The Greatest Crime

The Greatest crime

I remember it well. A small town named Pony-Ton a few miles outside of Canterlot. A town never touched by mayhem or misfortune. But peace can never last forever, can it? This is a story about one of the biggest crime ever seen by Equestria.

On a sunny, windy, summer day, three young mares were sitting outside talking.

The first of which was a pegasus named Windy. She was dark gold with a dark brown mane in a braid hanging down her right side her tail was the same shade. Her cutie mark was two pegasus wings crossing for her love of flying.

The second was a land pony named Sunnyday. She was bright blue with a purple mane with pink stripes flowing down her neck and a tail the same of the same color. Her cutie mark was a stethoscope for her love of medicine and doctoring.

The third was unicorn named Lightspark. She was so blond she was almost white, with a white mane and tail to match. She was the only one without a cutie mark, even thought she was only a few years younger than the other two. She just finished her last year of school.

The three mares were talking about a festival celebrating the end of spring that was coming up in a few days that every pony in Pony-Ton celebrated; even ponies from out of town came to celebrate.

“Hey Spark are you excited about the festival? Now that you are out of school you can host a tent game of your very own.”

“I don’t know about hosting my own tent Windy. Even if I were to host my own tent, I wouldn’t know what game to host.”

“You should help out it’s a lot of fun.” Lightspark said.

The three friends continued talking until a carriage arrived in Pony-Ton. Out of the carriage fluttered a pegasus, that pony was me. This was my first sight of Pony-ton, a small town compared to Canterlot where I came from. But still a nice town. I saw the three mares walking towards me. The pegasus was the first to speak to me.

“Hey! Your new here aren't you!” Windy said practically screaming.

“Windy will you calm down. I’m sorry about her, we don’t see a lot of new people around here until the day of the festival.” Sunnyday said to me.

“Hello.” I say half laughing because of Windy. “I actually didn’t know anything about a festival. I am moving here from Canterlot.”
“Wow! You’re from Canterlot! That’s so cool.” Windy screamed
“Windy you need to calm down.”
Still laughing I say, “It’s alright really.”

“Well if you are alright with it there may be no stopping her. I’m Sunnyday, you can just call me Sunny. The one who barley can stop herself from jumping up and down is Misty. And the quiet one is Lightspark, we call her Spark.”
“Well hello every one I’m Flashbolt, you can call me Flash.” To describe myself, I am purple with a blue mane and tail. My cutie mark is a cloud with a thunder bolt sticking down from it.

“So you said your moving here huh. That’s so cool!

“Windy will you please calm down. I apologize for her.” Sunny said almost shouting at her.

“It’s really alright.” I say laughing.

“We are about to go to the bakery want to come with us.” This was the first time I heard Spark talk.

“Sure.”

“Yea then Windy can finally ask all her questions. That is, if she has any left.” Sunny said with a grin.

“Nope. I think I’m done.” We laughed and started walking to the bakery.

We arrived at the bakery, set our order, and sat down at a table outside.

“So how do you like our little town so far?” Sunny asked

“It’s a nice change from the big city. It’s been a while since I have been in a small town. So when are you ganna start talking?” I look at Spark.

“I don’t know. I usually stay pretty quiet.” She says with a grin.

“It’s true, she does.” Sunny said

We Get our order and sit back at our table.

“So what do you ponies do around here?

“Normal pony stuff I guess, hang out, play games, and just whatever our talent.

We continued talking for a while continuing to get more rounds of cupcakes. Then we noticed a few royal guards flying down from the sky towards a crowd of ponies. We walk over to the crowd and push our way through. In the middle of the crowd we can see a collapsed old pony. The royal guards push every one out of the way and create a circle around the old lady.

Out of the few royal guards an agent of the royal court appeared. He looks at me and I know I will have to talk to him. Separated from the other three I talk to him.

“Hello Agent Flash. It’s Seems you just can’t escape trouble.” He says when I get over to him

“What do you mean?” This can’t be good

“This murder, it just so happened to be in the same town that you just moved to.”

“Murder? Isn’t this just an old lady who unfortunately died while walking through town?”

“We think not. We got word that there may be a Murderer in this town. And then this old lady happened to die. It just seemed a little too coincidental to us.”

“So?” I know where this is going

“Well I needed to talk to you because the court asked me to see if you would like one last mission?”

“I’m retired from being an agent you know that.” I start to walk off.

“Yes but you were our best agent, you know that. Besides you know you loved the thrill of a mission.” He knows this will bait me.

“You really want me to take this don’t you?” I can’t believe I am about to say this. “Fine, but two things we need to get straight. I get to choose my team, and I make the calls, the court can’t interfere.”

“Fair enough. Who do you want on your team?”

“There are three ponies I have met while I have been here. I have assessed their skills and they should be a good team for me.”

“But they aren't trained.”

“It’s my call remember.”

He seems to be thinking this over for a long time before. “Very well. I officially appoint you on the case.” He walks off.

“So I am.” I say to myself

I walk back to the girls to hear them discussing the old lady.

“I can’t believe she is dead.” Sunny was saying to the others as I walked up.

“Who was she any way?” I ask.

“She was an old hermit who lived outside of Pony-ton. She was a doctor, but now she only performs on people with great sicknesses that are brought to her. Usually she will come down to the town for supplies and an order of cup cakes.” Spark knowledge of this it a little surprising.

“You seem to know a lot about her Spark.”

“Yea she knows almost every pony in Pony-Ton. Where were you anyway?” I was waiting for someone to ask that so I didn’t have to bring it up. Thank you Sunny.

“An agent of the royal court wanted to talk to me.”

“Why?” They all ask almost simultaneously.

So I explain the whole story. About how I use to be an agent, the old lady’s death being a murder, and how I needed there help.

“You want us to help you investigate a murder?” Sonny asked in disbelief.

“Yes, I need all of your help.”

“How are we going to help?” Windy asked next?

“You all can help me. First off, Sonny, I need you to do the autopsy on the old lady. Second, Windy I need you to patrol the skies to look for any one that looks suspicious. And third, Spark, I need you to come with me to question people, as I understand you know the most about all the ponies in town.”

“So you want me to do the autopsy on the old lady. Sounds doable. I’m in.”

“You want me to patrol the sky to find someone suspicious? I don’t even know what a suspicious person looks like. But I guess I will give it a try. I’m in.”

That just left Spark. “I guess I know a lot about the ponies in Pony-ton but I don’t talk much. I guess I can help you as best I can.”

“Great. So Spark who is the person you know who was closest to the old lady?”

“That would be Doctor Dorian I guess. She supposedly taught him everything he currently knows about medicine.”
“OK then. We have our jobs. Windy I need you to patrol the skies, also check out the crime scene for evidence. The rest of us will go to the hospital Sunny will perform the autopsy, as Sparks, and I will search for the doctor to question him.”
“OK, I will get started, see you later girls.” Windy said about to take off
“Windy wait!” Sunny shouted.

“What?”

“When and if you find something come find us at the hospital, and if we aren’t there any more we will meet up at my house agreed?” Sunny suggested

“Got it, good plan.” We all agreed

We start towards the hospital as Windy set of to patrol the skies. While walking to the hospital Spark started talking.

“Hey Flash, you use to be an agent right?”

“Yep.”

“So what’s the difference between an agent and an agent of the royal court?”

“Nothing, agent of the royal court is just the full job title.”

“So did you get a badge?”

By now I can’t help but laugh a little at her curiosity. “Yep I did.”

“”Wow Sparks, you seem really interested in this. Maybe you should become an agent.” Sunny commented half sarcastically half seriously.

“No I think I’m a little too shy to be an agent.” We all laughed and continued walking

We got to the hospital and separated, Sunny going to the surgical room as Sparks and I tried to find the doctor.

“Hey Flash, What’s an autopsy any way?”

“It’s a surgery to find out how a pony died.”

“Sound complicated. I can’t believe Sunny is even a doctor, she was taught by Doctor Dorian.

“Really? So she must really be really good if she was taught by such a renowned doctor.”

“Yea she is.” She says boasting about her friend

We walk around for what seems like ever and decide we aren’t going to find him like this so we went and sat down waiting for the autopsy to finish. After another 30 min. or so, Sunny walked out of the operating room.

“So? Find anything.”

“Yep and it wasn’t easy either.”
“So? What was it?”

“Well it was a poison.”

“Poison? That's it? You would think the killer would have been more careful.” Spark commented

“Well they were actually.”

“Sunny ganna explain? Or leave us wondering?” I ask

“Well the frosting had hundreds of tiny shards of fiberglass in it. And the fiberglass was poisoned so when the victim would bite the cupcake the fiberglass in the frosting it would cause several hundred tiny cuts on the inside of the pony’s mouth. This is how the poison seeped in. The fiberglass and the poison would have dissolved in the stomach not harming the victim and leaving no trace. Luckily the fiberglass didn’t fully dissolve yet, so when I saw it I knew what to look for.”

“Wow, so the killer did put some thought into this. Any way good job, do you have any idea where the doctor is, we couldn't find him.”

“Yea turns out he went home when she heard the news about the old lady dying. Sorry I couldn’t tell you sooner, I was busy.”

“I understand. We should get going though.” As we start walking out of the hospital we ran into Windy.

“Hey girls. Find anything?” Windy asked as she saw us.

“Yea but it’s a long story we can explain later. What’s in the box?”

“They are cup cakes the old lady was carrying when she died.”

“You didn’t eat any did you?” We all shout at once.

“No. But why did you all yell that.”

“Well like I said we can explain later just don’t eat any.”

We walk outside of the hospital. “OK girls change of plans. Windy I need you to go pick up another batch of cupcakes just like these ones, again don’t eat any. Sunny and Spark, I want you two to go to Sunny’s house and check the other cupcakes that windy will order to see if they were poisoned to.”

“Why? Sunny asked

“Because if only this batch is poisoned then it was a selective kill. If the other is too, then it was an attempt at mass murder with no designed target.”

“Wait the cupcakes are poisoned.”

“Yep. Sunny, I will need you to catch Windy up to speed.”

“So what are you going to do Flash?” Spark asked.

“I’m ganna go talk to the doctor, what way does he live?”

“He lives out of town a little ways, on what looks like a small farm.” Spark points north of town.

“Got it thanks, Let’s get to work.”

We split up and I start my fly over to The doctor’s house, it took me longer than I thought. After searching for a few minutes I finally found his house. It was small with a heavily wooded area behind it.

I knock on the door and a pony answers the door.

“Hello?” He said answering the door “How can I help you.”

“Hi. I’m here to ask a Doctor Dorian a few questions about the old doctor who died earlier today. Are you him?”

“Oh Yes. I wish I could invite you in, but my house is a bit of a mess.”

“That’s OK. I would just like to ask a few questions.”

“Of course.” Something seemed off. He seemed a bit touchy.

“So you knew the lady then?”

“Yes she taught me everything I know about medicine.”

I hesitate for a moment. “I’m Sorry but what was her name?”

“Her name was Medi, I’m not sure if it was her whole name or only part of it. That’s all I ever called her.”

“Well I’m investigating what we believe to be murder. Do you know why anyone would want her dead?”

“No, I have no idea why someone would want to kill her. Are you sure it’s a murder, she was an old lady after all.” This was the first time out of our conversation that he made eye contact

“Yes sadly I’m sure.”

“I’m sorry I have to ask you to leave detective. I hope you can understand why.”

“Yes I understand.” He pushed me away from the door quickly, something was off. I decided not to investigate, he could just want time to alone. But he didn’t seem to upset. I ignored my senses and flew over to Sunny’s house to see what the girls found out.

I walk in the door and Sunny instantly tells me what they found out.

“Flash, we studied the cupcake frosting only the old lady’s order was poisoned. So the murder was selective. Now we need to figure out a reason why.”

“Yea and when I was at the doctor’s house he was kind of pushy to get me out of his house. Any way I have an idea of where we should search next. Windy and I are going to go talk to baker to see if he may have a lead.”

“Why only you two? I want to come along.” Spark protested.

“I’m sorry spark but Windy and I can move faster by sky than any of us can on land, besides if we get a lead we can catch up to it faster.”

“So then what will Sunny and I do?” Spark asked with an annoyed tone in her voice.

“Sorry you two will just have to wait for us to get back.”

“Come on Spark we will be fine waiting for a little while. Good luck you two.”

“Thanks. Let’s go Windy.” Windy and I go outside and fly off toward the bakery.

After a short while she did what I assumed she would do and asked me, “So you really use to be an agent of the royal court?”

“Yep.”

“So what do you do? Just solve crimes and mysteries?”

Already giggling a little from her curiosity I reply “Yea just about.”

This was the question I didn’t expect. I guess because no one ever really asks. “Why did you quit?”

I choke a little trying to answer. “Well. My partner who had helped me with every mission I was assigned was KIA.” All the tone in my voice was gone, I never really talked about it.

“What’s KIA?”

“It means killed in action.” I answer still choking on my words. The rest of the flight was quit.

We made it to the bakery and landed. We tried to open the door but it was locked. We knocked on the door with no reply. Finally I look through the window.

“Knock the door down Windy.”

“What. Are you insane?”

“Just do it!”

We bust down the door into the bakery lobby to see the baker lying on the ground lifeless. Windy ran out of the door before I could stop her. I decide it best to leave her be, she isn't use to the sight of crime scene.

I walk over to the bakers body roll him over. He has knife in his throat. I pull out the knife and called for Windy

“Windy, are you still outside?”

“Yea.” She calls back unsteadily.

“We need to contact the royal guard. Can you go do that for me?”

“Yea. Sure.” I could tell she was breathing heavy.

In a few moments the royal guard shows up. Only two agents. The agents come over to speak to me. “Hello agent Flash, we received a call do you need some help.”

“Two things. First, don’t call me agent, because I’m not.” I say with a tone. I hate it when I get called an agent “Second, yes I could use some help in my search for evidence. This guy cleans up nice.”

“Well then let’s start looking.”

The first thing we found was the killers escape, a broken window in the big just enough to jump through. The second thing we saw was what gave us the big lead.

“I found something!” An agent shouted out calling us over to a door that said surveillance.

“The door looks as if someone tried to force their way in.”

“It also looks like they failed too.” I said as I walked by. “We need to bust this door down.” sure enough we bust down the door in a matter of moments. “Now we have to find the tape that will show us what happened here.”
Only a few more moments go by until I hear an agent call out that they found it.

I walk over and see the end of the tape, the murderer jumping out the window. “Rewind, ok now play it here.”

The video showed a pony walk into the bakery. This pony looked oddly familiar too. As the pony walked in he started talking to the clerk about a shipment he delivered earlier and about another order he was picking up. The baker turned around as the murderer picked up a knife and stabbed him in his neck. It was when the pony turned around and I could see his whole face was when I noticed who he was.

“That’s enough of the tape, I know who he is.”

“Who is it on the tape?” A pony asks me as I’m leaving. I ignore him and walk out the door.

“Windy you out here!?”

“Yea. Over here.” she says as she comes out from behind a cloud.”

“We have to go. I know who the killer is.”

“What! Who?”

“The doctor.” She stared at me for a second in disbelieve.

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure.” I respond. I’m very sure.

We fly back to the girls in record time.

“Girls get up we have to go.” I say as I enter the house.

“Why?” They both ask.

“We found the baker dead and found out who the killer is.”

“Who?” Sunny asks.

“It’s Doctor Dorian.”

“Wait the doctor?” Spark asks.

“No it can’t be him.” Sunny argued in disbelieve.

“Sorry Sunny, but it is.”

I explain what we saw at the bakery. I left out Windy running away because I felt the all would have done the same. The look on Sunny’s face doesn’t seem any less stressful.

“Wait so you said it was the doctor?” Sunny finally said sounding a little hopeful.

“Yea.” I reply. “Why?”

“What did you say he looked like?”

“I didn’t, He was white land pony with a short grey mane and tail.”

Sunny gave a sigh, “The doctor is brown with a long black mane and tail. Sunny said cheerfully.

“It was the same pony I questioned earlier today.”

“I’m not saying it’s not. But that isn’t the doctor.”

“Well you can guess our next mission can’t you. We have to go to the doctor’s house.”

“Agreed.” Sunny said.

“Wait wait wait, I’m lost why do we have to go to the doctor?”

“I’m with Spark, I’m lost.” Windy added.

Sunny and I respond almost at the same time. “Because if the pony I talked to and the pony in the video are the same person but not the doctor, then we need to find out who he is.” Windy and Spark seemed to get the idea so we left for the doctors house.

We ran to the doctors house faster than I thought possible. We got to the doctors house and bust down the door. We looked around for a few minutes finding only locked doors a long hallway and a not that read…

“Dear Annoying pony friends.

Congratulations on finding your way back to the dear doctor’s house. You have been keeping up with me better than I expected. There still seems to be a while yet until our little game is over so if you wish to continue your “quest” then I suggest you follow the long hall in this room.
Sincerely, Myself.

“Well let’s go girls.” They only looked at me with puzzled looks. I must have missed something.

“Wait what! Are you mad? It’s clearly a trap.” Windy argued.

“I agree with Windy, Flash. We can’t go.” Spark added

I wish I had time to discuss this but I didn’t. these ponies had no idea how dangerous a pony can really be if given the chance. And I have a chance to stop him. “Ponies this murderer has killed two people of my knowledge and I can’t let him kill anyone else. I’m sorry but there is little room for discussion.” I start walking down the hall without checking to see if they are following.

As I walk down the hall I notice another set of hoof steps behind me and two more behind that. As it turns out Spark followed behind me with Sunny and Windy a few steps behind her. As we reach the end of the hall that seems to last forever we end up in a dark room with only a little light where we entered. As the others catch up to me, already a few steps in, a set of bars that look like jail cell bar encase in front and in back of us. Leaving the side of the room we entered into only a few feet away.
“Well Flash… looks like a trap”

“O quiet Windy.” I hate when other ponies are right about traps. After a few seconds of looking around the lights brighten and we can see the far end of the room only about three meters away. Sitting with his back to the wall, we can see the whit pony.

“Well we finally meet young ponies.” He says as he turns around. I run at him only to have the bars stop me in a few steps. “Well, aren’t we an impatient little pony?” He says glaring at me with a smile.

“Who are you?” Sunny asked because I’m too angry to talk

“I am a pony with no name.” He says this almost with no emotion. “I have been without a name for some time now.”

“What do you want!?” I shout at him not meaning to.

“Hmmm...” he hesitates. ”I guess I could answer that. Well you see, I go around to different towns just to and the peace that towns hold.”

Why?” I managed to ask this without screaming

“No reason other than to cause mayhem and distress. Your town has been perfect for my crime. Most of my crimes involve robbery and arson. But when I came to your little town with only intents of robbery I discovered something wonderful.”

“Yea and what’s that.” Spark said edging him to tell us.

“Well if you must know. In the first house I went to rob I found a sick pony lying in bed. This pony turned out to be a town doctor.”

“So you killed the doctor too! You’re sick!” Sonny said screaming at him.

The grey pony was unmoved by Sonny’s screaming “Aren't you an angry little pony? Well any way. I killed the dear doctor and came up with an idea for the best crime Equestria has ever seen.

“Yea and what that?” I ask.

“Well if you will all let me finish I will tell you.” He paused. “I made a costume to look exactly like the dear doctor.”

“So that was your great scheme? Pretend to be a doctor?” I interrupted

“May I please finish, thank you.” He waited for a second.”You don’t seem to understand. As a pretend doctor with little knowledge of being a real doctor I was killing several patients every day. This was my plan since I found the doctor sick in bed. But this was all changed when the old hag caught on that I was not the real doctor. So I had to kill her somehow. So I thought of the poison. I delivered a shipment of cupcake frosting and only the delivery men can make special requests. So I gave him a special package and asked him to make a patch specially for the old lady as a secret present. And she fell for it. I was going to sit back and enjoy him getting arrested for a crime he didn’t commit, but then you appeared at my house so I realized I had to kill him too to cover the loose end. Then I found the security room. Thus causing another flaw in my plan. I had to think of a plan to kill you all in one spot”.

At this moment spikes came down from the ceiling stopping right above out heads. “Don’t worry. This is just to stop you from flying.” He must have seen the panic in our eyes. He was completely insane. Then on the side of the wall we entered on appeared a long row of arrows. Then we saw a hall open up at the far end of our cage.

“This is to kill you.”

“I assume the arrows will fire out of the wall at us column by column, and that there are more in the hall over there?” I ask trying to cover my panic.

“Smart pony. You have to decide, do you want to die from several arrows or do you with to run the end of the hall and fall to your death.” He walked to a section of the wall and opened a door. Before he left the room he told us one word. “Run.”

I had little time to think about what he said with falling to our deaths until the arrows started to fire from the far columns behind us as we all ran for the exit. .As we ran closer and closer to the hall at the end of the room I could already hear the arrows getting closer. We reached the hall at the end of the room, by now the arrows were only a few feet behind us getting closer. I could see the light to outside, the arrows were right behind us. .I thought for sure we weren’t going to make it. I can feel an arrow graze my flank then the next thing I know I am pushed out of the exit falling to the ground below.

We all fell into a pile of leaves. From both relief and not knowing how to comprehend what happened we all start laughing.

“I guess he forgot to move these safety leaves.” I say as we continue laughing. It takes me only a moment to notice a laugh is missing. It was Spark’s

I turn to see Spark lying on the ground with an arrow stuck between her flank and her stomach. It took me a second to realize what happened, she pushed me out the exit out of the way of an arrow.

“Spark!” We all yell to her.

She looked pale “Did we all make it?” She asked in a low tone.

“Don’t talk Spark, we are ganna get you some help” I feel this is all I can do to comfort her

Sunny pulled me aside and whispered to me. “How are we going to help her? There is nothing we can do for her here?

And Sunny was right. I had no idea what I was ganna do. I felt helpless. “Can’t you help her somehow? You are a doctor.” I ask her knowing there isn’t anything she can do.

“I wish I could but I have no supplies, none the less even disinfectant.”

“Can we take her back to the hospital?” I ask hopefully.

“Possibly, but then the murderer would get away.” Windy says sitting next to Spark. I guess we weren’t talking that quiet.

“Give me a second to think.”

“Not to sound rude but we don’t have a second.” Sunny pointed out.

She was right again. We can’t all go to the hospital or the murderer would get away. We can’t help her here, we have nothing to even dislodge the arrow with or even clean the wound. And I have no more time to think, I have to do something. So I did.

“Every pony listen, Windy I need you to carefully fly Spark to the hospital. Sunny I’m sorry but I need you to walk to the hospital yourself, Windy will need as little weight as possible.” So far no pony said anything about my plan. But then Sunny saw the detail I left out.

“But what are you going to do?” Sonny said

“Well”, I hesitate. “I’m ganna go find the murderer.”

“What! Alone?” Sunny and Windy shouted.

“Yes. Spark needs a hospital and we also need to find the murderer. He couldn’t have gone far.” They know I’m right

“Listen to her girls, she is right.” Spark agreed with me.

“I’m glad you agree Sparks. So one last thing. Don’t talk or try to move around a lot. You need to save all your strength.” She gave a sign to say ok. Without hesitation I jump in the air. “Good luck girls”

“You too Flash.” Sunny answered back.

As I fly away I try to keep out of my mind what is happening to Spark. I try and stay concentrated at the task at hand. But the thought of what happened to my friend keeps popping into my head. I have lost a partner before and it’s not happening again. Now the only thing I’m afraid of is what I may do to the murderer when I find him.

I fly to an exit in the back of the doctor’s house which I believe to be the door the murderer used to escape. I find a few hoof marks leading away from the building that I can only follow so long. After I lose the tracks I wonder off in what in the direction the hoof marks lead. I find more marks here and there in patches of dirt.

I come to a clearing and the sun blinds me. I feel a sharp pain hit my forehead. Then everything falls black.

When I wake back up I am in what seems to be the same clearing I was in. Only now with my eyes adjusted to the sun I see the murderer, sitting at an edge of a cliff. I attempt to run at him and push him off, but the pain in my head is too great and I let out a long groan of pain and fall back to the ground.

“You’re awake already? I hit you pretty hard.”

“How long was I out?” I asked hoping it wasn’t long.

“Only about 5 minutes. And I must say I swung that branch quite hard.”

“Where are we and what are you doing here?”

“You don’t seem to be in much of a position to be asking questions. But I will answer them seeing as I could have gave you a concussion. You followed me so I hit you, simple as that. I was waiting for you to wake up so we could have a chat. So here we are on top of a cliff, ready to talk.”

“So what is there to talk about?” I managed to ask through my blurry mind.

“I am going to tell you the next parts of my plan and you have to decide whether or not it’s worth following.”

“Why?” I ask with my vision almost completely back.

“I would rather not tell you. Life is more fun when you don’t know all the facts.”

“Then why tell me your next idea?”

“That is a good loophole. But I won’t tell you that either. Tomorrow I will destroy Pony-Ton and kill all of the ponies that live here. Tomorrow. That is all you get to know.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“Why haven’t I killed you is the better question. You are half unconscious yet I am telling you my plan.” This guy is a complete lunatic.

“What if I capture you right now?”

“You can’t and you won’t. But I will let you decide right now.” He turned toward the cliff. “Do you have it in me to kill me, or will I walk away with nothing but a long jail sentence, most likely for my whole life. You will have to decide latter anyway, so why not let u decide now. I am giving you the chance right now. Push me over the edge now, or give me the chance to kill every pony in Pony-Ton.

He was right. I will have to decide. He has killed two doctors a baker to cover his tracks and however many patients who could have been treated. I try to stand up but I fall right back down.

“Humph. So sad, if you wanted it bad enough you would have pushed me. Go back to your friends. This will all end tomorrow. Somehow.” He walked away leaving me lying on the ground.

I almost black out again but I remember Sparks. I have to get back to her. Half awake and half dizzy out of my mind I fly into the sky losing most of what vision I gained back. I sway back and forth before I finally get a grip on my flight control. The flight to the hospital was terrible, both from the concussion I probably have and knowing I have to tell the girls I was unsuccessful.

I finally make my way to the hospital. Dizzy and disoriented I land and walk into the hospital waiting room where I see Sunny and Windy. They see I’m hurt and run over to me.

“Flash, are you ok” Sunny asked me.

“I’m fine. Where is Spark?”

“The doctors said she needed a little time to rest. Flash you need to patched up.” Sunny suggested

“I will be fine.”

“At least sit down.” Windy said. So I sat down with the girls and waited for any news about Spark.

Eventually a nurse pony came to us and told us we could see her. We walked in and saw her lying in a bed, she looked a little beat up but she had little to no signs of injury.

“Hey girls.” She said in almost a whisper.

“Hi.” We all say to her.

“How are you feeling?” I ask hopping she is alright.”

“I’m fine. Did you find the murderer?”

“No I didn’t sorry.” But then I remembered. “I found him but he knocked me out for a few minutes. But then he told me something. He said if I wanted to continue our case then I would find him tomorrow, but that’s all he said.”

The girls seemed shocked

“What? What’s tomorrow?”

“There is a festival tomorrow. And if he is going to point his next crime towards the festival it may be hard to find him” Sunny said with Windy and Spark both agreeing with her.

“Well we have to try, don’t we?” They knew I was right.

“So what do we do then?”

“I don’t know. You all know more about the festival then me. All I think we can do is go there and try to find him before he can try anything.”The girls took a long pause that seemed to last forever.

Sunny pulled me and Windy out of Spark’s room and spoke. “Flash, I am not sure we should continue to help you.”

“I… I…” I stuttered for a second. “I don’t understand.”

“Sorry Flash, but we have to be here for Sparks.” Windy consoled me.

“Windy? You are also staying?”

“Sorry.” Windy replied.

“Flash it just, we have to stay. We are no good at this. You will find him faster on your own.” Sunny said.

I stood motionless for what seemed like an hour. I just couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Finally managing a word to form I say, “Fine, stay here.” I start walking away before the other ponies can speak.

Windy caught me at the door to the hospital. “Flash wait. We are both real sorry. But we can’t leave Sparks.

“It is fine Windy, I will be fine.”

“But.” I cut her off

“Its fine, I will be fine.” I walk out before she can continue.

I wonder into a park to a tree and fly to a high branch in the sun. I try to process thoughts but there are too many. I better start at the top.

First off, I am an agent… ex agent. I am an ex agent of the royal court. I took a case to solve a murder in a small pony town called Pony-Ton. This single murder has turned into a larger case mass murder in only a matter of hours. I am currently working alone to find one man who will strike again tomorrow during a festival. And lastly if I fail, the whole town could be destroyed. I need a plan, but I have none.

I think for hours and only think of one thing, I will have to go to the festival tomorrow and search for the murderer pony myself.

I watch the set up of the festival for hours until the day falls to night. I feel my eyelids slowly closing.

I wake up still outside in the tree where I watched the set up of the festival. It appears to be late afternoon. The festival starts at 5 pm. I ask a pony for the time, it is only 4. I have one hour to prepare.

Instead of preparing I find myself at the bakery I went to on my first day in Pony-Ton. To think it was only yesterday. I blank out for a while. I am dead to the world for an hour before the sound of bells brings me back to life. The festival has started. I now know why the murderer wants to strike at the festival. There must be hundreds of ponies here.

I wonder around for another half hour before I take a break, walking is going to take twice as long as flying. Come to think of it, I don’t know why I didn’t start out by flying. So after a few minutes of rest I fly into the sky and find a route that should let me see every path in the festival, there should be no way the murderer will get by me. After about 10 minutes I see a white pony with a grey mane like the murderer walk into the back entrance to a maze of mirrors.

I fly down to the front entrance but there is a sign that says closed. I know for a fact this is where the murderer is hiding. After a quick fly to the back door I find the door locked. The door looks rusty enough to kick down. Sure enough after a hard kick, the door fell. I walk into the maze and a steal door closes shut behind me, leaving me trapped in this house with the murderer.

I take only a step in before I see a few reflections of the murderer smiling at me.

“Well well well, I didn’t think I could trap you this easily. But maybe you planned this. After all, you did chase me to the festival.”

“What do you mean I’m in a trap? If we are both stuck in here, there is nothing you can do either.” He truly is a mad man if he thinks he won.

“Silly pony, I have already set a bomb to go off in 5 minutes giving me just enough time to lure you in here.”

“What?! But if you trapped us here, then you will go down with the rest of town.” Yep, truly, and completely insane.

“I realize this, but what best way not to get caught for my crime. This is going to be my last crime I ever commit.” He actually started laughing at this point.

“So you never planned on escaping the festival?”

“Never, my last crime will be the biggest and most infamous in all of Equestria.”

“You are completely crazy.”

“You sound calm for about to be killed.”

He was right too, judging by how long we have been talking we have about 3 minutes left on the bomb. “I guess I am calm because I will find a way out of here and stop you.” I hope, I think to myself.

Then my lucked changed. “Flash…” I hear a muffled voice call my name. It came from the other side of the door. “Flash are you in there?” The voice was Windy’s

“Yea, I’m in here.” I turn back towards the door to hear her better. “What are you doing here?”

“I came to help you, Sunny is still at the hospital. What happened?”

“Listen Windy, I need you to find a bomb that is the festival. We have about 2 minutes. The bomb will be in a tent that is closed off from the public.”

“Wait what?” She was having a hard time following.

“Just do it! We don’t have much more time!” By the sounds of it, it sounds like she left.

I turn back to the maze of mirrors and step further into the maze to where I can see several reflections of myself and the murderer. The white pony is only smiling and watching me walk through the maze.

“You seem a little calm to.” I call to him hoping he will talk and I can pinpoint where he is.

“Hmmm.” All he does is laugh.

“If I were to guess I would say we only have a minute left. You should be getting nervous.”

“Silly pony. Your friend won’t find the bomb in time.”

That’s it! He talked, and from the sounds of it he is close by. I look at several reflections and walk a few more steps.

I turn a corner and jump, landing on the white pony pinning him down. “Caught you, and by the time it seems as if we stopped your bomb too.” Behind him is a lever that opens the doors.

As I walk out the back door I see Windy and 2 agents from Canterlot standing there.

“We did it Flash!” Windy screams hugging me.

“Yea we did.” I look at the 2 agents who appear to be gazing directly at the white pony.

One of the agents walks past me bracing the white pony’s hooves together. “Good work agent Flash.”

“I’m not an agent. You know that.”

“Yes but we have been told to offer you a job back I Canterlot. If you are interested that is.”

I am shocked by the offer but… “Sorry agents. I am going to stay here in Pony-Ton.” Windy’s face seems to light up brighter than the sun.

“You sure?” My face tells them that I am sure. “Got it we will tell the court you declined. We are going to take the murderer from here. Does he have a name?”

“None as far as we know.”

“Very well, have a nice day.” The agents fly off and I turn to Windy who can’t seem to stop from jumping in place.

“You turned down the offer. Why?”

“I have played agent for many years of my life, but this town is… it feels like home.” I look at Windy still jumping and smiling bigger than before. “What?”

“Come to the hospital. It’s Spark.” We fly to the hospital so fast that Windy can hardly go in a straight line.

“What’s going on with Spark?” I ask

“You will see.”

We get to the hospital and go to Spark’s room. Spark and Sunny are sitting at a table in the room. They both jump up and hug me.

“What’s going on, Windy told me something was going on with Spark?”

“Well…” Sunny starts. “Show her.”

Spark turns showing a cutie mark on her flank. The cutie mark is four hearts side by side, for four friends. Yep this town feels like home.

THE END