Hiding in the Background

Twilight and Pinkie Pie stood by the Library’s open doorway, peering down at the town’s mayor, a pony with a tan coat and a silvery mane. She wore a pair of small, flat-rimmed glasses and a white collar with a green cravat wrapped through it. She was lying collapsed in front of the two mares, gasping for air.

“Princess Twilight!” she panted, a relieved smile appearing on her face. “Thank goodness you’re here!” She got to her hooves and brushed her coat off.

Twilight stared at her, frowning. “Why, is there something wrong?” she asked.

“Yes!” the mayor immediately responded. “Somepony has gone and destroyed the statue of Ornate Portrait!”

Twilight's jaw dropped. "Why would anypony—"

“Who’s Ornate Portrait?” Pinkie asked. The mayor stared at her, aghast.

“How can you not know? Did they teach you anything as a filly? I… I don't even…” she sputtered out, glaring at Pinkie. “Ornate Portrait is only Ponyville’s greatest mayor of all time! This town wouldn’t be what it is without her!”

Twilight glanced away, muttering. “She wasn’t that great…”

“She might even be the single greatest mayor that Equestria’s ever seen! She made so many great reforms! Made the right decision on so many tough choices! — did I tell you she was my mentor?”

Pinkie shook her head.

“Oh, well she was! Anyways, one of the—“

“Ahem,” Twilight said, with the patience of a foal on Hearth’s Warming Eve. “I believe we should get going to the crime scene.”

The mayor stared at her blankly.

“I assume that’s why you came here, right?”

“Oh, yes yes, excuse me.” The mayor coughed, as if to regain her composure. “Mmm, follow me this way?” She began walking towards a small crowd of ponies in the distance.

Twilight looked at Pinkie and, seeing her shrug, stepped through the doorway and followed the mayor.

0-0-0-0-0

“Pinkie! Twilight! I’ve got your snacks!” Spike shouted, stepping out of the kitchen. He peered around the room. It was completely vacant. Spike groaned and walked over to the couch. Tossing the food on the table in front of him, he laid down on the couch and muttered to himself.

“This day just gets better and better.”

0-0-0-0-0

“I can't go any further!” the mayor proclaimed, having dramatically fallen to the ground.

“Oh, come on!” Twilight shouted, glaring at the mayor. “We’ve taken at most 10 steps from the library, and you’re already exhausted?” She forcefully pointed her hoof at the library, less than 10 yards away.

“I think I’ll have to be carried there!” she said, pushing herself to a sitting position. “If only someone out there would be able to carry me all the long, long way there!”

“It’s not that far away,” Twilight spoke through her now-clenched teeth.

“Oh, it is so! If only somepony could—“

“Why, hello Mayor Mare!” A gray stallion with a wavy blue mane walked past the three.

The mayor scrambled to her hooves, clearing her throat. “Hello, Star Bright!” she said cheerily, waving to him. He smiled and continued walking past. She kept on waving until the stallion turned the corner and walked out of sight.

“That was a close one!” the mayor exclaimed. “My reputation could’ve been ruined!”

Twilight’s eye twitched. She opened her mouth, preparing to let out a frustrated scream. Instead, though, she just sighed. “Let’s just go already.”

“Indeed!” the mayor agreed, leading the way. Twilight looked at Pinkie, giving an exasperated look. Pinkie just shrugged, and the two mares followed her towards a growing crowd of ponies.

Pinkie leaned towards Twilight and whispered, “She’s almost as bad as Rarity.” Twilight covered her mouth with a hoof, failing to stifle a giggle.

Pinkie smiled at her, looking into her eyes. She loved when Twilight laughed. Well, she loved it when anypony laughed, but she loved it especially when Twilight did. There was something about that sweet, silvery sound, something that made her want to keep on making Twilight laugh…

“Pinkie?” Twilight looked at her friend nervously. She gently poked Pinkie’s side, causing her to jump. Pinkie shook her head, clearing her thoughts.

“Yeah, Twi? What’s up?”

Twilight sighed. “I was trying to ask you a question when you started dozing off.” A light red tinge found its way onto Pinkie’s cheeks.

“Sorry about that,” Pinkie said, grinning nervously. She swallowed the spit forming in her mouth. “So what were you going to ask?”

“I was going to ask if you wanted to go to a picnic on Tuesday?” She smiled at Pinkie hopefully.

“Really?” Pinkie’s eyes opened wide. “Are you sure?”

“Of course! I asked all the other girls and they said they could!” Twilight smiled. Pinkie’s ears fell flat against her head.

“Oh, okay.” She gave Twilight a half-hearted smile.

“Great!” exclaimed Twilight. “I’ll tell the others! Well, once we’re done with this business.”

As if on cue, the mayor hollered back at them. “We’re here!”

0-0-0-0-0

The crowd parted as the three mares made their way through to the crime. Once they reached the yellow tape, they were stopped by a stallion in a guard uniform. The mayor showed the stallion a small piece of paper, and they were shown through.

“The team’s over there,” the stallion stated, curtly. He pointed his hoof towards a group of stallions and mares talking to each other in hushed voices.

“Thanks,” Twilight answered. She started walking towards the small group.

“I’m going to speak with the public and tell them what we know,” stated the mayor, before walking to the edge of the crime scene and hopping the yellow tape. She was immediately bombarded with questions from all directions as she waded through the depths of the crowd.

The only ponies left were Pinkie Pie and the stallion.

“Hi!” Pinkie chirped, regaining her smile. The stallion simply grunted in response. She took that as an invitation to keep talking.

“Have you ever been to Sugarcube Corner?” She smiled gleefully at the stallion. He didn't respond this time.

“No?” she asked. Again, the stallion didn't respond.

“Well if you haven’t, then you should definitely go!”

The stallion frowned at her. “Why don’t you just go and follow your friend? Huh?” he said, his frown deepened into a glare.

“Oh yeah!” Pinkie exclaimed. She started to turn to follow Twilight, but only took a couple of steps before spinning around and zipping back to the stallion.

“Actually, could you point me to the crime itself? I wanna see if my detective skills have gotten any better since last time!”

A crease formed on the stallion’s forehead. “It’s right over there.” He pointed his hoof in a direction. “But I’m not sure you should be investigating the—“

Pinkie interrupted him, saying “Thanks!” before trotting off.

The stallion stood staring at the mare as she made her way to the broken statue.

“This can’t end well…”