The hive mind is truly a wonderful, yet terrible place; It is connected to all living things, yet only one race could understand and use it. Even then, only their monarchs could use the hive mind to its full potential. Daedalus once described it as a living thing. The hive mind witnessed all and stored it in its infinite web of memories. When Daedalus had asked the entity to show him the relationship between Dash and Question, the hive mind had taken him to only specific points, even showing things from Dash’s perspective as well. That was why he was able to stand alongside Dash and see what she saw.
As Daedalus reappeared once more, he was greeted by the night sky above him. He was now in the deserted market, with barely a soul walking around the town. One of the few still walking around at this hour – or rather flying – was Rainbow Dash. She landed next to the king without the usual fanfare and let out a sigh.
Despite feeling significantly more confident about the date as a whole, Rainbow couldn’t help but feel slightly anxious about the whole thing. She had picked a casual restaurant – partially because she couldn’t stand the stuffy atmosphere of more uptight establishments – but a more relaxed setting allowed her to be herself without risk of upsetting anypony. She told herself that if her date didn’t like her for who she was, then screw him. Dash began to trot forwards and Daedalus followed closely behind.
“Okay, keep it cool Dash, you’ve totally got this,” she muttered to herself.
“Oh, I wouldn’t say that, my dear,” Daedalus responded, knowing full well Dash was unable to hear him. “You might jinx your chances for tonight.”
“I mean, heck, what could go wrong, right?”
“… Famous last words, my pegasus friend.” Daedalus looked up at the moon for a moment, reminiscing on events long past. “Sweet Lulu, give this mare strength. Oh, and make sure the date goes well please? Thanks hun.” Daedalus winked at the white orb in the sky. “Gods, I miss that flank.” Before he could allow himself to get distracted again, he looked down at Dash.
“Okay, what time is it?” Rainbow cocked her head around till she met a clock face, reading that it was ten to seven. “Alright, I’ll wait till five past, and if he doesn’t show his face, I’m taking off. He’d better not stand me up—”
Dash stopped in her tracks when she was several meters away from the restaurant, and waiting outside was Question Mark, who was wearing a black tie and fedora. He was pacing just outside of the entrance, keeping his wings tightly wrapped around himself for warmth. Rainbow’s confidence quickly evaporated as she stood still, completely frozen in place. Question was too busy being nervous to notice that his date had arrived.
“Goodness me, if this keeps up, we’re in for a long night,” Daedalus sighed. He glanced at Dash again and smiled. “Well? What are you waiting for? Go get him, tiger.” Almost as if she could hear him, Dash trotted forwards once more. Question heard the approaching hoofsteps and faced his date for the evening. He gulped and met her half-way.
“Good evening, Miss Dash,” Question said politely whilst making sure his hat was on straight.
“Hey, and drop the whole ‘Miss’ thing. It’s either Rainbow or Dash to you, buster.” Dash hoped it would come off as playful; instead, it came out as an order.
“O-o-oh, right. Sorry.”
Silence descended like a bad smell. Daedalus huffed in annoyance but resisted the temptation to roll his eyes.
“So… do you want to head inside now?” Question asked, hoping to break the uncomfortable atmosphere.
“Huh? Oh, yeah, sure.”
The pair hurried inside to be greeted by a restaurant at the beginning of dinner service. Dash had already booked a table earlier that morning, and both of them were led to their seats by a waiter. Silence returned as the pair was left to scan the menu. Daedalus grunted as he looked at all the comfortable chairs in the room. He chose to sit on the floor right next to the table. Due to his size, he was eye level with both Dash and Question, who were both hiding their faces behind the menus.
The world zoned out for a moment as Question looked over his menu. He took a deep breath, mustering his courage again. He told himself that getting here was the hard part, so now it was his chance to find out more about the stuntmare. The worst-case scenario was that they could at least be friends if this turned into a disaster… hopefully, but the detective wanted more than that. Normally, he would plan this all out, but he was so inexperienced in the field of dating that he had no clue of what to expect. Flitter had told him to simply be polite, don’t talk too much about himself unless he was asked, and even then, avoid bragging, and not to come off as creepy. Question wasn’t sure if he had ever come off as creepy in his entire life, but that was the least of his troubles.
Meanwhile, Dash could barely make out the sounds of families arguing, the clattering of cutlery, and the chugging of beverages as she focused intently on the options presented to her. She didn’t even really know what half of the things on the menu were, but they all sounded pretty good to her. Dash’s stomach had temporarily taken over her brain, but she snapped back to reality as she heard her date place down his menu.
Her ‘date’. Why was that word so foreign, yet so fulfilling to her? Dash knew the answer of course, but questioning herself had become routine since yesterday evening. Dash had a game plan for the evening though, she had to gauge who her date was early on. She knew he was a detective, an experienced one despite barely being in his mid-twenties. He had been living in Ponyville for a short time now, moving in shortly after everypony came back from the Canterlot wedding. That wasn’t enough, though, so she decided to delve deeper.
Daedalus was listening in on a foal whining about how his peas and mashed potatoes were touching, and wondering what on Equis was the problem, when he saw Dash place down her menu and open her mouth to speak. He leaned in closer and listened to every word.
“So, who are your folks?”
Question had just been in the process of thinking of something to say to get the ball rolling, when Rainbow beat him to the punch. He paused for a moment, figuring out how best to answer. Both of his parents had been changelings, but he was actually born in Trottingham while they were taking a short vacation in the city. Ten eggs were laid in their hotel room, but he was the only one to survive. The mess had been cleaned up and hidden away by several changeling agents and the three of them had swiftly moved back to the hive.
“Oh, um, my mother was called Gaia, and my father was called Aegeus.”
“Weird names for ponies…”
Daedalus visibly cringed when he saw Question forget to give his parents pony names, a common mistake made by lings taking their first steps into pony society. A bead of sweat trickled down the forehead of the detective before he replied, “They were from up north.”
“… Oh.”
“What do you mean oh!?” Daedalus shouted. “How in Tartarus did you buy that? Wait, why am I complaining?” The king rested his head in his hands as the questions continued.
“How long have you been a detective?”
“I started training under Professor Lantern when I was little younger than eighteen. So roughly about six years now.”
“I thought you said you were trained by Sherclop.”
“Ah, well, not quite. I met professor Lantern when I was trying to figure out what to do with my life. He was an archaeologist who viewed most challenges in life as a visual puzzle. On the side, he would do detective work, and after seeing him in action, I felt inspired to follow in his hoofsteps. I asked him if he could teach me and I spent roughly a year with him in Trottingham. He only taught me the basics though, and sent me to meet with Sherclop to learn more advanced techniques.”
“So you left him on his own.”
“Certainly not. About a week before I left, he came home with a young colt who he told me was his new apprentice. He wanted to make him into a proper gentlestallion. Anyway, for the next five years I was in school or accompanying Sherclop and his assistant.”
“... What’s with the hat?”
“I like fedoras. I know it’s a cliché, but sue me, I’ve always liked them.”
“Ties too?”
“Work attire, but it’s become routine for me, even if they sometimes feel like a noose around my neck.”
Dash paused for a bit as she chewed her lip. She squinted at the pegasus opposite her, who felt slightly awkward being under the spotlight for a change. Dash wanted to catch him up, forgetting that she was on a date.
“Alright then, what do you know about me?”
“Well, I know you're friends with Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity and Spike—”
“AH HA! How did YOU know they were my friends!?” Dash asked, nearly shooting out of her seat in the process. Her smug smirk would not last long.
“Well, you guys are the Elements of Harmony. I think a requirement to use them is for you guys to be friends.”
“… Oh.” Dash slumped back into her chair, slightly deflated. Suddenly, her eyes opened wide and she sat back up, pointing a hoof in Question’s face. “But how did you know who they were in the first place!?”
Both Daedalus and Question gazed at the hoof dumbly for several seconds, before the detective gently guided it back down to the table with a free hoof. He cleared his throat and put on a serious, almost condescending voice. “First of all, you’re all national heroes; I’d be surprised if somepony didn’t know who you were. It would be like a random pedestrian turning down a Princess’s request because he didn’t know who she was,” he explained. “Secondly, we all live in the same town. And last, but certainly not least, I have met all of you at one point or another. Rarity made this hat for me, I visited Fluttershy when I was considering getting a pet for myself, I go to Twilight’s library to take books out where I’ve met both her and Spike, I buy my apples from Applejack and Big Mac, and Pinkie Pie put together my welcome to Ponyville party. Which, if you recall, you all attended.”
Dash’s jaw nearly hit the table as Daedalus had an overwhelming desire to high five Question Mark. A smug grin was now spread over the detective’s face, but he soon corrected himself to an innocent smile.
“I see you’re trying to play detective.”
“Play detective?” Dash raised an eyebrow.
“Allow me to deduce. Since we sat down at this table, I must confess that this has come off as more of an interrogation, rather than a date. I realise now that your questions mean you’re checking if I am what I claim, a detective. Some of your questions have not been on that topic, so I further deduce that – if you do not mind me saying – you are a bit worried.”
“I’m not sure if that’s a zing moment, but you certainly did sound smart saying all that stuff, my old friend.” Daedalus stretched out a bit, eager to see how this would all play out.
“You’re worried about getting hurt, aren’t you?”
Just at that moment, the waiter arrived.
“Excuse me, are you two ready to order?” Both Rainbow and Question switched their attention to the waiter. As the waiter was standing right in Daedalus’ invisible body, the king decided to distract himself by looking over the restaurant. It had a very homey, relaxed atmosphere despite the rush of the waiters serving everyone and the din coming from the kitchen. The light colour of the walls and the floral arrangements helped complete the place. The waiter soon departed with orders in hoof, leaving the ponies with nothing to do other than either stare at each other awkwardly, or talk. Dash chose the latter.
“Look, I’m sorry,” she said through a sigh, “I’m just not used to this stuff. When you asked me out yesterday, I was pretty pumped for this, and you were pretty cute—”
“—You think I’m cute?” Question asked rather tactlessly.
“Uhh… yeah,” Dash said through rose tinted cheeks. “You’d better not tell anypony I said that, though.” She glared at Question as he put his hoofs up defensively.
“Hey, easy there. I swear on my honour, madam. I just never thought you’d like cute things.”
“Better than a hot guy who’s as dumb as a sack of bricks.”
“Any examples?”
“Do you know who Soarin is?”
“The Wonderbolt?”
“Nice guy, great looker, but super gullible. I don’t know, I make fun of Twi for being an egghead, but dumb ponies seem to be a real ‘turn off’ for me.”
“How dumb do they have to be?” Question Mark asked, fully engaged in the conversation.
“I’m not picky or nothing, but I was talking to him at the gala, and he thought apples grew underground like potatoes.” The only thing that beat Question Mark’s undignified snort was King Daedalus’ ‘full blown’, hysterical laughter. If he had been present that day, his deep, booming voice would have shaken the entire room. Question Mark managed to compose himself, but could not rid himself of his grin.
“Ah, so they have to be especially dumb, then.”
“Yeah, and trust me, sports ponies tend to have less brains and more muscle. I should know, I’m kind of one of them.”
“I wouldn’t say that. You’ve come off as rather intelligent in our previous conversations.”
“Yeah, try telling that to AJ. Besides which, I think Soarin had the hots for Applejack anyway.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, it wasn’t just her apple pies he was drooling over at the gala.”
The pair smiled at each other as Daedalus was finally able to control himself as tiny droplets of water formed in his eyes, but before the silence could settle in, Question extended a hoof across the table. “Listen, why don’t we start this date again? It’s nice to meet you, Miss Dash.” Instead of shaking, Dash bumped his hoof.
“Okay, cool. What’s up, Question?”
As the first course arrived, the date began to go swimmingly. The pair flowed into natural conversation. They had started with some personal background, Question explaining he was born in Trottingham and raised by his mother and father until they passed away several years back. Daedalus noted that Question had told the truth, while simply neglecting to mention they were both changelings; technically, he never lied to Dash. Rainbow Dash had a similar story; apart from the unhappy side of her school life, she had plenty of friends and loving parents while living in Cloudsdale, the same place where Daedalus’ daughter had been raised. Although her mother had passed on, her father was still around, badgering young Dash for grandchildren and pushing her to follow her dreams at the same time, which sent very confusing messages.
The pair continued to tell life stories, Dash had been brave enough to tell the whole truth of the Best Young Flier’s competition, which elicited a chuckle from Question and uproarious laughs from the king. However, Dash noted Question praising her for her courage and ability. Although praise from anypony else would have fed Dash’s expansive ego, Question’s praise caused her cheeks to flash pink, something the pegasus hated and begrudgingly loved. Question followed – upon Dash’s insistence – with one of the more interesting cases he had to deal with.
“… So the sleeping dart activated when Black Key would play a certain sheet of music on his piano. The thief then walked straight into the apartment and stole the vase.”
“How’d you catch him then?”
“When I figured out the thief was was robbing famous musicians who lived in the area, the vase that Black Key owned was far too big of a prize for the thief to simply ignore; it was only a matter of when. I acquired the help of a journalist by the name of Lens Turner. She set up a camera and we caught the thief in the act. You can figure out the rest. Lens Turner was very nice, a bit of a recluse, and she had this thing for blue boxes and aliens, but nice all the same.”
“Heh, when you hang out with Pinkie all the time, alien talk doesn’t even come into the same league of weird.”
“I suppose,” Question muttered, looking into his wine glass. “Still, with those metal men stomping around Canterlot not too long ago, extraterrestrial talk isn’t exactly considered crazy anymore. We’re in a changing world, Dash. These past few years have presented more threats to world security than in the last six hundred years.”
Dash dumbly nodded, not fully understanding what he was telling her. She noted how Question had a tendency to go on quiet monologues to himself, shutting out the rest of the world as he spoke. Question looked at her, noting her confused expression. “Don’t worry about it, Dash. I’m simply rambling to myself.”
“It’s cool,” Dash assured while nonchalantly waving her hoof. “I hang with Twilight, so I’m used to getting confused by long speeches.”
“From the few conversations I’ve had with her, she comes off as the lecturing type. Very astute, though. I can see why she’s a prodigy.”
“Ugh, but the lectures are a killer though. I feel like my brain is about to melt when she pulls out her blackboard. She has that thing on standby so she can pull it out whenever. Kind of makes me feel dumb.”
“Hey! You are anything but dumb.“
“Now you’re just trying to flatter me.”
“No, I’ve met dumb. You are not dumb, not even close. So you’re on a basic reading level, so you’re not amazing at math, most ponies aren’t. The way you condition yourself and look after yourself is more than enough to tell me you’re quite smart. You just don’t realise it.”
There it was again, the pink tinge that covered her cheeks. Every time Question saw it, it sent his heart aflutter. She was too darn cute for her own good, in his opinion. Dash hated how he so easily complimented her and made it seem genuine. Ponies praised her all the time, but none of them for being smart. Dash actually believed he was telling her the truth, but that scared her for some reason. Something about him being so convincing confused her greatly. Did she really like him after knowing him for only a short time? Or was his silver tongue that convincing?
“Before you ask,” he said, “I know you enjoy reading from your love of the Daring Do books.”
“Pfft, even I could have figured that out. Do you read them?” Question nodded. “What book are you on?” Dash asked excitedly, happy to see they had something else in common.
“As best I recall, I had just finished—”
As Question Mark began to explain, Rainbow’s left eye drifted off towards the waitress who passed her. At that moment – what felt like some sort of divine intervention – Rainbow Dash spied the waitress set down an order for a waiting family. The order was very large, especially for starters, and Dash was certain the waitress wasn’t able to deliver the entire first course and would require a second trip. This would normally be a small and minor detail that her keen eyes would skip over and back to her date, yet when she noticed the waitress place a bowl of hot, piping soup in front of the youngest daughter, the pegasus got an idea. A horrible, ingenious and downright diabolical idea. Discord would have been proud that night.
“Excuse me miss,” asked the mother of the family, “where is my colt’s soup?”
“I’m terribly sorry, I have to make a second trip. I’ll be back in a moment,” replied the waitress.
Dash, by her own admittance (unless she was challenged of course) would acknowledge she wasn’t the most clever pony around. She had street smarts, she could cook, knew more than enough about fitness and even understood her own limitations when it came to training. She only pushed past her limit when she deemed necessary. Yet, to her at least, all the pieces fell into place for what she felt was a genius test. She recalled her conversation with Rarity earlier.
“The second thing is also important. Of course your date will treat you well, at least I hope he would, but make a note of how he treats other ponies.”
“Other ponies?”
“Oh yes, dear. It’s easy for somepony to treat the one they're trying to please or impress well, but everypony else is another matter. That is when their true self comes out for all to see. Say if you went to a restaurant and the waiter accidentally spills something on them, their reaction is good way of gauging their character.”
Meanwhile, Daedalus noticed Dash’s attention slipping from her date. He followed her line of sight which was locked onto the waitress serving the family. He scratched his head in confusion and turned to Question, who hadn’t noticed his date seemingly losing interest.
“I thought she wasn’t into mares,” mumbled Daedalus. “She seems to be checking her flank out or something like that.” Daedalus squinted; trying to figure what had caught her attention, but drew a complete blank. Dash continued to keep an eye on the waitress as she walked through Daedalus, who shivered slightly, and past Dash again. This only confused the king more. Dash listened for the kitchen doors to close.
“Am I boring you?”
“Wha-what?” Dash found her date looking at her in concern. His question hadn’t been accusatory, in fact he looked more sad than anything. “If I am boring you, I’m terribly sorry—”
“No, sorry, I just kind of got distracted is all,” Dash said with a small laugh. “I think you’re kind of cool actually.”
“Y-you do?” Question asked, stunned that things were suddenly going so well.
“Yeah, I mean you’re a pretty nice guy, but I thought you might be a little boring, but you’ve seen some pretty cool things,” Dash said sincerely.
“I don’t think cool would be the exact word I would use. I know I said I wouldn’t go into anything quite as vulgar as last time, but I’ve seen some of the worst the world has to offer in my line of work. Like you yourself must have seen as an Element of Harmony.”
“Well, I don’t know about that. I mean you deal with murders and stuff, I can’t really remember anypony who died during any of my adventures… actually, I don’t think anypony has.” The statement itself dumbfounded Rainbow, surprised that things had gone so smoothly, at least in the sense of physical injury.
“Wow, I envy you there. I have to wait for somepony to die before I can help. Sometimes it’s simple thefts, not always though.”
“Don’t they have guards to handle stuff like that? Why can’t they solve who did it?”
“Most of the time they do, but occasionally they require help from a specialist. I guess that’s what you could call me. Technically, I’m a consultant detective like my mentor, but I generally specialize in all fields. If a murder is simply too difficult to solve or I’m nearby, I’ll be called in—”
Dash had become so absorbed in Question’s explanation that she almost missed the sound of the kitchen door opening again. Dash tensed up slightly, her brain telling her that a choice would have to be made. Go for it, or leave it. She wasn’t sure what had taken the waitress so long to get the order, but it had given the pegasus enough time to start regretting even considering the test. This whole time, Question had been nothing but a gentlestallion to her. He was interesting, nice, cute, and although he didn’t seem very strong or athletic, Dash was surprised how little that bothered her.
Then doubt struck again.
Rarity’s words rang in her ears once more. Don’t just observe how your date treats you, notice how he treats other ponies. This was the only chance she would have to test this before things progressed further. As Question continued, Dash gently edged her hind leg out below the tablecloth. When the waitress was in position, she would stick it out a little further and this would cause her to trip and spill the soup on Question.
Wait, what the heck am I doing? Dash quickly retracted her leg as she realised what she was about to do. She was about to burn a stallion with piping hot soup as part of an experiment. Crap, this is some stupid idea that Twi would come up with. Not me. Am I that messed up in the head? She looked at Question again who had stopped speaking and took a bite of his meal. He looked at her and gave her a small smile.
“You alright?”
“Uh, yeah. Sorry, just spaced out a bit.”
“I know the feeling,” he responded with a laugh. Dash began to calm herself, giggling at Question’s thick Trottingham accent, another thing she liked about him. “Hey, Dash?”
The waitress was about to pass Dash when she asked, “Yeah?”
“I know I’m meant to ask at the end of the date, but, would you like to go out again sometime?”
A great man once said that there are no such things as coincidences, as the universe is rarely that lazy. After multiple attempts at trying to separate his peas and mash, the little colt across the room became so frustrated he flung a chunk of the mash across the room. While his mother began scolding him for throwing food around, only Daedalus noticed the piece of white mash heading straight for the spot he was sitting. Before he could move out of the way, he remembered it wouldn’t hit him anyway as it passed straight through him.
Of course, the waitress wasn’t so lucky.
Her hoof slipped as soon as it made contact with the potato, and the bowl she was holding flew forward from the momentum. Both Dash and Daedalus instinctively caught on to where it was headed, and unthinkingly, Daedalus reached up for the bowl. It fell through his hand, and the bowl’s contents made contact with Question Mark’s lap.
Question’s eyes nearly popped out as the steaming liquid slapped onto his lower region. His face scrunched up as the pain immediately registered in his brain. Instead of a scream of pain, he let out a small whine as he tried desperately not to explode. Dash could only stare in shock, while Daedalus could almost feel the pain Question was going through. The king kept his legs together, unable to look away. The rest of the restaurant had joined in on looking at the scene before them. The waitress had begun apologizing, hoping to keep her job and avoid a lawsuit.
All the while, Question Mark was frozen in place until he took a quick intake of breath. He squeezed his eyes shut, but opened them sharply when he said, “If you’d excuse me, Dash,” he said through the pain, “I’m just going to clean up.”
The detective picked himself up from his seat and hobbled over to the little colts’ room, trying to block out the burning pain he felt. As the bathroom doors clicked shut, the room took a collective breath, and continued on with their meals. Dash hadn’t taken her eyes off Question’s seat the whole time. She looked down at her food, losing her appetite. The cogs in her head began to turn.
Wow, that must have stung, she thought, wrinkling her snout as she tried to imagine how it must have felt. He still didn’t explode though. He was cool about the whole thing. Guilt crept up on Dash when she remembered that she was nearly the cause of his pain. She wanted to do that to him at one point. King Daedalus wiped his brow and let out a sigh.
“Well, I suppose that could’ve gone worse—”
“AAAAAARRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!”
The scream of pain was loud enough that it silenced the restaurant again. No other sound came from the porcelain room, so everyone returned to eating, if not even quieter. Dash found herself playing with her hooves, waiting for Question to return. After five minutes, no pony left the room, making Dash even more anxious. Daedalus had stayed with Rainbow, leaving Question to his business, but even he was getting slightly worried at this point.
Finally, Dash could take no more. She stood up from her seat, gaining a few looks from the diners, but she ignored them. She hesitated for a second before entering the stallions’ room, pushing forwards past her embarrassment. Daedalus wasted no time in following.
The ‘medium sized’ bathroom had the typical stalls that one would expect to find in a place like this, but Dash was focused on the sinks where Question was resting. He turned his head, brightening up when he saw Dash looking at him in concern, but then his smile turned upside down as he turned his head away in shame. Feeling awkward, Dash slowly approached before Question spoke.
“I’m sorry about that.”
Dash cocked an eyebrow. “Sorry? What the heck are you sorry about?”
“About the scene I caused… also the scream. I’m guessing you all heard that.” Question Mark turned the tap on and began washing his hooves with cold water. They weren’t dirty, or sore, he just needed to keep his mind off his embarrassment.
“But you did nothing wrong!” Dash immediately argued. “It was that waitress who spilled that crap on you!”
“Well, if we're pointing hooves, or fingers, it was the bratty foal a couple of tables—” Daedalus was interrupted by Dash.
“I don’t get it, why should YOU be sorry?”
“Because I should have moved out of the way!” Question shouted as he punched the wall. Dash took a step back, shocked to see Question’s sudden outburst. Daedalus kept quiet, used to seeing Question like this.
“Please, keep yourself calm, my friend. There is no need to—” Daedalus was cut off again as the scene continued.
“Do you have any idea how many things in my life have come flying towards me? Bullets, knives, heavy objects, but I just sat there and stared at that bowl of soup as it fell right on top of me.” He paused as he turned the tap off and wiped his hooves with a paper towel. “I’ve been in here for so long because I can’t bear to go out there. I messed up, but I can’t afford to mess up, not even in little things anymore. No more mistakes, I’ve made enough mistakes to last a lifetime. I have… I’ve got…”
A choked sob resonated throughout the bathroom before the detective aggressively cleared his throat, hurting it in the process, like he swallowed a nail. Dash looked on, seeing for herself who Question Mark really was. He was damaged, just like her. He pushed himself constantly, just like her. He sought perfection in what he did, just like her. Their motivations were likely different, but she didn’t care. She slowly trotted next to him and rested a wing on his back. He flinched on contact, but eased in as Dash’s wing wrapped around him.
“You hurt?”
“… No. Only very minor burns. The yell was me suppressing the pain and finally letting it out. I’ll be fine by the morning.”
“This is rich, me of all ponies saying this, but don’t beat yourself up over making a mistake. Being an egghead is an important job, but nopony expects you to be perfect.”
“They do, actually.” Question turned to look at her, pushing the wing off his back. “You can’t afford to make a mistake in my line of work. One poorly handled piece of evidence, a failed autopsy, any mistake can lead to a murderer walking free, or the conviction of the wrong suspect. Justice is a cruel mistress, always working with you as much as she’s working against you.”
“I guess I know the feeling,” Dash added, looking at the floor.
“You do?”
“When I’m at the tryouts or performing, I can’t make mistakes. Making mistakes brings the show down. Making mistakes lets the whole team down. Making mistakes makes me look bad. What kind of Wonderbolt messes up their routine in the middle of a show? A Wonderbolt who doesn’t deserve the title.” Both looked into each other’s eyes for a moment; that was all it took to get them to smile.
“I’m sorry for ruining our date,” Question spoke softly, despite his smile.
“Nah, I already told ya, it wasn’t your fault.” Dash lightly punched Question in the foreleg. “Oh, and yes.”
Question furrowed his brow before asking, “Yes, what?”
“What you were asking earlier. Yeah, I’ll go on another date with you.”
Daedalus punched the air while Question’s jaw nearly hit the floor.
“A-a-are you serious? Even after how this went?”
“Hey, it was fun till the burning thing. Besides, I like you,” Dash mumbled awkwardly. “Don’t tell anypony about me saying anything mushy though.” Question stood there astounded, working his jaw for something to say.
“… We should probably get out of the stallions’ room.”
Moments later, Rainbow Dash and Question Mark found themselves walking towards the detective’s residence. They had quickly paid for the meal, Dash insisting she pay for her share, and headed off home. Along the way, the pair had flowed into natural conversation about their shared likes and dislikes.
“Okay, favourite ice cream?” Dash asked as she kept her wing wrapped around Question.
“Um… I’m gonna have to say… raspberry ripple.” Question had his wing wrapped around Dash. Rainbow said she wanted to keep warm, but Question suspected there was an ulterior motive, one he enjoyed sharing.
“Nice choice, but I always liked strawberry.”
“Okay, my turn. What’s your favourite Daring Do book?”
“Griffon’s Goblet, all the way.”
“I like The Zebra’s Coil, personally. Love the mystery element—”
“Nah, I bet you like her romance with that zebra,” Dash cut in with a cheeky grin.
“Yes… well I suppose that’s quite good also. Anyway, your turn.”
“Okay, who’s your favourite Wonderbo—”
“Spitfire.” Dash blinked several times in surprise.
“Well that was quick. She’s mine too.”
“Well, why shouldn’t she be? She’s everypony’s favourite. That tight costume reveals so much,” Question finished with his own cheeky smile. He received an elbow for his trouble, but his hearty laugh made it clear it was worth it.
Daedalus followed on, quietly amused at the back and forth between the two. He felt warm inside, seeing his friend so happy and content for once in his life. “She’s good for him,” he muttered. “I wish them many happy years. Hopefully nopony ever has to know about this.” Daedalus looked up to the moon once more. “And Lulu, you don’t go running your mouth my dear. I know how loud you can be,” he said with a snicker.
“So Question, what’s your flying style?” Dash asked curiously.
“I don’t really have one, I just kind of fly. I’m not a very strong flyer.”
Rainbow stopped, causing Question to stop as well.
“Y-you can’t fly?”
“No, I can fly, just not that great. I can barely make it to Cloudsdale from here if I’m honest. Plus, I grew up on the ground. Despite the population of Trottingham mostly consisting of pegasi, I just never felt the need to fly that much. By the way, we’re here.”
Dash had been so engrossed in their conversation she hadn’t realised that they’d made it to Question’s home. Huh, so this is where he lives, she thought to herself. Dash’s eyes opened wide as she had an idea.
“Hey, you free tomorrow?”
“Yes, I am.”
“Then tomorrow, I’ll take you to flying practice with me. That cool?”
“Sure, I like spending time with you.”
Despite the cool night air, her face felt warm. She brushed her mane backwards and cleared her throat. “So, I’ll see you tomorrow then.” Without thinking, Dash pecked Question on the cheek. “Goodnight!” She sped off into the night sky.
Question stood there, rubbing his cheek. He could still feel the place where Dash’s lips met his fur. He gave a contented smile and headed towards his front door. All the while, Daedalus was surrounded by a white light once more, and the world around transitioned anew.