//------------------------------//
// Desultory 
// Story: Equine Royale 
// by MemoryLane 
//------------------------------//

	All over Equestria, Stringer's newspapers made it's way to everyone's doorsteps. The story that Celestia had given her was plastering the front page. At first, Stringer was afraid of writing it. It almost drove her crazy when she got the thought of her "not writing it correctly". Or maybe it was just her going crazy again, no one knew. Not even her.

At first, no pony took this truthfully. They all passed it off as some kind of sick joke. Ponies would throw rocks and other heavy things through Stringer's studio, causing many bits-worth of damage, which only put her in more trouble. She knew that this story was only going to cause trouble, but she didn't have a choice. Either write it, or face the unknown consequences. A few hours after the newspaper hit the shelves, and after her studio(and house, for that matter. She practically lived there, so she took the liberty of making her studio livable by adding a bed, a closet, and a makeshift lavatory with the help of a few trustful friends), there was a knock at the door. It was the dead of night and Stringer had been peacefully sleeping, despite what had happened earlier. She had had to literally board up her house due to the high chance of someone seeing her broken window and climbing through. The sat up in her bed,  grumbling the herself. She didn't like being up this late, no matter the reason.

She sluggishly leapt out of bed, almost running into her work desk as she made her way to the door, only to trip over an end table. She crashed onto the floor in a heap.

"Ouch! Dammit!" She cursed out loud. She rubbed her foreleg, as it took most of the pain from the fall. 

Another knock.

Stringer sucked up the pain, and slowly began to limp over to the door, which only seemed to be moving farther and farther away from her at this point. She opened the door, almost ready to shout at the sleep-interupting fiend. But no one was there. Stringer peered out her door and looked left and right down the street. But whoever knocked was definitely gone. She was about to close the door and head back to sleep before something on the ground caught her eye.

It was a brown envelope. Stringer peered at the envelope before picking it up and looking it over. It appeared not to have  a return address, all it said on it was "To a very special pony."

She laughed to herself, by the way this is titled it sounded like someone was trying to hit on her. But she doubted it. She closed the door and turned on the lamp on the end table that almost killed her. She opened up the package, and out fell what seemed like 15 photographs, and a note.

Stringer picked up the note and read it first.

Dearest Stringer,

I hear that the story that you have written for me is not doing to well. Well that is alright. I just need you to write another story for me.

Stringer groaned "Come on Celestia my house can't take another beating..." She mumbled to herself.

In this envelope contains the proof needed to prove to everyone around Equestria will need. The photographs of the ponies that have already died during the last 24 hours, with also a list of various ponies that are still playing the game. I tried to include as much information as I could to intrigue your readers. 

Stringer stopped reading. Did the Princess really send her pictures of dead ponies?

She almost dropped the note as she picked up a random card off the ground, and almost gagged. On it was a picture of an orange mare, with a similar orange mane. She could see her cutie mark, which were three carrots. The photograph was very detailed, as if the pony who took the picture was only three feet away at the time. The mare had blood leaking from her neck to the soft grass below it. Her foreleg was being held up to her neck. Stringer could guess that it was an attempt to stop the bleeding herself.

Her emerald eyes were still open, and staring Stringer, the glossy and familiar look of death was in her eyes. Stringer flipped the card over to read a few words that were scribbled on the back which read "21st place, Carrot Top. Deceased."

"No way..." She exclaimed, throwing the card on the ground. It wasn't a joke, Celestia was doing this for real! She continued to read the note.

 I want to thank you for what you are doing, as it cannot be easy for you to do this.

Sincerely,
Princess Celestia

Stringer didn't know what to say or think, except that she better get working on it. After looking at that lone photograph, she had lost all will to sleep. She picked up the photographs and brought them to her work desk, where she promptly got started on her new story.

***

By the next night, the story was on the shelves. Once again, the story spread like wildfire, but so did panic.

The headline "Pony Bloodbath Continues! No One Is Safe!" was bolded on the front page. Most people would snicker at Stringer lack of common sense as they picked up the obviously fake article and read it. But their smirks soon became frowns, ultimately leading to disgusted scowls. On the page was a picture of what used to be Soarin with a caption under it saying "Soarin was the first to murder in the games, and the second to die after killing a fellow Wonderbolt, Spitfire, with a box cutter to her neck." Many ponies were upset, as well as angry at the fact that their favorite Wonderbolts are dead. Many ponies also vomited at the sight of the gruesome picture.

Relatives of the deceased ponies were grieving rigorously over their lost, sickened at the sight of their dear family murdered, as the picture of it was most likely in the paper. Stringer had tried to use them all.

As some ponies continued to read, they read the part of the article that shown who else is playing the game. Some ponies cried at the thought of their best friends not surviving, and prayed that they would be the last one standing. Other's simply gave up on them. Not expecting to come back at all.

Everyone was devastated by this news, and Equestria was on the verge of a riot. That was until the one line in the paper read "Convicts were chosen". That stopped everyone in their tracks. Everyone was afraid of being convicted, and were afraid of being next.

Meanwhile, Serenity read the newspaper himself and frowned, sighing to himself inside the throne room.

"What kind of world is this..." He whispered, he hadn't heard the hoof steps behind him.

"What was that, Serenity?" The voice formally spoke. Serenity jumped and turned his head so fast in the direction of the voice that he could have given himself whiplash. To his dismay, Celestia stood behind him. He looked at the ground meekly, and hoped that the Princess hadn't head what he had just said.

"Nothing, my dear Princess..." He said submissively. Princess Celestia glared at him before noticing the newspaper in his hooves, instantly wiping the mean glare off her face.

"I see you read the paper!" She laughed. Serenity only nodded, his dark blue mane falling in front of his face meekly.

"Yes. I have. Princess..." Celestia already knew what he was getting at by reading his expressions and blatantly ignored it.

"Are you not excited?" She asked the stallion. "In the last 24 hours, there have been 13 deaths! This is going marvelously!" She cheered. Serenity continued to stay at the ground. 

"But...but..." He was going to argue how some of the ponies didn't deserve this, but that was his fault. He and the other guards did pick out the unlucky contenders, after all. "Princess...I don't see what good this is going to do..."

"Nonsense!" She pointed outside forcefully. "Everyone is scared, everyone is grieving! Crime rates are predicted to drop by over 132 percent! It's not what this is going to do, it's what it can't do!" She argued. Serenity just shut up, and bowed to the Princess.

"May I please take my leave?" He politely asked. Celestia nodded and the stallion quickly hustled for the door, and upon opening it was immediately met by a familiar face.

"Flora!" He exclaimed. The mare uncharacteristically smiled at him as the doors to the throne room, and Celestia, closed.

"Good evening, Serenity." She replied, as they both began to walk down the royal halls, the metallic clangs of their suits almost echoing through the empty hall. "Have you read the paper?" She casually asked. Serenity nodded, and Flora's eyes lit up as she turned to look at him.

"Can you believe it? 13! And in only 24 hours!" Her expression quickly changed upon remembering a certain grey mare. "I also heard that that klutz Ditzy Doo is still alive..." She let out a frustrated grunt.

Serenity raised at eyebrow upon Flora once again bringing up her name. "What do you have against Ditzy?" Serenity asked. He knew Ditzy back in elementary school, and although she was a little...well, ditzy, she as the kindest mare he's ever met. Flora backpedaled.

"No reason. I just don't like her." She stated promptly.

"You can't just hate someone for no reason, Flora. Spit it out." Serenity interrogated. The mare stuck her nose in the air.

"I just don't like her face. That's all." Flora replied, the stallion next to her rolled his eyes, but unfortunately, she saw. "Don't roll your eyes at me!" She growled, her patience finally depleting.

Serenity was starting to get annoyed himself with his friends lack of compliance, but once again, he dropped the conversation and quickly changed it. "I just can't believe that Princess Celestia would do something like this...she used to be so kind and considerate-"

"Used to." Flora interrupted, putting emphasis on the word 'used'. "I'm on Celestia's side. After how many years of all this crap that's been going on recently. It's enough to drive anyone crazy. Especially those in charge who are unable to fix it."

Serenity sounded out Flora's rambling from his ears as he got lost in his own thoughts. He was imagining what ruthless and chaotic things are going on on that island. It must be a living hell. Deep inside the light blue stallion was happy that he himself wasn't on the island, but it also made him feel worse at the thought. He wanted this to stop. It was insane. Ponies killing each other. What's that going to solve? Most of the ponies on the island probably weren't killers themselves! For some of them it was just like a game of cat and mouse.

It was disgusting, disturbing, and it needed to be stopped.


***

A/N

I really felt like adding this chapter because, well, this is getting difficult...hehe

Anyways, thanks for reading, and feedback and comments are greatly appreciated.

I want you all.

Yes, sexually.

-Cyneryk