Rainbow groaned as she was wheeled from the hospital entrance, the sunlight bathed her in its warmth and stung her magically healed eyes.

With Applejack and Twilight by her sides she stood and stretched before beginning the walk back home.

“So, AJ. I know I’ve asked a bunch, but how’s life in the real world?”

“Oh, ya know. Shovel’n snow, plowin’ the paths. Winter ain’t the best time ta be a farmer, ya know.”

“Well, Ah’m learnin’ this year,” Rainbow replied with her slight drawl.

“I see you’re both having a sociolinguistics experience still. Rainbow Dash, I expect you’ll adopt it more than Applejack since you’re a bit more open as a linguistic adaptable pony.”

The others looked at Twilight.

“It mean you’re picking up Applejack’s accent nicely.”

“What? Ah’m not talkin’ like AJ? Am I, Sugarcube?”

Applejack laughed and slapped Rainbow on the back. “If’n ya ain’t, then Ah ain’t a pony.”

“What? So, I’m talkin’ like ya?”

“Yes, Rainbow Dash. It’s a common occurence in relationships, it’s just adapting to each other; totally normal.”

“So, Twi,” Rainbow asked, “does that mean you’re gonna start talking like Sun, or he’s gonna learn egghead for you?”

Rainbow laughed at her question while Applejack rolled her eyes sarcastically.

“You know what, Rainbow, I’m not an egghead; I’m well read.”

“Did you learn that in a book too?” Rainbow retorted with another laugh.

Twilight groaned in frustration before looking at Applejack. “So, how’ve Scootaloo’s nightmares been?”

“Wait, she’s still having them?”

“Only once since tha last time, don’t fret. We got’er in ta see a shrink and with a little magic it cleared up. Doc said she had some stress and somethin’ I don’t know what; a little meditation and more oats’ll make her right as an apple tree at harvest time.”

“Well,” Rainbow squeaked, “if you think so. If I have to Ah’ll get Luna to fix her up.”

“Rainbow Dash,” Twilight admonished, “you can not expect the princess to help you ever time you have a problem.

“Duh, this isn’t for me, it’s for Scootaloo.”

“You know what I mean!”

“Now, girls. Ain’t no use shoutin’. Let’s just get home’n have a good day. T’morrow we’re gonna go have some fun in the snow and Rainbow’s goin’ back ta work.”

“Paperwork, yay,” Rainbow said sarcastically.

“You know, I could help you learn to do your work faster.”

“Thanks, but I’m allergic to eggheads.” Rainbow exaggerated a grunt of pain as Applejack poked her side.

“That ain’t nice, Rainbow. Now, ya best apologize, a’right?”

“Why… Okay, fine. I’m sorry you’re an egghead. Ouch! Fine, stop poking me. I’m sorry I called you an egghead, Twilight. There, happy now?” she asked rubbing her ribs quickly.

“Reckon Ah am.”

“Me too. Now, let’s discuss the hunt for the mystery doctor.”

“Ooo! Ooo,” Pinkie’s voice seemed to come from all around them, “I have a suspect,” she said standing to the outside of the group by Twilight. They all just stopped on the path and sighed.

“Okay, Pinkie, what’s your thought?”

“Okay, so I was sleuthing like a spy all over town. I followed the tracks from the hospital room to the market. The market to the residences. Then the residences to Noteworthy’s house.”

“So, it was Noteworthy?”

“That’s what I thought, Twi! But then I asked him a few dozen question and before he went to sleep standing up I saw hoof prints by the window. Suspicious hoofprints. They were the ones I followed earlier. That told me,” she said blowing bubbles from a corncob pipe she hadn’t had a moment before, “that I was on the trail again.

“I followed the hoof prints to the Silver estate, where they went through the house. Did you know Silver Spoon’s mom likes to wear socks at home? Oh, and all the butlers are dressed like Prench maids?

“Anyway, I followed them through the house with my super spying magnifying glass when I found, this!” She held up a pair of tweezers with a single fur hair pinched in it’s tongs.

“And, what’s that supposed to be?” Rainbow asked, her interest rising.

“It’s hair, silly. I took this to a friend who had it analyzed and compromised, and discombobulated until we found out it was a stallions! I was back on track…”

“Pinkie,” Twilight asked, forcing a smile, “can we get to the end?”

“I’m almost there, Twilight. Okay, so I followed the hair to another, and another. Whoever they belonged to was shedding a lot… Almost a little too lot. So, I followed them with my super duper microscope of justice to the Rich residence and they led me to Cogsworth, the butler!”

“So, yer sayin’, the butler did it?” Applejack asked doubtfully.

“I have to say, with one hundred percent indubidubidubity, that, he didn’t do it. It was actually Greywithers, the senior accountant. He has grey hair, not brown like Cogsworth. That, and he keeps a bunch of medical stuff in a hidden cabinet behind the bookshelf to the left of his desk.”

“Wait, you got all that from a hair?” Rainbow asked incredulously.

“What? No, that’d be silly. I got it from- Oh, gotta go. Here Twi, I wrote down what happened in the sixty page manuscript. See ya later,” Pinkie said jumping into a bright green, lush bush that wasn’t there while they were talking.

“What, just happened?” Rainbow asked again.

“Pinkie happened, Rainbow. Let’s just, look this over at your house,” Twilight said as she held the manuscript close to her side. The rest of the way they walked in silence, watchful for Pinkie to hop out again.

Next Chapter: Settlin' Down Estimated time remaining: 4 Hours, 44 Minutes