Assertion - Chapter 1: Sunrise in Equestria

Assertion
Written by Sectus
Co-written by RWG

CHAPTER ONE: SUNRISE IN EQUESTRIA

The sun rose over a misty Equestria, casting its golden rays all across the land. All over Equestria, ponies were rising from their slumbers to take on the day. A dusty, bump-covered road stretched as far as the eye could see. It was abandoned, aside from a lone cart that was being pulled by a gentle, yellow furred pegasus with a vibrant, soft, pink mane.

She was returning from a trip she had taken to western Equestria. She had taken this trip to learn about all kinds of magical creatures that roamed the land, both big and small. It had been a perilous journey, and many times she had come close to being seriously injured. She felt, however, that it was an overall positive experience.

She had not left her home town of Ponyville without a feeling of guilt, however. When she left, summer had just come into full bloom. Now that she had returned, she could tell that winter was setting in. There were still inklings of summer that the pegasi had not cleaned up, but the area was mostly dominated by the features of a cold, unforgiving winter at this point. Save for the abnormal Everfree Forest, Fluttershy was sure that all of Equestria was soon to be greeted by a chilling winter.

While she did regret not being able to spend the summer with her friends, she did not feel bad about the many discoveries she had made on her journey. On her journey, she had been able to observe a completely new species from afar. It was a creature she had never seen before, and only heard of in hearsay. The creature in question was called a 'wolf'.

These creatures, she had been warned, were carnivorous and carried an extremely barbaric nature. While they were in fact sentient, the same as ponies, they bore a deep need for privacy, and disliked any interference with their aims. Fluttershy did not get the chance to speak to one of them, but given the way they looked from afar, she felt that it was probably for the best this way.

Despite not getting to see so many of the species she had been told about, Fluttershy was just glad that she was returning home now. She deeply missed her friends, and had many stories to tell them about her adventures. No doubt, she was going to be chided by Pinkie Pie for not coming home 'super-duper amazingly-trail-blazingly fast' as she had said.

As Fluttershy raised her head to see what lie beyond for what seemed like the thousandth time, she realized that her long journey had finally come to an end. The sign ahead was a familiar one, and it nearly brought tears to her eyes to see it once more.

"Welcome to Ponyville, Population 1,389."

The yellow pegasus gave a gentle sigh, giving her best attempt at regaining her composure before being exposed to any of her friends. She did not want her friends to be alarmed, or think that her trip had been an emotional one. As Fluttershy stepped past the sign, an alarming feeling of deja-vu passed over her, but she shrugged it off as merely having passed the sign so many times in the past.

The cart behind her was fairly light, baring only the extreme essentials she had needed for her journey. Inside were various animal playthings, food, and care utensils. There was also a meager supply of food for herself, most of which had been consumed over the three month trip. The cart had become rather worn down over her journey, and the right wheel was starting to wobble, much to Fluttershy's irritation.

As she approached the center of the small village, Fluttershy could see ponies leaving their homes all around her. Everywhere ponies were hurrying from their homes and heading for the town square. This worried Fluttershy. Perhaps they had arranged a meeting that she had not heard of? She wondered if it would be rude to barge in, and began to turn the cart to the right, hoping to head off back to her cabin so as not to upset anypony.

Just as she had banked to the right, Fluttershy came face-to-face with a shockingly pink mare, one that she knew all to well.

"WELLLLLCOOOOOOMMMEEEEE HOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMEEEEEEE FLUUUUUTTTTTTTTTEERRRRRRRRRRSHYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!"

The gentle, yellow mare had nearly been blasted backwards over her cart, and was left pondering why her friend insisted on using a bullhorn this close. Indeed, the cotton candy coated earth pony had probably woken up the entire town with that stunt.

It took her a moment to realize that she was cowering in fear at the sudden surprise. She stood up, attempting to regain her composure.

"Oh ... Pinkie Pie ... you scared me..." Fluttershy muttered, trying to stop herself from shivering.

Pinkie ignored this comment, tossing her bullhorn away and embracing Fluttershy in a rib-cracking hug.

"Oh, we missed you so much Fluttershy! There were so many parties and fun games you missed while you were gone and we all wanted you back and and ..." Pinkie paused, and began to gasp loudly. However, before she could continue her sugar-fueled monologue, she was interrupted by her pegasus friend.

"Pinkie!....uhm...I know...it's great to see you too..." she spoke, shrinking away from Pinkie with the realization that she had just shouted at her party-loving friend.

"C'mon silly, we've gotta get goin' if we wanna be on time for the super-awesome-fun greeting party everypony has been planning!" Pinkie said in an excited tone. Her look of excitement soon melted, giving way to a look of slight despair.

"What is it, Pinkie?" Fluttershy asked, a look of concern on her face.

"It was /supposed/ to be a surprise party," Pinkie squeaked, "and now it'll be anything but!"

***

Soon the pair had arrived at the center of Ponyville, where all the other pony citizens were gathering for the event. All around the town center were streamers and banners holding the slogan 'Welcome home, Fluttershy!' written in vibrant, yet mismatched, pink and yellow letters. Each word was surrounded by a group of three pink butterflies, matching the ones on Fluttershy's flank.

Here and there, Fluttershy would recognize a face. An old friend, a distant relative, or somepony that she encountered on a regular basis but never spoke to. It shocked her to remember how many ponies she knew, but was not exactly friends with. She regretted not having had the opportunity to befriend these ponies, and was thankful for this party. It would be a great opportunity for her to socialize with the ponies that she did not know all that well.

Giving a gentle sigh, the yellow pegasus strode forward into the mass of ponies that occupied much of the town center. She was very careful not to bump into anypony, and chose each step she took with careful consideration. A few moments in the crowd had given her quite the feeling of unease. In a distant group of ponies, rather dejected from the main assembly, stood a gruff looking gray stallion with a mane that was only a touch lighter than his dust colored fur. His flank bore a bright silver star symbol, which Fluttershy assumed was attuned with a position of authority. He wore heavy-looking barding that bore the letters 'PVPF' in bold white. The stallion looked to be in deep conversation with two of the mares in the group, who both had looks of distant fear in their eyes.

The young pegasus mare soon lost her train of thought, however. She found herself colliding head-first with somepony who had been in front of her, and it took several moments of her offering apologies in not only different forms, but different languages as well, to realize who it was she had collided with. Before her stood a mare with a bright orange coat, a light blonde mane, and three apples on her flank. Her look was topped off by her signature brown hat.

"Fluttersha', it's fine. Tarnations, ah thought ya were gonna start cryin' girl." The orange earth pony spoke, her words slurred slightly by her unique accent.

Fluttershy soon noticed her mistake, and was quick to make right by it.

"Oh my, I'm sorry, Applejack ... I didn't mean to apologize so much..." The pegasus stated quietly, looking over her hard-working friend. She had not laid eyes on her since her departure, and she was more than glad to meet up with her once more.

"Say, I saw ya wanderin' up here with Pinkie. Where'd she get off to in such'a hurry?" Applejack questioned, casually tipping back her hat with a hoof. The excited, candy-fueled pink earth pony had zoomed away from Fluttershy's side the moment the timid pegasus had waded into the large crowd, and hadn't been seen since.

"Oh my ... I never noticed she left ... well, she's probably just off getting punch." Fluttershy stated in a quiet tone.

The two mares proceeded further into the party, getting the occasional eager greeting, and "Welcome back, Fluttershy!" from a passerby. Many of the ponies in the crowd were socializing, holding drinks in hoof as they chatted about the latest gossip floating around Ponyville. The pair came to a stop shortly outside the main grouping of ponies, glancing around at the decorations and festivities surrounding them.

"So, Applejack," Fluttershy began gently, a smile crossing her lips at the thought of her friends. "Where are the others? I haven't seen them at the party just yet."

Applejack grimaced at this, and touched a hoof to her chin absentmindedly.

"Hmm, if ah'm rememberin' correctly, Twilight's still back at the library with Spike, and Rarity an' Rainbow are on their way here from the bo' tique." Applejack recollected in a rather matter-o-fact tone.

Fluttershy was slightly surprised at this. She was surprised not only by the fact that so many ponies seemed to be interested in welcoming her back to Ponyville, but also at the fact that her friends seemed rather late to the occasion. It was unlike her friends to be late to such an event, but the yellow pegasus merely passed this off as them having other obligations to attend to before coming to welcome her back. It wasn't like she had wanted such a big welcome anyway.

"Oh! Well, we should go look for them ... I wouldn't want to make them search for me..." Fluttershy whispered nervously. The last thing she wanted right after coming back to Ponyville was for somepony to be upset with her for her inconsiderate attitude.

***

Not long after, the two mares had bumped back into Pinkie Pie. The excitable pink earth pony had been relating a tale about what had happened at the punch fountain in super-speed when somepony interrupted them. Pinkie was the first to hoof out a hearty greeting to the newcomer.

"Heya Twilight! Super-duper awesome party huh!?"

Twilight Sparkle cringed slightly at the over-excited greeting from her friend, but gave her a nod, nonetheless.

"Hello Pinkie, and welcome back Fluttershy!" Twilight spoke warmly. Not long after, a small baby dragon with scales colored green and purple poked his head around from Twilight's back.

"Heya Fluttershy!" Spike piped up, waving his clawed hand to his friend in greeting.

The young pegasus mare was unable to hold back a slight tinge of embarrassment at all of the attention she had been receiving lately. It was then that a thought from not long ago poked into her head, and she raised a hoof, seeking permission to speak among friends. This gesture coaxed a chuckle from her blonde-maned friend.

"Ya don't need permission ta talk 'round us Fluttersha'. Whatcha need?" she asked, giving Fluttershy a caring smile.

"W-well, I was just wondering ... and feel free not to answer ... but uhm ... I was wondering what 'PVPF' means?" The timid yellow mare questioned, lowering her raised hoof and digging at the soil on the ground gently.

"Well, that means 'Ponyville Police Force.' It was a group that Mayor Mare came up with a few days after ya went on yer trip, Fluttersha'. She told the princesses that there were 'complications' comin' up, and that she needed a helpin' hoof. All tha' security ponies that were bein' hired by various stores n' companies in Ponyville got bought out by Mayor Mare, an' they got put ta' work as full time employ 'ees."

"Hmm," Twilight interjected. "It seems rather unnecessary for Ponyville to have a police force of such magnitude. Did the mayor reveal her 'complications' to the princesses?"

Applejack frowned, kicking a hoof at the ground. "Nah, she just said that she needed the extra help 'round the town n' all." Applejack blinked, and added, "O'course, this is all jus' hearsay."

"Well, has anypony really tried pressing them on the matter? I'm sure that if they got the question enough, they would be sure to answer it eventually." Twilight quizzed.

Fluttershy, unable to get a word in edgewise, slowly sunk onto her tummy, watching her friends debate the issue as she hid behind her long, pink mane.

"I dunno Twilight," Pinkie Pie intervened. "They seem like a bunch of meanie-weenies to me. I tried talking to one of them and he told me to-"

"I'm sure they are fine, Pinkie." Twilight shot simply. "Anyway, I think we are forgetting the reason we're here, girls." she added, turning her head to glance down at Fluttershy. "How was your trip, Fluttershy? See any interesting things?"

The shy pegasus slowly rose to her hooves once more, giving a meager smile to Twilight.

"Oh yes, plenty of interesting things," Fluttershy began. "There were so many cute little critters to learn about and play with..." she said, seeming to lose herself in thought. "There were quite a few tomes on the subject too."

This seemed to have piqued Twilight Sparkle's curiosity. Her eyes widened a tad, an eager smile crossing her purple features.

"Tomes, you say? Oh, do tell!" she shot in an excited tone.

The party continued for a good while, with much discussion of Fluttershy's trip consuming most of the band of friends' time. Not long after their discussion of tomes, Rarity and Rainbow Dash had joined the concession. Rarity, who was never one for quiet entrances, had a red carpet rolled out just for her. When questioned on the topic, she revealed that she felt her grace and beauty needed to be matched by appropriate carpeting.

The friends soon became tired as night approached them, and each bid the other a hearty farewell before going their separate ways. The only two that decided to remain together were Twilight Sparkle and Fluttershy. Spike had long since fallen asleep atop his mentor's back, most likely dreaming of sparkling gems, and more importantly, Rarity.

"Well, that went better than I expected." Twilight said with a tone of enthusiasm as she trotted alongside her feathered friend.

"Yeah ... I just wish I had gotten the chance to talk more with Pinkie Pie. I promised her that she would be the first person I talked to when I came back from my trip." Fluttershy mumbled glumly.

"Well, she /is/ Pinkie Pie, you know. She'll be over it in a matter of minutes. Plus, didn't you get to talk to her before you came to the party?" Twilight asked gently, giving her quiet friend a smile as they walked together.

"Yes, but it doesn't feel the same, Twilight. I feel like I might have offended her somehow..." Fluttershy replied as the pair of them stopped in front of Twilight's library.

The library looked much the same as it had before Fluttershy left on her trip. It was the same massive tree filled with windows and a door, carved out to be a home to the librarian of Ponyville, Twilight Sparkle. As the two ponies stepped through the door into the library, a light sound of chimes followed their entry before the door swung shut behind them.

"Ah, home sweet home," Twilight chimed, "You know, I actually did some research, and I found some books about foreign critters that you might like to read over after such an exciting trip."

"Oh, that would be lovely," said Fluttershy, "I could use a good quiet book after such a loud party..."

Soon enough, Fluttershy had a set of saddlebags strapped on, and each one was filled to the brim with books on various subjects, anywhere from animal husbandry to cute critters in a foal's tale. As the two of them stepped towards to door for Fluttershy to take her leave, however, a loud knock came from the other side.

"Hm, that's odd. Usually everypony is in bed by now..." Twilight thought aloud, tapping a hoof against her chin as she eyed the door suspiciously. After pondering this for a moment, she stepped forward, pushing the door open with a hoof.

Fluttershy gave a quiet squeak of surprise upon seeing the mare standing outside. She bore a uniform barding similar to the officer that Fluttershy had seen previously. It had the same bold print 'PVPF' symbol on the breast. She had a beige coat and a deep red mane and tail. Upon further investigation, it became apparent that the mare had a spear cutie mark on her flank.

The mare's scowl broke only long enough for her to announce her reason for knocking so late.

"Greetings, ladies." the earth pony mare said, nodding in greeting as two more uniformed officers approached from behind, lanterns guiding them through the late evening's darkness.

"We need to ask you a few questions," she continued. "It seems that there has been a murder."