The moment Pinkie Pie finished her sentence about what happened out in White Tail Woods, Applejack was already running. She could not have run any faster, not if a hundred timberwolves were on her tail. It wasn’t the fact that Pinkie Pie told her that Roseluck had been found dead in the woods, throat slashed, that made her run. It was who had found her.

Applejack knew she was an overprotective sister. It was hard not to be when Apple Bloom and her crusading friends almost ended up demolishing something every week in their search for cutie marks. It also largely had to do with the fact that their mama -- rest her soul -- begged Applejack on her dying breath to look after little Apple Bloom. It was this memory that burned brightest in her mind whenever she thought of her mama, that vow to be the mother in Apple Bloom’s life when she needed to be.

Applejack had lost her childhood innocence that day, and she vowed not to let Apple Bloom suffer her own loss for as long as possible. Now it seemed fate had decided to end that period of joyful fillyhood. Applejack had seen death before. She had been to funerals for family members, saw cows and farm animals pass away, and watched her mama die before her eyes.

But she never saw a murdered pony before.

Just the thought of that horrible word made Applejack gallop faster.

Crime in Ponyville was low, but it still existed. Most of it was basic vandalism or petty thievery, unlike the high crime areas of Canterlot or Manehatten. Murder was rare, but it had happened a few times in the town’s history. The last time was when Mr. Doo killed his wife in a drunken rage after he thought she was cheating on him. Derpy, their only daughter at the age of seven, saw it all, including the moment her father was taken away to jail for life. It was because of that traumatizing event that her eyes were the way they were; some kind of psychological break that also affected her physically. Nopony made fun of her once they learned the true story behind her ditzy eyes, and nopony dared bring up the subject to Derpy, who still spaced out whenever she thought about that night.

Applejack did not want her little sister to go through that.

Applejack found the crime scene easily enough. At least a dozen royal guards had cordoned off a large section of forest and were diligently manning the perimeter. Beyond, Applejack could see several more ponies in lab coats setting up a bunch of fancy looking equipment. The letters "CSI" were printed on the backs of each coat, an abbreviation she'd never seen before. She was about to step forward when two unicorn guards saw her and blocked her path with such quickness it startled her.

“Halt! This is a crime scene! Nopony allowed!”

Applejack was about to respond when a voice called out, “Wait! Let her through!” Twilight Sparkle, in full princess attitude, trotted up to the guards. “She’s the sister of one of the witnesses. She’s allowed to pass.”

“Very well, your majesty,” said one of the guards as they walked away.

Twilight nervously rubbed the back of her head. “Sorry. They’re all on edge. And I can’t blame them.”

“Is it true, Twi? Is Roseluck…” Applejack gulped, “…dead?”

The solemn sadness in Twilight’s eyes followed by a lone tear already gave the answer before the alicorn could say it. “I’m sorry, Applejack. She is.”

“Damnit,” cursed Applejack, shaking her head. “First we lose Fluttershy… now this? Is Faust just deciding to be cruel this week?”

“If I believed in gods, I would say so,” answered Twilight honestly. “Apple Bloom and her friends are already being cared for by a few doctors and Rainbow Dash. Don’t worry, they’re not hurt.” Applejack closed her mouth and sighed in relief. “It’s just standard procedure. You should go see your sister, she really needs you. I can’t imagine what it’s like to just find a…” Twilight shuddered before raising an eyebrow. “Have you seen Rarity?”

“Ah’m sure Pinkie’s already gettin’ her. Ah just hope she’s sober at least,” snarled Applejack. She knew of Rarity’s little drinking escapade ever since Fluttershy died. While a part of her couldn’t blame the mare for hitting the bottle, Rarity had been neglecting her sister and work ever since. Applejack may have buried herself into her own work to deal with the pain, but she knew that she had a responsibility towards her family still.

Twilight looked ready to leave when Applejack cried out, “Twi? Was she… murdered?”

Twilight paused and didn’t say anything before sighing. “We don’t know. Her throat was completely ripped out, but she was found in a tree, on a branch so high no animal could reach it from the ground. And any winged predator large enough to kill a pony would have taken Roseluck to their nest rather than abandon her body. She turned to Applejack with a certain rage that the earth pony rarely ever saw. “If I had to guess… yes, this was murder.”

With that said, Twilight walked away and began shouting instructions to a nearby CSI pony. Applejack didn’t bother focusing on it and headed for the other end of the crime scene. There, right by a medical tent, she saw Rainbow Dash comforting a crying Scootaloo while Sweetie Belle, looking green, was holding a bucket that had some bile around the edges. Apple Bloom, who had been in tears as well, saw Applejack and the two sisters rushed over for an embrace.

“Applejack!” cried out Apple Bloom, crying into her big sister’s chest. “Ah saw… Roseluck… she… she… so much blood…”

Applejack stroked her sister’s head, whispering soothing ‘shh’s’ into her ear. “It’s okay, Apple Bloom. Don’t think about it. Just let it out.”

Wrapping her forelegs around Apple Bloom, the older sister wished she could take her away from here and back to the safety of their home. However, she knew that her sister and friends would have to be questioned for what they saw. That meant reliving this horrible nightmare over and over again. She already knew Apple Bloom was going to have sleepless nights, terrible guilt, and feel sick at times for reasons she couldn’t explain. It was what Applejack felt when their mama died.

Already she was making plans to send Apple Bloom to Aunt Orange, who was a psychologist, and one of the ponies in Manehatten who helped Applejack get over the loss of both her parents that year. That was, of course, once the guards released her sister as a witness.

“The… the guards say she was… m-m-m-murdered…” whispered Scootaloo, just loud enough for everypony around to hear and look at her. Looking up from Rainbow Dash’s embrace, she stared into her big sister figure’s eyes. “Is… is it true?”

Rainbow Dash bit her lip and turned to Applejack who didn’t know what to say. She felt sorry for Rainbow, having to be in that position, because she didn’t know what to say either. Would it be worse for the fillies than it already was to let them know they found a murdered pony?

“He-hey, squirt?” replied Rainbow Dash with a forced smile. “Let’s not talk about it, okay? Save the questions for Twilight and her guards. After this is over, we can go back to my place, and you can stay for the rest of the day. Hay, stay for the night too instead of going back to the orphanage. Sound good?”

A brief smile appeared on Scootaloo’s lips before she nodded, allowing Applejack to sigh. Rainbow Dash may have been a brash and egotistical pony with a hint of selfishness streak in her, but she had a good heart and was a good big sister to the orphaned pegasus.

“Ah wanna go home…” whispered Apple Bloom, her voice sounding like it was about to break. Applejack nodded, already planning on it regardless of what was needed or not for the investigation. If they wanted to ask questions they could ask them back at the farm, or else she would buck each and every guard if she had to.

“Where is she?!”

The scream must have alerted every pony in the forest, because they all turned to see a frantic Daisy and Lily galloping towards the middle of the crime scene. The instant she saw them, Applejack's heart went out to both mares. Despite any physical differences, the three were actually half-sisters, sharing the same father with different mothers. Their family was one of the few who still practiced herding, which, though still a legal lifestyle, was considered taboo within modern society.

Daisy had a wild look in her eyes, one of complete desperation, as she rushed towards a guard and kept screaming for answers. Lily, who was crying her eyes out, tried her best to calm her sister but was no match for the panicking mare.

“Can we go home, please?” asked Apple Bloom, who started crying again upon seeing the sisters. “Ah… Ah don’t want to see anymore…”

“Of course, Sugarcube,” said Applejack, nuzzling her. “Ya get to have whatever ya want and do whatever ya want when we get home.”

“Ah want Mr. Snuffles,” whispered Apple Bloom, sniffing.

Applejack knew things were bad if Apple Bloom wanted her old stuffed animal, the same one she once demanded be put away because, "big ponies don't need stuffed animals."

Applejack was ready to go, but she looked at Sweetie Belle, who was waiting for her sister to arrive. She cursed Rarity again for drinking. “Sweetie Belle, do ya want to come home with us?”

Sweetie Belle considered it a bit, but before she could answer another pony was screaming her name. The five of them turned around to see Rarity, bloodshot eyes and unkempt hair worse than Rainbow Dash on a bad mane day, rushing towards the tent. Within seconds upon seeing her, Sweetie Belle leapt from her seat and tackled her sister. “Rarity!”

“Oh, my dear sweet sister! I’m so sorry! I’m so sorry!” cried out Rarity, tears running down her face as quickly as Sweetie’s were. “Oh, darling. I’m so sorry… for you to see that…”

“She’s dead…” muttered Sweetie Belle, but Rarity kissed her on the forehead.

“No! Not a word about it. We’re going home to make tea, and relax. We’ll talk about it later, but for the moment I want you safe in my house before the guards come. Okay?” asked Rarity, staring into her sister’s eyes.

“You’re… gonna stop drinking, right?” asked Sweetie Belle, which made Rarity freeze up a bit.

Biting her lip, Rarity lowered her head in shame. “I’m so sorry for my behavior this week, Sweetie Belle. Fluttershy’s death… it… it just upset me so much I…” she hugged her sister and sobbed on her shoulder. “I promise. I won’t drink. Not anymore. You’re more important to me, and I want to keep you safe.”

Sweetie Belle seemed to accept this as she hugged back and didn’t let go, even when Rarity levitated her sister onto her back. Applejack turned to Rarity with an approving smile. “Why don’t we all head back home together?”

“Good idea. Safety in numbers and all that,” said Rainbow Dash, standing up.

Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Why would we need to do that?”

Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes. With a dark tone, she whispered, “Because the pony who did… that to Roseluck? They’re still out there.”

***

Twilight Sparkle knew that becoming a princess, much less an Element of Harmony, had come with certain responsibilities. Normally, Twilight was fine with such a thing. She loved doing whatever task she could to help her fellow ponies and make Princess Celestia proud. However, this was one such duty that she never wanted to experience. She knew about murder and about crime scenes. Her brother was a guard after all.

She just never imagined she’d be involved in the investigation of one. She could have left it to somepony else, but this was a subject of hers. A friend. Roseluck may not have been a close friend, but in Ponyville everypony was a friend to everypony. She owed it to Roseluck to help. She owed it to Ponyville.

While Twilight was doing her best to give out a strong and commanding aura, deep down she wanted to hide in her bed and cry. over the past few days she had seen more death than she ever had in her entire lifetime. First Fluttershy, and now this, thought Twilight bitterly as she guided Daisy and Lily to the body of the deceased Roseluck. If I was a superstitious pony I would say I broke a mirror a few days ago.

She glanced at the two remaining Flower sisters, who were looking paler each minute as they got closer to the blue sheet that held their sibling underneath. The medical professionals had just finished looking at the body, but the full autopsy would have to be done in town. The cause of death was easy to see, but the type of weapon was the real question. It didn’t look like any animal attack Twilight had seen before. If it had been an animal, there would be additional open wounds on Roseluck. But there was only the one at the neck.

Daisy gasped and held her sister for support as she saw the covered body. “Is that… is that…”

Twilight closed her eyes and nodded her head. When she opened them, she looked at them straight in the eyes. “Are you sure you want to see this? We can wait until she’s cleaned… It might be better…”

The sisters didn’t say anything. All they could do was stare at the sheet. With a soft sigh of regret, Twilight used her magic to remove the sheet.

Daisy screamed in despair before falling to her knees, grabbing her sister’s corpse as she wailed louder and louder with each passing second. It was as though the entire world had ended for her in a single moment. Lily was crying just as badly, but seemed to be holding onto her sister’s shoulders. Whether to support herself, Daisy, or both Twilight didn’t know.

Twilight did her best to avoid the pale-faced Roseluck, whose expression was like that of peace, like she accepted her grim fate in the end before she died. Twilight walked over to the two sisters and muttered, “I’m sorry for your loss.”

“How… how did this happen?” asked Lily, speaking for them both as Daisy was too distraught to say anything.

“We don’t fully know the details, but her throat was torn apart and her body left in a tree. The Cutie Mark Crusaders found her,” said Twilight. She hated the idea that those three fillies were involved now in such a horrible event. They would forever be scarred by this. “Can you give us details about what happened last night? The last time you saw her?” Twilight winced after saying that. It seemed so final to just say that. And a bit cruel too.

“She… she was working the stand with us as always,” whispered Lily as she stopped crying, but the shock of having lost her sister was still evident in her voice and wide eyes. “It was just the usual orders. Then that night she went to have a date with her coltfriend, Lucky. They were supposed to be in these woods, I think…”

“…It was him…” Both Twilight and Lily turned to Daisy, whose face was hidden by her mane. “…He did it. He killed her and left her to rot…”

Lily's eyes widened. “Daisy! You can’t mean to say Lucky did this! He loved Roseluck! He would never-“

“Who else could it be?!” shouted Daisy as she turned around with tears and rage in her eyes. “Who else could it be, Lily?! He was in the woods with her, they had been arguing recently, and where is that bastard now that everypony in town knows Roseluck is dead?! He’s hiding because he did it! I know he did it! And I knew he was a bastard ever since I saw him!”

Daisy then sobbed and lowered her head so that her forehead was touching Roseluck's. “But she didn’t listen to me. She should have… buck every colt in this world. They don’t love us. They just see us as objects to be used and disposed of at their whim. Buck them, buck them all…”

Twilight bit her lip.She could tell that Daisy was losing control and needed to keep calm. Walking over, she put her hoof on Daisy’s shoulder. “Daisy, I’ll look into Lucky. I promise, but I need you to let us take the body for a full autopsy. I promise we’ll give her back so you can make funeral arrangements soon. Head home and take solitude there.”

Daisy didn’t answer for a few minutes, but soon nodded and wiped her eyes clean. “Okay, Twilight. I will.” She gently put Roseluck down on the ground and folded her hooves on her stomach. After putting the blanket on her, she got up and then looked at Twilight in the eyes. “But when you do arrest Lucky, I want to be there when they hang him in town square.” With that said, Daisy slowly walked away.

Lily sighed as she shook her head. “I’m sorry, your majesty. Ever since her boyfriend was caught cheating on her, Daisy's been in a sort of… anti-stallion mind.”

“It’s fine,” said Twilight. “What about Lucky though? Should we consider him a possible suspect?”

Lily bit her lip. “I don’t know. Despite what Daisy just said, Lucky has been very sweet to Roseluck ever since they met. They were friends ever since our school days.” She closed her eyes as a tear fell from her cheek. “It’s going to break him to learn that she is dead…” Her eyes opened in horror. “My Faust, what if Lucky was also attacked by whatever did this?!”

Twilight nearly cursed herself for not thinking of the possibility and quickly summoned a guard. “I want you to form a search party for a possible second body. There was one other pony in these woods. We’ll check his house soon, but just in case keep a lookout for him. He’s an earth pony with a four leaf clover as a cutie mark.”

“Yes, Ma’am!” replied the saluting guard before taking off to round up others to join him.

“I’ll go check up on Lucky at his house,” replied Twilight to Lily. “But I need to know something. Daisy said they were fighting. Anything in particular?”

“They fight just like any couple does. It’s nothing serious, but lately Lucky’s been asking Roseluck to… well…” Lily blushed a bit. “Do the deed if you get my drift.” The blush on Twilight’s face indicated a yes. “Roseluck didn’t want to since we all made a vow to not do it until we were married. Lucky never forced Roseluck, but he did always seem disappointed.” Lily raised her hoof and shook her head in dismissal. “I know that sounds like a motive, but again, I doubt he would go so far as to do this.”

Twilight made a mental note to request a rape kit tested on Roseluck, just in case. “Alright, Lily, I’ll ask the guards to take you home.”

“I… I’d rather be with her… just for a little while…” whispered Lily as she stared at the sheet that covered her sister’s body.

“Of course…” whispered Twilight as she made her way down the crime scene, guards accompanying her.

The more she thought about what Lily said, the more she had to agree that Lucky didn’t seem like the type to murder Roseluck over a lack of sex. Still, she had to investigate any and all angles for this. A grim thought entered her mind as she began to wonder if Lucky wasn’t the culprit. That would mean that the killer is still among us… probably in Ponyville…

There were over seven hundred residents living in the town.

And one of them was a murderer.

***

Rarity swore that the next time Zecora came into town she was going to designer the zebra whatever outfit she wanted for free. The dreamless potion that she had to use at one point after being Discorded had put Sweetie Belle out like a light. A lot of ponies needed it after turning back to normal to deal with the nightmares. There was just enough for Sweetie Belle to get a good rest without dreaming of horrible visions of Roseluck’s dead body. She didn’t see it for herself, but the thought of somepony she had known for years lying dead in a pool of blood with their throat cut out…

It was like looking at Fluttershy’s dying moment in her bed all over again.

Rarity felt her heart weep at the thought of her dead friend. It was almost a week since the funeral. Time was passing by as if there was no care that the kindness and sweetest mare in the world had just died. The only thing she tried to remember was that Fluttershy was in Elysium with the goddess Faust.; happy in ever lasting peace. It was the only comfort she had now.

Well, there was the drinking, but at the moment she was draining every bottle she had in the sink.

When the last bottle was finally empty, Rarity tossed it into the recycling and sighed in relief that every last bottle was gone. A good three hundred bits down the drain. Literally…

Taking a glass of water she had made for herself, Rarity sat down on a chair in her kitchen and closed her eyes. Murder. She hadn’t heard that word often in Ponyville, but the last time it was spoke was when she was a filly. She didn’t know much about it at the time, not until she learned the story of what happened to Derpy when she was young. She couldn’t even imagine how the crossed-eyed pegasus was taking it.

Now they had some crazy pony going around killing ponies. Or maybe Roseluck was the intended target. She would have to ask Twilight for the details later. Already she was making plans to have Sweeite Belle live in her house with a quick planned visit to the library to look up magical wards for protection. She was also going to walk Sweetie Belle to school and make sure she was always in a public place. At least until the killer was caught. Her sister might not take it well, but she wasn’t going to lose her like she lost Fluttershy.

There was also what to do with the remaining flowers sisters. Obviosly she would need to send flowers and offer to make Roseluck’s funeral dress. I’d offer advice on how to deal with this loss, but I’m clearly not the best example as the past few days have shown.

She thought about what Fluttershy would do in a situation like this. She’d be there to listen to them. When they were ready to talk.

Vowing to do the same thing, Rarity thanked her friend in a small prayer before going up to double check on her sister once again.

***

Word must have spread fast about the incident as Twilight saw the streets mostly deserted. A few ponies were milling about, but they all stared at Twilight and the two guards accompanying her down the streets. She didn’t blame most of them for locking themselves sup. With such a small population, everypony knew practically everypony; especially thanks to Pinkie Pie and her parties. Now a fog of distrust was going to spread across the town as everypony will wonder who did the deed.

I’ll have to make a public statement later, thought Twilight as she made her way towards Lucky’s house. Although she still had doubts that he was the killer, protocol said that she had to investigate every possible lead. Plus, Lucky could have seen something that could help prove who was the real killer. If he’s home that is.

Knocking on his door, she waited for a few minutes before the door opened and a yawning Lucky strolled out. His mane was a complete mess and he was barely standing. Hissing in pain, he rubbed his head while struggling to keep his eyes focused on Twilight. Combined with a certain smell coming from his breath, Twilight could easily tell that he had been drinking last night and was dealing with a hangover.

“Ehhh, Princess Twilight? What are you doing here?” asked Lucky, shaking his head to get a better focus.

“I’m here because I need to ask a few questions, Lucky,” said Twilight, trying to ignore his horrible breath. “We’re you with Roseluck last night on a date?”

“Yeah, but it ended early because I was an idiot…” muttered Lucky, growling before he raised an eyebrow. “What about it?” He then noticed the guards and his face began to show worry. “Is… is something wrong?”

Twilight bit her lip. She hated doing this, but he had a right to know. “I’m sorry, Lucky. Roseluck was found dead this morning. I’m so sorry.”

Lucky’s eyes slowly widen as he held his breath. Staring at Twilight, he began to hyperventilate as he opened his mouth several times but nothing came out. He shook his head, as if denying the news that had just come before him. “N-no… she… she can’t be… I saw just last night, Twilight!”

“I’m sorry, Lucky. But it was her,” whispered Twilight, a tear dripping down her eyes.

Lucky quickly went to one of his rose bushes and lost his lunch. Twilight winced at the sight of him barfing out all the alcohol he had in his stomach. Tears began to leak out of Lucky’s eyes as he held onto his stomach, sobbing as loudly as he could. A few ponies who were nearby turned to the poor stallion with sympathetic glances. Twilight’s doubts were becoming stronger with each passing moment. If he was guilty, he wouldn’t be able to fake such physical reactions.

“Roseluck! Fause, please no! Not her! Oh my goddess, why?!” cried out Lucky, sobbing into his hooves. “I should have walked her home! Maybe I could have… I could have…” He looked at Twilight and whimpered. “How?”

“We’re still checking it out… but we think she might have been murdered…” whispered Twilight which made Lucky choke and sob again. “Lucky, I need you to come with me to the police station.”

“W-why?” asked Lucky.

“… I’m not going to lie. You’re the only suspect we have. Although I doubt you did it, we have to ask you questions nonetheless,” replied Twilight.

“W-wait? You think I did it?! You think I murdered my own marefriend?!” shouted Lucky as he got up, his teary eyes now showing rage. “I. Love. Roseluck. I would never do something like that to her!”

“I said I don’t think you did it! But I need to make it official and go through everything to make sure! It’s better we do this now before ponies suspect you since you were the last one to see Roseluck alive,” pointed out Twilight, keeping Lily’s accusations out of conversation for now. “I promise it won’t take long.”

Lucky turned to a growing crowd that was whispering among one another and sighed. “Alright, let’s get this over with.”

Nodding, she had the guards escort Lucky down the street. She still couldn’t believe that he killed her. But if he didn’t….then who did?

Author's Note

Yeah, its' back. I'll do my best to keep updating it better in the upcoming months.

All art work is done by James Corck