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[PaladinLight]

The paper read:

"Category 1: Indoor fireworks: Sparklers, poppers
Category 2: Garden fireworks: Fountains, spinners, Catherine wheels
Category 3: Display fireworks: Comets, Roman candles, mines
Category 4: Aerial shells, rockets. For professional use only. Illegal for any member of the public to posess.

WARNING: Any firework that exceeds 3kg of net explosive content is outlawed. Fireworks that have erratic flight patterns are likewise forbidden. Please check to make sure the material weight is evenly distributed in each firework, especially when creating any from scratch.

That means you, Firecracker Burst."

Evidence: Firework Paper
A note that was hung inside the first Sparkleton Wagon. It classifies fireworks from indoor to forbidden.

That paper alone sent up fireworks of its own.

"It would take a lot of fireworks to do this much damage, and not just any fireworks, either--it would take at least a couple dozen Category 2 fireworks to do this... or maybe a dozen Category 3's...  Well, I know for certain that our wagon had that much, and judging from the smell... I'd say there was a little bit of everything in this mess."

"It depends on what kind of fireworks you mean.  If you're referring to Category 3 fireworks--the kind you can see right now--I believe we brought about 250 of those.  If you're asking about Category 2 fireworks, I'd say about 500.  As for Category 1... no less than 700.  In total... 1,450."

'Alright, somepony hold it right there.  Sparkleworks never even mentioned that there was such a thing as "Category 4" fireworks!'

That alone was more than enough to raise Sparkleworks back up on his list of suspects.  And further, they'd placed Firecracker under arrest because of a motive conveniently given them by Sparkleworks.  But he knew he still didn't have the definitive proof he'd need to prove who did it, whether it was Sparkleworks, Pimento... or both?  Yeah, he'd really need some evidence to prove a connection between those two.

'Alright, calm down there, Paladin.  You need to stop pointing hooves at ponies until you've got more evidence.'

Looking around, Paladin wasn't sure there was much else in here that could help, but he decided to give the shelves a once-over just to be sure.

[Pikmanipulator]

"Yes. Inside. It's a bit dark out here, wouldn't you agree?"

"Mr. Swirl, I have a 5 month old daughter, and a 20 year old daughter who just moved out of the house. I believe I've seen the worst messes a single pony can give of us. I assure you, I will not be leveraging questions about your housekeeping skills."

Pimento Swirl looked taken aback.  "Um... okay then," he replied.  He turned around and walked back into his house, leaving the door open.

Inside the house was a humble little living room, consisting of little else other than a rug with a table set on top of it, a fireplace with a mantle above it, and a clock hanging on the wall.  It was not particularly messy until it came to a doorway to the left, where some floury substance was spilling out onto the floor.  Apparently, that way led to the kitchen.  To the right in the living room was a small staircase that led to another room.

"And you don't feel like enlightening me?"

"Please," responded Berry curtly without turning her head back to Deuces.  "You seem so sure of yourself.  Don't let me get in the way.  If you think you can prove what you're trying to say, then by all means, do it."

Looking around, Paladin wasn't sure there was much else in here that could help, but he decided to give the shelves a once-over just to be sure.

There didn't appear to be anything more of note.

[PaladinLight]

There didn't appear to be anything more of note.

((Welp, that's pretty clear.  Moving on! ))

Seeing that there didn't appear to be anything more of note in the wagon, Paladin headed back out.  "Thank you, Miss Sparkleworks.  I think I'm done here for now.  You ready to go, Twilight?  Mrs. Portabello?"

Once they were set, he'd head off with the others back to the Portabello Pizzeria.

[Zaal]

"Please. You seem so sure of yourself. Don't let me get in the way. If you think you can prove what you're trying to say, then by all means, do it."

"Challenge accepted. To do that, I have several options: Verbally shred your moral character to pieces, return to your bedroom, or find Pimento Swirl. Which do you think I should do?"

[Pikmanipulator]

Seeing that there didn't appear to be anything more of note in the wagon, Paladin headed back out.  "Thank you, Miss Sparkleworks.  I think I'm done here for now.  You ready to go, Twilight?  Mrs. Portabello?"

Once they were set, he'd head off with the others back to the Portabello Pizzeria.

Location: Portabella Pizzeria
Time: 3:36 AM

The pizzeria looked the same as ever.  Focaccia walked over to the alley, behind the metal canopy, and looked up at the window without any glass in it.  She stared at it for a while.

"Challenge accepted. To do that, I have several options: Verbally shred your moral character to pieces, return to your bedroom, or find Pimento Swirl. Which do you think I should do?"

Berry Batter turned her head to look at Deuces with her sour, half-closed eyes again.

[Zaal]

"I'll take that as a 'go-to-the-pizzeria' stare."

Removing himself from the bed, he begins putting on his vest.

"Before I go, I do have some things to say," he said, checking his pockets for his belongings. "I can't say staying silent about the circumstances behind this arson is a great way of repaying the ponies who gave you a job, a roof over your head, and giving your omelet the chance to impress Celestia, but if that's the way things are going down, then you'll have nopony to blame for your misery but yourself."

[PaladinLight]

Location: Portabella Pizzeria
Time:  AM

The pizzeria looked the same as ever.  Focaccia walked over to the alley, behind the metal canopy, and looked up at the window without any glass in it.  She stared at it for a while.

Paladin followed from behind, and looked up at it alongside Focaccia.  "So that's her room up there, huh?  The curtain was able to hold Deuces, so it could hold you, if you really wanted up there.  Or perhaps I could manage to pry off the boards on the front doorway... or if you're willing to risk some nasal damage, I can just unlock the storage room and let us in through there."

[ThatCanadianDude]

"Um... okay then."

Inside the house was a humble little living room, consisting of little else other than a rug with a table set on top of it, a fireplace with a mantle above it, and a clock hanging on the wall.  It was not particularly messy until it came to a doorway to the left, where some floury substance was spilling out onto the floor.  Apparently, that way led to the kitchen.  To the right in the living room was a small staircase that led to another room.

((I get the distinct feeling I'm swinging at open air again.))

The Judge gave a look to the floury substance, but questioned it not.

"I thank you for allowing us in. If you don't mind, I'd like to avoid beating about the bush and get straight to the questions. Are you aware of the incident that occured at the Portabella Pizzeria earlier this evening?"

[Pikmanipulator]

"I'll take that as a 'go-to-the-pizzeria' stare."

Removing himself from the bed, he begins putting on his vest.

"Before I go, I do have some things to say," he said, checking his pockets for his belongings. "I can't say staying silent about the circumstances behind this arson is a great way of repaying the ponies who gave you a job, a roof over your head, and giving your omelet the chance to impress Celestia, but if that's the way things are going down, then you'll have nopony to blame for your misery but yourself."

"Hold it!!" one of the nurses shouted at Deuces.  "You're not fit to go out yet!  We haven't put the splint on your leg yet!"

Paladin followed from behind, and looked up at it alongside Focaccia.  "So that's her room up there, huh?  The curtain was able to hold Deuces, so it could hold you, if you really wanted up there.  Or perhaps I could manage to pry off the boards on the front doorway... or if you're willing to risk some nasal damage, I can just unlock the storage room and let us in through there."

Focaccia looked at the ground, where the window panel still lay.  She stifled a sad smile.

"I don't know if I should say this or not, but Berry Batter did have a secret way into her room," she said.  "Whenever the front door wasn't convenient enough, she would drape a curtain down from her window, and she could in and out that way."  She looked back up and grinned slightly.  "She's more mischevious than you might realize.  I..."  She hung her head.  "I wonder what she did...on this night..."

((I get the distinct feeling I'm swinging at open air again.))

The Judge gave a look to the floury substance, but questioned it not.

"I thank you for allowing us in. If you don't mind, I'd like to avoid beating about the bush and get straight to the questions. Are you aware of the incident that occured at the Portabella Pizzeria earlier this evening?"

"Oh, yes," replied Pimento Swirl, lowering his head.  "I never expected anything like this to happen.  It's truly awful."  He raised his head and looked at the Judge piteously.  "I'm sure you can understand how I feel, Mr. Gavelt.  The Portabella Pizzeria was my workplace, and Alfredo and Focaccia have been so kind to me."

[Zaal]

"Hold it!! You're not fit to go out yet! We haven't put the splint on your leg yet!"

"Well, the other three seem fine. But if you insist, however, please be quick."

[Pikmanipulator]

"Well, the other three seem fine. But if you insist, however, please be quick."

The nurses levitated Deuces back onto his bed, muttered something about "reckless teenagers", and then fastened the splint onto Deuces's sprained ankle.

"All right, you're free to go now," the nurse spoke sternly.  "But don't put too much pressure on that leg, or you'll end up right back here.  Understand?"

[Zaal]

"All right, you're free to go now. But don't put too much pressure on that leg, or you'll end up right back here. Understand?"

"What a wonderful bedside manner you have, miss. Your patients must heal quickly, if only to get away from here... Could you do me a favor, though? I'm going to be coming back for my hornache medicine and my burn buddy. Think you can keep her here until I get back?"

[PaladinLight]

Focaccia looked at the ground, where the window panel still lay.  She stifled a sad smile.

"I don't know if I should say this or not, but Berry Batter did have a secret way into her room," she said.  "Whenever the front door wasn't convenient enough, she would drape a curtain down from her window, and she could in and out that way."  She looked back up and grinned slightly.  "She's more mischevious than you might realize.  I..."  She hung her head.  "I wonder what she did...on this night..."

Paladin sighed.  "Well, that's what I came along with you in hopes of finding out.  Let's see what we know, then..."  He smiled.  "And please bear with me - once I get going, I can talk forever, as Twilight can attest to."

"You said you talked with her at the fireworks show, and that you think you'd talked about the competition.  After that, she apparently came back here.  Which means she must have gotten here probably about the time that our unknown arsonist did, I believe.  Out of curiosity, if she lives here, I assume she has her own set of keys?"

He rubbed his chin as he thought out the next part.  "...The next part's the most important, and yet it's the one we can't seem to get together.  ...The arsonist was targeting the storage room, specifically.  That much is obvious from the... er... horrible mess in there.  So that's most likely where they were.  We know Firecracker Burst was also here, along with the missing wagon.  Everypony had access to the Pizzeria because Alfredo left the keys in the front door."

Then another thought occurred to him.  "...And if what you're saying is right, then even if we're wrong about Alfredo leaving the keys, then maybe they could have gotten in by a curtain left by Berry Batter.  Either way, though, the keys ended up in the front door."

Paladin stopped a moment to collect his thoughts.  "Twilight, do I seem to be missing anything so far?"

[hinata2000100]

Paladin sighed.  "Well, that's what I came along with you in hopes of finding out.  Let's see what we know, then..."  He smiled.  "And please bear with me - once I get going, I can talk forever, as Twilight can attest to."

"You said you talked with her at the fireworks show, and that you think you'd talked about the competition.  After that, she apparently came back here.  Which means she must have gotten here probably about the time that our unknown arsonist did, I believe.  Out of curiosity, if she lives here, I assume she has her own set of keys?"

He rubbed his chin as he thought out the next part.  "...The next part's the most important, and yet it's the one we can't seem to get together.  ...The arsonist was targeting the storage room, specifically.  That much is obvious from the... er... horrible mess in there.  So that's most likely where they were.  We know Firecracker Burst was also here, along with the missing wagon.  Everypony had access to the Pizzeria because Alfredo left the keys in the front door."

Then another thought occurred to him.  "...And if what you're saying is right, then even if we're wrong about Alfredo leaving the keys, then maybe they could have gotten in by a curtain left by Berry Batter.  Either way, though, the keys ended up in the front door."

Paladin stopped a moment to collect his thoughts.  "Twilight, do I seem to be missing anything so far?"

"No, you don't seem to be missing anything." I say, looking over my notes for a second.

[Pikmanipulator]

"What a wonderful bedside manner you have, miss. Your patients must heal quickly, if only to get away from here... Could you do me a favor, though? I'm going to be coming back for my hornache medicine and my burn buddy. Think you can keep her here until I get back?"

"Oh, don't worry," replied the nurse as she looked at Berry Batter.  "She won't be going anywhere anytime soon with the injuries she sustained."

Berry Batter's head was back to staring ahead nonchalantly.

Paladin sighed.  "Well, that's what I came along with you in hopes of finding out.  Let's see what we know, then..."  He smiled.  "And please bear with me - once I get going, I can talk forever, as Twilight can attest to."

"You said you talked with her at the fireworks show, and that you think you'd talked about the competition.  After that, she apparently came back here.  Which means she must have gotten here probably about the time that our unknown arsonist did, I believe.  Out of curiosity, if she lives here, I assume she has her own set of keys?"

"Hmm...  No, actually, she doesn't," replied Focaccia after a moment of thought.  "Alfredo and I are usually the ones who let her in.  I guess we didn't think it was necessary."  She grinned sheepishly.  "I guess that explains the need for the window route, now that I think about it.  Maybe we should give her her own keys..."

He rubbed his chin as he thought out the next part.  "...The next part's the most important, and yet it's the one we can't seem to get together.  ...The arsonist was targeting the storage room, specifically.  That much is obvious from the... er... horrible mess in there.  So that's most likely where they were.  We know Firecracker Burst was also here, along with the missing wagon.  Everypony had access to the Pizzeria because Alfredo left the keys in the front door."

Then another thought occurred to him.  "...And if what you're saying is right, then even if we're wrong about Alfredo leaving the keys, then maybe they could have gotten in by a curtain left by Berry Batter.  Either way, though, the keys ended up in the front door."

Paladin stopped a moment to collect his thoughts.  "Twilight, do I seem to be missing anything so far?"

"No, you don't seem to be missing anything." I say, looking over my notes for a second.

Focaccia looked perplexed.  "I just don't understand it...  Why would Berry Batter come back here?  She couldn't..."  She stifled a gasp.  "She couldn't have been trying to destroy all the food so that her own creation would be the only thing left for the feast, could she?!"