Bookends 3 or Family Values

STRANGE INTERLUDE 2

The police came in a very timely manner; mysterious dead ponies aren’t the norm for a community like Ponyville.  They had sent a message by Pegasus to Canterlot to request a medical examiner.  Except for a few accidents, Ponyville never needed one.

When the pony, Dr. Bones, arrived he took measurements, some hair samples and photographs.  Then he had his assistants to carefully and respectfully collect the remains for transfer to the lab back in Canterlot.  Afterward, he went to talk to the ponies that had discovered the remains.

“So you moved a large boulder and discovered the remains, is that correct Ms Trixie?” asked Dr. Bones.

“Remains is so cold,” said Trixie, “it was some pony’s baby!

And yes, I moved the boulder away from the large pile.  That’s when I saw something that didn’t look right.  I set the boulder down and went to look.  What I saw shocked, sickened and saddened me.”

“Did the moving of the boulder, disturb the rem… the pony?”

“No.”

“Did you touch or move the pony?”

“Celesta no!” exclaimed Trixie, “for what reason would I do that?”

“I’m not implying anything,” said Dr. Bones, “I’m just verifying that the position of the body was as it lay when uncovered.

Mr. Pie, I assume you or your daughter didn’t move the body as well?”

“No Sir,” said Clyde, “I made sure that nothing was disturbed until my daughter brought the police back.”

“I see,” said the medical examiner, “well, from what I can see, It appears to be a case of a pony being in the wrong place at the wrong time.  I don’t believe there were any criminal issues involved.”

“What can you say about the pony?” asked Trixie, she looked very concerned.

“It’s too early to say,” replied Dr. Bones, “I’ll have to do a further exam of the body and review the photos.  Plus the lab will have to test the hair and tissues before I’ll be comfortable to say anything.  There’s also research that’ll have to be done, once it’s determined how long the pony lay there, we’ll have to go through missing ponies reports.

It’ll take days, perhaps weeks.”

“Will you let us know what you find?” asked Sue.

“Being that the pony was found on your property,” said the doctor, “we’ll be in touch.  Will you be available to answer any other questions that may come up?

“Of course doctor,” said Clyde, “anything to help.”

After the police left, Clyde suggested that everypony take the rest of the day off to get over the shock.

Trixie lay in her room in the Pie house; she could not get the poor creature out of her mind.  The body was badly decayed and desiccated, but something about the remaining hair bothered her, as if she’d seen the pony before, and recently.