- >It wasn't sunny outside, but it wasn't raining.
- >Briskly you walk back to the office, finding it unlocked.
- >Twilight must be in.
- >You find her flicking through some papers, her glasses precariously slipping down her muzzle.
- >"Sleep well last night?" she says as you enter.
- "Fine, Rar-"
- >"I see you're wearing the same clothes from yesterday."
- "That's not important," you take the other seat in her office, brushing a few wrinkles in your sleeve.
- >"I distinctly remember you saying you wouldn't be participating in amorous activities with mares."
- "Twilight, let it go, I had to do it to get the information."
- >She smirks at you, "whatever helps you sleep at night."
- >You tell her all you found out, and she immediately agrees checking out Caramel's shop was the best option.
- >Twilight had seen the place before so she takes the lead, after a quick walk you're just a block away from his shop.
- >The road is pretty crowded, seems the ponies came out to enjoy the rainless day while they could.
- >"Think he'll run?"
- "Probably. Stun him if you can, but let's try and use a more diplomatic route first."
- >She nods in agreement, taking you in front of the cluttered, dark shop.
- >A mass of random items were displayed in the dark window.
- >You open the door, stepping in swiftly.
- >A tired looking stallion flicks his head up as the door's bell rings.
- "Don't-"
- >But it's useless, the Earth pony had already bolted.
- "Cut him off!" you yell before chasing him down, vaulting over the counter nimbly.
- >Hopefully Twilight was able to get him in the alley if you couldn't.
- >You tailed him down a short hall, through a storage room, where he had toppled a few boxes in a frail attempt to keep you at bay.
- >But you had done this thing so many times it was routine.
- >You jump over them, gaining a considerable amount of ground on the stallion.
- >He bursts out the back door, mid-morning sunlight pours into the dark shop.
- >He Staggers for a moment, giving you the edge.
- >You tackle him, knocking the stallion over with relative easy.
- >From the side you see Twilight coming to a trot, huffing.
- >"Why do they always run?"
- >You nod your head at Caramel.
- >Twilight gets the message and knocks him out with a spell.
- "We should turn him in, with all the evidence we've collected."
- >"No, are you insane? The authorities would literally burn the office to the ground if they knew we were getting results."
- "C'mon, they must know by now?"
- >"They would have acted if they knew."
- >You drop the subject.
- >It was tedious and difficult to sneak the unconscious stallion back to the office but you get it done effectively.
- >She places him in a metal chair in the interrogation room, strapping his forehoofs to the table.
- >You and her take seats on the other end of the table, all the evidence on display between you and the suspect.
- >"IS your name Caramel?"
- >He swallows and looks around for a way to escape.
- >"Yes," he finally mutters.
- "Do you know Fluttershy?"
- >"Yes, we were good friends," his eyes widen, "I mean we are good friends."
- >These ponies were bad liars.
- "Then you'll be sorry to hear we've found her dead."
- >"Where? How?"
- "Level with me Caramel, did you do it? We're not the police, which means we could let you go if this was truly an outburst of rage, temporary insanity if you will."
- >"Really? You're going to let me go?"
- "Only if you tell us the truth, all of it."
- >"I did it. I killed her, and Big Mac," he looks down, tears pelt the metal table.
- >"Why did you do it?" Twilight cuts in.
- >"I was jealous, I wanted her so bad. She understood me, she looked past my problems."
- "What problems?"
- >"I," he draws a ragged breath, "I used to live in Manehattan, I got caught screwing around with a filly there, but I'm a normal stallion I swear."
- "I believe you, answer truthfully, do you still do those kinds of things?"
- >He nods weakly, "Scootaloo and Sweetie Bell, they kept coming back, and I just did what they asked me to."
- "Both of them are dead now, because of you."
- >"I didn't want to hurt anyp0ny," he mewls to himself.
- "I've heard enough, you?"
- >Twilight nods, disgust openly displayed in her features.
- >She knocks him out again.
- >In the fields just a short while from town you set down Caramel, it was late now, so there had been no one out.
- >That meant no one to see you bring Caramel here.
- "We could still turn him in."
- >"No," she says dismissively,"are you going to do the honors?"
- >Without replying you slit Caramel's throat, immediately showering your hand in red.
- >Twilight helps you dig the hole, you roll his body in, she casts a spell to grow grass over the overturned dirt.
- >It had been a long time since you had taken a life.
- >It never got easier.
- >You wash up at the office.
- >Unfortunately you couldn't get out the small bloodstain out of the cuff of your button up shirt, which was displeasing, but existed as a testament to your wrong doing.
- >You leave Twilight there to work on whatever she was typing up.
- >You drifted idly toward the bar, trying to convince yourself you did the right thing, that you were doing the right thing.
- >That sometimes the right thing is the wrong thing.
- >All the while that green eye torturing you.
- >Without noticing you had past Berry's Punch, past even your apartment, and you were standing in front of a strange shop.
- >A boutique.
- >You knock on the door, apprehension seemingly keeping you planted in your position, unable to run away.
- >The door swings open and Rarity flutters her eyes at you.
- >Her smile gives away that she knew full well you were under her control.
- >She turns without a word, flicking her tail - giving you a quick look.
- >You follow after, closing the door behind you.
- -8-

