//------------------------------// // Discovery // Story: Kiss of the Dark // by Soothing Stone //------------------------------// When the following day had arrived and the sun was up, the atmosphere at the castle of Canterlot was considerably different. Having business that would impact all of Equestria was routine within the castle grounds, but not like this. The gardens were completely closed off from all stallions and mares that did not bear a crown or the armor of the Royal Guard. The entrances were heavily guarded, and any unusual activity would be swiftly dealt with. Inside the gardens, it really did turn into a crime scene overnight. Every little spot was examined, now that it was light again, and the Guards went out of their way to make sure that not one clue was left behind. Uprooting all the plants to find something would be worth it to them. They had other things to worry about other than the impression it would leave to visitors. In the meantime, there was one pony in the study foyer, dealing with some grave and urgent business of her own. Only one Guard was there with her, given that she wasn't the focus of the investigation. It was her least favorite part of the job, but her personal feelings didn't matter in these cases. What needed to be done would be done. Her pencil furiously wrote around on the piece of paper, making sure every word showed the magnitude of the meaning behind it. To the mother and father of Eagle Eyes, I regret to inform you that your son is no longer with us. He was murdered while on night patrol in my castle, and the killer managed to escape before we could find her. We promise to do everything we can to right this wrong. But I realize that capturing the one who did this will not be enough to console your loss completely. Your son was an honorable member of the Royal Guard, and one that many stallions in his unit looked up to. He will leave behind a legacy of courage and bravery, and we know enough to know that he died fighting as he always had. If you need anything else to help you through this difficult time, I will be willing to assist you. Reply to this letter and I will offer my services shortly. With my thoughts and prayers, Princess Celestia. She put the pencil down on the side. The sheet of paper was rolled up neatly, and she put her personal seal in the middle to keep it in place. The letter was placed next to three others ones bearing her seal. "Silver Star, send these letter to the parents of the dead throughout today," she ordered. "They have a right to know what happened. And if they start to cry, don't be afraid to stay there for a moment to help them out. This will be one of the hardest moments of their lives." Silver Star brought the letters in his possession, and went out to deliver them in person. It would be a somber day for everypony that morning. After he was gone, Celestia brought another sheet of paper to her desk. But this one letter was going to be much more painful to write. The receiver wasn't going to handle this well, but it was one of the most understandable reactions one could ever have to news like this. To my dear friend Spike, I wish that I never would have to send this letter to you. It is as painful to me as it will be to you, but there's no denying what has happened in the past few days. Twilight Sparkle will not be returning Friday night as planned, since we believe that she has killed four Guards at my castle. I cannot fathom why she would do it even now. But I know it was her. The reasons for this I will have to tell you in person, since my entire life in the last twelve hours has been spent on the following investigation, and I can't waste a single minute. If you wish to come to Canterlot for yourself to learn more, you are free to do so. I might come to Ponyville myself to see if I can find anything of note there. We will find her. I know there's more to this than we know. Signed, Princess Celestia After folding and sealing the letter for delivery, she cast the letter away through a spell. The paper turned into a small green wisk, and it escaped out the window to fly over to Ponyville, where it would emerge in the stomach of a dragon. She already knew Spike would be here before the day was over. That was the way he was like whenever Twilight was in trouble. And there was nothing wrong with that. A pony knocked on the door, obviously that of another stallion on the case. "Come in." "Shining Armor, the leading Captain of the Royal Guard, has arrived in Canterlot," the Guard said from outside the room. "He requests permission to meet you as soon as possible." "Very well. Say that I'll join him in the throne room." ----- Truth be told, she was very worried to see how Shining Armor would take this. It wasn't the first time that he lost some of his men in battle, but this was far more personal in nature. So she waited for him to arrive while resting her flank on the throne. The double doors in the front opened up with the push of a few stallions. When they were opened all the way, a while stallion with a blue mane emerged. His eyes had bags underneath. Apparently Celestia wasn't the only one who didn't sleep that night. She rose up from her seat and met him halfway. She tried to comfort him with a hug around the neck, and he did the same with her. "I know, I know," Celestia stated. "It's been hard on me too." "I can't believe it," he responded. "There's no way it can be her. She wouldn't hurt anypony." Much to her surprise, he pushed her back and stomped his hoof on the ground in anger. "How do you even have the courage to say to me, and the rest of my Guards, that she killed those four stallions? You better have a good explanation for this." Celestia sighed. "I know it will be tough to listen to what I have to say, but give me a few minutes to explain myself. "First of all, we found her slippers and crown at the scene. They were spread out everywhere around the area. In addition, she left behind a purple feather while she was flying away." "How do you know she flew away?" "Because I saw her flying when I looked out a window before I arrived. I didn't get the best glimpse, but I saw enough to know it was her. The pony had a purple coat, wings, and a horn shaped just like that of an alicorn." "But it could have been an imposter or a changeling! You're saying that not only did she kill them, but she ran away. Does that sound like Twilight to you?" "You might have not been there when it happened, but in the days after your wedding and before the Crystal Empire was restored, Chrysalis came back and nearly took Ponyville for herself. Twilight and her friends defeated Chrysalis and her changelings, and they're all locked up inside a specially made prison for them as we speak.* I would know if any of them had escaped." "But...but...." He couldn't find the right words to say. There was nothing he could say that would defend Twilight's honor. He lowered his head and didn't show any sort of emotion on his face. But his actions said everything that needed to be said. "Shining Armor, I know there's more to this than--" "Show me the bodies of the Guards." "But I can tell you that we know--" "I want to see the bodies for myself." "As you wish." The princess of the sun came and led Shining Armor through the twists and turns of the castle. All the while, she silently observed his actions to get a better idea of how he was handling this. He was certainly holding it in. There wasn't any tears yet, but she was almost frightened by everything else he was doing. His eyes were narrowed, his hoof steps were practically stomps, and he wasn't wasting a minute to see this for himself. Eventually, they were brought into a room that was practically a chapel. For what, an outsider wouldn't know. But with the way it was being used lately, it appeared to be something akin to a funeral place. There were rows upon rows of benches, where ponies could observe what was taking place in front. In the front of the room was a podium for the speaker, but it was what was under the podium that brought Shining's attention to it. Four coffins were placed side by side, all with the lids shut tight. Flags carrying the banner of Equestria covered the lids to honor their position. Shining stopped abruptly when he saw his fallen brothers in their final resting place. He greeted them with a salute, and came up to examine one of the coffins. There, he levitated the covering flag off and placed it on the front bench. The lid creaked as he lifted it up with his magic. And that's when he saw the Guard with his own eyes. The stallion was laid down on his back with his eyes closed. His fur was charred with electrical burns, and it would never go away in time before the body rotted away. The burns were in too deep. His front hooves were crossed over his chest, but there was a strong sensation that he didn't die in peace even now. One could just feel it without knowing about the murders. Shining kept quiet and examined every detail of the body for himself. His front hooves started to shake in place, and he rested his head on the side of the coffin. Celestia felt obligated to do anything she could to help him. And so she came to Shining Armor's side and placed a comforting hoof on his shoulder. "I know there's more to this than we know," she said. "We will get to the bottom of this and stop it--" Shining snapped his head off the coffin and gave Celestia one of the fiercest glares she had ever seen from him. "And what. Prove that Twilight is innocent, when even you know she did it? How am I supposed to defend her honor, when I have four of my men dead by her hooves? How, Celestia?" When he was finished, his eyes watered up almost instantly. He wiped the tears away, but another round took their place. In no time at all, his eyes were bloodshot as he couldn't hide his feelings anymore. Celestia extended her wing and brought it over his back, drawing him close for a hug. She stood there to support him as everything came out within him. "I don't want to lose her," he cried. "She's the best sister I could ever have. But I don't want to lose any more guards trying to save her..." "I understand," she whispered. "Neither do I. I'm not sure how this is going to end. I have never dealt with a situation like this in my lifetime, but I have to be optimistic that she will come out of this safe and sound. For her own sake, and yours." The tears were slowing down, but Shining was still a shell of himself. He hugged her tightly, just hoping that this would help him get through this. "I know she's smart," he mentioned. "But promise me that if you find her, you won't kill her. Can you promise me that?" "That was what I planned to do in the first place," she responded. "But where is your wife? She needs to be here for all of this." "She had to stay behind to look after the Empire. But she's heartbroken about it too. I had to stay strong for her, I had to. That's why I've been holding it all in." "I see. I think you might want to look out for them as well," motioning behind herself. Shining turned around in his spot, and saw that his parents were standing at the back rows of the chapel. His mother had a tissue on her eyes, and the father had a grave look to himself. As soon as he realized they were both here, he ran right to them. He wrapped his front legs around both of them, and they did the same with him.. "Please tell me she didn't do it," the mother pleaded. "Please..." "You're the Captain of the Guard. Surely Celestia told you that she's innocent, right?" the father demanded to hear. In one of the hardest things he ever had to do, Shining shook his head. "We think we have proof that she did it." The mother gasped, and held tight to her husband. "No...not Twilight!" she cried. "Twilight, my dear filly..." The father wasn't holding up much better, and he clung to her wife as well. "She couldn't have done it. There has to be some way to prove she didn't do it. My daughter is not a murderer..." Celestia watched them from a distance, not sure what she could do in a situation like this. Shining was already explaining to them that there was always a chance it might have been an accident, or that there was more to this. Poor Cadence, she thought. She must not be handling this well like they are. That's why I have to find Twilight. I need to fix this as soon as I can. Before she could do anything else, another Guard arrived at the chapel. He came to see Celestia with a message. "Your Majesty, Spike is waiting for you in the courtyard. He says he's here because of your letter. What should I say to him?" "Tell him to stay put. I'll meet him there." ----- The courtyard had almost as much security in terms of bodycount as it did in the days leading up to the Royal Wedding. Every platform had a Guard watching over it, pegasi and unicorn alike. There would be no way for anypony to get by here and not be noticed. Celestia arrived at the courtyard a few minutes later, and she found a familiar chariot waiting for her near the front of the area. The same chariot that she had given Twilight for traveling wherever she wanted. And she secretly wished that it was Twilight that was waiting for her in that vehicle. But it was not. When the door opened, a baby dragon came out in her place. And he seemed just as miserable as Shining Armor was. When Spike saw that Celestia had arrived, he ran right to her with the letter in his hand. The same letter she sent earlier in the day. "Is it true?" he said, pointing at the letter. He was a few steps removed from breaking down himself. "Is it true that she--" "Yes. I'm sorry that you had to find out this way. But there was no reason to hold the truth back from you. You had every right to know." Spike blinked. And blinked again. Every blink brought out another few tears from his eyes. "Does this mean...I'll never see her again?" "I'm not sure," she admitted. "But at this time, I have been able to conclude that she has run away from Canterlot for her life." Spike's jaw dropped. He always had a deep fear that Twilight would leave him, and Sombra used it to his advantage in the Crystal Empire. But to leave him behind for this reason... He sat down on the ground, and held his face in his hands. It was like the world around him had perished before his eyes. The next thing he knew, he felt Celestia's snout nuzzling him, comforting him. "I'm sorry. But I'm going to try to get her back." "You...you will?" He almost didn't believe that there was any hope left for Twilight. "Of course. There has to be a reason this happened. And I'm going to find out." "Actually, she's been acting weird for the past few weeks." Celestia lit up. She recognized it as the lead she was looking for. "What do you mean?" "She had this new friend for a while, Forest Mist was the name. She was hanging out with him for a while, and between you and me, I think he's her coltfriend." Is that what she was trying to hide from me? That she's found a stallion for her? "Anything else?" "Well, he did give her a book about dark magic, and she's been studying from that book for a while now..." Dark magic. Dark magic... It was all coming together now. "...she's been blowing up targets, and I told her she should hold back on her studies," he continued. "Spike, do you think you could show me this book you're talking about?" "But it's back at her house. We'll have to go to Ponyville to see it." "Then we will make the trip together. I want to see this book for myself."