It was a rainy night like any other, the only sound I could hear was the water rolling down my window in sheets. I sat at my desk, staring down at the pile of bills and glass of scotch that I had to keep me company. I was between cases, so I had little else to do but sit in my office and wait. Ponies keep telling me private investigation is a dying business, but that hasn’t stopped me yet.
The sound of a knock at my door caught my attention. Looking up, a silhouette cast on the frosted glass blocked the light from the hallway. I knew this could only be one pony. I sat there, hoping she’d assume I wasn’t in if I didn’t respond. Instead, she opened the door.
Backlit by the hall, she was even more beautiful than usual. Her soft, white coat was glowing like a beacon in the dark room, and the gentle curl of her perfect purple mane was framing her gorgeous face. She was a living work of art. Rarity. The type of mare most ponies would love the attention of, but I knew her too well. Beneath that slinky black dress and extravagantly large hat was a heart of ice.
She smiled at me, “Ah, Miss Sparkle, so you are in.”
With a disappointed sigh, I lifted the glass of scotch to my lips, “I thought I told you not to come here anymore.”
She looked hurt, but she more than deserved it. She’d put me through too much. Quietly, she walked up to my desk and sat opposite me, avoiding my gaze.
“I was hoping you’d be willing to forget that if it was for business,” she whispered regretfully.
Setting down my glass with a clink, I looked her over. I could already tell she was trying to play me, but I wanted to see where this was going, “Alright, I’m listening.”
She looked back up with eyes full of shame, “My… coltfriend went missing.”
It was just four words, but they ran me through like a lance. I wanted to yell, I wanted to kick her out, tell her I was done with her games, but I could see her expression. She knew I was going to say no, but she had nowhere else to go.
Finishing off my drink in one go, I stared her down, “What happened?”
“We’ve been seeing each other for a few months,” She began to explain, “It was just a casual thing, but he was always so great to me. We’d been talking about something more serious, but… One day I went to visit him and he was gone. His room had been tossed and there was no sign of him. I asked the neighbors, and they said they’d heard a scuffle. I… I just didn’t know what to do.”
She buried her face in her hooves and wept gently. As much as I hated her, I still loved her. Seeing her cry like that was something I couldn’t bear.
“Alright,” I replied, “You know my rates.”
She stood up, looking me in the eye with her bleeding makeup, and smiled gently. I could feel my expression had softened. She had me wrapped around her hoof, and she knew it. I just watched in silence as she walked around my desk to be beside me.
The feeling of her body pressed against my side sent chills down my spine, and the weight of her head on my shoulder was so familiar and welcome. Even the sound of her sniffling back tears brought back memories of a better time. I leaned my head against hers, a part of me longing for what we used to have.
She lifted her head, and our faces were inches apart. I turned to look her in the eye, our horns knocking together with a gentle clunk. It had been so long since I’d seen her this close. Her eyes were like sapphires, glittering with the remnants of tears. Her lips, so warm and inviting. She just smiled. I leaned in.
The lights abruptly turned on, Spike walking into the room with a scroll in claw, “Hey Twilight, I just got a letter from Celes- What the Hell?”
Rarity and I both turned awkwardly, the fantasy shattered by being able to see the features of the library. Spike stared at Rarity in her dress and me in my fedora, very slowly coming to terms with what he’d just walked in on.
“Nope,” he announced, turning around, “Not dealing with this.”
There was a long pause as Rarity and I sat together in embarrassing silence, but she finally spoke up, “Maybe we should do this at my place, next time.”