Another exhausting case finally put to bed. Zecora shut the door to her office and collapsed into her desk chair. She stirred her desk cauldron, throwing in a few dried petals of various Farasian flowers along with some soothing lavender. Lighting the concoction aflame, the room filled with familiar smells that whisked her far away from the high rises of Manehattan. The temptation to add a few stronger weeds certainly was there, but she didn’t need to dull her senses before getting back to her apartment. The lone zebra closed her eyes and breathed deeply, letting the nostalgic aroma fill her lungs.

“Precious flowers, whose pollen roams,
Bless you for bringing me back home.”

“And thank you for helping me today, Miss Zecora.” Twilight Velvet called from across the room.

Zecora heard the door click close as hooves clacked across the hardwood. It was a little unexpected to hear the author add herself to the stillness, but her inclusion wasn’t unwelcome. She cracked an eye open and leaned back from her desk.

“After all that happened, I’m glad you are well,
I suspect they’ve carted Yearling to jail?”

“Yes. And it should be hard for her to wiggle herself out with all the evidence you found.” Velvet sighed and rubbed her foreleg. “I still can’t believe it. Daring Do would always be more popular than my silly, little romance novels—”

“You sell yourself short, my humble unicorn friend,
It was your resurging career she tried to upend.
If your words were meager, then no threat would they pose,
That she tried to steal them means their quality shows.”

Velvet giggled politely from the unexpected compliment. “Thanks, Miss Zecora. But still, it doesn’t seem real to me, even after you got my manuscript back from her. AK Yearling is one of the most famous writers in the world. What do you think possessed her to do it?”

“The drastic methods she employed, both exacting and cruel,
Suggest this was less an exception, and more of the rule.”

“I’m inclined to agree, unfortunately. Everything had been so carefully laid out from the moment I arrived. I would’ve never suspected she was behind it all.” Velvet shook her head. “That doesn’t answer my question though. Her Daring Do stories are loved by everypony. My children read every new release. Heck, I do too! Why would she bother with somepony as small as me in a completely different genre?”

“One can always maintain a lofty position,
By wiping away all of their competition.
Perhaps she was worried that she’d fail to keep pace,
If the public could sample a far different taste.

“Despite the series’ popularity,
I find her tales lack moral clarity.
If I met such a mare, she’d best say a prayer,
I’d no sooner clobber that filthy graverobber!”
Zecora swore bitterly as she eyed her trusty staff.

Velvet blinked in surprise. “I didn’t realize you felt so strongly about it.”

“Daring Do always makes a crucial mistake,
when assuming old treasures are hers to take.
Ancient places she finds when traipsing around,
Are often old and sacred burial grounds.
Seeing Daring’s methods, I am not that surprised,
To find Yearling’s morals are also compromised.”

Twilight Velvet looked down as she considered the notion. “I never thought that deeply about it. They were just fun tales of adventure and discovery to me.”

“Equestria’s mastery of earth, sky, and arcane,
Easily blinds you to nature’s enduring domain.
Others exist beyond your nation’s borders,
Built upon eons of wilder order.

“Those far-flung places, old and neglected,
Bear their own tales that should be respected.
Your princess has beared witness to thousands of years,
But to our world’s vision, Time itself disappears.”

“Talking to you feels so enlightening sometimes.” Velvet giggled to herself. “My goodness, a private eye, a medicine mare, and a philosopher? Is there anything you can’t do?”

Zecora laughed and looked up at her lethargic, old ceiling fan, spinning and swiveling just enough to disperse her concoction’s calming smoke throughout the room.

“A glaring hazard of my occupation:
I struggle greatly to maintain relations.
When you make foes as strong as mine,
My list of friends quickly declines.”

“Oh.” The pony cleared her throat, trying to think of something better to say, but the wordsmith’s mouth ran dry. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

Zecora chuckled to herself.
“Don’t worry yourself. I’ve always known.
My line of work is best done alone.
This is what I have chosen: a life fraught with danger.
It’s no wonder I can't catch the eye of a stranger.”

Twilight Velvet frowned. “I disagree, Miss Zecora. There aren’t many ponies I know that would stick their necks out for me like you did. Even when nopony else believed me, one wonderful, admirable zebra did. You may put on your hard-boiled exterior, but I can see the tender heart hiding just behind your lovely stripes.”

Zecora pulled her fedora over her muzzle to hide the smile growing on her face.
“Careful, Miss Velvet, with such a bold confession.
You wouldn’t want to give off the wrong impression.”

She tried to ignore the trotting hooves clip-clopping on the wood towards her desk. It became more difficult when the unicorn’s magical aura pulled her trust hat away from her.

“I know what I said.” Velvet bent down, placing a chaste kiss on the zebra’s cheek. Though it was quick and fleeting, it carried a tenderness filled with gratitude and kinship. She smiled softly with maternal warmth and welcome. “I appreciate everything you did for me, Zecora. Truly. If you ever get lonely, you’ll always have a friend in Canterlot. There’s always room for one more at our family table. I’m sure they’d love to meet the mare who saved my comeback, especially my little Sparkle.”

With the parting gesture, Twilight Velvet saw herself out of the office, but not before scribbling her address on the back of her business card: 8471 Windy Way. The door clicked close behind the mare, leaving Zecora alone again. She took the card in hoof and looked out the window to the skyline stretching before her.

Another sleepless moon shone upon Manehattan, its pale light casting the city in shades of gray. White and black bled together, muddling their striations beyond recognition, and leaving any sense of justice lost in the blur. One wandering zebra had taken it upon herself to see through the mess, to pull it apart and expose the underlying rot that so many had grown too accustomed.

It was why she’d opened the Striped Solution. The potion-making private eye Zecora, brewing concoctions and breaking cases, one stripe at a time. There was still a lot more work to do in Manehattan as always, and never enough time to do it. However, as she watched the happy mother trot down the sidewalk to finally relax after her harrowing experience, perhaps all of that could wait.

“Forgive me, Manehattan, for leaving my station,
But I think I am due a little vacation.”

Author's Note

Message given to Silver Needle for Chapter 9:
A noir mystery starring an AU Zecora living in Manehattan.
Search Rhymezone Dictionary and how to write couplets.
Use the hint space to tell important details about my chapter to the next writer.