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It started as a morning with friends379 words
I don't go looking for cases446 words
Two for the price of one1,181 words
Honesty is the best policy2,241 words
The plot continues to thicken1,010 words
A good mystery is like a good ensemble1,681 words

A good mystery is like a good ensemble

... it is beautiful when it all comes together.

“I hope you can explain yourself,” Raw Image grumbled.

“Oh, just try to relax, old boy,” Flash Sync chided.

“I just don't like pudding.”

A gasp resounded from Pinkie Pie.

“It's true,” Sunset sheepishly shrugged, “He's been avoiding me all morning.”

“I don't like mashed foods,” Raw Image grumbled, “I can eat them when they put me in the nursing home.”

Flash Sync rolled his eyes with a soft mumble: “Knowing you, you'll probably go straight to the funeral home.”

“Why are we all here?” asked Dynamic Mic.

“Because I have solved the case!” Rarity pronounced triumphantly.

“Brilliant,” Frett said, “Can we go now?”

“All in good time.” She glanced at the assembled group and went down her mental roster. “... Laser Disk, Cassette, Photo Finish, Pixel Pizzaz, Violet Blurr... Good, everyone is here.”

“Good,” Raw said, “Then please start.”

“I will, but first, Pinkie, where is that pudding you had just taken out of the oven when I stopped by the truck?”

Pinkie produced a large pan of sticky peanut butter and banana pudding. “What? This one?”

“That would be it.” Rarity handed the pudding and a spoon to Sunset. “Eat.”

“What?” Sunset yelped, “Why me?”

“Because Pinkie is liable to eat it.”

“Eat what? The pudding? Of course she'll eat it!”

“I'm looking for something. You'll know it when you find it.”

Sunset frowned, “I'm not eating a whole batch of pudding!”

“Well, you're the only other person here I can trust.”

“I'll eat some,” Kugel said, grabbing a spoon.

Twilight and Fluttershy also volunteered and grabbed some spoons.

“Now then,” Rarity began, “I must admit this was a very difficult case with many twist and turns. All throughout, I couldn't figure out for the life of me what could have happened to those proofs. Yet, with every step, it always brought me back to pudding.

“Have no fear, Mr. Kugel, you're not involved in any of this. It just so happens that everyone involved in this case all had contact with Sunset Shimmer and your sales cart at some point.

“And that is where everything began to fall into place.”

“Not everyone bought pudding” Dynamic Mic was quick to object.

“True,” Rarity agreed, “but Sunset was in a unique position to observe everything that was going on in the park at the time of the crime.”

“You know,” Pinkie whispered to Sunset, “If this were a murder mystery, you would be the next prime target.”

“And so begins our story:

“Photo Finish and her assistants receive their proofs via courier in the early morning. Some tainted food puts Photo Finish out of commission so her assistant, Pixel Pizzaz is sent to deliver the package to Laser Disk's office.

“But, she arrives at a time when no one is there. Mr. Disk has opened the office, but went out for coffee and the Office Manager, Cassette, hasn't yet arrived. So, Pixel does the only logical thing and leaves a note on the package stating what it is and leaves it in a spot where anyone can find it.

“However, between Pixel leaving the office and Laser's return, the envelope, and the proofs within, vanish.”

“Very good,” Dynamic Mic said, “But can we please cut to the chase?”

“All in due time.”

“Trust me,” Twilight said through a mouthful of pudding, “this will take a while.”

Rarity continued: “My initial question was who would want to take the prints? Well, naturally, the prime suspects became Photo Finish's competitors: Flash Sync and Raw Image.”

“This is absurd!” Raw roared.

Flash's eyes narrowed, “What did I warn you?”

“Oh, please!” Rarity waved her hand, “Raw Image is already exonerated because the envelope eventually turned up on Sunset's pudding cart and he hasn't been so much as ten feet near it.

“So, that then leaves Flash Sync.”

“What?” Flash yelled.

“It would have been perfectly easy for you to arrive at the office early with the intent of delivering your photos, see the package that Pixel had left alone and unguarded—maybe even see her drop it off. Seizing this opportunity, you grab her package and hide it away somewhere, then return later with your own to make it seem like you delivered your photos later.”

Flash's voice lowered, “Be very careful of what you are insinuating.”

“I am. Which is why I can also say you didn't take the envelope. One, the security logs show you entering the grounds after the envelope was taken and, two, when the envelope was discovered by Pinkie Pie, it had kheer pudding stains on it

“Kheer is a rice pudding that is garnished with either cashews or almonds—something you would avoid, given your nut allergies. And, as best we can figure, Sunset had sold the last of the pudding before the envelope was placed on her cart. Thus, meaning that whoever took the envelope was also enjoying the pudding.

“Which then brings us to Frett.”

“What about me?” the rock musician huffed.

“You've been trying to get out of your contract. I'm sure an intentional bad performance has been part of it.”

“I told you, I was backstage all morning!”

“Please stop lying. That stain on your shirt tells me you were in the main grounds for some portion of the day.”

“I got this stain yesterday.”

“Again, please stop lying. Sunset remembers selling you some kheer pudding and, I'm sure if I ask Pinkie to inspect that stain, she would concur it's the same. Also, Kugel couldn't come here yesterday. So, unless you've gone through some time warp, that stain is from today.

“So, now the question is, why are you lying?”

Frett gulped as all eyes fell upon him. “Okay!” he broke, “I went to the office! I was trying to look for Laser Disk, but he wasn't there.”

“So, you saw the envelope on Cassette's desk and, thinking it may have something to help you get out of your contract, you took it.”

“No!” the musician cried, “I didn't take anything! I saw that Laser wasn't there and I left. I didn't even see the envelope!”

“Quite true,” Rarity smiled, “because by the time you got there, the photos had already been taken. You did, eventually, run into Laser Disk, and you have your talk, which Sunset witnessed.

“Dynamic Mic is exonerated, too, because he arrived at the festival after all this took place.”

“I don't get it,” Dynamic Mic scratched his scalp, “If none of us took the package, then who did?”

Everyone turned to Cassette.

“Woah!” she cried, raising her hands, “What? What have I to gain?”

“Nothing,” Rarity said, “Cassette was never a suspect in this matter. I only invited her here because she's a part of the festival administrative staff.

“No, the true person who took the proofs is, I imagine, halfway back to town by now.”

There was a collective “What?”

“Tell me, Flash Sync,” Rarity said, coolly, “Where is your assistant, Lens Flare?”

“I told you, I gave her the day off.”

“Did you really? Or did you tell her to get as far away from here as possible?” Rarity took in a deep breath, “Here's what I believe happened:

“Lens Flare saw Photo Finish as serious competition. So, when she saw Pixel Pizzaz walking to the office with the proofs, she followed her.

“Security records show Lens Flare was already in the festival, presumably to get breakfast. It's possible she saw Laser Disk getting his coffee and, thus, figured that the office would be empty.

“So, when Pixel dropped off the photos in the empty office, Lens Flare took her chance, grabbed the envelope and ran off. I believe that it was on her way out that she purchased the pudding from Sunset.

“Naturally, you weren't very happy with what she had done, but couldn't outright return the package. So, you came up with this little plan. Lens Flare would return to the festival and place the proofs in a place where they could easily, and believably, be found.”

“Why have Lens Flare do it?” Cassette asked.

“Flash couldn't be seen with the envelope," Rarity answered, "Plus, the pudding may have already gotten on the envelope and he couldn't, or wouldn't, touch it because of his allergies.

“And so, you sent Lens Flare away while you stayed behind to ensure that the proofs were found and returned.”

Raw Image turned to his fellow photographer, “Flash, is this true?”

Flash had been standing silently, eyes fixated on the grass beneath his feet.

“How?” he said softly, “How did you figure it out?”

“It was the little things” Rarity explained, “Firstly, that you knew of the theft even before I asked you. Only a handful of us knew. Not even Cassette had been told.

“Next was your over-eagerness to help. Even so much as bringing me to the place where you knew the proofs had been placed.

“Lastly, there was the matter that Sunset had remarked that you had made frequent trips to her cart. Nobody willingly eats that much pudding. Not you, Pinkie dear; you're the exception, not the rule.”

Pinkie slowly lowered her hand.

“So,” Photo Finish asked, “vere are ze proofs now?”

“That's right!” Raw Image exclaimed, “Without them, you have no proof! All this is just here-say and conjecture! You have to prove that that envelope was on that pudding cart!”

Rarity confidently folded her arms. “Oh, I'm most certain I can prove that the proofs came into Sunset's possession.”

“How?”

“Uhm,” Sunset said, weakly, “Rarity?”

Rarity turned to see what her friends, who were looking a little green around the gills, were pointing to. A smile crossed her face as she took the pan and turned it for all to see.

Half the pudding had been eaten, parts down to the pan itself. However, what caught everyone's eye were the bits of a rectangular object sticking out from the partially eaten pudding.

Cassette frowned, pointing into the pan, “Is that...?”

“As you can see, ladies and gentlemen," Rarity proudly proclaimed, "The proofs are in the pudding!”

Author's Note:

Well, this turned out a lot bigger than I initially intended.

Oh well...

Go check out the festival, if you haven't already.

In the meantime, I have some schoolwork to do.

Read on, y'all!

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