Playing Detective

Chapters

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6

Chapter 1

Sunset Shimmer laid motionless. Her eyes were dull and lifeless as they stared at the ceiling, failing to blink even once. Red stained the white T-shirt she wore to bed, the product of a wound delivered fatally to her heart. A puddle of her blood still damped the hardwood, pooling around her.

Six girls hovered over her. First, they had been friends, but in recent years feelings had strengthened and relationships bloomed. Some would label them a polycule, but to the girls involved, they had little use for such labels. All they knew was that they loved each other deeply, each and every one of them sharing a bond greater than what mere platonic friendship could offer.

“W-who did this?” Fluttershy whimpered, her cheeks dampened by a trail of tears.

Applejack growled. “Some sicko must’ve come in during the storm.”

“All the way out here?” Twilight asked, shaking her head. “We’re miles from the nearest town.”

Castle Rock was isolated, for sure, which made it ideal for the girls. The lack of neighbours, pleasant oak forests, and sunny coastal alcoves were the perfect summer destination. This was supposed to be a celebration of the end of their collective university careers.

And it had been, until last night.

Rarity moved towards the window. It had been left open, with a trail of heavy boot prints heading towards it. Each was coloured crimson, tainted by the essence of Sunset Shimmer.

“What are you doing?” Rainbow Dash asked.

Rarity looked over her shoulder, noticing that Rainbow had moved to Fluttershy’s side, offering her something to cling to when she needed it most. The two of them had always been close, even closer than the other partners they each shared.

“Investigating,” Rarity simply said.

“You ain’t a detective,” Applejack drawled.

“No, but I’ve read plenty on the subject matter.”

“Neighatha Christie books aren’t exactly going to make you a crime scene investigator,” Twilight interjected.

“Well the closest crime scene investigators are about three hundred kilometers away in Canterlot,” Rarity said, flicking her wrist dismissively. “And besides, have you managed to get in contact with any manner of law enforcement yet?”

“I’m not getting any bars out here,” Twilight conceded, shoving her phone back into her pocket.

The other girls all looked at theirs, each confirming Twilight’s findings.

“Who would do this?” Pinkie Pie asked, mirroring Fluttershy’s question with the same bleak and utter hopelessness.

Thankfully, before she completely broke down, Applejack was there to pull her into a strong and comforting embrace.

“We’re gonna find out,” she said softly, stroking Pinkie’s side.

Though her voice soon darkened and her posture grew rigid. “Then we’re gonna string them up.”

“Applejack!” Twilight gasped. “That’s illegal.”

“I don’t care. They killed our girlfriend.”

As Rarity approached the window, she looked at the footprints, confirming that they did in fact come from a pair of boots. It was easy enough to tell with the treading of the prints. If she wasn’t mistaken, it seemed to be about a size seven woman’s— a common enough shoe size, though the implications were perplexing.

Women weren’t commonly known to be murderers and men didn’t often have feet this small.

Before she could ponder this for too long, she reached the open window, running her hand along the trim. Its weathered white paint was dusty and she noticed a distinct lack of blood. An oddity, considering that the murderer’s footprints were still well inked in the substance up to this point.

She poked her head out of the window and looked up. There was an overhang which protected this side of the house from any rain that wasn’t being blown directly against it. And considering there wasn’t any water inside the room, it was safe to assume that last night’s gales had blown the rain away from this side. This meant that the further lack of blooded prints, coming from a hypothetical controlled descent, could not be explained away. After all, without rain there was no logical way they could’ve been washed off.

So, what was a more likely scenario?

Could the murderer have simply jumped out of the window? Unlikely, considering they were on the third floor and there was no wounded villain laying broken outside.

Rarity shook her head.

Could they have simply thrown the boots out the window and then crept back into the house?

She looked back into the room, scanning the floor for any faded prints created by socks or bare feet. There were none, though that hardly sunk her hypothesis. The socks could’ve easily enough avoided being bloodied. Especially in a good pair of waterproof boots.

Pinkie Pie sniffled. “Did you find something?”

Rarity nodded. “I think so…”

“You think so?” Applejack asked, cocking a brow.

Rarity looked at the girls. “I mean it isn’t much, but I don’t think the murderer escaped through the window last night.”

“How do you know?” Rainbow asked.

“Their prints end at the windowsill,” she said, pointing to the last pair left behind. “And don’t continue outside. Like you’d expect someone trying to escape from this high to climb out the window and down the side, using a rope of some sort. This would of course leave marks on the exterior of the house all the way to the ground. Even if they did jump, and somehow landed safely, there would at the very least be prints left on the window frame. Which there isn’t.” She shook her head slowly. “If I had to guess, and this is only a guess of course, I’d say they threw their boots out the window and cut back through the house.”

Fluttershy shuddered. “Are they still inside?”

Rainbow patted her tenderly on the shoulder “Of course not, Shy, that freak's probably long gone by now.”

“Which means we ain’t likely to catch him,” Applejack grumbled.

Rarity moved towards the bedroom’s only door.

“Where are you going?” Twilight asked.

“Outside, I want to check something out.”

“Let me come with you.”

“That’s hardly necessary.”

Twilight sighed. “Rarity, there might still be a murderer out there and I’d prefer if you didn’t go out alone.”

Rarity pondered this for a second before nodding. “Very well.”

It was cloudy today, the lingering greyness of last night’s storm still gripping the landscape in a dreary and damp miasma. In the distance, the coastline was obscured, shielded by a thick blanket of fog which nipped at Rarity. The air was heavy with the smell of fresh rain and recently saturated foliage, the rich moisture somehow soothing, even in this most troubled of times.

It was this type of environment that Rarity’s imagination was at its most active. Yet, in this moment, her muse was as dead as the body that resided in the house at her back.

“How are you feeling?” Twilight asked.

Rarity sighed. “Like my girlfriend has been murdered.”

“Right…” Twilight paused, pondering how to continue. “You seem to be handling it better than I expected, though.”

“I’m numb more than anything else, dear,” Rarity said, her lips curling into a cruel smile. “Give me a week and we’ll see how much of a mess I can really be. For now, however… For now, we have to be there for Pinkie and Fluttershy. They’ll need more support than the rest of us.”

Twilight nodded. “Do you think you’ll actually find anything?”

“No…”

“Then why are you…”

“Because it gives me something to do, Twilight. This is something to focus on and move towards instead of just standing still and letting everything overcome me all at once. Maybe, just maybe, I can use this to slowly work through my emotions and try not to add my sorrows and devastation onto everyone else’s plates.”

“I see.” Twilight frowned. “You know you’re allowed to fall apart, right Rarity? I mean gods, someone murdered Sunset. It’s ok to join the others in mourning.”

“There will be time for that later. For now, I need to hold together for the others.”

“Rare…”

Rarity said nothing more as she reached over and squeezed Twilight’s hand. It felt oh so cold.

“I’m glad you decided to come with me,” she finally said, desperately trying to move away from their former topic.

Twilight smiled softly. “I didn’t want you to be alone.”

“Well, I appreciate it.”

Just as Rarity was about to head towards the side of the house, Twilight placed a hand on her shoulder.

“What is it, dear?” Rarity asked.

“Look at the van.”

Rarity turned and looked, noticing the same old patch of dirt that made up the driveway. It was now muddied beyond belief.

And parked near the house was a beaten-down and incredibly old van.

“I’m not sure I follow,” she admitted.

Twilight let go of her and stepped onto the driveway, making Rarity wince as her pricy boots sunk into the muck.

“Twilight dear, those boots cost-” Rarity began.

“The tires,” Twilight shot back.

“What?”

“Just… come here.”

Rarity looked at the mud and then at her own boots. She offered a brief prayer to the goddess of fashion, hoping that her transgression would be forgiven, and then stepped into the mud.

It sucked at her feet as she made her way towards Twilight. She fought through it, though, intent on finding out what had intrigued Twilight in such a fashion.

Once they were together again, Twilight pointed at the tires. “They’re caked in mud.”

“Well yes, we took a lot of dirt roads to get here, darling,” Rarity said.

“I know, but they were all cracked and dry, and it hasn’t rained in these parts for almost two weeks now. Plus…” She motioned to the tire tracks that led up to the van. They came from the only dirt path leading into the forest, “those look pretty fresh and I know for a fact that we haven’t moved the van since we got here.”

Rarity walked around the front of the van, heading for the driver’s side. “So, what you’re saying is that someone was driving last night?”

Twilight nodded. “It’s a reasonable explanation.”

“But why?”

“I have no idea,” Twilight said before peering through the passenger’s window. “Huh…”

“What is it?”

“Someone left the keys in the ignition.”

Rarity pressed her face against the driver’s side, peering inside and confirming that the car did in fact still have keys in the ignition.

“I thought Applejack had those in her bag?” she asked.

“Me too.” Twilight bit her lip, glancing at Rarity through the car. “You don’t think that?”

“What?” Rarity asked, cocking a brow.

Twilight opened her mouth but promptly shut it.

“Wait,” Rarity said, “you don’t think that…”

“Never mind!” Twilight snapped.

Rarity decided to drop the point and instead tested the door. It was unlocked.

As she opened it, her senses were instantly rocked by the overpowering scent of raw ammonia. She drew back, gagging violently for even a whiff of fresh air.

“Rarity?!” Twilight yelped. “Are you ok?!”

Rarity waved a hand as she caught her breath. “Yes, I’ll be fine.” She coughed. “Though, I think someone bleached the interior of the van.”

Twilight fixed her with a puzzled look before opening the door on her side. She breathed in, from a safer distance, and nodded.

“It does smell like it,” she agreed.

Twilight then held her breath and dipped back in, snatching the keys out of the ignition. Once she was safely away from the toxicity of the van, she breathed deeply and began to examine the keychain closely.

“Shit,” she muttered.

“What is it?” Rarity asked.

“There’s blood on it.”

Rarity stepped around the van and peered over Twilight’s shoulder. Just like she said, there was a bright pink fingerprint on the back of Applejack’s bottle opener.

“Holy shit,” Twilight said, her eyes brightening. “We have the killer’s fingerprint!”

“So, we do,” Rarity agreed. “But why is it pink?”

“Probably blood mixed with bleach,” Twilight guessed. “Whoever did it was clearly trying to mask their trail.”

“I’m confused though.” Rarity slowly shook her head. “Why would they go through all this trouble to not only bring the van back but clean it up afterwards?”

Twilight simply shrugged. Clearly, she didn’t have all the answers.

Rarity moved around to the back of the van. Before she opened the trunk, however, she noticed another splotch of red colouring it, protected from the rain by the handle itself.

With great care, she grasped the handle, making sure not to tarnish the splotch of evidence. She then turned it, and popped open the trunk. When the hatch opened, the overwhelming smell of cleaning products wafted out, blowing past Rarity. She powered through it however and surveyed the interior.

It was spotless, unnaturally so. This was Applejack’s van and there wasn’t so much as a single grain of grit or stain of soil in the interior. An even more impressive job when you considered the age of the vehicle.

Rarity carefully leaned inside and looked around. There wasn’t much of anything back here. Hell, there wasn’t even any litter left inside. This was especially strange considering how many chip bags and wrappers Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie had discarded without care during their four hour drive up here.

Though a lack of evidence didn’t necessarily mean there wasn’t some. It was just harder to spot. For starters, as Rarity drew back for breath, she noticed that a little tuft of fabric clung to the edge of the frame, right where the van door would’ve fit into place when it closed.

She carefully plucked it, examining it closely. If there was one thing Rarity knew, it was the world of fashion, fabric, and materials. This was soft and strong, most likely a Neighyptian cotton. It was also a pleasant and sunny shade of orange. Bright, vibrant, and absolutely perfect for any summer time wardrobe. In fact, it was incredibly common, with each of the girls having at least one article of orange with them.

As Rarity examined the frame again, she also found a small trail of debris clumsily left behind. Most of it was black and white ashes, but a small amount of leaf was still intact and dried. Rarity licked her finger and brought a couple flakes up to her nose.

With the overwhelming smell of bleach rapidly dissipating, she could pick up on the substance easily enough.

Marijuana.

All of the girls used it with varying degrees of dependency. For her part, Rarity usually dosed about once a week, but she knew that Fluttershy treated her anxiety with it daily, Rainbow used it recreationally every couple of days, Sunset was the same way, and then the rest of the girls were more casual users like herself.

Rarity shook her head. A false lead, everybody smoked pot and there was no way of telling if this was a little mess the murderer left behind or just a few flakes the girls had forgotten to clean up while sitting on the bumper.

She gave the van one final look, noticing something jammed under the back row of seats.

Rarity stretched deep into the van, pulling it loose.

It was a shoelace, caked with layers of blood and dirt. The only part free of gore and grime were the plastic tips on either end. These were very familiar, with a certain name scrawled onto them in a fanciful cursive.

Lavender’s Footwear.

Rarity gasped softly, covering her mouth with a hand.

Lavender’s wasn’t some name brand. It was a boutique in Canterlot with limited name recognition and market saturation. It was also a place that Rarity shopped for the vast majority of her custom footwear, including gifts for people close to her.

With that in mind, Rarity made her first prediction.

There were likely only seven pairs of Lavender’s shoes within a hundred kilometers of this manor, and every single one belonged to a girl within.

Chapter 2

Rarity gathered everyone together in what passed for the manor’s living room. In a house this old, there was no television, cable, gaming consoles, nor apparently a working phone. What there was were a few sofas, tables, and bookcases which were easily old enough to be considered antique. The most up to date tome upon the owner’s dusty shelves was a copy of Reader’s Digest from the 1970s.

“I’ve made a discovery,” Rarity declared, eyeing the girls with caution.

Upon returning to the house, the first thing Rarity did was head for Sunset’s room, locating her pair of boots from Lavender’s. With them accounted for, this meant that the offending laces came from another pair, one owned by another of the girls.

While that alone wasn’t enough to affirm guilt, it was still enough to plant a seed into Rarity’s mind. There was a chance that one of these girls, one of the woman Rarity loved, had murdered Sunset Shimmer. It was not a thought that Rarity enjoyed entertaining, but it was one that the evidence pointed towards, if only remotely.

“What did you find?” Pinkie Pie asked, her crestfallen posture and sorrowful voice stinging at Rarity’s heart.

Rainbow draped an arm over Pinkie’s shoulder, pulling her into a one-armed hug. It seemed to brighten her demeanour, if only a little.

“Any leads on the murderer?” Fluttershy asked, her gaze locked upon her own shaking hands.

Rarity nodded. “When Twilight and I left the house, we found that the van had been driven last night and cleaned thoroughly afterwards.”

“My van?” Applejack asked.

“Yes, whoever killed Sunset appeared to have somehow gotten the keys.”

There was a murmur as the girls began to whisper amongst themselves. Cleary, the revelation was worth something, if only to act as an accelerant for discussion.

“How the hell did they manage that?” Applejack asked. “I kept them in my bag and only y’all know where that is?”

Rarity bit her lip. “Well…”

A silence settled in place, smothering the room.

“Wait,” Rainbow whispered. “You’re not saying that…”

Rarity held up her hand, cutting Rainbow off prematurely. “I need each of you to do me a favour.”

“What is it?” Pinkie Pie asked.

“I’ve bought each of you a pair of boots for your birthday. Do you remember?” Rarity asked. “A pair from Lavender’s?”

Rainbow cocked a brow. “Yeah… those really fancy ones, right?”

Rarity nodded. “I need each of you to go grab your pair.”

The girls looked across the room, fixing each other with an expression that was equal part concern, suspicion, and confusion. However, they didn’t debate Rarity as they got to their feet and promptly went their separate ways. This left Twilight and Rarity alone, both of whom were proven innocent by the fact that they still wore theirs.

“You don’t really think that…” Twilight began, trailing off and leaving her statement open ended. Though Rarity could pick up on her question easily enough.

Rarity shook her head. “I don’t know, Twilight. We both saw the same evidence and, while I don’t enjoy entertaining the idea that we have a murderer in our midst, you must admit that it is still a possibility.”

Twilight was silent, looking to the floor.

Finally, she spoke up. “But why would one of them do it? What was their motive?”

“I haven’t got the faintest idea, dear.” Rarity shook her head and motioned with her wrist. “I mean we all have our own checkered pasts with Sunset, but I was sure that each of us had left them behind at some point.”

“All of you?” Twilight asked, a hint of surprise in her voice.

“I mean yes, she drove us apart and made two years of our lives a living hell. For me personally, she set back my career in fashion by at least half a decade.” She let out a hollow chuckle. “I nearly gave up on working in the industry because of her.”

Twilight nodded solemnly. “Still… I hope your prediction is just a coincidence.

“For the sake of Sunset and our collective relationship, I hope the same thing.”

“Are you going to be ok?” Twilight asked, placing her hand tenderly on Rarity’s arm.

Rarity shook her head. “I’m still waiting for the crash, dear. It’s like… it’s like I still haven’t really processed that she’s gone, yet. I’m great at faking despair but when legitimate tragedy actually comes around and haunts me, I feel myself woefully underequipped at expressing myself.”

Twilight nodded. “Yeah, I know how you feel. Like, she’s gone… but I still find myself instinctively trying to insert her into our plans and whatnot.” She snorted. “I’m still half expecting her to come out of the woodworks with some cobbled-together scheme for solving this mystery.”

“Twilight?”

“Yes Rarity?”

“Can I bother you for a hug?”

They turned to face each other and Twilight threw her arms around Rarity, pulling her into a tight embrace. Rarity allowed herself a shuddering breath of despair before closing her eyes and stroking Twilight’s back tenderly. Tears wanted to come forth and break free, but she denied them for now. There would be time for plenty of those later.

In that moment, Rarity was absolutely certain she could trust Twilight. It was a gut instinct, but those always seemed to lead the detectives of her novellas in the right direction. At the very least, it was a reassuring thought, knowing that she had someone else to help her.

They broke apart just in time for Pinkie to return. She plopped down silently on the sofa, placing her boots on the coffee table. They were as vibrant as the day Rarity had bought them.

Soon, they were joined by Applejack, whose own boots were a bit more weathered but were still in her possession.

Then Fluttershy came in, adding her boots to the growing collection.

Finally, they waited for Rainbow Dash. They waited. And waited. And waited some more. Time seemed to drag on and still she didn’t return.

After several long minutes, she eventually burst into the room in a huff.

“I can’t find them anywhere!” she declared, collapsing on the sofa.

Rarity studied her for a moment, her calculating mind working in tandem with her analytic gaze.

Rainbow’s reaction seemed absolutely genuine, positively sincere. She appeared legitimately surprised at not being able to find her footwear. Not something that an amateur killer would easily be able to fake.

“What was this all about anyways?” Applejack asked.

Rarity sighed. “When searching the van, we made the discovery that the killer had likely been wearing a pair of Lavender’s boots while committing the crime. And since she’s the owner of a rather niche store in Canterlot, I didn’t think any of the locals would own a pair. Meaning that... well…”

“You think one of us did it?!” Rainbow blurted out before pausing, horror gripping at her complexion. “Oh gods, you think that I did it?!”

Rarity bit her lip. “It’s… a remote possibility.”

“I can’t believe you think I killed Sunset,” Rainbow growled, stomping her foot. “I loved her!”

“We all loved her,” Fluttershy mumbled.

“Plus, I can vouch for Rainbow,” Applejack said. “She stayed the night with me.”

“And you’re sure she didn’t leave in the middle of the night?” Twilight asked.

“I hardly got a wink of sleep and I didn’t feel Rainbow stir even once.”

“Wait, if you were awake, did you hear anything? Like somebody walking through the halls?”

Applejack shook her head. “Not with that storm booming outside.”

Rarity sighed. “I’m sorry for implying that you were involved, Rainbow Dash. I just…” She waved her hand, “it was all I had to work with and that piece of evidence did create a slim possibility that one of us was the killer.”

“We’ll need more than just a shoelace and a fingerprint,” Twilight said.

“A fingerprint?” Fluttershy asked.

Twilight nodded. “The killer left one behind on Applejack’s bottle opener.

“Could you like fingerprint us?” Pinkie asked, her smile returning but still reserved. “That way we can prove that we’re all innocent.”

Rarity looked to Twilight. “Do you know of a way to do that?”

Twilight shook her head. “Not off the top of my head, no.”

“So, where do we go from here?” Applejack asked. “Because I gotta be honest, I don’t know if I’m very fond of y’all going at each other’s throats like this. Won’t take long for things to go straight into McCarthyism territory.”

Twilight blinked. “You know what McCarthyism is?”

“Well I needed a history credit, so I took modern world history.”

“Huh.”

“I do in fact have a little book smarts, sugarcube. You know that, right?”

Rarity sighed. “Really, I can only think of two courses of action we can take.”

“What are they?” Rainbow asked.

“First, we try and find a motive.”

“And second?”

“We follow the tire tracks into the forest and see what we can find.”

“I like answering question,” Pinkie Pie interjected. “Let’s do that one.”

“I’d rather be safe in here than out there with the killer,” Fluttershy said, shuddering.

Rarity nodded. “And I’d prefer to let the weather settle a bit.” She stepped towards the edge of the room. “I’ll be right back with my notepad.”

The girls all nodded and waved in confirmation. Though before Rarity slipped out, she looked at the boots once more, mentally flinching as she picked up on a little fact she had forgotten.

All of the girls wore size sevens. Generally, this was a perk for their little relationship commune, but in this scenario, it meant that literally any of them could’ve comfortably worn Rainbow’s boots.

Still, she tried not to let this fact bug her. There was no reason to be making assumptions like this with only the flimsiest of evidence at her back.

She slipped out of the living room and headed up the manor’s old stairs. In order to reach her room, she had to pass Sunset’s, feeling a certain pang of despair. Tonight, was supposed to be her night sleeping in that room, sharing the evening with Sunset.

There would’ve been wine, gossip, foreplay, and maybe a smidge of intercourse. Yet, none of those would ever happen again. At least, not with Sunset.

For sure, Rarity was in some form of intimate relationship with all of the girls, and each of them with her. But the logistics of trying to shove seven girls onto one bed was difficult to say the least. As such, they had picked a vacation home that provided each of them with their own room and often two or three girls would share one bed before swapping for another combination of lovers the next night. An imperfect, but effective system of sharing affection.

Remembering this, Rarity tried to recall where everyone was last night.

For starters, Applejack and Rainbow were together. Then of course, there had been Fluttershy and Pinkie. However, Rarity, Twilight, and Sunset opted to spend the night alone, not an uncommon situation. Sometimes a girl just needed an evening to herself.

Maybe it’d be pertinent to ask Fluttershy and Pinkie if either had stirred in the middle of the night?

Before she could think too hard about this, she reached her room, pushing inside.

It, like the rest of the manor, was antique with furniture that was at least half a century old. However, Rarity had cleaned up the musty abode, setting up a haphazard workshop in the limited space, with a sewing machine placed on the room’s desk. A dim ray spilled in from the nearby window and washed over her designs, bathing them in the beautifying natural light.

Oh sure, she was on vacation, but an artist’s mind was always churning and to be without her tools would’ve been torture.

She headed over to her bedside table and opened the drawer.

Rarity gasped and covered her mouth, shaking at what she saw.

Inside, was a blood-soaked piece of white linen.

What was that doing in there?!

She picked it up with all the care her shaking hands could muster. It was heavier than just a sheet. There was obviously something wrapped up inside.

Rarity placed it upon her bed and opened it, revealing a black handled kitchen knife with red gore caked onto its blade.

The murder weapon!

Tears prick at Rarity’s eyes. This was the very tool used to rob her beloved Sunset of life.

What was it doing in her room?

Rarity could distinctly remember opening her drawer this morning, before the grisly discovery, and there hadn’t been a knife within. That meant that…

She looked around, trying to see if anything else was out of place. Were there fabrics missing? Was a needle misplaced? Was there a single thing that was out of order?

Nothing, nothing else had seemingly been tampered with.

Someone had simply walked in, gone to her bedside table, and left this incriminating evidence behind. That someone also happened to be a person who would’ve been at this house sometime today, narrowing the choices down to a mere six.

One of six girls. One of six lovers.

Plus, she knew this blade, there was a set similar to it in the kitchen. She’d bet a considerable amount of money that this one was missing from the collection.

Should she tell the others?

How would she even explain this?

Would they believe that the evidence had been planted or would they immediately turn against her?

No, how could they not go against her. After all, wouldn’t the guiltiest party be the most likely to try and shift the blame onto someone else? Plus, how likely would they be to believe her innocence when she produced the murder weapon under such dubious pretenses.

It was torture. She had a clue, but likely one that would only bring her harm and allow the villain amongst them to abscond.

Without too much additional thought she snatched up her notepad and returned the knife to its temporary residence. It was something that could be brought up later, if at all.

She closed the drawer quickly, hiding this evidence away. Then she swallowed down her addled nerves and got back up.

Yes, this was definitely a problem for later.

Chapter 3

“So, who would like to go first?” Rarity asked.

The girls all looked at each other, none of them volunteering. Rarity studied them closely, wondering which of them had planted the blade. First into Sunset’s chest and then later into her bedside drawer. She thought she could trust them all, but clearly, she had been mistaken.

“Have you done this before?” Rainbow asked. “Do you even know what to ask?”

“Yeah, I don’t mean to question your qualifications, Rare,” Applejack said. “But I don’t know if a few crime novels really make you an expert.”

“I’ll admit that I’m basing this off of tropes, but what else can we do?” Rarity asked, spreading her palms.

“We could drive the van into town and go get the police.”

“Think your van can make it without getting stuck in the mud?” Rainbow asked.

Applejack sighed. “Fair point.”

“Then I suggest we stay busy and continue our investigation so the police have something to work off of once we can get in contact,” Rarity said, flipping open her notebook. “Now which of you wants to go first?”

Once again, the girls all looked blankly at each other before Applejack finally sighed.

“I’ll do it,” she said.

Rarity nodded, scribbling Applejack’s name at the top of the page. “Applejack, did you have any reason to murder Sunset?”

“Of course not, she was my freaking girlfriend,” Applejack grumbled.

“Oh, come on Applejack, we all loved her but it doesn’t mean that she hasn’t wronged each and everyone of us at some point in the past. We may have all claimed we moved beyond that, and let bygones-be-bygones, but evidently one of us potentially didn’t.” Rarity twirled the pen between her fingers. “So, I’ll instead ask this. Did Sunset Shimmer ever wrong you?”

Applejack sighed. “Yes.”

“And how did she do that?”

“Do I got to answer the question?”

“It could help us in solving this murder.”

“It’s going to do nothing but drag our girlfriend’s name through the mud.”

Rarity sighed. “Very true, but I think finding her killer is far more important than that.”

“Why are you so gung-ho on thinking one of us did it?” Rainbow Dash growled. “Maybe you’re trying to deflect the guilt away from yourself?”

Rarity’s heart skipped a beat. She probably should’ve seen this coming

“She has a point,” Applejack muttered. “How about you answer your own question first?”

Rarity adjusted her posture, offering a tight smile. “Very well.”

She took a deep breath and settled her nerves, if only a little. “Back in high school, during her more… rebellious times, Sunset Shimmer had a keen interest in sabotaging my designs whenever she had the chance. I’d find gowns torn, costumes for plays missing, and new designs stolen from locked storage rooms. I discovered it was her after she had stolen a gala dress I was making for the Fall Formal, and had the audacity to wear it herself. Now, all of this was hard enough, but as time went on her attacks grew more vicious. Soon she began to target my suppliers, slandering my credibility. She ran her rumour mill, with its usual efficiency, and got me banned from several fabric shops, claiming that I was paying for these fabrics with less than legal means. Soon, I was travelling across town just for a few yards of satin or coloured cotton. In those days, I was on the brink of quitting, of putting aside my hobby and never going back. She nearly killed the Rarity you all know and love.”

She sighed, tapping the tip of her pen against the pad. “That is how Sunset Shimmer wronged me.”

The room was silent, the girls all looking nervously at each other.

Yet again, Applejack broke through the collective anxiety of the room. “I guess I owe it to you to explain my own troubles with her then.”

“It’d be nice,” Rarity murmured.

Applejack sighed. “This is strictly between us, since the story deals with something that is a mite illegal.”

Everyone looked at Applejack with a mixture of intrigue and shock.

“Oh, don’t look at me like that,” she grumbled. “It was just tax evasion. Wasn’t like I was smuggling moonshine or coke or something.””

“And how does Sunset Shimmer factor into this?” Rarity asked.

“Running a farm isn’t cheap and a fair share of our profits are given to the state every year. So, it’s pretty common for farmers to lie about their yields, keep a small portion off the books, and then sell it for cash. You know, just a little fun money or cushion for your rainy-day fund. A few thousand bucks at most. And while I do call myself an honest girl, even the Apples do this.”

Rarity nodded. “And I’m guessing Sunset Shimmer found out about this… asset?”

“Yeah.” Applejack sighed. “Got a letter from the tax collectors saying they got credible evidence that our family had been lying on our taxes for the past decade. Slapped us with a pretty hefty fine that drained almost all our savings. We nearly had to start selling off chunks of land because of her. And if you know me girls, you know how important that land is to my family. I could handle the cancelled vacations, the loss of much needed upgrades, and the lean months where we ate nothing but beans, rice, and chicken. But to lose our land? That was too much.”

She adjusted in her seat, sitting up straight and staring Rarity down. “But I forgave Sunset for that. Just like I’m sure you forgave her for attempting to ruin your career.”

“I did,” Rarity said, finishing with her notes. “Thank you, Applejack.”

She looked around the room, holding the bottom of her pen out as she surveyed the girls. With Applejack out of the way, she decided to point to the one she personally suspected the least.

“Twilight,” Rarity said. “Do you mind answering that question?”

“I don’t really know what I can add,” Twilight said, shaking her head. “I never knew Sunset when she was…”

“An evil meanie?” Pinkie Pie offered.

Twilight nodded. “The Sunset I knew pulled me back from the brink of making the worst decision of my life. She gave me friends, something I’d never had before, and was also the first of you to date me. I loved her more than anything in the world.” She sniffled back tears, the first Rarity had seen her shed, as she fidgeted with a ring on her finger. “So no, I had nothing against Sunset.”

Rarity was about to stand up but Pinkie was quicker, sliding over to Twilight’s side and placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Pinkie then gave Rarity a look that told her that there was no productive reason to continue this train of thought.

So, she instead looked to Rainbow Dash. “Rainbow?”

Rainbow shook her head. “There isn’t really a whole lot to say. She nearly cost me my spot on the soccer team which pretty much would’ve killed any dreams of getting into university for me.”

“Ok but,” Rarity bit her lip. “How did she do that?”

“Same way she always used to do that shit. She started a rumour about me, telling everyone that I was secretly doping on testosterone. Soon enough the rumours started gaining enough traction that I was forced to take a couple tests.” Rainbow’s hand clenched into a fist. “I still don’t know how she did it but she managed to swap my blood with someone who was doping on that shit. I would’ve been kicked off the team if it wasn’t for the fact that Spitfire was our coach and knew that something wasn’t right. Thankfully they let me redo the test and this time it came out crystal clear. But still, everyone knew about the first test and the string’s Spits had to pull for me. So, I was pretty much avoided by the team for a couple years and had that stigma hovering over me for even longer. It fucking sucked man, I hadn’t even done anything wrong.”

“None of us did,” Applejack said, offering a comforting hand which Rainbow promptly jerked away from. “That was just Sunset’s MO back in the day. She wasn’t…she wasn’t well.”

“Yeah well… I can still be bitter about it,” Rainbow grumbled before her eyes widened and she frantically waved her hands. “Not that I was bitter enough to kill her or anything!”

“We never said that you were.”

“Bullshit, you all probably think I did it. Especially after that BS Rarity pulled about my boots.”

“Rainbow Dash,” Rarity began. “One piece of evidence hardly makes a case. And you have a fairly common shoe size. I will not throw any of you under the bus until I am one hundred percent sure that one of you actually did it.”

Rainbow sighed. “Sorry, I’m just a little tense.”

“We all are,” Twilight said. “But the last thing we need to do is go after each other like this.”

“Rarity, why don’t you finish up these interviews?” Applejack asked before grumbling under her breath. “So, we can move onto something actually productive.”

Rarity nodded, ignoring that last part.

She then looked at Pinkie. “Pinkie?”

“Yes, Detective Pone-rot?” she asked, grinning.

“What did Sunset Shimmer ever do to wrong you?”

Pinkie’s smile instantly vanished. “Two years of not being able to throw a party, because I had no friends, was pretty much the worst thing she ever did to me. Do you know what it’s like to be Pinkie Pie and not be able to throw a party because everyone hates your guts over some stupid rumour? It’s torture. All I had for company were my imaginary friends and gods were they boring.” She sighed and shook her head. “Plus, she started that rumour about me having clap?”

“Sunset told everyone you had clap?” Twilight asked.

Rainbow winced. “Actually, uh that wasn’t Sunset.”

Pinkie gasped. “Rainbow, that was you?”

“Only because I thought you started the rumour about me sucking Soarin’s dick in the locker room!”

“I mean I totally did, but that’s because you started the one about me peeing the bed!”

“Now girls,” Applejack said. “We all said a lot of shitty things about each other behind our backs. But do try and remember that we’re dating now and that we kind of all love each other very very much.”

This seemed to head off any further signs of an impending blow up.

It also offered Rarity the silence to conduct her final interview.

“Fluttershy?” Rarity asked. “Are you able to answer?”

She nodded meekly. “I think so.”

“You sure?”

She nodded again.

“Alright, Fluttershy, what did Sunset Shimmer do to wrong you?”

“She did a lot of things.”

“Like?”

“Well for starters, she constantly bullied and harassed me.” She rubbed at her forearm through her sweater. “Gods, the rumours she spread were so terrible. She told everyone that I used to fuck dogs. Said that they were the only thing that had a low enough standard to be attracted to me.”

“Gods,” Applejack growled. “I remember that one.”

“You know it isn’t true right?” Twilight offered, reaching over and squeezing Fluttershy’s hand.

Fluttershy nodded. “Then there was that time my dog went missing. Came home from school and found out someone had left the gate open. I always had my suspicions that it was Sunset but she didn’t confirm it until a couple months ago.” She sniffled. “I never saw Snowball again. Do you know what can happen to a stray dog out there?”

The girls all looked at each other and Applejack leaned over, gently placing her hand on Fluttershy’s shoulder.

“And, and,” Fluttershy sniffling grew more depressive. “And even after all of that she just kept up on me. Day after day… It almost got too much for me to bear. I never told you girls this, but there was a night where I tied a noose and went up to the attic and threw it over the rafters.”

Twilight shuddered.

“And I climbed on a chair,” Fluttershy continued. “And I had it around my neck. And the only reason I didn’t jump was because… because Angel was looking at me. And I knew he’d miss me and I knew all my animals at the shelter would miss me. But gods, I was so close girls. So close…” She looked at Rarity, tears running down her cheeks. “And that’s what Sunset Shimmer did to me.”

The room was once again silent as Rarity finished her notes, forcing her gaze to the notepad and not the five grim faces looking at her.

Without a word Fluttershy got to her feet and fled the room, followed close behind by Rainbow, begging her to slow down.

Pinkie Pie looked at Applejack before she too got up and left.

“I hope that was worth it,” Applejack said. “That wasn’t easy for any of us.”

Rarity sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose. “No… no it wasn’t.”

Applejack didn’t say anything else before she got up and went to follow her girlfriends.

“Did you find anything out from that?” Twilight asked.

Rarity looked to her. “Besides the fact that our dead girlfriend may have been a sociopath, no, nothing that screams ‘I am the murderer.’ At least, nothing that singles out any of the girls.”

“I still can’t believe Sunset would do half the stuff you girls were talking about.”

“She was…” Rarity sighed, “she was a very troubled girl when we first met her.” She shook her head. “Are you sure you can’t figure out a way to fingerprint somebody?”

Twilight bit her lip. “I have been thinking of a couple approaches but honestly it’s all guesswork at this point. I’d kil- er… I’d do a lot of things for an internet connection right now.”

“Any ideas would be appreciated. I’ll admit, I’m at a bit of an impasse.” Rarity tossed her notepad onto the table. “So, I’ll gladly grasp at any straws right now.”

“Maybe if we can find an ink well,” Twilight said, nodding to herself.” If we could do that, then I can just use ink for fingerprints.”

Rarity beamed. “There’s bound to be one in this manor. Would you be comfortable trying to find one on your own?”

“Why?” Twilight asked, cocking a brow. “Where are you going?”

“There’s one final lead we haven’t followed up on, yet.”

“And what’s that?”

“The tire tracks, Twilight. I need to know where they lead.”

Chapter 4

Rarity left the house for the second time that day, breathing in the damp coastal air. It felt marginally better to be out here than inside with the oppressive tension that settled in amongst her girlfriends.

Admittedly, a lot of that tension was due to her own activities.

She began her journey without too much of a delay, walking through the mud of the driveway towards the van. She didn’t stop as she passed it, instead following in its tracks, walking right between the two deep grooves in the muddy soil.

Her boots were sucked into the mud, slowing her, yet she persisted. Normally, she’d have an aversion to such filth but there were more pressing concerns in her mind.

She was about to leave the driveway, and head along the forest road, when she heard the manor’s door open behind her.

“Rarity!” Applejack called.

Rarity looked over her shoulder, watching Applejack march swiftly towards her.

“Applejack,” Rarity greeted. “What are you doing out here?”

“After I checked on Shy, I went back to the living room. Twi told me you were going for a walk to find more evidence.” She huffed. “What were you thinking?”

“That I’d hopefully find another lead since my previous attempts have not singled out the killer.”

“A killer who might very well still be on the loose around these parts. I ain’t letting you go out there alone.”

Rarity smiled. “Then you’re more than welcome to accompany me, darling.”

With a warm smile, Rarity managed to get Applejack to agree, and together, the two of them ventured off of the estate and pressed down the forest trails. Almost immediately they were immersed in the woods, with towering trees blocking them in from either side. It was dark and dreary, the perfect setting for such a grim adventure.

Applejack got a little closer and Rarity instinctively reached over and hooked her arm around Applejack’s own. The forest was spooky, but at the very least she had a rather burly butch there to protect her.

Rarity looked over and smirked.

Yes, and a rather handsome butch at that.

“So why are you so sure that it was one of us?” Applejack asked.

Rarity shook her head. “No other explanation made sense. We’re miles from civilization, and even then, that would require some random hillbilly to hike all the way out here and just happen to kill Sunset, the girl with the most out of the way room in the entire mansion? No this was premediated, I’m almost certain of it.”

“If you say so,” Applejack grumbled.

“I mean it makes more sense than some random villain lingering in these-”

A whoosh came from behind, followed promptly by the violent rustling of leaves.

Rarity yelped loudly and frantically looked over her shoulders, holding her breath as she watched a pair of nearby bushes jostle in the windless forest.

“Just a deer,” Applejack said. “Though good to know you’re just as jumpy as me.”

“I might be a little tense, yes.”

They continued forward in silence, following the tire tracks with heavy footfalls.

“What’s your plan if one of us turns out to be the murderer?” Applejack asked after a few minutes.

“I haven’t thought that far ahead,” Rarity admitted. “Hopefully our cell phones will be working by then.”

Applejack shook her head. “I don’t know if I could…”

“Could what?”

“I don’t know if I could go on with this relationship if something like that turned out to be true. I mean Sunset was… gods she was a lot of things. But I loved her, Rare.”

“I loved her too.”

“And if one of us did her in like that? I don’t know how I could ever look at this relationship the same way again.”

“It’ll be hard, but we’ll find a way to get through it.” Rarity smiled and squeezed Applejack’s strong forearm. “We always do.”

Applejack snorted and shook her head. “This isn’t any old regular fight, sugarcube. This will take a whole lot more than just a few conversations and apologies to get through.”

Once again, the conversation died away and they continued to follow the tracks.

“Seems the driver wasn’t very experienced with dirt roads,” Applejack commented, gesturing to the set they were currently following.

Rarity looked at her. “Pardon?”

“Look at the way those tracks kinda jostle back and forth,” Applejack said, pointing at the tire tracks as they drifted for seemingly no reason. “Whoever was behind the wheel wasn’t comfortable in that position, that’s for sure. They seemed kind of nervous.”

“I mean, whoever was driving had likely just committed murder.”

“Still, whoever did it seems like a pretty novice driver.”

“If you had the venture a guess, which of us do you think was behind the wheel” Rarity asked, studying how Applejack handled the question.

Applejack shook her head and pursed her lips. “Well you or Twilight would be my best bet, she doesn’t drive and you’re very much an urban creature. Beyond that, Fluttershy and Pinkie have only a bit more experience. Only person I’d safely rule out would be Rainbow. That girl is more comfortable on dirt roads than even myself.”

“She is?”

“She’s been dirt biking since she was twelve.”

Rarity nodded.

“That is,” Applejack continued. “If it wasn’t some rando behind the wheel.”

“Of course, of course. Though why would a random murderer return the van to the house instead of ditching it?”

Applejack didn’t respond.

“Also, wouldn’t anyone from these parts be rather experienced with these roads?”

“Like you said,” Applejack grumbled. “Probably nervous since they had just committed murder.”

They were maybe a kilometer and a half from the estate when the tire tracks veered from the dirt trail and onto a grassy plain. The tires had mulched the turf, cutting angry trenches through the soil.

Rarity and Applejack continued to follow them. Both were silent as if sensing that they were close to their final destination.

A few dozen meters further and they found the area where the van had looped around, following its tracks out of the little alcove in the woods. A couple steps from that was a mound of recently disturbed earth with a shovel sticking out of it.

As they approached, Rarity noticed a little metallic shimmer. Whatever it was, it had only been partially buried within the mound. She bent over and grasped it, finding that it was a piece of a potato chip bag.

“All Dressed,” Rarity whispered before looking at Applejack. “Wasn’t that the flavour Sunset was eating on the way up here.”

Applejack nodded. “It’s her favourite.”

The two of them stared at the mound and then glanced at each other.

“Well no point in waiting any longer,” Applejack said as she stepped forward and grabbed the shovel.

She then plunged the spade into the mound, throwing the recently disturbed dirt off to the side.

A deathly silence settled between them, with only the sound of Applejack’s laboured grunts offering any noise in the eeriness of the forest. Slowly, little by little, the hole was dug out and after about a metre of depth Applejack took in a tense breath.

“What is it?” Rarity asked.

Applejack bent over and pulled out a pair of familiar boots. They were bought from a certain niche, but very familiar, Canterlot vendor. Both were absolutely covered in a mixture of black topsoil and the rusty crimson of dried blood.

“Rainbow’s boots,” Rarity whispered. “We found them.”

She also noted that one of the laces was missing while the other was untied to the point that only the bottom rung held it in place. It wouldn’t take too much effort to accidentally come loose and scatter somewhere it didn’t belong.

Like the back of Applejack’s van.

“Is there anything else?” Rarity asked, kneeling beside to take a look.

She moved a little soil aside with her hand and found an orange piece of fabric buried underneath. As she pulled it out, she knew exactly what it was. It was a beautiful orange blouse that Sunset had owned. Like the boots it was covered in gore and mud.

Then below that was a pair of Twilight’s jeans, also bloodied and dirtied by its intended final resting place.

Three pieces of clothing from three different girls. However, this pretty much confirmed the guilt of somebody in the manor. No random murder would have the means to collect this clothing, murder Sunset, and get away without anyone in the house noticing. It was impossible for it to be anyone but one of the girls.

Just as she was about to abandon her excavation, Rarity caught a glimpse of something made from a coarse looking multicoloured fabric, poking through an additional layer of soil.

“What the…”

She reached for it, and as she pulled it free, her heart skipped a beat.

“Is that…” Applejack began.

“It is,” Rarity answered.

The case had just been cracked wide open.

Chapter 5

Once again six girls gathered in what passed for the manor’s living room.

Rarity surveyed them. Her gaze was soft though it sharpened as it landed upon one of the girls. She knew of her guilt yet she didn’t quite play her hand, yet.

Instead, she let Twilight take the lead.

Twilight held up a small bottle of black fluid. “I found this bottle of ink. With it, I should be able to get pretty well-defined fingerprints. Once those are taken, it’ll be child’s play figuring out which set best matches those found on Applejack’s bottle opener.”

“Come on Twi,” Rainbow growled. “You know that none of us did it.”

“Let her take the fingerprints,” Applejack warned, her voice far cooler than it had once been.

Rarity smiled tightly though her blood ran cold. “Yes… it could be rather informative.”

Rainbow looked like she was about to rebuff the idea but held her tongue, instead waving her hand dismissively.

“Fine, fine,” she grumbled. “Take your damn fingerprints. It isn’t like this is my first time getting them done.”

Twilight nodded and stepped forward, placing a piece of blank paper on the table. She then motioned to Pinkie Pie.

“Do you mind going first?”

Pinkie nodded quickly. “Of course not, silly. I’ll do whatever it takes to prove that none of us did it.”

Twilight popped open the bottle and brought forth a shallow dish, pouring the dark liquid into it. She then instructed Pinkie on how to proceed and before long, there was a perfect set of prints on the paper.

With great care, Twilight set this aside and replaced it with another white sheet.

“Rainbow,” Twilight said.

Yet again, the process went off without a hitch and another pair of blackened prints were left behind. These were placed next to Pinkie’s and another white sheet was set out to replace it.

“Fluttershy,” Twilight listed off.

The girl didn’t move, petrified in place.

“Fluttershy,” Twilight repeated, her voice now far softer as she glanced at her.

“I don’t think that’s a very good idea,” Fluttershy whispered.

“What? Why’s that?”

Rarity’s gaze narrowed. “Yes dear, why isn’t it a good idea?”

“Because…” Fluttershy swallowed before shooting a cold glare at Rarity. “Because your whole investigation is tearing us apart when we need to be there for each other. You’re just making us fight each other, when we need to be comforting one another, not pointing fingers over your flimsy accusations.”

Rarity paused for a moment before simply shrugging her shoulders. “Very well.”

Rainbow, Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Twilight gasped at the same time. “Wait, what!”

“Yes, because while those prints would’ve been nice…” Rarity glanced at Applejack who simply nodded her head, “I don’t need any additional evidence to prove that Fluttershy did it.”

Fluttershy paled.

“No!” Rainbow growled. “There’s no way that…”

Rarity reached into her pocket and pulled out an object, still covered in dirt from its burial mound. She tossed it onto the table, where it landed with a soft, yet effectively deafening, thud.

It was a dog collar, worn from age, thought its once vibrant fabrics still held traces of the bright colours it had originally bore. A tag, shaped like a dog bone, dangled from the bottom and engraved upon it was a name.

Snowball.

Rainbow looked at it, then at Fluttershy, before she scooted as far away as she could.

“Fluttershy,” Pinkie Pie whispered, her voice on the verge of failing. “You… you did it?”

For a moment there was silence then Fluttershy laughed, it was such a hollow and harsh noise, more pain than amusement.

“I may have lied to you a little,” she admitted.

“That’s an understatement,” Applejack muttered under her breath.

“Always the quiet ones,” Twilight added.

“Let her speak,” Rarity said.

“I lied when I said I never saw Snowball again,” Fluttershy said. “About a year after Sunset released him, I got a call from a local vet.” She shivered and a tear ran down her face. “He… said that someone left a dog outside his office. The pup had been a victim of dog fighting. He’d been starved, beaten, and eventually, torn to shreds. The vet did everything in his power to help but… this dog was too far gone by then and passed away during the night.” She clenched her hand into a fist and slammed it against the table, causing the dish of ink to shudder and spill part of its contents. “That dog was Snowball. And you know what?”

“What?” Rarity said.

“When I went into that vet’s office and saw what had happened to Snowball, I knew I’d get back at everyone involved. I would make each and everyone of them pay and suffer like Snowball had suffered. So, when Sunset made her little confession, I played my part. I forgave her, but I plotted and I planned and I knew that one day I’d get my chance.” She laughed again before a sob racked her. “Except no amount of planning prepared me for the moment. I’ll freely admit I was more than a little clumsy in my get away but tell me any of you could’ve done better.”

“Is this why you planted your knife in my bedside table?” Rarity asked.

Everyone’s attention snapped to Rarity. Yet, she did not waver under their gaze.

Fluttershy frowned. “Partly I wanted to get rid of it as quickly as I could. But also, when you started playing detective, I knew that I needed to get you to stop. I was hoping that you’d keep quiet when there was a chance of you getting caught with the murder weapon.” She sighed. “But clearly, that didn’t work.”

When no one spoke up, Fluttershy simply shook her head. “So yes, I killed Sunset Shimmer. I did it because she let my dog loose and subjected my poor puppy to months of hell. Tell me, what if she had done the same to Spike, or Winona, or any of your pets? Would you be so level-headed and forgiving? Would you let her live after seeing your pet dead, seeing the months of abuse they endured drawn upon them in a mosaic of scars?”

Fluttershy looked around the room, snorting dismissively as she saw nothing but shocked and blank faces.

“So, what are you going to do to me?” she asked, glaring at Applejack. “Lynch me?”

Rarity reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone, flicking it on. “Well, dear, the storm has passed.” She smiled tightly. “And I now have three bars. So…”

Chapter 6

Five girls stood around a grave in Canterlot. The name upon it was obscured by the sheer volume of flowers and gifts scattered around the site, a more fitting monument to the memory of Sunset Shimmer than the hunk of granite and plaque buried underneath.

Together they held hands, linked together as a mixture of emotions washed over them. For some, there were memories of fond times to keep them company, for others, there was only a hollow sorrow which came with the knowledge of what they had lost. A pain further enhanced when the five remembered that they had not lost one, but two girlfriends.

Yet, they still had each other. Fluttershy’s confession was like a sledgehammer blow to their collective trust, yet their bond was built of something which could survive even this most earthshattering of revelations.

“Fluttershy was in the news today,” Twilight commented.

The mood noticeably cooled.

“Oh?” Applejack asked.

Twilight nodded. “They sentenced her to twenty-five years with a chance of parole after fifteen.”

“That isn’t good enough,” Rainbow growled. “They should’ve given her life.”

Rarity shook her head. “No… that isn’t what Sunset would’ve wanted.”

Everyone looked at her.

“Sunset, more than anyone, would’ve preached that people can change and redeem themselves for what they have done. For sure, what Fluttershy did was absolutely horrendous, but Sunset would’ve been the first to give her a second chance after she’s paid for and learned from her mistakes.”

Rainbow snorted. “Are you going to be there once she gets out?”

Rarity shook her head. “I have no idea. I’m nowhere near the woman Sunset Shimmer was. I don’t think I could bring myself to see Fluttershy again.”

“I know one thing,” Pinkie Pie said.

She let go of Applejack’s hand and knelt beside the grave, placing her hand against the granite.

“What’s that, sugarcube?” Applejack asked.

“I’m never going to forget Sunset.” She smiled softly. “Never ever.”

“Me neither,” Rarity agreed. “She was the best of us.”

Four heads nodded in agreement.

Author's Note

I was initially a bit reluctant to write for this contest but when this idea came to my mind I knew I had to write it.

Hope you, the people, enjoy it, and I really hope you, the judges, really enjoy it.

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