There! It's done. Now all I have to do is click print.

I proceed to do so. After that, I lean back in my seat in my office. I pull off my glasses and rub my face with both hands.

The school assembly is in a few hours. Normally I wouldn't make a speech so last minute, but I've had a lot on my mind lately.

I set my arms on the arms of my chair and lean back while looking up at the ceiling.

The image of Sunset Shimmer's horrified look of disbelief as she looked back and forth between reporters still haunts me. I feel my chest close up as I recall how Sunset later wept into her hands, feeling totally broken.

My chest heaves. My eyes water a bit. My face scrunches up in pain.

Man, I knew this would hurt, but I am surprised that this feeling has lasted this long and remained this intense. If anything, I feel worse as time goes on. I'm growing concerned that these increasing pains will eventually compromise my productivity. It's hard enough to be perfect as it is. I don't need it to be extra challenging.

I am startled when I hear a call on my desk. I look at it in shock while suddenly breathing hard. After that, I close my eyes and try to calm down. I take a few calming breaths, then reach over to answer the call by putting it on speakerphone.

“This is Cozy. What's sup?” I ask when I answer it.

“Um, I got one Miss Rarity here to see you,” Scribble Dee reports. “She says she's here to investigate 'incongruities', as she calls it, about her friend Sunset's case. Should I let her in? And no, she doesn't technically have an appointment, but no one else does either right now.”

I squint one eye at the phone.

Rarity is here to investigate her friend Sunset's case? That seems like a pretty random action for the fashionista. The only part of that statement that makes any sense is Rarity's motive to free Sunset, but still . . . becoming a detective personally? Really? She seems more like the type that would hire one instead.

Besides, she should still be busy in college right now. I heard she was making a lot of progress on that too by turning some heads in the fashion industry.

I shake my head in bewilderment at this unexpected situation.

This almost feels like a joke, but I might as well find out how far her “investigation” is coming along. Who knows. Maybe I can also throw her a bone or lead her off track if she gets too close.

I really can't believe I'm saying this, but . . .

“Ah, sure Scribble. That sounds swell! Go ahead and send her in.”

“Very good, Ma'am. I'll send her to . . . and she's off.”

Right after Scribble says that, I hear a knock on my office door.

“Thanks for the report. Good job, Scribble,” I commend her.

“Just doing my job!” Scribble says brightly. “Over and out.”

She hangs up. I click my speakerphone off to then call to the door, “You can come in.”

My doorknob turns then swings widely open, but Rarity does not immediately cross the threshold. Instead, she pauses just beyond the door to . . . dramatically pose?

Yeah, that's what she's doing. I can't describe it as anything else.

Just beyond the door, I see Rarity wearing a very noir style tan trench coat and sporting a wide brim hat on her head that's a bit dipped at the front. The hat is gray which makes the pink ribbon tied around it stand out quite a bit. The dip of that hat covers the right side of her eye. As for her left, she gazes at me with a focused look which seems overly dramatic and staged.

“Behold, Rarity has entered the scene . . . with a purpose!” Rarity dramatically declares as she places her hands on her hips and twists her stance towards me sideways. Her hips are also angled with the left side above the right.

I fight off the temptation to give a listless sigh. I am quickly getting annoyed with Rarity's attitude right now. She claims she came here to “investigate” her friend Sunny's case and yet she's acting like a stupid bitch who thinks she's on a television show that is supposed to have bad acting. This is a mockery for those who practice this profession legitimately and, frankly, it's also in bad taste considering how serious this issue should be.

I reach on my desk to put on my glasses again. After I do so, I am momentarily startled because it has a new text message on it.

Dark King: Stop embarrassing us and pull yourself together already! Find out what she knows then send this idiot on her way.

Before my very eyes, the text message erases itself shortly after I read it.

Rarity apparently notices my face grow ashen for a brief moment, but I shake it off.

“Um, yeah. Please come in, Miss Belle,” I invite her.

“Thank you.” Rarity steps in, then asks, “Are you okay, darling? You look like you've just seen a ghost.”

“Oh, it’s . . . nothing,” I reply.

My eyes grow wide when I both hear and see a tiny drone follow Rarity into my office. This thing is black and had a very close configuration to a typical cellphone except for the fact it is three times as thick. It is making a decently loud buzzing sound as it flies across my room, apparently filming the area.

“I hope you don't mind if me and my,” Rarity closes a fist in front of her lips for a second as she clears her throat, then adds, “companion take a look around your office?”

“Um . . . sure?” I look at the curious little drone while lifting an eyebrow at it.

The drone sweeps back and forth across the room, primarily aimed at the walls for the moment. It seems to pause in order to take a picture of each picture and trophy I have hung on my wall.

I pass a curious look to Rarity. “But why would you be so interested in my office?”

“Oh, just standard part of any investigation, darling,” Rarity answers as she pulls out her cellphone from her pocket and types something on it. I notice a slight change in her drone's behavior when she finishes.

“One of my favorite series of mystery novels I like to read, the 'Adventures of Shadow Spade',” Rarity went on to say, “believes that everything comes to attention to detail. It is a philosophy that I have adopted as well. Whether that means keeping an eye out for any flaws in fashion or noticing something peculiar during an investigation, one must always pay close attention.”

I feel sick to my stomach. Rarity is really pissing me off right now. I still manage to pass her my trade-mark wide fake smile, but I secretly feel like slapping her so hard.

“I see,” I say casually. “Golly, that sure is fascinating! You go ahead and explore my office to your heart's content. I have nothing to hide.” I cock my head at her. “But aren’t you supposed to be investigating Sunny's case? What's my office have to do with it? Did I do something wrong? Or do you think the culprit was here?”

“Oh, think nothing of it. This is just standard fanfare,” Rarity says as she roams the room while taking pictures herself using her own cellphone.

While her back is towards me, I pass her a series of mocking facial expressions which immediately wipe away into a happy mask the moment she turns to face me. Curiously, I notice Rarity narrow her left visible eye at me slightly.

“Tell me, Cozy, have you noticed anything . . .” she wistfully waves a hand in a circle beside her. In this case, the opposite hand that's holding her cellphone. “. . . peculiar lately?”

I cock my head at her and give an innocent shrug. “Peculiar? What do you mean?”

Rarity's visible eye got shifty for a second as she asked, “What I mean is has anything ever seemed . . . out of place recently?”

“Anything? Well gee, Miss Rarity, I'm sure there are lots of things that seem out of place in the world.”

“Any of those things happen in your office lately?” Rarity checks.

I suddenly realize she's fishing for specific information, so I ask her, “Like what?”

“Well, I don't know.” Rarity glances to her side and notices her own drone fly near her. When it faces her for two seconds, Rarity poses in front of it again. She places her left hand behind her neck and gives a seductive but also a mysterious expression to the camera. I hear it take a picture. Rarity changes her pose to seeming to bite the corner of her cellphone while looking at the drone with a provocative expression. Again, the drone takes a picture then flies on.

As my eyes follow the drone, I estimate that it might have up to ten minutes of energy tops. Something that tiny can't be carrying a lot of power in it, and it takes a lot for those things to fly.

“For example,” Rarity began again, “have any members of your staff been behaving strangely lately?”

“Well, let me think.” I tap my fingers on the arms of my chair, then pretend to have an idea. “Oh! I know! Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon have been all huffy at each other lately, and that is strange. They used to be solid friends, but something came between them lately. Also, Diamond seems especially depressed, but I don't know why.

“Gee willikers, do you think the culprit that framed Sunny had something to do with that?”

“I don't know yet, but I am determined to leave no stone unturned.”

“You do believe that Sunny is innocent, don't you Miss Rarity?” I check.

“Yes of course, darling. Why would I be investigating if I believed otherwise?”

I fold my hands in front of my lips to hide my frown as I say, “Well gee, I mean no offense when I say this but, just because you dress up like an investigator, doesn't mean you actually are one.”

Rarity waves me off. “Oh, I know. What a good investigator does is pay careful attention to his or her environment and follow the clues, then evoke deductive reasoning based on what is uncovered, but hey! If I'm going to work on something like this then I might as well dress the part. There is no reason I can't continue my investigation while simultaneously looking fabulous!

“Besides, this is giving me new ideas for a fashion line, hence the occasional pictures.”

I can't hide it anymore. I give her droll eyes. “Well golly, if it were me in your place, I'd take the situation seriously. Sunny's freedom and reputation is at stake.”

Rarity looks at me with a bit of an offended expression as she says, “Yes, of course I know that. That's what I have been doing.”

While she approaches my desk, she types up something on her cellphone.

Meanwhile that loud and obnoxious drone of hers keeps flying about my office and taking pictures of everything.

“Take a look at this.” Rarity places her cellphone on my desk. I grab it and flip it around. On it, I notice it's a video footage of one of our school hallways. While I examine it, she asks me, “Do you see anything amiss with this footage?”

At first I shake my head no, but then I notice something. “Well . . . according to the time stamp on the bottom right corner, this footage was taken two days before Sunny was arrested.” I look up at her. “But this doesn't vindicate her, does it?”

“Not by itself, no,” Rarity agrees. “But, in a way, you're onto something.” She points at her cellphone. “That video footage is on a fifteen second time loop. Take a close look at the time stamp. Do you see anything amiss?”

I pay close attention to it, then notice a brief blip. I look up at her and say, “I think the time stamp glitched out for a brief second, but that's to be expected with digital cameras these days. Nothing is perfect.”

“That's true. Glitches do happen.” Rarity rolls her eyes. From this distance, I can see a thick, bluish eye shadow on her eyelids. “But check this out.” She bends forward, pauses the video, then swipes it to the side. It shows another hallway. Rarity presses play on that one. As she places both of her hands on my desk and leans on it, she asks, “What do you notice about this footage?”

Taking the hint, I pay attention to the time stamp. It, too, blips.

I look up at her. “Same thing. This camera glitched too, but we just established that it is a common phenomenon.”

“True again,” Rarity agrees. “Except this 'blip' occurs exactly five minutes after the last one.”

I widen my eyes at her. “What? Really?” I look back at her cellphone. I flip back and forth between both videos and study the time stamp more carefully. I pretend to do some calculations in my head, but I already know where this is going.

“So . . . the second blip occurs five minutes after the last one.” I set her phone down on my desk as I lean back and think. I absently snatch my Baoding balls and rotate them in my right palm. “This might be an indication that the footage was tampered with. Perhaps they were replaced by earlier footage when the hallways were empty, but that was only to hide the fact that someone was roaming the hallways at that time.” I widen my eyes in feigned astonishment. “GOLLY! That was the same day as the campus-wide fire safety drill!”

“Exactly!” Rarity concurs as she leans forward for a second for emphasis. “Our devious little culprit knew that the school would be evacuated for about forty-five minutes. During that time, the campus was unguarded except for the cameras, and they just happen to glitch in a straight pattern which leads to Sunset Shimmer's classroom?”

I widen my eyes even further. “They do?!”

Rarity stands up straight while she casts an almost judgmental look down at me. “I believe in coincidences, darling. I really do. Despite the path line and the timing, all of this could have been an accidental coincidence. I would have believed that if it weren't for one other incongruity . . . check out the lighting in the video footage. Do you notice anything strange about it?”

Okay, damn! Now I'm impressed with her. I calculated only a two percent chance that anyone would notice the fact that the lighting situation would be off. How the hell was I supposed to know that a serious investigator would be sent on this case, and that it would be Rarity of all people?

Dark King: Hmm. This one is surprisingly sharp. We may have to consider her disposal as well.

Oh be quiet, Figment of my Imagination!

Besides, I'm not licked yet. Where you might only see a threat, I see opportunity.

I pretend to study the video footage for a moment then feign surprise as I seem to notice something peculiar. I look back at Rarity.

“'Adventures of Shadow Spade', you said?” Rarity nods smugly in response, so I continue. “Huh. I might have to check her out. Any mystery novel series that inspires you to be this competent of an investigator might actually be worth my time.”

“Oh believe me, she's well worth your time,” Rarity agrees. “Just like me, she has a keen eye for fashion as well. You'd be amazed how many clues can hang on one's own clothes. A tiny wrinkle or a breadcrumb on a tie or chocolate stain on a scarf can tell whole stories.”

Note to self: Check out the 'Adventures of Shadow Spade' for real. I'll need to do that just to get a read on this new anomaly in my way.

Besides, it would give me something to do to take my mind off of Shimmy.

“Okay, so,” I lean forward in my seat, “the lighting of each footage is off. It turns from a gloomy day to a bright and sunny one when the footage is replaced in each video.”

“Bingo!” Rarity confirms, then she grins. “I might make a decent investigator out of you yet.”

“So,” I tap my desk, “we know that the video footage has been tampered with on the day of the fire drill. The blip on the timestamps partially verifies that, and the glitch occurs in a path line to Sunset Shimmer’s classroom during a rare moment that it is unguarded. Our perp must have used that opportunity to upload something onto Sunset Shimmer’s computer in order to frame her. Two days later, the cops show up to arrest her.”

“Possibly downloaded something as well,” Rarity points out. “Do you know what was so special about that particular computer?”

I nod. “Indeed, I do. Mother told me that it is magical. She said it has a special link to Horse-Land which allows Sunny to commune with some of the residents there.”

“Somebody went through a lot of trouble to get a hold of that information,” Rarity said. She doesn't even sound like she's guessing. “On top of that, that person then planted information on the computer to make sure nobody else gathers the same data.” Rarity points at one of my walls very dramatically by using sharp, sudden movements. “That computer is now sitting in an evidence locker at a police station even as we speak! It's much more guarded now than it was before.”

“So we have a hacker at school,” I say with a blank look as I stare forward numbly.

Rarity raises an eyebrow as she says, “You look like you've just had an epiphany, darling.”

My vision focuses back on Rarity as I say, “Just yesterday, Button Mash came to my office and complained about cyber-bullying from a hacker named 'The Shadow Queen'.”

Rarity looks taken aback as she asks, “Really?” For some reason this information really surprises her. Considering how on point she's been so far, I’m surprised that she's surprised. I thought, by now, that she might have caught wind of this on her own; therefore, I am not volunteering new information to her.

I nod. “Button said that he's been pressured, indeed blackmailed, into investigating Diamond Tiara. According to this mysterious hacker, she was convinced that Sweetie Belle might have known some new information about Diamond.” I lean back in my seat as I lift an eyebrow at Rarity just a bit. “I don't suppose that you have noticed anything amiss about Sweetie, have you? She is your sister, after all, so I thought it might be worth checking.”

“No, I have not.” Rarity looks alarmed. “Why? What's wrong with Sweetie Belle? The only thing I know is she's been unusually quiet lately. I check on her every now and then online. Usually she happily brags or complains about something, but she's been rather withdrawn lately.

“Why do you ask? Do you know something amiss with my darling baby sister?”

I don't think I should expose Button's secret about Sweetie's secret who is keeping Diamond's secret about her health problems. Instead, I decide to take a more evasive stance in this case.

“I'm not sure.” I rub my lips with a finger. “It's just a hunch, but I suspect Sweetie has discovered something about Diamond which really disturbs her. I'm growing concerned for her so I was thinking about calling both Sweetie and Diamond to my office shortly. I want to get to the bottom of this issue and find out what's going on between them.

“Besides,” I collect my fingers in front of my lips, “if this Shadow Queen wants to know what's going on between them then I want to know before she knows.” How ironic is that statement? “I think this hacker is going to find out one way or another but, if I can get a hold of that information first, it might give me a tactical edge. Maybe it may help me in unmasking the secret identity to this villain.”

I focus on Rarity as I go on.

“It also occurred to me that this hacker might be the one responsible for framing Sunny. Question is . . . why?”

“Indeed.” Rarity sweeps an eye across my room as she says, “That is the million-bit question for this week.”

“If you don't see the motive, perhaps I can enlighten you,” I offer.

For some reason Rarity does not look too interested in this piece of information, but she does look at me and nods for me to continue.

“I think this hacker is working for a secret society here in town that fears Horse-Land magic,” I propose. “They framed Sunny to get her arrested because she's not really human. She is one of those pony beings who was transformed into a human when she crossed into our dimension, just like Twilight Sparkle was when she first visited our universe.”

Rarity waves me off. “All of that information is last season to me, darling, but your proposal is interesting. So you think that someone targeted Shimmer because she's secretly a pony?” Rarity rolls her eyes a bit. “Albeit, a poorly kept secret.”

“Exactly!” I exclaim to her. “Many people are aware of that fact, and some people are scared of it.”

Rarity stands up straight as she gets a distant look, then she says, “I suppose you do have a valid point there.”

“At this point I'm surprised you haven't thought of it already. This is a likely lead, is it not?”

Rarity looks back at me with confidence as she announces, “Don't worry. I'll explore all avenues of this investigation. In fact,” she swipes up her cellphone and types on it. “I'll leave myself a message as a reminder to approach and talk to-” she glances up at me, “Button Mash, was it?” I nod. She looks back at her screen and resumes typing.

I can see the glow of her cellphone reflecting off her sapphire eyes.

“Go easy on him,” I request her. “He's been through a lot lately.”

“Don't worry. I'll be gentle,” Rarity assures.

I flinch in annoyance as that noisy drone passes over my desk and flies to the other end of my room.

Noticing my look and expression, Rarity looks back at her phone and changes something. Shortly later she looks at her drone as it flips about to aim its camera at us then lands on a bookshelf in my office.

“Thank you,” I tell her.

“You're welcome, darling. Understand it is only here to scout for the layout of each scene I'm investigating.”

“It can't have too much battery life in such a tiny thing,” I surmise.

Rarity shrugs as she says, “You might be surprised. Right now it's . . .” she pauses a moment as she checks her phone and swipes at it, then finishes, “. . . sixty-seven percent left.”

I give a half shrug. “I suppose that's pretty decent.”

“Has this Shadow Queen contacted you?” Rarity checks.

I shake my head. “Not so far, no. Should I let you know if that changes?”

Surprisingly, Rarity shook her head.

“No?” I lean my head forward at her while my face assumes a confused/surprised look.

“I suspect that this Shadow Queen is a red herring, but rest assured that I will investigate that lead in my own way.”

I squint an eye at Rarity as I ask her, “Why do you say that? Do you have another suspect?”

“Indeed, I do.”

It is disturbing how much Rarity stares straight at me when she says that.

I placed a hand on my chest. “You don't think I . . .” I narrow my eyes at Rarity. “Rarity, Sunset Shimmer was my dear friend, and a friend of my mother’s. There is no way I'd ever consider hurting either one of them.”

Rarity lifts up a hand to still me, then says, “I'm not accusing anyone as of yet, my dear. I'm just following the clues right now and see where they lead me.”

“Hypothetically speaking, if I were the guilty party, why would I be so determined to help you with our investigation?”

“To find out how much I know, and to throw me off the right track,” Rarity answers immediately.

I just lean back as I give a stunned stare at her.

Rarity winks at me as she says, “I wasn't born yesterday, darling. There is still some magic left in this old gal.”

“Rarity . . . she is my friend!” I tell her insistently. “In fact,” I look down, “I wonder if you can do me a favor about that.”

Rarity gives a curious look as she asks, “What is it?”

I place my left hand on my face as I fight to choke down a sob, then say with a somewhat unsteady voice, “I was wondering if you could . . . um . . . deliver some letters for me to Sunset Shimmer next time you see her? I just want her to know that she's not alone.”

I lean my head back against my seat as I look up while tears start to rise in my eyes.

“I saw the look on her face during that press conference. She looked as if she felt like everyone had abandoned her. I just want to make sure she knows that isn't true. Some of us truly do believe that she's innocent. I'm one of them.”

“Of course you'd think that,” Rarity agrees a bit darkly, but softens her voice considerably with her next statement. “I would love to deliver your letters. In fact,” Rarity knocks on my desk three times, “didn't you schedule a school assembly which will take place soon?”

I sniff a bit then nod to her.

“Extend to them an offer. Tell them if anyone else wants to deliver supportive letters to Sunset Shimmer, I would be more than happy to deliver them.”

“Thank you,” I say with another sniff.

Rarity whips out a tissue paper from one of her coat pockets and hands it to me. For a brief moment I stare at it as I contemplate how odd it is that she is that prepared, but then I recall that she does have a reputation for being a drama queen.

Gratefully, I take the tissue and blow on it, then throw it into a small trash bin I have under my desk. I also nod at her gratefully.

I grow a little alarmed when I watch Rarity go around my desk then kneel beside me. She sweeps up one of my hands then presses it gently between both of her palms. She also looks at me straight in the eyes (except for the fact that her hat is still covering one side) and says to me, “Despite everything that has happened, I still believe you to be a very good girl at heart. I know you care about Sunset and all of her friends, including me. That's why I'll continue to keep you in the loop.”

She reaches forward and wipes my tears away with a brush of her thumb.

“Think about it,” she encourages. “In the end, I know you'll help me do the right thing . . . for Sunny's sake.”

Rarity stands up straight. She gives me one final nod and a wink. After that, she types up something on her phone. The drone springs back to life and floats off my bookshelf. Shortly later she, and it, depart my office.

Leaving me with a lot to contemplate.

Next Chapter: Chapter Twenty Two: School Assembly Estimated time remaining: 10 Hours, 56 Minutes