Part 2
It was well into the evening, with the help of some strong coffee and cola (which Quills guzzled faster than should’ve been possible), after many interruptions from ponies who needed questions answered or things clarified, or arguments resolved, when Twilight Sparkle stepped back from her latest draft of the speech. Spike had dropped off asleep on the table halfway through the whole thing and Quills had been a most stern editor. She rubbed her eyes with her hooves and mumbled.
“I haven’t worked so hard on a piece of writing since I was in school,” she said.
Crazy Quills was already scanning the cue cards. “Well, give yourself a pat on the back, love,” she chuckled and put them down. “I think you’ve got yourself a splendid speech.”
Hearing that, Twilight perked up a little. “Really? Thank you. I think so too. I don’t think I could’ve made it without your help. You really know a lot about writing.”
Quills blushed a bit and waved her hoof dismissively. “Aw it was nothing. I write for a living, I was bound to pick up some things,” she said, trying to sound modest and failing. “If I’ve got it right, the preparations for the gala are almost done. There’s not much you’ve still got left to do, correct?”
Twilight lifted her list from the edge of the table with magic and stared at it. Indeed, most items were crossed off. “Well… yeah. But I’m still responsible for things. They’re going smoothly, of course, but—“
“Then why are you fretting?” Quills chuckled and finished off a bottle of cola.
Twilight’s ears drooped and she cringed. “Ugh, why is everypony telling me that I’m fretting?”
Quills pushed the floating list downwards and stared at Twilight over it. “Because you are, dear. I’m not saying you’re making a mountain out of a mole hill. But you can relax a little bit if things are going well. Stress is the enemy of the mind, you told me something of that nature when I first moved to Ponyville.”
Twilight sighed and rolled up the list. “Uugh… everypony’s been saying that. Maybe… maybe you’re right.” Then she perked up a little bit. “On the flipside… we are almost done. The Gala is in three days. My speech is ready and I just have to oversee the last few details. Anything that was going to go wrong has already done that and I’ve solved it. I guess I can afford to relax a little bit. Everyone’s doing their job and besides the stand and my speech, we really haven’t had any major problems.”
“Exactly,” Quills beamed at her. “Since we’re done, let’s go find Codex. I’m sure Rarity will have enlisted his aid in the Great Hall.”
“Absolutely!” Twilight giggled. “Come on, we’ll go have a look. And, I’d be happy of you and Codex and Sunny came to the Gala as my guests. You really saved the day for me. You can browse the Library for the Trottikan texts later.”
The chubby mare smiled contently and blushed. “Aw shucks, Twilight, you know I’m happy to help. Let’s go, I wonder if Rarity is having Codex balance on a ladder to do the ceiling trims, heehee,” she chuckled.
They decided to leave Spike sleep for a bit more and left the Library with a light step.
Most of the palace was now fully decorated, except the Great Hall, where Rarity was working. Bunting ribbons hung along hallways and the chandeliers were decorated with more ribbons and wafer-thin magical tinsel that glittered.
“So it’s true then, the real Griffon Sun Opal has been discovered?” Quills asked her.
“Oh you heard? Drat. We were hoping to keep it from getting out too much,” Twilight sighed.
Quills grinned consciously. “Sorry. I heard something of that rumor from a griffon friend of mine, and I just assumed it must be true from the amount of guards and the security.”
“You… noticed?” Twilight said with a bit of amazement. Cadence had asked the guards to tactfully increase their presence. There was no need to alarm other ponies, after all. “Oh, I hope nothing goes wrong. I know how things tend to go so I insisted the guards step it up for the duration of the celebrations just in case…”
“I’m sure it’ll be fine, Twilight,” Quills said quickly, seeing alarm starting to rise in the unicorn’s look. “I was just asking. You know I quite like history and folklore.”
“Of course,” Twilight said but there was a little worrisome twitch in the corner of her eye.
The Great Hall was resplendently decorated. Floral arrangements elegantly twirled around pillars, magically maintained fresh by the florist ponies brought in by Rarity to create those decorations. Tapestries with the heraldic seals of Equestria and the Griffon Kingdom, in gorgeous colors and threaded with sparkling gold and silver accents hung on the walls. Rarity had personally picked them out and arranged them on the walls. Ribbons in the two nations’ colors hung elegantly over the large arched windows of the hall. The last few touches left were the ribbons and decorations on the chandeliers.
And true to prediction, Codex was balancing rather precariously on the top of a very tall ladder, looking quite nervous, but still diligently affixing ribbons to a chandelier with Fluttershy’s help, while Rarity busied herself at the bottom of the stairs, arranging the ribbon combinations to go up next, while correcting Codex constantly on the position of the ribbon.
“No, no, more to the right! Your other right, Codex!! That’s why I sent you up the ladder, so you can see what you’re doing!”
“Ugh!” Codex groaned from the top of the ladder.
“I’m sorry, Codex, but these chandeliers are so delicate I was afraid to do it myself,” Fluttershy said timidly.
“…Codex, darling, are you alright?” Rarity asked politely.
Codex glared down at her, gritting his teeth. “Of course! Why wouldn’t I be?!”
Rarity seemed nonplussed. “You seem a trifle irritated.”
Codex groaned. “Oh, really? I wonder why!”
Fortunately for the decorations’ progress, Twilight and Quills arrived. “How are the decorations coming along, Rarity?” Twilight asked.
“Things are running along smooth as silk, darling,” Rarity said happily. “I’ve got Codex Bright here helping me and he’s doing a lovely job of putting up ribbons.”
Quills eyed her friend at the top of the ladder. “All right, Codex?”
“I’m fine!” he squeaked from the top.
“You’re doing great,” Fluttershy murmured encouragingly. “Don’t look down!”
Twilight looked around. “Where’s Rainbow Dash?”
“I’ve run out of gold thread so I sent her to buy some more. I hope she follows my instructions on what to buy. You only just missed her—“ Rarity said, turning around and floating yet another ribbon up to Codex. “This one is for the left arm of the chandelier—no, no, the one next to that, Mr. Bright!”
Quills looked around the hall, towards the top end where the royal thrones were. “Ah, that’s the stand Codex was fixing, isn’t it?”
Twilight perked up again. “Oh right! I needed to inspect it!” she blurted and trotted off towards it.
It was set up beside the royal thrones in a special display spot surrounded by two very elegant floral arrangements, between banners of the two kingdoms. The stand itself was an elegant piece of griffon metalwork in beautiful curves and flourishes, supporting a velvet cushion where the jewel would rest. Rarity had done an excellent job decorating it with simple ribbons, placing them in such a way that they cleverly disguised the spots where the stand had broken.
“Codex did a great job. I can’t even tell there was any damage,” Quills said admiringly.
“It looks perfect! Thanks again Codex!” Twilight said happily.
“Y-y-you’re welcome!” Codex called back from the top of the ladder.
“Twilight, dear, do you think we could get to see the Griffon Sun Opal?” Rarity said suddenly, sidling up to Twilight. “I really want to have a look at the stand with the jewel on it to make sure I’ve got the right color ribbons. If they don’t match I’ll need at least a day to prepare some new ones!”
Twilight hesitated. Quills looked over eagerly and so did Codex and Fluttershy from the chandelier. Everypony had no doubt heard about the nearly mythical jewel. So much for secrecy. To tell the truth, Twilight herself wanted to have a proper look at the Opal. She’d only seen it once when Cadence showed it to her to sate her curiosity. Getting it out of safekeeping for a little while should be alright.
“Alright,” she said with a smile. “I’ll go to speak to Princess Cadence about it. She’s responsible for it. Why don’t you all wait here, I’ll be right back.”
She trotted off and Quills took the opportunity to join Codex up high, flapping her wings to get to the chandelier’s height and help him and Fluttershy secure the last pieces of decoration to it. The minutes rolled on and they just worked away, attaching ribbons and fixing glass baubles filled with tinsel, hanging from silver ribbons, to the chandelier’s arms. They managed to complete the large, central chandelier that dominated the Great Hall’s ceiling.
“That’s strange,” Rarity remarked at length. “I wonder what’s taking Twilight so long. Do you think she can’t find Princess Cadence?”
“I do hope nothing happened to her…” Fluttershy said with alarm, in the middle of helping Codex get down from the ridiculously tall ladder.
She actually stopped paying attention and brought her hooves to her mouth, leaving Codex to wobble backwards dangerously until Quills put out a hoof and pushed him against the ladder again.
She said thoughtfully: “I don’t think she’ll come back right now.”
Everypony stared at the chubby mare.
“Why not?” Rarity said, blinking.
“I don’t like being the herald of bad omens but I believe something has happened,” Quills replied and landed, then straightened her glasses.
“Oh no!” Fluttershy gasped, even though Quills had not been in any way dramatic.
Codex got to the bottom of the ladder and finally parted with it, looking grateful to touch terra firma again. “What sort of thing? And how do you know?”
Quills looked around the grand hall. “A few minutes ago one of the officers came by rather hurriedly and headed for the stairway to the upper floors. He looked very agitated.”
“I think I saw him too,” Codex admitted. “But I wasn’t paying attention.”
“Also, two of the palace guards that have been tasked with patrolling the hallway just beyond the doors,” Quills added, pointing to the large, double doors of the great hall with her hoof, “are having a very quiet but apparently very serious discussion. They must be quite distressed if they actually left their specific posts. And thirdly… Rainbow Dash hasn’t returned.”
Rarity shook her head vigorously and looked around in disbelief. “Why… you’re right! I wonder what’s taking her so long. I wrote down my instructions for the sewing supplies we needed so she shouldn’t have trouble ordering exactly what I want.”
Quills tilted her head thoughtfully. “You said we only just missed her when Twilight and I came in. Knowing Dash’s speed, she would have gotten back a few minutes ago.”
“Do you think something happened to her?” Fluttershy said with alarm.
“That can’t be what’s got the guards worried,” Codex said thoughtfully.
“Oh no, I don’t think so,” Quills said, shaking her head. “I believe the palace is in lockdown. She can’t get in.”
“WHAT!?” everypony blurted.
“Why would the palace be in lockdown?!” Codex said.
“I did just say something’s happened, didn’t I?” Quills replied a little dryly.
“But why put the palace in lockdown? Assuming it really is in lockdown,” Rarity said hotly and then gasped. “Do you think the palace is under attack?!”
“No, no, nothing as serious as that,” Quills said. “The guards would’ve rounded us up if that was the case. Instead, I think barely anypony’s noticed. They're being discreet.”
“You’re awfully calm about all this – and how the hay do you know all this?” Codex said, irritated.
“I pay attention, dear,” Quills said patiently.
“Well, this is awful! We should go find Twilight right now, she may need help,” Rarity said and stamped her hoof delicately.
Fluttershy nodded nervously. Quills and Codex looked at each other and shrugged. “Yeah, we’ll come too. Everypony else must be stuck outside, right? Applejack and Pinkie Pie were at the caterers, helping with cooking preparations, I think.”
“And Dash is stuck outside,” Quills added.
They left the Great Hall and trotted briskly down the hallway and up the staircase leading upstairs. Guards were dashing about, looking very agitated indeed. Nopony stopped them until they got close to Cadence’s room, where they were halted by a guard, a big, strapping white pegasus in armor.
“Halt here, please. Nopony is allowed beyond this point for the time being,” he said sternly.
“Nonsense!” Rarity said, drawing herself up imperiously. “We are Twilight Sparkle’s friends and obviously something deeply unpleasant has happened! She must need our support!”
But the guard was as unmoved as a stone statue. “I’m sorry, m’am, but I have my orders.”
“But she must be in considerable distress!”
“Rarity!!” Twilight called from behind the guard.
The purple unicorn peeked her head out of the door that must have been Cadence’s room. She trotted out to meet them, assuring the guard that everything was fine. Her face was the very picture of distress. Her brows were knitted together in worry, her mane looked frazzled and she was almost gnashing her teeth in agony.
“I’m so glad you guys are here, I need help!” she said. “The Griffon Sun Opal’s been stolen!”
“WHAT!?” everypony except Quills blurted.
“Oh no!” Fluttershy gasped.
“Stolen!?” Rarity screamed. “No!! Of all the worst things that could happen, this is the WORST. POSSIBLE. THING!” she shouted, back-stepping at each punctuation, until her horn lit up with magic and a fainting couch slid in out of nowhere (which Quills casually dodged by moving her ample plot several centimeters to the left and bumping Codex out of the way too) and she threw herself on it.
“How the hay did the couch make it all the way here from Ponyville and past all the security?!” Codex blurted. “Wait, wait, nevermind… I don’t want to know… But that does explain things. I suppose everypony’s a suspect now?”
“Us four certainly can’t be, we were in the great hall all this time,” Quills said coolly.
“Yes, that’s true,” Twilight said. “But the point is that the Jewel’s disappeared and the Gala is only three days away! This will be a diplomatic disaster unless we find it!”
“We’ll do whatever we can to help you,” Fluttershy said and tried to smile encouragingly. “Just tell us what you need from us.”
“Of course we’ll help, dear!” Rarity said, pushing past them. “Stealing the Opal is a crime against elegance!” she declared, her early melodrama forgotten.
“Come with me, then, I’m about to question the suspects,” Twilight said.
They followed her into Cadence’s room, a very elegant, large room with luxurious furniture and fluffy carpets underhoof. A strange scene waited for them. Princess Cadence sat in the middle of the room, looking very distraught and a far cry from her usual cheerful self. Her expression was marred by the same mask of worry that sat on Twilight’s face. Two guards stood at one side, one of them with a notebook hovering in front of him, a tall, dark grey unicorn in gold armor with almost black tail.
A palace chambermaid, a peach-orange unicorn with yellow mane and tail and wearing a cap with the Equestria symbol and looking frightened to death, stood by the fireplace. On the other side of the room, a deep mauve, crystal unicorn with pearly white mane - most likely Cadence’s personal maid - was weeping into her hooves with an intensity of grief that was heartbreaking.
To this small pandemonium Twilight trotted back in, followed by the others, and had a quick word with the grey unicorn guard, who nodded briskly after surveying Rarity, Fluttershy, Codex Bright and Crazy Quills. Cadence stood up and approached Twilight.
“It’s no use, Twilight, we searched the whole room. The Opal isn’t here,” she said nervously. “We need to accept the fact that it’s actually been stolen!”
“Calm down Cadence,” Twilight said and patted Cadence’s hoof with her own. “We’ll find it – and who did it. I promise,” she said.
But she probably would do better to listen to her own advice because her expression betrayed her anxiety. Cadence though, nodded and took a deep breath. The gray unicorn guard finally approached Twilight and Cadence, perhaps judging that spirits were sufficiently calm for him to work.
“Do you mind if Twilight Sparkle takes part in the investigation, Captain Grey Mist? I’ll feel better if she is,” Cadence told him. “I trust her explicitly.”
“None at all, Your Highness,” he replied civilly but his tone betrayed indifference. “Can we start by having the facts?”
Cadence nodded and sat down, looking at the floor to recollect her thoughts. “I was in the vestibule directing the staff on etiquette for the griffon dignitaries when Twilight Sparkle came from the great hall. She told me that the stand which was intended to showcase the Opal during the Gala had been set up and that she and Rarity would like to inspect the decorations with the actual Opal in place. She asked me to bring it down to the grand hall for a few minutes. So we came upstairs to fetch it. The palace maid and Midnight Velvet were both in the room as usual—“
“Excuse me, Your Majesty,” Captain Mist interrupted politely. “But can you clarify what you mean by ‘as usual’?”
Cadence explained. “I decided that for security’s sake while I had the Opal stored here, nopony should come into the room unless Velvet, my maid, or I am present. The maid does the room in the morning while Velvet is here and comes in after dinner to turn down the bed under the same conditions. Otherwise I asked her to never enter the room.”
“I see,” said Captain Mist and wrote down some quick notes. “Please continue.”
Cadence nodded. “When I came upstairs, I went to the drawer here” –she indicated the bottom right hoof drawer of the dressing table—“took out the Opal’s jewel case and unlocked it. It seemed completely normal. But the Opal was gone!”
The captain was again busy with his notebook and Twilight looked antsy.
“That’s exactly how it happened,” she said, then turned to Cadence. “When did you last see it, Cadence?”
Cadence hesitated. “Well, I was busy helping you prepare the Gala and I didn’t think I’d have to check it all the time. I did come upstairs to wash up after directing some work in the gardens. I’m certain that the Opal was in the box when I went to dinner.”
“Are you sure?”
“Quite sure. You see, I keep my crown in a box similar to the Opal’s and I was a bit distracted. I picked up the Opal’s box by accident instead of my jewel case. I opened it on a whim and the Opal was still there.”
Twilight appeared to be thinking. “You locked the box yourself, right?”
“Absolutely. I keep the key on me all the time till the Gala,” Cadence said.
She levitated the key out from behind her necklace and Twilight inspected it carefully. “It doesn’t look like it’s been compromised.”
Captain Mist inspected it over Twilight’s shoulder and shrugged a bit. “The thief may have had a duplicate. It’s not a difficult matter to achieve, the lock on the box is not exactly complicated I’m afraid.”
He levitated the box in question to Twilight and she inspected that too, from all angles but she failed to find any signs of the box being tampered with. She put it down, looking puzzled and a little dispirited. “You didn’t lock the drawer?” she asked Cadence.
“No, I never do. Velvet is always the room until I come upstairs, so there really wasn’t any need.”
Twilight’s face grew paler. “So… the Opal was in the box when you went down to dinner, and that since then your maid hasn’t left the room?”
Suddenly, as though the horror of her own situation dawned upon her for the first time, the maid Midnight Velvet uttered a piercing shriek that sent Codex almost to the ceiling and Fluttershy nearly into a senseless heap on the floor. Rarity was so surprised that she shrieked as well. The mauve unicorn threw herself at Cadence’s hooves and poured forth a torrent of nearly incoherent babbling.
The suggestion was preposterous! How dare they suspect her of robbing the Princess!! The guards were obviously stupid! The Princess’ friend was mistaken! But the Princess—
“I-I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to sound like I suspected you!” Twilight interjected but the maid was so distraught she barely paid attention.
The Princess would surely not stand by and watch her loyal subject stand accused while the palace chambermaid was allowed to go free. She always rummaged around the room suspiciously and Velvet had never trusted her, boldly interfering with the Princess’ things – surely a thief in the making! Velvet always kept a sharp watch on her when the maid came to tidy the room. Surely she must be searched and see if they don’t find the Opal on her!
Despite the maid’s distress affecting her speech, interrupting it with sobs and hiccups, the peach unicorn understood very well what the other one was implying and stamped her hoof angrily.
“If that crystal nag’s saying I took the jewel, it’s a lie!” she declared hotly. “I haven’t even laid eyes on the blasted thing!”
She had a somewhat rustic accent that reminded Twilight of Applejack and left her wondering what her other friends were doing, stuck outside the castle and with no way to contact them.
“Search her!” screamed Velvet. “You’ll see I’m right! She must have it!”
“You’re a liar! You hear me!?” said the chambermaid, advancing upon the crystal pony. “You stole it yourself, didn’t you? An’ you want to pin it on me! Why, I was only in the room for about three minutes before the Princess came up! And then you were sitting there the whole time, like you always do, like a cat watching mice!”
“Enough!” barked Captain Mist and he got between the two mares.
“Yes—quiet down, the both of you!” Twilight scolded them. “Nopony wants to blame anyone but we must follow the evidence.” She turned to Velvet. “Is that true? You didn’t leave the room at all?”
Midnight Velvet wiped her face with her hoof. “I didn’t actually leave her alone,” she admitted reluctantly. “But I did go into my own room through the door here twice,” she said, indicating it behind her. “Once to fetch a reel of cotton thread and once for my scissors. I was sewing, you see. She must’ve done it then!”
“Ha! You wasn’t gone a minute!” snapped the chambermaid angrily. “Just popped out and right in again. I don’t mind one bit if the guards do search me! I’ve got nothing to be afraid of!”
Twilight stared between the two mares and cringed. “Alright. That’s exactly what we’ll do. Rarity, I need to ask you to take one of the guards and search the maid—I’m sorry, what’s your name again?”
“Peach Melba, m’am. Call me Peach,” said the young mare defiantly.
Twilight smiled encouragingly at her. “Thank you. Rarity, could you please—“
“You can count on me, darling,” Rarity said with a toss of her mane. She seemed very serious and stern as she escorted Peach out of the room, followed by a guard.
It looked like Rarity had taken the loss of the Opal quite hard.
Velvet had sunk, sobbing, into a pillow again. Cadence looked like she wanted to go over and comfort her but Twilight shook her head. While the two maids were suspects, they had to keep an objective approach to both of them. Twilight then made a closer inspection of the room. The room was large, with big windows. The canopied bed dominated much of the space, in the middle of the room against the wall, with the dressing table that played part in the drama standing right across it. There was a wardrobe and another chest of drawers against the other walls of the room, and a large standing mirror. There was also a small table and two cushioned chairs, by the window, near the dressing table.
There was a door on the far wall that led into the adjoining maid’s room next door. Twilight trotted over to the dressing table and started closely examining it.
“What are you doing, Twilight?” Fluttershy asked her.
Twilight stood over the dressing table and her horn lit up with magic, then she proceeded to create a kind of beam that she ran all over the piece of furniture.
“I’m using a spell I learned that detects magic. I’m trying to see if the desk was tampered in any way,” Twilight explained. “But there seems to be nothing untoward here. Just the typical levitation spells every unicorn uses. In fact, there’s so much of that one spell that it’s confusing. It’s just too common. Unfortunately the spell doesn’t let me know who cast what.”
“Well yeah, we always manipulate stuff with magic, don’t we?” Codex said awkwardly.
“Excuse me, but where does that door lead?” Crazy Quills asked suddenly, nodding her head towards the door right across the room from the one that led to the maid’s room, near the window.
“Into the next apartment, I believe,” said the captain. “It’s bolted, anyway, from this side.”
“Oh, that’s right. Sometimes rooms are connected when occupied by a couple and they need more space.” Twilight walked across to it, tried it and found it bolted indeed. Then she drew back the bolt and tried it again.
“It’s bolted on the other side too,” she remarked. “That seems to rule out that.”
“Hmm…” Quills mused quietly.
“What?” Codex asked her.
“Nothing, nothing…”
Twilight was trying the windows in the meantime, examining each of them in turn.
“Again, nothing. There’s not even a balcony outside,” she sighed.
“Even if there were,” said Captain Mist a little impatiently. “I don’t see how it would help us, m’am, if the maid never left the room.”
“Evidently,” said Twilight. “As Velvet is adamant that she never left the room…”
They were interrupted by the return of the chambermaid and Rarity.
“Nothing,” said the latter. “She doesn’t have the Opal, but she does have a very nicely-maintained mane.”
“Thank you,” said Peach but then suddenly seemed to remember she ought to be serious. “And I should hope not!” she added virtuously. “That nag ought be ashamed of herself, takin’ away an honest girl’s character like that.”
“That’s that, then,” the Captain Mist said briskly. “You can go along now and get back to your work, but you are not to attempt to leave the palace while the lockdown holds.”
Peach inched towards the door a little unwillingly. “Going to search her?” she demanded, glaring at Midnight Velvet.
“Yes, we are,” the captain said impatiently and shut the door on her.
Velvet, still sobbing, accompanied Rarity and the guard to her room for a search. A few minutes later she returned, nothing having been found on her.
Twilight’s face grew paler. Captain Mist was very grave as well. “I’m sorry, but I’ll have to ask you to come with me all the same, miss Velvet,” he said dryly.
He turned to Princess Cadence. “I’m very sorry, Your Highness, but all the evidence points that way. If she doesn’t have the jewel on her, it may be hidden somewhere around her room.”
Velvet uttered a piercing shriek and fell down in front of Cadence, crying desperately. Cadence, looking terribly distressed, bent down and patted her head in a strangely motherly way.
“I’m sorry Velvet,” she said sadly. “It’s better if you don’t resist, alright?”
“P-Princess…” Velvet sobbed.
“Twilight,” Crazy Quills said suddenly and sidled up to Twilight. She practically stuck her muzzle into Twilight’s ear and whispered something.
Twilight’s ears perked and she looked at the chubby pegasus in amazement. “You think so?”
Quills nodded. “Better safe than sorry.”
Twilight approached Captain Mist. “Captain, please hold on a moment. There’s a small experiment I’d like to conduct, it won’t take very long, I promise. I just want to be sure of something.”
“It depends on what that is, m’am,” he said noncommittally.
Twilight addressed Velvet again, who had stood up, but looked terribly shaky. “Velvet, you said that you went into your room to fetch some thread. Where was the thread?”
“O-on top of my drawer chest,” she hiccupped. “In my sewing basket.”
“And the scissors?”
“Same place.”
“Velvet, could you please repeat those two actions? Where exactly were you sitting, over here?” Twilight said, pointing to the round table in front of the window, where a half-finished dress was lying.
Velvet nodded and going over, sat down in the chair and picked up the thread and needle with a simple levitation spell. Then, at a sign from Twilight, she stood up, passed into the adjoining room at a calm pace, rummaged through her sewing basket, picked up an object from it and returned. Twilight divided her attention between her movements and a large pocket watch that she borrowed from Codex.
“One more time, Velvet, the scissors now,” she said.
At the conclusion of the second half of the experiment, Twilight looked puzzled and returned the watch to Codex, then looked at the numbers she had written down on Captain Mist’s notebook.
“I don’t understand,” Twilight said, staring at the leaf of paper, looking confused.
“Please excuse me, m’am. I’ve got work to do,” he said, looking rather satisfied at the pointlessness of the experiment. He nodded to the second guard and Velvet departed in a flood of tears accompanied by the guard.
Twilight, Rarity and Fluttershy watched her leave with somewhat pained expressions, but they understood what came next. With the Captain’s help and Codex and Quills’ more reluctant assistance, they ransacked the maid’s room. They pulled out drawers, opened cupboards, completely unmade the bed and tapped at the floor for loose boards. Quills looked on rather skeptically.
“Do you really think you’ll find it here?” Cadence asked them.
“Yes, Your Highness. It only stands to reason,” replied Captain Mist. “She didn’t have time to take the Jewel out of the room. Your discovering the robbery so soon upset her plans, no doubt. I wager my helmet that they’re right here. It had to be one of the two maids, and it’s very unlikely for the chambermaid to have done it.”
“More like impossible,” said Quills muttered.
“Pardon me?” Captain Mist stared.
“No, she’s right,” Twilight said suddenly.
Quills stopped fumbling with a pillow and looked back at him. “I think a demonstration is in order. Codex, let me borrow your watch – thank you. Now, Twilight, you timed Velvet’s movements when she went to fetch her things.”
“Yes. Her first absence from the room was twelve seconds. The second was fifteen,” Twilight replied. “I see where you’re going with this.”
“Good, would you oblige me, then?” Quills said with a small smile. “Princess Cadence, would you mind giving Twilight the key to the box? Thank you. Remember, Twilight, you’re committing a robbery, move as fast as you can and only use levitation.”
All of them besides the two guards moved back to Cadence’s room. Twilight stood in the side of the room near the dressing table, pretending to be Peach Melba.
“Go,” Quills said.
With incredible swiftness, Twilight ran to the dressing table, wrenched open the drawer, took out the Opal’s case, fitted the key in the lock, opened the case, picked the cushion out of it, shut and locked the case and returned it to the drawer, which she pushed in again, everything done with effective multiple uses of levitation and telekinesis.
“Well?” she demanded of Quills.
“Forty-six seconds,” she replied in a final kind of way. “You see?” she added, looking around. “There was no time for Peach to even take the Opal out, much less hide it.”
“Then that settles it on Midnight Velvet,” Princess Cadence said sadly and lowered her head.
Captain Mist clenched his jaw with a frown and just returned to the maid’s room to resume his search.
“I’m very sorry, Cadence,” Twilight said to the Princess, bending her head and nuzzling up to her. “I followed the evidence as I saw it. I don’t like where it brought me but this seems to be the truth.”
Cadence smiled sadly at her. “I know, Twilight and I’m grateful. I just still can’t believe it.”
Crazy Quills seemed thoughtful still. “I wonder…” she muttered.
Codex peered at her with a raised eyebrow. “What?”
“Twilight, were there any threats at all, about the Opal? You know, notorious thieves or villains or the like? Discord, even,” Quills asked.
“No, no, nothing of the kind,” Cadence answered instead. “The Opal hasn’t got any magical powers; it’s just a symbol of the Griffin Kingdom that means a lot to them sentimentally. Nopony had any reason to want to steal it.”
“Well… it is one of the biggest precious opals to ever be discovered and polished. It’s extremely valuable, both historically and from a monetary perspective…” Rarity said reluctantly.
“Still, it’s historical value means it can’t be sold,” Codex said, trying to sound optimistic. “It’s far too recognizable.”
“It could still be cut into pieces,” Quills said flatly, making Rarity groan and look like she was about to faint.
“They can’t cut a beauty like that!!” she bawled.
“Nevertheless—“ Twilight began.
She was interrupted by a shout of triumph by Captain Mist. He came in from Velvet’s room with something glittering in front of him, levitated by a field of white-ish magic.
Twilight and Cadence both jumped up and towards him. “The Opal!” they said together.
The Griffon Sun Opal was a big jewel, easily the size of a teacup, sparkling white with reflective ‘fire’ that shimmered in all the colors of the spectrum. The jewel sat in a silver setting shamed like a pair of elegant griffon claws holding the jewel and surrounded by stylized wings that crossed over the back of the jewel.
“It’s beautiful,” Rarity said almost tearfully, her eyes almost sparkling with admiration.
The beauty of the jewel brought smiles to everypony, indeed.
“Where was it?” Twilight asked at last.
“Maid’s bed,” Captain Mist said sternly. “Hidden among the springs of the wire mattress. She must have stolen it and hidden it there before the chambermaid arrived on the scene.”
“Can I have a closer look?” Quills said gently.
Codex stared at her, curiously. She had been examining the dressing table, opening and closing the drawer where the jewel case had been. She had a very puzzling look on her face.
She squeezed between Rarity and Fluttershy and adjusting her glasses, examined the jewel closely. “It’s lovely. I’ve wanted to have a look at ancient griffon metal-work for my next book and this is a stunning example,” she said and sat back down.
“I’m afraid, Your Majesty, that I’ll have to take it to the barracks. We must follow protocol for these situations. And we’ll need it for the charge. We will return it well before the Gala begins. It shouldn’t take very long,” Captain Mist said politely.
Cadence frowned a bit. “Is it really necessary?” she said.
“I’m afraid so. It’s just a formality,” he said kindly. “I served with your husband, Your Highness, and we always did everything by the book.”
Cadence uttered a small sigh. With her in Canterlot for the Gala, Shining Armor had to stay in the Crystal Empire to oversee reconstruction efforts and run the day-to-day administrative duties. She missed his calm strength at moments like these.
“Don’t worry about it, Cadence,” Twilight said comfortingly. “I think we’ll all feel safer if he did. If somepony tried to steal it, it’ll be better if it’s stored in the guardhouse for now.”
Cadence nodded reluctantly. “I still can’t believe Velvet is responsible. She’s such a good girl…”
“Sometimes the best of ‘em can deceive you, Your Highness,” Captain Mist said mildly, his expression softer. “We’ll hold her until the Princesses Celestia and Luna return.”
He took the Opal and with his two guards bowed deeply before departing. Twilight took charge. She put her hoof out and patted Cadence’s.
“It’ll be alright Cadence. I’m sure we’ll be able to speak to Velvet later and hear her side of the story,” she said kindly. “We still have the Gala to prepare, and only two days left now. Listen, please take it easy and rest. I’ll handle what’s left of the preparations.”
“No, it’s alright, Twilight,” the Princess said patiently. “Celestia and Luna are relying on us. I’ll be fine. I just need some fresh air. I’ll go to the gardens to inspect them.”
Cadence looked very crestfallen despite her calm appearance. She had taken Velvet’s implication in the theft quite badly. Twilight seemed loath to leave her alone, but she still had a job to do. She ushered the others out of the room and closed the door gently behind her.
“Alright everypony. We need to get back to work,” she said but she lacked the enthusiasm she had before this had all happened. She pulled her list out of her saddlebags once more. “Rarity, take Fluttershy and go finish the Great Hall decorations. Dash should be able to come back in with your supplies now. I’m going to go finish directing the serving staff.”
“Alright dear,” Rarity said.
“Twilight, are you sure you’re okay?” Fluttershy asked her, overflowing with concern. “That was so awful. I feel so sorry for poor Velvet.”
Twilight smiled weakly. “I think I’ll be okay. I still can’t believe this happened but we have to press on. We lost a lot of time over this and it’s almost nighttime. We have to get back on schedule somehow.”
Fluttershy sighed. “Alright, if you say so…”
Fluttershy and Rarity departed for the Great Hall and Codex was about to follow, but he realized Quills wasn’t following. He turned and saw her gently stop Twilight from walking away.
“Twilight, wait a moment,” she said. “I hate to put a bee in your bonnet, but are you sure you’re completely satisfied with this resolution?”
Twilight, the list still hovering in front of her, stopped staring at it and slowly turned her gaze to the pegasus. “What do you mean, Quills?”
“Twilight, I’m just saying that this… is a bit too easy a solution,” she said reluctantly. “I’m not entirely convinced.”
Twilight frowned. “But we all saw the evidence. Peach Melba wouldn’t have had any time to steal the Opal. We found the Opal hidden in Midnight Velvet’s room. That’s where the evidence led us, as much as I dislike it,” she said helplessly.
“I know, dear,” Quills said patiently. “But are you satisfied with this?” she asked again.
Twilight stared, her jaw slack as if she wanted to answer but instead she sighed and drooped her ears. “…No, I’m not,” she admitted. “I don’t understand why Velvet would do such a thing. But what else can I do? I only have two days until Princess Celestia returns with the delegation.”
“Quills, what’s the matter?” Codex asked her. “Are you saying that the investigation was flawed?”
The bespectacled pegasus tilted her head to the side a little. “To be perfectly honest, I am. But it’s not anypony’s fault. Twilight, come with me to the Library for just a sec. Then you can decide what you want to do. Codex, you too.”
The two unicorns stared at each other for a moment then followed her all the way to the Library. Codex couldn’t help himself and stared at Quills almost accusingly.
“Quills, are you sure it was the right thing to rattle Twilight up like this?” he said a little sharply. “You sound like you knew this was going to happen!”
Quills shook her head. “No, Codey, I wasn’t. Twilight, don’t get me wrong. I just worry that somepony is taking advantage of the general excitement to cause mischief. If I heard a rumor that the jewel was found, so have others. The Sun Opal is one of the most coveted and legendary treasures in history. A treasure like that doesn't just sit around quietly. That somepony stole it is hardly surprising.”
Twilight and Codex groaned together. “You’re talking like this is a story…” Codex griped.
Quills looked at him sternly. “Codex, I am a writer. Everything is a story to me. Besides, my daddy always told me that only fools are satisfied with the first answer given to them and he didn’t raise a foolish pony.”
Codex blinked at his friend. She sounded… mad. “... I feel like I’m getting involved with a mystery,” he uttered.
“Then brace yourself, because we are,” Quills said.