Chapter 5
Cloudy Nights was a rather cold and distant pony. Indeed, one had to be in order to survive in the intensely competitive, and highly lucrative, high-end hotel business. Being the manager of the premiere high class hotel in Cloudsdale, one of Equestria’s top vacation destinations, had been a boon for him. But it came with hard work. When catering to the highest of Equestria’s elite, to make even a tiny mistake, to neglect the smallest detail, could exact a terrible toll on his business and his profits. Ever the resourceful and calculating pony, Cloudy Nights developed a jeweler’s eye for detail, and it showed. The lobby of Cloud Nine Inn was always spotless.
He reached out with an old, grey hoof and pressed a white polishing cloth to the reception desk. Carefully, he rubbed at a spot on the polished wood surface, restoring its near-perfect sheen. It had been inordinately expensive to have the mahogany piece hauled up to the cloud city and installed in place, and Cloudy Nights was dead set upon keeping the desk pristine. He removed the rag, revealing a perfectly smooth, shiny surface. He grinned, spying his reflection in the mirror-like finish. His grin broadened when he spied another image. That of a distinctive, instantly recognizable yellow pegasus pony with a fiery orange mane. The grey pony looked up from his work, his gaze falling across the room on none other than Spitfire, captain of the Wonderbolts.
Cloudy Nights’ deep blue eyes settled on his famous patron as she groggily moved towards the desk. She gave a loud yawn as she approached. “H-hey, Cloudy. I’m ready to check out.”
“Sure thing, Miss Spitfire.” Cloudy Nights gave a wry grin, scanning the mare’s face as she hoofed a key over to him. Her eyelids slipped down every few seconds, only to jerk back up as she struggled to keep herself awake. She seemed distant, as if she were staring off beyond the world around her. “A long night, I take it?”
His words seemed to snap her out of her trance. She shook herself for a moment before looking back at him, a nervous tint forming on her face. The stallion frowned. This certainly was not characteristic of her. With a sigh that changed halfway through into another yawn, she shrugged off his bated curiosity. “I suppose you could say that.”
To a pony like Cloudy Nights, who had spent his life catering to the well-to-do and famous ponies, and not the least of all the Wonderbolts, her answer simply wasn’t good enough. “I heard from my bartender that you and your team had quite the evening. Some sort of celebration, I presume?” He cocked an eyebrow and leaned slightly across the desk, grinning.
“I should hardly think you need to know anything about that.”
“Really, well, rumor has it that the Wonderbolts inducted a new member last night. Might you tell me anyth…” The usually confident, aloof pony trailed off as he caught a glimpse of the performer’s face.
Spitfire narrowed her eyes, her usually calm and collected face slipping into a scowl. “You know what, Cloudy? You need to learn to mind your own damned business.” She turned with a flick of her tail, her transaction complete, and hastened out of the lobby, an exasperated huff of breath escaping her lips as she walked. The manager’s blue eyes followed her, blinking in surprise, as she stepped out the door, unfurled her wings, and took off into the pale morning sky. He shrugged, returning his focus to polishing his desk.
Time inched past as he polished, muttered to himself, and sorted through the room keys, waiting for the next guests to arrive. Soon enough, he was surprised at the sound of his front door being whisked open. He looked up from the counter as a set of brisk hoof steps sounded through the lobby. From across the spacious room, a burly pegasus stallion in an instantly recognizable deep blue vest and cap strode towards the desk, his face hard-set. Cloudy Nights could only sigh. He had dealt with the Equestrian Royal Police on several previous occasions, and this could only mean his day didn’t promise to be getting any better.
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With the dainty clink of its small, silver bell, the door to Carousel Boutique swung shut behind Detective Bright Star and Officer Cuff Link as they strode away. The Detective let out a long, drawn-out sigh, readjusting his favorite hat so it sat comfortably atop his head for what seemed like the hundredth time. He turned to his partner. “Still not much to go by, I’d say.”
Cuff Link nodded his agreement. “Seems like we’re barking up the same tree. Another friend, waiting to throw a surprise party, sees Miss Dash walk in the door, and then watches as she flies off. Nothing really substantial beyond that to make up an eyewitness testimony, and even with that, the case is still dead in the water without solid evidence.”
The Detective only shrugged absentmindedly. “That’s what we need, isn’t it? That’s what we always need.” He cast a glance up at the sky, his gaze following a slowly drifting cloud through the mid-morning blue for a short moment. “I’ve contacted the Cloudsdale office. They’re sending a pony down to Cloud Nine to see if we can’t gather anything there.”
“Good idea. We can probably pull some fluid samples from there, or just use the whole bedspread as evidence.”
“In a perfect world, yes. Trouble is, we have no idea if the room’s been cleaned yet, or which room she may have been in, for that matter.”
“Her friends say she was there with the Wonderbolts, why not just have the Cloudsdale officers lock down the rooms they checked out and sweep them?”
“Already thought of that. It’s probably our best shot too, but it’s still a long one.”
“How so?”
“Look at it this way. Her friends say she went to the hotel with the Wonderbolts. There’s nothing to say she was in one of their rooms. For all we know, some strange pony could’ve picked her up in the hotel bar, and then where would we be?”
“True, but my money’s still on those fancy fly-ponies.”
“If only this line of work were that easy, Cuff.”
“Nothing’s ever easy.”
“Regardless, that hotel is still a long shot. I don’t doubt the cleaning-ponies have been around to those rooms by now.”
“Maybe we’ll catch a break.”
“I wouldn’t count on it.”
“Alright, partner, what’s got you so sour?”
Detective Bright Star sighed, the brim of his hat slipping down over his eyes only to be nudged out of the way once again. “It’s this case, Cuff. I don’t like it. I just don’t like it.”
“Don’t get me wrong, I find this whole mess just as unsettling as the next pony, but… well… we’ve seen this before. We’ve been around the block a few times. I’m sure we’ll get the perp.”
“Yes, but I haven’t worked a case quite like this before.”
“Care to explain?”
“Not particularly.” A long silence fell over the pair as they walked; the hustle and bustle of early morning hoof traffic on Ponyville’s main street washed past them. Cuff Link cast a few sidelong glances at his superior, but each time was met with an unreadable expression. He finally gave up, concentrating on the sound of their hoof falls as he let everything else drift out of focus.
Finally, something made him stop, and he looked back to see the detective, having stopped in the road, seemingly deep in thought. Cuff Link cast him a curious glance. “We should have better luck interviewing the next couple ponies. According to Twilight Sparkle, her one friend… uh… Applejack was the only one to get a real good look at Miss Dash, and apparently there was one pony who stayed up almost the whole rest of the night with her. Fluttershy, I believe her name was.”
“Mmhm…” Bright Star waved him off with a hoof, still lost in concentration. “Yeah… listen. I want you to go ahead and check with them without me, ok Cuff?”
“Any particular reason?”
“Yeah. I’ve got something else I want to follow up on. I’ll meet you back at the hospital with Copper once you’re done.” Without another word, the detective quickly turned and trotted down another path.
Cuff Link considered following and questioning him further, but decided against it. Detective Bright Star may have had his peculiarities, but he was one of the best in the business, and when he wanted to work alone, he worked alone. With a sigh, the officer turned and headed down another road, into a meadow and out of town.
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Thump… thump… thump…
Nothing… nothing was making any sense to her.
A jumbled mess of drifting colors and shapes broke in and out of Rainbow Dash’s field of vision. Her head rang with each oft thump of her heart, a dull ache throbbing just at the base of her neck. She shut her eyes, shaking her head back and forth to try and clear the fuzz that had decided to overpower her mental capacity. She blinked, hoping to clear her eyes of the faint fog that shrouded her surroundings and blurred everything out of recognition.
Slowly, the chaotic blur of motion condensed into focus. She swung her head from side to side. White walls. Clean, polished tile floors. Light so bright she shut her eyes again against it. A chair. A green chair. Something else. Rainbow Dash’s gaze flicked over, settling upon a lavender blob as it swam towards her. No. Not a lavender blob. A lavender pony. A unicorn. Twilight… Twilight Sparkle. It was Twilight Sparkle and her eyes were wide and glistening… glistening in the too-bright lights. Her mouth moved. Rainbow Dash could see it, jerking up and down silently like a performer, acting out a scene in slow motion. Twilight Sparkle… Twilight Sparkle was talking to her. Rainbow Dash could hear it, a faint humming, just over her heart’s drumbeat. She strained to hear her friend. Her ears felt full of cotton. The words came as mumbles. She tried harder. Twilight Sparkle looked right at her. Her eyes were tearing up – Rainbow Dash could see that. This was important. Twilight Sparkle was her friend, and she was trying to say something important. Rainbow Dash nodded. She nodded earnestly. She wanted Twilight Sparkle to know she understood. She wanted her friend to know she was listening. She wanted to hear her, to know what important thing she was trying to say. She wanted to understand.
Twilight Sparkle stopped talking. She sat down by the bed. Rainbow Dash’s eyes followed her, gazing into Twilight’s. Twilight Sparkle tried to flash a smile, a brave attempt at encouragement. Rainbow Dash could tell it was forced. There were still tears rolling down her friend’s cheeks. But still she smiled. The smile spoke volumes. It was an “I’m here” smile and a “don’t be afraid” smile and an “Everything’s going to be ok” smile, and Rainbow Dash wanted to smile back. She wanted not to be afraid. She wanted to believe everything was going to be ok.
And then there was a new voice. Rainbow Dash craned her neck. Nurse Redheart paced near the other side of the bed. White coat on white walls. Rainbow Dash shook her head again. The cotton in her ears muffled the nurse’s words. Her head throbbed and her ears rang and her heart thumped and she could only hear pieces of what was said. She tried to piece together the jumbled words and bits of words and sounds but she couldn’t understand. “… -edation spe- … thump… around… thump… -de-effec-… thump… -peration and… thump… samples… thump… to test.” She wanted so much to understand, but she couldn’t. She opened her mouth. She wanted to explain to the nurse that her ears were full of cotton and that she couldn’t hear and that she didn’t understand but no words would come out. Her mouth opened and closed uselessly and she screamed at herself on the inside for being so useless.
Nurse Redheart flashed her a concerned frown, and then her attention switched to Twilight Sparkle. Rainbow Dash looked between the two, only snippets of their conversation getting through. Then Twilight Sparkle gave a single, curt nod and Nurse Redheart turned away. Rainbow Dash looked back at Twilight. Her friend met her gaze and tried to look encouraging, but she was scared too – Rainbow Dash could tell. She thought to ask Twilight what was going on but she couldn’t bring herself to speak. Instead, she stared intently at her friend and pleaded with her eyes. “What is happening? Please, tell me!” But there was no answer.
Out of the corner of one eye Rainbow Dash saw a glint. Nurse Redheart stood at the side of her bed, her hooves grappling with a metal thing Rainbow Dash couldn’t recognize. It looked like a spoon, a long spoon with a round head. Nurse Redheart reached forward, sweeping the sheets away from the pegasus’ legs with her hoof. Rainbow Dash felt a chill shoot straight to her head. Nurse Redheart looked towards her, a silent question on her face. Rainbow Dash could only give a blank look in response. But the nurse proceeded anyway, carefully bringing the spoon-instrument closer and closer to Rainbow Dash’s body, closer and closer to her-
She drew in a sharp intake of breath. Her skin tingled against the freezing metal and she gasped for air. It was cold. Too cold. Too cold down there. She gasped with each tiny movement. Something within her told her to scream in protest, but she remained silent. It was numbing her, whatever it was, touching her where… where… where He had touched her. She had felt sore, but now she only felt numb. She felt numb from the cold and she didn’t want to think about it anymore. She tore her eyes away from it, trying to refocus her attention, trying to ignore it, but it was still there, freezing against her sensitive skin. Her head rolled to the side. She saw Twilight Sparkle, her eyes full of worry and concern. She saw her friend lay a hoof on the pillow next to her head. Deftly, she reached out and grasped it, gripping Twilight Sparkle’s hoof tightly in her own.
She closed her eyes, focusing on their intertwined hooves. In a single moment of perfect clarity, she could feel every fur rubbing up against Twilight’s. She could feel the warmth of Twilight’s friendship pressing into her flesh as Twilight gripped tightly just to show how much she cared. Suddenly, she didn’t feel so cold any longer, and she didn’t feel alone any longer, and the world didn’t seem so scary any longer.
And she held on for dear life.
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Rarity raised her hoof to knock three times on the quaint forest cottage’s door. She paused for a moment, but no one came to the door. From inside, she could hear the muffled sounds of a conversation. Puzzled, she pressed her ear up against the well-worn wood. The muffled, yet distinct sounds of two voices, one smooth and quiet, the other not so, but still with a note of sincere politeness. Suddenly, the sound of clopping hooves drew nearer to the door, and Rarity jumped back as it swung open.
“Thank you very much for all your help, Miss Fluttershy,” officer Cuff Link called over his shoulder as he strode from the small cottage. “Nice to see you again, Miss Rarity.” He tipped his hat as he caught sight of the unicorn. She nodded.
Rarity glanced back at him as she walked into Fluttershy’s cottage, letting the door swing shut behind her. “Fluttershy, Dear?” Her friend was sitting, her fore legs fielded neatly beneath her, on the couch. A pot of floral tea lazily steamed on the side table. “I see they’ve come to talk with you, as well?”
“Oh, you mean that nice police officer?” Fluttershy nodded, “He was just asking me some questions about… about…”
“I know. What did he want to know?”
“Just about Rainbow Dash. I told him about after she came home and how I went in to see her… and how I stayed with her when everypony else left… and… and… she was crying, Rarity. She… she was crying. Oh… oh, Rarity! This really happened? Didn’t it?”
Rarity could only nod. “I’m sorry, Darling. I’m afraid it has. We all have to do as much as we can to help, now.”
“I know… I know.” Fluttershy fell silent, quivering every so often, and she reached a shaky hoof out to grab for her cup of tea. “Rainbow Dash has always been so strong… and she… she was crying.”
“We need to be strong for her now.” Rarity tried to give an encouraging smile, but even she could feel her confidence crumbling. A long sigh escaped her mouth.
“It’s just so hard…”
“I know it is, Dear… I know it is.”
“She needs our help.” Fluttershy took a delicate sip of tea, trying her best to soothe her nerves. Rarity nodded in silent agreement. “I want to help her. I want to do something for her. She needs me to, but I… I just… I just don’t know what to do, and I feel awful.”
“Fluttershy, I’m going over to the hospital to see her… but I came here first because I was wondering if you would join me. I know how you feel. I want to do something too. I don’t know what the answer is. I don’t know what’s best right now, but this… this is a start.” Fluttershy remained silent, her gaze fixed intently on the tiny ripples in her teacup. “Won’t you come with me?”
Fluttershy nodded, steeling her resolve and setting her drink down. “Yes… yes, of course I will, Rarity.”
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The room was filled with incessant ticking. Detective Bright Star paced across the smooth tiled floor, grumbling to himself. His hooves clicked in time with the sound of a metronome. He glanced over at the desk, set up under a window on the far side of the room from a door. The infernal contraption, echoing its constant beat across the room every half-second, sat next to a pile of papers and several quills. The thought to shut the noise off crossed his mind for what seemed the four-hundred and sixth time since taking up residence in Doctor Stable’s office, but once again, Detective Bright Star fought the urge off.
He resumed his pacing, trying to stave off the feeling that he was just wasting time here, waiting for the Doctor in his office, when he could be out looking for more evidence. But no, he kept telling himself that this was the best way to advance his case. There was nothing better for him to do. But every tick of the metronome sounded another fraction of time lost to waiting. He reached up to wipe a hoof through his charcoal mane. It came away wet. It was not even that hot in the office, yet his hair was slick with sweat. Once again, the brim of his hat fell down before his eyes. The Detective grumbled, reaching up and flicking the hat from his head in one smooth motion, and flung it off to the side. It landed softly upon a worn couch.
The faint sound of the door swinging open drew his attention. He was greeted by Doctor Stable, whose glowing horn was just visible above a levitating clipboard. “You wouldn’t happen to play any instruments, would you Doctor?”
Doctor Stable looked up from poring over his notes to greet his visitor. “Detective Bright Star. I thank you for waiting so patiently.” He levitated his clipboard across the room, setting it gently upon his desk. “And yes, I do enjoy practicing my violin from time to time. Why do you ask?”
“Your metronome – I fear you’ve left it on.”
“What? Oh, that. No, I like to have it on. It helps me concentrate.”
“It doesn’t get too distracting?”
“Not at all. I find it helps me focus my attention better…. Does it bother you?”
“I don’t want to seem intrusive, but if it wouldn’t be too much trouble…”
“Oh, none at all.” Doctor Stable strode across the room, flicking off the sound. He picked his clipboard back up. “Better?”
“Much. Now, am I correct to assume the test results are in?”
Doctor stable nodded, idly flipping through the few clipped pages with his magic. “Yes, we’ve just got them back from analysis.”
“Anything you can tell me right off the bat?”
“It’s still pretty early, but I can definitively tell you that she was indeed raped. We’ve found traces of a stallion within the samples Nurse Redheart collected.”
“Traces meaning semen samples, correct?”
“To put it bluntly, yes. But exactly whose, well, it’s too early to tell.”
“But you’re working on that, correct?”
“Precisely. I’ve sent copies of our test results off to some of my colleagues in Canterlot. They should be able to find whoever did this.”
“So we’ll have answers when?”
“Can’t say for sure. Could be a couple hours, could be more. I hope to get at least a response before nightfall, though.”
Detective Bright Star actually cracked a smile as he trotted over to the couch, scooping up his hat and adjusting it in place upon his head. “Thanks for all your help, Doc. Don’t forget to follow up with me when you do get a response. I want this stallion in custody yesterday.”
Doctor Stable chuckled. “I’ll be sure to. Good luck, Detective.” Bright Star nodded as he crossed the threshold, heading out into the hallway.
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Fluttershy and Rarity’s journey through town passed in relative silence. Rarity stole a furtive glance at her companion every few moments, still harboring significant concern for the pegasus’ well-known fragile fortitude. Fluttershy, however, just kept staring straight ahead, her gaze fixed intently upon the distant hospital. Somehow, the daily goings-on of life all around them seemed foreign to them. They were surrounded by so many ponies, their own friends and neighbors. Everypony else was out meeting with friends and family, having happy conversations, buying things in the market, or just taking a stroll, enjoying another pristine Ponyville morning. Didn’t they know what had happened? Weren’t they concerned for Rainbow Dash? How could their lives be so normal when life just wasn’t normal anymore?
“Rares? Fluttershy?” Rarity was snapped out of her reverie by a familiar voice. She perceived a quick southern twang, but subdued, unenthusiastic. She looked up. From beyond a crowd of ponies, Applejack came into view, trotting towards them, her mane unkempt and unrestrained. Rarity immediately noted that the farmer ponies usual hair bands were outright missing, and her Stetson was cocked askew on her head. The mare visibly stifled a yawn as she reached her friends. “H- how are ya gals?”
“Applejack?” Rarity frowned, quickly scanning her friend’s uncannily disheveled visage. “Are you okay, Dear? No offense, but you… you look dreadful.”
“Ah… Ah didn’t get much sleep las’ nigh’.”
“I see… and are you on your way to the hospital as well?”
Applejack yawned aloud, nodding her answer. “Yeah… yeah. Ah’m sorry, Rarity. Ah got home and Ah couldn’t think of anythin’ else Ah could do, so Ah just got in bed. But every time Ah closed mah eyes, all Ah could see was Rainbow, and she was hurtin’ and cryin’ and… and Ah just couldn’t bring mahself ta sleep. And then this mornin’ some police colt came and told me that she was in the hospital, so Ah came here as fast as Ah could.”
“I can sympathize, Applejack. I don’t know where I would even be without my coffee this morning.”
“Is Pinkie with you?” Fluttershy glanced around hopefully, but to no avail.
“Nope.” Applejack shook her head, her mane flailing about wildly. “Ah haven’t seen her.”
“Maybe she’s already at the hospital” Rarity offered, gesturing towards the building with her head. “I know that’s where Twilight Sparkle is by now.”
“Only one way ta find out, Ah guess.” The three ponies turned and trotted towards the large structure, pausing once inside at the reception desk where a very flustered nurse directed them to sit in the waiting room.
“Nurse, I must insist that we be allowed to see our friend. We’ve all been terribly worried about her.”
“I am sorry, Miss Rarity, but she is not accepting visitors at this time. I’d like to help you, I understand how hard this is for all of you, but I can’t. Rules are rules.” Nurse Tender frowned. This was one part of her job she hated, even if she would never admit it. She could see the concern written on the faces of the ponies before her, yet she knew she was bound not to let them out of the waiting room until Doctor Stable authorized visitors, and in a case like this, that was not looking to be any time soon.
“Well, if you could at least give us some update on her condition, it would be appreciated.” Rarity scowled.
“I will see if Doctor Stable or somepony can come meet with you, but beyond that, I’m afraid you’ll just have to wait.”
“There won’t be any need for that.” Everypony’s attention was suddenly jerked towards the double doors leading into the corridor. Twilight Sparkle, her face bearing the signs of wear and exhaustion, gazed back at them. “Hi girls, I’m so glad you made it.”
“Oh, thank goodness, Twilight. We were getting worried about you.” Rarity trotted over to her fellow unicorn, relief washing over her. “Please, do tell us, how is our little darling doing in there?”
“Rainbow Dash is asleep. Doctor Stable and I decided that was probably the best thing for her right now. I saw her awake earlier though, when Nurse Redheart had to run some tests. She’s pretty… she’s pretty shaken up. She needs to be left alone for a while. Her mind needs time to heal.”
“She’s goin’ to get better, though, right?” Applejack stepped forward, her eyes betraying her concern. “Is she goin’ to be ok?”
“Well… she’s going to make a full recovery, if that’s what you mean. But I… I don’t know if she’ll be the same Rainbow Dash again.”
Applejack shook her head and stumbled over to flop down on a couch. “How does this happen…? How does this happen?”
“What… what do you mean she won’t be the same Rainbow Dash again?” Fluttershy’s eyes had grown wide with fear, and were tearing up again.
“I just don’t know, Fluttershy. I just don’t know.”