Author's Note: Just something cute and silly I thought up between working on chapters of Sofin the First.

Now, dear reader, if you happened to stumble across this scene on the highest floor of the castle observatory, you might think me quite silly. After all, why would Princess Amber, second-in-line to the throne of Enchancia and number one most popular princess below the age of 12 in Royals Weekly be looking into a telescope in broad daylight? Telescopes are usually meant for exploring the night sky, after all. Perhaps you might think that I am one for beauty, not brains, and that the elegant grace and poise with which I carry myself are signs of an empty head.

Well, reader, you must know that I am not just a star in all things fashion and popularity. I am also Princess Amber, Star Detective, unparalleled in ingenuity and wit, and I have deduced that my little sister—Sofia, if you've never heard of her—is up to something. She's been acting weird all day: avoiding my questions, hiding things, and even running away when I tried to approach her. Running away! Now how, exactly, am I expected to talk to my sister if she runs away from me? Do I look like a princess who runs?

In any case, as Princess Amber, Star Detective, I never let a mystery go by unsolved. Which brings me to the point about unparalleled wit. In my infinite wisdom, I've decided to use the castle telescope—normally reserved for nightly observation—to spy on my sister, during the day. She's sitting out in the castle courtyard as she often does, on her red-and-white patterned blanket, a picnic of various foods laid out around her. But the woodland critters usually accompanying her are nowhere to be seen! That must be a clue. I note it down with an ink-tipped quill, on a pad of notes beside me. A star detective must always keep track of her work, after all.

I put my eye back to the telescope, then recoil with a short "Eek!" as my vision is filled with white. I blink twice, point the end of the telescope away from the sun, then check again. Sofia's still there, sitting atop her picnic blanket, no animals in sight. Is she talking? Yes, she is! Now that I'm focusing, I can see her lips opening and closing quietly, even though there isn't anyone else to talk to. The plot thickens….

I carefully write 'Appears to be talking to someone, but nobody is nearby,' in elegant cursive on my pad of notes, but when I look back up, Sofia's risen to her feet and is looking directly at me. I hide my pad of notes and give an innocuous wave, then, realizing the telescope is pointed at her, quickly move it away. Her eyes narrow. She's onto me; I have to retreat. Quietly promising myself that this case is far from over, and that every detective faces minor setbacks, I stalk away, vowing to figure out exactly what my sister is trying to hide.

Being a star detective comes with sacrifices. Oftentimes when solving a case, there are times when I must do things I do not want to do, to solve a particularly tricky mystery. For example, talking to my brother for any more time than is strictly necessary.

"You're a detective now?" says James, confused for the second time.

I roll my eyes. "Yes, I'm Princess Amber, Star Detective," I say, lifting my pad of notes so he can see.

He only looks more confused. "Have you even solved any cases before?"

I let out a little huff and adjust the hem of my sleeve. "Well, every star detective has to have a first case," I answer. "Now, have you seen Sofia acting strange, unusual, or out-of-the-ordinary?"

"Umm…" He lifts a finger to his chin, thinking. Seconds pass by. I resist the urge to groan. Gathering information from as many sources as possible is part of a detective's job, I remind myself. Even if that means waiting for James to think of something he might have seen.

"…no, not really," responds James eventually. I feel my jaw drop open. All that thinking, for nothing? What a waste.

"But," he continues, "I think Sofia spent most of the day with Cedric. Maybe you should try asking him next."

I put the tip of my quill to the notepad, thinking. Short of asking Sofia myself, Cedric is the only other lead I have. I should talk to him next. I carefully put away my pad of notes, then walk to the decrepit sorcerer's tower, leaving James behind. He says something behind me that I don't quite catch. Whatever it was, it's probably dull and unimaginative.

Once I reach the top of the stairwell in Cedric's tower, I knock on the wooden door twice. Cedric opens the door, frowning once he sees it's me and not Sofia. I take a step inside, scrunching my nose reflexively at the smell. It's vile and a little bit rotten. Sofia says it's just the potion ingredients, but I can't imagine how anyone lives with that kind of stench around them.

"Oh, it's you," says Cedric, his voice dropping in disappointment. "How might I serve you today," he says, with no enthusiasm at all. "A magic show? Or maybe another enchanted doll?"

"Nothing like that," I respond, taking a seat on the hard wooden chair and pulling out my pad of notes. "I'm just here to ask you a few questions."

"Of course," says Cedric dryly. "Talking."

That's about as affirmative a response as any for Cedric, so I take that as an opportunity to ask away. "First," I question, "has Sofia been acting strange lately?"

"Acting strange?" responds Cedric. "No, she's been her usual happy-go-lucky self. But she did ask some very strange questions about magic earlier today."

I raise my hands and slam them onto the desk, creating a loud bang I hope is threatening. "What kind of questions?" I demand.

Cedric doesn't seem particularly cowed. "She said I shouldn't tell anyone," he answers. "Especially not you."

I raise an eyebrow. Sofia didn't want me, in particular, to know about whatever she was hiding? Why, if I weren't such a kind, understanding sister, I would be hurt by the accusation. As it is, I'm not bitter towards Sofia. Not even a little. I take note of this in my pad, then turn back to Cedric, weighing the best way to get him to speak.

"If you don't tell me what magic Sofia asked you about right now, I'll tell daddy about that time you conjured zinnias instead of poppies at my seventh birthday party, and Hildegard was horribly allergic," I decide.

Cedric's eyes widen in fear, clearly not realizing I knew he was behind that particular mishap. "Okay, okay, I'll tell you what you want," he yields. "Sofia was asking if there were any spells or artifacts that could take people to other dimensions."

My quill pauses above my notepad. "Other dimensions?" I repeat, just to be sure I heard him right.

"Other dimensions," confirms Cedric. "I don't know why she wanted them, either, but she was particularly insistent."

I take note of it in my pad, then look up and down at the clues I've gathered. So far, not much seems to fit together, but it's all that I can get. I just need to confront Sofia now, and hope that I have enough information to finally piece together this mystery.

Eventually, I manage to corner Sofia, trailing her to the end of one of the castle's many corridors. As I round the last bend, I could swear I'd seen a flash of purple light, but whatever it was, it was gone the moment I turned the corner. Just in case, I jot it down with the rest of my notes, then lift my head to confront her.

"Oh, hi Amber!" says Sofia with a forced smile, nearly stuttering over her words. "What a surprise, to see you here! In the castle. Where you live." She looks to the left for a second, then back at me. "What are you up to today?"

"I'm working on my first case as Princess Amber, Star Detective," I explain.

"Your first case?" questions Sofia. "What's it about?" See, this is why Sofia is my favorite sibling. When I try something new and daring out, something I would most certainly succeed in, Sofia is always optimistic, not cynical like James.

I cross the short distance between us. "My first case is about you," I say, poking a finger into Sofia's chest.

"Me?" says Sofia, clearly nervous. "I'm not hiding anything." Her voice shakes. She is a terrible liar.

I give my sister a warm smile and drag her into a hug. "Sofia. My sister. My dearest darlingest sister, whom I love more than anyone else in the world except for maybe daddy." In an instant, my gaze goes ice-cold, my grip strengthening as I meet her in the eyes. "You are hiding something. Tell me," I hiss.

Sofia squeaks in fear, pulling away from me. "I'm not hiding anything, really!"

I flip through my notepad. It's time to put all the evidence I've gathered to the test. "You made a picnic just for yourself, this morning in the castle courtyard."

"I was hungry!" defends Sofia. "And why were you looking in a telescope, anyways? You can see the courtyard just fine from the observatory."

I brush aside her weak attempt to unbalance me. "You were talking to someone," I emphasize, "and yet, nobody was there!"

Sofia hesitates, looking from side to side awkwardly, searching for an excuse. I don't give her the time to come up with one.

"I talked to Cedric earlier, and he said you'd been asking him about spells for traveling between dimensions!"

Sofia gives a weak smile. "I just…really like thinking about strange magic," she tries.

I parry the attack, stepping forward towards her. "There was a flash of purple light, just now, before you tried talking to me."

"Fireworks?" attempts Sofia.

"But worst of all," I finish, "You were trying to keep this a secret from me. Your sister! Sofia, how could you?"

She looks at the distraught expression on my face, and finally caves. "Okay, I guess I can't hide it any longer. Twilight, you can come out now."

A potted plant on one of the nearby tables shifts, and I watch in amazement as a purple-furred figure pulls itself out from behind the plant. It's vaguely equine-shaped, with four short legs and a dark blue tail with a purple stripe. It has large purple eyes, almost oversized on its frame, two purple feathered wings, and atop its head, a long, spiraling horn.

Oh, and it is about three inches tall. Did I forget to mention that?

With a squeal of delight, I grab the purple unicorn in both hands, clutching it to my chest. It flails its hooves wildly, but I can't bring myself to care. There's a real live unicorn in front of me, and it's adorably tiny! This is like a dream come true.

"I knew you were gonna do that," mutters Sofia, watching me hold the unicorn to my chest.

"All is forgiven, sister," I say, not really listening to her words, holding the purple unicorn close to me. "You brought me a unicorn! Oh, thank you!"

The unicorn goes still in my grip, then a feminine voice says, "Actually, I'm an alicorn. Can you please put me down now?" I can feel the vibrations of the unicorn's chest as I hear each word, and I realize with a start that the unicorn is speaking. I nearly drop her in surprise, then, processing her words, scramble to set her down safely on the table.

"You can talk?" I say, shocked.

It ruffles its wings, shaking out a few loose feathers. "Of course I can talk," responds the unicorn with a little bit of snark. "You're the ones who aren't supposed to be able to talk. I'm Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship. You must be Amber. Sofia told me you were obsessed with unicorns." She raises her right hoof off the ground. It's tiny.

I stick out my pointer finger and wrap it around Twilight's hoof, shaking it up and down in a tiny handshake. I'm a little bit lost for words. Who knew there were talking unicorns?

Sofia sighs and explains. "Twilight was experimenting with magic in her home world, Equestria, when something went wrong and she ended up here. I've been trying to find a way to get her back, but nothing seems to be working." She looks contemplatively at me. "I was trying to keep it secret, but I guess you know now. Do you want to help us find a way to get her back?"

I look back to Sofia, thinking for a moment. Then I turn to the open hallway, hollering through the castle. "Baileywick! How much time do I have until that tea party I'm supposed to attend with Hildegard and Clio?" I yell, my voice echoing through the halls.

"Twenty-three minutes, Princess Amber," comes Baileywick's prompt response from somewhere far away.

I turn back to Sofia, knowing full well how these things work by now. "That's enough time," I say. "I'll help you find a way home, Twilight." She smiles.

Precisely twenty-two minutes later, I wipe a tear away from my eye, watching the portal to Equestria close. "I'll miss her," I say to Sofia.

"Me too," she agrees, as the portal closes. "At least that's another good deed done."

"And another mystery solved," I praise myself. "Score one for Princess Amber, Star Detective." Sofia laughs, and I roll my eyes. She'll just have to see when I really do become the most famous detective in all of Enchancia.

Now, if only I knew what my next case was…