Part 1: Murder In Ponyville *(TWILIGHT)*
Part 1: Murder In Ponyville *(TWILIGHT)*
"It's been a year, Twilight. We haven't found Applejack yet. We've got to move on," said Pinkie Pie, her eyes brimming with a mix of sadness and determination.
Twilight Sparkle nodded solemnly, her horn dimly glowing as she sifted through the last of the search reports. Applejack's disappearance had left a gaping wound in the heart of Ponyville, and Twilight felt it more than most.
Her friend's farm remained untouched, a silent sentinel to the hope that one day she would return.
Applejack left Ponyville when her sister, Apple Bloom, had died. Her passing had sent Applejack into a spiral of despair, and she'd fled the town she'd known her entire life. Twilight knew that Applejack was out there, somewhere, but the clues had gone cold, and the town's optimism was waning.
Suddenly, a Unicorn filly barged into the castle of friendship.
"Twilight... Twilight!" the young filly called out, her voice trembling. Twilight turned from her desk, her heart racing at the urgency in the filly's tone. It was Summer Breeze, one of the local detectives.
"What is it, Summer?" Twilight asked, her eyes locking onto the filly's.
Summer Breeze gulped, her breaths coming in short gasps. "I've found something. Something... something terrible," she managed to say, her eyes wide with fear.
Twilight felt a knot tighten in her stomach. "What is it?" she pressed, her voice steady despite her growing concern.
Summer Breeze led Twilight to a location in a side alley.
"Ark Sight is investigating a murder." Summer Breeze spoke so softly that Twilight had to lean in to hear her. "The victim... it's like nothing we've seen before. And he's found something that might... might be connected to Applejack's disappearance."
Twilight's eyes went wide, and she bolted out of the castle, her hooves pounding against the cobblestone streets. The alley was narrow, lined with shadows that danced with the flicker of distant lights from the main street. The smell of rain-soaked hay and rotten apples filled the air. At the far end, a single candle cast a feeble light onto the lifeless body of a pegasus stallion, a crimson pool of blood surrounding his head. The sight was grim, and Twilight's stomach lurched at the sight of his vacant eyes staring up at the night sky.
Ark, a 16-year-old earth pony, noticed Twilight and Summer Breeze. He waved them over.
"Get this! There's the word 'VENGEANCE' in big, blood-written letters." Ark pointed to the crimson message smeared across the alley wall.
"'Vengeance'?" Twilight murmured, her eyes scanning the grisly scene with a mix of horror and fascination. The word was indeed there, stark and menacing.
"Yeah. And get this, the ID is a positive match to one of those involved in Apple Bloom's... accidental death." Ark's voice trailed off, the weight of his words hanging heavily in the air.
Twilight's ears perked up, her eyes narrowing as she took in the details of the crime scene. The stallion's wings were shredded, as if something had tried to rip them from his body. She forced down the bile that threatened to rise in her throat and focused on the task at hand.
"And look." Adds Ark. "An apple was left with small lettering: 'The harvest of crimson has begun'."
Twilight's eyes widened, and she stepped closer to inspect the apple. The message was etched into its skin with precision, almost lovingly. The chilling implication sent shivers down her spine. Could this be connected to Applejack's disappearance? Was someone seeking retribution for Apple Bloom's tragic end?
"Twilight?" Ark's voice snapped her out of her trance. "You okay?"
"Yes," she said, though her voice wavered. She took a deep breath, steeling herself.
"Good. I need to tell you, I know Applejack is one of your friends, but you can't let that cloud your judgment. We have to treat this like any other case," Ark said firmly. "I know she was hurting after Apple Bloom's death, and this murder looks like it could be personal. So clearly, she's the primary suspect."
"Wait, what?" Twilight's eyes darted to Ark in shock. "You can't be serious. Applejack would never—"
"I know it's hard to hear, but we have to consider all possibilities," Ark interjected. "Her grief was intense, and the method... it's almost like she left us a signature."
Twilight felt a hot anger bubble up inside her. "You can't just assume it's Applejack because of a message and the way the pegasus was killed!" she exclaimed. "We need to investigate every angle before pointing hooves."
Ark nodded solemnly. "You're right. We'll need to be thorough. But we can't ignore the evidence. We'll have to inform the others, especially the other elements of harmony."
Twilight's mind raced as they left the alley. She knew that the Elements of Harmony had disbanded after Applejack's disappearance, each pony dealing with their grief in their own way. But if Applejack was indeed being framed, or worse, had turned to a path of vengeance, they would need to come together once more to uncover the truth and bring her back to the light.
Next morning , the five of them gathered in the town hall, the room filled with a tension as thick as the dust on the forgotten books lining the shelves. Rainbow Dash looked skeptical, Fluttershy was visibly upset, Rarity's mane was a mess, and Pinkie Pie had lost her usual exuberance. Only Twilight remained outwardly calm, though her insides felt like they were in a tornado.
Ark Sight and Summer Breeze entered the town hall, their expressions grim as they approached the makeshift gathering of the Elements of Harmony. Twilight looked around at her friends, feeling a sense of dread she hadn't experienced since the day Applejack disappeared.
"It couldn't have been Applejack," Twilight insisted, her voice cutting through the heavy silence. "We know her; she would never do something like this."
"We might know Applejack, but we don't know what she's capable of when pushed to the brink," Summer Breeze said, her voice trembling slightly. "We need to follow the evidence, no matter where it leads."
"I'm not listening to this," Twilight exclaimed, storming off.
Author's Note
Hey! Arksight here! You can tell who my self-insert is, right? It's Ark Sight!
Part 2: The Meeting *(ARK)*
Part 2: The Meeting *(ARK)*
Ark sighed as Twilight stormed out, understanding her feelings.
"I guess that's the end of the conversation." Summer Breeze said, and looked at the closed door.
Rarity hovered over to the detective. "Twilight's right, you know. Applejack isn't a killer."
Pinkie Pie nodded. "I'm more of a killer than Applejack is or will ever be!" She said, giggling.
The room stared at her, confusion painted on their faces.
"Not like I'd ever!" Pinkie Pie quickly added, her laughter dying down as she realized what she had just said.
Ark suppressed a laugh. "And we know where you'd hide the body to make it seem unassuming." He joked.
Everypony in the room gasped in shock and confusion.
Summer sighed. "Alright, you two, tell me what in Celestia's name you two are on about," she said, her eyes darting between Ark and Pinkie.
"Well, Pinkie can view into alternate timelines where she's a... let's say, psycho. Who turns her kills into cupcakes," Ark said with a straight face.
Pinkie groaned. "I told you not to tell anyone about the 'millions of different Pinkie Pies' theory," she muttered, her cheeks flushing pink.
Ark put his hoof over to his mouth.
Summer laughed. "Well, that's... something new."
"Okay, back to business," Ark said, his tone shifting to one of seriousness. "We need to consider every possibility here, and that includes Applejack's involvement."
The room fell silent again, and Twilight's absence was palpable. Rainbow Dash, ever the pragmatic one, spoke up. "We can't just ignore the evidence because we don't want it to be true. We've got to find out what's going on. And even if the evidence pointing to AJ is real, she probably has a good reason to kill somepony."
"There's no 'if'. She didn't do it," Fluttershy spoke up, her voice firm despite her quivering wings. "We have to believe in Applejack. You especially, Dash. You're the element of loyalty, so for Celestia's sake, be loyal!"
"Sometimes, loyalty means believing in your friend. Sometimes, it means asking yourself that if indeed your friend did do something terrible, trying to understand why," Rainbow Dash said, her eyes meeting Fluttershy's. "We're not betraying Applejack by considering every possibility. We're just trying to find her. And if she indeed is, as the clues say, the murderer, she has good reason."
Ark nodded. "As a matter of fact, the ID of the deceased pony matches someone from Apple Bloom's accidental death."
"See?" Rainbow exclaims. "What if, in fact, the death of Apple Bloom wasn't, in fact, an accident, but a murder committed by the now deceased..."
"Who." Ark Sight clarified.
"Wait, you don't know the name?" Pinkie exclaimed.
"Oh, not this." Summer whispered, her eyes welling up with tears. "Not this Abbott and Costello routine again. The real name is Firetreader."
"You take the fun right out of this, Summer." Ark complained. "Can't you appreciate a good old fashioned 'who's on first'?"
"Anyway!" Rainbow said, clearing her throat. "As I was saying, what if Apple Bloom's death was a murder committed by Firetreader and other ponies?"
"And Applejack is out there, taking justice into her own hooves?" Ark finished.
"You two have a point." Summer replied.
"Glad you admit that I, and Dash, are both smarter than you." Ark quipped, a smirk playing on his lips, as he knew what Summer would respond.
"Quit while you're ahead, Ark." Summer replied, rolling her eyes.
Ark mentally applauded himself. "I knew you were going to say that," he said with a chuckle.
"Celestia, give me strength," Summer Breeze whispered under her breath, her eyes closed for a brief moment. She took a deep breath and turned to the others. "Alright, let's look at this logically. If Applejack is seeking vengeance, we need to understand why. And if she isn't, we need to find out who's framing her."
The ponies nodded in agreement, the gravity of the situation weighing heavily on them. Ark Sight broke the silence. "First, let's get Twilight back. She's not going to be much help if she's off on her own, getting herself into trouble," she said, her voice a mix of concern and determination.
"She's probably not gonna be much help anyways," Summer Breeze replied, getting looks from everyone in the room except Pinkie Pie, who was busy examining a mysterious stain on the floor. "But you're right, Rainbow Dash. We need to be united on this."
So Ark and Summer went off to search for Twilight.
"Did you know, Summer?" Ark asked.
"Know what?" Summer replied, her eyes searching the rain-soaked streets for any sign of Twilight.
"This." And then Ark gently booped her on the nose.
Summer groaned. "I love you, Ark, but sometimes you can be so annoying."
"It's part of my charm," Ark quipped, giggling. Then he noticed an alicornesque silhouette in the window of a restaurant. "Look, Twilight's in there," he pointed.
They found Twilight sitting alone at a corner booth, her head buried in her hooves.
"Twilight?" Ark asked.
Twilight looked up. "Well, if it isn't the dynamic detective duo," she said, her voice laced with sarcasm. "What do you want?"
"First of all, sorry for saying Applejack might be involved," Summer Breeze began, her voice sincere. "But we have to explore every lead, no matter how much it hurts. But you're highly likely to be right, and she's not the one we should be looking for. Someone's using her grief to their advantage."
"But even in the very, very, *very* slim chance she's involved," Ark began, his voice tentative, "she has reason."
Twilight's eyes met his, the sarcasm draining away. "What do you mean?"
Ark took a deep breath. "The pegasus you saw in the alley, Firetreader, had a history of causing trouble around Ponyville. I've had reports of him being involved in shady dealings, even before Apple Bloom's death. And the way he was killed... it's personal, Twilight. Too personal for it to be just some random act of violence."
Twilight's gaze sharpened. "What are you suggesting?"
Ark steeled himself, taking a deep breath and speaking fast. "IsuspectthatFiretreaderandhiscohortsmurderedAppleBloom."
"Huh?" Twilight asked.
Summer sighed. "Ark Sight said, 'I suspect that Firetreader and his cohorts murdered Apple Bloom'."
Twilight's eyes widened. "What?!" She leapt to her hooves, knocking over her chair in the process. "Why wasn't this looked into before?"
"Actually, Twilight, I was trying to tell you before, but your emotions got the better of you." Ark Sight replied.
Twilight's expression softened, and she took a seat again, her mind racing. "Well, we need to investigate this. If Applejack is being framed, we must find the real culprits and bring them to justice," she said, her voice firm. "But if it is Applejack, as the death of Firetreader suggests, we need to understand her motives and help her before she goes too far." She then puts a hoof to her heart. "I am terribly sorry my emotions overruled my logic. This is a serious matter, and we must handle it as such."
Author's Note
Hey again! There's a ship with OCs here. I ship myself and Summer! There we go. I said it.
