A Lost Soul Returns: The King of Monsters

by Dark Star the Crazed

Killer Of A Different Kind.

It's not so important who starts the game, but who finishes it. ~ John Wooden.

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Twilight awoke to the sound of knocking. She looked up from the book she had fallen asleep reading and walked over to the door. She opened it to reveal Applejack. "Hey Aj whats up?"

Aj had a grim look on her face. "You remember Trixie? You know the blue unicorn that kicked you out of town 'bout three years ago?" Twilight just nodded. "You won't believe this but... She just walked into town. With two guards, one of which is your big brother, in hoof cuffs. I ran up to see what was going on and... They're going to keep her in the jail here tonight but..." Aj took off her hat and looked at the castle on the mountain. "They're taking her to Canterlot to put her down tomorrow morning sugarcube." Twilight gasped and put a hoof to her mouth.

"What? Why? What did she do?" Her mind was racing at the possibilities. Trixie was mean and could be down right nasty sometimes sure but she cold tell that she wasn't a criminal. The only crime that she knew that Trixie had committed was destruction of property, and even then it wasn't her who had done it directly. "Well? Why are they going to execute her?"

Aj gulped. "Again you won't believe this but... She killed three ponies. She just kept mumbling to herself that she was innocent. Then she just started screaming about how she was being framed and your brother... He did something I can't forgive. Even if Trixie was a murderer, which I don't believe she is... Twi, I heard her ribs break when your big brother bucked her in the side and sent her flying into the side of the town well." Twilight blinked and looked Aj in the eyes. They were normal, she was telling the truth.

"Where are they right now?" Twilight wasn't sure why, but she kind of liked Trixie. Be it because she liked the thought of having a rival or considered her a friend in the recesses of her mind she did not know. What she did know was that Trixie was no murderer.

"At the jailhouse. Your brother said he was going to stand guard so that she didn't escape. Don't see how she even would though. They had one of those magic, canceling, horn, ring, things on her after all." Aj looked at the empty market. Everypony had gone home as soon as Armor had attacked Trixie when she couldn't fight back. "I-I need to get back to the farm." Applejack put her hat back on and trotted away slowly.

Twilight immediately left her library and ran all the way to the jail. She stepped inside and was greeted by the pegasus guard that she had met the counterpart of in the human world, Flash Sentry. Looking over she saw the way to the cells where Trixie was being kept. The door opened and her brother stepped out. His eyes immediately settled on Twilight. "Twilight? What are you doing here?"

"I- I need to see the mare that your taking to have executed tomorrow morning." Shining raised his eyebrow and was about to tell her 'no'. Twilight sensed this and frowned. "That is an order." Armor stopped in his tracks. Even if she was his sister she was still a princess. He sighed and motioned for her to follow which she quickly did.

The hallway was dank and dark like those in horror movies. The light bulb above them flickered on and off. One either side of them was a cell and there was three more. Two right next to the ones they were between and one on the end that had an azure unicorn mare in it. Trixie was sitting in the cell rocking back and forth on the ground with her face hidden by her mane. "Sit up straight prisoner! You have a princess here who, even though I don't like it, wants to talk to you!"

Trixie sat up, moved her mane out of her face, and looked at the ground. She couldn't look Twilight in the eyes. She couldn't let the princess who she had once considered her rival see her like this. She stood up and bowed. She coughed and her eyes went wide. There was blood, she had coughed up a tiny puddle of blood. She shook her head and pressed her face against the floor. "Hello Princess Sparkle."

Twilight frowned at her actions. "Stop bowing... Now." Trixie sat up and fell on her haunches when she felt a blast of maic hit her. Twilight looked at Trixie who frowned. "Trixie they said you killed three ponies... I don't want to believe that. I may not know much about you but I know your not a murderer... Trixie did you kill them? Any of them?"

Trixie began crying a little bit and rapidly shook her head. "No! I didn't! I swear! The only evidence they have is that some of my DNA was on one the victims! I know who killed them and why my DNA was there but... I can't tell you who..."

Twilight raised her eyebrow and looked Trixie deep in the eyes. "Trixie if you tell us who it was then you can get out of here."

Shining stood stunned. He had been unable to get her to talk at all. What Twilight just said struck him with sorrow. "Sis... She will still go to prison for obstructing justice."

Twilight smiled. "Not if I give her a pardon." The room was silent. They didn't even know if she was telling the truth, yet Twilight had still just offered her a literal 'get out of jail free card'.

Trixie, to everypony's surprise, shook her head. "No... I would take that deal if it was anypony else but... I just can't let the guard take him away... I promised mother that I would protect him and I... I never break my promises."

Twilight sighed. "Trixie... If you tell us who it was and give a good enough reason then I'll... I'll give both you and whoever the killer is a pardon."

Armor blinked. "Princess you can't be serious. That has to be some cruel joke... Right?" He and Trixie both looked at Twilight. Seriousness in his eyes and hope in hers. Twilight closed her eyes and her horn began to glow. The world seemed to slow. They did not know, but right now she had just asked Fang for advice.

On the other side of the psychic connection Ana was wondering why her cousin was just standing in the center of the hallway with his horn aglow. He blinked and looked at Ana before smiling. "Sorry I just spaced out for a second." With that he continued to help Ana look for her new friend Jack who she had allowed to stay with them so he could avoid Cadence.

Twilight nodded to the image of Fang that she saw in her mind and opened her eyes. She took a deep breath and looked at her brother and Trixie. She then smiled. "I'll give them both a pardon, not a full one, the killer will have to apologize for the murders and they will both have to spend five years under house arrest, but only if she has a good reason for hiding the truth." Twilight smiled at Trixie. "Because I consider you a friend and I don't want to see you die while I could do something about it."

Trixie's eyes began to tear up. "O-OK... I'll tell you..." She looked up at the ceiling. "Forgive me for this mother..." She looked at Twilight. "C-can I have a moment before I tell you?" Twilight nodded and they all sat for a moment. Trixie stood up, walked over to a corner, and began to mumble to herself.

Twilight looked at her brother. "How did they die?"

Armor looked at Twilight and his jaw finally closed. "I can't believe your doing this..." He sighed and looked at Trixie and frowned before looking back to his sister. "They were all beaten to death very viciously. One of them had their head repeatably slammed into a wall and the others were beaten with a metal pipe. Strange thing is that I am kind of happy that those three are gone. Nopony deserves to go that way but I'm glad their gone." He took a deep breath and sighed. "They were basically a gang who was infamous in Vanhoover for raping unicorn, pegasus and earth pony mares alike. Well only one raped the mares. One of them filmed it and one of them kept the mare from fighting by holding their child or little brother or sister hostage with a knife." A small smile grew on his face. "I honestly wanted to kill them a few times myself. Some of my friends sisters live in Vanhoover. One of them was raped at one point and I had to keep old Steel Shield from rushing out of the room and flying to Vanhoover to kill them." They all turned when they heard the door open.

Flash Sentry was standing there with a nervous look on his face. "Um captain... You won't believe this but there is a ten year old colt out here who is saying that... He keeps saying that if we don't let his sister go then 'he's going to hurt us like he did the bullies'. Does that mean anything to either of you?" He looked downwards and caught sight of said colt running under his legs. He tried to dive and catch him but he missed completely.

"Leave my sister alone!" The colt looked just like Trixie, albeit smaller and with gold eyes instead of purple ones. He jumped into Armor and to the surprise of everypony, but Trixie, he went flying into a cell's bars sideways. "Don't worry sis I'll save you! Did they hurt you!? Do I need to hurt them like I did the bullies!?"

Twilight, Flash and Armor all stared at the colt in shock. He was stronger than any colt his age should be. "Trixie am I correct in assuming that this is the one who... Hurt those ponies?" Trixie nodded.

"The reasons you can't take him is because he is disabled. He has two disabilities. He was born with pain asymbolia, the in ability to feel pain so he doesn't know if he is hurt, be it just a scrape of a bash to the head. He was also born with his brain incomplete. He is missing the part of the control center which limits strength. He could lift Ponyville and flip it upside down if you made him angry enough. Isn't that right Hex?" The little colt just ran up and hugged his sisters leg through the bars.

Twilight gave a little smile at the scene. "Captain. Release the prisoner. I'm giving them a pardon." To everypony's surprise the door just swing open and the horn inhibitor on Trixie's horn broke. Looking from the door Twilight noticed a small glow on the colts horn and a small cloud of steam coming off of the inhibitor. She smiled as they all left the cell block and as the two azure unicorns hugged each other before falling asleep on the benches in the lobby.

She went outside and trotted home under the stars. When she reached her door she looked towards the Everfree and silently thanked Fang for the advice he had given her.

She had followed her heart and did what she thought was right just as Fang had told her to.

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The ultimate choice for a man, in as much as he is given to transcend himself, is to create or destroy, to love or to hate. ~ Erich Fromm