Murder at Sugarcube Corner

by LeenaWrites

A Body Discovered, a Mystery Begins

Prologue

"A pony shrouded darkness. That's who I am... and who I always will be." Whispered a soft, silky voice. The room was dark with only one dim candle spreading an eerie light weakly around the otherwise featureless room. The speaker was obscured in shadow. Only a vague outline was visible in the murk. Her tone of voice was neutral, yet somehow brimming with maniacal intent.

"I have our first target ready," the speaker purred. The clopping of pacing hooves ensued and the speaker's soft, yet striking smile was visible in the dark.

"Will you bring her to me, my darling?"

"Of course, mistress," answered a deep and resonant male voice. The small smile widened slightly, almost looking like the bared teeth of an animal flashing in a blanket of darkness.

"Then go, my sweet little pet. And don't forget to dump the body when we're... finished." The male pony left with the sound of heavy hoof beats echoing around the cold, dark room. The speaker slowly turned to face the wall as if looking at something, her smile vanishing. As she spoke again, her voice was full of longing and a sort of elegant madness.

"Soon," she murmured, "Soon I will splatter this world with blood and fear. None shall be joyful... and all will know my name."

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"Berry, you are bucking insane!"

"How the hell is she doing that?!"

"Chug, chug, chug!"

Berry Punch slammed the now empty tankard down on the oak table, licking drops of fizzy cider and foam from her lips. Her violet eyes held a sort of drunken determination within their depths as she gazed at her competition, a hardened cowpony from Appleloosa.

"Top that, scaredy hooves!" Berry slurred, swaying a bit in her seat. The cowpony scowled and pulled his stetson down low over his unfocused emerald eyes.

"I ain't no scaredy hooves, ya damn bimbo," He growled, making a clumsy grab for the next tankard. He then lifted it, pushing a chunk of brown mane out of his eyes. Bringing the cider to his slightly parted lips, he began to chug down the fizzy liquid at an incredible rate, not bothering to notice the stray drops that dripped off his chin. The sizable crowd that surrounded the two ponies cheered, stamping their hooves in wild abandon. Berry grinned. There was no pony alive who could drink as much as she could and this Appleloosan was reaching his limit. He was sweating like a pig and swaying so much, she was surprised he hadn't fallen over 5 minutes ago. That 30 bits was as good as hers. As he drank the last few drops, the plum colored pony shot him a confident smile. Reaching for another mug with a relatively steady hoof, she downed it in a few hearty swigs and met his suddenly nervous gaze evenly.

"Don't think you're so tough now, huh?" she said triumphantly, wiping her brow with a smirk playing on her lips. And sure enough... THUD. He fell limply to the sawdusty floor, unconscious.

"Amateur!" Berry yelled joyfully, throwing her empty tankard at the wall. Her comment was lost to the cheers of 15 tipsy ponies, who hastened to lift her up in jubilant victory. She grinned broadly and joined in their celebration, drinking in the praise and the atmosphere. The smell of sweat and fizz and the sound of cheers and laughter made her giddy.

"Everypony! Next round of cider is on me!" The plum colored pony bellowed, her announcement stirring up another wave of applause. Yes, this was Berry's life. And you know what? She loved every second of it.

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Hours later, a certain earth pony staggered out the back door of the Bannered Mare, a bag of 30 bits in her mouth and the stench of vomit hanging around her like a cloud. Her hooves were covered with something sticky and, for some reason, feathers and her mane was a sweaty, tangled mess. Just another night for Berry Punch, a night that she probably wouldn't remember.The drunk pony stumbled about, with little to no sense of direction, hoping to perhaps find her way home. Or maybe she'd find a nice alley to pass out in. Either was fine. Wow, it sure was dark. She blinked slowly and squinted, trying to get her eyes to adjust. To no avail, unfortunately. This particular alley was pitch black.

So, of course, she muttered, "Buck it." And began to stumble blindly into the alley. For the first few uneven steps, Berry was totally at ease, blissfully unaware of her surroundings due to her drunken stupor. And then it hit her. The smell. The scent of copper washed over her like a wave. Her fur stood on end and chills ran down her spine. Deep in her brain, something was telling her not to continue, nagging at her to run and never look back. She pushed away the feeling of unease stubbornly, her cider muddled brain telling her everything was fine. And she wanted to believe that.

Oh, she truly wanted to believe that.

She continued forward as the scent grew stronger, trying to ignore the feelings of terror that tugged at the edge of her subconscious. As the end of the alley came into view and light began to filter through from the street lamps, the scent had become unbearable and Berry felt as if she was choking on the metallic smell. She quickened her pace, the primal fears in her mind beginning to take control of her movements. Her breath began to quicken, her heart began to beat harder in her chest. Sweat dripped down Berry's forehead as her terror slowly rose. Then, as she passed a pair of garbage cans, she froze. Something was under hooves. Something thick, warm, and coppery smelling. Something crimson like strawberry jam. Berry's stomach dropped down into her hooves when she put two and two together. She was standing in... blood.

"Oh, Celestia..." she whimpered, her eyes searching for the victim.

"Hello?" She called out hesitantly, hoping to find the injured pony she thought was nearby. And that's when she saw the unthinkable. Her eyes widened and her pupils contracted in sheer terror. Her mouth hung open and horrified squeaks escaped from her throat. Her knees began to quake and her breath came in horrified gasps. A terrified shriek echoed through the streets of Ponyville that night, a shriek that woke half the sleepy town and made those who where already awake feel a chill in their bones. And thus, the case had begun.

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"Who was the victim?"

"Her name was Trixie Lulamoon, she was 27 years old. A magician, who would preform in Ponyville regularly. We found her body in a tipped over garbage can next to Sugarcube Corner."
The Ponyville police chief raised an eyebrow at the forensics specialist, who shrank under the gaze the older, more experienced stallion. Chief then turned his gaze back to the papers on his desk, shuffling through them some more.

"And the Cake family?"

"The daughter had a solid alibi. The others are currently awaiting questioning."

"...Good. Tell our new investigator to go check out the scene."

The younger pony made a choked, indignant sound and Chief looked up calmly over his sunglasses.

"The kid claims he knows his stuff, so let him prove it. Accompany him to the scene, help him if he has any questions," He reclined in his seat, a thin smile playing on his lips.

"Although he probably won't ask. His ego won't allow it." Chief chuckled, then turned back his papers. After a minute, he looked back up at the younger pony, who was still standing there with his mouth hung open and shock in his honey colored eyes.

"You still here?" The younger pony quickly closed his mouth and left the room at a steady trot toward the back exit. It was the quickest way to the new recruit's house and the route he had to take. Not that he was too happy about his orders. Why the new kid? He was self-centered, boastful, and obviously incompetent! Why would Chief order this... brat to take on a homicide this odd and brutal? As the forensics pony exited the building, he sighed. Though he had serious doubts about the new recruit, he knew better than to cross Chief.

"Here, you do as you're told." Chief always said to the force. The forensics pony smiled.
That kid, Inquiring Eye? He wasn't gonna last a week.

Comments

[Portable Opium]

I think its a pretty cool concept. There better be some kind of crazy twist lol.

[HKMonter]

..Go on.

[Tracer0311]

Starting out with Berry Punch being awesome: win
Trixi the victim: the win has been doubled.

Good concept too.

[Dominic the Donkey]

Not a whole lot of murder mysteries in fanfiction, definitely interesting.