Friendship is Magic Issue 83

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic #83 is the eighty-third issue of IDW Publishing's. In the issue, Twilight Sparkle and Spike investigate when a famous racing tortoise goes missing.

Summary
The issue begins with Twilight Sparkle and Spike taking the Friendship Express to see the Great Northern Tortoise Races in Trotland, taking Tank with them to compete due to Rainbow Dash being busy with Wonderbolts duty. When they arrive to Trotland, however, they find the town largely deserted.

Trotland Yard inspector Leigh Stride appears and explains that famous racing tortoise and race champion Silver Blaze has gone missing, and his disappearance has made the townsponies depressed and dried up tourism. Considering this crisis to be a crime against friendship, Twilight offers Leigh Stride her and Spike's assistance in the investigation of Silver Blaze's whereabouts.

Leigh Stride says the prime suspect in Silver Blaze's disappearance is Millerspoke, the groundskeeper of Silver Blaze's owner Downey Burn, who is believed to have left the gate open and allowed Silver Blaze to wander off. On their way to Millerspoke's house, they run into Alder Brown, who owns another racing tortoise named Scarlet Study and speaks out against the tortoise races' cancellation. Alder harbors resentment toward Downey Burn because Silver Blaze always wins the races and Downey initially bought Silver Blaze out from under him when Silver Blaze was young. Twilight assures Alder that they will find Silver Blaze and get the races back on.

At Millerspoke's cabin, Twilight, Spike, and Leigh Stride meet with the partially deaf groundskeeper and ask him about Silver Blaze. Millerspoke explains that, on the night of Silver Blaze's disappearance, he fed carrots to her, went out to do some stargazing, and eventually dozed off. He denies any accusations of leaving the gate open, even though tortoise tracks were found by his stargazing spot. Because of the suspicions leveled against Millerspoke, his friends turned on him, and Twilight sympathizes with his plight.

After Millerspoke gives Twilight a warm detective outfit to protect her from the cold air, she, Spike, and Leigh Stride to go to Downey Burn's house. They meet Downey Burn's sister Nock Pointe and find several overdue bills from Carousel Boutique for Nock's collection of figurines. Downey Burn enters, appearing to have sustained a recent head injury, and explains what Twilight and her friends already know: when she went to check on Silver Blaze a few nights earlier, she discovered the gate was open and Silver Blaze was gone. Twilight stops Tank from eating some nearby arugula due to tortoises being allergic to the plant, and Downey Burn offers him some carrots (Silver Blaze's favorite treat).

Twilight, Spike, and Leigh Stride then go to speak with Alder Brown, but he refuses to let them enter his farm or see his tortoise Scarlet Study. Leigh Stride comments that no one has seen Scarlet Study since the previous year's race, and Twilight notices some of Alder's carrots are partially eaten. Later that night, Twilight and Spike retire to their hotel room, and Spike tries to cheer up Tank by outfitting him in his special racing shell. Upon seeing how different Tank looks in his new shell, Twilight figures out the mystery of Silver Blaze's disappearance. She races to the cider hall where Leigh Stride and other townsponies are gathered and convinces them to hold the tortoise races in Silver Blaze's honor.

The next day, the Great Northern Tortoise Races are held, and Twilight briefly gets caught up in the excitement of the event. In the end, Alder Brown's tortoise Scarlet Study wins, and Tank comes in second place. With all the townsponies together in one place, Twilight removes Scarlet's racing shell and reveals it is actually Silver Blaze.

Twilight explains that Downey Burn owed a lot of money to Carousel Boutique for her sister Nock Pointe's figurine collection, so she plotted to bet against Silver Blaze and sabotage her by feeding her arugula and giving her a stomach ache. Silver Blaze, who hates arugula, retaliated by giving Downey the head injury and ran away, eventually finding her way into the partially deaf Millerspoke's wagon and to Alder Brown's farm. Alder Brown, still resentful toward Downey Burn, schemed to use Silver Blaze to win the next race by disguising her as Scarlet Study.

Downey Burn is overjoyed that Silver Blaze is safe and sound, and Alder Brown apologizes to Downey for using Silver Blaze to get back at her. As Downey and Alder make amends, Twilight remarks that the Tortoise Races should be about celebrating friendship, not about betting and over-competitiveness.

Quotes

 * Twilight Sparkle: Inspector, we'd like to offer our services as consulting detectives. The two of us.
 * Tank: ...
 * Twilight Sparkle: Excuse me. The three of us will be honored to help.


 * Spike: She's a tortoise. Do they really run wild? I mean, how fast do they crawl? No offense, Tank.


 * Millerspoke: You don't have to pound, Leigh Stride! I ain't deef, ye know.
 * Leigh Stride: No, just mostly deaf.
 * Millerspoke: What?


 * Twilight Sparkle: Once you eliminate the possible, whatever's left, no matter how improbable, must be the answer.


 * Twilight Sparkle: Wow! I love your dolls.
 * Nock Pointe: They're nae dolls! They're fully posable articulated collectibles!


 * Spike: Are you okay, Twilight?
 * Twilight Sparkle: I don't know how Pinkie finds the energy to get ponies excited about celebrating all the time! It's exhausting!


 * Crowd Pony 1: You know, she could just reveal everything and save us pages.
 * Crowd Pony 2: That's that overly dramatic Ponyville attitude for you.


 * Spike: Twilight, how do you do it? You came in here out of nowhere and solved this case and got old friends back together! You're amazing.
 * Twilight Sparkle: And you, my dear Spike, are complimentary. Quite complimentary.