Flutters!" I hugged her feeling extremely grateful for her help.
"No worries Doc. The poor thing must be really scared and alone right now. I really hope we can find Fluffy soon!" She smiled softly at me.
"Oh also....Say hypothetically, if somepony wanted a legal book about tax evasion, where would they find the book?" I asked looking away.
"Evading taxes...." She raised an eyebrow at me looking slightly suspicious.
"I said 'hypothetically', for a friend who may or may not have been caught for tax evasion!" I coughed awkwardly into my hoof.
"Um...Twilight has all kinds of books. You could ask her maybe?" She said after a while.
"Twilight?" I asked curious.
"Yes...Twilight's a good friend of mine. Lives inside a tree." Fluttershy gave me a map this time, pointing out the directions.
"I will go ask Rainbow to try searching for Fluffy. See you later Doctor!" She waved her goodbye and headed in the opposite direction.
I was engrossed in my own thoughts, as I realized to my annoyance that I had been holding the map upside down and got lost.
I looked around me, climbing every tree I could find but couldn't find any tree houses.
I shook the stray branches and leaves off me as I tried looking for more trees.
I found a treehouse near a farm area, that was some distance away.
Seeing the vast amount of apple trees in the distance, I assume they were the main apple suppliers for the Apple Acres Cooperation.
I was just about to climb this tree when, suddenly, out of nowhere, a pink pony fell on top of me.
The curly pink maned, pink pony took a deep breath on as she saw me.
"OHMYGOSH!AREYOUNEW???YOUMUSTBENEW!IUSUALLYGETTHISSTRANGETINGLYPINKIESENSEWHENANEWPONYCOMESTOTOWNBUTIDIDNOTFEELATHINGWHENISAWYOUWHICHISREALLYWEIRDBUTANYWAYS...."
"Uh....what in the world?" I interrupted her mass of gibberish words that I could not comprehend.
I took a few steps back, trying to escape this lunatic, who had no sense of personal space.
Completely unfazed by my reaction, she simply grinned from ear to ear. "Hi there! I'm Pinkie Pie! What's your name?" she chirped, as if whatever that was, is a perfectly normal occurrence for her.
"D...Doctor...Vector..." I managed to introduce myself, still recovering from the shock of her sudden appearance.
Pinkie, sensing my bewilderment, simply laughed as she shook my hoof really fast, "Good to meet you too Doctor! Welcome to Ponyville!"
She suddenly popped a confetti that she got out from her mane.
Despite my initial bewilderment, I found her joy infectious and I grinned back at her.
I glanced up at every apple tree, looking for a treehouse as Pinkie Pie bounced up beside me, her energy infectious.
"Oooooh! Wanna join the fun at my super-duper party? It's gonna beee off the charts!" She asked as she literally shook in excitement.
"A party? What do you usually do?" I asked, pausing as I looked at her curiously.
Was she some kind of politician? By off the charts, she could have meant the high number of votes she was expecting her party to get.
Super-Duper seemed like a strange and unconventional name for a party, but it strangely seemed to suit a politician with her personality who clearly stood out from a crowd.
"We have tons of super duper fun events! Lots of ponies would come when it starts! In fact there isn't a single pony who hasn't heard about this super duper fun party!" She enthusiastically began advertising about her party.
I admired how confident she was about her ability to get many ponies to vote for her, seems like whatever events she organizes, attracts many potential supporters.
I glanced at the baloon tattoo on her flank.
A baloon didn't seem related to politics.
Maybe it had a deeper meaning, like how a balloon looks colorful and bright on the outside, but is empty and filled with air on the inside.
I nodded to myself, feeling more certain of my conclusion as the pink pony kept on jumping from one topic to another that served no purpose, just like every politician I knew.
"Is the balloon related to your Super Duper party?" I asked in a whisper.
"My cutie mark? Yepp! That's right!" She confirmed my theory as she began telling me the story of how she got her cutie mark.
I blocked out her words as she went on about some rock farm, probably how she had to struggle in a harsh environment in poverty before she became a politician.
Hmmm...so these flank tattoos were referred to as 'Cutie Marks'.
I couldn't find any treehouse in any of the nearby trees.
In fact....why was this pony still following me, was she that desperate for votes?
I looked away from her, thinking of a way to avoid being involved in politics.
I needed to reject joining her party subtly. "Ah, I prefer supporting parties... quietly, from the shadows," I replied, to the pink politician. "Less attention, you see."
Pinkie Pie's eyes widened in surprise before she grinned even wider. "Oh, I get it! You're a shadowpony! That's super cool! But parties are for everypony, even the shadowy types! Come on, I know just the perfect thing for a pony like you!"
Her eyes sparkled with excitement as she dragged me along with her in a cart.
I wondered where she got the cart from.
I tried to explain it to her how I do not wish to make my political affiliations publically known but she barely listened to a word I said.
"Oh, I get it! You're into secret spy stuff, aren't you?" she exclaimed, her voice lowering conspiratorially. "A super stealthy, undercover party in the shadows! Righttt?!"
"Sure..." I sighed giving up, not bothering to explain, I wasn't interested in being a spy for her party either.
"I've got just the thing! Spy-themed cupcakes, invisible punch, and camouflage confetti! We can play 'Pin the Tail on the Shadow,' where the tail is, you know, super sneaky and hard to find!" Pinkie Pie grinned, clearly convinced that she was onto something incredible.
I chuckled nervously, not comprehending what she was going on about, perhaps another eccentric event of hers. "Um, that sounds... intriguing. But really, I just wanted to get some books quietly..."
Her eyes widened in mock surprise as she gasped loudly. "Books? Oh, you mean secret spy manuals! I've got those too! Follow me, Secret Agent Bookworm, and let's throw the stealthiest, most undercover book party ever!"
With that, she grabbed my hoof and whisked me away, leaving me both bemused and extremely bewildered.
The prospect of secret spy manuals did sound intriguing....
Pinkie Pie chatted animatedly with me about espionage and covert operations, and I began to have second thoughts about all this.
Arriving at what seemed like a sweet shop, she led me to a corner filled with books, each one adorned with titles like "Stealthy Secrets 101," "Invisible Ink Recipes," and "The Art of Disguise." I couldn't help but chuckle at her unusual book collection.
"Here they are, Secret Agent Bookworm! Dive into the mysterious world of espionage!" Pinkie declared, as she literally dived right into a pile of books.
Her eyes sparkled with excitement as she wore a cape and hat.
I didn't bother asking her where she got it from, getting gradually used to her eccentricities.
I picked up a book titled "Princess Celestia's weakness." and flipped through its pages, curious about the contents.
It seemed to be disguised as a cake recipe book but I was certain held dark secrets of the crown hidden within the words, that could be used to the politician's advantage.
She appeared suddenly at my side with a tray of cupcakes adorned with tiny magnifying glasses and fedora hats.
"Woah....those look great!" The book about the crown's weakness now forgotten, I glanced at the cupcakes.
"Special spy cupcakes to fuel our top-secret missions! They're super delicious, you know," she beamed with pride, handing me one with a grin.
I took a bite, surprised at how tasty it was. "These are amazing! I never had a cupcake before."
She looked shocked as she gave me a look of sympathy.
Well I meant, I never had one in this world...but oh well...
"A super spy always needs their super snacks! Now, let's talk gadgets! Oooh how about a party cannon that doubles as a smoke screen? Or confetti that reveals secret messages?" She suggested as we both enjoyed the cupcakes.
Could it be that she was orchestrating an elaborate scheme against the state and needed tools and weapons?
I would assume with this place being a diarchy, she feels like her power as a politician is being threatened.
And she also had that book about the Sun Princess's weakness.
It wouldn't surprise me and if her goal was to start a revolt against the crown.
Well...like one of my ex professors used to say, If you are curious about something, Don't hesitate to simply ask.
"So, Pinkie," I said, my tone low, "Are you plotting against the crown?"
She gasped dramatically, her eyes widening in surprise. "Oh no, Secret Agent Bookworm, you've found me out!" She winked at me, before smirking mischievously for some reason.
I gulped as the lights turned off and a single flashlight lit up on her as she told me about her 'super secret evil plans'.
"Don't worry, your secret's safe with me!" I assured her, not wanting to make her my enemy.
We played a few games, that were surprisingly fun before I left, thanking her for giving me the opportunity to join her party.
She seemed really pleased to hear that.
While I wasn't interested in joining her party, having connections with a well known politician wouldn't hurt.
But I was convinced, that I would vote for her party during the next election instead of whichever pony was the current mayor.
I sighed as I glanced at the large number of trees around me.
Hmm...I suppose instead of searching every tree, I could simply teleport to those trees which had some heatwaves in close proximity to it.
Heatwaves indicated the presence of life.
Since all life forms produce heat, having a heatwave present near a tree would mean, I could find this Twilight pony much faster.
I teleported inside a treehouse filled with three small ponies, which I assume where children considering their miniature size.
They squealed something about Cutie Mark Crusadors Ghost Hunters before I teleported away.
It became apparent that many couples favored romantic picnics beneath the shade of trees.
I got a lot of annoyed glares as I rapidly teleported in the middle of ponies trying to have a tender moment.
The most awkward reaction I got, was when I materialized in front of a stallion who was kneeling down and holding a small ring box in his hoof.
I took the box, confused at first but then realized it was intended for the mare standing behind me.
She seemed to misunderstand something and fled away in tears as the stallion glared at me, snatched the ring box from my hoof and went galloping after her.
I sighed, feeling exhausted.
"One more..." I sighed before noticing a literal house inside of a tree some distance away.
My eyes lit up as I realized, I had finally found Twilight's place.
I immediately teleported towards the heat wave within the tree.
"I would like every book you have on taxation laws!" I proclaimed confidently.
A small dragon who was in the middle of a bath shrieked as I fell in his bath water.
".....Get out!"
The sentient dragon threw a rubber duck at me.
"Pardon the intrusion...." I stepped out of the lukewarm water and left politely.
I looked around the large number of books inside the tree house.
"I didn't know Twilight was a dragon."
I wondered if it would get along with Toothy, as I waited for Twilight, the dragon to be done with it's bath.