“Sorry!”
The stranger wore a blue cloak and hurriedly lowered his head in apology before quickly walking away.
Dusk Glow narrowed his eyes.
Something was wrong.
The bottom of the stallion’s cloak was moving suspiciously.
Spike reached down toward his waist.
His expression immediately changed.
“My gem bag!”
“He stole it!”
Dusk Glow transformed into his pegasus form without hesitation.
“After him!”
The two of them immediately chased after the blue cloaked figure.
The thief seemed to realize that he had been discovered and quickened his pace, weaving left and right through the crowds in an attempt to lose them.
Spike was frantic.
“Those gems took me forever to save up! We can’t let him get away!”
Dusk Glow remained focused, carefully watching the thief’s movements.
Then he saw the thief suddenly dart into a narrow alley.
“Don’t even think about getting away!”
Dusk Glow flew into the alley after him.
Spike followed behind, panting heavily.
He was furious, but he was still a young dragon, and he simply could not keep up with Dusk Glow’s speed.
“Fwoosh!”
Dusk Glow continued pursuing the thief without letting up.
Even the thief seemed surprised that he could not shake him.
He kept turning through the twisting alleyways, repeatedly using magic to manipulate nearby obstacles and throw them toward Dusk Glow.
He can use magic directly.
Is he a unicorn?
Most ponies in Canterlot are unicorns anyway.
And he seems very familiar with these streets.
I need to force him into making a mistake.
Dusk Glow suddenly accelerated.
The moment the thief made a sharp turn, Dusk Glow transformed into his unicorn form.
A beam of magical energy shot forward.
It struck the thief’s right forehoof with perfect accuracy.
The thief cried out in pain.
His horseshoe came loose and fell away.
Dusk Glow thought that would be enough to make him surrender.
It was not.
The thief stubbornly continued running.
He quickly disappeared through a side door built into the wall of the alley.
Dusk Glow hurried after him.
When he opened the door, however, he found only a maze of empty corridors branching in several directions.
The thief had vanished.
“Dusk!”
Poor Spike finally caught up.
He was completely out of breath as he reached Dusk Glow and leaned against the wall for support.
“Did you catch him?”
Dusk Glow shook his head and pointed through the doorway.
Spike’s face fell.
Dusk Glow picked up the horseshoe the thief had dropped and examined it for a few moments.
Then he glanced at his own saddlebag.
An idea suddenly struck him.
Got it!
“Spike, I need a little help.”
Dusk Glow pulled out the plain sugar donut from his saddlebag.
He held up one hoof.
“Shake the sugar onto my hoof.”
Spike stared at him.
“Huh?”
“Are you going to eat the sugar by itself?”
“Trust me.”
Dusk Glow smiled confidently.
“Somepony running that fast has definitely got some grease on his hooves.”
Spike still looked confused, but he did as he was asked.
He shook the sugar from the donut onto Dusk Glow’s raised hoof.
Dusk Glow’s horn flashed.
The sparkling sugar suddenly floated into the air as though it had come alive.
The grains drifted through the corridor behind the door, gently settling onto the floor.
A trail appeared.
The thief’s right hoofprints were shallow and uneven.
His left hoof had traces of a special hoof polish.
“Whoa!”
Spike’s eyes widened.
“That’s awesome!”
He excitedly slapped Dusk Glow on the shoulder.
“You’re amazing!”
“We need to move.”
Dusk Glow immediately followed the trail.
“He’s probably still nearby.”
The two of them followed the hoofprints until they reached a beautifully carved oak door.
Warm candlelight seeped through the gap beneath it.
The faint sound of a violin drifted from the other side.
Dusk Glow took a slow breath.
Then he gently pushed the door open with magic.
“Whoosh.”
A magnificent crystal chandelier suddenly came into view.
Dozens of elegantly dressed unicorns stood throughout the room, using magic to hold sparkling cider glasses while chatting among themselves.
Attendants carrying gold trimmed dessert trays moved gracefully through the crowd.
A small ensemble was performing a variation of a serenade.
Dusk Glow and Spike froze in the doorway.
The sugar trail ended here.
The thief was hiding somewhere inside what appeared to be a gathering for Canterlot’s upper class.
Unfortunately, neither Dusk Glow nor Spike looked remotely like they belonged there.
One wrong move and they could be thrown out.
“What do we do now?” Spike whispered.
“We look like a couple of dessert delivery ponies who walked into the wrong party.”
Dusk Glow calmly studied the room.
The thief had lost the horseshoe from his right hoof.
That meant he would naturally put more weight on his left side.
And since he was a thief, he would probably disguise himself as one of the attendants.
Dusk Glow needed to find a clue.
He carefully scanned the entire room.
At least seven ponies matched his theory.
Just as he was about to investigate them, an elegant voice came from nearby.
“You two do not appear to be guests of this gathering.”
Dusk Glow and Spike both froze.
They turned around.
A white unicorn stood behind them.
His light blue mane was neatly combed into an elegant part.
His clothing resembled that of an old fashioned British aristocrat, and a monocle rested over one eye.
The moment he spoke, the attention of several nobles turned toward them.
Spike nervously stepped behind Dusk Glow.
Dusk Glow remained calm.
He smiled politely.
“We’re here to deliver a very special gift.”
“We just happened to lose our way outside.”
The white unicorn raised an eyebrow.
“Oh?”
“And what sort of special gift would that be?”
Dusk Glow’s mind raced.
Then he improvised.
“A very rare magical gem.”
“Unfortunately, somepony stole it from us on the way here.”
“We followed the thief all the way to this gathering, so we’re fairly certain they’re hiding somewhere among the guests.”
The nobles immediately began whispering among themselves.
The white unicorn’s mouth curled into an amused smile.
“Interesting.”
“And how exactly do you intend to find this thief?”
“It’s simple.”
Dusk Glow answered without hesitation.
“That gem gives off a special magical particle.”
“If anypony is carrying it, the veins on their nose will immediately bulge.”
The white unicorn chuckled.
Then his expression became serious.
“Young sir, deception is considerably less polite than accidentally wandering into a party.”
As a seasoned noble, he had instantly recognized Dusk Glow’s lie.
Several nobles took a step backward.
Some hid their expressions of displeasure behind fans or their glasses.
Spike panicked.
“Wait! That’s not what we…”
“You’re right.”
Dusk Glow suddenly laughed softly.
“I was lying.”
Then he pointed one hoof toward the far side of the room.
“But somepony here was foolish enough to believe me.”
Every eye followed his hoof.
An apparently innocent attendant was frantically touching his own nose.
He was the thief.
The moment he heard Dusk Glow’s claim, he had instinctively checked whether his nose really was showing the supposed bulging veins.
He had exposed himself.
The thief froze.
He realized that he had fallen straight into the trap.
His right hoof was still comically pressed against his nose.
The entire salon turned toward him like a spotlight.
His right hoof trembled slightly.
It was the very same hoof missing its horseshoe.
Knowing he had been exposed, the thief suddenly lunged forward.
He kicked the nearby dessert table with his right hoof, trying to create chaos and escape.
“Bang!”
But before he could get away, a magical rope wrapped around his leg.
He was yanked into the air.
Dusk Glow had already anticipated his move and acted first.
“You forgot one thing.”
Dusk Glow calmly walked over to the thief.
“Losing your horseshoe wasn’t the only thing that gave you away.”
“You also lost your guard against a simple trick.”
He grabbed the thief by the collar and pulled.
A bag of gems fell onto the floor.
Several extremely expensive pieces of jewelry fell out with it.
“Aha!”
Spike hurried over and picked up his gem bag.
Several nobles gasped when they recognized their belongings.
“That’s my grandmother’s heirloom brooch!”
“Good heavens! That’s the medal of honor Princess Celestia awarded to my family!”
One by one, the stolen items were identified and reclaimed.
The Royal Guard soon arrived and escorted the thief away.
The white unicorn from earlier stepped forward.
There was genuine admiration in his eyes now.
“I must admit, I underestimated you.”
“Such cleverness from one so young.”
Dusk Glow smiled.
“Thank you for your understanding.”
“I only came up with that trick because we were in a bit of a hurry.”
The white unicorn nodded.
His blue eyes gleamed behind his monocle.
“Quick thinking under pressure is often the truest measure of one’s ability.”
“Oh, forgive me.”
“Allow me to introduce myself.”
“My name is Flower Shorts.”
“It is a pleasure to meet you.”
What?
Dusk Glow nearly burst out laughing.
Flower Shorts?
What kind of pony gets named Flower Shorts?
He somehow managed to keep a straight face.
“Hello. I’m Dusk Glow.”
He then gestured toward Spike.
“And this is my friend, Spike.”
“Mr. Dusk Glow. Sir Spike.”
“What a pleasure.”
Flower Shorts elegantly raised a hoof.
An attendant immediately approached carrying a silver tray.
Three glasses filled with pale purple drinks that shimmered faintly like starlight rested upon it.
Flower Shorts used his magic to gently slide one of the glasses toward Dusk Glow.
“Would the two of you care to join us tomorrow evening for an antiquarian reception?”
“Some of Princess Celestia’s private collection will be on display as well.”
Dusk Glow accepted the glass and smiled politely.
“That’s very kind of you, but…”
“Princess Celestia’s private collection?”
Spike’s eyes lit up.
“Maybe Twilight would…”
Before he could finish, Dusk Glow gently pressed the glass against Spike’s mouth.
Spike made a muffled sound.
Dusk Glow cleared his throat.
“We would be delighted to see it.”
“Unfortunately, we just received word that there’s an urgent matter we need to deal with.”
“I’m afraid we won’t be able to attend.”
“What a shame.”
Spike made a few muffled noises.
Dusk Glow discreetly nudged him with a hoof.
Spike immediately stopped.
Dusk Glow’s polite refusal disappointed several of the nobles.
Some even looked at him as though he had just thrown away a golden opportunity.
After all, Flower Shorts was a prominent member of Canterlot’s upper class.
Earning his favor could potentially open countless doors.
Of course, Dusk Glow was not trying to offend him.
He simply felt that the noble world was far too deep and complicated for him to navigate.
He had no desire to get involved.
Flower Shorts looked slightly disappointed.
“That’s unfortunate.”
Then he smiled again.
“Still, allow me to offer you a small token of appreciation.”
“You certainly made this gathering much more entertaining.”
He gently tapped one hoof against the floor.
An attendant immediately stepped forward carrying another silver tray.
Resting on it was an elegantly wrapped box decorated with jewels.
Flower Shorts looked toward Spike.
“For our little gourmand.”
Spike’s eyes widened.
He practically vibrated with excitement.
“Goodness!”
“Thank you!”
He eagerly accepted the box.
Dusk Glow smiled politely.
“Thank you for your generosity.”
“This will certainly be appreciated.”
Flower Shorts smiled.
“I hope we have another opportunity to share such an occasion with the two of you.”
“Certainly.”
After saying their goodbyes to Flower Shorts and the assembled nobles, Dusk Glow and Spike left the luxurious gathering.
The moment they were outside, Spike opened the dessert box.
Inside were three layers of exquisite pastries, each containing a different selection of sweets.
Spike’s eyes practically sparkled.
“Whoa!”
“These look amazing!”
“Talk about turning bad luck into good luck.”
He picked up a chocolate pastry filled with gooey filling and took a bite.
“But Dusk, why didn’t you accept that invitation?”
“What was that antiquarian reception supposed to be?”
“Because I’m not a noble.”
Dusk Glow sounded tired.
“I’d have no idea how to fit into their circle.”
“And we’ve already been out for quite a while.”
“I don’t really want to commit myself to another gathering while we’re out here.”
“Oh.”
Spike took another bite of his pastry.
“That’s a shame.”
Then his eyes lit up.
“But you know what?”
“The way you calmly made all that stuff up back there was awesome!”
“Especially the part about the veins bulging on their noses.”
“That was so cool!”
Dusk Glow raised an eyebrow.
“Oh?”
“Just how cool was it?”
“Cool enough to…”
Spike suddenly stopped.
Something about the conversation felt wrong.
He slowly raised his head.
His expression froze.
A purple figure stood in front of them.
Twilight Sparkle was staring at the two of them with a very serious expression.
Dusk Glow instinctively shrank back.
Twilight’s voice was filled with frustration.
“I leave you two alone for a little while.”
“I spend all that time reading.”
“And when I look up, the two of you are gone!”
“Do you have any idea how worried I was?!”
“I’m sorry, Twilight.”
Dusk Glow nervously lowered his head.
“We can explain.”
That evening, Dusk Glow and Spike gained one more item on their list of responsibilities.
Writing apology essays.