Stormflower figured that the best place to start was with Scootaloo. She woke up early the morning following Rainbow Dash's funeral and set out to search for the young pegasus. It didn't take long for her to locate the filly beneath a large tree on the edge of town.

"Scootaloo?" Stormflower asked. Scootaloo turned towards Stormflower and smiled.

"Morning," she responded. Stormflower approached Scootaloo and sat next to her.

"The weather is nice today."

"I guess."

"You're sad about Rainbow Dash, too, I see."

"Of course! I looked up to her! She was my hero! Now...now she's gone."

"I heard that you're going to help my brother look into this."

"Please tell me that you're not going to scold me about it!"

"Don't worry. I'm not here to scold you."

"Thank Celestia."

"I'm here to ask you about Rainbow Dash."

"Huh?"

"You were one of the last ponies to see her alive. I just want to hear about what you two did together on...that day."

"We weren't together for very long. I watched her practice a few moves that morning until she came down to rest. I approached her and we talked."

"What did you two talk about?"

"Nothing really worth noting."

"Did you talk about the lessons?"

"Of course. That's when she said that she would teach me how to fly. By the way, thanks for trying your best to teach me these past couple weeks."

"It's no problem. I have a feeling that's what my sister would want. She would want you to learn how to fly and she would want me to teach you."

"I guess."

"Is that all you talked about?"

"We talked about you for a little bit. She was really excited about you coming to Ponyville."

"Yeah. Anything else?"

"No. She then left to visit Pinkie Pie and that's the last time I saw her."

"She wasn't acting strangely or-"

"No. She was normal."

"Huh. Looks like Pinkie Pie is the next pony I need to talk to."

"We're going to find them, Stormflower."

"Huh?"

"We're going to find the pony who did this!"

"Yeah. I know we are. Say...how about we have another lesson this evening?"

"You sure that you want to? I mean...it hasn't been that long since...since we all found out about Rainbow Dash."

"I'm still sad, yes. But...but my sister wouldn't want me to stay sad forever! She would want us to move on with our lives. However, saying it is a whole lot easier than actually doing it. Though it will be difficult, I'm going to try my best to do so! We should all try our best to move on. But, I feel that I'll never have complete closure until I find out who did this."

"I'm with you on that one. Okay, we'll meet here, under this tree, this evening for the lessons."

"Great! See you later then!"

Scootaloo gave a small smile and ran off towards town. Stormflower felt a smile form on her face too but it quickly disappeared. Then she felt it. A peculiar breeze of cold air. Stormflower shuttered a bit but the feeling of uneasiness was slowly replaced by a feeling of familiarity. Stormflower examined the surrounding area with her eyes and breathed the cold air into her lungs.

"You're here aren't you?" she asked. "Sis, you're right here with me."

From the afterlife, Rainbow Dash looked straight into her sister's face.

"Yes," Rainbow replied. "I'll always be there for you, sis."

Stormflower smiled again. She didn't hear Rainbow's words but she had felt her presence.

"If only we could communicate, Dashie. Then I wouldn't have to go through all of this interrogation bullshit," Stormflower chuckled. Rainbow chuckled too and placed her hoof on Stormflower's shoulder. It, of course, phased through but Stormflower felt something nonetheless. It was a faint feeling but she could just picture her cyan sister standing in front of her. "Stay with me."

"Always," Rainbow said. Stormflower then walked through Rainbow's spiritual body and headed towards town. Rainbow followed her quietly. The two sisters were together and they recognized each other's presence happily. They couldn't talk to each other but they could feel each other, and that's all that mattered.

It didn't take long for Stormflower to arrive at Sugar Cube Corner. She entered the shop quietly to find it empty except for a familiar gray pony.

"Morning, Irena," said Stormflower as she entered.

"Morning," Irena sighed. Irena was sitting at a table by herself. Stormflower sat next to her and Rainbow sat at the other end of the table.

"Is Pinkie Pie here?"

"No. She's running some errands with the Cakes."

"Oh."

"She should be back soon."

"Okay. I can wait until then."

The two ponies sat in silence for a few passing minutes. Rainbow smiled, rolled her eyes, and said, "Well say something already!"

Stormflower felt a sharp blast of cold air fly through her mane. She chuckled and nodded at the empty seat that contained the spirit of her sister.

"So...I've heard that you and Pinkie grew up on a rock farm," Stormflower said. Irena turned towards the pinkish pegasus and nodded her head. "Was it nice?"

"About as nice as a rock farm could get. They're not exactly the happiest places in the world," Irena replied gloomily.

"I can see that you didn't really enjoy your time there."

"Not really. It wasn't until I moved to Canterlot that I actually began to feel happy."

"Come on, now! You must have some fond memories of your childhood there!"

"I do...but...I also have some pretty bleak memories."

"Was it really that gloomy?"

"At first, it was just boring. It wasn't until...the accident that everything suddenly became gloomy."

"The accident? What accident?"

"You mean you don't know? I assumed that Joan would have already told you due to the fact that you two are already pretty close."

"He's told me a little bit about his childhood on the rock farms but he's never gone into vivid detail."

"It's understandable. Neither of us really like to talk about what happened. I can understand Pinkie not talking about it because I think she's blocked the memory."

"It must have been a terrible accident."

"It was horrible. I still don't know what really happened on that day ten years ago."

"Ten years ago. Joan told me that his father investigated a crime that took place ten years ago."

"Did he tell you what the crime was?"

"Murder, I believe."

"Yes. That's the accident."

"What happened, Irena?"

"Ten years ago...Pinkie Pie...she...she witnessed the murder of our sister, Bellamina."

Stormflower fell silent and Rainbow's ears twitched. This was it. She was going to learn about what really happened that day.

"There was...another sister?"

"Yes. I was the eldest, Pinkie was in the middle, and Bellamina was the youngest. I was ten, Pinkie was seven, and Bellamina was six."

"She was only six? That's horrible!"

"I was never told the details of the murder, due to me being ten at the time, but I know that it was pretty horrible. We couldn't even see Bellamina's body when she was buried. I think it must have been too...damaged for us to look at."

"And Pinkie witnessed this? I never would have guessed. She always seems so happy and upbeat."

"Like I said earlier, I think she blocked the memory from her mind. She knows that Bellamina died but she doesn't remember how. It must have been a truly horrible memory. Heh, you know, if it weren't for Joan then Pinkie probably would have been murdered too."

Stormflower and Rainbow's ears twitched at the same time.

"What?!"

"Joan's the one who alerted his father and the other police ponies about it."

"But...but how did he know what was happening?"

"I never found out the details. Joan never talks about it either. In fact, I think he's blocked out the memory too."

"What reason would he have to block out the memory? It's not like he witnessed it or anything."

"Maybe he feels that it's his fault."

"Why would it be his fault?"

"I'm not sure. It's not like I could look back and see what exactly happened that day."

"But you can," stated a familiar voice. Neither Stormflower nor Irena heard this voice but Rainbow did. She turned around and there was Bellamina herself, standing there with a sad smile on her face. "It's time for the story to continue."

Rainbow watched as the shop slowly disappeared. She was now standing back in the field by the rock farm. She was standing on the edge of a thick forest and two ponies were standing a few feet away. Rainbow recognized one pony as the 14-year-old Joan Silver. The other pony, however, was a mystery.

"Just who exactly are you?" Joan asked.

"I'm just a newcomer. There's no need to be rude," stated the gray stallion. The stallion had a dirty gray coat, a messy brown mane, and a pair of eyes that were so bloodshot that it was impossible to detect any color in them other than red. The stallion was also incredibly skinny, has a cutie mark that consisted of three red balloons, and he looked to be around nineteen years old. The seven-year-old Pinkie Pie and the six-year-old Bellamina approached the two stallions happily.

"Hi Rufus!" said Pinkie happily. "Hi Joanie. I didn't expect to see you here! Are you coming to the party too?"

"Party? What party?" Joan asked.

"The party that I have planned," said Rufus calmly.

"What's the occasion?"

"It's a friend party! I'm helping Rufus out with it!" Pinkie replied.

"What are you doing here, Bellamina?"

"Pinkie brought me here, and I think my name's Bella now," Bellamina replied happily.

"Another famous Pinkie Pie nickname?"

"Yeah."

"It's nice to meet you, Bella," Rufus said as he extended one of his hooves. "I'm Rufus."

Bellamina extended her hoof and shook Rufus's hoof. Their eyes met. Rainbow could instantly tell that Bellamina was feeling incredibly awkward and vulnerable. Their hooves drew apart and Bellamina took a couple steps back.

"So are you coming to the party, Joanie?!" Pinkie asked happily.

"I'm not in the mood for a party," Joan replied. "By the way, Rufus, is that your cabin out there in those woods?"

"Of course. That's where the party's taking place," Rufus replied happily.

"You're having a party in that little cabin?"

"It's not a really big party, as you can see. You're welcome to come if you want to."

"I told you that I'm not really in the mood for a party."

"Awe!" Pinkie groaned.

"Don't be sad, Pinkie! I'll...I'll come to the next one!"

"I hope you do, Joanie. I look forward to seeing you at one of my...future parties," Rufus said. Both Rainbow and Joan shivered at the sound of Rufus's voice. "Anyway, Pinkie, are you and Bella ready?"

"Yes we are!" said Pinkie gleefully.

"Great! Follow me."

Rufus turned around and started walking into the forest. Pinkie skipped after him and Bellamina followed calmly. Bellamina turned back to Joan and their eyes met for a few seconds. The gray filly then turned away and continued walking. Joan also turned away and began walking out into the field. Rainbow turned towards Pinkie, Bellamina, and Rufus and followed.

The trio soon arrived at a cozy wood cabin in the middle of the forest. Rufus opened the door and let the two fillies inside. Rainbow simply phased through one of the windows. The interior of the cabin was welcoming and friendly. Colorful rugs colored the floor, paintings of fields and beautiful areas hung from the walls, and a series of photos were situated on a table covered in brightly colored cupcakes.

"Are these all of your old friends?" Pinkie asked.

"Yes. I don't see them anymore...but I hope to see them again someday," Rufus replied.

"I hope I get to meet them!"

"Don't worry. I'm sure the two of you will meet them really soon."

Rufus looked down at Bellamina and the gray filly smiled awkwardly. Rainbow looked out the window behind her and noticed something. There, sneaking his way through the trees, was Joan.

"Smart guy. I would have done the same thing," said Rainbow. Joan hid himself next to the window and peered inside on the party of three.

"So, are the two of you in the mood for a cupcake?" Rufus asked.

"Oh yes!" Pinkie exclaimed. Bellamina nodded her head. Rufus reached over to the table and handed both Pinkie and Bellamina a cupcake.

"It's a new recipe. I hope you both enjoy it."

"It looks yummy!"

Pinkie and Bellamina turned to each other and each took a large bite out of their respective cupcakes. They chewed their sweet pastries and swallowed.

"It tastes...kind of...salty," said Bellamina.

"That must be the special ingredient," said Rufus.

"What's the special ingredient?" Pinkie asked as she took another bite.

"Hazel."

It was at this moment that Rainbow, Joan, and Bellamina's eyes all suddenly fell on the same picture. It was the photo of a male unicorn pony who looked to be around nine years old. A series of words were written at the bottom of the photo. The words read: Hazel: Friend Number 36.

Bellamina gasped and both Rainbow and Joan's eyes widened. Rufus smiled hungrily as both Pinkie and Bellamina blacked out and fell to the floor.

"Now the real party can begin," Rufus chuckled happily to himself. Rainbow turned back to Joan. Joan slowly backed away from the window.

"I've got to get help! Now!" his whispered to himself as he turned around and disappeared into the trees. Rainbow turned back to Rufus as he walked past Pinkie and Bellamina's bodies and over into the corner of the cabin. He grabbed a handle hidden under a rug and pulled. A doorway opened up, leading down into a dark basement. The scene then disappeared and Rainbow found herself back on top of the Overlook.