Brushing off the fact that Sunny Skies had somehow mistook her for Starlight Glimmer, Sunset brought her attention to the other side of the room. Sour Sweet had been chatting it up with the three other mares, who were all rather friendly. Sunset wasn't able to hear much from their conversation, other than the fact that these mares not only resided in Hope Hollow, but also had jobs there. Once she had mingled enough, Sour Sweet trotted back over to Sunset, and seemed to be in a better mood.
"Those ponies from Hope Hollow sure know how to welcome their guests." Sour Sweet acknowledged, but then unexpectantly turned sour again. "That said, I still can't help but resent this dumb, volunteer babysitting job! Do we really have to hang out with those six obnoxious brats this whole trip...?"
"Well, you know that's what Twilight wanted us to do." Sunset reminded. "And we're supposed to learn something from this, remember?"
"Yeah, yeah." Sour Sweet scoffed, making a mocking face. "The magic of friendship, and all that nonsense. I hear Princess Twilight spewing this kind of thing all the time. Well, I'll try to keep an open mind, but if those brats start getting on my nerves too much, just know that I warned you..."
"Come on, there's no need to resort to anything like that." Sunset said, trying to get Sour Sweet's mind off of potentially harming the students. "And even if they do get on your nerves, you can just talk to me about it, and we can find something else for you to do."
"If you say so." Sour Sweet rolled her eyes. "But hey, now that I've socialized, I'll just be in our room, waiting until dinner's served. Don't bother waking me up until it's time to eat."
The sour pegasus marched back into her cabin, leaving Sunset feeling rather confused. Sure, it made sense how she wasn't wild about the idea of being a chaperone for the students, but why was she still fixated on her sour attitude, despite seemingly making some new friends? Sunset respected Sour Sweet's wishes in not being disturbed until dinner was prepared, so she trotted over to the trio of mares, trying to get an idea of what might've been internally bothering the pegasus, as she was mingling.
"Hey there." Sunset greeted the mares, as they all turned their attention to her. "I see you've met my chaperone buddy there. We're... in charge of bringing some students to Hope Hollow for a field trip, let's just say."
"Oh, how nice of you two!" Petunia Petals spoke up. "We're so lucky to have such wonderful role models for our youth! She mentioned something about this, which I find absolutely humble, given how I'm foalsitting here on the train, as well. It's a lot of work, but I know it's always worth it in the end."
"Well, I'm sure you'll be just fine." Torque Wrench said. "I've seen you with Barley and Pickle Barrel before, and I know for a fact that they wouldn't trade you for any other sitter in Equestria."
"That's something I truly admire about our wonderful town." Kerfuffle added. "I think we're all very fortunate to have each other, such hardworking and dedicated ponies. Though we owe it all to Princess Twilight and her friends, since they not only brought everypony together as a community, but even allowed our colors to return."
"So you all know Twilight, as well?" Sunset responded. "I guess that's not surprising, since I just met Sunny Skies, and he mentioned something about Twilight and her friends attending the last Rainbow Festival. He also said that he's the mayor?"
"Not just the mayor, but also now my fiancé, too!" Petunia smiled. "You should've been there when he gave the speech he had worked so hard on for our proposal, it was the most romantic thing ever!"
"Congratulations, it must be nice to find your special somepony." Sunset commended. "I'm guessing you help him run the town, like the mayor's assistant?"
"Actually, I'm mostly the manager of Hotel Hope, alongside being the librarian, information guide, historian, chef, portrait painter, AND florist." Petunia listed.
"We often joke about you having the most impressive resumé, Petunia." Torque Wrench added. "Though I'm sure that none of those jobs are as stressful as mine, everypony expects the old repair pony to fix their stuff like a magician. It may be even more difficult, now that I'm taking a secondary job here, as the Endtrak Express's maintenance engineer."
"I'm sure you'll do a fantastic job, just like with everything else, Torque Wrench!" Kerfuffle encouraged. "I especially can't thank you enough for fixing my shop's air conditioning unit, even though I was still short around 10 bits!"
"Come on, Kerfuffle." Torque rolled her eyes in amusement. "This is like the fifth time you've brought this up, it's no big deal when it's literally what I'm getting paid to do."
"Taking on a job shouldn't just be about the money, though." Petunia reminded everypony of her work ethic. "It's also important to consider if you have real passion for that job, even if the pay isn't that great. Cause if you hate your job, you really can't be surprised for getting fired. At least, that's the advice I gave to your friend, Sour Sweet."
"You told her that?" Sunset raised an eyebrow, but understood that Petunia's heart was in the right place. "Well, although I can agree with that, real life tends to think otherwise. It's great to find a job that pays well, and is something you're passionate about, but sadly, not everypony can be lucky enough to have such a luxury. Even my friend Rarity, mentioned that although she's dedicated to her craft as a fashion designer, sometimes, business can be slow, and there's not much she can do about it."
"You know THE Rarity?" Kerfuffle's eyes widened. "How wonderful, especially since I recently got to meet her. I've specifically used many of Rarity's works as an inspiration for my own designs, and I've always been happy with the results! That said, I can agree with that mindset. When you can only rely on your passions as a freelance designer, it becomes difficult to rely on consistent business from time to time."
"That's why I chose the career path I did." Torque reflected. "I may not always like my job, in fact, I resent how stressful it can be at times. But it's what I've trained my whole life to do, and I'm happy that it's enough to put food on the table. Your friend there also asked how much I make a year, and let's just say... quite a hefty salary. Being a repair pony pays well."
"Nice to know..." Sunset replied, now getting a better understanding on what must've been bothering Sour Sweet. "But I've learned it's not always all about the money. I mean, I love what I do, and it may not pay that well, but there's just that feeling about making a difference, right? Like, I could be making a lot more at a bigger company, but I'd rather do something that helps others, even if it's not as profitable."
"You could never convince me to rely soley on one job at a corporate company." Petunia shuttered. "I've heard horror stories about sudden layoffs immediately after the holidays, and even mistreatment with underpaying, despite the unreasonable amount of hard work the employees are put through. I know it sounds like I'm overworking myself with the many jobs I've signed up for, but trust me, it's a life of luxury compared to working for a big and successful company."
"Well, I'm sure that with the jobs you three currently have, you're all contributing something great to Equestria." Sunset smiled, before turning to Petunia. "So you mentioned that you're a historian, Petunia? I'm admittedly curious as to why this train is known as the 'Endtrak Express', since it's my first time boarding it."
"Oh, well I'm glad you asked." Petunia began explaining. "Like Kerfuffle had mentioned earlier, when Hope Hollow was devoid of all color and hospitality among everypony, it wasn't doing so well. In fact, we all started struggling financially, after becoming so distant with each other. But when Princess Twilight and her friends came by, they helped each of us find a part of ourselves we were missing, which resulted in the colors slowly returning back to the town, that was once known as the 'End of the Rainbow', as it had been for generations. Hence why it's known as the Endtrak Express, though it wasn't always this fancy."
"You're telling me." Kerfuffle added. "After Hope Hollow began thriving again, we were able to afford renovations for our town train. I took the liberty of designing the interiors you see here, and the addition of train beds to allow ponies to sleep overnight. Cause truth be told, Hope Hollow's certainly pretty far away from Ponyville. And although I came up with the remodeling ideas, Torque here was the one who managed to put everything together."
"Well, I've had plenty of experience working with rail systems, so I'm just glad that I was able to help out." Torque said, proudly. "Besides, I needed to find some work after assisting in the construction of Hope Hollow's latest project, some pizzeria arcade known as Slice-N-Shake, or something like that."
"Oh, that's actually what our students are largely looking forward to visiting." Sunset recalled. "Some kind of a tourists' attraction, from what I've heard. Well, I guess it makes sense why you and Torque are here, Petunia. Maintenance engineer and foalsitting sound like pretty important jobs. What about you, Kerfuffle?"
"I'm just returning from a business trip in Manehattan." Kerfuffle explained. "See, I got the word that a brand new fashion firm opened up recently, known as Pommel's Piqué. I knew the name sounded familiar, as Rarity often held Miss Pommel in such high esteem. When I arrived, I worked with her, alongside her new business partner, Miss Valencia, to pitch the idea of something worn in cold weather. I came up with a sparkly, dark blue fur coat, modeled after some of Rarity's designs. They both loved the idea, but asked if I could return to my shop and bring them a prototype, before they go further with the pitch."
"Sounds pretty interesting, I know a few friends who really enjoy wearing fur from time to time." Sunset reflected the fur outfits her human friends sometimes wore, and was also happy to hear that Coco and Vignette sounded like they were doing well for themselves. "Well, it was certainly nice to meet you all, definitely looking forward to visiting Hope Hollow."
"It's always nice to have new faces around Hope Hollow." Petunia smiled. "We're glad that you decided to visit our lovely town, and we're all looking forward to having you and your students make the most of your visit. If you have any questions about our little slice of Equestria, please don't hesitate to ask."
"Sounds like we could talk more about it over dinner." Kerfuffle chimed in, as the other mares turned to see that the kitchen door had been opened. "Looks like Mr. Ramsay's ready with our entrées."
Gourmand Ramsay rang the dinner bell, alerting every train passenger to report to the dining room for supper. Moments later, Sunset and the three mares were accompanied by the six students, Sour Sweet, Sunny Skies with Barley and Pickle Barrel, and a pegasus mare, whom Sunset couldn't immediately recognize. Sunset gave the students the rundown of what Petunia had just told her, which urged the students to sit nearby Petunia, having all kinds of questions regarding Hope Hollow.
As this was happening, the unknown pegasus mare sat elsewhere with Torque, joined by Sour Sweet, while Kerfuffle sat with the two fillies Petunia was foalsitting. Sunset realized that since there were no more available seats, she had no choice but to dine at the smallest table, which only had two chairs. It felt a bit awkward, in the sense that she had met so many new faces lately, but still ended up having to dine by herself. Luckily, this feeling was quickly disregarded, when she noticed that Sunny Skies was coming by to accompany her, shortly after grabbing his dinner plate from Mr. Ramsay.
"Well, I guess we'll be dining together then, Starlight." The mayor greeted, as he began digging into his food. "While I was in the cabin, it sounded like you've met my wife, Petunia?"
"Yeah, I've just met her." Sunset glanced over at the aforementioned pony. "She's certainly a kind and hardworking mare, and it sounds like you two have a very happy marriage. I'm guessing you're both watching over those two foals, together?"
"You mean Barley and Pickle Barrel?" Sunny Skies turned around in his chair. "Yeah, those twins are the foals of one of Petunia's closest friends in Hope Hollow. They're also pretty well known for being the founders of their very own Rainbow Dash fan club. Petunia and I agreed to not only watch after them, but also take them around Equestria for a little traveling, while their parents are on a business trip. The main reason's because... well, Petunia and I have contemplated whether or not to have foals of our own. Watching over these twins is certainly one way we'll have that practice and experience."
"I'm glad to hear." Sunset commended. "It's always nice to see couples who take care of each other, and help out their friends, as well. Sounds like you two are a great example of that."
"Much obliged." Sunny Skies tipped his hat. "And if you don't mind me asking, what about you, Starlight? Do you have a special somepony back home, or plan to have foals of your own?"
"Well... I don't really know about having foals, at least for now." Sunset replied. "But as for having a special somepony..."
Sunset knew that the only one ever romantically involved with her was the Human Flash, but realized that it would be pretty difficult to explain everything to the mayor, without it sounding all bizarre. And claiming that she had a romantic relationship with the late Pony Flash would feel like a spit on his grave, especially after he had given his piece on the idea of being romantically involved with Princess Twilight. In the end, Sunset eventually decided to allude to Human Flash, but not go too much into detail.
"I used to be close with a certain stallion back home, but..." Sunset began, before thinking of the best way to summarize what had happened. "Let's just say that things didn't really work out between us, to where he broke up with me. I don't really blame him, since... it was really my fault, looking back."
"I'm so sorry to hear that, Starlight..." Sunny Skies' ears went down in sadness. "It's never easy when things like that happen. But please, take comfort in the fact that here in Equestria, it's a big place where there's lots of mares and stallions out there, all looking for their special somepony. If you look toward the future with your head held high, and learned from your past mistakes, I'm sure you'll be destined to find them, someday."
"I appreciate the kind words, Mayor." Sunset took a sip of her cider. "But to tell you the truth, I've felt lonely for a while, mostly because I shunned the idea of making friends. I imagine that certainly contributed to how I treated him back then. And let's just say that... for personal reasons, I'm just not all that interested in pursuing a relationship, but maybe things will change later on. After all, I've still got my whole life ahead of me."
"It's never easy to go through these things." Sunny Skies nodded. "I can't tell you how to live your life, but please, don't close yourself off from the possibility of finding love. Equestria is a beautiful place, and I'm sure there are plenty of ponies here who would be honored to be by your side. I know Petunia always was for me, long before I proposed to her."
"I'll keep that in mind." Sunset acknowledged, as she continued eating her dinner. "For now, I think I'll just focus on enjoying my time here, and helping out wherever I can."
Just then, the kitchen door swung wide open, prompting everyone in the dining room to look over, only to see a distressed and outraged Gourmand Ramsay.
"WHERE'S THE LAMB SAUCE!?!" Mr. Ramsay shouted, as every passenger's eyes widened in a mix of surprise and uncertainty.
"What's a lamb sauce?" Yona questioned. "Yona never heard of this sauce, chef pony."
"Maybe it's a sauce made from sheep's milk?" Gallus shrugged. "Doesn't really sound appealing to me."
"Or is it sauce that you rub on a lamb, almost like sunscreen?" Sandbar suggested.
"My Celestia, don't you even DARE compare it to anything as insignificant as that!" Mr. Ramsay yelled. "My Equestrian-famous lamb sauce is a special concoction of rare and expensive, gourmet ingredients! It's called 'lamb sauce', because it's the favorite treat of my dear pet lamb here, Rumpole!"
The aforementioned lamb slowly crawled out of the kitchen, looking rather saddened by the fact that his special treat had vanished. Rumpole continued staring at the passengers sadly, before slumping back into the kitchen.
"Aww, poor little lamb." Silverstream said, glumly.
"Don't worry, I'm sure it'll turn up." Ocellus assured.
"Oh, it'll turn up all right." Mr. Ramsay huffed. "But not in time for when I make my special dessert tonight!"
"It's just a little sauce, isn't it?" Smolder tried to deescalate the situation. "It's not that big of a deal."
"Well let me tell you, Rumpole's tears of heartbreak have put me in a very sour mood!" Mr. Ramsay glared at the passengers. "And I'm suspecting that someone on this train snatched it from me when I wasn't looking! If my little lamby can't have his lamb sauce, then no one here gets to eat dessert tonight!"
"W-WHAT!?" Sunny Skies choked on his food. "Oh my, this is a LOT more serious than I thought! Folks, Mr. Ramsay's world famous sticky toffee pudding is to die for! We'll all have to work together to find that lamb sauce! Sounds like... we've got a mystery on our hooves, oh, how exciting!"
"Wait a minute, if we can't have dessert tonight, then why don't we just have it tomorrow, instead?" Torque suggested. "I'm sure the lamb sauce will turn up eventually."
"Refusing to help find something that's gone missing, huh?" Sunny Skies stared at the repair pony. "That must make you... a suspect!"
"Wha... me!?" Torque spat, aghast. "You've known me for many years, Sunny! You should know that I've always been a hardworking and honest mare! I'd never steal, let alone from Mr. Ramsay!"
"Plus, she was with us here in the dining room, the entire time!" Kerfuffle added. "How could you, Mayor?"
"Errr... terribly sorry." Sunny Skies realized he took it too far. "It's not every day we encounter a perplexing mystery, so I just wanted to spice things up a bit, to add some suspense and tension."
"Well, the sooner we find that lamb sauce, the sooner we can all have dessert." Torque rolled her eyes. "So, did anyone here see anything suspicious during dinner?"
Every other passenger all shrugged and murmured, rather confused. How could any of them have been the culprit, when they were sitting in the dining room, casually enjoying their supper? While looking around the tables, Sunset recalled everyone who was present at the start of dinnertime. It appeared as though every passenger was accounted for, still sitting at one of the tables. However, Sunset soon realized that one of the seats was empty, and it was the one that Sour Sweet was sitting in.
"Well, I suppose we'll have to figure something out." Sunny Skies sighed. "In the meantime, be sure to keep an eye out for anything unusual. It appears as though we've got a thief, among us!"
"How do we know that someone here took the lamb sauce?" Petunia spoke up. "What if Mr. Ramsay simply misplaced it?"
"It wasn't misplaced, dear!" Mr. Ramsay affirmed. "I had it right here, in my satchel, just about half an hour ago! There's no way that it grew legs and walked off on its own, so that must mean one of you passengers here is guilty! And until I can get my lamb sauce back, nobody's eating dessert, you hear me!?"
Every passenger muttered, as they were about finished with their dinner by this point. Some of them were curiously wanting to try Mr. Ramsay's special dessert, while others felt it'd be better to skip sweets, since they didn't have much of a sweet tooth. They all witnessed Mr. Ramsay marching back into the kitchen, rather infuriated at the fact someone aboard the train had stolen from him. As this happened, everypony else began leaving their tables, ready to return to their cabins. Suddenly, one of the students went up to Sunset and Sunny Skies' table, making the same realization that Sunset had, moments ago.
"Hey, wait a second... where's our other chaperone, Sour Sweet?" Smolder questioned.
"Huh, now that you mention it..." Silverstream began piecing everything together. "I think she was with us at the start of dinner, but she didn't seem to be around when Mr. Ramsay made a scene."
"I suppose that means we might've already found our first suspect!" Sunny Skies began deducing. "I'll go ask around the cabins to see if there's any further clues, since we can't just accuse someone without any proof. You mentioned that you're willing to help out wherever you can, right Starlight?"
"Yeah, I mean..." Sunset began. "It's crummy that this happened to Mr. Ramsay. I'm pretty upset to see him like this, especially since I've known him as a filly."
"Love that enthusiasm!" Sunny Skies nodded. "Then you and I can both go around the cabins and see if we can find anything. I'm sure Mr. Ramsay certainly appreciates your help, Starlight!"
The mayor began marching toward one side of the train's cabins, ready to interrogate and investigate further. Sunset then turned back to the students, some of which having rather confused faces.
"Uhh, did he just call you...?" Gallus raised an eyebrow. "You're not Starlight, what the heck is he yapping about?"
"Yeah, I'm well aware of that." Sunset replied. "I don't really know why he would think that, we look nothing alike."
"Well, to be fair, your names sound pretty similar." Ocellus brought up. "Let's see... 'Sunset Shimmer', 'Starlight Glimmer', I could see a little confusion there."
"Hmm, I guess there's also the fact that Starlight and I both initially crossed paths with Twilight as an enemy, before we befriended her." Sunset recalled. "And... she's the main reason we both accept friendship now. Yeah, in that case... not many ponies really fit that description."
"So... should we tell Mayor pony about chaperone Sunset's real name?" Yona asked.
"I've tried to tell him, but he seems pretty insistent that I'm Starlight Glimmer." Sunset shrugged. "It's like there's no way I can convince him."
"Well in that case, why don't we have some fun?" Smolder snickered. "Maybe we can place some bets to estimate how long it'll take for him to realize what your actual name is."
"I feel like we should focus on finding Mr. Ramsay's lamb sauce, or clues that'll point us to the culprit behind the theft." Sunset insisted. "Besides, I'd heavily advise against you all gambling. Let's just say... I've known from experience that it'll end badly, thanks to a certain rigged ring-toss game I've played."
The students all nodded and took Sunset's advice, before Sunset heard screaming coming from one of the cabins. She promptly rushed over to the scene to investigate, as did the six students. It was coming from Kerfuffle's cabin, and the fashionista appeared to be incredibly distressed. Both Sunset and Sunny Skies entered the cabin, as Sandbar, Gallus, Smolder, Silverstream, Yona, and Ocellus all stood by the entrance to listen in.
"Kerfuffle, what happened?" Sunny Skies asked, concerned. "Are you hurt?"
"Stack my pancakes!" Kerfuffle began, her hooves shaking. "My gems! My precious, precious baby blue sapphires! I had a whole box of them in this drawer, and now they're all gone! Someone must have snuck in while we were all having dinner!"
Overhearing this, the students outside the cabin glared at Smolder with suspicion, causing the dragon to stare back in confusion.
"Why are you all staring at...?" Smolder commented, before she made her realization. "Oh, I see how it is... gemstones go missing, so you automatically blame the dragon? Not cool!"
"Sorry, Smolder." Silverstream apologized. "We should've all known you were with us the whole time. Plus, we wouldn't even be on this field trip without you..."
"Exquisite lamb sauce, and now gemstones?" Sunny Skies said back in the cabin. "I gotta wonder what this thief's intentions are. Those sapphires weren't too important, were they?"
"They were VERY important!" Kerfuffle burst into tears. "I was saving them for my special project at Pommel's Piqué! These were extremely rare gemstones too, and I only have a week to complete my prototype! It'll take months for me to find more of these gemstones! Did Torque actually take them, just because I didn't have enough bits to pay her in full, that one time!?"
"Now, now, let's not jump to conclusions just yet." Sunset tried to keep Kerfuffle calm. "We'll help you look for it, why don't you start by describing what the box looked like?"
"It was a shiny cerulean box, with a gold lock." Kerfuffle sniffled. "I kept it in the top drawer of my nightstand. I... I don't understand how it could've disappeared..."
"Let's see... are there any clues around the cabin?" Sunset began inspecting her surroundings. "Anything that wasn't in here before we all had dinner?"
Eventually, Kerfuffle noticed what appeared to be a feather under her bed, before picking it up with her hoof.
"Hmm... a pegasus feather?" Kerfuffle held the clue up for Sunset and Sunny Skies. "Well, judging from the fact it's yellow, this certainly isn't mine. And it'd be silly to think I'd be guilty of stealing my own jewels."
"I guess we could collect these bits as evidence until further notice." Sunset took the feather from Kerfuffle. "In the meantime, we'll continue searching for further clues."
Sunset and Sunny Skies both left the cabin, as the mayor himself began trotting further down the train.
"It seems like this mystery is becoming even more perplexing by the minute." Sunny Skies commented, as he trotted away to question the other passengers. "You're doing a great job so far, Starlight! Keep it up!"
Sunset then turned back to the students, who were all standing by Kerfuffle's cabin.
"Hey, you don't mind us eavesdropping on you, right?" Sandbar asked. "We want to help, too."
"Oh, don't worry about it." Sunset assured. "It's always good to have a few extra pairs of eyes and ears around. Any ideas on a suspect?"
"I'd still wager my gems that it's Sour Sweet." Smolder crossed her arms. "A yellow pegasus feather? And she was mysteriously absent at the scene of the crime!"
"That kind of reasoning seems logical." Gallus nodded. "It must've been her!"
"Well, wait a minute..." Ocellus interjected. "Weren't there two other yellow pegasai foals having dinner with us?"
"You really think that a child could've committed heinous robbery?" Sandbar raised an eyebrow.
"Did Sandbar already forget about evil child pony, Cozy Glow?" Yona reminded.
"Well, no." Sandbar replied. "But still, I think we should consider all the evidence before jumping to conclusions."
"And let's just say... I've met a filly who's had no choice but to be a thief." Sunset alluded to Lily Pad. "But you're right, Sandbar. Maybe we should check in with those two foals, just to see if they have any leads."
"Yay, this is so exciting!" Silverstream said with glee. "Not every day we get to experience such thrilling mysteries!"
Sunset trotted back the opposite direction, making her way to Sunny Skies' cabin. She knocked on the door, before being let in by Petunia Petals. Accompanying the mayor's wife were the two aforementioned foals, Barley and Pickle Barrel.
"Hey, how are you all holding up?" Sunset asked the trio.
"It's a real shame that someone stole Mr. Ramsay's lamb sauce." Petunia sighed. "These two were really looking forward to that special dessert that the Endtrak Express had originally scheduled."
"Sticky toffee pudding..." Pickle Barrel imagined. "I could almost taste the sensation that would rot away all my teeth, but fill me up with wonderful pudding happiness..."
"Yeah, we were really looking forward to that." Barley Barrel added. "But I'm still pretty sad for Mr. Ramsay's pet lamb. He looked so adorable, I can't believe some monster would steal that little lamby's supper."
"Not to worry, Sunny Skies and I are currently doing an investigation to gather clues." Sunset explained. "Have you two noticed anything out of the ordinary before the theft? Anything suspicious?"
"Well... when we were all having dinner, I did notice that pegasus with the magenta mane and tail leaving the dining room, as soon as she got her dinner plate." Barley Barrel recalled.
"That's not suspicious, Sis." Pickle Barrel interjected. "Even I prefer taking my dinner up to my room, rather than sitting at the family table. Gives me more time to devote to our Rainbow Dash fan club."
"Yeah, fair point." Barley replied. "I sometimes do that too, mostly to draw art of Señor G. Echo. But she did seem to leave in a hurry."
"Oh, you enjoy Señor G. Echo, too?" Sunset said, pleasantly surprised. "Well, good to see you've got great taste in puppet shows! Going back to these leads, Sour Sweet was in a... hurry? I wonder what for?"
"Perhaps she simply wanted to eat her dinner in peace?" Petunia suggested. "Maybe you should ask her, you seem to know her better than any of us."
"Agreed." Sunset nodded. "Thanks for your help, you three. If you can come up with any further clues, please don't hesitate to let me know."
Sunset exited the cabin and turned to the six students, who had just overheard everything.
"So far, it seems like our other so-called chaperone is looking pretty guilty..." Gallus said.
"Yeah, a yellow pegasus feather, combined with her acting suspicious during dinnertime, and in a hurry, no less?" Sandbar went down the list.
"Plus, Yona no appreciate Sour Sweet pony yelling at us all, earlier." Yona added.
"It does seem to be building a convincing case against Sour Sweet, but remember, we don't have any real proof yet." Sunset said, not wanting to make the same mistake she did with Indigo back in Cloudsdale. "Let's not jump to conclusions."
"Well, what do you think?" Smolder huffed. "Do you have any idea why Sour Sweet acted the way she did?"
"Better yet, why is she such a grouch?" Silverstream questioned. "Is it because she's sour-first, and sweet-second? No wait, that probably doesn't make too much sense."
"Going off of my conversations with those ponies from Hope Hollow, I'm beginning to think she's often bitter about something financially." Sunset deduced. "Like... she seemed happy at first to socialize, but then came back with a rather hostile attitude toward me. Petunia and Torque mentioned things about how much they make, and having actual passion for jobs, and I'm guessing... they must've hit a nerve somewhere with her."
"That sounds like even more reason to believe it was Sour Sweet." Ocellus spoke up. "Stealing expensive, gourmet lamb sauce, and even rare gemstones?"
"Plus, didn't she grumble and complain about not getting paid to chaperone us?" Gallus recalled. "Is it not reasonable to believe she's stealing valuable items aboard the train to fulfill this selfish desire of hers?"
"Hmm... you're all making some very convincing arguments." Sunset began to halfway concede. "It seems like we might have a lead to follow after all. Perhaps it's time we confront Sour Sweet, and see what she has to say for herself."
The students began following Sunset back to the cabin she and Sour Sweet were sharing. Upon opening the door, Sunset was rather surprised to see that it was completely empty. She trotted over to the storage container, noticing that her saddlebag was still in there, and the lock was still secure. Thankful that nothing was stolen, Sunset breathed a temporary sigh of relief, before turning back to a group of skeptical students.
"She's not even in her cabin for questioning?" Smolder crossed her arms. "Sounds like we've found our culprit, after all!"
"Should we go tell Mr. Ramsay, and let him know we've found the lamb sauce crook?" Gallus suggested.
"I know this is a bad look for Sour Sweet, but again, we can't just jump to conclusions until we find and interrogate her." Sunset insisted.
"What do you mean, Sunset?" Silverstream interjected. "All of the clues we've gathered so far, they point to Sour Sweet being the culprit! It's gotta be her!"
"I understand why you may think that... but I'm just not willing to jump to conclusions and accuse somepony, if they're innocent." Sunset affirmed, remembering what happened with Indigo and Dash. "I know it'll actually feel worse to wrongfully punish somepony than to not find the culprit at all."
"I suppose that sounds fair." Ocellus began. "But if it wasn't her, then who was it?"
"Yeah, we've followed you around as you were gathering clues." Sandbar reminded. "Plus, we've even talked with those ponies from Hope Hollow, they don't sound like they'd be the type of ponies to commit theft."
"And they were in the dining room with us the entire time." Smolder added. "Haven't we already gone around and questioned everypony by this point?"
As Sunset gave this some deep thought, she suddenly remembered one last crucial detail. They had not questioned absolutely everyone, aside from Sour Sweet. In fact, they still had to get Torque Wrench's side of the story, but more importantly, there was still that other mysterious pegasus who was dining with them all at the beginning. Sunset realized that she turned a blind eye to that other pegasus, as she was the only passenger who wasn't really alluded to, unlike the foals that Petunia was looking after.
"Well, other than Torque Wrench... what about that other pegasus who was having dinner with us all?" Sunset reflected. "I believe she was sitting with... Torque and Sour Sweet?"
"Huh?" Ocellus raised an eyebrow. "Who are you referring to?"
"Yeah, I don't recall seeing somepony like that." Smolder shrugged. "Actually, to be fair, I think we were all distracted from listening to Petunia's stories during dinnertime."
"Torque sat with her, I remember that much." Sunset insisted. "So let's go check and see if she has anything to say."
Sunset trotted over to Torque Wrench's cabin, accompanied by the students, once more. She was able to easily locate it, as she had heard the repair pony's voice. After knocking on the door, she was let inside, and joined in on the conversation she was having with the Mayor.
"Ah, there you are, perfect timing." Sunny Skies said, as he saw Sunset enter the cabin. "I was beginning to lose hope on finding some solid leads, but Torque here was just telling me something interesting, to where we might finally have a breakthrough. Go on ahead, Torque, and tell Starlight here what just happened a few minutes ago."
"Alright, so here's the deal." Torque began explaining. "I was checking around my cabin to see if any of my tools had been stolen, and unfortunately, one of my drill bits went missing. I also thought I might've been missing other tools, but didn't think much of it. Then, all of a sudden, I heard some really strange noises in the cabin right next to mine. So naturally, I went inside there to check for myself, but it was completely empty. I figured I must've been hearing things, but when I came back to my cabin, the noises returned, which really spooked me."
"That's certainly peculiar." Sunset said, trying to analyze the situation. "But since you mentioned a drill bit went missing, do you think whoever took it was responsible for making those noises?"
"Well, it's hard to say for sure." Torque replied. "It could've even been a problem with the train itself, but to tell you the truth, I've worked as a maintenance engineer for over a decade, and I've never heard a train make that kind of noise before."
"Hmm... This is really puzzling." Sunny Skies pondered. "I suppose it's also feasible that someone else made those noises to distract us from finding the real culprit. Either way, it's worth investigating further."
"Well, if you plan on doing some further digging, do you think you could search the train for Sour Sweet?" Sunset suggested. "She's a yellow pegasus with a magenta mane, and purple eyes. We couldn't find her in the cabin she was staying in."
"That's some smart thinking, Starlight." The mayor agreed. "I don't think I've interviewed her yet, so I'll be sure to keep an eye out for her."
Sunny Skies trotted out of the cabin, now searching for the pegasus who had mysteriously vanished during dinnertime. However, Sunset wasn't finished quite yet, as she knew Torque likely witnessed something else crucial.
"Before I leave, Torque?" Sunset pressed on. "One last thing I need to know. During dinnertime, I noticed that you sat with Sour Sweet, and this other pegasus mare at one of the tables. Did you happen to know who that was?"
"I'm afraid I don't, and better yet, I didn't even talk to her at all, during dinner." Torque recalled. "She seemed to keep to herself, but the only reason I sat with her was because I thought she might need some company, being new and all. I was mostly by myself, since Sour Sweet left the dining room, early on."
"Do you have any idea where this other pegasus went after dinner?" Sunset continued. "We've gone around from cabin to cabin, and strangely enough, this mysterious mare seems to be noticeably absent as well."
"Well, here's the really weird thing." Torque began reflecting. "Shortly after Mr. Ramsay announced the theft, I noticed that this mare dropped one of her utensils. So naturally, she bent down to pick it up, or so I thought. As soon as she went out of sight, I looked around and saw that everyone else was returning to their cabin. But then, I realized that once this mare bent over to retrieve her fork, she had completely vanished. As such, I wasn't able to see which direction she went, or which cabin she's in."
"Hmm, that's quite the lead you've given us, Torque." Sunset began putting two and two together. "In that case, I think I now have a pretty good idea on what to really investigate. Thanks a bunch for these tips, I'll be sure to look into everything."
Sunset exited the cabin and began making her way back to the dining room, accompanied by the students, once more.
"Miss Sunset, for the record?" Ocellus began. "We kinda have no choice but to follow you around everywhere, given how our other chaperone's mysteriously vanished, and the fact there's likely a criminal on board with us."
"I understand, Ocellus." Sunset turned back to the students. "I'll do my best to keep you all safe. In the meantime, let's not forget that we still have a mystery to solve here. Whoever's behind all this, they're clearly trying to make us think that it's somepony else. So we need to be extra careful not to fall for any kind of red herring."
After returning to the dining room, Sunset knew that her first step was to thoroughly inspect the table that Torque, Sour Sweet, and that mystery pegasus had been sitting at. As Sunset approached that particular table, the students seemed rather perplexed at what Torque described.
"How would mystery pegasus pony disappear after bending down to grab fork?" Yona questioned. "Are they a g-g-g-ghost!?"
"Well, I don't know if they're a ghost, but it's clear that something very strange is going on here." Sunset inspected the table, but kept in mind that a ghost being involved was plausible, given her recent encounter with Gaea Everfree. "If they weren't a ghost, but disappeared after bending over... could they have escaped through a secret passageway somewhere? Perhaps... under the table?"
Sunset used her strength to push away the rather heavy dining table, hoping she could uncover something crucial. As she had done so, they all began to notice what looked like a hole carved into the train's floorboard. The hole was seemed to be strategically covered up by the tablecloth, and led down into a compartment space below, where the train's compressors, air tanks, and traction motors were being stored.
"Whoa... could that be where the mystery pegasus went?" Smolder deduced. "Call me crazy, but it looks like an adult mare could fit through that."
"Pretty good possibility." Sunset saw the small passageway below the floor, as Sunny Skies approached.
"Well, I wasn't able to find this Sour Sweet pony, but-" The mayor derailed his thoughts as he saw the large hole in the floorboard. "WHAT THE!? Starlight, what happened to the train's floor!?"
"Apparently, this seemed to be purposefully hidden away, under one of the dining tables." Sunset explained. "I might have to go down there to investigate, since I'm almost positive now that this might also be connected to the strange noises that Torque heard."
"Hmm, I see." Sunny Skies nodded. "Well in that case, I'd highly recommend that you wear a gas mask, since there's been reports of toxic gas leaks in some of the train's compartments."
"Sounds like a good idea." Sunset replied. "Where would I find one of those?"
"They're usually kept in the first-aid kits, which are located in each cabin." Sunny Skies replied. "Better head there and grab one, just in case. In the meantime, I'll keep looking around for Sour Sweet."
The mayor turned around and went on his way, as Sunset began trotting back to her and Sour Sweet's cabin. After locating the first-aid kit, Sunset noticed that although the medical supplies were inside, the gas mask bags were ripped open and completely empty.
"Looks like our mystery pegasus thought ahead and grabbed these gas masks for themselves." Sunset sighed, before turning to the students. "Could I please use one of the masks from your cabin?"
"Uh, yeah, of course." Sandbar replied. "Help yourself."
Sunset entered the students' cabin, before finding and grabbing a gas mask for herself. As she was about to enter the hole, the train's intercom began to announce a message from the train's conductor.
"Attention, passengers." The conductor announced. "The Endtrak Express will soon be making a scheduled stop at Bridlewood Station."
Hearing this, Sunset knew that she had limited time. Wherever this mysterious pegasus was hiding on the train, it'd be very likely that the next stop would be their vital chance to make a swift getaway. She motioned for the students to follow her to Petunia's cabin, and asked the mayor's wife to watch after the students temporarily, as she had to investigate under the train. Petunia agreed, and began sharing even more stories with the students, alongside Barley and Pickle Barrel. Sunset then put on her gas mask and climbed down through the hole, trying to see if someone was hiding down there.
Sunset was definitely glad that Mayor Skies had warned her of the dangers of going down here without a mask, as even with the mask on, she could practically still smell the toxic fumes and volatile chemicals used to power the train. It was also quite clear that with the masks missing from her room, the culprit likely planned to protect themselves from inhaling these substances in the same way, by taking them. She climbed her way through the vents below the train, knowing that it was in her best interest to not stay down there, longer than she needed to.
Continuing down through the vents, Sunset could vaguely overhear Petunia telling her stories, signaling that she was now directly below her cabin. To the right of her was where Kerfuffle was staying, and then Torque, respectively. Sunset then remembered Torque mentioning those strange noises occurring within the cabin right next door, prompting her to move underneath that particular empty cabin, to check and see if someone was cleverly hiding in there. The noises she made crawling further into the vents began to startle Torque once more.
"There it is again!" Torque looked down, unsure of what she was hearing. "If this is Sunny's great old Grandpa Skies, please understand that we managed to fix your precious Rainbow Generator and legacy!"
Sunset continued on, until she was confident that she was directly under the suspiciously empty cabin. Once she had reached the spot, she noticed that there appeared to be a vent cover obstructing an opening in the floorboard. Since Torque claimed that there were strange noises going on in this room, but they mysteriously stopped when she went in to investigate herself, it gave Sunset a good peace of mind to simply camp out here, waiting patiently, until something out of the ordinary would happen. It may've been risky to put all of her attention toward a potential red herring, but then again, this was still the biggest lead she had.
After waiting long enough, Sunset noticed the train's rug moving slightly, before a small part of the floorboard was lifted, revealing another hidden compartment below the train, next to the vent she was currently in. Sunset couldn't get an immediate glimpse of who was hiding in that compartment, but deduced that they must've been responsible for creating those noises that had alerted Torque. With a mighty heave, Sunset pushed away the vent's cover and climbed out of the crawlspace, ready to uncover the compartment under the carpet. She uncovered the lid that was obstructing the compartment below, revealing not only that same mystery pegasus, but also several of Torque's tools, Kerfuffle's gem box, and Mr. Ramsay's lamb sauce.
"Wha-!?" The pegasus looked up, surprised. "Where'd you come from!? No matter, you won't be catching me that easily!"
The pegasus attempted to make a break for it, but was no match for Sunset's rather quick reflexes. Sunset managed to pounce on the pegasus and pinned her down before she could exit the cabin, prompting her to call out for help to detain the culprit.
"SOMEPONY, ANYPONY!!!" Sunset tried to attract as much attention as she possibly could. "Come here, I think I've found our thief!"
Sunny Skies and Torque Wrench ran into the cabin as fast as they could, and were rather shocked when they saw who was supposedly the culprit behind everything.
"Well I'll be an olive stuffed pimento!" Sunny Skies exclaimed. "Songbird Serenade!? She's the culprit!?"
"She sure is!" Sunset glanced over at the incriminating evidence. "Look in that hidden compartment under the floorboard, you'll find everything that was stolen!"
"My tools!" Torque gasped, as she trotted over to the compartment, seeing her belongings alongside the other stolen items. "Why, you conniving little crook! How could you do such a thing!?"
"Curses!" Songbird Serenade grumbled. "I was waiting for the perfect moment to make my escape, once the train made a stop at Bridlewood Station!"
"Songbird Serenade, to say that I'm disappointed is beyond an understatement!" Mayor Skies frowned. "From one of Equestria's biggest pop star celebrities!? I mean, I have heard of big name celebrities often being involved in scandals and all, but still! I was such a big fan of your albums!"
"So that's who this pegasus was." Torque realized. "It doesn't matter anymore, now that the jig is up, and the rest of the passengers don't need to worry about their stuff getting stolen!"
"Well, speaking of which, I need some help apprehending the culprit." Sunset spoke up. "Could you let Kerfuffle and Mr. Ramsay know that we've found their belongings?"
"I'm on it." Torque nodded, as she trotted out of the cabin to alert the aforementioned ponies.
"I should've known that like every mystery out there, it's always the one we least suspect!" Sunny Skies commented. "In fact, while I was running around from cabin to cabin, many of the passengers began to spread a rumor that Sour Sweet was the culprit, instead!"
"Speaking of Sour Sweet, what do you think happened to her, anyways?" Sunset questioned. "She just seemingly... disappeared without a trace."
Just then, Kerfuffle and Mr. Ramsay entered the cabin, ready to take back what was stolen from them.
"Ahhhh, my precious baby blue sapphires!" Kerfuffle teared up in joy, as she ran over to grab her box. "And look, it's Mr. Ramsay's lamb sauce!"
"This is wonderful!" Mr. Ramsay exclaimed. "And to think, my little lamby would've gone hungry for the rest of the trip! Nice work catching the culprit, everyone! Now, shall we get this mare over to the Bridlewood Station authorities? I'm sure they'll know what to do with her!"
"I'm afraid we'll have to contact the authorities, separately." Sunny Skies explained. "See, Bridlewood Station isn't actually a stop meant for the passengers to get off at, since nopony lives in Bridlewood. Something about... rumors of a wicked mayonnaise spirit that haunts the forest."
"Yeah, that stop is just meant to refuel and inspect the train for maintenance." Torque added.
"Well, we'll just have to make do with what we can, I suppose." Mr. Ramsay sighed. "By the way, do any of you know of a yellow pegasus with a magenta and mint-green mane and tail? While I was sniffing around for clues, I found her laying unconscious in my kitchen's freezer. Any idea how she ended up in there?"
Everypony glared at Songbird Serenade, knowing that the culprit had a lot of explaining to do. Suddenly, the train's intercom began to ring.
"Attention, passengers." The conductor announced over the intercom again. "We are now approaching Bridlewood Station, and will be making a scheduled stop."
The Endtrak Express pulled up to the aforementioned station, located within a rather deserted but dense forest area. The mayor hit the nail on the head when mentioning that nopony lived here, as the forest gave off similar vibes to the Everfree Forest. The station itself looked rather old and abandoned, but its pump and coal dispensers remained functional. As the conductor unlocked the doors after coming to a complete stop, Sunset, Sunny Skies, Gourmand Ramsay, and the students walked out of the train coach together, now with the arrested Songbird Serenade. Everyone made their way into the station, ready to take care of business.
"Alright, it'll take a while for them to arrive, but fortunately, we've got plenty of time before the Endtrak Express takes off again." Sunny Skies said to the rest of the group. "Be sure to hold onto Songbird there, while I go behind the counter to dial for the authorities."
"Heh, you think you puny losers can hold me?" Songbird Serenade sneered, before turning to face Sunset. "I think not! Especially not this filthy donkey unicorn behind me!"
"I assure you, young miss, that we are quite capable of holding you here!" Mr. Ramsay gave a stern look at the pegasus. "Also, how dare you call somepony else a donkey? Only I have the rights to do that, and even then, it's quite rude, so I only reserve it for somepony who really screws things up in my kitchen! Either way, who do you think you are, resorting to petty insults like that!?"
"Who am I?" Songbird Serenade reiterated. "Well, I can tell you this much, I'm somepony who still seems to have ended up outsmarting all of you!"
Suddenly, 'Songbird Serenade' began to morph her appearance, similar to a changeling, before glowing an ominous dark magenta color. This was enough to startle Sunset and Mr. Ramsay, prompting them to immediately let go out of pure instinct. In a poof out of nowhere, the pegasus revealed her true form, as Sunset began to slowly make sense of everything, especially after remembering who had originally labeled her as a 'filthy donkey unicorn' before.
"This whole charade was just to see how dumb you ponies really are!" Indigo smirked. "Well, not quite, since I was supposed to sabotage the train to a complete stop, but if I can't do that, I suppose I'll just slow you all down!"
Indigo then sped off deeper into the station, before anyone could even blink. The entire group then stood there, completely perplexed, including Sunset. For one, how exactly was Indigo able to manage the same disguising technique as changelings? And even if Indigo managed to escape the dungeon, why would she suddenly want to slow everyone down from reaching Hope Hollow?