February 13, 2:02PM
Rocky Road Village
Town Entrance
It was a long and tiring trip, at least for Twilight Sparkle since she was the one who flapped her wings for an hour, but after their all of that, Twilight and Sweetie Belle had arrived at Pinkie Pie's home village. Considering that Pinkie was born and raised there, it was a rather dark and gloomy looking place. There was greenery surrounding the area, but the trees nearby were mostly dead.
Pinkie Pie lived here? Twilight asked herself.
"If I can get a cutie mark here, I won't want it." Sweetie Belle said. "Twilight, how long do we have to stay here?"
"Not as long as I'd like. We need to gather up some information about Pinkie's uncle, find some evidence that the police hopefully missed, then get back to Ponyville so I can get ready for the trial Tomorrow."
"Wow. No wonder you bribed a cop to help you."
Ugh....I'm so glad there isn't a pony around to hear that. Twilight thought, feeling thankful that it was just her and Sweetie Belle. Then, a thought occurred to her. "Wait, where is everypony?"
As soon as Twilight thought about it, she and Sweetie Belle realized that much of the small village was deserted. While it looked like Twilight and Sweetie Belle were the only ones in town, the silence between them made it clear that there were indeed ponies around since they could hear ponies talking, but that wasn't the only thing they were hearing.
"Is that...music?" Sweetie Belle asked. "I think I hear singing too!"
Following their ears, Twilight and Sweetie Belle walked around the town to find the source of music. As soon as they found a local, they found a big crowd of them. It appeared that the entire town was gathered around the one area, cheering in glee as they listen to the music Sweetie Belle heard.
In front of the crowd was a small, crudely made wooden stage, barely big enough for the two ponies on it. One was a white unicorn with a long black mane, a black top hat, pointy ears, a goatee beard and moustache, wore a matching black vest, and a had a skull-shaped guitar for a cutie mark, as well as an actual skull shaped guitar to play with. The second pony was an earth pony filly who was completely black, from her mane to her coat, but her mane and tail also had some pink. What really made the filly a sight to behold though was the simple fact that, aside from her coloring, she looked like a filly version of Pinkie Pie.
"Thank you! Thank you! You guys are the best crowd I've ever had!" The unicorn said. "That is until my next gig, where I'll be saying the same thing to them too. Goodnight everypony!"
"Dad, it's 2 o'clock." The filly said.
"It's night time somewhere. Later everypony!"
After ending the show on a humorous note, the townsfolk applauded the entertainers one more time and allowed them to leave their stage and go back to their own lives with smiles on their faces. Even Sweetie Belle enjoyed the show, even though she only saw the last minute.
"Those guys sound pretty good. Would it be alright if we take a detour and see them?" Sweetie Belle asked.
I'm having the feeling that this won't actually be a detour. Twilight thought. "Sure thing, Sweetie. Let's get their attention before they run off."
With the two ponies in sight while the crowd dispersed, Twilight and Sweetie went to meet them. While Sweetie Belle wanted to meet fellow singers, Twilight was curious as to why there was yet another pony around who had her mane styled the same way as Pinkie Pie's. They ran over and found the singer with the filly riding on top of his back.
"Excuse me, sir? Can we have a moment of your time?" Twilight asked.
The unicorn turned his head and noticed Twilight as she approached him, noticing that she was an alicorn princess. With a smile, he answered her. "Young mare, if you can find us a place, I can give you a whole night."
"Uhh...no, a few minutes will be fine."
"A few minutes is all we need?" The unicorn said, causing Twilight to feel awkward. But, after a chuckle from the unicorn, he eased the tension. "Just kidding, miss. Just being playful for a fan."
"Aww, were you?" The filly asked. "Cause you know, I've always wanted a little brother."
ACK! That kid is more perverted than her father! Twilight thought, feeling more agitated than ever.
Fortunately, Sweetie Belle spoke up to once again ease the tension, and not a moment too soon. "You two sounded great a few minutes ago. I just wish we were here earlier."
"Actually, this wasn't even a planned show. We were just in the area, I was practicing, and before we knew it, we had a little concert going." The unicorn explained. "Though it can't be good publicity since nopony here even know who the heck we even are."
"I...I see." Twilight said, who still felt uneasy. "By the way...who are you two? I'm Twilight Sparkle, and this is my friend Sweetie Belle."
The unicorn and the filly looked at each other and smiled, knowing fully well what they were to do next. The unicorn got up onto his hind legs and grabbed his guitar with the front legs. At the same time, the filly balanced herself on her father's flank and took out a violin.
After the unicorn's horn glowed a light purple, flames quickly engulfed him, replacing the white unicorn with a black unicorn with fire coming out of his eyes. With everything set, the two ponies began to sing.
We have hearts black as coal!
For we are the darkest,
By reaping for your souls,
Through the concert's harvest!
But we love our true fans
On extreme levels.
So please join our great clan,
The Jersey Devils!
With the end of their short song, the black unicorn returned to his original white coat and the filly resumed riding her father. Sweetie Belle was entertained by the performance and clapped her hooves for the two ponies.
"That was awesome!" Sweetie Belle said with a grin.
"Uhh...yeah. You guys...had good effects." Twilight said. Can't say I'm into goth music though.
"I guess a real introduction is needed." The unicorn said. "I'm Coltaire, the lead singer of the Jersey Devils."
"And I'm on the strings, for I am The Pony of Doom!" The filly claimed.
I think I just met Equestria's next supervillain. I just hope I get her instead of something like a Tartarus prisoner. Twilight thought, hoping she doesn't have to face any actual evil forces in the future. Wait a minute. The Jersey Devils?
After looking through the evidence Twilight had with her, she took a look a picture she had where Pinkie Pie was with a crowd of ponies, as well as the first victim. She remembered that the reason Pinkie was there was to see the Jersey Devils, which included Coltaire and the Pony of Doom.
"The Jersey Devils...I've heard of you guys!" Twilight exclaimed, pleasing Coltaire at first. "Ponies have died at your concerts!"
As soon as Twilight brought up the deaths, Coltaire's hoof slipped off of his guitar from the shock. The fun loving stallion suddenly became much more serious.
"P.O.D, go play with this filly for a few minutes." Coltaire said to his daughter.
"Sure thing. I'll teach her the dirty words you can't say on the radio." The Pony of Doom said as she jumped off of Coltaire's back.
"Sweetie Belle, go keep yourself entertained for a little bit while the grown-ups talk."
Sweetie Belle was disappointed that she wouldn't be helping Twilight right away, but she reluctantly followed her order and went to play with The Pony of Doom. With the kids out of the way, Twilight was ready to ask what Coltaire knew, but first, she began to channel a secret spell, causing her horn to glow a very light, barely notiecable green.
"Let me reintroduce myself. I am Princess Twilight Sparkle from Ponyville. Right now, I'm acting as a defense attorney for the pony who's accused of murdering the two ponies that went to your concert."
"You don't say. It's a real honor to meet such a pony." Coltaire said, happy to meet a princess. "I guess the wings and horn together should've gave it away, but I've heard about sightings of alicorns whenever there's a rainbow or something."
Intersting. He's not bothered by the fact that I'm defending a supposed killer. Twilight thought. "The accused, my client, is a friend of mine. Do you know anything about a mare named Pinkie Pie?"
As soon as Pinkie's name was brought up, darkness surrounded Coltaire, which was followed by a number of chains that came out of nowhere to surround him. Once the chains finished appearing, two red locks appeared to link them together.
"I-I can't say I'm familiar of such a pony."
Psyche-locks: courtesy of the magatama spell. I haven't tried breaking these since Rarity's trial. I hope I know how to do this.
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--Secret: Knowing Pinkie Pie--
"I'm a little surprised that you're not familiar with Pinkie Pie. She's been to your concerts many times, and like I said, she's been accused of both crimes that took place at them." Twilight explained.
"Yes, I've played at some crime scenes, but both time that they happened, the cops wouldn't give many ponies much information, not even me. In fact, the third time the murder happened, this small red dude told me to keep quiet."
"Interesting." Twilight said. "Mr. Coltaire, I don't think you realize this, but you just contradicted yourself."
"Oh? How so?" Coltaire asked. "Hey, that rhymes! I should write that down."
"Uhh...yeah. Anyway, you said that the "third" time, you were told to keep quiet. From what I've heard, only two ponies died at your concert."
"Wh-what?" Coltaire stammered. "Uhh...must've been a slip of the tongue."
"A slip of the tongue? No, I think I know the real reason you said the "third" murder." Twilight claimed. "You've been keeping up with the murders somehow. You don't just know Pinkie Pie. You know her uncle too, who happens to be the second murder victim."
Twilight's claim caused Coltaire to go uneasy, causing one of the two psyche-locks to break as a result. His secret was leaking, but he wasn't ready to spill it out completely.
"Uh...oh! I get it now." Coltaire said, feeling more confident then before. "So your friend is Shepard Pi's niece, huh? Yeah, I know Shepard. He's actually a friend of mine. He use to live around here."
"So you know Pinkie's uncle, but not Pinkie herself?"
"That's right. Me and Pi use to be drinking buddies way back. I've heard about how he helped raised your friend, but I've never actually met her."
Now I know that he's lying. This pony says that he DOES know Pinkie Pie.
TAKE THAT!
"You claim you've never met Pinkie? I say that you've not only met her, but so has your daughter too! Your kid bares a striking resemblance to her."
"A coincidence at most." Coltaire answered, not feeling intimidated. "Unless you can prove to me that my kid looking like your friend isn't a coincidence."
TAKE THAT!
With her magic, Twilight showed a picture that she had to Coltaire. It was the picture of Pinkie Pie together with Copycat at the Jersey Devil concert, which was when the first murder occurred. Coltaire took only a glance at it, but he quickly noticed where Twilight was going.
"I've always found it ironic how a mare named Copycat looked identical to Pinkie, but I think I've finally figured that mystery out." Twilight said after making her discovery. "It makes perfect sense that she was a fan girl who modeled herself after your daughter slash band mate, who in turn modeled herself after Pinkie."
Twilight's logic was solid, so much so that Coltaire once again, scaring him so much that his hoof once again slipped off of his guitar. After getting back his composure, he realized that Twilight knew what she was talking about. As a result, the other psyche-lock shattered into pieces.
With both psyche-locks gone, the chains began to disappear while the darkness lifted from the area. Twilight had gotten the truth out and was proud to have done it despite the fact that it had been a while since she last broke a lock.
--Unlock Successful--
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"So? Are you ready to admit it?"
With the cat out of the bag, Coltaire became more cooperative with Twilight. "My little pony of doom!" As soon as her name was heard, The Pony of Doom jumped onto her father's back once again. Sweetie Belle returned to Twilight as well since her new playmate was called back. "Did you make a new friend?"
"I sure did. I'm now a Cutie Mark Crusader!" The Pony of Doom said. "I have no idea what that is, but I'm putting that into a song anyway."
"You won't believe it. Her name actually IS The Pony of Doom!" Sweetie Belle said with a smile. "And I've learned some words that I will never be aloud to say to anypony."
I've never letting these kids play with each other again. Twilight thought, regretting what had just happened with the kids. "So what can you tell me about you two and Pinkie Pie."
"You know Miss Pie?" The Pony of Doom said as she squeed to the thought.
"Yeah, we've met with Pinkie Pie a few times. I'm a friend to the family, she's a fan of me, it's ying-yang." Coltaire explained. "Like you said, my cute evil pony here is quite fawn of her. Pinkie's the one who styled her mane."
"She even babysat for me a couple of times. I would always eat SO much cake when she's around!"
It sounds like they know Pinkie very well. Why would Coltaire try so hard to hide that? Twilight asked herself. She then asked Coltaire another question. "So why are you two here anyway? Feels like a coincidence to meet you two here at this time."
"We're witnesses!" The Pony of Doom answered.
"Well said." Coltaire said. "You said you're defending Pinkie, right? Well, me and The Pony of Doom have been called in to tell our side of the story. We were actually supposed to be in Ponyville by now, which I'm sure is where the trial is, but we got lost."
"No we didn't. You traded our train tickets for cider!" The Pony of Doom corrected.
"Ignoring that. But yeah, we'll be a little late coming to the witness stand."
"What do they want you to say?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"I'm not entirely sure. I just know that the prosecutor was the one who sent the message that summoned us to Ponyville to share our story of the third murder."
So these two are Hope Ray's witnesses. Maybe it would be better if they didn't come to Ponyville right away so I'll more time to learn about the third murder. Twilight thought, but then she felt guilty for thinking about such a thing
"But that's alright. Me and Daddy are enjoying our trip together." The Pony of Doom said. "We don't even want to go to the trial anyway. Especially Daddy."
"P.O.D, now you're starting to embarrass me."
"Please, you embarrass yourself as is with that get-up you wear."
"Oh ho! Well at least I DO wear something?" Coltaire said as he reached and gave his daughter a noogie, causing the two ponies to playfully laugh together.
Such an adorable pair. They're like the perfect father and daughter duo. And yet I still sense a dark secret hidden by them. Twilight thought. "One last question and I'll let you guys go. Why were you pretending you didn't know Pinkie Pie earlier?"
"Isn't it because Mr. Pi asked us not too?" The Pony of Doom asked.
"Yeah, he did. Sorry princess, but that's a secret I'm not ready to share." Coltaire admitted.
At that point, Twilight realized that she was still channeling the magatama spell. This was because the secret Coltaire was hiding caused darkness to surround him once again, which was followed by numerous chains that were sealed off by five psyche-locks.
Ah nuts. I don't have the time to interrogate a pony with a secret this huge. I guess i'll have to wait until the trial.
Wasting enough magic as is, as well as asking all of the questions she had for the time being, Twilight deactivated her spell and got ready to wrap up her conversation with Coltaire. She came to Pinkie's home village to learn about her uncle, but she was happy that she also got to run into a witness for the case. She just hoped that she would have enough time to investigate the third murder as well.
"Okay, thank you very much for your time, sir." Twilight said. "I'll see you both when you get to Ponyville. Remember, the second day of the trial is tomorrow."
"Ah, don't worry. We'll be sure to get to Ponyville before we miss it." Coltaire said.
"Assuming we don't walk by more fans. Or a bar for my Daddy." The Pony of Doom added.
"That's enough out of you. You make it sound like I have a problem." Coltaire jokingly said.
"You have many problems."
As The Pony of Doom mocked her father in a joking manner, the father and daughter duo made their way out of town to their next destination. On the surface, they sounded like a dysfunctional family, but spending a few minutes with them had proven otherwise.
"I like those guys." Sweetie Belle said. "The Pony of Doom said that she'd bring a copy of their new record for me when they get to Ponyville."
"Oh, well that's nice of her."
"I know. By the way Twilight, could I borrow ten bits?" Sweetie Belle asked, making a cute face and a squeeing sound.
Is the only way I'm able to get help for this thing is to pay for it? Twilight asked herself, not looking forward to the debt she'll likely have by the end of the case. "We'll talk about that later. I want to get to Pinkie's uncle's home. Let's get going."
Having spent enough time already talking with Coltaire, Twilight decided that it was time to investigate the second crime scene at long last. She didn't have another minute to lose, so she hoped to not walk into any other musicians.
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February 13, 2:40PM
Rocky Road Village
Shepard Pi's Mansion
After walking around the town and asking some of the locals, Twilight and Sweetie Belle found the address for Pinkie's Uncle Shepard's home. He lived at a large house that was on top of a large hill at the edge of the village. It was very old and run down, looking almost as if it was haunted. Since it was still the middle of the day and there light out, the house didn't look scary, but rather depressing.
"Wow. This place looks like nopony has lived in it for years." Sweetie Belle said with a frown.
"But Pinkie's uncle hasn't even been gone for six months." Twilight noted. I guess there's no building inspectors for miles.
With nothing left to do but to actual go into the large building, Twilight and Sweetie Belle made for the doors. There was a large boulder that was blocking them, but Twilight used her magic to lift it out of the way. Twilight then tried to turn the knob open, but found that the door was locked.
"I think somepony doesn't want us to go in." Sweetie Belle noted.
"Canterlot's police probably doesn't want any other pony to go in." Twilight said.
"Wrong! I don't want ANYPONY to go in there!"
A firm and angry voice from behind frightened the two mares. A light-brown earth pony with a greying mane, a black fedora hat, and a piece of straw in his mouth, approached Twilight and Sweetie with the intent of chasing them away from the house. However, after Twilight turned to face him, the old stallion calmed down.
"Wait, aren't you my daughter's friend?"
"Daughter's...oh, you must Pinkie's dad." Twilight said, feeling relieved. "Mr. Rock or something like that, isn't it?"
"Igneous Rock, ma'am." He answered. he then gave Twilight and Sweetie Belle a much better greeting by taking off his hat and bowing down to them. "But I'm afraid that I still can't let anypony into my brother's home."
"Please, Mr. Rock. We need to go in there as soon as possible." Twilight pleaded.
"I'm sorry, ma'am, but I've got too much stress going on right now to let this place be a tourist attraction or anything. Maybe come back in a few days when my problem is dealt with."
"I can't. The trial will last for, at most, two more days. It'll be way too late."
When Twilight brought up the trial, Igneous raised an eyebrow in interest. "Do you mean my daughter's trial? The one that I've heard so much about recently?"
Oh thank Celestia. We're on the same page. Twilight thought. "Yes, and I'm not just Pinkie's friend. I'm also her defense. I've been spending the last few days doing what I can to defend her, but to do that, I need to learn what I can about Pinkie's uncle. His death will be the main topic for the trial tomorrow. Let me in so I can learn about this crime."
Igneous wasn't happy with the idea of letting strangers into his deceased brother's home, but since his daughter's life was at stake, he had no other choice. He nodded his head to Twilight and have her his approval.
Alright. Now I can finally get a good investigation started.
To allow the mares to enter the building, Igneous reached for a nearby rock and pulled out a hidden key underneath, something that caused Twilight to roll her eyes. Using the key, he unlocked and opened up the doors, giving them all access to the mansion.
"My brother has a lot of strange equipment and gizmos in this place. Please be very careful and do not touch anything." Igneous warned before leading Twilight and Sweetie Belle inside. "And we still have much to talk about."
You can say that again. I have a lot of questions to ask about Shepard Pi. Maybe Pinkie's dad can answer those questions.