Sherlock Sparkle: Falling

>Three weeks had passed since your encounter with Anonymous, and now this.
>You and Pinkie had been called ten miles out from Ponyville, below Cloudsdale.
>You are to meet the guards in a wide field of green grass, the city of Cloudsdale floating above your group.
>There's quite a few of them, six by your count. Iron Lance is at the center of them, staring at the ground. You follow his gaze and realize that he's looking at a body.
>The body itself is a rather gruesome sight. As the two of you get closer you can tell that the victim had fallen a great distance. The smell of iron becomes more pronounced as well.
>The victim is a grey male pegasus with a white mane: his wings are skewed in wildly unnatural directions, the neck is twisted back, and the left hind leg is completely mutilated.
>You can tell the blood didn't manage to spread out far. The soil likely absorbed most of it.
>You stop walking and frown.
>Pinkie gasps, and when you look at her it seems her mane and tail have deflated slightly.
"Are you alright?"
>She sighs. "I'm sorry Twilight., I just..."
"Yeah, this one is bad. You can stay back while I talk to Iron if you want."
>A vigorous head shake is her response. "No way! What kind of best partner would I be if I just didn't go to crime scenes with you?!"
>You nod and smile at Pinkie.
"Alright, let's do this."
>As you pass the guards, they all greet you with nods and minor words. When you reach Iron Lance he's still staring at the body, a contemplative frown on his face.
>The smell of blood is most pungent here, along with something else, you bring a hoof to your nose and scrunch it.
>Scorched flesh?
"Iron?"
>He turns to you as if he had just been snapped out of a trance, "Twilight, I'm glad you're here. The vic is a weather pony named Jet Stream. His wife called him in missing when he didn't come home last night."
"Burns?"
>Iron nods and sighs, gesturing to the body, "There's a scorch mark on the left side of his neck... or what used to be the left side, anyways."
"Any marks on the ground within... how fast was the victim going when he fell?"
>"We don't know," says Iron, "He wasn't on duty. We think he was headed home."
"Judging by the state of the body, he either fell from a great height, or hit the ground at a great speed."
>You step forward, getting as close to the body as you can without getting physically sick. Averting your eyes from the worst of it helps, as you're only worried about the neck.
>Indeed there is a scorch mark, and a rather large one at that, taking up half of the neck and even extending down to the shoulder.
"There's no exit burn?"
>"No."
"So he was in mid air when he was struck by lightning."
>"We were thinking lightning too."
>Pulling your gaze away from the victim, you trot around the body, your eyes to the ground. If he hit the ground going at a high speed he more than likely would have left a trail behind.
>You don't see anything of the sort, just the splatter left from the fall. You turn back to Iron and give a nod.
"He wasn't moving. If he was there would be marks, pulled grass, even blood left behind. The splatter around the body also indicates it was a straight drop. The fall broke his wings, mangled his leg, and twisted his neck, so it's safe to say it was more than twenty stories. Since he was off shift and heading home to Cloudsdale we'll have to assume that he was the same altitude as the city."
>"Do you think the lightning is what did it?" asks Pinkie, pulling her gaze away from the body with a frown.
"It has to be. He was probably dead before he even hit the ground. Was there inclement weather scheduled for this area at all?"
>"No," says Iron, "It was supposed to be clear all day."
"Alright, then we'll be having a talk with the weather center. Pinkie?"
>"Yeah Twilight?"
>She still sounds a bit down. It's best to get her away from the crime scene and somewhere she can be cheerful.
"I want you to go back to Ponyville and grab Rainbow. She should be helping Mayor Mare with some things. I'll teleport you there so you don't have to make the trip twice."
>Pinkie brings a hoof to her chin and pouts, "What do we need Dashie for?"
"She's going to be our guide."
>"Are we going to Cloudsdale? Maybe we can have a party at Dashie's house."
>You smile.
"As fun as that would be, we don't have time. As soon as you find Rainbow bring her back here."
>"You got it, Twilight!"
>With a glow of your horn, Pinkie blinks out of existence, and you turn back to Iron.
"Let's... get away from here."
>"Good idea," he says. "Have you seen everything you needed to here?"
"Yes. There's not much to see. A murder in mid air and a body this mutilated won't be leaving much evidence."
>"So it'll be difficult?"
"Well, not necessarily. Our killer still left us a trail."
>"You're dragging me along again when Pinkie gets back, aren't you?"
"Ha, you don't make a bad sleuth yourself, Iron."
>Iron rolls his eyes, turning to his men with a raised hoof, "Alright everyone, pack it up. We're done here."
----
>It takes a little over an hour for Pinkie to return with Rainbow Dash. By the time they arrive the crime scene has already been cleaned up, and what little evidence could be gathered taken away.
>You and Iron Lance have been waiting in the field under Cloudsdale.
>"So what's up?" asks Dash as she approaches.
"We need your help with a case Rainbow."
>"Uh... hehe." Dash rubs the back of her head with a hoof and grins sheepishly, "I'm awesome at flying, but I don't know if I'd make a good detective."
"Don't worry Rainbow, you won't have to do anything complicated. I just need your help to show me how weather ponies do their job."
>"Huh?"
>Pinkie giggles. "Oh come on Dashie. You should have known Twilight and her super best partner would only get called out here for a case."
"Do you know a grey stallion named Jet Stream? He's been murdered."
>"Hmmm. Can't say that I do. He probably worked in a different section. I can still help you out if we need to get information, though."
"That would be great. We need to get a hold of the weather records."
>"The weather records? What for?"
"We've come to the conclusion that our victim was killed by a lightning strike. You know what this means, right?"
>Dash's eyes widen, "You've gotta be kidding me! There have been a few accidents in the past, but somep0ny using lightning for something like this?"
"That's why it makes me worried. We're going to Cloudsdale."
>Pinkie squeals with joy, "Oh oh oh! We get to go up in the clouds again?! Awesome!"
>You turn to Iron.
"Have you ever been to Cloudsdale before?"
>"Once," he says, "On guard duty for a Wonderbolts race. Most of the guards were pegasi, but I volunteered."
"Alright, I'm going to cast a cloud walking spell on everyone except for Rainbow Dash. It'll give us five hours in Cloudsdale. Along with the teleport to get us there I won't be able to cast spells for a while, so consider this our time limit."
>"Wait," says Iron, "We only have five hours."
"We've already solved a case with a time limit on it, just think of this the same way. Is everyone ready?"
>With their nods as confirmation you begin the process. Clpoud walking is a high level spell, and using it takes a lot out of you.
>You have a small window to solve this case, but your list of suspects will be easy to identify at the least.
>With a flash, the first spell is cast, and moments later the second as well.
>Cloudsdale has always fascinated you whenever you have visited it, and today is no different. Tall towers and buildings made of clouds and decorated with glass made from ice.
>You have teleported right in front of the weather building, group in tow. The spells are already taking their toll. You shake your head to rid yourself of the dizziness and look to the weather building in front of all of you.
>It's a tall structure, made of cloud like the rest, but looking more like a factory than anything fanciful.
>"If I knew I was gonna have to come into work today I would have just taken a nap on a cloud or something," mutters Dash.
>"Oh come on Dashie. It'll be super duper fun! Just remember that we're here to solve a mystery, not do boring icky work."
>Dash raises an eyebrow, "You have a job too, Pinkie."
>"Pfff yeah, but my job isn't work, silly! It's fun!"
>Ignoring your friends, you turn to Iron.
"Can you do me a favor?"
>"What is it?"
"There's a guard division here, correct?"
>"Yeah."
"I want you to go there and talk to whoever's in charge. Try to find out if there have been any similar incidents in the past, and see if someone's name pops up more than once."
>"You're just trying to get rid of me, aren't you?"
>You giggle.
"Not at all, Captain. Your help is always something I'm grateful for."
>"And by similar incidents, you mean..."
"Not necessarily deaths. Just anything that looks suspicious. An unauthorized inclement weather cloud that wasn't supposed to be in use, or an unreported accident that the guards found out about."
>"Alright," he says, "Good luck in there."
>You turn back to the weather building and take a deep breath. Talking to coworkers of the victim would be the best place to start.
>When you enter the weather building you're not surprised to find that its layout is much like a factory as well. Clouds line the floor, some white, some grey, all dormant inside their storage area. It's fascinating to say the least. This one building supports weather from Ponyville to Canterlot, and is one of the largest of its kind in Equestria.
"Where's the main office?"
>"You mean where the boss is at?" asks Dash, "There's a set of stairs in the back leading up to an office."
>Cutting through the rows of clouds to make your way to the office, you pass several pegasi who greet you cheerfully, but one in particular catches your interest and causes you to stop walking.
>At the back row of clouds is a lone black mare, her cutie mark a gust of wind. Currently, she's examining a white cloud, a frown on her face. She circles the cloud for a moment, then sighs and looks at the ground. You'd say she looks rather depressed about something.
>"You alright, Twilight?" asks Dash.
"Do you know her?"
>You point to the mare.
>"Nope, not a bit. I don't make friends with everyone in the factory, that's way too many ponies. Pretty much the only one I hang out with all the time is Cloud Kicker, and it doesn't look like she's here right now."
>Considering as everyone else in the factory looks just fine it's pretty easy to figure out who the mare is.
"That's Jet Stream's wife."
>Pinkie gasps. "What? What's she doing at work? We should go cheer her up, she looks sad."
"We should talk to her, then go to see the boss. She's the one who called in that her husband was missing."
>"What does that have to do with the case?" asks Dash, "I mean, she called him in missing, but what would she know about the murder?"
"Let's go."
>"Hey, Twilight!"
>You trot towards the cloud, and the mare's eyes lock with yours.
"Good afternoon. My name is Twilight Sparkle. I'm here investigating the death of Jet Stream, I presume that you're his wife?"
>The mare's ears flatten, "Um... yes. How did you know?"
>Before you can answer Pinkie leaps between you, "I'm so sorry! If there's anything I can do to help cheer you up, please just let me know."
>"That's alright," mutters the mare, "Thank you, though. My name is Wind Stream."
>You nod.
"Wind, when's the last time you spoke with your husband?"
>"Just yesterday," she says with a sad smile, "It was our anniversary, but neither of us took the day off. We were planning on having a nice dinner date, but... he never came home. He never comes home late, so I called the guard and reported him missing."
"What time did this happen?"
>"It was when he usually gets home from work, around five fifteen in the evening."
"You work different shifts?"
>"Yes. I'm sorry, I have to get back to work."
"Feel free."
>Wind walks away, and you take a deep breath.
>"What was that about?" asks Dash.
"Rainbow, Pinkie... what would you do if I died?"
>Dash slugs you in the shoulder, and you flinch and grit your teeth.
"Ow! What was that for?!"
>Dash growls, "Don't talk like that!"
>Poor Pinkie looks like she's about to cry, "We would be really sad."
"It was just a question. I'm asking you both for a reason. Think about it, both of you. Would you go into work the next day, or would you spend your time getting my affairs in order?"
>Dash scoffs, "Woah, hold on there. Are you saying she had something to do with it? She's the one who got worried about her husband and called it in."
"I won't jump to conclusions, but it's not normal. Maybe she's just coming to work to distract herself, but if she wanted to forget about all this why would she come here, of all places? This is where her husband worked as well, every minute spent here is just another minute she would be reminded of him."
>Your friends fall silent, and you wrack your brain for something else, anything else.
>However, there's not enough information yet. You still need to talk to the boss.
>Without a word you make your way to the rear of the building. Just as Dash said, there's a staircase leading up to a small office.
>Inside the office is a single desk, and behind that desk is a rather bulky orange pegasus.
>"Hey boss man," says Dash, a grin on her face as she steps between you and the desk. "Everything going okay?"
>He laughs, and you swear you feel the office vibrate under his booming voice. "Dash! I wasn't expecting you. I thought you were supposed to be helping Mayor Mare with her little project."
>No, the room wasn't vibrating, that was just your ear drums and brain.
>Pinkie leans over to you and giggles quietly, "I like him already."
>"Yeah Boss, about that. Twilight needs my help with the whole Jet Stream thing. I'm supposed to ask you if we can look through the weather records."
>The boss frowns and shakes his head, "It's always sad when we lose a pegasus, whether it be to the elements, or even just retirement, but murder? Such a rare thing. As for the records, you didn't have to ask, look away. There right in my desk whenever you're ready."
"Perhaps it was someone in the company."
>"I'd hate to think of that possibility," he says, "But I cannot dismiss it, either. Rainbow Dash here tells me a lot about you, Twilight?"
"She does?"
>You look to Dash, who's sheepishly scuffing the ground with her hoof and blushing like mad.
>"Of course she does. She says your the best friend a pegasus could ever ask for!"
>"Alright, that's enough!" shouts Dash, "We're here to talk about Jet Stream, aren't we?"
>"HAHA, of course!"
"Do you know of anyone that had a grudge against him?"
>"He was one of our finest employees, aside from good ol' Rainbow Dash, here. Jet had a knack for setting up good training scenarios. When I found that out I put him in charge of training new recruits in his section. His coworker Gale Breath didn't like that too much."
"Can you tell me about Gale Breath?"
>The boss lets out a low whistle, "Gale Breath, where do I even start? He's a trouble maker, that one. He's already showed up late to work once this week, one more incident and I'll have to let him go."
"Can we speak with him?"
>"Sure thing. He should be making rainbows outside the factory. We have a few essence ponds out back."
>"That stuff is reeeeeaaaaaly spicy," says Pinkie, a huge grin on her face.
>The boss frowns, "It's not meant to be eaten."
>"I was curious!"
>"HAHA, aren't we all, my little pink friend, aren't we all?"
------
>The three of you head back outside through the rear of the factory.
>You sigh and your ears mat back.
"If I stayed in there any longer I think my ear drums would have exploded."
>Dash chuckles, "Yeah, the boss is... something else. He's awesome to drink with. Beats you every time though. Being built like that is kind of cheating. The only pony I know who's bigger is Snowflake."
"In any case, we should probably speak with Gale Breath."
>Bringing your gaze back up you see rows upon rows of ponds filled with Rainbow Essence. Just like the inside of the factory there are a lot of pegasi running to and fro, some flying.
>You decide to make this simple.
"Excuse me! Is there a Gale Breath anywhere back here?!"
>There's no time to wait, and it appears you made the right decision. A blast of wind offsets your mane, and standing in front of you is a very brash and cocky looking stallion. He's a matty cream color, and he holds his nose high. "And who might you be, beautiful?" he asks with a smirk.
>You frown. Not exactly what you had been expecting.
"My name is Twilight Sparkle, and I'm here to investigate the death of a pegasus named Jet Stream."
>The smirk instantly vanishes from his face.
>Perhaps this is your man.
>"What does that have to do with me?"
>This is almost too easy.
"So you do know that he died, then. I wasn't aware that such information made its way to a coworker."
>"Tch. If I knew anything about it I would tell you, but no, it wasn't me if that's what you're thinking. wind told me about it."
"And how do you know Wind?"
>"Ha, you really wanna know? It's kinda graphic."
"That's all the answer I need. Rainbow, can you do me a favor and detain him?"
>"Wha... hey! You're not allowed to do that! You're not a guard."
>You smirk.
"Adultery is a crime. Besides, being the Princess' protege has its perks."
>"You bitch!"
>Dash is on him in less than a second, throwing him down to the ground. "You have the right to shut your trap, punk."
>"Get the hell offa me, Crash."
>"Ha, you calling me that just makes this so much better. You're going down to the guard house, buddy. You coming Twilight?"
>You shake your head.
"No, there's something else here, and I'm going to find it. I'm pretty sure I know what's going on here, but I need the evidence to back it up. I'll meet you at the station."
>"Alright."
"Don't let him out of your sight."
>"You got it."
>You take a deep breath and cast a simple spell to prevent Gale from moving.
>Dash hauls him up with her front hooves and takes to the air, "Oof, you're fatter than you look."
>As Dash flies away you and Pinkie head back inside the weather building. The Boss is still inside his office when you enter. "So, how'd it go? Where's Rainbow Dash?"
"I'm sorry, we think he's our suspect."
>"He was really mean," grumbles Pinkie.
"He wasn't very bright, either. I need to look through the weather records, but before I do, did Wind Stream know Gale Breath?"
>"I saw them together a few times during work, but nothing outside of that. Why?"
"I think they were having an affair behind Jet Stream's back."
>"My word! If I had been aware of this they would have both been fired."
"Anyways, the records?"
>"Yes yes! Of course."
>The boss leans down and opens up a drawer at the bottom right side of the desk, a large one. He comes up with a rather thick pile of papers. "Every six months we clean house. We only keep records around to show Princess Celestia how we've been doing whenever she drops by. Weather is a fickle thing, even if it's under our control, and we have to keep track of every single aspect of it."
"Can we see the records from yesterday?"
>"Indeed you can."
>He pulls a few slips of paper from the top of the pile and lays them out on the desk. The records are written in a simple manner. At the top of each sheet is the weather for the day, changing a few times if required. Below that is a line labeled 'Optimal temperature'. That must be what temperature they have to go for. It's the one thing that can't be completely controlled.
>below that are several lines with various number labels.
"These labels?"
>"Those would be the clouds we use here. When a cloud is created it's given a number, and when it's taken out of the weather building it gets put on file as used. The ones with the red check mark have been used, and the date it was used is written next to it. The cloud list is refreshed every Monday when we make new clouds."
"I see...hmm, it doesn't look like there's any cloud on here marked used as of yesterday. Do you happen to have a record of clouds that have gone missing or unaccounted for?"
>The Boss sighs, "Well, yes, but..."
"But?"
>"It's rather embarrassing really. It only happens rarely, so we keep a few papers on file with a jumbled list, and just add a cloud whenever it goes missing." He leans down to open another drawer, and lays a single sheet of paper on the desk. "This keeps track of all missing clouds, the most recent are on the bottom."
>"Oh!" shouts Pinkie, leaning over your shoulder, "There it is, there it is! The third code from the bottom of the list?"
>You look at the one she pointed out. It's just a random jumble of letters with two zeros at the end of it. You look further up the list and start to notice something. Every code ends in double digits.
"What's that mean?"
>The Boss opens his mouth to answer, but Pinkie beats him to it, "That's what type of cloud it is! Double ones are normal clouds, double 2s are gray clouds, and double zeroes are lightning clouds, we're looking for lightning clouds, right?!"
>"Pinkie, how do you know so much about this?"
>She giggles, "Dashie always talks to me about how boring her job is. I learned a few things in passing."
"You will never cease to amaze me, Pinkie."
>You look back down at the list.
"Wait, this is the only missing lightning cloud I'm seeing on this list. It has to be it."
>The Boss nods, "Lightning clouds rarely go missing. We keep a tight leash on them, so to speak. Wouldn't want anybody getting hurt. Though... it looks like we were unable to prevent that this time."
"What does it take to store such a cloud?"
>"Any building could do it, as long as it's made out of the special clouds that Cloudsdale uses for its construction."
"It looks like our suspect stole the cloud beforehand, then. This is the third to last cloud on the list, and the date marked missing is two weeks ago."
>"We notified the guard," says the Boss, "But we never heard back. Normally we don't report missing clouds, but when it comes to lightning clouds the guard has to be notified."
"They searched and couldn't find it? It would have to be on personal property then, and whoever stole it likely did so at night. Can I take these papers?"
>"Feel free, Ms. Sparkle."
"I have one more favor to ask."
------
>The lockers for the workers in the weather building are in a small back room. They are tall lockers, arranged on a back wall, and are made of steel, not cloud.
>Gale Breath's locker is in the center.
>You pry it open with your magic and are surprised to find that it's mostly empty, save the top shelf, which holds a locket and a small slip of paper.
>You pick up both of them with your magic and open the locket.
>Inside is a small picture of Gale Breath and Wind Stream hugging with smiles on their faces. A small engraving on the lid of the locket says, 'From Wind.'
>You open the slip of paper next. At the top of the slip is a date written in ink.
>The date is two weeks ago, the very same day the cloud went missing.
>Nothing else is written.
"Not very bright, just like I thought."
>"What'd you find, Twilight?"
"Exactly what we need. Let's grab Wind Stream and head to the guard house."
>"What? Why do we need her?"
>You smile.
"Because I just found what we need."
>You pause.
"Actually, Pinkie, we should probably stop by a magic store."
>"What for?"
"To pick up a recording orb."
-2 Hours Later-
>Wind Stream was strangely cooperative. You didn't even have to detain her. You simply asked her to follow you to the guard station and she fell in beside you.
>The walk to the station is a quiet one, and when you get there Iron is waiting at the entrance. The building behind him is just the same as the guard station in Canterlot, except with that Cloudsdale touch of being made out of magical moisture.
>"So I found out that two weeks ago there was a lightning cloud that went missing. We never found it, but during the search we came across a small building with scorch marks inside of it. The building had never been put on record. Color me surprised when your friend Rainbow Dash hauls in a guy who confesses to the crime, and using the building to hide the cloud he did in Jet Stream with."
>It's a good thing you grabbed Wind Stream when you did.
"Alright, are you ready to finish this?"
>"Who's that?" he asks.
"This is Wind Stream, the widow."
>"Alright, I'll grab the suspect and we'll all cram into the interrogation room."
>For the first time since you grabbed her, Wind Stream speaks up, "Isn't that a strange way to do things? Aren't I supposed to be interrogated seperately?"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQ72odUov8w
>You turn your head to look at her and frown.
"Excuse me?"
>"Am I under arrest?"
"... No."
>"Then why am I here?"
>Pinkie steps forward with a glare.
>You hold out a hoof to stop your friend, and you scowl at Wind.
"It's up to you, but you've come with us this far."
>Iron frowns, "Sparkle, what are you..."
>He's interrupted by Wind, "I'm not being interrogated, am I?"
>Iron falls silent, and Wind's eyes narrow at you.
>The silence seems to drag on forever.
"Iron, can you do me a favor?"
>"Yeah..."
"Fetch the suspect, will you?"
>With no hesitation Iron runs into the building.
"I'm surprised at you Wind Stream. Having the guts to go to work and pretend that you're depressed about your husband's death."
>"I may have surprised you, but it seems that you can't return the favor, Sparkle. I've read the papers, your little game is easy enough to figure out."
>Once again, Pinkie makes to step forward, and you stop her.
"She hasn't confessed anything. Not only that, but we're not in an interrogation room right now."
>You start to circle Wing slowly, and her gaze follows your every move.
"So tell me Wing... what is my game? Tell me how I tick, since you clearly know."
>"Your game is turning circumstantial evidence into presentable facts."
"And what makes you think you'll be any different?"
>"I've been planning this for two years."
"Anything else?"
>"I also have a message."
"From who?"
>"The human."
>You stop pacing, and your eyes widen.
>Wind laughs, "Got your attention, didn't I? He has nothing to do with this, I assure you, but he was interested in what I was going to do about you. He says that you have a month."
"A month for what?"
>"Didn't say. So now that we're here, it's my obligation to tell you that you're not going to catch me."
"What makes you think that?"
>She scoffs, "Please, Sparkle. All you have are flimsy threads. I know that idiot left the locket and the paper in the locker. I'm not stupid."
"So why did you do it? Why did you hire Gale to kill Jet Stream?"
>Wind falls silent, and looks up, then left and right. Her wings flare out, and she smirks, "He ran out of money."
>Almost as if that had been his cue, Iron comes out of the station with Gale Breath in tow. "Hey baby," he says, tossing a smirk at Wind.
>She completely ignores him.
"So Gale, did this woman hire you to kill her husband?"
>"Can't say that she did, purple babe."
"You did well to cover your tracks, but the building that Iron found and the missing cloud aren't exactly hard to put together."
>"Please," says Wind with a laugh, "All that proves is that this oaf broke construction laws along with murdering my husband. Now if you don't have anything else to say, I'll be leaving."
>Wind turns and flares her wings, getting ready to take off.
>You stop her by casting a spherical barrier around her.
"I wouldn't be in such a hurry if I were you."
>Wind hits the top of the barrier and hisses in pain before falling back to the ground. She's on her feet in an instant, "I want my lawyer."
"I'm afraid your lawyer can't help you now."
>"You can't do this!"
"Oh? I still haven't gotten the chance to cover all your misdeeds. You should let the other person talk before running off.
"Well, since you're a greedy mare, and I know you don't have much time on your hooves, I'll try to make this as short as possible. I'll go with the proper deduction and say that you and Gale meant two years ago, and have been having an affair behind Jet's back for quite some time now."
>"What does that even..."
>You send in electric current through the barrier she's trapped in. Nothing that would harm her, but enough to cause her to grit her teeth in pain.
"I'm not done talking yet, Wind. I would appreciate it if you remained silent. As I was saying, you had an affair. When you no longer saw any value in your husband you started planning to kill him. An easy way to do that is to hire someone else to do it, and there were plenty of lightning clouds available to use. I don't know the details of what you did, but you stole the cloud and stashed it inside of an illegally made building. I wonder how long it took you to get all that cloud enchanted without leaving a paper trail.
"You waited a couple of weeks because you knew the procedure that they would use to look for the missing cloud, including all of the record's kept in the Boss' office."
>"You're making a big mistake, Spark..."
>Another small burst of electricity silences her.
"I'm still not finished. When the time was right, you stayed at home, pretending you were waiting for your dear husband, a rather air tight alibi if I do say so myself. You took everything into account while Gale executed your husband. After that you called the guards like a good little girl, right on time. So what do you have to say for yourself?"
>Wind grits her teeth and stamps the clouds beneath her feet, "I know that you're going to be arrested, Sparkle."
"Actually... about that."
>"Wha..."
"When you executed your plan you definitely accounted for me. The evidence I found wasn't really enough. I admit that and I've learned from my mistakes. I'm rather lucky, as far as this case goes, actually. However, when you were worrying so much about me and whether or not I was the one with a wire, you failed to notice something that I happen to be very proud of."
>"And what's that?"
"My friends."
>Pinkie steps forward and opens her mouth. Inside is what appears to be a medium sized marble. You grab it with your magic and Pinkie smacks her lips. "They should give those things some flavor," she says with a pout.
>Wind's eyes widen, "A recording orb?"
"It'll be a bit muffled, but I'm sure we caught your confession. I'm surprised you didn't notice that she's been completely silent this entire time."
>It takes a few seconds for it to sink in, but you can tell the exact moment Wind realizes she committed a critical error. You can almost see the skin under her coat pale several shades. "Y... you... I'll KILL you!!"
>The barrier flashes as she impacts the side fruitlessly, banging her hooves and her head against it in a desperate attempt to get to you.
>Pinkie really is the best partner a detective could ask for.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLlt0cK4uA0