>Lying on your back and staring at the starry night sky, a few shooting stars passing by and the moon and starts shining surprisingly bright in your little secret spot
>And music playing into your ears from a portable little cd player, your favorite artist just recently released a new album that you are enjoying greatly
>You pick up the cd case and hold it in front of your face, blocking your view of the night sky and replacing it by the mare on the cover, wearing a stage outfit that you could only describe as borderlining on being just super elegant lingerie rather than a costume to wear while performing, her two toned mane done in a mildly wild fashion to fit her outfit and the cover
>You wish you felt comfortable enough to wear such stuff instead of being a bit self conscious about it and as such never doing it at all
>You place it back down and focus on the many starts painting the sky into something beautiful as one song ends and the other starts
>You hum a little, singing along to the song inside your head, sometimes replacing some of the lyrics with words of your own that you feel like they fit, and just enjoy the feel of this quiet, relaxing moment you are having
>This is just pure relaxing bliss, the slight worry of being by yourself, in the woods, ears blocked with music, escaping your mind and making you less aware of your surroundings
>But nopony could blame you when the sky is this pretty
>You have not gone far from the town of Hollow Shades, a lovely place where you grew up as an orphan, to be in good enough darkness to be able to see the sky so clearly during the night
>You don’t really think much of the town, but there really is no better place for a bat pony to live in, in Equestria
>You should know, since you’ve been living here and there all your young life and all the way into adulthood, never really settling down anywhere
>Or even making many friends...
>Once again a song ends and the other one begins, but you skip that one for the next one
>You do like this new cd, but not all of the songs on it as much as others
>But maybe you should really head back home, you’re beginning to remember and be more and more aware on how you’re by yourself in the middle of some dark woods where anything could happen
>Though the close area around Hollow Shades is super safe, and you have not really gone too far from town
>And for some weird reason you feel like thinking about how you look, like you were some kind of a character in a story and the author did not come up with a good way to portray how you look so he just went fuck it
>what...what kind of a though is that?
>But it’s not like you do not worry about your appearance, for one you’re not sure if going with a page bob manecut was the most perfect option for you, especially since you kept it longer not too long ago, but at least it’s easy to manage and quite handy even
>You do like it, you’re just not sure if it’s the best for you and your silvery mane with cream color strips
>And when it comes to your body, it’s not its very light, very pastel kind of a pink color that worries you rather than the shape
>you’re not ugly, at least that is how you think, but you’re...not of a certain body type
>You’ve noticed a trend where more and more stallions like their butts rounder, hips wider and mares softer and softer, drooling after humongous fatty butts and such
>And here you are, more of a runway model mare
>Thin, sleek, elegant but also very much womanly rather than having the body of a young colt, but just not in any way super curvy or soft, or how the stallions put it, thicc braap-pig slam hog of a broodmare with foal pushing hips and an ass that lets you slam their beefy plum babyfactory pussies hardstyle
>you’ve heard many colorful terms during your life. Veeery many.
>Your cutie mark though, you have no idea what it means in its windy color
>Two swirlies and an arrow going up, yeah good luck figuring that one out
>Your tail you did not cut as short as your many though, but it’s also not too long either
>As you keep looking at the stars you think to yourself that you need to stop fussing over this stuff, pure and simple
>And maybe fuss over that other thing, that way bigger thing...oh, clouds, there goes the stars and the moon, luckily you are a bat pony so you can still see fine, instead of being absolutely blind like a...
>You’re not going to say it, it’s silly since bats can see pretty well in the dark
>you sigh and skip a few songs-
>Suddenly you roll over, fast enough for the headphones to come off of your head, just in time to avoid being impaled by a stick or a spear that came out of nowhere
>You stare at it in shock, slowly registering the rest of the scene
>There is somepony-no, some thing holding it, pulling it free from the ground while grunting
>You just barely manage to avoid being impaled by it as it’s thrust at you, the attacker stepping on your CD player and breaking it
>your heart is pounding fast and you are coming in terms with the reality of the situation as you take a few steps back and open up your wings and take flight, just in time as the creature lunges at you with the spear or sharp piece of wood and lets out an angry growl / shout as you quickly fly upwards to get away
>”YOU SHOULD NOT EXIST!”
>You can now see it’s a yak, by the quick glance you give it before flying out of there faster than you thought you could and in full panic mode
>A yak just tried to kill you! It was by pure chance that you managed to catch on to what was happening before it impaled your head! Why!?
>Before you know it you’ve blindly flown back to your home, locked the door and retreated under your bed, shaking, your throat sore from simply breathing so much and fast because you were flying so fast and your heart going a hundred miles per hour
>you are unsure how long you have been in hiding, going over the details of what happened in your head, remembering more and more details, and second guessing some as you realize you need to report this, to contact the local police ponies
>And it’s much safer there, even if a murderous yak with a spear in the middle of town would cause an uproar you still can’t help but to feel scared and paranoid as you exit and quickly go to the police building, mentally going over and over the parts that you don’t want to forget
>Attacked by a yak, male, looked weird, moved awkwardly like it was hurt, tried to kill you
>By the time you arrived to the police station you were an obvious mess, and after some time and calming down managed to tell what had happened
>After getting all the details down and talking with you over and over again they let you stay at the station for the day so you could sleep somewhere definitely safe, but sleep did not come easy even if it eventually happened
>Much did you know that this was only the beginning of uncovering a dark secret that had and didn’t have everything and anything to do with you


>You absentmindedly sip on a fruit smoothie, watching the usual ponies going on with their usual life
>It’s been a few days since your incident, and it has not been made to be public knowledge
>The ponies who function as the police / guards / law enforcement thought it’d help in catching the criminal if your attack was not made public knowledge
>You glance at the nearby table where a pony nods at you, one of the police ponies that’s been keeping an eye on you in case the one who tried to kill you came back
>”Are you still shaken up about it Papilone?”
>You look over at a pony who you probably could call a friend, a bat pony mare by the name of Silkura
>She got in to knowing what’s going on because she came to check up on you at the station, after seeing you fly there so shaken up
>She owns the small lingerie business next door, which she re-started some while ago, and before that she was even a maid, her story is a pretty interesting one
>But to sum it up, she had a business, it burned down, went thought hardship and then finally reopened her shop after some time, having worked as a live in maid while recovering and getting her bearings straight after all of it
>You’ve met the ponies she lived with, they’re an ok bunch
>You got to know Silkura by being a model to promote her products when you were looking for work
>And then just kept helping every now and then and a friendship was born, and the best one yet
>it’s not that you’re antisocial or anything, you just don’t have a great need to befriend anypony or surround yourself with acquaintances
>Which has not felt that great these few days and nights, you never really were that aware about being all alone until now
“Yeah, it’s so confusing and scary, I don’t know what to think of it”
>When it comes to the case, as long as you know, there’s not been any progress but they did say that one of their best, if not the best is taking the case over
>An older looking, fitting the stereotype of a law enforcement appearing bat stallion
>A shiver runs down your spine as you watch Silkura slurp up an earthworm like it was spaghetti from her bowl of said things
“How’s that all bugs diet working for you?”
>you shudder as she puts more of them in her mouth
>”Oh it’s been great, once you get used to it they’re really tasty, even if a bit icky looking. But the results speak for themselves”
>You hate to admit it but her coat is shinier than ever, and she’s in a pretty fit condition, in a way that would probably be pleasing to the eyes of a stallion
>”But I admit I miss the sweetness of fruits, bugs are more salty and meaty than fruits”
>If only that diet was not so gross even you might give it a try, not that you need it
>No really, she gave you a fried cricket to try and you vomited after a few bites
>You’re an all fruit bat and that seems to be working out for you
>Silkura then lowers her voice
>”Do you think it has anything to do with...you know, that thing?”
“I don’t really know, it could but...lately I am not even sure if I dreamed the whole thing or not”
>Said thing is something that has earned you some odd looks from the few ponies to whom you’ve told it, and out of your friends...well, only one friend so far really, you’ve only told it to Silkura, and most likely won’t tell it to future friends at all so ponies don’t think you’re weird
>It’s got to do with an experience you had when first returning to Hollow Shades
>You were an orphan until the day you decided to leave Hollow Shades because simply it did not look like anypony wanted you and after that you drifted from one place to the other, not really making friends or anything, but getting by all ok
>But as such, you never really felt any need to return back home, because it had never really been an home to you
>But after trying your luck in here and there, never really befriending anypony or settling down anywhere, mostly due to being very quiet and awkward and never making an attempt to connect with other ponies, you decided to head back since many bat ponies seem to like it here so there must be something good here right?
>Anyways, you came back with the little stuff you had on you, one luggage worth of items, and just near the entrance to Hollow Shades you found a hole
>A hole...in the air
>You got curious and went to get a closer look, and you got sucked into it before you knew what was happening, and sorta ended up back at where you started, but thins looked different, and there were more holes like that, which was causing a stir among the bat ponies
>In the process you were accidentally shoved into another hole, getting separated from your luggage, and now you were in a Hollow Shades, but it felt and looked...wrong somehow
>You quickly re-entered the hole you came from, but you did not end up where your luggage was left behind, but an alien looking Hollow Shades
>Those holes must have been some kind of magical portals, leading to different versions of Hollow Shades, possible parallel universes?
>That is what you thought to yourself, and panicked once you realized you want to go back to where you started at, but every new hole just lead somewhere that was not the world as you knew it
>At some point you ended up in a very weird scenery, where two creatures in the distance had a big magic battle of sorts, and a stray spell coming at your head knocked you out and send you flying towards a cluster of said holes in reality
>But once you came to, you were being treated at Hollow Shades, definitely your Hollow Shades, for head injury
>But, as you had not lived in Hollow Shades for a long time, you could not be sure if this was as you’d put it, your universe
>After which you had to stay extra days as the doctors made sure you did not hurt your head too hard
>But that feeling of uncertainty persisted for a long time, especially once you realized that your lifestyle had not left you with any contacts you could contact and find out for sure if you were where you were supposed to be and not some alternate universe
>but as days and nights went by you started to care about it less and less, and question yourself if it really happened in the first place rather than being some kind of a dream you had while being knocked out for whatever reason
>It is a strange reason, living in a town after many years, not really remembering much of it, and not being sure if the town always was like this, or if you are some kind of an interdimensional drifter accidentally stuck in where you don’t belong in originally
>But on the other hoof, everything you remember existing in Equestria exist in here, all the places have the same names, businesses are owned by the ponies you remember them belonging to and so on and as far as you know of history and what’s going on in Equestria as a whole, this is the exact same world you grew up in
>Honestly you had even forgotten all about it, until Silkura brought it up, but yeah you’d rather never share that anymore to anypony and sound like some crazy mare
>”Excuse me?”
>You look over at the undercover police pony, who is now being stared at by an angry looking unicorn in weird fashion accessories
>”I just said that an unicorn in Hollow Shades is an unusual sight?”
>The unicorn pony looks absolutely furious
>”DID YOU JUST ASSUME MY SPECIES?”
>The police pony looks visibly confused
>”CAN YOU NOT SEE MY WINGS?”
>The unicorn touches his fashion accessories that kinda look like wings you guess
>The police pony points at the horn on the unicorns head
>”You are a unicorn”
>The unicorn starts to angrily rave on about trans-species phobia and how he’s going to have his horn cut off and artificial fang implants put into his mouth, and how he indentifies as a bat pony and not an unicorn and should be addressed as such
>You and Silkura look at the scene as confused as the police pony while a bat pony with a toilet paper roll on his forehead, held in place with a rubber band, joins in, angrily shouting how ponies assume he’s a bat pony and not an unicorn what he is deep down...even if he’s a bat pony witha toilet paper roll stuck to his forehead
>The police pony looses it and escorts the two out of the restaurant, but not before telling you that you need to wait here since the pony in charge of the investigation is coming over to meet you
>Silkura sweatdrops
>”All kinds of ponies walking around in the modern day huh?”
>You just shake your head, you thought that this stuff only happened in bigger cities
>”Papilone”
>you look behind you and find the older detective stallion standing there
“Proper Hooves”
>he takes a seat and you once again look him over. No not like that though, he’s a happily married stallion and not your type to begin with
>He looks exactly like you’d imagine a private detective from a crime thriller novel to look like, and supposedly he is pretty good at his job
>everypony at the station spoke highly of him, and he just radiates seriousness and professionalism, an has never left a case unsolved
>And then you find him also studying you...hopefully not like that, since he is married and all
>”I still can’t believe that something what happened to you happened here in Hollow Shades, this is not a very criminally active place, never has been”
>Silkura nods
>”Yeah...though weren’t there some kind of a guild of thieves in here? You remember, the time when some kind of a secret hideout under the middle of town collapsed and all?”
>He chuckles
>“Yeah, though in my professional opinion it was just a bunch of goofballs managing to appear as a bigger thread than they really are. Instead of a guild I would call it roleplay from a few ponies bored of their night time jobs”
>You are very confused, and Detective Proper Hooves turns to look at you
>”Anyway, I just decided to triple check with you Papilone, are you sure that the attacker was a male yak?”
>You nod
“yes, although I can’t be too sure of every detail I am certain it was a male yak that tried to stab me with a spear”
>He lets out a sigh
>”Then this just got trickier, since we happen to have found two yaks camping near Hollow Shades, but none of them admits to anything after throughout questioning...so, I was wondering if you would feel up to coming to the station and taking a look at them to see if either of those two look familiar”
>You tense up a little
“Yeah”
>Proper Hooves notices this
>”Are you sure? I understand if it’s too much”
>You shake your head
“No, I want whomever tried to kill me caught as well, and to know why”
>Proper Hooves nods
>”Good, so do I, and you have nothing to worry, we even have a few guard ponies who are very skillful at the station, they are the ones who caught them”
>Silkura looks worried
>”But if you don’t want to, you don’t have to...”
>Proper Hooves looks at Silkura next
>”That is what somepony who would not want the truth to come out would say”
>Silkura suddenly looks very shocked, for a second before Proper Hooves lets out a little laugh
>”Relax, I’m just messing with you”
>Silkura looks shocked, then offended, then embarrassed, and you can’t help but to let out a little giggle which makes her blush more
>”C-come on Papilone...”
>but as such, the tense atmosphere around the table has been lifted, and soon enough you follow the police pony to the station while Silkura heads back to running her business


>”Yak thinks you ponies are stupid”
>The other Yak nods and Proper Hooves, the detective, rubs his temple
>”Are you completely sure that it was neither of these yaks Papilone?”
>You nod
“Neither of them sounds like the one who attacked me, these two sound more...yakkety”
>The two go on about agreeing that yaks best at yakketing
“And the yak that attacked me did not have horns at all”
>Both Yaks, somehow through all that yak hair, look at you weirdly
>”Yak with no horns?”
>Yak number two slams his yak hooves onto the table
>”Yaks always have horns!”
>Proper Hooves tells them to calm down while you continue talking
“And no helmet either”
>Both yaks scoff at this
>”Is pony sure it was a yak that attacked pony?”
>”No horns and no helmet sounds like no yak at all, or the worst yak ever, which makes no sense because yaks best at everything!”
>They bro-hoof and bro-headbutt
>”What if this yak simply did not wear a helmet and had removed his horns?”
>The yaks and the detective keep talking about that and how no yak would ever do that, while you start to think
>Now that you think about it, it could have been something else than a yak
>Maybe a pony dressed up as one or something completely different?
“What if it was not a yak?”
>All three quiet down and look at you
“What if it was a pony dressed up as a yak, or some other kind of a creature?”
>Proper Hooves does not seem to like that idea, based off of his expression
>”Let’s not jump to any conclusions, you might be remembering things wrong, and letting these two go this easy would be a bad call”
>”Like an eeee or keee?”
>Proper hooves look at one of the yaks who just said that
>”No, bad call, not bat call”
>”Oh, yak sorry”
>The corner of your mouth twitches upwards for just a little bit
“No, I can clearly remember there not being any kinds of horns, it was what I said at the very start on the very night it happened”
>Proper Hooves sighs
>”Yes...you did say so ever since day one”
>You really hope that this is just a bad night for the detective, you’re no police pony or even a fan of mystery crime novels, but that would have been the most logical thing to think
>And he’s supposed to be one of the best yet he did not think of it? Or maybe he wants to play it safe and not let any suspects out of the hook until he’s completely sure, yeah that does sound more like a professional detective move
>You blush a little, having doubted the pony that is supposed to solve this
>”I don’t think I’ll be needing you anymore in here Miss Papilone, you can go if you want to, I’ll still check a few things with these yaks”
>You excuse yourself and leave Proper Hooves to do his job in peace
>You pass by what you think are his wife and kid, the mare telling the young colt that his daddy needs to do job things, while said colt pouts and keeps stomping his hoof, insisting for his dad to come play with him right now
>Proper Hooves wife gives you a brief smile as she sees you looking at the beginning of a possible temper tantrum and you return the smile as you pass them and head on out
>They have stopped with having an officer keep an eye out on you, since nothing has been happening ever since the initial attack, but you’re told not to leave Hollow Shades before this case is solved
>But you feel rather safe to be amongst other ponies in the somewhat busy, somewhat small little bat pony town
>And right now your stomach reminds you that you need to buy some groceries by grumbling a little bit, making you let out a light giggle
>A few fruits and veggies, you might as well go and visit the area where small time farmer ponies and local fruit cultivators sell their harvest, it’s a nice, warm night and by this time of the night it should be not too busy, but still very much active
>But you should have watched where you were going instead of everything, as you bump into a caramel color pony
“Oof”
>”Whha?”
>The pony turns around and instantly looks nervous as he sees you, and you also frown a little, internally of course
>”Oh I am sorry, I must have been standing in the way, dear old me, so sorry pretty...N-not that I am hitting on you or anything, I mean you are an attractive pony and...”
>he looks like he’s in a loss of words and sweating a bit
“It’s ok, I know what you mean Caramel Carrot”
>The pony in question, a rather old, a bit unkept looking, semi-balding earth pony stallion is known as Caramel Carrot, a local carrot farmer who farms some carrots, a very small little business he runs all by himself
>He is known as a bit of a weird pony, shy and seems to always be nervous
>Though for some reason, around you it’s twice as bad and awkward
>Which you at first though was a crush, but thankfully that was resolved soon-ish and you found out that it was not so
>...you’re not being mean, but a relationship with said pony would be a no-go all together for many reasons, but mostly in you not ever seeing yourself to want this pony romantically
>”So out to buy something to eat Papilone? Oh but of course you would be, it’s the food area, I mean cart...area...stall...”
>he smiles awkwardly with a rather sad squee
>not sad as in he’s sad, but more like he’s...you feel bad at saying this, but pathetic
>“But you must be very busy and I also need to go and do a...well just go, so here, I am giving you these carrots”
>He quickly shoves a small bag of carrots into your hooves
>“They’re a new type of carrots, should be really juicy, oh do tell if they were good...or not, you can jut eat them, no need to worry about me, just enjoy the carrots!”
>He makes a quick exit and almost trots right into another pony, making a few of the regular business ponies share a laugh and give him some remarks
>You watch him walk away, and a thought hits you
>If you don’t find yourself a lot of friends, will that be you sometime in the far future?
>He’s got no close friends by the looks of it, but he’s not hated or anything and seems to like being by himself for the most time and taking care of his carrots, but randomly he tries to reach out and it’s awkward and uncomfortable for both parties usually
>Well, you got free carrots so you can make free carrot juice at least
>For some reason though...you can’t help but to feel an odd tingle of sympathy towards him, even if you don’t really care for him that much
>And talking of feeling, you always feel a bit on the edge around Proper Hooves, in a weird way you have never experienced before with any other pony
>But maybe sometimes ponies just feel whatever they feel
>Kind of like that one spot, for some reason anytime you pass by it you look at it you feel a shiver down your spine, it’s the oddest thing ever
>But enough musing, time to get this fruit and go home

>Drip drip drop and a gurgle as you stand under the shower and let the water pool up in your open mouth for as long as you can hold your breath
>And then you tilt your head down and let it fall onto the floor and join the rest of the water on its joyride to the drain
>Yup, you are taking a shower, your pastel pink coat now looking a few hue’s darker due to being wet, your mane swept back with a hoof to stay away from your face and eyes, your tail sticking to your flank
>you have long since washed yourself, this is just extra shower time where you just enjoy the feeling of warm water and ponder about the secrets of life and universe
>Or well, stand around empty minded
>You reach and grab a certain thing off of the plastic basket where you have all your shampoos and whatnot and give it a quick rinse just in case, and then place the wobbly thing between your thighs in a hold so it’s in the proper place
>And then stand there, letting it hang, moving your body a little to make it wiggle
>Stallions really be walking around wit things like these attached to them
>But putting the dildo aside, you’re not going to use that now, you look out the little window and at the pretty moonlight shining in from above
>The window is very high up and near the ceiling, so you don’t have to worry about being seen from the outside as you shower
>Or so you thought, for a face pops up as a pony peeks in, making you let out a rather loud and surprised / frightened scream as you slip and fall onto your butt
>you try to take flight, but wet wings = water spraying everywhere and no flight due to all the excess weight being wet adds, so you don’t manage to jump up and look out from the window and see who it was, peeking in
>But just then, you hear commotion on the outside and you recognize one of the voices to belong to Proper Hooves, so you quickly wrap a towel around your mane and rush out, still moist
>”N-NO LET ME GO!”
>”Stop Struggling!”
>You see Proper Hooves on top of Caramel Carrot, detaining him having pushed him down
>Both notice you and pause, their faces slowly going red
“Caramel Carrot? you were the one who looked in through my shower room window?”
>Proper Hooves clears his throat
>”Well...more than that, should you worry about your appearance?”
>You tilt your head to the side in a confused manner
>Carrot top nods, trying his hardest to not look ye also look at you
>”Y-yeah...oh good Celestia you look exactly like her, I mean you’re completely naked!”
>But...ponies are always naked? For the most part at least...
“But aren’t I always naked?”
>”But you’re still fresh from the shower, and what did you mean by looking exactly like her, what are you talking about you old carrot growing stallion?”
>Proper Hooves then looks back at you
>”I’ll keep him detained so you can make yourself more presentable, and then we can talk”
>You head into your house, remove the towel on your head, placing it on a chair, and come right back outside, where a small crowd has formed around the scene
>”Oh good, now you’re decent”
>You roll your eyes and proper Hooves, having now cuffed the old stallion, continues talking
>”I saw this pony peeking in through your window, and then running off”
“I was taking a shower and somepony was watching me, was that...you?”
>Caramel Carrot makes a face full of regret and guilt
>”Y-yes...I just...you look so much like her if she ever grew up, and I just had to see”
>Proper Hooves tightens his hold on the pony
>”Did you try and attack her as well?”
>Caramel Carrot shakes his head frantically
>”No I loved her, we were lovers! I would never...I mean she looks just like her and-”
>Proper Hooves interrupts Caramel Carrot
>”Lovers? But you just said something about if she grew up, and I don’t recall you are any kinds of lovers with Papilone”
>Proper Hooves looks at you and you nod
“N-no, I just sometimes get free carrots from him...I don’t know what is happening”
>Caramel Carrot looks alarmed and quickly starts talking again
>”N-no not you, but her...”
>Caramel Carrot goes silent and Proper Hooves lifts him up
>”Ok, you are coming down to the station with me”
>He escorts the elder stallion to the police building with you following in tow, mostly to get out from that small crowd looking at the three of you
>All the while Caramel carrot has gone completely silent
>Could...Could he be the one who attacked you, dressed as a yak? it makes no sense, and you would not think he’d be that strong or fast, but he did appear quite disturbing, rambling on about weird stuff and looking like a pony he loved, you think?
>It just makes no sense...
>You stayed at the station for a little while, confirming a few thins with an officer pony while Proper Hooves interrogated Caramel Carrot
>Soon enough Proper Hooves came back, looking a bit exhausted
>”I can’t get a proper straight answer out of that stallion...”
“Did he say why he was trying to see me shower?”
>Proper Hooves sits down at his desk and sighs
>”Apparently you remind him of a filly he was in love with”
>You make a confused face
“I look like his childhood crush”
>Proper Hooves shakes his head
>”Adulthood love”
>You pause
”Oh...”
>Proper Hooves nods
>”Yeah, I would not be surprised if it was him who attacked you, he does not seem to be all there, mentally”
>Well, you always knew he was a bit awkward, but...no, it does not really sound like him
>”Well anyway, I’ll keep grilling him for answers, you should head home now”
>For some reason he extend his hoof and pets your head a few times
>it’s...reassuring but odd
>Which he also seems to take notice of as he quickly pulls his hoof back as if it was burned by fire
>He lets out an awkward chuckle
>”My wife did always say I was bad at consoling others”
>You let out a light giggle
“Yeah, I was not sure what was going on in there”
>He nods
>”I guess that is the price to pay for being such a gruff and serious policepony”
>you say your goodbyes to one another and you start heading back home, head swarming as you keep second guessing yourself if Caramel Carrot could be the pony who tried to attack and possibly murder you
>but...why would he want to murder a pony who looks like his past lover in the first place? 


>It’s...been a few days since the peeping incident
>Caramel Carrot was freed from all suspicion of having been the pony who dressed up as a yak and tried to kill you due to having back injuries
>Apparently he can barely even farm and sell his carrots, but he’s been hiding it
>But that was not the only thing he’s been hiding that has come into public knowledge
>The press got a hold of some facts and now it’s known throughout Hollow Shades that he was romantically, and sexually involved with an orphan filly when he was younger, but still an adult
>Yup, Caramel Carrot was boinking really, really fresh pussy while being at least twice the age of that filly poon
>But said filly disappeared off of the face of Hollow Shades one day, probably moving over onto some other town to try her luck in or just heading out to explore the world, leaving Caramel Carrot heartbroken
>And he was trying to peep on you because you really remind him of her, apparently as he puts it, your looks, your voice, even your name because she was called Papi
>Apparently that is also why he was being extra awkward around you and giving you free stuff
>Trying to probably relive some of his past, hopefully he was not hoping to get romantically involved with you, that would have been really disgusting, especially now as you know what you know
>Well, it did not appear romantic in nature at least to you, and you hope that is how it is
>you pass by where his stall used to be, now trashed and broken
>The general public has not been very kind to him ever since and he’s truly become an outcast, refusing to leave his home all together for the most part
>but, one has to make bread, as he walks up to the market area of Hollow Shades with just a few carrots, avoiding looking at others and others avoid looking at him
>At least the nice ponies, some point and laugh and whisper amongst each other while pointing at him
>And he sheds a tear as he sees the state of his stall and gets to work, trying to put it back together the best he can while a few passing by ponies tell him to just leave town for good
>A few ponies do go to help him though, but that is the last you pay attention to him as you look back at Silkura, whom you were walking around with
>You did not feel that safe by yourself and she came to visit you
>”I still can’t believe it Papilone, and he even tried to peek up on you?”
>you nod to Silkura, the friendly pastel green coated bat pony mare
“I can’t believe it either, to think that he was not nice to me from the bottom of his heart, but because I looked like his underage lover”
>Silkura frowns a little
>”Do you really think that was what it was?”
>You pause for a moment
>it is true that you are supposed to be really angry at him and hate his guts now, but...you just can’t bring yourself to do that
>your opinion of him has gone down definitely but not as much as you think is proper under the circumstances
“I’m...”
>Silkura pets your back
>”but if you don’t want to talk about it I understand, we can talk about...oh, your cutie mark for example, any idea what it means yet? it’s like an arrow going up, kind of like wind...wind and up, maybe you’re good at winding up spring?”
>She squees and makes an awkward smile and you giggle a little
>Which makes her blush a bit, but then gasp as she seems to realize something
>”I hate to go now, especially when you’re going through so much at the moment but I really have to meet a client that I forgot all about!”
>You give Silkura a little hug
“it’s ok, I understand”
>you two say your brief goodbyes and she goes on her way and you turn around and head off to-
>Your eyes meet with Caramel Carrots and he freezes up, and you turn around yet again, not wanting to go that way right now
>And you are facing the way Silkura is going into, and going the same way would be awkward, so you choose the third option
>Which leads you right past that odd spot of town
>A completely regular spot at the side of the usual road, nothing there just grass, yet every time you pass it you feel a chill, and just kinda bad
>The air feels oddly suffocating and you usually either hurry past it or avoid it all together
>Can’t even remember when was the last time you passed by it, but you do get the feeling you have thought about it at some point in the recent past, like if you were a protagonist in fiction and explaining stuff to the reader
>What an odd thought
>Was it always this bad? You feel like you’re sweating and you’re just walking towards the spot
>No, this feels more bad than it usually does, your throat starts to feel dry and itchy, and you start to gasp for breath lightly
>halfway there before you reach it and can walk past it, you don’t trust your wings enough to take flight and zoom past it now, you feel so cramped and wrong
>You fail to miss Caramel Carrot taking notice of this and watching you as you walk slower and slower, hooves a bit shaky
>your head feel fuzzy, in a bad way, there’s not enough oxygen, are you having a panic attack or something? You’ve never had one, you feel feverish, why tonight of all nights are you feeling this icky
>You can’t really hear much what is happening and still seem oblivious to your surroundings, failing to notice that both Caramel Carrot and Proper Hooves are now following you, when did, where did he come from?
>but you are now at the spot, and your head feels like it is about to split open
>And you’re breathing a lot but it feels like you’re not inhaling any oxygen, your hooves are weak and everything is wrong
>you collapse, your hooves giving out from under you and Caramel Carrot freezes up, and Proper Hooves says something to him, making him flinch and rushes towards you
>you look back at the earth, finding your hoof having dug onto it a little without you noticing, and before you even know what you are doing you have moved some ground away
>And then more, and more, digging feverishly, but at the same time feeling better but you are about to run out of air...but why, you are breathing in air, so why are you...
>Your head goes blank and you dig with all your might, causing a bit of a scene around you without noticing it
>By the time Proper Hooves grabs onto you your ears barely registering him asking if you’re ok, as your hoof suddenly touches something and you grab onto it
>Proper Hooves pulls you up, but at the same time you pull out what you are holding on to, a piece of hemp cloth? A...bag?
>it rips at the same time as it slips out from the ground and opens up, and suddenly you feel fine, finally feeling like you can breathe again
>you can hear normal, now aware of the collective gasp, and see normal instead of everything appearing dark and out of focus
>And you now clearly register what you see before you, what came out of the bag that got pulled up
>A once dead body, now all bones
>The bones of what looks like a small, young bat pony
>Somepony suddenly collapses next to you, Caramel Carrot, tears starting to swell up in his eyes
>”it’s...it’s her...it’s got to be her...”
>He starts to cry rather loudly, grabbing onto the skull and hugging it
>At a loss for words or what is happening, you look at Proper Hooves but find him already staring at you
>But his expression is cold...for a split second you thought you were looking at a different pony
>”This...just what is this?”
>He notices you staring and quickly puts you down and starts to police ponies around, getting the scene under control, and then grabs you
>”And you too are coming to the station, how did you know to dig in this exact spot?”
>you just sit there on the ground, confused yet somehow oddly relieved albeit in a shock from all of this just happening so suddenly
>Why did you start to dig right here, and why was there a dead body in there?


>You’re once again beneath the shower, ready to head off to bed after it
>You finally got back from the police station after being questioned about discovering the dead body of a bat filly in a sack, buried underground
>It’s been a very taxing late night, and it’s soon going to be daytime so what’s best than falling asleep for now, especially when you are so tired that such a situation is not making you head swarm with questions
>you just need to close your eyes and not think of anything right now
>you are unsure what that was when you found the body, but ever since it feels like a great deal of weight has been lifted off of your shoulders, a weight you did not even know was there
>Or that might just be the shock if you are in one, you did get a blanket over you and warm cocoa when being questioned
>They let Caramel Carrot go as well, there is no telling who’s body it is, even if he’s somehow convinced that it’s the filly he loved
>But that is the last thing you think as you feel pain at the back of your head and fall unconscious
>...ugh...can’t move, head hurts, what’s happening?
>your eyes fly open and you find yourself sitting in a chair, your chair, bound
>”So you’re awake”
>you know that voice, you recognize it way before you even realize who the pony is that you are looking at
“Proper Hooves? Wh...what is this, why am I bound?”
>Did something happen, is he here to rescue you?
>He sighs and rubs his temple
>”You know, I was going to let you be, but then you had to go and do something like that”
>You make a confused face and struggle a little against your binds
“What I did...the body?”
>He nods
>”Ever since you wound up in Hollow Shades I have had a bad feeling, it’s been eating me up on the inside, like a primal instinct of survival”
“Did you tie me up?”
>He nods and flashes a knife
>”And don’t try to scream for help, you’ll be dead before you know it.”
>He sighs again and sits down on a chair he sets in front of you
>”You know, I don’t even know why it all boiled over on that day when I just could not keep it in check and tried to kill you”
>your eyes fly wide open
>He was the one who tried to...but why?
>”And I was going to never loose control like that ever again, but then you dug up that body and I knew my gut instinct was right all along, this mare should not be allowed to exist for the sake of myself and all I have build in Hollow Shades”
>Your mind has gone blank, you don’t understand at all what’s happening right now
“But...why?”
>”I guess I do owe you an explanation by now”
>He shakes his head slowly and seems to contemplate on something silently while the dread of the whole situation finally starts to sink in fully
>”You see, I killed that filly, not intentionally but it did happen, and I could not have let that stop me from doing what I need to do, I am a good pony, and the countless services I have done to Hollow Shades”
>you gasp
“W-was it an accident or...”
>”It was way back in the day, I was but a fresh, young police officer, determined to make a difference and be a good, proper police officer”
>Trying to live up to his name you see
>”And I was aware what was going on between Caramel Carrot and some random orphan filly, he was getting all kinds of strung along by that little harlot, exchanging sexual services to him while he bought her anything she wanted or needed, and catered to every whim”
>he sighs
>”So I went and tried talking with her, and the nerve on this little slut, she started to seduce ME!”
>You jolt a little at his outburst and proper Hooves hangs his head low in regret
>”And then it just...happened, I don’t know why, but before I knew it, in that secluded area of town I realized had just had sex with her, dirty, icky, illegal sex with a dirty minor off of the streets. And in that moment I realized I could not let this kind of a slipup stop me from being able to properly serve this town like I am destined to, so I grabbed a nearby object and hit her on the head, cracking her skull and killing her on the spot, still locked together with her from the waist down”
>you gulp and keep trying to somehow sneakily get free, but you’re tied up tightly and he seems to take notice, pointing the knife at you again, but then putting it down
>”You can struggle all you want, but you won’t get out of those binds, I have nothing to fear. I hid the body in a bag, got rid of all the evidence and that was it, it was over as quickly as it began”
“You’re a murderer!”
>He shakes his head
>”I simply did what I felt needed to be done for the good of everypony, and look at how far I have gotten in my career, how much good I have done in my life for this town, all the criminals I have put away, all the justice I have upheld, all the ponies I have helped, the happiness i have given to my wife and even our son being brought into this world, all of that would never had happened if that little slut would have existed as a spec of dirt upon me and all that I am, I did the right thing”
>He gets up and menacingly walks towards you
>”And ever since, I have made sure that I won’t slip up ever again, to atone for what I did, but you...you are such an unnerving image of her I can’t help but to want to remove you just like I removed her, and now that you uncovered the body I realize I was right all along and should not have hesitated and question my sanity on that night I tried to kill you, I could have flown after you, abandon my poor, in the heat of a moment disguise and ended you, but I questioned myself and my gut instinct and gave up”
>he chuckles, making your skin crawl, it might be Proper Hooves in front of you, but it feels like you are watching a completely different pony
>”But not anymore, I will kill you in here right now, and then pin the blame on Caramel carrot and frame his suicide, not being able to live with killing yet again, and remove this constant dread I feel for my own future”
>He raises up the knife but-
>”n-NO!”
>Suddenly, Caramel Carrot lunges at him, knocking him to the floor and the chair you’re bound onto as ell in the process
>”It was you all along! You killed her all long! I loved her!”
>Also you make a mental note to get better locks, this is two ponies breaking into your home during one morning 
>But the fall broke the chair a little, suddenly giving you much more wiggling room from your ropes as the two of them struggle, Caramel Carrot angrily yelling at Proper Hooves who keeps fighting him off
>You manage to get a hoof free and then another, quickly undoing your binds but then freezing and looking up as you hear a scream of pain that turns into gurgling
>Proper Hooves has his back turned to you, and on the floor in front of him lies Caramel carrot, a pool of blood pooling beneath him and the knife sticking out from his throat
>”No...You were no supposed to die here! Think Proper, think! You can still save this, you can still frame it like you planned...”
>He rambles on, too preoccupied with how he is now going to make this look like Caramel Carrot was the culprit al along to notice you slowly getting up, holding your breath to the point of it being painful, but you don’t want to draw any attention to yourself
>You get up and grab a cast iron frying pan slowly, very slowly, and just in time as he quickly turns around and his eyes go wide as you instantly, out of reflex hit him on the face with it as hard as you can and he sees the pan coming at him, but not fast enough to defend against it
>He falls down and you drop the pan, flying out into the early morning and right towards the police office to tell them what just happened
>The rest of it, is a bit hazy
>You mostly sat in the station and they brought in the still alive, but swollen faced Proper Hooves, all locked up
>He confessed everything, knowing that there was no way to get himself out of the situation he was in
>You don’t know where he was send off after that, but the ponies at the station told you that he’d be locked up for life
>The body of Caramel Carrot and the nameless orphan filly were both given a proper burial 
>You never saw Proper Hooves wife and child ever again, but you hear they moved away from Hollow Shades
>And since then, life has been normal thankfully once the whole thing got buried under other news stories and happenings over time, taking attention away from you instead of you being the center of it
>You did have some nightmares about it, and you can’t help but to wonder who this filly is that you supposedly looked so much alike, or why this all even happened, but you don’t feel...bad
>But if nothing else, these nights you don’t wear headphones and listen to music if you’re all alone somewhere, even if it’s your favorite artist
>Speaking of her, a new album has been released so you think you’ll buy that and then head home and listen to it, you have a good amount of spending money since just recently Silkura had a big lingerie fashion show in her boutique and you were rocking the runway with a few of her friends, who you should try to get to know as well somenight
>But this was your adventure, in all of its ups and downs