private Pony Mystery Theater: Exit Trixie, Stage Right.

Key Gear · October 14, 2012

Seven years ago… Manehattan.

Compared to its neighbors, the mansion was fairly modest in construction. It was not overly large and the architecture was not particularly gaudy. The only thing that prevented it from being completely unnoticeable was the rather remarkable garden that surrounded it. The garden was immaculate and filled with plant life from all over Equestria - flowers that bloomed with what seemed like hundreds of colors, trees of awe-inspiring regality, and perhaps even a few carnivorous plants (or so the rumors said).

The mansion was the home of a wealthy family of earth ponies that had lived there for many generations - the Stacks. They had earned their place within the Manehattan elite by being one of the first families to secure a dominant role as food providers for the crowded, bustling urban area. The secret to their success had been in discovering fairly unusual foodstuffs and then mass-producing them for the local area. In the early days, members of the family would travel throughout Equestria in search of strange, yet edible, plant life.

Unfortunately, the days when they operated their own farm were now quite some time ago. In more modern times, their wealth was primarily tied up in the ownership of other agricultural ventures and passed down through generations. They no longer directly owned and operated any farmland, and to a casual observer, the Stacks had become, by Manehattan standards, a relatively uninteresting family - they had no political interests, they made no efforts towards enlarging their social circle, and they lacked controversy of any type.

However, their apparent lack of activity in Manhattan merely disguised the fact that they had, over several generations, developed a fairly consistent adventurous streak. While they no longer needed to travel across Equestria in search of marketable products, certain members of the family still spent both time and money on adventures and expeditions. The last owner of the estate, Cash Stacks, had been a fairly well-known explorer at the time of his disappearance. Cash Stacks had also been a fairly well-known benefactor. Though, he was known more for his one failure as a benefactor than he was for his many successes over the years.

A good benefactor should have limits on what they are willing to fund. If an expedition is too dangerous or a team is too experienced, then a prudent benefactor should withdraw funding. Eyebrows raised across Equestria when Cash Stacks funded a dangerous expedition deep into the Frozen North by a team that was, while experienced, too enthusiastic about the potential discoveries and not nearly enthusiastic enough in assessing the difficulty of the journey. The failure of the expedition seemed to be inevitable.

There was a general air of acceptance when the Frozen North expedition failed to return, and after several years had passed, just about everyone with knowledge of the expedition considered it to be lost. When the young filly of the lead members of the expedition ran away from the home of her parents' benefactors, this only compounded the tragedy. But, strangely, Cash Stacks remained hopeful no matter how much time had passed and even after Key Gear ran away from home.

The friends of the Stacks assumed that they were in denial, so when the Stacks began to become progressively more reclusive, they assumed that this was a temporary and natural reaction to such a colossal failure in judgment. When the Stacks began failing to appear at their normal soirées and slowly stopped making as many journeys to the market, their friends were slightly concerned. When the Stacks stopped emerging from the mansion at all except at night, their friends became greatly concerned and arrangements were made to find out what was happening.

Unfortunately, by the time someone decided to look in on the Stacks to see what was possibly going on, the mansion was abandoned. Every corner of the mansion was searched, but nopony was able to find any evidence of what happened to the Stacks. They were gone.

Five weeks ago… Canterlot.

For years, she had suffered from the events of that one fateful day. Her career as a stage magician had virtually been ruined. Her old act was the subject of mockery across Equestria. She needed something incredible that would bring her back into the spotlight. She knew she could come up with something, of course. She had been at the top of her class in magic school and was voted "most likely to succeed at life" by her classmates. Of course, she would always rise to the top.

Trixie had been searching through the archives and texts of the Canterlot library for over a week now, searching for anything that she could use to restore her reputation. She knew that she needed to find something that was much more than an illusion or a simple trick. The problem was that all of the more advanced spells that she happened across would require her to spend even more time digging through dusty tomes in order to perform them.

Trixie didn't have any problems with spending the effort to learn the advanced spells, but she did have a problem with spending the time. She was a showpony, so, to her, time was money, literally. So, she needed a shortcut. She needed a way to learn advanced magic without having to actually learn the advanced magic. That way, she could get back on the road and continue her show. Unfortunately, the many tomes in the Canterlot Library did not seem willing to cooperate.

Frustrated with her slow progress, Trixie trotted over to a shelf and carelessly tossed a large book back into place with her magic. She had barely managed to turn around when a thin, dusty tome fell right on top of her head. The book was light, so the force of the impact didn't bother her but the dust certainly did. The Great and Powerful Trixie convulsed as she was hit with the full force of a sneezing fit while standing in the middle of the Canterlot Library.

The normally quiet library suddenly boomed with the sound of Trixie's sneezes. Her naturally loud voice meant that her sneezes had the force of a sonic rainboom. Ponies around the library craned their necks in attempts to find the source of the noise, and those that could already see Trixie looked on with disapproval. Trixie tried and failed to stifle sneezes as dozens of ponies stared. Finally, just when she figured that things couldn't get any worse, she stumbled over the obnoxious thin tome and hit the ground with a thud.

Trixie was miserable as she struggled to her feet. “This is so undignified… Here Trixie is, The Great and Powerful Trixie, sneezing and crashing the bookshelves while making a complete foal of herself. Is this really all that I've come to?” Trixie suddenly realized that she was talking to herself out loud again. In disgust, she looked around for the book that had caused her agony. She needed something to kick.

She found the book positioned where it was when she had tripped over it. “Here you are, you wretched little…” Just as she was preparing to deliver a hearty kick to the book, she caught sight of something remarkably unexpected peeking up from its pages. A note… With hesitation, she picked up the note and started reading. After the first sentence, she was smiling. After the first paragraph, she was grinning.

Here, in the middle of the library, she had finally found what she was looking for, a time-efficient way to master a considerable amount of magic. Her grin widened wildly. “Are you all right ma'am?” Trixie whirled around to see a rather concerned looking gray stallion with a type of mathematical symbol as his cutie mark and a fairly unkept blue mane. Trixie belatedly replaced her grin with a completely blank expression; the stallion blinked.

“Yes, The Great and Powerful Trixie is fine.” Trixie responded with complete calmness. The stallion tilted his head to the side slightly as he said "Well, yes, I'm sure that she is, but are you all right?" Trixie frowned and glared at the stallion. “Exactly how dense are you!? *I* am Trixie!” Her voice boomed. The stallion was nonplussed and simply looked at her with a bemused expression as he responded calmly “Oh, in that case, I hope you don't mind but I'm going to have to ask you to either lower the volume or leave.”

Trixie smiled. She had no intentions of lowering the volume, she was only just getting started. “Trixie has found what she is looking for and will now leave of her own accord.” She raised her head high as she strode out of library. The stallion shook his head and then shrugged as he continued making his way through the shelves. Trixie didn't care what he thought, soon she would make her triumphant return. The note had been fairly simple to decipher. Somewhere in Manhattan, in a certain mansion, she would find exactly what she needed…

Three weeks ago… Manehattan.

The mansion had been abandoned for years. The previous inhabitants, a wealthy family of earth ponies, had vanished, without a trace, a number of years ago. There were rumors. Rumors of the vengeful survivor of a failed expedition into the Frozen North. Rumors of a hidden relic of tremendous power. Rumors of a certain darkness. But, no one ever believed the rumors. At least, until now.

It was well past midnight. The full moon seemed to hang in the sky above the mansion. It's pale light washed over the elaborate garden, flowing through the leaves of myriads of trees and then dancing among the flowers that lined the ground. An eerie stillness seemed to grip the entire garden. There was no wind rustling through the trees; no creatures could be seen scurrying among the grass. The garden was beautiful but it was not alive, it's beauty was glassy. The beauty of death - cold, ordered, precise.

Tixie stepped gingerly through the garden. She had heard the stories of carnivorous plants, and she had no intentions of becoming the meal of some worthless greenery. Trixie had left her cape and hat back at the hotel so that she could keep a lower profile. She felt awkward without them, but while the mansion was isolated from its neighbors by the immense garden, she didn't want to take any chances of discovery.

The closer she came to the mansion, the brighter the moonlight seemed to be. The mansion itself seemed to glow with an unusual iridescence. A stray shaft of moonlight lit up the area around her like a spotlight. Trixie ducked into the undergrowth and crept forward even more cautiously. In the stillness of the garden, the noise of her movements was jarring, but she decided to exchange the risk of being seen with the risk of being heard.

Finally, she was at the mansion door. It was already open, slightly ajar. Trixie felt her heart beat just a little faster. Did someone get here before me? Who could have possibly known? The thought was a fearsome whisper in her mind. To think that she could have come so far only to be thwarted at the last second… Twilight… Her thoughts focused on her rival in Ponyville, but she dismissed the possibility. After all, how could Twilight have known? The gray stallion at the library? Trixie dismissed that possibility just as fast. After all, he hadn't even been intelligent enough to know who she was.

She shrugged off her worries. Redoubling her caution, she opened the door just enough to enter. It opened soundlessly. She stepped into the mansion. The inside of the mansion was nothing at all like she had imagined it would be. There was no dust. No dust anywhere. There were no insects or mice or other small creatures. It was as though the mansion was frozen in time and space. Shafts of moonlight flowed statically through the open windows, through the halls, across the floor. The moonlight, the building, the furniture - they were all like ice sculptures.

Trixie shuddered. But, she decided to press on. It was worth it. She pulled out the map that had been on the back of the note. Now, swiftly, quietly she moved through the halls of the mansion. As she grew nearer to her objective, she could also feel a steely determination growing within her. This was it. Never again would she be mocked. Her next performance would be the most incredible thing that anyone had ever seen in Equestria.

Trixie opened a door and stepped into the study. A large desk was in the corner, still covered in papers. A number of bookshelves stood against the walls. A series of family portraits decorated the wall opposite the bookshelves. The moonlight, in just this one room, seemed to sparkle with anticipation. Trixie didn't notice much of this. She made her way over to the bookshelf in the center and began searching frantically.

She jostled the books on the shelves one by one. As she finished checking each one, she placed it off to the side in a stack. The family portraits seemed to watch her every move. Some leered threateningly, but most of them seemed to look on with a sense of resignation. Suddenly, there was a harsh mechanical sound followed by a heavy scraping noise. Trixie could scarcely believe her eyes as a passage slid open and an otherworldly light brightened the room. Trixie smiled. Here it was. Finally.

One week ago… Ponyville.

She would just hold the book. That was all she needed to do. She would hold the book and it would talk to her, and she would talk to it. It was teaching her. Every day, she learned more obscure and advanced magic. She didn't even need to practice. She would perform each spell only once, and she knew it. She felt more confident than she had ever been in her entire life - and that was saying something. This was the beginning of a new chapter in her life…

It was raining. The heavy clouds obscured whatever light might've been offered by the moon. There was no lightning in the sky and no thunder could be heard, it was only raining. Ponyville could be seen in the distance. The streets of the town were deserted, ponies were staying indoors to escape both the night and the rain that came with it. There was a hill, and a solitary blue unicorn stood on it.

She didn't bother using her magic to shield herself from the rain, because the rain didn't bother her. Nothing bothered her. One day, one day soon, she was going to come back to Ponyville. She wouldn't put on a show. Not intentionally, anyway. She was going to walk directly to the library, and she was going to have revenge. Sweet, sweet revenge. For every minute of humiliation that she had suffered, she would repay the ignorant purple unicorn.

Trixie was smiling. Calm, icy, serene in her confidence, she spoke out loud “It will be fantastic.” A voice, rather like her own but older and wiser, seemed to answer her. “Yes, yes it will. But first, Los Pegasus. The Great and Powerful Trixie's grand entrance back into the limelight! Fantastic, indeed.” The younger Trixie spoke again, "To think that Trixie once thought that she was the most powerful unicorn in Equestria without even knowing a tiny fraction of what she knows now."

Trixie laughed. Two laughs. One was steely, bitter, tired. The other was happy, hopeful, and pleasant. If anypony had been around, then they would've heard both laughs - at the same time. But, they would've only seen one pony.

Trixie steadied herself and then focused. The ground lit up for just a moment with a brilliant light. Then, with a single, brilliant flash, she teleported away. The rain continued.

One week ago… Canterlot.

A single very tired, very scruffy, and very small earth pony slowly meandered through Canterlot. It was the twilight of the evening, and the streets were fairly deserted. She looked down, seemingly making an examination of the ground as she walked. She felt dejected. The magnificence of Canterlot Castle and the forceful elegance of the city meant nothing to her. She was tired, even more tired than she normally was.

After another day of pointless socializing, Key Gear had, once again, made absolutely no progress in gathering funding for her expedition into the Frozen North. She had been in Canterlot for weeks, and it was always the same thing every day. She would arrive. The host would offer condolences for the loss of her parents. Various other guests would offer their own meaningless platitudes. Then the food, then the entertainment, then the questions, then nothing. No money.

Key frowned as she reflected on the fact that she always seemed to be the entertainment, no matter who was officially booked to perform. The host and the other guests would always drown her in a barrage of questions about her parents' adventures. Where did they go? When did they go? What did they do? Do you think that they are still alive? It was the last question that she hated the most. If she said her parents weren't alive, then she was considered to be heartless. If she said yes, they were alive, then she was considered to be naïve. It was a losing situation, but she would answer all the questions in the same way - with a smile plastered on her face and the sweetest tones.

In reality, she simply didn't know whether or not her parents were alive. That's why she was going to all of these events. She was trying to gather money to fund an expedition into the Frozen North and find out what had happened to her parents. Unfortunately, by the time she got around to explaining this at each of the various events, the host and guests had already concluded that she was a rather adorable little filly. The thought of her venturing into the Frozen North was amusing to them. They laughed, they always laughed. Key Gear kicked a pebble and watched it soar through the air and land in a fountain.

There were times when she wished that she was living on the streets of Manehattan again. This was one of those times. At least, there she had been respected, and, if she wanted something, she merely needed to take it. Of course, she had only been respected only as a thief, a lock picker, and a brawler - not the things that would be useful in gathering funding for an expedition. Of course, she could, in theory, always attempt to use her talents to steal something valuable from a museum or an art collection, but, in reality, she couldn't do that. Even in the wilderness, there were certain things that you just didn't do. Besides, what would her parents think?

Key made her way into the hotel where she was staying and up the stairs to her room. Regardless of her lack of success, she was still confident that she would get something out of her time in Canterlot. Key wandered into her hotel room and dropped her saddlebags next to the door. She had just about resigned herself to head straight to sleep when something caught her eye. There was a envelope on the floor in front of the door. Someone had probably slid it under the doorway while she was out. Key trotted over to investigate.

The envelope had no markings on it - no address, no return address, no name, nothing. It wasn't even sealed. Key took the letter out and carefully unfolded it. The hoofwriting was jagged, imprecise. Key wrinkled her nose; the paper smelled musty, aged. It took her a few moments to figure out what she was looking at, but when she did, the effect was electric. The author of the letter claimed that a stage magician known as Trixie had broken into the home of the Stacks and stole something of great value.

Key was livid. For most of her life, she had lived in the home of the Stacks. Of course, she ran away from home some months before the Stacks vanished, but she still felt a strong sense of attachment towards the place. The thought of some random, thieving stage magician bumbling through the mansion was too much. (If there was one thing that Key couldn't stand, it was an incompetent thief. A thief should never be seen.) Suddenly, a thought occurred to Key.

This letter says that Trixie stole something of great value. Well, if I steal it back from the thief… Then, I can sell it and fund my expedition! If a predator isn't strong enough to keep their food from the scavengers, then they don't deserve it. But, how do you catch a thief? Key suddenly realized that she had absolutely no clue of what to do in order to track down Trixie and retrieve whatever it was that the so-called “magician” had stolen.

I need a detective… For a few moments, Key sat in contemplation. Finally, she remembered something. During her time living on the streets of Manehattan, she remembered hearing about a private investigator that had been quite successful in shedding light on a number of cases involving stolen goods. More importantly, she remembered his address. Even though she couldn't remember his name, an address was all that she needed. Key jumped to her hooves, grabbed the letter, and ran to the hotel post office. When she arrived, she wrote a quick letter of her own.

Hello detective,

I am an adventurer with a problem. Someone has stolen something from me, and I need you to help me get it back. The details are provided by this anonymous note that someone left me. I'm trusting you to not lose it. I may need it for something in the future.

For payment, you can have a portion of the value of the item that was stolen. I can assure you, it's quite valuable. If you need to contact me, send a letter to Key Gear at the Trottington Inn hotel in Canterlot.

Thanks,

Key Gear

Key hesitated before putting in the information about payment. She hadn't thought about that before writing the letter. At the moment, she was not exactly well-off. She had some income from her activities as a locksmith and engineer in lower Manehattan, but she wasn't sure whether or not her meager savings would be good enough to hire a real private investigator. She decided to be purposefully ambiguous. Hopefully, the detective was hungry for a case.

Today… Canterlot.

It had been easy enough for her to secure the tickets for the train ride. It was far easier to ask members of the Canterlot elite for exclusive train tickets than it was to ask for funding for an expedition into the Frozen North. Of course, it helped that the Los Pegasus Express would be transporting its passengers to The Applewood Magic Festival. The festival gave Key the perfect response when she was asked why she wanted the tickets. In reality, Key didn't know much of all about the festival, but it was nice to get both the tickets and some extra spending money (a fairly generous sum).

Key hated being in the dark, and the detective's letter had been remarkably uninformative. In his letter, he said that he would accept the case, that Trixie would be on the Los Pegasus Express, that Key should purchase tickets for the train ride, and he had strongly recommended that Key not do anything brash. That was all nice, but it wasn't what Key wanted to hear. She wanted to hear what was stolen, how much it was worth, and that Trixie would be going to jail. Or, she would've preferred that the detective solve the case and just send her the thing that was stolen.

The small blue filly tapped her hoof impatiently. The detective's letter had told her to arrive at the train station early. She had assumed that was because the detective was planning to fill her in on his course of action. Now, the detective was running late, and Key was running out of patience. She looked over at the train… To think that Trixie was so close… Key was eager to see what kind of magician doubles as a lackluster thief.

Key shook her head and some hair from her mane fell across her face. She used her hoof to move the bothersome strands back into place. Today, for whatever reason, she looked even more scruffy than she normally did. Key glanced over at the train. The conductor and crew bustled around making their final preparations. Within the next hour or so, passengers would begin to board. She glanced around worriedly. As comfortable as she was on the streets of Manehattan, she had never faced off with a unicorn on a train and she liked the idea of having some backup.

This detective had better get here soon…

;;RPCode

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Edited March 7, 2013 by Key Gear

Opalicious · October 14, 2012

A few years ago, Ponyville...

Water Opal stared pitifully at the ponies as, one by one, they stepped up and tried to take on The Great and Powerful Trixie, as she called herself, and his thoughts about her were nothing but accusing and insulting. What a mean pony she is, one shouldn't use magic that way! I bet that there are tons of ponies who can beat her any moment of the day! For a second, he thought that he should be the one to take her on, but the attention had shifted to a purple pony, who must have been a poweful unicorn, the way everypony was surrounding her and urging her on. Believe it or not, she didn't want to do. She was reclining, heading back to...wherever she went!

Calm down Water, he thought to himself, beginning to trot away from the stage. You'll get back at her someday. Someday...

*****

3 weeks ago, Canterlot...

Water Opal, once again, couldn't complete his cake! He didn't know what always went wrong, was it genetic that water always appeared in the mix? With friends coming over tomorrow, this was plain disappointing! Was there any mix of food that needed water? He huffed angrily, but calmed himself down before heading outside to la boulangerie, the local bakery. The bakers already knew why he was coming, he did so every few weeks to get the same thing.

Maybe I should get a different cake this time, to surprise my friends. They seem to get less enthusiastic about the food each time," he thought to himself, not looking up in time to see the looming figure in front of him. His head smacked face first into a pole that held the Equestrian flag above the other looming structures around. He fell to the ground, in a daze, focus snapping in and out of focus, slowly bringing itself back to it's normal distance before he looked up. Today, it didn't only hold a flag, but a poster. He stood up, leaning forward to read it better. The Applewood Magic Festival welcomes all ponies to magic, cake, performances and more, including a special guest, The Great and Powerful Trixie! Underneath the words were pictures and pictures, showing how great the last year's festival was, but Water Opal didn't care to look at them. Trixie was due to take the train to the festival in 3 weeks time, and it was the perfect time to give the pony an...unpleasant surprise. Well, looks like I was right. A chance to repay her with her own weapon...

*****

Today, Canterlot Train Station...

Water Opal had spent the last weeks trying to remain calm, but he was eager to get on that train ride with Trixie. He now stood, ticket in hand, at the busy station, sitting on a bench, back hunched, staring at the tracks. He was probably the only one who wanted to get back at Trixie, which was better. the less people who wanted to do something to her, the better. The more unexpected it would be. He shifted his left hoof over his right hoof, leaning back. To the ponies around, he looked like an innocent unicorn waiting for the train. He smiled to himself. Now to wait for that train to arrive...

Dave247 · October 14, 2012

Day continued to drink his coffee and using his magic, levitated the newspaper that was sitting on his desk and began to read. He always read though it each week to keep up with what was happening in Manehatten as well as to keep an eye out for anything that looked suspicious.

He had just finished looking though a story about the problems with homeless ponies in Manehatten when another story caught his eye. It was a article about a break in. Not much was written, but it did say that somepony had broken into the old Stacks mansion and apparently stole something. The authorities had no idea what was stolen though and there was no mention about who might have done it either. Day was intrigued by this because not much was known about the Stacks and their disappearance, and he was sure that manor had been empty for several years because of it. He wondered what could have been left in the manor that was worth stealing.

Lost in thought, Day was distracted when he heard the mail arrive and fall though the slot in his door. He put the paper down and got out of his chair to walk over to the door, then using his magic again to levitate the letters and flick though them.

"Bills, bills, letter of thanks, more bills..." He thought. Receiving a number of bills in one go only worried him especially how he had not had a case in a while which meant his money was running low. He hoped he got one soon...

Day then stopped when he noticed one particular letter. What caught his attention was that it was indeed addressed to him, yet his name was not on it. Instead, the sender had simply written "Detective"

Getting his hopes up, he thought that there was a good chance that this could be somepony requesting his services. He eagerly used his letter opener to slit the envelope and removed the letter inside. Sitting back down at his desk, he unfolded the letter and noticed a note fall out of it. He put that aside for the moment and began to read.

Hello detective,

I am an adventurer with a problem. Someone has stolen something from me, and I need you to help me get it back. The details are provided by this anonymous note that someone left me. I'm trusting you to not lose it. I may need it for something in the future.

For payment, you can have a portion of the value of the item that was stolen. I can assure you, it's quite valuable. If you need to contact me, send a letter to Key Gear at the Trottington Inn hotel in Canterlot.

Thanks,

Key Gear

Kay Gear... he was sure that name was familiar to him... He remembered hearing a little about her somewhere... He had never had a Adventurer as a client before and figured that their problems must be much more exciting then regular pony folk. He then looked though the note that had fallen out earlier. The handwriting was much messier then the letter and looked to be like a completely different style of writing. He had not seen any ponies write like this in this day and age. The paper also reeked of a old and musty smell which was not pleasant to his nose. Day initially thought that this letter must of been written a long, long time ago, but when he read what was written, it was obvious this was not that case.

The note stated there was a break in in the Stacks house, and that something was stolen. This much was confirmed by the newspaper article. The note however, went on to name the perpetrator. When he saw the name, it only furthered his interest. "Trxie... Hmm..." Day thought. It was true that not many ponies had heard much about her activities since her performance in Ponyville which he remembered only too well all those years ago when he was younger and still living in Ponyville.

Day looked back over the letter, and then back at the name. "Wait... now I remember." He thought. "Kay Gear is the sole daughter of the stacks." He also remembered what he had heard about her. He remembered her name coming up sometimes in the paper when there was a arctile about a big party happening at Canterlot. What she was doing in Canterlot he had no idea though.

Day thought over the letter. It's true he was desperate for a case, but he needed to find out more before he accepted. He got back up, put on his shirt, cloak and hat, and tucked the letter as well as the note away in one of his pockets. He also took his notepad and pencil which he never went without, then exited his office.There was one pony he had in mind that should hopefully know more about all this.

Day entered the Guard station here in Manehatten, and walked up to the reception desk. There was a bored looking recruit sitting there. He looked up and his mood lifted when he noticed a visitor.

"Hey Daylight! How's it going? Here to see the captain?" the recruit said to him rather cheerfully.

"Of course, why else would I be here? Daylight replied with a smile. The recruit then hurried off to get him. While he waited, Day thought about his relationship with the guards...

At first, they saw him as a nuisance. Always getting in the way of their jobs and taking things into his own hooves. But after solving a number of cases, they began to like him and realized that he was accomplishing things that they never would, and that everything that he did was only to assist them. He became quite popular amongst some of them and the recruits would often look up to him as a role model. This only filled Day with joy and reassured him that he was doing the right thing.

The captain in particular took notice of him as well. He would often assist Day with his investigations when needed as he knew that Day was a good pony and did what was best for the community which is exactly what their job as guards were. He even asked Day several times if he wanted to join as a guard but he refused as he felt that it wouldn't really suit him as a job as a guard is very diverse.

The captain respected his decision however and stopped asking him after a while when he realized it was no use. He was grateful for the work Day did and as long as he kept it up that was all that really mattered.

Lost in thought for a second time, Day was interrupted when a door opened and the Captain walked out. "You again hey?" the captain said to him looking not at all surprised to see him. "What it is you want this time?".

"Let's go for a walk." Daylight said. "There's something I need to ask you about".

"As there always is." The captain replied. "Lead on then".

"So what's the story behind the break in at the Stacks mansion?" Day asked. The two were walking down the street now though a busy part of Manehatten.

"You read the paper didn't you?" The Captain replied. "Everything in there was true. However if it wasn't for that note we received we would probably had never have known..."

"What note? There wasn't anything about that in the article." Day said rather intrigued. He wondered if...

"One week ago, we received a rather old and smelly looking note at the station. It just appeared on the reception desk on day in a equally looking envelop with no address or anything. It wasn't even sealed. You'd think the recruit working on reception for the day would of seen something but he was asleep at the time... Damn lazy recruits..." the captain said rather annoyed.

"You shouldn't be so hard on them." Daylight said in defense. "Reception is a boring job. If it were me I would hate it and would be bored out of my brain that I would probably fall asleep too."

"That may be so but if we only knew more about the note..." the Captain started but Day cut him off.

"Did the note look like this one?" Day said as he pulled out the note he had received with the letter by using his magic.

"By George it does! Exactly like it!" The captain said excitability. "Hang on... what's this this bit say here... Trixie is the Culprit!? The captain was very surprised.

"You mean you didn't know that? Didn't it say that in the note you received?" Day asked.

"No, no it didn't. Ours was pretty much exactly the same as this one except for that fact. Smells just like it too." the Captain said in disgust.

Day put the note away before replying as he too could not stand the smell. "Hmm... that's very interesting..." He said thoughtfully. It was obvious that whoever sent the note did not want to guards to investigate to much into this otherwise they would have included that in their note. "Did you discover anything when you searched the mansion?" He asked?

"No, as we had no idea what we were looking for. That mansion is a big place and with no idea what was taken it could of been anything. The only thing notable in the report was that the front door was open when we arrived there and none of the other doors or windows looked like they had been used in a long time." The Captain replied.

"Hmm... alright. Thanks for that Captain." Day said. It was then they he realized that he ha never asked what the Captain's name was. He put this out of his mind though as the Captain started talking again.

"Man... Trixie... I mean I know she's had it rough but I never though she would swoop this low..."

"What do you know about Trixie and her recent activities?" Daylight asked. Now they were getting to the important bit.

"Well as you know," The Captain said. "Since the indecent in Ponyville no one really hears much about her anymore. It's not that she's not around though, she still tries to put on performances now and again that no one likes, I think it's that no one cares anymore. Not even the media care to report on her much. It's been more quiet recently though, normally you would hear something about her somewhere by now but it's as if, she just disappeared for a while."

"How long ago was that?" Day asked, intrigued.

"Pretty much for the last three weeks." The Captain replied. "There was not one bit of information on her during that time... until a few days ago."

"And what was that?" Day asked. Trixie was looking very suspicious and could well of committed that theft he thought...

"Haven't you heard?" The Captain said surprised that Day didn't know. "It's all over everything. Trixie is going to go preform at that new festival that's on. Applewood Magic Festival It's called I think."

Day became rather embarrassed "You know I'm not interested in any of those social events..." He said. Even so, he should have seen something in the paper that he just read this morning.

"That's true. I would have thought that even you would have at least seen or heard about it. Ah well, it's OK. Don't feel bad Day. Even a detective like yourself misses things sometimes." The captain said with a grin while he slapped Day on the back.

"Y-Yeah, sometimes". Day replied. He trusted his skills at noticing things so missing something like this stressed him because he began to doubt himself.

"The Captain then realized something. "Now that I think of it... How did you get that note? Did somepony ask for help again?" He asked.

"Y-Yeah." Day replied trying to push the doubt of of his mind at least for now. "You've heard of Kay Gear right? The sole daughter of the Stacks? Well she sent me this letter asking me to retrieve what was stolen." He then pulled out the latter and showed it to the Captain.

"Hmm... I figured that you had a reason for asking all these questions. Just be careful with this case Day, I don't know what it is but I've got a bad feeling about all of this." The Captain said rather grimly.

"Don't you worry now, I'll be fine." Day said. "It's Kay you should be worried about she is after all... how old is she again? I know she's under 18..."

"15." The Captain replied. "Anyway, I need to be getting back to work now. Lets finish up our talk as we walk back to the station."

The two talked a little more. But there wasn't really that much else to talk about. Day was also distracted with the doubt nagging at his his thoughts. After the Captain left, Day didn't know what else to do so he headed back to his office.

Day entered his office and slumped himself in his chair. He took another look though the first few pages of the newspaper still on his desk and sure enough... there it was. A full page add for the Applewood Magic Festival, and with a big picture of Trixie plastered across it. he had no idea how he managed to miss that...

Doubt crept back into his mind and stress began to endure. "What if my skills aren't good enough? What if I'm bad at noticing things? What if... I shouldn't have become a detective?"

He shook his head. He was being silly and overreacting. He was a good detective, all his prior cases show that, but why did that not make him feel any better?

Pushing it all out of his mind again, Day realized that he needed to make a decision about this case. He had found out too much about what had happened to back out now, and he was rather interested himself with the mystery with the Stacks and this mystery thief. He looked back at the page and noticed a fancy looking train at the bottom of the page with writing on it. "The Los Pegasus Express will be the only way to travel to the event. Book your tickets fast to ensure a place!" "Hmm..." He thought. "If it's the only way to get there then that must mean Trixie must be going to be on it..." He then looked at the date of the event. "Holey Smokes! That's this weekend!" Day said out aloud. "And the train departs from Canterlot the day before!" I have to quickly write and send off a letter back to Kay today so she gets it in time!

Day pushed the paper aside and made some room on his desk. He took out his paper and quill as well as his ink bottle and was about to start writing when he thought of something. "I'd better not say too much about what I know, which is hardly anything anyway" he thought. He then remembered something else. "Wait... what about the tickets? It would be a pain for me to get one and I am a little short on money as well... oh, I know! Kay goes to several Canterlot parties so she'd be easily able to get two. I'll ask her to get some for the both of us." Day then started writing the letter by using his magic to move the quill.

To: Kay Gear

I am pleased to inform you that I will be taking up your case. Rest assured, I will do everything I can to find your lost treasure. There is however, something I require you to do. Trixie will be preforming at the Applewood Magic Festival and the only way to get there is by the The Los Pegasus Express which means that Trixie herself will be on that train. If you could secure tickets for the both of us on that Train I would be most grateful and I'm sure it shouldn't be difficult for someone with your reputation.

There is one other thing I ask of you. Please don't do anything rash. I say this for your own safety as it's apparent that Trixie is up to something and I wouldn't want you getting seriously hurt because of any quick and irrational decisions so please, try to stay of trouble at least until I arrive.

I'll meet up with you on the day of departure at the train station in Canterlot. Be there early because there is a lot I want to discuss with you.

Regards,

Detective Daylight.

Day finished writing then looked over the letter. He liked using his title where he could, It made him feel important. He then looked over the rest of the letter. He wasn't sure why he was being very protective of Kay epically when he hadn't even met her yet. It could be because she is only a teenager where as he is a young adult so he naturally took it upon himself to act as the big brother. Wherever she liked that treatment or not will remain to be seen though...

After looking over the letter a few times he felt it was satisfactory so he rushed out to the post office before it closed to mail it off. Returning to his office, he now just had to wait and anticipate for the day when it came...

A few days later...

It was late at night and Daylight was still up going though every bit of information about Trixie that he found, as well as old newspaper articles on the disappearance of the Stacks. It was all rather boring and uninteresting though which felt like it was only putting him to sleep. His eyes were drooping and the coffee he was drinking wasn't helping. He knew he should be getting to bed soon as he had to be up to meet Kay tomorrow but there was still so much to go though...

As he started to read about the unteenth time Trixie had failed at a performance his eye's slowly closed as he rested his head on the desk and fell asleep.

The Morning After...

Daylight was fast asleep at his desk. He then lazily opened his eyes and slowly lifted his head. "Must of fallen asleep at my desk again." He thought rubbing his eyes. "What time is it..." as he looked at the clock. "Dammit! I'm late!" He said when he realized the time. He quickly jumped out his chair, dressed, and ate. Luckily he had already prepared everything to take the night before which wasn't much, just his notepad and pencil that he always carried and magnifying glass which he carried sticking out of one of his shirt pockets. He didn't need to use it much so it was mostly just for show. He also hastily stuffed some of the notes he had made last night into a pocket before dashing out the door and catching the next train to Canterlot.

Today was the day that the The Los Pegasus Express departed from Canterlot. He had promised to meet Kay there at the station early but because he slept in he had now had to catch a later train which would get their later then he wanted. There was nothing he could do about it now though. During the journey, he jotted down some points in his note pad about the conversation he had a few days ago with the Captain. There were a few things he couldn't remember at the moment but he was sure to remember it later at some point.

A thought then crossed his mind, "What if she didn't receive my letter? What if she didn't like it? What if she's not there? What if..." He stopped himself there. The doubt was only achieving him to feel stressed so he stopped that line of thinking and distracted himself with his notes. After a while it got pushed back out of his mind as he became fully absorbed with the case.

As soon as the train arrived, Day rushed out of the train and started to run off in one direction when he realized he didn't know which platform the train. he then stopped to ask a conductor before running off again but this time in the right direction.

When he arrived at the correct platform Day stopped to catch his breath. Looking up he say the magnificent site of the train. it sure was something fancy. He couldn't help staring at it for a little until he remembered that he was supposed to looking for Kay so he tore his eyes away from it. Looking around the crowd of ponies on the platform, he realized he had no idea what Kay looked like.

"OK... going to have to be smart about this then." He thought. "Let's see, she's a female, and young at that, so that eliminates the majority of ponies here. She would also probably be looking impatient due to me being late as well as be looking like she's looking for someone... so that only leaves... her." He took a good look at Kay before approaching her. He wanted to see what he could learn from her before he spoke to her. She looked quite scruffy, which if he could remember correctly from the news a long time ago, that she ran away from home and was most likely homeless living on the streets of Manehatten. Other then that, he couldn't really learn anymore about her just by observing her especially when she wasn't talking to anyponyelse. Day made his way though the crowd and walked up to her.

@

"Hello, Your Kay Gear right? I'm Detective Daylight. I'm taking it you received my letter otherwise you wouldn't be standing here right now. Umm... sorry for being late.. I kinda just... slept in." He said rather sheepishly while smiling. "Anyway, I'm here now so that's what's important."

Edited October 28, 2012 by Dave247

Flow · October 14, 2012

3 weeks ago, Ponyville

It was a bright morning In the quiet town of Ponyville, and the mayor decided to liven things up by calling everypony out to the square just outside the town hall, most ponies wonder what is going on, the mayor wouldn't normally call the citizens out without telling them before hand, it seemed very odd. one of the ponies walking there was a bright yellow pegasus with a crimson red mane and tail along with a lightning over an orange seal as her cutie mark, this mare like the rest wondered what the mayor is up to, she, as an optimist thought that it's some good news despite hearing it as an emergency.

As they gathered outside the town hall in the center of Ponyville, the podium was set up, and the stage was ready. Everypony started talking about the odd calling and a bunch of other stuff, the commotion lasted till the MC came up and spoke "Mares and Gentlecolts, please give a hoof for the mayor of Ponyville, Mayor Mare." The crowd clapped with their hooves along with some cheering, "YAAAAAAY! WOOOOOO!" yelled a grey pegasus. She was next to the yellow pegasus mentioned earlier, "Ehehe, easy Derpy, not too loud," she said, "Okay!" She replied.

The mayor stood at the podium, then she makes her speech, "My fellow citizens of Ponyville, thank you for taking your time to come out here for what I'm planning, I have decided to express my appreciation to the ponies of this town by holding a raffle!" Immediately, the crowd expressed their interests in entering, then a blue pony raised her hoof up, where the mayor gave her the permission to speak "Um...What is.....what's the prize?" she asked "That's a good question! There will be three prizes! Third prize is a gift certificate to the Royal Banquet restaurant in Canterlot! The second prize is 50,000 bits! And the grand prize? It's a very special one that...well I'll keep that a secret, I will explain what it is on the drawing date. And now entrees are open, so make sure to enter if you want to win! It's 10 bits per ticket, and the drawing will be next week!"

The yellow pony decided to enter for the fun of it, and because of her optimism, she wouldn't mind if she loses. After getting her tickets, she wrote her name "Flow" along with her address in the town on all of them, then she places them inside the raffle drum.

2 weeks ago, Ponyville

The day of the drawing came, and Flow, amongst the others were there for it. And so far the winners of the third and second prizes have been announced, then came that very moment, the mayor stopped turning the raffle drum and opened it, reaching in for a ticket, then announcing the winner, "The winner of the grand prize is........Flow!" There was huge cheering, and confetti blasted and flew around, and Flow herself couldn't believe it, she had won the grand prize, "Oh...My god! Wow!" the only question that remains is, "What is the grand prize?" After going up the stage, the mayor shook her hoof and congratulated her, "Congratulations Flow! The grand prize...The grand prize is.....A paid trip to Los Pegasus to attend the Applewood Magic Festival!! And you'll be going there aboard the Los Pegasus Express!!" "Oh my god!!! Oh my god!! YEAHHHH!!!!" She could barely hold her excitement any longer, she almost fainted from it.

Today, Canterlot

Flow had eagerly waited for this day, she couldn't wait so much, she decided to fly along with her saddle bags all the way into Canterlot in the early hours, and because she was a bit sleepy, she slept at the station as she arrived there, it's possible that the train will be there once she wakes up.

Edited November 20, 2012 by Narutardedscum!!

October 14, 2012

She strutted along the platform with confidence that glowed. Her swagger crafted an aura of desire around her and several heads turned as her hooves clacked on the marble tiles in the main terminal of the train station. She briefly stopped to ask a bright red pony where she may be able to board for the train to Los Pegasus. Her voice was crisp and and the male pony was buckling at the knees when giving his stuttering reply. She winked at him and offered him advice on flirting. Indices had no way of knowing that she'd be on the train. However, she was 100% certain she would be en route to Los Pegasus within the hour.

Three Years Prior

"Sign it, please," she rasped. The baker looked up at her with eyes of contempt, but signed the document. "Now... was that so hard?" Indices was slowly and dramatically pacing around the bound and gagged baker named Ashbloom, caressing the back of his neck as she did so. He was breathing heavily and trying to wriggle free of the ropes that bound him.

"Ashbloom... I'm so sorry," she said. Her voice was... sexy. Ashbloom had proposed to her several weeks prior, and that was a mistake that would cost him his life. "Except really... I'm not."

She drew a knife and killed him in cold blood. It was effortless, really. He was an overweight pony with a little too much money on his hands. Naturally, Indices wanted in on this lucrative business opportunity. What, was she going to work for it? Was she going to break her back in order to obtain riches and success? It was an option she'd crossed out, inside vying for the much quicker choice: seduce the baker, have him leave the bakery to her should anything happen to him, and kill him! It was the easiest recipe in the book, and she'd executed it flawlessly.

~~~

"Excuse me," Indices said, walking up to someone who looked like a stereotypical conductor standing beside the train. "I believe I have a room on the train?"

The conductor looked up and smiled. "Oh... um... what's your name, darling?"

"Fireheart," she said, smiling thinly.

"Oh... your ticket appears to have arrived a little too late, and ---"

Indices slammed her hoof against the train and moved herself inside his personal bubble. He could smell her minty fresh breath when she spoke.

"Are you... sure you can't make any room for... me?" she exhaled softly. He looked down, clearly confused and excited. Indices spoke every word slowly, caring for each of them as though they were some sort of gem that escaped her lips.

"Well, uh, I, I'm sure... well, we could... yeah, 15, no 4... you can have 4, Room 4. Is that, is that okay?"

Indices smiled and turned her head. "Perfect."

Edited October 14, 2012 by CannabisLove

Legendary Emerald · October 14, 2012

One Day Ago...

“Oh Lock Heart, won't you please stay?”

“Yes, of course. I'll just stay here and continue to live in shame and squalor for the rest of my days, if it will make you happy.”

“Really? You'd do that for me?”

“...”

“Lock?”

“Sorry, I just can't put up with this anymore. Merry, you've been a good... whatever the hell you were. But I can't spend another minute in this backwards country. I'm getting out while the getting is good.”

“But how will I go on without your sage-like advice? Your comforting words? Your shoulder to cry on?”

“I don't recall ever providing any of those. And Even if I did... frankly, Merry, I don't give a damn.”

Today...

The Alicorn-Express screeched to a halt at Canterlot Junction, sparks flying from the tracks. It almost seemed as if it was in a hurry to disembark its sole passenger. The door automatically flung itself open as a buzzer went off. A moment later, a bluish-gray earth pony with an unkempt black mane and tail stepped out, wearing one oversized saddlebag on his left side.

As soon as he'd stepped foot on Canterlot soil, the car door slammed shut, and the train rocketed back from whence it came, shaking the boarding platform and causing some of the other ponies hanging around to lose their balance. A cloud of gray smog flooded the area, and the earth pony took in a deep breath.

“Ah, Canterlot.” Lock Heart said wistfully, eyes watering from the smog. “Home of the most cultured ponies in all of Equestria.”

He stood there a moment longer in reverence, eyes closed and silent as could be.

“Goooodbye.” he said, before heading immediately towards the line for the Los Pegasus express. “Just enough time to stretch my legs, and then I can head off somewhere less 'cultured'. This city is almost as terrible as Alicornia.”

Lock Heart caught himself thinking aloud, and stopped his narration. His eyes wandered over some of the other ponies who were waiting for the train. A pale pegasus with vibrant red hair was asleep on the only bench available, and a lanky, goldenrod unicorn was speaking with a very young, very somber, blue filly. The only other pony to catch his eye was a unicorn pony who's coat and mane gave off the impression of being constantly underwater.

To their credit, none of the ponies seemed much like Canterlot elites. Whether that meant they were just useless tourists or anything slightly more respectable, Lock Heart didn't know. He didn't particularly care to get to know anyone he'd be riding the rails with, but he had to admit that his daily interactions with Merry had gotten him used to the company of others. Even if that company was unwanted.

Not so desperate yet as to start a conversation himself, Lock Heart looked around for reading materials. All he found was a poster, stapled to a wooden post holding up the roof of the station.

The Applewood Magic Festival welcomes all ponies to magic, cake, performances and more, including a special guest, The Great and Powerful Trixie!

“Trixie? The Great and Powerful Tourguide Trixie?” he laughed. “Ponies in the mainland must really respect their tourism industry.”

Lock Heart had met Trixie in the past, back in Alicornia. She'd traveled there in the hopes of proving her greatness to the nation, and ended up having to take up a job as a tour guide just to afford a train ticket back to Equestria proper. Trixie had been the only pony looked down upon in Alicornia as much as Lock, but any sympathy he'd start to hold for the pompous mare was dashed whenever she opened her mouth and started spouting off garbage about being recognized for her greatness some day.

“Or maybe she did succeed. And now she's living her dream.” Lock mumbled to himself, and frowned. “Then I'll hate her even more. Lucky wench.”

Edited October 14, 2012 by Legendyay Emerald

Bari · October 14, 2012

1 Week Ago, Canterlot

Wandering the streets of Canterlot, a unicorn filly was running some errands. Her purple coat and reddish-purple mane didn't seem too out of place among the other ponies roaming about as well. Her golden eyes looked around her with wonder. This was Asteria, the faithful assistant of Lapis Lazuli, the traveling scholar. The pair had come to Canterlot in hopes of finding certain things among the many books in the royal library.

But Canterlot was such a marvelous city, they had decided to stay a while. Out of the corner of her eye, Asteria spotted something. Turning to face the mysterious thing, it revealed itself to be a poster. But not just any poster. Scrawled upon it in big letter was "The Applewood Magic Festival, buy your tickets today!" Underneath it in smaller print was all the information needed to attend the event.

Something caught her eye. A "Great and Powerful Trixie" was to be the opening act. Excitement began to well up inside her. She needed to show this to Lapis! Asteria tore the poster off the wall it was tacked to and ran back to the hotel room she shared with her mentor.Lapis Lazuli, son of the famous mining family Ore, was deeply involved in reading a book. He lay upon his bed, oblivious to the filly who burst into his hotel room. Asteria started to call his name, hoping he'd look up from what he was doing. After a minute, he eventually stared at his energetic assistant, his red eyes betraying little emotion.

"Yes, what is it?" he asked, a hint of annoyance in his voice. If she had heard the displeasure in her mentor's voice, it clearly didn't bother her. "Well, you see, I found this while I was out getting groceries." she said exuberantly, pulling the poster out of her saddlebag and unrolling it with magic. Lapis merely sighed and replied, "I'm guessing you forgot to get what I asked for, huh? Well, no matter. You can always get it later. Let me see."

Lapis studied the colorful signboard, taking note of every detail. It certainly seemed interesting enough. "Alright, tomorrow we'll go to the train station and see if we can get a pair of tickets. But for now, I want you to get those groceries." he said with a faint smile. Asteria nodded, a smile breaking across her face as well. The purple filly quickly went back out the way she came, this time promising herself not to get distracted.

The very next day, Canterlot Train Station Ticket OfficeThe scholarly duo got up bright and early. Today was the day they'd pay the train station a visit. Asteria had made sure to wake early so she could get Lapis ready for the day. He usually liked to sleep in, and was sometimes grumpy in the morning. She'd hopped out of her own bed and jumped onto Lapis's. Groggily he woke up, showered, grabbed his own saddlebag, and trotted out the door. Asteria practically bounced after him."What do mean I don't have enough bits for two ponies?" Lapis calmly questioned the pony behind the counter at the station. "Uh, exactly what you'd think it means. You only have enough for one pony. Sorry." he said, mostly likely not sorry in the least. This was a problem. Lapis knew that the train would be leaving in a week, and he only received money for his articles. Sadly, he hadn't written anything yet, and doubted he could get something together, submit it, and get the check in time.

He turned to his enthusiastic assistant, eyes downcast. But Asteria only smiled innocently back at him. Lapis didn't understand. This meant they wouldn't get to go to the festival. Surely she'd be sadden at least slightly. Yet despite what he thought, the filly continued to beam up at him. "Asteria, you do realize we won't be going to the festival, right?" he asked after a full minute of pure confusion.

Her smile didn't waver even an inch as she replied happily, "Well, we won't be going, but you will!" The blue stallion was taken aback. He hadn't really thought of it like that. But even if he had, he'd never have suggested it. Asteria was like the little sister he never knew he wanted. She brightened up his otherwise somber outlook on life. If he had to go to Los Pegasus without her, he might not be able to get along as well as he would with her.

"Are you sure? We could always stick together and continue researching topics in the royal library you know." he said beseechingly. But the purple filly just shook her head. "No, this is the perfect opportunity to learn about Los Pegasus and it's culture. I know you really want to go." On some level, this was true, but the idea of being without his dearest of companions hurt somewhat. He knew there was no way around this though. If he chose to stay, he'd regret it for quite some time.

"Alright, I will go without you. But please, teleport home once I'm gone. I don't want you staying at the hotel alone." Asteria nodded and smiled even more broadly. The young unicorn was too nice. Maybe that was why fate had them meet. She needed someone with a more serious demeanor to protect her from the harsh reality of life.

Throughout the entire exchange, the pony at the counter had just stared at them, completely uninterested. "So, one ticket, right?" he said, hoping to get the two ponies blocking his counter to leave as soon as possible.

Today, Canterlot Train StationHis short brown mane was well combed, and his saddlebag was filled with a few useful things, such as books of literature, pencils, and a large notepad. The main purpose of this trip was to learn, so he packed accordingly. The ticket he'd purchased about a week ago was also among his things, but was much easier to get at since he'd be needing it soon.

Around him, he saw some odd ponies. All of them seemed preoccupied, but that didn't matter to Lapis. He wouldn't care to chat with them anyway. He wasn't very good with small talk, but that didn't hinder his abilities to interview ponies involved with what he was researching. It was like there was a barrier between socialization and his life's passion.

For some reason, excitement was building up inside him. He had never been to Los Pegasus, so this was definitely a first. Ignoring the others, he approached a bench and began reading one of his books. The train would arrive soon, but he didn't know how long it would take. It was better safe than sorry to bring entertainment with you in case you had to wait long periods of time. Sighing lightly, the lone earth pony dove into the literature before him.

Edited December 5, 2012 by Berry Pie

Shift · October 14, 2012

A Few Years Ago - Ponyville

It was that faithful day, that day when the Great and Powerful Trixie brought a freak show to Ponyville, the Ursa Minor Spell, and when Time took a mental picture of what a liar looks like.

The only thing Time said about that matter was...

"Deja-Vu!"

2 Years Ago - Ponyville

"Oh, Hi Time! What's up, you?"

"You should know."

"Huh? You ain't gonna...c'mon you know what will happen if that knife touches my mane."

"What about your brain?"

"That too."

"I don't care about that anymore..."

"If you as so touch me, your dad will be dead like a candle."

"That's just it! My dad died from age yesterday. Or did you not get the funeral letter?"

"WHAT!?"

"Now that you have nothing else to do so as you like...I shall get revenge on what you have did with me for 2 years!"

"Aw, come on Time, you wouldn't hurt your cousin, would ya'?"

"Any last words...?"

"...Alright, Time, but mark my words...you'll regret this."

"Onto business. So now, cousin..."

"See you on the other side!"

"UGGGHHHHH!"

3 Weeks Earlier - Ponyville

It was just another one of those faithful days in Ponyville. Timeshift was attending to her potion shop like any other day.

"Darn, it's been year 4 in Ponyville and I haven't even gotten 5,000 bits. Sue me." Timeshift told herself, slamming her head on her desk, knocking over some dusty and old books.

Timeshift focused her attention on a love potion she was stirring, tripping over a letter on the floor. It appeared to be from her friend Hook back at Canterlot.

"Dear Timeshift...

Omigod, Time, did you get the news? There's going to be a Appleoosa-Something festival over at Los Pegasus! Are you going? Probably not. So I got tickets for you...maybe we could talk in person over there, eating grub! C'mon, it'll be our first reunion...

Signed, Your Ultra-Best-Bud,

Hook."

Timeshift gaped at the letter. Heck yes she wanted to see Hook!

She squee'd with delight, vowing nothing at all should stop her from getting there and FINALLY reuniting with him. I'd be the time of her life! They went to the Prom together, after all. She took the ticket attached to the letter and hung it up. She wouldn't forget this! Never, despite the fact she had short-term memory loss. Timeshift shrugged, and drove right back into the steaming kettle of Love Potion-ess. She could at least finish this, and do it as a prank later on.

...What would she not forget?

Oh, right, the letter.

Sorry...she forgot for a second.

Present - Ponyville

Timeshift began to grab some stuff. It was that big day, that day where she got to go to the city of Canterlot for that festival-thing. She was surprised she remembered, but then she realized she had placed a huge banner arching her door just in case her Short-Term Memory Loss kicked in. Thank Celestia she remembered!

"Okey Dokie Loki...do I have everything?" Timeshift told herself, pulling out her checklist.

"Saddlebag...Check.

Three Gallons of Coffee just in case my ADHD kicks in...and so i'll *maybe* stay up longer...check.

Rope in case I forgot something...er...oh wait, there it is. Check.

Glasses, double check.

Extra lenses in case I break my other lenses, check. I think.

1,000 Bits for grub, er...i'll settle for 500 bits for grub because I don't wanna go to the bank. So, uh, X. And Time, please, hope that the grub is pretty darn cheap.

Kitchen Knife in case I want to cut my mane...and make sure nopony see's you because they'll think your weird...check.

Daring Doo and the Griffons Goblet...Uh...yup. I hate to make it a substitute for Cupcakes, but it'll do. Shame the library didn't have Rainbow Factory. I heard it's pretty dark...oh look, i'm off topic again. Cupcakes would of been good to scare the passengers...

I think that's everything."

Timeshift stuffed everything into her saddlebag, but her knife cut off a bit of her mane, making it look frizzy a the end. She sighed. Must EVERYTHING in life be a challenge? That was obvious, a voice in the back of her mind told her. If your name is Timeshift, everything is a challenge.

Timeshift took out a very odd spellbook called Teleportation for N00bs. Timeshift flipped through the pages untill she found the long-distance one.

"Better get this overwith." Timeshift told herself, and she disappeared in the blink of an eye, a chapter of Daring Doo fluttering in the wind.

Present - Canterlot

Timeshift appeared to find that the train had not yet come, or taken off anyway, and some other ponies who she assumed were her fellow passengers were lingering around, waiting for that [sqee] train to arrive. Timeshift groaned and slumped on a bench, starting to finish that amazing chapter of Daring Doo and the Griffons Goblet, to find out the page she was reading got splinched, and was left in Ponyville. She seriously doubted she could waste more of her magic to get it. Timeshift sighed...she hated Short-Term Memory Loss and ADHD. Timeshift sighed again, thinking of the bumpy altitude of the train. She hated trains, mostly because she almost tripped and fell out of one when she was young.

"Why must I always have BAD LUCK? No i'm 100% serious. Everything in life is a challenge." Timeshift wondered out loud, taking a sip of coffee. "I'm going to take it Hook's at Los Pegasus. Bummer, wanted to meet him at the train station."

Edited October 14, 2012 by Magic Tricks

Electrobolt · October 14, 2012

Three days ago, in Canterlot...

Having arrived at his room in the Trottington Inn hotel, Electrobolt had approached one of the tables and set his room key down, along with his saddlebag, which was holding the prize money and his ticket for the train that was going to head for Los Pegasus for The Applewood Magic Festival. He still couldn't believe he had won that tournament not too long ago, but that wasn't all. He had heard that the prize was a three-night stay at the Trottington Inn, which had already been paid for by the tournament sponsors, a hefty sum of bits, and a ticket to board a train headed to Los Pegasus, in which he would then be able to take part in The Applewood Magic Festival, where Trixie would be performing for everypony there. To be honest, he had mixed feelings for Trixie, ever since that one day back in Ponyville, a few years ago...

Ponyville, a few years back...

Electrobolt had heard that The Great and Powerful Trixie was arriving in Ponyville in a few days. He had been excited about being able to go and see Trixie performing her magic tricks again, as he had been fond of her since he was only seven. Every time she had a show going on and he was able to go, he would. He always enjoyed Trixie's shows, and would enjoy the shows he went to see. So when he heard Trixie was coming, he knew where he would be in a few more days.

Once the day had arrived, the young, lime-green colt arrived early in the day, ensuring he got a front row seat, although a few other ponies had also arrived early to view the show. As time went by, and performances occurred, he saw that she offered challenges to a few of the ponies, and the ponies whom accepted were Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity. While Applejack was performing interesting tricks with the rope, Trixie used said rope to hogtie AJ and then use the other, free end of the rope to shove an apple in her mouth, like a stuffed pig. Electrobolt couldn't help but chuckle at this scenario, as Applejack simply hopped off the stage.

Rainbow Dash had performed yet another cool stunt, using a windmill to gain speed, as she then pierced through clouds and flew back down the way she shot up, bringing along a trail of moisture as she returned to the stage. Once she stopped, she spread her wings out wide to let the water droplets smack into them, causing a rainbow to appear over her body. Trixie then used her magic to warp the rainbow and wrap it around Rainbow Dash, before spinning it and her around like a twister. Then, when Rainbow landed on the ground, dizzy, Trixie went the extra mile and materialized a storm cloud behind her to freak her out. While the audience laughed, this did not sit with Electrobolt, who simply sighed.

And now, it was Rarity's turn, but before she had accepted the challenge, she originally declined. But then when Trixie made a snarky remark, Rarity glared back and uttered, "Oh, it. Is. On!" Then, going on about how a unicorn is more than just bruteness, but also elegance and grace, she used her magic to pull off one of the stage curtains and then, in a matter of seconds, came out looking absolutely stunning. Electrobolt was amazed as he looked at Rarity's beauty. He also could have sworn he heard somepony whistling as well. But then, Trixie had to get the last laugh, as she used her magic to turn Rarity's mane green, and scruffy.

Electrobolt barely had any time to let out an annoyed groan as he saw Rarity running off, and hearing Trixie trying to challenge Twilight. But instead of challenging her, or declining and staying, Twilight just ran off. Then Trixie just had to give out another snarky remark, saying that nopony could ever best her, at which the young colt just got up and walked off. He couldn't stand this behavior anymore.

As he slept through the night undisturbed, events had transpired, and when he woke up the next morning, he saw Trixie's cart was in shambles. Confused, Electrobolt began to ask around, wondering just what happened last night. Eventually, somepony had told him that Snips and Snails had dragged an Ursa Major to Ponyville for Trixie to handle, but it turns out she wasn't able to handle it after all. And to top it all off, It was an Ursa MINOR, and not an Ursa MAJOR. It was after this discovery that Trixie turned tail and fled the scene. It was after that night that Trixie had never been heard from again...

Back to three days ago, in Canterlot...

Never heard from again until just recently, anyways. Apparently, she is going to be performing at The Applewood Magic Festival, and she will most likely be making a grand entrance. "Hopefully, these years have taught her to be a bit more humble..." he muttered to himself. To be honest, he didn't exactly dislike Trixie, but after the fiasco that happened a few years back, he didn't particularly like her much, either. "Well, I guess we'll find out in due time." And with that, he proceeded to shower, then go straight to bed, seeing as it was dark by the time he had checked in.

Present day, morning, in Canterlot...

As Electrobolt opened his eyes, still feeling tired, he looked around the room. It was relatively dark, but that was because the blinds were shut, so he opened them and let the bright light filter in. As his pupils began to readjust, he shook his head to wake himself up more. "Time for some breakfast..." he muttered to himself, as he began to walk towards the door. Several minutes later, the lime-green colt eventually returned to his room, his stomach full and satisfied now, as the colt began to enter the bathroom, brushing his mane and teeth, before using the rest of the complimentary mane-styling gel to spike up his mane. His mane isn't naturally spiked up, after all.

After finishing up in the bathroom, Electrobolt trotted out, refreshed and ready to tackle the day. Moving over to the table, he picked up his saddlebag, positioned it properly, and then left the room. Only to turn right around and enter the room, quickly grabbing the keys and then leaving again. After dropping the keys off and giving a nice tip to the employee at the desk, he left the hotel. "Alright, next stop... The train station..." he said, as he started to move quickly towards the Canterlot Train Depot.

Fast forward about twenty minutes later, as Electrobolt eventually arrived at the train station. Looking around, he noticed he was pretty early. *At least I'm early, and not late... If I was, then...* Shaking his head to clear the thought out of his mind, he began to casually trot through the station. Just then, he stopped as he looked back, recalling a familiar pony from before. *Hold on... Didn't I see that pony before...?* he thought, as he looked at the rather scruffy, persian blue earth pony with a grey mane. *She looks familiar to me... But where did I see her, again...?*

Ian · October 15, 2012

A few years ago...

Steel sat down in his recliner by the fireplace. He had no will in lighting it, it would remind him too much of his foster son. The same colt he saved from an attack on a train, the same colt he carried across Equestria until they settled in Ponyville. That very same colt, was the colt he just sent to the Canterlotian Academy of Advanced Magic. His son recently burned down half the farm, and out of a hair-trigger anger, sent him to a Boarding School in some far of town. He knew not of when the next time he'd see Shuttle was, nor did he think he would. He lowered his hat over his eyes, a single tear sliding down his cheek as he fell into sleep.

One month ago...

Steel flipped through his mail. Junk, Junk, Junk. He cast it into the fireplace. He scanned his kitchen for his box of matches, and when he returned to the fireplace, he noticed something. In the stack of mail, a bright purple envelope stood out.

"Now in the name of Celestia... I didn't see this..."

He scanned the parchment with his eyes, and a piece of text stood out. The Canterlotian Academy of Advanced Magic. He immediately opened the envelope, and started to read it.

Dear Sir or Madam,

You are cordially invited to a "get-together" with the student you have enrolled in the school. We wish for you to attend this "black-tie" event to observe how your son/daughter has grown in the area of magic. The event will be held in the following order:

6:30 p.m. ~ Arrival to the academy.

7:00 p.m. ~ Introducing the Administration/Staff.

7:30 p.m. ~ Begin the Student Talent Showcase.

9:00 p.m. ~ Outroduction.

We Ask That you attend this event, in order to see how well your tuition is being spent.

From, The Administration of CAAM

Steel's eyes brightened, and his lips pulled up to a smile. After two years, he'll get to see his foster son, Shuttle Fire. But his bright expression faded as he realized he didn't own a suit. He grabbed his wallet and flew into town.

One week before today's events...

Steel walked through the doors of the Academy, his suit making him itch. Itch beyond any itch before. He itched with the itch of a thou- He looked around for his son. All the happy families were re-uniting, and in the back corner of the foyer, the small white unicorn brushed his grey and red mane with his hoof. Steel smiled, and with the mannerism of a small-town, backwoods farmer, ran across the foyer and embraced the colt in a stallion-ly hug.

"Dad! I haven't seen you since..."

"Shuttle, it's so good to see you. Things at the farm are kinda boring..."

"Hey dad... There's something I want to ask you."

"And that is?"

"In about a week, the Los Pegasus Express leaves for the Applewood Magic Festival. I think it would be cool if you could go to it and when you come back tell me all about it!"

"Well I reckon I could..."

Shuttle spent the rest of the free time convincing Steel to go. Then the event started, and Steel made up his mind.

The PRESENT! (dun dun duuuuun...)

Steel sat on the chair at the cafe of the Canterlot Train station. He stretched his wings as he leaned back, and fixed his hat. He looked down at the brow liquid in front him and took a sip. "Why the moon am I doing this...? Oh yeah..." He coughed. For all he knew this could be a good new experience for the ol' fashioned farmer.

Magicon · October 15, 2012

3 Years Prior to Departure

“Come on! Just one more push,” Magicon strained as his horn flared a variety of colors in front of a single candle, its single flame, completely oblivious to the amount of effort the unicorn was exerting on it. Beads of sweat dripped down Magicon’s face as he pushed past his magical limits to cast the spell. He yelled from the pain on his horn and forehead but he would not yield. He had to succeed. This would be one step closer to his success to his dream and ultimate goal.

With a loud yell, he managed to push himself past his magical barriers and the spell flew out of his horn and crashed against the candle which suddenly turned into a burning inferno engulfing the candle, its holder, and the table it was standing upon. Magicon barely had enough time to scramble from being engulfed by the flames which quickly shifted from there hot colors of yellow, orange, and red to the calmer shades of purple. The fire suddenly became controllable and simply burned on the table, not eating the wood, not causing harm, just providing light to the otherwise dark room.

Magicon observed it with careful eyes, attempting to remember if this was what he was looking for. He was sure he remembered what happened that night and this would be another clue into exactly what happened and how he could undo the consequences from that night. As Magicon observed he failed to notice a knock on the door, its opening, and the sudden extinguish of the flames that only angered Magicon.

Whipping around he came face-to-face with Archie, his assistant. Archie was a new assistant curator, having only been assigned to the job less than a month ago. He had a golden yellow coat accented by a dark red mane and denim blue eyes that conveyed a sense of obliviousness and care at the same time. He showed no sign of embarrassment as he saw Magicon scramble to hide his experiment.

“Uhh…hi, Magicon.”

“Hi, Archie,” grumbled Magicon in reply.

“How are you?”

“Fine,” he spat out.

“Umm…did I do something wrong?”

“Yes, you very much did!” Magicon exploded. “Haven’t I told you to leave me alone when I’m in this room? Haven’t I told you to stick to your post when the museum’s open? Haven’t I told you to stop asking stupid questions?”

“But, Magicon-”

“I don’t wanna hear any ‘but’s’, just get out of my sight before I blast you into oblivion!”

Archie didn’t need to be told twice as he scrammed out of the room and into the hallway, up a flight of stairs, and back into the museum. Magicon yelled in anger before taking a deep breath and looking back at the blackened table where the fire had been a few moments ago.

“All that work and I didn’t even get conclusive results! Damn that Archie! He’ll learn or he’ll never work for me again. Mother, I’m sorry, but this is going to take longer than expected, but don’t worry. I’ll have you avenged soon, I promise.”

1 Week Prior to Departure

“Magicon, may I come in?” asked Archie as he poked his head into Magicon’s office.

“Yeah, come in, Archie. What is it?” Magicon asked as he continued examining the scrolls sprawled out on his desk, not even looking at Archie stand in front of him.

“Well, Magicon, remember that raffle they held a little while ago for the Applewood Magic Festival?”

“You mean the one you forced me to enter,” Magicon stated matter-of-factly, his head still in the scrolls.

“Well, yeah. It seems that…you’ve won.”

Magicon raised his head confusion and disbelief on his face. “What are you talking about?”

“You won, Magicon. You are the lucky pony who gets to go to Los Pegasus to see amazing magic on the Los Pegasus Express!”

“Oh, great,” Magicon said sarcastically. “More show magicians and false unicorns. Like we need more of those. No, I’m not going. Let some other damned fool go.”

“Come on, Magicon. It’s magic and I know how much you want to learn about magic, practically to your ‘special interest’.”

Magicon glared at Archie and would have cast a hex right at him, had they not become fairly close friends over the past two years.

“Why should I go? Why do you want me to go?”

“Well, for you to learn more about magic and help the museum.”

“Or are you just trying to get me out so you can run the museum by yourself?”

“Magicon! I would never do such a thing. You know much more than I do and you run this museum beautifully. Besides, you need to get out from these old scrolls. New magic is out there and could be really useful. You should at least try it.”

“New magic won’t succeed where I need it to. I need old magic.”

“And what makes you so sure of that.”

“Because it’s in these scrolls.”

“Written by ancient and dead ponies with limited knowledge of the magical arts.”

“And your point is?”

“Just go, give it a try. At least do it for the museum so you can bring something new for the exhibits.”

Magicon sighed and stared off into the corner of his eyes, debating whether or not he should go. He really didn’t want to, but Archie had a point. For years he had only been able to find small clues in his quest. Los Pegasus might open new doors for him and the museum. Besides, it would make Archie happy.

“Fine, Archie. Where do I get the tickets?”

Day of Departure

Magicon walked through Canterlot station, admiring its grand architecture as ponies scurried about him. As always the station sparkled in the morning light as ponies of all sorts left the station to their destinations within Canterlot or headed for the nearest train to their destinations. Magicon glanced at his ticket and saw the name of the train: the Los Pegasus Express.

He didn’t have any difficulty finding it. The gleaming locomotive, the polished coaches, and the ponies all admiring the beauty of the train captured the center of attention. Magicon struggled to make his way through until he was directly in front of the conductor who was boarding other ponies. Magicon flashed his ticket in front of him.

He smiled and said, “Ah, welcome aboard Mr…”

“Magicon.”

“Mr. Magicon. Very good, sir. Your room is number 16 which is in the coach right before the caboose. Enjoy your trip!”

“Thank you,” Magicon replied as he boarded the train. “Well, here he go.”

Clarity · October 15, 2012

One Week Ago in Ponyville

"I. Hate. Ponyville!"

That was the first thing Leaf Shade heard, followed by the slam of something on a desk, when she entered the office of her friend. She jumped back with fright, letting out a yelp, fluttering her wings with nervousness. Settling back down , she carefully tapped the door with just the tip of her hoof.

"Come in." The voice was tainted with just barely concealed rage.

Leaf blinked, wondering if she was going to enter a dragon's cave. She hated dragons.

"Leaf, I know you're out there, just go in."

The light green pegasus timidly opened the door with her snout and flew in. A spectacle greeted her.

The floor was covered in all mannered of paper and quills, many with some sort of scribble on it. Crumbled balls of paper, like something that could be thrown for hoofball when in class, littered around the trash can. Ink bottles were spilled, and some of the liquid dried up on the floor. And the messiest of all was the white unicorn in the midst of the litter, her usually well styled mane a frizzled mess, black ink strokes coloring her white coat.

"Clarity...?" Leaf blinked at her, still stunned by the spectacle in front of her. "Are you--"

"NO!" Clarity shouted, and suddenly she was in front of the pegasus, glaring down at her. "I am not all right!"

"W-why?"

"You should know perfectly well why!"

Leaf shivered. Why was her friend acting like this?

"First, my taxes are down," Clarity began, now pacing irritably on the paper-covered floor. "I don't have a bit to spend, and I was lucky that somepony was nice enough to give me some apples to eat, or I might have starved to death. Next, I don't think I've ever sold one of those things here since I arrived here. What is it that these ponies have against art? Also, since I'm so low on bits, I missed the last Grand Galloping Gala ever! And then--"

"You're running out of bits?" Leaf gasped. "Why didn't you tell me? I would have helped."

"Oh, sure!" Clarity snapped. "Help from the one who caused all of this in the first place!"

"W-what?"

"Why did you make me come to Ponyville? When I was in Manehatten, I had all the inspiration I needed. I was actually rich, unlike now in this old town where I barely have the minimum needed to survive. The ponies here have no sense of art!" Clarity punctured the word by slamming her hoof down on the floor. "But who cares? Nopony! Least of all you!" She spun around with a snarl. "When have you ever thought that I might be barely making any money to survive?"

"I didn't make you come," Leaf replied defensively. "I asked, and you--"

"Yes, and I came out of the goodness of my heart. But I've stayed here far too long and I'm tired of this old and worn-down town!"

"But you haven't seen all of Ponyville yet. I can show you--"

"No," Clarity said coldly. "I'm leaving." She turned her back to her friend and sat on her haunches, panting hard.

"Fine!" Leaf replied angrily, standing up. "I was just trying to show you Ponyville. I would have helped you with your money, but you take it all out on me."

The white unicorn did not reply. She brushed aside the scattered parchments in front of her and began levitating quills to her bookbag.

"Don't you want to go to Canterlot? Then go, since you hate my town so much!"

Clarity continued to pack her bag with all manners of books and parchment, her back still turned to her. Leaf couldn't see her expression.

Did I act too harsh? Leaf wondered. She started to apologize. "I'm sor--"

"Fine, then I will," Clarity replied, standing up. "No point in staying in this junkyard any longer." She began walking toward her door, her bookbag bulging.

Leaf reached out a hoof to stop her, but the door had already slammed in her face.

Present day in Canterlot

"This will make up for it!"

Clarity was quick to make her way through the crowds. After her departure from Ponyville, she could tell that the Canterlot ponies knew she had been a Ponyvillean and had some disgusted looks shot to her. Well, soon, she would show that she's as dignified and high class as they are.

She levitated the ticket and looked at it again. Los Pegasus Express, going to Applewoods Magic Festival. Clarity nodded in satisfaction; this would definitely make up of the Grand Galloping Gala she missed. She couldn't wait to meet fellow high class ponies who actually had some sense of art and writing. Unlike Ponyville--

Clarity shook her head. Stop thinking about that dusty old town, she scolded herself. She trotted through the streets quickly, and was panting by the time she reached the train station. Some other ponies were waiting around, lounging on the benches. Clarity assumed that these would be her passengers. Well, they'd better be worth spending a while with.

Edited October 15, 2012 by Clarity

Key Gear · October 16, 2012

@Scootacool

"Hello, Your Kay Gear right? I'm Detective Daylight. I'm taking it you received my letter otherwise you wouldn't be standing here right now. Umm... sorry for being late.. I kinda just... slept in." He said rather sheepishly. "Anyway, I'm here now so that's what's important."

“What?!” Key Gear spurted out the word in complete disbelief. Her mind did a backflip. The detective was late because he was sleeping in? This guy must be worthless! She turned her head towards the unnaturally friendly voice with the intent of giving the detective a piece of her mind. Instead, her jaw dropped and she gawked. The only thing that she could see was hooves that were attached to legs that looked like stilts to her.

Key stumbled backwards and looked up into the sheepishly smiling face of Detective Daylight. He didn't look anything like what Key had imagined he would. She had expected someone that looked more gritty. Instead, Daylight seemed to be brimming with… Well… Niceness. Key's face switched into a contemplative expression, and she scrunched her nose as she sized him up.

Skinnier than I expected, but also taller. I wonder if he's any good at fighting. It's hard to tell. Probably not based on how he looks, but you never know… After all, he is a detective. That smile looks goofy. Not exactly confidence inspiring. Nice hair though... Unlike me. Key suddenly became aware of the awkward silence. She smiled sheepishly as she thought about how ridiculous she probably looked.

"My name is Key Gear, not Kay Gear. Nice to meet you!" Key fumbled around in her saddlebag for moment before producing a couple of tickets.

The conductor, Vim Precision, was nearly finished surveying the rooms of the train. He was in room one, and his eyes were scanning the room meticulously, noting every minor detail. He was nervous. No matter how many train rides he had conducted, he never was able to shake off the persistent nervousness that he always felt before departure. It didn't help that his master key didn't work on rooms four and sixteen. I need to remember to call a locksmith…

Vim was an earth pony and he was old. He couldn't even remember how old he was anymore; he had stopped counting after his 50th birthday. He hated being reminded that he was no longer as young as used to be. His coat was a deep, rusty orange and his cutie mark was a train track. His wise auburn eyes betrayed his many years working on the railway. His mane, once a fiery chestnut red, was now worn and streaked with gray. Still, he didn't look his age. He had a medium build, and while he was no longer strong as he once was, his physical strength was still plainly evident.

Vim's eyes narrowed. Out of the corner of his vision, he could've sworn that he'd seen an unfamiliar pony walk by. The train wasn't supposed to be boarded by passengers yet, so he was immediately alert. He briskly walked out of the room that he had been surveying and glanced down the hall, towards the back of the train car. He saw a mare with lavender fur making her way to the next car.

@,

On the inside, Vim was furious. Who in the world was letting passengers on the train this early?! He knew that it had to be his less than competent assistant director, Springer. On the outside, he smiled pleasantly and addressed the passenger with the sweetest tones that his gruff voice could muster. "Hello there! I'm the conductor! Welcome aboard! If you would, wait here for just a few moments, and I will be right back to show you to your room."

“Sir, the train is ready.” Vim turned his head and was greeted by the sight of Dusky Coal, the train's engineer. Dusky was a tall, lanky unicorn with a dark gray coat, a coal colored mane, and a shovel as a cutie mark. His eyes always drooped sleepily, and his voice was remarkably soft. When he talked, he sounded like a pony talking in his sleep. To the casual observer, Coal looked like a pony that was probably a slacker, but Vim knew better.

@@Magicon,

Ever since Coal was a young colt, Vim had trusted him implicitly. Coal's talents as a train engineer were apparent very early in life, he was a prodigy. While he always looked and talked as though he was sleepwalking, a closer look at his eyes showed that they twinkled with a frightening amount of activity and enthusiasm. “Good job Coal!” Vim allowed Coal a rare glimpse of his smile, and then the smile was gone. “Where's the cook?” Coal was unfazed as he answered “In the kitchen, checking supplies.” Then, as suddenly as he had arrived, Coal quietly ambled down the hall and towards the engine, stepping to one side to avoid a red unicorn with a striking dark blue cape.

@@Magicon, @,

Once again, Vim fumed on the inside but displayed his most charming smile on the outside. Addressing the new passenger, his voice oozed his characteristic gruff friendliness, “Hello! I'm the conductor! Welcome aboard!” Vim knew that he needed to get to the entrance of the train as soon as possible, things were starting to get out of hoof. Turning to the lavender mare that he had spotted earlier, he spoke to both of the new arrivals. "If you'll both do me a favor, I have to get to the entrance of the train now, but if you head down that hall, then you will run into the cook. Tell her that I sent you, and she'll grab you a bite to eat. I'll be back in a few moments to show you to your rooms, personally."

Vim then turned, stepped around the red pony, and made his way to the front of the baggage car, where the passengers were somehow getting on board. "By Celestia's mane!" Vim practically hissed the phrase, when he was certain that he was out of the hearing range of the passengers. Vim was obsessed with controlling the entire process of passengers boarding the train. He liked to gather them in a group and then walk them through, pointing out their rooms while he bragged on his baby - The Los Pegasus Express. Springer was ruining everything.

Vim stopped before rounding the corner to confront Springer. He wanted to make sure that he was completely under control, just in case the passengers were around. He held his head high. Here, he was the King, the Emperor. This train was his kingdom and his crown jewels. “And, Springer is the sniveling aristocrat that I just can't get rid of.” Vim muttered under his breath. He rounded the corner.

Springer was a rather officious looking pegasus with dark green fur, a dark blue mane, and rose taupe eyes. There he was, standing at the entrance of the train looking rather like a stereotypical conductor with his conductors hat perched smartly on his head and a cutie mark to match. Vim rolled his eyes. Springer wasn't the conductor, not yet anyway, and as far as Vim was concerned, Springer was a moron. He was sloppy, unreliable. His heart was in the right place, but his heart wasn't the problem. His head was.

Vim often asked himself how he ended up with such an incapable assistant conductor. Springer was friendly enough. Actually, he was extremely friendly, and that was probably why he became an assistant conductor within a record breaking amount of time. Politics. Vim shook his head. Springer was lucky enough to know the right ponies. Vim took 10 years to work his way up to being an assistant conductor, Springer smiled like a dunce and told a few folks “good morning” and he became an assistant conductor within three months. Vim shook his head again.

Time for a healthy reminder of who's running this train. Vim closed the distance between himself and the assistant conductor with broad steps. Vim smiled with a smile that was decisively not friendly and said “Springer”. The green pegasus calmly turned around and smiled broadly as he cheerfully said “Hello Vim!” Vim's smile increased in intensity, and he spoke while maintaining it awkwardly on his face “Springer, who told you to let passengers on the train?”

Springer tilted his head to one side but maintained a cautiously cheerful demeanor “Well, Vim, I spoke to Dusky and he said the train was ready to go.” Vim spoke icily "Springer, did he tell you to let passengers board?" Springer frowned. Vim's expression softened just a bit as he thought that he was finally starting to get through to Springer. Springer spoke “Well, I looked out and saw all of these ponies waiting to board the train, and I figured that it didn't make any sense to have them wait another hour if we were already ready to go.”

Vim blinked. He looked past Springer and saw ponies standing around talking, sitting on the bench, sleeping on the bench, and otherwise milling about. His smile was suddenly replaced by a completely blank look. He spoke to Springer "Springer, please let the station master know that we will be leaving early." Springer grinned and saluted crisply before flying off to relay the message. Vim took a deep breath, smiled warmly, and did what he always loved doing… His voice boomed "ALL ABOARD! THE LOS PEGASUS EXPRESS IS NOW BOARDING!"

Edited October 16, 2012 by Scootacool

Dave247 · October 16, 2012

“What?!” Key Gear spurted out the word in complete disbelief. Her mind did a backflip.

Daylight was not surprised her her response. He was after all, a professional, and he realized how bad this must make him look. There was nothing he could do about it though so he just watched her exp<b></b>ressions change rapidly in amusement as she processed what he had said and waited for a reply.

"My name is Key Gear, not Kay Gear. Nice to meet you!" Key fumbled around in her saddlebag for moment before producing a couple of tickets.

"Ahh, whoops. Sorry about that Ka... I mean Key." Day said rather awkwardly. He looked at the ground and shifted his hoof feeling like he had just made a fool of himself. He had no idea how he made a simple mistake like that especially when her name was written on the letter she sent him. Doubt began to clog his mind again as stress began to rise as well.

"No... I don't have time for this now. Especially not in front of a client." He pushed the thoughts back out of his head and then looked back up trying his best to plaster a fake smile on his face.

Key then turned to her Saddlebag and reached inside to pull out tickets for the train.

"I see you managed to acquire tickets for the train, just as i thought you would." Day said ignoring the lingering stress he felt as best as he could. He used his magic to take one and put it in one of his pockets.

He was about to say something when the conductor suddenly boomed that it was time to board. This startled him a little as he was still sightly on edge due to the bit of stress that had not yet subsided. He quickly recovered then started to speak to Key again.

"There is much we need to discuss but I think right now we should be getting on the train." Day said as he returned to his normal self. "Umm... after you." He hesitated because he wasn't sure if he still needed to be polite. Even though she was younger then him it was still proper act like a gentlecolt.

Edited October 16, 2012 by Dave247

Flow · October 16, 2012

As Flow slept, she dreamed about an event that happened in her past,

There were a couple of fillies and colts gathering around two little pegasus ponies, face to face in a heated argument

"Come on Yellowface! Admit you lost Madam Hoovie's pet hamster!" beamed a white one with a stylish purple mane and tail "It wasn't me! Honest! Besides, Why would I do such a thing? I'm not like you, You're horrible! You don't even have the guts to confess what you've done! You lost the hamster, then you try to frame me for it, why?" yelled the other one, a yellow filly with a red mane and matching tail, this was Flow as a little filly, she lost her parents in an accident at a young age and was forced to live here in the Manehattan Orphanage,

"Come on! Spit it out already featherbrain!" She demanded, then the white one struggled to think of something, but in time she managed to say something "That's because....that's because you have no cutie mark!" The crowd laughed at her insult, and it hurt Flow a lot, but she returned with a comeback, "Oh yeah? Well I guess when I get my cutie mark, it won't be a boring one like yours! What's that? A rain cloud? Is your talent just getting wet in the rain? Is it?" "RRRRAAAAAHH!!!"

The white filly tackled Flow onto the ground and a little fight ensued, some cheered for the white one to win, others were on Flow's side, "ALL ABOARD!" Yelled one colt........Wait what?

"THE LOS PEGASUS EXPRESS IS NOW BOARDING!" A voice called out and woke Flow up, "Mmm? Oh! It's the train! Wow, it really looks nice." After getting up and stretching herself, she searched for the ticket in her saddle bag and found it, "All right, this will be great! I'm so excited!"

When she stopped at the check-in, she presented her ticket and greeted in a very polite way "Good morning sir, My name is Flow and here is my ticket." She smiled as she patiently waits for the clerk's answer.

Edited October 16, 2012 by Narutardedscum

Bari · October 16, 2012

Lapis Lazuli, still quite oblivious to the world around him, was deeply involved with his book.

Edge Rider stood on the precipice of his arch nemesis's lair. Deep within, the beast slumbered, wholly unaware of its present peril. The stalwart pegasus descended down into the chasm. Around his neck, the amulet glowed with anticipation. "Hurry you fool, the beast will only sleep for not much longer." the gem whispered into his mind.

Down below, Thalamus snored, blowing up steam. This hindered Edge only slightly. Nothing would stop him in his quest. With a resounding thud, the scarlet pegasus reached the bottom. He stared up at the distance he had just descended and shivered. If Thalamus made a wrong move, the rocks precariously perched on the edge of the cliff face would tumble down and kill them both. Edge planned on surviving this encounter, so he needed to made this quick.

"Okay gem, how in the world am I going to kill the horrid creature?" he asked softly. The jewel suspended around his neck glimmered and responded.

"ALL ABOARD! THE LOS PEGASUS EXPRESS IS NOW BOARDING!" Lapis, mildly startled, dropped his book. Looking about nervously, hoping no one saw his embarrassing display, quickly replaced his book into his bag. He trotted up to the train, flashed his ticket and waited for a response from the member of the train's crew stationed at the entrance.

Shift · October 16, 2012

@Scootacool

Canterlot Train Station [Present]

"THE LOS PEGASUS EXPRESS IS BOARDING!"

That was enough to wake her up. Falling out of the bench and her coffee splattering her and drenching her on her face, she sneezed and stood up. She screamed in confusion;

"WHO? WHAT? WHERE? WHEN? WHY?"

Time realized her mistake and sighed. Dang it! She fell asleep! And she got coffee on her face. She licked it up like she was 5, and sighed. Dang that was good coffee, perfect blend. She sighed deeply in bliss and headed to the train, levitating the ticket in front of the conductor.

"Take it. You know, it's a pleasant day we're having, anyway. I'm Timeshift and there's my ticket, so take it and GOOD DAY." Timeshift yelled, pushing the pony waiting for the clerks answer aside.

@Narutardedscum!!

Canterlot Train Station [Present]

Timeshift snorted at Flow, as she had ADHD and she COULDN'T DARN WAIT. Seriously.

Timeshift realized that she was being *rude* so she decided to take a deep breath and let it all out.

"Sorry kid, who are you? Sorry for pushing you aside, I have ADHD and apparently it's kicking in." Timeshift apologetically stepped back, holding out her hoof in forgiveness. "I'm Timeshift, from Ponyville."

@Berry Pie

Before Talking With Flow, Canterlot Train Station [Present]

Timeshift was trotting up to the conductor when she saw Lapis, She gave a little wave and then bumped Flow aside, smiling [sEE THE THING ABOVE US NOW FOR THE REST]

OOC: Almost forgot about Lapis and got it out of order. She waved at Lapis first then bumped Flow out of the way, clearing up any confusion.

Opalicious · October 16, 2012

ALL ABOARD! THE LOS PEGASUS EXPRESS IS BOARDING!!!

Finally, Water Opal thought to himself. It's been taking forever for this thing to get read. He stood up from his chair, bending his back and a comfortable, yet hideous cracking sound was too be heard. "That's better," he groaned, before heading toward the pony, ticket in hoof. He approached the pony calmly and held out his ticket. "Room 11, I plan to board."

He trudged up the unforgiving stairs to board the train, the reason he despised trains in the first place. He turned to the left and was greeted by room 9. "Oops, wrong way," he chuckled, and he turned, ever so carefully, to not get mashed between the walls and he headed the other direction. Let's see, room 10, room 10.5...he jumped back in surprise. "Room 10.5, my eyes must be playing tricks on me!" He leaned closer and was able to make out the number 12 instead. "That's better," he mumbled. His eyes always did that sort of thing to him, like they thought it was fun or something. It was like they were alive. He turned again and saw the number eleven right next to the nine. Now why didn't I see that earlier...He pushed the door open and went inside.

Aureity · October 16, 2012

A few weeks or so ago...

"Really?" Insincerity dripped like blood from Aeq's incredulous response as his eyes flickered warily over the hooded pony standing before him. “Really?”

“Really.” The stranger's cold remark echoed throughout the cramped room. “I do not jest.”

Aeq surveyed the stranger curiously. He seemed almost phantasmal, flickering in the light of the puny candle Aeq has on his desk. His trench coat and bowler had hid his features neatly – in fact, Aeq wasn't a hundred percent sure that this was a stallion at all. Nonetheless...he, she, it, held himself with an air of mystery, and Aeq was intrigued. Gingerly, he set down his quill – he certainly wasn't getting any work done today.

“So.” Aeq kept his voice carefully guarded, even as he attempted to comprehend what it was that he was being asked to do. “Let's say that I accept your...offer. What would my own compensation be?”

“This.” Calmly, the stranger carelessly tossed a small bag onto the desk, where it landed with a suspiciously heavy thud. “Pure gold. None of those pathetic cheap metallic...bits...so popular nowadays.” He said all of this with a smug air, almost as if he knew from the start that Aeq would take him up on his offer. What do ya know, maybe he does. Aeq lowered his head, feigning uncertainty, even as he knew what his answer would inevitably be. He had been scrounging for two bits to scrape together ever since he had moved to Baltimare, where skydiving earth ponies were more common than new jobs.

“That's just a token. You'll receive your pay in full if you should choose to accept...after the job is complete.” The stranger's voice had taken a pleased tone, as Aeq instinctively reached out a hoof calmly for a hoofshake.

“Deal. But if you do not mind my asking, why?”

The hooded pony spat derisively on the ground. “Because that attention-seeking little stuck-up brat has been meddling in my affairs for too long. I could have hired somepony with experience, it's true. There are many who could flush her disgusting face from the face of Equestria in an instant, for far less than what I now offer you.”

“But...?” Aeq probed.

“But,” the stranger continued, oblivious to his interruption. “That wouldn't teach her what she deserved. Death is nothing, my young stallion. Destruction of the body accomplishes little.” He paused. “No...what I want you to do, is to destroy her soul.” Here, the stranger tilted his head, and Aeq suddenly got the uncomfortable feeling that he was gazing at Aeq's cutie mark. “Your special...talent...is exactly what I need to teach the little braggart some manners. Haunt her dreams. Force her to paranoia and fear. Slowly, slowly...drive her insane. And I will watch, and savor every moment of it.”

The stranger suddenly lifted his face, matching Aeq's startled green gaze with his own ominous, scarlet-red narrowed slits, the only part of him visible beneath his bowler. “But above all else. Keep her alive.” And with that, the pony turned, and swept from the dim room.

Present Day...

“This was...painful to acquire.” Aeq scowled heavily as he glared at his ticket, his destination printed neatly in cheerful-looking font. By the gods, it even has smileys on it. I feel like a damned child. Disgusted, Aeq was about to rudely shove it back into his saddlebag when he remembered. Curses, that's right. Act happy.

Plastering a smile onto his face, he trotted towards the nearest pony who looked as if they worked at the train station, a frantic-looking mare with messy purplish hair. “Hello, miss,” he said politely. “Might I inquire the whereabouts of, umm...” He glanced down at his ticket. “The train that would take me to the Applewood Magic Festival?”

The mare's eyes teared up. “Oh, that's just adorable!” she said jovially, patting a thunderstruck Aeq on the head. “Going to the Applewood Festival for the fun and games, right? You'll have so much fun bobbing for apples and singing songs!”

Aeq let his eyes shine with false excitement, even as his stomach heaved in disgust. “Oh...oh yeah. Yeah, I'm a big fan of the festival. But I heard that, uhh, the Great and Powerful Trixie was going to be performing.”

The mare beamed at him. “Are you one of her fans?”

“Yes,” Aeq said dutifully, nodding his head madly. “Yes, indeed. I have posters of her everywhere in my room. Umm....I've written so many fan letters to her! She's the most beautiful, most talented pony in Equestria, I love her so much!!!” Here he produced from his saddlebag a bobble-head figurine of the famous Trixie, salvaged from a rubbish dump that very morning.

Smiling, the mare bent down to examine his ticket. “Well then, it looks like you're in luck! That's your train right there -” she flicked her tail towards the right - “and it looks like your room is, wow...right next to Trixie's!

Aeq permitted himself to let out an excited yelp of joy, and bounded away towards the train in great leaps. And not a moment too soon, it seemed – the conductor was waving everypony on board. Anxiously, Aeq wormed his way past the pony, flashing his ticket briefly as he went. He headed straight for the caboose, bent his head over the railing, and threw up.

October 16, 2012

@, @@Magicon:

Several Moments Before...

Indices brushed her dark purple mane out of her way as she progressed towards the door. There had been no announcements to begin the process of boarding, and she wasn't even sure if she would be allowed on yet, but those were restrictions that Indices believed didn't apply to her. She would board the train when she wanted to, and she wanted to board now. In fact, a door was open, which she clopped through. The area she'd entered was gorgeous, and a wave of luxury hit her in the face like a blast of warm sunshine on the beach during a peaceful summer day. A sense of relief and satisfaction trickled over her, somehow lowering her guard. At that point, she was joined by another pony. Indices was about to tell her to leave her, when another pony entered. He was a heavy orange who looked more on the older side.

Present...

Indices tapped her hoof impatiently. The state of complete peace she'd felt upon arrival on the train had deteriorated quickly after the blood red pony next to her had arrived. For some reason, he was irritating the living daylights out of her and his presence had shattered her suave solidity on the train. She'd been alone her whole life, and that was the only way she did things. Now, experiencing the train for the first time had been ruined by this irritating pony. On top of that, the elderly conductor was getting on her last nerve. How much slower can he go?! Her patience was waning, and the desire to take out her frustration on the red pony was growing. Who does that damned conductor think he is? Keeping me waiting?!

Bari · October 16, 2012

Realizing ponies were just simply getting on, Lapis Lazuli entered the train. He took a look at his ticket. Written in a pleasant print were the words "Room One". Nodding to himself, the blue pony made his way there. He pasted a few ponies on the way, some of them might have been passengers or staff, but Lapis didn't really care. The quicker he got to his room, the better he would feel. He planned on spending most of his time alone. This trip was supposed to go smoothly and soundly, without any disturbances.

"Room 7, Room 5..." he mumbled to himself, "Ah, here it is, Room One. Thank goodness it's far away from the others. I would love to have my peace and quiet." It wasn't that he hated company, but the faster he got to Los Pegasus the better.

Lapis Lazuli reached out with his hoof to push open the door. Inside he found a simple room with a soft bed and other necessities. He carefully placed his saddle bag on his nightstand and rummaged through it. He pulled out a pencil and his notepad. He laid the pad of paper onto his bed and climbed on after it. With the pencil in his mouth, he made a few notes.

Day One:

I've made it to the Los Pegasus Express. I encountered no problems, so things are off to a good start. Hopefully no one will bother me, and I can spend this trip in solitude. Unfortunately, I may grow bored of my room and choose to frequent the Parlor. And of course, I will need to eat. During said times, I may be forced to interact. It is something unavoidable. I miss Asteria already. She'd have reassured me that I was just being 'silly', as she would most likely have put it, and I should just stop worrying.

Well, perhaps I should take that advice. Even without my dear companion being here physically, she is with me in spirit. Maybe this won't be so bad. I may even make a friend. Only time will tell though.

Lapis finished the entry and replaced notepad and pencil into the saddlebag. It wasn't yet time for a meal, and the other passengers were all still boarding. So he did what was natural to him and retrieved his book so he could resume reading.

Electrobolt · October 17, 2012

As Electrobolt continued to recall where he had seen this pony before, his mind wandered back to a few days ago, back at the Trottington Inn hotel. There, he had seen a slight glimpse of a pony with a rather scruffy mane, but didn't really pay too much attention at the time. But he had seen her on occasion, during his stay at the hotel. A few more minutes of pondering later, and then it hit him.

*Wait, she was staying at the Trottington Inn, also?* he thought, still a good distance away from the persian blue earth pony. *I wonder if she's heading for The Applewood Magic Festival, too...* Curiosity having caught hold of him, his hooves slowly began to move, pulling him towards the mare speaking with this goldenrod unicorn, whom seemed to be dressed rather interestingly. Just then, however, before he had gotten any closer, a loud voice suddenly boomed out.

"ALL ABOARD! THE LOS PEGASUS EXPRESS IS NOW BOARDING!"

This had caused the young, lime-green colt to nearly jump as the voice came without warning. As he was shaking his head and trying to regain his composure and senses, he looked back to the boarding station. "They're boarding now?" he asked, curious. "I thought it wouldn't be for a while longer until they started boarding... Oh well." He then began to reach into his saddlebag, before pulling out his ticket and hurrying towards the train. Once he arrived at the boarding platform, he then approached the conductor and showed his ticket.

Magicon · October 17, 2012

While boarding, Magicon managed to hear somepony yell "ALL ABOARD! THE LOS PEGASUS EXPRESS IS NOW BOARDING!"

‘Well, this is a little embarrassing. I’m a little early since I’m already on. Oh well, I won’t get kicked off the train and it wouldn’t be such a bad thing if I did anyway.’

He continued his walk into his coach and came to his room. The hallway was elegantly decorated with sophisticated lamps and a few small tables, vases, and flowers. His own room bore a plain door with the number 16 in gold numbers towards the top. Trying the doorknob he was surprised to find it locked.

‘Funny, why is this locked? That’s strange. It really shouldn’t be.’

Stepping back from the door and observing around the car, Magicon noticed that there were only three other doors besides his own, an obvious sign that the car was only accommodating four ponies, including himself.

“I wonder,” he mumbled to himself as he eyed the room across the hallway. The number 14 was spelled in gold numbers towards the top. Other than that the door was plain with no ornamentation, exactly the same as his own and the other two doors in the coach.

“I really shouldn’t, but I just want to make sure.”

He approached the door, put his hoof to the doorknob, held his breath, and turned. The door responded and gave way to Magicon. Peeking inside, Magicon saw that it was unoccupied, but probably would be very soon.

The room was stylish, matching the hallway in pleasant and warm colors and beautifully crafted furniture decorated with flowers, lamps, and other small items.

‘Well, maybe the ride won’t be so bad if I’m staying in a room like this. But why is mine locked and the others unlocked?’

He backed out of the room and closed the door. Looking around the hallway, Magicon let out a sigh of relief as he saw no other pony around.

‘Well, I better figure out why my room is locked and see what I can do about it. I can’t sleep in the hallway.’

With that thought he proceeded down the hallway, looking for the conductor so he could enter his own room. He didn't have to travel far, moving through a few other luxurious coaches before coming up next to a pony with a lavender coat and an even darker lavender mane.

'She has the color of my magical aurora. That's very interesting. I wonder what she's doing standing here. Maybe her room is locked too.'

He was about to speak when he caught a glimpse of her dark eyes, disturbing Magicon quite a bit. He suddenly felt uncomfortable with this pony and she didn't look like the friendliest type of ponies around. Yet he couldn't be rude. He had to at least make polite conversation.

Mustering up some courage, Magicon said, "Good day, miss. Are you heading to Los Pegasus as well?"

Edited October 17, 2012 by Magicon

Key Gear · October 17, 2012

"Ahh, whoops. Sorry about that Ka... I mean Key." Day said rather awkwardly. He looked at the ground and shifted his hoof feeling like he had just made a fool of himself. He had no idea how he made a simple mistake like that especially when her name was written on the letter she sent him. Doubt began to clog his mind again as stress began to rise as well.

Key watched Day shift awkwardly. She was reasonably good at reading other ponies, and Day was a book. Normally, she would've cared less about making others uncomfortable. But, this detective was going to be a huge help to her if everything worked out well. Besides that, he had accepted the case without hesitation, and if it hadn't been for him, then there is no way that she would've known that Trixie would be on this train. She made up her mind to not give him such a hard time in the future.

"ALL ABOARD! THE LOS PEGASUS EXPRESS IS NOW BOARDING!"

In Manehattan, Key had grown used to the random shouting of street vendors and other loud noises that came out of nowhere. She didn't even blink when the conductor shouted, and she noticed that while Day was startled just for a moment, the moment didn't last long at all. Maybe he is tougher than he looks…

"There is much we need to discuss but I think right now we should be getting on the train." Day said as he returned to his normal self. "Umm... after you." He hesitated because he wasn't sure if he still needed to be polite. Even though she was younger then him it was still proper act like a gentlecolt.

Key's face betrayed her confusion. She tried hard to remember the last time that anyone had ever told her “after you”. She drew a blank. She looked at the detective with a bemused expression for few, long awkward seconds before taking her ticket in her mouth and approaching the conductor. After a few steps, she stopped. She remembered something. She put down her train ticket, turned to Day and spoke. “Thank you!” She then picked up her ticket and continued towards the conductor.

“Eggs, bread, milk, cheese. Check, check, check, check… Apples. Flour. Check. Sugar. Check.” The cook was buzzing around the kitchen's supply area like a hyperactive worker bee. She was nearly finished with her third inventory of the supplies. She always checked at least three times. She didn't need a list; she knew all of the supplies by heart. Ambrosia was an earth pony with pleasant, lemon colored fur and a plum colored mane. She was the least experienced member of the train's crew, but already she had earned the respect of Vim and other seasoned conductors with her excellent work ethic and fantastic cooking.

Her first assignment as a chef had been on the train route between Baltimare and Fillydelphia. During the weeks that she worked as a chef on that route, supplies had been managed perfectly, the food had been cooked on schedule, and not a single passenger had ever complained. Indeed, passengers raved about her expertise. She was soon transferred to Vim's old train, the Los Pegasus Limited.

At first, she was panicked at the thought of working with one of the best conductors in all of Equestria. Her panic only intensified when she learned that one of Vim's eccentricities was that he preferred to use the absolute minimum crew size. How would she manage without a steward and maybe a waiter? On the morning of her first day working with Vim, she was so nervous that she briefly considered calling in sick. That was when she pulled herself together.

All of her life, she had always wanted to be known not just as another good chef, but as the absolute best chef. On that fist day working on the Los Pegasus Limited, she realized that it wasn't enough to want to be the absolute best chef. She had to do more than want; she had to become what she dreamed. So, on that day, she pulled herself together and made up her mind to do her best - no matter what.

It turned out that her best was more than enough. She effortlessly handled her duties as a chef, and, when the assistant conductor had to deliver an emergency message to Canterlot, she actually stepped up and took on that role as well. It was hard work, but she learned something new about herself that day. She learned that the greater the challenge, the more she enjoyed the accomplishment. When the train reached its destination, she heard Vim remark to the station master that having her on board was like having at least four good ponies working in the kitchen and a decent assistant conductor too.

Ambrosia beamed delight as she remembered that day. She stepped out into the dining area and looked around. The tables were immaculate. Despite being a train car and having some space set aside for the kitchen, the dining area was surprisingly roomy. While, it wasn't quite as comfy as the parlor, but it was more than sufficient to feed a train full of hungry ponies. Ambrosia wandered to the kitchen, grabbed her favorite cookbook, and then settled down to plan dinner.

Vim was in his element. His cheerful, good-natured smile was genuine as passengers started both lining up and just getting on board. He always planned a more orderly boarding process, but his excitement usually prevented that from happening.

When she stopped at the check-in, she presented her ticket and greeted in a very polite way "Good morning sir, My name is Flow and here is my ticket." She smiled as she patiently waits for the clerk's answer.

"Take it. You know, it's a pleasant day we're having, anyway. I'm Timeshift and there's my ticket, so take it and GOOD DAY." Timeshift yelled, pushing the pony waiting for the clerks answer aside.

This pegasus seems like a nice kid. This unicorn…

"Sorry kid, who are you? Sorry for pushing you aside, I have ADHD and apparently it's kicking in." Timeshift apologetically stepped back, holding out her hoof in forgiveness. "I'm Timeshift, from Ponyville."

May not be so bad after all…

Vim sprang into action. His smile radiated. "Flow, Timeshift - a very good morning to you both! Flow, you have room five. You're right across the hall from our special guest, Trixie! Timeshift, you have room thirteen. It's a lucky number!"

While his smile and cheerful demeanor never wavered, Vim felt sorry for the young pegasus. Trixie's behavior since boarding the train had been, at best, unusual. While he had heard enough about her to not be surprised by her favoring the third person perspective, Vim was not expecting her to be able to carry complete conversations with herself about rather trivial things.

"That's better," he groaned, before heading toward the pony, ticket in hoof. He approached the pony calmly and held out his ticket. "Room 11, I plan to board."

Vim interrupted his thoughts to greet the newcomer, a rather fancy looking blue unicorn with a raindrop as a cutie mark. After a quick glance at the ticket, he said “Welcome aboard!”

Anxiously, Aeq wormed his way past the pony, flashing his ticket briefly as he went. He headed straight for the caboose, bent his head over the railing, and threw up.

Vim caught a glance of a ticket out of the corner of his eye. “Welcome aboard!” Vim quickly shouted a greeting to a unicorn with a rather dark coat and a dull gray mane.

Realizing ponies were just simply getting on, Lapis Lazuli entered the train.

“Hello, welcome aboard!” Vim said pleasantly as a rather intellectual looking blue pony boarded the train. Somehow, the blue pony looks familiar to Vim, but he couldn't remember where he had seen him. I hate getting old… In his younger days, his memory had been flawless, but he had been suffering from momentary bouts of forgetfulness lately. They bothered him considerably. His smile faded just a tad.

Once he arrived at the boarding platform, he then approached the conductor and showed his ticket.

A green earth pony with spiky blue hair approached the boarding platform and flashed a ticket. Vim recognized him and broke into a rare grin. “Hey there! I know you! You're Electrobolt! You're the pony that won the Equestrian Video Game Tournament!” Vim laughed a hearty laugh. “My granddaughter dragged me out to that blasted event! I protested, but how could I refuse those eyes. You know? Anyway, I'm happy that I went. I've never seen any earth pony do what you did. All those unicorns with their magic, and they were beaten by an earth pony!” Vim seemed to savor the thought.

Vim took a hoof and gave Electrobolt a heavy pat on the back. “You know, you're my granddaughter's hero. And, mine as well. During that final match, my mouth was open the entire time. My granddaughter has dragged me out to those blasted events for years and I've never seen an earth pony win. You've got grit kid. Let me tell you, if you're ever interested in the job on the train, you come see me and I'll take good care you.”

Vim thought for a second, and then added “And the next time you're in Canterlot, let me know. I'd like you to meet my granddaughter, I think you're both around the same age and she's quite a fine mare. A fella like you would be great to have around more often. You know? Anyway, you've got room 10, and it's an honor to have you on board.” Vim glanced up just in time to see Springer flying towards the caboose.

Springer landed in the caboose with a thud. Flying was not his strong point.

@@Aureity

“Hey buddy!” Springer cheerfully shouted at a unicorn that was behind him next to the railing. Springer gave a little wave before breaking into a brisk trot towards the front of the train.

Edited October 17, 2012 by Scootacool

October 17, 2012

Mustering up some courage, Magicon said, "Good day, miss. Are you heading to Los Pegasus as well?"

Dear Celestia, he's talking to me. Indices straightened herself up and looked at the red pony beside her.

"If I wasn't heading to Los Pegasus, why in God's green earth would I be on this train?" she said, staring daggers at him.

If he's going to ask stupid questions, then he'll get a stupid answer. It's not my fault that I make people uncomfortable! Something about this pony fed her frustration, and as she stared continuously at the red pony, whose name she did not know, nor cared to learn, her anger reached a boiling point and in one clean outburst, she cried:

"WHERE THE HELL IS THAT CONDUCTOR?!"

The scream left her huffing and puffing, and she quickly walked away from the red pony. This pony must know something about my past... yes, that's it! He knows what I've done, and he's part of the Royal Guard, sent here as a spy to try and capture me on a train! Is all of this a ploy to capture me? Indices thought over her options as she stared at the red pony from across the room. Get ahold of yourself, Indices... he's just another stupid pony who you can use as your puppet.

She easily brushed off her anxiety and moved closer to the pony. "Er... I'm sorry." She winked and intentionally brushed up against him. "Yes, I am going to Los Pegasus... what's a handsome pony like you doing, going to Los Pegasus?" Even though it's quite obvious why he's going... Lord, even *I* can't lie to this dipwad's face without wanting to punch it!

Edited October 17, 2012 by CannabisLove

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