Fancy Pants In: The Mystery of The Blanks

by TheTeaTurtle

Chapter Two: A Tearful Reunion

Chapter Two:

A Tearful Reunion

“Something awful has happened and I believe only you can help. Please, I urgently request your presence in Ponyville.

-Rarity”

The click-clack of the train wheels on the metal tracks drew Pip out of his third reading of the letter, causing him to look toward the window. The train to Ponyville had started its descent down the mountain and he couldn’t help but feel nervous. Although he had always been anxious when on trains, he couldn’t tell what was making him more nervous: the prospect of falling off the mountain or the aura of dread the letter was giving off.

He looked up at Fancy Pants, the broad gentlecolt looking as calm and composed as ever. A stark contrast to the small, apprehensive colt.

“Mr. Fancy? Who is Rarity?”

The question made Fancy turn, his soft smile returning when he faced his apprentice “Ah, I suppose I’ve never spoken of her before, have I?”

Pip shook his head “I don’t think so. Is she a friend?”

“Indeed. I actually met her not long before I took you under my wing.” Fancy magically took the letter out of Pip’s hooves, giving it another sniff “The cake frosting scent was a rather clever way to get my attention. To think, a throwaway excuse would lead me to a new mystery.”

Pip cocked his head questioningly “Was she a baker?”

This earned a chuckle from Fancy “No, dear boy. It’s a long story, to say the least. But to be honest, I am surprised you don’t know her! Given she was the premiere dress maker in all of Ponyville.”

Pip shrugged “I didn’t live in Ponyville too long, sir. My grandparents moved there about a year ago and I didn’t get to know a lot of ponies. But Nightmare Night was a lot of fun!” He said, eyes lighting up at the memory “That’s when I met Princess Luna for the first time!”

“Ah yes, I remember you telling me.” Fancy smiled, rubbing his chin. “A lot of interesting things seem to happen in that small town, from what I hear.”

Pip nodded, giving the letter in Fancy’s magical grip another look. He frowned “What do you think happened, Mr. Fancy?”

The stallion looked at the parchment once more before putting it in his pocket, shaking his head and giving his apprentice a smile “I can’t rightly say, young Pip. But I know that whatever it is, we’re going to get to the bottom of it.”

Pip’s frown shifted into a smile of his own and he nodded resolutely. As the young colt pulled out a book to read, Fancy turned his sight toward the window and frowned. He closed his eyes and opened the desk drawer of his analytical mind. Rarity was a dear friend, and while it had been a while since he had seen the mare, the way she had laid out her letter had been rather chilling. It wasn’t dressed up in any of her usual flowery prose like the previous letters she had sent him. Straight and to the point: ‘Something awful has happened and I need your help’.

A light touch of magic adjusted his monocle and he sighed to himself, quietly observing the green fertile valley below before the sight was taken from him as the train entered one of several nearly pitch black tunnels as it climbed its way down the mountain.

Creeping ever closer to his next mystery.

-----

“Little Pip!”

“Daddy!”

Pip’s little brown eyes were practically glowing at the sight of his father in the doorway. The brown, white spotted stallion had a wide grin on his face, matching the ear to ear smile Pip was wearing as they rushed to embrace.

“How’ve you been, kiddo?”

Pip held back sniffles, nuzzling into his father’s chest “I’ve been great, daddy! Just wait till you meet Mr. Fancy! He’s an explorer, just like you!”

“Oh, is he now?” Pip’s father replied, an unexpected edge to his voice. Before Pip could react to his father’s tone shift, he suddenly heard the crashing of waves against wood and looked around. No longer was he in Fancy’s house. He was on the deck of a ship, one that was in the middle of a terrible storm, no less.

“Daddy? What’s going on?!” He yelled over the harsh rain and looked up, terror filling his chest when he saw his father’s sneer.

“You think you can just replace me, huh? Replace your own father?!”

The stallion’s grip on the colt tightened, Pip yelping in surprise when his father began to hold him just over the churning and roaring water below.

“Dad, please stop! I’m not trying to-”

“Liar!” He screamed, his face morphing into pure fury “You’d rather pal around with that rich hay sucker than your own father!”

Pip began to cry but his tears were indistinguishable from the rain slamming into the both of them. He shut his eyes “Dad, no! I l-love you!”

Everything seemed to stop and Pip’s eyes fluttered open, tears falling off his cheeks. His father’s face had changed into that of Fancy Pants.

The gentlecolt’s brow furrowed and spoke. His voice was a mix of his father’s and Fancy’s.

“I’m glad I left you.”

He was let go and hit the water before he could scream.

-----

“Pip! Wake up!”

The little pony jolted awake and gasped, looking around frantically until he met the blue eyes of his concerned mentor.

“My boy, are you alright?”

Closing his eyes, Pip shook his head to attempt to rid himself of the nightmare he had just experienced and nodded “Y-yeah, I’m fine Mr. Fancy. Just...just a bad dream, that’s all.”

Fancy’s look of worry didn’t leave “Are you sure?”

Pip sat up straighter and gave a tired smile “I’m sure, don’t worry.”

The stallion closed his eyes and sighed, standing up from his chair “Alright. We’ve reached Ponyville. Be sure not to forget your things.”

As Fancy squeezed past, Pip put away his drool stained Daring Do novel and paused when he heard the clinking of a chain in his bag. Slowly, he reached inside and pulled out his lucky golden pocket watch, the skull and crossbones symbol adorning its shell. He gave the shiny trinket a rub with his other hoof and felt his chest get heavier the longer he looked at it.

Wordlessly, he put it away and went to follow Fancy Pants.

As the duo stepped off the train, the warm, fresh country air of Ponyville entered their lungs. It was quite the contrast from the typically cool and heavy air of Canterlot and Pip would be lying if he said he hadn’t missed it. He looked down at his sweater vest and necktie, sighing.

“I wish I had brought a warm weather vest.”

“A gentlecolt always wears his best, remember Pip.” Fancy said with a coy grin, making Pip giggle “In truth, I forgot to pack a change as well. But we’ll make do.”

“Right!” Pip gave a look at the number of ponies boarding and leaving the train on the wooden platform. He quickly pulled out his notepad and took a pencil into his mouth “Now, where do you think Ms. Rarity is?”

“She runs the Carousel Boutique, but I am having a hard time remembering where it is.” Fancy adjusted his monocle, analyzing his surroundings as he led them out of the station.

Stepping onto the grass, the first thing Fancy noticed was how different the atmosphere was around Ponyville. Pony’s of all kinds were trotting on the flattened grass that made up the streets with smiles on their faces and conversing with their fellow neighbors. Quite a shift when compared to Canterlot, whose atmosphere was weighted with expectations, status, and the regality of the city itself. A subconscious knot in Fancy’s chest almost seemed to loosen when observing the architecture and taking in the relaxed ambience. He blinked and focused back on the present moment, his apprentice stepping ahead of him and turning to face him.

“Maybe we should ask somepony for directions?”

“Quite right,” Fancy nodded and waved down the only pony close enough, a yellow Earth Pony stallion with blue horseshoes for a cutie mark “Excuse me, sir. Would you happen to know where Carousel Boutique is?”

The stallion blinked, as if he were just now registering the well-dressed stallion’s presence “Oh, um, sure! It’s…” he patted his chin and pointed to the southeast “Just follow the river that way and you’ll find it in no time. It’s the fanciest looking building on the block, can’t miss it.”

“Thank you very much, sir.” Fancy bowed slightly and went to step away but stopped, facing the stallion once more, trying to read his face “Is everything quite alright?”

“Oh! Um, yeah. Sorry, it’s just...work problems. Don’t worry about it.” He dismissed with a wave, moving to rub the back of his mane “I’m Caramel, by the way.”

“Fancy Pants, and this here is my apprentice, young master Pip.” Fancy gestured to the small colt, who raised his chin with pride.

“I’m a gentlecolt in training!”

Caramel smiled and nodded “Nice to meet you both.” He then took on an uncertain look once again “Hate to tell ya, but the Boutique’s been closed for a few days now, so I wouldn’t expect any business.”

Fancy raised an eyebrow “Really? Why is that?”

Without needing a prompt, Pip began to take notes.

“I don’t really know, I heard somethin’ about some family trouble or somethin’. I tend to stay outta the rumor mill, you know?”

Fancy nodded, his mind going back to the letter: ‘Something terrible has happened’. He could tell that the stallion wasn’t lying, so he dismissed him with a slight bow “I see. Thank you for your time, sir Caramel.”

“Nothin doin’. Stay safe now.” The yellow pony gave a farewell nod and made his way past the two. Pip closed his notepad and spit his pencil into his bag.

“Our first bread crumb, Mr. Fancy.” Pip smiled then looked toward the southeast with a frown “Family trouble, huh?”

“Seems that way.” Fancy acknowledged, taking a step forward “Come, let’s make our way there before making any assumptions. Remember, a gentlecolt-” he led.

“-prepares all the facts before taking a guess!” Pip finished, sauntering to his mentor’s side. Fancy gave him a wink with his monocled eye.

“Bingo, young master.”

The pair navigated the cozy streets of Ponyville, eventually finding the river Caramel described. After a few minutes of trotting along, the calm babbling of the river accompanying them all the while, they eventually found a tall, cylindrical shaped building decorated with the most lavish of decor. It truly did look like a carousel in appearance and Fancy was quite impressed. It was as if a piece of Canterlot fell down from the mountain and made its home in this cozy villa.

“I believe this is the place,” Fancy observed, noticing Pip taking in the building’s appearance as well with a look of awe “It is rather beautiful, isn’t it?”

Pip agreed with a quick nod and, after a moment more of staring, he produced his notepad once more “Let’s go see if anyone is home, Mr. Fancy.”

Fancy Pants took a breath and made his way toward the door. A small sign covered the diamond shaped window from the inside, the words ‘CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE’ were written in bright red ink. Fancy rapped three times on the wooden door with his hoof and waited. The chirping of nearby birds and the distant cries of happy ponies farther in town acted as ambience. After around a minute, Fancy decided to knock once more. Eventually, the sound of hooves quickly shuffling could be heard from within.

“Twilight? Is that you? Did you manage to find anything?”

Before Fancy could answer, the sound of the door unlocking and being swung open cut him off. Standing there with the handle in the grip of her light blue magic was none other than Rarity. Her usually bright and lovely white coat was frizzy from a lack of grooming and her bedazzling purple mane was disheveled and oily in appearance. Her sapphire eyes widened when she spotted Fancy Pants, who bowed respectfully.

“Sorry I took so long, my dear. The train was running a little late today.”

“Fancy Pants…you’re here!” She got out, her voice strained. A quick study of her face revealed bags under her eyes and the shadow of tears on her cheeks “I-I’m sorry if I interrupted your busy schedule but I-. I mean I-.”

“It’s quite alright my dear. May we come in?” He asked, gesturing to himself and Pip. Rarity sniffled and bobbed her head, stepping back inside.

“Of course. I’m terribly sorry about the mess, but I’ve not had a lot of time for anything. Not since…” She trailed off and sniffled once more “Please, follow me.”

Fancy obliged, as well as young Pip, and the two entered. Inside the boutique, there was a bit of dissonance when compared to how it looked outside. While it was still rather nice, the dimly lit interior was obviously a shadow of its former self. A few of the naked mannequins were laying on the show floor, thread spools were strewn across the room, and half-finished dresses were placed randomly around on tables. Seeing a pony who made sure she looked fabulous no matter where she went reduced to such a state made Fancy worry even more. The trio passed the show room and into the kitchen, where Celestia’s light was barely illuminating the table to which Rarity was guiding them toward. The smell of old hay fries and parsley permeated through the modest kitchen.

“I can prepare some tea, if you like.”

“Oh no, that’s alright Rarity. Please, you look like you need to sit. I’ll prepare the tea in the meantime.” Fancy walked over and pulled a chair out for the mare. Pip remained standing, eyeing the mare with sadness in his little brown eyes.

Rarity didn’t attempt to dissuade the stallion and gladly took the seat, nearly collapsing into the lavish, cushioned steel chair “Thank you, Fancy. The tea is on the top shelf next to the oats.”

Pip took a seat, watching as Fancy went to prepare tea. The young pony looked at the lady of the house and placed the notepad on the table, opening it up to the most recent page. He tried to look even smaller than he already was and hoped that Rarity would not-

“You’re Pip, aren’t you?” Rarity asked, breaking the ice. The spotted colt froze and cleared his throat, hoping to expel his awkwardness.

“Yes, mam. I’m Mr. Fancy’s apprentice.” He stated, taking the usual amount of pride in that fact despite the atmosphere. Rarity tilted her head, raising a brow.

“Oh? What does that entail?”

“Reading up on etiquette, mostly.” He said with an awkward laugh “That and learning the natural and magical sciences, plus some history for good measure. Also helping him solve some mysteries!”

“And wearing adorable ties?” She ribbed. Pip blushed and looked down at his small, forest green straight tie.

“W-Well, um. I’m not at bow tie level yet. But someday I will be!” He insisted. This made the miserable looking mare laugh lightly.

“Oh, I’m sure you will be.” She replied, smiling at the determined colt. Her eyes then went wide as she leaned a little from the table to get a better look at something on Pip’s side “You don’t have your cutie mark?”

Pip went silent as he looked down at his blank flank, feeling a new rush of embarrassment rise to his face and chest. The purple maned mare seemed to pick up on this immediately and looked as if she wanted to apologize before Pip spoke first “It’s okay, Mrs Rarity. I’ll get it someday, that’s what matters.”

Her eyes were laden with guilt despite his words, but Pip could tell that there was something else there. A longing, perhaps? Just as he was about to pry a little deeper, the heavy hoofsteps of Fancy made them both look in his direction, seeing him carrying a teapot and three teacups in his magical field.

“Tea is served. Chamomile.” He announced, lowering the Canterlot inspired porcelain ware onto the table, pouring each pony at the table of a serving of the steaming, yellow liquid.
Rarity was the first to sip, sighing afterward

“Thank you so much, Fancy Pants. I’m sorry for not being able to do it myself but, as you’ve noticed, things have been...rough for me.”

“Apologies are not necessary, my lady.” Fancy said, taking his seat and giving her a gentle look as he did. “We can enjoy the tea before getting into the details, if you prefer.”

The white coated mare looked away for a moment, staring out the kitchen and into the nearly dark showroom beyond. She released a deep breath the duo didn’t see her take and took another sip of tea.

“No, I’m ready to talk. Holding it in is doing nothing but make me miserable.” She let out a single, mirthless laugh. Fancy took a drink before nodding to Pip. The colt nodded back and withdrew his pencil, preparing to write.

“Very well, Rarity. Please, start from the beginning.”

She was silent for a moment as she seemed to organize everything into an orderly explanation. “Around three days ago, I was working on dresses for my new summer line. I had gathered all the necessary threads and gemstones and went to work immediately. The only problem is that when I get into the zone, as it were, I am fully focused on my work, ignoring nearly everything else until I am finished.” She said, stopping to stare out the window of her kitchen. Fancy noticed the gleam of tears in the corner of her eyes “I remember on that day, Sweetie Belle came to tell me about something. Whatever it was passed through one ear and out the other as I was in the middle of my work, but I do remember her saying something about a “new and awesome way” to get her cutie mark.”

“Sweetie Belle is your sister, correct?” Fancy asked. Rarity nodded, the tears welling up.

“Y-Yes. I didn’t think anything of it, I just assumed it was another one of her and her friends' wacky adventures or something of the sort. It’s become the new normal for me. I never thought that she...that she…” her tears flowed freely but she met Fancy’s sympathetic eyes “That she wouldn’t come back…”

Fancy Pants reached a hoof across the table and placed it over hers as she wept quietly into her right foreleg. Pip stayed silent, halting the scratch of his pencil as he felt his chest get heavy with empathy. A minute passed before Rarity took a breath and steeled herself, ready to continue.

“My friend Applejack’s sister, Applebloom, and another little pony named Scootaloo disappeared along with her. They were inseparable and not one left without the others following behind. They called themselves the Cutie Mark Crusaders.”

Pip’s eyes went wide for a moment, but he remained silent, his pencil streaking down her testimony after a drink of his tea.

Fancy listened intently, sipping his tea on occasion as she spoke “What did these three little ponies look like?” Rarity cleared her throat.

“Sweetie Belle has a white coat like mine, big beautiful green eyes and a pink and purple mane. And she’s a Unicorn like me. Applebloom is a yellow Earth Pony with a pretty red mane, amber eyes, and a large pink bow she loves to wear.” Rarity paused to drink some tea. “Scootaloo is an orange Pegasus pony with a purple mane and purple eyes.”

Fancy went silent as he considered his next question “And they’ve been missing for three days?”

“Yes. Applejack and Twilight have been handling most of the searching, as well as Fluttershy since she knows the Everfree Forest better than anypony. That’s where they believe the three of them went but I can’t see it.” She shook her head “My little Sweetie Belle was terrified of that place, and I know she would try to talk her friends out of going in there if they tried.”

Fancy put a pin on the Everfree Forest in his mind and finished his tea with one last gulp. He looked at Rarity with an empathetic eye “I’m sorry you’ve had to go through this, Rarity. But I assure you, on my honor as a gentlecolt, I will help in the search for your sister.”

The white unicorn pony let out a relieved sigh, smiling at Fancy through the remaining tears in her eyes “Thank you, Fancy. That means more to me than you will ever know.”

The monocled stallion nodded and looked to his apprentice “Let’s go, Pip.”

“Right away, Mr. Fancy.”

Fancy gave one more bow to Rarity, Pip following suit, and they turned to leave.

“Wait!” Rarity said rather loudly, her voice hoarse from crying “I just remembered something! Wait here.”

The unicorn mare trotted out of the kitchen and up a set of stairs. The pair of gentlecolts looked at each other with confusion and remained where they were. Not a moment passed before Pip spoke up.

“Mr. Fancy, I think I remember the three ponies she’s talking about.”

Fancy crooked an eyebrow “Really? Did you know them?”

Pip shook his head in affirmative “I recall them asking if I wanted to join them in their search for their Cutie Marks. I was too nervous to say yes. I hung out with them for a little bit before moving in with you. ”

“Interesting. Then you’ll be my eyes when it comes to finding them, agreed?” Fancy suggested with a grin. Pip agreed with a toothy smile.

“Of course, Mr. Fancy!”

Rarity eventually came downstairs out of breath with what appeared to be a scarf clutched in her sapphire blue magic. Upon closer inspection, the item was a pink and white layered scarf with pink tassel on each end “Before Sweetie Belle left that morning, one of the few things I remember is her taking a scarf like this one, but with blue replacing the pink. I...made it for her myself a month ago.”

Fancy hummed to himself as he looked it over “I see. Thank you, Rarity, we’ll keep an eye out for its match.”

“Good luck and please be careful...and thank you again.”

Fancy bowed once more “It’s a gentlecolt’s job to lend a hoof, my dear. Think nothing of it.” Pip gave a bow as well and stomped a tiny hoof.

“We’ll bring Sweetie Belle and her friends back; don’t you worry Ms. Rarity!”

And with that, the duo left the glamorous little shop. Leaving not only their promises, but a hope within the heart of the generous and beautiful Unicorn.

In the back of Fancy Pant’s mind, however, he couldn’t help but feel there was something more at work. Something sinister. And he felt reminded of his trifle with Waning Gibbous one month prior. Whatever it was, he hoped he and Pip found those fillies before it was too late...