The Great Mare Detective

Chapter 9

-Meanwhile at Sugarcube Corner-

Bubble Berry turned on the lamp near his chair, and used his magnifying glass to take a look at the list Spike dropped earlier while Dr. AJ stood by his side. "Offhoof, I can deduce very little." Bubble Berry said. "Only that the words are written with a broad pointed quill pen which has spattered twice. That the paper is of..." He stopped talking when he tossed it in his hoof as he tested the weight to determine what type of paper it is as he said "...native Equestrian manufacture, no watermark, and has." He tasted the paper three times as he said "...been gummed, if I'm not very much in error..." He sniffed the paper, and groaned in disgust as he said "By a dragon who has been drinking Dragon's Delight! A cheap brandy sold only in the seediest pubs." Dr. AJ looked at the paper, and said "Hmm. Amazing." Bubble Berry rumbled through his desk as he said "Oh, not really, doctor. We still don't know where it came from." He took out a microscope as he said "Perhaps a closer inspection will tell us something." He used the microscope to take a closer look at the list, and he spotted coal dust as he said "Coal dust. Clearly of the type used in sewer lamps."

Dr. AJ tried to look through the microscope, but Bubble Berry took the list, and used a lighter to burn the list as Dr. AJ said "Uh, but Bubble Berry, I-I-!" Bubble Berry shushed him, and said "Don't speak!" The list burned, and the ashes fell into a small bowl. He then patted it down with a small wooden masher, and poured into a measuring cup filled with orang liquid. It then turned blue, much to the amazement of Dr. AJ as Bubble Berry said "Excuse me, Dr. AJ." He then held up a bottle filled with red liquid as he said "Steady hoof." He let a single drop of red liquid fall into the mesauring cup, and a puff of smoke came out as the liquid turned violet. He then poured the liquid into a glass jar, and placed it below the glass spout filled with green liquid, and turned on the small flame. The green liquid then made its way through the spout as Bubble Berry said "Yes, yes. Good, good. Come along, come along, come along, come along, come along, come along, come along, come along. Haha. Yes, yes, good, good. No, bad. Good, good, oh, no. Come along, come on. Yes, come on." Dr. AJ and Bubble Berry looked on with anticipation as the green droplet hung from the spout.

"Yes, yes." Bubble Berry said as the greeb droplet fell into the jar of liquid, and turned it red. "Ah-ha!" He placed his hoof around Dr. AJ as he said "We've done it, old fellow! This reaction could only have been triggered by the paper's extreme saturation with distillation of sodium chloride." Dr. AJ looked at the jar as the liquid turned from red to clear-blue, and said "Salt water? Whoa nellie." Bubble Berry put up a map of Equestria as he said "It proves beyond a doubt, this list came from the riverfront area." As he used the darts to pin the map on the wall, Dr. AJ said "Ah, now steady on there, Bubble Berry." "No, no. Elementary, my dear AJ." Bubble Berry said as he used a dart to pin a spot on the map. "We merely look for a seedy pub at the only spot where the sewer connects to the waterfront." Moments later, they arrived at the waterfront area as Bubble Berry who wore a pirate disguse looked at Winona, and said "Stay, Winona! Stay!" Winona nodded. Bubble Berry approached the front door to a pub called Canterlot Pub, but he heard Dr. AJ's voice say "Bubble Berry?" He looked at a pier column, and said "Come, come, AJ." Dr. AJ came out, wearing a pirate disguise, and said "Ah feel utterly ridiculous!" "Don't be absurd." Bubble Berry said. "You look perfect." "Perfect?" Dr. AJ muttered. "Perfectly foolish!" Bubble Berry then opened the door, and they stepped inside.