Troubled Water

by Twisparkfiles

Day 1

My Little Investigations: The Twilight Sparkle Files

Proudly presents…

“Troubled Water”

Story by Warwolf One

Day 1, 1:38 p.m.

Preheat an oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit. Put your hoof inside for as long as you can. Now, add the fact that your fan's blades refuse to spin. Your source of not-so-cool air comes from the up-and-down action of a hand fan. Place the weight of several ponies on your back, all of them also sweating. Picture a kitchen humid enough to fill a glass in just minutes. Above all else, one spark can turn the biggest source of fuel in Ponyville into a bonfire.

This was the reality behind one summer day where the worst heat wave in pony history gripped most of Equestria, Ponyville among the hardest hit. Thermometers broke under unrelenting heat that would’ve been the envy of Ahuizotl. Rose’s flowers, once her pride and joy, have all but wilted, ruining a good few weeks of business. Fillies refused to play outside; if they did, they would run for the safety of cool shade, few and far in between. Refreshments provided relief but only for a short time; scoops of ice cream quickly melted and milkshakes dried up fast. Worst of all, water, if any, had to be rationed for the duration of the heat wave. The term “making do” has never sounded so offensive to anypony.

Tell ponies like Twilight Sparkle to “make do” with the situation and they may throw a hissy fit. She already did with Spike a moment ago. Not even the biggest tree in town could keep the library at the right temperature and humidity. With Spike fanning her as hard as he could, this bookworm slumped near an open window, refusing to move a muscle.

“By Celestia’s sun, why is it so hot?” Twilight said in a tetchy tone. “I can probably fry an egg in this ridiculous heat.”

“Look at the bright side, Twilight,” Spike replied, optimistic despite a puddle of sweat under his feet. “Rainbow Dash said rain would come soon. Besides, you have a fan.”

More importantly, Twilight showed a lot of concern for her vast repository of wisdom and entertainment. The humid heat had already claimed a number of books, including one Daring Do novel. “Look at this,” she yelled, showing Spike a page where mushy green stuff devoured half of the text. “I spent a fortune on this copy. Now it’s home to…ugh, mold.”

“Yuck,” Spike was just as disgusted. “Remind me never to look at mold up close.”

Half a page of mold, apparently, convinced Twilight that the worst was yet to come, at least for her books. “Rainbow Dash better get here soon,” she said. “At this rate, this place may as well be a museum of mold.”

Twilight struggled to get up and go. Staying static under this weather is ill-advised; one spot gets hot too quickly, especially near an open window. The full brunt of summer’s peak bore down on her with the weight of every sweating sentient being in Equestria. She trotted to a cooler spot away from the windows and settled there but didn't stay long; her throat beckoned for water.

“Where are you going?” Spike asked, watching Twilight walk inside the kitchen.

“I need a drink,” Twilight replied.

One glass in the kitchen caught her eye; droplets dotted the inner walls and a shallow pool of water settled at the bottom. But it wasn't the kind of water she wanted to drink. The air in the kitchen had become humid enough to fill a glass in minutes.

Then again, after not a drop came out of the open tap, the glass of eau-de-cuisine may as well quench her thirst. “Oh, come on!” Twilight yelled at the defiant tap. “Can’t a pony get some water around here?”

“What’s wrong, Twilight?” Spike asked, entering the kitchen.

“This is what’s wrong,” Twilight answered, flipping the tap’s lever on and off in quick succession.

“I’m guessing the water tower’s bone dry, too. Too bad.”

Twilight’s frustration intensified at par with the dry spell. “This is ridiculous,” she said. “There was water flowing out of this tap last night. What happened?”

“Obviously, nopony expected a water crisis,” Spike chuckled.

“Frankly, I don’t know how you can be so calm at a time like this.”

A Eureka moment nailed Spike on the head. “I’ve been wondering, Twilight,” he said. “Why can’t you just make water with your magic? Shouldn’t be too difficult, right?”

Unfortunately, Spike was asking for the impossible, at least at the time. “That would be nice, Spike,” replied Twilight. “But conjuring water requires a nearby water source. Judging by this tap, I’d say even the local reservoirs are bone dry.”

“But Trixie made a whole lot of snow during your duel with her. Doesn’t that count?”

“She was wearing the Alicorn Amulet. That’s different.”

Spike rested his case, Twilight won the brief debate, but both actions did little to solve their water problem. Ponies take their daily water intake seriously; most of their bodies are made out of it. Twilight surely couldn’t think straight, let alone walk straight, without quenching an eternity of thirst. But with no water around Ponyville and no active magic to solve the town’s water crisis, she could only do so much. But again, “so much” was at least better than “nothing.”

“Let’s go, Spike,” said Twilight, walking toward the front door this time.

“Huh?” Spike replied, following Twilight but confused. “Where?”

“We’re gonna get to the bottom of this,” she said, confidence written in big, bold letters. “I may not be able to make water with magic, but at least I can do some sleuthing.”

Apparently, Spike found the time for sarcasm in all this. “Outside? At this weather?” he said. “Do you want a tan that badly?”

Twilight didn’t take the message very well. “Very funny, Spike,” she said, jaded. “Now come on, Ponyville needs its water.”

Where there’s a will, there’s a way, as Ponyville’s resident detective always believed.

The blinding glare of the sun hit her in the eyes the moment Twilight and Spike stepped out of her tree home, depriving them of their vision but only for a short while. A clear-cut horizon spanned as far as their eyes could see, not just of the train station in front of her home. Once bustling with activity, the streets and open grounds of Ponyville were virtually empty. Only sheer insanity would frolic under 110 degrees and cloudless skies. Twilight was even impressed at the fact that her tree home didn't catch fire yet (of course, she intends to keep it that way). Perhaps the builders constructed the library with fire resistance in mind.

Ponyville gets its water from several sources; the local water tower is first on Twilight’s agenda. If anything has a lead on the water crisis, it has to be the five-story tower that can quench Ponyville's thirst for months on a full tank. Even with the water tower not far, it was going to be a long walk through the wavy horizon.

“Check out the waves,” Spike said, referring to physics’ little trick.

“Come on, Spike,” Twilight said. “I don’t want to stay under this heat for too long.”

“Who does?”

After what seemed like an eternity of walking, they reached the base of the water tower and saw the Mayor talking to two of her subordinates. From a distance, Twilight saw the Mayor’s tense face while giving instructions; a clear sign of a problem. Twilight didn’t waste any time; she approached the Mayor just in time to see the latter send her subordinates off to other tasks.

“Mayor, do you have a moment?” Twilight asked.

The spark on the Mayor’s eyes told Twilight that she had one. “Of course, Twilight,” said the Mayor. “I was just thinking about calling you over. As you can see, we have a water problem.”

“So I’ve seen,” Twilight replied, referring to her dealings with her tap back home. “Our tap has been…uncooperative.”

A long explanation followed. “We were surprised to see the water tower and reservoirs empty,” the Mayor began. “Last week's downpour should have supplied Ponyville with enough water to last past summer. Now, we've been receiving complaints from some of the residents. Citizens have never been so desperate for water before, even during the driest summer in Equestrian history several years ago.”

“That quickly?” Twilight answered in shock and disbelief.

“I’m afraid so,” replied the Mayor. “I’ve asked for a new downpour. But as long as this happens, Ponyville can never rest easy about our water supply.”

“How can I help, Mayor?” Twilight asked.

“That’s why I wanted to call you here,” the Mayor continued her explanation. “If we can't stop the spike in water usage, the least we can do is to make sure everypony complies with the scheduled water ban. I need you to track down ponies violating the ban and put them in custody.”

Although far from a complete picture, the pieces fit enough to form a clear idea. As expected, Twilight already had a plan; but not one without water. Without a tap or garden hose pouring water during the water ban, everypony including the culprit would be innocent. If she would have any hope of catching the culprit red-hoofed, water would have to be a key accomplice.

“Mayor,” Twilight broke her silence abruptly. “When’s the next delivery due?”

“Rainbow Dash left with a group of Pegasi for the Crystal Empire just this morning to collect some snow,” the Mayor replied. “They should be making the rainclouds in Cloudsdale right about now.”

“If we’re going to catch this culprit red-hoofed, we’ll need all the water we can get. What's the time for the water ban?”

“Between 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. This applies to all Ponyville buildings.”

Twilight’s experience in the investigation business spoke for itself well. “We’ll wait for the weather team to deliver their load,” she explained. “Then start looking for an open tap.”

“Just do what you can to solve this mystery.”

“I won’t let you down, Mayor.”

Just as the Mayor and Twilight wrapped up their conversation, the sky slowly darkened with the blanket of rainclouds and the team of Pegasi carrying them. Twilight looked on as the light of day retreated behind the dense cloud cover, each nimbus carrying enough rain to sustain a house’s water needs for days. From above the cloud cover, Rainbow Dash coordinated the operation, directing the team where each cloud should go. Not before long, daylight finally gave way to overcast and, with the thunder rumbling across town, the first drops fell on the heat sink known as Ponyville. Twilight has her rain; now all she needs is a full tank.

“Way to request for rain, Twilight,” Spike chuckled but quickly conducted a reality check. “But there’s no way you can check every nook and cranny of Ponyville alone.”

“I know, Spike,” Twilight replied. “That’s why we need some help.”

“What kind of help?”

“The ‘friendship’ kind.”

Day 1, 1:57 p.m.

“Is everyone clear on the plan?” Twilight told her friends, who all nodded in agreement. “The Mayor’s counting on us to make sure there’s enough water for everypony.”

Applejack couldn’t help but notice Pinkie Pie sniffing a puddle of rainwater ever since the gang got together. She felt compelled to remind her friend about one of the most basic properties of water. “Uh, Pinkie,” she said. “Water…doesn’t exactly have a scent.”

Pinkie blew a raspberry and said: “Nonsense, water definitely has a scent. It just takes a little bit of practice. Sometimes, it can smell like frosting.”

Despite her doubts, Applejack decided to play along. Doubting her may as well be the last thing anypony in Ponyville wants to do. “And what does that smell like?”

Pinkie’s peculiar sense of smell got to work. It picked up a distinct smell faster than Applejack could say “I told you so,” a smell that made Pinkie gasp in excitement. “Ooh, ooh!” she said while jumping in glee. “It smells like Rarity’s hoof!”

“That’s because you are smelling my hoof, Pinkie,” replied Rarity, showing her hoof next to the puddle in question.

“Girls, focus!” cried Twilight. “Let’s meet back at the library by 8:00 p.m. Let’s roll!”

The six ponies spread out, each covering their respective zones. The rain and mud all over town hardly hindered them from the task at hand (save for Rarity who spent more time evading mud splashes than checking homes). Twilight and Spike had the marketplace covered; most of the stores were closed because the dry spell also paralyzed the supply of fresh produce. Those that remained open, like the unassuming ice shop at the far end of the marketplace, saw a visit from a certain investigator. Lifting one of the barrels’ lids, she saw a ton of ice cubes cold from the freezer. The intense heat earlier should’ve been more than enough to melt an iceberg. Nothing can stop thermodynamics, not even a barrel.

“Funny how your ice still looks fresh after the intense heat,” Twilight told the anxious colt behind the ice stand.

“New batch arrived just this morning, ma’am,” replied the colt as calm as he possibly could. “Working non-stop this summer to provide ice for everypony.”

Twilight continued her scrutiny, this time with the barrels. “And the barrels?” she asked.

“State-of-the-art cool storage,” said the colt. “Special padding keeps the cold in and the heat out. Ice for everypony all day.”

Twilight could’ve stayed at the ice shop longer, disputing state-of-the-art insulation. But with nothing out of the ordinary, she eventually trotted somewhere else.

The nervous colt let out a sigh of relief and quietly said: “My dad should know better I get nervous in front of other ponies.”

Day 1, 7:54 p.m.

It won't be long before ponies can open their taps again. The rain had subsided before nightfall but done its job of filling the water tower and natural reservoirs. Ponyville finally had enough water to last for a significant length of time. Even better, the patrol turned out to be a success. While Twilight failed to nab any violators, the patrol succeeded in catching a dozen ponies red-hoofed. The Mayor faced and gave them the choice between a hefty fine of 100 bits and several days of community service, which all of them chose.

After a brief talk, particularly to thank Twilight and her friends for their help, the Mayor finally retired for the night. Twilight faced her friends and gave her own ounce of gratitude. “Thank you so much for helping me out today,” she said. “I wasn’t sure if I could handle patrolling the entire town for six straight hours.”

Rainbow Dash scored the highest, capturing half of the violators. She felt real good about it, almost too good. “Ha! I caught six ponies,” she said boisterously. “That one’s for the books.”

“That’s because I herded them toward you, Rainbow Dash,” Applejack protested, obviously unimpressed by her friend taking most of the credit. “Stop huggin’ the spotlight.”

“I could’ve caught those ponies without your help, AJ,” Rainbow Dash replied with a smug.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Rainbow Dash,” Rarity, who “played” with the mud the most, got between the two. “It was a team effort. We all did our part.”

“Rainbow, Rarity’s right,” Twilight said. “Ponyville has enough water thanks to our efforts. Now, it’s getting late. We should all get some shuteye. Tomorrow’s another hot day.”

“Well, I, on the other hoof, will sleep well tonight,” Rarity said. “Right after a relaxing bath. All that mud has made me horrendous.”

The good friends bid good night to each other and went their separate ways. Twilight watched them leave, feeling a bit fuzzy inside. “It’s nice to have friends, isn’t it, Spike?” she said.

Spike couldn’t agree more. “You got that right,” he said.

“I’m also glad that we've put this case to rest. I don’t know what Ponyville will do if the crisis persisted any longer.”

“Simple. Ponies will run amok, fight for the remaining resources, and destroy society.”

“Spike!" answered a shocked Twilght. "That was rhetorical.”

“I don’t know what that even means," Spike replied. "Or how it’s pronounced.”

“Ugh. Whatever, let’s get inside.”

“Sounds good. I sweated like crazy today. I need a shower.”

One of the hottest days of summer ended with Twilight and Spike retiring for the night. Silence settled across Ponyville as it prepared to tuck in, perhaps right after a bath or drink. Tomorrow's episode of unrelenting heat leaves a lot to be desired.

Author's Note:

None of the case stories in this channel are guaranteed to appear in the actual game. MLI-TTSF is a separate project to turn case ideas discussed in the forum to fan fiction.

Comments

[Rainbow_Dash_14008]

This is awesome so far! I could even imagine it being an actual episode XD

[henke37]

Hmm, there were some odd wording at times, but overall it was good.

[Mad Maudlin]

"Spike replied, optimistic despite a puddle of sweat under his feet."

But.. he can swim in lava? The buck does he care about a little warm weather?

[Sparrow9612]

4476009 - Exactly. As a reptile, Spike would love a really hot day. Pretty sure dragons wouldn't sweat.