“Well, I’m off to work, Mommy. See ya later.”

Phyllis Cloverleaf remembered her son saying those exact words every day he would leave for his job at Canterlogic after he was let go by Hitch. He would say it with a deadpan tone with a mix of depression in it. It was something she was used to hearing everyday.

As she stood in her shower, letting the water rain down on her body, she remembered how she did NOT hear Sprout say that today. Because he was not here anymore. He had moved out in anger at her. After finding out he had an older brother out there all these years, he said those words that still rung in her head. Breaking her heart every time she heard it.

I’m not your Sugercube anymore

After she had cried herself to sleep last night, her tears had run out now. She couldn’t cry anymore. All she had were her heartbroken thoughts about her sweet little boy possibly not loving her anymore.

Would he really thought? She knew he was angry at her. Maybe he had a right to be. But, he didn’t hate her. Did he?

You only hate yourself

She flinched and cringed in the shower as she tried to make those damn voices go away. Why were they doing this to her? Why couldn’t they just leave her alone?

She hadn’t heard those voices in years. Why were they here now? What did they want?

Or maybe you hate HIM more

Go away.

You know why. You know what happened.

I said go away. Her hooves were shaking as the water ran down the shower walls.

You know I can’t go away. Unless you admit it. Acknowledge what HE did to you.

Phyllis’ eyes widened in fear when the voice told her that. Her shaking increased. Her fear grew even stronger.

Just at the thought of …. HIM!!!!!!

Come on. Say it. Say it!

“Will you shut up?! I have to get ready for work!” She yelled out loud over the water raining down on her.

Come on Bloomin-

“THAT IS NOT MY LAST NAME! IT’S CLOVERLEAF! YOU HEAR ME?!!!” Phyllis bellowed at the top of her lungs in anger. It was so loud, somepony outside probably could’ve heard her.

As she huffed and puffed, trying to calm herself down, the voices stopped talking to her. She had hoped they’d finally go away for good now.

She turned the water off, allowing the breeze to flow around her body. She opened the curtain and stepped out of the shower, planting her hooves on the rug that was on the cold tile floor. After she dried her body off, next came her mane. Something she took great pride in making sure it looked good everyday when she was in her office, and around her employees.

When she tilted her head up toward the fog infested mirror to look at herself while drying, she suddenly felt an eerie vibe run through her. Even though she couldn't see herself in the mirror, she felt like there was something behind that fog. Something evil.

Actually, not something. Some pony. She felt that this pony, whoever it is, was staring at her. Gazing into her soul. Checking her out. Looking over her like some pervert. It was making her uncomfortable.

What made it worse for her was, for some reason, she felt like she KNEW who this pony was. Somepony she knew from long ago. Somepony whom she felt terrified of even thinking about now.

She wiped the fog off the glass and saw it was her reflection. It was her. It was Phyllis CLOVERLEAF. That was her name. That is who she is, was and will always be. That other name was nothing to her.

She finished drying her mane, put on her makeup, and then left the bathroom. She had to get ready for work now. She had a business to run after all. When she left that very bathroom, she still felt sad that she couldn't make breakfast for Sprout anymore. She would just make it for herself. A little piece of toast with a side of orange juice. A simple, but effective breakfast.

After finishing that, she went back to the bathroom to brush her teeth. As she put the toothpaste on her wet brush, she thought back to that feeling she had just a few moments ago. Why did she have that feeling? Why did she feel so paranoid?

That stallion was dead. Dead to her both physically and emotionally. He was gone. So why did she feel so scared all of a sudden?

She shook her head to get those thoughts out. It didn't matter. Those feelings she had didn't matter. Why should they matter anyway? It's not like she'd tell anypony about this anyway. They'd think she's nuts. They wouldn't believe her.

Just like a long, long time ago. When everypony called her a liar. When nopony believed her. When THEY didn't believe her.

"Do you REALLY have to go?" Seashell asked in a hurt tone, alongside her two besties, Glory and Peach Fizz. The three of them looked sad seeing the situation before them.

Zipp felt sorry for them, while Pipp tried not to get emotional. Even fanning her eyes with her fluffy wing.

"Unfortunately, yes Pippsqueaks. I need to be here for my big sister at a time like this. Every step of the way." Pipp said, trying not to cry. Which just made the Pippsqueaks look even sadder than before.

Hitch, Sunny, Izzy and the Pippsqueaks had gathered at the garden of the Crystal Brighthouse to see Zipp and Pipp off. Even if it was only going to be for 7 days, it still felt sad seeing them leave. It was like seeing them go off to war, even though there was no war at all going on.

Both Sunny and Izzy looked sad, seeing the situation, while Hitch just looked gloomy and depressed. He really didn’t want to do this, but he had to. It was for the best for everypony involved.

“But why? What happened with Zipp?” Glory asked in a very innocent tone. She and her friends clearly didn’t understand how serious the whole situation was.

Zipp sighed sadly. “I need to take some time off of this case. I haven’t been myself ever since we looked at the body.”

“Have you been scared? Cause I have. Sometimes, I’m scared she’ll come and get me when I sleep.” Peach Fizz said, very timidly. Glory and Seashell hugged their friend in comfort.

Pipp joined them in that hug, allowing a small tear to run down her cheek.

“Don’t be scared, Pippsqueaks. You’ll be safe with our friends still here. I promise.” She told her little fans. They all looked up at her and smiled, a little teary eyed as well.

Zipp smiled and walked over to them. As she put her wing on Pipp’s back, she told them in confidence, “We’ll be okay, kiddos. It’s only for 7 days. Then, when we come back, maybe we can do something with you three.”

The Pippsqueaks smiled in excitement, letting go of Pipp’s hug. “Princess Pipp, can we get our manes done when you come back?” Seashell asked.

“Yeah, and Zipp can too.” Glory said.

“I don’t think I mea—“

“Of course, Pippsqueaks. I’d be happy to give you three a little makeover. That’ll be fun.” She said with a kind smile on her face, causing the Pippsqueaks to squee in delight.

After a second of silence, Hitch decided to speak. “Zipp, I’m sorry it had to be like this. But, you agreed to the terms, and now you have to follow them.”

Zipp nodded. “Yeah. I know.”

“Just…don’t make me regret this. Okay?”

“I won’t.”

Another second of silence went by, and Sunny and Izzy hugged both Zipp and Pipp goodbye as well.

“We’re gonna miss you when you’re gone.” Izzy said.

“Yeah. Come back as soon as the 7 days are up.” Sunny said.

“We will, girls. We’ll miss you too.” Pipp said, now grabbing her carry bag. Thankfully, this time, she was traveling light. No need for over 50 suitcases.

“Take care you guys.” Zipp said, her carry bag with her as well. The two sisters then took flight toward Zephyr Heights. Their home.

“Goodbye, Princesses.” The Pippsqueaks called, waving goodbye to them.

As they were now in the distance, all of them sighed. They weren’t going to see their friends for a whole week now. It certainly wouldn’t feel the same for the time being.

“Come on you three.” Hitch said, looking sad. “Let’s get you home to your Mama’s.”

The Pippsqueaks nodded in agreement. As they followed Sheriff Hitch, with Izzy watching them leave, Sunny continued to look up to the sky where Zipp and Pipp were at now. Izzy turned her head and stood next to her best friend.

“You feeling okay, Sunny?” Izzy asked in concern.

“Why did it have to be like this? Why did Zipp have to lose control of her emotions? Why is the whole situation so bad?” Sunny asked, sounding depressed.

Which made Izzy sad. She hated seeing ponies so down in the dumps. Anypony really.

“I don’t know. Things just happen, I guess.” She said, patting Sunny on her shoulder in comfort.

After a brief moment of silence, Izzy decided to ask Sunny something.

“So….what should we do?”

“Well, I have to go back to the Crystal Brighthouse to get my smoothie supplies for the stand. Gotta do my shift today.” She said, still looking depressed as she walked away.

“Hey.” Izzy said, following her. “Maybe I could help you?”

However, Sunny shook her head. “Thanks for the offer, but I’d kinda like to be alone now, Izzy.” She said, making Izzy more sad.

“Maybe, you could go check up on Sprout. See how he’s doing. Maybe see how his Mom is doing.” Sunny said in a low tone, showing her depressing mood.

When she said that, Izzy blushed a little. Go see Sprout? Now? Alone?

Be alone with Sprout? Why did she feel both so giddy and nervous now at the same time?

“Okay, Sunny.” She said, quickly regaining her composure. “I’ll do that. And I’ll let you in on how he’s doing.”

Sunny smiled, still showing some blueness to it. “Thanks Izzy.” She said, now turning away to walk towards her home.

Izzy turned in the opposite direction, headed toward the Cloverleaf home. Hopefully, Sprouty was there. Hopefully he was feeling better.

Hopefully, she would know what to say.

As the two Pegasi sisters flew in the air, the only sound that could be heard was the breeze that blew through their faces. The silence in the their flight was almost deafening to a degree. What was also deafening, was the look of failure on Zipp Storm’s face.

She was supposed to be an intelligent, tech savvy detective, and on her first big time case, she blew it. And blew it HARD. Now, she was technically on some type of probation with Hitch after her emotional incident in town 3 days ago. Worse, now she was going to face the inevitable dread of having to serve some time in jail.

Zipp Storm. One of the heroes of Equestria. One of the five ponies who brought magic back to Maretime Bay. The future Queen of Zephyr Heights. And even a flight instructor.

All those things she was, and now on that list was a prisoner. A mare who flat out committed aggravated assault on a citizen of Maretime Bay. He might’ve been a former criminal, but he was still a citizen no less.

Somepony who she may have ruined his life. An innocent stallion had his life ruined. All because of her.

Pipp noticed the incredibly sad and depressing look on her big sister’s face. She eased over to her as gently as possible.

“Hey.” Pipp said, getting Zipp’s attention. “This is a good thing. Okay? I know you’ll have to serve some jail time, but right now, this is the best thing for you. Mentally and Emotionally.” She said with great care in her voice.

Zipp looked away from her in a state of gloominess. “I just…I just wish I could’ve handled things better. This whole situation is my fault.”

Pipp looked sad. She wanted to say something encouraging to her, but she couldn’t. She couldn’t, because she knew Zipp was right. It was sad to say, but it was true. They flew for about 20 more minutes before they finally saw it.

Zephyr Heights. The land they called home. The place where Pegasi lived in harmony, along with Unicorns and Earth Ponies.

There was the large bridge where Pegasi crossed back when they still couldn’t fly. There were the very tall buildings, some of which had big TV screens on them(which would feature Pipp in her livestreams, podcasts and even commercials). There were the many, many restaurants, most of which were fast food chains. Their favorite was The Hayburger Hut, which according to legend, was around even before the great Twilight Sparkle became the ruler of Equestria.

As Zipp and Pipp flew past the sights, they couldn’t help but smile. So many wonderful memories they had here. Truth be told, while they were excited to move to Maretime Bay, they also felt a sense of sadness that day as well. They were leaving behind all of this. All of the wonderful things that Zephyr Heights had done for them.

It just goes to show that, even if you stay at someplace for a long period of time, it still isn’t the same as what ponies call home.

Speaking of home, and after seeing the sights, they floated down toward the castle. This large structure was their home ever since they were fillies. A beautiful castle to live in.

When they touched the ground, they saw their mother Queen Haven and Alphabittle Blossomforth standing there. Zoom Zephyrwing and Thunder Flap, two of Haven’s guards, were there as well. They must’ve been waiting for them to arrive.

“Welcome home, Princesses Zipp and Pipp. It’s an honor to be able to see you again.” Zoom proudly proclaimed.

“And to be able to serve you for any request you may need. You just let us know, and we’ll be there on the spot.” Thunder added, with a bow.

Queen Haven trotted over toward her two daughters with a warm smile and embraced both of them.

“Welcome home, my little fillies.” She said to them in a soft tone, while they hugged their mother back.

While that went on, Alphabittle couldn’t help but notice that, while Pipp was smiling during her mother’s hug, Zipp just had a depressed, defeated look on her face. Not that she wasn’t happy to see her. It could’ve just been under better circumstances.

He gave a light sigh. He knew that this was going to be a very interesting week. And maybe, not in a good way.

“Alright. Now, it’s time.” Hitch muttered to himself, while at his computer desk.

After he escorted the Pippsqueaks home to their mother’s, he knew he had to get back to work with this. After all the drama with Zipp and Sprout, now it was time.

It was time to continue the hunt for this killer.

He laid back and relaxed in his chair. While doing that, he went over all the details in his head. The details he had so far that is. The details about the victim, Lilac Summers.

Her being, not from Maretime Bay, but one of its twin towns, Clopton. She was apparently lugged for 30 miles, maybe even more, from Clopton to the beach of Maretime Bay. Her baby was missing also. The mare was brutalized beyond belief. With her neck getting snapped in half, while having her marehood be mutilated by a sharp knife.

Hitch shivered and shuttered in disgust and fear. When he first saw that sight, he lost his lunch, while Zipp lost her mind in a way. Maybe the townsfolk had as well.

Then, in a shocking reveal, his ex-deputy and best friend, Sprout Cloverleaf, had a partial match of his DNA found at the crime scene. That lead to the incident in town that now led to Zipp being arrested and now sent back home. He considered her lucky that Haven bailed her out when she did, but he remembered she was a Queen. She could’ve bailed her out on an even more serious charge if that happened. She was a Queen after all. She had a lot of money.

After Sprout took a DNA test, it was revealed that it was NOT him that did it. Which was good. His friend was in the clear.

Then he found out about this “Bud Bloomington.” Sprout’s long lost big brother. It was HIS DNA. It was HIM who murdered Lilac Summers.

Bud Bloomington was Phyllis Cloverleaf’s first born son. Bloomington was apparently her maiden name. She had him when she was only a teenager. And, according to his ME Pony Charnelle, Bud was about 12 or 13 years older than Sprout. So, he had to be about about 37 or 38 years old now.

Meaning, when you do the math, that Phyllis was about 14 or 15 when she had gotten pregnant with Bud. Obviously, a young age to have a foal. Not uncommon, but still young nonetheless.

Phyllis also had NEVER, not once, told a single pony about this. She never told Hitch, Sunny, or even her second born son, Sprout. Hell, she probably never told Sunny’s Dad or his Mom, Gladys. This was something she WANTED to keep secret. Something she WANTED to keep buried and hidden away.

She made no bones about it on how much she hated the stallion who impregnated her that day. Understandable. However, she also hates Bud as well. She even kept calling him “That Thing.” She never even called him the name she eventually decided to name him. She kept saying “That Thing.”

Why? What could make her hate her own child so much? How could she feel hate for her own son?

He also remembered that little outburst she blurted out right before she left her interview with him. When she screamed, “I DID NOT—” before stopping herself. He asked again, what did she mean by that? Did not what?

What? She did not choose? As in, she did not choose to……

Hitch felt his eyes widen in shock. He started to put the pieces together, now that he had a bit of an epiphany. The more he did that, the more it was….kind of starting to make sense.

“Oh God.” He whispered to himself.

As much as he didn’t want to believe it, as much as it disgusted him to think about it, as much as he didn’t want to imagine the pain Phyllis must’ve gone through, he had to acknowledge that there were some things that pointed to it. Things that made him have to ask this question?

Was Phyllis….raped?

Author's Note

I told ya I wasn’t gonna hold anything back.

So, I hope you all liked this chapter. If you do, make sure to comment, like, favorite and follow for future updates. Thank you all and goodnight everybody.