Chapter 2: Carousel Boutique
Chapter 2
Carousel Boutique
We arrived at Rarity’s store and Twilight unlocked the door with a spare key Rarity had given her a long time ago. We entered the store and climbed the stairs to Sweetie Belle’s room. Thankfully it didn’t look like Rarity messed with the crime scene.
“Sweetie Belle didn’t go quietly by the looks of it” I said surveying the crime scene. Clothing and toys were everywhere and a dresser was knocked over in the struggle. “Any sign of blood or anything?”
Twilight was levitating some clothing away from the fallen dresser “No blood over here. Doesn't look like the kidnapper got hurt during the struggle”
Suddenly Spike called out “Hey guys! Look what I found!” Twilight and I turned to see Spike holding up a cane top in the shape of a fist. The shaft was broken off. “You think it belongs to the kidnapper?”
I levitated the cane head and looked at it. It was fine craftwork and you don’t see these kinds of canes outside of Canterlot. I put it in a large plastic bag to analyse later. “It might be a clue. Now let's see if we can figure out how a kidnapper managed to escape without Rarity running into him?”
Twilight spoke from by the window “I think I’ve got that figured out. Look!” We stepped to the window sill and saw that small white feathers were by it. “Pegasus feathers, he tried to fly out with Sweetie Belle” she said levitating some of the feathers and putting them into another plastic bag.
“Well he didn’t get very far” I looked over the sill and looked down. The bushes below were flattened and their branches broken. They had obviously been hit by something heavy. Our Pegasus didn’t fly far thanks to the excess weight of a struggling filly. We stepped out of the store and walked to where the bushes were crushed. “He tried to carry Sweetie Belle and then Sweetie Belle must have done something to cause him to fall”
Twilight levitated some more feathers out of the bushes “Still no blood though, if I had some blood I could at least determine something about him”
I looked around and noticed something on the ground. There were hoof prints, faint but noticeable. Thank Celestia there was no rain since the night of the kidnapping. “Twilight, I think I have hoof prints. I can’t really make them out though”
“I guess now is the time to test out that new spell” Twilight walked to the hoof marks and her horn glowed bright. Suddenly the hoof marks glowed with a faint magenta, leaving a trail heading west towards the Everfree Forest. “A simple path finding spell, won’t last forever but it should give us an idea where the criminal went”
I nodded “Alright, Spike you take that cane and ask around see if anypony knows who made it and for whom”
“Alright, I’ll meet up with you guys once I’ve found out” He saluted, took the cane head, and then ran off into town. Twilight and I started following the trail of magenta hoof prints towards the forest.
____________________________________________
“Is this place always this creepy...?” I said as Twilight and I walked through the dark trees of the Everfree Forest.
“At least we came during midday and not late at night when all the monsters come out” Twilight said
“Monsters? Nopony ever said there’d be monsters” I said
“We should be fine, just keep following the trail of hoof prints” Twilight said leading the way, her magic causing the hoof prints to glow allowing an easy path forward. We walked for quite a bit not saying anything. Then suddenly we both heard something move in the foliage. “Ah!” Twilight leaped on my back in surprise and I fell on the ground.
“Smooth Twilight...” I said as she slipped off my back blushing in embarrassment. I pulled out my revolver that was now attached at my hip. I had to keep it in a pistol holster with Rarity working on my trench coat. I levitated the gun in front of me ready to shoot whatever came out of the bushes. Twilight was beside me, her magic aglow. I didn’t care if it was a full on hydra, I was going to put more holes in it than Swiss cheese.
“Put that gun away! I will not harm you one that is in my way!” I heard a smooth voice speak from the bushes. For some strange reason the voice sounded like poetry speaking what with the whole rhyming thing.
“Come out and I won’t shoot!” I said keeping the gun trained on the bushes.
“I will come out to see what all this is about” The voice said as I heard more foliage move.
Out stepped one of the strangest creatures I have ever seen. She looked like a pony certainly. But instead of a single color she was covered in black and white stripes and her mane looked like a Mohawk. She wore gold jewelry around her neck and earrings. I was starting at a zebra. I’ve heard of them certainly, they were a cousin species of ponies that lived to the far south. I’ve never seen one though so I stared at her. Twilight smiled upon seeing this exotic figure. “Oh, hey Zecora it’s been awhile”
I looked at Twilight “You know her?”
The zebra known as Zecora returned Twilight’s smile. “It is good to see you too friend. Though this pony here was about to make me meet my end”
Twilight walked to her “You’ll have to forgive Private, he’s never seen a zebra before” She turned to me and gestured with her hoof to Zecora. “Private, this is Zecora. She’s a friend of mine who lives around here”
I put away my gun. “A pleasure, sorry about the whole gun thing. I didn’t know who you were”
Zecora nodded “Had worse things pointed at me. Care to explain why you are in Everfree?”
Twilight turned to Zecora “Maybe we should head to your hut Zecora. Private here is not as used to the forest”
Zecora nodded and turned “Follow me, my little pony”
I fell into line beside Twilight as we walked on “Does she always do that?”
Twilight looked at me “Do what?”
“Rhyme like that?”
“Well it’s something you just get used to I guess. I never really asked why she does it”
“Well if it’s her manner of speech who am I to preach?”
“Sounds like you’re starting to pick up on her speech”
“What? Crap! I’m starting to sound like her! I wish I could go back to the speech I prefer!” Twilight laughed as we ventured deeper into the forest. I was just hoping for some rest. Crap! I’m starting to rhyme even in my narration! It’s spreading like an infection! ARRGH!!!!
________________________________
We entered Zecora’s small hut deep in the Everfree forest. It was a small, humble dwelling with a large cauldron in the center. It bubbled with some kind of strange brew that smelled strangely sweet. Masks were everywhere and Zecora explained they were meant as welcome messages. I would think an outsider might get the wrong impression and think these scary looking masks might mean “Welcome to hell” rather than “Welcome to my home”.
I sat down beside Twilight in front of Zecora. I politely sipped the herbal tea Zecora made for us. It tasted quite good compared to Twilight’s tea. I’d have to ask her for the recipe once this case was over. I looked over at Zecora. “Zecora, did you notice any suspicious characters in Everfree lately?”
Zecora’s face turned grim “I am well aware of what you speak. I will reveal the truth you seek” She looked at me. “The night before last. I was looking for herbs over past. It was then I heard noises from a clearing. I snuck around to see what I was hearing”
“Those stripes do make good camouflage” I remarked “So you got to the clearing, what then?”
“I saw two ponies in the clearing. One a flier and one gifted in magic making. I also noticed a youngling being exchanged. Seeing her hurt made me enraged. I ran to try and stop them. But my cloak got caught on a stem. They saw me and a bright flash appeared. When I could see again they had disappeared” Zecora looked down. She was obviously torn up by the fact she couldn’t stop them. I couldn’t blame her.
Twilight looked at me “The bright flash must’ve been a teleportation spell. I remember the path leading to the clearing then stopping”
I raised an eyebrow “But we never went to the clearing”
“You didn’t but I did. Well, my magic did really. When Zecora was talking I used my magic to scry the clearing and I saw the tracks ended suddenly there”
“You got quite the repertoire of spells on you Twilight” I said sounding impressed.
“Well, I did have a good teacher....” She said trying to sound humble.
I looked at Zecora “Did they leave anything behind Zecora?”
The zebra nodded and went to a small cupboard and pulled out a book. It was very old by the looks of it. She set it on a table so we all could look at it. I carefully opened it with my magic. On the front page the owner of this book was revealed.
This is the Journal
Of
Dustmane
Rarity’s eternal love from afar
I looked at Twilight. “Do you know anypony named Dustmane?”
She shook her head “No. Rarity has more admirers than just Spike though. You think the culprit knew Rarity?”
I put a hoof on my chin in thought “It would have to have been somepony who knows her. This Dustmane might just be the ticket to solving the case. Let’s head back to Rarity’s and see if she can put a face to the name”
________________________________
Zecora led us out of Everfree without much trouble. I was glad to leave the creepy place behind. We arrived back at Carousel Boutique just as Celestia was halfway to completing the sun’s journey.
I was reading through Dustmane’s journal as we walked. “Love poetry, drawings, and sad attempts at love letters. Yep, this is an admirer all right”
“Rarity never mentioned a pony named Dustmane. You think it was just somepony who admired her from afar?”
“I’ve wrote my fair share of love letters in my life and judging by the quality here I’d say so”
“You wrote love letters? To what kind of mares?” She asked sounding a little too curious.
“I mostly wrote them in high school, to, you know: the head cheerleader, the party girl, even to a nerd at one point as a bad joke”
“Have any of your love letters bore fruit?” She asked unusually curious.
“Nope, I learned a long time ago you need to get to know a pony before you can figure out how you really feel about them. Why do you ask?”
She suddenly turned red and looked the other way “Oh, you know just trying to get to know you a little...oh hey! There’s Rarity’s shop! Let’s go” Mares, I don’t think I’ll ever understand them.
We walked into the dress shop to see Rarity hard at work on my trench coat. She turned to look at us and ran to me. The trench coat would lay forgotten for the next minute. “You’re here! Please tell me you have some news about Sweetie Belle!”
I put a hoof on Rarity’s shoulder “Just breathe for a moment Rarity. We have a lead but we need you to answer a few questions”
“Yes, of course Detective, ask me anything” she replied ignoring what I said about taking a breath.
“Does the name Dustmane ring a bell?” I asked.
Suddenly Rarity got very quiet and didn’t say anything. She finally spoke after about a minute “Where did you hear that name?”
“From this” Twilight said as she levitated Dustmane’s journal out in front of her. Rarity’s own blue magic wrapped around it and she looked inside it.
Her blue eyes scanned the journal for a long time. She finally looked up at me and asked “Where did you get this?”
“Zecora gave it to us” I said “Said that one of the kidnappers dropped it while trying to get away”
“Was one of the kidnappers a unicorn with a brown coat and a dusky mane?”
“Zecora just said it was a unicorn but I’m pretty sure we’re talking about the same pony. Do you know him Rarity?”
Rarity sighed “Yes, I know him. He was my classmate and one of my first admirers. He always wrote in this journal whenever I saw him”
Twilight looked at Rarity puzzled “You never mentioned Dustmane before Rarity...”
Rarity shook her head “It’s not one of my finer moments Twilight. I’d rather forget what happened. But if it means you can find Sweetie Belle I’ll tell you what I can about him”
I held up my notebook and began writing “Start at the beginning Rarity, when did you meet him?”
“The first day of school, we had been classmates since that day. I always knew he cared for me but whenever I tried to ask him about it he would get all nervous and run off”
I nodded “Well to be honest you are a little intimidating Rarity”
“What do you mean?” She said raising an eyebrow.
“Beautiful mare like you? The guy must’ve felt he didn’t have a chance with you”
“I’ll take the compliment Detective thank you” she smiled a little.
“No problem Rarity. Now, when did you finally cut ties with him? This couldn’t have gone on forever”
“Well, after a while I started to get frustrated with him. He was always there but every time I tried to talk with him he’d run off or babble on. I finally got tired of it and finally cornered him after class in middle school. He said he loved me...that he wanted to get close to me but was too afraid”
“I can guess the feelings were not mutual?” I said
She shook her head “No, I cared for Dustmane but not in that way. I wanted us to be friends but he wouldn’t have that. He went on about how we were perfect for one another or something...I didn’t talk to him for a long time after that”
“What happened after that?”
“He did what all obsessive stallions do when they are told no. He followed me everywhere, always writing in that journal of his. I tried to convince the school to get him to back off but I couldn’t prove it was a problem to them. He wasn’t hurting anypony so he could go about his business”
“When was the last time you saw him?” I was almost afraid to ask how this one sided love ended.
“When I was in high school I was on cleaning duty. Not a glamorous job at all but when you’re not a good student you’ve got to make do. I went into the janitor’s closet and found a secret passage leading under the school. I went to the end and found a small shrine...of me” She ended that sentence with a long sigh.
“Dustmane made a shrine of you?”
“Pictures, excerpts from his love letters he never had the courage to write to me, even some of his drawings of me. I used this shrine to finally convince the school to take this matter seriously. I didn’t see him after that or ever again”
Twilight looked at Rarity with sympathy “I’m sorry that you have to go through this part of your life again Rarity”
Rarity shook her head “What’s past is past, there’s nothing I can do about it. If Dustmane has anything to do with Sweetie Belle getting kidnapped I will find out why!” She had this determined look in her eye. These kidnappers were not smart to get this unicorn pissed.
_________________________________
Twilight and I walked out of the dress shop leaving Rarity with my trench coat. She needed something to distract her from what she had to go through. Spike ran up to us with the cane in hand. “Guys! I found out who made the cane!”
Twilight smiled at Spike “Great Spike, who made it?”
Spike looked proud “I took it to Pawnstarys’ shop over in town. As it turns out this marking” He gestured to a marking of an eagle holding a cane. “Belongs to Canesboruogh. A pony that makes canes up in Canterlot”
I smiled at the baby dragon. “Good work Spike; let’s get a train to Canterlot as soon as we can”
We got on the train and started to make our way towards Canterlot. I myself have never been to Equestria’s capital before but I have heard many a good thing about the place. I explained to Spike what happened with Rarity and Zecora while he was asking around about the cane. He clenched his fist upon hearing about Dustmane.
“If that guy’s doing this just to get back at Rarity I’m gonna punch him into paste!”
“Love can drive a pony to do many a dangerous thing” I said sitting beside him. It was just us two guys in the car as Twilight was trying to convince the driver to move the train faster.
“Still! Kidnapping her sister just to get back at her because he didn’t have the guts to tell her! That guy makes me sick!”
“Speaking of which...have you ever told Rarity how you feel?”
Spike got quiet for a moment then shook his head “I tried to a while back, then she just gave me this look like she knew how I felt and I didn’t get to say it”
“Sounds like you left quite a good impression Spike”
“You think I’m like Dustmane?” The young dragon asked looking at me “Not having the guts to tell Rarity how I really feel? Always hanging around her doing whatever she asks?”
I shook my head and smiled at the baby dragon “No Spike, the simple fact you are willing to go through with this for her proves you are better than Dustmane”
He looked at me, his green slited eyes looking at me with hope. “You really think so?”
“Yeah, because you are willing to put yourself on the line for her. Love isn’t just admiring somepony. It’s about action, what you are willing to do for that special somepony. Dustmane never had the guts to actually do anything for Rarity. You however are willing to fight for her honor right here and now. Spike, don’t you ever say you’re like Dustmane” I smiled at the little guy encouragingly.
Spike smiled at me “I’ll help solve this case and make sure Sweetie Belle comes home safe!”
“That’s what I’m talking about! You keep this up and one day Rarity will realize just how great of a guy you really are”
“Yeah!” Suddenly the train lurched and gained speed. Twilight entered our cabin with a triumphant smile on her face.
“I managed to convince the driver to move faster. What were you guys talking about?”
I shrugged “Oh, you know, guy stuff” I said winking at Spike.
Twilight sighed and mumbled something along the lines of: “Boys...”
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Totally not talking about dating advice and such... wink wink*
PAWNSTARYS!!!!! REALLY!!!
zecora rhyming is so contagious it breaks the 4th wall
Bucking hilarious!
1st: A cane with a fist as the top handle? But this is a world of ponies! So unless the owner is a griffin or a minotaur, this cane doesn't makes sense.
DISCORD?!
...
2nd: Spike doesn't need to worry about being creepy like Dustmane. Other than having that Rarity plushie, Spike's been behaving much more normal and healthy in his friendship with Rarity.