//------------------------------//
// Chapter XXVI 
// Story: Lessons in quirks 
// by Mike84 
//------------------------------//

	"Good timing", Spike thought as he jogged up the path to Sweet Apple Acres. Not only was Applejack there, whom he had of course expected to find here, but Pinkie Pie was there too and so was Rainbow Dash, who was usually the most elusive of the group. Rainbow Dash was one to find whoever was looking for her more often than she was found by them. She didn't seem happy at the moment though, but outright frustrated while floating in front of a carriage with a large barrel on it and Applejack harnessed in front of it. Spike also spotted Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo sprawling around the barrel on the carriage.
As he approached, he heard Applejack say to Pinkie Pie: "No, Pinkie Pie. Much as I appreciate that offer of yours, I'm not gonna water our apple trees with lemonade or chocolate milk or let you water them with either. Trust me when I tells ya, you won't get chocolate apples if you water them trees with chocolate milk!"
"Oh, so you did try, Applejack?" Pinkie asked enthusiastically, earning herself a frustrated sigh from Applejack. 
"I'm really sorry, AJ...", Rainbow Dash said, "...but all the way up to Foal Mountain I couldn't gather enough haze together to make for even a single decent cloud! There just wasn't any!" 
"Ah know, Rainbow", Applejack said with a flimsy smile. "If the clouds had been there I know we would now have our shower here."
"I think I'll fly to Cloudsdale right away, give them a piece of my mind and have them tell me what is keeping them!" 
"Wait!" shouted Spike as he saw Rainbow Dash spread her wings, knowing full well that she might be out of earshot in a matter of moments once she was on her way. 
Rainbow Dash paused in mid-motion and everypony turned to Spike. 
"Hello Spike", Pinkie Pie called in delighted surprise. "What are you doing here?"
"Catch your breath little fellow!" Applejack asked with a concerned look at Spike who was panting from the long run. "What's wrong?"
"They, arrested Frank!" Spike gasped, earning himself the kind of look he had given to Twilight at the same announcement from everypony present. 

It took Spike a while to lay out everything he had been told by Twilight since he was often interrupted by questions to many of which he couldn't even give an answer. Twilight's own account to him had been sketchy. It came mostly down to Frank being in custody in the town hall accused of having stolen a large sum of bit from Mr. Rich who was in hospital. Spike had to pass questions about the exact basis for Franks arrest, about any circumstances of the theft and about what exactly happened to Mr. Rich. All he could say was that Frank was locked up in the town hall while Twilight had gone to talk to Mr. Rich. 
"Ah guess we should head for the library an' wait for Twilight there", Applejack suggested. "Done watering the trees over here anyway and not much left to do for the time bein'. Twilight will be able to tell us more when she's back."
Pinkie Pie nodded slowly, almost reluctantly. More than any of the others she seemed to have taken personal offense in the idea of Frank's being accused of theft and arrested. At one point Applejack, who had taken up the news with as much surprise as anypony but had kept the calmest about them, had to hold Pinkie back to stop her from walking straight off to the town hall to give 'Mayor Mare, Pen and Paper a piece of my mind'. 
Rainbow Dash however shook her head. "You go ahead; I'll fly to the town hall and talk to Frank myself. I wonder what he says about all this."
"You think they'll just let ya talk to him and—" Applejack began but was silenced by Rainbow Dash with a 'you seriously think they could stop me?' kind of look that left no room for doubt. 
"I'll join you at the library later", Rainbow Dash said and took off. 
"I still need to tell Fluttershy and Rarity", Spike said, turning around. "I'll let them know where you are." 
"So let's go!" shouted Apple Bloom jumping from the carriage.
"Whoa, hold your horses, sis!" Applejack called. "Whoever said you were to come with us?"
"Whoever says we won't?" Apple Bloom called back.
"Yes, and why?" Sweetie Belle agreed. 
"He is a cutie mark researcher!" called Scootaloo. "This is Cutie Mark Crusader business!"
"Or would you rather have us practice for Cutie Mark Crusader firefighters, sis?" Apple Bloom challenged with an almost menacing look.
Surprised by the fierce and unanimous opposition and lacking any good arguments beyond a vague protective instinct, Applejack gave in. 
"Alright y'all", she said as she stripped off the harness of the carriage which she had moved beside the barn. "But don't ya do anything stupid, you hear that?"
"Do we ever?" Apple Bloom asked with a beaming smile. 
Applejack decided not to respond. 

Spike found Fluttershy in her backyard. Unsurprisingly she was tending to a little sparrow whom she was petting and cooing to. It was so peaceful and harmonic a scene that Spike, who usually didn't have much of a sense for anything cheesy, felt kind of guilty to intrude. The dragon didn't say anything or make any sound to attract Fluttershy's attention until she noticed his presence by herself with a little start. 
"Oh, hello Spike", she greeted him. "I didn't see you."
"Hello Fluttershy", Spike returned the greeting and decided to postpone the news a little. "Is the bird injured?" he asked looking at the sparrow. 
"I don't think she really hurt herself...", said Fluttershy, "...but the poor thing just came to me and she seemed so unhappy. I think she needed a hug and someone to talk to." 
Spike nodded. While Fluttershy didn't understand animals the way she would have understood the talking of another pony there was no doubt that she had a unique sense for the needs and sentiments of animals and it appeared that animals in turn understood Fluttershy much more, or were much more willing to account for what Fluttershy was telling them, than in case of any other pony.
"Is she better now?" asked Spike honestly concerned.
"I think so, Spike", Fluttershy said. "And with the help of her friends and family...", Fluttershy nodded at a whole flock of sparrows and other birds perched on the branch of a nearby tree, "...I'm sure she'll feel better soon."
Fluttershy cooed the sparrow once again, then she extended the hoof on which the bird was perched. "Now fly, my little friend", she said. "Your other friends are already waiting for you and it is not too late to turn a bad day into a good one. Maybe you just had a bad start, little fellow."
The sparrow chirped and it was a strong and beautiful chirp.
"You are very welcome, little friend", Fluttershy said as the sparrow spread her wings and fluttered for her comrades on the branch. 
"But what is wrong with you, Spike?" Fluttershy asked suddenly, looking no less concerned at Spike than she had looked at the sparrow before. 
It was Spike's turn to be startled. He was certain that neither by his tone nor by any other sign he had given away that there was anything to worry about. He had even taken deliberate efforts to avoid giving any such inkling to Fluttershy. But it was not for the first time that Spike noticed that the special sense and sensitivity that distinguished Fluttershy so much seemed to expand to him too. There was no point in further procrastinating the delivery of the message he had come to deliver. 
"Uhm... I got some bad news, Fluttershy. A large sum of bits was stolen from Mr. Rich."
"Oh my goodness", said Fluttershy compassionately. "Poor Mr. Rich!"
Spike was wondering if ever before Mr. Rich's name had been used in a sentence that included the word 'poor'. 
"Who would do something like that?"
Spike sighed. "They arrested Frank."
Fluttershy's lower jaw dropped a little. She then shook her head. 
"No, he wouldn't do that! I think."
Spike knew Fluttershy well enough to understand that the 'I think' was not so much an expression of doubt about whether or not Frank had committed the crime he stood accused of, as it was an expression of Fluttershy's general reluctance against absolute statements. 
Spike shook his head. "I don't think so either. Nor does Twilight. She is visiting Mr. Rich right now. I told the others and they are waiting for Twilight at the library. Will you come too?"
"Of course", Fluttershy nodded. "I will be back later", she said to nobody in particular but for all the animals around to hear and set in motion. 
"I still need to tell Rarity", Spike told. "She is the only one of you who doesn't know yet." 
Fluttershy nodded. It wouldn't be much of a roundabout to pass by Rarity's boutique on the way to the library. 
As they crossed the little bridge leading across the brook near Fluttershy's house Spike tried to think of something to start a conversation. 
"How is Discord doing?" he asked and almost bit his tongue the moment the question was out. When it came to lighthearted small talk Discord was probably the worst topic he could have thought of. "Rarity mentioned he visited you yesterday", Spike explained as if he had to justify the question. 
Fluttershy however seemed happy about the question, though her look became a little concerned.
"Oh, I think he is alright. I think he enjoyed the visit yesterday. But later on he seemed a little bit cranky."
"Cranky?" Spike asked alarmed. In case of everypony it was sad to hear that he or she was cranky; in case of Discord the idea of him being cranky evoked images of disaster in Spike's mind. 
"A little", Fluttershy said. "Something seemed to have spoiled the party for him."
"The party?" Spike asked frowning.
Fluttershy gave a little cry. "Uh... er... yes... ahem... I mean... here, the party here. At my place. We were having tea and then err... uh... he left later and he is not here anymore."
Fluttershy's face had blushed so much that she had almost taken on Pinkie Pie's complexion. One didn't have to be a genius to guess that Fluttershy was hiding something. But so long the part about Discord being cranky but at some other, hopefully faraway, place was true, Spike didn't feel any need to press the point and gallantly changed the topic.

As they entered Carousel Boutique, they found Rarity bent over a drawing board. She was undoubtedly working on some new fashion draft and was so absorbed in her work that she didn't notice their entry even after they closed the door with an audible sound. Only when Fluttershy gave a cautious sound to draw Rarity's attention she turned her head and beamed at them.
"Fluttershy! Spikey-wikey! How nice of you to come for a visit and just at the right time too, I need your opinions on something..."
Rarity ushered them into the room and towards the drawing board. On it lay a large sheet of paper on which Rarity had drawn... something. 
"What do you think of this?" Rarity asked expectantly. 
"Uh it is...", Fluttershy began eyeing the sheet and tilting her head slightly, "...it is...", she walked to the side of the table to take a look from a different angle.
"What is it?" Spike asked bluntly. Fluttershy's hesitancy allowed him to rest comfortably assured that his inability to figure out what exactly he was seeing was not just the result of his own ignorance in fashion matters. 
"Why, a new outfit for Frank, Mr. Blanket, of course", Rarity said a little impatient as if this was the most obvious matter in the world. 
"It is... different?" Fluttershy said cautiously. 
"Oh yes, it is", Rarity said nodding. "Different indeed."
"Is that an academic cap?" Fluttershy asked.
"No", said Spike. "That's a pith helmet!"
"Both right", Rarity said grinning. "I combined the two to a marvelous new type of hat."
"Why would you do that Rarity?" Spike asked with an amount of skepticism in his voice that Rarity couldn't possibly ignore. 
"Well, it is a bit uncommon—"
"A bit?" Spike asked. "An academic cap and a pith helmet?"
"...but I thought it would represent Mr. Blanket's academic background and also meet the needs for something stable and rustic on the road."
Neither Spike nor Fluttershy said anything.
"I took some inspiration from the Daring Do novels. Rainbow Dash might like that too", Rarity said. 
Spike felt an urgent need to direct the topic away from any questions for opinions and asked with a raised eyebrow: "Did Frank order a new outfit?"
"No, of course he didn't", Rarity said slightly annoyed. "But he does need some help there. Did you see that hat of his?"
"And that's why you combine an academic cap with a pith helmet?" Spike couldn't stop himself from asking and unable to keep a tone of sarcasm from his voice. 
Rarity snorted slightly: "I just cannot let him continue to walk around like that!"
"Uhm... actually that's kind of why we are here", said Spike. "He isn't walking anywhere at the moment."

Rarity's reaction to the news of Frank's arrest was no less surprised than that of any of the others. She seemed to be even more challenged to add the notion of Frank as suspected of theft to the combination of student and hobo. More than any of the others Rarity seemed to be confused by this development. Spike noticed that unlike the others she didn't discard the idea of Frank as a thief right away but instead asked about details but was quick to assure her agreement when Fluttershy stated her conviction that Frank was not a thief. Abandoning her drafts, Rarity joined Spike and Fluttershy on their way to the library.