Firewood (1/3)
Pinkie leaned over to Rarity. “Are you totally sure this is a good idea?” she whispered.
The cloudy sky hung over them as they made their way to the Strawberry fields. Rarity was wearing a wide-brimmed black hat with a pastel red ribbon tied along it. She had tried to convince Applejack to wear a similar one, but Applejack still didn’t want anything on her head. Pinkie would’ve agreed, but didn’t want Applejack to feel like the odd one out.
“What? Investigating a murder?”
“No, having Applejack come along.”
“We need to know when things stop lining up, and the best person for that is Applejack. She knew her parents best.”
“But she’s still… grieving. She needs to process this and she’s not right now.”
“Applejack wants to work on this. We need to—”
“What’re y’all talkin’ about back there?”
“Oh, nothing important darling, just trying to convince Pinkie to discreetly measure your head.”
Applejack rolled her eyes and turned back to the road. “Still not wearin’ a hat, Rarity.”
“Of course, darling.” She again whispered to Pinkie, “don’t worry too much. We’ll be there for her when something goes wrong.”
Pinkie’s stomach didn’t unknot itself, but she kept silent.
Strawberry was weeding when they found her. She seemed confused to see them all, but didn’t immediately shout at Applejack. Pinkie was grateful for that.
“Strawberry, darling, do you mind if we talk to you inside for a bit?”
Strawberry eyed Applejack for a few seconds.
“We’re not here to argue,” Pinkie said. “We just want to ask you a few questions.”
Strawberry pulled her eyes away. “Alright, come along. I’ve got a lot of work to do today.”
They meandered into Strawberry’s home. Rarity commented on some of the décor, making small talk before they asked her. Applejack was silent. Pinkie watched her for a few moments, but Applejack seemed like she was trying very hard not to pay attention. Like she was trying not to say something.
Strawberry sat down on a small couch and gestured to a few seats for the rest of them.
Applejack collapsed on the couch. Rarity sat down delicately.
Pinkie noticed a dusty horse dummy on the mantle. “I didn’t know you practiced ventriloquism.”
“Oh, sometimes I guess. I don’t practice during the season though.”
Pinkie nodded along.
“What all did you want to ask me about?”
Rarity began, “Applejack here is writing a eulogy…” an awkward grin came over Rarity’s face.
“And…?” Strawberry asked, rolling her hoof.
“W-well—”
“Applejack was trying to… to… consider other perspectives on her parents.”
Strawberry raised an eyebrow at Pinkie.
“She… she thought you might… have that. You… don’t often talk to her parents and mostly experience them through her. So… we—she wanted to know what,” Pinkie said, “you thought of them.”
Strawberry looked skeptically at Applejack. “Really? From me?”
Applejack licked her lips and took a deep breath in. “Eyep.”
“Odd way to turn over a new leaf in our relationship.”
Applejack glared at Pinkie. “It sure is.”
Pinkie tried not to look back at Applejack.
“Well… I don’t suppose I knew them very well. I think when I bought the land here we talked a bit about taxes and the like. But… as I’m sure you know well, Applejack, I’m not a fan of apples. So… I guess I didn’t appreciate their gifts. It… I dunno. I think that’s why we stopped talking as much. Sometimes I thought it was because they got busy raising you kids, but… well, it’s not like we talked about much other than business. I…” she looked over at her dummy. “I kinda regret not bringing you more strawberries and jams and such. I had plenty of time, I guess.” She chuckled to herself, “maybe then you would at least like strawberries more.”
Applejack coughed.
“Well, dear, I’m sure that was… very helpful for Applejack to hear,” Rarity replied. “As a sort of framing device, she was wondering where you might’ve been two nights ago.”
“Ah, when it happened,” Strawberry said. Her eyes widened quickly, glancing between the three of them, “sorry, I didn’t mean to—”
“It’s fine. Just answer.”
Strawberry looked at Applejack for a moment. “Alright, well… I mean, it wasn’t that interesting. I was just… doing some farm work.”
“What specifically?” Applejack asked.
“I really don’t think this would be that interesting for a eul—”
Applejack stood up, the chair rattling as she did. “Were you on the farm—our farm—that night?” she shouted.
“Darling—”
“Were you?”
“AJ, don’t—”
“What is this? Why are you yelling about where I was that night?”
“My parents are dead. You tell me.”
Strawberry stood up herself. “Is this some kind of—of—accusastion?”
“Applejack—"
“Yes, yes it is.”
“Oh, of course,” Strawberry rolled her eyes. “What, you blame yourself or something?”
“Don’t—”
“I will. You lost them, think there’s something you should’ve done, but didn’t. And now you need to find a convenient scapegoat. So there’s some kind of—what—investigation? To find somepony to blame?” Her eyes looked between Pinkie and Rarity. “Did you know about this? Or did she—”
“Don’t change the subject. Where were you?”
“Here!” Strawberry put herself inches from Applejack’s face. “I was here. Picking weeds. It’s the season after strawberry season. I have to pick weeds. I have to fertilize plants. I have to monitor their growth. I have to prevent fungi. I have to do anything besides caring about your parents!”
Applejack choked out a sob and rushed back out the front door.
The door creaked slightly as Pinkie and Rarity sat awkwardly in their seats.
Strawberry sighed.
“We’re deeply sorry—”
“She’s pretty angry at everypony right now—”
“We planned on doing all the talking—”
“She’s yelled at Rarity and I and we—”
“We don’t really think—”
“AJ doesn’t even think—”
“That you were involved—”
“Stop.” Strawberry interrupted. “I… I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said all that. I…” she rubbed her forehoof, “I didn’t… well, I did mean what I said. But… I didn’t… I don’t want to have meant it.”
“That… that’s alright darling.” Rarity replied as she slowly sat back down.
“Maybe… maybe we shouldn’t have brought her along. We… we just wanted to hear what you… you might’ve seen.”
“Maybe… Do you really think somepony killed Applejack’s parents? I thought it was a monster or some such from the Everfree.”
“Yes, we’re quite sure of it.” Rarity replied, straightening as she did so. “There’s… too much equine evidence.”
“Well… I can’t say I’d be able to forgive myself if there was something I could’ve done to help. What do you need to know?”
“Do you know any other puppeteers in town?” Pinkie asked.
Strawberry chuckled. “You always seem to know how to cheer a mare up, huh, Pinkie?” She looked outside. “I suppose you’re not very good at this.” She pursed her lips. Pinkie didn’t dare break the silence.
“Apologize to Applejack for me, when she’s willing to hear it… I know we don’t see eye to eye, but I know now wasn’t the right time and that wasn’t the right subject.” She took a slow breath. “I’m sorry. I’m just a little worried about the farm right now. That swarm of fruit bats ate a lot of my crop this year. I filed some forms about it… but I don’t know that I’ll get any insurance money.
“The little jam I ended with has been hard to sell.” She sighed and sat back down. “Bosc has been crowding my market. Pears and Strawberries are both luxury fruits, I suppose.” She laughs hollowly. “I might finally have to sell to Filthy. I know my parents wouldn’t judge me for it, but I don’t want to leave Ponyville. I really liked the life I built here.
“Sorry, you didn’t come to hear me moan about money troubles.”
“It’s alright, dear.”
“You didn’t let us in to get accused of murder.”
Strawberry laughed. It petered out. “Well, I need to get back to plucking weeds.”
“We… we should probably go talk to Applejack.”
“Goodness, we just left her alone didn’t we! Well, thank you for letting us chat with you. Don’t be a stranger.”
Rarity trotted out the front. Pinkie followed, but turned to wave at Strawberry, who smiled warily at her. Pinkie closed the door gently as she left. She galloped to catch up to Rarity. “I still don’t feel like that was a good idea.”
“Applejack coming with us was the only reason we got anywhere in that conversation.”
“But—”
“Applejack is in pain now. No matter what we did, she would be. If nothing else, she’s going to get… justice. And I think that’s going to help swimmingly.”
“But—”
“But nothing! It’s all going to be just fine in a few days.” Rarity held her head high. Pinkie didn’t believe Rarity was so confident, but knew Rarity was telling her to drop it.
They approached Applejack off Strawberry’s property. She stared into the clouds above, languidly swaying in the wind.
“How are you doing Applejack?”
“Fine, I guess. How’s Strawberry?”
“A little upset,” Pinkie replied, “but she seemed alright after… a moment.”
Applejack hummed.
Rarity put a hoof on Applejack’s shoulder. “We… you can stop if you like. Pinkie and I—”
“No. Where are we going next?”
“Don’t you want to take a snack break or—”
“No. Let’s go.”
Applejack got up and started over to town.
Rarity whispered to Pinkie, “this might have been a really bad idea.”
What is Strawberry hiding? Will she and Applejack ever make up? Will anypony ever take Pinkie's questions seriously?
For any guesses, be sure to put on spoiler tags for anyone who finds this after you!
If you find any perceived errors, please send me a message! Other kinds of criticism are appreciated in the comments 
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love Rarity’s continuing insistence on getting her friends to wear hats
Rarity is so good at lying i love her
there sure are a lot of puppets around this Ponyville!
ooh, interpreting Strawberry Sunrise as closer to Applejack’s parents in age and not an age-peer of Applejack is really interesting! i love it, and the depth she has here beyond just being a correct mare who doesn’t like apples
aww now i feel bad laughing at her alongside Applejack earlier
oh Strawberry never did answer the question about the other puppeteers, did she?
11858604
I came up with this joke somewhere around here in the first draft and immediately knew I had to make it recurring.
What? You don't like apples?! Simply the best fruit in all Equestria????? (I also don't like apples; I used to, then I ate too many bad ones.)