The Fashion of Evil

by Wolfboy183

Rating: teen
Tags: Adventure, Dark
Length: 11545

Photo Finish is one of Equestria's famous fashion photographers. She is well known for choosing unique combinations of fashion designs and ponies to model them. She is best known for boosting the careers of designers and models alike. She is also infamous for taking ponies against their will as models. A year after a local pony, Fluttershy, is last seen with Photo Finish and disappears, she re-surfaces in Ponyville seeking help. Fluttershy is re-captured by Photo Finish, and the Carousel Boutique is burned to the ground. Photo Finish's efforts to remove Rarity from the fashion industry trigger an investigation by Ponyville's brightest, Twilight Sparkle. What starts out as a move to find and rescue Fluttershy turns into a nightmare as Twilight unravels the mysteries of the fashion industry and finally exposes the real Photo Finish.

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2013-02-17 10:22:06 UTC

Guardhouse

Ponyville Hospital, 3:21 P.N. (4:12 PM)

The Mane Six group walked down the hallways of the Ponyville Hospital with Dr. Stable.

“How is she, Doctor?” Twilight asked as she followed the unicorn doctor (who treated Rainbow Dash for a broken wing a few years ago) down the hall.

“I’ll tell you right now, not good. We’ve manage to stabilize her, however, her magic readings are no less than disturbing. We’ve also confirmed she is in a coma, Celestia knows how long she’ll be comatose for. I speculate she should wake up within a week or two, after her horn’s healed and the magic in her body stabilized. We’re going to keep Rarity in intensive care while the magic in her body stabilizes.”

“Any other injuries? Like burns, or smoke inhalation?”

“Actually none, the pony medics found her safely outside the Boutique.”

Twilight recalled Bon Bon and Lyra saying they dragged Rarity to safety. She only asked to see if she’d get a different story from the doctor.

“Ah, here we are,” the doc said, opening the door to the room Rarity was in.

There was Rarity, tucked in bed. Twilight saw that her horn was bandaged up.

“Any idea how she was hurt?” Twilight asked.

“Considering she was nearly fried, she had taken more than she could handle. Her horn was nearly destroyed, her nervous system shot, and nearly all of her muscles have become extremely stiff, to the point she can hardly breathe. I believe she had been using magic too intensively, and too long, and eventually she lost control of it.”

Twilight, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash all nodded and listened as Dr. Stable summarized his reports. Rarity lay unconscious in bed, hooked up to a pile of equipment which included an oxygen tank, feeding tube, heart rate monitor and magic monitor. The machines beeped in unison, producing a four note tune that repeated continuously.

Dr. Stable continued speaking. “Her blood sugar levels are extremely low, too close to the minimum safe limit, which is why we’re administering a special formula via the feeding tube. Magic levels are stabilizing, although somewhat erratic at the moment. Her brain is swollen, muscles extremely tense. When Rarity gets out, she will need to undergo rehabilitation to get her strength back. The most serious damage, however, is her horn. She received too much magic and it has been overloaded. The entire horn has been fractured, and we’re not yet sure it will hold while the bone structure heals. If the tissues in her horn break down, the magic glands produce uncontrolled amounts of magic which could kill her. In addition, the naturally occurring solution which contains the magic could potentially leak into her bloodstream. If that happens, her chances of survival will basically drop to zero. Any questions?”

Pinkie Pie’s eyes widened with tears and terror. “You mean...you mean she’s gonna die????”

Pinkie had already seen the fire that destroyed the Carousel Boutique, and that re-ignited some old bad memories.

“Pinkie Pie, simmer down. Rarity isn’t gonna die,” Applejack assured her.

“Yes,Doc,” Twilight replied, “you said she is in a coma. How long do you think that could last?”

The unicorn doctor shrugged. “It all depends on her recovery. The coma is mostly attributed to the magic damage she sustained externally and internally. Her brain has allocated much of her body’s resources and energy to dealing with the damage. If and when the horn has been sufficiently healed and the magic-brain barrier fully restored, her brain will divert energy back to it’s usual pattern of usage, hence, the patient will be conscious and coherent again. I assure you, we have given Rarity everything she needs: oxygen, a feeding formula, a white blood cell transfusion, stem cells, magic absorbent drugs, anti-inflammatories, and such. The rest is up to her. She is in Celestia’s wings now, all you can do to help her is pray.”

“Thank you, doctor,” Twilight said, not taking her eyes off Rarity.

“I must go tend to the other patients now. Don’t stay too long, the patient needs her rest.” Dr. Stable said as he trotted out of the room.

“Rarity,” Pinkie said, leaning close to her, “You’re one of my best friends in the whole wide world! Please don’t die, please!”

Applejack gently nudged her away. “Enough of the water works, Pinkie, she’ll be fine, you’ll see.”

On the other side of the bed, Rainbow Dash was fuming with rage. All she could think about was revenge.

“Just wait till I get my hooves on the pony who did this. When I find out who he is, that pony’s going to be bucking dead.”

“Rainbow Dash!” Applejack snapped, “Mind yer’ tongue, will ya. Yer’ in the hospital for apple’s sake!”

“Why not? I’m gonna pound the living snot out of that pony! I’m gonna break off his hooves, shove them up his butt, rip his eyeballs out and shove ‘em down his throat, then I’m gonna bring down ten thousand lightning bolts right to his acorn sack, and then I’m gonna sonic rainboom his flank straight to hell. He’ll be begging me for mercy, and then I’m gonna-”

“Shhhh!” Applejack hissed, with a hoof to her mouth, “RD, yer’ scarin’ the other patients. Simmer yer saddle already.”

Rainbow Dash turned around and saw two other patients lying in their beds. They all looked at her with angst in their eyes.

“Heh, sorry you guys- hey, weren’t you in here before?”

The others looked and saw it was the pony named Hard Knocks. She had been in here back when Rainbow Dash was hospitalized following a real bad flying crash.

Nurse Redheart appeared at the door.

“Excuse me, but I think it’s best you go and let Rarity and the other patients rest.”

“Will do,” Applejack said as she trotted past the door, “Come along, Pinkie. Rarity will be just fine and dandy. You’ll see,” she assured Pinkie Pie with a nudge. “Twilight, Ah’m gonna go get Sweetie Belle from school and bring her home with me. She can stay at the farm ‘til we all sort this big mess out.”

“That’s a great idea,” Twilight said.

Rainbow Dash followed Applejack and Pinkie. She was too pissed off to say anything.

“Twilight?” the nurse beckoned, “That means you too.” Twilight didn’t respond, she just sat perched at the end of Rarity’s bed, looking at her.

“Twilight?” Nurse Redheart said, bringing Twilight out of her deep thoughts.

“Um, yes?”

“I need to ask you to leave. Rarity needs her rest, and your friends are waiting outside for you.”

“Oh-, uh, right, I’ll be out in a minute.”

The nurse pony nodded and walked down the hall.

After she was gone, Twilight closed the door, and removed two of the blank crystals from her saddle pouch, and went to work.

Using her hooves, she carefully pried open Rarity’s mouth, and saw that the oxygen tube went down her throat. Twilight slipped a crystal into her friend’s mouth and let it close. The crystal flashed, and Twilight tensed. Any outside magic could cause a lethal reaction to Rarity, but Twilight had to do this. She had to know who did this to her. After about ten minutes, the crystal echoed a muffled beep, and Twilight carefully removed it. Then she began the most delicate task- obtaining a magic sample from Rarity’s severely damaged horn.

Twilight briefly prayed to Celestia, then carefully and slowly removed the bandages from the horn. The horn was red and purple, the hairs around its base singed black. Twilight gently placed the blank crystal next to the horn and waited, hoping nopony would enter the room.

After another ten minutes, Twilight put both crystals away and re-bandaged Rarity’s horn. Rarity didn’t wake up at all. With a last look, Twilight exited the room and left the hospital.

She would have extracted Rarity's memory but she didn't want to risk killing her. Twilight would have to wait until or if Rarity woke up.

+ +

Ponyville School. 3:38 P.N. (4:22 PM)

At the Ponyville School, Sweetie Belle was not allowed to leave when the other fillies went home. Of course she knew why. Everypony could see the black column of smoke rising from where the Carousel Boutique used to be. When the fire first began, the flames were visible from the school.

She was being held in detention and it wasn’t even her fault.

“It’s about time that shop burnt to the ground,” Diamond Tiara had said earlier that afternoon.

Sweetie recalled the conversation.

“Why would you say that? I know you hate me because I’m a blank flank, but why do you hate my sister and our home so much?” Sweetie protested.

“Ugh, it’s more than you can even understand,” Silver Spoons sneered.

“Definitely,” Diamond continued, “Your mom, er- I mean ‘sister,’ is just a pathetic wannabe and a loser. The dresses she makes are horrible, and so is everything else she ever made. My daddy says she’s an embarrassment to all ponies who design fashion. Look on the bright side, Orphan Belle, whoever burnt down your mother’s shop did everypony a favor, including you.”

“What? What the hay, Diamond Tiara! And she's not my mother. She's my sister, and she's in the hospital! She could have died!”

Diamond and Silver Spoons both scoffed and chuckled.

“Well, she deserves it, and she’s so stuck up. She thinks she is all that. My cousin would smash her head in with his hooves if she ever showed up in his town,” Silver Spoons chaffed.

“Oh yeah?” Sweetie Belle snapped back, “Well, my cousin Babs Seed would smash both your heads in for talking like that about anypony!”

"Well, Silver Spoon scoffed, "she’s in Manehattan so what’s she going to do about it?”

“Think of it this way,” Diamond Tiara said, placing a hoof around Sweetie Belle’s shoulders, “She’ll probably die, well everypony hopes she will, and you will be free of her forever. Don’t think we don’t know what she says about you. She doesn’t even care about you. Rarity always thought you were a burden. Perhaps that is why her, ahem, ‘line of work’ has gone down the ditch. Ever since you were born, she had to focus on keeping you alive, so thanks to you, she is a failure.”

Sweetie Belle started tearing up. She tried to hold it back. She knew deep down, Diamond Tiara, a manipulative, coercive, conniving spoiled princess, was right.

“Look on the bright side,” Diamond continued, “If you’re lucky, you might get adopted by the Apple Family. You’ll probably be useful shoveling manure and bucking the apples out of their trees. That’s probably all you’ll be good for. Then of course, if the Apples don't want you, then you just might ending up living with, ew, Derpy Hooves!"

And with that and a laugh, she and Silver Spoons walked out of the school building.

Sweetie Belle sat at her desk, with her head down, crying silently. Cherilee sat behind her teacher’s desk reading paperwork.

Sweetie did not want to live at the Apple farm. They had endless chores day and night, and when fillies worked too slow, Applejack shouted at them. That’s all she, Scootaloo, and Dinky Doo did when the four of them went to spend nights, weekends, and holidays with the Apple family. Sometimes, they had likened Sweet Apple Acres to a labor camp.

She thought about sneaking out. She thought about living with Scootaloo and her family. The Loo’s were really nice and welcoming, for her anyway. She decided she would go live with the Loo’s. The clock ticked loudly, and Cheerilee hummed to herself.

Two other foals sat at their desks, saying nothing. Sweetie Belle looked at the clock. 3:44 P.N. or post noon (4:27 PM). It had been 45 minutes since the rest of the class got out.

Sweetie slowly got up, careful not to make a noise. She tip-hoofed her way to the cubby area, then near the door, which was open. Problem was, it was next to Cherilee’s desk.

But her hopes of escaping quickly evaporated, as Applejack showed up.

“Howdy, Miss Cherilee,” She greeted her in her loud southern voice.

“Good afternoon. You’re here to pick up Sweetie Belle?”

“You betcha,”

Sweetie Belle hid behind one of the display boards. She desperately hoped not to get noticed-

“Sweetie Belle! Come on out!” Applejack barked.

Sweetie’s heart sank, and she slowly stepped out from behind the display board.

“What’cha doin’ hidin’ behind that there wheeler wall thing?” Applejack demanded.

Sweetie Belle just looked down at the floor, “I...I was just looking for a snack I brought...”

Applejack walked up to her, and gave her the look.

“What have I told you about lyin’ to yer’ Auntie Applejack?”

“I’m...sorry....”

“An’ don’t go telling me you don’t like stayin’ on the farm. The fresh air and all them chores is good fer’ you. Speaking of which, we best get on home, Grab yer’ bag and come along now.”

Once they were outside the school, Sweetie asked, “Is Rarity okay?”

“Oh yeah, she’s fine,” Applejack replied, “She’s jus’ in the hospital, sleepin’ it off. She’ll need to sleep fer’ definitely a few days, hun. The doc said we won’t be allowed to visit her for at least a week.

“Oh...” Sweetie Belle murmured as she walked with Applejack back to the farm.

+

Of course, Applejack didn’t let Sweetie Belle off for lying to her at school, and she set her and Applebloom to work cleaning manure out of the pig pens. To Applebloom, this wasn’t punishment. The fillies knew Applejack was big on corporal punishment, and they always behaved good and worked hard to avoid getting a ‘hoof-beat’n.’

The two worked quietly but slowly as the day wore down. After moving all the manure to the compost pit, Applejack put them in the wash tub with lots of soap. After that they were put to work making supper. Granny Smith rambled on about Apple family tradition while they cooked the food, and snapped at them for making errors. Granny Smith had become too frail to work in the kitchen. She was on her way out.

After eating and cleaning the dishes, the two fillies worked on their school work, then it was off to bed.

“‘An don’t let me catch you complaining’ about bein’ on this here farm,” Applejack said to her before closing the door. As Sweetie tried to sleep, she couldn’t keep Diamond Tiara’s words from echoing back and forth through her mind. She cried silently. Diamond Tiara's words felt like a knife through her heart.

+ +

Golden Oaks Library, 5:81 P.N. (around 8 PM)

The Sun was slowly setting, bathing Ponyville and the surrounding county with a golden stream of amber.

Safely secluded in her basement lab below the Golden Oaks Library (her home and work place), Twilight Sparkle set to work the minute she got home.

Twilight placed both crystals into a machine she called a magic analyzer. She had become interested in magic forensics and built this machine from a design she saw in a magazine. The machine would identify the magic signature, much like a DNA signature, via the altered molecular patterns in the crystals’ semi-fluid crystalline interiors.

After an hour, she came back down to her basement lab and checked the results: the magic signatures from both crystals she used on Rarity added up, but did not match the magic signature from the crystal she used on the burnt wreckage of the Boutique. Now she was pursuing two enemies.

Twilight put together a report, and galloped to the Town Guardhouse as fast as she could with her findings.

+ +

Ponyville Town Guard House, 6:51 P.N.

“I have identified the magic signatures of two unicorn suspects,” Twilight explained to the members of the Ponyville Town Guard in the small meeting room at the guardhouse. She had given them a paper with details of the magic crystals to pass around.

“...the burning of the Boutique and the assault on Rarity were two separate attacks.”

“Is that all?” Chief Tibbs grunted as he reached for his coffee.

“Well, that’s what I have so far. I would like to check these magic signatures against the national unicorn database in Canterlot, and find out who did this. But...I need a permit from the Canterlot Royal Guard to go there.”

“Well, that’s just great,” Tibbs grunted with displeasure, “Now we got two dangerous unicorns lurking around Ponyville. One burns down the Boutique, the other fries up Rarity with magic, and of course nopony witnessed the whole thing. Well, Lyra and Bon Bon saw what happened, and they ain’t talking.”

The other guard ponies, dressed in their blue uniforms muttered to one another.

“Sparkle, what say I have the bucks grab Lyra and Bon Bon and bring those two in? Because right now, you don’t even have a suspect, and the rest of us all think Lyra had something to do with it. I mean how exactly does Lyra, a unicorn, have a...skip in her memory? One minute she and Bon Bon are having their leisurely stroll along the river, the next minute they see the whole Carousel Boutique up in flames.”

The town guard officers grunted in agreement.

Twilight sighed. “Chief, lots of ponies who witnessed the start of the fire said the same thing. It was probably a spell of some sort to conceal the fire as it began-”

“And,” the chief interrupted her, “Lyra is a unicorn. Lyra is crazy. She’s got a few oats missing of you know what I mean. Imagine that, Lyra Heartstrings, serial arsonist, burnin’ down all of Ponyville.”

“Ugh,” Twilight grunted in frustration, “You want to bring her in for questioning, fine. Bring them both in. I’ll make them talk.”

“You heard her, Timbit and John Bull. You and three other guys get out there and bring me those two. If they put up a fight, tenderize them.”

“Yes, sir,” Timbit and John Bull both barked. Three other guys joined them and they quickly exited the room.

“Now then,” Chief Tibbs grunted, “Any new witness reports?”

A old buck, sporting a brownish-grey coat with a whitened green mane, raised a hoof.

“What is it, Beef Oates?”

Beef Oates cleared his throat. “My boys and I have spoken to numerous ponies in the north east quarter. Ponies don’t like to talk, but give a few words of convincing and praise to the foals, and they’ll tell you anything you ask. Quite a number of them fillies told me they spotted Photo Finish trotting around town these last few days. As you all know, Photo Finish is a fashion celebrity, and quite the number of ponies flock around her when she’s in town. They think they’re around a deity or something like that. A few ponies reported seeing Photo Finish enter the Carousel Boutique, along with her retinue of bodyguards, shortly before the place lit up.”

Twilight’s ears perked up at the information. She didn’t believe Lyra would have it in her to set a building on fire, but also didn’t expect the likes of Photo Finish being added to the suspect or ‘ponies of interest’ list either. Of course, she knew Photo Finish was an earth pony.

“How many others with her?” Tibbs demanded.

“Five. According to witness statements, they forcefully entered the Boutique at 2:86 P.N. 3:51 PM , broke down the door and disappeared. Right after the break-in, three stallions, dressed up all fancy-like in suits, exited the building and ran around the back. Our witnesses then said they saw the door appear fully intact, and many believed it was an illusion spell.”

Chief Tibbs nodded with satisfaction. He recalled first pony running to the guard house reporting the break in arriving at before 3:00 past noon 4:00 PM . He sent half the troops lounging around the guardhouse out to the Boutique to apprehend the criminals. By the time they got there, the place was ablaze.

The culprits had gotten away.

“Oates,” the chief grunted, “Are any of these ponies unicorns?”

“One witness counted two of them.”

“I have a question, Mr. Oates,” Twilight asked,”Did any of your witnesses say anything about why Photo Finish and her crew barged into the Carousel Boutique?”

Beef Oates stroked his beard with a hoof. “Ah, that’s right. Them witnesses said a yellow pegasus ran into the Boutique about five minutes earlier. They said she had a cutie mark with butterflies and an orange mane...or was it a pink mane? I’m not sure. Nopony really paid attention until they hoof kicked the door down.”

Twilight’s ears perked and her eyes widened. Fluttershy.

“...umm, thank you, Mr. Oates.”

Chief Tibbs turned to Twilight and said, “Well, Sparkle, there’s your lead,” then he turned to the crowd: “Everypony, thanks for your information. Any new witness reports, write them down and put ‘em in my inbox and I’ll have Sparkle look ‘em over. As of now, she here is officially with the town guard, as the main investigator of this case. You will take up any and all concerns with her, and you will obey all her requests for assistance on related matters. Due to the nature of this case, all further investigation will be confidential and is not to be discussed anywhere anytime unless it’s directly with Sparkle in private. In addition, Sparkle now has full access to the Guardhouse, and any ponies we bring in. All you daytimers, go home and get some shut eye. All you night’ers get out there and get to work. Dismissed!”

The guard ponies filed out of the room. Twilight remained in her seat and drank some water.

“Welcome to the guard,” Chief Tibbs said, tossing Twilight a badge, surprising her.

“Me? You actually want me on the force?”

“How the hay are you going to do your job we treat you like a normal citizen? You did alot for the town guard already. you cleaned out our backlog of old cases, and helped us keep everypony in line. I’d be stupid not to hire a bright mind like yours, Sparkle. I think I told you before that I really don’t like the idea of some crazy unicorn burning down the whole town. You know how dry it’s been these last few weeks. Ponyville is a powder box. If it weren’t for the pegasi and their rain clouds, them embers from the Boutique would have lit this whole town up like the Sun Celebration fireworks.”

There was a knock on the door.

“What is it?” Tibbs barked at the officer pony.

“Chief Tibbs, We have the suspects Lyra and Bon Bon in custody. They’ve just been booked and are in the detention cells.”

“Thank you, Zip. On your way. They’re all yours Sparkle. If you want, you can use some more of those fancy memory crystals.”

“Thank you sir.”

+  +  +

Lyra and Bon Bon

Ponyville Town Guardhouse. 6:80 PN

“Look,” Sweetie Drops fumed furiously, “Lyra and I told you, and the town guard about everything we saw at least five times now. I do not appreciate being arrested during supper and dragged down here just so you can audit us and find a way to blame us for the fire.”

Fed up with her attitude, Twilight banged the table with her hoof. “And I don’t appreciate your sour attitude,” she said with authority, “for your information, you and Lyra are both suspects in this case. At this rate, both of you could face charges of grand arson and attempted murder. I doubt you two were actually responsible, but I could still have you booked for obstruction of justice and interfering with a town guard officer.”

“You don’t scare me,” Sweetie retorted, “Just because you have a badge hanging around your neck doesn’t make you anything special.”

“Okay, then how about this,” Twilight suggested, “we write up charges against both of you, and you and Lyra are shipped off to Canterlot and tried for your crimes in the Canterlot Supreme Court, convicted, and sentenced to death via a burning at the stake. You both will be tied up to a giant wooden stake over the pyre in the justice hall at Canterlot. Princess Celestia ignites the firewood with a beam from her horn, and you both burn alive. How does that sound?”

Lyra sitting next to Sweetie, started to shake with fear. Sweetie was outright disgusted with Twilight

“Shame on you,” she spat bitterly, “Using such intimidation tactics on us. My mother always told me never to trust anypony from Canterlot. Why are you doing this? She has bad anxiety, you’re going to give her a panic attack.

“Because,” Twilight said seriously,  “I want to make it clear what will happen to you two if you don’t cooperate from this moment onward. I am not lying about having you two booked for the crime. The justice system isn’t perfect, and its flaws are used to frame and punish innocent ponies. Such tactics are also used against those who don’t help out when asked. It’s proven to be an effective deterrent against insubordination, so please, give me the information I want, when I want. Don’t throw away your lives, it’s not worth it.”

“You...” Sweetie seethed, “would have us killed just to enforce this power trip you’re on? To control us? What in Celestia’s name have we ever done to you?”

“You’re missing the point,” Twilight argued, “I won’t write up any of that paper work, but the town guard sure as hell will. I’m simply asking, well, demanding your help, they’re the ones who will see to it that you do or die. So what’s it going to be?”

“I told you we already explained everything!” Sweetie shouted.

“Allright, suit yourself, just expect to live here for a long time,” Twilight threatened, “The Town Guard doesn’t mess around. Not with suspects, not even with witnesses. It is their- I mean, our job to keep the peace and enforce the laws in Ponyville.”

“What are you getting out of abusing us like this? Why?” Sweetie demanded.

Twilight got up and slammed both front hooves on the table and leaned in real close so that she and Sweetie were face to face.

“Because,” she snarled, “I almost lost a dear friend today! She is in the hospital in a coma. And another friend was kidnapped over a year ago and she has something to do with whoever burned down the Carousel Boutique! All you’re concerned about is your little vacation, for all I know the lives of two of my friends are hanging in the balance! So if you have any decency, take the crystal or start talking!”

Both Sweetie and Lyra were taken aback by Twilight’s sudden fury. Twilight hadn’t slept in over a day and the stress was beginning to make her go crazy.

"We’ll talk, okay? Just calm down and ask whatever, and we’ll answer best we can. You haven’t even asked us anything-”

“That’s because you’ve been bitching the minute I entered the room!” Twilight nearly shouted. She was becoming more and more irrationally pissed off by the second.

“Take it easy, will ya?”

The door opened, and Chief Tibbs appeared. “Hey Sparkle, what’s going on in here?”

Twilight turned to look at him and he saw that twitch in her eye.

“Maybe you ought to take a break? There’s some hot coffee in the mess room," he suggested. Twilight worked with the Town Guard long enough for him to notice when she became overtired and started to become manic.

“....right. Thank you Chief,” then she turned to face Lyra and Sweetie Drops.

“I will be back, and when I do, I expect the three of us to have a decent, meaningful, productive conversation, understand?”

Lyra quickly nodded. Sweetie just glared back. Twilight got up, and exited the room. She slammed the door behind her, scaring them both.

+

“They talking, Sparkle?” Tibbs asked.

“They will, they will.” Twilight breathed, “or I’ll shove a sack of memory crystals down each of their throats.”

“Calm down, Sparkle. Ya gotta be professional about this. Did you tell them that we all think Lyra’s a suspect?”

“Wait, wasn’t it somepony else-”

“Did you tell her, though?” Tibbs grunted, nodding a hint in her direction.

“Eeyup,” Twilight said flatly as she took a swig of her coffee.

+

Twilight entered the interrogation room feeling slightly relaxed. She placed a stack of papers on the table as she sat.

“Now, the things I want to ask,” Twilight began, “For the last two days, a pony by the name of Photo Finish and her entourage have been in town. They are under suspicion for being involved in the fire.. What do you know about them and have you been involved with them at any time in your lives?”

A quiet minute passed. Lyra cleared her throat and opened her mouth to speak when Sweetie silenced her with a mean look.

“Don’t you dare interfere with her,” Twilight snapped, “Go ahead Lyra, what is it?”

Lyra wanted to speak, but was too afraid to. Then again she hardly spoke to anypony at all.

This isn’t working, Twilight thought, screw it, I'll get her memories on a crytal.

“Okay, Lyra, if you don’t want to say anything, you don’t have to. What about you, Sweetie Drops? I saw that look you gave her. I know you have something to tell me. What is it?”

“We don’t know Photo Finish,” she replied, “well, not personally anyways. At the most, we attended her fashion shows and exhibitions here in town. Lyra has had a weird fascination with Photo Finish. Whenever Photo Finish is in town, Lyra joins the flock of ponies who follow her around until she leaves. You know how they get about celebrity ponies. It just so happened that one day, Lyra came face to face with her and Fluttershy four years ago, you know when Fluttershy modeled for her. Photo Finish gave Lyra her autograph and Lyra got her picture taken with the two of them. Now she keeps it as shrine in our home. Her obsession is ridiculous.”

Twilight examined Lyra inquisitively while she listened. Lyra stared down at the table in shame. Sweetie was putting her down.

“Why are you speaking about her like that? Aren’t you two really close...friends?”

“Why does it matter to you?” Sweetie shot back, “That’s our private business. Lyra is messed up in the head. Sometimes I have to set her straight.”

“Right,” Twilight said with tension. She gathered Sweetie was controlling Lyra. But their relationship wasn’t what she wanted to dig up.

“When did you two first hear about Photo Finish?”

“We read about her in the local newspaper about six years ago, in the fashion section. And every now and then, there’s something about her in the fashion or photographer magazines.”

“What about Rarity? What’s your relationship with her?” Twilight asked.

“She’s just a stuck up twat,” Sweetie spat. Twilight resisted the urge to lay a hoof upside her head. she continued talking, “Rarity think she is better than everypony all because she tries to act regal. More than once Lyra has been kicked out of her shop, and Rarity threatened to sue us when Lyra accidentally knocked her into the mud, ruining her dress.”

“What do you mean accidentally?” Twilight demanded.

Sweetie shrugged, glared at Lyra. “It was an attempt to give her a hug. Lyra, for some reason thought Rarity was connected to Photo Finish, so for her it was like interacting with Photo Finish herself.”

“Right...” Twilight didn’t know where to go with this. “But overall, there was never any real dispute between you and Rarity?”

“No, not really. She wasn’t worth my time. Nor Lyra’s.

“I see.”

Twilight continued asking questions until she grew impatient with Sweetie Drops' sour attitude and constant dodging of questions, and of course her intervention every time Lyra tried to speak up.

“You know what, this isn’t going anywhere,” Twilight sighed in frustration. She looked at the clock. it was getting late.

“Damn right it isn’t going anywhere. You have the wrong ponies. How about you let us go now?”

“In due time,” Twilight snapped, “Chief!”

“What is it, Sparkle?” Chief Tibbs asked when he entered the interrogation room. “Any luck with these two?”

“No, sir. I would like to have them separated so I can speak with them one-on-one. Sweetie Drops has been preventing Lyra from speaking at all, which leads me to suspect that she’s controlling her.”

“Hold on a minute!” Sweetie snapped, “What are you doing? You can’t split us up, Lyra needs me!”

“Actually, we can,” the chief barked back.

“Lyra!” she shouted as two guards entered the room. “Say something, dammit! Tell them they’re lying!”

Lyra mustered up the courage to speak. “Up yours, Bon Bon.”

Sweetie Drops' eyes widened with surprise, then she was filled with outrage.

Twilight took that as a major sign, and the guards grabbed Sweetie and hauled her off the bench.

She screamed and shouted as she was forcefully dragged out of the room. During the ordeal, Lyra just sat and stared down, cringing and fighting back tears until the officers dragged Sweetie Drops into the hall and slammed the door behind them.

The door slammed shut and the room fell silent.

“What about her?” the chief asked, nodding at Lyra.

“No, I still want to speak with her,” Twilight said, "Sweetie Drops refuses to let her speak. From now on, I want them completely separated and isolated from one another."

“Very well. By the way, Sparkle, I’m authorizing you to get memory and magic samples from them and use whatever means necessary to ensure their cooperation.”

“Thank you, Chief.”

The chief exited the room, shutting the door behind him. Twilight looked and saw Lyra was scared witless.

“It’s okay, you’re safe now,” Twilight assured her with a soothing voice. “I won’t let her bother you anymore, understand. Please feel free to tell me what you wanted to say."

Lyra looked up as her eyes filled with tears, then she started crying. Twilight stroked her mane to comfort her. Lyra cried hard for at least ten minutes. Twilight could only speculate the extent of Sweetie Drops'...influence.

“Listen, I think I’ll call it a night. You need some rest. If it’s too painful to talk about it, I can give you a memory crystal.”

“Wh-what’s that do?” Lyra sobbed.

“It will scan your mind and copy all of your memories. I can then take as much time as I need to examine what I need to look at, and spare you the pain of explaining it all. I will then erase the memory when I am done.”

“...everything?” Lyra asked, as if pleading, “You’ll see...everything?”

“Of course. Do you want to do that? I can also clear you as a suspect in this case, and prove you had nothing to do with the fire.”

Lyra nodded positively, then asked “What...what about Sweetie?”

"I don't want you anywhere near her," Twilight said firmly, "I'll be talking to her separately. And by the way, what was the other name you called her? Bon-something?"

"Bon Bon. It's her real name. But everypony calls her Sweetie Drops. Hoity Toity called her Bon Bon. She told me never to use that name."

"Right," Twilight replied.

“I don’t want to go back there. I don’t want to live with her anymore,” Lyra sobbed, “I just can’t take it anymore.”

“What do you mean? And is that why you were rude to her when they took her back to her cell?”

Lyra nodded. “She lied to you.”

“About what?”

“Everything.”

“So what’s the true story then?”

Lyra shuddered as she tried to keep the tears down, but failed and started weeping again. Her mane was a mess, and to comfort her, Twilight produced a hairbrush and stroked her with it. She also took note of some old dents in Lyra’s horn, signs of permanent damage from injuries past. Everypony knew there was something weird about Lyra, and she knew that was just the surface.

After a few minutes, Lyra managed to calm down again. “Twilight...you can have my memories. All of them. Please just take them. I want to forget...everything. Sweetie, Photo Finish, the fire, everything.”

“Right.”

Twilight opened her saddlebag and placed two crystals on the table. Each was smooth and egg shaped, and was about two inches long, one and half inches wide. Both were translucent. One was milky white, the other a vibrant purple.

She explained the crystals to Lyra:

“Okay, to make this quick and easy for the both of us, I need two things from you. One is your memories, the other is a magic sample. Both are infused with magic that will allow them to do their intended purpose. The purple crystal will scan your brain and copy your memory. The white one is for the magic sample. What I need you to do is hold each one in your mouth for approximately one minute. Can you do that for me?”

Lyra nodded.

“Well?” Twilight asked, waiting for her to lift the first crystal to her mouth.

“I...I can’t cast magic,” Lyra said shamefully, “Sweetie never let me cast magic. She said magic is evil...”

“Is that why you have chips, dents and marks on your horn?” Twilight asked.

Lyra’s eyes flickered from the resulting flashback and she quickly nodded.

“Very well. Please open your mouth. This will be just like taking your medicine, just don’t swallow it. I also cast a spell on the crystal that should give you a warm fuzzy feeling. Think of it as a ‘sweetener.’

Lyra nodded as she opened her mouth and felt the crystal rest on her tongue. As instructed, she closed her mouth, held the crystal there for a few minutes. As Twilight just explained she felt that fuzzy feeling, something she hadn’t felt in a long long time. The crystal was making her body produce the chemicals that triggered the sensation of genuine love. She felt loved by Twilight. Of course it was not meant to be that intense, but considering what she had been through the last several years. Not a romantic love, but a close friend / sisterly bond. She tried not to cry.

“Okay,” Twilight said, removing the crystal. The feeling died.

“Now, same thing with the white one, only for about five minutes.”

Lyra nodded, and went through the same procedure.

After the second crystal was put away, she asked, “What are you going to do with me now? I didn’t start that fire, honest. Please don’t burn me.”

“Relax, nothing’s going to happen to you. I only said that to scare Bon Bon And if you can’t cast magic, there’s no way you can burn down a building. Anyways I must go, I will be back in the morning.”

As if on cue, the door opened and two guards entered.

“I’m finished. Please escort Lyra to a cell in the other cellblock, and keep her separated from Bon Bon. I do not want them together in the same cell.”

“Yes, ma’am. Come on, Lyra.”

Lyra silently obeyed and followed the guards through another door.

“So, how did it go?” Chief Tibbs asked.

“I got memory and magic samples from Lyra, so she’s been good,” Twilight replied, “Can’t say the same for Sweetie, or Bon Bon as she's called. I’m going home to examine my crystals, I’ll be back in the morning.”

“Very well, good night, Sparkle.”

“Good night”

+ +

She's Bon Bon, not Sweetie Drops.

Ponyville Town Guardhouse. 5:75 A.N. (around 8 am) Summer 85th

Early in the morning, ponies were just getting up and starting their day. The fillies were in school, and farm workers left on the wagons bound for the farms out in the county. After a night of restless busy work, Twilight Sparkle was back at the guardhouse giving her newest report.

“...after compiling Lyra’s memories concerning the case, and reviewing her magic signature, I have found she was not at all involved with the fire yesterday...”

She levitated both crystals in the air and projected images from them onto the white wall behind her. The Town Guard ponies, not used to seeing magical displays were awed with the visual details, such as images and ‘videos’ from Lyra’s memories.

“...Lyra’s magic signature is weak, and does not at all match up with the two i obtained from the site and from Rarity. In addition, Lyra does not use magic, and her horn is permanently damaged, thus her ability to cast magic is extremely limited. I therefore ask that she be cleared as a suspect in this investigation and released from custody.”

“Heh,” Chief Tibbs grunted, “Sure, I’m fine with that. Kind of glad it wasn’t her actually. The problem is Lyra tried to kill herself during the night. We found her unconscious around 18° (1:80 AN or around 4 am) this morning with her pasterns (wrists) wounded. She tried to slash herself with her own horn. She’s tied down. I want one of you guys to escort her to the hospital.”

Twilight was stunned at the news but not entirely surprised. It was an ugly story of ordeals Bon Bon and Photo Finish put Lyra through. Not to mention she was deathly afraid of angering Bon Bon, who was the abuser in their relationship.

“Now, what about Sweetie Drops?” Chief Tibbs asked.

“That’s a different story,” Twilight explained, “During the interview last night, she refused to cooperate and prevented Lyra from speaking via intimidation. I had her removed from the room and that alone caused her to become very belligerent and hostile. She is involved in a string of crimes against Lyra, and she was even involved with Photo Finish at some point earlier. However, her activities are not linked to the fire. I’ll be brief about her:

“Lyra had modeled for Photo Finish for up to three years. She was forced into prostitution and several other...ahem...questionable services during her time in Manehattan, Baltimare, Equine City, and Los Pegasus. All her pay went directly to Sweetie Drops, or Bon Bon as Lyra addressed her last night, and Lyra hardly gained a single bit from her employment.

"Lyra informed me last night the 'Sweetie Drops' is a mere alias. Her true name is Bon Bon.

"According to the data I compiled, Lyra suffers from depression, schizophrenia, and attention deficit disorder, all of which Bon Bon used to control and manipulate her. These two ponies shared a one sided intimate relationship where Bon Bon was the master, and Lyra, the slave. Basically, it amounts to physical abuse and unlawful confinement. Furthermore, early in Year 1000, after Lyra was dismissed from her modelling job, Bon Bon viciously assaulted her and inflicted grave damage to her horn. Lyra was denied access to medical attention and suffered an infection which destroyed her magic system, rendering her permanently incapable of casting magic. Fortunately, Lyra managed to heal before suffering fatal damage.

“Lyra met Bon Bon in Year 998, and they got together. From my analysis of her memory, Bon Bon groomed and manipulated her right from the first day onward, and within three months, she had her trapped. Bon Bon restricted her from seeing friends, her family, and eventually she forced Lyra to quit her job at the Ponyville Music School. Until then she taught ponies to play the lyre and the harp.

"Bon Bon apparently wanted a filly, so she made arrangements...to get Lyra pregnant, from stallions of her choosing. Basically, Bon Bon had her raped. And when Lyra miscarried and failed to deliver, Bon Bon gave her hell.

“Given this evidence, on behalf of Lyra, and in the name of everything we stand for as a society, I want Bon Bon implicated and punished for her crimes. She may be innocent in the fire and the attempted murder of Rarity, but she is sure as rotten hay not an innocent pony.”

The room was silent. Everypony was still stunned by the videos being played on screen. It was through Lyra’s eyes. Bon Bon was hoof beating her and shouting at her. A more recent video came up after Twilight finished speaking. It was of the fire; they found Rarity, pulled her to safety, then the two of them fled. Lyra protested, saying they should stay with her until the medics arrived but Bon Bon persisted they go home. She relented.

The next clip showed them being arrested at home and taken to the guard house. In their cell before Twilight showed up, Bon Bon was briefing her, and fiercely telling her not to talk, all the while throwing insults at her. As the videos played out, bar gauge displays showed emotion levels. It was a sad story.

Then another clip began. Lyra was at a fashion show, and Photo Finish was reprimanding her. In the background, the stylists were preparing Fluttershy for the runway. During the night, Twilight spent much time examining the footage where Fluttershy was involved. Some clips, Fluttershy looked well, others, she did not.

“Well,” Chief Tibbs, “These memory crystals certainly work their magic, don’t they?”

Several guards murmured in advance.

“But that’s not all. Comet Tail! Come up and show us what you got!”

A uniformed unicorn, beige coat and grey mane got up and stood next to Twilight.

“You mind?” he asked. Twilight, surprised, said nothing, stopped the crystals from playing and put them in her saddle bags.

“Comet here is another unicorn investigator. He transferred in from Hoofington. He does all the case work. He is quite skilled at, ehh, extracting information,” Chief Tibbs explained. “Bon Bon was making a fuss during the night, so a couple officers shoved a memory crystal down her throat. Since you’re basically working overtime, Sparkle, I called him in to process Bon Bon’s memories. Show us what you’ve got, Comet.”

“Yes, sir,” Comet Tail said as he levitated his crystal and beamed its images on screen.

“Bon Bon is a seasoned criminal from Equine City,” Comet Tail began, “She grew up in an upper class family, and since adolescence, she has been up to no good. Bon Bon’s father is the current owner of the Drops Company, a candy and sweets producer based in Manehattan. Bon Bon’s list of crimes ranges from theft, assault and battery, psychological abuse, kidnapping, racketeering, tax fraud, and accessory to murder.

"She’s been known to lure ponies into ‘service rings’ and brothels in this country’s seedier cities. In 992, Bon Bon was arrested and extradited to Canterlot and put on trial for kidnapping foals and selling them to a fillyphile ring. She was not convicted thanks to her family’s lawyers. Bon Bon’s involvement with the fashion industry is no less despicable: she lured naive ponies into modelling, and received anywhere between 300 and 2000 bits, basically she sold ponies into the various slavery rings that the fashion industry has been known to harbor. Most of her victims were ponies were from small towns and villages.

“As for Lyra, it is as Ms. Sparkle describes, she was Bon Bon’s personal slave in every sense of the word. Bon Bon intended to sell Lyra to a company that operated within the fashion industry’s porno sector; and Photo Finish and her colleagues took interest of her. Bon Bon basically leased and rented out Lyra and raked in thousands of bits during Lyra’s, ahem, ‘employment.’

“Bon Bon came to Ponyville in Fall 997. When she registered at town hall, she gave her name as Sweetie Drops, and that was the name she constantly used and gave to other ponies.  It was her attempt to throw off investigators. Her scheme worked and she roamed freely about in Ponyville and the county. She also traveled and fooled checkpoint guards with her false name.

Bon Bon started work in Ponyville as a waitress at a local cafe, in hopes of keeping a low profile, as she was on the run from the law. During her tenure, Bon Bon defrauded several businesses, costing them thousands of bits. She attempted to run and scrapped a secret brothel business involving prostitutes from the larger cities. In 1002, Bon Bon tried to take advantage of immigrant residents from the Crystal Empire and sell them off to her associates in Equine.

“Because of her crimes, Bon Bon is wanted in Canterlot and every major city in Equestria. Over the years, she has appeared on the most wanted list. Now that we have her memories, thus, concrete evidence of her crimes, I see it imperative Bon Bon be deported to Canterlot to face justice her crimes.”

The officers and chief remained silent. They had always thought of Ponyville as the perfect harmonious small town, where everypony was innocent. Some of the younger town guard officers, who hadn’t really left the county, or even Ponyville, were unsettled by the fact that a criminal like Bon Bon had been living among them.

"It's settled then," Chief Tibbs announced, "Get that despicable mare out of here. Throw her in a box. I want her on the next train that passes through town."

"Agreed, sir," Comet Tail added, then argued, "But we should make Bon Bon's crimes known to all of Ponyville. I propose we put her on display and publicly parade her to the train station. Everypony should be made aware that she's been a parasite to this town during the last seven years."

"Hmm," Chief Tibbs grunted, "Very well, but I want her out of here sooner or later. Beef Oates!"

"Yes sir?"

"Get me a journalist from the town paper, and have them write up a full report on Bon Bon. Hay Wire, Salty Brine, and Golden Graham, take Bon Bon out front, and lock her in a pillory."

"Yes, sir!" the three stallions chanted as they trotted for the door to the detention cells downstairs.

"What are you doing with her?" Twilight asked.

"She'll be put on display while Comet here presents her crime to everypony, not only the crimes in town but beyond. They need to know that I will not tolerate the likes of her in this whole county. And she can stay in the pillory until it's time to ship her to the Capital Stockades, a.k.a, the Canterlot prison."

"Sir, I must ask, please exclude the details involving Lyra. I think she's been through enough."

"Why not? I think everypony ought to see why Lyra is so screwed up. Anyways, Sparkle, I think you should get some sleep, I can tell by the look of your bloodshot eyes you did not get any rest. Go home, you're tired. And now, if you'll excuse me, I've got to meet with Mayor Mare."

Twilight just stepped back as the chief walked past her, and out the door.

"Twilight?" Comet Tail asked, bringing her out of her daze.

"What?"

"Have you focused at all on some of the details of Lyra's memories?"

"Uhh, no, I uhh got too caught up with the things about Bon Bon."

"I see, well, after you've slept, do look over all the memories the two of them have on Hoity Toity. He's apparently well connected to Photo Finish, hence, the avenue for Bon Bon to conduct her business with her and other ponies in the world they work."

"W-will do. Won't you help?" Twilight asked, not to sure if she wanted his help.

"I'm afraid not. I must present the case to the royal guard in Canterlot when we bring Bon Bon in, and I must attend the court proceedings and see to it she gets prosecuted for her crimes. I'm sure Chief Tibbs won't object if you call in your Mane Six friends. The more minds on the fire case the better. I will return after Bon Bon's been dealt with."

Twilight nodded in agreement, then left the guard house.

As she walked past the courtyard, she saw them drag out Bon Bon, and hoist her up into the pillory. There were three sets of restraints; two for her front and back hooves, the other for her neck. She was locked into a standing position, and forced to face the town square, and the town hall across from the guardhouse building. The pillory was situated on an elevated wooden deck so she was more visible to the public.

As she was strapped in, fighting and shouting, other town guard ponies wrote on the large blackboards her name and local crimes. A large magical moving-picture device was powered up and two magic crystals inserted through a hole in the top.

Just beyond the guardhouse courtyard, ponies walking across the town square took notice and approached, shocked to see a pony in the pillory. The last time anypony was subject to humiliation like this was over ten years ago.

Comet Tail stepped out and spoke with the other guard ponies standing around, and they spoke quietly among themselves.

The clock mounted to Town Hall read 60° or 6:00 A.N. In human time that meant 8am. The group standing around the pillory deck split up and one pony entered the building. He reappeared on the roof and began ringing the bell. The large rusty old bell belched out a string of sour metallic notes that rang all over town. It was a far cry from the softer bells that rang from the Celestial Temple on Sundays.

Twilight sighed sadly and was briefly afraid if something went horribly wrong in her work and Bon Bon was innocent. She quickly brushed the thoughts aside in her mind and walked away.

"Buck you, Twilight Sparkle! Buck you!" Bon Bon shouted behind her.

"Gag her," Comet Tail ordered.

The two guards closed in. One struck Bon Bon in the face, and pried open her mouth, the other simply jammed a rock in it, and tied the rope around the back of her neck. Then she was blindfolded. Gagged and blinded, she wasn't so able to curse at ponies she knew.

When the bells rang or horns blew from a major institution in Ponyville, the only three being Town Hall, the Guardhouse, and the Sun Temple (or Sun Church); it was a summoning call for ponies to come and attend the occasion. Only thing was, they were almost never summoned to the guardhouse courtyard.

+ +

Still in the detention cell, Lyra, still groggy from having woken up from a sleep spell, heard the foul clangs of the bell. Earlier she heard Bon Bon shouting, screaming, and kicking as she was forcefully dragged out from her own cell. Lyra kept her head down in the straw. She looked down at her front hooves. Her pasterns (wrists) were bandaged up, and a leather cap strapped to her horn, covering it.

She had to fight a panic attack when the guards re-entered the detention area and trotted to her cell. Paranoid as she was, Lyra feared she'd be dragged to her execution.

The steel grate was unlocked and swung open. She slowly got up, and cautiously stepped out.

+

Two guards escorted Lyra out the door and past the courtyard. She gasped when she saw Bon Bon locked in the pillory above.

"This way," the guard coaxed her, pointing a hoof in the direction of the hospital.

When they arrived, Lyra didn't put up a fuss, and was placed in a bed next to Rarity. The guards gave Dr. Stable the papers and promptly left. Free of Bon Bon for the first time in what seemed to be ages, Lyra was stunned, scared, and didn't know what to do with herself. But the guilt Bon Bon poisoned her with still lingered, and today would only be the first day in the long process of ridding herself of it. Relieved to be cleared of the town guard's suspicion, and too burnt out to say anything, she slept. As she drifted off to sleep, she at least recognized that Twilight Sparkle had pulled her out of a cesspit prison Bon Bon kept her in. Bon Bon wasn't her one true friend, Twilight Sparkle was.

Next Stop: Dawn Hill

The early morning sun beamed warmly over Ponyville.

Applejack trotted slowly down the road that lead from Sweet Apple Acres, past the pastures, paddies, farms, and plantations, into Ponyville. In tow were Applebloom and Sweetie Belle. Apple Bloom was babbling on about an orchard of theirs that grew gigantic apples. Sweetie Belle tuned her out. She didn’t get much sleep during her first night on the farm. Before the sun even came up, Applejack had the two of them doing chores.Her hooves were already sore from kicking trees yesterday.

“Well guess what, sugarcube,” Applejack replied to her little sister, “Afterschool, the two of you can buck ‘em big o’ apples out of them trees an’ bring ‘em in. Ah think we can make some decent bits fer those big apples.”

Sweetie Belle let out a groan, which she tried to stifle too late.

“Ah heard that, Sweetie Belle,” Applejack said, looking back at her, “An’ you’ll be doin’ the dishes tonight after you and Applebloom finish bucking them apples outta the trees.”

“I’m sorry,” Sweetie Belle said.

“Ah appreciate yer apology, but yer’ still doin the dishes tonight.”

Her heart sank.

The clang from the rusty old bell over the guardhouse in town echoed beyond town.

“Well, ain’t that a hoot,” Applejack said, surprised to hear the guard bell.

“What’s that bell for?” Applebloom asked.

“It’s comin’ from the town guard. Usually, they never sound the bell. Last I heard it was when Ah was just a wee one. It means ponies are to assemble in front of the guard house.”

“Ohh! Can we go too?” Applebloom asked.

“Nope, the two of you are going to school. End of discussion.”

+

Cheerilee ushered the foals into the classroom as they entered the school. The foul clanging of the bell continued as parents dropped their little ones off.

“Y’all be good,” Applejack called as Applebloom and Sweetie Belle went inside.

“Why good morning, Apple Belle,” Silver Spoons cooed as Sweetie Belle passed her.

“That’s not my name.”

“Well, it should be,” Diamond Tiara teased, “I see Applejack made you work yesterday. Gosh you Apples are so filthy and unmannered. Look at your hooves, they’re all dirty,”

“Hey! Stop talking bad about us!” Applebloom snapped. She rushed to Sweetie Belle’s defence and got right in Diamond Tiara’s face.

“It’s thanks to us Apples everypony in town gets to eat apples! We got the best apples in the whole county! So shut yer mouth!”

“Oh please, mind who you’re talking to,” Diamond Tiara shot back, “For your information, you don’t even own a single apple you buck out of those trees. My father owns Sweet Apple Acres and everything on it, including you and your family of hick ponies. If he wanted, he could evict you from the Acres, and hire the Flim Flam brothers, and you’d be run out of the county. They could produce thousands of times the apples and apple cider your family produces. So watch your mouth and have some respect!”

Applebloom felt tears welling up and said nothing.

“Exactly,” Diamond Tiara sneered as she and Silver Spoon trotted off to their desks.

“She...she isn’t serious, is she?” Applebloom asked out loud.

“Don’t listen to her,” Sweetie Belle said, “She’s just a stuck up spoiled brat. Your family helped start this town. Filthy Rich wouldn’t dare take over Sweet Apple Acres-”

“Oh yeah?” Diamond Tiara called from her desk, “Why don’t you two ask Granny Smith? Last week she sold your Sweet Apple Acres to my father. That leathery old mare is on her way out, and she wanted the farm taken care of, not destroyed by some stone-brained stubborn pony like Applejack.”

“You take that back!” Applebloom shouted, “I’m gonna tell Applejack on you! Nopony talks about Granny Smith like that!”

But Diamond Tiara just giggled.

“Okay, my little fillies and foals,” Cheerilee sang as she entered the classroom, “Please take your seats!”

Everypony took their seat, and the room fell silent. The bell from the guardhouse kept echoing outside.

“Now then class, I think we’ll start the day by talking about that bell that’s ringing outside,”

+ +

Ponyville Town Guard House. 63° / 6:30 A.N. / 8:14 AM

After a good thirty minutes, a crowd has assembled at the edge of the town square where it met the open courtyard of the guardhouse. The large screens were showing photos and videos from each of two ponies’ memories, mostly from Bon Bon, who was chained up in the pillory for everypony to see. Guard ponies shouted out the list of charges and details of her crimes against the citizens of Ponyville.

Applejack came here after dropping the fillies off at school. Through the crowd of ponies, she saw Twilight walk by.

“Twi!...Twilight!” she called.

“Oh, hi,” Twilight greeted her. She was just coming out of the guardhouse.

“What’s all this about? Why is Sweetie Drops locked up in that thing?”

Twilight, dead tired and in need of sleep looked back, then at Applejack again. “She’s a criminal, Applejack. They’re putting her on display and telling the whole town about the things she did, then, when the train arrives, they’re sending her to Canterlot.”

“Really? Her? Ah-Ah never figured she’d be up to no good...”

“Ask Lyra,” Twilight said.

Applejack finally noticed the sun gleam come from Twilight’s townguard badge.

“Since when did you join the guard??”

“Yesterday. The chief wanted me to investigate the fire. I’ve been up all night talking to ponies and sorting things out. Look, I really need to go home and sleep. You, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash come to the library around 15° this afternoon, and I’ll explain everything.”

Applejack was about to argue, but decided not to. Twilight looked extremely exhausted and weary. She looked like she was going to topple over and sleep right there on the cobble street any minute.

“Fine, you get on home, Ah’ll come over at 15 and get Big Mac to bring my fillies home.”

“Can’t Applebloom and Sweetie Belle walk home on their own?” Twilight ignored Applejack referring to Sweetie Belle as her own.

“Yes, but Ah don’t want them wanderin’ around Ponyville with all this ruckus goin’ on. Besides, applebuck season is jus’ gettin’ started, and there’s plenty o’ trees full of apples. Oh, an’ between you an’ me, Ah’d like to talk about a home for Sweetie Belle.”

“Right,” Twilight yawned, “See you later,”

+ +

Golden Oaks Library. 15° or 15:00 P.N. / 2:00 P.M.

Spike had coffee on in the kitchen. Twilight also put him to work cooking food. In the main room, Twilight, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash sat around a table. Twilight was now well rested and explained a lot of things as she briefed her friends on the situation, from her samplings at the smouldering ruins of the Carousel Boutique and her induction as a Town Guard investigator to the interrogation of Lyra and Bon Bon, and the things that played out from there.

“So, here’s where I’m at: Lyra’s innocent, Bon Bon’s being shipped off to Canterlot tonight, and Rarity is obviously still in a coma. My next pony whom I’ll be talking to is Hoity Toity. Another investigator, a unicorn named Comet Tail, found information on him from Bon Bon’s memory. They were illicit business partners, and he was her connection to Photo Finish.”

“Does he live in Canterlot or somewhere fancy?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Actually, Hoity Toity has a holiday home up on Dawn Hill. He has at least three of them; one here, the other two are in Equine City and Manehattan. His primary residence is in Canterlot, and he has hosted a fashion show in there. Bon Bon even modeled for him. He’ll definitely have information about Photo Finish.”

“How’s about we go with you, y’know fer safety?” Applejack offered.

“He’s not a suspect, he just has information, I don’t want to scare him away.”

“How do you know he’s even in town?” Rainbow Dash retorted.

“Hoity Toity has made Ponyville his favorite holiday spot. You know, a quiet getaway from the hectic life of the fashion business. He was here yesterday when the Carousel Boutique burned down. According to witnesses, Hoity Toity was seen with Photo Finish before before she entered the Boutique. They were doing a photoshoot or something down by the river. And witnesses also told guards that they saw Fluttershy running through the streets and Photo Finish chasing her.”

“Wait, hold on, why was she running, and not flying?” Rainbow Dash demanded.

“Some ponies said she had an injured wing,” Twilight replied.

“So, you don’t want us to go with you? What if he tries anything, Twi?” Applejack asked,

Twilight pointed a hoof to the badge hanging around her neck, and grinned. “I’m with the Town Guard. If anything happens to me, the entire guard will be on him instantly. Comet Tail and I both have telepathy spells, so we can communicate with one another, and we will be doing so. Hoity Toity presents any threat, one thought to Comet Tail and the whole town guard will swarm Dawn Hill and storm his house.”

Applejack and Rainbow Dash weren’t quite convinced, but decided to respect her wishes.

“Very well, Twi, I know you wouldn’t go alone. You jus’ be careful.”

“Screw that, can you at least let us go and just hang back a bit while you’re talking to him?” Rainbow Dash urged her.

Twilight thought about it, then decided. “Sure. That would be a great idea. But I don’t want you two in sight of his house. If something goes wrong and I have to run for my life, I’ll barge out and shout for you.”

Applejack and Rainbow Dash nodded.

“Wait, doesn’t that guy have lots of parties?” Pinkie chipped, “We could ask him to go!” Everypony gave her the look.

“This is not a good time Pinkie,” Applejack replied.

“And besides, believe it or not, Hoity Toity rarely has parties at his holiday home. According to Comet Tail’s reports on Bon Bon’s memories, he mostly keeps quiet at home. Or at least his private functions are small,” Twilight explained.

“Well, don’t you worry, Twilight, we’ll protect you, I’ll be your awesome nightshadow ninja!”

“Ugh,” the other three scoffed. But Twilight was ready:

“Pinkie, I’ll be fine with just Applejack and Rainbow Dash covering me, not to mention the Town Guard.”

“B-but”

“That is final. Besides, I have a special job for you.”

“Ooooh! What is it? Do I get to walk around Hoity Toity’s house all invisible like and inspect all the cakes and party stuff he keeps there? You know for his special things outside of town?”

“Oh mah gizzards, Pinkie!” Applejack snapped, “the answer is no. You’ll jus’ blow our cover!”

“Yeah,” Rainbow Dash added, “How would you feel if you put Twilight in danger?”

Pinkie’s heart sank and she pouted.

“As I was saying,” Twilight continued with restrained frustration, “Pinkie, I need you to be with Rarity and Lyra, and take care of them.”

“Lyra? What’s wrong with her?”

Twilight sensed Applejack’s and Rainbow Dash’s tempers rising, but she still remained calm and collected, for Pinkie’s sake. She explained again all the things Bon Bon did to Lyra, and Lyra was more than just sad.

“So, I need you to...cheer her up, and let her know she has friends. And keep a close eye on Rarity. When she wakes up from her coma, you’ll need to be there for her.”

“Wait a minute-”

“Pinkie Pie!” Applejack snapped, “Twi jus’ gave you a job to do, no git on down to the hospital!”

“O-okay...” Pinkie said, slightly unnerved. Under Applejack’s glare, she silently walked out the front door.

“That takes care of that,” Applejack commented.

“Agreed. So Twi, when do we scout out Dawn Hill?”

Twilight looked at the clock. “I think around 50° tonight. Every shop and place will be closed for the night.”

“Hold on, what if he’s catching the train tonight?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Nope. He’s been ordered not to leave town until I’ve cleared him, or at least have a copy of his memories. The Town Guard has a garrison at the train station, and of course, that’s where the only road out of Ponyville is. If he tries to leave, they’ll throw him in the jailhouse,” Twilight answered confidently.

“Well then, that settles it. Let’s get this show on the road,” Applejack replied.

Rainbow Dash nodded.

“So tonight, I’ll make my way up Dawn Hill around 49°. You two follow, but stay out of sight. Here is where Hoity Toity’s house is,” Twilight explained, pointing a hoof to the large map of Ponyville. “When you get close, find a hiding spot and wait for my call or signal. If all goes well, I’ll create a small flash meaning for you two to come back to town. Got it?”

Applejack and Rainbow Dash nodded.