Chapters 7 years ago....
A young Twilight laid in bed, wide eyed and clutching her Smarty Pants doll as she listened to her Grandmother's story.
"...and then, just as Arabus's cloud covered the town and began sucking up all of their shadows, I came back!" Aurella exclaimed, waving her arms up. "With the box of the Umbra in my possession, I opened it and sucked that nasty cloud demon right inside! Not only stopping his spreading darkness, but returning the shadows to their rightful owners."
"And then what happened?" Twilight asked excitedly.
"Simply put, I entrusted the box to some very dear friends of mine, who would hide it where nobody would ever find it again, before returning to my comfy home."
"Yay!"
"Now I think that's enough stories for tonight." Aurella said, patting her granddaughter's head. "Next time I'll tell you about Kaida the dragon rider."
"Grandma?"
"Yes?"
"Are...Are your stories actually true?"
"Hmm....aside from some slight exaggerations here and there.....yup! They are most definitely true!"
"I knew it! Shining said they were too crazy to be true!"
Aurella just chuckled and rubbed Twilight's head. "Believe it or not, sometimes reality is even crazier than fiction. Now I believe it's time someone got to sleep." She reached down and kissed Twilight's forehead. "Goodnight my little star."
"Goodnight Grandma."
Aurella turned off the lights and just before she shut the door, she took one last look at Twilight, and smiled, before gently closing the door.
Twilight quickly drifted off to sleep, with dreams of adventure awaited her.
Present.
Twilight woke up in the middle of the night with one though in mind.
There's somebody else in the house.
Right after that, she heard somebody shuffling around downstairs.
She realized instantly that an intruder had tripped her father's security spell, which immediatly woke the residents and alerted them if anyone other than the residents or an invited guest were inside.
Looks like tonight it was being put into use.
"Twilight?" Spike asked, blinking awake. "What's going on?"
Twilight immediately got out of bed and headed for the door. "There's somebody in the house. Be quiet and stay close to me."
She opened the door and saw her parents coming down the hall, having also been alerted.
"Twilight, stay in your room." Night whispered quickly, getting his magic ready.
"But-"
"We can handle this." Velvet whispered, wielding her 'Emergency Bat'.
Twilight hmphed and stayed in place as her parents went ahead....before tiptoeing a few feet behind them.
"Twilight, are you sure about this?" Spike whispered.
Twilight didn't acknowledge him, but just kept going until...
*BANG*
"Hey!" Night's voice shouted. "Freeze!"
There was more shuffling, a whack followed by a moan of agony and by the time Twilight reached the top of the stairwell and looked down, the their had escaped into the night.
"Are you guys ok!?"
Night took a deep breath and gave his daughter a reassuring nod. "We're fine. He got away, but nothing was stolen or broken."
"Thank goodness. Do you think we should call the police?"
"Of course. It's important for them to be on alert. Of course..."He glanced at Velvet, who was proudly holding her bat. "...Something tells me they won't be coming back here any time soon."
"Woah." Flash's eyes widened. "Somebody actually tried to break into your house?!"
Twilight nodded pulling a few books out of her locker and stuffing them into her backpack.
"And you know what the weirdest part is?" She looked at him. "I think he was looking for something."
Flash looked confused. "What do you mean? My dad's an officer, and he said that most thieves like that are just looking for small stuff they can make a quick buck off."
"I know but...nothing was actually stolen. And he didn't leave any real mess for the police to investigate. My mom saw him look through a bookcase and rummage quickly through a drawer but left them alone, like he knew what he was looking for but couldn't find it."
Flash frowned, thinking. "Yeah...that is weird. Do you think he was looking for the Elements or something?"
"I don't know." Twilight admitted as they left school. "Maybe he really was just a petty thief looking to make some quick cash. Whatever the case, the police are keeping an eye out. Minor burglaries are kind of out of my league."
Flash shrugged. "Fair enough."
"I'm sure they'll catch him soon. Right now we need to focus on getting you ready for your math test next week!"
A few weeks ago, Flash was having trouble in his math class and so his teacher had suggested that Twilight tutor him until he got the hang of it. Though nervous initially about being around his crush one on one, Flash soon found himself enjoying the sessions, as Twilight often found ways of explaining the problems and concepts in a way that was both fun and easy for him to understand. He might not share her enthusiasm for the subject, but he was still improving in class.
The two teens headed to Flash's car and drove off. Within a few minutes, they arrived at Twilight's house, only to see something unusual.
Well, not exactly something, but someone .
A woman stood at the door, as though waiting for one of the residents to come home. She wore a purple cloak, red reading glasses and jungle hat. Her eyes were scanning the area around her, as though on the watch for someone following or about to attack her. She clutched a green carpetbag to her chest as though her life depended on it.
Twilight recognized her instantly.
"A.K. Yearling!?" Twilight exclaimed once she got out of the car and spotted her. "What is she doing here?"
"'A.K. Yearling'?" Flash repeated in surprise. "The author of the Daring Do books?"
A.K. turned around and, spotting the young mage, waved her hand to signal them to come forward come forward.
"I need to speak with you. It's a matter of the upmost importance. Can we go talk inside?"
Twilight nodded and used her keys to unlock the door and rush everyone inside before shutting and locking it again.
Once they were inside, Twilight turned to Yearling. "What's going on?"
Yearling opened her mouth to speak when she noticed Flash in the room and began eyeing him suspiciously. "Can we talk in private , please?"
Twilight put a hand on Flash's shoulder. "Don't worry. He's a friend, we can trust him."
Poor Flash was even more confused now. "Twilight? What's going on? Why does Ms. Yearling want to talk to you?"
Yearling looked at Twilight, who nodded reassuringly, before sighing and turning back to Flash. "Okay, whatever I tell you stays in this house, understood?"
Flash nodded and Yearling and Twilight began to explain .
Flash's eyes were as wide as dinner plates and it looked like his jaw was in ganger of outright detaching from his skull.
"YOU"RE DARING DO!? THE DARING DO!? THOSE STORIES ARE REAL!?"
Yearling nodded. "Yes, and I'm here on important business." She said impatiently.
"What is it?" Twilight asked.
"I need the Flute of the Pied Piper."
Twilight could only blink. "The what of the what now?"
"The Flute of the Pied Piper." Yearling explained, pulling out a book and opening it to a picture of a man playing a flute. "Hundreds of years ago in the City of Hamelin a plague of rats infested the city, eating all the food, destroying property and spreading disease. Nothing the citizens did seemed to stop or slow them down. They had just given up hope and were prepared to abandon the city when a mysterious young mage came into town and offered to drive the rats away. Using an enchanted flute he had crafted himself, he played a melody that led the rats away from Hamelin, saving the city. The mage became known as the 'Pied Piper'."
"Woah..."
"Wait a minute." Flash spoke up. "If all it did was drive rats away, why do you need it. I know you're supposed to protect all these magical artifacts from Caballeron and Ahuizotl, but why would they want something like this?"
Yearling turned the page. "Because the flute has the power to control anything or anyone as well." She pointed to a picture showing the flute's notes controlling several people. "The Piper knew how dangerous it could be in the wrong hands, so he hid it away just before he died."
"I still don't understand." Twilight said. "I know it's imperative that you find it, but why do you need my help?"
Daring looked her right in the eye. "Because you're grandmother was the last person to have it."
Now it was Twilight's turn to look at Yearling with with wide eyes and her jaw dropped.
"What!?"
Yearling nodded. "It's true, the Flute was last seen during one of Detective Aurella's cases in Hamelin about thirty five years ago. All I know is that a mobster found it and was using it to get people to do his dirty business for him and essentially control the whole city. I don't have most of the details, but your Grandmother stopped him and hid the flute to prevent anyone else from getting to it. Didn't you know that?"
Twilight shook her head. "No! Grandma usually loved to talk about her cases. I guess she just never got around to that one..."
"Probably for the best. The fewer people who knew about the flute, the better."
"So what do you need Twilight for?" Flash asked.
"Ahuizoltl and Caballeron managed to get wind of it and my sources tell me they're heading to Hamelin as we speak. I was hoping Aurella had left behind something like a clue or map to where she hid it." Yearling said, looking at Twilight.
"Maybe but-" As Twilight tried to think of something, she pressed her hand on the book, specifically on the picture of the flute, before gasping as a wave of energy rushed through her body and her eyes went white.
In a dark room, a hooded Caballeron is speaking to one of his subordinates....
"Just go in and see if you can find Aurella's journal and bring it back to me." Caballeron ordered.
"B-but.."
"What!?"
"W-what if that girl catches me-"
"Are you telling me you are scared of a young girl!?" Caballeron roared.
"N-no!"
"Then just go in and see if you can that journal, do you understand!?"
The thief was now in Twilight's home, looking through the books for the journal.
"Freeze!"
The goon turned around in fright when Night appeared.
Then an image of an old journal appeared, with worn red covering with the image of a star inside of a magnifying glass on the cover. The image zoomed out, revealing it to be in a box in the attic.
Twilight blinked and stepped back as she returned to the real world.
"Twilight? Are you ok!?" Flash asked, holding her arm to help steady her.
"Her journal! Of course!" Twilight gasped.
"What are you talking about?" Yearling asked.
"Whenever Grandma was on a case she kept a journal of sorts to to keep track of the facts, record clues and all that stuff."
"Of course!" Yearling gasped. 'She always kept a journal right by her side!"
"When she hid the flute she might have written where she hid it!" Flash realized.
"I had a vision of Caballeron ordering one of his goons to come here and find it! That must be who broke in last night!"
"What!?" Yearling exclaimed. "That means they're already one step ahead of me! We need to find that journal now !"
"To the attic!" Twilight announced, leading them up the stairs.
In the attic, Twilight held a box.
"Okay, i have good news and bad news." She said.
"What's the good news?" Yearling asked.
"I found where we put the journal."
Yearling grinned while Flash remained skeptical. "And the bad news?"
Twilight set the box down and opened it, revealing several similar journals. "She had more than one journal."
The dismay immediately appeared on Yearlings face.
"Grandma didn't trust her memory, so she liked to write and draw during her cases, so they went by pretty fast." Twilight picked up a book and blew the dust of it. "And she had a LOT of cases."
Flash sighed as he sat down. "Better start looking." He picked up a journal and skimmed through it. Yearling and Twilight followed his lead, looking for any mention or drawing of the flute.
After a few minutes, Twilight was about to pick up another book when hesitated.
"Twilight?" Flash asked.
Following her instinct, Twilight dug through the box and picked up a journal, seemingly at random. "This is it."
Yearling raised an eyebrow. "How? You haven't even looked through it."
"I-I can feel it." Twilight then opened the covering to the inside cover.
With dark pen and swift handwriting, was written:
Property of Master Detective Aurella of the World Detective Agency. If found please contact her immediately at...
Twilight skimmed through the rest until she came at the dates the journal was used.
"Did the Hamelin case happen sometime during this?" Twilight asked, showing Yearling the dates.
Yearling's eyes widened. "That's it! The dates match up perfectly!" Without asking, she grabbed the journal and began flipping through it until she reached a drawing of the Flute. "This is it! Look!" She pointed to the text. "She admits she DID hide it to keep it safe!" She flipped through for more information, her smiled slowly disappearing as she looked though.
"What's wrong?" Flash asked.
"These puzzles...I can't do them."
"What do you mean?" Twilight asked.
"Aurella wasn't just a Master Detective, she was a Master puzzle solver! I've seen my fair share of puzzles during my adventures but these..." She shook her head. "These are way beyond me."
"Yeah.." Twilight nodded. "Grandma did like her puzzles, she would have us solve one before we could get out birthday or Hearths Warming gift."
Yearling perked up upon hearing that. "Then that means...yes!"
"Huh!"
"The solution is simple!" Yearling grinned. "You just need to come to Hamelin with me!"
The trio, after asking for directions from some friendly locals, soon arrived at the large, old temple. Aside from a few obvious renovations due to it's age, it looked exactly like it did in the sketch.
"Okay...now what?" Daring asked, looking at Twilight expectantly.
Twilight opened the journal. "On the back of the drawing, there's a riddle. Let's see..." She found her place. "Okay:"
"Go to the guardian of the moon
and within the first quarter
you shall rise anew
and become full once more. "
Daring and Flash just stared at her blankly.
"Uh...what?" Flash asked, rasing an eyebrow.
"'Guardian of the Moon'...." Daring wondered. "What could that mean?"
Even Twilight was having trouble until she looked at the building again. Her brain clicked the pieces into place.
"That's it!" She exclaimed.
"Did you figure it out?" Flash asked.
"Yup! Where are we again?" Twilight, grinning.
Daring's eyes widened with understanding. "The temple of the Gods!"
"And what Goddess in particular is popular with people?"
"The Moon Goddess!" Both Daring and Flash exclaimed at the same time.
"Grandma has to be referring to the Moon Goddess. She must have hidden something around her shrine. I'm sure we'll figure out the rest once we get inside."
With that, the trio rushed up the stairs and through the doors. The inside of the temple was simple with high ceilings, clean windows, and rugs leading from the entryway to the various shrines and statues dedicated to the various Goddesses. The air held a wide mixture of smells caused by the burning incense. As it was still early in the afternoon, only a handful of others were in there, either priestesses making their offerings, or locals praying quietly to a particular Goddess.
Quietly, both out of respect and so they wouldn't draw any unwanted attention to themselves, Twilight, Daring and Flash wandered through the great hall until they came up the shrine dedicated to the Moon Goddess herself.
Standing tall and proud, surrounded by candles, flowers, incense, and a variety of food based offerings was an (arguably) life size statue of a beautiful woman with curled hair, an elegant floor length dress and holding a scepter with a crescent moon on the top.
"Okay, we're here." Daring said. "Now what?"
"I'm not sure." Twilight admitted, looking at the journal again. "The rest of the riddle doesn't seem to make sense."
As the two women pondered what the rest of the riddle could mean, Flash took a good, hard look at the statue. This statue, along with all the other statues, were images he and pretty much every Equestrian grew up with. The faces of these Goddesses, whether stone, or any kind of colored depiction, were as familiar to him as his family's. Not seeing anything strange with the woman herself, Flash's eyes turned to the base the woman was standing upon. There was a stone diagram that he recognized was of the moon's phases surrounding the Earth.
"Twilight, can I see that riddle again?" Flash asked, an idea coming to mind.
Twilight blinked in surprise. "Sure." She answered, handing him the journal.
Flash read through the riddle once again, and looked at the statue again.
"I've got it!"
"What?" Daring asked.
"Look at the base of the statue." Flash said, pointing to it. "There are images of the phases of the moon."
"Well...she is the Goddess of the Moon ." Twilight hesitantly pointed out.
"But look at the riddle! 'and within the first quarter , you shall rise anew , and become full once more!'" He looked at them eagerly. "Don't you see, they're not just words in a riddle!"
Twilight gasped. "They're the names of the phases of the moon!"
Flash nodded. "Exactly. Now let's see..." He leaned down in front of the base and, upon finding the image of a first quarter moon, pushed his finger on it. The image sank, like a button. Then he pushed the image of the dark moon, which sank back into the stone as well. Finally, he pushed the image of the full moon, which did the same as it's predecessors.
Then, to his and the other's surprise, the diagram split in half, and the two sides slowly parted ways to reveal a hidden compartment.
"Woah..."
"You did it!" Twilight praised.
"Wow...that was actually kind of smart." Daring admitted.
Flash reached in pulled out an old folded up piece of paper along with a small stone circle with the image of a treble clef carved on it.
"What is it?" Daring asked, peering at the newfound objects.
"I'm not sure. They're probably important though." With that, he handed Twilight the paper while placing the trinket safely in his pocket before pushing the stone pieces back into place.
Twilight quickly unfolded the paper and gasped.
"What is it? A map to the flute!?" Daring asked.
"It's...It's blank!"
Daring and Flash's jaws dropped.
"Why would she put in an empty piece of paper?" Flash asked.
"I don't-"
"Hand on." Daring snatch the paper out of Twilight's hands and laid it flat against the wall while also pulling out a pencil.
"If there's one thing my adventures have taught me, it's that 'blank' pieces of paper.." She began rubbing the paper with the edge of her pencil. "...are actually hiding something valuable!"
As she rubbed, another drawing could soon be made out; it appeared to an etching of a large fountain.
"Nice job!" Twilight said. "Do you know where it is?"
Daring shook her head. "Sorry. I've never been to this town either. We can probably just ask around-"
Suddenly, she looked towards the entrance and gasped.
"Get down!" She whispered, dragging the two teens behind the statue.
"What the-" Flash gasped.
"Ssshh!" Daring whispered, looking around in high alert.
"Daring what's wrong?" Twilight whispered in concern.
Daring signaled for them to stay silent before pointing at the entrance. "Look!"
They looked and saw three men, two of whom were burly and seemed simple minded compared to their apparent leader, an older looking man, one who Twilight instantly recognized from the train incident a few weeks ago.
"Is that..?" Flash asked in shock.
"Doctor Caballeron!" Twilight gasped.
The trio watched as Caballeron and his goons slowly made their way through the temple, carefully looking around each and every corner.
"They must have gotten wind about me being here." Daring muttered.
"What do we do?" Flash asked.
Daring folded up the paper again and stuffed it into Flash's pocket. "You go and wait outside for us. He knows who Twilight and I are, but he's never seen you before."
"But what about-"
"We'll be fine. Just walk past them casually, don't act suspicious or look them in the eye ok?" Before Flash could answer, Daring pushed him out into the open. "Now go!"
After taking a moment to catch his footing, he took a deep breath and proceeded to make his way down the hall. When he went by Caballeron and his goons, he made sure to keep looking straight ahead. They barely so much as glanced at him as he went though the doors and down the steps before sighing with relief.
Okay ladies, I'm out, now it's your turn.
As Flash made his way outside, Daring and Twilight tried to come up with a plan on getting out of there.
"Okay, maybe if we can grab some priestess clothes-"
"Hang on." Twilight interrupted Daring's planning by grabbing her hand.
"Huh?"
"Ssh." Twilight then began mumbling some words before both of them felt like they were being wrapped in a blanket.
"What are you doing?"
"It's a type of invisibility spell I just learned this week. Just hold your breath and don't let go of my hand until we're out of here ok?"
Daring nodded before holding her nose with her free hand as the two got up and began walking through the hall. Nobody even glanced their way as they carefully weaved around people and avoided stepping on anything. As they went by Caballeron they became even more careful until they were a good distance away.
Daring felt like her lungs were going to explode as they snuck in right behind someone as they were leaving. Quickly making their way down the steps, the women managed to hide behind some bushes before gasping for air.
"Next time....cough ...could you try...cough ...a spell that lets you breath?" Daring wheezed.
"Sorry..." Twilight said, taking a breath. "It was the only spell I could think of that could get us out of there without attracting attention."
"There you are!"
Daring and Twilight looked up to see a worried Flash looking over the bushes.
"Come on." Daring grabbed the two teens wrists and hurried them to the next street before letting go. "Okay, I think we're good. But we're going to have to keep a lookout from now on. Where's the next clue?"
Flash took out the paper and unfolded it. "Here. But where the heck are we going to find one fountain in this city?"
Twilight looked around before noticing an older looking man sitting at a table at a nearby cafe. "Why don't we just try asking him?"
Daring stayed behind as a lookout while Flash and Twilight walked up to the friendly looking man. He had a slim built, light green skin with grey hair and mustache to match.
"Hello there." Twilight greeted. "My friend and I are supposed to meet someone at this fountain, but we don't know where it is." She handed them the sketch and they looked it over.
The man smiled. "Ja ....I know where this is. Pass by it nearly every day."
"That's great!" Flash said. "Can you tell us where it is?"
"Oh course...after you beat me in a game of Mühle."
"What!?" Twilight exclaimed. "Why?!"
The man shrugged. "I'm old. I'm bored. And I've got no one else to play with. Besides, have you ever heard the phrase 'if you want something, you have to earn it?'"
Twilight sighed. "Alright then."
The man smiled. "Gut ! Who's up?"
Flash pulled Twilight aside. "What exactly is 'Mühle'?"
"Mühle, or more commonly known as 'Nine men's morris' is an ancient strategy game dating back thousands of years. Think of it like checkers or chess. Each player has nine places which they try to place in 'mills'- three lined horizontally or vertically- which allows them to remove an opponent's piece from the game. You win by winding your opponent down to two pieces, so he can't form mills anymore."
"Alright.."
"Don't worry. I used to play it with my Grandfather. I can get through this."
Twilight took a seat and the game began with the man placing his white pieces with Twilight countering with her black pieces.
"So....I take it you and your friend here are new to this fine town?" The man asked, placing a piece.
Twilight placed her counter piece. "Yeah. We're doing a report for school."
"Hmm.....and how did you come by that lovely drawing i I may ask?"
"My...mom gave it to me. She's a big fan of puzzles and she wants to see if I could figure it out."
The man laughed. "Is that so? Why knew someone like her who was quite the puzzle solver herself. She was a stubborn dame. Refused to give up on even the toughest of puzzles. She would have liked your mother."
The man continued to talk, and Flash and Twilight found him to be a surprisingly pleasant man and good conversationalist. The game continued, and soon the man was left with only two white pieces.
"Why would you look at that!" The man exclaimed happily. "You beat me fair and square, so I'll give you you're information. You can find the fountain in Melodie Park, just a few blocks away from here." He gave them directions, and the two teens kindly thanked him before returning to Daring.
"What took so long?" She asked impatiently. "I though you were just getting directions!"
"We did." Twilight said. "We just had to play a game of Mühle to get them first. It's not too far from here, let's go."
They walked, looking for the marks the man said to look for.
"That was pretty clever of you." Flash said to Twilight.
"What do you mean?"
"On that last move. Shuffling your piece back and forth until he went on the attack before creating your mill."
Twilight blinked, surprised. "You were following that?"
"It took a few moves, but I think I get the gist of the game now."
"Wow! I should teach you more when we get home."
"I'd like that."
They continued on their walk, with Daring managing to get Flash alone while Twilight walked on ahead.
"So...nice job back there. Figuring out what the riddle meant. That was actually pretty smart of you." Daring admitted.
"Thanks. I've been spending more time around Twilight lately, so I guess she's rubbing off on me."
"So what is up between you and Twilight?"
This caused Flash to stutter and turn beat red.
"W-what!? We're....friends! Good friends!"
Daring eyed him. "Hmm. You like her don't you?"
"Well...yeah. I mean who wouldn't like-"
"No. I mean 'Iike so much i can barely say two words to them without imagining our wedding day.'"
"Huh!?"
"Oh please. No offense kid, but you're as transparent as glass. I saw the way you were looking at her during the game. And before that too. No guy I've ever met would be so stupidly willing to walk into danger unless it was for some girl he liked."
"I didn't just-"
Daring put a finger to his lips, cutting him off again.
"Don't worry kid, your secret's safe with me. Though to be honest, the real mystery should be how she hasn't figured it out yet."
"Figured what out yet?" Twilight asked, having paused to wait for them.
Flash blushed again. "Nothing!"
Author's Note
Nine men's morris is an actual game and the rules are fairly accurate. I had to look it up for this.
After some more walking and asking locals, the trio finally found the fountain. It was even more beautiful than the sketch, with a wide base lifted pool surrounding four levels of water dropping after being shot out from on top.
"Alright, look around it for anything suspicious." Daring said as they began examining the fountain.
"You find anything?" Flash asked.
"Just some fancy carvings." Daring replied. "You?"
"Just some coins."
"Guys!" Twilight shouted. "Check this out!"
Flash and Daring went over to Twilight to see what she was pointing to. Carved into the fountain was the word 'Stein next to an empty round hole. The strange part was that the letters appeared to be carved onto five 'wheels' that went back into the fountain.
"That's odd..." Daring said, trying to see if she could spin the letter, only for it to remain stoic. "I know the word 'stein' means 'stone' but why would they carve it on a fountain of all things? And I think you're supposed to be able to move the wheels too, but it's stuck."
Another idea suddenly entered Flash's mind and be pulled out the token from before. "I think this is for the thing we got from the statue." He quickly tried putting the token in the hole. It slid in perfectly. A slight 'click' could be heard and Daring tried to spin the wheels again and this time they turned, revealing different letters were carved along each wheel.
"Nice work!" Twilight said, smiling.
"Now we just have to figure what word to put in..." Daring tapped her finger, thinking until she noticed the token. Specifically, the image carved onto the token. "Guys....look at the token! I think we have to put in the word 'music' or at least something music related. Unfortunately, I'm not that great at Germane..."
"I know Germane." Twilight offered.
Daring turned to her, wide eyed. "You do?"
"Yup......along with Spanish, Prench, Istallion, Chineighse, Gaelic, and Latin to name a few." She noticed the dropped jaws on Flash and Daring. "What? Whenever I got sick, I just turned on a foreign language channel or turned on foreign language subtitles. It's important to be multilangual in order to better communicate in a rapidly interconnecting world."
"...RIght." Was all Daring could say. "Can you tell me the word for 'Music' in Germane?"
"Musik"
"That's what I'm asking!"
"No, the word for 'Music' in Germane is just 'Musik ', with a 'k'."
"...Seriously!?"
Twilight shrugged. "Sometimes not much translation is needed."
Daring sighed and quickly began spinning the wheels to spell out the word 'Musik'. Once she finally got the K in place, there was another clicking, along with the sound of stone sliding against stone as a rectangular panel beneath the letters slid open, revealing yet another hidden compartment.
"What's in this one?"
Daring reached in and pulled out another old piece of paper and a palm sized amulet with the image of an x with a diamond in it carved on it.
"What does it say?" Twilight asked.
Daring frowned. "I-I don't know!" She showed them the paper, revealing the oddly shaped letters. "It's just a bunch of gibberish!"
"What could it mean?" Flash asked, looking over the strange language.
Twilight mentally went over every language in her head, but none of the matched the symbols on the letter.
Grandma, what are trying to say?
This though brought forth a memory to Twilight's mind.
"What ch'ya writing Grandma?" A young Twilight asked.
Aurella, who was sitting at the table, smiled. "Would you like to see?"
Twilight nodded, and was promptly lifted onto Aurella's lap to look at a piece of paper. Twilight quickly glanced at it and frowned in frustration. "This isn't writing!"
"Oh, it isn't?" Aurella asked playfully.
"Yeah! It doesn't make sense!"
"Aurella chuckled at this. "Just because something doesn't seem to make sense at first, doesn't mean it doesn't have a meaning."
"Huh?" Twilight asked in confusion.
"Can you get me a hand mirror from the basket?"
Twilight nodded and got off, returning a few moments later with the requested object.
"Perfect, now come here." Twilight got back on her lap. "Now hold it like so...." She adjusted the mirror in Twilight's grasp so that it reflected the note. "There! Now take a look."
Twilight looked back at the paper. It still held the the same gibberish as before. But when she looked in the mirror, she gasped!
"I-It's backwards!"
"That's right my little star!"
"I didn't know you could write backwards."
Aurella just shrugged. "It's a skill you pick up when you need to keep some things secret. Now, can you read it now?"
Twilight looked in the mirror, and read the reflected letters.
"Bread, milk, eggs, chocolate....Hey!" She turned to her grandmother, annoyed. "This is just a shopping list!"
This caused Aurella to burst into laughter. "That it is."
"Why are you writing your shopping list backwards?"
"Oh...just something to keep this old mind sharp. Keep practicing and maybe you'll be able to do it someday."
"I've got it!"
"Got what?" Flash asked, confused.
"Come over here." Twilight sat on the edge of the water and angled the note above it.
"...What are you doing?" Daring asked.
"I just remembered something my Grandma taught me. Now come see."
Daring and Flash looked at each other, shrugged and went over to the fountain. Doing just as Twilight asked, they looked in the water, and gasped.
"It's not gibberish!" Daring gasped. "It's backwards !"
"Exactly." Twilight nodded. "Can you read it now."
"Sure." Daring cleared her throat. "' The final step is now in hand, to find the treasure you seek, go and confront the Piper's final fate. '" Daring looked back up. "Final fate? What could that mean?"
"I think I have an idea." Flash said. "I read something similar in a book once. First, ask yourselves this: What is the final fate of everyone on the planet?"
Daring's eyes widened. "Of course! The 'final fate' of everyone is death! Everybody dies sooner or later!"
"Which probably means we have to go to.." Twilight continued.
"The Cemetery!" The three of them exclaimed at once.
"I read in the guidebook that the Pied Piper's tomb is there!" Twilight exclaimed.
"Let's go!" Daring lead the way. "Now that Caballeron's in the city, that mean Ahuizotl isn't far behind!"
They soon arrived the old Cemetery just outside of the city. Following the signs, they soon found the large, ornate mausoleum dedicated to the Piper of long ago. Carved in stone on the front was written:
In memory of the musician who saved this city long ago.
"Alright, we're here." Daring noted. "Now what?"
Twilight looked at the amulet they picked up. "Well, this is the symbol of death, so...maybe we have to go inside to figure it out?"
"On it." Daring quickly looked around, making sure there was no one else around, before opening the door and rushing them inside. "Alright, try to find something the amulet might go with."
"Does anybody else feel weird about exploring the tomb with a long dead guy in it?" Flash inquired as he searched the walls.
"Oh don't worry about that; he's not buried here."
"Huh?" Daring and Flash turned to Twilight.
"The book said that this tomb was built as a memorial to him after he died. His final resting place is still a mystery." Her eyes widened as the pieces clicked in her mind. "Gah! How could I have been so stupid!?"
"What's wrong?" Flash asked.
"We're searching in the wrong place! Don't you see?! This mausoleum isn't his 'final fate'!" Twilight began to pace back and forth. "If I know my grandmother, she's talking about his actual final resting place."
"But it's just like you said:" Flash interrupted. "Nobody knows where he's actually buried." He walked over and put a comforting hand on her shoulder, which stopped her pacing. "Let's just do a quick look through here for any clues before moving."
Twilight took a deep breath and nodded, and they continued to search once more.
The sun was beginning to set by the time they left the mausoleum, defeated and empty handed.
"Nothing." Daring muttered. "No spot to put the amulet in, no note with another riddle, nothing!"
"What are we going to do now?" Flash asked. "This cemetery's huge. It would take weeks to find anything that would go with the amulet, and Twilight and I are only here for the weekend. Who knows when we'll get the chance to come back?"
Daring sighed. "Maybe this was all just a big mistake. I should have never involved the two of you in this."
Twilight gave her a comforting smile. "Don't worry about it. Did you know how excited I was when you asked me to help with this? To find something my own Grandmother found and hid a long time ago. It's like I was living the adventures she was always telling me about!"
"Really?"
"Of course." Twilight sat down on a nearby bench and looked at a nearby pond with a distant smile on her face. "Ever since I was a little girl, I've loved reading and hearing about her cases, and just her life in general! It was all so exciting, all those places she's been to, the monsters she's fought, the people she's met....it all seemed so amazing! I wanted to do all that too!"
"I know the feeling." Flash sat next to her. "My parents were away a lot when I was a kid, so Scootaloo and I usually ended up with our Aunts. They're great and I love them, but when your a kid with only your aunts and baby sister for company, it can get lonely. Reading mysteries gave me something to do. Then one day I stumbled onto a few old articles about Aurella's cases and I was hooked! I looked up everything I could about her, articles, books, even old news recordings. She was brave and smart and pretty much everything I wanted to be when I grew up. I got my aunt Holiday to get me puzzle books or puzzle boxes for me to solve so I could be ready." He caught her eye and they smiled at their similar stories.
"But it wasn't just that either." Twilight continued. "It wasn't just her past adventures I loved, it was the woman I knew . She was funny, caring. She always knew how to cheer me up when I got upset. She listened to me without interrupting and gave me advice. She was crazy, but in a good way! And when your a kid who feels like an outsider a lot....that's the best kind of person to have around."
"I know that too." Daring smiled. "It was her who inspired me to become an adventurer in the first place."
"Really?"
Daring nodded. "Her and my Uncle Ad. They were friends and he used to tell me all about the adventures they went on together. Not only was she clever and bold, but from the way my Uncle talked, you'd think she was the greatest person who ever lived! I knew right then that I wanted to be just like them, solving puzzles, finding long lost treasures." She sighed. "Except for this one, I guess."
"Let me see the amulet again." Twilight held her hand out. "Maybe there's something we missed."
Daring handed her the amulet and Twilight looked at it before placing her other hand on it to move it around.....
Just as her fingers brushed the stone, Twilight's eyes went white.
She saw her, her Grandmother, only far younger than she remembered.
She was walking right outside the exact tomb, only unlike Twilight, she walked right passed it.
Looking around for anybody that might be following her, Aurella walked through the cemetery before coming upon a lone raised grave with the inscription:
Ed Pipe
Rip
Right in the center of the headstone, was a circular stone, carved with the symbol of death.
The vision ended and Twilight took a quick gasp of air.
"Are you ok? What did you see?" Flash asked with concern.
Twilight just gave a knowing smile. "The answer we've been looking for."
Twilight led them through the cemetery, the same path her Grandmother had walked years ago.
"Where are we going?" Daring inquired.
"You'll see." Was all Twilight replied.
She walked on, the path fully ingrained in her mind from the vision, until she came upon the grave.
"This is it?" Daring asked, raising an eyebrow. "Just some random guy's grave?"
"Not just anyone's grave." Twilight pointed to the headstone. "What's their name?"
Flash looked. "Ed Pipe? Who's that?"
Twilight shook her head. "Not just Ed Pipe, what's written under it?"
"'Rip'?" Daring was even more confused now. "I don't get it. All graves had 'R.I.P.' on the. You know? 'Rest In Peace'?"
Twilight shook her head again. "'R.I.P.' is written differently here for a reason. Now read the whole thing together. Does anything sound familiar?"
Daring ran the words and letters in her head until it clicked. "It's an anagram !"
Twilight nodded. "Exactly." Using her magic, she summoned created pink floating letters that read the inscription from the headstone. "Put them in a different order..." With her magic, she began rearranging the letters of the name until a familiar one appeared. "..and you get-"
"'Pied Piper'!" Both Flash and Daring exclaimed when they saw the name Twilight's magic created.
Twilight nodded and swished away the letters. "Now look at this." She pointed to the center of the headstone. "in my vision it was full. But now?" She gestured to the small, carved out circle that appeared to have once held something.
Flash's eyes widened. "The Amulet!"
Twilight nodded, pulled the amulet out, and set it into the headstone before pressing down on it like a button. It fit and moved back with ease. The familiar sound of stone scraping against stone was heard as the top of the casket dropped down into the earth, creating a set of stairs that led further down.
"Alright everyone!" Twilight announced, stepping onto the staircase. "Time to finally find this Flute!"
The trio made their way down a long, dark tunnel that obviously hadn't been opened since Aurella was here, with all the dust and spider webs to go by. Twilight used her magic to light the way down the tunnel.
They walked in silence for a few minutes before reaching a set of large wooden doors. Daring tugged on them, revealing them to be locked.
"Locked. Maybe there's a key somewhere around here, or maybe another puzzle-"
*Zapp!*
Flash and Daring stared at the empty hole on the door where the handles used to be, before turning to Twilight, whose hand still glowed from the blast.
"What?" She asked, noticing their looks. "Believe it or not I'm actually kind of tired of puzzles at this point."
Flash and Daring just stared at her for another minute before deciding to just continue. Daring, being careful of the still hot blasted part, carefully pulled the door open to reveal a dark room.
They stepped in, and suddenly torches hanging on the wall all around the room lit up, revealing the large, underground crypt.
"Guys..." Daring said, looking around. "I think we found it."
At the end of the crypt, raised on a couple of steps, was a large, stone grave. A plaque on the side of the coffin read:
Here lies Tui Pied, savior of the town of Hamelin.
"We've found it!" Daring exclaimed excitedly. "This is the resting place of the Pied Piper! Aurella must have hidden it with him! The Flute has to be here!"
"And I want to thank you ever so much for leading us to it, Miss Do."
Daring turned around sharply to find Caballeron standing there smirking while two of his goons had snuck up on Flash and Twilight and grabbed them.
"Caballeron!" Daring gasped.
"The one and only!" He gave a mock bow and nodded to someone just before Daring felt someone behind her grab her arms.
"You've been following us!"
"Indeed I have." He nodded again. "I admit you briefly escaped us at the museum, but we saw you as you were leaving the park. You see, we were also having trouble deciphering the puzzles Aurella left behind, that's why I wanted the journal. But when I saw that you and her granddaughter were reading it, I thought; 'Why not let them do the hard parts while I get the reward!' " He looked over at Flash and Twilight struggling against their captors. "And really Miss Do? Bringing in children to help you? I knew you were desperate but come on!"
"They have nothing to do with this!" Daring yelled, struggling. "Let them go! They won't tell anyone about this!"
"Oh but Daring..." A new voice echoed. "You wouldn't want your friends to miss the unveiling of The Piper's Flute, now would we?"
Daring turned her head in horror to the new figure at the doorway. He was one of the strangest creatures Twilight and Flash had ever seen (excluding Discord of course). He was a large creature with dark blue fur with light blue fur on his jaw and stomach. He had a giant, dog like head with ape like arms and wore a gold necklace along with a single earring and several bracelets. The most unusual feature about him though, was his tail, which seemed to be another hand on the end of it!
"Ahuizotl..."
He gave a cruel laugh as he entered the room. "Indeed Daring! It is so good to see you again! It feels like forever since that temple in Mareico. Now then...on to todays treasure!" He and Caballeron walked up to the coffin followed by two of Ahuizotl's goons. As they moved the coffin lid, Ahuizotl's smirk grew. "Finally, once I have the Piper's Flute, I can command anyone with a simple tune! There will be no one able to stop me!" He than gave the typical evil guy laugh as his goons finally got the stone lid off and let it hit the ground.
Ahuizotl and Caballeron looked in eagerly...before their expressions turned to one of confusion, then anger.
"What the-" Caballeron gasped.
"Where is the flute !?" Ahuizotl yelled out in anger.
Indeed, inside the coffin was the skeletal remains of the Pied Piper, along with the remaining strands of his clothing. He was holding a piece of paper, but there was no flute.
Caballeron picked up the note and read it out loud.
"'Sometimes the best place to hide something is right out in plain sight.' "
"What in the world is that supposed to mean!?"
"How am I supposed to know!? Aurella was the Master Detective, not me!"
Ahuizotl growled before pointing to Daring. "You! You've been solving her puzzles all day! What does this one mean!?"
Daring blinked. "I-I don't-"
Suddenly she felt her captor stumble into her before letting go. She turned and saw him unconscious on the floor, before noticing another goon had his feet frozen with ice to the floor while the other seemed to be sinking into it!
"Let's go!" A now freed Twilight yelled as she and Flash ran for the exit.
"After them!" Ahuizotl commanded as Daring took off running before realizing most of his goons were caught in magical traps of different sorts.
Quickly ,the trio ran past the door. Flash and Daring quickly closed it while Twilight fired another spell at it, covering it with a wall of ice. They could heat Ahiuzotl banging at it as they ran down the tunnel.
"Hurry!" Twilight yelled. "I don't know how long that's going to last!"
Soon, they made it back up the stairs and once they were safely on the ground, Daring took out the amulet, retracting the stair case.
"Okay..." She breathed. "That should buy us a little time, but not a lot."
"What now?" Flash said. "The crypt was a bust!"
"Not exactly, you both heard the last clue right? Do you have any idea what it could mean?" Daring asked Twilight.
Twilight tried mentally analyzing the riddle, but only coming up blank each time.
Come on brain! There must be something that we missed!
Quickly, she mentally recapped the day's adventure, from arriving to the city, the temple, the park, and finally here at the cemetery. Remembering each exact detail as best as she could and wondering if there was something she overlooked.
"I don't get it." Flash wondered. "How can you hide something in plain sight?"
Twilight's eyes widened as the last piece of the puzzle finally clicked into place.
"By putting it right where you'd expect to see it! Come on! I know where she put it!"
Night had fallen upon the city of Hamelin. The only lights now came from street lamps and from the windows of homes and late night businesses, and that meant there were very few people outside.
This worked to Twilight's favor as she raced through the city, followed by Daring Do and Flash Sentry.
Finally, they had arrived at her destination: the statue were they had met with daring earlier. The lights decorated on the edge of the stone walkways illuminated the path for Twilight and her friends.
"What we doing back here?" Daring asked, exasperated.
"I told you: to where Aurella hid the flute!"
"But...here?" Flash looked around in confusion. "I don't see any-"
"That's because you're looking too hard." Twilight walked towards the statue. "Grandma always loved to tell me that when you're looking for something, the last place you'll look for it is right in front of you." She looked up at the statue, specifically, the flute the Piper was playing.
Flash and Daring followed her gaze and, though not getting it at first, gasped when they realized what she was talking about.
"You...you don't mean-" Daring gasped.
"Exactly. You didn't see it earlier because this statue is exactly where you'd expect to see a flute being played by the Pied Piper. But you'd never expect it to be the actual l flute he used!" With her magic, Twilight pulled the flute from the statue's hands and into her own.
The trio marveled at what they saw. The Flute was perfectly balanced, and appeared to be made of a light green crystal with a gold mouthpiece and a golden bird carved onto the end of it.
"Wow..." Flash breathed.
The heard the pounding of footsteps, and turned to find Ahuizotl and Caballeron standing at the edge of the pavilion.
"Hand over the flute!" Caballeron demanded.
"Not on your life!" Daring retorted.
Ahuizotl chuckled, "Maybe not on ours, but how about yours ?" He snapped his tail-hand and from the shadows, various growling felines pounced into the light. There was a fierce tiger, a sleek black panther, a wild lynx, a swift cheetah and.....a little fluffy white kitten which stayed by Ahuizotl's side and rubbed against his legs.
Twilight, Flash and Daring began to back up against each other as the feline predators made their way towards them.
Thinking fast, Twilight put her arm around Daring and Flash before teleporting away just before the felines pounced at them, causing them to crash into each other.
The trio reappeared a few feet away.
"Run!" Daring shouted.
They quickly took off through the park. When they reached a fork in the path, without thinking, Flash and Daring took the path to the left while Twilight accidentally took the path to the right. She clutched the flute to her chest and looked back to see if she was being followed before bumping into something and landing on her behind. She looked up and saw Ahuizotl standing before her menacingly. He grabbed her with his front hand and when she tried to run and used his tail hand to snatch the flute away.
"Thank you so much for finding this for me my dear. I'm sure you're Grandmother would be so proud of you!" He gave an evil laugh while Twilight glared daggers at him. "Now tell me my dear; how did you find out about the secret crypt? I had my men comb that graveyard every night for a week but those buffoons couldn't turn up anything."
Twilight's pupil's dilated and she looked nervously to the side. "I-I guessed?"
Ahuizotl frowned, not buying that answer. "I highly doubt that, but I suppose I'll have the all he answers I want soon enough."
He put the flute to his lips to play the first note-
*Whack *
Ahuizotl let out a grunt as he felt a kick in his jaw, which caused him to loosen his grip on the flute which was promptly snatched out of his hand.
He and Twilight looked ahead to see the cause of it.
Twilight's jaw practically dropped all the way to the ground.
"Ich hear you are looking for zis ?" The old man from the diner said, holding up the flute.
Ahuizotl let out an enraged roar, dropped Twilight, and charged towards the man.
The man grinned, showing off his fangs, before speeding over to Twilight and causing the beast to crash into a tree.
"Here you go fräulein." He handed the flute to Twilight.
"How did- why-"
"I'm afraid we don't have much time to talk right now." He looked over to see Ahuizotl getting ready for another charge.
The man and Twilight quickly jumped out of the way just in time. The man, with his natural vampire speed, landed several punches and hits that caught Ahuizotl's attention, casing him to turn his back on his other opponent. Twilight blasted him with her magic, causing a streak of fur on his arm to singe. He growled and swiped the man away with a flick of his paw, knocking him into some bushes, before turning his attention fully on the young mage.
Twilight quickly did the only thing she could think of; she put the flute to her knee, pushed on the ends and-
*SNAP *
-broke it into two pieces.
Ahuizotl let out an enraged scream. "NO! What have you done!?"
"What needed to be done!" She yelled back. "Nobody should have this kind of power! Especially someone like you!"
His face was practically red from fury, even with the blue fur.
"Twilight!"
Everyone turned to see Daring and Flash running towards them.
"What is going on!?" Caballeron shouted as he approached from the opposite direction.
Ahuizotl, without hesitating, jumped over Twilight, and picked up Caballeron.
"We're leaving! The flute is gone!" He turned to Daring. "Until next time, Daring Do!" And with that, he quickly ran off an all fours through the park.
Twilight quickly went over to the man and helped him to his feet. "Are you alright?"
He nodded. "Ja. I've had worse."
"What happened!?" Daring asked, before noticing the broken flute pieces in Twilight's hands.
Twilight gave her a nervous grin. "Let me explain....."
Tired from the recent activity, the group decided to look for some picnic tables in a well lit area of the park to sit and talk things over.
"Sorry about the flute." Twilight finished after a quick explanation. "I felt like I didn't have much choice. I couldn't let him get his hands on it."
Daring held the broken pieces and sighed. "It's ok. And you're right: nobody should have that kind of power. That's why the Piper and Aurella both hid it when they did. I've actually had to bring back a few broken artifacts myself in order to prevent their powers from getting into the wrong hands again. Even if the museum curators whine about it a little."
"Now that that's been settled. There's still one more question I have." Flash turned to the man. "Who the heck are you!?"
The man grinned, and held out his hand for Flash to shake. "The name's Osprey Hilfe, ich just retired from being an offizer a few years ago."
"Wait!" Twilight flattened her hands on the table excitedly. "Your Officer Osprey Hilfe!? That Officer Osprey Hilfe from my Grandmother's journal!? The one who called her in and helped her take down the crime boss!?"
He nodded. "Ja. I worked with Aurella when she came to help us. Ich had heard of her reputation and ich knew she was the perfect person to help us. I told you I was friends with a puzzle solver."
"So hang on a sec...did you know we were looking for the Piper's Flute?" Flash asked.
"Ja. Ich realized it as soon as you showed me the drawing. Ich saw very similar drawings in her journal. Not to mention when Ich saw your face." He turned to Twilight with a smile. "I knew immediately you had to be related to her."
"Wait..." Daring's eyes widened with realization. "You knew where she hid the flute, didn't you?"
He nodded. "I'm the one that helped her set up those puzzles in the first place Du siehst, the crypt was where the Flute was hidden originally, ze Pied Piper had it buried with him. That was where Don Mob found it. Apparently he found it by accident while burying some illegal goods. After we arrested him, she decided to use the crypt as a....what do you call it....a red herring!"
"She made it seem like she put it back where it was first found; deep underground and hidden. But she actually did the opposite of that, put it out in the open where people would never guess it would be! That's brilliant!"
"Genau! She was worried about others coming to look fer the flute. So after you all visited me, I decided to keep track of your progress."
"Thank you again so much for helping back there." Twilight offered.
He waved it off. "It was my pleasure. Anything for the Granddaughter of the woman who helped save my home."
"And...could you keep word of this whole adventure to yourself please?" Daring asked. "We'd....prefer that our names not get out. Especially in Equestria. This mission is kind og hush hush for me."
He held up a hand. "Scouts honor." He looked at his watch. "Now I'm afraid I must be going. It was a pleasure to meet you all and if you ever find yourself in this wonderful city ever again, please give me a call."
The three adventurers gave a wave of farewell to their new friend before Daring spoke up.
"I have to get going too, it might be broken, but the sooner the flute is behind glass the better. Besides, the less people see me leaving the city, the better."
"Glad we could help." Flash nodded.
"We're happy to help anytime."
"Thank you, both of you, for helping me with this."
With that, Daring went off and the two teens decided to head back to the hotel for some much deserved dinner and a good night's sleep.
The next day was full of walking around, sight seeing, enjoying the local cuisine, and, (at Twilight's insistence) learning about the history and culture of the town, which they both enjoyed and found fascinating. The day after that, they woke up early, packed up, and headed to the airship docks to head home.
"I can't believe it's already over. Flash sighed on the waiting bench next to Twilight. "So much happened in so little time. I can barely believe it."
"You'd be surprised how often that happens." Twilight said, looking up from the journal.
Flash raised an eyebrow. "You're still reading that? But we already found the flute."
"I know, but there's so much more in here! Stories of her adventures, descriptions of lost artifacts, and drawings and codes that don't seem to make sense!" She bore an excited grin. "Plus, this is just one of her journals. Imagine what what we could find from the others!"
"No kidding! You said she always kept one on her cases, right?"
"Exactly, who knows what secrets we can uncover!"
"I take it you two had a nice time?" Velvet asked, approaching them.
Quickly, Twilight hid the journal in her backpack and she and Flash did their best to act casual.
"Yup! Great time! Thanks for inviting me along!" Flash said a little two quickly.
"And I'm assuming you got good information for you 'report'?"
"Our what?" Twilight asked, her mind blanking for a moment.
"Yes! Our report! You know, the reason we came here !" Flash quickly reminded her.
"Oh! Yes! Got all the information we needed. We're definitely getting an A!" Twilight said, grinning nervously.
Velvet just gave an amused grin. "Well, I'm glad, I got all the info I needed. I'll just go check where our airship is docked."
As she walked towards the gates, she called over her shoulder:
"And I hope you at least told Daring Do I said 'Hi'!"
She gave an amused chuckle and Flash's and Twilight's jaws practically dropped to the floor.
'What.....how.....?" Flash mumbled.
"I guess Grandma wasn't the only one with secrets either...."
Author's Note
Okay...last story for a while. School starts up again in a few days and it's my Senior year! So who knows what's going to happen?
Anyways, see you all next time!
"WHAT!?" Twilight asked.
"I know that's a lot to ask." Yearling explained. "But if I learned anything from our last encounter together, it's that sometimes I need a little outside help. From what you just told me and from what I've heard about you, you're just as bright as you're grandmother. Maybe even more so."
Twilight blushed at the compliment. "I appreciate the thought but....I just can't head straight to Hamelin without warning."
Yearling sighed, realizing any further argument was futile. "Just think about it alright? I'll leave you a drop off for the book in case you can't go."
After scribbling down the drop off location on a piece of paper, Yearling made her exit while still keeping a lookout.
"Twilight how can you NOT agree to this?" Flash asked. "The opportunity to be on a Daring Do adventure and solve one of Detective Aurella's greatest riddles?! This is a dream come true!"
Twilight sat down on the sofa. "I know. But I can't just drop everything and go to some city in Germaney. I have my parents to think of. Besides, how would I even get to Hamelin?"
"Did someone say 'Hamelin'?" Velvet asked, walking through the front door.
"Uh..." Twilight and Flash looked at each other nervously, not wanting to find out how the woman would take news. "Yeah. Flash and I are doing a report on the city Hamelin for class. On it's history and cultural significance!"
"What a coincidence!" Velvet smiled. "I need to head to Hamelin to do research for my next book! You and Flash can come with me if you like, get authenticity in your report?"
Twilight was stunned. Even she had to admit the timing was supernaturally perfect. Seeing Flash rapidly nodding his head while grinning, Twilight gave her mother a smile. "That sounds great!"
"Perfect!" Velvet clapped. "We can leave early tomorrow! Flash, I'm sure you can permission right?"
"I'm sure my aunts won't mind."
"Great! After last nights break in, this is the perfect thing to take our minds off it!" Velvet went up to her study to get two extra tickets.
"We're really doing this, aren't we?" Twilight asked once her mother was out of earshot.
"You bet we are!" Flash said, grinning.
"You know you don't-"
Flash held a hand up. "Twilight, I want to do this. Possibly more than anything else in my life." He mentally added, 'besides asking you out on a date.'
Twilight sat there, thinking for a minute, before bursting into laughter.
"Rainbow Dash is so going to kill us when we tell her we went without her."
"She'll live. So I'll guess I should be going?"
Twilight smiled and pulled a math book out of her backpack. "Nice try. We DID come here to do math, remember?"
Flash's face and shoulders dropped in an instant. "...Right."
By early afternoon the next day, the group arrived at an airport in Germaney. Then they took got a car that took them the rest of the way to Hamelin.
Hamelin was a large, old city, composed of mostly light brick and stone, with red tiled roofs. Alleys seemed to be a completely foreign concept here.
Once they got through the gates, they checked into the hotel and set their stuff down.
"I have to get to the library." Velvet said, checking her watch. "You have you phones and money to buy dinner, feel free to look around the city. Meet back here at around ten?" She saw the two teens nod. "Good. See you tonight!" With that, the woman went on her way.
"Okay, what's the plan?" Flash asked.
"Daring said to meet her by the statue at the center of the city." Twilight said, recalling the hushed phone call from last night.
After consulting the map (and a few locals) the two teens found themselves at a beautifully kept park where, right at the center of it, they found a large statue of a man wearing vastly outdated clothing playing a unique flute.
Twilight went up to the statue and read the plaque inscription: "In honor of the musician who saved our town from certain doom. May his melody continue to play for years to come. " She stood back and admired it. "This must be it." She took a deep and relished in the fact that she was possibly standing in the exact same place, staring at the exact same statue her grandmother look at so long ago.
"Glad you two could make it."
The two teens turned around and found none other than Daring Do approaching them.
"What happened to your disguise?" Twilight asked.
"My books mostly sell in Equestria, so there's not much need for a disguise outside it." She eyed Flash again. "Are you still sure about bringing him along. No offense, but he doesn't seem all that bright."
"You realize even when you say 'no offense' it's still offensive?" Flash stated, frowning.
"Don't worry." Twilight spoke up. "Aside from math, he can be surprisingly insightful and perspective when the situation calls for it."
"Still here ladies."
"Right." Daring rolled her eyes. "Did you get a chance to look at the journal?"
"I did get a chance to go through it on the way over here." Twilight said, taking out said journal.
"More like, 'read it enough times to have it memorized by now'?" Flash said, causing Twilight to blush.
"I couldn't help it! It's just so fascinating! All these meticulously recorded details about the clues the suspects, and her drawings are much better than mine-"
"Twilight!" Daring exclaimed.
"Oh, right. Ahem!" Twilight turned to a page in the journal. "Apparently, she originally came here to investigate the crime spree you mentioned. Specifically, the fact that hardly anyone was willing to admit that there even was crime, despite the evidence to the contrary. The cause behind this was a criminal, Don Mob, who stumbled upon the Piper's Flute and used it to take control of a crime gang. After he was arrested, she hid it to prevent another instance of this again."
'Okay, but did she leave any clues about where she hid it?" Daring inquired.
"Yes. She put them just in case somebody did try to find the Flute again. I can't make sense of the other clues just yet, but the first one is a drawing of a building just after she wrote about hiding it."
She turned the book around to show a beautifully drawn sketch of a stone building with a triangular roof with a tall tower to the right and a large stained glass window above the front doors.
"Based on the tour books I've picked up, I determined it's a picture of the Temple of the Gods. It's one of the first buildings ever built in Hamelin."
"That's great!" Flash said. "We have our first lead!"
"Then let's not waste a minute!" Daring exclaimed.
With that, the trio went off to their first clue.
