Twilight 'Sleuth' Sparkle: The Bittersweet Soiree

Twilight sat alone in a dim room, the only source of light was a single candle perched atop her writing desk. It had been hours since the storm had picked up outside and had since forced the locals of Ponyville to take refuge in their homes. The shadow cast by a blanket of grey clouds that loomed over the town made it appear as though it were night, but a glance at the ornate wall clock informed the pony that it was only late afternoon. The flame which consumed the steadily shortening wick was now flickering as  the altar of white wax was reduced to a glob of clear liquid at the bottom of the dish. The unicorn worked diligently though, her horn aglow with a purple-hued aura. The faint noise of a feathered quill scratching against paper could be heard as she wrote, the red phoenix plume that Celestia had given her, and now adorned the quill, swayed back and forth. Twilight sighed contentedly as she dotted the last period on her scroll of parchment. She massaged her aching wrist, which had grown tired from her feverish writing, and peered down to read the scroll.

Twilight skimmed the page, and once she was certain that nary a grammatical error flawed the page, grinned. She levitated the pile of parchment steadily to one of the ceiling-high shelves that bordered the walls of the Ponyville library, setting it down atop an organized pile of similar scrolls.

"Perfect!" Twilight beamed, just as a stout purple dragon emerged from the loft after his afternoon nap. "Oh, hey Spike!"

"Hey, Twilight." Spike yawned, stretching his arms above his head as he did so. "What are you up to?"

"Nothing much. I was just -" her words were cut off by the familiar hoot of an owl. She craned her neck to see Owlowiscious perched on the windowsill, which he had cracked open just enough to slide into the room. He held an envelope in his beak. He hooted once more, as if beckoning for her to take the letter. "What is it, Owlowiscious?" The owl presumed to flutter in past her, shaking his feathers dry as he did so. The letter fell to the floor beside her.

She overturned it and examined the intricate red wax seal, but the design did not belong to neither Celestia nor Luna. In fact, it was completely foreign to her. It did not bear the symbols of any royalty she knew. Her magic made quick work of tearing the envelope open, and the letter slid out, now illuminated in the embrace of her magical influence. There were few words on it, but the handwriting scrawled upon the yellowing parchment was eerily familiar. Had she seen it somewhere before? She read it aloud to Spike.

"Dearest Twilight Sparkle,

You are cordially invited to attend a private soirée. It is to be held at the Canterlot Castle at 7 pm sharp. It would be most pleasing to have you.

                                                                                                                                         Sincerely,

                                                                                                                                         Anonymous

Twilight folded the letter and swallowed in an attempt to wet her suddenly dry throat. The mere fact that it failed to mention exactly whom was holding this party was peculiar indeed, but the anonymous sender was what sent a chilling shiver up Twilight's spine. Spike looked equally befuddled at the secrecy of invitation.

"Weird." he said. "You're not going to go, right, Twilight?" A hint of concern riddled his voice. Twilight shook her head, immediately dismissing the thought.

"No, there's something..." she paused to find the right word. "not right about this. I can feel it."

The loud bang of a door bursting open caused both Twilight and Spike to jump. At the door stood Rarity, drenched from head to hoof with rain. Her purple mane, which was usually done up in a beautiful curl, lay in disarray. Despite the fact that she was completely soaked, there was an oddly ecstatic grin on her face. In fact, even her eyes appeared to be smiling at her as the unicorn shivered at the door. Spike, upon seeing his damsel in distress, had immediately gone to fetch a towel and now draped it over the white pony.

"Hello Twilight." Rarity greeted, though her words were somewhat muffled by the dripping piece of paper in her mouth. "I came as fast as I could! Did you get the invitation too?" Twilight nodded, glancing reproachfully at the puddle of rain that had formed at her friend's hooves, ruining the newly-polished floor. It was quite unlike Rarity to act so... calm about being wet and unclean. She usually had the sense to at least bring an umbrella before galloping to her friend's house mid-storm. "Good! Then I suppose you need a nice dress too? I have an ensemble back at the boutique that just screams 'Twilight'!"

"Uh... what?" Twilight gaped, struggling to process what Rarity was saying. She had not only received this ominous letter, but was also seriously considering attending? Rarity blinked, and her smile faded.

"You are attending, aren't you?" Rarity pressed, her eyebrow raised. The silence between us immediately answered her question. "You aren't?! But Twilight, you simply must join us! All the girls received an invitation, and we're all planning on going. Why, without you, it wouldn't be the same!"

"Fine, I'll come along then! But don't you think there's something just a teensy bit off about the anonymous letters?"

Rarity's pout vanished, instantly replaced by a pleased grin. "Oh, seriously, Twilight. You needn't be so uptight about something so silly as an anonymous letter. Perhaps the hosts wanted to add an air of mystery to it! Now, I am glad you decided to tag along after all. We have just enough to time to scurry back to the boutique and get you all done-up. Perhaps a touch of mascara..."

"It's fine, I'll just wear my Gala dress. That's what I always wear for fancy things like this."

Rarity was flabbergasted. "You can't be serious, Twilight! You need a touch of variety -" Rarity gasped. "Oh, alright." she sighed in defeat. "But don't come crying to me when your dress it too plain for the tastes of the upper-class ponies." the unicorn harrumphed. Twilight rolled her eyes and grinned.

"Thanks anyway, Rarity."

"You're quite welcome." she replied bitterly, still clearly disgruntled to have her advice denied. A soft rapping at the heavy oak door was a welcome distraction. Spike rushed to the door, opening it to reveal a dry Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash. Each pony wore their respective gala dress, much to Rarity's chagrin. "Girls!" Rarity exclaimed, trotting over to them. "However did you stay dry out there?"

"Rainbow Dash was nice enough to make us a little cloud." Fluttershy replied in her usual quiet tone of voice. Sure enough, a cloud floated just above their heads, sheltering them from the weather.

"Ah stopped by tha boutique on mah way an' picked up yer dress for ya, Rarity." Applejack grinned, handing the unicorn her dress. Rarity, towelling the remainder of her mane dry, slipped into the pink and yellow gown and placed the iconic tiara upon her violet mane. She trotted into the bathroom and examined her reflection in the mirror, a pleased smile curving on her lips. As Rarity applied a delicate amount of mascara to her eyelashes, batting them as if she were flirting with a handsome stallion, Fluttershy helped Twilight into her dress.

"Alright, ladies. We best be making our way to Canterlot. I shant wish to be late on such an important occasion!" Rarity said as she emerged from the bathroom and out the door. "Rainbow, would you be so kind as to make another cloud for us while we wait for our carriage?"

"Consider it done." Rainbow grinned, the familiar rasp accenting her voice. The six ponies clumped together beneath the protection of the puff of grey cloud , which drifted over them as they made their way across the cobblestone path. Within mere minutes, the sound of cart wheels rolling along the path ushered in the sight of the carriage. A burly-looking stallion with a mint mane drew the intricately-designed carriage towards the cloister of shivering mares.  His mane was drenched, but he seemed not to mind.

"Ladies." he greeted, bowing his head. One by one, they scaled the miniscule steps and each clambered into the cart. It was a tight fit, but the velvet cushions kept them somewhat comfortable. The carriage was shaped much like a teapot lacking a spout and handle, Twilight mentally speculated. The walls were adorned with a painting of vine and roses, occasionally dotted with a bluebird or two. The windows would have normally provided something for Twilight to occupy herself with, such as gazing out at the fleeting images of the surrounding scenery. Unfortunately, the constant torrents of rainwater was as thick as a shroud of fog. The hour-long ride to Canterlot passed surprisingly fast despite the cramped space in which they traveled.

The carriage wheels grinded to a stop before the palace. As Twilight emerged, inhaling a lungful of crisp evening air, it was clear that the rain had not subsided in the slightest. The horizon was shadowed by the layer of thunderheads. Occasionally, a clap of thunder would peel through the sky, accompanied by zigzagging streaks of lightning. Nonetheless, the unfortunate weather had failed to dampen the spirits of the six mares as they scurried for the shelter of the castle. Two guards stood at their posts, mouths curved in a slight, stern frown.

"Ma'am." one of the guards grunted, looking us over. The doors burst open, showering them in light. Standing in the doorway was Fancypants himself.

"Rarity!" he crooned, throwing his forelegs open and inviting her into a friendly hug. "I wasn't expecting you here!"

Twilight raised an eyebrow. "You w-weren't?" The group exchanged concerned looks.

"No." Fancypants shook his head. "But you're still welcome to come in and enjoy yourselves." Twilight nodded and trotted in, eager to escape the cold. The room was filled with the hum of chatter as at least two hundred ponies conversed while holding martinis. Jetsetter and his wife threw their heads back in laughter, most likely at some snide quip the stallion they were speaking to had made. The beautiful singing of a cello could be heard of their voices, accompanied by a grand piano, violin and a golden harp. Octavia stood at the head of her band, cello in hoof as she masterfully wove a heart-wrenching sonata.

Rarity continued to chat with Fancypants, helping herself to a few hors oeuvres as a server passed.  The rest scattered off to their areas of interest; Rainbow Dash and Applejack headed down to the buffet table, which was covered with several succulent  dishes and delicious desserts, Pinkie Pie began to dance wildly, much to the shock and disgust of the surrounding attendees, Fluttershy trotted over to the botanical garden to observe the shrubs shaped to look like peacocks and rabbits. The night was still young, the clock only just striking 7pm. Twilight scanned the ballroom for something of interest, but her thoughts were interrupted by an ear-splitting shriek.

A loud gasp rose from the crowd, and every single head turned to see a distraught maid fleeing from one of the suites. Tears poured down her cheeks. Jetsetter caught the crying mare and attempted to calm her down. Twilight pushed her way through the dense crowd, fighting to get closer to the babbling maid.

"She - she... she... w-was..."

"Who is 'she'? What happened?" Jetsetter pressed, patting the mare's back.

"She's dead!"

"Who is dead, dear?"

The maid sniffled a little, drying her tears as she frantically tried to regain her composure. Fancypants had made his way to the front of the crowd, and now emerged beside  Twilight. Several ponies had gone to explore the suite.

"Fleur. Fleur de Lis. She's dead!"