Chapter 1
Twilight rolled out of bed and staggered to her hooves. She squinted against the sunlight and grumbled, then dragged herself over to her vanity. Her head throbbed as she pulled a brush through her mane and her mouth felt dry and gummed up.
A lump in the bed squirmed and rumbled with a groan. “Izzere coffee?” Rainbow Dash asked from under the covers.
“Not yet.”
“Wake me up when there’s coffee.”
“You should wake me up when there’s coffee,” Twilight protested. She pulled the bottom lid of her eye down and glared at the bloodshot lines.
The lump shifted, and Twilight could see in the reflection of the mirror that her girlfriend had sprawled out across the mattress under the sheets. “You got outta bed first, you lose.”
Twilight set the brush down and snagged the lump in her magic.
“Hey!” The sheet flopped off Rainbow as she rose from the bed. She wrapped her hooves around her face. “Augh, no, you suck.”
“I’m making the coffee, but you’re keeping me company, stop whining.”
“Never, you jerk.”
Twilight chuckled as she made her way down the stairs with Rainbow in tow. “This hangover’s your fault, anyway.”
“Nuh-uh. The booze was my fault, hangovers just happen.” She lowered her hooves from her eyes and crossed them over her chest as they got to the lower loft of Twilight’s bedroom. She ducked her head as they went down the main staircase. “And we totally didn’t even get that drunk.”
Twilight paused mid-step and looked back over her shoulder at Rainbow. “Are you kidding?”
“I … don’t think we got that drunk.”
Twilight giggled and shook her head.
“Okay, fine, we got trashed, I guess. Keep walking already, my head hurts.”
Twilight grinned, despite her own aches, and continued down the stairs. “The fact that you don’t even remember how much we drank should be a solid clue that it was a lot.”
“Yeah, yeah, whatever, genius. You still can’t blame me for this.” Twilight swung them into the kitchen and Rainbow winced at the sunlight streaming through the window. “Besides, I didn’t hear you complaining about it last night.”
Twilight dropped Rainbow into a chair by the table. “No, you didn’t.” She smirked and kissed her girlfriend on the cheek.
Rainbow rubbed an eye and slumped forward against the table. “Coffee first, make-outs later.”
Shaking her head, Twilight turned away and floated what she needed for coffee to the counter. Using magic wasn’t doing her head any favors, and she winced as a stab raced down her horn and into her brain when she flash-heated a blob of water. At least it would be ready faster than fumbling around with her hooves and using the stove.
“Shouldn’t Spike be doing this?” Rainbow grumbled.
“Spike’s not my butler, Rainbow. Also, I think he went to AJ’s when the dancing started.” She chewed her lip and felt heat rise to her face. “I should probably bring her and Big Mac something as a thank you. And maybe something for Spike as an apology.”
“For what? We weren’t making that much noise he had to leave. Guy can sleep through anything.”
“He was downstairs with us. He left because you kept biting my tail.”
“… Really? Man, I was drunk.”
Twilight smiled through her blush and brought the fresh coffee and some mugs over to the table. She sunk down in a seat, sighed, and scooped up a mug with both hooves. Rainbow slurped, and let out a satisfied groan. “That’s better, but everything’s still way too bright.”
Twilight took a sip and slumped back. “I’ll make breakfast in a minute. I just need this right now.”
“Please tell me you’ve got nothing going on today and we can just go back to bed after that.”
She grimaced and rubbed her face. “Don’t make me think yet.” She took a longer draught of her coffee. It was black and unsweetened, thinner and more bitter than she’d like, but Rainbow liked it black and she wasn’t about to fiddle with add-ins for just herself on a first cup of the day, hangover or not. “If there is stuff to do, it won’t be for a while. By which I mean anything I have to do right now I’m putting off for at least two hours.”
“Damn straight. The bed is calling.” Rainbow winked. Since she was squinting against the sunlight, it didn’t quite come off as suggestive.
Twilight sighed. “Breakfast and a hot shower are calling. Even if I wanted to, I don’t think I’ll be getting back to sleep after drinking coffee, anyway.”
“Aw, you suck.” Rainbow flashed a smile and chugged down half her mug. “How’m I supposed to nap without my pillow?”
“You always manage.”
Shadows crossed over the kitchen window. Rainbow grimaced and squeezed her eyes shut, while Twilight turned towards it. Ponies rushed by the road outside the library in groups, headed towards the center of town. Twilight frowned. At least everypony looked excited, which meant the chance that something horrible had risen from a forgotten corner of Equestria to try and destroy everything was low. She took a sip. “I wonder where everypony’s going.”
“Wherever it is, can they get there not in front of the window? It’s like they’re kicking me in the eyes.” She held a hoof up in front of the dappling light.
Twilight chuckled and shook her head. “It’s not like they’re doing it on purpose. Have some more coffee, you’ll feel better.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Rainbow drained her mug and reached for the pot. “We’ll hear about whatever’s going on from somepony, I bet.”
Twilight’s window sprung open and Amethyst Star stuck her head into the kitchen. “Did you hear?”
“I meant later,” Rainbow mumbled under her breath.
Twilight shot Rainbow a look, then forced a polite smile on her face. “Hear what?”
“Basil Bones is in town! Isn’t that amazing? Everypony’s going to meet him! Gotta go!” The window slammed shut and clattered in its frame as Amethyst took off again. Rainbow and Twilight both winced at the noise.
“Wow, Basil Bones is here? That’s so exciting.” Twilight tapped her chin and cocked her head to the side. “Last I heard he was in Trottingham. That’s a long way to go. I wonder why he’d come to Ponyville?”
“Who the heck is Basil Bones?” Rainbow grumbled.
Twilight’s eyebrows shot up. “You haven’t heard of him?” At Rainbow’s huff, she cracked a smile. “Sorry, rhetorical question. I’m just surprised because he’s always in the newspapers.”
“And … you think I read newspapers a bunch?” She matched Twilight’s smile, and gave her a condescending pat on the head. “Silly Twilight. Newspapers are for boring old ponies who care about stupid things.”
Twilight scoffed. “Hey now, I read newspapers. Shut up! I’m not old!” She crossed her hooves and lifted her muzzle. “You know that Spitfire has a Sunday column in The Canterlot Times, right?”
“Holy crow, really?” Her eyes lit up and she jumped to her hooves, standing with her back legs on the chair and front on the table. “That sounds awesome! Maybe it’s just Ponyville News that’s boring.” The wide grin crumpled to a wince, and Rainbow sat down hard. “Ooh, I shouldn’t’ve done that,” she said, rubbing her temple. “Why’m I so loud?”
Twilight gave her a flat look.
“Shut up. So who’s Basil Bones?”
“Oh. Right. Basil’s one of Equestria’s most famous—” Twilight’s voice cut off as the window sprung open again.
“Hey guys!” Berry Punch chimed as the frame banged against the wall. “Did you hear? There’s some famous detective in town that everypony’s going to meet.”
Rainbow sighed and rubbed the bridge of her muzzle. Twilight forced another grin. “Yes, we heard. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome! Gotta go, don’t wanna miss anything important!” Berry slammed the window and vanished back to the crowd. Rainbow cringed again.
“… So as I was saying, he’s one of Equestria’s—”
“Famous detective, I figured it out, Twi.” Rainbow smiled and slurped her coffee. “That’s neat, I guess, but why’s it a big deal?”
Noticing Rainbow was halfway through her second cup already, Twilight finished off her first. “It’s … well, he’s very, very famous, and he usually stays out of the public eye. I’m sure most ponies just want to see him to say that they have. Imagine if Spitfire never gave autographs.”
“Huh, okay.” She frowned as she nursed her coffee. “… You wanna go check it out?”
Twilight let a long breath out through her snout. “Normally I would love to. Everything I’ve read about him sounds fascinating. He’s like a character out of a book brought to life. But …” She poured herself a fresh mug. “I still don’t have the fortitude to make breakfast. I don’t think I have it in me to walk down there by myself right now, and I wouldn’t ask you to come, too. You’re a little worse off than me, and I can tell you don’t care about meeting Basil Bones.”
“Not really, but I’ll come with.”
Twilight raised an eyebrow.
“I’m okay, and I bet you’re gonna be kicking yourself if you don’t go check this guy out. I’d be going crazy if Misty Fly was signing autographs and I couldn’t go ‘cause of a hangover.”
“… She’s a Wonderbolt, right?”
Rainbow chuckled. “Yes, Twi. And she never signs autographs.”
Twilight gave a faint smile, then slumped back in her chair and rubbed her head. “It’s sweet of you to offer, but I still feel pretty rough. I really don’t want to walk down to town and then have to come home and try to make breakfast.” She grimaced and folded her ears flat, then looked out the window. The stream of ponies flooding towards town from the houses farther out had slowed to a trickle. “He’ll … probably still be here in a few hours. I should be okay to wait.” As she said it, she wasn’t sure she believed herself. The articles about Basil Bones—many of them by Basil himself—gave the impression that the stallion was fitful and nomadic, never staying anywhere for much longer than he needed to solve a case. And if half the stories were to be believed, he solved cases very quickly. She let out a long sigh.
“We can go out for breakfast after,” Rainbow offered. “C’mon, you’re gonna be grumpy if we don’t go.” Twilight narrowed her eyes. “Yeah, yeah, you’re grumpy now, but you’ll feel better after seeing this Basil guy and then getting a plate of pancakes.”
Twilight frowned in thought for a moment, then drained her mug. “Okay, we’ll go, but we’re taking coffee with us. Thank you, Rainbow, I really would be upset with myself if I missed him.”
Chuckling, Rainbow held her mug out for Twilight to fill. “’Course I’m right. Plus, you’re totally gonna owe me for coming with.”
She rolled her eyes. “And here I thought you were just being uncharacteristically thoughtful.”
The window flew open and Spike hopped up on the sill. “Hey, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, did you hear that—?”
“We know!”
“Ugh, it’s even brighter out here.” Rainbow squinted in annoyance at the sky. She flew alongside Twilight as her girlfriend plodded down the road towards town square. She cradled her fresh mug in both hooves.
Twilight smirked at her. She floated her own coffee on the other side from Rainbow, letting it steam out into the air. They had the road to themselves, and Twilight kept looking at the throng of ponies still flooding the square.
Rainbow nursed her mug. Agreeing to come along to meet Basil Bones had been the right move at the time, but actually doing it was another matter. She looked ahead at nothing in particular with a flat expression.
Twilight snickered. “Boy, don’t you look excited.”
“I’m here, aren’t I?” She smirked at Twilight and rolled over on her back, resting the mug on her chest. She supposed it didn’t have to be boring. “So what’s this Basil guy like? Is he, like, a real life Auguste Dumane, all serious and stuff, or is he more like Hercules Yoke and a smartass?”
“I wouldn’t go as far as saying Yoke’s a smartass, he’s just a little arrogant.”
“Oh, he’s totally a smartass. Whenever he wins, he has those awesome speeches where he makes everypony know he’s won. Him being a smartass is the best part of those books.”
Twilight frowned for a moment and nodded. “Yeah, I guess I can see that.” She grinned. “I’m glad you like detective books. I should reread a few of them, I like talking about books with you.”
Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Gonna answer my question, egghead?”
“Well, to be honest, I don’t really know what he’s like. The newspaper articles are a little conflicting. I’ve read a few that described him as very friendly and outgoing, but just as many have called him quiet and mysterious. And some of those different accounts were in articles Basil Bones had written himself.”
Rainbow snorted and rolled back upright, sending a few drops of coffee splattering on the ground. “Does he really call himself ‘quiet and mysterious’? He’s totally Yoke.”
Twilight giggled. “It comes off as more self-deprecating in the articles. I really don’t know what to expect.”
Twilight took a long drink from her mug as they met up with the back end of the crowd. Rainbow landed when the throng grew thick, and they wove their way through the street, past a chokepoint between two buildings, and then paused when town hall came into view again. Rainbow glanced around, spotting a sea of familiar faces. A stage hadn’t been set up and nopony seemed to be looking in the same direction, but rather milled around in separate conversations, some excited, some confused. It could have been a particularly crowded market day. Twilight murmured in confusion and folded her ears back.
“What’s he look like, anyway?” Rainbow muttered. The crowd had thinned enough she jumped back into the air, and she spun in slow circles.
“Um … a stallion.”
Rainbow glared.
With a guilty smile, Twilight said, “I’ve only seen drawings of him. Black and white drawings. He has a curly mane that’s a lighter color than his coat, I think, and his cutie mark is two puzzle pieces.”
Rainbow huffed and cradled her mug close to her chest. “Well, I don’t see him.”
“Maybe it was a prank.”
The last word Twilight said caused a ripple that spread away from them through the crowd. A darker edge entered the tone of a hundred separate conversations, and ‘prank’ echoed back at them from a dozen directions. As Twilight grimaced and craned her neck to look out over the townsponies, Twilight took a sip of coffee.
“Do you really think it’s a prank?” Fluttershy asked, much closer than Rainbow expected and right next to Twilight’s ear.
Twilight whirled around and stepped away in surprise. “Gah, Fluttershy, you snuck up on me.”
“O-oh. I’m sorry.” Fluttershy shrank back a step.
She cleared her throat and smiled. “It’s all right, I’m just distracted. Anyway, I don’t know what to think. It might be.”
Fluttershy sighed and drooped her head. “I was worried it might be. It seemed too good to be true.”
Rainbow snorted. “Too good to be true? I had no idea you were such a big fan of this guy.” She nudged Twilight, who rolled her eyes.
“You didn’t know who ‘this guy’ even was until this morning.”
“Well, you should’ve said he was Fluttershy’s dream stallion.”
A blush spread over Fluttershy’s face and she squeaked. “Oh, gosh, no. Well, I mean, he seems very nice, but that’s not …” She squeaked again, and Rainbow dissolved into snickers.
“Rainbow, you’re not helping.”
“I’m just messing with her, jeeze.”
Fluttershy lifted her head and took a breath. “All I meant was that I woke up this morning and …” Her face twisted into worry. “My chipmunks’ tea set is missing!”
A beat of silence passed. Rainbow cocked her head to the side. “You have a tea set for chipmunks?”
“No, my chipmunks have a tea set.” She frowned and knit her brow, looking off in the distance. “Which I suppose is a tea set for chipmunks. A-anyway, they had a tea party yesterday, and I helped them clean up, but this morning everything was missing from the animals’ dish rack.”
Rainbow landed and arched an eyebrow. “Your animals have their own dish rack?”
“No, I have a dish rack for my animals’ dishes.”
Twilight rubbed her forehead with a hoof and cut in. “Rainbow, you’re still not helping.”
“Fluttershy’s house is weird!” she retorted.
Sighing, Fluttershy slumped forward. “I asked the critters if they put it all away, but they didn’t, so it just disappeared sometime in the night. When I heard Basil Bones was in town, it felt like it might be a sign. Maybe I was wrong …”
A stallion’s voice cut through the crowd, spoken at a conversational volume that carried enough authority and directness they all turned towards it. “The tea set wasn’t stolen.”
They caught a flash of green, then looked at each other. Then the voice came again, this time from behind them. “Finding it shall be of trivial consequence, but I delight in consequences both grand and trivial.”
Fluttershy eeped and leapt behind Twilight, who spun towards the voice. Rainbow Dash sighed and took a sip of coffee before turning. The stallion had a mint green coat and closely cropped white mane. His laugh lines suggested he had a few years on any of them, but there was a youthful energy in his eyes. He peered critically at Fluttershy over Twilight’s shoulder through a pair of half-moon pince-nez.
Rainbow rubbed her eye. “Who’re you?”
Twilight jabbed her side, then looked pointedly at the stallion’s flank.
“What?” She finished off her mug, then followed Twilight’s gaze to see the stallion’s puzzle piece cutie mark. Twilight was wrong about the curly mane, then. “Oh, hey, you did show up.”
Basil Bones glanced at Rainbow for a breath. “Hmn?” He returned his attention to Fluttershy with a shrug, and shouldered past Twilight. “Now then, my distressed mare, about the missing tea set.”
After the surprise wore off, Fluttershy’s expression brightened. “Oh dear, you startled me, Detective Basil Bones. It’s very nice to meet you.” At his name, an opposite ripple shuddered through the rest of Ponyville. A spike of excited chatter spilled outwards and then dropped off to silence as everyone turned towards Basil. Fluttershy shrunk back from the sudden attention, but Basil paid it no mind.
“Hmn? Yes, yes, charmed I’m quite sure, but about the missing tea set. I say missing, madam, because I have ascertained at once that it was not stolen, and I should like to walk you through my reasoning as we reobtain it for you. Come along!” He set off at a bold trot and the crowd parted for him among murmurs of excitement. Fluttershy cringed and hurried to catch back up with him.
“Um. Where are we going, if you don’t mind me aski—?”
“I observed, madam, from the way you carry yourself and talk to others in a quiet a fearful manner, that you are introverted and reticent in your day to day life. I can also observe that you have poise and confidence despite these personal failings.”
Rainbow saw her friend mouth the word, ‘Thanks?’ too quiet to hear. Twilight grabbed her by the foreleg and led the way, pushing along into the wake of Basil’s path.
Basil made an abrupt turn without slowing, setting off at a right angle from his current course. The crowd stumbled to keep up and yelped as they leapt aside. “Your mane also smells of scented oils; lavender, cucumber, rose, and a hint of lilac, if I’m not mistaken. Indicative of regular trips to a professional spa, or expert home usage.”
“Y-yes, but what does that have—?”
“So it is quite fundamental in my estimations,” he said as he paused mid step. He rounded on Fluttershy and slid his glasses up his muzzle. “That your profession is that of a mare of the evening.”
Fluttershy’s face turned red enough to catch fire. “What?!” She wheeled around in place casting wide-eyed glances at the huge crowd.
Twilight’s jaw fell open in shock. “Did he say …?”
Rainbow let out half a snort before swallowing it and clamping a hoof over her muzzle.
Twilight cast a severe glare at Rainbow, then looked back at Fluttershy. Rainbow forced the giggle down as hard as she could, then tried to watch the awesome scene unfolding in front of her. It was hard because her eyes were tearing, but she could see Fluttershy looking fitfully from pony to pony in the crowd, as if she were surrounded by changelings.
“And from that irrefutable conclusion, I can—”
Fluttershy spun back to Basil and cried out, “I-I’m n-not a h-h-h-hook—”
“Oh, there’s no need to deny it, madam, I have no desire to pass judgement upon you; I hardly find the practice shameful. It is only important in that—”
“B-but …”
“No buts!” Basil stood up straight, holding his muzzle high. “Now stop interrupting, for we are at the turn!”
Fluttershy squeaked like a whistling teakettle. Rainbow choked.
“Now then, madam, as I had been saying. Your profession is perpendicular to the solution and is ultimately unimportant, regardless of its controversial nature.” Fluttershy cringed. “Stop that. Anyway, we now cross perpendicularly to your profession; come along!” He set off again at another right angle from their last course. The crowd moved aside as he went and Fluttershy cowered along behind. Twilight, looking so affronted Rainbow had to squeeze her own throat to keep quiet, grabbed her and hurried to keep up.
Basil stopped in front of the fountain. With a grand gesture he pointed at the pony sculpture in the center—which while expertly repaired still had seen better days—and gave a sharp nod. “Last night, after the tea party, your profession led you outside your house to this very spot. In addition to the scented oils, I detected the smell of treated water and masonry dust, which I submit you could not have picked up from anywhere else in Ponyville.” He turned his head and gave the fountain an appraising look. “A suitably dramatic setting to conduct your business, I’m sure.”
Fluttershy rubbed her face with both hooves. “I-I’m really not a—”
“And as you conducted your business here, madam, unbeknownst to you, you had thoughtlessly slipped the tea set in with your personal effects. As it was not there in the morning, it stands to reason you had done as much, and as you did not find it among your personal effects after noticing it was missing, it also stands to reason that it had been misplaced during your nightly escapades. Perhaps assisted by the, ah, vigorousness of the work.”
Twilight stopped short, and flashed a ‘don’t you dare,’ stare at Rainbow, who kept her mouth covered. Fluttershy had her face covered, too.
“And thus the case is solved, madam! The tea set, dislodged during your work, landed in the pool of the fountain.” He completed the flourish of a gesture and stabbed down into the water. Everypony craned to see through the sun-dappled surface, and let out a gasp as his hoof surfaced. Nestled in a horseshoe, he held a tiny tea set, waterlogged but otherwise perfect, set on a little tray. “A trifling of a case, but interesting nonetheless.” He held the tea set out for Fluttershy.
Fluttershy eyed the set between her hooves. She swallowed and reached out for it. “I … I don’t understand.”
“Is it not the missing tea set in question?”
“It is, but …”
“Then the case has been solved, the displaced property returned, and the interest over.” He gave an insistent jab with his hoof, and with a squeak Fluttershy scooped the tea set up. Basil raised his head high, took a deep breath and turned back to the crowd. “A trifling case, my fellow ponies, but interesting just the same. I enjoy such trivialities, and I am quite sure that I will stumble across more during my stay in your fine town. But I’m afraid I must insist that you do not bring your cases to me. I am currently engaged in the pursuit of my life and do not have time to hear out every little problem brought before me. But rest assured, I am watching and listening.”
A murmur passed through the crowd, and Basil turned on his heel and walked off. Ponies tried to part for him, but he stepped sideways through them, and was soon lost among the rest of Ponyville’s citizens.
Rainbow couldn’t hold it in anymore. A snort tore its way from her muzzle and she collapsed sideways into Twilight, howling laughter and spilling the rest of her coffee on the ground. “Oh my gosh, that was the best thing ever!”
“Rainbow!” Twilight admonished. “How could you say that? It was horrible.”
“I know, that’s what makes it so awesome!” Twilight glared at her and stepped to the side, which threw her off balance. She staggered, still giggling, and clutched her head. “Ooh, laughing sucks.”
“Come on, we should go make sure Fluttershy’s okay.” She marched forward without looking back.
Rainbow rubbed at the twinge over her eye and grimaced. “Wait up, Twi, the universe is getting back at me for being a jerk.” Twilight paused and rolled her eyes, but a smile broke her stony expression. Rainbow took a steadying breath and followed. The coffee was catching up to her at least.
Weaving their way to the fountain, they found Fluttershy frozen in place and staring at the tea set. Snickers bubbled in Rainbow’s throat, but she forced them back down, casting sidelong glances at her girlfriend.
“Are you okay?” Twilight put a hoof on Fluttershy’s shoulder. Fluttershy flinched. “It’s just us.”
Fluttershy shot looks at both of them and dropped her eyes to the ground, nearly fumbling the tea set. Her eyes were red. “… Why was it here? I don’t understand.”
The defeat in Fluttershy’s voice dried up all the mirth Rainbow Dash felt in an instant, and she exchanged a worried glance with Twilight. She put a comforting hoof next to her girlfriend’s on Fluttershy’s shoulder. “Relax. It’s okay.”
“N-no, it isn’t okay. It was here, so everypony’s gonna think what he said was true, and …” She cringed. “You don’t think it’s true, do you?”
“Of course not,” the both blurted at once, Rainbow a bit more angrily than Twilight. Fluttershy shrunk back from her, and she grimaced, then turned to Twilight. She mouthed, ‘I’m bad at this.’
Twilight gave Rainbow a lopsided smile, then lowered her head towards Fluttershy. “Of course we don’t, we know you, Fluttershy, and so does everypony else here. And even if they don’t know you very well, everyone in Ponyville knows who to talk to when their pet is sick.”
Fluttershy lifted her head again, but still looked at Twilight with a skeptical frown. Rainbow huffed through her snout. All that amusement had been replaced by anger, which didn’t feel fair at all. She whipped around and grabbed the closest pony behind her. “Hey, um … Junebug, right?”
Junebug glared at her. “Yes, Rainbow Dash.”
Rainbow cleared her throat. “Uh, yeah, sorry.” She coughed and stepped aside to bring Junebug face to face with Fluttershy. “You didn’t believe that Basil guy about Fluttershy, did you?”
Fluttershy whimpered and hid behind her mane. Junebug snickered, shook her head, and said, “If she’s a prostitute, I’m Princess Celestia.”
“See? Everypony knows he got it wrong, even if he found your tea thing. Cheer up.” Rainbow prodded Fluttershy.
Junebug sighed and turned away. “You’re welcome, Rainbow Dash, happy to help,” she deadpanned.
“Eh?”
Twilight chuckled, then called after Junebug. “We really do appreciate it, thank you.” She rubbed Fluttershy’s shoulder and dropped her voice. “Rainbow’s right, Fluttershy. There must be some other reason and he just got the details wrong. I’m sure there’s a logical explanation for how your chipmunks’ tea set ended up here other than his flawed one.”
Fluttershy lifted herself back up, and a bit of strength re-entered her voice. “What, though? It doesn’t make any sense.”
Rubbing her chin, Twilight looked at the fountain. “Maybe he was right about everything except the situation. You didn’t come out here for something else last night, did you?”
“No. After helping the critters clean up, I went to sleep.” She sighed and looked at the little tray in her hoof. “I asked them all this morning if they borrowed it, but everyone said no.” Her frown deepened, and even more life came back into her voice. “Maybe … maybe someone did borrow it to have tea at the fountain. And they didn’t tell me, because they were embarrassed they forgot it?”
Rainbow grinned at her friend’s improved tone. The anger receded and she nudged Fluttershy. “Maybe they were embarrassed for other reasons.” Fluttershy’s cheeks darkened again, but she giggled. Rainbow took a deep breath and mentally patted herself on the back for cheering up her friend so awesomely. She turned towards Twilight. “Now that’s over, you wanna go … get … breakfast?”
Twilight looked intently at the fountain with her mouth pressed into a firm line. A beat of silence passed while Rainbow raised an eyebrow. At last Twilight turned, though her expression remained impassive. “Yes, let’s go get breakfast. Fluttershy, please be sure to ask your animals about this again. Let me know if that really is what happened.”
“Okay, Twilight, I’ll let you know.” Her brow knit. “Do … do you think it might be something else?”
“I’m …” A shadow passed over Twilight’s expression, and for an instant she looked enraged. But a different sort of anger than Rainbow had seen in her girlfriend, not the grumbling annoyance Rainbow saw all the time or the fiery outburst when things were really getting to her, but a seething and cold anger. Then she smiled at Fluttershy. “I don’t know, but something feels off about this to me. If it wasn’t one of your animals, I want to get to the bottom of this.”
Fluttershy’s confusion turned into a knowing grin. “I understand. It’s hard to let mysteries go.” She turned to Rainbow. “Have a nice breakfast. Thank you for making me feel better, both of you.”
Rainbow puffed out her chest. “It was important, ‘cause in a few days you’re gonna think it was funny, too.”
Fluttershy sighed and headed off for the other end of town. The crowd around them had been drifting away in dribs and drabs as they talked, which wiped away any sign that Basil Bones had been there at all. Rainbow squinted at Twilight, who had fallen back into contemplative silence. “You all right?”
Twilight shook herself awake, then sighed. “I have a headache and feel shaky. Let’s go eat something.”
Chuckling, Rainbow turned to walk side by side with her girlfriend as they headed out towards the café. “C’mon, Spike’s probably waiting for us, and I bet he’ll wanna know if Fluttershy’s okay.”
Twilight nodded and sighed again. “Thanks for not … making that worse.”
“I deserve a medal, that was hilarious.” Twilight glowered. “I mean, not Fluttershy being all upset, that pissed me off, but all the stuff before it was great.” Twilight shook her head, and Rainbow blew a raspberry. “You’ll think it’s funny in a few days, too.”
“I’m not sure I’ll ever find that funny.”
“You’re such a wet blanket.” She bumped Twilight’s shoulder. “C’mon, Twi, you at least gotta admit that no matter what the papers said, you didn’t expect that Basil guy to be like that, huh?”
Twilight cracked a smile and shook her head. “You’re right, I can’t say I did. That was some of the worst abductive reasoning I’ve ever seen.”
“Abda-whatnow?”
Twilight shook her head and shoulder-checked Rainbow back. “At least you’re nice to look at.”
Rainbow scoffed in mock offense and lifted her muzzle. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“That you left your mug by the fountain.”
Rainbow stopped mid-stride and looked down at her empty hooves. Twilight snickered at her. She grumbled, opened her wings, and flew back the way she came.
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Welcome back, bats!
Fluttershy though. I almost died.
I can tell you had fun writing this, and I had fun reading it. Wins all around, and now I'll wait
three years and be sadfor the next chapter!6873327
i.ytimg.com/vi/W7DmUXU1R74/hqdefault.jpg
*cough* But seriously, updates should be forthcoming without much in the way of delay.
baaats, why do you expect me to read stories without Applejack?
I mean, this wasn't bad or anything. Just lacking in Applejack. You can fix that in upcoming chapters.
6873347 Gonna just go ahead and save this comment. For reasons.
I literally just started reading and I'm already laughing my ass off!
Huzzah! Another bats story! And it's TwiDash! And it's another Twilight Holmes story! Today was a good day. Also, I already have a guess at what's actually going on, but I don't want to post it in case I'm right.
Holy carp, more Twilight Holmes!
Another story made perfect by the finest editor in Ponylands.
And I guess that Committed fellow.
Yes. All the yes. Take all my yesses
More Twidash from bats!? And a mega snowstorm? It's like Christmas was delayed a month.
Woot! Happy to see a new chapter, I'm leaning towards blaming Basil Bones and hoping he gets his comeuppance, still loving the twidash. Thanks for Writing!
I get the feeling BB put the cups in the fountain and some pony visiting from another town is going to think Flutters is a Hooker and will try to pay her for some fun times in the bed.
Obvious answer:Basil stole the tea cups so that he could solve a mystery instantly.
Calling it now, Fraud.
Now it is up to a true detective like Twilight to sort out the true mystery!
I'm loving it. I can't wait to find out what Basil's "pursuit of his life" is! or if he's just making that up to get attention...
Missing an "and"?
Obviously he hasn't had any for too long and mixed up the scent on Twilight & Rainbow with Fluttershy. I'm sure Snowflake can sort that out for him.
Possibly relevant: How Watson Learned the Trick
Also, yeah, I'm guessing that Basil stole the tea set himself.