- Story by Jeremy Whitley, Art by Jenn Blake
Ponyville's school is holding a scavenger hunt for the students, but requires them all to compete in sets of three. Diamond Tiara, knowing that she and Silver Spoon need to one-up the Cutie Mark Crusaders, is able to persuade her father, Filthy Rich, in finding the most capable third to finish their team.
As the hunt begins with many more teams entering this year, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon trade insults with the Crusaders while waiting for their third to show up. She soon appears, revealed to be the famous filly investigator, Prancy Drew. The Crusaders tried to convince Mayor Mare this is cheating, but the rules allow for it.
As the hunt starts the teams all get their first clue. While the Crusaders take a more obvious route, Diamond Tiara's team, with Prancy's aid, quickly deduce the true location of the next clue. By chance of near disaster the Crusaders also arrive and both teams set off on the next riddle. Again, while Prancy helps her team directly to the clue, the Crusaders' strange logic gets them there a few moments later. Diamond Tiara, fearing the Crusaders will win, takes a moment to rewrite the clue for the Crusaders, sending them onto the Castle of the Two Sisters while Prancy leads them to the next clue proper.
At the castle, the Crusaders figure out the last clue was a fact and written by Diamond, but as they discover it, they fall into one of the slide traps in the castle, which sends them flying back to Ponyville and, again by luck, minutes behind Diamond's team at the last clue, directing them back into town to the finish line. They give chase. As Diamond's team races on, Prancy falls and sprains a leg, but Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon refuse to stop to help. When Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon arrive at Town Hall before the other teams, they are told they haven't won yet as their third is not present, but soon she arrives, aided by the Crusaders. They help her to stage, which Diamond Tiara points out that still makes her team the first to complete. Mayor Mare agrees and gives them the first place prize — tickets to see the blue hay band, the Pony Pickers. However, the Pony Pickers was so happy seeing so many teams compete this year that they donated extra tickets to Mayor Mare, who awarded them to the Cutie Mark Crusaders for taking second place. Just as Diamond Tiara is about to protest, Filthy Rich arrives, telling her that blue hay is his favorite style of music, and hopes Diamond Tiara takes him. In the epilogue, though they consider themselves winners, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon realize that winning isn't everything.
This issue provides examples of:
- Animesque: The character designs are especially manga-like in this issue.
- Badass Bookworm: Prancy Drew, to a certain extent; she has solved many mysteries that had even been published as novels, but she admits not being so good at physical activities, usually limiting herself to search for clues and gathering evidence.
- Blatant Lies: It's revealed that Diamond Tiara gets away with most of the things she does because she manipulates her dad into thinking she's often bullied and ridiculed at school, when in reality she's the school's main bully.
- Call-Back: The Castle of the Two Sisters is visited by the Crusaders who happen to fall into one of many trap doors the castle hides.
- Cheaters Never Prosper: While Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon win due to misleading the Cutie Mark Crusaders, not only do the Cutie Mark Crusaders get the Pony Picker tickets anyway but Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon are forced to see the band when Filthy Rich turns out to be a fan of blue hay music (on top of having to wear silly country outfits). They are less than pleased.
- Fangirl: Prancy and Twilight are each other's fan; Prancy because Twilight is her favorite princess, and Twilight because of her love for mystery books.
- The Fool: With the exception of the second clue, almost all of the Cutie Mark Crusaders' victories can be chalked up to them being ridiculously lucky.
- For the Evulz: Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon thought the scavenger hunt was lame and the first place prize even lamer. The only reason they joined was to show that they were better than the Cutie Mark Crusaders and rub it in their faces.
- Geographic Flexibility: A trap door slide from the Castle of the Two Sisters (said to be deep inside the Everfree Forest) is able to launch the Crusaders far enough to end up in Sweet Apple Acres which is in Ponyville. Chalk that up to Rule of Funny.
- Heel–Face Door-Slam: When Prancy Drew trips and sprains herself, Silver Spoon actually stops to try to help her up, only to be rebuffed by Diamond Tiara to head to the finish line, and thus share her bad karma.
- Hidden Depths: Silver Spoon seems to have a knack for Ponyville knowledge and is shown to once again be the friendlier of the two, warming up to Prancy and even apologizing to her when she has to abandon her to catch up to Diamond Tiara.
- Hypocrite: Tiara does this by mocking the CMC for thinking friendship will help them. Despite the fact that 1) She considers Silver Spoon her friend. 2) She couldn't have won the competition without Prancy's help and 3) She nearly lost it by leaving Prancy behind when the rules stated you need all three teammates to win. And who manages to help said teammate and unintentionally help her on the stage? The CMC.
- It's All About Me: Pretty much Tiara's mindset as seen in her narrations which she makes herself out like the "victim" when her actions in the comic blatantly say otherwise.
- Kid Detective: Prancy Drew.
- Laser-Guided Karma: Several times over. Tiara cheats throughout the hunt to stall or misdirect the CMC to going to another location. But they somehow manage to get to where they need to go regardless (i.e: the rubberband and windmill and the slide in the Two Sisters Castle). Granted Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon manage to win, but the CMC still get their prize regardless making their victory moot and hollow since the band the CMC wanted to see donated extra tickets. What's more they get to "enjoy" their prize with Filthy Rich along with wearing some embarrassing outfits to boot.
- Loophole Abuse: Although Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon are unable to initially claim victory due to not having their full team assembled, Silver Spoon points out that since Scootaloo (who was the second Crusader on stage) was carrying Prancy on stage, their full team was present first. Mayor Mare concedes.
- Meaningless Villain Victory: Mayor Mare points out the prize isn't worth the price of hiring a detective to help out. Also, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, who joined only to rub their victory in the CMC's faces, have no interest in the prize, and certainly don't enjoy "winning" it. And the CMC end up getting the prize anyway.
- Moral Myopia: Diamond Tiara's whole mindset; she thinks manipulating her dad, employing a Kid Detective, recurring to Loophole Abuse and messing up with the other competitors' clues is more than okay, but throws a fit if the competitors catch on through sheer luck.
- Refuge in Audacity: Diamond Tiara's convinced her father that SHE is the one being bullied, there's no other explanation.
- Second Place Is for Winners: Though the Cutie Mark Crusaders lose, they still get tickets to the Pony Pickers since they had donated extra tickets.
- Sherlock Scan: Prancy makes a quick one on one of Twilight's books, easily deducing she uses a candlelight instead of her own magic to read at night.
- Spoiled Brat: Diamond Tiara. She's also very manipulative and convinces her father Filthy Rich that she needs help to beat the CMC, which he goes out of the way to do.
- Talking with Signs: Sweetie Belle holds up a "Help!" sign when a trap door in the Castle of the Two Sisters gives way under them.
- Token Good Teammate: Since she was just hired to join Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, Prancy Drew is this by default. Silver Spoon veers into this territory, excitedly helping solve the riddles and genuinely enjoying Prancy's company. It's only when Prancy hurts her leg and Diamond Tiara urges them to hurry up that Silver Spoon ultimately chooses to leave her (she does apologize, though).
- Tragic Hero: Discussed. Diamond Tiara tries to sell herself and Silver Spoon as this, thinking that living in a 'little backwater town', surrounded by 'losers' that can't recognize 'how awesome they are' make them qualify as living through a tragedy. Nopony buys it.
- Villain Episode: Well, Antagonist Episode, anyway. This is the first time there's been an official story centered around the duo, bonus points for being the first issue to come out after the Fiendship is Magic event.
- Virtue Is Weakness: Diamond Tiara doesn't care if Prancy Drew is injured, she just wants to win the race and doesn't spend a moment to help her, despite the fact they need the full team the finish line.
