//------------------------------//
// Prologue 
// Story: The Painless Murders 
// by bkc56 
//------------------------------//

Raven Silverwood was excited. In fact, one might say she was giddy, although she would deny it. Her position at the Canterlot Bureau of New Product Registration often allowed her to see the best, and sometimes the worst, that ponykind had to offer. Some might say it was a boring job, but she found comfort in the predictability. Though the submission dropped off today was anything but typical. The description said it allowed magical transmission of messages over large distances without the aid of a dragon. Momentarily distracted, she sat, chin in hooves. “Just think,” she said to herself, “instantly sending a message from Canterlot to Manehattan.”

She didn’t mind working late to do some initial research on prior art. After all, every submission had to be verified as unique. Several books of previous registrations lay open on the table. Unfortunately, her earlier excitement had been overshadowed. She had discovered an almost identical submission made about six months earlier. The new submission had lab notes with dates going back years. Unfortunately, the previous submission did not include any such notes. That meant there was no history to prove when it was created prior to the submission date. “I’d hate to see this end up in court to determine which claim was actually developed first,” she said to herself. 

Her ears swiveled towards the back room. The other clerk, Mr Outflank, had left an hour before closing, so she should be alone. She turned to locate the source of the noise. Suddenly, she was enveloped in a cloud of blue powder. She coughed. Her throat felt numb. In moments she lost feeling in her body. She stumbled and then collapsed to the floor. With vision blurred and head spinning, she fell over on her side. She looked up to see the smooth underside of the wooden table.