RECORD OF INTERVIEW

Pony interviewed: APPLEJACK
Place of interview: Ponyville Police Station
Date of interview: 28 May 1002
Time commenced: 1617 Time concluded: 1733
Duration of interview: 1 hrs 16 mins Tape references: 39/1002/A, B, C
Interviewer(s) Sgt 207 NIGHTJACK, DI 1743 AUTUMN BREEZE
Other pony(s) present: Col. SHINING ARMOUR, Royal Equestrian Guard – Observer
Police Exhibit No.: SHB/3 Number of Pages: 13

Signature of interviewer producing exhibit:

NIGHTJACK
Interview commences at 1617 hours on the twenty-eighth of May, 1002. This interview is being tape-recorded. I am Sergeant 207 NIGHTJACK of Ponyville Police Station. The other officer present is...

AUTUMN BREEZE
Detective Inspector 1743 AUTUMN BREEZE of Canterlot Central Police Station. Also present is...

SHINING ARMOUR
Colonel SHINING ARMOUR, Household Regiment, Royal Equestrian Guard.

NIGHTJACK
The interview is being conducted in the interview room at Ponyville Police Station. What is your name, please?

APPLEJACK
APPLEJACK.

NIGHTJACK
Thank you, and your place of residence?

APPLEJACK
Sweet Apple Acres.

NIGHTJACK
In Ponyville, correct?

APPLEJACK
Yeah, in Ponyville.

NIGHTJACK
Now, there is no solicitor present. You have a right to free legal advice, and to consult with a solicitor prior to interview. You have not instructed a solicitor, however we can provide one for you, should you so wish. Do you freely waive those rights?

APPLEJACK
I don't need no lawyer.

NIGHTJACK
Okay, APPLEJACK. Should you decide at any time that you want to consult a solicitor, the interview will be suspended until you have had time to talk with your solicitor. Do you understand?

APPLEJACK
I said, I don't need no lawyer.

NIGHTJACK
Okay now, you were cautioned when you were arrested. I am now going to repeat that caution and explain its meaning to you.
You do not have to say anything. But it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence.
Now, firstly, you have the right to silence should you choose to do so. The second part states that if you fail or refuse to answer questions that we put to you today and then answer the questions at a later time in court, then the court can draw their own conclusions for you not answering the questions here when you have the ability to do so. The last part is, this interview is being tape-recorded. That means that your answers can be played in court or a transcript made from them and read out in court. Do you understand these rights as I have explained them to you?
For the tape, please, APPLEJACK.

APPLEJACK
Yeah, I understand.

NIGHTJACK
As I have said, if you wish to consult a solicitor at any point, please say so and the interview will be suspended. Now, I would like to begin this interview at the moment that you were arrested this morning.
You were arrested by myself, Sergeant NIGHTJACK, on suspicion of the offence of murder. You were then cautioned and taken to Ponyville Police Station. Is that correct?

APPLEJACK
Yes.

NIGHTJACK
Right, well, I'd like to set out some background to the arrest for the tape. If you have anything to add or I say anything you disagree with, please speak up.
In the course of my enquiries, I accompanied Princess CELESTIA, Princess LUNA, and Colonel SHINING ARMOUR to Sweet Apple Acres where they put a pony into your family's care. Is that correct?

APPLEJACK
Yeah, TWILIGHT.

NIGHTJACK
TWILIGHT SPARKLE? She's a friend of yours, isn't she?

APPLEJACK
One of the best.

NIGHTJACK
Now, after you had settled TWILIGHT SPARKLE in the house, you came outside and spoke to Princess CELESTIA. Do you remember what you said to her?

APPLEJACK
I asked about SILVER.

NIGHTJACK
SILVER BRAISE, yes? The carpenter?

APPLEJACK
(pause)
Yeah.

NIGHTJACK
Can you remember what you said to her?

APPLEJACK
I asked whether she knew if TWILIGHT had seen him, and if he was okay.

NIGHTJACK
That's a strangely specific thing to ask, don't you think?

APPLEJACK
No, you see...
(pause)

NIGHTJACK
Okay, we'll come back to that later. Now, it was at that point that I informed you that SILVER BRAISE had been found dead. Do you recall what you said next?

APPLEJACK
I said... I said I killed him. And I did. You see, there was a misunderstanding and-

NIGHTJACK
Okay, okay, stop there. And that was the point at which you were arrested, correct?
(pause)

AUTUMN BREEZE
Applejack, would you like a minute?

APPLEJACK
No, I'm fine. Let's get this over with.

AUTUMN BREEZE
Going back a little further, can you account for your movements since lunchtime yesterday for us?

APPLEJACK
Lunchtime? Well, I spent a couple of hours grafting some new apple cultivars in behind the barn. Then I went to see my friend FLUTTERSHY, who was going to bring some beehives over today for our late-flowering varieties. We talked for a bit, and when I got home, I started on feeding the pigs and chickens.

NIGHTJACK
What happened next?

APPLEJACK
I was in the kitchen cleaning up so GRANNY could get started on her apple fritters.

NIGHTJACK
That's GRANNY SMITH, correct?

APPLEJACK
Yeah, GRANNY. Anyhow, I was leaning out to shout for my brother, BIG MACINTOSH, to move the wagon he'd just parked when TWILIGHT teleported in right in front of me. I went to the door to meet her, and she just about knocked me flat coming the other way.

AUTUMN BREEZE
TWILIGHT was in a hurry? Did she say why?

APPLEJACK
Oh, yeah. She said the Princesses were coming, and the Guard, too, and she needed somewhere to for the Guard to land, and did I have somewhere they could use? And that everypony needed to get inside and stay there until the Guard had gone.

AUTUMN BREEZE
Did she say why everypony needed to stay inside?

APPLEJACK
There's been a creature hanging around Ponyville recently. The Princesses thought it was real dangerous, so they were coming to capture it.

AUTUMN BREEZE
A creature? What sort of creature?

APPLEJACK
Nopony knew, at least not until the Princesses figured it out yesterday. They had asked us to keep a watch on things for a while and tell them what we saw – which wasn't much.

AUTUMN BREEZE
And who do you mean by, 'us'?

APPLEJACK
Me and TWILIGHT and RAINBOW DASH and FLUTTERSHY and PINKIE PIE and RARITY. TWILIGHT is Princess CELESTIA's personal student, and the rest of us, well, you know.

AUTUMN BREEZE
No, I don't know?

NIGHTJACK
You're the Elements of Harmony, you mean?

AUTUMN BREEZE
Wait, the Elements of Harmony? Really? Okay, suddenly that explains a few things. Like the Princesses, and the Colonel, here.

NIGHTJACK
Perhaps, but we're getting a little off-topic, here. So what was this creature, APPLEJACK?

APPLEJACK
I don't know. I don't think TWILIGHT did, either. The Princesses didn't explain, only that it was real dangerous.

NIGHTJACK
All right, so TWILIGHT came and told you about this creature. What happened next?

APPLEJACK
(pause)
I went out and hollered for BIG MACINTOSH and APPLE BLOOM to come inside, look after GRANNY and stay there. But only BIG MACINTOSH showed up and, and
(pause)
He said that he hadn't seen APPLE BLOOM. She hadn't come home from school.

NIGHTJACK
APPLE BLOOM is your little sister?

APPLEJACK
Yes. Why do you keep asking me this stuff?

NIGHTJACK
For AUTUMN BREEZE and for the tape. I know these things, but not everypony else does.

APPLEJACK
I'm sorry. I'm sorry.

AUTUMN BREEZE
So your little sister hadn't come home. Is this unusual?

APPLEJACK
No. She's always hanging around with two friends of hers, SWEETIE BELLE and SCOOTALOO. They do all sorts of crazy stuff together, trying to get their cutie marks. They're good foals, but boy do they have a knack for finding trouble.

NIGHTJACK
Do you recall what time this took place? Approximately, I mean?

APPLEJACK
I don't know. Maybe five thirty (1730) or six (1800)?

NIGHTJACK
Okay, good.

AUTUMN BREEZE
Right, so your little sister hadn't come home yet and you were concerned for her safety. What happened next?

APPLEJACK
Well, TWILIGHT was real desperate and I guess maybe I was, too. I showed her the field she could use, and lit out to find APPLE BLOOM. First I tried the old clubhouse out in the orchard, then I moved on to RARITY's place, SWEETIE BELLE's sister. There was nothing doing, so I went past the schoolhouse but CHEERILEE said that she'd left straight after school with her friends. I ended up knocking on doors, but most ponies had locked up and didn't want to answer. Eventually, old MOONLIGHT told me that he'd seen the three of them heading east out of town.

NIGHTJACK
MOONLIGHT SONATA, the conductor?

APPLEJACK
Yeah. So, I knew she must have been at SILVER's place.

AUTUMN BREEZE
Why did you choose SILVER's place?

APPLEJACK
Because it made sense. There isn't much out there except the BERRY farm and SILVER's workshop. She knew SILVER, she'd seen him around the farm a few times. She's quite good with her hooves, too, so maybe I wondered if she was finally getting a clue about her cutie mark. I don't know, it just all sort of fell into place.

AUTUMN BREEZE
Okay, go on.

APPLEJACK
Well, I got there and when I went inside, I saw...
(pause)

NIGHTJACK
Do you want to take a break here, APPLEJACK?

APPLEJACK
He was covered in blood. And I mean covered. The floor was black with it and he was holding this little axe in his teeth and he just dropped it and said, 'Hi'.
(pause)
And he had this thing tied around one of his front legs with a ribbon. APPLE BLOOM always has her mane done up in a ribbon, a pink one which was her mother's. She barely takes it off, even at night.
And I just lost it. All I could think of was that he'd killed her. I must have bucked him right across the room. I couldn't think of anything, I just wanted to kill him.

NIGHTJACK
Careful now, APPLEJACK.

APPLEJACK
I did, there's no point lying about it. And the next thing I knew, I was about to pound his skull in, if I hadn't already.

AUTUMN BREEZE
What do you mean by that?

APPLEJACK
I mean, he hit his head pretty bad when he landed. I just
(pause)
I got a grip of myself and started to look around and I thought maybe, just maybe I'm wrong. I mean, there was blood everywhere and a big pile of stuff in the corner, but there was nothing underneath it and... I don't know.

AUTUMN BREEZE
There was no sign of your sister?

APPLEJACK
No. There was a bucket lying near him. I went and filled it and tried to wake him up. I knew that she'd been there and I had to know.

AUTUMN BREEZE
SILVER was unconscious at this point?

APPLEJACK
Mostly, I think.
(pause)
I dumped it on him to wake him up.
(pause)
He kept begging me to help him. He was begging and I... didn't. All I could think about was APPLE BLOOM.

NIGHTJACK
What did he tell you about APPLE BLOOM, APPLEJACK?

APPLEJACK
(pause)
He said that there'd been an accident. He said that he'd sent her home.

NIGHTJACK
What then?

APPLEJACK
I left him. I told him that if she... if she wasn't waiting for me at home, I'd, I'd.
(pause)
And then I left him.

AUTUMN BREEZE
APPLEJACK?

NIGHTJACK
Interview suspended at 1647.

NIGHTJACK
Okay, interview resumed at 1701. Present are Sergeant NIGHTJACK, Detective Inspector AUTUMN BREEZE, and Colonel SHINING ARMOUR, as before.
APPLEJACK, before we halted, you told us that you had a fight with SILVER BRAISE, and he told you that APPLE BLOOM had gone home. Can you describe what happened next?

APPLEJACK
I ran. I ran home like my tail was on fire. I ran past hundreds of Guardsponies in the front paddock and up the front steps, hollering for APPLE BLOOM. And when I got inside, there she was. There she was, safe and whole and unhurt and probably wondering if her big sister had lost her mind.
(pause)
She told me... she told me that there'd been an accident. Something had gone wrong and SILVER had been hurt. She'd tried to bandage him up because he'd been cut so bad.
(pause)
Just like he said. Just like he said.
And then I started to realise how bad I'd messed up. He wasn't just a pony in need, he was my friend and I had beaten him and left him bleeding on the ground. And he was hurt bad before I even got there.
(pause)
I knew I had to get back there. I had to help him, but I was so tuckered out from running all over Ponyville, I could barely move. I got as far as the driveway when the Princesses arrived. I ain't never seen anything like that before. You sort of forget that deep down, they ain't really ponies at all.
(pause)
Anyhow, TWILIGHT was there and she got the story out of me. She could see the state I was in and she promised that she'd go help him. And then, poof, she's gone in a flash of magic.

AUTUMN BREEZE
So TWILIGHT had gone to help SILVER BRAISE. What did you do during that time?

APPLEJACK
One of the Guard came over to see if I was all right. I was so beat, they had to get BIG MACINTOSH to come and carry me into the house. I told him to fetch me the second TWILIGHT came back, but he never did. I guess I must have fallen asleep until this morning. When I came downstairs, you were all at the door with TWILIGHT spark out, floating along in front of you. And then we're back to the start again.

NIGHTJACK
That's why you asked Princess CELESTIA about TWILIGHT and SILVER?

APPLEJACK
Yeah. I... I guess she must have been too late after all.
(pause)

AUTUMN BREEZE
APPLEJACK, here's something I don't understand about all this. You say that you knew SILVER BRAISE and he was a friend of yours. Even if you found him covered in blood, why would you automatically jump to thinking he'd killed your little sister?

NIGHTJACK
Oh, boy.

APPLEJACK
You have to understand, pretty much ever since SILVER BRAISE and SUMMER CLIP arrived, things had been going missing around town. Some ponies decided that it wasn't a coincidence, and it must be them. Things got real heated around here for a while.

AUTUMN BREEZE
But he was a friend of yours?

APPLEJACK
And I was a little cautious of him for a while, but I never really believed it. And the more I learned about him, the less likely it seemed. I guess maybe it stuck in the back of my mind after hearing it for so long and...
(pause)
It was the ribbon that did it. I think I would have heard him out if it wasn't for that.

AUTUMN BREEZE
Up until that afternoon, how would you describe your relationship with SILVER BRAISE?

APPLEJACK
My what now? My relationship?

AUTUMN BREEZE
Yes. How did you meet? Were you close? Did you have any particular arguments? That sort of thing.

APPLEJACK
That better not be what it sounds like, missy, because I don't care for the insinuation.

AUTUMN BREEZE
I'm not insinuating anything.

APPLEJACK
Well it sure sounds like it.

NIGHTJACK
Tell us about SILVER, APPLEJACK.

APPLEJACK
(pause)
I met him on his first day in town. He was looking for somewhere to set up a workshop and somepony sent him down to see me. I didn't have anything he could use, but I sent him on out to MA BERRY – and I had a job for him.

NIGHTJACK
What sort of job was it?

APPLEJACK
My cider press needed some repair work done. He's done a few other jobs for me around the place since, little stuff mainly.

NIGHTJACK
And what sort of impression did you form of him from the work that he did for you?

APPLEJACK
He was honest, polite, and he did a fine job without charging a fortune. He seemed like a good, reliable pony, and he was easy to get along with.

AUTUMN BREEZE
It sounds like you respected him.

APPLEJACK
Sure I do. Why wouldn't I?

NIGHTJACK
How did you find his friend, SUMMER CLIP?

APPLEJACK
(pause)
SUMMER I don't know too well. She seems a lot quicker to take offence at stuff, and she can be kind of prickly. I'm not saying she's a bad pony, far from it, but she can be a little bit difficult, sometimes.

AUTUMN BREEZE
Did you ever feel that she was possessive of him, or jealous of other mares that he spent time with?

APPLEJACK
Are you starting with that again? Because-

NIGHTJACK
Nopony's starting with anything, APPLEJACK.

APPLEJACK
Oh yeah? Well it sure sounds like it.

NIGHTJACK
It's a valid question, APPLEJACK, and nopony is accusing anypony of anything.

AUTUMN BREEZE
You seem very defensive about it.

APPLEJACK
Defensive? Listen, missy, I heard all sorts of tomfool garbage spouted around this town over the last month or so, and if it ain't cut out at the root it just gains traction and ends up hurting somepony. He was a kind, gentle fellow with a fillyfriend who's just crazy about him, and you have the unmitigated gall to sit there and start slinging those sorts of accusations around now that he can't defend himself.

AUTUMN BREEZE
He can't defend himself because he's dead, and I'm looking for a motive.

NIGHTJACK
I think we need to take it down a notch, everypony, this is getting a bit heated and it doesn't need to.
(pause)
APPLEJACK?
(pause)
APPLEJACK, are you OK?

APPLEJACK
SILVER and SUMMER were real close, close as brother and sister. If you must know, he was quite protective of her, and maybe she was of him, too, but he was seeing one of her friends and as far as I know she was right happy for him.

AUTUMN BREEZE
There was no tension between them?

APPLEJACK
You'd have to ask her. But if you ask her like you asked me, I hope she knocks you on your flank.

NIGHTJACK
APPLEJACK.

AUTUMN BREEZE
She deserves it.

NIGHTJACK
APPLEJACK, can we just take a moment to simmer down, please?

APPLEJACK
Fine.
(pause)

NIGHTJACK
Okay. I was wondering, where does this creature fit into all this? It seems strange that all of a sudden something should appear that requires both Princesses themselves and half the Guard to deal with it, and yet you don't know what it is?

APPLEJACK
We suspected it for months, but we didn't know who or what it was, or even if it wasn't just a pony or some sort of co-incidence.

AUTUMN BREEZE
So you had an extremely dangerous creature running loose for months and you didn't tell anypony?

APPLEJACK
Maybe it was there, maybe it wasn't. That was the problem. This is sort of getting into things that I don't know if I'm allowed to answer, even if I do know the answer.

NIGHTJACK
National security sort of things?

APPLEJACK
That, and personal promises to Princess CELESTIA sort of things. TWILIGHT might be able to tell you more, depending if she's heard from the Princess. Do you know if TWILIGHT's all right?

SHINING ARMOUR
I spoke to SPIKE earlier, APPLEJACK. TWILIGHT hadn't made it back to the library by then, but she's going to be fine.

NIGHTJACK
Thank you, Colonel. Can you confirm that SILVER was definitely alive when you left him, APPLEJACK?

APPLEJACK
He was hurting pretty bad, but yeah, he was alive.

NIGHTJACK
Was he standing or lying down?

APPLEJACK
He was lying down.

NIGHTJACK
Where was he?

APPLEJACK
How do you mean?

NIGHTJACK
Whereabouts in the workshop was he? Did you notice if he was next to anything?

APPLEJACK
Oh. He was lying on the floor by the north wall, just in front of some machines of his. He cracked his head pretty bad on one of them when, uh...

AUTUMN BREEZE
He was definitely inside the workshop?

APPLEJACK
Yes.

NIGHTJACK
Did you see anypony else while you were there? In the workshop, or outside?

APPLEJACK
No. Definitely not in the workshop, and I didn't notice anypony outside but I can't say I was paying a whole lot of attention. I don't think I saw anypony after MOONLIGHT SONATA.

NIGHTJACK
Interesting.

AUTUMN BREEZE
Now, your little sister – do you remember exactly what she told you when you found her at home?

APPLEJACK
She said he was teaching her and her friends. She said SWEETIE BELLE slipped and SILVER got cut stopping stuff from falling on her. He sent them home, but APPLE BLOOM went back to try to help him.
(pause)
She said she was looking for me to go and help him.
(pause)

NIGHTJACK
Any more questions from anypony?

AUTUMN BREEZE
Going back to this creature again, you said that the Princesses knew all about it. Did you speak directly to them at any point?

APPLEJACK
No.

AUTUMN BREEZE
So who told you about it?

AUTUMN BREEZE
TWILIGHT did. The Princesses called her up to Canterlot for a day, and when she came back she gathered all us girls up and asked us to help her.

AUTUMN BREEZE
I see. So in actual fact, your only knowledge that this creature exists is because TWILIGHT says so?

APPLEJACK
Now you hold on one cotton-picking minute there.

AUTUMN BREEZE
It's not an accusation, APPLEJACK, just an observation. Did anypony other than TWILIGHT ever tell you about the creature independently?

APPLEJACK
(pause)
No. I guess not.

AUTUMN BREEZE
Did you ever come across any evidence that the creature existed other than those reports from TWILIGHT?

APPLEJACK
Well, yes, actually.

AUTUMN BREEZE
Go on.

APPLEJACK
FLUTTERSHY had something sniffing around her cottage at night for quite a while. She would wake up in the middle of the night with a feeling that something wasn't right, but she couldn't decide if it was just her nerves acting up on her. She didn't tell any of us for the longest time, until she said she heard something creeping about outside. We had RAINBOW DASH stay with her until a few days ago when she had some sort of turn and we brought them both into the village. RAINBOW DASH went out there later and found an animal had been killed next to the chicken coop, torn apart.

AUTUMN BREEZE
Torn apart?

APPLEJACK
Like, literally torn apart. It freaked RAINBOW out something terrible.

AUTUMN BREEZE
Where is FLUTTERSHY's house in relation to Ponyville?

APPLEJACK
It's right on the south-western edge of the farm, hard up against the Everfree Forest.

AUTUMN BREEZE
Could it have been something from the forest itself?

APPLEJACK
It could have been, but normally the critters in there don't come that close to the edge. It seemed more likely that something was hiding in there.

NIGHTJACK
Now, FLUTTERSHY's not exactly the most dauntless of ponies-

APPLEJACK
And that's why she kept it to herself for so long. She chose to face it all on her own – now talk to me about dauntless.

NIGHTJACK
All right, APPLEJACK, but we will need to talk to her at some point to find out what she saw and heard.
(pause)
Anything else, anypony?

AUTUMN BREEZE
I think that's everything I can think of for the time being.

NIGHTJACK
Then we will leave this here for the time being. What's going to happen next is that we will interview some of the other ponies you have mentioned to see if they can corroborate what you've told us. That's probably going to mean talking to your little sister and her friends, too.
In the mean time, I'm afraid you'll have to remain in custody here. We may well have more questions for you later, once we have gathered more evidence. Do you understand?

APPLEJACK
Yes.

NIGHTJACK
Do you have any questions, or is there anything further you would like to add at this stage?

APPLEJACK
No.

NIGHTJACK
Okay, then. Interview terminated at 1733 hours.

Author's Notes:

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