For seconds that dragged on like hours, nopony made a sound. Every eye in the theatre was held firmly on the mare in the box. Sly Shuffle was the first pony to react, but not very much. As he stared at his assistant, laying beaten in the box, he stopped everything, letting his cane slowly fall from his hoof and land loudly on the floor. This was enough of a catalyst to set the crowd into a panic, ponies shouting and fleeing the scene. Two ponies, however, simply turned to face each other.
Stumpy spoke first. “Are we going to--”
“Yes.”
“But we don't know--”
“Just do it, Stump.”
“Fiiiiiine... You just want to go up there and help the stupid magician.” Stumpy sighed, both of the investigators rising from their seats. Stumpy edged his way past the few ponies still between himself and the aisle before quickly galloping to the stage. Butterfly, however, simply lifted into the air and flew down ahead of him. Both ponies stepped up to Sly and spoke simultaneously.
“Butterfly Blues--”
“Stumpy Flank--”
“--Private Investigator, at your service.” They both pulled their badges out, Stumpy from his pocket and Butterfly from her bag. Sly's gaze shifted between each of them and the unconscious pony, before finally settling on Butterfly.
“You're... You really are a Private Eye?” He glanced to Stumpy again. “And your coltfriend is too?”
“Not my coltfriend! Let's just get that out of the way right now. And yes, I didn't lie about my job.” Butterfly turned to look at the mare in the box. “Somepony has probably already called the police, so I think it's time to get started here. This obviously isn't Quiet Slumber, so who is it?”
Sly's gaze rested on the mare once more. “It's her... her sister. Lucid Dream. I... I don't know how this could have happened...”
Stumpy had already taken out a small piece of charcoal and notepad, jotting down his notes. “So obviously the secret to this trick is that the sisters switch places somehow... Do you think Quiet Slumber would have seen anything?”
Sly shook his head. “No... The two come and go completely separately. Once Dreamy comes out here, they don't see each other until after the show...”
“Hmm...” Stumpy scratched behind his ear with his quill. “Mister Shuffle, I think you're going to need to explain this trick to us if we're going to find anything.”
“MISTER INVESTIGATOR!” Sly suddenly regained his composure, a look of disbelief directed at Stumpy. “You do realize, of course, that the greatest rule for any magician is to never reveal their secrets? If I told you this, then... Well, I might as well just leave Las Pegasus forever!”
“But... But we need as much information as we can get to--”
“To dirty up my crime scene!” A large red Earth Pony called down to the group on stage. He wore a plain black suit and a cap that covered most of his dark green mane. Trotting slowly down the aisle, he glared at the two investigators. “I don't quite know who you two are, but I do hope you realize that this is a job for the proper authorities. You lot are going to mess things up before anypony gets a chance to preserve the crime scene.”
“Hey, we're professionals! We're not gonna mess up any--”
“And how exactly am I supposed to know that? It's not that difficult to become a Private Eye in some places. Heck, one of my nephews almost passed the test, and he's only six!” The stallion had now reached the stage and stepped up onto it. He lifted his hat off his head and pulled out a badge from inside it. “Detective Henri Mustang, Las Pegasus PD. I think it's about time you lot got out of our way.”
Stumpy and Butterfly looked at each other, then sighed and began to walk out. Before they were too far, the Detective clear his throat loudly.
“That means you too, magic colt.” he said, pointing a hoof first to Sly, then to the door.
“But... But this is my show! I'm involved!”
“Not likely. Every story agrees that you were in plain sight when it happened, so you 're off our list... for now. Just don't think about leaving town or anything. Our list might change when we talk to the crew.”
Sly opened his mouth to speak, then closed it, then sighed and joined the investigators in leaving. “I suppose it's for the best... Please, do find out what happened to Dreamy... I'd hate for whoever did this to get away.”
“Don't worry, magic colt. This is our job. We'll figure out who's behind all of this.” With that, the Detective and several officers began inspecting the scene. Two officers also joined Stumpy, Butterfly, and Sly, escorting them out to the foyer.
As the ponies were left alone in the foyer, they stood silently, each considering what to do. After a couple minutes, Stumpy spoke up.
“Listen, Sly...” he opened his notepad once more, scribbling some more notes. “Butterfly and I have both worked our share of cases with the police. One thing I know I can trust any police with is picking the wrong pony as their suspect. So I want to stay here and help, once the cops finish their preliminary investigation.”
“Oh, thank you, Mister Flank. Are you staying somewhere tonight?”
“Er... No, actually. Butterfly and I were going to leave after the show. I guess that's not really happening anymore.”
“Then please, both of you, stay in the suite here at the Mareiott. Usually it is terrifyingly expensive, even for somepony of my standing, but the hotel allows me to give it to special guests free of charge.”
Butterfly raised an eyebrow to Stumpy, then turned to Sly. “I think we're going to have to--”
“YES. WE WILL STAY IN THE SUITE.” Stumpy quickly interrupted her, nodding a bit too intensely. “I mean... It would be our pleasure to take you up on that offer. But... Where will you be tonight?”
“Ah... I live not far from here. Just off the strip, actually. I will return to my home, and see you both tomorrow morning. I suppose it is about time to take my leave...” Sly bowed his head to his companions, then turned and exited the foyer. Butterfly glared at Stumpy and began speaking once they were alone.
“You... We don't need a suite!”
“While that is factually correct... We just got a free suite!” Stumpy pumped a hoof in the air. “We are gonna be living it up tonight!” He laughed heartily, jumping around like a foal on Nightmare Night. Butterfly's face landed neatly in her hoof, and she simply stood silently shaking her head.
“How on earth did you ever become a professional at anything, you stupid little foal...”
The two began recounting what they had learned during their brief investigation. Moments later, a bellcolt entered the foyer. The professionally dressed unicorn cleared his throat to gain the other ponies' attention.
“Pardon me, sir and madam, I have been sent here at the request of Mister Shuffle. I have brought you the keys to the suite on the seventh floor. I hope it is to your liking.” He levitated over two keys to the ponies, each on a small ring with a tag labeled “Mareiott.”
“The keys aren't numbered?” Stumpy asked, examining his key.
“Duh, Stump. If they numbered them, then anyone who found a lost key could just go burglarizing the room.”
“Oh, right... That makes a lot of sense actually... So what's the number of the suite?”
“Ah, sir, our suites are all identified with an 'S' before the number. So yours is number 'S700.'” The bellcolt pulled out a pamphlet for the hotel, and unfolded it to show a map. “You can find the elevators on either side of the ground floor. If that is all, I will take me leave.” He handed the pamphlet to Stumpy and turned to leave.
“Ah, wait...” Stumpy tucked the pamphlet away, and produce a pair of coins from his wallet. “Thanks for your help!”
“Thank you sir, it was my pleasure.” The bellcolt tucked the bits away in his own pocket, gave a small bow, and exited the room.
“Well...” Butterfly spoke up, placing her key into her bag. “Might as well go see our room, eh Stump?”
Stumpy shrugged and the two began the journey to their room. They crossed the large ground floor, through the casino full of ponies wasting away their bits trying to make a fortune, with those lucky or skilled enough to succeed sprinkled throughout. Occasionally they would pass a pony weeping or cheering, and many were beginning to lose their sensibility to drinking. Soon the pair had arrived at the large bank of elevators and ascended to the seventh floor. The suite was easy to spot, located down a short hallway away from the other rooms on the floor. Opening the door, both ponies stood still, jaws dropping lower the longer they stared.
The room was enormous, larger even than Stumpy's home in Ponyville. It opened into a living room, with two large sofas, a pair of chairs, and a large glass coffee table. The floor was made of solid mahogany, with several soft rugs around the room. In one corner, there was a counter separating the living room from the kitchen. The kitchen had a small refrigerator, stove, and oven, as well as a coffee maker and cups on the counter.
On each side of the living room was a door leading to an identical bedroom. Each had a dresser, nightstand, and large queen-size bed. They were also connected to bathrooms, tiled in what appeared to be marble. Each also had a large, curtained window, as did the living room, looking out the windows, one could see a clear view of the Las Pegasus strip and all the other hotels along it.
“....Hey Stump?”
“Yeah?”
“I'm glad we took the suite...”