"What are you talking about?" Sweetie asked. "You wanna get us killed?"
"No." Scootaloo said, making a face. "I'm just saying; what if we get our cutie shirts for this? Think about it--Cutie Shirt Crusader Detectives! We could go around, help out ponies in need--"
"Maybe we could even get paid fer it!" Apple Bloom finished for the young pegasus. "An with Sweetie's wit, mah sharp observation skills, and Scoot's fast reflexes, we'd be the best detective team in all a North America!" The two looked at Sweetie with eager eyes, impatiently wondering what she'd say.
She looked down at the plush carpeting, mentally listing out the pros and cons of he operation they were planning to do. "....I...don't know..." she said at long last, "Don't you think that maybe--just maybe--this might be a teeny bit..." many words flashed through her mind, some being insane, idiotic, and even suicidal, ironically. "...dangerous?" She finally decided.
"Well....yeah..." Scootaloo admitted, "but it could be fun! And the chances of getting caught just add to the thrill of it all!"
When Sweetie didn't speak up after a while, Apple Bloom sighed and stepped forward. "Ya know, Sweetie, ah know yer on the fence about this whole thing, but think about it. These people think it's just a suicide; nothin' else to it. Heck, even yer sister's convinced, cause they all don't feel safe admitting there is a murderer out there, roamin' the streets. Don't cha get it? If we don't step up and try to stop this filthy low-life ourselves, who is?"
Sweetie shrugged. "The police?"
"Are they doin anythin 'bout it now?" Sweetie shook her head 'no'. "What if this guy--whoever the hay he is--keeps it up? Why wait for em to start after five or ten more people are dead?"
"I--"
"We could be saving peoples lives, Sweetie. We'd literally be helpin' them have longer, healthier lives instead a dying a sad an' scary death. Even if we don't get our cutie shirts, wouldn't that be enough?"
Sweetie waited for Apple Bloom to continue, though, once she discovered she was done, took a deep breath. "Yes." She said, full of confidence. "Let's do this."
===
Florie held her head in her hands, still trying to get over what she had just witnessed. She was shocked and traumatized, but didn't dare tell the news staff what she had seen. "Florie?" Hubble asked, slowly approaching her.
She raised her head to reveal her running mascara and ink-black hands, where most of the mascara had rubbed off. "Yeah?"
He hesitated, looked around too see if anyone else was paying attention to them. Luckily, the few stragglers left behind were all still gawking and crying over Bubble's lifeless body, and they were three feet away. "What did he say to you?"
Florie looked to the side then back at him nervously. "They just asked me who I was and how i knew Bubblenut, is all."
Hubble's expression darkened and he pulled her aside even more. "No, Florie." he whisper-shouted, "what did he say to you?"
Florie gasped as she realized what Hubble meant. That shadowy figure she saw last night with Bubblenut; him closing in behind her. The gun ringing out and the sick sound of her body hitting the pavement. he had gone to pick up said weapon when he had saw the only witness; her. His cold grey eyes as stared her down without saying a word. She knew then, in that moment, that the next victim would be his only witness. Her.
She started to cry again out of pure fear and Hubble patted her back comfortingly, nodding in compassion. "I'm sorry," he whispered, "I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up so soon. You must be traumatized." She leaned over and started crying on his shoulder. Even though he was a germ-o-phobe, and everything in him was screaming to get away from her snot and tears, he stayed put. "I just wanted to make sure you're okay." He paused, taking a quick look at the body, which the police were now carrying away. He looked back at the shaken director then closed his eyes. "...I hope..."
+++
"So, how are we gunna do this?" Sweetie asked staring at Rarity's laptop screen in the second bedroom. Bloom and Scootaloo were looking over her shoulder at the map of Philadelphia that was currently on the screen. "I mean, we can't just go around and ask people if they're a psychopath, right?"
"Duh." Scootaloo responded. "We're gonna investigate the people at the scene first. That'll probably help us out the most."
Sweetie nodded and opened up a drawer, grabbing a piece of lined paper and a pen. "Okay, so...the people they interviewed...."
"There was two of 'em." Apple Bloom said, "Florie Cut an Hubble, a struggling actor."
"...ruggling....ack........ter...." Sweetie voiced, finishing up what she was writing. She put the pen aside and opened a new tab to try and find out more information on the two. Unfortunately, as soon as she hit enter for 'Florie Cut', her phone started to ring. She looked at her friends then tried to see past the closed door to where her bag was.
She went to grab it, answering it on the fourth ring. "Hello?"
"Hi, Sweetie Belle," Rarity's voice came, only the tiniest bit of annoyance laced throughout her words. "I fear this might be taking a tad longer than expected. This agent is...well...she's being very difficult on where to put my shop."
In the background, Sweetie could hear someone knocking on hollow wood. "You almost done? Ready to make a deal?" A muffled voice asked.
"Uh...yes! Just a moment, please!" Rarity called back. To Sweetie, she continued, speaking softer than before. "She's also very pushy....but I'm not sure how to let her down nicely." Sweetie blinked, no sure what the point of this call was. "I just wanted to let you know I'll probably be back an hour later than expected. I want you three in bed and asleep by the time I'm back."
Sweetie hesitated; if she wanted them asleep, it would mean they'd have to stop they're research now. "Uhh....sure...yeah, we can do that..."
"Sweetie? Are you up to something?" Rarity asked immediately. "I know that tone in your voice and the way you hesitated usually means trouble."
Sweetie began to mentally freak out, as she didn't particularly like to lie, especially to her sister. "No, of course not!" She said, forcing a happy tone, "we're just watching the marathon and I got distracted, is all. Okay? Okay. Love ya! Bye!" She quickly hung up the phone and relayed the news to her friends.
"Can't we just pretend to sleep?" Scootaloo asked, "It's worked before and it could probably work now."
Sweetie hesitated, thinking out the possibilities. Most of them were bad, but, at the same time, she felt like they wouldn't get another chance to do this again. "I guess..." Sweetie said finally, "I just hope Rarity doesn't see what we're trying to do..."