The wait for morning felt eternal. As cliche as it might sound, there was no ignoring the slower passage of time that night brought. Oracle stared at the roof, lying in bed, unable to sleep. She thought endlessly about how things could go wrong tomorrow, as the hours passed by. Would this unicorn, Sparky, like her? What about Cookie, she had promised to meet him at the cafe. And, of course, Sunny Days was still roaming free. Trivial issues, no doubt, but that didn't help her fall asleep. So much for being tired.
Starting her second day feeling less than energetic, she ate a readied breakfast, donned her hat, buttoned up her jacket and shortly after decided to head off early rather than wait. The filly bid her mother farewell with a hug and a kiss.
She adjusted her hat, the breeze trying its best to steal it away. A plan was formed in her mind, deciding her first priority should be to find Cookie Crumble. She hoped that with a little luck she could bump into him at some point, given that she had left early for that very reason. Perhaps that was asking a bit too much of good fortune, but it was better than nothing. Oracle had to admit, though, she was not on good terms with lady luck.
It felt good to be outside. The air was bitter as she took a breath through her nose, but clear and fresh. A cloudless sky, and the warmth that came with it, was putting the little filly detective in a good mood. She started to skip a little down the road as her imagination wandered into more positive territory.
Her leg felt much better. The bruising had settled, and blended in well with her purple coat. Before she had left. father had applied a small swab of bandaged cotton with some sort of ointment upon it that warmed the spot, numbing away any bad sensation that would have been there otherwise.
With plenty of time to spare, she decided to get the morning paper. The weekend Equestrian Times was thicker than the weekdays, filled with smaller magazines and topical pieces... and as such, a good read for a bright young mind that liked to stay in the loop.
'Morning, Oracle,' Orange Rush said as the filly trotted into the store. 'Bit earlier than usual... oh, but hey, you're looking a lot better than yesterday.'
'Indeed I am, mister Rush.' She placed the usual two bits on the counter, and was away with the paper in mouth. Oracle left with the sound of a bell ringing as the door closed behind her.
'That filly is so unusual,' Orange said to himself, head shaking slightly. 'Looking so miserable one day, then happy as can be the next.'
The same cafe as yesterday served as a good place to read. Not only that, but to her it seemed the best place to spot Cookie Crumble given its centralized location. She could see over to the park, and Cookie had made mention of being one to walk through it occasionally.
Another fun little activity was always making eye contact with other ponies sitting about. The way they tried to avert their gaze, fix eyes on their meals or even hide behind a wall of printed paper was entertaining to the filly detectives young mind. Even better, it was only helping to keep her in the cheery mood she was in.
Odd though, how that one pony across the cafe was buried so deep in her newspaper that only green hooves stuck out the side. Oracle watched as she unseated herself and yet maintained that barrier between the two of them. How strange.
Strange right up until the hidden pony bumped into another table, knocking a cup of hot coffee into a seated ponies lap, and let the paper slip from hooves.
Sunny Days stared back at Oracle awkwardly. The filly detectives jaw swung open, the rest of her completely frozen in place as it tried to catch up with her brain.
The two enemies shared a long distance stare down. The pony next to Sunny screamed, 'My pants! Hot coffee on my pants! Bonbon is going to kill me!' It drew the attention of other ponies. A small crowd was gathering to help, a crowd that would soon separate predator from prey.
Oracle made the first move. Springing over the table, she landed on another, sending the breakfast upon it into the air. Then, she leapt to another, letting her back legs do the work.
'Oh bother,' Sunny cried out, 'not you again! Don't fillies ever learn not to get involved in adult affairs?'
'Not until I get some answers, Sunny.'
The green pegasus gave a wicked grin. 'Okay, I'll play. Gotta catch me first, though.'
Oracle gave a mighty leap from the last table separating the two, just as Sunny Days shot into the air like a launching rocket, leaving the filly detective to grab at nothing but air, and shortly after bury her nose in the ground.
'Horse apples,' Oracle muttered, spitting out dirt.
'Goodness, are you okay?' Asked a familiar sounding voice. Oracle lifted her face, looking up at Cookie Crumble.
It seemed to her at that very moment luck was on her side, finally.
Cookie reached out with a hoof. 'There was all this co... comm... ot... uh... stuff happening over here, whilst I was out for a little walk. Didn't think I'd see you of all ponies hopping across tables.'
Oracle picked herself up with the aid of Cookie, and immediately circled him so she could hop onto his back.
'Oh, um... what are you doing?'
'We need to catch that green pegasus up there.'
Cookie Crumble looked up, and spotted the green blur flying into the distance. His eyelids focused, and then he turned to Oracle.
'Aye aye, captain. Hold on tight.'
Oracle suddenly regretted this plan. The regret only grew stronger when she found herself in the air a split second later, hooves clutching to Cookies sides as hard as they could. She couldn't help but scream loudly as this happened.
Cookie noticed that Sunny Days was not moving at full speed, possibly not expecting an aerial surprise. She was vulnerable, and he decided to make the most of it.
'Wait, Cookie!' Oracle shouted over the growing howl of wind past her ears. 'COOKIE, NO!'
Sunny Days' own ears shot up, and she turned to see Cookie flying towards her like an arrow shooting for its target.
Her face drooped. 'Oh, what the-'
Her right wing was just clipped by his front right hoof, and it was enough to knock Sunny out of her careful glide and into a spinning dive, leaving only a small batch of floating feathers where she was moments ago.
Cookie Crumble slowed down until he was merely hovering, with the filly detective clasping for dear life on his back. 'Did we get her?' He asked to his companion.
'Down there,' Oracle pointed, seeing Sunny Days recover from her spinning and dart in-between two houses on the main street. 'She's going to try and lose us in all the buildings. Stay above her, Cookie.'
'Roger that, Oracle. You right back there?'
She felt like a filly who had only recently eaten breakfast and now was being tossed about in the air. 'I'm fine, let's go.'
At a more appropriate speed, Cookie Crumble scanned across the main roads and then through the backstreet behind the mayors office.
Glancing forward, Oracle spotted a green blur, moving north. 'There she is, heading for the mountains.'
'It's misty up there, and there's trees too.'
'Yeah, I think she wants to lose us in the fog. Are you any good at clearing fog. Cookie?'
'Not really, I'm sorry.'
'Just keep trailing her, and we'll take to the ground when we have to.'
'Okay, miss Oracle. I'm on it.'
As she left through the last of the alleyways and out into the open north of Ponyville, Sunny Days bolted back into the air and up through the last houses. She was fast, Oracle noticed. Too fast, Cookie might not be able to get a second chance.
'She's too fast. Dive Cookie, dive!'
'Oho! Watch this!' Cookie Crumble suddenly dived, and he picked up incredible speed. It took Oracle by surprise so much she had no time to grab hold,which was enough to send her flying off Cookie's back. With a loud scream, she lashed out with hooves, and grasped tightly to the first thing she touched.
Cookie Crumble shot through the air and down towards Sunny with the filly detecting hanging onto his tail. She saw the two of them coming, and dodged sideways between two houses. Cookie hit the ground, legs out and hooves burying into the snow. It took him a moment to build up speed again, with wings flapping frantically.
'You're good, you two,' Sunny shouted from just about twenty yards ahead of them. 'Let's see how good you really are, come and get me.'
Sunny galloped up the mountain, and towards one of the last houses on the edge of the town. She turned suddenly, shooting through an open window.
'Aha, we got her now!' Cookie shouted.
'Wait!' Oracle screamed, with one hoof barely grasping to Cookies tail, and the other to her hat. 'Don't do it! Oh horse app-'
Cookie fired on through the open window and towards another open window on other side of the room. A rear leg clipped the table in between, and sent the unlucky brown pegasus downwards face first into the wooden floor. He slid the rest of the way across, then came to a sudden stop with his head inside a cupboard, cereal from an open packet pouring all over his face.
Oracle felt a little dazed, having let go just in time for a lighter crash landing, but quickly regained her composure when she saw the now sideways table she had slid under tipping down upon her. Rolling out of the way, the table crashed into the ground with a loud bang. As the room fell quiet, she let out a deep breath, and just lay there with eyes on the roof.
A light grey unicorn sat in her wheelchair, with a spoon still hovering in place where her breakfast had been just moments ago. She looked sideways awkwardly, then focused on Oracle. 'Well, you're certainly early,' she said, 'but the door is on the other side of the house.'
'Ow,' moaned Cookie from underneath the sink. 'I think I booped my noseykins...'
- - -
The day hadn't even really begun, and there was already much work to do. For a start, Oracle was once again defeated by the green pegasus, Sunny Days, having been eluded by nothing more than an open window... and perhaps, as much as she didn't wish to admit it, a clumsy mount.
Said mount, Cookie Crumble, sat in the kitchen corner with a neatly packed ice bag over his nose. He hadn't really said much since putting his head into a cupboard and bleeding just a little from his nose, leaving droplets scattered about the floor, but the filly detective knew he felt terrible. It was a little less obvious of whether it was because of having failed Oracle in the chase, or because he had managed to bring mass destruction to some ponies kitchen.
And of course, it just had to be the new pony she was supposed to be meeting.
The grey unicorn, Sparky Scamper, wiped the last of the mess from the now righted table. It had taken the combined effort of all three ponies to bring it back around after having been stylishly tipped over. With a little bit of elbow grease and time, the room looked almost as though it hadn't even been touched. Except for the cupboard near the sink, that looked like a pegasus had ploughed through it face first.
Sparky clasped her hooves together. 'There, all done,' she said, the cloth hovering in mid air with the aid of her magic was tossed aside and landed in the sink with perfect accuracy. She leaned back in her wheelchair, looking relieved. 'That was some breakfast,' she continued with a chuckle.
Oracle pinned her lips. She had already apologized several times, and had been told every single time not to worry, which didn't make her feel any better.
'Speaking of which, coffee any pony?' Sparky asked. 'By Celestia, I need a fix if I'm ever going to wrap my head around what happened.'
Oracle opened her mouth, but Sparky shot out a hoof. 'Relax, champ. I know what you're going to say, and it's fine. Really, it is. If anything, that's the most entertainment I've had all week. Well, except when your friend over there bled all over the floor.'
'It was only a little,' said Cookie innocently, muffled from behind the ice pack.
'I know I've apologized like crazy, Oracle said, 'but I feel as though I've made a terrible first impression.'
Sparky nodded, and started tapping her chin in thought. 'Okay,' she finally said, 'here's how we'll fix that.' She rolled over to Oracle. 'Head outside to the front door, and then go ahead and knock.' She then looked over to Cookie, 'you two, big guy.'
'Can I keep the ice?'
Sparky rolled her eyes, 'yes...'
Oracle did what she was told, and Cookie and herself stood outside Sparkys house at the now closed front door.
She tapped a front hoof on the frame, three times. 'Just a second,' came the call from inside the house. Not long later, the door open, and there sat the grey unicorn Sparky scamper in her wheelchair. A glowing brush ran through her purple mane, which ran past her neck. She played with a chained necklace around her neck, a small skull hanging off it. 'Oh hello there,' she said in false surprise, looking up at the two ponies, 'you must be Oracle, please come in. Ah, and of course you too... Cookie, was it?'
Cookie nodded, accidentally dropping the ice pack on the ground as he did. 'Oh fiddlesticks.'
'Could I help either of you to coffee?'
'I don't really like coffee,' Oracle said. Truth be told, the last time she had a cup, she was bouncing off the walls like a rubber ball.
'Well, you must be exhausted from helping me clean up... er... I mean trotting all the way up here.' Sparky had opened up the fridge, and stuck her head right in. 'How about some milk? Orange juice? Wait a sec, how the hay did the peanut butter get in here...'
'I guess some juice would be fine.'
'Thank the heavens, I didn't really want to list off everything in this house just to try and get you a drink. You realize you look pretty darn tired, right?' As she said this, the lid to a jar of peanut butter held in her left hoof whirled off with the green aura.
'I didn't sleep well,' Oracle admitted.
'It wasn't because you were so excited to meet me, was it?' Sparky stuck her right hoof into the jar, and a dollop of caramel colored peanut butter was quickly shoved into her mouth.
'There was a lot of reasons.' The filly paced about the room, turning her back to the others. 'So much happened yesterday, then just this morning,' Oracle's face tightened. 'I almost had her.'
Sparky swallowed the mouthful of peanut goodness. 'You mean the other pegasus that went through my window?' Her hoof went straight for a second scoop straight away.
'Yes! Sunny Days, I've been following her for the last few days because I suspected she had been stealing the bakeries flour... and I was right!'
'Aha!' Sparky shot out with her left hoof, spattering peanut butter over Cookie Crumbles face. 'That's right, you're a detective. And here I was thinking the hat was just for decoration.'
'Yeah, I'm supposed to be a detective... oh my...' Oracle glanced sideways to see a glass of juiced slide across the table towards her. She hadn't even noticed Sparky pouring the glass. 'You're really good at that.'
'The telekinesis? Yeah, I get lots of practice, go figure.' She shrugged. 'I can do all sorts of things without even paying attention,' she laughed, 'it's great. There isn't a jar in the world that I cannot undo, especially if it has-' she shoveled another scoop of peanut butter into her mouth. 'Oh yeah, that's good.'
Oracle smiled.
Cookie Crumble brightened up, having wiped off most of the peanut butter off his face (and putting it in his mouth). 'Oh, oh! Can you do any other tricks?'
'You bet your hide I can. Check this out.' With a flash of brilliant white, Cookie Crumble and Oracle unshielded their eyes to see that Sparky had disappeared.
A voice echoed from upstairs. 'Teleportation, baby!'
Another explosion of white. 'Boom, and back again.' Sparky extended her arms. 'That's right, shower me with applause, go ahead.'
Cookie Crumble stamped the floor with his two front hooves. 'Again, again!'
The wheelchair mare half closed her eyes, and looked to Oracle. 'I get the feeling I'd get the same result if I just played peekaboo with him.'
Oracle spat out her juice, laughing.
Cookie, on the other hand, looked mildly offended. 'Oh please, I'm a real grown up... I swear!' He decided not to ask what peekaboo actually was.
'I might need proof of that, but I'll take your word for now.'
'I must admit,' Oracle began, 'I've always been fascinated by unicorns. My mom and dad are too, I suppose you know that already though. Always wished I could just move things with a wave of a horn.'
'It's great and all, but it wears you out real quick if used too much. I mean like, you get headaches and everything. Earth ponies have the advantage of being real goers I've heard.'
'Oh, yeah, I guess. I can trot around for hours. Well, I mean I could, but right now I've got this.' She nosed her injured leg.
'Hah, that's nothing, I'm sure you'll walk it off. As for these two-' Sparky pointed to her own rear legs, '- this I can't walk off.'
Oracle and Cookie stared at her, and the unicorn rolled her eyes. 'Oh relax, I make fun of myself all the time.'
The filly detective couldn't help but take the occasional glance at Sparkys wheelchair. It was similar to ones she had seen in the hospital, albeit this one was obviously modified. The seat, a light green, looked handmade with the occasional small tear. The back wheels were as tall as the filly, dark green tires were thick but well worn. A metallic skull attached to the center of the wheels on each side, a nice artistic touch from its occupant, undoubtedly.
Oracle finished the last of her juice, and placed the glass back on the table. 'I guess I might as well ask now, since it is inevitable anyway.'
Sparky was way ahead of her, leaning an elbow on the table. 'I was eight when it happened. It was a nasty fall, I can tell you that much.'
Oracle took a moment to compute. 'Only eight? You were just a little filly. Oh my, wow. That... well...'
Sparky waved a hoof, looking away from the detective. 'I got over it years ago. Life moves on, nothing more, nothing less.
The room was quiet for a moment, until Sparky continued. 'And this is why I'm not a big fan of talking about it, it just makes everyone feel awkward.'
'I'm always awkward,' Cookie said.
'It's been firmly established,' Sparky replied, before turning back to the filly detective. 'Now, if I remember correctly, I actually asked you here for a reason, Oracle.'
'You needed help with chores and such, I was told?'
'That's an understatement. I needed help moving stuff from the lounge room to the basement. Not heavy things, just a lot of bits and pieces I never got around to touching since I moved in last week.'
'I'm guessing constant back and forth teleportation was not a good option?'
'Not if I wanted to spend a whole week with a throbbing headache, then no. I also get nosebleeds if I jump around too much, or if I teleport too far in one shot. Mind you, it's also been a busy week for me.'
'How so, if I may ask?'
'I came here to make use of the observatory on behalf of furthering my studies in Canterlot. I'm an astrologist, go figure, huh? Ponyville has one of the best views of the stars in all of Equestria.'
'I've been told that about a million times at school. They like to brag about it, quite a lot.'
'Well, it's true. No light pollution, and the pegasi here have a tenancy to keep the cloud cover scarce... or so I've been told. Couldn't turn down an offer to work at a place like that. Affordable rent, too, and also I must admit, there's the peace. Not that I've gotten much quiet around here. The first day I arrive this pink pony shows up and throws me a party in my own house. Now that... that was a weird day.'
'You get used to the weirdness,' Oracle said.
'I'm not one to judge others, but I certainly need some sanity in this place, no offense,' Sparky looked over to Cookie Crumble.
'None taken,' he replied with a grin.
'You'll have me for a while,' Oracle began. 'Kind of got in trouble a few times, and this is my... repayment, so to speak. Not that I...' she looked up at Sparky, whom had raised a brow, '...I mean, I'm glad to be here.'
'Oh, you break my heart!' Sparky placed a hoof on her chest, stretching out like she was in some sort of dramatic play. Oracle stared nervously, and the wheelchair mare had to wave her off again. 'Oh, I'm kidding. Lighten up, champ.'
'Sorry. I'm just a little on edge, from all that's happened the last few days.'
'Yeah, fair enough. Tell you what, Oracle, why don't we get this work of mine out of the way? Then, you can tell me all about your adventures.'
'Oh,' chirped Cookie, 'can I help too?'
'Well, since you're here. Every little bit counts, I guess.'
He have a little jump of excitement. 'Just you watch, I'm the bestest worker in the whole world.'
- - -
Cookie Crumble lay upon the lounge room couch, fast asleep. The only couch, mind you, a unicorn that was permanently seated had little use for such fancy furnishings, and thus this part of the house felt quite bare. There was a fireplace, of course. You couldn't get a house without one these days thanks to the uncomfortable winters, it was basically a construction requirement.
Oracle sat close to the warmth of the burning wood, rubbing her numbing front hooves together. Sparky, meanwhile, sat in her chair next to the fire, but facing Cookie on the opposite side of the little room.
'He's certainly a hard worker,' she said. 'Even if he's... uh... not all quite there, in the head. Where in all of Equestria did you find him?'
'He found me,' Oracle replied. 'Lost a sweet roll, and it tied in with my investigation of Sunny Days.'
Sparky raised a brow. 'He lost... a sweet roll?'
'It was stolen, actually. To be fair, Sunny is quite quick on her wings. When I saw her flying this morning, she was... incredible.'
'Considering she made a perfect dive through my house, I might be able to agree on that. Afraid I can't give the same praise to your friend here.'
Cookie Crumble turned over, and scratched an ear in his sleep. 'But, I don't want to feed the dragon,' he mumbled to himself.
The other two stared for a moment.
Oracle faced Sparky. 'He tried, that's all I can say. Suppose I should have been more shocked that he so willingly followed my orders after hopping onto his back. Any other pony would have just looked at me funny.'
'Well, that's what friends do, I guess,' Sparky said.
Oracle placed a hoof against her chin. 'He's more of an acquaintance, really. We only just met yesterday, and I'm just helping him out.' She paused, and thought for a moment. 'He... helped me out, too.'
A friend indeed.
Sparky shrugged her shoulders. 'Well, he seems nice enough.' Though, honestly, she found his childish nature a little inappropriate, even if he was a surprisingly hard worker. Still, Ponyville was a new experience for her, and thus so were its odd inhabitants.
Sparky turned her head away, and when Oracle faced her she could swear that Sparky was looking distant, for just a moment.
'Is something wrong?' Oracle asked with head tilted.
'Nah, nothing. Just a little worn out.' Sparky stretched her upper body, forelegs in the air and yawning loudly. It seemed just a little fake to Oracle, but she ignored it.
The filly detective looked up at the clock above the couch, three hours had passed. 'It really didn't feel that long, I must admit.'
'It really wasn't when you think about it. Getting all that stuff down there would have taken me days.'
'I felt a little useless, though, given that you two could carry so much more than me. And my leg made it a little harder, even if it really isn't that bad any more.'
'Oh, come off it. You did a good job for your age, Oracle.'
The filly smiled in appreciation. 'Thank you, Sparky.'
'However, you do look absolutely wrecked. I think you should get home and have a rest before you pass out on the floor, and start babbling in your sleep like your friend here.'
'Yeah, I probably should. Mom and dad might get worried if I'm not back soon. Not sure how long they even expected me to be out for, thank goodness we got an early start, right?'
'Agreed, because now I can spend the rest of the afternoon sleeping.'
'I like that idea very much, to be honest.' Oracle looked over to where Cookie lay, a hoof now firmly stuck in his mouth. 'What about him?'
'Oh, he can bunk here for a while, I don't mind.'
The filly paused for a second. 'Now that I think about it, there was something I wanted to ask of Cookie, but I guess it can wait till tomorrow.'
'Good idea. Now go home before you fall asleep.'
Oracle yawned. 'Yes, right.'
Sparky waved goodbye to the little filly as she donned her hat once more and waddled off down the path that led back to Ponyvilles center. 'What an awesome filly,' she said to herself. Tapping a hoof to her chin, she thought deeply. 'Sunny Days, that name sounds familiar, but why?'
'Oh no, watch out for the giant rolling cheese,' Cookie cried out in his slumber, pointing a hoof into the air.
'I regret that decision already,' Sparky said with eyes half closed, shutting the door behind her.
- - -
When he woke up the next morning, Cookie felt really good. He'd spent a few hours passed out on the wheelchair mares couch, and then snuck out a back window shortly after he awoke. The rest of the day was spent rolling in the grass, flying around, and making faces at the clouds... which was always a fun thing to do. Clouds were always so understanding.
As the sun had set, he had found a nice quiet spot underneath the roof of Ponyvilles old bell tower, flying in through the massive archway windows that stretched across all four sides. Ponies rarely came up here, only on special occasions. Apart from the massive brass bell that hung from a horizontal column in the middle, there wasn't much else in the room bar some discarded boxes and a small pile of rubbish. Tired once more, he laid his head on a small pile of discarded hay inside a small wooden box tipped sideways.
The sound of a distant rooster picked up his ears, and eyes opened to witness the sun crawling over the horizon. Cookie stretched his back legs like a cat, then his front, and finally gave his whole body a little shake. Reaching out with a hoof, he grabbed his pair of glasses from the floor and placed them neatly on his nose.
The last task was tying on his red neckerchief, the right way around of course. He'd feel so silly if he got it backwards, again.
A hatch in the floor burst open, having been concealed by the rubbish, and Cookie jumped from the ground with a girlish cry. Unfortunately he had forgotten he was still inside the sideways box, and crashed his head into the top.
Oracle waited with an elbow leaning from out of the hatch on the floor. 'You're a hard pegasus to find, you know?'
'Ow, my head thingy.'
'Even the ones that sleep on clouds are easier to locate then you. I came up here totally on a hunch alone.'
'Please don't do that again, I scare easily.'
'Next time I'll be sure to knock, would that help?'
'Probably not.'
Oracle rolled her eyes. 'I've been looking for you for nearly an hour now, I wanted to ask a favor of you.'
Cookie brushed around the ground, finding the pair of glasses once again and placing them back on his head. 'Go on,' he said.
The filly hauled herself up from out the hatch and onto the floor. 'Last night I was reading a map of the northern area of Ponyville. I know a little about the geography-'
She glanced back up at Cookie, who returned a face of confusion.
'- what the land looks like, that better?'
Cookie nodded, tongue poking out slightly.
'Anyway, the area is full of caves and there's plenty of trees too. It's the perfect place to hide... both oneself and what you've stolen.'
'Oh, so you think Sunny Nights is hiding up there?'
'Sunny Days... and yes, I think she is. Given that was the direction she was headed yesterday morning and the fact the only other good place for hiding is-' she shuddered, '-the Everfree Forest. So what I want of you, Cookie Crumble, since you are supposedly a wanderer and thus likely have an eye for things-'
'You want me to go up there and have a scout around?'
'Precisely! Do you think you can do that for me?'
'Of course I can! I'll be back before you know it.'
Oracle's eyes widened. 'Wait, not now...'
Too late, Cookie shot out through the archway and into the air, quickly turning north towards the mountains.
'What a weirdo,' Oracle said to herself.
- - -
The Sunday markets were always full of life, even in the midst of a cold winters day. Oracle trotted alongside Sparky as they made their way through the middle of the stalls, a mild cacophony of clattering and shouting coming from all sides as seller battled for customers. Farmers pushed passing ponies to buy their fresh produce, crafts-ponies gleefully showed off their latest creations to all that trotted by. Every step you took was met with new colors, sometimes even smells, tents and stalls of various sizes and quality either side of the two ponies.
'Quite tame compared to the Canterlot markets,' Sparky said aside to Oracle. 'That place is so full of color and flamboyance it almost makes you feel a bit sick. That, and the fact you can't get from one side to the other in less than an hour.'
Oracle didn't look too interested in the whole thing. 'You see it once, you've seen it every other time, really.' Not to downplay the effort and love of the ponies that made use of the markets, but the filly had seen it all before many times. Stalls hardly changed at all, every pony here had done the same thing many times over.
She glanced up at Sparky, who was looking a little unnerved, her head held low and long purple hair covering half her face. 'You alright?' She asked.
'Not a big fan of being stared at,' Sparky admitted. 'You'd think a place like this would be used to strange sights.'
'Oh, it is slightly unusual to see a unicorn wheeling about. It's been a few years since I've seen one myself, to be honest.'
'Yeah, makes sense. We're a rare breed, us cripples.'
Oracle looked disapprovingly at Sparky, whom replied with a chuckle.
'Oh relax, I'm just making fun of myself again.'
'Fair enough,' Oracle said. 'Do you get out much, Sparky?'
'Oh, plenty. I need to get up to the observatory and back, for example.'
'I meant further than that.'
Sparky went quiet.
'You're the indoor type, huh?'
'It just a natural thing for a pony who can't trot around on her own back legs to be like that. Sometimes I do wish I got out more, had more adventures than just the occasional shopping trip, but, you know.' She shook her head. 'Let's get this over with, shall we?'
Oracle nodded. 'I understand. So, what do we need, anyway?'
Hovering slightly in front of her, a piece of parchment unrolled. Oracle hoped it didn't reach the ground, and was relieved when it only reached halfway.
'Alrighty,' Sparky began, 'I've got my shopping list ready, just tell me where I need to go. Let's try the vegetables first. Actually no, where's that pony you told me about before?'
'The one that sells homemade peanut butter, right?'
'Yesss.'
'Down this way,' Oracle pointed, holding back a chuckle, 'we just have to take a right at the next corner and... hey wait up!'
Hooves to her wheels, Sparky had set off already. There was no doubt she was faster in that thing than any casual pony on legs could go.
As she prepared to follow her companion, there was a sudden shadow over her eyes. Before she could even make sense of what was happening, a light brown pegasus had crashed into a small stall selling oranges, which proceeded to roll around on the ground in all directions.
'Oh no, not again!' Cried the stall keeper, a small red unicorn.
'That was totally one of my better landings,' Cookie Crumble said, brushing himself off as he stood back up. 'Oh my, sorry about your funny colored apples.'
'Cookie, what in the world are you doing?' Oracle cantered over to her companion, whom quickly faced her.
'Aha, I thought it was you I saw, can't miss that little hat of yours for miles.' He happily trotted out of the mess he had made as if nothing had even happened, leaving a handful of rather confused ponies to tend to it instead. 'I bring good news.'
'Wait, you don't mean you've already-'
'Found her, up in a small cottage house just past the main mountains and over the tree line. A bit hard to spot from the air, but I got a good eye for odd sights. So I took a closer look, and behold!' He waved a hoof in the air, upon it a small roll with a mound of cream. 'I have found my sweet roll!'
Oracle's mouth hung open. It stayed that way as Cookie shoved the confectionery into his mouth whole. 'How did you even-'
Cookie quickly swallowed the remains. 'Oh it was totally just sitting there, inside the house, on the table. So, I kinda wandered in through the window, and then I took it.' He jumped a little into the air. 'Oh, that reminds me, there was a book on the table, too.'
Oracle regained her composure. 'W...what was it?'
'I knew I wouldn't remember to tell you about it, unless I took it. So, I took it.' He then proceeded to shove a leather covered red book into Oracle's face.
“Baking and summoning evil spirits: a beginners guide to the world of confectionery conjuration” it read in bold print, with a small picture of some sort of ghostly like cupcake with an evil grin upon it. Below that lay the authors name, “D. Bakerus”
'Oh... my,' Oracle said.
'I can't read, but the pictures look cool. So, I kinda just guessed it was important. It's important, right?'
'Uh... excuse me for a minute, I mean... probably a bit longer, actually.' Oracle swept up the book and shoved it into her saddle bag upon her back, which would have carried some of Sparkys goods, but now had a new purpose. 'Go find Sparky, please. Tell her I'll meet her either here or at her house.'
'Can do,' Cookie replied with a salute.
It took a moment, but Oracle had to do a bit of a double take when her brain caught up to her. 'Wait, Cookie, you can't read?'
Too late, Cookie was gone. He was good like that, Oracle was starting to realize.
Turning, she sped out of the market as fast as her legs could carry her. The bakery closed earlier on Sundays than it did other days, and Oracle knew she probably only had a few minutes left. Just ahead of her she could see Puff Pastry closing the two front doors, but with all the effort she could muster, the little filly threw herself through the door.
Puff Pastry could only watch in utter confusion as the jacket clad earth pony tumbled through the door and slid across the floor. Oracle's hat floated gently in the air, and landed finally by her side.
'Oracle?'
'Miss Pastry, thank goodness...' the filly detective said between deep breath. 'I have to ask... a question.'
'Uh... sure, what do you need?'
Oracle jumped back to her hooves, and equipped her hat. 'The flour... I mean, the special flour, what is in it?'
Pastry shook her head with confusion. 'I'm sorry Oracle, but that's supposed to be a family secret-'
The filly detective slid the red book across the floor. Puff Pastry's eyes widened as she read the title of the book before her. 'Oh... oh my.'
‘That’s what I said.’