The news reporters and crowding folks outside finally dispersed. With the clues, the stories, and the culprit behind the scenes, all of it gone, the whole case was falling apart. Every single pony believed that they had finally caught the true criminal. However, the truth now was the furthest from this reality. Blueblood and Babs Seed were both missing. And a strange message was left, not even Sombra or the princesses could decode. All that was left was a single image of a supposed true villain, a filly named Lil Cheese.

Luster Dawn and Captain Braeburn were stunned as they stared at the empty spot where Blueblood once stood. They were left with an ominous poem and no explanation. There was no way of knowing what happened and how this whole thing would unfold now without their leads and the head of the crime scene.

Captain Braeburn's face fell into his hooves. After all the time trying to save his cousin, now she was gone. Worse still, it was the worst kind of betrayal. "My own cousin... working with Lil Cheese."

"Okay, we got to figure this out." Luster's mind raced over all the possibilities as she paced around the table with the last clue. "How can a single foal cause such chaos and how are we going to rescue Blueblood and the Crystal Heart?

"This can't be happening!" Captain Braeburn grabbed the note and shook his head. "There has to be more evidence." His eyes winced over the details and fractured words. All of it only revealed how much of a fool he had been this whole time. He wasn't a hero, nor was his cousin innocent. He couldn't accept this truth and kept his hoof on his head. "How did this all fall apart? We were so close."

Luster's face was also twisted in disgust but also utter failure. Her heart was aching and her brain screamed against her actions. She was supposed to be the lead in this investigation, the one to discover the truth and the hero. However, her mentor just had to step in and take charge. Blueblood was a good stallion with an honorable soul, but his pride was always a weakness. It planted a target right on his back and now he was gone.

She was left behind to pick up the pieces. The only problem was she had no idea where to start at all. "We got to think logically."

"We got no ideas!" Braeburn slammed his hoof down and huffed. "And my cousin is the villain. All of this was set up and we just fell into the trap."

"No! Don't you dare give up on Babs Seed just yet?" A voice finally entered the room. The gravitas and familiarity brought them both to attention as Princess Twilight walked into the scene.

"Your majesty!" They both gasped and bowed.

She wanted to wave them off, but accepted the kind gesture. "I know we're all stressed. But there's no reason to lose hope." The tall alicorn pushed away her flowing mane and padded Luster Dawn on the head. "Starlight never caved under such pressure."

"Yes... my mother is oh so perfect." Luster Dawn tried to hide her eyes rolling at that comment. "But even she wouldn't be able to figure out this case. We're missing too much evidence."

"No, Starlight messed up plenty of times." Twilight walked passed her and overcasted the table.

"Like me--"

"No, dumping you was on the money." Twilight laughed and padded the captain's back as the shame overwhelmed him. "It's all about taking the facts and spinning them around until you find the solution. It may not seem clear, but I promise the truth is out there."

"Yeah, I've heard that one before." Luster Dawn rubbed her head and huffed. She looked over the clues still present in the room, but nothing was coming to her. She just couldn't connect the dots or find any possible lead to the true villain. Everything here pointed to Lil Cheese, but her mentor's last words implied the opposite. If the filly was just a piece in the game, how was the dungeon master, so to speak?

"Think, think, think!" Luster Dawn burrowed her hooves into her forehead and pulled her mane. Yet, no matter how hard she tried, no solution was coming to her. The evidence was still in front of her, but it was all useless.

Twilight watched her protege struggle with a small chuckle. She floated all the objects around the table, much to Luster's annoyance. "Blueblood once told me, pieces of the puzzle make funny shapes, but they still fit together in the end."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Luster Dawn crossed her hooves and glared her eyes at the princess.

"Exactly what it means, it's time for you to learn a lesson in creativity." Twilight tapped her chin and gestured her back to the table with all the objects, continuing to spin them around, hoping to jar something in the mind of the unicorn. "Just keep looking, you'll spot the answer... sometimes, it's in plain sight."

Right as she said that the cattle prong traced over into Luster's range of sight. The bottom image came into full view. Her mind flashes back to Thunderlane's wounds, matching the symbol but obviously inverted. It had been deformed by the flesh of the stallion, but upon the cattle prong itself, the image was as clear as day.

The unicorn wrenched the electric torture device from the alicorn's grasp and gazed deeply at the symbol. Her eyes slowly widened as the realization hit her. "It was so blurry, we assumed it was the symbol of a bull... It's a cattle prong, such assumptions would be obvious. Yet it was Blueblood that gave the symbol a double check, not I or the Captain..."

"Are you saying Blueblood was hiding a clue?" Braeburn didn't see the real problem.

"No, he was just waiting for us to catch up..." Luster Dawn placed down the object and whispered the truth to herself. "It was right in front of me. This is no bull at all, but the image of a goat." She jumped onto the table and demanded. "Bring all the suspects back in here right now!!"

******

At the same time, miles away from the cottage, Babs Seed and Blueblood awoke to find their captures. At many assumed, Lil Cheese was there. The small filly made sure their bindings were nice and tight. Their mouths were not gagged, but it was clear they were too far away from anything to call out for help.

Babs Seed had tears running down her eyes, but Lil Cheese was more than happy to wipe them away. "Don't cry, this all part of the plan--" She was stopped at the older mare inside a filly's body didn't hesitate to snap at her with teeth bare.

"You're a traitor!"

"No..." Lil Cheese was left with wide eyes. "I'm not a traitor. He gave me no choice!"

"He?" Babs Seed raised an eyebrow at those words. "Just who is he? Who is the great mastermind behind all of this?!"

"Foolish mare..." Blueblood didn't fight at all, and conceded in defeat. "You above all the suspects know exactly who has been pulling the strings this whole time. You couldn't see the truth because you were blinded by sheer annoyance."

Babs Seed was confused and hurt at his words. "What the hay is that supposed to mean--" She was stopped as the music began to play around them from seemingly nowhere. "No..." The truth was slow and didn't fully expand until she heard that voice above them begin to sing.

"Five thousand years ago, a unicorn named Gusty the Great cursed me to sing!" The voice was the same, the same annoying pitched voice, only deeper. "But now I bring all you ponies one single grand reprieve."

******

Author's Note

Yes, folks. I have been planning this plot twist since the very beginning and I am so glad we are finally here. Thank you for staying this long, I'm glad we are back on track for finishing this story very soon.