The Framing of Marble Pie (DISCONTINUED)

As Pinkie, Limestone, and Applejack made their way to Canterlot, a magenta flash appeared in front of them. The three ponies shied away from it, covering their eyes from the unexpected brightness. After it left, three more ponies stood in front of them. Rarity, dressed in the outfit she wore, trying to prove Rainbow Dash's innocence, Twilight, wearing the same hate she wore when she and Pinkie tried to find out who ate the M.M.M.M. cake, and Rainbow Dash, who had the same pipe in her mouth Twilight had during the M.M.M.M. fiasco.

"What are you dong here?" Applejack asked, thinking they went home.

"You think that we would pass up a chance to play detective?" Rarity asked.

Limestone sighed. "This isn't a game! My sister's in jail, in case you hadn't noticed," she hissed.

"We don't think it's a game. We just want to lend our skills to help you find information," Twilight explained.

"What skills?" Limestone interrogated.

Pinkie stepped forward. "Twilight has brains, Rainbow is very fast, and Rarity has solved a case before. Honestly, they would be very helpful," she explained, stating what she knew, and not wanting her friends to be let down.

Limestone nodded at Pinkie. "Okay. I'll trust your blessing, but if they put one hoof wrong, they're gone," she threatened.

"Ya hear that? Put one hoof wrong, and you go home," Applejack repeated to the other three, who nodded in response.

After, yet another, train ride, the six made it to Canterlot, going to the castle, ready to find out new information. They kept walking, ignoring the surrounding ponies, who were requesting pictures and greetings from Twilight. Pinkie started rethinking letting Twilight come with them. Limestone was clearly getting annoyed by the attention, as well. Finally, the castle laid before them. They raced up the stairs, and opened the doors.

"Who- Oh! Princess Twilight," a knighted stallion said, dipping his head. "Follow me, and I'll take you to Princess Celestia."

The six followed, impatience running through them. The royal guard opened another pair of doors, leading to the throne room. Princess Celestia and Luna looked over, their gaze brightening as they saw Twilight. Their gazes darkened as Limestone and Pinkie walked in, although, they said nothing against the two.

"Princesses," Rarity started, walking forward dramatically. "We desire information on Marble Pie's arrest."

Celestia looked weary, while Luna looked a bit irritated. "Well, we can't give you much. The information you are searching for is confidential," Luna explained.

"Even to me?" Twilight stepped up, now wanting the details even more.

To this, Luna and Celestia exchanged worried glances. "I wouldn't say so. No," reasoned Celestia.

Twilight brightened. "Since I have the authority to see those details, do I have the authority to allow access to regular ponies?" The purple alicorn queried.

Celestia sighed. "Yes, you have the ability," she answered. Luna now looked a bit appalled.

"Then I ask of you to share it with all of us."

Celestia nodded. "Follow," she said, walking from her throne, into a hallway. The six ponies, and Luna, followed. They walked in the long corridor, until they came to a light yellow door, with a sun painted on it. She invited the ponies into her room, rather nervously, and walked in. Surprisingly, eight ponies in one room wasn't crowded. It felt much more roomy than it looked. Celestia made her way to a drawer, and opened it.

"Celestia," Luna started. "Are you sure?"

The pink alicorn turned, looking at her, now desperately worried, sister. She dipped her head to Luna. "I wish not to lie to my prime student, no matter how it may hurt."

Luna heaved a sigh. "Of course," she said shakily.

Everypony except Celestia and Luna were completely lost, but they dared not speak, fearing it may cause the princesses to change their minds about sharing such secret information. The light pink pony turned back to her drawer, and slowly  lowered her hoof into it. She pulled out a blank folder, and opened that, as well. She turned to the gathered ponies, her eyes now full of sadness. She opened her folder and  pulled out a paper.

"Is that the stupid anonymous letter that got her arrested?" Limestone challenged, angrily. Everypony was surprised to see Celestia shake her head.

"This was found with Marble, when she was interrogated, after her arrest," Celestia explained. She sighed shakily, and started explaining what it was. "It's a page from what seems to be a diary. We don't know why this page alone was with her, but it's enough to warrant immediate execution. It's a horrible cri-"

"Sister, stop stalling. You chose to show them, so just do it,"  Luna interrupted, irritation spiking her words.

"I am stalling. Okay, I'll get on with it," Celestia said. "To summarize it, it writes of plans to murder a weather pony named Snowy Wind, who lived in Ponyville on the 16th of May. Guess what happened to Snowy? She was found murdered on the 16th of May in her home in Ponyville. Since it was confirmed when we found thi-"

"Lemme see it," Limestone interrupted, reaching for it.

"Why?" Anger edged Celestia's voice, as she protected it from Limestone's grasp.

"I know Marble's hoof writing. I can tell you if it's hers."

"We found it with her, and only her hoof prints are on it. That's proof enough."

Limestone looked confused now, but her eyes still blazed with determination. "Princess, please, I'll never rest easy until I'm able to confirm whether Marble truly did it." And whatever you're trying to hide, I'll find it out, once you pass it.

Celestia looked down. "Fine," she gave up, handing it over.

Limestone grabbed it, and skimmed through it, looking at the hoof writing, but also key words that would need to keep hidden.

"You've looked long enough," Celestia said, reaching. Limestone pulled away.

"Who's Night Light?" Limestone asked, shocked.

Twilight stared at her. "T-that's my father. W-why do you need to know?" Twilight asked, defensively grabbing the page from Limestone. Twilight read the familiar hoof writing aloud. "If getting away with this is possible, Night Light of Canterlot will be next on the 1st of June."

Celestia flinched. "We decided we had to execute her to protect you from the death of your father. He should die of old age. Not to a sadistic earth pony."

"Excuse me?" Limestone screeched. "I never said it was her hoof writing, and I'd like to announce that it's not!" Pinkie Pie peeked at the paper, gripped tightly in Twilight's hoof.

"It's definitely not," Pinkie claimed. "Marble takes her time when writing things. This looks rushed, and a lot more clumsy than Marble's writing style. Although, I've seen this hoof writing before."

"How does writin' looks rushed?" Applejack asked.

"Does that matter right now?" Twilight growled, the shock welling away, and being replaced with anger. "If they're right about it not being Marble's hoof writing, that means this pony could still be out there, planning to kill my father!"

"Twilight, calm down. W-we'll send guards to his home that day, so nothing happens," Celestia said.

"Did you even do a test?" Twilight challenged.

"Test?" Celestia asked.

"Did you test Marble to see if it was her hoof writing?" She elaborated.

Celestia looked guiltily at Luna. Luna returned the look. "We never assumed it was a framing, so no."

"What kind of ruler are you?" Twilight asked, hurt and anger in her voice. "What happened to everypony is innocent until proven guilty? Have you no mercy? What sane pony puts a pony up for execution before conviction?" Tears streamed from her eyes. Her trust for Celestia had been badly bruised. She wiped away the tears. A magenta aura surrounded the paper, as Twilight turned to the door, and dragged it after her.

"Uh, Twi, where are you going?" Rainbow asked, still shocked to have talked to the ruler of Equestria in such a  way.

"I'm going to test Marble's hoof writing. Limestone, Pinkie, and Applejack, come with me. She'll want to see you."

The three chosen ponies perked up, and followed Twilight where she led. They went farther down the hallway, and reached a door made of steel.

"This leads down to the dungeons. Stay close to me, and don't talk to anypony." Twilight said, getting many nods. She opened the door, being greeted to a hallway that led down wards. Coming from the hallway's depths, a guard asked, "who's coming?"

"Princess Twilight of Ponyville with interrogators. We are no threat. We merely wish to speak with a prisoner who goes by the name Marble Pie," she answered.

The ponies watched as the guard came towards them from the darkened dungeon. He examined Twilight, and dipped his head to her. "Go ahead, your majesty. The pony you're requesting for is in cell 12," he invited, and handed her a set of keys.

"Thanks," the purple alicorn said.

The four ponies walked forward, until they saw a cell marked '12'. As they looked through the bars, they saw the figure of a mare sitting on a stone bed. It was difficult to see much in these dungeons, but they could see that she was covering her face with her hooves, as if she were crying.

Twilight pulled out the keys the guard had given her, and unlocked the cell. Marble's ears pricked, and she looked up. Her eyes were half closed and dim, as if she hadn't slept for days. She yelped, thinking they had come to execute her.

"Calm down, Marble. We just want to ask something of you, and then we'll bring you back here." Twilight soothed.

Marble slowly stood on her bed, and stepped down, trying to see the ponies' faces through the darkness, to identify them, but couldn't. She dragged herself out of her cell, now being able to see te other ponies better.

"Limestone, Pinkie, Applejack!" She said, hugging them, as soon as she knew who they were.

Twilight waited for them all to finish their meeting. After they were done, she said, "follow me, if you please." She brought them back to the first cell. Next to it, there was a door. Next to that was the hallway they took from the castle's other hallway to the dungeon. Twilight unlocked the door with one of the keys. It was an interrogation room. It was much more brighter here than the dungeons. Now, everyone there could see the bad shape Marble was in. Her mane and tail were unkempt. She was very skinny, as if she hadn't eaten for a day. "Sit there, Marble," the purple alicorn invited, pointing to a chair in the middle of the room, which was beside a table.

The gray pony walked there, and sat down, pulling it in, towards the table.

Twilight walked to the table, and placed a blank scroll on the table. "If you please, describe the wall behind me." She pointed to a white wall and handed Marble a quill. Marble nodded, and started writing.

After a few minutes, Marble handed it to Twilight. Twilight took it, and was amazed to find a perfectly organized paper, describing the wall. Twilight pulled out the planning paper and compared it to Marble's wall essay. Pinkie was right! The wall paper's writing was much more paced and careful than the planning one.

While Twilight was analyzing the papers, Marble piped up, "is that the paper detailing Snowy's death?"

Twilight looked up at her, narrowing her eyes. "Yes."

"I didn't write it. I can tell you where I found it, though," she offered.

Twilight's ears perked and her eyes widened. "Yes, please!"

"Remember when I visited Ponyville, and met you for the first time?" Marble asked.

"Yes I do."

"Well, I went to one of your friend's houses and found it there. I decided to take it. That was stupid of me, I know, but they were plans, so I thought if I took them, she would rethink it. I was wrong. I don't remember her name, though."

Twilight's eyes and mouth widened in shock, and she looked ready to cry. Were one of her friends capable of murder? Twilight looked at Pinkie, Applejack, and Limestone. None of them looked guilty. Just shocked and scared.

"I think her name was Butterfly or something," Marble continued.

Now Twilight was shaking. "F-Fluttershy...?" She didn't want to say it, fearing if it was true.

Marble gasped. "That's it!"

Twilight could barely breathe. The world was spinning. The element of kindness. A murderer. Applejack rushed to her side.

"Twilight, don't panic. Breathe," Applejack cooed.

Twilight breathed deeply, thinking she was dreaming. She looked behind her, and saw Limestone rubbing a shocked Pinkie's back. Marble looked concerned at Pinkie, but didn't move, for fear of getting in trouble.

After a few minutes, Twilight brought Marble back to her cell and leaded the three other ponies out, who were whispering to eachother.

Twilight didn't want to take part in their conversation. Her mind was still whirling. Would Fluttershy actually murder somepony? Then another question struck her mind. Was Fluttershy truly planning to kill her father?