The House

Twilight Sparkle's tired eyes ached as she struggled to look through each and every file at the Ponyville Town Hall. She had been searching through all the files for the last four hours, and even the seasoned reader was beginning to get tired of coming up with no results. Twilight looked at Rainbow Dash and Applejack, who were also looking through as many files as they could. Applejack seemed to be as tired as she was, slowly flipping through each of the files. But Rainbow went from file to file with intense speed, seemingly unfazed by the drawn out time they had been searching.

"Ya know..." Applejack said before sitting back and tipping her Stetson back to wipe her forehead. "When Ah thought about investigatin' this murder, somehow this wasn't what Ah had in mind." Twilight sighed and nodded at her.

"Yeah." Twilight responded. "I'm pretty tired myself. I've come up with absolutely nothing not a single thing. The only crime I've found is thievery. And even then it's extremely rare. Not one thing on murder or even an investigation on a murder."

"Well remember, guys." Rainbow Dash said. "We don't even know whether or not the authorities found out about this murder. This is just to weed some things out so we can narrow it down."

"Weeding files in the Town Hall isn't nearly as fun as actually weeding in a garden." Twilight said sarcastically.

"Come on, guys. We're almost done. Just a few more files." Rainbow said with a small smirk before continuing to search through the files with a new determination. With a small sigh, Applejack returned to her searching herself, as did Twilight. When not a single result revealed itself, the three friends stood before each other, confused as to what to do next.

"Okay, so we're done with all the public files." Twilight said with a small frown. "And we found absolutely nothing."

"So what now?" Applejack asked.

"We should ask around town." Rainbow Dash said. "Elderly ponies. They're the most likely to know about anything that's happened in the past sixty or seventy years." Applejack and Twilight looked at each other and nodded.

"Yeah, that sounds logical." Twilight responded with a small smile. "Now we're actually getting somewhere. Time to do some actual investigating."

"Alright." Applejack said with a smirk and a raised eyebrow. "Ah know just the mare to start with."

_____

When the three friends arrived at Sweet Apple Acres, they stopped outside Applejack's farmhouse and briefly considered how to approach the situation.

"So I'm guessing we're not gonna walk in there and say 'Hey, Granny Smith! Do you remember anything about a murder in Ponyville ever?' I mean, it might freak her out." Rainbow Dash said.

"Yeah, it would. Ah'll tell ya." Applejack said while rubbing her chin. "She's pretty sensitive about that kinda stuff."

"Then how are we going to do it?" Twilight asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Maybe y'all should stay out here for a bit while Ah go in and talk to her." Applejack said. "Ah could tell her that me and Twilight are workin' on some history project. Ah'll eventually get down to the history of crime in Ponyville." Twilight Sparkle nodded.

"Great idea, Appleajck." Twilight said. "It's probably the best thing to come up with at this time. Rainbow?"

"Sure, I'm cool with it." Rainbow said with a small shrug.

"Alright. Y'all pop a squat." Applejack said. "Ah'll be back in a bit." With that, Applejack turned and ambled nonchalantly into the house to find Granny Smith in her usual spot, knitting what looked to be some sort of cloth. She looked up at Applejack and smiled happily.

"Applejack. How are ya, sweetie?" Granny Smith asked.

"Ah'm alright, Granny Smith." Applejack said. "Just a little tired is all."

"How're things goin' with you and Twilight's business meetin'?" Granny Smith asked. "And where is Twilight if ya don't mind me askin'."

"Oh she's back at the library." Applejack said with a small chuckle. "Told her that Ah was comin' home to grab a little somethin'-somethin' to eat." Granny Smith smiled and nodded.

"Some sandwich fixin's are in the fridge." Granny Smith said. "The tomaters, lettuce and cheese are all sliced up and ready for ya. There's a little mustard and mayo too if that tickles your fancy."

"Sounds great, Granny Smith." Applejack said before walking into the kitchen and opening the refrigerator to prepare her sandwich.

'Alright, Applejack...' The mare thought to herself as she haphazardly threw her lunch together. 'Just casually bring it up...Don't freak her out.' When the farm mare finished her sandwich she put it on a small plate which she brought into the living room. She sighed as she sat on the couch across from Granny Smith.

"Hey, Granny?" Applejack said.

"Hmm? Whatcha need, baby?" The old mare responded.

"Could you tell me a little bit about Ponyville way back when it was founded again?" Applejack asked. Granny Smith stopped her knitting and looked at Applejack with a raised eyebrow.

"Now this is new." Granny said with a small smirk. "Ya never really ask me about any of that kinda stuff."

"It's part of me and Twilight's research." Applejack said. "She wants to write a history book."

"Ah, alright." Granny Smith said. "Well, it all started way back when your old-as-dirt grandmammy was just a little filly..." Granny Smith began. Applejack toned out the vast majority of Granny Smith's story, having heard of it previously. The lie she had to tell Granny Smith to get her to talk about the murder was painful for her, but it was the easiest way to know anything true about the murder.

"And that's how it all happened." Granny Smith finished after about five minutes. "There ya go, that's all ah really remember."

"Uh okay, Granny." Applejack said. "Thanks for that. Now could you tell me about the history of...uh...crime in Ponyville?"

"Crime? Oh, Ah suppose so." Granny Smith said. "Ah remember seein' more than a few foals stealin' stuff from the market...and adults who stole things much more valuable than anything like, say, an apple... And there have been quite a few fights, too. Some assault...Ah couldn't really talk about all of it specifi-specififi...exactly."

"Okay." Applejack said with a nod. "Hasn't there ever been a, uh...Murder?" This immediately sparked Granny Smith's attention as the small smile faded from her face and she raised an eyebrow.

"A murder?" Granny Smith said with a small frown. "Uh...I, uh...No." The old mare looked nervously to the side.

"Are ya sure?" Applejack asked. "Anypony just randomly go missin' or uh..."

"Oh, that's what this is about." Granny Smith said. "Ah knew ya weren't just comin' to ask about history."

"What's...that Granny?" Applejack asked. The old mare looked to the side and frowned before shakin' her head.

"Don't you play dumb with me, missy." Granny Smith said. "Ah know what you're askin' me about." Applejack sighed before nodding subtly.

"Okay." Applejack said. "Ah just need to know...was a mare really murdered here?" Granny Smith nodded.

"Oh, yeah." Granny Smith said. "She was murdered. There was never an official announcement about it...but we all knew."

"Well...what happened?" Applejack asked.

"Back when Ah was just about five years younger than you and your friends, there was this baker mare..." Granny Smith said. "Spring Moon. Nicest mare ya'd ever meet. She set up shop in Ponyville long before Mrs. Cake's momma came and established Sugarcube Corner."

"Well, what happened?" Applejack asked.

"Spring went missin' one day. Just gone. Without a trace." Granny Smith said. "Now many ponies...myself included...cared about Spring Moon. She had a husband with a baby on the way." Applejack's stomach sunk at hearing the words come from Granny Smith's mouth.

'Goddesses...' Applejack thought, suppressing tears from flooding her eyes. 'She was pregnant...'

"The police had an investigation, and we knew they'd found somethin', but they wouldn't tell us." Granny Smith said bitterly. "They said that she'd just left...run away. But we all knew better. She had a husband, and she darn well couldn't have raised that foal by herself. That bakery was all she had and she hadn't taken any of her belongings."

"So you're sayin' that the police covered it up?" Applejack asked, cocking her head slightly. "That just don't make any sense..."

"You're tellin' me." Granny Smith said looking down sadly. "She was a friend of mine...If she was still alive...she'd probably have grandbabies too." Granny Smith looked at Applejack. "Applejack...Ah don't know how ya found out about it...but please...whatever your plannin' on doin'...be careful." Applejack nodded and moved over to her grandmother to give her a hug.

"Ah will, Granny." Applejack said before stepping back. "Where's Applebloom?"

"She's in her room playin' with Spike." Granny Smith said. Applejack nodded before moving to the hallway toward Applebloom's bedroom. The farm mare listened at her little sister's door for a moment before opening the door slowly. Applebloom looked up at her sister and smiled widely. She had several of her dolls on the floor between her and Spike. It looked as if they were playing with them.

"Hey sis!" Applebloom said. "What's up?" Spike jumped up quickly and walked to the other side of the room and sat on the filly's bed.

"Hey, Applejack." Spike said as he nonchalantly leaned back on the bed. Applejack giggled and smirked at the blushing dragon who was pretending he wasn't.

"Hey y'all." Applejack said as she entered the room. "Just thought Ah'd check up on the both of ya. What're y'all doin'?"

"Oh, we're just playin' with my dolls." Applebloom said with a smile.

"I'm not playing with them!" Spike spouted quickly before clearing his throat. "I'm just chilling, see?" Applejack laughed and nodded, making the baby dragon's blush intensify.

"Yeah, Ah see, hun." Applejack said before approaching her sister and giving her a hug and a kiss on the head. Applebloom giggled.

"Yuck! What was that for?" Applebloom asked with a smile.

"Oh, Ah don't know." Applejack said before giving her little sister a noogie. She turned around and began to leave the room. "Ah'll see y'all later."

"Wait, Applejack." Spike said from the bed, making Applejack turn around. "Where's Twilight?"

"Oh she's still back at the library. Ah just came back for some lunch." Applejack held up her sandwich and turned to leave, but not before giving Spike a wink as she left the room. "Ah didn't see anything, Spike." Spike smiled bashfully and blushed as she closed the door. As she walked through the hallway and the living room, bidding farewell to her Grandmother, Applejack thought about exactly why she had given her sister a kiss on the head.

She didn't quite know exactly why she had, but she had a strange feeling that she might not see her sister again.

_____

Ten Minutes Ago

"So...why exactly did we wait here?" Rainbow asked. "Why didn't we just go back to the library?"

"Because." Twilight replied. "Would you like it if Applejack and I just left you behind while you tried to help out our cause?"

"Well I mean, we're just wasting time here." Rainbow said. "We could be back at City Hall, looking through more of those records."

"We already went through all the records and found nothing." Twilight said. "Why are you acting like this?" Rainbow sat down and sighed.

"You're right, you're right. Sorry." Rainbow said. "I guess I'm just a little antsy to get this done, you know?"

"I understand." Twilight said with a small sigh. "I kinda want this over with too. I don't do well with violence and that sort of thing." The two mares continued to sit and wait outside the farmhouse for their friend.

"So...when you..." Twilight said after a short while. "Experienced what the entity went through...what was it like?"

"It was awful. The absolute worst thing I've ever experienced." Rainbow Dash said. "I went through everything she did."

"So you felt everything?" Twilight asked. "What...what was the worst part?"

"Why do you want to know so much about it?" Rainbow asked, raising and eyebrow and narrowing her eyes at her alicorn friend. Twilight put her forehooves up and raised her eyebrows.

"I'm sorry! I don't really mean anything by it." Twilight said. "I just have a naturally inquisitive mind, I guess." Rainbow Dash sighed and squeezed her eyes shut in pain just remembering the experience.

"Okay. I guess..." Rainbow sniffled momentarily and wiped her eyes. "It was when he...broke my teeth on the table.... Or her teeth. It felt so real..." Twilight gently laid a hoof on Rainbow's shoulder.

"I'm sorry." Twilight said. "I didn't know it was such a sensitive subject for you. I won't ask about it again." Rainbow smiled at Twilight and nodded.

"Thanks." She said.

"Howdy, Rainbow Dash." Big Macintosh said suddenly from behind the two mares. The turned and he gave them a small bow. "Princess Twilight."

"Oh please, Big Macintosh." Twilight said. "I'm still just the same old mare. Just call me Twilight." The stallion nodded.

"Will do, Princess Twilight." He said with a smile. "So what brings y'all to Sweet Apple Acres?"

"Oh, we're just..." Rainbow said before thinking a moment. "Hanging out. Yeah, hanging out."

"Uhmm...Okay." Big Mac said nodding subtly.

"Applejack and I are working on a history project." Twilight said. "Rainbow Dash had nothing to do so she's tagging along with us." Big Mac nodded much more noticeably.

"Ah okay." He said. "Well, y'all have fun." He went into the barn and closed the door behind him.

"You couldn't have just said that when he asked you?" Twilight asked with a small giggle once she was certain he couldn't hear them.

"I...don't know." Rainbow said, getting flustered. "I guess I just...I don't know, okay?"

Applejack walked out of the farmhouse with a grim look on her face. She regarded her friends and began walking toward the exit of the orchard.

"Come on, y'all. There's a lot we gotta discuss..." Applejack said. Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash looked at each other before following Applejack down the path. The farm mare walked a good distance away from her house before finally sitting on a small bench. Rainbow Dash sat next her and gestured toward her sandwich.

"Are you gonna eat that?" Rainbow asked. Applejack rolled her eyes as she gave her sandwich to her cyan friend.

"What Ah'm about to tell y'all isn't gonna be fun to listen to." Applejack said.

"Did you find out anything about the murder?" Twilight asked. Applejack looked at her and nodded, her eyebrows never ceasing to be furrowed.

"Well, tell us." Rainbow Dash said.

"Alright Ah suppose now is as good a time as any...Granny told me everything." Applejack said with a sigh.

"Okay, so what is everything?" Twilight asked.

"Back when she was a bit younger than us, there was this baker mare named Spring Moon." Applejack said. "Everypony liked her, Granny Smith included. One day, she just went missin' without a trace. Well the police had an investigation, but they said that they didn't find anything and that she probably just ran away. The townsfolk knew better...she had a husband...and girls...she was pregnant." Twilight put a hoof over her mouth and gasped, her eyes widening. Rainbow Dash looked down toward the ground, a small sniffle coming from her.

"That monster killed Spring Moon and her baby." Applejack said. "And the police covered it up. Ah'm now more determined than ever to find out who did this."

"But what do we do?" Twilight asked. "We don't exactly have the best idea of what to look for or who to talk to..."

"Actually, we do." Rainbow Dash said. "Think about it, you guys. Who was mayor at the time when Granny Smith was our age?" After a moment of thought Twilight answered the question.

"Mayor Mare's grandfather!" Twilight said.

"Right." Rainbow said. "So we need to find Mayor Mare and talk to her about it. If her grandfather was mayor, then there's a good chance she knows about it." The three mares began walking toward Ponyville as Applejack spoke up.

"It's not like the Mayor's just gonna spill it as soon as we ask her any kind of question." Applejack said.

"Yeah." Rainbow said. "That's why we're gonna have to chip away at her until she tells us."

"That seems kind of harsh." Twilight said. "What if she's taken a vow of secrecy?"

"Twilight, this is a mare's soul we're talking about." Rainbow Dash said with a frown. "What's more important? Letting Spring Moon free from torment or some stupid vow?"

"I take your point," Twilight responded. "But still, it feels wrong..." They approached Ponyville in relative silence, none of them feeling much like talking about what they were about to do.

"By the way, Rainbow, how did you know that Mayor Mare's grandfather was mayor then?" Twilight asked the cyan mare.

"I just knew." Rainbow said. "I'm not just some stupid jock."

_____

When the three mares entered the town hall they were in an hour earlier, Twilight smiled as she approached the front desk, regarding the receptionist. The young earth pony smiled back at the princess.

"Hello again, princess Twilight." She said. "How can I assist you?"

"Hello." Twilight responded. "Could you perhaps get myself and my friends back to see Mayor Mare? It's an urgent matter." The receptionist nodded.

"Well I'm sure for the princess, the mayor can make time if need be." She said courteously. "One moment please." She picked up her small phone and spoke into it softly. Only small words like "She", "Yes, ma'am." and "Uh huh." could be made out among the murmuring. She turned her phone off and looked at Twilight, Rainbow Dash and Applejack.

"She says 'Please come in.'" The receptionist said. "I hope your matter is resolved." She pressed a small button and opened the door that led into the hallway back to the Mayor's office.

"Goddesses, Ah thought that would have been more difficult." Applejack said, rubbing the back of her head. Twilight giggled.

"Well, being a princess does have its privileges." Twilight responded as they came closer and closer to the mayor's office. They stopped just outside the door. "Now remember girls, go easy." Twilight took a moment to look specifically at Rainbow Dash who raised an eyebrow at her.

"Okay, okay." Rainbow said. "Geez." Twilight nodded before delivering three curt knocks to the Mayor's door.

"Come in!" A cheerful voice replied, prompting Twilight to push the door open and walk in to behold Mayor Mare sitting at her desk. "Hello, princess Twilight! Rainbow Dash, Applejack. How are you all doing today?"

"We're doing fine, mayor. Thank you for asking." Twilight said as they came to stand before the mare sitting at the desk.

"So what can I do for you?" The mayor asked.

"Mayor, we wanted to ask you...does the name Spring Moon mean anything to you?" Twilight asked. As if on cue, the rosy glow almost immediately faded from the mayor's cheeks as her eyes widened.

"Wh-Where did you hear that name?" The mayor stuttered nervously.

"Answer the question, Mayor Mare." Rainbow Dash said, furrowing her eyebrows.

"I...I..." The mayor said, breaking a cold sweat as she rubbed a hoof back through her silver hair.

"Mayor, please." Applejack said with a small frown. "All we wanna do is help."

"Help?" The mayor said before giving off a small laugh. "There's nothing you can help with this. The Spring Moon case? Oh, no. There's nothing you can help about it..."

"So you do know about it?" Rainbow Dash said. The mayor sighed heavily and looked down for a moment.

"Yes, I know about it." She said. "She ran away. That's what happened."

"Bull!" Rainbow spouted suddenly, making the mayor and her friends jump. They looked on at her in surprise.

"Rainbow! Calm down." Twilight said in an attempt to calm her friend.

"She was murdered and you know it! We all know it!" Rainbow said, her eyes narrowing with anger.

"Rainbow Dash, I don't know what you're-" The mayor began.

"I swear to Celestia if you say you don't know what I'm talking about I am going to-"

"Rainbow Dash!" Applejack yelled, making Rainbow stop in the middle of her sentence. "Ah'm sorry, mayor. She's very passionate about this. It's a long story." The mayor shook her head and put her head in one of her forehooves.

"No, no...it's quite alright. I....I...." She stuttered before looking up at them. "She's right."

"Start from the beginning, Mayor Mare." Twilight said. "Take your time."

"Thank you." The mayor responded. "It happened when my grandfather was mayor of Ponyville. And I was a filly, so there's a lot that I can't remember, but I'll tell you everything I do know. Spring Moon was a well-known and well-respected baker. Everypony loved her. She used to bake cookies for me with my name on them and have them there for me when I would visit her every Saturday. She had a husband and I believe she was pregnant..." Rainbow Dash turned and walked away for a moment after hearing the words.

"I remember her just...disappearing one day." Mayor Mare said with a heavy frown. "From this point is what I've learned from the official case file. The police launched an investigation to find her. The search went on for months, before they found the house where...I'm sorry it still makes me a little queasy to talk about..."

"Don't worry." Twilight said. "Get your bearings."

"The house seemed to be nearly finished, but abandoned in mid-construction. Inside the kitchen they found a plate of partially eaten cooked meat....blood stained the counters..." The mayor put a hoof over her mouth and shook her head slowly. "I'm sorry. They then found one of her earrings in the living room of the house. The husband confirmed that it was hers..."

"So you're sayin' that whoever killed her...ate her too?" Applejack said. The mayor nodded.

"At least partially." Mayor Mare said. Applejack gagged and put a hoof over her mouth. "Under the orders of my grandfather, the police told the public that she had run away and that was the official excuse."

"He sounds like a scumbag." Rainbow Dash said. The mayor immediately stood up with a look of rage on her face.

"You shut your mouth." She said, shaking. "My grandfather was a noble and courageous stallion!"

"Oh yeah, I bet he was!" Rainbow spouted back. "Covering up the wrongful murder of Spring Moon. So heroic."

"You don't get it!" The mayor nearly screamed. "Do you have any idea what a fledgling town Ponyville was at the time?! We had virtually nothing here! Back then we depended solely on the immigration of other ponies from other towns, cities and provinces! Nopony would come to Ponyville if they all knew there was a murderer on the loose, and the town would have died! This town is still here today because of the decisions my grandfather made!"

"But mayor, that's awful!" Twilight said, her eyes widening. "How could he just let him go?!"

"They increased security around Ponyville tenfold!" The mayor replied. "They searched as far as Las Pegasus for the murderer. We never found him and there hasn't been a murder in Ponyville since." Twilight shook her head and sighed.

"Fair enough." Twilight said. "I think we're done here."

"But Twilight-" Rainbow began.

"We're done here, Rainbow." Twilight said through her teeth before regarding the mayor once more. "Show us the case file." The mayor nodded and walked from behind her desk.

"Follow me." She said with a small sigh as she led the three mares through the hallway. She used a key and opened a door that read,

AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY

As they entered the room, the mayor took them to the very back of the room. Only the light from the front of the room illuminated the back where the small file cabinet was, creating an eerie fluorescent glow. The mayor opened the file cabinet and slowly looked through each file before finding the one labeled "Spring Moon". She blew the dust off of it and slowly handed it to Twilight.

"When you're done with it, please return it to it's place." Mayor Mare said. "I have it marked. I'm just going to stand over here..."

"Wait, Mayor." Rainbow said. "Whatever happened to your grandfather?" The mayor sighed and shook her head.

"He retired when he was sixty five." Mayor Mare replied. "After a while, he left for Fillydelphia. He left a note saying that he wouldn't be back, and that his marriage had failed. My father always told me that my grandmother was a terrible pony."

"I'm sorry that happened to your family." Rainbow said.

"Oh, don't worry about it." The mayor replied. "That was a long time ago. I barely remember him." She slowly walked to the other side of the room and waited for Rainbow Dash, Twilight sparkle and Applejack to look at the file. Twilight gulped before she slowly opened the file to see a picture of Spring Moon.

"You were right, Rainbow Dash." Twilight said. "She was beautiful."

"She died...so young." Applejack said as Twilight flipped the page to see many pages filled with tiny printed text. She eventually came upon a picture that made her want to vomit. There in the black and white picture, was the cooked piece of meat presumed to be part of Spring Moon. A third was seemingly cut away from it.

"Oh, Goddesses..." Twilight gagged as she handed the file to Applejack who turned the page. A picture of Spring Moon's beautiful earring waited for them.

"Ah just can't believe someone would do this to her..." Applejack said. "Ah'm just angry that he's probably not around anymore."

"I agree." Twilight said. "Whoever did this needs to be punished." As Applejack continued to flip through the file to see more text, Rainbow sighed through her nose and sat down.

"We might as well get comfortable here, girls." Rainbow said. "We've got a lot of reading to do."

Obligatory End-of-Chapter Author's Note: Now we all know about who the entity is, and why she's so tormented! What will come of Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Twilight's escalating investigation?! You're gonna find out! Cheers!