Chapters Rolling around in her bed, Starlight struggled to fall asleep. The past few days had been increasingly stressful, especially since she became the school of friendship's new headmare. While Twilight had assured her she'd be the best pony to fill her horseshoes, Starlight couldn't help but feel anxious at the prospect of being in a position of power, something she did not have the greatest track record for. And yet, she accepted the position and had been slowly taking over though the added pressure certainly didn't help the already stressed-out mare.
Thankfully, in order to help her cope with her new stress-inducing role, she knew she could rely on the close friends she made ever since moving to Ponyville. However, her best friend Trixie Lulamoon had been strangely distant for the past week, barely speaking to Starlight and remaining mostly holed up in her wagon. Starlight knew she needed to check on the showmare at some point to see if everything was fine, but her recent obligations prevented her from paying her friend a visit. With a sigh, Starlight promised herself to go and visit Trixie the next day.
Starlight's nightly ruminations were cut short by a cold gust of wind suddenly entering her room, from the opened window. Shivering a little, she glanced toward the night sky and noticed dark clouds slowly forming as rain began to pour. Starlight then remembered what Rainbow Dash had told her earlier that day, about the weather team's night crew plan to bring in some rain clouds while everypony was asleep. She grumbled as she stood up from her bed and walked toward her window, sparking her horn and using her magic to close them. Sitting down on a comfy chair next to her window, Starlight observed with half-lidded eyes the raindrops impacting the glass, the soothing pitter patter slowly helping her mind relax as she waited for sleep to finally take hold of her.
Looking at the darkened streets of Ponyville for a while, Starlight glanced at the nearby houses. Most were devoid of lights, but a few windows were still lit up, either from ponies struggling to sleep just like she was or from those for whom the day hadn't quite ended yet. With a last yawn, Starlight slowly stood up from her seat and was just about to head back to the soft comfort of her bed when something strange caught her eye.
Further in the streets, covered in the night's darkness, two large shapes were slowly moving inside an alley. Starlight raised an eyebrow, wondering who would be out in the middle of the night — and during a scheduled rain pour, no less. Focusing on the shape, she managed to make out some interesting details.
One of the shapes seemed to be lying on the floor, being dragged by the second one. They both seemed to be about the same size, and, despite the lack of light, Starlight could discern that the shape pulling the other was a pony, their drenched mane laying flat on their body. A horn protruded from the pony's head, indicating to Starlight that this pony was a unicorn, though they were not using any magic despite struggling to pull this large mass near their hooves.
The large mass seemed formless at first, with no discernable feature. Starlight quickly understood that this form was a large bag, though its contents were unknown. Finding the scene unfolding near her window highly suspicious, Starlight's horn glowed with her turquoise aura as she focused on a spell that would improve her vision. With a quick flash, her eyes were filled to the brim with energy for a moment, allowing her to see in the dark as if it was the middle of the day.
Starlight's jaw dropped upon finally identifying the suspicion unicorn lurking in the night. There, in the middle of the streets stood nopony else but Trixie Lulamoon, her best friend, struggling in the mud as she pulled a large bloody bag, roughly pony-size. Trixie's face was bruised, and tears were streaming down her cheeks, the magician looking incredibly distraught. Starlight blinked multiple times, her brain trying to process the scene unfolding in front of her. Surely, this wasn't what it looked like, right?
Shaking her head, Starlight's mind began to race. What was going on? Why was Trixie out in the middle of the night just as a storm was forming overhead? And what was inside the bag she was carrying away? Starlight decided not to wait any longer to check on her friend. Based on the look on Trixie's face, Starlight knew that something terrible must've happened to her best friend. And so, with a turquoise flash of light, Starlight teleported next to her distraught friend, completely ignoring the slowly intensifying rain.
Appearing a few meters in front of Trixie, Starlight's sudden arrival caused Trixie to yelp. The startled magician immediately groveled in the mud, her body shivering from the cold and the fear.
"P... Please!" Trixie begged. "It was an accident; I didn't mean to..."
"Trixie, it's me, Starlight," her friend answered as she rushed to her side. "What's going on?!"
Lifting her head from the mud, Trixie's face quickly went from terrified to relieved. "Oh, it's you! You're here just in time, Starlight. The great and powerful Trixie... May have messed up just a little," Trixie said as her voice broke a little.
"I... Can see that," Starlight replied while throwing a quick, worried glance at the bag at her side. "Trixie, what did you do?"
"Listen, it's a long story in which the great and powerful... In which I am completely innocent. So, please, help me drag this away from town before anypony notices..."
"Trixie... You can trust me. Tell me what happened," Starlight placed her hoof on her friend's shoulder, looking at her directly in the eyes.
"I don't... I don't want to talk about it," Trixie glanced to the side, her face growing visibly ashamed which caused Starlight's heart to break. Starlight looked at the pony-sized bag and the bruised and battered face of her friend, making her fear for the worst. Taking in a deep breath, Starlight decided that answers would have to wait. Right now, her friend needed her help.
"... Alright. Let's see what we can do," Starlight said as her horn sparked once again, grabbing the bag with her aura and carefully lifting it above the ground. She tried to ignore how wet and stiff the thing inside the bag was, though she wondered for how long Trixie had been struggling with... The bag's contents.
"Great! I knew I could count on you," Trixie excitedly said, causing Starlight to shush her so as to not wake up anypony nearby. "Now, all we need is a shovel... I don't suppose we can borrow one from Twilight's place?"
One hour later, the two mares were standing near the edge of the Everfree forest. The rain had been intensifying consistently, slowly turning into a storm as the night went on. Starlight was sweating profusely as she focused on digging a hole with the shovel she had 'borrowed' from Twilight's castle. Though she used her magic to dig with the shovel, Starlight felt physical exhaustion slowly taking hold. Looking from the side, a drenched Trixie was keeping an eye out, making sure nopony could see them.
"... Trixie," Starlight started as she took a moment to catch her breath, "Do you think we can... switch places, for a bit?"
"What, and do manual labor? Come on, Starlight, you know the Great and Powerful Trixie is above all that... Though, uh, she is infinitely grateful for your assistance."
Ever since Starlight offered to help Trixie, the azure unicorn's mood had drastically improved and returned to her usual theatrical self. Usually, Starlight would have felt annoyed at her refusal to help, but the situation caused her to rethink things. Something traumatic must've happened to her best friend, which Trixie could be coping with by forcing herself to be her usual self... A way to cling onto a feeling on normalcy, Starlight supposed. And so, focusing on the task at hoof, Starlight remained silent as she kept digging.
Answers would have to wait. For now, all that mattered was to protect her friend while she figured out what exactly had happened. She knew that Trixie was a good pony, deep down, and that she wouldn't willingly commit a crime of this caliber. She thought about peeking inside the bag, to at least see who might be inside, but doing so in Trixie's presence could have disastrous effects, Starlight thought.
Eventually, Starlight finished digging a hole deep enough for the bag. Quickly and carefully placing it inside, she then began the process of burying the bag, a pit forming in her stomach as she looked at the grave she dug for her friend's sake. Starlight couldn't help but feel guilty as intrusive thoughts began to fill her head. She had been so busy with the school of friendship to the point where she started neglecting her best friend. Trixie must've found herself in trouble during that time, Starlight guessed, and had to deal with it herself... Which must have led to this situation.
The least Starlight could do, she thought, was to help Trixie deal with this mess.
"Okay, I think it's done," Starlight said with a somber tone. "Let's... Let's get you home and warmed up. Then we can talk about... This."
"There's nothing to talk about," Trixie retorted. "We just need to pretend like this never happened and then we can go back to our regular lives where we never mention this ever again," she said with a strangely casual tone.
Starlight felt conflicted. Obviously, she couldn't just let this event slide — ponies were bound to notice a disappearance sooner or later, which would cause an investigation that would inevitably worm its way toward them. "No, Trixie, we need to get ahead of this. Whatever happened, I'm sure it wasn't your fault... And as difficult as it might be, you need to come clean, Trix," Starlight spoke with a soft voice, slowly stepping toward her friend.
"No, you don't get it," she replied with a more worried tone. "If word gets out of what The Great and Powerful Trixie has done, then... Then, she'd kill me, Starlight. I need you to stay silent... Please."
Starlight's jaw dropped. Trixie was in a much deeper mess than she'd thought and now, she herself was involved. At the very least, however, she now had a lead, though it wasn't much: somepony must be threatening Trixie, and that somepony was a 'she'. Taking in a deep breath, she stared at Trixie.
"... Alright, let's call it a night for now. But you need to tell me what's going on, Trixie. I swear I'll do everything to protect you."
"Fine, I'll tell you... Later, though. Not right now. The Great and Powerful Trixie needs a warm bath, right now... Do you think Twilight will mind if I use her bathroom?" Trixie asked with a small smirk, already back to her smug self.
Ignoring the twitch of her eye, Starlight stared at her friend with a deadpan expression, wishing that Trixie could remain serious. "I don't think it's a good idea... Unless you're ready to tell Twilight why you're using the bathroom in the middle of the night if she hears you."
"Well, I'd like a last proper bath before hitting the road."
"Wh... What?!"
"Well, I can't stay in Ponyville right now, duh. I need to get out of here for a few days, while this whole thing blows over... For my safety. Don't worry, though, the Great and Powerful Trixie shall be back soon... Once Ponyville is safe again. Besides, I've got a show planned in Manehattan next week."
Rubbing her temples with a hoof, Starlight felt the beginning of a headache appear. "... Fine. You stay out of Ponyville for some time, and I'll try to take care of whoever is threatening you in the meanwhile. You just need to tell me the truth. Do we have a deal?"
"I... I can't, Starlight. Sorry... My lips are sealed," Trixie dejectedly. This caused Starlight's mind to once again race, trying to figure out what was going on. If Trixie couldn't even say what was going on, then the mare threatening her must be incredibly dangerous. Yes, that must be it, Starlight thought. She couldn't see any other logical explanation.
"Don't worry, I think I've got it," Starlight replied after some time. If Trixie couldn't say anything in fear of retribution, then Starlight will have to investigate on her own. This was bound to be a difficult task, but for the sake of her best friend, she was ready to raze mountains if she needed to. Trixie's face lit up.
"You do? Great! I knew the Great and Powerful Trixie could count on you! I'll just quickly use Twilight's bathroom, then skip town in my wagon. I'll be back sometime next week. I'm sure a smart mare like yourself can take care of the Great and Powerful Trixie's little... Accident," she said with a wink. "After all, you're Ponyville's second smartest mare! After Trixie, of course."
Repressing a groan, Starlight nodded. "Right. Let's get you to Twilight's castle, then, but be quick."
Another hour later, the two mares stood in front of Twilight's castle. A now clean Trixie stood proudly in the middle of the street, styling her mane with a brush she 'borrowed' from Twilight's bathroom. Starlight stood next to her, completely exhausted, her face filled with worry. The night had been a long one so far and she knew she wouldn't be able to go back to sleep after everything that happened. At least, however, the rain had stopped, the storm had passed.
"So... I'll see you next week?" Starlight asked.
"Yup. I'm sure you'll have this whole mess under control by then, right?"
"I'll do my best," Starlight tiredly replied.
"Great, I knew I could count on you," Trixie said while hugging her friend. "Oh, and one last thing, Starlight... Please, don't talk to anypony about tonight. Especially Twilight."
"I... Why? You know you can trust Twilight as much as you can trust me, despite your, uh... Complicated relationship."
"No, you don't get it. If Twilight learns about it, then it will inevitably come back to her ... If that happens, I'm done for, Starlight. Promise me you'll keep this a secret."
Starlight sighed. "...Fine."
With a last glance, Trixie began walking away, toward her wagon while Starlight headed back inside. As Trixie reached her wagon and began to leave the town, however, she began to wonder why Starlight acted so strange that night. Sure, Trixie may have screwed up extremely badly, but Starlight had been acting like if Trixie had killed somepony.
"... Pfft, no, that's ridiculous," Trixie said aloud. "She wouldn't believe something crazy like that."
And so, without a care in the world and with the confidence that Starlight would fix her mess while she's gone, Trixie left Ponyville, headed for another of her famous shows.
As the sun slowly rose from the horizon, Starlight groaned while burying her head deep into her pillow. She had hoped that the night, however short it may have been, would have brought her a clear mind to tackle Trixie's problem. Unfortunately, Starlight had been completely unable to get any rest at all, turning in her bed repeatedly as her mind played a multitude of scenarios. And now, with her alarm bell mere minutes away from ringing, Starlight reluctantly stepped out of her bed and headed toward her bathroom.
Looking at her reflection in the mirror, she saw the deep bag under her eyes and her frazzled mane. Mechanically going through the motion, she began her morning routine with the addition of a splash of cold water to help her stay sharp. Observing her face dripping with water in the mirror, Starlight knew that she'd have to drink an obscene amount of coffee to get through the day.
After taking a quick shower, brushing her mane and applying makeup to hide the bags under her eyes, Starlight took a deep breath. While she did not know the depth of the troubles Trixie found herself in, Starlight had formulated the outlines of a plan for the day. First off, she needed to investigate without arousing suspicions. She would have to go with her regular schedule while pretending that nothing was wrong. This would mean spending most of the days inside her new office in Twilight's school of friendship, dealing with whatever administrative matter that would come her way.
All the while, Starlight planned on trying to get as much information as possible from her colleagues and the students at the school. Any news, rumors, scandals and whispers could contain clues to help Starlight figure out the puzzle of Trixie's crime. Above all else, Starlight needed to know who was buried near the edge of the Everfree. If she couldn't get any lead by the end of the day, she would have to go back to the grave and dig up the bag to confirm the corpse's identity. She couldn't do that before the school day started, as she would've been left with no time to clean herself up — and a dirt-covered headmare would surely raise suspicion — and Starlight was unable to do so while burying the body with Trixie nearby.
Thinking back on her friend's attitude during the previous night, Starlight felt heartbroken. Trixie had obviously put up walls around her true feelings — probably to hide the depth of her guilt, or the trauma associated with the incident, Starlight thought. Starlight regretted not peeking inside the bag while Trixie stood watch, however, but she was unable to think rationally back then.
With one last look at the mirror, Starlight took a deep breath. Whatever happened today, she would find a way to protect Trixie.
Two hours later, Starlight felt like she was ready to keel over, die and be buried herself. As she sat at her desk eyeing her third cup of coffee of the day, she groaned slightly. Ever since stepping inside the school that morning, Starlight had managed to keep a straight face — at least, for now, but upon seeing the stack of files and documents piled onto her desk, she felt her soul leaving her body.
Starlight began to painstakingly sort through every file while mulling over her next step. She hadn't had the chance to talk with anypony else yet, but she would soon meet Twilight at lunch. Later in the afternoon, she also had planned on checking out the school's buckball team in preparation for a small local tournament organized later that month. Starlight planned on talking to the students then and seeing if they would have heard any interesting rumors. All she needed to do was to find a way to ask them without sounding too suspicious.
Starlight's train of thoughts was cut short by a weak knock on her door. Quickly straightening herself up, Starlight cleared her throat before speaking up. "Come in," she said while trying to act as natural as possible. The door slowly opened, revealing an anxious looking Fluttershy hesitating to step inside Starlight's office.
"Uh... Is this a good time?" Fluttershy asked while looking Starlight directly in the eyes.
"Of course, Fluttershy! What can I do for you?" Starlight responded with a forced smile. The yellow pegasus nodded, then took a few steps forward.
"It's just... Well, I hope it's not too much trouble, but... Uh... If I could... Maybe leave early today?" Fluttershy finally said. Her voice betrayed her anxiety, but there was a hint of another emotion, one Starlight couldn't exactly pinpoint yet...
"O... Oh... Uh, yes, of course, Fluttershy. Can I ask why, though, if you don't mind? Are you feeling unwell?"
Fluttershy took a moment before answering, her eyes scanning the room for a short moment. "I'm not sick or anything, but I do have an... Urgent issue I need to deal with at the animal sanctuary."
"Really? Nothing too bad, I hope?"
"W... Well, I'm not exactly sure yet, actually. When I woke up this morning, I saw that the padlock leading inside the storage room was broken. It may just have been an accident with one of the animals living in the sanctuary, but I need to make sure nothing is missing."
"Do you... Think somepony might have sneaked in?" Starlight tentatively asked.
"I don't know yet. When I saw the broken padlock, I was already running late, so I came here directly. I really need to make sure nothing was stolen, though. There are some potentially dangerous things stored there," Fluttershy said while maintaining eye contact with Starlight. Her emotions became clear to Starlight: the pegasus was anxious, sure, but there was also a tinge of anger and frustration.
"Oh dear... What kind of stuff do you store there?"
"Well, mostly food and supplies for the animals at the sanctuary, but there are some medical supplies also stored there. If it fell into the wrong hooves... Also, uh, it is kind of expensive," she added while blushing slightly.
"I see. You need to go and check, then. I'll go and see if I can get somepony else to fill in for your classes today."
"Thank you, Starlight," Fluttershy answered with a sigh of relief. "I'm sorry for springing this up on you so suddenly, since you already seem to be having a bad day..."
"E-Excuse me?! I'm totally fine! What would make you think otherwise?" Starlight began sweating profusely. Did Fluttershy see through her disguise this easily?
"Well, you're drinking coffee instead of your usual hot cocoa... Also, no offense, but you kind of look like a mess."
Starlight blinked a few times. While it was true that Fluttershy made great stride toward being a more assertive pony, it was still surprising to her to see her usually meek friend confront her so openly. Starlight gulped, desperately trying to maintain her facade. "Oh, don't worry about that. I just... Went to bed late last night. Lots of administrative work piling up... As you can see!" She waved toward the large stack of files on her desk. Fluttershy simply raised an eyebrow, clearly seeing through Starlight's lies, but decided not to confront her any further.
"If you say so... In any case, thank you for today. I'll go back to the sanctuary really quickly and, uh, maybe report a robbery."
With one last nod, Starlight watched Fluttershy carefully leaving her office. As soon as the door closed, Starlight exhaled the breath she'd been holding in for the past few moments. It didn't take a genius to guess that Trixie was involved with the break-in at Fluttershy's animal sanctuary. "But why would she go stealing medical supplies?" Starlight wondered aloud. Fluttershy did mention that some of the items stored there were potentially dangerous. Perhaps Trixie stole some drug and used it to kill that pony in the bag? But then, it could hardly count as an accident. In Starlight's mind, this whole scenario became much more complex. Trixie could hardly claim self-defense if she stole drugs and used them to kill somepony. What could her justification be, though?
Feeling her heart rate increase, Starlight focused on her breathing. She was already anxious enough as is. For all she knew, this could all be a huge coincidence. Maybe, just like Fluttershy said, it was simply one of the sanctuary's residents that broke the padlock during the night by accident. Maybe nothing had been stolen, or nothing dangerous, at least. Maybe it was a completely unrelated crime, one that wasn't linked to the mess Trixie found herself in.
Starlight finished her coffee in one gulp, then went to get her fourth cup of the day.
By lunchtime, Starlight's body was so caffeinated that she could almost taste colors. Almost. Heading outside for her lunch with Twilight, Starlight struggled to keep her eyes from twitching. After learning what happened in Fluttershy's animal sanctuary, Starlight's anxiety shot through the roof. If Fluttershy somehow found any incriminating evidence against Trixie, Starlight wasn't sure if she could do anything to help her friend. And now that she herself was involved with this mess, having helped bury a body in the middle of the night, Starlight knew that she could be in some deep trouble, especially given her new position as headmare of the School of Friendship.
As she approached the school's gardens where Twilight was awaiting her, Starlight thought for a brief moment about plunging her head in one of the fountains but ended up deciding against it. Right now, she needed to have lunch with her mentor and to stay sharp. Whoever was threatening Trixie, Twilight was close to them. If Starlight played her cards right, she just might be able to find a clue that'll lead her to not only solve the case, but to also find a way to save her friend from repercussions.
... But then again, should Trixie be spared any form of repercussion? Starlight's mind began to wander. Murder was, after all, a pretty serious event, even if in self-defense. And with the potential stealing of a murder weapon at the animal sanctuary, the 'self-defense' theory began to lose a lot of credibility. Was this murder premeditated? Was it really an accident, like Trixie claimed? And who was that pony threatening her? Did they know about the murder and wanted revenge, or to blackmail Trixie? Countless theories flooded Starlight's over-caffeinated mind until a voice called out to her, suddenly pulling her out of her intensifying worry.
"Equestria to Starlight, is anypony there?" Twilight asked while waving a hoof mere inches away from Starlight's face, causing her to blink a few times. Looking around, Starlight saw that she not only had passed right by the bench where Twilight was waiting for her, she was also just about to step directly into a fountain were it not for her mentor's call.
Shaking her head and blushing a little, Starlight turned her head toward Twilight. "Oh! Hi, Twilight! I, uh, didn't see you," she said before following with a nervous chuckle and a forced smile.
"I noticed. Is everything alright?" Twilight's tone exuded worry... And what Starlight understood as a hint of suspicion.
"Y... Yep, everything's tip-toppity top! I was just lost in thought, thinking about..." Starlight stealthily scanned the area around her, hoping to find a justification.
Slowly tilting her head, Twilight stared at Starlight. "Thinking about...?"
"... Ducks!" Starlight replied, as if she had an epiphany.
"... Ducks?"
"Ducks."
"... Right. Ducks. Do you want to elaborate, or—"
"I just think they're neat! With their... Uh... Beaks! And feathers! And, uh... Ears?"
"Ears?" Twilight asked, her face growing more incredulous by the second. "Do ducks even have ears?"
"Well, of course. That's how they can hear other ducks," Starlight beamed a smile at Twilight. She did not need a mirror to know she looked completely unhinged and needed to change the conversation topic, and quick. "Anyhow, how has your day been, Twilight?"
"Well, it's been interesting so far. Mind if we talk while eating, instead of just standing near a fountain?"
Starlight simply nodded before the two mares went to sit down to eat. As Starlight bit into her sandwich, Twilight spoke up again, talking about her day. While most of it was about Twilight's newest responsibilities as the soon-to-be ruler of Equestria and the daily challenges that came with such a position, Starlight kept an ear out for anything that might sound out of the ordinary. Eventually, Twilight mentioned something that piqued her interest.
"... And I will probably have to ask for more guards to be dispatched in Ponyville, what with the new school and the growing population. Unfortunately, just last night, Rarity heard a fight break out just outside her boutique."
"Really? Who was fighting?"
"No idea. Rarity couldn't hear much besides what she described as 'ruffians skirmishing with each other'. She was too afraid to go outside and confront whoever it was, especially since Sweetie Belle was right there with her. She did try and get a look through her windows, but it was too dark outside."
"Oh... Rarity is fine, though, right?"
"Yes, but this did frighten her a bit. That's why I'm asking for a few more guards here in town. Besides, with my new responsibilities, I won't be as often in Ponyville to protect everypony... Though, admittedly, I've been a bit of a trouble-magnet for the past few years," Twilight chuckled.
"Don't say that, Twilight. You've saved this town — and Equestria — dozens of times already. You're not a trouble-magnet," Starlight patted her mentor on the back with a shaky hoof, the coffee in her body still making her jittery. Twilight smiled at her friend before turning her head toward her hoof, noticing the shaking.
"... Are you sure you're alright, Starlight? You seem a bit... Out of it, today."
"Oh, uh, yeah, totally! It's just... You know, lot of work to do at the school. I've got some big horseshoes to fill, after all."
"Don't worry. I'm sure you'll do a great job as headmare. I can't think of anypony else better suited for the job. But if you need a day off today, that's perfectly fine. I'd hate to see you overwork yourself because of my reputation."
"Well, I can't really..."
"Starlight," Twilight cut her friend off with a stern, yet warm voice, "I recognize that look, you know. I've seen it plenty of times in the mirror during study nights. Paperwork can wait, you need to take care of yourself. How about you take the rest of the day off and go to the spa? I know Rarity's heading there today to unwind and forget about the fight outside her boutique."
Starlight was about to protest, but the prospects of relaxing at the spa definitely sounded pretty alluring. She could also ask questions directly to Rarity and see if Trixie was also linked to the fight outside the fashionista's boutique. Then, she could spend the rest of the day investigating other leads, such as checking on Fluttershy's animal sanctuary or the burial site. If Twilight herself gave her the day off, then Starlight had the perfect excuse to not remain locked up all afternoon in her office, letting her mind freak out by remaining inactive. So, with one deep breath, Starlight nodded.
"... You're right. I can finish filing everything tomorrow. Thanks for worrying about me, Twi."
"Don't mention it. Anyway, I've got to get back to work," Twilight said as she finished her sandwich. She stood up from the bench and was just about to leave before suddenly remembering something. "Oh! Before I forget, I need to ask..."
"Yes?" Starlight felt a pit form in her stomach. For some reason, she had a bad feeling about this.
"Do you know where Trixie is?"
Starlight's body tensed up. Sweat began forming on her face. "Uh... Right now? Not really, no. Well, not exactly. She left town for one of her shows in Manehattan," she replied. Immediately, she regretted saying this much. Was Trixie's show actually real, or just a made-up excuse to leave town? What did Trixie say, again? Starlight's memories were already getting blurry due to the accumulated fatigue.
"Hmm. And do you know where she was last night?"
That was it. If Starlight wanted to protect Trixie, at least while she figured out what had occurred that night, she needed to find an alibi for her friend... Even if it meant lying to her mentor. "Oh, uh, last night? She was... She was with me, practicing for one of her tricks. We stayed up until pretty late in the night before she headed to bed, in her wagon."
"Really? How late did you two stay up?" Twilight asked, while raising an eyebrow.
"I'm... Not really sure. It was pretty late in the night."
"I... See," Twilight replied with a skeptical tone. Starlight felt like she was forgetting something important but couldn't quite place her hoof on it. Eventually, Twilight spoke up once more before leaving. "Well, next time you see Trixie, tell her I know what she did. Anyway, see you later!"
Twilight's voice was harsh, angry. Feeling the color drain from her face, Starlight simply stood there, mouth agape, watching silently as Twilight left. After a few minutes of stunned silence, Starlight muttered under her breath.
"... Buck."
Starlight was in complete panic mode. Pacing back and forth in her office, she kept replaying her conversation with Twilight in her head. How much did her mentor know about Trixie's murder? And does Twilight know Starlight was involved, somehow? Why didn't she arrest her here and then? Is Twilight fine with letting a murder accomplice run her School of Friendship?
Forcing herself to take a deep breath, Starlight closed her eyes and focused on the here and now. The situation was already bad enough as is, adding more panic into the mix wouldn't help. Evidently, Twilight knew more about the situation than Starlight did... But why remain so nonchalant about it, then? Perhaps Twilight only knew about Trixie's actions and not Starlight's... But then, why did Twilight not tell her as well, instead of vaguely threatening Trixie and leaving things at that? But how could Twilight know what Starlight had done last night?
Then, Starlight remembered what she told Twilight earlier. Her memories replayed, in a painful number of details, a specific snippet of their conversation.
"Hmm. And do you know where she was last night?"
"Oh, uh, last night? She was... She was with me, practicing for one of her tricks. We stayed up until pretty late in the night before she headed to bed, in her wagon."
"Really? How late did you two stay up?"
"I'm... Not really sure. It was pretty late in the night."
Starlight felt her heart rate increase. If Twilight knew that Trixie committed murder, then Starlight's fake alibi only helped her in incriminating herself. Violently facehoofing herself, she groaned. Trying to think of a way to alter her story for it to still make sense, Starlight suddenly figured out what was bothering her earlier, the thing she knew she was forgetting. Something that broke her alibi even more. Last night, the weather team had organized a planned storm. There was simply no way Starlight and Trixie practiced magic tricks outside, during the night, as it rained cats and dogs.
Starlight groaned once more. "Great, I completely blew my own cover in two sentences. Twilight must know I'm involved, then. What do I do, then? Why didn't Twilight arrest me on the spot, or at least, interrogate me?"
Starlight searched for an answer, sitting at her desk and staring at yet another cup of coffee. Right next to it stood the large pile of documents she was supposed to go over and file to finalize her taking over the school. Starlight sighed and stood up, heading toward the window when something popped up in her mind.
Twilight must be testing her.
Her eyes going wide, Starlight gasped. That must be it, she thought. Somehow, Twilight is aware of Trixie's actions and of Starlight's involvement. Twilight must've seen this whole mess as a way to truly test Starlight's abilities and morals. That must be it, she whispered to herself. One last friendship lesson before Starlight can become a true headmare. Looking through her office's window, Starlight rubbed her chin.
"Alright, then... What should I do? What would Twilight do?" Starlight hummed. "... She'd obviously protect her friend, right? If Pinkie Pie committed a murder, for example, Twilight certainly wouldn't turn her back on her and order her arrest, surely. She'd get to the bottom of this and... And find a way to absolve Pinkie of her crime. Yes, of course! That's exactly what Twilight would do, obviously!"
Feeling sure of herself, Starlight managed to calm down a little. She just had to see this mess as another friendship problem... One that involved a corpse. A corpse whose identity is still unknown. Thinking about what her next step should be, Starlight decided on a plan of action.
Since she was granted the rest of the day off, she would be able to check on the grave much earlier than initially planned. Since it's at the edge of the Everfree forest, Starlight knew that there was almost no chance for her to meet anypony there, unless they somehow already knew about the grave site and came to investigate themselves. Still, though, it would probably be wiser to be sneaky about it, she thought. And quick, too. Once the deceased pony's identity was determined, she would have a much greater chance of figuring out what had happened. All in all, if she hurried, Starlight estimated this could be done in less than an hour.
Her next step would largely be dependent on the corpse's identity, though she believed it would be wise to go to the spa, just like Twilight advised her to do. Not only would it help her relax and clean herself of the mud and dirt she'd no doubt get on herself after digging up a grave, it would also be a great opportunity to speak with Rarity about the altercation outside of her boutique last night.
It would also be nice to relax for a little bit. For the past twelve hours or so, Starlight felt like her body was forty percent panic, fifty percent stress and ten percent pure caffeine. And so, with one last deep breath to steel herself, Starlight headed outside of her desk, looking for a shovel.
Starlight was sweating heavily. As she slowly lurked toward the edge of Ponyville, she repeatedly looked to her left, then her right, then above. If anypony saw her going toward the Everfree with a shovel, she'd be found out instantly, especially given the fact Starlight is keeping low to the ground, stepping slowly and keeping to the shadows. The only way for her to look even more suspicious than she was right now, was by carrying a sign that said 'Hey, I'm going to dig up a body right now'.
Of course, she thought about going the opposite route: walking with confidence in plain sight without a care in the world. She would have looked a little bit odd, sure, but she'd be a lot less prone to raising suspicion. However, Starlight preferred making sure nopony could see her on her trip toward the Everfree. After all, there was somepony else in town threatening Trixie. If Starlight was seen with a shovel, she'd draw the ire of that mysterious mare...
Her trip to the edge of the Everfree was thus much longer than she'd originally planned, having quite a few close calls near the school. Thankfully, nopony had seen her — or, at least, she hoped so. Unfortunately, her lack of sleep caused her to completely miss the small group not too far from her, heading in the same direction though through a more direct path. As she went further away from the center of Ponyville, these close calls became increasingly less frequent, allowing her to let her guard down ever so slightly. With a relieved sigh, Starlight whispered to herself. "C'mon, I'm almost there..."
Slowly reaching the tree line, Starlight's worries flooded back in an instant. Though nopony was near, coming back to the burial site caused a surge of stress to overtake her body. Deep down, she understood why: she feared what she was about to find. After all, a corpse was waiting for her a few dozen steps away. She had no idea who she'd find and in what state they'll be in. Trembling with fear, her pace slowed to a crawl as Starlight hesitated to turn away and run. However, she knew she had no choice: she had to know who had died before everypony else. She needed to figure out what happened to save Trixie.
And so, finally reaching the spot of dirt she stood at roughly twelve hours ago, Starlight took a moment to brace herself before making the shovel float above her head with her magic. Then, with a resolute look in her eyes, she plunged the shovel deep in the dirt. And just as the spade impacted the ground, a voice surged from behind her.
"Hi Starlight! What're you doing here?"
Starlight yelped as the sudden call caused her to jump in the air, startled, before slipping and falling face down in the mud. Her mind quickly scrambled to figure out who was behind her, the sudden fear and panic obstructing her senses. Slowly rising up from the ground, face covered in mud and heart beating fast, Starlight fearfully turned her head toward the pony behind her. Right there in front of her, bouncing up and down as if standing on a trampoline, Pinkie Pie beamed a smile at her.
"...Pinkie?" Starlight asked, already sweating bullets. Did she see her about to dig up a body?
"Yup, it's me! What're you doing here, Starlight? I thought you'd be at the school," Pinkie Pie replied all the while excitedly bouncing around Starlight. Before the startled unicorn could answer, Pinkie noticed the shovel standing upright. She eyed it curiously. "And what's up with that?"
"Uh, I was, uh..." Starlight stammered before shaking her head, trying to focus back on the mare in front of her. That's when Starlight noticed the group of confused-looking students staring at their headmare, all whispering to each other. A sudden wave of cold sweat hit Starlight. "Twilight told me to take the day off, so I thought I'd... Go take a walk... In the Everfree... With a shovel?"
Starlight knew she sounded extremely suspicious, but the confused looks she received from every pony and creature in front of her certainly didn't help. Resisting the urge to slam her forehead as hard as she could with her hoof, she forced a wavering smile. "... Anyhow! What, uh, are you all doing out there?"
Pinkie Pie tilted her head. "Whaddya mean? I'm filling in for Fluttershy, remember? I'm taking her class for a short trip in nature! You're the one who asked me to," Pinkie's tone remained cheerful, but Starlight knew there was a hint of worry in her voice.
Scratching the back of her head, Starlight stammered. "Oh... Did I? I, uh..." she started, before suddenly remembering the events from that morning. After Fluttershy's request to leave early, Starlight did indeed look for ponies to replace the pegasus. She vaguely remembered asking Pinkie Pie to fill in, though her mind was in such an anxious haze that she didn't bother checking what Fluttershy had planned for her class on that day.
Apparently, it was a field trip.
"... Oh, dear," Starlight said as the realization hit her.
"Are you alright, Starlight? You don't look so good. Want me to throw you a 'get better soon' party?!" Pinkie excitedly said as her eyes began to twinkle with excitement. Evidently, she wasn't going to wait for Starlight's answer.
"That... That won't be necessary," Starlight replied in vain. "Anyway, don't mind me! I'm sure you've got a busy schedule ahead!"
One of the students, a crimson colt, raised a hoof. "Uh, miss? What were you doing with that shovel anyways?"
"Noneofyourbusiness!" Starlight promptly retorted, before immediately regretting it. Her nerves were getting the better of her. The students stared at their headmare in bewilderment and were about to ask more questions, before Pinkie Pie suddenly gasped.
"Starlight! You just gave me the best, greatest idea ever! We should totally try and look for buried treasure while we're in the Everfree! Can we borrow your shovel?"
Feeling a drop of sweat slowly make its way down her face, Starlight hesitantly nodded. Arguing to keep the shovel would make her even more suspicious, she reckoned. Besides, Starlight really hoped that Pinkie Pie and her students would leave the area soon, in fear they'd accidentally stumble upon the buried body. "... Alright," she said, "but please be careful. The Everfree is a dangerous place."
"Don't worry, Starlight! We'll be super-duper careful, that's a Pinkie Promise! Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!" Pinkie sang all the while pulling out a cupcake out of her mane before jabbing it in one of her eyes. "Okay, c'mon everycreature! We've got a treasure to find!"
The students, half confused and half excited, cheered before following their teacher as Pinkie grabbed the shovel in her mouth and began trotting toward the Everfree. Starlight stood still for a moment before letting out a sigh of relief. She thanked her lucky stars that Pinkie didn't seem to care about her acting suspicious, and that her contagious carefree attitude was enough for the students to focus on something else. After all, somepony standing near a forest in the middle of the day with a shovel wasn't the strangest thing they had seen in Ponyville.
Looking downwards at the spot where the body was, Starlight groaned. With Pinkie's group this close and without a shovel, digging up that bag would be a difficult operation, especially if one of the students saw her. Reluctantly, Starlight decided that she'd need to come back later, after Pinkie's group finished their activities. Besides, while they should still be in the same general area as the grave site, they shouldn't be coming here to dig up treasure.
In the meanwhile, now was as good a time as any to go to the spa and talk with Rarity to try and get more info on what happened outside her boutique last night, Starlight thought. Feeling some of the mud on her face slowly sliding down her cheeks, she also reasoned a good bath would be a great way to help her calm down a little.
As Pinkie led her group through the Everfree, excitedly giving them tasks while keeping a close eye on them, her mind went back to Starlight. Her friend was a complete mess and Pinkie clearly understood that whatever Starlight was doing, it was something important to her. That's why she quickly changed the topic of discussion to get her students focused on something else. However, Starlight's state worried Pinkie a lot.
So, she began forming a plan in her head. Cheering up ponies was her specialty, after all. Obviously, she'd have to throw a party for Starlight. The question was, when should that party happen, Pinkie reasoned. And given Starlight giving off the impression that she was about to pass out from the stress, there was only one answer in Pinkie's mind.
Nothing better than a surprise party in Starlight's home in the evening. Already, Pinkie mentally planned everything she'd need to do to surprise her friend after sunset.
When Starlight stepped through the door to the spa, she immediately felt a wave of relaxation wash over her body. Although the day had been utterly exhausting so far, and despite the fact that things weren't especially looking up for her investigation, she finally had the opportunity to wind down for an hour or two. She knew she'd work much better with a clear mind.
Thankfully, few ponies were inside the spa at that time of day which allowed Starlight to enjoy the facilities directly. After a quick bath, she headed inside the massage room, where she knew Rarity had been spending her day so far. As Starlight laid down on one of the massage tables, she glanced at Rarity relaxing not too far from her, cucumber slices atop her eyes. Taking a deep breath, Starlight spoke up, pulling Rarity out of her nap.
"Hey, Rarity," she simply said.
"Starlight, darling, is that you?" Rarity asked while using her magic to lift one of the cucumber slices. Upon seeing Starlight weakly smile at her, Rarity levitated both slices away from her face. "Well, what a surprise," she continued. "I thought you were working today?"
"Well, I did... Or I do, I suppose, but I decided to take the day off. The... Past few days have been rough," Starlight said just as one of the spa ponies began massaging her. Fighting the urge to let out a moan as her body began to melt in comfort, she closed her eyes for a moment.
"Oh, dear, your workload must be simply brutal. How has it been, so far, taking over the School of Friendship?" Rarity asked while observing Starlight. The fashionista saw clear as day the accumulated worry and stress on her friend's face.
"It's a lot of work, but it's worth it. Besides, I don't want to disappoint Twilight."
"Don't worry, darling, I'm sure you'll do a wonderful job as headmare. Just remember to take breaks, sometimes, alright?"
"I will, I promise... A-Anyways, I wanted to ask you about something. I've heard from Twilight that you apparently had a rough night as well?" Starlight asked, already wondering if saying 'as well' was a mistake. She worryingly glanced at Rarity but failed to see any specific reaction to her slip-up.
"Oh, don't even get me started on that... I mean, who would be so uncivilized as to have an altercation just outside my boutique?"
"When... When did that happen, exactly?"
"Well, it started sometime around midnight. I had just gotten to bed when I heard a loud crashing noise near the back. It woke up Sweetie Belle as well. The poor thing was terrified by the whole ordeal!"
"I'm... Really sorry to hear that, Rarity. Did you see who was fighting?"
"Not really, no," Rarity sighed. "I remained far from any windows. I would have gone outside to tell these ruffians a piece of my mind, but my dear little sister was afraid I'd get hurt. I stayed upstairs with her to console her, but by the time she was feeling better, they had left already."
"Did you hear their voices? Were they stallions, mares?"
"Well, it was honestly a bit difficult to hear what exactly was going on, what with Sweetie Belle begging me not to go, but I did manage to pick up on one of the voices. It was a mare's. It seemed like she was trying to keep her voice down, however, but it was clear she was trading blows with whoever else was with her."
"So, there were only two of them?"
"I can't be sure, darling. By the time they were gone, it had already started to rain, and I certainly did not want to risk wetting my mane just before going to bed just to see tracks in the mud. Instead, I managed to put Sweetie Belle back to bed before closing the boutique's windows and going to sleep as well."
Silence fell over the massage room. Rarity blankly stared at the ceiling while Starlight was going over everything she knew about the previous night's events. Tentatively, Starlight asked a question. "Did... Did you check if anything was stolen?"
"Stolen?"
"Well, it was just outside your boutique, and... Some of your windows were open. Did you notice anything missing?"
"Well, I can't say for sure. I must admit, the thought didn't cross my mind... Since today was a day off, I didn't really check my inventory. But why would some uncivilized ruffians steal from my boutique?"
"Well, maybe—"
Rarity, suddenly getting up from her seat, gasped. "Sweet Celestia! They might have stolen something! I must go and check immediately. I was working on— Oh, my! I'm really sorry, darling, but it seems that I have to leave. Thank you for your insight, Starlight."
"Wait, you're leaving now?"
"Well, of course! I must make sure that nothing was stolen!"
"L... Let me go with you. Maybe I can help you see if..."
"Are you sure, Starlight? I don't want you to worry about me and to stop treating yourself... I mean, by Celestia, it really looks like you need it. Uh, no offense."
Starlight chuckled nervously. "None taken. But no, this is more important. I'll come with you."
With one grateful nod, Rarity began to quickly head out of the spa. Starlight, reluctantly getting off the massage table with a sorry smile for the spa pony, followed close behind. While she wanted to make sure nothing had been stolen from Rarity's boutique, she also wanted to know as soon as possible whether or not this was something Trixie was also involved with... Though the few clues Starlight had gotten so far all seemed to point in that direction.
As the two mares quickly ran through Ponyville, the afternoon coming to a close and the sun already slowly setting, Starlight stopped dead in her tracks. Further away, crossing the street without a care in the world, stood Trixie. Starlight felt her heart rate quicken and her breath becoming faster and shallower. What was she doing here, and so... Openly outside, she thought.
Rarity soon stopped as well upon noticing that Starlight wasn't following her anymore. "Dear, are you alright?" Rarity asked.
"Huh? Oh, y-yeah! I'm fine, perfectly fine! I, uh, forgot that I left my... stove on?" Starlight quickly replied, heavy drops of sweat already forming on her face.
"Oh... Well, then, don't worry about me. I can go check on my boutique alone. Thank you for offering to help, darling," she said. Starlight simply nodded before heading toward Trixie, which caused Rarity to speak up again. "...Uhm, Starlight, correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't your house the other way?"
"It's... It's... It's a camping stove I... Forgot outside of town! Yes, that's it, absolutely nothing else that would warrant your suspicion!" Starlight replied while forcing herself to laugh, making herself appear completely unhinged. Near her breaking point, Starlight was about to collapse due to the sudden surge of stress and anxiety, a much higher peak than everything she had experienced for a long while.
Rarity took a few steps backward, her ears flattening against her head. "... Alright, dear, I'll... See you soon, then—"
Before she could finish her sentence, Starlight was already gone. Rarity gave a last worried look toward her friend, before shaking her head. Something was clearly wrong with Starlight, and she needed to talk to the rest of her friends about it. Heading toward her house, Rarity quickly met up with Pinkie Pie...
4 - An Exhausting Evening
Dashing through the streets, Starlight was at the precipice of a complete mental breakdown. What was Trixie doing here, walking so openly in the streets? Something must have gone incredibly wrong, Starlight thought. Why else would Trixie come back to Ponyville before Starlight had a chance to clear her name?
With her eyes locked on the magician, Starlight completely ignored the other ponies around her, shoving a few unfortunate souls around her. While Starlight did hear somepony yelp and fall because of her, her brain didn't fully register it due to Starlight's mind being absolutely flooded by worry, stress and anger. Finally reaching Trixie just as she was about to casually trot toward an alleyway, Starlight quickly sparked her horn to activate her magic. She tackled Trixie, dragging her behind a large trash can, before releasing her spell.
Trixie shouted in surprise at being dragged so violently and quickly got up on her hind legs, ready to defend herself against whoever had attacked her, but Trixie raised an eyebrow upon seeing a frazzled Starlight nervously glancing around them. Around the two of them, a faint shimmering orb of almost-transparent energy slowly flickered in the air. All Trixie could hear was her own breathing as well as her friend's, though Starlight's breathing was much more laborious. No other sound was able to pierce through Starlight's magical orb, whether to go in or out.
Going back on all four, Trixie tilted her head as Starlight caught her breath. "Uh... Hey, Starlight. What's up?"
Starlight's eyes went wide before she shot her friend an accusatory glance. "What's up, you say? What's up?! How about, what the buck are you doing in town! Are you insane?"
Trixie chuckled. "Only insanely grrreat and powerful... But you already know that. What's the deal with the fancy ball around us?" Trixie asked as she playfully poked the edge of the sphere with a hoof, causing small ripples to spread across its surface.
"Don't change subjects, please," Starlight sighed. "I thought you were skipping town for your own safety. Besides, didn't you have a show planned somewhere?"
"Oh, uh, about that... I may have gotten the date wrong. Seems like Manehattan will have to wait another week before they can experience the great and powe—"
"Still! You weren't supposed to be seen in town, you said it yourself! It's too dangerous," Starlight whisper-yelled despite the silencing bubble around them.
"Huh? Starlight, what are you talking about?"
Her eyes twitching with a furious intensity, Starlight stared intensely at Trixie. "... Are you bucking kidding me?!"
"I'm serious, I don't remember... Oh, wait, about last night's little oopsie, you mean? C'mon, I know you've got it under control, don't you? So, what's the deal?"
"Wh... What?! Did you seriously expect me to deal with this whole mess in just a day?! I'm nowhere near done, Trixie! By Celestia, I still have no idea who we buried last night!"
"Well, I'm sure it'll be fine. I, uh, may have another issue I want to talk to you about..." Trixie said with a nervous chuckle, looking to the side, before picking up on her friend's word choice. "... Wait, did you say 'who we bu—'"
Trixie was cut short by Starlight suddenly placing her hoof on the magician's mouth, shutting her up. "Trixie, I feel like I'm about to snap at any moment, so I'm going to need you to be focused. Is this new problem of yours in any way related to this whole mess we're already dealing with?"
After thinking for a moment, Trixie shook her head side to side, Starlight's hoof still shutting her up. In response, Starlight took a deep breath. "... Alright, so let's ignore it for now. This is more important. Let's go back to my house so we can discuss more freely. I don't want to risk having anypony hear us."
Nodding slowly, Trixie decided against talking about her more recent issue for now. For some reason Trixie couldn't quite grasp, Starlight seemed to be a lot more worried about her little adventure from last night. Best to keep that for later, Trixie thought.
And so, as the two mares slowly attempted to sneak through Ponyville — Starlight failing completely due to her stress and Trixie barely playing along, stopping once to perform a quick magic trick for a group of foals as they went along, they eventually reached the entrance to Starlight's house. While Starlight quickly scanned the streets around to see if anypony was following them, Trixie waited near the door, looking through a window with a bored expression. Even though the lights were turned off, the magician noticed some faint, barely perceptible movement inside. Chalking it up to her imagination, she turned her head toward Starlight.
"Can we go in, now, Starlight? I'm hungry and your fridge always has the best snacks."
"... I think we're in the clear. Let's go in. Also, this isn't the time for snacks," Starlight replied as she opened the door and ushered Trixie in. As soon as both mares were inside, Starlight locked the door behind them. Seeing her magician friend about to turn on the lights, she whisper-yelled in panic. "Don't! We can't risk having anypony know we're here. Lights off, no snacks, let's just focus on this mess."
Trixie, her hoof halfway raised toward the light switch, slowly turned toward Starlight. "... Uh, Starlight, are you sure you're alright? You seem kinda... Well, kinda like a whole mess."
"Hell no, I'm not alright! I've been wracking my brain for the entire day trying to figure out what happened last night and who was after you. I get that your hooves were tied back then, but I need to know, Trix'. Please... Just, let me help you," Starlight practically begged. In return, Trixie closed her eyes for a brief moment and took a long, deep breath.
"Fine. Just... I didn't want to tell you because I was afraid you'd end up thinking that the Great and Powerful Trixie... Wasn't so great and powerful after all," she said while looking to the side in shame. Feeling the comforting presence of her friend's hoof on her shoulder, Trixie looked back up and cleared her throat. "But no matter. What do you want to know, Starlight?"
Letting out a relieved sigh, Starlight was glad to finally be able to get answers. She closed her tired eyes as she wondered where to start, ignoring an awkward cough coming from inside her home and assuming it to be coming from Trixie. Eventually, she stared at her friend directly in the eyes and asked her question. Trixie, however, kept throwing a worried glance to the side, though Starlight attributed it to mere stress from revealing a painful truth. "Alright, Trixie, let's start from the beginning. Who exactly did we bury last night?"
Trixie froze, then looked at Starlight with a bemused expression. The magician was just about to answer when a voice suddenly boomed from behind Starlight's couch. "Wait, you girls buried somepony?!"
Feeling the colors instantly drain from her face, Starlight slowly turned her head toward the voice. There, rising from a hidden position behind her couch, stood Rarity, Twilight, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie holding a large cake with writing on it. Blinking a few times, Starlight stammered as she attempted to find a way to explain herself. "Wh... What? What are you... All doing here?!"
"I was going to throw you a 'you-need-to-chillax-right-now-because-you've-been-acting-like-a-maniac' party, duh!" Pinkie said while throwing her cake behind her. "But now, I see I should've made a 'you-two-buried-somepony' party!" Everypony in the room blankly stared at Pinkie, who reconsidered. "... That's something we should celebrate, right?" She whispered, asking Twilight.
Finally finding a way to defuse this situation, Starlight took a deep breath. She glanced at Trixie, who remained motionless as she stared at the group of mares in front of her, visibly stricken with fear. "... Alright, girls, please let me explain. You see, it's just..."
Everypony in the room waited for Starlight to finish her sentence with bated breath. Eventually, Starlight yelled. "... Trixie! Smoke bomb!"
Acting on pure instinct, Trixie reached under her hat and grabbed two small smoke bombs, which she then proceeded to throw at the floor. Twilight shouted "Wait!", but the room was already filling up with thick smoke. The next instant, the sound of shattering glass echoed through the room, followed by Starlight yelling as she jumped through her now-broken window.
"Trixie, run!"
Starlight was running like she had never run before. Her legs moved, fueled by pure instinct as her mind desperately tried to find a way out of this mess. If she and Trixie weren't incriminated before, they for sure were now. Barely paying any attention as to where she was going, she focused on getting as much distance as possible between her and the mares she assumed were hot on her and Trixie's tails.
Dashing through streets, shoving ponies off her way — both with magic and physically, all she could hear was Trixie's voice resonating in her head, repeating last night's scene on repeat. "Think, Starlight, think!" She said out loud, going over every single detail she knew about.
Trixie was involved in a murder. The body, whose identity was yet to be determined by Starlight, was already cold and stiff when she helped bury it. Trixie was also very probably involved with the breaking in of Fluttershy's animal sanctuary, as well as the fight that happened outside Rarity's boutique. When Starlight found Trixie that night, the magician was holding back tears and badly bruised. She said that somepony in town was after her, and that Starlight couldn't talk to Twilight about it... But Twilight already knew, somehow, and gave Starlight a test to prove her abilities as a future headmare.
Starlight needed more time, more clues to find a way to help Trixie clear her name. Of course her best friend wouldn't murder somepony in cold blood like that... Right? But then, why go steal those dangerous supplies Fluttershy mentioned were at her sanctuary? Did that not mean that the act was at least somewhat premeditated?
Now that she was thinking about it, Starlight finally noticed that she didn't actually know what was stolen at the animal sanctuary. Suddenly skidding to a stop while mulling over that specific detail, she quickly heard the exhausted calls from Trixie running behind her, completely out of breath.
"Star... Starlight... Please, just... Stop running... For, like, five minutes, please..." Trixie asked in-between laborious breaths.
Just as she was about to answer, Starlight looked around her and gasped. In her frantic escape, she instinctively ran back toward the burial site, both unicorns now standing mere inches away from the grave. "Crap," she said, before turning toward Trixie. "Listen, Trix'. We don't have much time before the others catch up to us. We need a place to hide. Now, it may sound dangerous, but maybe we can sneak inside the Everfree and —"
"Uh... Sure, Starlight, but I think there may be a small misunderstanding."
Starlight groaned. "I know, I should've known Pinkie would try and throw a party at my place. Honestly, I was stupid to even bring us here... I'm sorry, Trixie."
"Not... Exactly what I meant, but you're forgiven. Now, uh, we proooobably should talk about what happened last night."
"As I said, Trixie, we'll have all the time to discuss that once we're hidden. If we keep wasting another second, they will..."
Before Starlight could finish her sentence, two ponies suddenly came down from the sky next to them. Twilight and Fluttershy landed right behind them, barring them from going toward the Everfree forest, while Rarity and Pinkie Pie came running from the opposite direction.
"... Catch up to us," Starlight finally said.
"Okay, no more running," Twilight said with an authoritative voice. "Whatever is going on, you two need to tell us about it."
"Crap... Trixie, please tell me you have more smoke bombs?" Starlight whispered.
"Nope. I'm all out," Trixie replied while lowering her stance in fear.
Twilight stepped forward while Fluttershy stayed put, afraid of the confrontation that was about to take place but worried for her friend nonetheless. "Just talk to us, please. Running from your issues won't fix them, Starlight," the purple unicorn said.
"That's the thing, though," Starlight began. "I need more time! I can't... I can't pass this test unless I have more time to investigate. I don't even know who Trixie killed last night!"
Everypony around Starlight gasped with the exception of Trixie. "Uh... Yeah, Starlight, about that... I think you might have misunderstood the situation..." Trixie softly said. "Though, there is something else you—"
"What do you mean, I misunderstood the situation?" Starlight asked. "Who did we bury last night, then?! The bag was covered in blood!"
Avoiding everypony's gaze, Trixie chuckled nervously and looked to the side. "Well, it's kind of a long story, anyway, and who's got time for that? There's something a bit more important that you should know, anyway..."
Twilight sighed. "No, Trixie, I think you owe everypony here an explanation... Especially Starlight."
"Indeed," Rarity said. "The poor mare has been a complete and utter mess all day long, from what I've gathered."
"She did seem pretty stressed out when I saw her this morning... And when she shoved me out of the way in the streets earlier," Fluttershy added.
"Trixie... What the heck happened last night?" Starlight finally asked, feeling completely lost.
Seeing that she had nowhere to run and no way out of this mess she created, the magician took a deep breath before speaking up. "Alright, but please, don't be mad at me, Starlight..."
"I will try not to be," her best friend replied.
"That's... Yeah, no, that's fair. So, it all began yesterday evening. I had this super idea for a new trick for my shows, but I needed some... Supplies. And to be fair, it would've been an awesome trick! A real showstopper kind of deal. It's your typical 'saw a pony in half' kind of trick... But with real blood, to make it seem more realistic! Honestly, at times, my genius surprises me —"
"Get to the point," Twilight groaned.
"Rude, much?" The magician grumbled before continuing. "Right, so I needed some special supplies... And I couldn't really get to the store or anything, since it was already quite late in the evening. But since I didn't want to let this awesome idea slip away from me, I decided to find these supplies in a less... 'Legal' kind of way?"
Starlight sighed while Twilight facehoofed, already tired of Trixie's antics. Fluttershy, beginning to piece out the puzzle together, stepped closer to Trixie. "Wait... Was it you who robbed the animal sanctuary last night?"
"Eh, I don't like the word 'rob', it kind of holds a negative connotation. I'd rather say that I... Forcibly borrowed some blood bags from inside your medical inventory. Besides, you got loads of the stuff!" Trixie argued.
Tilting her head to the side, Rarity spoke up. "Wait, Fluttershy, why do you store this kind of thing in your sanctuary, dear?"
Fluttershy, who was staring intensely at Trixie with fury in her eyes, replied without breaking eye contact. "I need to keep a good reserve in case some of the animals get hurt. Some of them, especially the carnivores, tend to be a bit... Violent, sometimes, and I'd rather be prepared in case I don't have the time to take them to the veterinary. It's also very expensive and difficult to find..."
Trixie, already wanting to shrink into non-existence under the crushing weight of Fluttershy's gaze, forced another nervous chuckle. "Well, I wasn't going to rob the hospital. There's too many potential witnesses, too, and they'd obviously recognize me for the legendary wandering magician, the Great and Powerful —"
"We get it, Trix'. Just... You stole some blood bags. Let's not dwell on how much of a stupid idea this was. What did you do after that? And who was in that bag we buried?" Starlight asked, glancing toward the dirt mound next to her.
"Right, uh... So, after that, I placed the blood bags in another, larger bag. Then, I needed another thing. Since I couldn't really ask anypony to practice this trick because it was so late, I needed something pony shaped. And it just so happened that I walked by Rarity's boutique... And saw that a window was open... And saw one of the mannequins..." Trixie's voice became increasingly quieter as she suddenly felt another set of eyes beginning to stare deeply into her soul. This time, Rarity was the one to step up right next to her.
"My dear, dear Trixie... You wouldn't happen to be in some way involved with the kerfuffle outside of my boutique last night, by any chance?"
"Well... Funny you should say that... I may have taken one of the mannequins without paying too much attention and was about to run off when I noticed this fancy blue dress on it..."
"A fancy blue..." Rarity said before her eyes went wide. "Oh dear. Were there, by any chance, an assortment of rare gems right next to the collarbone?"
"Uh... It was very shiny?" Trixie replied. "I tried to get it off the mannequin and put it back inside your shop, but it was really dark outside and I... May have struggled a little."
"Trixie," the fashionista began as a wide, terrifying smile adorned her face. "Where. Is. The. Dress?"
Trixie, really regretting no longer having any smoke bombs to get away from this, squealed in fear. "... It was really dark outside. I... Practically had to fight with the mannequin to get the dress off of it."
"Wait, so, the bruises on your face..." Starlight asked, finally beginning to piece together the chain of events.
"... I really, really struggled, okay?!"
"You fought against a mannequin and lost ?!" Twilight shouted in disbelief.
"Wow, that's kind of incredible, Trixie. Not in a fun way, more in a 'wow, you've got beaten by a bunch of plastic' kind of way... Which is pretty fun, now that I think about it," Pinkie added.
"Yes! I did! And I lost, like really badly, okay? That's... That's why I was crying, back then, Starlight... I didn't want anypony to see the Great and Powerful Trixie defeated by an inanimate object..."
"Just... Wow. I don't even know what to say," Starlight whispered to herself. Feeling her legs becoming weak all of a sudden, she sat down as the world spun around her. Fighting through the dizziness, Starlight finally looked up to see Rarity breathing heavily. Fluttershy, her fury clearly eclipsed by Rarity's, had taken a few steps back in fear.
"Trixie, my dear, I won't repeat myself again, so just answer me... What happened to the dress?!"
Trembling in fear, Trixie struggled to keep looking at Rarity. "I... Ended up ripping it and... Shoving it in the bag, with the mannequin... But I shoved it a little bit too hard and... The blood bags popped all over them?"
Trixie offered an apologetic smile, but Rarity simply froze in place. "You... You did what?"
"I'll pay for it, I swear!" Trixie shouted as she threw herself to the floor, protecting her face with her hooves. "... As soon as I get the money for it!"
"I'd like you to also pay for the medical supplies you've stolen at the sanctuary... As well as the broken padlock," Fluttershy added.
"I can't believe it," Starlight began. "I... I really thought you'd killed somepony. And the mare you wanted to stay hidden from was..."
"Oh, so you were also planning on hiding from me?!" Rarity asked, finally snapping out of her daze. "You're lucky I'm a classy mare, otherwise I would break every single one of your legs, dear."
"Okay, that's enough for now," Twilight interjected. "I think we can all piece the rest of this scene together... Right, girls?" Looking at everypony around them, Twilight saw Starlight, Pinkie Pie, Rarity and Fluttershy all nod in agreement. "So, you see, Starlight? Trixie isn't a murderer... She's just an idiot."
"Hey, that's uncalled for!" Trixie shouted, still in a defensive position on the ground.
"Oh, I can throw a 'your-friend-is-not-a-murderer-but-just-really-dumb' party, then!" Pinkie Pie said jovially as she bounced in place.
"But Twilight... Earlier today, at lunch, you told me you already knew what Trixie did? If so, why not confront me directly about it, since I was involved?" Starlight asked.
"Wait, what? ... Oh. Right, I remember. I was talking about the fact that I knew Trixie used my shower last night. I found some of her mane hair near the drain... As well as a large 'Trixie was here' written with lipstick on the mirror."
"What can I say? You've got some fancy conditioner, kinda selfish to keep it all to yourself... Besides, it's wasted on your mane," Trixie taunted Twilight who, in return, simply shot a furious glare at the cowering magician.
"You're also going to pay for that bottle, since you've used it all up. It's almost fifty bits, you know?" Twilight added.
Feeling an incredibly heavy weight lift off from her shoulders, Starlight remained sitting down as the other ponies around her kept arguing, Trixie having drawn the ire of every single mare around. She felt an immense wave of relief washing over her body. Not only was her friend not involved in a grisly murder, but Starlight did not jeopardize her future by helping her. And while she would certainly want to have a stern talk with Trixie in the near future, all she wanted to do right now was to go to sleep.
And so, she did, finally falling asleep after staying up for a full day and a half. Quickly, the shouting and arguing around her ceased as everypony noticed the snoring headmare. Carrying her with her magic, Twilight gently brought Starlight back in town, in her room for a much-deserved rest. And while this whole situation would have been avoided if Trixie had been clearer, or if Starlight had spoken up sooner about all of this, Twilight was proud to see her student ready to stand up so tenaciously for her friends... Even if it meant helping to cover for a murder. Twilight did feel partly responsible for this situation, however, as Starlight was clearly overworked and becoming increasingly more stressed due to her new position. Deciding to give Starlight a week of vacation, she closed the door to her room, heading back to her study room to write what was going to be a long letter for Celestia.
In the meanwhile, Trixie had been forcefully dragged inside Rarity's boutique so that the fashionista could begin making the bill for the dress the magician destroyed. Feeling incredibly guilty for putting her best friend through her mess, she swore to herself to make it up to Starlight, somehow. She could probably hit up Maude so that the three of them could spend an afternoon or two together...
As Rarity began producing the bill, Trixie's mind did wander back to her other issue, the real reason behind her trip to Manehattan being cut short. And although it was a fairly pressing matter, Trixie knew that now was certainly not a good time to bring it up to anypony. "Oh, well, " she thought, "out of sight, out of mind. Besides, it's not like that guy's gonna come back to life anyway. "
In a small patch of dirt alongside the road leading out of Ponyville, a half-buried shape jolted awake. A large stallion looked around, noticing blood dripping from the back of his head onto his yellow coat. Feeling a pounding headache, he groaned as he stood back up and shook most of the dirt off him. He groaned as he attempted to remember what had happened to him that morning when he saw the tracks on the dirt, as well as his own wagon parked to the side.
He remembered having broken a wheel, stopping on the side of the road to fix it up, before somepony else came next to him. Wanting to ask for help, the stallion remembered standing up, taking a step forward, and slipping on the paved road, still wet from the night's storm, before smashing his head on the ground... And before the other wagon rode over his head, knocking him out.
He groaned. "... That crazy mare tried to bury me alive!"
