So, Apple Bloom gave me her statement. Apparently, she was gonna help Zecora organizing potions for spells. She was a few feet away from Zecora’s hut when she called out that she was here and ready to help. She then noticed the front door was ajar. She gently rapped on it, said she was coming in, and then opened the door to find Zecora’s lifeless body on the floor. She immediately runs back to get help.

After I wrote all that down, I started to ask her some questions.

“So, Apple Bloom, how long have you known Zecora, and how close are you two?” I asked.

I saw her make eye contact with me for a split second and then looked back at the ground.

“I’ve known her for about 2 and a half years now. Ah first met her when she first came to Ponyville. Every pony, even Applejack here, thought she was some “evil enchantress” or something. But, she was just a friendly zebra. I offered to help carry some heavy thangs for her. And we’ve been good friends ever since then.” She told me.

“And how often do you visit Zecora?” I asked.

“About once or twice a week. I help her with spells and potions and stuff. We have a nice brunch together. We talk about our week. That kanda stuff.” She said, still looking at the ground.

“I see. You two must be really great friends.” I said to her.

She nodded. “Yeah.” Then she looked back up at me with a fierce look on her face.

“Why Detective? Why did that have to happen to her? She hasn’t harmed anypony. She hasn’t done anything to deserve that. Who would do something like that to a good mare like her?” She asked me, sounding emotional.

“I don’t know, Apple Bloom. Maybe that is where you can help me.” I told her. She looked surprised there.

“Now, during these brunches you had with Zecora, did you ever notice anything off about her recently?” I asked the little filly.

“W-What da ya mean by off?” She asked.

“Any abnormal behavior. Maybe, she talks to you about somepony she doesn’t necessarily trust.” I told her.

She was quiet for a couple seconds before responding. “Well, two weeks ago was pretty weird. But, I didn’t think much of it.”

“Oh?” I said. “And what would that be?”

“Well, me and her walked to her hut after I caught up to her halfway through the Everfree Forest. When we were walking, she was looking around constantly. And she even looked out the windows of her hut when we made it there.” She told me.

I nodded. “Hmm. Was she ever like that before?”

She shook her head. “No. It felt like she thought somepony was watching us. And she never acted like that before.”

“Did you ask her why she was like that?”

Again, she shook her head no.

“Now, Apple Bloom, I look at you and I see a pretty smart filly.” I told her. She rubbed the back of her head with an embarrassing look on her face.

“Well, I do get good grades in school.” She said.

“That’s good. However, what I was thinking, was you seem, to me anyway, like a filly who sees and hears things. And can form an opinion. So, my question is, whenever you walked around town, did you hear anypony talk about Zecora? Anypony you think didn’t like her, and even might want to hurt her?” I explained to her.

“I don’t know. I haven’t seen anypony in town give her looks when she’s in town. And I haven’t heard ponies talking behind her back.” She told me.

“How often does she come to town?” I asked her.

“A few times a week. She comes to this store that makes herbs and grass thingy’s. I think it’s called Guatemalan or something.” She said to me.

“Okay, one last question and I promise we’re done. Okay Apple Bloom?” I said. She nodded. I saw Big Macintosh give a silent snort. Guess he can’t wait for me to leave.

“Now, before you entered Zecora’s hut, did you see or hear anything before you found her like that?” I asked.

She thought for a quick sec before responding. “Well, I think I heard some cha-chink sound. I guess I thought Zecora musta dropped something.”

After I wrote that all down, I closed up my notepad and stood up. “Thank You Apple Bloom. You’ve been a brave little filly.” I told her. She actually smiled a little at me.

Could she maybe start warming up to me?

“And I promise I’m gonna find the one who did this to your friend.” I said, before I heard my phone go off.

I took it out and it read Ponyville Hospital. Guess I’m gonna get the news right now.

I excused myself and walked off toward the front door to have this conversation in private.

“Shadow Haze.” I answered.

“Detective, this Nurse Redheart.” The mare on the other line said.

“How’d you get my number?” I asked.

“Princess Twilight Sparkle gave it to me not too long ago.” She said.

I probably should be pissed Twilight gave my number to somepony I don’t even know, but I guess if it’s a future victim, they can contact me instantly and not have to wait. So, I guess I get why she did it.

“Anyway, I need to see you right away. It’s about Zecora.” She told me.

My nerves started to pick up. If this mare tells me Zecora is dead, I don’t know how I’m gonna tell Apple Bloom this.

“What’s the scoop? Is she okay?” I asked.

“I’ll let you know when you come here. But, please come. I think I have something you’d might like to see.” She said.

I told her alright, and then hung up. What could he so important that she can’t tell me over the phone? And why didn’t she tell me if Zecora is alright or not?

I walked back into the living room and motioned for Applejack.

“Come on. We gotta head over to the Hospital. Nurse Redheart says she needs to see us.” I told her.

She nodded. Just before she was about to leave with me, Apple Bloom followed too.

“Can Ah come too? I wanna know if Zecora is okay.” She said.

Big Macintosh stepped in again. Ugh, this big fucker.

“Ah think y’all should stay here, little sis. Let them handle it.” He told her. He made it look like he was wanting us to do our jobs. When in reality, he just didn’t want his baby sister to be alone with me. Even though Applejack was with me too.

Talk about untrustworthy much.

Applejack sneered at her big brother. “Big Mac, Apple Bloom just wants to know if Zecora’s alright. She can come just this once. It’s not like she’s gonna be on this investigation.” She said to him.

Just before Big Macintosh said anything else, Sugar Belle stepped in.

“If it makes you feel better, I’ll tag along too, sweetheart. After we get the word from Nurse Redheart, I’ll take Apple Bloom home. Okay?” She said. Sugar Belle seemed like a sweet mare. Why she married this overprotective assface is beyond me, but beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, I guess.

He snorted in defeat. “Eeyup.” He said. Sugar Belle kissed him and then her and Apple Bloom walked out with us.

I swore I saw Granny Smith look at Big Macintosh with disappointing eyes. Can’t say I blame her.

As we walked over to the Ponyville Hospital, again I saw the townsfolk giving me looks of fear, lust, and untrustworthiness. I especially saw the untrustworthiness in some mare with a pink coat and blonde mane and tail. With a pair of cherries for a cutie mark. She looked like she’d try to fight me before speaking with me. The keyword being try.

As the looks toward me continued on, for some reason I looked behind me at Apple Bloom. I don’t know why, but she had her head down in a look of…..shame, was it? Sympathy? Was she feeling bad with the look she gave me earlier at the farm?

Applejack, on the other hoof, just shook her head in disgust at every pony looking at us. She looked like she was ashamed at every pony in town right now.

Guess it’s nice to have some ponies have my back.

We made it to the hospital and proceeded to walk inside. As we walked in, I saw Sugar Belle look like a chill ran down her spine. She was walking at the back of us. With Apple Bloom walking in front of her.

Applejack leaned in toward me to tell me something.

“Sugar Belle hates hospitals. Some pony she knew died here, and she was here to see it.” She whispered to me.

Damn. That’s perfectly understandable why some pony would hate hospitals. Not to mention, all the sick, injured ponies here as well.

Anyway, after we quickly spoke to the receptionist at the front door, we took the elevator to the 3rd floor. This floor had an Emergency Unit on it. Intensive Care to be exact. This was where Zecora went after being taken away from her hut.

We walked into a waiting room where I saw a pony waiting for us. She had a white coat and a pink mane and tail. She all look so had a medical symbol for a cutie mark, as well as a matching hat.

This must be the pony who called me. Nurse Redheart.

She walked up to us. “Good afternoon Applejack. And you two Apple Bloom and Sugar Belle.” She said to them. They nodded at her with a smile.

She quickly turned to me with an intense look on her face. “Are you Detective Shadow Haze?” She asked.

I flashed my badge at her. “Does that answer your question?” I asked.

“Yes, good.” She said. “I need to speak to you in private about Zecora.”

Apple Bloom butted in. “Is she okay?” She asked.

“I’ll have to tell you after I give Shadow Haze here an update on her.” She said.

“You mean me and Applejack? She is my partner for this case, ya know.” I told her.

She looked surprised and confused at once. “Wait. How did-“

“It’s a long story.” I interrupted her. “Anything you can tell me, you can tell her.” She looked at Applejack, who had her serious face on.

Redheart sighed. “Very well. Come with me.” She said, as me and Applejack followed her over to what apparently was Zecora’s room.

As we walked away, I heard Sugar Belle say to Apple Bloom, “Come on, sweetie. We’ll wait here.”

It’s good to know that Sugar Belle treats both her sister-in-laws well. I know some ponies who treat them as if they are nothing. They may flat out hate their in laws. Can’t say I blame them for it, because let’s face it, in laws can be douchey, unlikeable pieces of shit. But, it’s good to know the Apple Sisters treat Sugar Belle like family.

We walked into room 1513. And when I saw Zecora, I almost felt an urge of anger built up inside of me. Keyword being almost.

Zecora was in a medically induced coma. She was layed on the bed with her head wrap up in gauze and bandages. There was a ventilator covering her muzzle for oxygen. And I assumed there must be a tube down her throat to feed her and give her fluids.

Applejack pulled her Stetson hat down in front of her face again. I could tell it was hard for her to look at her friend like that.

“So, what’s up?” I asked Nurse Redheart, hoping I wasn’t gonna hear what I think I was gonna hear.

“Well” She started. “I have good news and bad news. Which would you like me to start with?”

“I’d start with bad first. Get it outta the way.” I said.

Redheart nodded. “Bad news is Zecora has suffered a major concussion. And we’re worried about internal bleeding. We don’t know if there is yet, but it is a possibility she might have it. Also, her kidney was bruised as well. Whoever did this, completely brutalized her.” She told us.

I nodded. I was glad what she was telling me wasn’t what I was thinking.

“Alright, so what’s the good news?” I asked.

She smiled a smile full of relief. “Good news is that because of you and my medical staff getting there as quick as they could, we were able to save Zecora’s life. Other than the injuries I just told you, Zecora will live.” She said.

Before I could respond, a huge sigh of relief came out of Applejack’s mouth, causing me to turn to her.

She had her hoof on her chest. “Thank Goodness.” She said.

Yes. Thank Goodness indeed.

“You two are lucky you got there when you did. If you guys would’ve came there 20 minutes later, Zecora would’ve died.” Redheart said to us.

That caused a chill to run down Applejack’s spine, I could tell. It’s just amazing how much time can be the biggest factor in everything.

“What else can you tell me about?” I asked her.

“Well, I also found traces of spit on her face.” She told me.

I suddenly felt a rush of panic run through me. “You don’t mean she was raped, do you?” I asked.

She shook her head at me, causing me to calm down.

“No, I mean he spit on her face. As in a sign of disrespect. He attacked her and then spit in her face.” She said.

Insult to injury, huh? That sounds interesting.

“How long until Zecora comes out of the coma?” Applejack asked.

“Well, that’s even better news. Even if we are worried about internal bleeding, the suspects attacks weren’t big enough to make her go into a long coma. So, at worst, she’ll be in a coma for two, maybe two and a half weeks. At the best, only 5 to 6 days. So, she will come out of this soon, I can promise you that.” She told us.

This was good to hear. Now, when she wakes up and if we don’t have anything, she can tell us who assaulted her.

Hopefully, she doesn’t have amnesia or something.

We thanked her for the info and left, which Nurse Redheart took that as a sign to get back to work.

We came back into the waiting room. And I swear, once Sugar Belle and Apple Bloom saw us, the little Apple filly damn near sky rocketed out of her seat and ran toward us.

“Well? Well? What is it? Is Zecora gonna be okay? Huh? Is she?” She asked, both sounding scared, nervous and excited all at once. She had her front hooves on Applejack’s chest and started hopping up and down like crazy.

I cleared my throat to get her attention. Sugar Belle walked over to us as I told Apple Bloom everything that Nurse Redheart told us.

The little filly did the same thing that Applejack did when she was given the good news. She gave a huge sigh of relief and uttered, “Thank Goodness.”

Sugar Belle heard everything I told Apple Bloom. “So, how long until Zecora is out of her coma?” She asked, which caused me to tell her what Nurse Redheart told us. She looked relieved to hear that as well.

“Alright.” I said. “I’m gonna deliver the evidence we gathered to my pathologist, Cadaver.”

I turned to Applejack, who had my full attention. “Applejack, you can head on home with Apple Bloom and Sugar Belle. I’ll let you know if I discover anything.” I told her.

She nodded in agreement. “You got it, Detective. Let me know as soon as you find something.” She said.

“I will.” I told her.

She then walked out of the hospital with her little sister and sister-in-law back to Sweet Apple Acres.

I teleported the pictures of the hoof tracks, the feather, and the socket wrench handle over to the Ponyville Morgue. I even texted him what was going on. Hopefully, I didn’t interrupt him while he was doing something.

As for me, I walked out of the hospital as well. Back to the Castle of Friendship. I’m gonna go over some old case notes. Because, after what I just heard from Burse Redheart, as well as the evidence I’ve gathered, I’m thinking I know what the motive was. At least, I hope I’m right.

However, if I don’t find too much, I know I’m gonna need to contact somepony.

-/- Castle of Friendship -/-

I looked through some old case files. Some from when I was on the force, some from after I left the force, some from before I left the force, and even some before my time even on the force. It’s amazing with all this history here. Although, I’ve always been a big history buff. Especially, old cases from back in the day.

And while I found some interesting stuff here, I still needed some ideas. So, that’s when I decided to call somepony for help.

After a few rings, I heard on the other line,
“Angel Blossom.”

I smiled at the sound of her voice. “Hey. Good to hear from ya.”

I could tell she was surprised when she heard my voice. She always was adorable when she got flustered.

“S-S-Shadow Haze? What are you doing calling me out of the blue?” She asked me in an excited tone.

“What? I can’t call my on again off again girlfriend?” I asked in a teasing way. I loved to tease her.

She was stuttering for a quick second. That also was adorable. I just wish I could see her doing it. That would’ve been better. Thankfully, she managed to calm down and speak in a professional voice.

“That depends. Are we even on right now? You’re not fucking some random slut?” She asked.

I shook my head. “I’m not gonna deny that there are some mares here that are interested in me. And, sorry to say, I might, keyword being might, be interested in them. But, I’m not. You know my willingness to work.” I told her.

She snorted in annoyance over the phone. “What do you need, Shadow?” She asked me. Guess she knew that this was about business. She could tell I joked around with her first when I was in business mode. If I was in a bad mood, she’d know when I start insulting her and shit. Which is an admitted dick move on my part.

“I need you to look into any criminals from Ponyville, or anywhere near it, that may have committed any crimes, mainly assault or murder on zebra’s. A zebra who lives here was just assaulted and almost murdered by an unknown assailant.” I explained to her.

“Oh My God. How bad is it?” She asked me.

“The victims name is Zecora. She’s in a medically induced coma. Nurse said it could be two and a half weeks before she comes out of it.” I told her.

“Zecora?! She was the one?” She asked, actually sounding surprised.

“You know Zecora?” I asked her.

“No.” She told me. “But, I do have some info on her family. She has a brother who was assaulted by somepony 7 months ago. His name is Zakwani.” She told me.

A brother? That’s interesting.

“What can you tell me about that?” I asked her.

“Well, he survived with a concussion and broken ribs, as well as a punctured spleen. He was lucky to survive. As far as who it was, we still haven’t found anything. As far as we know, the suspect might’ve left town.” She told me.

“Wouldn’t it be a major coincidence if this same suspect who assaulted Zakwani also assaulted Zecora?” I asked her.

“It could be possible. Because of what Zakwani told us.” She said.

“And what’s that?” I asked.

“He told us that the suspect called him racial obscenities while he assaulted him. And that he could hurt his whole family as well.” She told me.

Oh, so the suspect is a racist piece of shit toward Zebra’s, huh? Zecora’s assault might have a new motive now.

“Alright, would you send me everything about that case to me? You can just text it to my phone. And I’ll have Cadaver analyze it.” I asked her.

She sighed. “I might get in trouble with Captain Carothers, but if it can help find Zakwani’s assailant, I’ll do it. Just don’t let him know that I sent it to you.” She said.

I smiled. “Thanks.”

“No problem.” She said.

We were silent for a few seconds before she spoke again.

“It feels good talking to you again, Shadow.” She said.

“Yeah. It feels good talking to you too.” I said.

“Sorry about the comment with the sluts. That was uncalled for.” She told me in a sheepish tone.

My heart started to beat a bit. “Eh, it’s no big deal.” I said.

“Ya know, when I have some time off, maybe I could come and visit you. We could do something together.” She told me. I could tell she had a pink hue in her cheeks.

I have a feeling I have it too. I get that way sometimes when I talk with the mare I have some type of romantic feelings for.

“That’d be nice.” I said.

“Yeah. Well, I guess I’ll see ya later.” She said.

“Yeah, thanks and catch ya later.” I said, hanging up.

Sweet Celestia, that was difficult in the last few minutes. Well, at least now I have a lead on this case.

And hopefully, it can help me catch the racist fucker that did this.

Author's Note

Make sure to comment, like, favorite and follow for future updates. Thank you all and goodnight everybody.