Oh Sassy Saddles,
don't you just love my new Femme Mystique Chic line of gowns?
Sequins and sashes, Rarity, they're exquisite!
Where in Equestria did you find the inspiration?
Oh, I modeled them after the adventures of Shadow Spade.
Her stories are always full of mystery, suspense,
and best of all, fabulous costumes!
They're perfect!
What are you doing?
Oh, ah, just making some minor adjustments.
Shadow Spade believes it all comes down to attention to detail.
And so do I.
There!
Now it's perfect.
Hey guys, how's it-
My bad.
Sorry I messed up your dress thingie.
Nothing we can't fix in a stitch.
What are you doing in Canterlot?
I'm here for Princess Celestia's Royal Garden opening tomorrow.
Oh, yes! Rumor has it the gardens are especially lush this season.
I heard that the Wonderbolts will be kicking
things off with an aerial display.
You heard right. And Rainbow Dash is here to fly with them.
So exciting!
Well, kind of exciting.
Technically, I'm not flying.
I'm just the lucky Reserve who was called in to be
the backup flyer in case a Wonderbolt can't perform.
Oh, don't be so modest.
Out of all the reserves, you were the one chosen.
It is pretty sweet. And I do get to stay in the castle,
hang out with the Wonderbolts,
and eat awesome food at the dinner tonight.
Speaking of the dinner, you're still coming, right?
Heavens, yes! A chance to dress up,
be charming and show off my newest femme mystique couture?
I wouldn't miss it for all of Equestria.
Great! See ya tonight!
Oh, the rhinestones I ordered!
Oh my, oh, there's been a mistake...
I ordered thread uncut stones, and these are hoof-polished.
I'm sorry, but I've got a full load of deliveries today,
I'm not sure I have time to re-do your order.
Of course you don't. Your job is so difficult, honestly,
I don't know how you keep all of those orders straight.
Aheh, it is pretty tough, what with all of the boxes all being...
box-shaped.
Oh, y- oh yes, and I very much appreciate it,
but if there was any way you could squeeze in one more little delivery
I would be eternally grateful.
Well, for you, Rarity, I'll see what I can do.
Rarity, you could sweet-talk a filly out of candy!
Oh, it was nothing.
Nopony minds a compliment.
Now, you simply must help me pick out an outfit for tonight!
Something from the new collection, of course!
Let's grab some grub!
Mm, is that Juniper Phoenix I smell?
No, it's broccoli!
Yeah, Juniper Phoenix is one of my favorite stallion colognes.
Oh, mine as well, it's masculine and then-
Sorry, with the fairest hint of floral notes, and-
Rarity! Don't you know who this is?!
A gentlepony with fabulous taste in colognes and scarves?
It's Wind Rider!
Oh! So nice to meet you!
You didn't let me finish!
He's a living legend.
He holds the Wonderbolts record in the Mustang Marathon!
Ah, that was a long time ago.
Honestly, I can't believe I still hold the record.
Wind Rider, I see you met Rainbow Dash!
She's one of our most promising reserves.
She just might beat your record!
Really now?
Oh, I'm nowhere near as good as you.
I mean, I'm fast,
but I don't have the endurance to go long distances.
Ah, don't be modest.
A little practice and you'll be beating records in no time.
Heheh. Well, it's nice to meet you fillies.
Not as nice as it is to meet you, sir.
I can't believe I just met Wind Rider!
Yeah, he's coming out of retirement to take the spot of honor
in the centre of our aerial flower formation tomorrow.
Really? That's incredible!
Guess I'll just watch Wind Rider being awesome from the sidelines...
Practice tomorrow is gonna be so boring.
I don't suppose I could keep you company?
You could! They always let friends and family come watch practices!
Mm- ooh!
Oops, heh, sorry about that.
Lemme help you clean that up.
No no, it's almost impossible to get stains out of silk.
But not to worry.
I've come prepared!
That dinner was absolutely divine.
Thanks for inviting me!
Ooh, staying in the east tower?
Those rooms have the best view of Canterlot!
How lucky are we? Oh well,
we better get some shut-eye before practice.
See you tomorrow, Rarity!
Good night!
Thanks for keeping me company, Rarity.
If you weren't here, well,
I don't know who I'd be talking to right now.
Eh, you'd be talkin' to me.
Rainbow Dash, Spitfire's mom sent a message saying she was sick,
she had to leave to take care of her.
Oh no! I hope her mom's okay!
Me too. In the meantime, we need you to fly in her place.
W-wait, you mean the actual show?
Unless Spitfire comes back, yes.
I won't let you down, Soarin'!
This is the best thing ever!
Ohmygoshohmygosh ohmygoshohmygosh!
I'm gonna get to fly with Wind Rider and the Wonderbolts,
cuz I'm the greatest, and I'm awesome, and they know it-
Uh... Rainbow Dash?
Shh! Let her have this, darling.
Hello there! Friend or family?
Family. My daughter's a Wonderbolt, but I don't see her up there...
Do you know Spitfire?
Ooh, you're Spitfire's mum...?
But I thought you were sick?
What?
Well, Spitfire got a note from you saying you weren't feeling well,
and she went home to take care of you.
I didn't send a note.
That's so strange.
Stormy Flare? Aren't you supposed to be sick?
Kay, what's happening?
I don't know! But I do know I didn't send my daughter a note.
Could somepony have sent Spitfire a fake note?
Who would do such a thing?
Somepony who wanted her out of the show I suppose.
Why would anypony want that?
Maybe so they could take her spot.
Me?! I would never do that to Spitfire!
Why would you think it was me?
I did see you and Spitfire leave the dinner together.
We were room neighbors in the castle!
And you did say you'd do anything to fly with Wind Rider.
Yeah, but I didn't mean anything.
Spitfire came by my room and told me
she had to go see her mom at around midnight.
Where were you then?
I was asleep at midnight...
having this totally amazing dream.
There I was, at the arena,
flying with Wind Rider and the Wonderbolts,
like I've always wanted to-
-ah, eh, nevermind. Not helping.
Rainbow Dash, if you can prove somepony else
is behind Spitfire's disappearance before the start of the show,
then you can still fly with us.
In the meantime, Misty Fly, Blaze, head over to Stormy Flare's house,
try to find Spitfire and bring her back.
I have to warn you, if you sent that letter, the by-laws are clear.
I'd have no choice but to ban you from the Wonderbolts forever.
Understand?
I understand.
But how am I gonna prove
I didn't send a letter that I didn't send?!
With me!
Detective Rarity is on the case,
and we are going to get to the bottom
of this faster than my costume change!
...Yeah, what's with the getup?
Obviously, I am channeling Shadow Spade
through these gorgeous garments,
and she would say that the best way to prove
you didn't send the letter is to find out whoever did.
First up, the scene of the crime!
We had a long road ahead of us, Rainbow Dash and I.
Well, not too long because we didn't have much time,
but the point is I was up for the challenge.
There I was, surveying the crime scene,
and looking très chic while doing it.
This must be the envelope for the letter Spitfire got!
Hm, these look like hairs from a rainbow mane!
That's not good.
Rainbow Dash was getting antsy,
but I had faith I could clear her name and find the real culprit.
What are you doing?
Uh, just thinking thoughts.
Rainbow Dash was right.
In order to solve the mystery, we had to be focused.
Driven.
One hundred percent in the- Ooh!
The damas pattern on these curtains is exquisite!
Oh, and this velvet rope-holder, oh, it's just-
We don't have time to look at the décor!
They're gonna kick me out of the Wonderbolts unless we solve this thing!
I know, Rainbow, and I'm on this case like a charm on a bracelet!
Here's what I'm thinking:
Somepony had to bring Spitfire that letter,
which means somepony must have seen them!
I just have a few questions for you,
and I'm sure once we get some things cleared up, we'll-
Come on, Rarity, we don't have all day!
Where were you on the night of last night at midnight?!
We were here, guarding the hallway entrance like we were supposed to.
A likely story.
I'm telling you, we were there all night,
and no-one went in or out of that hallway.
Except for you.
What are you tryin' to say?!
Just that there are only two rooms in the north-west wing,
yours and Spitfire's,
so the only other pony who had access to that wing was you.
The waters were getting choppy.
Rainbow Dash's tactics were, well, horrid.
It was time for another approach.
Perhaps I should take it from here!
You castle guards have such a difficult job.
I'm guessing at times it can be rather...
boring.
It is. I've counted all three hundred and forty five bolts
in the ceiling tiles two hundred and ninety three times!
And of course being a castle guard can be thankless work.
I'm not saying you did, but if you took a break,
you more than deserved it.
You're right, we don't get a lot of recognition for what we do.
Except for last night,
when somepony was nice enough to leave a cake for us.
So we did take one little break when we ate that cake.
What kind of cake was it?
Cherry with a custard filling.
Was the frosting vanilla or chocolate?
Chocolate.
Was the base of the cake decorated with buttercream rosettes?
It was.
Ugh, who cares how it was decorated?!
Rainbow Dash was questioning my methods.
But I knew what I was doing.
Do you?
Oh, oh, oh, did I say that one out loud...?
I mean, even I think I'm guilty at this point!
I really did want to fly in that show!
What if I wrote that note while I was asleep?!
Do you know what I do when I sleep?
Because I sure don't!
Oh calm down, Rainbow Dash.
We'll get to the bottom of this.
There's only one bakery in Canterlot that makes
a chocolate cherry cake with custard filling
and buttercream frosting rosettes and that's...
...Cinnamon Chai's Tea and Cake Shop!
Hello, how can I help you?
I've heard you have the best chocolate cherry custard cake
with buttercream frosting rosettes in town!
Ah, you travel in the right circles!
We have the only chocolate cherry custard cake
with buttercream frosting rosettes in town!
Oh no, but somepony's already bought it!
Who was the lucky pony?
I can't even say!
Why? Because it was somepony famous?
No, because it was hard to tell!
She was wearing a trench coat, sunglasses and a scarf
around her head that covered most of her face.
But I do remember she had a really deep, raspy voice.
What do you mean, raspy?
Well, kinda like yours.
If there's anything else you can remember, dish.
Well, have I got a story for you!
The pony who bought it threw a big fit
when she accidentally got chocolate ganache on her scarf!
That's terrible! What color was the scarf?
White! No, maybe kind of ivory...
You don't say!
I can't believe you're talking fashion at a time like this!
Rainbow, don't panic.
I need you to trust me.
Trust you?! You've spent more time changing clothes
than trying to help me!
I'm doomed!
No, you're not! Come on!
Rainbow Dash was obviously upset,
but I had all my ducks in a row.
Except one.
She was not going to like it,
but there was only one way to find out
if my suspicions were correct.
We looked everywhere, but Spitfire wasn't at her mom's house!
Where could she be?
I have found the culprit!
Somepony sent Spitfire away and framed Rainbow Dash for it.
And that pony was none other than...
Wind Rider!
Rarity, I can't believe you would accuse Wind Rider of framing me!
He's a living legend, for pony's sake!
All the evidence points to him!
Peh, what evidence could you possibly have?
All you did was ask about cake, admire décor,
and change outfits a gazillion times!
Let me explain. I never believed you would send Spitfire away.
When we found the rainbow hairs in Spitfire's room,
I could tell they didn't fall out, they were cut!
Nopony loses hair in a chunk, and look at the ends,
it's a straight line!
They were clearly cut with shears, which means somepony planted it!
Then when we were examining Spitfire's room,
I smelled something on the envelope.
Juniper Phoenix, Wind Rider's cologne of choice!
Then, in the castle hallway,
I noticed some of the damas curtains
fell out of their velvet rope-holder,
indicating that somepony had been hiding behind them!
Perhaps after they dropped off the fake letter?
Juniper Phoenix is a very popular fragrance,
and anypony could have moved those curtains.
Precisely why I questioned the castle guards!
They were at their post at the entrance to the hallway all night,
except for a small window of time when somepony brought them cake,
a cake that was ordered by a girl pony with a raspy voice!
Whoever ordered the cake got a chocolate stain on her ivory scarf,
and I couldn't help but notice that Wind Rider's scarf
is tied in a tight Windsor knot,
instead of its usual loose-slip knot!
And why is that?
Is it to hide the chocolate stain?!
Ah, this is preposterous.
Wonderbolts, you don't believe a word of this, right?
Just admit it – you're as guilty of framing Rainbow Dash
as you are of ruining that ivory scarf!
Fffine, you caught me!
I did it!
But why, Wind Rider?!
Was it because I took the last broccoli
at the dinner and you really, really wanted it?
No. It was because he was afraid
that you would break his long-distance Wonderbolt record!
I heard him when Spitfire said
you were close to breaking his record.
He said, and I quote, 'Heheh'.
That's the polite yet disingenuous laugh you make
when you want to seem happy but really you're not.
I thought if I could get Rainbow Dash kicked out
of the Wonderbolts forever, my record could be preserved.
Really? That is so not cool,
and I thought you were the coolest Wonderbolt ever.
Until now.
I did what I had to do to protect my record!
Sometimes you gotta play dirty to be the best!
That's not what being a Wonderbolt is all about.
She's right! Wonderbolts look after each other,
which reminds me, where is Spitfire?
I sent her the letter pretending to be Stormy Flare.
I told her I had pegasitis,
and the only cure is the ice iris in the Crystal Mountains.
No wonder she's been gone so long.
Ice irises are almost impossible to find in spring!
The Crystal Mountains are too far for anypony
to make it there and back before the royal garden opening!
Rainbow Dash, we need you to fly in Spitfire's place!
But Spitfire shouldn't have to miss this!
I'm gonna get her!
But you'll never make it in time!
Then there's no time to lose!
Rainbow Dash is still gone!
Oh don't panic.
If I know Rainbow Dash, she'll come through.
Spitfire, you're back!
I can't believe you made it!
I wouldn't have, if Rainbow hadn't found me so fast!
Gave me enough time to fly back!
Rare, I couldn't have done it without you.
And I'm sorry I doubted you,
but why didn't you tell me what you were doing?
Well I didn't want to get your hopes up until I was sure,
and I couldn't be sure until I saw that chocolate stain.
Thank you for believing in me, even when I was doubting you.
I'm some friend, huh?
Actually you're quite a good friend.
You went to get Spitfire,
even though it meant you couldn't fly today.
I'll get my chance one day.
Or today. How'd you like Wind Rider's spot in the show?
Uh, w-w-what? Y-you can't do this to me!
I'm one of the greatest Wonderbolts there ever was!
Not any more. For attempting to frame Rainbow Dash,
I hereby strip you of your Wonderbolts status!
So, would you like to fly with us?
Would I?!
Woohoo!
Yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah, uh, uh-huh, yeah, aww yeah...
Uh, Rainbow Dash?
Coming!
So my friend got her moment in the sun.
Or the centre of an aerial flower, as the case may be.
And as for me?
I got a chance to show off my Femme Mystique Chic collection!
That's nice, dear.
Oh, did I say that out loud?
Subtitles by MLPSubtitles
http://www.mlpsubtitles.com
Transcript: OmegaBowser, Max le Fou
Synchronization: OmegaBowser