My Little Investigations: The Gemstone Godfather

by Metool Bard

Long Time No See

I stepped inside the wrecked jewelry store to get things started. As you'd expect, it was just as bad inside as it was outside, if not even worse. All of the display cases were busted open; glass and jewelry littered the floor; even the back room had been turned inside-out. Whoever trashed the place, they were pretty thorough about it.

However, I found that they weren't exactly that thorough. I looked again at the ransom letter, and then at the jewels on the floor. If this guy wanted a gem tribute from me, why didn't he take any gems? That's what he wanted, right? Also, the cash register was busted open, and all of the bits were scattered on the floor as well. As far as I could tell, nothing was taken. It's as if they just decided to let a manticore loose in here or something.

"Is there a reason you're in here?"

I heard an unfamiliar voice from behind. Figuring it was just some gawker, I sighed.

"I actually happen to work here, thank you very much," I growled, slowly turning around. "I'm taking it upon myself to find out what the bu—"

When I fully turned around to address the stranger, I had to do a double take. Standing before me was a pony dressed in a skintight outfit with a purple cloak and wide-brimmed hat. I recognized her right away, but I wasn't sure what to make of it.

"W-wait a minute," I said. "Y-you're the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well, aren't you?"

The stranger tilted her head. "You've heard of me?"

"Um, of course I have," I said, still a bit confused. "I mean, you were a household name here in Ponyville for a long time."

"Oh, that's where you know me from," said Mare-Do-Well with a thoughtful nod. "I figured as much. I just had to confirm it."

"Is there somewhere else I should know you from?" I asked.

"Never it mind; it's not important," said Mare-Do-Well. She then started walking around the place, looking at everything with a critical eye.

"Uh, what are you doing?" I asked.

"Same thing you are. I'm investigating," said Mare-Do-Well, not even looking up. "Is there a problem with that?"

"Not really," I said, trying desperately to wrap my head around this. "But, I just have one question."

"And what might that be?"

"Why?"

Mare-Do-Well looked up. "Why?" she parroted.

"Yeah. Why are you investigating?" I said. "I mean, I don't mind or anything, but I don't remember you ever being a detective."

Mare-Do-Well obscured her eyes with her hat, and the room somehow felt a lot colder.

"I protect ponies who are in peril," she said. "Part of that is trying to find out who's trying to hurt them."

"Well, why are you coming back now of all times?" I asked. "You've missed a lot since you vanished, y'know. Cerberus breaking loose; an army of Pinkie Pie clones; a mad unicorn taking us over. Heck, the forest itself tried to attack us a few weeks ago. Where were you when that was happening?"

"Busy," said Mare-Do-Well curtly. "Look, it doesn't matter. The point is that I'm here now, and I'm here to help you, Ms. Sparkler."

It's as if every time she opened her mouth, it just served to make me more confused. "How do you know my name?" I asked.

"Your mother told me yesterday," said Mare-Do-Well.

It didn't take me long to make a connection. "Wait, so you really did save her life?"

"Indeed," said Mare-Do-Well. "How could I not? After all, saving ponies is what I do."

So Derpy wasn't just seeing things. I had to know more.

"Where did you save her?" I inquired. "Did you see what attacked her? Do you know where they went?"

"She was traveling close to the northern timberline of the Everfree Forest at the time, no, and no," said Mare-Do-Well, answering all my questions in quick succession.

I sighed. "Well, what about this mess? Why didn't you prevent this from happening?"

Mare-Do-Well let out a sigh of her own and shook her head. "I would've if I had known, Ms. Sparkler. Unfortunately, I didn't witness the crime."

I raised an eyebrow. "Really? You appear out of nowhere whenever there is danger with no rhyme or reason, and you weren't there for this?"

"Please don't expect the impossible out of me, Ms. Sparkler. I'm only one mare," said Mare-Do-Well. She then got up and looked straight at me. "Which is why I want to ask you something."

"Um, okay?" I said.

Mare-Do-Well lowered the brim of her hat over her eyes again. "This is, a bit difficult for me to say, but it must be said. I, might need your help."

Well, that came out of nowhere. "You, need my help?" I asked. "I thought you were helping me."

"I am," said Mare-Do-Well. "But there's only so much I can do alone, and you obviously have a stake in this. We're after the same thing, basically. So, we should help each other."

"But, I'm not a detective," I said. "I was just looking into this because I felt responsible."

"I understand that," said Mare-Do-Well. "Which is why I'm offering you a choice."

"A choice?"

"You don't have to help me if you don't want to."

I felt like I just got whiplash. "Wait, so you need my help, but you're saying I don't have to help you. Could you at least try to make sense, please? I'm confused enough as it is, thank you."

"I simply don't want to force you to do anything you're not comfortable with," said Mare-Do-Well with a shrug. "This may become dangerous, so I'll understand if you decide to just leave things to me. But if you're willing to face that danger, then I'll do whatever I can to aid your investigation. I'll respect whatever decision you make and abide by it."

Well that was, considerate of her. Seriously, I had no idea why she was giving me this choice. Maybe I was just missing something. That being said, I was still feeling guilty over this, so I figured the best way to make amends was to solve this mystery.

"Alright then, Ms. Mare-Do-Well. I'll help you investigate," I said. "Just one question."

"Yes?"

"How do you know this guy is after me? I mean, I just found out about it today."

Mare-Do-Well let out a brief chuckle. "Sometimes, it pays to do a bit of creative thinking," she said. "Derpy Hooves and this jewelry store have something in common, and of course, you know what that something is."

I blinked. "Okay, how do you know that? You weren't exactly the most social pony in the world."

"That doesn't mean I don't overhear things every once in a while," countered Mare-Do-Well. "Anyway, it doesn't matter. The point is that you've decided to investigate, correct?"

"Yeah," I said with a nod.

"Then you'll need this."

She placed something on the floor and slid it over to me. I picked it up with my hoof. It looked like a dog collar with a small orange gemstone attached to it. It certainly wasn't part of the store's inventory.

"Where did you find this?" I asked.

"It was hidden amongst the rubble. I stumbled across it while we were talking," said Mare-Do-Well. "Does it mean anything to you?"

Actually, it did. There's only one kind of creature who would wear something like this, and that's a Diamond Dog.

Any jeweler worth their salt knows what Diamond Dogs are. I had never come across one myself, but Karat told me all about them. They're gem scavengers that live in underground cave networks. In fact, one such cave network exists just north of the Everfree Forest. And that meant that I had a suspect.

But before I could share this revelation with Mare-Do-Well, a voice called out from behind.

"Okay, Amethyst! I'm back!"

I turned around to see Dinky wearing a weird hat on her head, holding a magnifying glass with her magic, and blowing bubbles out of a bubble pipe.

"Dink, what is that?" I asked.

"Pinkie Pie says she has detective kits stashed all over Ponyville in case of detective emergencies," said Dinky. "So, I decided to get one."

You'd probably think that sounds utterly ridiculous, and you'd be right. It is utterly ridiculous. But if you know Pinkie Pie like everypony else in this town does, then you know not to question it.

"Right, of course," I said. "Well, I was just talking to..."

I turned around to where Mare-Do-Well was standing, only to see that she had disappeared while my back was turned. I'm not sure how she pulled that off, nor do I know why she decided to leave before I told her about this vital clue. I know she's the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well, but even this was pushing it.

"Talking to whom?" asked Dinky.

"Never mind. I'll tell you later," I said.

"Alright," said Dinky, blowing a few bubbles out of her pipe. "Now then, have you found any clues yet?"

"Just this," I said, showing her the dog collar. "But it's a big one. I think we have a suspect."

Dinky looked at the collar with her magnifying glass and nodded. "Hmm. Interesting," she said. "Actually, I thought of something interesting while I was getting the detective kit."

"Oh?"

"You can't break glass silently," said Dinky. "And that means that somepony should've heard this going on last night."

That was a good point. There's no way anything could do this much damage and not make a ruckus. There had to be some eyewitnesses.

"Good thinking, Dink," I said with a nod. "Alright, I think I know what to do."

"What's that?"

"You go ask around town and see if you can find out anything. I'm going to look into this clue."

Dinky frowned. "Why can't I come with you?"

"Because it, might be dangerous," I said. "Look, don't argue with me, Dink. I know what I'm doing."

"Well, I don't," said Dinky with a pout. "If you want ponies to help you, then you have to be open with them."

This might be the first time that the Zen of Dinky has been wrong about something, or at least it's the first time it has been wrong about something that actually matters. I didn't like lying to Dinky, and she knew it. But the big sister in me kept saying that I had to protect her, no matter what. And if that meant hiding this from her to keep her out of trouble, then so be it.

"Listen, we can get a lot more done if we split up and investigate different things," I said. "I'll share everything I discovered with you when we regroup, honest."

Dinky thought about it for a moment, and then gave me a stern look. "You promise?"

"I promise."

"Pinkie Promise me."

I gulped. I, really couldn't do that in good conscience. Nopony, and I mean nopony, breaks a Pinkie Promise if they know what's good for them. But, it was the only way Dinky would let me go. I sighed.

"Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye," I said.

"Good. Now you have to tell me later," said Dinky, looking very pleased with herself. "Let's meet up at Sugarcube Corner for lunch when we're done investigating."

"Alright, sounds like a plan," I said. "Seeya later, Dink."

"Good luck, Amethyst," said Dinky with a smile. "Now then, I must be off. For the game is afoot!"

Okay, I'm not gonna lie; that was adorable. Dinky always finds a way to put a smile on my face. Which is all the more reason I had to keep her out of harm's way.

"Alrighty then," I said. "Good luck to you too, Dink."

With that, we went our separate ways; Dinky to interview some eyewitnesses, and me to track down some no-good Diamond Dogs.

Comments

[Themaskedferret]

Jesus...You've got me totally fascinated and it just keeps improving.

[Ri2]

Dirty diamond dogs!
How did Dinky know where to find Pinkie's stash?

[Antiquarian]

"Pinkie Pie says she has detective kits stashed all over Ponyville in case of detective emergencies," said Dinky. "So, I decided to get one."

Seems legit.

[mylittleponyfan12345]

Mare do well seems to have taken the lesson in humility with her from Octavia, but this is quite something. Spitfire didn't want to play detective, but mare do well said she had to. Octavia wanted to, but Mare do well said she couldn't. and now she's giving Sparkler a choice...?