//------------------------------// // Day 3 // Story: Town of Ponyville // by Reeve //------------------------------// Day 3 Things have gone from bad to worse. There were two more murders last night, a stallion I had never met called Spring Cushion, the owner of a shop here in Ponyville called Quills and Sofas, and one of Fluttershy’s co-workers, a mare named Nurse Redheart. Fluttershy is deeply upset, two of her friends dying so close to one another. The only silver lining of all this is that nopony believes I could be responsible for either of those deaths as I spent the night in jail. Shortly after I finished writing last night’s entry, I was visited by Rainbow Dash’s partner, Fleetfoot. Her official role is the town jailor and she had me come over to the sheriff’s office so she could conduct a full interview. She told me there was nothing to worry about, apparently Rainbow Dash didn’t’ suspect me, but she wanted to have an interview on record. I wasn’t bothered by this, Fluttershy on the other hoof had some stern words for Rainbow Dash in the morning when she came looking for me, apparently having visited the flat and finding it empty. Rainbow Dash hadn’t been long in herself, all four of us were there talking, although it was mainly Fluttershy stressing my need for peace in order to recover, when another of Rainbow Dash’s friends arrived with yet more terrible news. I only briefly heard what had happened before Rainbow ordered Fluttershy to take me back home. Fluttershy left briefly to confirm what we had heard; when she came back she was in the same state as she had been when she heard about Thunderlane. I did my best to comfort her, but I was a bit out of my depth, I felt terrible not being able to do anything for her after everything she had given me. I was almost thankful when another town meeting was called and we were given an excuse to leave the house and proceed to the square. I was fully prepared for a repeat of yesterday, however this meeting went very differently. For starters there were considerably fewer ponies talking out of turn and making accusations, where yesterday there were panicked into a tizzy, today they were terrified into silence. The next thing that was different was the presence a small, purple dragon wearing a long coat and a fedora; he was standing next to the Mayor, smoking a cigarette. The final thing that marked how different today’s meeting was going to go was the newly built gallows in the centre of the town square. The Mayor began the meeting by introducing the dragon, his name was Spike and he was an investigator called in from Canterlot to help with the sudden murders. I noticed Rainbow Dash didn’t look pleased about this. Rainbow Dash followed up by informing everypony of the two murders, both occurred in the victims’ places of residence, Nurse Redheart was stabbed in the same manner as Thunderlane, leading them to deduce that the same killer was responsible. Spring Cushion however was murdered very differently it seemed, not only that but there was apparently evidence as to who was responsible. There was some whispering between Rainbow Dash and Soarin, presumably trying to decide how much they should reveal. While that was happening there was another loud accusation made against me. To my shock and confusion it was made by Pinkie Pie, which struck me as insane considering how much she seemed to like me. Fleetfoot quickly put her down though by explaining to everypony that I couldn’t have been the killer as I was accounted for all night. Eventually Soarin announced that he saw a pony by the name of Flim visited Spring Cushion last night. The stallion, Flim, immediately panicked. Another stallion I presumed to be his brother, maybe even his twin, began whispering urgently to him, but they were cut off by Rainbow Dash who demanded to know what he was doing there. If he had some lie prepared, he clearly forgot it when he was put on the spot and all eyes were on him. The Mayor then declared a vote open, which confused me, I didn’t even know what we were voting for, but very quickly the majority of the ponies gathered called for Flim to be brought up. This was where things got very grim, very fast, as I realised that the Mayor was calling for him to be lynched! The investigator also seemed to realise this as he began trying to explain that a proper investigation needed to be carried out before any verdicts were passed. Nopony seemed to listen however, we were all asked to vote yay or nay to the guilt of Flim. He was screaming for mercy, insisting that he didn’t kill him, but at the same time it looked as if he was trying to stop himself from saying who did. I voted innocent, not because I believed him to be so, but because I agreed with Spike that he should be investigated properly to determine his role in the murder. I was in the minority however, although I was in the majority of ponies who chose to look away as the stool was kicked out from beneath him and his cries for mercy were cut short. After that everypony was eager to leave, apparently forgetting that there was a second murder that needed solving. Fluttershy and I went back to the flat, very little was said between us, in fact very little was done beyond sitting and staring into space until the investigator arrived. Of course he had quickly heard about the newcomer who had no memories, and despite Fleetfoot’s statement about my innocence, he still wished to question me himself. I didn’t mind as I was already used to it by that point, even Fluttershy didn’t try to stop him. I could tell he was annoyed about what went down during the town meeting; I imagine Canterlot has a much stricter justice system than Ponyville. He seemed satisfied though that I was nothing more than a simple amnesiac by the end of his questioning; he even thanked me for voting innocent with him before he left. It’s been a harrowing day, and I feel that the worst is yet to come. I need sleep, Fluttershy’s is staying with me tonight to make sure nopony else tries to hinder my recovery. Diary of Spike Thursday 10th November This town is nuts. I knew my boss was giving me a crappy case from the look on his face, but this… This town is insane; the most level headed pony I met all day was an amnesiac. I honestly don’t know how you would go about pressing charges against an entire town for unlawfully executing a pony without proper trial. I got into Ponyville around ten this morning, and good thing I did since by the time I arrived at town hall to be briefed another two murders had just been called in, making three in two days. Of course that was going to make it difficult to focus on yesterday’s case, but from what the town sheriff said, one of today’s victims died in the same way as the one yesterday. Could be that this town has a serial killer on their hands. It seems the other murder was the work of the local organised crime syndicate, apparently one of their agents was spotted visiting the victim in the early hours of the morning by a town lookout. The town sheriff, a hot headed Pegasus by the name of Rainbow Dash filled me in on the whole mafia situation. It would seem Ponyville’s been under the heels of the Apple Family for generations, everypony seems content to just roll over and let them have their way, everypony except the sheriff that is. She appears to be obsessed with bringing the mafia down, so much so that it’s clear her investigation into the serial killer is suffering. It doesn’t take a genius to realise she has some history with the leader of the mafia, a pony named Applejack. I was able to talk to Rainbow Dash in the morning before we all had to attend a town meeting in the square. I would have preferred not to do so while she was trying to conduct her own investigation, but with three dead bodies I really can’t afford to waste any time. I could tell she wasn’t happy to see me, I guess I can sort of understand that, can’t be nice to have your superior undermine you by calling in an expert to do your job for you. Then again, if Rainbow Dash really is hell bent on bringing the mafia down, it’s probably for the best that I’m here to find the serial killer for her. Of course I tried to object to the town lynching the agent, a guy called Flim. Heck we only had the lookout’s word that he was there, and that didn’t mean jack shit. He could have just been a nobody who stumbled across the body and was threatened to keep his mouth shut about it. The way he behaved when dragged to the gallows, I definitely believe he knew who the real killer was, if we had taken him into custody and questioned him we could have found out so much more. Once the meeting was over I tried to get a strong word in with the Mayor, but she was content to brush me off, I’ll have to bring her incompetence up with the boss when I get home. With that avenue closed I decided to start investigating, it was clear that Spring Cushion was killed by the mafia, everyone could agree on that even if nopony wanted to say so out loud. My first move was to talk to Applejack, naturally she didn’t budge an inch, but I expected as much. She strongly suggested that I should keep my efforts focused on catching the serial killer and getting back to Canterlot as soon as possible, and that anything else was really none of my business. The idea that she can talk openly like that really goes to show how much command she has in this town. My next stop was the newcomer that everypony was raving about, she pops up outside the Everfree forest with no memories and suddenly ponies start dying, even if the jailor exemplified her I still had to talk to her myself. I didn’t have to question her long before it became obvious that she really had no memories, her physician was also able to back her up by showing me her medical record. I wasn’t able to do much else besides familiarise myself with the facts of the case, most of my work will have to wait until tomorrow. Luckily I was offered a room above the local bakery, the owners already rent out space to another pony, so they were happy to put me up while I conducted my investigation. Diary of Applejack Thursday 10th November Well things took an unexpected turn, my first few days in charge really have been the toughest we’ve seen in a while. I knew things were off to a bad start when Mac rushed back home last night, I could tell from the look in his eyes something had gone wrong. Spring Cushion died, which put us in a bit of a pickle. Mac swore to me that he only roughed him up a little, that he couldn’t explain how it happened, but the next thing the guy was dead. If it had been anypony else I would have called them a liar and had them taken out to the orchard to dig their own grave. I guess Mac just doesn’t know his own strength, still, we needed damage control and quick, we couldn’t let his death get linked back to us after yesterday’s murder. In retrospect, it might have been better if I had left it well alone. I sent Flim out to Cushion’s shop, told him to clean the body and make sure there wasn’t a trace of evidence that could lead the sheriff back to us. Of course the fool was spotted and naturally got lynched today during the second town meeting. We even had to vote guilty along with the rest of the town; I couldn’t let him spill his guts to the town in return for walking free. As if Spring Cushion’s death didn’t complicate things enough, the killer struck out again last night, stabbed up a nurse this time. As if she had predicted the situation escalating, the Mayor called for an investigator from Canterlot, a drake called Spike. He must have been talking to Rainbow Dash, because first thing after the meeting he comes looking for me, probably all clued in to what the Apple Family was all about. I reminded him what he had been called here to sort out, and suggested that he avoid stepping out of his jurisdiction. But his presence and the second murder really highlights the problems at hand, we need to find this killer and quick. I can silence ponies here in Ponyville, even in the neighbouring towns, but if Canterlot get involved we could be in trouble. It pained me to do this, but with all our agents and associates tied up I was left with no other choice but to ask for help from the only other pony I knew I could trust. Applebloom was thrilled when I approached her, of course I wasn’t about to make her a member of the inner circle and spill all our darkest secrets to her, I just asked her to copy this guy Spike, and do her own little investigation on behave of the Family. It’ll help to have an extra set of eyes and ears on this case, the more we have the sooner we can bring this whole thing to a close. Which reminds me, I’ll have to keep an eye on Flam, I’m not sure how long he’ll stay loyal after we sold out his brother. I hope he knows what’s good for him, he did a decent job last night with Berry Punch and we really can’t afford to lose our framer right after losing our janitor. Diary of Rainbow Dash Thursday 10th November Have I mentioned that I don’t like the Mayor? Because I REALLY don’t like the Mayor. I guess she has so little faith in me that she thought the only way the killer was going to be caught was if a ‘real’ investigator was brought in. There were another two murders last night, Nurse Redheart who was killed in the same manner as Thunderlane yesterday, and Spring Cushion. Turns out the second guy was targeted by the Family, not surprising after he spoke out against AJ yesterday, although even I was a little surprised, I thought AJ was smarter than to have a pony killed while there’s another murderer stalking about. Soarin managed to spot one of her agents visited Spring Cushion on his way home last night. Funny enough it was Flim, the brother of Flam who Soarin also caught that night breaking into Berry Punch’s house. During the town meeting I gave Soarin the green light to reveal that he’d seen Flim, although I specifically instructed him not to mention Flam, instead I ordered Fleetfoot to arrest him tonight. Of course I knew Flim wasn’t the actual killer, he was probably just there to clean up or plant false evidence after the real killer did the dirty work, but of course the rest of the town jumped on the notion of him being the killer and called for his immediate execution. The investigator from Canterlot, a stuck up little dragon called Spike, tried to put his foot down, said we should interrogate him and conduct a proper trial rather than lynching him. Ordinarily I would have agreed with him, but I knew how the Family worked, he wasn’t going to talk no matter what we offered him. Besides, what the investigator didn’t know was that we already had cause to bring his brother in for questioning, so let Flim hang I decided, I swore I would see the Family destroyed and that seemed like a good way to kick it all off. I might have given away that I don’t like the dragon either, that’s because he’s totally condescending. He followed me and Fleetfoot around all morning trying to get caught up on the case, while that was annoying in itself I could shrug it off, but we went back to the office before the town meeting where we talked a bit. And the little shit had the audacity to say that I didn’t seem to care about catching the serial killer, that I was too focused on bringing the Family down and I needed to sort out my priorities! I made it very clear that this was my town, and those were my friends who had died, and if he dared to question my commitment to catching the punk behind all this then I would make sure he never made it back to Canterlot. Yeah I admit I lost my cool a bit, but he was asking for it. I don’t actually care which of us catches the killer, I just hope it’s soon so I don’t have to see his smug face much longer. After the town meeting I spoke to Soarin, he managed to catch not one, but two agents of the Family in the act; I wanted him to know I appreciated it. I had half a mind then to take the rest of the day off and just go do something with him, I keep thinking back to last night, to how lonely it’s been, I wonder if that was how he’s been feeling this whole time. I really wanted to take the time off, but I knew I couldn’t with the pony who killed Thunderlane still on the loose. I instructed Soarin to try and cover as much ground tonight as he could; anypony outside at night was automatically suspicious. After that I spoke to Fleetfoot, I ordered her to bring in Flam tonight, but that I would start working on a list of suspects for us to start working through these next few days. I don’t care if I have to question everyone in Ponyville; I will catch that killer and show that dragon that I’ve got my priorities straight… I’ll even bring the Family down while I do it. I also spoke with Scootaloo; turns out she was able to hear what Flim and Flam were whispering to one another after Flim got outed at the town meeting. Naturally his brother was trying to help him come up with a convincing lie, it didn’t help Flim any but I might make for a good weapon against Flam during his interrogation. Scootaloo also mentioned something about Applejack bringing in a new agent, but she wasn’t able to tell me much more than that. I wondered if she really didn’t know or if she was actively hiding something from me, I trust Scootaloo though, if she knows anything I know she’ll be honest with me… even if it takes a while. Diary of Applebloom Thursday 10th November Today has been the best day ever… Actually that might have sounded really insensitive, obviously it’s terrible that so many ponies have died, but Applejack actually asked me to do some work for the Family! I couldn’t believe my ears when she told me, after all these years she’s finally gonna let me help with the Family business, and not just the farm. She asked me to help with the investigation into this killer on her behalf, of course she’s way too busy to do it herself and she cares more about the safety of this town than most of the ponies living here. I did wonder why she needed me to do this, I mean we have a sheriff and now there’s some detective arrived from Canterlot, by the looks of it that killer will be caught before long. Still, I wasn’t about to pass up this opportunity to show Applejack that I could be trusted to work with the Family. I got to work straight away, I started by going to find Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle and asking if I could practice my questioning on them. Pity both of them were too busy and had to run off, at the time I thought they were trying to hide something from me but the I realised that was just silly. After that I went and talked with Cloudchaser, I knew she was a friend of Sweetie Belle’s sister, but I didn’t know much more than that. She was really vague when I asked her to tell me about herself, she said she was a professional ‘escort’ which didn’t make a lot of sense, I mean I’ve never seen her escorting anypony around town. Besides, before this killer showed up Ponyville was a perfectly safe town, you didn’t need escorting. She also giggled a lot when I tried asking for specifics, I might have to note her down as suspicious for now. Course I wasn’t able to do much more investigating as I still had chores on the farm to do, but I think Applejack will be really impressed with how I’m doing, especially after a day or two when I’ve been able to question more ponies. Diary of Shining Armour Thursday 10th November Go to Ponyville they said, it’ll be good for you they said. It seems no matter where I go I can’t escape the violence, I’ve only been here a couple months and already the criminals are coming out of the woodwork. I thought when I left the army I would find some peace, but it looks like the only thing I’m destined to find is death. So Ponyville has a serial killer, and even the mafia are rearing up, well they can come after me if they want, I’m not about to go down without a fight. If my old officer knew I kept my weapons I could get into serious trouble, but by the looks of it I’d be in more trouble if I was here without something to defend myself with. Diary of Fleetfoot Thursday 10th November Shit’s really hitting the fan now, with three ponies murdered and another executed in the town square, it didn’t even come as a surprise when the Mayor approached me today. While Dash was arguing with the new investigator, our dear Mayor popped in with a little message for me. It would seem that I have been granted full authority as the town jailor and a lawman to jail anypony indefinitely without a warrant and even execute them myself if I believe them to be the killer. That first part might be helpful if we had more than one cell, but as it is I can’t exactly keep many ponies in here indefinitely. Still, being allowed to perform executions, no questions asked, I can get on board with that. The town already proved today where they stood on the matter of how to deal with criminals, and Rainbow Dash has been upping her fight against the Family recently, with this new power we could really strike a blow against them. Speaking of which, I’m bringing Flam in tonight, Dash wants him to spill his guts, and I might just make it happen literally once he’s told me everything he knows. I’m keeping this to myself for now; I don’t know if Dash would be for or against it, I’ll find tomorrow if I decide to go through with it. I imagine any issues she has with it will disappear once she sees how the Family crumble as their agents are taken out one by one. She did say she was going to provide me with a list of suspects that I was to jail from tomorrow onwards, I won’t be surprised to find a few of the Family’s associates scattered throughout that list. Diary of Soarin Thursday 10th November Things are getting too hard, I barely see Rainbow anymore, and when I do it’s only to do with work. I feel like she wants to be closer again, but if that is the case she doesn’t seem to want to act on it, she’s still way to absorbed in the mission. Even time spend with Rarity is becoming hollow and unfulfilling, I put on a smile but when I’m with her all I can think about is how things used to be between me and Rainbow and how I want those times back. I’m not sure that I could break it off with Rarity even if I wanted to; she’s been talking a lot more lately about the possibility of us taking our relationship to the next level, even hinting at me leaving Rainbow Dash. It’s obvious she went into this affair with very different expectations than me and I don’t have it in me to tell her the truth now, but by the same token I don’t have the strength to let go of Rainbow. The night shifts are becoming more burdensome than ever now that I’m helping with investigations during the day too, and whenever I’m not working I’m sneaking off to Rarity’s. It’s all getting too hard and things are going to have to change soon. I pray this killer will be caught soon, we’ll make him pay for what he did to Thunderlane then just maybe we’ll be able to go back to normal lives… but what if my normal life is working all night while Rainbow works all day, hardly seeing one another as she throws herself into her work and barely notices as our relationship falls apart around her. Something HAS to change… even if that requires me to come clean.