Police crowded the home, taping off the crime scene and securing evidence. They were looking for anything suspicious, anything out of the ordinary. The two biggest clues about the crime were the hidden wall safe being cracked wide open and the corpse of the home's former resident, now with a scorched hole in his chest.
It was strange though. This certainty wasn't a robbery gone bad... no signs of forced entry, no signs of a struggle... the painting covering the safe gently moved aside and leaned against the wall. It made no sense. It was almost like the victim knew the culprit. It must have been someone he trusted, someone he thought would never have hurt him.
Equally shocked were the home owner's family. The elderly grandmother sobbing uncontrollably while the youngest was taken outside to avoid scaring and scarring her. The stallion's sister, well known in her community and well respected, answered as many questions as she could. She claimed to have heard voices as the deceased talked with another pony whose voice she could not recognize. Then she heard a yell, and a loud boom, and ran downstairs, where her brother was found. She remembers seeing a small pony in a black cloak escaping into the night.
The murderer in question was still nearby, clutching the stolen jewelry in her still-shaking hoof. She calmed her breath and lowered her hood, exposing her horn, sore from the huge blast of magic.
Sweetie Belle swallowed hard, and unable to hold back any longer, she collapsed to the ground and began sobbing. She knew she could never go back.