Chapters Author's Note
First of all, I want to thank a lot the author of phoenix Wright / My Little Pony FIM - Turnabout Storm. It is one of the very first MLP stories I read, and it is what got me into the MLP stories. It is also the story that inspired mine. But I tried not to copy much. Also, I want to point out that I am not English and that, although I am trying to write this story without any grammatical or orthographical mistakes, there might be some left, so sorry in advance if there is. Enjoy :)
The adventure begins
It was half past eleven; I remember this like it was yesterday, but it is now two months behind me. This day was the day my whole life collapsed, changed drastically, and when I mean drastically, I mean DRASTICALLY. At first, it seemed terrible and scary, almost like a nightmare, but quickly, things lightened up, just as the sky after a rainy day. I have a lot to share with you and everything since that fateful day, I owe it to my new friends, but you’ll understand everything in a minute.
It all started in the United States, in New York to be more precise. My name is Christopher Ambrose; I am twenty-three, and I am a private detective. I wasn't an undercover agent or something like that. I wasn't part of a secret governmental organization that fights crime with all sorts of gadgets and tools, no, just the regular detective. I had been on various small cases before, like people losing valuables items or some robbery attempt at some bank. I didn’t like my job but it was my only source of income, I was already lucky to have found such a well-paid job. Although I had been educated and rewarded with multiple degrees, I still couldn’t work the way I wanted, and this was just because of many things, one being my education…sigh… But let's move on, we are not here to talk about my problems but about what happened to me that fateful night. Let’s begin.
Today is a cloudy and rainy day; the kind of day that ruins your mood as soon as you see it start and that you wish would just end as you had that thought. But like any other typical day, I had to go to work... I got up, brushed my teeth, took my breakfast, dressed up and went to work... It was always the same routine, and to tell the truth, I was fed up with it, but what do you want, we don't decide who we are.
I was on a stolen wallet case for a week now, and this day I finally got that pickpocket. I always felt good about myself when I solved cases; I still don't know why probably a normal reaction of the human brain. But this, this feeling of justice and law is what got me into the whole detective thing. Having being bullied at school multiple times when I was young, I would have wanted someone to stand up from the rest to help me, just like I did with all the people, victims of city crimes...
But never, in any case, have I gone further than investigating. I wasn't in charge of the punishment or the trial. I was just here to do my job, and that is just there is to it...
After some paperwork and waving hands at my 'work colleges', I came home from this hard day of work, I took the taxi and then the elevator to the ninth floor, it was where I lived. I faced the old rusty iron door, and I slowly inserted the key, I came in. I had lived in that apartment for the last four years of my life, and I always felt right when entering... Not this time, though.
When I turned eighteen, my parents didn't want me with them as I was old enough to take care of myself, so they threw me out... I found an apartment and soon after, this job. I couldn't complain too much about my situation because it could be much worse, at least I had a roof to sleep under and enough money to eat without too much trouble.
I let myself fall on the couch, making the sound of old plastics scraped against the wall behind it. This building was old I had to face it, but I liked it the way it was. Although, sometimes I imagined the house of my dreams, my palace. I would be the prince, and I would imagine a large room filled with books, computers and oh yes, and a pool, a vast pool filled with hot water for the cold winter nights. I would imagine long hallways that lead to different rooms, each with their proper usage: a gaming room, a sports room or a large living room where I would eat turkey and other delicious meals. But after that, when I opened my eyes again, and I would realize that it was only an illusion, a tear would sometimes drop off and run on my face and neck, leaving behind a trail of sadness that would fade away, just like my hope.
My current and real apartment was much more modest than the one I usually daydreamed of: it was composed of a small living room (the one I was in) with a hardly functional TV, a couch, a nicely decorated table and a few other useless pieces of furniture. There was a single room, mine, although it was probably the most place in the apartment, it was where I would go to found comfort and calm. There were only a bed, two old wardrobes, and a lovely orange carpet, that was one of the only things my parents left me before leaving me. There was a bathroom next to my room, not much else to say about it... you know... it is a bathroom. And finally, a small terrace at the edge of my living room, with a view on the buildings right in front of mine. It might sound like a big deal but honestly, even if I would wish for better, it was all I needed, and besides, I spent most of my day at work anyway...
I was here, lying down, I decided to close my eyes and tried not to think about it. About the truth. I knew that the stolen wallet was my last case for the moment and that there weren’t going to be anymore anytime soon. The detective business had slowed down recently, probably due to a decrease in crimes around the world, I was even afraid they would fire me one of these days...
I also knew that I was running low on money and that the bills were accumulating… With my eyes closed, I kept thinking about what I was going to do tomorrow and the day after that and so on. I had no one who could comfort me. I had broken up with my family years ago, and I couldn’t find any person to love… I still don’t know why. But did I want to know?
I had been sitting down for half an hour already, lost in my thoughts when suddenly, something happened, something out of the ordinary, something extraordinary! I started to feel dizzy, drowsy, off balance, unsteady, you can call it what you want I wasn’t feeling well. I tried to get up, but I felt so sick doing so that I had to sit back down. I thought I was going to throw up. I couldn't locate where the pain was coming from, and I started panicking. But the more I tried to move and resist, the more the pain intensified to a point where I had to lie down.
I stayed in this position, holding my stomach as a reflex and tried to identify what was happening to me. But after ten minutes the pain finally started to fade away, but, as strange as it sounds, I could feel the world around me disappearing, I felt dizzy again. It was like I was bouncing in an endless tornado like I was thrown left and right. I felt so sick and so misdirected. I was completely out of my world but somehow still conscious. I don’t know how much time I was in this maelstrom, but it seemed like an eternity.
When it finally stopped, it was dark and silent around me. I had lost all control of my muscles; I tried desperately to move, but it was in vain. I just waited there…where was I? Was this a dream? Was I… dead? After another few minutes spent in the silence, I started to be able to move slightly, and I could hear a voice in what seemed to be the distance. Afterward, I began to identify a vague silhouette…. And then, all of the sudden, everything brightened up in a flash of light, blinding me for a few seconds. After a few seconds, I blinked three times and opened my eyes. I could finally see correctly but what I witnessed petrified me. I was not ready for this…
I was no longer in my apartment but in what seemed to be a library. It was quite large: there were hundreds of books placed on shelves reaching the roof! Some were so high I could barely read the title. They had been entirely organized by type, color, subject and importance. There were two small tables on my left and right. The floor was made out of wood; It almost felt like I was in a tree… I could see, not far from me, a staircase leading to another floor but I was lying down, and I was unable to see where it led I could also see something like a terrace in front of me. I quickly analyzed the situation and came to the conclusion that I had a very, very realistic dream. But my thoughts and suggestions were interrupted as I heard a feminine voice behind me.
“Hello there, are... are you a human?
I did my best to try and turn around, but I was still in shock. This whole library and the ground beneath me felt so real and yet my brain was still trying to convince me that this was a dream. I was looking at the walls, floor, and lovely architecture all around me. I hadn't forgotten about the voice. I was scared but mostly intrigued.
I knew the sound was coming from behind me, so I gathered all my strength and sat down on the wooden floor. I then slowly turned around, and what I saw was beyond anything I had imagined to see. Right in front of me (about a meter away) was standing a purple pony! Funny story, I knew it was not a horse because I had spent a few days on a farm for a school trip when I was still young. There was a very nice lady that explained everything about farm animals, yes; I still remember it correctly.
Ponies were smaller than the average horse and, although I couldn't see its size because I was sitting down, I could tell it was too small to be a horse. Well if the real world logic applied here. I had also been able to notice that it was a female because of it's thicker neck and body. After looking at it a few more seconds, I realized it had a horn... A purple horn about ten centimeters long was sticking out of its head. Could it be a unicorn? And finally, I noticed a very strange symbol on her flanks; it seemed like it was representing a purple six-pointed star and five smaller white similar stars around it. This situation was getting stranger by the minute, and my brain was desperately trying to process what the hell was going on. The pony was just standing there, staring at me, it's head tilted to the side, it seemed like it was waiting for an answer. Suddenly the purple creature opened its mouth and with it came the mysterious voice I had heard earlier.
"Are you ok? You look lost. I Hope that the journey wasn't to much trouble". She said
I think I never felt so many emotions at the same time: fear, surprise, confusion, and yet I was still amazed by what was happening in front of me. I must have looked so dumb in that very moment... I didn't understand how that animal could talk and be in an environment that felt so realistic. There were so many questions running in my head, but after a few seconds of thinking I decided to play the game (I was still mostly thinking that this was a dream) and answered the pony, at least as long as I couldn't take decisions and move properly.
"Ehh...please tell me where I am and how did I get here, eh...purple pony". I said
"Oh, of course, my bad. I summoned you here from your human world. I used a basic teleportation spell. It was nothing. By the way, my name is Twilight Sparkle; pleased to meet you." The pony answered while observing me under every angle
I was still in the fog, and things were getting even more strange... I was feeling my strength coming back to me. I decided to ask more questions...
"But... but... why did you do that, I have important things to do in my world, you can't just kidnap me like this" I said, with anger in my voice.
The pony looked embarrassed
"I am sorry for that Christopher, but I need you here for a critical...task. Equestria needs you" she answered.
The more I listened, the less I understood what was going on. And how does she even know my name? I decided to leave this question aside for now, or my brain would have surely overloaded. Instead, I decided to ask about Equestria:
"What or who in the world is Equestria ??" I asked
"It is where we are; it is the world I summoned you too. You see, here we are in Ponyville, which is a part of Equestria, many other places are also part of this world. Here in Ponyville, the majority of its inhabitants are ponies."
"What? There are more talking horses? I said
"Well, of course, we are in Ponyville... But anyway, I need to explain to you why I brought you here. I'll expose to you the problem and then you will be able to decide if you want to help or not. I don't want to hold you against your will..." she answered
you already are...
I hadn't realized, but I had regained full control over my body over the course of the conversation and... I didn't know what to do. Every part of my body and brain were telling me to run, just to run far away from this crazy place. I could have.... but I remember having a small thought in my mind that stood up from the others, and that was telling me to stay here and listen to what that pony had to say.
The fact that I wasn't completely overreacting was also because, here, in this world (real or not), I felt free of all the troubles that existed in the human realm, and I didn't have to worry about anything but to focus on the current situation, I felt so far away from reality and it felt good... And even though I was really confused, I could feel some kind of comfort here. So after some inner thoughts, and self-persuasion, I decided to listen and to leave questions and worries for later.
I was still sitting there, in the middle of this strange new place, still in the fog despite Twilight's explanations. How would you feel if you were taken to an unknown world against your will ? I couldn't say I loved or hated that place but I was still very uneasy about talking to a pony...
I decided to listen to Twilight Sparkle because I told myself : what do you have to lose ? So I sat down more comfortably and asked her what happened and why she brought me here.
"You see Christopher, it is about one of my best friend, her name is Rainbow Dash" she started.
Rainbow Dash...hmm...that is a quite...unusual name.
"Two days ago, she got poisoned" she added, staring at her hoofs.
I immediately understood that the situation was serious and even though I never met or saw this Rainbow Dash, I could feel compassion for her.
"Please tell me everything that happened, you know I am a detective." I said, letting my police instincts take over.
"I know, that is exactly why I made you come here, you see we needed an expert for this case...".
I was flattered : my reputation was know even in a world of talking ponies... Hmm... It's strange though, I am definitely not an expert detective or anyone special, why me ?...
"So, two days ago, we found her body near the Everfree forest and she was taken to the nearest hospital as soon as possible". Twilight continued
The Everfree forest must be the name of one of Equestria's forests... I guess.
"After this, we began an investigation but we were unable to find out who did it, but, on her body we found a letter left probably by the one who poisoned Rainbow Dash. We know this because he or she was requesting... one million bits in exchange of the antidote to the poison administered to Rainbow Dash."
I used my detective skills to analyse the situation and started asking Twilight some questions :
"First of all what are 'bits'?"
"Oh, the bit is the currency used in Ponyville and in many other parts of Equestria." She answered.
Twilight looked away from me for a second and observed a little orange note book, I suppose.
"Just like... dollars is your currency, right ?"
I nodded.
"And... there is a reason why you can't send the money ?" I asked
"Yes... None of the 'middle class ponies' have that kind of money nor would spend it for someone they didn't even know. The only one who could pay is princess Celestia and yet, she would probably have to borrow money, she is still...septic about paying. I am even scared that she... well, wouldn't... The criminal must really want Rainbow Dash dead... it knows that we won't be able to pay. That is why we need you to help us find who it is and bring it to justice". She replied
"Ok, I am starting to understand a little better but please tell me, who is princess Celestia ?" I asked trying to comprehend bit by bit what Twilight was talking about.
"She is the co-ruler of all Equestria. She governs the land here with her younger sister princess Luna. They are both very nice, but, like I already told you one million bits is a huge sum... Whoever poisoned Rainbow Dash gave us a delay of five days to pay, after this... the poor pony would die. The delay will end in three days in the evening".
"Wait... Wait... you mean I have THREE days to solve this case ???!!..."
"I am so sorry, but the criminal gave us a five days delay and I only managed to bring you here today. I know it is very late but you could start tomorrow, maybe... I would help you of course. But the biggest issue is that if we have to pay, a lot of problems would follow as we would have to first find the money and so, we would be in an economic crisis for a long time... That is what princess Celestia is trying to avoid..." Twilight said
"Well, that is the current basic situation. So... Will you take the case ? I am not forcing you. You can say no but... I really hoped you would take it because all of the other pony detectives couldn't even establish the suspects properly... and I doubt we would be able to solve it" She said
"How do you know I would be able to do it, I mean... I am no one special, I am just a small detective struggling in life" I asked, looking at Twilight suspiciously.
She looked hesitating, but she answered :
"I just know it, you are the only one up to the task, please, trust me when say that you have the abilities to succeed."
Are you seriously asking me to trust a talking purple unicorn in a universe full of ponies ?....
At that very moment, I was thinking about so many things. I could take the case... but... my world, my human world. What would happend ? Does time passes differently here ? Would they even notice I was missing, would they even care ?... I was just an insignificant private detective. But I also thought : I spent twenty-three years there, could I afford to do this ? Could I come back and pretend nothing ever happened, I couldn't, but did it really mater ?
Could I just abandon my world and help some unknown world of ponies ? Would I even be able to solve this case, I mean, I've never been asked to work on such important cases, where someone's (or in this case somepony's) life was in imminent danger.
I just couldn't decide what to do, but I had too. At the same time, I felt so far away from the human world already, I could forget everything there, I could finally rest from all my torments, I could finally breath.
After a minute, I had taken my decision, I would maybe regret it in the future, but right now, I didn't care. I had never met this Rainbow Dash, but I could see she needed my help and that is what I would do because that is what I had decided to do a long time ago, help people in need! But I decided, in case things went wrong not to "officially" take the case :
"Ok Twilight Sparkle, I will take the case : I will interrogate and start putting clues together BUT, if I see that this will take too much time or that this case is impossible to solve, I will ask you to send me back. Deal ?"
After I said that, the pony's face was illuminated with a big smile. I thought she was about to hug me, but she didn't... I wasn't surprised.
"Oh thank you, thank you so much Christopher, you don't know how much that means to me and my friends. Don't worry, we will be able to do it, I believe in your detective abilities." She said with a very bombastic attitude.
"We can get started with the case tomorrow. I summoned you here very late so I'll let you rest. You should be able to catch a few hours of sleep, but we must start as soon as possible. I have a spare bed, I'll get it out for you." She finished
This time I couldn't just ignore the fact that she knew my name, I asked her :
"Twilight, please tell me how you know my name ?"
She kept walking towards the stair case and climbed the steps. Either she didn't hear me (I doubted that) or she intentionally ignored my question... This was suspicious. But I quickly forgot about that when I saw her coming back down with a mattress, a blanket and a pillow... all levitating above her head as she got down from the stair case... She noticed I was staring at her with a very, very surprised look.
"Is there something wrong ?" She asked me
Then I noticed something else, the horn that I saw earlier on her head was glowing with a small purple aura.
"Umm... how are you levitating these objects like that ? I asked, still observing the flying furniture as Twilight put them down gently on the wooden floor.
"Oh that ? You see, in Equestria, there are different types of ponies, but I can tell you everything about that tomorrow. All you have to know for now is that I am a unicorn, therefore I have the ability to use my horn for magic. What I was using was a very basic levitating spell." She answered
After all I had been through today, it didn't even surprised me !
"Ok, your bed is ready, you can sleep when you want but try not to stay up too late, you'll need all your energy for tomorrow. I am going to sleep now. I'll be upstairs if you need me. Good night Christopher." She added
"Good night." I replied, a bit uncertain.
After she went upstairs (I supposed it was where her bedroom was) and turned off the lights, I stood up for the first time in what seemed for ever. My brain haven't been able to process information correctly since I "left" my apartment. I stretched myself and took a good look at the library. I didn't know the time but since apparently it was the same than in the human world, I could deduct it was about half past midnight, about an hour after I looked my clock in my apartment.... I didn't know when Twilight was planning on waking me up but I suppose it would be very early.
I laid on the bed and tried to close my eyes. It was too small as it was designed for ponies : it was very hard for me to sleep in it. After fifteen minutes of discomfort in this tiny bed, I sat down and thought about everything that had just happened.
Some things were still in the fog and some questions were still unanswered, but I knew already much more than when I arrived. I had already took my decision and I would try my best to solve this case. It might sound very weird for someone to just accept to leave his home world like that. When I think about it today, it still shocks me, but sometimes, you aren't the one thinking, sometimes, your subconscious takes decisions for you and you have to live with those decisions.
I knew that someone needed my help so I decided to go for it, for now. I tried to think more about the gravity of the case. I had already seen this kind of crime. But I didn't know who I would have to deal with, was it another pony ? Twilight said Equestria's inhabitants were MOSTLY ponies so... It could be someone else. The first thing I would do tomorrow would be to interrogate Twilight, and then I would go and see Rainbow Dash... well if she is in a state to talk, as she did get poisoned...
I tried to sleep but I couldn't, part because the bed was way too small and also because there were way to many thoughts going on in my brain to allow me to sleep.
So I got up and explored Twilight's house a bit. I noticed very quickly that we were in an actual tree ! A very tall one. It had been modified into a house (pretty cosy house I must say). Then, I took a look at all the books, there were hundreds of them even maybe thousands, on very different subjects : "The story of Equestria", "Magic and all it properties", "The Elements Of Harmony". I didn't know what any of the titles meant but I knew there was a lot of different things in this world. Things I would have to get use to if I wanted to solve this case.
It was pretty dark but I could still see because of the street's lights filtering through the curtains. I approached the window and looked at the empty alleys. It seemed like a normal city to me : there were different houses, streets and alleys. Although their design was very different, they still resembled the ones in my world. There were also small roads for maybe... cars ? Ponies driving cars, that'll be my day...
I went back to the middle of the room and then thought of going upstairs but I decided not too. What if Twilight woke up ? So I went back to bed, this time I was really, really tired. I closed my eyes and forgot everything for the second time today, and slowly slipped into the dream world, where nothing mattered any more, not even the case, not even my life...
I remember making this dream about me and a blue pony, we stared at each other for a few seconds, and then it said something in a different language that I didn't understand. Then, everything faded and I saw a black forest and a weird creature carrying a potion is a sort of handbag. I could hear a diabolical laughing in the background that sent chills into my spine. And then, just like that, it was over... I kept sleeping after that though. And at three in the morning, the real adventure began.
The Elements of Harmony (part 2)
Those numbers... They were geographical coordinates... I had no idea if 'geography' was the same in this world but those coordinates sure resembled the ones in my world. I was curious but I would worry about them later. For now I had to focus on interrogating Twilight's friends and put together the informations I could find. Rainbow Dash talked about a video... I wonder if that has anything to do with the case, or if it was just insane talk...
And judging by how Rainbow Dash was acting, we could clearly see that the poison had also an effect on her brain. There was also this letter, found on her body at the scene of the crime, I will have to check that at the Ponyville police after we are done with the global interrogations. I had multiple clues and small paths to take, that was good. In some cases, I was just stuck without any clues...
Finally, the last information we got is that the poison's components were from the Everfree forest. I am not a doctor but I knew that we needed to know the exact ingredients and proportions in the poison in order to obtain an antidote and since we had no such information... I was sharing those theories with Twilight while we were walking in the streets. Still all those ponies staring at me... This was getting uncomfortable... I asked Twilight :
"They really have never seen any human here ?" I asked
"Well, humans are pretty rare here, we only summon them for some tasks that we can't perform without help. Ponies are usually very curious about new creatures coming to Ponyville." She answered
We walked for about twenty-five minutes and we arrived at our destination at six o'clock. I could see not far from there a small cottage. Twilight stopped and told me :
"Ok Christopher, this is my friend's cottage, her name is Fluttershy" She said
Those names...
"There are a few things you need to know about her before you interrogate her, she is kinda... special. She represents the element of kindness and she is very, very shy, but you'll understand what I mean when we get there. Just try not to be too sudden with her..." She declared
I was was curious to know what she really meant but I followed her without a word. After five minutes of walking we finally arrived at the cottage. It was a pretty nice house. There was lots of trees and colourful flowers around it and I noticed that there wasn't one tree or solid surface without at least one bird house. I noticed all kind of wild animals running around : squirrels, bunnies and even... a bear! There was also a small river, separating the cottage and the road. We could cross it with a small bridge. A few healthy-looking fishes were jumping in the water.
Wow, she must really like nature.
Twilight stopped at the door and told me :
"We came to see Fluttershy first because she is the only pony that might be awake at this time. She always is, to feed her chickens."
"So, wait, here ponies also have animals ??" I asked, confused
"Of course, everypony has the right to have a pet or in this case, farm animals, as you can tell, Fluttershy really likes animals, she can speak their language." She answered
Wow, I wish I could talk to animals.
Twilight approached the door and knocked three times with her hoof. After a few minutes we finally heard some noise. The door opened on another pony. She was about the same size as Twilight but her fur was yellow. Her eyes were cyan and here mane and tail were both pink. I immediately noticed that she was a pegasus as she had a pair of yellow of wings. I couldn't help finding her kinda cute, I mean, compared to the other ponies I had already seen. She first saw Twilight and started talking in a soft voice :
"Oh hello Twilight, what brings you here ? I am sorry I took so long time answer the door but I..."
She interrupted her self when she saw me. Her entire body expression changed : she backed away and tried to make herself as little as possible. I could see she was shaking a little and her wings were twitching, she was looking at Twilight with a confused expression. I decided to try to talk to her :
"Hmm, hello, you must be Fluttershy right ?"
"hmm.. yes...hello..."
"... Wonderful weather we are having" I said
"hmm... I... I...
...
...
This was getting awkward. I looked at Twilight, trying to tell her to talk to Fluttershy. She nodded and got closer to the frightened pony. They whispered things to each other that I couldn't hear. After a few minutes of talking, Twilight told me :
"It's no use, I don't think she is ready to talk with you just yet. I can't even change her mind... I mean, to her you are pretty impressive and I told you she was shy..."
"sigh... So we came all the way here for nothing ?"
"It's ok, I'm sure we will have more luck with my other friends. You just have to get use to Fluttershy, after you do, she is a great friend. She is always like this with strangers, and you are not even a pony... though, I told you not to be too sudden with her...." Said Twilight
"Are you serious..."
Twilight laughed :
"It's ok, you couldn't have known. Just remember that for your next encounter with her."
We left the cottage and right before we crossed the bridge, I turned around and I waved my hand in the air to say goodbye to Fluttershy that was still next to her door. And as strange as this sounds she did the same with her hoof and then went back into her cottage.
hmm, weird why is she saying goodbye to me when she was so scared a few minutes ago... Oh well, maybe I'll have better luck with her next time. I do wonder what Twilight said to Fluttershy...
"Ok, next stop, Sweet Apple Acres. It is the most famous apple farm in all Equestria and the only one too... It is where the tastiest apples of all Equestria are made. And this is where my friend Applejack lives and works."
This time I avoided questions like 'how a farm can still be in business if all it sells is apples ?' or ' what the hell is a pony doing working in a farm anyway ?' because I was starting to understand the logic of this world : there is no logic. The farm was far away and we had to walk for forty-five minutes. As we were still in town, I realised that I hadn't had any breakfast or any kind of meal since yesterday and that I was starving. I asked Twilight if we could eat somewhere.
"Oh, you are hungry, alright, we can go to Sugarcube Corner, before meeting Applejack, they sell the best cupcakes around." She said
"Then Sugarcube Corner it is!" I said, too hungry to not want cupcakes.
The bakery was not very far and we arrived at half past eight. We entered, I heard a small ringing sound from the bell that was attached to the door. I approached the counter, and two ponies, one male and one female, came out of a room at the back (probably the room where they did the cooking), they looked very surprised to see a human here apparently as they were staring at me... Then Twilight joined me at the counter, the male pony talked to her :
"Oh hello Twilight what can I get you and... your friend ?" He said
Wow, I met her only yesterday and people are already seeing us as friends... Well I did read that friendship was a really important thing in Ponyville.
She laughed, just like she read my mind.
"Yes he is, we would both like some of your delicious cupcakes please" She said
Then she turned her head to me.
"Which flavour do you want yours, they have everything." She asked me
"Hmm... I'll take vanilla flavoured cupcakes please."
"Very well, that'll be ten bits please" Said the female pony behind the counter
Twilight took out the money from her bag and gave it to the two ponies. I couldn't help thinking that we could pay and get Rainbow Dash out of this mess. But it wasn't that simple... We both sat down at a free table and waited for the cupcakes.
They finally arrived after ten minutes of waiting. They were positioned on a big shiny plate, there were ten of them, five vanilla and five chocolate. I started eating, a spark in my eyes. I think I never tasted something this good. The frosting was melting and crunchy at the same time, and it was just so full of flavours in my mouth, making them perfect in my opinion.
"OH MY GOD !! What is in these things, they are the best cupcakes I've ever eaten !!" I almost screamed
The couple blushed.
"Oh, it was nothing, just a family recipe. We are glad you enjoy them." They said
After these delicious break, we decided to continue heading towards Sweet Apple Acres. After twenty minutes of walking, we entered in a more farm-like environment. There were much more fields animals and I could even smell the scent of the ploughed ground as we progressed. Finally, we arrived at the barn Twilight was talking about at half past nine.
It was a big and majestic building, almost fully painted in a bright red, a red that you can only see on the best and brightest apples. I did also notice an apple-shaped weathercock on the top of the farm. It was static as it wasn't a very windy day but I could imagine this big apple spinning around at the top of this farm. In addition to all the farm odours I had smelled, one was standing out, and it was the smell of... apples. We walked around the building and we found the pony we were looking for. It seemed she was working on collecting apples by hitting the apple trees with her hind legs. She must be really strong as every time her hoofs connected with the tree, about a dozen apples fell at the same time in her wooden basket.
We walked towards her, and, as usual, I analysed who we would have to deal with : she was as tall as Twilight and Fluttershy but I could see that she had more 'muscle mass', probably because she was an earth pony. Her fur was orange and her eyes green, her tail and mane were attached with a red elastic and a wrong hat was resting on her head, giving her the look of a cow-girl... or in this case, a pony-girl... if that makes any sense. We approached her from the sides so I noticed that she had three red apples on her right flank... Just like the other symbols... I didn't pay attention to Fluttershy's flank, I wonder if she had one too. When she saw us she stooped, picked up her basket and came to us. She didn't look surprised or bothered by the fact that I was human.
"Howdy Twilight, what brings you here to Sweet Apple Acres, oh, do you have any news about Rainbow Dash" She said
"Her state hasn't improved... But me and my friend Christopher are on the case and we're confident that we will be able to catch the criminal " She declared
"Ok, then, but I am still worried about Dash..."
"No need, she'll be fine"
Twilight forced a smile on her face... Applejack then looked at me with a curious expression.
"And who is your friend ? Is he a human ?" She asked
"Yes, he is the detective I told you about, he is going to help us solve the case" Twilight answered
"Well then, hello mister, if you are a friend of Twilight, then you are my friend too" She said, smiling
She then shook my hand with her hoof so violently I thought my wrist was going to break.
"The name's Applejack, nice to meet you."
"Yes... Hello, would you mind answering a few questions about the crime ?" I asked, still holding my wrist...
"Sure, just make it quick, I got to get back to the farm to sort those apples" She answered, pointing her hoof at the basket full of apples.
"Ok, first how and when did you meet Rainbow Dash, and what is your relationship with her ?"
"Oh, that already seems so far, but how could I forget how I met my best friends. I encountered Rainbow Dash for the first time a few years ago. It was a happy day at the barn, I was harvesting some apples for the annual apple celebration, when suddenly, a blue pegasus came down from the sky and... landed in my apple basket. It was Rainbow Dash. She was practising her flying... Obviously."
Obviously...
"I helped her get up while yelling at her for making such a mess with my apples. She apologised and then, she gathered all my apples in no time, you should have seen her, she was moving as fast as a lightning bolt. When they were all in my basket again, we laughed and I invited her to spend the annual apple celebration with everyone, and she did. If you ask her, she might tell you that it was boring but I know she enjoyed it very much. And that is how we became friends. I just hope she will recover soon." Applejack continued.
I was very intrigued, she had been poisoned and was on the verge of death, how could she say that... I looked at Twilight but she told me to keep on with the questions with a little tilt of her head. I did :
"Very well Applejack, where were you when the crime took place ?"
"At this precise time I... I kinda overslept... I was very tired from all the hard work I had done the day before that, when I heard that Rainbow had been attacked in the Everfree forest, I went to the hospital but couldn't get in for some reason, the nurses didn't want to, sadly, I know little about the incident..." She said
This time I looked at Twilight firmly, she sighed, making me understand by another sign of her head that she owed me explanations.
"Last question Applejack, did you notice anything strange around here lately ?"
I knew that this wasn't a very appropriate question for the situation but... you know, force of habits. But after I asked her, she looked more distant, more hesitating, I took note of that.
"No, no... nothing out of the ordinary around here, just good old apples and work and... stuff."
At that moment I saw a little pony hoping around in our direction. She stopped right next to apple jack and told her with the cutest voice I had ever heard :
"Applejack !! Applejack !! Why don't you tell them about the..."
Apple jack quickly put her hoof on her mouth to prevent her from talking.
"Applebloom, what did I tell you about interrupting conversations like that. You still have work to do at the barn, so go ahead, I will come and help you in a second."
"BUT APPLEKACK !!!!" The little pony said, whining
"No 'buts' little filly" Applejack replied
Applebloom turned around and walked slowly to the barn with her head down. Hmm... I wonder what she had to say, It didn't seem like much but I had a feeling like this is a very important information... I had to find out but I couldn't right now... OH, I just had an idea, an exciting idea... But it had to wait this night. So I decided to keep interrogating her friends for the moment.
"So, ok Applejack...I guess you've answered all of our questions, if you notice anything strange or have any information about Rainbow Dash, just come and tell us". I said
"Will' do sugarcube " She answered, any trace of her being nervous had faded away.
She took her basket and headed inside the barn. I told Twilight :
"Ok Twilight let's find somewhere to talk, I think you have some things to explain..."
"...Yes, let's go near the Everfree forest, There next to no ponies around there."
We walked for about thirty minutes and when we got there, I understood why ponies were afraid of this forest. There seemed to be only one entrance and all around it, was a barrier of black-wood trees. Those particular trees weren't like the one in the human world or like the ones near Fluttershy's cottage : their branches were just like arms with sharp claws, ready to lunge on you, and the trunks had spikes on them... I really didn't want to go in there. I wonder what could have pushed Rainbow Dash to do so... There was a small bench about ten meters away from the entrance. It was dirty and old, the paint was falling of ans it smelled like something died on it but it was good enough for a... conversation.
We both sat down and I told her :
"Twilight, if you want me to continue working on this case with you, you have to be honest with me and you have to tell me the truth... It is the key of trust..."
Inside of me, I couldn't believe I had just said that to a talking unicorn
"You are right... I'll start with the the beginning. You asked earlier how I knew your name, well the truth is that Princess Celestia had all this planned..." She said, looking very embarrassed
"What do you mean ??" I asked, starting to feel confused again...
"You see, when Rainbow Dash got poisoned and Fluttershy found his body, we immediately restricted news and reports as much as we could, as crimes like these are very rare in Equestria. Princess Celestia convened me into Canterlot. She told me that every single pony detective was useless here and that I had to find another one." Twilight continued
"She told me that I had to teleport you with a particular spell that I didn't know yet. I was very confused but all she told me was to trust her... She also mentioned your name, and that you might overreact, but that was normal. And finally, she pointed out that I was going to summon our best chance of finding the criminal. I really don't know anything else I swear... I also have no idea why Princess Celestia knows you even though you are from another world... She told me not to tell you anything but I guess that is too late for that now..."
"Well things are a little bit more clear now. But why did Applejack say that Rainbow Dash had been attacked ??" I asked
"As I told you, we didn't want anypony knowing about the poison so we covered the case and waited for a real detective to take the case... And as an order of Princess Celestia, we kept everyone thinking that he had just been attacked and had a broken leg..."
"So you lied to your friends ?" I said
She lowered her head even more. with a very sorrowful expression.
"I too wasn't fine with it, but if everyone would have known, we wouldn't have been able to investigate the case, the media would have got involved and would have been here following us every single time. And the fact that Rainbow Dash may...die in three days would have traumatized my friends and we probably wouldn't have been able to interrogate them properly..." Twilight finished
There was a pause. We both stood up, still quiet... I decided to break the silence :
"Twilight, you did the right thing... I hope. I appreciate you telling me the truth. Now we can go back to the case. I know that we will be able to find the criminal. I mean, if Princess Celestia has faith in me, why would I fail ?"
"So, even after that, you still wish to continue ?" She asked looking at me
"Well of course, I did commit to this, didn't I ?" I answered
I smiled to Twilight. She smiled back. It was already eleven o'clock. Now that Applejack had been interrogated it was time to move on to the next pony.
"Who is next on the interrogation list" I asked
"My good friend Rarity, I'll tell you about her on the way there, and remember Rainbow Dash have been attacked and has a broken leg." She answered
"Roger that partner"
After this, I had this weird feeling in my stomach. A weird but pleasant feeling, nothing like I've ever experienced before, it was like joy but deeper and stronger. I didn't know what it was but I was about to find out. I had now fully committed to this case and I would finish this no matter what.
We might not have collected a lot of important information yet, but this was only my first day on the case and I had a few ideas what to do after that, and it would be surely more exciting. As we were walking, I asked my self one question but I couldn't even imagine the answer : what would happen if Rainbow Dash died ?... I erased that thought from my mind and told myself, over and over again : you are going to succeed ! And it worked. Now I was focused and ready for the next interrogation, and I hoped that it would give us more details this time. But I was confident and that was all that mattered.
The Elements of Harmony (part 3)
I was nervous. I had this feeling of being followed and observed since we left Sweet Apple Acres... It was like someone was constantly stalking on me, studying every one of my movements and actions... I was sure it was nothing but it just wouldn't go away. Anyway, after fifteen minutes, we arrived in a very busy street, we turned a few corners and finally arrived at our next destination. We stopped and Twilight told me :
"Ok, we are here, welcome to the Carousel Boutique. It is where my friend Rarity lives and work. So, let me tell you some things about her : so first, she is a fashion designer."
...no comment...
"She is very tight on manners and on cleanliness. But, I'm sure you won't have any problems with her. Just don't say anything that could offend her or her clothes. The first impression is very important for Rarity." Twilight said
She pointed her hoof at a tall building. It already emanated a fashion sense : it's walls were painted in diverse colours that went great with each other, it was very tidy. Even the glass of the windows had been specifically chosen to reflect the light a certain way that it illuminated the walkway in front of it. I had never see such a fashion building... To be honest I was never really into fashion. When I was young, I was more into computers and video games, I liked to play but also to program. But, of course, this future wasn't to the likes of my parents... Everything around Rarity's fashion building was as tidy as in a queen's bedroom. I was wondering if she would be as tight on manners as much as Fluttershy was shy... I guess I was going to find out. We walked towards the building when I remembered to ask a maybe important question to Twilight :
"Oh, but by the way, what is Rarity's element ?"
"Oh, right, she represent the element of generosity."
"Alright, let's do this, I hope this will give us more important information, we would really need some"
"Let's hope so, and remember, Rarity was with me at Pinky Pie's party all night until six PM the day of the crime." She said
"Right"
Twilight approached the door and entered without even knocking. First, it surprised me but then I remember, this was a boutique, just like a shop. But, where did Rarity live if this was her business building ? I'll ask when I meet her. As I entered, this room, I saw that it wasn't as tidy as a queen's bedroom... It was a queen's bedroom ! Everything had the scent of perfection, all around me, mirrors, colourful tapestries, beautiful dresses and different outfits on horse-like mannequins. I was fascinated by everything around me. This was definitely the dream boutique for a fashion designer. I saw Twilight heading for a stair case I just noticed, she stopped right in front of it and yelled :
"RARITY, ARE YOU HOME ?"
After a few seconds she got an answer :
"Yes darling, just a second I am coming" Rarity answered
By the way she was speaking and everything else I knew about Rarity so far, I could already establish what kind of personality I would have to deal with. I was surprised I could refer to people I knew in the human world to better understand those ponies. I was ready. After a minute, I heard hoofs clapping on the stairs and I saw Rarity for the first time. In size and shape, she was similar to Fluttershy, Twilight or any other pony I've seen today. But her skin was white and her mane and tale were of a very beautiful mauve. Her eyes were dark blue and she had this weird symbol on her left flank. Hers represented three gems in a diamond shape... Or maybe diamonds in a diamond shape. Everything about this pony indicated that she was a fashion designer and a gem lover : she was wearing pretty noticeable dark mascara on her eyelashes, her mane and tail were sparkly probably from different shampoo and products, her hoofs had been filed perfectly so they were very smooth. If you were wondering, I could tell that by the sound they made while touching each step of the stair case. As she had finished walking down the stairs, she stood there, staring at me...
Not again...
I could see her, shocked, with her eyes wide open... Had I already done something wrong ? When I was about to open my mouth to talk, she interrupted me and hoped in my direction :
"Oh dear Celestia, what you are wearing is just gorgeous." She exclaimed
I was pretty surprised and confused...
"Ehh, thanks..." I said
She was spinning around me, looking at every one of my clothes. She was observing like someone would observe a monkey in a zoo... In addition, she kept giving me compliments like : 'these are the most amazing clothes I have ever seen' or 'They are magnificent'. Coming from a fashion designer, I was flattered. After she finished her little inspection she spoke to Twilight :
"Twilight is this gorgeously-dressed man with you ?" She asked with sparks in her eyes.
Twilight look amused and she answered with a smile:
"He is. His name is Christopher and he is the person I talked you about, you know, the one I had to summon to help with the investigation on Rainbow Dash's attack."
"Oh, right, well you sure did a good job with that" Rarity said, still looking at me.
I am not going to lie, I still felt kind of uncomfortable, this was very unexpected... With that white pony being so interested in usual clothes... Did fashion worked differently in this world ? I had no idea, but what I did know, is that I had to interrogate her. At least I did good on my first impression with Rarity just like Twilight said.
"Rarity I really appreciate that you like my clothes. We came here to ask you a few question about the incident with Rainbow Dash." I said
"Oh... I am sorry if I got carried away there, we do not usually see such 'masterpiece' around here." She said a bit embarrassed
She readjusted her mane and then looked at me.
"Ok, ask away".
"Great, first, I would like you to tell me how you know Rainbow Dash and what is your relation ship with her." I said
She took a moment to think and then answered :
"Yes, I remember : It was four years ago, I was at my first fashion show. I had prepared for this day for the last three months and it was a really important event for me, as if I win, I had a chance to finally be noticed by famous designers. So it was the big day and I was getting prepared and getting my various dresses ready."
"At that time, I had a certain... style. A style that was new for Canterlot ponies. So when I got on stage, they... Well, they didn't like it... It was a very hard moment for me, so many screams of disapproval, so many confused and angry eyes pointed at me... but there was one pony that was there in the audience, that didn't make fun of me or hate what I was showing, no, instead, she stayed there, observing with interest my designs... It was her : Rainbow Dash. Looking at that rainbow-coloured pony gave me the strength to continue. And, as the show kept going on, I slowly caught the attention of the audience until there was more and more clapping and applauses." Rarity continued, smiling
"The ponies finally liked it, it was the best feeling ever, I even ended up winning the contest. After the show, I waited outside for the one that saved my carrier. Without her, I would have probably fallen under the immense pressure. When she came I thanked her a lot for what she had done to help me. She was a bit confused but after some chatting and a lots of laughter, we became best friends."
"After working for different designers, I realised that wasn't what I wanted to do, I wanted to work for myself and make my own creations and designs, and then sell them to other ponies, to see a smile on their faces. So I decided to create my own line of designs and settled in Ponyville to do so, that way, I could see Rainbow Dash and all of my other friends that I met soon after, and work on my passion at the same time. Well, that is the story, I hope I wasn't too long." Rarity said
Wow, Rainbow Dash seemed like the perfect friend : helpful, kind, generous, I wished I had a friend like that...
"Ok, very good, now tell me, where were you at five AM two days ago ?" I asked
"Oh, well, I was with Twilight at Pinkie pie's pre-party. She needed our help to set up some high placed decorations. We were there from three AM the day of the crime to six AM. We were informed that she had been attacked and that she was safe at the hospital, but apart from that, I don't know much, sorry. But I really hope that Dash will recover soon..." She answered.
"Oh don't worry about that, I am sure she will..." I said, forcing the words out of my mouth.
"Now please tell me if there had been anything bizarre happening here around here lately ?" I continued
She thought for a few seconds and then answered :
"Hmm, oh, yes, there is something but I doubt it has anything to do with the case : yesterday I found that three bottles of my most expensive shampoo had vanished... I don't know if that could help but I could never find these bottles again, really strange if you ask me. I can assure you that I will find the miscreant that did this !" Rarity said.
"Do you still have more of these shampoo bottles left ?" I asked
"Certainly, I ordered some new ones and I am now keeping them safe." She answered
"Would you mind if we take look at those bottles of shampoo please ?"
"Of course, if it can help the investigation, I'll let you have a look."
She climbed back up the stairs and after a few minutes we heard the sound of an old cupboard being opened. After that she came back down with a big cylindrical box. It looked very heavy and on it was a label : 'FANCYPOO, the shampoo that will make your hair shine like the sun'.
Well that's a slogan...
She handed me the bottle and I examined it on every angle but that wasn't the real reason why I asked Rarity to show me one. I wanted a sample. I decided to ask since I had already made a good impression, who knows. After all, she is the element of generosity.
"Rarity, I know that this might seem weird... But I asked to show me one bottle because I needed a sample... The thing is I don't know myself if it'll be useful but I have a feeling it might. I know that you said it was expensive and since your last bottles had already vanished I would understand if you didn't want to us to borrow one...
It look like she was thinking but she answered quickly :
"But of course you can have one of my bottles, what kind of friend would I be if I didn't let you" She said
"Oh, thank you so much Rarity." I said, smiling
"Although, I would ask in return a favour." She said
Oh...
"What is it ?" I asked
She looked at my outfit again and said :
"After Rainbow Dash's recovery, I want you to help me make outfits like yours but for ponies, I want to create a new design line. I just know that everyone will love it ! It is just so original and so full of emotions. I'll call it : 'The Heavenly Human Habiliment'.
I should have seen that coming...
"Of course, you got yourself a deal !" I declared
She passed me the shampoo bottle and Twilight levitated it in her bag. After saying goodbye, we left the Carousel Boutique and started walking. We had gathered some interesting pieces of information. But not enough to do much yet. As I asked Twilight the time, she told me that it was three PM. Wow, time passes so quickly when you are doing something that occupies your mind fully. It's been years since I felt this sensation, of time passing by quickly. I usually just lie down on my coach, trying to imagine thousands of things... Some were real and some were straight up from the deepest part of my imagination, I enjoyed doing that, but this adventure were beyond my wildest dreams.
I was now wondering where we were going to go. She told me there were six elements and I had only met five yet... Oh, that is right, I haven't seen Pinkie Pie, the pony that needed help from Twilight and Rarity.
"So I guess that now we are heading to Pinkie Pie's house." I said
Twilight smiled
"I can see you are not loosing track of this case. You are right. Don't worry it isn't very far." Twilight said
After a few minutes of walking, we arrived just in front of Sugarcube corner. We stopped there... I was confused, I asked Twilight :
"Ehh, isn't it a bit early for another cupcake break ? I mean there were delicious and all, but we got a pony to save."
"No, silly, I forgot to tell you that Pinky Pie lives there. The actual bakery is on the ground floor, but on the first floor, it is where Pinkie Pie lives. She is the element of laughter but she has a natural talent for making cupcakes too." Said Twilight while laughing.
"So, she works there ?" I asked
"Yes, she occasional helps the two ponies you saw that served those cupcakes by cooking, cleaning and arranging the shop. She is really nice you'll see... But I have to warn you, she is Pinkie Pie..." Twilight answered with a malicious smile.
I didn't quite understand what that was suppose to mean but I knew I would find out very soon...
The investigation continues
"No, sorry, Pinkie isn't home today, she told us that she would be at her daddy's birthday party, and you know how she is with birthdays..." Mister Cake said
"Oh... Do you know when she will be back ? we have some very important questions to ask her." Twilight asked.
"She said she would be there all night and that she would catch the first train in the morning to Ponyville." Misses Cake said
"Thank you a lot, Mister and Misses cake." Twilight said
"Oh, it is nothing, we are happy to help, and your friend is such a great costumer."
At that moment, all their eyes turned on me. I was barely listening to the conversation. I heard that pinkie Pie wasn't there, but I couldn't focus a lot, I was so hungry... I decided to order more cupcakes... It wasn't very healthy, but it would have to do for now. I had also learned that the two ponies running this place were Mister and Misses cake... Probably the most original names I heard since I arrived in this world... Twilight joined me at the table. She took one of the cupcakes out of the plate and shoved it in her mouth, slowly chewing it, I guess she was still pretty hungry too...
"Hey ! I was going to eat that !" I said, annoyed
She ignored my remark and told me after swallowing the cupcake :
"If Pinkie Pie isn't there, we are running out of people to interrogate... I guess this is the part where we have to investigate on our own isn't it ?" She said
"I guess so" I replied
We stood here a few seconds in silence. I had a bunch of ideas... But I had to accomplish them alone. Suddenly I got an idea :
"I know where we could start, remember the letter rainbow Dash talked about in the hospital ?"
"The one that had been confiscated by the Ponyville police ?"
"Exactly, and if I am right, I should have my detective badge somewhere in there..."
I searched in every of my jacket pockets and finally I found it. It was a small rectangular card with my first name, family name, address and other details, it also included a photo of me at twenty-one year old, when I became a detective. It was my official detective badge.
"You think it'll do ?" I asked
"Yes it will be perfect !" Twilight answered
And here we were again, on our way to a new adventure. I couldn't wait ! Since I got there I had been through so many emotions that I couldn't possibly describe everything in detail but all I knew is that it was the most exciting case I had been working on yet. I had abandoned all supposition that this world was only a fantasy of my imagination. And I was ready to finish this investigation no matter the time and energy needed.
The police station was quite far away and on the way, I observed curiously this new town. There were some really interesting things : in some places they sold weird pony hats with funny drawings on them and in an other, they sold some kind of hoof-file... I was fascinated by everything around me and I was loving it ! It isn't everyday that you get to visit a parallel dimension.
We arrived at the police station at about half past 3 in the afternoon. It seemed similar to the ones is the human world. We entered by a small metal door and approached the counter. Around us, ponies in police officers were running in different directions, some were talking on the phone, or some were taking some funny-looking ponies to some unknown rooms. We were received by a rather skinny male pony in a grey suit. He finished a phone call and looked at us. First at Twilight and then at me. That look was familiar...
"Can I help you two ?" The pony said in a neutral voice
"Yes, we are here to examine a piece of evidence that has been confiscated by the police." Twilight said.
The pony shook her head
"Oh, no please, not you again... I told you that only a qualified detective could see those kind of evidences." The pony answered
Twilight turned her head to me. I knew what I had to do. I approached the counter :
"I am a detective. Private detective Christopher." I said while handing him my badge.
He observed it from all angles. He looked very unhappy at the fact that a human had such a permit here... I wonder why. The pony grumbled :
"Hmm... Very well, follow me to the storage room. But... your friend will have to wait here." He said, pointing his hoof at Twilight."
Twilight looked surprised but nodded slowly. I told her :
"Don't worry Twi', I'll be back soon and I'll tell you everything I saw."
I followed the grey suited pony through a back-door. While walking with him I thought : it was the first time I had called Twilight... Twi'. I didn't really realise it, it just felt easier... And she said it her self, I was her friend so why not call each other by nicknames... After a long hallway we finally arrived in front of a door with a big metal plate on it : STORAGE ROOM.
He used a key card that was attached to his neck and swiped it into a card identifier. The door opened with a metallic noise, and we both entered, the door slamming shut behind us. It was a small and rather dark room. There were maps of Equestria hung up on the walls with various scribbles on them, there was also some kind of device on a table that I couldn't identify. In the middle, a large table with a few things on it : a large pair of shackles, three untitled books, multiple blank sheets and a half-eaten sandwich... On the far end of the room, there was a large row of locked lockers. The pony accompanying me walked towards them and stopped at the locker '45b', he opened it with a small key he kept in his pocket . He took out a big white envelop from the locker. He then returned to me and handed it to me.
"When you are finish examining it, put it back in the locker and close it. You know the way back to the main room I suppose." The pony said
I actually didn't really but I'd manage...
"Yea sure, thanks." I said
I heard him whisper something while he was leaving an closing the door behind him but I couldn't understand what he said. He was probably still grumbling.
I took a chair and sat down at the large table. I took the envelop and put it right in front of me. Well, here goes nothing. I ripped the upper part of the envelop and scattered its content on the table. There was two objects inside the package : a letter and a cassette. I first took a look at the letter :
Dear Rainbow Dash,
You don't know me but I know who you are. This is your last warning, you will meet me in the Everfree forest in the eastern clearing. If you don't, well... If you found the cassette I joined in this letter you will understand. This is only a copy I still have the original. If you don't want any pony knowing about this you better do what I tell you. You wont alert the police or any of your friends about this or else I will let this baby out.
I am looking forward to meeting you.
S.
Those letters were getting more and more intriguing. I knew I wouldn't be able to get this out of the police station so I decided to write a copy of it on a piece of paper I found on the table. I rewrote everything , then, put it in my pocket. I then turned my attention to the cassette. It was looking very old, just like the one my parents use to watch when they were kids. I searched the room and I found what I was looking for : the weird device I saw earlier was in fact a cassette player with a dirty screen just above it.
I didn't really know how to use those kind of things so I tried putting it one way in the machine. It just wouldn't go in, so I tried another side... Still no result. After a few minutes of turning it every sides, I finally found how to insert it. The device swallowed it and a loud static noise could be heard. To be honest, I was more afraid that this thing would explode in my face than what was actually on that cassette...
Suddenly, the screen turned on and the cassette played...
* 20 minutes later*
I closed the door behind me as I left the room. I was walking in the hallway to get back to Twilight. My mind was on an another planet... I was still shocked by what I had seen. When the device decided to play the cassette, I watched, curious... But I quickly understood why rainbow Dash didn't want that running around Equestria... Part of me wanted to turn of this... 'film' and part of me just couldn't look away. This had definitely scared me for the rest of my life...
I arrived in the main room, Twilight was still sitting on the bench, waiting for me. As she saw me, she stood up and came towards me, her four hoofs clopping on the floor.
"I'm glad you are back, so, did you find anything interesting ?" She asked
I was still a little bit dizzy but I answered :
"Yea, I found out why Rainbow Dash went to the Everfree forest, it was because of this letter."
I handed her the letter. She read it slowly and I knew the question coming up....
"Hmm, what does it leans ? What cassette ?" Twilight asked
I sighed...
"Let's just say that she didn't really have a choice on obeying what the letter said." I answered
What I had said only made things worse...
"What do you mean ? What is on this cassette ?" She said with am impatient voice.
"Very well but don't go say I didn't warn you" I said
I leaned towards her and whispered what she wanted to hear. She blushed slightly :
"Oh... I see..."
*30 minutes later*
We arrived at twilight's tree-home at about seven PM. It had been a very long and hard day, but for me, it wasn't over. For about an hour or two, Twilight and me discussed what we had discovered today : so we knew that someone had blackmailed Rainbow Dash and forced her to go into the Everfree forest. I enjoyed talking to someone, It had been so quiet and lonely in my apartment lately.
After Rainbow Dash accepted the 'invitation',then, she would have been attacked and poisoned by either the same person that sent the letter or someone working for him. He would have then left her body near the Everfree forest. The motive was still unknown... Why didn't he kill her, why go through the trouble of poisoning her and then leaving a five day delay ? It was a very peculiar and odd situation. I also remembered I still had the mysterious shampoo that Rarity gave me.
The case was still pretty blurry but we had made a lot of progress since this morning. Tomorrow, I would have to focus on interrogating Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy if I could find her... I will never say that enough times, but I truly felt good here, I felt alive. This adventure really changed my life, but I'm sure it hasn't finished surprising me. At least now, I was a lot more comfortable talking with magical ponies. I was still so surprised sometimes, that I would shake my head or pinch myself just to remind me that this wasn't a dream, and that I was truly saving someone's life. And to be honest, I hadn't even thought once about what I was going to do after, if I succeeded, I didn't want too. My brain just wasn't allowing that thought.
After discussing, we both went to bed, but just before Twilight turned off the lights, she said :
"Christopher, I know I already said that, but I just couldn't thank you enough for what you are doing to help my friend, you know, there aren't many people like you, ready to help total strangers, Thank you again." She said
I couldn't see her as she was in her room but I smiled and said :
"No problem Twilight, and you can count on me to continue. Good night." I answered
"Good night Chris."
There we go, we were officially friends ! The room turned in to pitch dark but I couldn't stop smiling. I finally had a friend. Something I never experienced, not even in school, and oh my god it felt good. I lied in the tiny bed, I was so tired but I knew that this would be a sleepless night, I had a plan...
I waited in the dark room a few hours, until it was midnight. Then, I slowly got out of the bed and checked if Twilight was sleeping. She was indeed. As quietly as I could, I grabbed a bag, a rope, a flash light, a notebook and a pen. I also took some kind of stick with a metal extremity. I didn't know the crime rate in Equestria but I'd rather assure my safety when I go out at night in a world full of talking ponies. It was hard to carry the bag as it was designed for ponies but it would do. After a few minutes of preparations, I opened the door slowly, checking one last time that Twilight was asleep. I stepped outside and closed the door behind me. As quietly as I had opened it.
I felt the fresh air on my skin, the fresh air of the night, I felt a strong sensation of freedom and I immediately forgot about my fatigue. I took a deep breath and started walking. I was ready. I was determined.
Let's see what you are hiding from me, element of honesty.
I walked quickly through the small alleys. I had this sensation again, but this time, It really felt like there was someone right behind me... I had heard hoofsteps close to me numerous times and every time, when I turned around, there was no one in sight. It just had to be my crazy imagination... right ? I had been walking for forty-five minutes as Sweet Apple Acres was pretty far away. But you might ask : why am I heading towards that apple farm when I could be catching hours of sleep ? Well you are about to find out.
After a stressful walk, I finally saw the barn in the distance. Suddenly, I heard a noise behind me, I turned around... I could swear I saw a shadow sweeping in the darkness... I accelerated my pace and arrived at my destination. I had elaborated a step by step plan, but I took in account that I could mess up at any moment, so I would have to be careful.
Once I was right in front of the building, I bypassed it. I was at the place where Twilight and I saw Applejack bucking those trees. I approached the back wall of the farm and I executed phase one of my plan : I put my bag on the ground and started to take out my equipment. To tell the truth, I hadn't choose this weird-looking stick for nothing : its extremity was not only made out of metal but it had a very interesting shape, just like a grappling hook.
I tied the stick to one end of the rope. It was heavy but I was sure I would still be able to throw it. And if you still haven't figured it out yet, yes I was breaking in. but it was for the case, Applejack was hiding something from me and I had to find out. I really hoped that that little filly did had something important to say... Otherwise, I was going to be in big trouble. But it was my job, I was used to deal with those sorts of tricky situations. I grabbed the rope on its middle, I swung it a few times to see the weight. It was manageable. I aimed for the nearest open window, there was only one...
I threw my ingenious and home-made device as far as I could, it pierced the air at high speed but missed the window, before falling on the ground. Hopefully, it didn't do any noise as the ground was moist from previous rains. I had to retry four times before, finally, it was steady hooked on the windowsill. I very carefully put my feet on the wall and started climbing with the help of my arms. At that moment I thanked myself for agreeing to take climbing class twelve years ago, and I thought they wouldn't pay off... It took me a few minutes to get to the window as the wall was very slippery. I had adrenaline pumping in my veins as I had climb the entire wall in under five minutes.
The window was already opened so I pushed it gently and entered in the farm. I then carefully closed the window behind me. The room wasn't in total darkness, as a cone of light coming from the moon was filtering through the window I had just used. I looked around me and I suddenly realized... I was in Applejack's room, her bed was one meter away from me... I could see the orange pony's head snoring under her blankets. One mistake and I was done for. I had seen a few things like that in movies, so I swallowed my saliva and started crawling. It might not be the fastest way to get to the other side of the room, but at least I was not in Applejack's line of sight. I got so close to the ground that I could smell its aroma... It smelled like... apples, now that I was starting to understand this farm and it's inhabitants, it didn't surprise me... I very slowly and carefully progressed in the room, one centimeter at the time. Every one of Applejack's breath startled me : I was so close to being caught. But I had to keep a cool head and focus if I wanted to survive...
I eventually managed to reach the door. It was the moment I tested Applejack's sleep depth. I got up from the ground and opened the door. Luckily, it didn't do any sound, and Applejack didn't seem to have notice anything. I exited the room and closed the door with such lightness I was barely touching it. I wiped the sweat from my forehead and smiled, so much adrenaline ! I had lost its taste, it felt so good when it is pumping in your veins.
I turned around, I was a in a small corridor. I knew where I was going, I just had not to fall on the wrong room again... There were two other doors, one on the left and one on the right. I sighed, I didn't have time to use any sort of childish eliminating method so I decided to go for the door to my right. I carefully opened it and peeked in the dark room, I could barely see anything so I had to get closer, still very silently. As I did, I saw the pony I was looking for, sleeping in the bed.
Applebloom !
Bingo, I had hit the jackpot. I got closer to the bed and looked around the room, making sure that she was alone. At the end of the room, there was a window in case of emergency, but I hadn't decided yet if I'd rather get caught and explain, or jump of ten meters above the ground...
This would probably be the hardest part of my plan. I didn't know how a filly would react if she would found a complete stranger stalking on her while she sleeps... Right now, I literally felt like in one of those spy in an infiltration movie. I put down my bag, but instead of living it in the room, I carefully opened the window and dropped it, I had a feeling it might be more helpful down there. I was going back to the bed when, suddenly, I saw a little face, the face of a tired little pony, staring at me...
I froze, having no idea what to do. Applebloom had lifted her head off of her pillow and was looking at me with big, tired eyes. She actually didn't look surprise. I didn't know if I should keep her from screaming or try to talk to her or... do something. As my thought were going crazy, the little filly yawned and said in a sleepy voice :
"Hello mister, you are that human Applejack was talking too this evening, but, what are you doing in my dream..."
I slowly started to realize what was happening. I had to act fast.
"Oh, yes, this is a dream, and I am here to ask you a question, Applebloom."
The little filly was starting to get suspicious as she stayed silent. I was about to blow it... But, at the last moment, I remembered something, my brain was just grabbing to any information that could save me, and the one that it had found came from one of the book I read at Twilight's house. Something about Princess Luna and her also being some sort of dream guardian.
"No, no, don't be afraid my child, I was sent by Princess Luna to tell you something important, since I couldn't in the waking world."
After this sentence Applebloom calm down and smiled at me :
"Oh, you are with Princess Luna, isn't she sure duper nice ? Ok, but what did you want to tell me ?" Applebloom said
Ok, I had regained control of the situation, now, all I had to do was to make her spill the secret.
"Listen Applebloom, when I was taking to Applejack about the crime, there were something off, and I might think that she is hiding something from me, do you know anything about that ?" I asked
"Hmm, but if you really are sent by Princess Luna, can you tell me what is her favourite colour ?" She asked me, with suspicious eyes.
"Dark Blue"
"Favourite music style ?"
"Acoustic blues"
"Best Equestria satellite in her opinion ?"
"The moon"
"What is her favourite flight pattern ?"
"The double reverse centrifuge echo-light tornado"
"three hundred and thirty-three thousand eight hundred and ninety-one times six hundred and forty-seven thousand six hundred and thirty-eight ?"
"two hundred and sixteen billion two hundred forty million four hundred and ninety-nine thousand four hundred fifty-eight." I answered
...
Well, the books I read on the Princesses of the sun' sister sure did come in handy... Well except for that last one, where did it even come from... ?? "Listen Applebloom, there isn't much time !" I said
"Oki doki mister, you seem like a nice person. I'll show you what Applejack didn't want to tell you" Applebloom said.
"Thank you Applebloom, and remember, I am only doing this to save Rainbow Dash's life."
"Rainbow Dash... ? I thought she had a broken leg..."
I stopped in horror, realizing my mistake.
"Oh, no, did I say life, I meant leg, I am only doing this to save Rainbow Dash's leg, hehe...."
"Oh... alright, follow me !" She said
The little filly seemed to have forgotten her fatigue as she hoped out of the bed and started trotting to the door. I just hoped that she wasn't going to attempt anything crazy, thinking that she was in a dream...
She slowly pushed the door with her hoof, making not a single noise. Then, she indicated to me that the path was clear. We both walked along the hallway and then took the stairs to the first floor. We were both very quite and manage to not wake up Applejack or... any one else living in this gianormous farm. Finally, we opened the front door of the building and ended up outside. I didn't know how long I had been in there, but it sure did get cold. Applebloom didn't seem to care much about the temperature, but I had better things to do right now than ask questions.
"Ok, now, this way, mister !" The little filly said
She started hoping and I followed her. We went around the barn and entered in a little wood behind the farm, I didn't even noticed it when I arrived. We progressed deeper passing by the trees. Luckily they were not like the one in the Everfree forest. I was getting kind of worry but I was sure that Applebloom knew what she was doing. Right ?
After ten minutes of walking, we arrived in a large clearing. I was about to ask Applebloom why she brought me there when suddenly, I realized something : the trees in this particular clearing weren't like any other tree I had ever seen. Their bark was of a very odd green and their branches were zigzagging everywhere, creating shapes when they connected with each other. But what really gripped my attention, were the apples on the trees. They were abnormally big, as voluminous as a watermelon almost. In addition, they were surrounded by a green aura. Even the apple itself glowed in the dark. All these apples created such an effect that it seemed like the whole clearing was lightened up by the moon.
"What... what are those ?" I asked, amazed by those funny-looking apples
"Those, mister, are my big sister's magic apples" Applebloom responded
"Magic apples ?"
"Yes, they are the apples that Applejack use during the annual apple celebration. They are like her secret weapons. Each year, these apples grow on those particular trees for a certain period of time. This period delimits the apple festival. You see, during the night, those apples glow, but in the day light, they are as red as any other apple. And they are used during the big event as they are the tastiest apples that ever grew on the trees of Equestria."
Alright, this is definitely weird, but I think I get why Applejack didn't tell us this
"Does anyone else knows about these apples ?" I asked
"Yes, only Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Twilight, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Big Macintosh, Granny Smith and me" She answered, all proud
I ignored the names I didn't know.
"Ok, but if those apples were to be missing, could the festival go on ?" I asked
"Oh, no mister, I don't think it could ever be the same."
Hmm, interesting...
I had gather enough information for now, all I needed was a sample... But now that I knew the way in and out of this place, I would wait until Applebloom was sleeping again to take one of these magical apple.
"Thank you Applebloom, you can be proud as you helped me save someone's life. Now, we can get back at your house."
"Are you kidding mister !! This is a dream, I will fly and carry us to the farm, this is the perfect plan, yaaaaaaaaaay"
*gulp*...
"No, ehh, what I forgot to tell you... is that Princess Luna told me that, as soon as my task was over, you had to get back to your bed so I could be free of the dream world..." I said, very uncertain
"Hmm, that doesn't seem very logic, mister..." Applebloom said
"Yea, well it is dream logic, we wouldn't want to disappoint Princess Luna now would we ?" I said
"Oh, no, no, I'll get back to my bed don't worry mister" She said, smiling
"Thank you Applebloom, you are such a nice filly."
We both traced back our footsteps (and hoofsteps) and arrived, once again, behind the barn. I knew we could have gone in by the front door, but I had a feeling like this wasn't going to work out.
"Ok, Applebloom, we are going to have a epic dream climbing adventure to your room." I said
The filly didn't even asked any questions this time, and started hoping around me.
"Yay, I'm going to climb with a rope in my dream, wait until I tell Scootaloo and Sweetie Bell about this amazing adventure."
I really needed to learn more names in this archive book...
I wasn't planning on carrying her and I was glad I dropped my bad out the window. The filly was roughly the same size, she would probably fit. The grappling hook tied to the rope was still in position. I was ready.
"Ok Applebloom, hop in" I said while pointing at the sack.
She did, but not before saying 'yay' another gazillion times...
I was actually surprised by how heavy she was but I would manage. I carried the bag on my shoulder to be able to use both my hands and, slowly but surely, we both reached the top without problems. Of course, it would have helped if she didn't yell something about the cutie mark crusaders during the entire climb but it was still fun.
After this exhausting little activity, the little filly hoped in her bed, under her blankets and smiled at me.
"Thank you a lot mister from the dream world, that was a great adventure ! When you will wake up, tell Princess Luna I said 'yay' to her." Applebloom said.
"I will, now go to sleep please" I said
"Sleep ? But I am already asleep..."
"Oh, right, well I meant... sleep, like... deeper sleep, sleep in a dream, yep, that is what I meant." I said, very uncomfortably
After that, she didn't ask any more questions and started snoring again. I slowly climbed back down the rope and packed everything in my bag. It was now time to go get that magic apple. I was about to start walking when a familiar voice stopped my heart.
"Ehh, howdy pardner..."
The voice was coming from behind me but I knew who it was. I had froze, I didn't dare to breath or move. I had two options : either confess and explain what happened or run, but I doubt I could out run a pony with that strength... Oh please tell me that she didn't see that I involved her sister in this...
I choose option one, as it would save me energy and probably would cost me a friend if I tried to run. I decided to risk it for the case, I just hoped that Applejack would understand why I did this. I slowly turned around, ready to face the consequences.
"Listen Applejack, I..." I started
Applejack took a step and interrupted me, I notices that she was holding her hat in her hoofs :
"No need Christopher, I know why you are here..."
"...You do ?" I asked, quite confused
"Yes, listen, I am sorry if I lied to you... After your interrogation, I knew you had something in mind. I... I just didn't want the apple festival to be a failure, I just didn't want everypony to be disappointed just because of some hooligan stealing our magical apples..." She said, sadly
"Wait, just hold on a second there, you were following me and Applebloom... ?" I asked, a bit scared
"Well of course, you wouldn't think I'd let my little sis' alone with a stranger ?"
"Yea, I guess..."
"So, I couldn't sleep this night, I never can when I tell lies... When I heard some noise outside, the noise of metal being throw against the wall, I pretended to sleep, because I didn't want to make this awkward... Anyway, I think we both did something wrong today, so... how about we call it even. Friends ? She said while handing me her hoof
I smiled.
"Friends !"
She shook my hand but a lot smoother than the first time.
"So, these magical apples had been disappearing and you need more to make the annual apple festival work ?" I asked
"Yes pretty much" she said while putting back her hat
"Well, I am happy that you told me the truth, this might not have to do with the attack of Rainbow Dash, but it will surely help."
"Yea, I am glad I got this out my mind, I can finally go to sleep. And I suppose you will too ?" Applejack said
"Yea, I think I am done meddling for today" I said, smiling
"Well, good night then"
"Oh wait Applejack, I almost forgot, I didn't ask Twilight yet, but, she told me you were a part of the Elements of Harmony, just like your other friends. I wanted to ask you, what is your element ?" I said
Applejack seemed embarrassed.
"Oh... well, funny story, I actually am the element of... honesty... hehe" She said
On these words, she turned around and entered the farm. I was left in the dark of the night. It was quiet, so peaceful.
Well, that went A LOT better than I expected !
It was now time to go to bed. but before, I still had that sample to get...
*30 minutes later*
I had finally reached Twilight's house, it had to be at least two o'clock, but I was so tired that I couldn't even check the clock. I entered, put down my bag and observed what I got so far : a bottle of shampoo and a magical apple, well, that was progress right there. I was happy with my day. I was so tired that I fell on my bed, I didn't let any more emotions disturb me, In a few minutes I was already plunged in the dream world, for real this time !
It was quiet... so quiet... and yet, I didn't hear twilight's breathing coming from upstairs. It might have been my imagination, or the fact that I was so tired but... It was so quiet... Tonight would be a dreamless night.
Author's Note
IMPORTANT NOTE
I thank anyone who read my story until this point and I hope that they enjoyed it as much as I enjoy writing it. As you can probably tell, this story is far from over, but I wanted to stop here for a moment. This is my first story and I am new to this whole site. I really enjoy it but I don't have a lot of experience, so I am stopping here to hear feedbacks and suggestions. So please don't hesitate to leave a comment, a like or a dislike : everything helps :)
Once I will have enough suggestions and comments, I will continue writing it, but first I really wan't to know what people think of this story.
The Elements of Harmony (part 1)
I woke up at three in the morning, it was dark and quiet in the library. I could hear Twilight's light breathing coming from upstairs. I tried to go back to sleep but the very small size of the beg got the best of me. So I sat down again and this time, I took a book from the library, I wasn't a particularly good reader nor did I like books that much, but it was the only thing I could think of doing in this place... I asked my self if Twilight would be angry with me touching her books, but It wasn't really snooping, I was collecting information for the case, and besides, I needed to learn more about this world full of talking ponies if I wanted to have a chance to solve the case.
I got up, observed the shelves for a few seconds and I took the first book that seemed interesting. It was entitled : "The story of Equestria". I read the first pages and then jumped to the most important chapters. In about an hour of intense reading, I had already learned a lot : apparently, princess Celestia and her younger sister, princess Luna ruled Equestria by raising the sun and the moon, they were responsible of maintaining the harmony in all Equestria.
After browsing through a few other books, I had learned that there was three types of ponies in Equestria, just like Twilight told me. There were the earth ponies with no horn or wings, they were the hard workers of Equestria and spend a lot of time to grow and gather most of the food produced. They had natural physical strength. Then, there were the unicorns, the ponies with a horn, just like Twilight. They were able to canalize magic, producing more or less powerful spells depending on their 'level'. The book didn't explain how that magic was created or how it worked, and I'm glad it didn't... And finally, there was the pegasi. They had wings and therefore could fly, they were apparently responsible for controlling the weather in Ponyville... somehow.
This was actually really interesting. I also found some maps of Equestria, and I discovered different places : there was Ponyville (where I was), Cloudsdale (which was a city built out of clouds that only pegasi could access... yes this world was getting crazier and crazier), Manehattan, Canterlot and other interesting regions. I also found a book entitled "The Elements Of Harmony" it was on one of the top shelves and so I couldn't reach it. I would ask Twilight about this when she woke up, as I had been attracted to the bright colours and ornaments of the book. And the last volume I found was something that seemed to be an archive : all the known creatures in Equestria were listed. There was their name, occupation, habits and all other types of information. In it, I found Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash.
Speaking of Rainbow Dash, she was a very really beautiful creature : her skin was of a very bright blue, she had dark pink eyes and had a rainbow coloured mane and tail. I also noticed she was a pegasus as he had a pair of blue wings. She also had a symbol representing a white cloud and a lightning bolt coming out of it. The lighting was rainbow coloured too. This symbol was on the same spot than Twilight's and I saw a bunch of other ponies with a weird drawing on their flanks too. Gotta add that to the "questions to ask Twilight later" list. I was going through more of the archive book when a familiar voice made me jump :
"Hmm... what are you doing snooping like this ?" Twilight said
"Oh no no, I...I was just looking around... and I... I found this book... on... on the floor so..."
Twilight laughed :
"I was just joking, it's ok. I was observing you since you picked up that first book". She said
"You...you were spying on me ?" I asked
"N... no, I just appear to be awake at that time, I often wake up in the middle of the night. Then I heard you getting up so I looked at what you were doing, you see, I am not use to have a human guest here." She answered
Yea, right...
"I see you want to get an early lead on the case, great decision! The books you chose are perfect to get you started on Equestria". Twilight said
"Yes, I know, I already learned so much, like the different type of ponies and the different places in Equestria. It is truly interesting. And then I found this book, is it an archive ?" I asked, pointing at the heavy book on my knees.
"Yes, I borrowed it from princess Celestia, there are a lot of books in the Canterlot libraries."
Canterlot must be the royal town or something .
Twilight continued :
"This book contains every pony and every creature that was ever encountered in Equestria. I thought I would need it for the case if we hadn't found any qualified detective. There is some really interesting information that will surely come in handy so you can keep it if you want." She added
"Thank you. But I also have one more question." I said
"Yes ?"
"There is a book up there, 'The Elements Of Harmony' and I couldn't reach it, but was very curious about what it could be." I told her
her horn illuminated and slowly, the book slipped from the shelves, and in a few seconds, it was in her hoofs. She sat down and explained :
"Alright, since you are so curious, I will tell you the story of the elements of harmony : They are a powerful magic that was used by princess Celestia at the time to protect her kingdom. Once, her sister Luna and her got in an argument that ended up in a fight. Luna didn't want to lower the moon any more, as she wanted the ponies to be as happy as they were the day at night. She got so angry that she threatened to plunge Equestria into eternal darkness." Twilight said
"Having no other choices, Princess Celestia used the Elements of Harmony to banish her sister on the moon. A few years ago, Luna freed herself one night, and try to finish what she had started. My friends and I found the elements of harmony and manage to destroy the evil inside of her."
"You see, the Elements of Harmony are composed of six elements : loyalty, honesty, kindness, laughter, generosity and magic. We also call them the Elements of Friendship, as it is them who brought me and my friends together, and that is keeping us connected. When those six elements are combined, they unleash an unmatched devastating magic that had proven to keep dangers away from Ponyville many times. Now, the Elements Of Harmony are no longer guarded in Canterlot, as Princess Celestia cannot use them any more : the true elements were born. And there are represented by six ponies." Twilight continued
"You have one of them in front of you." Twilight said, proudly
"I represent the element of magic. It's always been my passion and it is my destiny. The other five elements are represented by my five best friends, you'll get a chance to meet them during the interrogations."
"Well there you go, that is the story of the Elements Of Harmony. This book will only tell the same thing, with a bit more detail and historical facts."
Well, finally something that isn't to complicated !
"Ok, Twilight, thank you for explaining this to me, the more I know here, the better for the case. Now, I would like to start interrogating. I'll start by asking you some questions about Rainbow dash and the poisoning". I said
"I am ready." She replied
"Very well, let's start : how do you know Rainbow Dash and what is your relationship with her ?" I asked
"Well, I met her the first time I came to Ponyville. I had moved from Canterlot to here because of my studies. At that time, I didn't know anything about friendship. When I met her, I clearly saw she had that bombastic attitude in her. She is a warrior, she never gives up but isn't the kind of pony that is very modest... After discovering the Elements Of Harmony, we became best friends just like with the four other ponies that I'll present to you later. Oh, and Rainbow Dash represents the element of Loyalty."
"Good, next question, when and where exactly did the crime occur, and where were you at that time ?" I asked her
"Dash got poisoned two days ago at five AM. We don't know much about the crime except that Rainbow Dash's body was found near the Everfree forest by one of my friends. We don't know why she was there in the first place, or when she got poisoned exactly."
"What do you mean ? she can't tell us what happened, is he in a coma ?" I asked, worrying
"Well... it's not really a coma, but apparently, the substance that was used on her had a serious amnesia effect. she can't even remember why he was in that forest in the first place. But we will visit her as soon as we are finish with those questions." She answered
"Oh god...ok... So where were you at that very exact time, when her body was found ?" I asked
"Well at that time, I was with Rarity and Pinky pie... Oh, those are two of my other best friends. You see, Pinky Pie is an earth pony and she asked rarity who is a unicorn and me to help her with one of her parties. She really likes parties. You'll understand this better when you meet them. So I was with them from three AM the day of the crime to six AM that same day. We were alerted only when her body was in the hospital."
Good, I'll be able to confirm her alibi with these two ponies.
"Very well, last question : would you have any suspicions on who might have done it, I couldn't really think of anyone, since I am kinda new here...?" I asked
"Hmm... Those are only theories but I might have a few ideas..."
*10 minutes later*
After some packing up (Twilight took a bag that she carried on her back but I didn't see what she put in it) and finishing the conversation with Twilight, we headed towards the hospital, our next goal was interrogating Rainbow Dash. It was the first time I was out of Twilight's house and I must say, I wasn't to unhappy to feel the fresh air of the morning again. Ponyville was not very busy but that was probably because it was very early in the morning.
Still, I could see ponies preparing for their work, waving hooves at their loved one, or fillies hoping around, on their way to school. Some things were similar to my world, at least. The roads I saw were not for cars as I first thought, but actually for some kind of pony driven coach... Yes, ponies would pull others for transport... What a weird world.
I was still confused and feeling a bit homesick, but there was no turning back now. I would have to give it all I got to solve this case. It felt good to feel like someone important for once...
Each time I passed close to a pony, this one would stare at me while I walked away... Have they never seen a human before ? Hmm, probably not. After a few minutes of walking, we arrived at the Ponyville hospital. It was just like any normal hospital : a big white building with a few rectangle windows. Instead of the red cross symbol I could find on the hospitals of the human world, here, there was a huge drawing on one of the walls. It represented two unicorn ponies' head, smiling. They both had a white hat and a mask over their mouth. But apart from that, I couldn't see much more from the outside. We entered. I saw lots of corridors leading to different doors, and in the centre, a big reception. We walked towards the pony that was managing the ponies entering. Twilight asked for the authorization to visit Rainbow Dash. After a phone call, he told us that we could go and as we walked away, I noticed that the pony was looking at me nervously...
We then walked down long hallways of numbered rooms before arriving : room 13. I wasn't superstitious but come on... We entered and I saw Rainbow Dash, my heart almost skipped a beat. She wasn't the Rainbow Dash I saw in the archives, it just couldn't be... The pony that was in the hospital bed had a very dark tint of green skin, her nose was filled with yellow liquid dripping on her blanket. Her eyes were half-closed and covered with brown crusts. I could see that her mane had been rainbow coloured, but it had lost most of it's colours... She seemed a hundred years old with wrinkles all over her face. Her wing's feathers were all over the room and her fur was filled with things I couldn't even identify. I could also see a big of transparent tube attached to her nose and mouth. It was connected to a complex device near the hospital bed.
I now understood that this was very, very serious and that the criminal I would have to deal with, was not going to go easy on us. But if he wanted Rainbow Dash dead this fast, then why bother asking for money ? Twilight noticed my disgust and told me with a sign of her hoof to approach. I didn't know if this was contagious but if it was, they would probably not allow visitors in. I approached the bed and looked at the poor pony... Twilight spoke with a heavy voice :
"Well... This is what that.... that monster did to her."
She paused, and took a long breath to calm her self.
"We found her body near the entrance of the Everfree forest. There is no trace of needles or any kind of injecting device mark on her body, so she must have drank it or taken it another way. But what was she doing there anyway ?" Twilight continued
At that moment, a pony nurse came in. She was wearing a surgical mask and was levitating a sheet just in front of her.
"Miss Sparkle, could I talk with you ?" She said
"Yes ?"
There was a pause. The nurse was watching me nervously. When twilight noticed, she said :
"Oh, don't worry, he is with me. He is the detective charged of the case."
"I see..." The nurse said, still watching me
"We did everything we could... We tried to use magic, electro-therapy, internal injections... The parasite that was injected in Rainbow Dash is a mega-bacteria that is still unknown to us... It will resist to everything, growing bigger and bigger, affecting the muscles in the wings and legs first, then, the nervous system and finally, the brain and the heart... My scientists and surgeons are currently searching the Everfree forest to find this unidentified bacteria, because if there is one place that is still a mystery to ponies, it is that forest. But... I doubt we will be able to find it in time... I am so sorry." The nurse said, sadly
There was another pause and after a few seconds of silence, she left us with Rainbow Dash. I was really concerned but it was nothing compared to Twilight. Rainbow Dash was her best friend, and now, she was on the verge of death... I could see that Twilight was trying to hold back her tears. But I had to keep it together, I had to interrogate Rainbow Dash before it was too late. I approached the bed and spoke clearly :
"Rainbow Dash, do you hear me ?"
"Hmm... y...yes." She responded in a very weak voice, barely opening her eyes.
"Who...who are y...you ?" She continued
Twilight then talked to her :
"Rainbow Dash it... it's me, Twilight Sparkle, do you remember me, Rainbow Dash ?"
"Tw...Twilight is th... that you ?" Said Rainbow Dash
It seemed like she was trying to sit down, but couldn't, she let out a moan of pain as she let herself fall on the bed once more. We could clearly see that she was in extremely bad conditions...
"Yes, and I am here with the person I told you about, you remember ? I promise you I would summon him and I did. He is a human but he... he is very talented, we are going to get you out of there... Rainbow Dash, ok ? You just have to hold it together. Please..." Twilight said as her voice was getting heavy again.
Rainbow Dash didn't answer.
I spoke again :
"Rainbow Dash I know that you are in very bad shape but I really need to ask you some question, just do your best to try and talk to me an remember what happened ." I said
"O...OK" She responded.
"Rainbow Dash, why were you in the Everfree forest two days ago ?"
It seemed like she was thinking.
"I...I can't remember anything..." She said
"Ok, let's look at he situation from a different angle : what is the last thing you remember ?" I asked
"The...the last thing I saw... hmm... Oh that's right, the last thing I remember was... Cloudsdale..." She smiled
"Yea I was there just... just hanging there, it is my favourite place to go, I had just received a letter from the mail pony *cough* But that's it, I can't remember any of what was inside the letter or anything after this *cough*" She answered
"OK, good, now, where is this letter ?" I asked
It was Twilight who answered me, still with this expressionless voice :
"I remember... the Ponyville police told me about this letter. They found it with her body when it was found. They took it to the police station, I already tried to get it back but since I wasn't a professional detective or a police officer, they didn't let me in... so it must still be there..."
"sigh... Ok, Rainbow Dash, do you remember something else, anything ?..." I asked
At that moment, her body started twitching and her heart beat increased drastically.
"No... NO... GET AWAY FROM ME... NO... NOT THIS VIDEO... NOOOOOOOOOOO... I WON'T LET YOU..."
Not long after a team of three pony doctors pushed us away and took the bed to the emergency room while Rainbow Dash was still screaming out in terror... Twilight and I were still standing there, shocked. I saw a tear drop from her eye onto her cheek and heard her sobbing... I could understand that seeing her best friend like this must hurt a lot. Although I knew I was suppose to comfort her, I didn't... I didn't really know how and I was still feeling uneasy about all those ponies. We both left the hospital in silence. Once outside, I told Twilight :
"Listen, Twilight, I am going to do everything I can do solve this case and save Rainbow dash, I promise."
At that moment, I realised what I had done. I had fully committed to this case, and I couldn't back down now. I had officially reached the 'no return' point, but deep inside of me, it didn't bother me, no, I had never been so excited in my life! Twilight wiped her eyes and looked at me with a small, timid smile on her face.
"Thank you so much, Christopher, I really appreciate that you are willing to give so much time and effort for a somepony you just met. Let's not wait another minute and let's meet my other friends so we can get some more information! " She said
She had got her perseverance back and I was happy about that. We were ready to continue. We started walking when Twilight stopped.
"Oh, I almost forgot to give you this, it might help" Twilight said
She levitated a piece of paper out of her bag and gave it to me. Here what was written on the dirty paper :
To whoever will find this letter, Rainbow Dash have been administered a powerful and deadly venom. No cure can be found or created in Equestria. However, to obtain the antidote, leave a magi-check containing one million bits. Depose the money on the eastern clearing of the Everfree forest. No police officers or guards will be there when I pick up the money, or you won't have the antidote. If there is the correct amount, I will then place the cure at the same spot one hour later in the form of an injection. You have a delay of five days, after which, if she hasn't got any cure, Rainbow Dash will die.
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