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Detective Quill - The Prolouge1,072 words
Chapter 1 - The Omen1,493 words
Chapter 2 - The Body2,164 words
Chapter 3 - The Escape2,219 words
Chapter 4 - The Town2,309 words
Chapter 5 - The Epiphany3,067 words
Chapter 6 - The Baking3,505 words
Chapter 7 - The Return5,001 words
One Year Later - The Epilouge460 words
(Second Fic, for those Tracking!)104 words

Chapter 6 - The Baking

Chapter 6 – The Baking

“Things began to get…interesting after that day. Pinkie Pie had gone back to using her original name…Pinkamena Diane Pie…and was upset and angry over the injustice that Hoofington had been exposed too. So many starving, dying ponies in the streets and not a hoof of friendship or compassion spared. There were so many rich and pompous rich ponies that Pinkamena figured that if one…two…maybe even ten went missing…that no one would notice.” The Blue Mare and I were sitting outside the boarded up cottage of the Imprisoned Fluttershy, the rain drizzling on our coats. I shivered, hearing these words of murderous premonition. I looked over to her and muttered softly

“She operated…with a clear conscious? She actually…did what she was accused of? That makes such little sense…why commit the crime you’re trying to prove yourself innocent of?” The Blue Mare smiled a little, looking towards the ground and turning around, walking away from the college. I followed her across the tiny bridge as she uttered the words

“Because at that point…it didn’t matter what she did, she would be found guilty no matter what because of Trottington…so…why not a little more blood?”
~~~

Pinkie Pie sat in front of Scootaloo, a serious expression on her face. Scootaloo looked up to her with a wide-eyed expression, shaking a little. She had just heard the plan, what her friend had considered and plotted to do. She raised a tiny hoof up towards Pinkie and muttered

“But…isn’t that wrong, what you said? Isn’t that what the Inspector accused you of in the first place? It’s…it’s so awful Pinkie…” Pinkie nodded solemnly at Scootaloo’s statement. It made her happy, knowing she could still keep her sanity and thoughts intact when talking with her filly friend. She put a gentle hoof on Scootaloo’s head and sighed, speaking gently

“I know…it’s disgusting, unheard of, and above all heretical to even think about doing…which is why I fully understand if you do not want to be a part of this. I must save Hoofington…these people must be saved. I’ll tell you what Scootaloo…I don’t want you helping me at all with this particular part of the job…but what I do want you to do, is to go out in the middle of the night with the goods I…make…and give them to the poor pony folk. Tell them not where these came from, and do not stay long once you have delivered them. Make sure NOPONY follows you, ok?” Scootaloo nodded and hugged Pinkie Pie tightly, the two of them holding one another in their second story bedroom. The jingle of a bell was heard below and Pinkie Pie slowly over towards the stairs, a murderous grimace stretching across her face. “We have our first customer of the day…come Scootaloo” Together they both went down, Scootaloo heading towards the front to welcome the new guest and Pinkie to the kitchen, preparing to…bake…once the customer had ordered his goods. Pinkie ran a gentle hoof over the handle of her largest knife, a deep sigh escaping her as she heard Scootaloo’s voice carry from the front room

“Oh yes, she’s just back here. Mommy! There’s a fancy pony here to see you!” A colt’s chuckle followed this as the sounds of hooves were heard coming closer to the kitchen, a deep voice rumbling

“How adorable, such a proper little Filly” Pinkie listened to the hooves come closer…hooves carrying a Colt to his untimely demise. The Colt was dressed in a black cape, and had a top hat and monocle adorned on his head. Scootaloo backed out of the kitchen quickly, closing the door behind her and bounding for the stairs. Pinkie Pie turned and smiled a wide smile of friendliness, proclaiming

“Good sir, welcome to my Emporium. My name is Mena and I will be your baker today. Come now, do tell me your order, and I’ll make sure I make it the sweetest…most delicious pastry you will have ever tasted.” The Colt smiled and rubbed his chin with his hoof for a moment, saying in return

“My, my, such proper posture and grace in speaking, I have surely come to the right place! Ms. Mena, I would like a medium sized, raspberry cupcake with lemon frosting and a small strawberry on top.” Pinkie nodded, holding a hoof out to a small cupcake on the counter

“Of course sir, it shall be my pleasure…in the meantime, would you like to have a free sample of my latest miracle-cake? I experimented with an assortment of flavors and I must say…I believe I have hit a stroke of genius with it!” The Colt’s smile widened as he turned his back on Pinkie, walking over to the cupcake and leaning his head down, taking a small bite of it. He held his head up and chewed, a wide-eyed expression on his face as he exclaimed

“My, GOODNESS Ms. Mena, that has to be the most delicious thing I’ve ever tasted!!!” Pinkie’s voice echoed from a very close distance behind him as she muttered

“Oh that’s good, because you’re the next one” Before the colt had a chance to process this in his mind, he felt a smooth, thin edge slide across his throat quickly and in the next moment he was choking and gagging violently. He fell to the ground, flailing about for a moment before strong front hooves held him down, keeping him still. Blood spurted from his neck, gushing in heavy streams onto the floor. Pinkie Pie stood above him, holding him down with a thin grimace on her face and vacant, staring eyes. The knife she held with her mouth dripped with dark, thick blood as the colt twitched for a few more moments before finally falling still. He was dead. Pinkie Pie placed the knife gently on the counter, on top of a thick sheet of plastic. She then walked over and pulled a thick black tarp out from one of the low leveled cabinets, laying it out on the kitchen floor. She took a deep breath and heaved the Colt’s body onto the tarp, tying the corners up together and dragging the lump over towards the trapdoor that led to the bakery’s basement. The tarp made loud thuds as it hit every stair on its way down. She dragged it to the middle of the room, looking about. All sorts of tools and a few other odds and ends were laid out on a large wooden table, a large, old style oven sitting in one corner of the room. She untied the corners and let the tarp unfurl, the body sprawling out. Pinkie went over and took up a large hacksaw, turning towards the body and sighing. She didn’t enjoy this…she knew that. She was doing what she had to do…to teach these rich bastards a lesson and to help the homeless and hungry ponies of Hoofington survive. She placed the blade of the hacksaw on the neck of the colt, shut her eyes tight…and begun her vile deed.

Meanwhile, Scootaloo had come down from her hiding place in the bedroom and had walked into the kitchen, coming across the thick pool of warm blood that had accumulated and sprayed out onto the floor. Scootaloo nearly lost her lunch, retching a little as she pushed a hoof to her mouth in attempts to keep her stomach down. She took a few deep breaths, panting a little as she went over to the nearby closet and pulled out a bucket and mop, heading back over to clean up the mess. For an hour, Pinkie stayed in the basement, Scootaloo in the kitchen, each of them performing their tasks to perfection. Pinkie finally ascended the stairs, looking sick and weary but smiled at seeing Scootaloo, presenting to her a spotless floor and knife. She sat on her haunches and scooped the little filly up into a gentle hug, squeezing her a little. Scootaloo wasn’t surprised that Pinkie Pie started to cry, sobbing a little and running out some of the green paint on her muzzle. Streaks of pink were seen as together, they held one another.

That night, Scootaloo poked her head out of the backdoor, looking to the left and right carefully. She gingerly stepped out into the night; her saddlebags packed full of…baked goods. She trotted a distance about three or four blocks down, not wanting to be seen near the bakery when she started handing out the goods. She wore a brown cape and hood, rounding the corner into the alleyway that was littered with hungry, homeless ponies. They huddled together in boxes, dumpsters, or simply out in the open. Scootaloo looked around, dragging a large, flat piece of cardboard towards the middle of the alley. She emptied the contents of the saddlebags onto the cardboard: A large bundle of about fifty cupcakes. She then pulled a small note out from the bags that read “You are to share these with everypony, not just yourself. If you do not share, these deliveries will STOP. Tell nopony about these gifts unless it is amongst your fellow poor folk, and even then, you must keep this at a whisper. You have been rewarded your struggles, and warned about this discovery.” Scootaloo walked near the end of the alley, looking around carefully before bucking a nearby dumpster with a loud ‘BANG!’ and bolting away quickly.

Several ponies jolted awake, looking around frantically for danger. An orange mare sighed, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes with her hooves when she heard her tiny daughter squeak with delight, running over towards the middle of the aisle. She squeaked

“Look momma, look! Food, there’s food here!!!”
~~~

I couldn’t believe it…really. Such an act…such a deed. It was criminal, murder, and disgusting, what she was doing. But for some reason, I couldn’t rationalize it as wrong. Pinkie Pie was feeding the poor and murdering the rich, heartless ponies of Hoofington. She was stealing life from the rich and giving it to the poor, much like the old Mare’s Tale ‘Trotting Hood’, except he took money. We were sitting outside the Canterlot Criminal Prison and Institution, looking up at the dark, eight story building, and the windows all barred and doors watched and manned by six guards each. I looked up at the eighth story, holding a hoof up towards it and asking the Blue Mare

“Up there? She’s on the top floor?” The Blue Mare nodded and sighed, looking up herself

“Yes, Fluttershy is still up there…waiting for the day she will be free. It’s been five years…five long…hard years.” I nodded and together we walked back down Mane Street. I turned my head to her and asked

“How long did Pinkie Pie kill and bake the rich of Hoofington? Surely a drop of population would have been noticed by now.” The Mare didn’t answer me and together we walked towards the library, the iconic home of one Twilight Sparkle. The Mare knocked on the door and as we waited for someone to answer I asked another question “Twilight Sparkle is the one who tried to gather a case against Trottington, to prove Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy innocent, yes?” The Mare nodded and in the next moment the door opened. A grown up Twilight Sparkle answered the door, her coat a deep lavender color and on her face a golden pair of spectacles. She looked at who was at the door and blinked in surprise, unsure of what to say. The Blue Mare looked at me and narrowed her eyes, talking in my direction but speaking to Twilight

“Don’t worry…he can be trusted, he’s a friend” Twilight nodded and let them inside. A metal tub of water sat in one corner of the room, a few books strewn about on the table. The rest of the library looked in fair order, and I shook my coat out gently, watching the Lavender Mare go back to sit on a small, violet colored pillow. She smiled a little and held up a hoof, saying

“Hi, I’m Twilight Sparkle, you must be Detective Quill.” I nodded, pressing my hoof against hers and shaking it a little. I looked over and watched the Blue Mare slip into the tub, sinking all the way inside. I frowned in confusion until Twilight’s voice turned my attention back to her “So, you’ve been hearing the Tale of Pinkie Pie, right? Well you must already know I’m the one who tried to present a case to get Fluttershy free…it didn’t work though, she’s still in there.” I sighed, looking down for a moment before muttering

“Well, you tried your best…poor mare…when is she expected to get out?” The question hung in the air for a moment until the Blue Mare’s voice turned both of our heads

“Soon…” I gasped loudly, looking upon the Blue Mare…who was no longer blue. Instead, she stepped out an orange colored mare with a violet mane. She blushed a little and held up her hoof sheepishly, muttering “I was rude…I didn’t even give you my name yet…my name…is Scootaloo”
~~~

Pinkie Pie came up from the basement, another batch of goods on the way. Scootaloo was just placing the mop and bucket, cleaned and bleached, back into the closet when she heard the doorbell jingle. She groaned, starting to pull the cleaning gear back when Pinkie put a gentle hoof on her head and shook her head “I think we can spare ONE of these bastards today…could you set the oven on preheat while I go see who it is?” Scootaloo nodded, giving Pinkie a quick hug before heading over to the oven. Pinkie smiled and watched her go, heading towards the front room after a moment. As she entered she exclaimed brightly out of memory “Welcome to Mena’s Emporium of Baked Goods, how can I help….you…YOU!” Pinkie Pie’s eyes widened in pure shock as an orange mare with a straw-blond mane and a rodeo hat atop her head walked into her store. Her cutie mark of three apples shimmered brightly as the country mare let out a sigh of relief and said

“Well thank all ah Equestria that I found somepony who can maybe give me ah decent price. Everypony I go to is ah chargin’ just too much for these froo froo candies.” Applejack was standing in Pinkie Pie’s shop. Pinkie started to breathe a little heavy as she said nervously

“Of…of course!!! My dear…you don’t look like you’re around from these parts…tell me, what brings you all the way out to Hoofington?” Applejack smiled as she browsed her goods, frowning a little at finding little difference in her price range from the other shops. She looked up at she heard the question and held a hoof up

“Well I was just-a deliverin’ a shipment of apples from Sweet Apple Acres in Ponyville. We ship out here from time to time, and it’s always nice to find somethin’ to munch on when I ain’t managing the goods.” Pinkie Pie nodded, frowning sadly and walking past Applejack towards the front store window and muttering

“Ponyville…I heard some trouble brew up there recently…a Pink Mare and her Pegasus friend…” Applejack turned her head sharply in surprise and blinked, an awkward blush passing over her face. The country mare gulped a little and said

“Yeah…it was a few weeks ago…haven’t heard from em both since…well, except the yellow one…my friend Fluttershy. They done stuck her in prison for aiding in some kinda’ murder. Horsefeathers if you ask me, ain’t no way that peaceful little mare could do something like…” Pinkie Pie turned her head sharply towards Applejack and cut her off, talking rapidly

“Fluttershy is alive? She’s in prison? Inspector Trottington didn’t kill her or anything?!” At this Applejack’s eyes widened in shock as she fell back on her haunches, stuttering and pointing a hoof at Pinkie

“How…how do ya know about Fluttershy and Trottington? How the hay did you know about the ruckus at Ponyville anyway!? Who are you!!?” The last question was more of a shouted demand then anything. Pinkie Pie sighed and turned her head back towards the window, watching ponies walk back and forth across the streets. She sighed as Applejack stared daggers at the back of her head. Eventually Pinkie spoke, talking in a low volume

“For weeks now I’ve dreamed of coming home to a free mare and to be a free mare myself…” Upon hearing this, Applejack moved forward quickly and grasped Pinkie’s face in her hooves, turning her to stare directly at Applejack. Applejack peered closely at her for a second before gasping and leaning back, whispering loudly

“Oh mah STARS! Pinkie Pie!? What…how did…where did…when did you…what!?” Pinkie put a hoof over Applejack’s mouth gently, shushing her. She looked at Applejack with a murderous glare, shaking her head

“Not Pinkie, Pinkamena, and I swear on Celestia’s Mane that I will have my revenge on Health Inspector Trottington of Ponyville. You say Fluttershy’s in prison…”

Applejack nodded slowly, still dumfounded to find her friend…in such a state…and in an even worse color! She felt tears well up in her eyes as she sniffled out

“Pinkie Pie…I missed you so much…we all missed you…we thought you were lost and stranded, or worse! Is Scootaloo with you?” Pinkie nodded to her question as Applejack sighed, walking up and giving her friend a tight hug. Pinkie returned it, breathing in her friend’s apple scent that she had nearly forgotten and had missed so much. Applejack leaned away and spoke to her gently “Pinkie Pie, you have to come back to Ponyville, we can’t hold a case without you…you’ve got to leave all this behind, you still have a chance” Pinkie Pie pulled away at this and walked towards a far off window, stating firmly

“He’s still there…Inspector Trottington!” Applejack frowned a little at this, wiping tears away from her eyes with her hoof and pointing towards her in a pleading motion

“You’ve got to forget about him Pinkie, justice will find its way to the varmint for sure!” Pinkie shouted back again

“NO! I’m facing desperate times Applejack…and desperate times call for desperate measures…” Applejack narrowed her eyes quizzically at her former party friend, muttering in question

“What you talkin’ bout Pinkie Pie?” Pinkie Pie merely put a hoof against the glass, the cold pane of clearness sending a shiver through her body as she turned her head to Applejack, stating simply

“I’m going to kill him” Applejack merely held her open in shock as Pinkie approached her, pulling her into a gentle hug and whispering “One day…I will tell you what happened here…I’ll tell you the tale…but for now…leave me here, and don’t come back. Mention to nopony that you saw me…and do not tell anyone of my intentions. You don’t know what he’s done to this town…him and his bakery Emporiums…so leave me here, and hold your chin up high Applejack.” Applejack had started to cry in the middle of her directions, holding one of her closest friends tightly against her. Applejack pulled away to look at her, sniffling and stuttering between choked words

“Ah…ah can’t approve of you doing this Pinkie Pie…but you’ve been through so much…you just promise me you’ll come home, where you belong…one day. Promise me Pinkie Pie!” Pinkie merely smiled and pushed her forehead against Applejack’s, closing her eyes and whispering

“Cross my heart…and hope to die… stick a cupcake…in my eye” Applejack hugged her tightly again, and wiped her tears away for a second time before turning and walking out the door. She didn’t look back as she galloped into the street and joined with the busy traffic that was rushing back and forth. Pinkie watched her go for a moment before shouting “Scootaloo!” the cyan-colored filly rushed into the front room as Pinkie turned to look at her, smiling “Let’s get back to baking…shall we?”

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