Trigger Happy Equines

“ALLOW ME TO CUT THROUGH THOSE WORDS!”

Greyscale’s Account <> I was with him the entire time!

< Argument Break >

“I know full well you couldn’t have been with Shetland the entire time, as you say,” I put forward, my breathing wavered.

Scalpel remained resolute. “If you’re referencing Shetland breaking into Pinkie’s room, I fail to see how that has anything to do with the murder.”

“No, not that time,” I said. “There was a certain moment when Shetland was exactly where he needed to be, right where Pinkie’s body was held, and that was just after you both searched the swimming area.”

Scalpel flinched. “Well, yes, but–”

“Copper and I were overseeing the second floor stairwells from the landing next to the third floor. You exited the female locker room before Shetland did, as Copper can attest.”

“Yes,” Copper agreed. “It was only around fifteen seconds or so, I would guess, but there was definitely a short period of time where Dr. Scalpel had left the swimming area completely and Shetland was nowhere to be seen.”

“B-but of course!” Scalpel snapped back. “If you think of the layout of the swimming area, the female locker room is a shorter distance from the storage room in the corner. After we searched it and found Pinkie’s towel we decided to walk back out again and report our findings. When you consider that, it makes perfect sense that Shetland would take slightly longer to come back outside – he had a longer distance to walk!”

“But he didn’t have to walk, did he?” I pointed a hoof at Shetland, whose face bore a ferocious scowl. “Shetland is a pegasus. And more so than that, he’s a very fit, athletic pegasus. Crossing that kind of distance in a second or two would be easy.”

Scalpel’s gaze dropped to the floor, her eyes darting about as she tried to make sense of the revelation. “But could he really have done it?”

“Of course not!” Shetland boomed. “Greyscale has gone mad!”

“But you were there!” Inky cried, baring her teeth like an animal. “You and Scalpel were the last ones to search the swimming pool before Pinkie’s body was found, and if Scalpel didn’t do it, it must have been you!”

“You monster!” Button screamed. “We all trusted you!”

“Let’s not forget,” I added, “that Shetland would’ve been more than capable of cornering Pinkie and breaking her neck with his bare hooves. He must’ve done that in the morning before the meeting took place.”

“Now wait,” Elsie said, shaking her head erratically. “We’re jumping to conclusions. I admit that if what we’ve been told so far is true Shetland might be physically capable of the murder and may have had the time to remove Pinkie’s body from her locker, but could he really have gained access in the first place?”

“Exactly!” Shetland asserted. “Even a monkey could figure that out! How could I have gotten to Pinkie’s locker if the machine gun cameras were there to stop me!?”

“He’s right,” Dish Panner said nervously. “If he were a unicorn he could’ve used magic to move Pinkie’s body, but without it he’d be shot down.”

Reph nodded. “A-and we can rule out the possibility of him getting help since we know no accomplice was involved. I j-just don’t see how he could’ve done it.”

“So Greyscale is…” Button trailed off, flashing me a curious look. “He’s taking us down the wrong path, just like Mesmer said he would.”

“Wait a minute,” Dopple said, stepping in before I could lose my temper. “Consider for a moment that a stallion could bypass the camera. Let’s discuss the possibilities and any ideas you might have. We can’t rule it out just yet.” Dopple smiled at me. In an instant I felt much of my tension dissipate. “Keep calm, Greyscale. I for one do not share Mesmer’s approach. If anything, I think he has more to prove to me than you do to him.”

I expected Mesmer to be fervently dismissive of Dopple’s statement but he remained reserved. “Most intriguing,” he said tonelessly. Whatever was going on between these two it was completely going over my head. A thought occurred to me that this was their way of flirting with each other and I couldn’t help but wince with envy. Why would you want someone like him? I felt like saying. All he’s done is be an abrasive asshole!

“Well then,” Copper said, addressing the entire group. “Let’s take Dopple’s advice and discuss whether or not Shetland could have used Pinkie’s locker.”

“Okay,” Maribelle replied, nodding. “I still think he’s innocent, but it wouldn’t hurt to address the possibility.”

“Feh!” Shetland snorted. “This is all a waste of time!”

Scalpel looked forlornly into space and sighed. “I don’t want to, but we should do so just to be sure. We need to find the truth, after all.”

The stage began to spin once more, signifying the next crucial debate.

Truth Bullets

Ladder

Inky’s Account

Swimming Area Windows

Inflatable Ring

Machine Gun Cameras

Dopple: If any of the machine gun cameras spot someone entering the locker room of the opposite sex it causes the gun to fire at the intruder.

Dish Panner: So how could a stallion have entered the female locker room?

Copper: The cameras face every possible entrance to the locker rooms, so there’s no way to sneak inside.

Elsie: A unicorn might be able to hide something in there using levitation but a pegasus would be incapable!

Button: What if he was able to hack the cameras?

Inky: You mean hack at it with a towel?Use it like a whip? A-cha-cha-cha!

Button: No! I mean hack into it with secret spy gadgets and stuff!

Yoko: Was there anything even like that at the MonoMart?

Sanscript: Even if there was, wouldn’t that count as damaging the equipment?

Scalpel: The machine guns are supposed to be too fast to be avoided.

Reph: Maybe there’s a way to move faster than normal?

Shetland: This conversation is pointless!

Mesmer: The cameras are pointed directly at the doors.

Shetland: Exactly! There’s no way to avoid being seen!

Inky: Couldn’t they have disguised themselves as someone else to trick the cameras?

Copper: I don’t know if that would work…

Yoko: If only there was a way to move the cameras.

Elsie: As I thought, it’s impossible.

No, it’s not impossible. The clue lies in the specific rules that were stated. Once I point that out, Shetland will have nowhere to run!