private Pony Mystery Theater: Exit Trixie, Stage Right.

Clarity · November 15, 2012

He turned his attention to Clarity. "So, miss. Ummm, what is it you do around Ponyville? I work with the Ponyville Weather Patrol. I know it isn't really that much of a high-status job. Although, I'm sure what you do is more exciting than what I do."

Clarity opened her mouth, ready to say that she worked as Ponyville's artist and writer, but then clamped her mouth shut. I never really had a job in Ponyville, she realized. Sure, she applied for it. She was even promoted ceremoniously by the mayor herself in front of a crowd.

But when it comes to actually getting credit for her arts, there was none. Clarity was never respected by the citizens of Ponyville. Art worked days, even weeks on, were thrown away. Writings so carefully planned out were turned into fuel for fireplaces. Almost everything she created in Ponyville were lost and gone to some mysterious trash can.

Should she tell this stranger about that? NO! Even if he was friendly to her at first, who knows if she'll get laughed at or embarrassed again? She did not want to repeat the experience. Not when she pushed Ponyville to the back of her mind at last.

Clarity narrowed her eyes more cautiously at Alex. "I...used to work in Manehatten," she said vaguely.

Alex said to Clarity while extended a piece of his own Apple Pie to share with her. "Would you like a piece?" Alex asked finally, trying to think of what to say to her to make her more comfortable.

"No, thank you," Clarity said immediately. She averted her eyes, now angry at herself for being so rude. Wasn't I trying to make friends? I can't do so with this kind of attitude!

Key Gear · November 16, 2012

While Lapis spoke, both Vim and Ambrosia listened quietly. Ambrosia was visibly touched by the story of friendship between the unicorn and the earth pony. She couldn't help herself. While Lapis was talking, she smiled broadly. Vim was also affected, but he did his best not to show it. Lapis had given him some things to think about and he had more questions, but for now, he knew that he had to focus on being the conductor.

He cleared his throat and ventured a question of his own. "Would you be willing to help uncover anything? Surely you would like to know what is wrong with Trixie, yes?"

Vim's face assumed a serious expression. For just a few moments, he was deep in thought. While he did want to know what was wrong with Trixie, he also had a train to run. He was not certain how much he wanted to encourage Lapis and Ambrosia. Lapis was a passenger and Ambrosia was the trains only cook. Vim didn't want Lapis's train ride to be ruined by Trixie, and he didn't want Ambrosia to become too distracted from her job on the train.

However, he still couldn't find Dusky. The thought that Trixie was responsible for his disappearance seemed paranoid to Vim, and he dismissed it out of hoof. Yet, he needed to know for sure that Dusky was safe. Vim glanced over at Ambrosia. She was watching him with a very concerned expression. Vim frowned, but he decided to humor the two younger ponies.

"I would be happy to help in any way that I can. The thing is though... I don't really know much about everything that has been going on. I haven't actually seen any of Trixie's doings myself. You would need to speak with either Springer or Dusky. Springer has his head in the clouds right now, so you'd better check with Dusky." Vim smiled grimly at his own joke. "The problem is that nopony seems to know where Dusky is. You know, Ambrosia, you might be right about him being in the caboose. Maybe he was back there and I didn't notice because of how quiet he usually is."

Ambrosia nodded dutifully. She was happy that Vim's question about Lapis's friend had not led to more questions. Intrinsically, she knew that Lapis was a private pony and probably did not want to be quizzed about his life. She decided to respond to Vim before any more awkward moments came up.

Ambrosia spoke softly but with purpose. "In that case, I guess we need to head right back to the back of the train. It makes sense though because if Dusky isn't in the train engine, we didn't see Dusky on the way here, and he wasn't in the dining car... Then, he has to be in the caboose. Unless he's in a passenger's room, but why would he be there?"

Ambrosia smiled. The thought of Dusky poking around the passengers room seemed comical to her. She also felt good that she had been able to come up with a plan of action. Vim seemed genuinely happy with what she had just said. "That... Actually makes good sense." Vim sighed. "Ambrosia, I'm tired and getting tireder. Dusky needs to get back on duty so that I can get some rest. If you find him, I'll tell him that it's alright to discuss Trixie with you."

Ambrosia turned to Lapis and spoke with a note of cheerfulness in her voice. "Well, here we go again. Back to the dining car! At least we won't have to stop there and be bothered with Trixie's strangeness." She trotted back down the hallway that they had originally came through. Once again, she was excited by the possibility of finding answers. She hoped that Lapis did not mind the fact that Vim hadn't been too helpful.

@@Dave247, @@Electrobolt,

Key tried her best to ignore the questioning and disapproving glances of her friends. For just a moment, she wondered if she was, in fact, really doing a good thing. Of course, there was always a risk that Magicon would turn out to be a spy for Trixie, but, looking at him again, Key figured that risk was incredibly small. She knew what type of pony she was dealing with, or at least, she thought she did.

To her, it was just like she was back in Manehattan. After she took over the repair shop from the old griffin, she'd found herself needing to occasionally venture out of her shop and search for rare and valuable mechanical parts and tools. Most of the time, she would find what she needed on sale from a merchant at a price that she could not afford. She would have to bargain and to haggle in order to get the price down to something that was more reasonable for her.

In truth, Key did not have very good skills in communicating with other ponies. However, she did understand how to negotiate in a world of mutual self interest. That was actually the reason that she had failed completely to generate interest among the Canterlot elite. They had been looking for entertainment and they had no real need for anything that Key had to offer.

Magicon had far more in common with the merchants in Manehattan than he did with the Canterlot elite. He was clearly self interested, and his apparent power was something that Key was very much interested in having on her side. This was the kind of social situation that Key was very much comfortable with. A conversation between two mutually self interested ponies. Finally, she had met a pony on this train that she completely understood.

“Oh, that’s very interesting,” he stated. “I do hope everything is alright. You may not know it, but I run the Museum of Magical Artifacts in Manehattan. I know about all sorts of magical objects and probably could help you, if you ever need it.”

As he said that an evil thought crossed his mind and he couldn’t help but give a small, but nonetheless, suspicious smile as he thought about seeing Trixie behind bars for theft and having another magical object to showcase in the museum.

While Magicon was talking, Key couldn't help but give a small, but nonetheless, suspicious smile as she thought about the possibility of recovering the artifact from Trixie and then selling it to Magicon to obtain the first real capital that she could use for planning her expedition. To her, it seemed like a dream come true. It was a fascinating coincidence to run into the curator of a major Manehattan museum while on the train. Key was ecstatic.

As Daylight began describing the case to Magicon, Key was counting bits in her head. But when Daylight finished speaking, she realized something. He had spilled precious little details about the case. Key's nose scrunched up as she thought about what she could do. She wanted to give Magicon enough information so that he would stay interested in the artifact, but she knew that she had perhaps pushed Daylight far enough already.

As Magicon reached out a hoof to Daylight, Key decided to see if she could take advantage of the moment. Tentatively, Key decided to make a fairly ambiguous suggestion. "Hey Daylight, aren't you going to tell Magicon about the other things that we know?" Suddenly, a remarkably friendly voice spoke up from behind her. "Oh wow! A real detective! Gee, buddies, I'd like to know more about this stolen artifact as well! It will probably have to wait until after the show though..."

Key whirled around. Standing there, with what was possibly Equestria's largest smile on his face, was Springer, the assistant conductor. Key blinked, and she stumbled through a response. "Uhhh... The show? What kind of show? I didn't..." Springer cheerfully interrupted her. "Trixie's performance! It is going to be fantastic! Hey, little buddy, why don't and your friends grab some seats in the parlor?!" With that, Springer bounded to the center of the dining car.

Key felt her mouth go dry and she slumped in her seat. This pony was definitely a Trixie fanatic. Who knows how long he had been standing there listening to them talk. More than likely, their cover was blown. She hadn't expected something like that to happen. She felt worse because she hadn't even heard him approach. Normally, she always picked up on things like that, but this time, she had let her guard down.

@@Dave247,

@@Electrobolt,

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@@Clarity,

@,

@@Magicon

Springer bounded to the middle of the dining car, and spoke loudly, triumphantly. "Hey, eveypony! The one and only, the truly magnificent, the flawlessly beautiful, the Great and Powerful Trixie is ready to perform! Come one, come all! To the parlor car! This show will be amazing!"

@,

After finishing his announcement, Springer trotted over to where a young pegasus was ruminating and threw one hoof around her shoulders and gestured broadly with the other. "Picture the most amazing thing that you've ever seen, and now picture it eclipsed by the glory of Trixie. Is it not fantastic!? Come on! Go to the parlor and take a seat!" Springer practically floated to the door and into the parlor car.

In the parlor car, a very sullen looking Trixie was sitting on a makeshift stage that had been constructed in the middle of the car. Because the train car was longer than it was wide, the stage had been put together in the center of the parlor car and the chairs and tables within the car had been pushed to either side of the stage. A narrow walkway connected the seating areas on both sides of the stage, it was sufficient for no more than two ponies to walk through at the same time.

Springer leaped onto the stage. "Wahaaha! Are you ready for the show?" Trixie looked at the green pegasus dismissively, but her voice held a note of caution as she answered. "Of course, Trixie is ready for the show. Trixie wants to know why this show is necessary. It was not part of the plan." Springer smiled innocently. "Of course it wasn't! Plans are boring! Hey, I need to go make sure the audience is packed, I'll be back in time for the show to start. I don't wanna miss a moment!"

@@Shift,

@,

For the second time that day, Springer zipped around the train knocking on doors and yelling. This time, though, he wasn't announcing dinner. He was announcing Trixie's show. While he figured that most of the passengers were in the dining car already, he decided to knock on all of the doors anyway - including Trixie's, which he saved for last. In fact, he knocked on her door and announced the show louder than he had at any of the others. He grinned curiously while he did this and he didn't even notice Ambrosia making her way down the hall.

@,

Ambrosia's mouth fell wide open. She was at a total and complete loss for words. She whispered to Lapis, who she had hoped was right behind her. "So that is what Vim met by Springer's head being in the clouds. Well, shoot! It looks to me that his head, hooves, and everything else is in the clouds! Why in Equestria is he knocking on Trixie's door and yelling like that if she is the one putting on the show?! Is he drunk on cider??"

Infected by curiosity Ambrosia wandered up to the door. She tried the handle, but the room was locked. "Hmmm... Lapis, I bet we could probably go back to the train engine and borrow Vim's master key to get into this room. I think it's so strange that Springer was yelling like there was somepony in here. Maybe it's nothing, but maybe there is somepony in here. But Vim is already tired enough, so maybe we should just leave him alone. I'm not sure..."

While Ambrosia was talking, absorbed in her thoughts, the train car had become strangely quiet. The normal sound of the train as it made its way over the tracks seemed to be muted, muffled. Underneath the door, a faint and barely perceptible light could be seen emanating from within the room. It looked almost like moonlight. Ambrosia tried the door handle again. The light grew slightly, ever so slightly.

Flow · November 16, 2012

As Flow debated in her mind about whether to sit and talk with the other ponies, her thoughts were abruptly interrupted by a green pegasus making an announcement, apparently the clothing he's wearing looked like he is one of the employees, he announced that the shameless one is holding a little show in the parlor car, of course Flow didn't bother wanting to watch her.

After finishing his announcement, Springer trotted over to where a young pegasus was ruminating and threw one hoof around her shoulders and gestured broadly with the other.

When he threw a hoof around her shoulders, Flow felt irritated "H-hey!" she yelled, but the green pegasus ignored her and continued "Picture the most amazing thing that you've ever seen, and now picture it eclipsed by the glory of Trixie. Is it not fantastic!? Come on! Go to the parlor and take a seat!". Afterwards he went for the door and into the parlor car.

"Great, I don't want to go watch her little show, but then again, I don't want to make that jolly fellow feel bad after encouraging us all, plus I've never seen what the parlor car looks like on the inside, sigh..., I guess I'll have to watch her show then, and I'll probably be relaxing my views on her."

Edited November 17, 2012 by Narutardedscum!!

Bari · November 16, 2012

Lapis eyed Vim as the older pony took on a serious expression. Lapis feared this pony, who was most likely the conductor judging from the way he acted, would tell them to just go back to the dining car and forget this had ever happened.

"I would be happy to help in any way that I can. The thing is though... I don't really know much about everything that has been going on. I haven't actually seen any of Trixie's doings myself. You would need to speak with either Springer or Dusky. Springer has his head in the clouds right now, so you'd better check with Dusky." Vim smiled grimly at his own joke. "The problem is that nopony seems to know where Dusky is. You know, Ambrosia, you might be right about him being in the caboose. Maybe he was back there and I didn't notice because of how quiet he usually is."

Lapis nodded solemnly. Now he had a clear goal in mind. He and Ambrosia would find Dusky and hopefully get some answers. From there, they'd probably do some other investigating. Maybe poke around the train looking for answers. So it was settled. They would make it to the caboose.

Ambrosia answered the conductor cheerfully, outlining a logical reason for why Dusky wouldn't be in the train engine. Vim said something about being tired, but Lapis had already began formulating the plan of action.

Ambrosia turned to Lapis and spoke with a note of cheerfulness in her voice. "Well, here we go again. Back to the dining car! At least we won't have to stop there and be bothered with Trixie's strangeness." She trotted back down the hallway that they had originally came through.

Lapis absently nodded his head and realized it was time to go again. Without further to do, he followed after the cook. Trotting behind her, he went over what had just happened. Vim seemed rather old to be working on a train. Although, this one did seem different from what he was used to. There didn't seem to be that many passengers on board. Suddenly, a thought struck Lapis. How many passenger were there anyway? This was supposed to be an important event, with this being the only train going to the Festival. So the train probably held maximum capacity. Anypony else would have to be living in Los Pegasus to attend. He went over in his mind what he remembered of the map he received when he purchased his ticket.

Eighteen rooms, and 15, 17, and 18 had been marked as belonging to the staff. So that would mean there had been fifteenth passengers. Lapis started to wonder why this was bothering him. He hadn't been paying much attention back in the dining car. Did he think that somepony had been missing? It was doing him no good to give this any further thought, so he put it out of his mind.

As they drew closer to their destination, it became apparent that a green pegasus was zipping around, knocking on doors. He was probably the same pony from earlier who had knocked on Lapis's door to make him aware of dinner. And he had most likely done the same for everyone else. It seemed odd that he was doing it again. Everyone had made it to dinner already, or at least that was what Lapis thought. It would be strange if anyone was still in their room. He caught something about Trixie putting on a show. It seemed especially odd since one of these rooms had to have been Trixie's, and she herself would know about her own show.

"So that is what Vim met by Springer's head being in the clouds. Well, shoot! It looks to me that his head, hooves, and everything else is in the clouds! Why in Equestria is he knocking on Trixie's door and yelling like that if she is the one putting on the show?! Is he drunk on cider??"

So that was Springer. He did seem a bit odd. Lapis recalled he was the one who had been letting ponies on earlier today. It was likely that Springer was the assistant conductor. Judging from Springer's unusual behavior, Lapis knew why Ambrosia was more willing to question Dusky. Either way, they might have to get his take on things if Lapis wanted to make a conclusive study.

Ambrosia had gone over to the door marked Room 8 and tried the handle. It looked as though it wasn't going to open. The cook suggested going back to Vim to get his key, but in the next moment, something began to feel wrong. The fur on the back of Lapis's neck started to prickle up. His instincts were giving him warning signs, but he chose to ignore them for the time being.

Underneath the door, a light was barely visible. Its faint glow reminded him of moonlight. It held him in a trance for a few seconds before he spoke up. "Um, perhaps we shouldn't. Something tells me we should just get moving. This world is full of many weird things, some of which I've seen in my travels. I really don't like the vibe I'm getting, alright?" Lapis grimaced nervously, hoping the cook wouldn't try to open the door anymore. But if she really wanted to, he would just go along with it. It was probably nothing, and he'd be holding back for no reason. Although, if somepony really was in there, they wouldn't want strangers barging in. "Or maybe it's nothing. Springer could have made a mistake in his haste. He did seem quite enthusiastic about the show." he said hopefully.

Electrobolt · November 17, 2012

As he was looking at both Key and Magicon, Electrobolt felt rather unsettled and nervous. For one thing, Key had blabbed out some sensitive information to somepony they didn't even know, or get the chance to really know. Another thing was that they didn't know whether or not he worked for Trixie. But when he had said he didn't like her, the young colt eased up a little. *Maybe he isn't working for Trixie...* he thought in his mind. *But perhaps he does work for her, and is faking his dislike of Trixie... But that's probably stretching it...*

While Electrobolt looked at Magicon, he noticed a small grin on his face. He wasn't sure why he was grinning, but it caused him to be confused and curious about why he was grinning. But he wasn't the only pony who was grinning, as he looked down to Key and saw that she was grinning too. *Why is everypony grinning...? Is there some sort of inside joke I'm not getting...?* he pondered, head tilted slightly as he wondered why Key and Magicon were grinning. It was just then that the assistant conductor had spoken up and caused him to jump.

"Oh wow! A real detective! Gee, buddies, I'd like to know more about this stolen artifact as well! It will probably have to wait until after the show though..."

Quickly turning around, he saw the assistant conductor right there, having overheard everything they had said. Eyes wide open, he felt as if he could go white at any moment. This pegasus was with Trixie, and he seemed to be a major fan of hers. *Oh sweet Celestia...* he thought, very worried. *If he goes to tell Trixie about all of this... We are going to be so doomed... Whatever chance we had of not being noticed is pretty much gone now...* When he saw the assistant conductor bound to the center of the car to announce the show, his heart started beating faster.

Springer bounded to the middle of the dining car, and spoke loudly, triumphantly. "Hey, eveypony! The one and only, the truly magnificent, the flawlessly beautiful, the Great and Powerful Trixie is ready to perform! Come one, come all! To the parlor car! This show will be amazing!"

*Yep... He's a fan of Trixie's...* thought Electrobolt, as he swallowed hard. The pegasus then approached yet another pegasus with a red mane, cream-colored coat, and yellow eyes. Seeing him probably talking about Trixie to this other pony had him sigh slightly. She most likely didn't want to hear anything about this, before the assistant conductor started bounding off into the parlor car before going into the other cars. He was possibly going to announce that Trixie was about to perform in the parlor car, before going back into the parlor car to watch the show. With a sigh, and shaking his head, the young colt looked over to the group around the table, before asking, "So... Should we... Should we be going, then...?"

Key Gear · November 19, 2012

While the assistant conductor was enthusiastically inviting the other passengers to Trixie's performance, Key attempted to figure out exactly how badly she had messed up by pushing Daylight to talk about the case in public. In her mind, she replayed the sequence of events. Magicon approached and spoke, the assistant conductor had been nowhere in sight when she looked around, she spoke to Magicon, Daylight spoke to Magicon, the assistant conductor was there. When had he appeared exactly and how much did he know?

"Oh wow! A real detective! Gee, buddies, I'd like to know more about this stolen artifact as well! It will probably have to wait until after the show though..."

Key frowned. Something didn't seem quite right. She thought back to what Daylight had said to Magicon about the case.

"As key said, were here because of Trixie. She stole something of... great value, and were here to find it. My name is Daylight and I am a detective that Key hired to track down this... item."

He had said very little about the case. In fact, he had said next to nothing about the item that was stolen and he certainly hadn't mentioned that it could be some kind of artifact. Key's frown deepened. Of course, one of the first things that she had mentioned to Magicon was that the stolen item was something that could have made Trixie more powerful. However, she had looked around before saying that, and the assistant conductor had been nowhere in sight.

Key's sense of paranoia, her constant companion, began working overtime. The only pony that had mentioned artifacts was Magicon. He had mentioned that he ran the Museum of Magical Artifacts in Manehattan. The assistant conductor could have overheard what Daylight had said and overheard Magicon's occupation and then figured that the two statements were related. But... Why would the assistant conductor make that kind of leap in thought? He had no reason to.

She figured that there was one distinct possibility. He could have been invisible and standing right beside them the entire time that they had been dining. If he had seen and overheard everything, then that would completely explain his curious remarks. Key's nose scrunched up like an accordion and her eyes narrowed. An invisible assistant conductor allied with Trixie? That could be a formidable enemy.

But how could a Pegasus become invisible?! Wait... Key remembered that the assistant conductor had been dining at the same table with Magicon, so invisibility was not a good explanation. She started going through a list of possible alternative theories - mind reading, genius level intelligence, clones. But each theory seemed flawed. Suddenly, a new possibility occurred to her. What if the assistant conductor already knew about the theft?

Key's head was hurting. Invisible clones made more sense to her than the assistant conductor already knowing about the theft. He had absolutely nothing to do with the case at all. How and why could he even possibly know about anything that he had not overheard? Key shook her head. Nothing made any sense, but she was certain of one thing. She needed to get her hooves on what ever it was that Trixie had stolen and fast. Things were becoming more complicated than she was comfortable with.

With a sigh, and shaking his head, the young colt looked over to the group around the table, before asking, "So... Should we... Should we be going, then...?"

Key was jarred from her reverie. She rapidly looked around, and she realized that only a few moments had passed while she was lost in thought and that the assistant conductor was nowhere to be seen. Still somewhat distracted, she opened her mouth to reply to Electrobolt but then stopped as she realized something - there was a way that she could turn the entire situation to her advantage.

Key's haze began to clear. Regardless of how complex the situation was, there was one way that she could resolve it. Trixie was going to have a show, and the assistant conductor would undoubtedly attend, and even if they were working together, their focus would be on Daylight. Nopony would ever expect... Key was suddenly smiling again. She answered Electrobolt happily. "Yeah! I think we should be going! We should go watch Trixie's show."

@@Dave247, @@Magicon,

Turning to Daylight, Key continued. "You know, if we go to Trixie's show, then that will give us an opportunity to study her and learn more about what we are dealing with. Magicon, you should go too, and maybe, by watching her, you can figure out what it was that she stole. Yeah, so... I'll meet you all in the parlor. I'm going to go... Uhhh... Freshen up."

With that, Key hastily trotted out of the dining car and to her room. When she reached her room, she rummaged through her stuff. It took a few painstaking minutes, but she finally found what she was looking for - a small, nondescript pouch. Quickly, she tied it to her right-hind leg. It was blue, like her fur, so she doubted that anypony would notice.

Key started to leave her room, but she stopped. Catching sight of her scruffy appearance in a mirror, Key realized that she needed to make at least some token effort to improve her appearance. Otherwise, her excuse of needing to "freshen up" would probably raise suspicions. She groaned and went back to rummaging... She knew she had a comb or brush or something somewhere.

"Um, perhaps we shouldn't. Something tells me we should just get moving. This world is full of many weird things, some of which I've seen in my travels. I really don't like the vibe I'm getting, alright?" Lapis grimaced nervously, hoping the cook wouldn't try to open the door anymore. But if she really wanted to, he would just go along with it. It was probably nothing, and he'd be holding back for no reason. Although, if somepony really was in there, they wouldn't want strangers barging in. "Or maybe it's nothing. Springer could have made a mistake in his haste. He did seem quite enthusiastic about the show." he said hopefully.

Ambrosia reached for the handle again but stopped short as she listened to Lapis. Slowly, she blinked and backed away from the door. For just a few moments, she really hadn't quite been herself. Her sense of curiosity had been so overpowering that she had not noticed the changed atmosphere with a train car. But now, she not only noticed the atmosphere within the train car but she also noticed the light.

She quickly looked over at Lapis. To say that he looked concerned would have been an understatement. The light started to grow again, it's progress was glacial but still noticeable. Ambrosia decided that whatever was in that room, it wasn't worth it. "Uhhhh... Lapis, I think that we should just go check the caboose." She broke into a quick trot heading out of the strange train car and towards the back of the train.

Ambrosia stopped just short of reentering the dining car and spoke. "That light... It was similar to the light that we saw last night, but this was different..." Her voice trailed off. For a few moments, she looked as though she was considering something that she had never thought of before. She continued hesitantly. "You've seen some things in your travels... Were those things.... Dangerous?"

Magicon · November 19, 2012

@,

Though self-absorbed in his self-interested thoughts Magicon was able to observe Key’s suspicious smile. He knew the look all too well; he was displaying himself at the very moment. She was self-interested or had something to gain by working with Magicon. He could tell Key was an ambitious pony who wanted a life full of adventure and he would gladly help her achieve that adventure, if it meant his own success and the destruction of Trixie. That was suddenly his real goal. It wasn’t just about attending the festival to please Archie; it was about making sure justice was delivered to Trixie. He had never realized he had hated her, but now he could no longer deny the glee that would come from her second downfall, which might be even worse than her first one.

But somepony was in the way and his sudden appearance not only surprised, but worried Magicon.

"Oh wow! A real detective! Gee, buddies, I'd like to know more about this stolen artifact as well! It will probably have to wait until after the show though..."

Magicon’s head whipped to Springer, clearly surprised by his sudden appearance. When did he get here? Why does he know about the detective? What’s with this pony? Magicon didn’t have any answers and wasn’t able to get any before Springer announced,

"Hey, eveypony! The one and only, the truly magnificent, the flawlessly beautiful, the Great and Powerful Trixie is ready to perform! Come one, come all! To the parlor car! This show will be amazing!"

Magicon immediately facehoofed and regretted every entering the dining car. If he had just stayed in his room, none of this would be happening. If he had just never gone on this train, he wouldn’t in this situation. If…But it didn’t matter. Hypotheticals were useless now. The facts were present before him and he had to accept them.

@@Dave247,

Key seemed to accept them left to prepare for Trixie’s show leaving Magicon and the gold unicorn alone as the train rumbled on.

“Well, this is…uhh…awkward,” he mumbled. “I…uh…better go, I mean…not disappoint Springer. See you around, I guess.”

He shook his head as he left the table and slowly began exiting the dining car. He wasn’t sure what just happened or what would happen, but he didn’t like it. Something was out of place, specifically involving Springer and possibly Key. He had no idea what it could be, but it mattered, someway, somehow.

Electrobolt · November 19, 2012

While he was waiting for a response from Key, he thought back to the assistant conductor. How did he sneak up on them so easily, and how did they not notice until he spoke up? The assistant had really rattled him, mostly due to their cover having been blown for the most part. As he cleared his head and looked at Key, he noticed the little filly was lost in thought, clearly confused. Was she stumped on all of this, as well? But then, she suddenly changed her attitude, going immediately from confused to, well, almost ecstatic. What was the reason for her to suddenly become all cheery?

"Yeah! I think we should be going! We should go watch Trixie's show." Turning to Daylight, Key continued. "You know, if we go to Trixie's show, then that will give us an opportunity to study her and learn more about what we are dealing with. Magicon, you should go too, and maybe, by watching her, you can figure out what it was that she stole. Yeah, so... I'll meet you all in the parlor. I'm going to go... Uhhh... Freshen up."

Electrobolt was completely taken by surprise by this sudden change. At one moment, she seemed confused. Now, however, she was sounding rather excited and wanted to go to see Trixie's show. Before he had a chance to say anything, Key said she had to go and freshen up, before going off. *Well... That was sudden and quick...* thought the young colt, as he watched Key hurry off. Although he wanted to follow, he decided against it as he instead looked at both Daylight and Magicon. It was then that Magicon spoke up, saying that he'd go ahead, and brought up a name.

*I assume Springer would be the name of the assistant conductor, then...?* pondered Electrobolt, as he noticed Magicon already leaving for the parlor. Clearing his head out, he looked over to Daylight and, after clearing his throat, added, "Um... I think I'll go, as well..." He then headed off to the parlor car, where he noticed Trixie already on-stage. Trying his best to look calm, he took a seat in a chair as he waited for the show to be over. Sighing, he closed his eyes as he waited for this to just get done with.

Bari · November 19, 2012

Lapis watched nervously as the mare slowly reached for the handle. It would seem like her mind was made up. But she suddenly stopped, and Lapis felt his heart beating again. Whatever was in that room probably would have killed them, or worse, if the door had been opened. Or maybe not, but it was not worth the risk. That light just didn't sit right with him.

The cook looked back at him a bit dazed. It was as if she hadn't been fully aware of what she was doing. The light from the door was glowing brighter at a slow pace, and the feeling of dread grew with it. When Ambrosia voiced her opinion that they should just move along, Lapis was very much relieved. Without looking back, he hurried after her as she made her way to the back of the train.

The cook immediately stopped short outside the dining car. Resisting the urge to look back, he trotted up slowly to her position. She looked like she was deep in thought, and then she spoke up.

"That light... It was similar to the light that we saw last night, but this was different..." Her voice trailed off. For a few moments, she looked as though she was considering something that she had never thought of before. She continued hesitantly. "You've seen some things in your travels... Were those things.... Dangerous?"

Lapis cocked his head. So this light was similar to the light from before. Perhaps there was a logical, non-dangerous explanation for these curious events. Trixie might have been working with an artifact, or something along those lines. Lapis remembered visiting a museum full of things like that. Odd objects that did peculiar things. Although, it could still be something dangerous. And he'd encountered dangerous artifacts. The gears in Lapis's head began to turn. Did they really need to question Dusky? What could they learn from another perspective? Unless he knew something they didn't, Lapis couldn't see too many reasons to question the pony. He himself had apparently just witnessed a similar event, and the conclusion he could draw from it was one of two things. Either there was somepony else on board, doing experimental magic in Trixie's room, or there was an artifact or something like that in the room, giving off a weird light.

For the time being, the two of them should at least continue in the quest to find Dusky. Lapis suddenly became aware of Ambrosia's question. "I have seen quite a few things searching for answers to mysterious questions. The most dangerous would have to have been a dragon. I have only seen one with my own eyes, but one was enough. It had clearly gotten lost judging from the fact you don't see all that many dragons in central Equestria, and it was certainly not in a good mood. Asteria and I had to quickly evacuated the area." Lapis chuckled softly at the embarrassing memory.

After his brief mirth, Lapis became serious again. "But actually, what I was referring to was something of a more magical variety. Sometimes I investigate ruins. And in these ruins, strange artifacts can be found. The light I saw back there reminded me of one such object. I had been exploring the remains of an ancient unicorn settlement up north. There I found a strange vase-like object deep inside the ruins of a castle. The entire building was in shambles, but the way to the underground had remained intact. I had Asteria levitate it to me for further inspection. But upon touching it with my hoof, it began to emanate a soft light. The light entered my mind, showing me the fates of many a prisoner it had been forced to deal with. I assume it was some sort torture device. But I couldn't investigate it any further since my assistant had to smash it to bits. When I came out of my trance, she told me the light had been slowly trying to kill me. And that is why I don't like the weird feeling I got from the light coming out from under that door." he finished, a little out of breath from recalling the near death experience.

Edited November 19, 2012 by Berry Pie

Dave247 · November 19, 2012

As he was talking to Magicon, he could noticed a suspicious smile form on his face. He had no idea what Magicon could be possibly thinking but something about what he was saying was pleasing him greatly. In his peripheral vision he could make out that Key was also harboring a similar simile.

Escaping his thoughts, for fear of being caught, Magicon said, “Well, nice to meet you Daylight. I’m Magicon. If there is anything I can do to help, let me know.” He extended his hoof, hoping for a shake.

"Nice to meet you Magicon. I'll be sure to if I need anything." He said smiling, reaching out and shaking his hoof. Something about all this didn't sit right with him though. He doubted if Magicon was offering to help simply out of generosity. "Something seems to have pleased the both of them from what I said... I'll need to keep a close eye out on both their actions whenever either Trixie or the stolen item is brought up in the future."

"Hey Daylight, aren't you going to tell Magicon about the other things that we know?"

He was about to throw her another angry look but before he got the chance a voice from behind her spoke up. He lent over a little to look past Magicon and Key to see Springer standing there.

"Oh wow! A real detective! Gee, buddies, I'd like to know more about this stolen artifact as well! It will probably have to wait until after the show though..."

He cringed. How long had he been standing there and how much had he heard? Regardless of that it was clear their cover was well and truly blown now. He sighed, so far Key was proving to be more of a nuisance then help which was exactly why he preferred working alone. He did have to admit it was nice to have company though...

Springer then went on to announce to everypony that Trixie was going to preform in the parlor car. "This will be a good opportunity to see if she does anything questionable... though I doubt she would in front of everypony..." He thought.

Electrobolt then spoke up suggesting that they head off to the show, which then made Key speak up.

"Yeah! I think we should be going! We should go watch Trixie's show."

Turning to Daylight, Key continued. "You know, if we go to Trixie's show, then that will give us an opportunity to study her and learn more about what we are dealing with. Magicon, you should go too, and maybe, by watching her, you can figure out what it was that she stole. Yeah, so... I'll meet you all in the parlor. I'm going to go... Uhhh... Freshen up."

He raised an eyebrow as she walked off. She was acting very suspiciously and it was obvious that something was on her mind. He hoped whatever it was wouldn't put them in any more risk that they already were in. Magicon then mumbled something about leaving and then headed into the dining car followed by Electro. He then realized that he was now sitting at the table alone. Looking down at his plate, he saw that he still hadn't eaten his Berry Pie which had gone cold sitting there all this time. He sighed again and began to eat and took the time to have a clear moment to himself to think.

"Something was awfully suspicious about what Springer said... I never said anything about the stolen item being a artifact. He obviously knows a lot more then he's letting on but why would he know about it in the first place?" Day shook his head. None of it made sense. He would have to talk to Springer later when he got a chance. "Then there's Key... she's obviously up to something so I'm just going to ask her if I get the chance or try and keep a close eye on her. I should be cautious of involving Magcon too much as well as I have no idea what his intentions are. Electrobolt seems to be the good type though and is the only one I can safely say that he doesn't have his own agenda. At least for the moment."

Edited November 20, 2012 by Dave247

Key Gear · November 21, 2012

Ambrosia waited patiently while Lapis appeared to be deep in thought. She figured that he was probably thinking about what she had told him about the light under the door. She dearly wished that she could have told him more, but she was only a cook. She had never seen anything quite like this before, and she really was struggling to understand everything that was happening.

I have seen quite a few things searching for answers to mysterious questions. The most dangerous would have to have been a dragon.

At the mention of the word "dragon", Ambrosia's eyes opened wide with wonder. While she had heard stories about dragons, she had never seen one herself. She had heard that they were vast, powerful creatures. As Lapis continued his story, she wondered how scary that experience had been. When Lapis chuckled after recalling the story, Ambrosia was surprised.

In her mind, she had been imagining what her own reaction would be if she encountered a dragon. She had concluded that she would've most likely been eaten. She also concluded that she would've probably froze in place screaming and overwhelmed by fear. Yet, Lapis recalled the memory as though he were recounting the story of a trip to the market. He didn't appear to be traumatized at all. It was all a matter of fact and of some amusement to him.

But, then, Lapis became remarkably serious...

The light entered my mind, showing me the fates of many a prisoner it had been forced to deal with. I assume it was some sort torture device. But I couldn't investigate it any further since my assistant had to smash it to bits. When I came out of my trance, she told me the light had been slowly trying to kill me. And that is why I don't like the weird feeling I got from the light coming out from under that door.

As Lapis spoke, the fur on the back of Ambrosia's neck began to rise. When she had asked him about dangerous things, she was thinking about dragons, manticores, cockatrices... The idea of a harmless looking jar containing a... Killing light... The idea frightened her greatly. Her fear was increased by the thought of ponies creating such a freakish device to inflict harm on other ponies.

Hearing this story, she now understood why he had reacted so strongly back in front of Trixie's room. What if the light had been the same weird, murderous light that Lapis had encountered during his journey through the ruins? Ambrosia shivered. Perhaps she herself had narrowly escaped death back in the train car and had nearly brought it upon Lapis through her own curiosity.

Ambrosia took a deep breath. She was quite sure that Lapis would want to focus on facts, and she was also sure that he was right. She spoke out loud. "Dragons... Deadly light... You really have seen some dangerous things on your journeys. I hope that we don't run into anything like that on this train though. But, if we do... Then at least somepony on this train has experience with them."

She was still somewhat frightened by his story, but she smiled anyway and trotted into the dining car. Just as she entered, Springer entered from the opposite door. The pegasus waved wildly. "Hiya Ambrosia! Trixie's show is about to start! Come on! Join the audience! It's going to be great!"

Ambrosia was, once again, surprised by Springer's demeanor, but she did her best not to show it. She replied calmly. "Springer, I'd love to watch Trixie's show, but I'm looking for Dusky." Springer's enthusiasm suddenly died out. His face assumed a deeply serious look and he trotted up to Ambrosia and lowered his voice as if he was in fear of being overheard. "Vim sent me to look around for Dusky earlier. I just came back from the caboose. I checked everywhere, but he was nowhere to be found. Here's the thing, I've been up and down the train carrying the stuff for the stage. I didn't see him then either."

Ambrosia blinked. She didn't like where this conversation was going. "Uhhh... Springer... What are you trying to say? Do you think..." Springer interrupted her pleasantly. As he spoke, he smiled, and his serious demeanor seemed to melt away. "I'm not trying to say anything, Ambrosia. I just think that you should relax and watch Trixie's show."

The cook was confused. She didn't see the connection between Trixie's show and Dusky. Furthermore, she really didn't like the way that Springer was smiling. He really didn't seem like himself. As if sensing her thoughts, Springer spoke again. "I've been doing some looking around myself. I think that there is something very strange happening on this train. That's one of the reasons that I am setting up this show for Trixie. It's an experiment. You could help me by watching the show and keeping your eyes open."

Springer's statement did nothing to decrease Ambrosia's confusion. In fact, now she had a distinct feeling of malaise. Worriedly, she glanced at Lapis. "Uhhh... I'm not sure. I guess we could watch the show and maybe find out more about what Trixie has been up to? Lapis, what do you think?"

After a few moments of searching, Key had managed to locate a brush in the stuff that she had brought aboard the train. She always carried one around, but she made a point of not using it very often. Even in Canterlot, she would show up at social gatherings without even making a token effort at appearing presentable. She liked her scruffy appearance. She believed that it disguised the fact that her fur and hair had a remarkably boring color scheme.

She tilted her head to the site and examined her reflection in the mirror. After just a few minutes of combing, the loose hairs in Key's mane and tail had been tamed, and the result was a fairly startling change in appearance. She wasn't quite sure what to make of the pony that was looking back at her. She looked staid, and her expressionless face lent her a solemn appearance. She also looked much older than her real age.

At first, Key was repulsed by her appearance; the dignified, restrained pony that she saw was simply not her. However, after a second look in the mirror, she found herself wondering if perhaps a dark blue flower would have been a beneficial accessory to pack. She thought that it could have probably matched quite nicely with the color of her eyes and fur.

Key blinked. Accessories? Clearly, she thought, she had spent far too much time in the mirror. She couldn't wait to get back to her normal, scruffy self, but for the moment, her altered appearance would be helpful in making her hasty departure seem more reasonable. With a sigh, she left her room and headed for the dining car.

@@Dave247,

In the dining car, Key saw a small group of ponies talking, and she noticed that the assistant conductor was among them. She decided that she would give them some space. Key was not interested in another chance encounter with Springer. She also noticed that Daylight was still sitting at the table where she had left him. She walked up to Daylight and spoke to him cheerfully. "Hey Daylight! You still here? I thought you were going to join us for the show?"

Without waiting for an answer, Key trotted straight for the parlor car. She didn't mean to be rude, but she needed Daylight to follow her. She really needed Daylight to attend the show. His presence would be her distraction.

@@Electrobolt,

Key looked around the parlor car. Magicon was already seated. Electrobolt was there are well, and Key decided to sit next to him. "Hello Electrobolt, are you looking forward to the show?" She noticed that his eyes were closed, so she prodded him with her hoof. "By the way, can I call you Electro or Bolt? Your name is kinda hard to keep saying over and over again."

Electrobolt · November 22, 2012

As Electrobolt's eyes were closed, he was starting to think about everything that happened recently. *So Trixie stole some object of Key's...* he thought. *Both Key and Daylight are working together, trying to get the object back, and I volunteered to help them. And then... Then Springer sneaked up on us as they were trying to discuss the case to Magicon with little details, although I don't really---* It was then that he came across a curious thought. *Wait... Now that I think about it, how does Springer know if it was an artifact? Did somepony mention that...?* As he tried to recall any moment in time when an artifact had been mentioned, he heard a familiar voice speak up and then poke him.

"Hello Electrobolt, are you looking forward to the show?" She noticed that his eyes were closed, so she prodded him with her hoof. "By the way, can I call you Electro or Bolt? Your name is kinda hard to keep saying over and over again."

Opening his eyes, but not quite looking in her direction yet, Electrobolt responded, "Well, I guess so..." Then as he was about to respond to the second question, he looked over to her. "And Electro is fi---" But he stopped as soon as he noticed Key's appearance. As he looked at her mane, it was neatened up this time, as opposed to being rather scruffy. With just this one change in appearance, she looked like a completely different pony.

He was lost for a moment, before realizing he was just staring, before shaking his head. "Oh, um... Sorry, I don't know what came over me," he uttered out, feeling embarrassed about this moment. "Um, anyways... Electro is fine. It's pretty much my nickname..." He then looked back to the stage, before looking away from Key, as if he was looking around the room when in reality, he was trying to hide the blush on his face from the embarrassing moment when he remained silent. *Way to go, Electro...* he grumbled in his mind for having been silent. *But... She does look rather nice, with her mane like that... Maybe if she added a little somethi--- Wait a minute, what am I thinking???!!*

Key Gear · November 23, 2012

Opening his eyes, but not quite looking in her direction yet, Electrobolt responded, "Well, I guess so..." Then as he was about to respond to the second question, he looked over to her. "And Electro is fi---" But he stopped as soon as he noticed Key's appearance. As he looked at her mane, it was neatened up this time, as opposed to being rather scruffy. With just this one change in appearance, she looked like a completely different pony.

He was lost for a moment, before realizing he was just staring, before shaking his head.

Key blinked, and she wondered what was wrong. Electrobolt had stopped, midsentence. For one, unnerving moment, Key thought that Springer had silently crept up behind her again. She took a quick glance over her shoulder, but she didn't see anypony there. When she turned back around, she realized that Electrobolt wasn't looking behind her, he was looking right at her. He seemed to be at a loss for words.

As the silence dragged on and Electrobolt seemed to be stuck in a strange reverie, Key felt a distinct sense of uneasiness. She was worried that, perhaps, she had said something wrong again. She really didn't want to go back to the awkward silences that had occurred earlier when Electrobolt had first approached her during dinner, so she decided to do something. But, just when she was about to say something to break the silence, Electrobolt shook his head as if waking up from a dream and continued.

"Oh, um... Sorry, I don't know what came over me," he uttered out, feeling embarrassed about this moment. "Um, anyways... Electro is fine. It's pretty much my nickname..." He then looked back to the stage, before looking away from Key, as if he was looking around the room when in reality, he was trying to hide the blush on his face from the embarrassing moment when he remained silent.

Key's uneasiness turned into confusion. She didn't know what had come over Electrobolt either. She wasn't quite sure what to make of his reaction to what she thought had been a simple question. First the silence and the stare, and now... He was looking away from her. Key tilted her head slightly to the side and tried thinking things through. Had she offended him with her question? But he said that calling him Electro was fine... As Electrobolt continued to avoid looking towards her, she wanted to say something, but she didn't know what to say.

She thought about what could possibly be the reason for his behaviour. She figured that something had to be different, because everything had been fine before she left to go to her room. Either she had said something or she had done something differently... Or... Key thought about her changed appearance. Could that possibly be what had caused him to behave so strangely... Watching him closely, she realized that Electrobolt was... Blushing? She hadn't noticed it earlier because he had been looking seemingly everywhere around the room in order to avoid her, but now, it was unmistakable.

Key felt strangely self-aware. She sat up straight and absentmindedly reached a hoof up to her mane to check for any loose strands of hair before she caught herself and stopped. She couldn't think of a single time in her entire existence that a colt had thought that she looked nice. She couldn't even think of a single time in her existence that she had thought that she looked nice. It just wasn't something that she thought about, at all, really. Yet, here Electrobolt was, blushing, and here she was, subconsciously worrying about her appearance. Key could feel herself starting to blush as well.

She felt butterflies in her stomache as she realized, for the second time that day, she was dealing with a social situation that she had never encountered before, and it was prompted by the same pony. This time though, she wasn't upset at Electro for the unintentional awkwardness. Surprising herself with her own thoughts, she realized that she didn't mind the attention. However, she really did want to end the awkwardness, but she didn't know how.

Randomly, Key observed that Electrobolt looked sort of funny when he blushed. His green fur, spikey blue mane, and the soft, reddened hue of his blushing face all combined to remind her of some type of wierd jungle flower. Key laughed nervously. Realizing, after the fact, that her chuckling might offend Electro, she hastily attempted an explanation. "You know Electro.... I... Uhhhh... Nevermind... Well, I was just thinking... You know... You look kind of funny when you blush." Key stopped for a moment before she continued, more quietly than before. "Ummm... It's not a bad thing by the way. It's.... Ummm... Kind of cute?"

Key smiled awkwardly on the outside, but on the inside, she wanted to facehoof so badly...

From the stage, Trixie had originally been lost in her own thoughts, but now, she found herself watching the increasingly awkward exchange between two young ponies in the audience. Out of the corner of her eye, she observed them, and as she did, she felt strangely tired. She thought about all of the experiences that she had missed out on in her quest to be the most powerful unicorn in Equestria. So many sacrifices...

She had no friends, and she had made some enemies. She seemingly had no fun, and she had plenty of work to do to prepare for all of her performances. She had worked so hard, only to have everything ruined by a single, seemingly ordinary unicorn in a small, unassuming town... She had done so much in life, but she had so little to show for it all. Yet, even as her feelings of exhaustion began to deepen, another feeling began to surface, fighting back against the exhaustion.

This was it. This was her moment. Springer was right. She really had to put on the show on the train. It was the only way that she could prove that she truly was both great and powerful. She needed to prove that. Not merely to convince others, but also to convince herself... To convince herself that all of the sacrifices have been worth it. Yes, she was better than everypony else. She had to be. It was the only way she could justify everything that had happened.

Her mind went back to Springer. Originally, when he suggested the idea of a show. She had assumed that he had some type of self-interested, ulterior motive, but now... She wasn't so sure. He certainly had his own objectives, but, she wondered, maybe their objectives overlapped. The trick would, almost certainly be in discerning exactly how much overlap there was...

Trixie lost herself in her own ruminations again. On stage, she turned her back to the crowd and stared, imperiously off into space.

Opalicious · November 23, 2012

Water Opal stood impatiently, watching Trixie...do nothing. She just stood there, staring off into nowhere, and Water Opal, though he only came to pass the time, mostly, didn't want to spend his time like this, and he headed away from the silent stage. Not wanting to 'burst her thoughts', he slowly opened the door and closed it, having second thoughts and considering to slam it, but decided against it. No point being the center of attention if he was just going to divert the spotlight away from him.

One glance through multiple windows that belonged to glass doors, which allowed him to see a few cars, told him nopony was around. "Didn't know Trixius Fanus isn't a extinct species," he muttered, happy nopony heard him, as nopony even understood his jokes. He opened his room door and slammed it behind him, before sitting on his bed, looking outside. His curtain windows were still closed, so he reached across and flung the pink velvet curtains open and admired the scenery. It wasn't very beautiful, and he didn't have the kindness toward inanimate objects to actually feel like the things outside were pretty. They were actually quite ugly, so he simply closed the curtains once more, reached into his saddle-bag, and pulled out a book, named The Epic of Gilgamesch.

Electrobolt · November 23, 2012

Electrobolt, even though there was silence in the current room, continued to think on what he had just done earlier. He had just stared at Key Gear, lost in her changed appearance, as if he were attracted to her... *What is with you, Electrobolt...* the young colt spoke to himself in his mind. *First... First you ask Key if you could be her friend... And now this...? Geez... I only wonder what Key Gear could be thinking right now...* He then let out a small sigh, as he closed his eyes. *Well... She did look rather cute, with her mane all done up like th--- Wait, there I go again!!!*

Electrobolt couldn't help but think he might have had a negative impact on Key then, and just wanted to leave the parlor car to go back to his room. He really didn't want to embarrass himself any further than he did in front of Key Gear, and especially not to Trixie. But, the filly was rather gorgeous, he had to admit that. But still... Just then, he heard Key speaking up to him, as his eyes opened up.

Key laughed nervously. Realizing, after the fact, that her chuckling might offend Electro, she hastily attempted an explanation. "You know Electro.... I... Uhhhh... Nevermind... Well, I was just thinking... You know... You look kind of funny when you blush." Key stopped for a moment before she continued, more quietly than before. "Ummm... It's not a bad thing by the way. It's.... Ummm... Kind of cute?"

Electrobolt's eyes were wide open now. Key seemed to have noticed his blushing, yet... *She... She thinks me blushing...* he stammered in his head. *She thinks it... That it's cute...?* His heart was beating now, as he was unsure of what he could say in response to this. But he had to say something, or else the silence would just draw on and make things even more awkward. Even though he was still blushing, he slowly turned his head around, looking back to Key. "You..." he uttered out, still feeling rather embarrassed about the whole matter. "You really... Think so...?"

Bari · November 23, 2012

Lapis watched as the cook reacted to his tale. She seemed to have genuinely enjoyed it. Perhaps he'd publish that expedition after all. But for the time being, there was still quite a lot of unanswered questions. Mainly, the light behind the door. It would have to wait though, since Lapis definitely couldn't trust it. Maybe later if they could convince some other passengers to aid them. Lapis knew next to nothing about anyone else on the train, so it would be a shot in the dark just to randomly ask around. And it could very well cause some trouble if anyone got the wrong idea. Maybe it was best to just head on to the caboose and find that missing pony.

"Dragons... Deadly light... You really have seen some dangerous things on your journeys. I hope that we don't run into anything like that on this train though. But, if we do... Then at least somepony on this train has experience with them."

Lapis blushed a little out of embarrassment. Ambrosia made it sound like he had known what he was doing in those situations. And the only reason he was still here today was thanks to Asteria. She'd teleported them away from the dragon, and had smashed the cursed jar. He doubted he could have gotten as far as he did without her. But he couldn't get himself to admit it. He knew it was wrong of him to do so, but he had told Ambrosia that it was Asteria who'd saved him twice. Maybe the cook didn't see that, despite it's obviousness. Or maybe Lapis was being critical of the mare. Either way, it was true that he had experience with unknown and dangerous things. So if something strange occurred, he'd do his best to push through it.

The cook headed into the dining car, and the blue stallion followed after. But the pegasus from earlier stopped them right in their tracks.

"Hiya Ambrosia! Trixie's show is about to start! Come on! Join the audience! It's going to be great!"

Springer's enthusiasm make Lapis feel a little queasy. Nopony his age should be that happy to see a magic show. If it were Asteria, he'd understand. The filly was quite excitable. Lapis tried to push past that though and listened closely to the exchange between the two members of the staff.

Then Springer became serious, and lowered his voice. Lapis strained himself to hear what the assistant conductor was saying. All he could catch though was that Dusky was not to be found in the caboose. This worried Lapis. If Dusky wasn't there, or anywhere else for that matter, that part of the investigation was a bust. They'd have no choice but to question Springer or Trixie. But this green pegasus was a bit intolerable. Lapis didn't like idiots.

And then Springer insisted on watching the show again. If it would be a waste of time to hunt for Dusky, why miss out on the show? They could gather some information if Trixie happened to try some odd trick. And afterwards, they could approach her directly to ask some simple questions. It was a good enough plan as any.

"I've been doing some looking around myself. I think that there is something very strange happening on this train. That's one of the reasons that I am setting up this show for Trixie. It's an experiment. You could help me by watching the show and keeping your eyes open."

It was as if Springer had read his thoughts. Though still not willing to deal with the assistant engineer, this train of logic made sense to Lapis. By the time Ambrosia had asked him what he thought, his mind was already made up.

Lapis lowered his voice so that only the cook could hear. "Well, I for one don't like this Springer fellow. But he has a point. If we can't find Dusky, might as well watch the show. And we can question Trixie afterwards. Then maybe later, we can try to find Dusky. I'm sure he's fine. Or maybe not... But the show is happening now, and Dusky can wait."

Lapis was a little surprised with himself. He'd rather see a silly magic show than look for a pony who could very well be hurt...or worse? The fact that he could be over thinking Dusky's disappearance made him capable of making the decision, but it didn't feel quite right. No point in arguing with himself though. His mind was made up. The two of them would attend Trixie's magic show, question the performer, maybe get some other ponies to help, then hunt for the missing pony. But he'd bring the last two parts up afterwards. For now, it was time to see what this 'Great and Powerful' Trixie could do. He just hoped the show would start soon. If something had happened to Dusky, he didn't want this to take too long.

Magicon · November 24, 2012

Magicon entered the Parlor Car, bitter on the inside as he saw Trixie idly sitting on the stage, seemingly lost in her own thoughts. He looked for Springer to silently glare at him, but did not find him, only adding to his bitterness. He couldn’t miss it; Springer would notice and pester him forever. He couldn’t just stay for a little bit; Springer would notice as well. Every escape he thought of, it wound back to Springer.

‘What is with that pony? He’s more annoying than Archie when colts and fillies enter the museum for the first time.’ He knew Springer was up to something, the other ponies couldn’t ignore it. Magicon didn’t know what Key and Daylight were thinking, but he knew they had their own suspicions and theories about Springer and possibly even Trixie. ‘If I am ever going to make this trip worthwhile I need to make sure that Key gets that artifact from Trixie. I’ll help her, if that means I can display that artifact in the museum.’

Yet, his plans depended solely on Key getting the artifact from Trixie. ‘She is so young, so inexperienced, and even with a detective like Daylight to help her, Celestia knows if she’ll even be successful.’ He could only wait for Key to make her move and assist her and Daylight if he could. For the time being, he sat himself in the middle row, but near the edge, definitely not wanting to be immersed in the false splendor of the Not-So-Great and Powerless Trixie.

Flow · November 24, 2012

After finishing her glass of apple juice, Flow got up from her table and stretched herself, "MMMMM....Ahhh....Well, I guess it's time to go inside the parlor car and watch her show, but the problem now is that....I don't want to be alone..I want somepony to talk to, but who? They all look like they're engaged in a conversation, hmm...."

Slowly, she trotted to the Parlor car, "I don't even want to see her show anyways, she's just a total showoff who just goes around bragging that she once banished an Ursa Minor, which we all know in Ponyville is a lie. I suppose the news of her cockiness had spread around Equestria,

When she took a seat, her thoughts continued "What also bothers me is why does that green pegasus pony employee....err...featherbrain think she is so amazing? And just touching me like that? Has he no sense of my personal space? Jeez...I would like to make a complaint to the conductor of train, why did they allow an ignorant and rude pony to work on a prestigious train for the upper class? Sigh....All that matters now is to watch her awesome show, and eventually I'll burst with excitement in no time...yaaay....." Her sarcasm just kicked in.

Key Gear · November 24, 2012

Vim sighed. The minutes had dragged on, and it felt like he had been waiting in the train engine forever. He had never heard back from either Springer or Ambrosia, and Dusky had shown absolutely no signs of returning to his post. With one last, agonizing, glance at the instrument panel, Vim decided to leave the train engine. There wasn't really much he could do there anyway. He knew enough to diagnose problems and to fix some minor things, but he was not an engineer.

Vim briefly considered returning to his room, but he decided against it. So long as he was short by one crew member, he would never be able to put his mind fully at ease. Instead, he decided to make his way over to the parlor. As much as he wasn't looking forward to it, Vim figured that watching Trixie's performance just might give him some idea of what exactly was going on in his train. Vim smiled as he thought that it could also present an opportunity to speak with Electrobolt again. Vim made his way to the parlor car at a liesurely pace.

Even though he was still blushing, he slowly turned his head around, looking back to Key. "You..." he uttered out, still feeling rather embarrassed about the whole matter. "You really... Think so...?"

"Ummm... Yeah. Yes, I think so." Key was certain that she was now blushing just as much as Electro was. She just knew that she looked and sounded completely ridiculous. Key started to look away from Electrobolt and glance off in any other direction, but she stopped. For some incomprehensible reason, she was curious about something, and she was willing to risk further embarrasment to know the answer.

Earlier, she had assumed that her appearance was what caused Electro's reaction, but he had never really said anything. For a few moments, Key nervously thought about how she could possibly ask him. She really did want to know the answer, but she had never asked a question like that before in her entire life. It just never came up. She couldn't think of any way except for the most direct, so she took a deep breath and, as calmly as she could manage, asked a simple question. "Electro... Do you think I'm pretty?"

While she had managed to preserve a relatively calm demeanor, Key really wanted a trap door to suddenly appear. She wanted to know the answer to her question, but she also regretted ever asking. She had no idea what she was doing, but she was the one that had just put her hoof in her mouth again. Electrobolt was already obviously embarrassed, and she knew, intrinsically, that her question wouldn't make anything any better. But, somehow, she really wanted to know the answer...

Lapis lowered his voice so that only the cook could hear. "Well, I for one don't like this Springer fellow. But he has a point. If we can't find Dusky, might as well watch the show. And we can question Trixie afterwards. Then maybe later, we can try to find Dusky. I'm sure he's fine. Or maybe not... But the show is happening now, and Dusky can wait."

Ambrosia listened quietly to Lapis's reasoning. It made perfect sense to her, and it seemed like a perfectly prudent course of action. She was certain that Springer would overhear her if she whispered back a response, so she simply nodded her head at Lapis. She still had a feeling of malaise, but she pushed it out of her mind and responded to Springer in even tones. "Alright, we'll watch the show..." Ambrosia hesitated before adding something. "But, after the show, you really should tell us what's going on here. Springer, we can't trust you if you don't share what you know."

With that last admonition, Ambrosia made her way into the parlor car, following closely behind a cream-colored Pegasus. She normally didn't like to be so abrupt, but in this case, she felt that it had been warranted. Lapis was right, Springer wasn't acting like a particularly trustworthy pony at the moment. She stepped into the parlor car and looked around. The stage was set, Trixie was staring off into space, several passengers were already seated. For all of his conspiratorial talk, it was difficult to see evidence of Springer's experiment. As far as Ambrosia was concerned, everything seemed fine.

Ambrosia's eyes locked onto two younger ponies in the audience. A colt and a filly, and they were both blushing like beets. The cook's face registered immediate disapproval. "Well", she thought to herself, "almost everything is fine." From her small town roots, Ambrosia had inherited rather old-fashioned values. Out-of-control public displays of affection by younger ponies was one of the things that she did not approve of. She greatly preferred it when younger ponies were respectful of public spaces, and she had logged plenty of practice enforcing this among the younger members of her own family back in Haysead Grove.

For now, the two young ponies seemed to be somewhat civil, but she knew that these kind of things tended to escalate quickly. Working in the dining car, she had always found that it was important to defuse this type of situation before things got out of hoof. This was especially important when there were many other passengers around on a train. In such an enclosed space, it was easy for young, overly-enthusiastic ponies to offend, and there was not nearly enough space for older ponies to avoid the situation.

Ambrosia squinted and she identified the filly as the same brusque, manner-less and awkward creature that she had seen earlier at dinner. She hadn't recognized the filly at first because her appearance was nearly completely different. The colt was the same green colt that the filly had been speaking with over dinner. Ambrosia was bemused. Earlier, she had thought that the young filly was not the giggling type, but it seemed that she had been mistaken. Once again, she was reminded that it was not a good idea to judge a book by its cover. She had seen enough.

@@Electrobolt, @,

Wearing a grim expression, Ambrosia zeroed in on the two young ponies. Taking up a seat directly behind them, she spoke with the infinite authority of one that was seasoned in the art of dealing with the young. "Excuse me, I'm the train's cook. Could the two of you either calm down or take this somewhere else. I'm guessing that y'all know that a show is about to start?"

The young, blue filly immediately glanced at the cook with a facial expression that portrayed surprise, relief, and disappointment. The glance lasted only for a moment before she turned back around and faced the stage. The cook shook her head. Young ponies.

Dave247 · November 24, 2012

As Daylight sat alone and ate his pie, he watched Springer zoom up and down dinning car carrying various things for Trixie's show. "I wonder where he's getting all that stuff he's carrying from..." He thought. "Must of been from the baggage car. Why does this train even have a baggage car though? None of us brought any baggage on-board. Hmm..." Day then noticed Springer stop just as he entered the dinning car and looked around to see him energetically wave and call out to the cook who was followed by the pony that he saw talking with her earlier. He then quickly looked back as to not attract attention. He overheard that she was looking for Dusky. Who or what he was he had no idea but it was when springer tried and failed to speak softly that he became interested. He was apparently sent to find Dusky, and ended up empty handed. But it was how he talked which made him suspicious. He would have to make a note to follow this up at some point...

Day then heard Key's voice speak to him and as he turned to look he was surprised with what he saw. It appeared that Key had actuality done what she said she went to do and "freshened up", which he was sure at the time was just a excuse for covering for something else. He watched her walk off into the parlor, perplexed at what her real intentions could be. He then saw the cook enter the palor shortly after and decided it was about time that he joined Key and Electro. He quickly gobbled down the last few bites of his pie and then got up and walked into the parlor.

As he entered, he saw a makeshift stage set up in the middle of the parlor with Trixie standing on it. She was distracted staring off into space so he knew the show must not be ready to start yet. Looking around the room he saw Magicon sitting by himself, lost in his own thoughts. The mare who was dining with the cook also Springer who was running around doing last minute preparations.

He then looked over to the last group of ponies he hadn't seen yet. It was Key, Electrobolt, and the cook who was sitting behind them for some reason. As he got closer, he could see the two young ponies looking rather uncomfortable, and the cook with a look of disappointment on her face.

@Key Gear, @Ambrosia, @Electrobolt

"Umm... is there something I should know about?" He asked the group, looking puzzled when he reached them.

Electrobolt · November 24, 2012

When Key Gear had answered Electrobolt, he couldn't help but notice the young filly was blushing as well. Electro was curious as to whether the filly was blushing out of embarrassment as well, or if it was something else. As Key looked away, the lime-green colt also allowed himself to look away, his face still red from embarrassment. *Geez... It's just one thing after another...* he thought, kinda wanting the whole awkward moment to end. However, it seemed to be that the whole moment would continue, as Key then asked him a question.

"Electro... Do you think I'm pretty?"

Just then, Key asked if she was pretty, and this caused Electrobolt to look back at her quickly. He was shocked that she would ask this, but at the same time, he kind of saw it coming. *She... She wants to know if I think she's... Pretty...?* he thought, the blush getting intensified. His heart was skipping beats as he wondered why she asked this. But if he remained silent, things would only get more awkward. But if he answered, things might end up getting just as awkward anyways. So just sucking it up, Electrobolt took in a breath to answer that she did in fact look pretty, when...

Wearing a grim expression, Ambrosia zeroed in on the two young ponies. Taking up a seat directly behind them, she spoke with the infinite authority of one that was seasoned in the art of dealing with the young. "Excuse me, I'm the train's cook. Could the two of you either calm down or take this somewhere else. I'm guessing that y'all know that a show is about to start?"

And with this, Electrobolt nearly leapt out of his seat, completely taken by shock, before looking back to the pony who spoke up to them. The cook had somehow managed to sneak up on them, and was wanting for this whole thing to get broken up. Clearing his throat and trying to put on a calm face - yet failing to do so - Electro responded, "Oh, um... I... I'm sorry about that, miss..." Shaking his head and turning around, he looked to Key, as he started to say, "Um... Maybe we should just for---"

"Umm... is there something I should know about?" He asked the group, looking puzzled when he reached them.

This was the second time this minute that Electrobolt had been caught off-guard and taken by surprise. Looking over to the source of the voice, he saw it was Daylight, the unicorn that he had been seated with, along with Key. *Oh gosh... I do NOT want to get back into that whole thing AGAIN...* groaned the earth pony, as he wanted to bolt off right about now. "Uh... No, no, nothing is going on..." Right then, he really wanted to smack himself in the face for everything that had just happened now. *Celestia have mercy on my soul...*

Bari · November 24, 2012

Lapis followed after Ambrosia into the parlor car, somewhat anxious. Springer might have been lying about offering them any help. For all they knew, he could be working with Trixie. Of course, what would that even mean? What could Trixie possibly be up to? It was just that all this suspicious activity was causing Lapis to worry.

The cook seemed to be dealing with two foals who had seemed to be flirting, or something like that. Lapis chuckled softly, amused at the little display. Clearly Ambrosia's small town sensibilities had made her break up the young ponies. Back at Grass Valley, Lapis never really paid much attention to the goings on of pony inner relationships. But it was always fun to see somepony butt into other ponies' business. Watching reactions seemed entertaining.

He looked around, taking note of the other passengers. The only one whom he knew by name was Flow, so he motioned to her. Hoping she'd wish to sit with him, Lapis took a seat next to Ambrosia. A goldenrod unicorn that seemed awfully lanky was addressing the group, but Lapis paid him no mind. He seemed to be mostly focused on the colt and filly.

Shift · November 26, 2012

Timeshift followed all of the other ponies into the Parlor Car. Dinner could wait: she couldn't resist to see that jerk Trixie make a fool of herself. Thought, that got her wondering about her attitude. She was a bit of a snob lately and...oh, she was never social in her life anyway. Why should today be different?

She grabbed any seat that wasn't taken, and then levitated her Daring Do and the Griffon's Goblet book up to her. She really really really liked Daring Do, and if Trixie's show was more intersting then her book, she might be actually impressed. But there was a 0% chance of that happening, as Trixie was the biggest boaster in Ponyville, those years ago. Thank Celestia Twilight stopped that Ursa Minor...

Anyway...why in the name of Luna is she here? Is she trying to raise money, and who in their right mind would HIRE her?! She would have shoo'd her off stage in any other right, as she really disliked ponies who had more magic then her. Especially ponies who brag about their magical talents. Twilight Sparkle was a vague exception.

"This better be better then my book!" Timeshift grumbled, hoping her time wouldn't be wasted too much.

Key Gear · November 27, 2012

So just sucking it up, Electrobolt took in a breath to answer that she did in fact look pretty, when...

When it appeared that Electrobolt was about to answer her question, all of Key's awkwardness was temporarily forgotten. Anxiously, she held her own breath and waited for the answer. She, quite literally, had no idea what she was doing, but she didn't care. Right then, in that very moment, she wasn't thinking about Trixie, the stolen artifact, or anything else.

Wearing a grim expression, Ambrosia zeroed in on the two young ponies. Taking up a seat directly behind them, she spoke with the infinite authority of one that was seasoned in the art of dealing with the young. "Excuse me, I'm the train's cook. Could the two of you either calm down or take this somewhere else. I'm guessing that y'all know that a show is about to start?"

Reality came crashing down on Key with a startling force, and she was beyond startled. She whirled to face the cook. She wanted to say something, but she wasn't sure of what to say. On one hoof, she wanted to thank the cook for snapping her out of her reverie. On the other hoof, she wanted to, politely, tell the cook to "buzz off" so that she could hear Electrobolt's answer. Realizing that whatever she said was likely to sound half-crazed due to her frazzled state of mind, Key decided to say nothing and she quickly turned to face the stage, hiding her face from Ambrosia.

Clearing his throat and trying to put on a calm face - yet failing to do so - Electro responded, "Oh, um... I... I'm sorry about that, miss..." Shaking his head and turning around, he looked to Key, as he started to say, "Um... Maybe we should just for---"

When Electrobolt cleared his throat and started speaking again, Key glanced over and looked at him apprehensively. Her head still wasn't quite completely clear, but she hoped that Electrobolt was not going to argue with the cook. Hazily remembering her earlier plan, she knew that everything would be much more difficult if she attracted any more attention.

Electrobolt's words were remarkably nonconfrontational. With a sigh of relief, Key was already starting to nod her head in agreement, but unfortunately, yet another unexpected event occurred.

"Umm... is there something I should know about?" He asked the group, looking puzzled when he reached them.

Key blinked. Now Daylight was here... She wondered how it could possibly get any worse. Key facehoofed. It was a reaction that she had been restraining ever since the string of awkwardness began. She was started to feel emotionally tired of all of these unusual situations. She wanted a trap door. Again.

"Uh... No, no, nothing is going on..." Right then, he really wanted to smack himself in the face for everything that had just happened now. *Celestia have mercy on my soul...*

At the same time as Electrobolt, Key started stammering out a reply as well. "No, no, no.... No... Yeah, nothing is going on..." Realizing that she and Electrobolt were both completely unconvincing, Key tried a final act of desperation. She glanced over to Ambrosia with a pleading expression.

Clearing his throat and trying to put on a calm face - yet failing to do so - Electro responded, "Oh, um... I... I'm sorry about that, miss..." Shaking his head and turning around, he looked to Key, as he started to say, "Um... Maybe we should just for---"

Ambrosia shook her head as she listened to the colt stumble through an apology. Both of these ponies seemed far too awkward and fumbling to have consciously got themselves in this situation, but she didn't soften her facial expression. One thing that she knew was that once this kind of thing started, it had a tendency to keep going unless it was stomped solidly. She was just about to launch into her typical speech when she heard a friendly voice speak up behind her.

"Umm... is there something I should know about?" He asked the group, looking puzzled when he reached them.

Ambrosia turned her head to see the source of the question. What she saw was a tall, graceful looking unicorn with goldenrod fur and a very concerned demeanor. As both of the younger ponies started stammering at once, Ambrosia figured that this new arrival was some type of guardian or authority figure to them both. She also realized that she was right, after all. Neither of the young ponies was particularly good with words or charismatic. If they had been, then they would have surely talked themselves out of this mess by now. Ambrosia felt just a tiny bit sorry for them.

Just then, she caught the pleading look from the young filly. Ambrosia weighed her thoughts and her words. She was not going to lie because that was not in her nature. She couldn't just tell this unicorn that nothing was going on. However, she also didn't want to say nothing and just stand by idly while the colt and filly possibly lied their way out of the situation. After a moment in thought, she knew what she was going to say and she spoke confidently. "Yes, there is something you should know about, but I think we should talk about it after the show." With those words, Ambrosia sat back in her chair and comforted herself with the thought of a job well done. She would talk to the unicorn about his young friends, but she would do it later.

Springer had waited until after Ambrosia, Lapis, and the Detective had made their way into the parlor. Then, he, himself, had gone into the kitchen's storeroom. He was looking for something, something very special. When he finally found it, he carried it out into the dining car and hid it in plain sight among the items on the buffet table. Congratulating himself for his own cleverness, he then made his way into the parlor car. Ignoring the situation surrounding the younger ponies, he quietly, for once, took a seat on the front row. And he waited...

(OOC: Hah! Made you look! No spoilers here. I hope you don't mind. Just keep an eye peeled if you want to know what Springer just did. Anyways.... Last call folks, I'm writing the show's opening tomorrow. Feel free to say or do something until then. ... ,... Where are you??)

Alex Night · November 28, 2012

Clarity narrowed her eyes more cautiously at Alex. "I...used to work in Manehatten," she said vaguely.

"No, thank you," Clarity said immediately. She averted her eyes, now angry at herself for being so rude. Wasn't I trying to make friends? I can't do so with this kind of attitude!

@@Clarity,

Alex looked on as he saw that Clarity seemed a little reluctant to speak to him as she just said that she used to work in Manehatten. "Oh, Manehattan? I've never been there before. Then again, I've never visited any place outside of Ponyville and Canterlot. I'm not sure if Canterlot and Manehatten are the same type of city really..." Alex said casually to the mare. When he offered a piece of his Apple Pie however, she declined quickly and noticed that she averted her eyes from him. Alex felt embarrassed at that moment and wondered if it was him or if she didn't like Apple Pie so much. "Oh... That's alright. I guess not everypony loves Apple Pie" Alex said a little disheartened. "Oh man, this isn't working... It's hard to get this pony to open up to others... Alex thought to himself as he took another bite from his Apple Pie.

Springer bounded to the middle of the dining car, and spoke loudly, triumphantly. "Hey, eveypony! The one and only, the truly magnificent, the flawlessly beautiful, the Great and Powerful Trixie is ready to perform! Come one, come all! To the parlor car! This show will be amazing!"

Alex looked up from his Apple Pie to see another pony announcing loudly to the entire dining car about a magic show featuring The Great and Powerful Trixie in the parlor car. Alex gave a sigh thinking about that show-off. Alex could see that the other ponies are already moving to the parlor car though. "Frankly, I'd rather watch snails race than that blow-hard... Although, it seems the others are heading to the Parlor Car." Alex said aloud to her before focusing his attention back to Clarity. Alex felt a little nervous on how to ask the mare to join him to the show without coming off as strange to her. "Ummm, I'm going to join the others at the Parlor car. You can join me, if you'd like, Clarity." Alex said to her a little uncertain but working to sound calm and inviting.

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private Pony Mystery Theater: Exit Trixie, Stage Right.

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