Turing ran outside when she nearly ran into Inspector Dupon, who was slowly making his way around the perimeter of the hotel.

She skidded to a halt, stopping just short of him, her metal hooves scratching grooves into the stone tiles of the front walkway.

He looked up in surprise, raising the brim of his hat.

“Oh, good evening, Turing!” he said. “And what are you doing out here? Perhaps you couldn’t sleep? Ah, no, of course not, you do not require sleep, do you?”

“In fact, I do not.”

“Well, did you hear that White Heat was preparing some treats for the symposium attendees? He reasoned many of them might still be hungry, since we never got a proper dinner. I’m certain your friends and fiancée might enjoy a midnight snack.”

“It would be more accurate to call them ‘eleven PM snacks,’ but more to the point, I am actually here for a different reason.”

Dupon looked her over. A smile slowly spread across his face. “You’ve had a breakthrough, haven’t you?” he asked. “A sudden flash of - dare I say - inspiration?”

Turing nodded. “It would appear so.”

He chuckled. “As it so happens, so have I,” he said. “A little ‘itch’ I just had to scratch, as it were.”

“Then perhaps we may continue our investigation together?”

“Indeed so,” he said. He swept his foreleg in a circular motion. “For starters, I’ll tell you what I am doing here. You see—”

“You are looking for the letter.”

He gave a start. “Oh… yes, precisely!”

“That is why I came here as well. I have a hypothesis that may explain everything we have discovered so far, but we are missing a notable piece of evidence.”

“Yes, I realized it myself,” Dupon said. “It occurred to me after I returned to my room: Why did Beacon Bomber have his letter opener out in the first place? The most obvious answer is likely the correct one: because he had a letter to open.”

“Affirmative. But we did not discover a letter on his body. Therefore it was either taken—”

“—Or we simply haven’t found it yet,” Dupon surmised. “Quite right! I have searched the perimeter of the hotel attempting to find it, but to no avail. It is possible that I’ll need to widen the search to the whole island, or else the letter may have been carried on the wind into the sea - though the wind is rather calm tonight, so that seems unlikely - or, perhaps we should stop thinking like earth ponies and start thinking like the victim would have: like a pegasus.”

He pointed upward toward the roof.

“Understood,” Turing said. “Please step back, Dupon.”

“Pardon? Well, if you say so.”

Once he was a small distance away, Turing spread her legs as she cast her eyes up at the roof. “Engaging P-Mode.”

There was a whirring sound as a panel opened on her back. This was followed by a rapid series of clacks as the blade-like feathers of her artificial wings slid out on either side of her torso. Once they locked in place, Dupon felt the wind kick up around the area as the miniature jets in her wings came to life. They gave a roar as she leaped into the air and took off in flight.

“My my,” he muttered as he held his hat in place. “You really are full of surprises, Minister.”

He wasn’t sure if even Turing could hear him over the sound of her own jets, but she began to slowly encircle the building, making wide banking turns as she gradually gained elevation. As she climbed, Dupon noticed that several ponies inside had pressed their faces to the windows and were watching Turing as she flew, no doubt drawn by the noise. After a few more circuits around the hotel, she slowed her engines, braking slightly before setting down at the top ridge of the roof. Her wings slid back into her body and she cautiously made her way down the sloping tiles.

“Aerial scan complete!” she called down to Dupon. “I believe I have located the target.”

She reached an area of the roof where it met the pointed outcropping of one of the windows on the top floor. As she approached the corner, she stared closely at the edge of the roof near the window.

“Inspector Dupon,” she called down, “I have made a discovery: there is a small amount of blood on the edge of this outcropping, as well as hairs matching the color of Beacon Bomber’s coat. Furthermore, the gutter here is dented. The corner by the window likely made impact with his cranium and the broad side of the gutter with the rest of his body, making it the cause of his more blunt trauma. Therefore, this is the most probable point of impact where he collided with the hotel in mid-flight.”

“That does corroborate Dr. Mallard’s findings,” he called back up. “Beacon Bomber must have crashed there, tumbled backward, and then crashed upon the ground here in front of the hotel.”

He looked back and spotted the chalk outline where they’d discovered the body. In his mind, he could almost visualize the trajectory of Beacon Bomber’s crash and subsequent fall.

“One moment,” Turing called, and she began to sift through the gutter. A moment later, she held up something in her hoof. It was rectangular and dirty but still recognizable in an instant.

It was an envelope. And it was still sealed.

“Bravo, Turing Test!” Dupon exclaimed. “Now, come down here! It cannot be safe for you to be up there.”

“Understood. But there is no need to worry. I have excellent balance and the probability of me losing my footing is extremely low.”

Then they heard a crack.

“...Ah. However, perhaps when Mr. Vanderbull renovated the hotel, he neglected to reinforce the aging roof. Considering my significant mass, perhaps I should—”

There was a thunderous clatter of splintering wood as Turing plunged through the roof in a cloud of dust and tiles that went flying in every direction.

“Oh dear,” Dupon muttered to himself and immediately rushed back inside the hotel.

Maud Pie was sitting at her hotel desk reading a copy of Stones of the Neighlish Isles. She’d been so absorbed in it that she hadn’t even noticed the sight of her fiancée rocketing around the hotel outside.

She was about to check out the centerfold of the strata of the Shetland Highlands, but then she heaved a sigh and set the magazine aside.

“I wish Turing were back here,” she muttered.

That was when she heard a cracking sound above her. A moment later, Turing crashed through her ceiling and landed on the bed.

Maud slowly raised her head. “Thank you, God.”

A moment later, Dupon, Vanderbull, Gadget, and a few of the staff and police officers all rushed in.

“Turing!” Gadget cried. “Are you all right?”

“I am unharmed if my system diagnostics are to be believed,” Turing said, getting up from the bed. “Also, hello, Maud Pie.”

“Hey,” Maud said.

“Well, that’s all well and good, Turing,” Vanderbull said, as he cast his eyes up at the hole in the ceiling. “But would you mind telling me what in blazes you’ve done to my hotel?!”

“Apologies, Mr. Vanderbull,” she said, giving him an apologetic bow. “I will be glad to compensate you for the damage personally.”

“That’s… no, it’s not the expense,” he said. “But what could have been so important that you were traipsing about on the roof?”

Turing held up the envelope.

“Ah, good,” Dupon said, taking the envelope from her. “I’m glad to see both you and the document are in one piece.”

Dupon gently unsealed the envelope with his hoof. It was sealed quite tightly and he was beginning to see why Beacon Bomber had carried the letter opener.

“Er, this may be a confidential document. Perhaps if everypony else could give us some privacy?”

Everypony left, save for Maud Pie.

“Maud Pie, perhaps you should depart as well?”

“Why? It’s my hotel room,” she said with a shrug and gestured up at the hole in the roof. “And now it has a new skylight.”

“Maud Pie…”

“All right, fine,” she sighed, getting up from her chair. “If you need me, I’ll get a snack from White Heat. I hope it’s better than that napkin I ate earlier.”

Dupon watched her go. “Er… did she say ‘napkin’ just now?”

“Do not ask,” Turing said.

The two of them drew out the letter and began to read.

“Hmm,” Dupon said. “This certainly is interesting… but I cannot see how it has any bearing on our case.”

Turing lowered her head. “I can,” she said quietly.

Dupon looked at her with concern. “Turing Test?” he asked. “Is everything all right?”

“I need to check to confirm something,” she said. “But I am already certain of what I will find. And once I have, then I believe we will have solved the case. You see…”

Dupon listened as she explained. Gradually his expression darkened.

“My my. Quite a sordid mess, is it not?”

“Affirmative.”

“If you are correct, then we must reveal our findings. I apologize, but—”

“No,” Turing said as she drew herself up. “I swore to abide by our findings at the start of this investigation. And that is what I will do.”

Outside the hotel, a crowd had gathered to watch as the police prepared to depart. Neighstrad supervised as Beacon Bomber’s body was placed in a bodybag and wheeled out on a cart. Sea Dweller followed close behind, her eyes somehow dry, though her pained expression revealed that she was only barely holding her tears back.

She followed them as though she were part of a funeral procession.

Just behind the body, a few officers escorted Rio Grand outside as well. Her head was lowered as she shuffled along, forelegs in cuffs and wings bound to her sides, though she raised her head briefly to scowl at Vanderbull as they passed by him.

“One moment, officers,” Vanderbull said, stepping forward.

“Oh, you want to get your licks in?” Rio scoffed. “I’ll pass.”

“No, I…” He paused, looking down at Gadget, who was at his side. “I wanted to let you know that I will be reaching out to Al-buck-querque after we return to the mainland. I intend to discuss an agreement that will allow the construction of the Elephant Butte dam.”

Rio gawked. “W-what?! Are you serious?”

“I am indeed,” Vanderbull said. Then he folded his arms. “Lest you get the wrong idea, it has nothing to do with your attempted stunt tonight. If nothing else, your constant pestering made me more resolved to deny your petitions out of pure spite. However, my assistant convinced me that I was being, er… ‘bull-headed,’ so to speak. I let pride and profit margins blind me, and I am glad she was able to give me clarity of vision.”

Rio glanced at Gadget, who smiled back sheepishly.

“How about that?” she laughed. “Well, Vanderbull, you’re lucky to have her.”

“I am,” Vanderbull said smugly. “And under the circumstances, I intend to ask the prosecutors to give you the minimum sentence.”

“I don’t!” shouted West Walnut from the nearby crowd. “I’ll tell ‘em to throw the whole book at her!”

“Then perhaps we’ll have to delay our negotiations about keeping your freight fees on my trains at their current discount,” Vanderbull said, polishing his nails on his jacket.

West Walnut winced. “Er, w-well, now, no need to be too hasty about things…”

Rio smirked. She leaned toward Gadget. “Your boss ain’t such a bad guy after all, is he?” she whispered.

“No,” Gadget whispered back. “He’s really not. And by the way, now that I know you tried to poison him, I just want you to know…”

Her expression turned icy.

“...that you’re lucky the police got to you before I did.”

Rio chuckled nervously. “Heh heh… okay, duly noted! Hey, come on, officers, that cell ain’t gonna fill itself, let’s go!”

It was then that Turing Test and Dupon exited the hotel, swiftly moving through the crowd of onlookers.

“There you are, Dupon!” Neighstrad barked. “Come on, now, it’s time to head back.”

“Actually, Chief Inspector, Minister Turing Test and I have something to announce,” he said. “You see—”

“We have discovered the identity of the killer on the island,” Turing said.

The police all looked at each other in confusion as the crowd began murmuring.

“What are you on about?” Neighstrad demanded. “We already heard what Dr. Mallard had to say! There is no murderer!”

“Yes, that’s right!” Sea Dweller cried. “The police told me that Beacon died of cardiac arrest! Are you saying that’s not true?”

Turing shook her head. “Negative. Dr. Mallard’s findings are accurate.”

“But if Beacon Bomber wasn’t murdered, then what killer are you talking about?!”

Turing lowered her head.

“You, Sea Dweller.”

Sea Dweller stared back at her. Everypony around them went silent, and for a moment there was no sound but the lapping of waves at the shores of the island in the darkness all around them.

Her jaw worked up and down several times as she gawked at Turing. Then angry tears began to spill down her cheeks. “How dare you,” she breathed. Then she gritted her teeth and stomped over to her. She abruptly smacked her across the faceplate, producing a loud metallic clang.

“How dare you?!” she screamed, as the police hurriedly restrained her. “Beacon Bomber was my best friend! We grew up together! I loved him like he was family! And after all this time you wasted, you think I would ever hurt him?! I would never! I did not murder him!”

“That is correct,” Turing said. “I am referring to something different.”

Sea Dweller froze for a moment. “Th-that doesn’t make any sense!”

“Uh, I’m afraid I’ll have to agree with her, Minister,” Neighstrad said, coming over to her. “No disrespect, but are you sure you aren’t tired or— oh, wait, you’re a robot, so uh… are you sure you aren’t, er, ‘malfunctioning’ or something?”

“There is no mistake,” Dupon said. “In truth, I found Sea Dweller to be suspicious from the beginning. When we interviewed her, I asked if she knew why we were there, and she replied, ‘You’re here to investigate Beacon’s murder. You’re here to try to find his real killer.’ And later she promised her eternal gratitude to Minister Turing if we could find said killer.”

Neighstrad blinked. “And…?”

“We already had Gadget in custody on the basis that her invention was what produced the power surge,” Dupon explained. “And yet Sea Dweller seemed perfectly confident that Gadget was not the ‘real’ killer. And while it could have been a simple quirk of her phrasing, the other possibility was that she knew that the prevailing theory was flawed.”

Neighstrad furrowed his brow. “I don’t follow.”

“Gadget was accused because it was believed that she caused the power outage to provide an excuse for her to leave the ballroom and to commit the murder under cover of darkness. As far as anypony knew, that was the most reasonable hypothesis. But Sea Dweller acted as though she knew Gadget was innocent. And the only way she could have known that is if she knew that Gadget did not cause the power outage.”

“And she could only know that,” Dupon continued as he stepped up alongside Turing Test, “if she knew who did cause it.”

Sea Dweller stared back at them both. “That’s… I just assumed, since you were investigating the matter that maybe you had some other evidence—”

“There is more,” Turing went on. “Your invention is an underwater probe designed for salvage. To demonstrate its effectiveness, you had a large aquarium with a metallic object prepared. A metallic model boat, specifically. This was to be your presentation, correct?”

“Yes, that’s correct,” Sea Dweller said.

“And when were you scheduled to present?”

“I was supposed to be the third presentation,” she said and rolled her eyes. “I thought you were supposed to have a perfect memory.”

“That is correct. But since you have confirmed to everyone here that you also knew that, I must ask you: why was the tank not filled?”

“W-what?! What do you mean?”

“If you were going third,” Dupon explained, “then you had less than 20 minutes from the start of the event to fill the aquarium tank you had requested to demonstrate your aquatic probe, and that would barely have been enough time to do so before your presentation. But you hadn’t even begun to fill it as the symposium started. You never even requested a hose to fill it yourself. Not so much as a bucket! Which is peculiar, is it not? Could it be that you already knew that the symposium would end prematurely before your turn, perhaps due to some sudden disaster, and subconsciously decided not to bother filling it?”

Sea Dweller swallowed. “No! I just forgot about it! I was still upset after my argument with Turing Test and then with West Walnut! I was distracted, that’s all!”

Neighstrad furrowed his brow. “Hmm, that may be, Miss,” he said. To Dupon and Turing he said, “Is that all you have?”

Turing shook her head. “No, Chief Inspector. But before I continue, I wish to ask a question: Mr. Vanderbull?”

Vanderbull gave a start at the sudden mention of his name. “Er, yes, Turing?”

“Do you have the time?”

“Hm? Oh, yes, one moment,” he said, and took out his pocket watch. “Let’s see… ah, yes, it is 11:26 on the dot.”

Turing shook her head. “That is incorrect, Mr. Vanderbull. It is 11:21.”

Vanderbull gave her a puzzled look. “Turing, I hate to argue, but this watch is a Patek-Filly. It is one of the finest watches in Equestria, and I am quite meticulous about keeping the time.”

“Precisely.” She turned back to Neighstrad. “Mr. Vanderbull is the head of the largest railroad company in Equestria. And one of the most important aspects of that is making certain that the trains run on time. I have always known him to value precision. Earlier tonight, in fact, he consulted his watch and declared that there were exactly 12 minutes until the start of the symposium, which was accurate. So, when he later commented that the clock in his room was incorrect, I initially assumed that he was merely providing an excuse to get out of an emotionally compromising situation when Gadget took him to task for his greedy actions in Neigh Mexicolt.”

Rio Grand snickered.

“You didn’t need to tell everypony here that, Turing Test,” Vanderbull grumbled.

“Apologies. But to continue, when I heard the grandfather clock in the hallway strike 11 o’clock, I reevaluated my earlier assumption. Mr. Vanderbull would require all clocks in the hotel to be accurate, as evidenced by the grandfather clock. I therefore realized that perhaps Mr. Vanderbull’s watch was in actuality running too quickly. That appears to be the case, assuming my internal chronometer is still functioning correctly. Which it is, of course.”

Dupon took out his watch. “And my timepiece is 3 minutes too slow.”

Several other ponies nearby took out their watches as well and each noticed that the time was, in fact, wrong. A few even had watches that had stopped entirely.

“Right, right, that’s very strange, Minister,” Neighstrad said impatiently, “but what’s it got to do with this case?”

“Everything,” Turing said, turning her attention back to Sea Dweller. “Her invention is a probe designed to aid in the recovery of underwater salvage… including metal. For that reason, the aquatic probe was equipped with powerful electromagnets. Inspector Dupon and I checked the probe and confirmed this, and we discovered that the power capacity of the probe was in excess of what was necessary to operate the magnets safely.”

Dupon nodded. “We all initially thought that the power outage was the result of a power surge created by one of the inventions, Miss Gadget’s being the primary candidate. However, while a power surge would have caused the blackout and damaged the lights, it would not have affected everypony’s watches. But, as Minister Turing has been educating me, there is something that could have caused both.”

“An electromagnetic pulse,” Turing said. “Also known as an EMP.”

“A what now?” Neighstrad asked. And then he noticed that Sea Dweller had broken out into a cold sweat.

“As many of the scientists and inventors here can tell you, an electromagnetic pulse is a large burst of electromagnetic energy. It can cause damage to and severely disrupt electronic systems and devices, particularly when electrified. Sea Dweller purposely overcharged her probe and activated it using a remote control she kept under her table in the ballroom. The probe overloaded the magnets, and this produced an EMP.”

“So, she’s the one who created the blackout?” Neighstrad asked.

“Correct,” Dupon said. “This also damaged the other inventions that were connected to the power grid, by the way, which explains why neither Gadget nor West Walnut’s inventions were functional, but Rio Grand’s was unaffected. Furthermore, it magnetized the hairsprings of the watches of almost everypony in the ballroom, but it had no effect on the hotel’s grandfather clock, since it operates by use of a pendulum rather than spring power. It’s the only thing that can explain all of these phenomena at the same time!”

“So, she did it so she - or an accomplice - could murder Beacon Bomber under cover of darkness?”

“For the last time, I didn’t murder Beacon!” Sea Dweller shrieked.

“She is telling the truth,” Turing said. “We were all mistaken when we assumed the blackout was meant to conceal a crime or provide a distraction. Her actual purpose was completely different.”

She stared back at Sea Dweller and shook her head.

“She meant to kill me.”

There was a collective gasp from the crowd. Dupon waited for Turing to continue, but when she did not, he spoke up.

“Turing Test, as we all know, is a machine. And when she took the stage, she was very close to Sea Dweller’s probe. It was directly behind her, in fact, and thus she would have been at the epicenter of the blast. Sea Dweller intended for the pulse to wreak havoc on her systems and scramble her processors. Had she been successful, this could indeed have killed her.”

All eyes fell on Sea Dweller, who was trembling with rage. Then, quite suddenly, her expression twisted up into a rictus-like grin. A harsh laugh escaped her.

“...You can’t really ‘kill’ something that was never really alive, you know.” Her laughter grew. “This symposium was the perfect opportunity: an event where I knew right where you’d be, Turing Test, and I could bring any device I wanted. Even if the EMP were traced back to me, I figured I could always say it was an accident. But either way, we’d finally be rid of you, and the ponies of Equestria could elect a real pony to be her replacement on Celestia’s Royal Council. Not some machine.”

Dupon frowned. “Even if she is a machine, Turing Test is an Equestrian citizen with all the rights that entails and a government official to boot. Madame, no matter how you view it, the fact remains that your plot was to commit a murder.”

If Sea Dweller registered that, it didn’t show. Instead, she merely continued to laugh and shake her head. But then she grew sullen. She glared at Turing, gritting her teeth. “You can’t imagine the shock I felt, seeing you up on the stage, all the lights out except for your freakish eyes glowing in the dark. I just don’t understand how you’re still functioning, you pile of scrap.”

“Ooh, ooh, I can explain that!” Gadget exclaimed. “Turing was first discovered in Ponyville after she was struck by lightning, and then Mr. Vanderbull and I fixed her. I didn’t want that to happen to her again, so a few months later, I equipped her with an internal Faraday cage. Mu metal lining, isolating her electronics, that sort of thing. She’s virtually shock proof, and that also protects her from damage by electromagnetism!” She puffed out her chest with pride.

“My thanks again for saving my life, Gadget,” Turing said, bowing to her. To Sea Dweller, she said, “While my shock resistance is not widely known, it is not something I have intentionally kept secret. Perhaps if you had taken more time to know me personally, you would have been aware of it.”

Sea Dweller grimaced. “So,” she sighed, “I guess that’s it. Well, fine, Minister… you win again, it seems. But as I don’t think of you as alive, this doesn’t make me a killer. And I don’t regret what I’ve done.”

Dupon frowned. “That’s only because you haven’t heard the whole story,” he said. From his coat, he drew out the letter they’d discovered and held it aloft.

Turing raised her head and turned to face Dupon.

“No,” she whispered. “Dupon… we cannot tell them…”

Dupon shook his head sadly. “The truth will come out at the autopsy,” he whispered back. “We both swore that we would abide by our findings. And I cannot shirk my oath to uphold justice. But if you wish, I will tell them myself. You do not have to—”

“No,” Turing said firmly. “Forgive me, Dupon. You are correct. And I knew when I renewed our investigation where this might lead. I will take on the responsibility.” She took the letter from him.

Dupon nodded slowly. “Very good, Turing Test,” he said. “But I will be here to assist you.”

“Apologies,” Turing said, turning back to face them. “As Dupon indicated, there is a final part to our findings. We determined that Beacon Bomber’s possession of a letter opener logically indicated that he had likely been carrying a letter that needed opening. We located this letter and I can confirm that the writing matches that of the letter he sent to Sea Dweller. The ‘letter’ he was carrying was in reality a speech he intended to deliver to the symposium.

“In this speech, he intended to discuss the medical procedure that he believed would re-enable him to return to flying regularly. He intended to thank the Ministry of Technology - and me specifically - for the medical advancements in Equestria that led him to reclaiming his life and, he hoped, his livelihood in Search and Rescue. I believe this is what he meant at our first meeting where he expressed his gratitude for ‘me and mine.’ He would then reveal what this procedure was: the surgical implantation of a device designed to regulate his heart rate.

“This device is known as a pacemaker. It is a relatively new invention in Equestria. It functions by stimulating the heart with low-energy electric charges produced by a small battery. This is how he was able to treat his arrhythmia.”

Sea Dweller blinked uncomprehendingly for a few moments when she suddenly froze. Her jaw moved up and down a few times as the truth dawned on her.

“Wait… an electrical device? That means…”

“Correct,” Turing test said quietly, lowering her head. “Beacon Bomber was approaching this location and, realizing he was already running late, he likely removed his speech and letter opener from his pockets in his haste, intending to open the envelope in mid-flight. But as he neared the hotel, the EMP radiated outward. Even outside the building, the strength of the electromagnetism was sufficient enough to cause damage to his pacemaker, which caused it to malfunction. This led to his heart receiving an abnormally large shock, inducing cardiac arrest.

“At this point, he lost control of his flight and crashed into the hotel, injuring himself and forcing him to drop the envelope containing his speech. After that, he fell backward, likely still clutching the letter opener. When he fell to the ground, the force of the impact drove the knife into his chest. He remained facedown until Gadget tripped over his body, turning it over and causing it to look as though it were facing upward instead and also dislodging the blade from his chest.”

The color had drained from Sea Dweller’s face. Her knees went weak and her legs buckled. “No,” she whimpered. “Oh no, please, don’t,” she whimpered, “don’t tell me…”

“I am afraid it is the truth,” Turing said, and placed a hoof on Sea Dweller’s shoulder even as she recoiled in horror. “The EMP you created caused his pacemaker to malfunction, and that is what caused his cardiac arrest.

“I am so sorry. It was not ‘murder,’ Sea Dweller. But you are the one who killed him.”

Sea Dweller fell to her knees and let out an unearthly sound of grief, her face contorted in a mask of anguish as she began to call out Beacon Bomber’s name again and again.

Before anyone could react, she suddenly sprang to her hooves and rushed over to Beacon’s body, throwing herself over it as she wailed, begging for his forgiveness.

Even though she knew he would never be able to give it to her.

The crowd began to disperse after watching the scene unfold, and gradually they went back inside the hotel. Neighstrad shook his head sadly as he watched the other officers lead Sea Dweller away, followed by Rio Grand.

“We’ll get her back under control and read her the Rights to Silence, and then book her,” Neighstrad said to Dupon and Turing. “It’s a sad state of affairs, but she brought it on herself. Good work, Dupon.”

“Thank you, Chief Inspector,” Dupon said. “However, the real credit should go to Turing Test. I have to admit that she is the one who truly solved the case in the end.”

“Really? Well… it’s a good thing I didn’t give my presentation, I suppose,” he chuckled. “Well, you’ve done us a service, Minister. Trotland Yard thanks you for your help.”

“...Gratitude acknowledged,” Turing said quietly.

And without another word, she turned and began to walk away.

As she moved back toward the hotel, she noticed West Walnut standing nearby, Kato and May Day flanking him. Despite his haggard appearance, he wore a broad, unmistakably satisfied grin.

“In contrast with this tragic circumstance, you seem pleased with the results,” she remarked. “Am I correct in guessing that you are happy to see both your poisoner and one of your fiercest opponents in police custody?”

“Well, I won’t pop any champagne bottles to celebrate it, but I’d be lying to say otherwise, Minister,” he chuckled.

“I would not be so content, West Walnut,” she said, and suddenly leaned in close enough to cause his bodyguards to momentarily bristle. “This investigation has revealed some very concerning business practices on your part. I intend to bring this up at the next meeting of the Royal Council, including the Minister of Labor and Princess Celestia. Her Majesty does not look favorably on such things, and you may expect her to take action.”

West Walnut’s smile vanished in an instant. In fact, he began to look as though he might be sick again.

“Have a pleasant rest of your evening, West Walnut!” she added in a voice that was almost cloyingly sweet.

She heard him call after her, but he broke into a coughing fit, and she continued inside without a single glance back.

Once she was back in the foyer, she watched as ponies milled about. Some were conversing about what had just happened, others were retrieving their food from the kitchen, and others were simply returning to their rooms to retire for the evening.

“Minister, a moment, please!” she heard Dupon call.

“Inspector Dupon?” she asked, giving a tilt of her head. “Are you not preparing to depart with the police?”

“Well, I believe I can file my report back in Trottingham in the morning,” he said. “And since it is late, and it really is such a lovely island, I thought I might at least enjoy the rest of my stay here. Plus, ah,” he chuckled, “selfish as this may sound, I decided I didn’t want to miss the breakfast White Heat will be serving tomorrow morning. And again, despite this evening’s tragic turn of events, I do hope you will reschedule the symposium for the near future.”

Turing nodded. “Of course,” she said.

“And since I’m still here, I suppose now I can congratulate you on winning our little contest. It seems a machine really can do the job of a detective. Or at least, you’ve proven that it is possible.”

“Perhaps,” she replied. “However, I am uncertain that I have proven your hypothesis to be false. To clarify, I experienced something unexpected and spontaneous. Though I had no definitive proof, I was able to put forth a conjecture based on a strange supposition that resulted from no particular cognitive process that I could identify.”

Dupon looked at her uncertainly for a moment. Then his eyes widened and he broke into a smile. “My word! Turing Test, you mean you had a hunch!”

She nodded. “And without the need to imitate a gargoyle. Or the famous keeper of bells, Trotsymodo. Or his replacement who had a similar deformity, but had no forelegs and thus performed his work using his cranium.”

“I am not familiar with that last one,” Dupon said, furrowing his brow.

“You would likely recognize him. I have heard that his face rings a bell.”

Dupon smacked his face with his hoof and laughed in spite of himself. “Oh that is terrible, Minister!”

There was a similar smattering of laughter as some ponies nearby laughed at something one of them said. She scanned the main hall and spotted Maud Pie speaking with Gadget and Vanderbull as they each munched on some miniature sandwiches from a platter.

“Dupon,” she asked quietly, “were our actions correct? That is, did we ‘do the right thing?’”

“Hm?” he asked. “What do you mean?”

She said nothing for a moment, but then faced him and continued. “When I had my ‘hunch,’ I realized the potential consequences of taking action. Had I done nothing, no further harm would have been done, and Sea Dweller would not be facing prison and the guilt of causing the death of her best friend.”

Dupon nodded. “True,” he said. “I see you pity her, then.”

“I do,” she replied. “It seems my earlier assertion that I would not feel pity for the killer was incorrect. And I wonder if my actions were justified.” She paused and then added, “She was not a bad pony. She was merely angry.”

“I can understand,” Dupon replied. “And now perhaps you can understand why I say that I do sometimes pity the perpetrators I catch. As I said, very few individuals are truly, irredeemably evil.

“But to your question of whether we did the ‘right thing,’ I’d like you to consider this: you were distressed - disgusted, you said - at the apparent murder of Beacon Bomber. You later expressed concern at the grief his death caused.”

“Affirmative,” she said. “Sea Dweller’s grief.”

“Yes, yes, but he had friends, perhaps family, no doubt others back in Filly Hawk who loved him and will now miss him, yes? Those ponies deserve to know the whole truth and to judge for themselves how to feel about things. And as for your own situation…”

He pointed a hoof. She followed and her eyes were led once more to where Maud, Gadget, and Mr. Vanderbull were still speaking.

“Perhaps you do not blame Sea Dweller for what she tried to do to you,” he said. “And that proves what a good person you are to have such compassion for the one who tried to extinguish your life. But Sea Dweller’s actions would not have only harmed you if she had been successful, Turing. Think of who else would have been harmed. Gadget and Vanderbull would have lost their friend, Maud Pie her fiancée, and Twilight Sparkle and your father would have lost a daughter. Your loved ones would have grieved your loss. And, having spent the last several hours with you, I can say that the world is better for having you in it. Sea Dweller acted knowing full well that you were loved and would be mourned and chose to do so regardless.

“In spite of everything, I believe you still think of yourself as lesser than organic ponies. Perhaps you feel that you will never truly measure up. You even place the happiness of Sea Dweller above your own life. But your friends love you, Turing Test. Honor their love and recognize that you are worthy of it.”

Turing’s ears twitched as she watched Maud and the others. Gadget saw her and waved to her, a bright smile on her face.

“Dupon,” she muttered, and turned back to face him. “Thank you.”

“Of course,” he said, and patted her on the shoulder. “Now, I am going to get a bite to eat and relax in my room, but should you and Maud require a new space to rest - considering the damage done to your own room - Neighstrad says that you may use his. Until tomorrow, Turing Test!”

She nodded, her eyes smiling. “Until the next mystery, Inspector Dupon.”

Maud Pie wore a small smile as she snuggled in closer to Turing, her limbs draped across her metal body as the two of them lay on their bed.

“Hmm,” she murmured. “Could you increase your heat output a little, Turing? I’m cold.”

“Of course, Maud Pie,” Turing replied, and boosted her power ever so slightly to the warming coils she’d had installed on her interior. “Is that satisfactory?”

“Mmmhmm,” she hummed, nuzzling her metallic cheek.

“...It may be prudent to mention once more that you may be more comfortable in a different room, Maud Pie. One less susceptible to the suboptimal temperatures resulting from this room’s exposure to the outside elements?”

Maud cracked open one eye and stared through the massive hole in their ceiling over the bed.

“No,” Maud said. “I like sleeping under the stars.”

“Are you certain? I remind you that Chief Inspector Neighstrad offered us his room, and it is now vacant and perfectly usable—”

“You need a mute button,” Maud said, placing a hoof over her ‘mouth.’

“...Well… if you are content, Maud Pie, then I will not pursue this matter further.”

Maud smirked. Then, after a pause, she planted a kiss against her faceplate.

“Ah, you are very affectionate tonight,” Turing said.

“Sorry.”

“There is no need to apologize, Maud Pie. I am happy when you are happy. I was merely making an observation.”

They were both quiet then, watching as a smokey gray cloud drifted lazily in front of the moon, dimming its light.

“You could have died tonight,” Maud said.

“Affirmative. But I did not.”

“No.” She shifted her weight, propping herself up to better look Turing in the eye. “I know you worry sometimes about me. You say that you worry because I’m fragile. Because I’m not made of metal like you.”

“Correct,” Turing said, “though I have apologized for such remarks. You are, of course, very strong and very resilient for an organic pony. I have only expressed such things out of unfounded worries. You… are so very precious to me, Maud Pie.”

Maud smiled and kissed her once more.

“I guess I know how you feel now,” she said, her calm, even voice betraying just a hint of worry. “When I heard what Sea Dweller was planning, I realized two things.”

“And what were they, Maud Pie?”

“First, I really wanted to find the biggest rock on the island and squish her with it.”

“Maud Pie!”

“Sorry, I know it’s wrong,” she said. “That’s no way to treat a perfectly nice rock.”

“...Maud Pie.”

“And second, um… I thought about how awful it would have been if she hadn’t been really bad at murder. And how much I’d miss you. And how much I care.”

She drew in a breath.

“Let’s set a date.”

Turing looked at her. “We have dates often, Maud Pie.”

“No. I mean a date for the wedding. Let’s get married. This year.”

Turing sat straight up, her eyes contracting. “Maud Pie… you always said you wanted to wait for a more opportune time.”

“Waiting for the best time feels like we’re just wasting time,” she said. “So… let’s not waste more time than we need to.”

Turing wrapped her forelegs around her, squeezing her as tight as she could without damaging her soft, squishy organs.

“Oh… oh, I love you, Maudalina Daisy Pie!”

“And I love you, Turing Nomiddlename Test. Now let’s go back to looking at the stars.”

Turing nodded, and turned back up toward the sky…

…only now they saw that several more clouds had swept over the night sky. And the wind was starting to pick up.

“Maud Pie, perhaps we should move.”

“No.”

“But the weather appears to be changing rapidly.”

“No.”

“Maud Pie, I believe there may be a chance of—”

There was a flash and the crack of thunder and suddenly a torrent of rain came down from the sky through the hole in the roof, drenching them both.

“...Fine,” Maud said, “we can move.”

“Ah,” Turing said. “It is a dark and stormy night.”

THE END

Author's Note

Thanks for reading, everyone! I hope you enjoyed reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it! Please leave a like and a comment - I always love receiving feedback and communicating with my readers! (Oh, and don't forget to use spoiler tags if you're discussing the story's solution, please.)

This story was suggested by Mind Jack back in September 2023, and I hope I can be forgiven for taking this long to get around to it, but I hope I did his suggestion justice.

Illustrations, once more, were by my good buddy Greenfinger.

Dedicated to the bros, who helped me re-discover my creative voice and get back into the mindset necessary to complete this work.

Thanks for joining, Junior Detectives! See you next time!

Oh, and if you are curious, I’ve got one last References List for ya!