//------------------------------//
// Chapter 2: First To Be Questioned 
// Story: Hoodwinked: The Pony Edition 
// by Lighttone GryphonStar 
//------------------------------//

After waiting a full five minutes for the table to be cleaned off the group gathered with their first suspect. Babs Seed sat on one side of the table while Blueblood sat on the other side. Braeburn brought over the files and Blueblood took them but didn't read them, "Hmm, you look a little small for those cuffs, right?" Blueblood's eyes narrowed on Babs Seed's small hooves. "You could slip right out of them and murder each one of us."

On that note, all the guards aimed their weapons right at Babs Seed in complete fear. "We will kill her first!"

Blueblood facepalmed, "I was being sarcastic." This brought a sour mood to all of them as they stood down. "However, out of all the suspects, I don't trust you in the slightest. Do you know why?"

"Because I'm too cute?" Babs Seed questioned sheepishly.

"While that is good enough for anyone not to be trusted, it's the data in your file, filly." He pushed the file forward and open it for the first time, pointing his hoof to an age. "Or should I say mare." Braeburn and Luster Dawn's eyes went wide at the bold age of thirty-five.

"Ha, I was right!!" Sombra's yelling of joy could be heard in the background as the rest were left utterly stunned.

"How did you know that?" Suddenly Babs Seed's voiced deepened to the sounds of a strong mare.

"The large amount of makeup around your eyes told me everything." Blueblood used his magic to remove the makeup and show the slightest of bagging of age that only somepony as vain as himself would care about. "Now the only question is why are you so short?"

"Twilight Sparkle."

"What? Don't insult the princess!" Luster Dawn was quick to counter her words.

"No, no, no. It makes sense. Through the look of her form, the magical accident happened long before Twilight took the throne."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. A fancy-schmancy spell that was meant to fix her friends' mortality hit me instead. The problem being instead of freezing my age, it froze my height and body shape." Babs Seed huffed in annoyance, "Can we just get onto the questions!!"

Blueblood smiled in victory before stomping his hoof. Knowing all too well what he was asking Luster Dawn grabbed out her notepad and asked. "Okay then, Babs Seed, what were you doing here?"

"I was delivering cat food to my granny."

Blueblood lifted his hoof to his chin and scratched lightly, it was clear to Luster he didn't believe a single word especailly after the big reveal so she changed the question. "Where is the cat food?"

Babs Seed's face went white and she gave a sheepish smile.

"I knew it, she killed him!!" Braeburn jumped to conclusions.

"Please, that makes lesser sense than you gaining a date with Luster's mother." Blueblood shot back.

Hearing those words sent the earth pony over the edge. It was annoying enough when Luster Dawn did it, but for this bold and crass stallion to insult him. "That is it!!"

Luster Dawn was quick to stop the captain. "Okay, okay. enough banter about my mother."

"She's right. Babs Seed couldn't have killed Thunderlane since he flew in with Derpy." Blueblood corrected the earth pony.

"I knew it, the dumb one did it!!" Braeburn shouted louder.

"Enough blunt assumptions," Blueblood was just as quick to shoot that answer down as much as the other one. "Besides the only dumb one here is--"

He was cut off as Luster Dawn cleared her throated and attempted to get attention back on the proper questions. Luster Dawn moved closer and placed her hoof over Babs Seed's hoof. "Just tell us where it all started. If you have done nothing wrong then all you need to do is make that clear."

The unicorn was trying her best to establish a bond. Her tutelage under Princess Twilight had taught her many things about friendship, and her training under Blueblood had shown her to twist and turn the legal system for the right reasons. She knew deep down nopony was out to ever do evil, but simply survive.

Babs Seed pulled her hoof away but smiled at the unicorn's actions. "It all started back in Manehatten, Applebloom had came to visit..."

As the earth pony's words weaved forth a story of events, a pair of green eyes watched from the shadows just outside a window.