> The Checklist | MLP Murder Mystery
>  by HexaVeritais
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter 1: The Start of it
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"And provided the evidence," Zecora finished out. "without a single hint of hesitance! All arrows point towards first-degree murder for number three. It is as clear as it could ever be!"
Zecora was standing in a small-sized room, boarded with planks, and she was pointing at a stallion with a frizzy mane accompanied by a sign hanging on his chest that said "3", and he was rolling his eyes. There were two other stallions in the room with signs that read "1" and "2" hanging on their necks.
A small bit of clapping erupted from a cluster of "judges" sitting at the other end of the room, before it was cut-off by a very bored looking stallion clearing his throat. "That's very nice, Zecora. You performed very well. You have passed." He muttered.
Zecora beamed! Finally! I am a true Crime Case Detective! I couldn't wait since it became my elective! I knew all of that small experience would help out eventually, even if it was just unconventionally! Zecora thought.
"Uh, Zecora," the bored stallion said.
Zecora lost her smile. "Yes, Mr. MCain? You said my name."
The stallion drew circles on the desk with his hoof. "Yes, Zecora. Do you, uh, rhyme all the time?"
Zecora lowered her head slightly. She hated it when ponies talked about her rhyming. "No, Mr. Mcain. Not all the time," Zecora shifted her eyes around. "I'm not that lame..." she added solemnly.
"No Zecora," Mr. MCain said very blatantly. "It seems you are very lame in that sense. You rhyme all the time."
Zecora held back tears, she hated how sensitive she was. "Yes, I do. I'm sorry I'm such a f-" 
Mr. MCain cut her off. "I know what you were going to say, you were going to say fool. Now that rhymes with 'do'. Can you.. Agh! Zecora?" Zecora made an effort to meet Mr. MCain's eyes, as calm as he looked. "Can you NOT rhyme?"
Zecora wanted nearly anything but for this to be happening right now. "Y-yes.. Sir. I can not rhyme..."
One of the ponies at the judge's table looked around sadly at the other judges, but it seemed she was the only one who was concerned. She stood up and stopped Mr. MCain from whatever he was going to say. "Yes, yes. Zecora, you did amazing. You have passed and I am proud of you, here's your badge." The mare took a golden badge from Mr. MCain's part of the desk and she held it up to Zecora, who was faintly smiling.
"Um," the mare nibbled on her lip a little. "Do you have any clothing for me to put this on, Zecora? I don't want to pin your skin."
Zecora looked around. "Uh, no. I don't." She stopped herself from adding another rhyming sentence.
The other mare craned her neck to look under the desk she was behind. "Aha!" she said with a smile, and picked up a navy blue sash that was stuffed under the desk. "Here we are!" The mare fitted the pin onto a nice place on the sash and curled it around Zecora's neck.
Zecora smiled. The mare who had been so kind to her was one of Zecora's closest friends. The mare's name was Star'Shine and she was as sweet as can be. Star'Shine tried to be as secretive about her heritage as possible, but she had told Zecora a couple things. Star'Shine was from the place where dragons came from, high in the mountains. She had been taught nearly everything she knows by the dragons, and she personally knows Princess Ember. Star'Shine has the amazing skill of reading someone's emotions, which Zecora always thought was so cool. There were many rumors in the office where Zecora and Star'Shine worked about how Star'shine was part dragon. Now, Zecora could believe that she had mental and emotional attributes of dragons, but she had nothing physical that could be so, besides the jewels that were fitted into her skin. The jewels were rather horrifying, but Star'Shine said they really showed her personality and it was painless to have them inlaid.
Zecora nodded to all of the judges and to all of the other volunteers for the mock crime scene, and she walked out. She made sure to puff out her chest to show off her badge with pride, and she made sure to wear a smile. And like that, she walked her way home.


-`-`-


It was close to sunset when Zecora was called back to the office. She was very nervous. She had heard that one of the old employees had gotten his badge for being a Field Officer, the kind that walks around and makes sure everyone's okay. But the day after he got his badge, he was called back and it was taken away for untold reasons. Zecora hoped that it wouldn't happen to her. The only reason I might have my badge taken back, is because Mr. MCain doesn't like the way I talk. Every time he mentions it, it feels like an attack. For some reason, it makes me want to put him in a headlock! thought Zecora, hyper-aware of her loose rhyming that she tried to make disappear. But it couldn't happen, Zecora continued. Star'Shine said I did amazing! Zecora kept thinking about Star'Shine until her mind strayed to Mr. MCain.
Mr. MCain was normally a very nice stallion, but he didn't enjoy his job as much as you'd think he did. He was a very formal pony, - and at the same time, mysterious. No one really knew anything about his heritage, except that he was from Phillydelphia but that he didn't grow up there. He always seemed bored unless there was a case being handled. When Zecora thought about that, it WAS Mr. MCain that called her back to the office. It had to be important. She had to be getting assigned a case to investigate.
Zecora felt both excited and scared. Is it going to be something really messed up? Like some cult of Hyena Pups? There were so many possibilities that Zecora didn't want to think about, especially the Hyena Pups. The Hyena Pups were and an old cult that had odd and grotesque rituals. The police force of Cantarlot had made sure that they would never show their faces again, but they MIGHT come back. Zecora shook her head in fear and continued the long trek to the office.