“NO, THAT’S WRONG!”

Monobunny File #2 <> only a unicorn could have killed Yoko!

< Argument Break >

“We’ve been going about this all wrong. We have no reason to believe that Yoko’s killer was definitely a unicorn!”

“Greyscale?” Inky remarked, looking surprised. “Didn’t we just go through all the stuff with grappling hooks and tentacles? You’re telling me an earth pony or pegasus coulda done all that?”

“No,” I replied. “A unicorn was absolutely involved in Yoko’s murder, that much is clear. The problem lies in the most crucial part of the trial – Yoko’s time of death.”

“His time of… death?” Maribelle said, her eyes growing wide as the realization slowly dawned on her.

“That’s right. Yoko was hit with the blast of a nail bomb, which didn’t kill him. He then broke the lock on Reph’s door, resulting in one of his legs being amputated, which didn’t kill him. No… Yoko died after being stabbed in the throat with a knife, a fact made very clear in the Monobunny File. Meaning, while one of the four unicorns played a part in Yoko’s death, it’s possible that someone else was able to land the killing blow, making them the true killer.”

There was a series of gasps. “You’re kidding me!” Inky cried. “S-so, it could’ve been any of us!? We’re even further from finding the killer than when we started!?”

“That’s not entirely true,” Dopple said. “There’s someone here who we know for certain must be innocent.”

I nodded. “Reph.”

The stallion jumped at his name. “W-what!?”

“Even if we consider the line of thinking that Yoko chased after you because you attacked him, the fact that your door had to be pried open and cast a shower of splinters over the floor means you couldn’t have killed him. We know your door must have been closed before Yoko was stabbed, so you’re the only one of us who wouldn’t have even been able to reach him.” It also means we can trust his testimony, I said inwardly.

“Oh.” Reph wiped at his forehead and breathed a sigh of relief. “I’m j-just glad it proves I’m not the killer!”

“No, no,” Button started. “He could’ve just stabbed Yoko, flown down the corridor, outside and back in through his window!”

“Impossible,” Maribelle said. “I was standing in the lobby at that time, trying to find the service bell. I would’ve noticed him coming through that way.” She paused and looked at me. “I assume this clears my name as well?”

“Not entirely,” I replied. “The existence of the sign on the door already proves his innocence in that regard.” My mouth was speaking as fast as my mind could turn. I could barely catch my breath as the explanations spilled out of me. I felt solid. Focused. “Even if he wasn’t spooked by what it said, he would’ve had to carefully peel the sign away and carefully close the door. Considering he wouldn’t have had anything to do with it, I can’t see that happening.”

“I see,” Maribelle replied. Her gaze dropped. She blushed guiltily. “I must apologize for being so adamant that the killer was a unicorn. To think, it may have cost us our lives.”

“It’s okay,” I said, doing my best to smile. The problem was, a new thought had emerged that I couldn’t bear to keep to myself. “The scary part is, if the killer and the unicorn who set up the nail bomb are not one and the same, it means even if we make the right choice and only the killer gets punished…” I bit my lip. “Then we’d have no choice but to return to the dome with a would-be killer.”

Instead of gasps, there was only silence among the group. I considered that if anyone except Yoko had been the first to enter the rec room this morning – myself included – they would’ve been decimated, slaughtered by the shards of metal ripping through their flesh. Only someone of such gargantuan proportions and incredible body mass could’ve survived such an attack. And if his killer was someone other than the unicorn who orchestrated such a terrible deed, it would mean by sheer chance, they had lost their opportunity to be executed. A murderer in every way, but free from punishment.

Beyond that, Yoko’s murder still posed too many questions, tiny details and coincidences that didn’t add up neatly next to our present deductions. We couldn’t rely on alibis or a lack thereof to find the killer. My blood ran cold as the thought of perishing flashed before my eyes, the ground opening up and swallowing me whole. My heart thudded like a drum, a maelstrom of panic and fury pulsing through my veins. Think! Think! Think!

“I just thought of something,” Reph said, tentatively raising a hoof. “It’s probably nothing, b-but what Greyscale just said has got me thinking.”

“What is it?” Lancet asked.

“Okay, well, if the someone who took the knife is different from the someone who took all the tools for the nail bomb, wouldn’t they have needed to go into the MonoMart, and to the exact same section, in the same short timeframe?”

“I guess so,” Inky said. “What’s your point?”

Reph furrowed his brow. “I don’t know for sure, but doesn’t that seem extremely unlikely? They could’ve run into each other, and it w-would’ve given it all away. It must’ve taken a while to gather everything for the nail bomb, so doesn’t it seem like a massive coincidence that neither of them would see each other?”

“It must not have happened,” Dish Panner answered. “If they did see each other, it’s not like they’d let each other be on their merry way. At least one of them would’ve spoken up by now, so we have to assume they didn’t run into each other.” She sighed. “Anyway, there were no other chances anyone had to take something from the MonoMart before that, right? During the first trial we proved that it would’ve been impossible for anyone to have gotten hold of a knife on our first day. Shetland had to resort to using a razor blade that fit inside his shirt pocket, after all. Inky was the only one in the MonoMart the next morning, and she definitely hadn’t taken a knife from there. Once Inky was found we all stayed together while the rooms were being searched, and everyone was accounted for while the investigation took place. Not that any of this helps us.”

“R-right,” Reph said, chuckling nervously. “Forget I said anything.”

I felt fire ripple across my chest. My brain alighted, sending shockwaves down my spine. My vision blurred and I gasped for air, suddenly realizing I’d been holding my breath. I thought it all over, thought it over again, assessed, reassessed, and drew the same conclusion. The answer had been staring me in the face all along. “I know how it happened,” I muttered, craning my neck to the skies. “I know who the killer is!” I cried, my chest rising and falling like bellows at the hands of a crazed monkey.

There were some responses, but I ignored them. I had no need to listen. I had discovered the answer – the truth, and now I had to follow through, no matter how much pain may come. My purpose in life had returned to me. I couldn’t turn my back on it! This was my time!

Who killed Yoko Zuna?

Doctor Lancet Scalpel

Yoko Zuna [DECEASED]

Pinkie Pie [DECEASED]

Sanscript

Dish Panner

Shetland Yard [DECEASED]

Button Mash

Cube Rick [DECEASED]

Dopple Ganger

Ink Slinger

Copper Fields

Mesmer

Antonio Rephael

Elsie De Pone

Maribelle Cheval-Gelding

Greyscale

.

Who was responsible for the nail bomb attack?

Doctor Lancet Scalpel

Yoko Zuna [DECEASED]

Pinkie Pie [DECEASED]

Sanscript

Dish Panner

Shetland Yard [DECEASED]

Button Mash

Cube Rick [DECEASED]

Dopple Ganger

Ink Slinger

Copper Fields

Mesmer

Antonio Rephael

Elsie De Pone

Maribelle Cheval-Gelding

Greyscale

Author's Note

So here we are. Time to flex your grey matter and figure out the mystery. "But that can't be right," I'm sure some of you are thinking. "We're ages away from finding anything out!" Well, believe it or not, all of the information necessary to answering not just one, but both of the above questions is available to you.

To clarify a few things:

• As deduced by Greyscale, Reph is entirely innocent here. He had absolutely zero involvement in the murder or the nail bomb incident, and his testimony can be trusted 100%.

• As always, Monobunny never lies.

• You'll need to look beyond just the Truth Bullets, and even just the events of the trial, to reach the heart of the mystery. It's likely that some information has passed you by without you realizing its significance.

• Even with all of the relevant information, there is a degree of logical thinking involved to put the pieces together in a way that makes sense and completes the puzzle.

• Search for snippets of information. Make notes. Don't just consider what you know, but also what you don't know. Draw up a mind map. Don't get tied up in theories that you have no evidence for. It can all be pieced together.

I do have a couple more tips that might help you in your deductions, but I'll leave those at the end with a spoiler tag. I won't be giving any answers or additional clues, just a little nudge in the right direction. Feel free to either go without them or read them depending on how much of a challenge you're up for.

I'm going to be giving you all a fair bit of time to figure this one out, since there'll be quite a lot to consider. My initial thought is to give you all...

Three weeks

That seems like a decent amount of time without stretching things on for too long. But I may extend this if I feel it is necessary, such as receiving messages asking for some extra time.

As with the first trial, I'd like to ask anyone making their final guesses to contact me by DM, as opposed to simply leaving a comment. You're free to make comments regarding some thoughts you have, but if you feel you've closed in on the answers, a DM is probably the way to go. And feel free to change your minds if you rethink it. I won't hold anyone to their first answers. Spam me with DMs with all your wildest theories. I welcome it!

If anyone manages to answer even one of the questions correctly before the next chapter, you'll receive a mention at the end of the trial congratulating you. If you manage to answer both questions correctly, along with correct reasoning, you'll receive... well, not money or gold, but a special commendation from yours truly.

So go forth, fellow sleuths! I'm ready and waiting!

And, as promised, here are a few little hints to help you along your way...

• In the first trial, there was a background motive regarding Shetland's desire to "save the most lives." Now, while I won't confirm nor deny the existence of a deeper motive regarding this murder, I would heavily advise against using that line of thinking as a starting point. Your sights should be firmly set on figuring out the logistics of the case, not penning in a certain character or characters because you have a gut feeling.

• Even if you have all of the information, there will still be a few gaps that need to be crossed using logical thinking. The smaller and more sensible the assumption, the more likely you're on the right track. The larger and more outlandish the assumption, the less likely you're on the right track. But you'll need to be sure your assumption is as sensible as it first seems, as you might be forgetting something...

Okay, one more tip. You can stop here, as the last one will be giving you a real head start.

Still want to continue?

Okay, go ahead.

There are two very important pieces of information, neither of which have been mentioned in the Truth Bullets, that, when linked together and applied to what has been learned during the trial, should provide you with a 'EUREKA!' moment that'll do wonders to helping you out with this case.

What's that? You think you've already had the 'EUREKA!' moment I'm referencing?

Are you sure about that?