It was already late when Scarlet and Perique arrived at the Society.

Scarlet tugged nervously at her collar. She'd put it on out of habit more than anything else, and she knew that before at least one conversation she planned on having it would need to come back off again. On the other hoof, it was hers and it was comfortable, and there was something delicious about walking pressed next to Perique while wearing a padlocked collar indicating just who she belonged to. It was such a nice feeling, belonging.

When you knew that, it all made sense.

"I trust you have a plan, little one?" Perique murmured.

They were crossing a busy public area now. Scarlet could see a tour group passing overhead, and caught sight of a passing tour group on a raised platform above, and spread throughout the area the doms and subs of the main site were performing the evening ritual of hunting for partners. Red and white collared submissives cooed at passing stallions and mares while masked dominants silently perused their options. It was erotic, if you liked that sort of thing.

Scarlet had to tear her attention away and bite down on her lip. Business before pleasure. "I sort of have a plan," she admitted. "Sort of."

"Sort of?" Perique snorted. "Little one, what kind of plan is 'sort of'?"

"Well, I know what we're going to do. A lot of it just depends on whether I'm right and everyone's here tonight. If Praiseworthy's here gearing up to get High Tide, we've found the culprit." Scarlet pointed down a long corridor, towards a pair of patrolling guardsmares. "We need to get a chance to interrupt them, now."

"And we're doing that by...?"

"That's the part that makes this a 'sort of' plan." Scarlet forged ahead towards the guardsmares. "We're going to start by demanding an audience."

"They are not going to give us an audience."

"We still have to try something."

The guardsmares halted as Scarlet and Perique blocked their path. They were both outfitted as Dawn Guards, and Scarlet suspected they were on loan from one of the units. One carried a standard-issue spear in her golden nimbus of magic. The other had what Scarlet recognized as hoofblades equipped. That was troubling. Armed guards in the Clocktower usually meant somepony expected a chase, and not the kind that ended in everyone involved having sex.

Scarlet lifted her head towards the spear-wielding guard, a unicorn mare with a bright red mane. "Excuse me, miss? We need to speak to the Torch Legion."

The unicorn guard's partner, a cream-colored pegasus, answered instead. "And why is that?" Scarlet flinched at the wording, even if the mare's tone indicated genuine curiosity.

Perique stepped in as Scarlet fumbled for an answer. "We have information related to an ongoing information which we would like to relate directly to the officer in charge of the case. Urgently, if possible."

"I'm afraid we can't let you," the spear-toting guard answered.

"Let me guess: our descriptions were circulated among the guards today as ponies not allowed near the investigation, under any circumstances?" Scarlet asked, as sweetly as she could manage. It almost didn't sound like a threat.

"I get it. You two are concerned about your friend. Nobody's happy about a case like this, but what he's done is done," the pegasus mare consoled them. "The Legion has this well in hoof."

"The Legion has the wrong mare. Or stallion, in this case," Scarlet countered, drawing herself up as high as she could. To her chagrin she barely reached the guardsmare's chin, which did not bode well for her ability to act physically imposing. "I'm sure you are both away of Legionnaire Praiseworthy's attitude towards the accused?"

The two guardsmares exchanged a glance then looked back. "She is... dedicated," the spear-mare admitted.

"But the evidence we received is compelling," her partner continued. "You must understand, we're not at liberty to reveal all of it-"

"We already know about the salts," Scarlet interrupted. "Anyone and their mother can tell High Tide's a salt user, and it took me about a day to figure out he was dealing them, and that's without your resources." She felt waves of palpable annoyance wafting from the guardsmares but pressed forward. "High Tide was definitely selling salts to Floral, but I can tell you already that the salts had nothing to do with what happened last night. Well, kinda. Indirectly, I mean."

"Look, Miss... Letter, wasn't it?" the pegasus answered, looming over her. "We appreciate your concern, but all you've shared so far is conjecture. If you really have hard evidence, my partner and I will be happy to take it to the Legion for you. Otherwise, i think you should go."

Perique scowled. "Is it customary, then, for the Legion to harass ponies in their homes and then claim they have obstructed an investigation?"

The guardsmares looked uncomfortable, and genuinely surprised. Scarlet felt the moment arrive, and seized it. "Also, we do have hard evidence. Not of the culprit, but evidence that's still relevant to the investigation."

The guards exchanged worried looks again. "And that evidence is?" the unicorn asked.

"Praiseworthy reported that High Tide was using salts to fog Floral's memory, right?" Scarlet asked. "If you talk to Floral herself, I think you'll find that she was experiencing a three-day high before she even came to the Society that night. I'm sure whoever was watching her will corroborate the story. I'd wager Praiseworthy herself was aware of this possibility, and deliberately forbid anypony else from interviewing Floral."

The guards sat, stunned, for a moment. "..You realize what you're accusing Legionnaire Praiseworthy of, correct?" one asked a moment later.

"Dereliction of duty? Avoiding evidence that upsets her conclusions? Yes, absolutely. I'll stop short of 'collusion', because I won't know if she and the real culprit had an arrangement until I get the chance to speak with them. Which I'm off to go do now, hopefully." Scarlet turned and began to walk away before turning her head. "By the way, did anypony visit shortly after Floral was found, claiming High TIde was seen with her earlier that evening?"

"How did you know...?" The unicorn began before her partner 'shooshed' her.

"Thought so. Let me guess. Two or three of them, including a unicorn mare with a white collar, probably a grey coat as well?"

"Wait, really, how did you know?"

"Didn't know. Suspected," Perique corrected the two, winking at Scarlet. "Now we know."

"Thank you both for your contribution to the investigation. You can rest easy, I'm off to go find a criminal now!" Scarlet blew a kiss at the guardsmares before dashing off around the nearest corner, Perique in tow.

"You still haven't mentioned who the culprit is, Scarlet." Perique nudged the smaller mare's shoulder as the two wandered the labyrinthine hallways of the Society. "Nor have you mentioned how you plan on finding them. This isn't exactly a small place."

"I haven't said their name because there's still a chance I might be mistaken," Scarlet answered as she picked a tunnel at random and wandered through it, passing yet more tourists and more happy short-term couples. "There's a small part of me hoping I'm wrong, in fact. It's not the kind of answer that makes me happy."

"But you have an answer?" Perique pressed. The two had emerged from this tunnel into the outskirts of the City, and they carefully avoided setting foot into the actual center. Above them, pegasi and batponies wheeled as they engaged in high-speed chases.

"I do." Scarlet stopped short, thought for a moment, and turned right, pointing herself vaguely in the direction of Pet Town. "As for how we're finding our suspect, at this point I'm just going places I think we're likely to encounter her."

"'Her'?" Perique started back in surprise. "You suspect Praiseworthy, then?"

Scarlet sighed and paused. They were crossing the outskirts of Pet Town now, and the sound of six or seven pegasi making happy 'tweets' as their doms teased them were drowning out her other thoughts. "Praiseworthy is not the culprit. She had every motivation to destroy High Tide, and every motivation to sabotage the investigation. That said, she would never hurt Floral. That's not the kind of pony she is."

"Then who could you possibly be referring to? There aren't any other mares remotely connected with the crime except Floral, and she's not here right now."

"There's one. The sub High Tide was playing with, the white-collar he can't remember."

"But he couldn't remember who she was!"

"I know who she was."

Scarlet felt a slow grin spreading across her face as she stared out into Pet Town's 'dog park'.

There she was. She had practically gift-wrapped herself.

The unicorn mare was as gorgeous as she remembered, perhaps even moreso given her new context. Which, as of this moment, was taking a blue-coated unicorn stallion up to the hilt in her mouth, giving him the most sumptuous blowjob Scarlet had ever witnessed. She could see every inch of care put into it as she worked, and she could imagine the mare's tongue tracing invisible lines, caressing every inch, teasing the little bundles of nerves.

Scarlet felt Perique's hoof swat her own away from her nethers. "Bad girl," Perique growled into her ear. "What did I just tell thee about today?"

Scarlet let out a squeak as Perique bit down on her ear, reducing her entire being to a pile of quivering smallness. "Sorrymama!"

"There thou art, little one. Now be at peace, and keep thy mind on thy work instead of pleasuring thyself to the image of a rapist."

The word broke Scarlet's concentration and cut through her arousal almost immediately. She hadn't expected Perique to say it out loud. Nopony had. Not even her. That what it was, wasn't it? Not directly, but conspiracy, conspiracy to steal another pony's body, to leave them wondering when and where they would ever be safe again, to punish them for seeking pleasure.

Something bright and iron gripped Scarlet's heart and she advanced on the happy couple just as the unicorn mare pulled away from her stallion's shaft. "Clockface," she growled at the two.

Both blinked up at her in surprise and annoyance. The stallion 'tsked'. "If you don't mind, some of us are busy here."

"It can wait. Your sub's got urgent business with me," Scarlet interrupted.

The mare raised her head and turned, and Scarlet saw recognition spread across her face. "Um, if this is about what we talked about earlier, can it wait? I'm kind of in the middle of something."

"Simple Syrup, I'm here to tell you that you're a liar and a criminal," Scarlet spat back at her. "And tomorrow morning, everyone in the Society is going to know it."

Scarlet studied the emotions that crossed Simple Syrup's face. First shock, then fear, then a hardened, biting anger. The kind of anger that could burn a pony to death from the inside if they weren't careful. That was it, then. It could only be her. "What did you just say?" the unicorn hissed.

The stallion got up slowly, and Perique stood to block him. Scarlet smiled gratefully back at her and pressed onward. "That expression's pretty scary. Is that what you looked like when you saw Floral the other night?"

Simple Syrup's expression melted into confusion, but only for a moment. She jerked her head to the side. "Let's take this to an Aftercare room."

Scarlet smirked. "Of course."

"I apologize for this," Perique said before taking up her place at Scarlet's side.

The three departed, leaving a very confused stallion alone in the park.

Further Notes from Scarlet's Case Files: A Challenge to the Reader, Continued

Don't tell me I cheated. I did mention from the start that this is real life, not a detective story. The fact that I'd be disappointed in the answer doesn't make it any less correct.

Did you follow the clues? Were there enough for you? I admit that I got here almost entirely by the scruff of my tail, but they're there for you to see.

The remainder of this document will contain the account of my confrontation with the culprit. This is your last chance. If you're reading this and you identified the wrong culprit, see if you can follow my reasoning.

Matching wits with the detective is the entire point of a good mystery, after all.

Scarlet settled into a comfy, plush reading chair. She had allowed Simple Syrup to step into the shower without protest. It wouldn't have been a very satisfying criminal interrogation if she'd had to spend the whole thing with cum dribbling down her lip, after all. She had waited long enough for this moment anyway. She could wait a little longer.

Though, Syrup did seem to be slow-rolling their confrontation.

Scarlet felt Perique's breath on her shoulder, and the batpony's muzzle nuzzled up against her cheek. She sighed and relaxed a bit. It would be okay. This was the end of the story. Nothing could go wrong from this point.

The sounds of the shower stopped and Simple Syrup emerged, drying herself with a fluffy, pink towel. Scarlet coughed. "So, are you ready to confess?"

"Um. Hardly. I just wanted to tell you off somewhere where it wouldn't make a scene," Simple Syrup replied. Her expression was as bitter and charmless as it had been in the park, and Scarlet felt grateful. It would've been hard to be mean to her if she'd stayed as innocent-looking as she had from the beginning. "How could you blame me?"

Perique stared back at her, her expression rigid. "I cannot claim I follow my little one's reasoning either."

Scarlet felt a sudden shock of pain stab through her spine, all the way to her core. No. Perique wouldn't do this. She couldn't possibly. Not after all this time. Simple Syrup relaxed, almost imperceptibly. "You agree with me, then? This is all a pile of, of manure." She wrinkled her nose as she enunciate the last word.

Scarlet tried to grasp for words, but nothing came. "You. I. This, I know it's you, and I can-"

"Prove it? I um, think not. I'm also, um, pretty sure that you just ruined my date. And you should apologize." Simple Syrup's eyes had narrowed again, and Scarlet felt her advancing forward, her presence expanding to fill the room. She was losing control. It was all going to fall apart. She should have said something, should have run it past Perique first. Now-

"Pardon, Miss Syrup, I did not mean to give you a false impression," Perique interjected. "I said I do not follow my little one's reasoning, not that I do not trust her. I do not follow simply because she has yet to lay it out for me." Perique spread her wings and folded Scarlet in them, and suddenly Simple Syrup's presence shrank away to a pinprick in the distance.

"Sorry 'bout that, mama," Scarlet muttered, twisting to peck Perique's cheek. She was rewarded with a cheeky kiss back that sent tendrils of happiness knotting through her stomach. With a grin she slipped free of Perique's protective embrace and matched Simple Syrup's stance, glaring confidently into her eyes. "Tell you what, Simple-"

"I um, prefer Syrup."

"Right, whatever. Tell you what, Simple," Scarlet continued, enjoying the annoyance writ large on the unicorn's face, "I'll explain my reasoning and you tell me why I'm wrong. If you can prove it, we'll personally apologize. I'll even voluntarily give up my Society membership so you'll never have to worry about me bothering you again. Sound fair?"

Simple sat back on her haunches with a huff. "Can we, um, just get this over with already? It's obvious it couldn't be me."

Scarlet giggled. Mother had always told her to go into law, and there was something dreadfully fun about getting to cross-examine a witness with high stakes on the line. "Right then. I'm going to start by telling you a story of a unicorn mare who fell in love, and the idiot stallion she fell for."

For the first time Scarlet saw Simple Syrup flinching away slightly. She really did have to work on her poker face, that mare.

"Our story begins in Vanhoover, some years ago." Scarlet continued. "I'm not sure how old the mare and stallion are, but I can guess she was pretty young. He was too. He was strong then, and happy, and enjoyed her company. She and that stallion were very good friends. For all I know, that mare and stallion lost their virginity together or something."

"Do you have a point?" Simple Syrup folded her forelegs and tapped a hind hoof on the ground, a feat of coordination Scarlet hadn't expected and was duly impressed by.

"Getting there. Now this stallion was a fisherpony, but the fishing trade dried up in Vanhoover's ports some time ago. I could tell you why, but that's really not the point. The point is he was out of a job, and not just any job, but one that called to him. His captain gives him some advice, and he goes down to a little landlocked town and starts a side business running salts." Scarlet grinned as she saw Syrup flinch at the word. "So you do know this stallion?"

"As if. I just don't like salts," Syrup growled. "They're nasty."

"As is tobacco," Perique muttered almost inaudibly, "and yet right now I crave my pipe."

"I bring this stallion up because he's the key to this entire mystery. I realized it when I talked to him and he told me he'd forgotten the name of the last person he played with." Scarlet grinned. "He was on a bender, sure. But the thing is, you don't get into the Clocktower Society if you're on a bender."

The color began to drain from Simple Syrup's face. "What are you talking about?"

"Come on, don't be silly. We both know that the reason they serve those godawful excuses for cocktails in here is because we can't get proper booze inside," Scarlet chided her. "We're a dry location. Same thing goes for hallucinogens like salts that tend to fog judgment. If High Tide had been high as a kite that night, he never would have made it into the building. He should have still been able to remember the mare he played with."

Simple Syrup's mouth dropped open just a little bit. "What?" she asked, more softly this time.

"Aye. I had wondered about that myself," Perique added. Scarlet felt her move to her side, lending her support. "He has seemed more spotty in his memory than salts should allow, even coupled with that rotgut he drinks."

"From the beginning of this case, I knew mental fogging magic was involved," Scarlet continued. "A broken PipSub indicated somepony trying to circumvent either the prototype Archangel or the current H.A.R.M. system, which could've let anypony paying attention notice something wrong. High Tide's memory also indicated he was a target. The fact that it pertained to ponies he had played with indicated somepony he'd been with in perhaps the last week or so was to blame."

"And that proves it's me?" Scarlet heard Simple Syrup's voice crack on the last word.

"Not on its own, no," Perique admitted. "But now that I follow the reasoning slightly better... High Tide did indicate, as his memory returned, a white-collared submissive. Thou wouldst indeed fit the bill." Her fangs glinted in a crooked smile.

"You're sufficiently remote from the investigation that it would be unlikely to touch you," Scarlet added. "If you hadn't shown up of your own accord yesterday, I might have taken weeks to track you down amid a sea of candidates."

Simple Syrup's face was frozen halfway between a grimace and a nervous twitch. "This is, um. That's. Absurd," she struggled. Scarlet noticed her body shivering. "I. Um. I mean, I was there to visit Floral. I haven't even heard of this, um, High-"

"Haven't heard of the dealer supplying your close, personal friend with salts? Of course not," Scarlet cooed, drowning her out. "But putting that little absurdity aside, you mentioned knowing Floral when you were school-age, right? So foals."

Syrup's expression relaxed. "T-that's what I said!"

"Uh-huh." Scarlet felt a wave of relief wash over her. If Syrup hadn't stuck to this part of the story, things might have been shakier. "You should really have taken more time to cover up your accent then."

Syrup gave a sharp gasp.

Perique let out a short, uncomfortable laugh of her own. "I had completely missed that. In all my time speaking with yon Floral, it had never once occurred to me that she lacks the dulcet tones of a Vanhoover native. Nor, I would wager, will she corroborate any story of her living there."

"If it helps," Scarlet offered, "it was a good lie. Floral was halfway-convinced she was the culprit, and for a moment you even fooled me. But the accent was what got me. Add to that the fact that we had nopony's word but your own that you knew Floral, and it all started to make sense. All I'm stuck on is a reason you'd go visit her, but I think 'adding insult to injury' would count as a decent guess. You really shouldn't have added time to gloat."

Syrup was shrinking back now, as if she could turn into liquid and slip away through the shower drain. "I'm... I'm..."

"I never did finish my story." Scarlet smiled as sweetly as she could. "The mare from vanhoover has been very lonely for some time, and she tracked down her fillyhood sweetheart. Huzzah! They play once or twice, but it's clear he only has eyes for some... shameless hussy, let's call her. A cute little mare who does nasty things like take salts, or go off and fuck around in the Borderlands. And she's breaking this poor stallion's heart. So the mare confronts him."

"Stop. This is... this is ridiculous. You can't. There's no proof." Simple Syrup had almost completely shrunk to the floor now, and looked ready to curl into a ball in terror.

"Really? Because I beg to differ. Because this little mare decided she would take revenge. She'd make sure both the shameless hussy got her comeuppance, and her childhood friend would learn the error of his ways." Scarlet licked her lips. "So first, she scrambles memories of her friend, so he'll have a very difficult time talking about what he's been up to."

"I begin to see the shape of things," Perique broke in. "Then, she lures the new mare aside on some pretext, perhaps sharing complaints about her own childhood friend."

"She picks a night when Floral has been using salts, so she'll have a hard time realizing she's been subjected to mental fogging magic." Scarlet stepped forward, advancing. It was nearly there. She could taste it. "And she sends her deep under, into a trance where she's quite pliable."

"Breaking Floral's PipSub on-site is difficult. They tend to make noise. But 'twould be quite simple to break thine own and substitute it for hers." Perique stroked her chin with a hoof. "Though that is idle speculation."

"I'm quite certain she took one of High Tide's gags though. And made sure to tell Legionnaire Praiseworthy about it, perhaps inflating the evidence of his wrongdoing a bit in the process." Scarlet chuckled. "Given her... one-track mind, shall we say, it's quite easy to see how the investigation plays out from that point. Praiseworthy ignores everything that interferes with her conclusion, and doubles down at every opportunity."

Simple Syrup stopped retreating. She shook her head as if dislodging cobwebs. Her mouth fell open again, then closed. "...You know quite a bit," she muttered.

"Enough to know that you really shouldn't have drawn attention to yourself." Scarlet stuck out her tongue. "Honestly, I had hoped that the criminal in this case would be someone actually intelligent. You could've kept yourself completely remote, and even if your scheme were uncovered it could have taken months to actually find you. The arrogance you showed in visiting Floral was just pure audacity."

Simple Syrup bit her lip. Scarlet felt her heart swell with euphoria. This was it. "Simple Syrup, I accuse you of assault, mental battery, and conspiracy to commit sexual assault. You are the culprit!" she declared as dramatically as she could, pointing her finger at the accused mare.

It wasn't quite a parlor scene, but it was close enough.

To her surprise, Syrup simply smiled at her and clapped her hooves. "Um... neat story, you two."

That was not a good reaction. Scarlet frowned. Had she missed something? She couldn't possibly have, not after she had come this far. But so much of this was speculation. "You seem amused with it, at least," she grumbled.

"You um, had one big flaw in your reasoning though."

Scarlet felt her heart seize up. "And that is?" she asked, trying to keep her voice even.

She knew what her mistake was the moment a nimbus of golden light gathered around Simple Syrup's horn, in the split-second before a wave of gold washed over her and swept her mind away.

"You forgot to wear a PipSub."

It was simple, really.

When she had asked that older stallion down at the Storytellers' guild how they coped before Archangel, they had made it sound so simple. Autosuggestion. You automatically suggested things to yourself. That broke your mind out of trances.

The problem was autosuggestions need triggers, and if you don't have a friend nearby and you're under a spell yourself, you will have a hard time pushing those triggers. That was what they had said. She had been grumpy until that cute mare with the bouncy mane had suggested just making the triggers a daisy chain. Suspect mental manipulation magic? Set off the first trigger, and even deep in a trance you'll set off the rest.

Problem: triggers are, ideally, highly emotionally charged when they're used for emergency purposes. Things your mind can't really dismiss. Things that sort of cut through the rest of the fog. And happy ones didn't always do so well, because spending too long on pleasant things could reinforce a trance.

So they needed to be a shock.

So many things could be shocks. Bad memories. Awkward experiences. An unpleasant taste or smell.

For her it was the wrong feeling.

It had been with her since she was small. It was gone most of the time, now. The doctors helped fix it. But every so often she woke up and it was back, and she wasn't sure if her body was real or not, if it wasn't some kind of elaborate doll with a pony's brain inside. It was very good as an autosuggestion to counter mental spells. It took her out of herself.

The white fog of the trance woke up the wrong feeling, and it sailed through her mind, each of its myriad triggered thoughts triggering further autosuggestions, triggering recall after recall. The spell ran its course, and Scarlet opened her eyes.

Simple Syrup was on the ground, with Perique snarling over her. Good, she'd missed Perique. If she'd hit that would have been bad. One less potential witness for one thing. But also, she deserved to be where she was right now. Deserved to be...

...what was she doing again?

Scarlet blinked away the fog at the corners of her vision and her memories. A haze of details began to piece themselves back together. Aftercare room. Simple Syrup. The spell. The confrontation. Simple Syrup's spell. She was charging it again but Perique would be faster. Probably. Still better to do something. Something. Something. What was that something? There was a, a confrontation. Yes. She had figured it all out.

Scarlet began to laugh.

It wasn't a nice laugh. Nice laughs from Scarlet sent her rocking back and forth on her hooves almost noiselessly, too overcome by mirth to form sound. This was a high-pitched cackle that set manes on end and broke crystal goblets if they were too close.

Perique and Syrup were both staring at her now, transfixed. Good.

Her mind remembered how language functioned. "I. I was not. Expecting you. To be. So. Silly," she hissed, moving lose to Syrup's face. The unicorn was trembling. Was she terrified? Good, she really should be. "You are a very, very silly little unicorn, you know? All that effort, and you could have saved yourself the trouble by not bothering to try and mess with me. Or just not bothering. That's right you could have just, not done this."

The laughter came again. It was working of its own accord now.

"You could have just. I don't know. Anything. Anything else. But you raped her, didn't you? You tried to rape poor little Floral by proxy. Do you know that because you picked a night where she had already been using salts, she could have spent the rest of her life wondering if it was secretly her own fault? I bet you did. It sounds like something petty and cruel you'd do." Scarlet practically giggled. "But I don't really care about that."

Simple Syrup was struggling underneath Perique's hold. "Make, um, make her stop!' she pleaded.

Scarlet liked pleading. Pleading was such a good look on her. "Petty little Simple Syrup from Vanhoover. Has a ring to it, doesn't it? I wanted it not to be you so very much. It would have been far more exciting to have to prove a guard or legionnaire was responsible. Oh, that would have thrilled me. But you, at best, provided a few days of farce with your silly, stupid revenge plot."

She could see Simple Syrup's eyes dissolving into confused tears. Well, she was getting lectured by a crazy pony who should have been a docile, pliable little mind-slave, so of course she was frightened out of her wits. That laugh didn't hurt either. She'd have to remember how to do that when her mind didn't feel like it was sparking and on fire.

"You hurt High Tide. You hurt poor Grant. Oh, I'm sorry, you barely even know Grant, do you? He's the nice bird who found your victim and saved her. Oh and you really hurt Floral. But they will all wake up one day, and be able to put this experience behind them. For a while, at least." Scarlet brought her face down close with Simple Syrup's. "But you won't. Even if you walk out of this room a free mare, you'll live the rest of your life knowing somepony knows your secret."

More pleading eyes. What was with the pleading eyes? Floral probably had pleading eyes a moment before her mind was taken out of her control. Look where that had gotten her.

Scarlet cackled. "Oh, I can see it now. You know what I'll do? I don't even think I'll turn you over to Praiseworthy, she might not believe us even if we show her evidence of the spell you cast. But High Tide will know. And Floral. And Grant. And everypony else around here will hear the stories. You know what that'll be like? Being cut off from a place like this when you're such a lonely, miserable little pony?" She licked her lips. "I'll make your life agony."

Simple Syrup let out a wail, and then a choked sob. Perique moved away from her, allowing her to her feet.

There was a pounding at the door to the aftercare room. "Torch Legion! Our spells detected commotion inside. Open the door!"

Scarlet sighed. The voice was quite familiar. "Oh, don't worry. It's already over," she sing-songed as she let the door slide open.

Praiseworthy stood in the entrance, flanked by two other Legionnaire stallions Scarlet didn't recognize. "Ah. I thought it might be you." She glowered down at Scarlet. "Are you harassing my star witness? You realize that's obstruction of justice, correct?"

Scarlet stared back without hesitation. Somehow, after the rattling her mind had just had, Praiseworthy's eyes didn't seem so bad. "Your star witness is a liar, Praiseworthy Virtue. In the course of a simple conversation with her, she attempted to wipe our minds clean of memories in order to mislead the legion."

She looked back at Simple Syrup and let herself grin the widest grin she had ever managed in her life. "Isn't that so?"

Syrup stared back, sniffled, and dashed to Praiseworthy's side, throwing herself on her hooves. "IT's true, it's all true I um, no, I, please don't let her near me!" she howled.

One of the Legionnaires at Praiseworthy's side glared at Scarlet. "And just what have you been up to that this mare is so frightened of you?" he growled.

Ah. Right. Optics. Bad optics. Scarlet had forgotten the possibility of that. Of course, not that it would matter. She didn't see Syrup revoking that confession any time soon. She would just tell the nice gentleponies to scan their thaumic signatures for evidence of the spell Syrup cast, and that would be that. Easy enough. Of course, doing that while being arrested for intimidation might be difficult. Scarlet frowned.

Maybe she could seduce them? No, bad idea. She didn't want to sleep with Praiseworthy.

"Legionnaires Shadowed Ember, Praiseworthy Virtue, and Steel Heart. I am quite glad to see you." Scarlet had almost forgotten that Perique was still presence. She'd been so quiet since Syrup had let her spell fly.

Praiseworthy frowned. "I think you should remain still, Perique Blend. You are also a suspect in this... debacle." She practically relished the word.

"Debacle?" A slow grin spread across Perique's features. "Do you mean what just occurred? I hardly see what is unusual about an investigator on commission from the Night-Mother interviewing a suspect, and the suspect being subdued as she attempts to flee."

Scarlet's jaw dropped. Commission? Night-Mother? The Night-Mother was Princess Luna, which meant she... no, which meant Perique? Perique was commissioned to investigate? When had that happened? Was this a bluff?

No, Perique had a terrible poker face. This was no bluff.

The Legion shifted uncomfortably. The midnight-coated stallion Perique had identified as Shadowed Ember spoke up first. "We weren't informed of this commission in advance, Lieutenant Blend."

"Of course not, I apologize. In the interest of ensuring a swift and speedy end to this horrid affair, I took the time to re-activate myself today, and named noted private investigator Scarlet Letter as my outside counsel. The Night-Mother is amenable to my decisions on the subject. We have had talks." Perique gestured to Simple Syrup. "While our two investigations have diverged, it would seem that the suspect we chose has made her full confession."

Scarlet's head was swimming. The biting pain of the mind-spell's after-effects began to recede into a dull, aching throb. She had thought of this in advance. Perique was smart. Perique was perfect. Perique was wonderful.

Praiseworthy shook her head. "You two make me sick. How dare you cover for a known felon, and implicating a witness in the process?"

"I think you'll find that neither is an accurate statement. A simple thaumic scan of myself and my collaborator, as well as High Tide, should reveal spellcasting from the same unicorn applied as recently as this week. Floral as well. Should this not satisfy you, then I present to you the contentious fact that you, Legionnaire Praiseworthy, invaded the home of a private citizen specifically to intimidate her." Perique's eyes were a dim, gleaming red in the room's light.

Steel Heart snarled. Shadowed Ember's magical aura held him back from snapping at Perique. "Is that true, Praiseworthy?"

"Of course not! I never would have.'

Scarlet sighed. "So your visit to Perique's house, specifically to warn us off?"

"That..." Praiseworthy looked away. "That was in an unofficial capacity."

The two Legionnaires flanking her blanched. Steel Heart groaned. "Virtue, you did not."

Praiseworthy was shrinking back now. "It was for the sake of the investigation! I didn't want ordinary ponies getting themselves hurt. Who knew if the culprit would be dangerous to them? Besides, we already had the matter well in hoof."

"Obviously not," Perique sniffed. "I believe you three should return to your headquarters. You will no doubt find evidence of our commission, and also the time to properly listen to this mare's confession.."

Shadowed Ember stepped forward. "The Torch Legion will cooperate in this instance. However, Lieutenant Blend, next time please give us advance notice of your activities. We would prefer to work with the Dusk Guard, not to have our operation sabotage each other."

"My apologies, Legionnaire Ember."

The two saluted each other, and the three legionnaires disappeared, Simple Syrup in tow.

Scarlet smiled. 'It's over, isn't it?" she managed.

"That's right, little one." Perique stroked her and smiled. "I am... I am so glad thou'rt safe. I had thought the worst when the spell enveloped thee."

"I got better," Scarlet managed as Perique suddenly enveloped her in a crushing hug. "Ahh! Mama, ribs, ribs, riiiiiibs!" She exhaled as Perique dropped her to the floor suddenly. "Um. Thank you." She nuzzled her marefriend, drawing strength from her presence. She felt so tired, suddenly. "But how did you. Like. When. The commission?"

"The Night-Mother owes my family a great favor. I have simply called mine in. As for how I did so, thou'rt not the only one with express mail to Canterlot." Perique snuggled close against Scarlet. "I shall have to make a full report on tonight, of course, among other things. But the Night-Mother's backing shall likely be enough."

Scarlet felt suddenly unsteady on her hooves. "That's. That's good. That's really good. That's. Um." She searched for the words. "All's well that ends well. I think."

She dimly remembered the reason autosuggestion and breaking mental spells were usually rather difficult involved backlash, fatigue, and the ground swallowing you up as you swayed sideways and fell.

Author's Note

That's it, friends. Epilogue soon-ish.

Scarlet Letter will return in "Mare-ami Vice."