“Wha... ah, OOOOOOOOOH MYYYYY GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD!” Pip held his head, shocked at Scootaloo’s sudden transformation. “Hey Monobear! Permission to perform an exorcism!”
“Denied!” Monobear fiercely answered.
“Aww, man...” Pip actually looked dejected.
How would he even perform an exorcism anyway...?
“She’s admitting she’s the killer! Maim her already!” Truffle demanded.
“I see... so that’s your answer afterall.” Rumble sighed.
“Oh. I have to give you my thanks. You convinced me it was okay to be true to myself at last.” Scootaloo gave a slight grin.
“That wasn’t my intention! I didn’t mean for you to toss them aside! Your friendship with those two was one of the ones I admired most... and you decide to throw it all away?!” Rumble’s voice quivered with anguish.
“Don’t preach to me. You’re already a broken record as far as I can tell.”
“........” Rumble sighed and suddenly began staring at the ceiling.
Wow. She actually got Rumble to shut up. Aside from that, he could only take several deep breaths.
“Scootaloo, you coulda just talked to us! We can still work this out!” Sweetie Belle pleaded.
“Hmph! Just because she got a little power-up, doesn’t mean she can hold a candle to me!” Tiara taunted.
“You’re right. I can just kill you after this trial and we’ll back here again. I don’t mind it if you're the last bully I erase. I’m sick of you breathing anyway.” Scootaloo curtly said.
The last bully you erase?!
“H-h-h... heh... yeah, right! Good luck with that! Oh wait, your title is BAD LUCK, right!? Hah!”
Somepony’s desperate to hide their obvious fears...
“Dia, I don’t think pushing her will be a good idea.” Even Silver Spoon was on guard. “However, this doesn’t answer enough questions regarding the murder....”
“Hey hold the phone, you said something real weird before you went all demon-spawn on us!” Pip suddenly clasped his hooves together. “A ‘nosy’ mare that got herself killed? I don’t understand that, ya know! What the heck was she nosy about?!”
“Ask the killer.”
“Err... aren’t you the killer?” Pip shyly asked.
“You said it, not me.”
Dealing with this new Scootaloo’s gonna be difficult...
“Pardon me Scoots, but ya better tell us what the hay’s goin’ on here! What’s the meanin’ of this? You sayin’ ya don’t wanna be a cutie mark crusader anymore?!”
“That has nothing to do with whether or not we’re doing the right thing. You’ve all zero’d in on me, deciding that I’m the murderer. Why not go with it? We can have a debate right now and we’ll all railroad to the same spot.”
“Now back up there! Ah’ ain’t accuse you of anything!” Apple Bloom protested.
“Hah, why debate!? You just admitted that you hurt Twist! If I could, I’d vote for your execution right this instant!” Truffle hissed.
“Feel free, if that’s what your beating heart thinks is right.”
“.............”
“Alright you blank flank, you’re on!”
For once, I agree. We need facts, not speculation.
NONSTOP DEBATE!
Evidence Bullets:
-Broken Lighter
-Dynamite
-Carbine Harvester
-Bloodstained BrickDiamond Tiara: I know how she did it!
Diamond Tiara: She went behind our backs when we went to check on that idiot...
Diamond Tiara: Somehow snuck through everypony else...
Diamond Tiara: And [u]set off the bombs! What do you think, everypony?!
Scootaloo: Wrong.
Pipsqueak: Doubt she used the front door, ya know... Hmm...
Snails: You’d have to be pretty fast to even pull that off!
Grace Lightning: Don’t go pointin’ at me if that’s where you’re going.
Scootaloo: You’re right. You’re pathetic without those wheels after all.
Grace Lightning: Bite me!
Sweetie Belle: Stop ganging up on her like this! Why aren’t we accusing somepony else!?
Scootaloo: Does it really matter?.
Damn it... this isn’t going anywhere useful! I’m beginning to wonder if she’s really the culprit! I just need to remember the circumstances...
.....................................................
Got it.
AGREED!
_____________________________________________________________________________
“I get it now... Pipsqueak and Snails are on to something!” I said.
“About the culprit’s speed?” Snails asked.
“Yes, and no. Think about it, have you ever thought about how somepony would sneak in the barn, past the ones who were already there with me?” I asked.
“Hmm... ya know, I think I got what ya mean!” Pip smiled enthusiastically.
“..........” Scootaloo’s growl sent a shiver down my spine, and I’m sure Pip felt the same way.
“Man, I can’t tell if it’s you or Miss Cheerilee that’s doing that. Oh, no offense, Ma’am.” Snails nervously scratched his head.
Surprisingly enough, Miss Cheerilee rose up a paw, as if to say, “None taken.”
“A hole...!” Pip said to himself, his tone rising higher as if he had an epiphany.
“What.” Silver Spoon lowered her eyelids, wondering if he’s messing around right now.
“A hole, ya know! A hole!”
“Ahahahaha!, it sounds like you’re callin’ somepony an asshole!” Grace cackled.
“Hahaha, my bad guys! But still, Gracie, you remember that nice buck you gave me? Like, I went through that hole pretty quick-”
“REWORD THAT! SERIOUSLY!” Snails screamed suddenly.
“Ya know, I don’t get what the deal is, but I meant the barn! I made a hole in the barn when I crashed through it! I mean, you probably forgot about that since it was destroyed tonight, ya know?” Pip reminded us.
“So you’re saying that I went through the hole on the side of the barn, right?” Scootaloo calmly asked.
“W-weeeeeeeeelllllllllllll, no, buuuuuuut-”
“Is that code for ‘I think you did it, but I don’t want to get on your bad side so not really’?” Ginger asked.
Pipsqueak could only whistle a random upbeat tune.
“Of course she did it... she’s the only one who could’ve done it! If somepony like Grace Lightning did, there would’ve been a wheel trail in the dirt to find!” Truffle said.
“Could’ve said that myself, fatass!” Grace chided.
“Hehehe...! Let’s do it! Let’s vote right now!” Tiara smiled impishly.
Dammit Tiara, we haven’t...
“STOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!”
Sweetie Belle...
“STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT! STOP THIS RIGHT NOW! PLEASE STOP IT!” Sweetie Belle’s plea resonated through the dreaded walls of this trial room, silencing everypony. Her tears flowed like a river as she clutched her own arms, trembling as she pleaded. “Just stop... I can’t take this anymore...! I can’t watch Scoots take these accusations! Why aren’t we accusing Truffle instead!? Why aren’t we accusing Ginger either!? What about Snails, or Diamond Tiara or Silver Spoon?! WHY SCOOTALOO?!”
“Yeah, why not!?” Apple Bloom followed up. “Ya’ll wanna go pointin’ hooves at Scootaloo, but ya’ll need to see the obvious!”
“What!?”
“Really?” Ginger lowered her eyebrows, forming an a near scowl. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think she wanted to slap Sweetie Belle.
Sweetie Belle pointed her hoof at the fat stallion,“Twist came to us for help because she thought you’d try to kill her! She even went to Dinky for help too!”
I see... so that’s what Scootaloo meant by that word...
“Eh!? What?! WHAT?!” Truffle shook his head furiously, wondering if he was dreaming.
“Twist was so scared! She wanted us to keep you from killing her, but you read your motive already, and wanted her gone!”
“Yeah! Some lover you are!” Apple Bloom followed up.
“BUT I WOULD NEVER!” Truffle retorted.
“That... sounds flimsy at best.” I spoke up, putting a hoof to my chin.
I need to think this through. With everything that’s been said so far, I just can’t see Truffle doing this.
“WHY?! Shady, why defend him!?” Sweetie Belle focused her frustration on me now.
“Because if he was really in love like he claims, he wouldn’t-”
“Don’t give me that idealistic viewpoint! You don’t know what love is!” Sweetie Belle cut me off.
“Heh, puh-leeze! Like your silly crush on that gamer counts as anything!” Diamond Tiara retorted.
“Stay out of this!” Sweetie Belle hissed.
“Maybe I don’t... but I know one thing: Unless there was a way for him to get the job done and re-join the others in such a short span of time, there’s just no way he could’ve done it. Unless he can somehow gallop really fast, but even then, he-”
“Then how would you have done it!?” Sweetie Belle suddenly asked, cutting me off.
“Uh, what?”
“Yeah! Ya wanted that mare dead too! Tell us!” Apple Bloom repeated.
“She has a good question. You’re debunking accusations, yet you yourself almost became a murderer. At the very least, you can provide a theory.” Silver Spoon said.
I see. I just need a theory...
Does speed really factor into how this murder was played out?
Is it theoretically possible to pull that off in such a short span of time?
This needs to be the basis of my theory...
This is actually a huge chance too!
You’ve been put on the spot! You’re being asked for a possible theory that puts you in the shoes of a killer! However, it should be easy for someone like you. You’ve experienced the purest form of despair first-hand, only to be pulled away from the finish line at the last second.
Your experience however, can now be used to your advantage. Now is the time to vanish the world and set the stage!
Put together a scenario using only the characters and evidence in your arsenal! Make a strong theory that can be challenged with only the strongest counters to steer the trial in a new direction!
This is called the Criminal Dive!
Keep your sanity, but tap into the despair within to truly understand desperate criminal minds!
Set the stage.
Gather the pieces.
Put it together.
I...
I can see it.
The setting. I had to set the trial room aside, and create the stage.
Let’s make the surroundings like an old western film. Let’s paint the skies with storms of dust. Yet the center stage... will be this very field of crops where the murder took place.
Everything matters.
First: The characters for the stage.
Sweetie Belle: She was a few feet away from me.
Ginger Snap: With Sweetie Belle as they both tried to stop me.
Miss Cheerilee: She stopped my actions.
Shady Daze: Me, the one who went in for the kill. However... let’s replace him with a blank piece. Whereas, Culprit X is me.
Twist: The one who went inside the barn to check on Dinky Doo.
Dinky Doo: The target, and the one who wanted
Second: The Setting pieces for the stage.
The barn: Where the murder took place.
The crop circle: Where the characters are closest to. Obstructs view of the front of the barn.
The path that leads to the Crop Field: Where everypony else arrived from.
Third: How would one pull it off under these conditions?
...
Most important is line-of-sight.
Sweetie Belle was a couple of feet away from where the blank piece stands. Ginger Snap was somewhat further away, with a small glimpse of the door.
The blank piece and Miss Cheerilee’s line of sight can be eliminated due to the circumstances of that scene.
Let’s insert myself into the role of Culprit X, and trace a starting path...
Around the crop circle. But how? What position?
A. The last of the arrival group.
B. The first of the arrival group.
C. The middle of the arrival group.This’ll do.
Culprit X perhaps was somepony who went well ahead of the others in between the two groups.
Tracing a line by jumping into the orchid, around the crop circle, and into the opening of the barn, I could take the lighter and set off the dynamite.
But then there’s the matter of Twist... If I went in, I’d be seen without a doubt.
A. I run away of course!
B. Take her out.
C. Tie her up.That’s where the brick comes in. I throw the brick at her to take her down and get out in time before the bomb goes off...
So how do I clean up and get away with it?
A. Additional bombs
B. Wait for the bombs
C. Use the harvester.Yeah. That harvester... The very brick that was used, I’ll place it on the gas pedal and let it roll right in to finish the job.
I know I'm missing something, but I need somepony to challenge it. If they know something, they’ll definitely challenge it.
This requires precise thinking to pull this off. The noise caused by the harvester would cause a distraction that can’t be ignored. They’ll focus on the source of the noise, giving me time to rejoin the group once the job was done.
How would I do this...
A. Wait outside and sneak in the group.
B. Join them as the last of the pack.
C. Back the way I came.Right... I can just go back the way I came. It’s as simple as a hit-and-run powered by a true distraction.
_____________________________________________________________________
“That’s how I would’ve done it.”
I’ve laid everything out. This is the strongest theory I could come up with. Now... if somepony knows something, they’ll have to challenge it.
“I can challenge this theory on the account of how absurd it was to watch you flip your mane... and I can challenge it based on how foolish it was for you to play the role of the culprit, but I won’t.” Silver Spoon put a hoof to her face, but continued. “It’s still a solid theory for how the culprit could’ve done it though.”
“I think he means that the first group of ponies was distracted by the crash, while the second group of ponies was distracted by the explosion.”
“That makes no sense! You’re saying it’s easy no matter your speed, right?! All it took was just those forms of distraction! That means Truffle or Ginger could’ve done it, not Scootaloo!” Sweetie Belle protested.
“Excuse me Sweetie Belle. I know I might sound rude, but just how am I the culprit? You and I were in the same spot when we went after Shady.” Ginger asked, noticing that her name was mentioned.
“W-well, you probably went in after Twist, lit the fuse and came out!” Sweetie Belle desperately answered.
“That’s impossible. You would’ve seen me do just that.” Ginger sighed, nonchalantly fiddling with her merit badges.
“Then maybe Dinky was already dead when you knocked her out! Or maybe you built some switch to detonate the dynamite!” Sweetie Belle fired another shot.
Ginger’s eye twitched, just once. It was a single, very noticeable twitch.
“You’re becoming quite irritating with these flimsy accusations towards me. Need I remind you that Shady checked her pulse? Not to mention I arrived with Silver Spoon. if she had died then, the death announcement would’ve gone off.”
“But... but...!”
“How would ya have done it without gettin’ run over!?” Apple Bloom blurted out.
“What?” Snails asked, confused. “What are you talking about? It’s not like he could... crank... the... oh boy...”
“Yer rememberin’ now, ain’t ya?! That darn harvester is broken! It needed that brick to keep it from moving! Ya’ll didn’t notice it when I was ramblin’ on about my family’s farm this mornin’?!”
“Hmph! I wasn’t there, but now that you say it, that means you knew how to do it without getting squished, huh?! You’re the culprit! You have to be!” Diamond Tiara pointed her hoof in triumph.
“Say what ya’ll want! Ah’ ain’t backin’ down! Not ‘till ya’ll stop pointin’ hooves at Scoots!”
“Hey, that fangirl brought that on herself!” Grace reminded.
“Ah’ don’t care! Ah’ ain’t lettin’ ya’ll destroy the cutie mark crusaders! Ah’ ain’t gonna have it! We’ve come too far to not find our talents now!”
“Again with that...” Scootaloo muttered, grinding her teeth.
...
Wow, I actually forgot something so crucial! Damn it, this nearly destroys my theory!
This is great though... this should force a new angle of thinking!
Nonstop Debate!
Evidence Bullets
-Carbine Harvester
-Broken Lighter
-Bloodstained Brick
-DynamiteApple Bloom: That’s right ya’ll! That harvester can’t move as long as that brick was holding the brake down!
Snails: If the brick was heavy enough to hold down that brake, then it’d have to be big enough to kill somepony I guess...
Snails: But to do it without getting run over...?
Pipsqueak: Guess that hole on that barn doesn’t matter if you think about it...
Apple Bloom: That’s right! Even if you knew ahead of time, you can’t do it without breakin’ a hoof!
Truffle Shuffle: You just threw out your theory about me doing it!
Apple Bloom: Nah Ah’ didn’t!
Apple Bloom: Just sit in the seat and take off the brick!
Apple Bloom: Let the harvester act as the fuse! Jump out quick, and yer job is swift!
Silver Spoon: Somepony sounds desperate. This still allows us to implicate Scootaloo.
Silver Spoon: You have nothing to save her with.
Actually, I think she’s onto something. I just need to get her facts straight.
YOU’VE GOT THAT WRONG!
______________________________________________________________________
“Shady!” Apple Bloom seethed. “You’re tryin’ to destroy the cutie mark crusaders!”
“No, I’m trying to get your facts straight.” I corrected. I’m not letting this one of. “You forgot about that lighter we found earlier, didn’t you? I really doubt the harvester is capable of spontaneous combustion.”
“Agh, goddamn it, shut up!” Grace suddenly interjected.
“No you!” Apple Bloom angrily retorted, pointing her hoof out.
“Dammit, this is pissin’ me off! You dumbasses think it’s alright to go on and on and on with this stupid way of thinking! Look, you probably think we STILL suspect the dashie fangirl ‘cause she has wings! But guess what? She can’t use’em! It’s impossible!” Grace ranted, then suddenly focused on Scootaloo. “Yeah, I made fun of your lack of flight! Come at me, bitch!”
“I don’t need to waste time on small fry like you.” Scootaloo quipped.
“Grace Lightning is right though.” Rumble spoke up again. “I’m a pegasus too, so it’s perfectly okay to suspect me as well. Unfortunately you’d be wrong since if I took flight, you’d notice my disappearance right away!”
“Ugh! If all that's true, then nothing works!” Diamond Tiara complained.
“Oh, on the contrary Diamond Tiara, there is a theory that will work; a theory we’ve been deliberately trying to avoid. Shady may remember if I remind him that he was the distraction.” Rumble glanced my way.
The distraction... that’s right. I was the distraction.
Gotta remember the facts.
In order to pull this off, somepony had to speak to Dinky long before she tried to kill me. If I’m the distraction, that’ll give the culprit a chance to commit the deed, but how can somepony do it without getting hurt?
I was a distraction for that purpose, but is it really possible to light the dynamite, strike the victim with a brick and get away without getting hurt or seen?
I need to think... Don’t stop thinking...!
...
............
..................
!
“AAH!”
“Whoa, did you just see a ghost or something!?” Pipsqueak asked, startled by my outburst.
“No, I just realized something crucial! And thanks to that, I know who did it and how!”
“Took you long enough...” Rumble sighed, but gave a cool smirk.
“It was one of those three, wasn’t it!?” Diamond Tiara grinned, but...
“No, it wasn’t. But I know who could’ve pulled this off, based on HOW.” Once I made my intentions clear.
The one pony who could’ve committed this murder... the one who could’ve made the harvester move without getting hurt... no matter what, it seems impossible until I realized the one possibility we’ve subconsciously avoided...
It can’t be anyone else!
“Monobear?” I turn to the giggling bear on the throne.
Of course he looks annoyed when I call on him.
“Get Twist in here!”