Fluttershy walked along the green pastures of Ponyville, birds were singing, flowers were blooming. On days like these, ponies such as Fluttershy could only think of one thing.
“It is good day to be not dead!” Fluttershy proudly exclaimed, hoof curved in the air with a wide smile for the invisible camera, her snow white teeth shining.
Truly nothing could ruin today’s amazing day in Ponyville, Just an incredible day with no problems whatsoever. It was even her pet Bunny’s birthday! Pinkie would be coming by later with the cake she ordered, Rarity is working on her special dress… Truly nothing could ruin today.
Smooth sailing all around. Or so she thought. Little did she know, behind a dark bush just down the path, somepony truly devious had prepared a devilish plan, a truly Machiavellian contraption with such clear evil behind it, that none of the villains they ever faced could even compare.
Just as she continued down her path, singing along to a beautiful tune, her mind completely vacant of any kind of worry, surely no one would try…
TO KILL HER!
Then just as she stepped past the bush, her hoof got caught. Lifting it up caused a wire to snap, triggering the contraption hidden inside the leaves.
A sudden blast immediately knocked Fluttershy back stumbling, her eyes darting around, her ears ringing from the sudden bang, her vision blurring. And then, to the ground she fell, heaving her last sigh of life.
From above, a mysterious and mischievous laughter could be heard. The laughter of the cruel, cold hearted assassin. All while her body lay motionless on the floor.
“Detective AB is on the case!” Applebloom proudly tipped her hat as she arrived on the scene of the crime. This was no case of an accidental death, the culprit of this case had been a cruel genius who plotted it all out in advance, she was sure of it. By now, a small group of bystanders gathered around the dead pony’s body, all her friends.
Twilight looked struck with the scene, she was absolutely horrified at the sight. Applejack seemed completely indifferent with her vacant stare. Rainbow held Pinkie’s tears of sadness back, while Rarity sat shining her hoof. All of them had a connection to the victim in one way or another.
With the proud strut of an ace detective, Applebloom approached Sweetie Belle, who was sitting next to Fluttershy conducting an autopsy report. Death by party cannon blast, truly tragic. There was a piece of green string on the ground, it camouflaged well with the surrounding grass. Who could’ve done something like this?
“Detective AB is on scene and ready to begin investigating!” Applebloom looked over the body, shivering with disgust. “What happened here?”
“Seems like the victim walked into a trap…” Sweetie Belle lifted her body with worry in her face and sheer terror in her voice. “AND WAS KILLED!”
The crowd of ponies gasped in surprise.
“She’s dead!?” Twilight announced, her eyes widened, her heartbeat going faster, Fluttershy, her long time friend had just been pronounced dead!
“No! This is horrible! Horrible! Absolutely horrible!” Pinkie repeated through the waterfall of tears streaming down her cheeks. Such a cruel world had reaped yet another life in such an unfair manner.
“Um… Guys… I’m not actually-” Fluttershy lifted her head and her wing, but was rudely interrupted by the others.
“Shh! You’re dead!” Pinkie exclaimed, bringing one hoof to Fluttershy’s lips. Dead ponies don’t talk!
“Oh um, okay.” Fluttershy fell back to the ground, afraid of being yelled at again.
“Oh no. Who could’ve done something like this?” Applejack’s monotone voice indicated that she truly had no interest in finding the true culprit, but one death glare from Applebloom was enough to get her back into her role. “It ‘s! Truly terrible!” she feigned some emotion, and Applebloom nodded with approval.
“Psht, if you ask me, she was long due.” Rarity was more interested in cleaning her hooves, than mourning her friend, who was dead before her very eyes.
“Rude…” Fluttershy muttered quietly.
“Calm down everypony!” Applebloom exclaimed to a silent crowd of ponies. “Y’all better leave this to the-” The three girls gathered together.
“Cutie mark crusaders, homicide detectives!”
“Is that the official name of your group…?” Rainbow seemed concerned that a group of young foals could even speak such complicated words. Let alone understand their meaning.
“I think it’s cute!” Fluttershy spoke, despite the command for her silence.
“Ya think homicide is a cute word, Fluttershy…?” Applejack couldn’t decide if she should be worried about her young sister wanting to be a homicide detective, or if she should be extremely concerned for her friend’s well being. Fluttershy just nodded.
“We’ll solve this murder case once and for all, and then after we get our cutie marks in detectiveness, we’ll become the best detective agency in Equestria!” Scootaloo spoke while swinging her awesome leather jacket against the wind, hoping she’d be more intimidating with it. I mean, all the cool detectives in comics or movies have some kind of big overcoat.
“Yeah! For now, all of you are witnesses! Nopony is allowed to leave the promises!” Was that right? She tried to remember the word for a second. “Prominent- Pra- Pre- Pro- You can’t leave!” Sweetie Belle had some issues with the word ‘Premises’ yet had no problems with ‘homicide’ but that doesn’t make her any less of a skilled interrogator.
“We’ll question you all one by one, and we’ll find the true murderer! Starting with…” Scotaloo closed her eyes and let her left hoof pick at random which pony it would be. As luck would have it, it was…
FLUTTERSHY’S TESTIMONY.
“Where were you at the moment of the crime!?” Sweetie Belle asked impatiently as she sat on the stool, her eyes burning into Fluttershy’s soul, the only semblance of safety Fluttershy had from the young filly’s determination for answers was the table that separated the two.
Fluttershy’s heart was racing fast, her eyes scanning the cramped makeshift interrogation room in the CMC’s treehouse where they had closed all windows, leaving the only sliver of light to be the desk lamp precariously set up, as Applebloom and Scotaloo stood directly behind Sweetie Belle. So much pressure, Fluttershy could feel the weight of the world on her, curling her wings with a soft whimper to hide away from the judging eyes of these young fillies.
Scootaloo seemed anxious for answers though. After approaching closer to the table, she slammed her hoof down with a loud thud that shook the table, making Fluttershy recoil and whimper in fear.
“Okay! I did it! I killed myself! I was the one who did it! P-Please don’t hurt me!” Her whimpering voice begged for mercy.
“Hah, easy as pie.” Sweetie Belle and Scotaloo were ready to clap their hooves as a sign of accomplishment, but Applebloom was having none of this horseplay.
“Ugh! You two are useless! She ain’t know nothin’ she’s the victim!” Applebloom headed over to the clubhouse’s entrance, opening the door, letting some sunlight into the dimly lit room “Go on Fluttershy, and bring in my sis next.” Scotaloo and Sweetie Belle looked rather displeased with Applebloom’s methods.
Fluttershy slowly lifted herself and made her way out, taking double glances behind her to ensure she wasn’t being followed by the scary interrogators.
“We just got a confession!” Scotaloo interjected.
“From the victim!” Applebloom rolled her eyes.
“Have you never heard of suicides?” Sweetie Belle had seen on the papers, sometimes ponies die just because they want to die. She didn’t understand it, but it could’ve been the cause of Fluttershy’s death.
“Yeah- Well- If we wanted to investigate suicides, we would be the Cutie Mark Suicide detectives!” Applebloom’s comments had Scootaloo lost in thought for a moment.
“Eh, she’s got a point you know.”
“Whatever, bring the next witness!” The marshmallow filly didn’t seem too enthusiastic.
“Let me handle it this time, Sweetie Belle.” Applebloom tipped her detective hat, actually just her sister’s stolen hat, with a snarky smile.
APPLEJACK’S TESTIMONY.
“So… Did you know the victim?” Applebloom leaned closer on the table, one hoof laying on it with her eyes focused on her Sister’s. Just like Sweetie Belle, she had that burning gaze which was just itching for a solution to this horrible death.
“When you givin’ me my hat back?” Applejack raised one brow, but Scotaloo once again slammed her hoof on the table, catching Applejack off guard.
“We’re the ones asking questions here!” Scootaloo got close. So close she was practically shoving herself on Applejack’s face.
“Yeah!” Applebloom cheered her friend on, but Applejack just gave her a killer side eye. It made Applebloom rethink her reaction and back down. She didn’t want to become a victim to a new homicide case.
“I did know the victim…” She pushed Scootaloo back. “She’s- Was, a long time friend. Knew her ever since she n’ Rainbow moved to Ponyville.”
Okay, Applebloom thought this through. From what Twilight told her, a murderer needs to have a motive. It also helps to identify other things, like alibis which can help place a pony at a certain location during the time of the crime, either incriminating or freeing a suspect of… Suspicion. Applebloom thought long and hard.
Hm, Fluttershy and Rainbow moving to Ponyville together… Applejack already lived here when that happened. Maybe Applejack was angry that these new pegasi in town were here to take her job of watering the orchards!?!
Maybe. Maybe not. Who knows! Applebloom doesn’t want to discard any possibility, and a long time grudge could explain it.
Not enough to make her a prime suspect though. More investigation is needed.
“I see. And are you two good friends?” Applebloom leaned in, pouting her lip. She tried her best to understand Applejack’s expression, her body, the way she acted, and every subtle movement could be a clue to the real murder. But she could only sense mild disinterest with Applejack.
“Applebloom, we literally saved Equestria like a dozen times, what do you think?”
The other investigators stopped for a moment.
“What if it was all a facade!? What if you were faking being her friend all along?!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed.
“Wh- Just- Why in Equestria would I do that?!” Applejack couldn’t believe what she was hearing out of these foals’ mouths.
“I dunno, you tell us.” Scotaloo tried to play it cool, sitting on the ground with her rear and crossing both front hooves with the look of ‘I’ve got you now’ in her face.
“Look, I ain’t know nothin’ about Fluttershy’s-” Applejack performed some air quotes with her hooves. “Murder. All I know is that I was in my farm today this mornin’, and Fluttershy came by to pick up some vegetables for her pet bunny. After that, she went home.”
“A likely story!” Scootaloo could smell it, she could smell the lies and the deception coming out of Applejack’s dirty mouth.
“Well- I mean- I did see her n’ my sis from my bedroom window. So…” Applebloom was there to prove Scootaloo wrong though, who seemed mildly disappointed.
“Know what, this is stupid, ya ain’t growin’ up to be homoerotic detectives or whatever y’all wanna call yerselves!” Applejack leaned over the table, it’s about time she took back her hat from the little filly that had stolen it earlier this morning. Applebloom looked more than upset that her hat, which was at least 70% of her detective persona, had been ripped away so suddenly by her sister.
“We’re gonna get to the bottom of this, you’ll see!” Sweetie Belle knew the truth would surface. But they need more proof.
The next witness shall come in.
RARITY’S TESTIMONY.
“While I do think this whole… Thing you managed to get Twilight to set up is pretty cute, I will say I want this to be quick. I’ve got a lot of important work to do.” Rarity was willing to play along, being a drama queen was part of her personality and playing the role of a witness to a murder? Well it sounds like a fun afternoon, and having some fun with her sister was a good way to spend that afternoon.
“Well- Witness, tell us what you did this morning.” Sweetie Belle knew that she can’t let her bias get to her. It’s her sister, but she knows she can’t let family get in the way of cold, hard, truth.
“Well for starters, as soon as I woke up I took a long bath, you can’t even think about starting the day if your body is not taken care of, this Mane doesn’t brush itself.” Rarity flicked her beautiful violet, silk soft mane.
“Right. N’ then what?” Applebloom questioned.
“Well, after some breakfast, I started the day with a clear hooficare routine to keep these hooves shining and sparkling. Then I went back to my room and looked for about thirty minutes for a suitable hat for today, cause it wasn’t… Completely sunny for a full on beach hat, but there weren’t enough clouds in the sky for a hatless day. So I had to choose, and in the end, it’s obvious I didn’t use a hat today but I did-”
“Witness!” Sweetie Belle wanted to regain control of the situation. This witness has already blabbered enough. “In regards to the actual crime that took place this morning, did you see anything special?”
Rarity sighed.
“Right. Well, after doing all of my daily routine, I went to finish a dress for a client, only to realize I needed to buy more fabric because my roll of string had gone missing.” Rarity leaned in, ushering the group closer. “Between you and me, I think it was stolen.”
Stolen?! The group gasped in unison.
“Witness! What color was the string?!” Applebloom demanded an answer.
“Well I think it was asparagus… Or perhaps it was Dartmouth? I know it couldn’t be Harlequin, nor inchworm…” The CMCs looked absolutely lost with Rarity’s nonsense.
“Um… What are you talking about…?” Scootaloo tried her best, yet she couldn’t understand what these cryptic words meant.
“Green darlings. It was somewhat of a dark green.” Dark green… That’s the same color as the piece of string found on the crime scene!
“But wait, I didn’t hear anything last night!” Sweetie Belle couldn’t believe the killer had slipped through the cracks like that! The sewing room was where Rarity kept most of her fabrics, designs, and other items for dress making. But if someone broke in through the front door, they would’ve heard it.“You didn’t hear it either, did you?”
“No! And that’s exactly why it’s so strange! When I walked into the room, the window was open and there was nothing out of the ordinary, aside from the fact that it was missing.” So the real murder must have broken into Rarity’s home, but if they did, they were real quiet about it. Sweetie Belle’s room is just across from the sewing room, and Rarity’s is right next to it. Surely, either of them would’ve heard something if somepony broke through the downstairs door.
Unless the thief had magic powers! What if the thief could have teleported in, stolen the fabric, and teleported out? A skilled unicorn with magic skills would be able to do this, and even more, an unicorn with a bright mind that was good at coming up with somewhat complex contraptions…
But what if also, Rarity was lying? What if the fabric never went missing in the first place, yet she claims it has? It’s difficult to find out the real truth, but no possibility can be fully discarded! The CMCs knew this very well. Sweetie Belle couldn’t find a reason as to why her sister would lie, but there’s no reason to believe that she wouldn’t either.
Lost in a sea of lies, deception and uncertainty, the CMCs knew the truth would be deep in the ocean floor, and they’d have to sink through the lies to find the true culprit. And they were ready to spend as much time as needed to figure out who had done the deed.
“I think we’ve heard enough.” Despite barely asking any questions, Scootaloo seemed to already have a clear picture of the crime in her mind. But she needs to confirm her suspicions. “Rarity, please leave and call the next witness on your way out.”
PINKIE’S TESTIMONY.
“Alright, we know what you’ve been up to!” Scootaloo slammed both front hooves in the table, her eyes were focused on Pinkie, who had the goofiest smile on her face.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Pinkie shook her head left and right. “An innocent and silly pony like me could never do any wrong! Even less with one of my friends!”
“But you could! And that’s why, under that silly little smile is the face of an evil murderer of friends!” Scootaloo wouldn’t allow herself to fall victim to this trick. No cute smiles, pleading dog eyes or anything of the sort would make her go soft on Pinkie.
“What! No!” Pinkie violently objected, there’s no way she was the murderer! Or was there? “Well- I mean- What if I am?!” There was one possibility…
“Aha! I knew it! Pinkie is the killer! Case closed, this is the most cut and dried, clear cut, plain as day, indisputable, crystal clear, open and shut, case I ever did see, pack it up and send her to the Canterlot dungeons!” Sweetie Belle was eager for that confession, even though by now she should’ve learned her lesson.
But Applebloom wouldn’t budge so easily. There had to be more to this story, it wouldn’t be that simple if it didn’t.
“Wait, let’s hear her out! Pinkie, What’d you do today?” Applebloom wanted to at least give the poor mare a chance to explain herself. You’d figure that this would be the first thing they’d do when you’re accused of murder, allow you to defend yourself. But the CMCs operated on another principle most of the time.
“And- Please be brief and objective…” Sweetie Belle’s tired voice revealed that she was already having bad flashbacks of the last witness.
“Ok! So after I woke up and I spent time taking care of gummy, I went down to the bakery to make some desserts! Fluttershy had ordered me to bake a cake for her pet Bunny (It’s his birthday today) and I wanted to bring the cannon to surprise him with confetti! But I had a bunch of deliveries to do before, so I took the cannon with me while I was doing deliveries, and I was gonna have Fluttershy’s house be the last delivery.” Pinkie leaned closer to the table, both hooves on her chin as held the pose of a gossiping schoolgirl, staring at the ceiling as she continued to explain. “So with the cannon on my carriage, I went around delivering the desserts, blueberry pie for Miss Cheerilee, I gave a strawberry cupcake for Rainbow Dash and we talked for a bit, then I headed for town center to give a chocolate cake for Mayor Mare…But then…” Pinkie hesitated.
“But then what!? Answer, witness!” Scootaloo demanded a reply, but Pinkie looked visibly confused, as if she was suddenly caught in a daze. Try as she might, she couldn’t for the life of her remember exactly what had happened, only brief flashes.
“I don’t know! My memory’s all fuzzy but- I think I went to Twilight’s- And I ate something… Next thing I knew, I woke up back at home as if nothing had happened!” How could that be?! “And then- My cannon was missing! Oh, but I did have the sweet sweet after taste of Strawberry in my mouth!”
“So you’re sayin’ that you ate somethin’ and woke up back in sugarcube corner?” Applebloom knew through her classes with Twilight on magic potions that this could only be the work of an Alchemist, one who mixed a potion so strong that knocked Pinkie out suddenly.
“Yes!” Pinkie nodded. “I woke up all weird and fuzzy!”
“A likely story! What if you’re just lying to save yourself?” Scootaloo doesn’t take things at face value.
“I swear it’s what happened! You gotta believe me!” Pinkie couldn’t be more desperate for approval, but the CMCs are expert detectives. They won’t bend for a pony like Pinkie, no matter how much she begged. However, Sweetie Belle noticed a pattern.
Like with Rarity’s testimony, something had been stolen without anypony leaving a trace behind. There’s a connection between these two unrelated ponies…
And the killer too, he came and went without a trace. But nopony is like that. Surely there is a sensible explanation to the mysterious disappearance of these items, and all signs pointed directly at Twilight Sparkle. Only a book smart pony like her could’ve come up with such a contraption for the murder, and she’d also have the ability to teleport into Rarity’s room and steal the string before leaving without a trace.
Hm. Pinkie was suspicious, but not suspicious enough. This murderer had a modus operandi, their evil scheme was carefully thought out and once again, Twilight Sparkle is the only pony they knew who could calculate all possible outcomes. Things weren’t looking very sharp for her.
“Pinkie, we’ve got our eye on you, but for now you’re clear to go. Call in Twilight Sparkle.” Scootaloo ordered with both front hooves crossed. Now’s the time to catch this killer in the act.
TWILIGHT’S TESTIMONY.
“Hi girls!” Twilight smiled upon entering the clubhouse, her horn hitting the top of the door frame on accident as she did. “Ouch… Well, what do you wanna know?” She took her seat across Applebloom.
“Cut the small talk! All evidence points to you!” Scootaloo slammed her hooves on the table again, by now, it was starting to hurt. But the pain was worth it, for the truth! “So you’re saying Pinkie Pie just so HAPPENS to eat a conveniently placed food that JUST SO HAPPENS to make her dizzy and sleepy?! Only for somepony to steal her cannon and set up a trap with Rarity’s stolen string!” The self assured smile on her face made her feel invincible, and the other CMCs felt the same way. Finally, they’d caught the culprit.
“Um… I wasn’t home when Pinkie came by… Don’t you remember Scootaloo?” Huh? Scotaloo Raised her eyebrow. Remember? Oh. Oh…
“It-” Scootaloo’s proud smile turned into an embarrassing and sheepish one. “It- Um- We may- There may have been a slight issue… With our thinking process…”
“What do you mean Scootaloo?!” Applebloom was curious, what could have they possibly got wrong!? All evidence points to Twilight, it’s got to be her!
“W-Well, me and Twilight saw each other next to the town center…” Scootaloo embarrassingly admitted to her blunder, groaning with frustration.
“Yes. I was busy helping the mayor with organizing city documents with Spike.” The most boring of Alibis. “You can ask Mayor Mare and any other pony at the Town Center this morning. They’ll confirm my alibi. Pinkie would tell you she saw me too, because she gave the mayor a chocolate cake.”
Well, back to square one…
“But then- What’s with the food that Pinkie ate?!” Applebloom asked, frustrated, it seems that despite their best efforts, the truth had been muddied again. What are they even going to do at this point?
“If it helps, Rainbow Dash did ask me to make a sleeping potion for her, because she was having trouble sleeping. I gave it to her yesterday, but I don’t remember ever putting it in any kind of food…” A sleeping potion! That’s exactly what they were looking for, but how does this link back to Rainbow Dash? “When drunk, the potion will make whoever drank it fall asleep within a couple of seconds, and it’ll get you a full 10 hours of rest! But since it was in whatever Pinkie ate, the effect might’ve lasted a lot shorter, like a couple hours at least. It’s a strong Potion too, you only wake up after the effects wear off. There could be any kind of loud noise, but you still won’t wake up.”
“Okay, okay, call Rainbow dash as you leave then.” Sweetie Belle dismissed the studious unicorn, who seemed disappointed.
“Wuh!? But- I had a whole list of answers to give, I was gonna-” Twilight tried to give her reasoning, she had prepared for this moment. But she was rudely interrupted.
“We’ve heard enough from you, Witness! We’re the professionals here!” Scootaloo crossed her front hooves one over the other, as her rear sat on the ground. No witness is gonna be allowed to talk to her like that. “Leave the thinking to us!”
“Hm. Fine, I’ll leave then.” Somewhat frustrated, but mostly disappointed, Twilight left the club house, calling the next as she left, as if she was at the doctor’s.
RAINBOW’S TESTIMONY.
“This’ll be a piece of cake!” Rainbow spoke as she sat down on the seat, across the table from her was her long time number one fan. Despite how Scootaloo felt towards Rainbow, she could not let it interfere. This is serious work.
“Witness, tell us where you were at the moment of the murder.” Scootaloo leaned in. Closing the distance. Making herself appear intimidating was the best way to corner the suspect. Or maybe she just thought it’d look cool. You choose.
“Well I was napping for a few hours. Twilight gave me a potion to help me sleep, so I did! I woke up with the loud noise of Rarity’s scream right below me.” Rainbow was no stranger to naps, and the others knew that.
“Did you drink it all, then?” Sweetie Belle realized the slip up Rainbow Dash had done.
“Duh! Course I did, why wouldn’t I? Best four hours of sleep ever.” Rainbow was confident in her answer, even leaning back with a boastful grin.
“Okay, Witness. I think we have enough evidence to find out who the true culprit is.” Sweetie Belle was sure of her findings, she’d got the killer red hoofed with their pants down, caught in the act and was ready to prosecute.
The others… Weren’t really following along her line of thought just yet.
“Um, yeah! We do! So- You’re free to go, and tell all the others to meet us outside, we’ll announce the true culprit!” Applebloom pushed her out, and despite understanding none of it, Rainbow dash stepped out of the clubhouse pretty confidently.
The girls all took glances at each other in silence.
“I HAVE NO IDEA WHO IT COULD BE!” Applebloom desperately cried out.
“I KNOW!” Scootaloo groaned, hitting her head against the wall both figuratively and literally. It hurt a little bit. “THIS IS SO HARD!”
“Girls girls, calm down. I don’t think I know the full story yet, but I just might know what happened… Here, see if you can follow.” Sweetie Belle approached a blackboard with a piece of chalk floating by her side.
For the next couple of minutes, the three spoke and discussed multiple theories, who could’ve been the killer, who could’ve done it, what would their motive be, but it was pretty obvious a story was unraveling as they continued to talk and talk to each other.
Taking a step back and analyzing everything made it easy to understand who it could be. And they were confident of it. They still compared ideas and theories, and in the end, there was only one solution that fit the narrative of what had transpired that day.
Now, it’s time for the grand reveal.
The small group of six ponies gathered by the outside of the clubhouse, patiently waiting for the verdict to be handed out by these foals. Perhaps they should not trust an important matter to three little girls, but these three little girls were the best homicide detectives Ponyville had ever seen. (Partially because there were no homicides in Ponyville, so the competition was a tad sparse)
“Attention ponies!” Applebloom was the first to step out the steps of the playhouse and announce boldly. “We’ve found the true culprit to Fluttershy’s murder!”
“Yay!” Fluttershy stomped her hooves gently with a proud smile. She was happy they finally found out who killed her.
“Well tell us, we’re all eager to hear!” Twilight encouraged the trio, who nodded in agreement.
“Okay, we’ll go step by step.” Sweetie Belle got ready to recount…
THE MURDER OF FLUTTERSHY .
“This is going to be my greatest prank yet! She’ll never see it coming!” Rainbow Dash was a skilled prankster, a master in the arts of playing jokes on ponies, and today would be her best prank yet.
The elaborate plan was a contraption, a cannon which would fire as soon as the pony triggered the string, blowing them in the face with confetti and sending them flying back. It was perfect! Aside from the fact that she didn’t have any string. But perhaps someone she knew might.
Dashing through the skies of the cold early morning Ponyville air, she made her way to Rarity’s house. Having been there multiple times herself, she knew the expert dressmaker would surely have something she could use. And so, after opening the second story window to Rarity’s sewing room, she flew inside carefully so as to not wake the sleeping residents inside.
The room was a mess…
“Hey, my sewing room isn’t a mess! It’s- Organized chaos!” Rarity couldn’t believe they would speak of her room like that.
“Well- It was pretty messy when I went in… It took me like- 10 Minutes to find the string. Why do you have so many half finished projects everywhere?!” Rainbow pretty much confirmed the CMCs story.
“Art darling! You wouldn’t get it!” Rarity looked offended by her friend’s words, pouting her lips like a little kid before allowing the others to continue the story.
The room was a mess, but after sifting through the drawers, she eventually found what she needed. Once she flew back out, she forgot to close the window. Just hours later, Rarity would wake up to find her item had either gone missing, or been stolen.
Now that she had the string, she needed Pinkie’s cannon. But that was easier said than done. By now, the sunrise had turned into… Normal Sun hours, so it was high in the sky and Rainbow knew time was ticking. Flying through the clouds and stopping at sugarcube corner, she saw her friend step out with a carriage on her back, not only full of baking deliveries, but also her cannon.
Rainbow had ordered a Strawberry cupcake, and took the opportunity to approach Pinkie and ask her a few questions about her day, especially where she would be going next. She knew that Pinkie was going to be heading over to Twilight’s with the baked goods, and that’s how she was going to take her cannon away from her. She knew a sweet tooth party pony like her would never resist the allure of a sweet, beautiful cupcake with strawberry icing.
So, she rushed to Twilight’s house, which would be empty for all she knew. And so, after arriving, she placed a cupcake inside, presenting itself as an innocent little cupcake. A token of gratitude from Twilight to Pinkie. If only she knew the cupcake was laced with a sleeping potion!
Rainbow had used the potion Twilight gave her to lace the cupcake with the sleepy substance, making her fall asleep within seconds of eating it!
“Oooohhh! Y’know, that explains a lot. But why’d you carry me back to Sugarcube corner? That must’ve been hard!” Pinkie turned to her rainbow friend, who just shrugged.
“Honestly, I thought that when you woke up again at Sugarcube corner, you’d think it was all a dream, like in those comic books.” Rainbow brought her hoof to her mane, rubbing it gently. “I… Guess it didn’t work…”
“Not to mention that I would see her once I got back home.” Twilight added.
“Ooooohhhhh okay! I get it now! But still, how’d you know Twilight would be out of home?” Pinkie was starting to understand Rainbow’s Machiavellian master plan.
“I saw Twilight when I was flying back to Sugarcube corner from the Carousel boutique. I saw her walking on the street though, I didn’t exactly know where she was going. Spike was with her too, so I knew her treehouse would be empty.” A stroke of partial luck. Nevertheless, it was thought out in advance.
After getting Pinkie back to Sugarcube corner, she took the cannon with her to Fluttershy’s home, setting up the trap and waiting from above as she stalked Fluttershy all the way from Sweet Apple acres back to her house.
This is when the crime was committed. And she watched it all from above, hidden behind a cloud with an evil smile on her face cause she’s evil! And evil ponies in comics usually laugh and revel in their evil plains because they think they’re smart and evil!
And just moments after, the poor mare’s body was found.
“I’m… Going to admit girls, I wasn’t expecting you all to figure this out so quickly. Congrats!” Twilight was proud of them, but also proud of herself for helping set up the whole fake death thing just to help out the CMCs.
“Can… I go back to being alive now? Being dead isn’t that fun...” Fluttershy dragged her hoof along the dirt.
“Of course! We’d rather have you alive anyway…” Applejack added.
“Yeah well- Even after all that…” Scootaloo sighed as she looked at her flank. Still nothing.
The other girls did the same, and it was blank as always. They all lamented in unison, groaning and moaning with annoyance. Even after all that hard detective work.
“We’re still blank flanks…” Sweetie Belle sat down, her eyes closed in disappointment mostly with herself. When would it be her turn?
Applebloom and Scootaloo felt exactly the same way. The full grown mares took glances at each other, it was difficult to see these young fillies in such a state.
Applejack approached her sister with a caring smile, wrapping one hoof around her, too many times she had seen this poor foal disillusioned with her mark. Through most of this, she was disinterested, but seeing how disappointed Applebloom looked, she almost blamed herself for not showing more interest. It would’ve at least given Applebloom some hope.
“There there, don’t try n’ rush it Sugarcube, just let it happen. Think about how special it’s gonna be once it finally shows up.” Applejack wanted to reassure her sister, so that she wouldn’t be running around in circles trying to achieve something that’s out of her control.
Applebloom managed to lift her head. Applejack always knew just what to say to make her feel better.
Rarity on the other hand, just approached her sister and ran her hoof along her sister’s mane. She didn’t speak, but Sweetie Belle could tell that behind those blue eyes was a look of support.
Rainbow was the closest thing Scootaloo had to a sister really, but she followed the example of her friends with her own twist. Feelings weren’t her strong suit after all.
“Or imagine how cool it’s gonna be!” She gave Scootaloo a little elbow nudge, which was enough to bring her spirits back up. Scootaloo could already imagine the hundreds of cool cutie marks she could get.
“And, in the end, we all had some fun didn’t we?” Pinkie’s smile reminded them that maybe it wasn’t about the destination after all. The others agreed. The CMCs thought a bit more about it, coming to the realization that in the end they did get to spend more time with ponies they cared about.
“I guess we did!” Scootaloo did enjoy playing bad cop after all.
“C’mon, let’s get y’all home.” Applejack guided the group, and they were all soon on their way, walking off into the setting sun.
The CMCs learned a valuable lesson today. To trust that things will take their course, and you should just enjoy your life. Of course, this won’t stop them from attempting to get cutie marks on a variety of subjects, but it did get them thinking.
Maybe it just didn’t show up because it wasn’t a ‘real’ murder case. What if they needed to solve a true crime? Hm…
Author's Note
A goofy story I wanted to write. Don't take it too seriously. I'm also not very good at jokes and humor, but I tried my best. I also apologize for any spelling mistakes or such, I wrote and proofread this story in like a single day.
