Celestia looked at her court with a small smile on her face. The day was nearly over. Soon she would dismiss the court before heading to one of the tallest towers in the castle to lower the sun so that her little ponies could rest. Once that was done then she could go to bed and relax from this tiring, yet oddly productive day. Still, however, there was one more item on her agenda that needed to be addressed before she could call it quits for the day.
“Before we close for the day I would like to make a small announcement,” said Celestia. “A new stained glass window will be added to these great halls. One that will depict the beginning of the alliance between Equestria and the Lunar Republic.”
The nobles, for their part, looked at each other in confusion. Some were shaking their heads yet said nothing.
“If I may speak bluntly your majesty,” began one noble, “it seems a little early to do something like that. The alliance between us and the Lunar ponies is not even a day old.”
“That is true,” agreed Celestia. “However I believe that we are already making some positive strides. Like, for instance, because of the involvement of the Republic our talks with the griffons went much smoother as well as quicker. And after being up there, even for such a short amount of time, I can see many positive benefits coming from this alliance on both sides.”
Celestia then cleared her throat in preparation for a song. She had been planning to sing this song for a while now, but had either lacked an audience or was just waiting for the right moment. And this was it, the perfect moment with a large enough crowd for her to sing her song of love and working together. Yet before she could sing the first note something crashed through the ceiling.
Once the dust settled, everypony saw that it was a device similar to the one that had once held Princess Celestia. However, unlike what had happened with the sun princess, this restraining device opened on its own allowing Trixie to fall to the ground. The blue mare was without her signature hat and cape. Instead there was a scroll tied to the end of her tail.
“I think we might need to wait a bit longer for that new window,” muttered one of the nobles.
“Trixie,” cried Celestia as she approached her student. “What in the name of Equestria happened?”
“A lot,” grumbled Trixie as she got up onto her hooves. She then looked up at her mentor and began to tell her what had happened in the last hour or so.
-Flashback-
“They should all receive the death penalty!” roared Gigawatt as his normally blue face turned bright red. Trixie flinched at those words, yet did her best not to show any emotion. “In the short time they have been here they have caused property damage to an entire Dome, destruction of crops, and dumping water into the vacuum of space!”
Shortly after the incident in Dome Two, they found themselves surrounded by members of the Royal Guard. The Guard took their saddle bags, as well as Trixie’s cape and hat, and then proceeded to escort them to Dome Zero. Along the way, the mares learned about what had happened in Dome Three which caused Fluttershy to burst into tears as she confessed that she had brought the first parasprite with her.
When they arrived at Dome Zero, they were met by Shining Armor who quickly brought them to Princess Luna’s throne room and were forced to stand in the middle while the Guards stood at attention on both sides. Before them, standing on either side of the throne were the thirteen senators as well as Twilight. Most of them were glaring at the mares as Gigawatt began to rant angrily, demanding their deaths. The only senator who didn’t seem to be glaring at them was Land Share who looked rather pale as he stared at his hooves. Twilight seemed to have a rather lost look on her face, as if she were conflicted.
Sitting there on her throne was Princess Luna, who kept her focus on the mares from her sister’s kingdom. She hadn’t said a word to anypony, yet there was something in her gaze that made Trixie more nervous than if she were being yelled at. It also seemed colder in the room and sparks seemed to appear randomly around Luna who paid it no mind. In Trixie’s mind, Luna looked a lot like a cat ready to pounce on a mouse.
“I have to agree with Senator Gigawatt on this,” said Scorpio coldly. “We were already at the limit to which the farming Domes could provide. While we can be thankful nopony died when Dome Three broke, losing it as well as its crops will most certainly spell disaster. Many will go hungry. Some will even die due to starvation!”
Trixie heard Fluttershy whimper and sob, but kept her focus on the ponies in front of her. The yellow pegasus was right now on the ground behind Trixie, crying harder as the senators spoke. Pinkie Pie was also in the back and, last time she had looked, looked utterly depressed. Rarity was between them, doing her best to comfort them. Both Rainbow Dash and Applejack were on opposite sides of Trixie but kept looking back on their friends.
“Many will also go thirsty as well,” growled April Showers before giving Pinkie Pie a nasty look. “I have already issued a warning to all the Domes, informing everypony that water can only be used for drinking until we can get our hooves on more. However, it might not be enough.”
“There you have it!” shouted Gigawatt. “We know what they have done! The yellow one admitted to bringing the first parasprite here and the pink one was caught in the act. This is-”
“Excuse Trixie,” said Trixie suddenly. “Trixie may not know how things are done around here, however it sounds to Trixie that you are planning on prosecuting us.”
“Yes, that is correct,” replied Scorpio.
“What about our diplomatic immunity?” asked Trixie.
For a moment, the senators looked at each other in confusion. “What is ‘diplomatic immunity’?” asked one of the other senators.
“Well it means that diplomats, such as ourselves, can not be susceptible to lawsuits or prosecution under the host countries laws,” replied Trixie. The senators once again looked at each other before they burst into laughter.
“That is the dumbest thing I have ever heard!” laughed April Showers.
“I have never heard of such a thing,” said Gigawatt as he recovered. “Nor do I remember hearing about it when our Princess told us about this alliance.”
“It was never brought up when Celestia and I spoke,” said Luna in a harsh, angry tone that caused everypony to flinch. “And even if it had been, it would not excuse the damages that have been caused during your time here.”
“Our stay here hasn’t been without incident,” said Trixie. “When we arrived here, your own student attack Spike. Then that Sunset Shimmer pony foalnapped three younger members of our party.”
Suddenly, the room became much colder as Luna’s eyes narrowed. “Twilight Sparkle acted like any other citizen of the Republic would have in response to a dragon sighting,” said Luna stiffly. “Had Celestia informed me that she was sending a dragon here I would have told her that dragons were not allowed or warned Twilight ahead of time to avoid any potential problems. As for the matter of Sunset Shimmer, that was an unfortunate turn of events. Yet it still pales in comparison to what has happened.”
“Well then Trixie believes that not all the blame should go to us then,” said Trixie quickly. “Why didn’t your guard detect the parasprite when we were being scanned? And why wasn’t there more security on that device thing that removed the water?”
“Don’t you dare blame us,” growled April Showers. “First, Miss Pie left her group without informing anypony before entering a clearly restricted area. Then she cracked the passcode that is constantly changed in order to prevent something like this from happening!”
“Well what about Private Doughnut?” demanded Trixie.
“I was the one who assigned him,” said Shining Armor. “He was looking for weapons or anything that we know could be dangerous. And since the parasprite was in Fluttershy’s mane, it would have been harder to detect.”
As the other senators nodded in understanding, Trixie began to worry. These ponies were hungry for blood and it didn’t look like Trixie could convince them otherwise. Thus, there was one last thing to try.
“Very well then,” said Trixie. “Trixie will admit defeat. However, Trixie would ask that only the ponies that committed these crimes be put to death.” As she said this, Fluttershy sobbed even harder while the other ponies stared at the light blue mare with their mouths open. The senators, for their part, looked at each other as if they were considering it.
“What the hay are you doing?” whispered an angry Rainbow Dash. “Selling out your friends isn’t cool.”
“First of all,” began Trixie, “none of you are Trixie’s friends. Second of all, why should the Great and Powerful Trixie die for something that Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie did?”
“Princess Luna, may I please speak?” asked Twilight Sparkle as all heads looked in her direction. Even Land Share raised his head slightly to look at her.
Luna nodded. “You may,” she said.
Slowly, Twilight began to walk in front of the Equestrian mares. When she was exactly in between them and the Lunar ponies, she turned to face her princess. She then took a deep breath before speaking.
“I know many of you are angry and have every right to be,” Twilight began. “The Lunar Republic is now faced with its most difficult challenge since it was founded. The ones responsible need to be punished. Yet right now we are acting under the assumption that they did this deliberately. Out of everypony here, I have spent the most time with them so I know that they wouldn’t knowingly do anything that would harm us.”
“I might be willing to consider that in the case with the parasprites,” said April Showers. “It was when I was planet side that I first saw a parasprite and only one pony from the Equestrian group seemed to know what it was. However, I am far less willing to believe that Miss Pie’s actions were accidental.”
“I am not so willing to believe that first part,” said Gigawatt. “I was also there with Senator Showers. The last time we saw that parasprite it was in the hooves of the Equestrians. Then, a few days later, diplomats leave Canterlot, its capital where we saw said parasprite, to come here and then we have a parasprite outbreak. Then, as the parasprites are on a rampage, our water gets launched into space. The timing is too close to be a mere coincidence. We must assume that Equestria planned this out!”
“But why?” asked Twilight.
“To kill us!” shouted Gigawatt. “It is the same as in the past. We were attacked because we enjoyed the night and favored Princess Luna over their beloved Celestia. That is why we left. And now, a thousand years later, we open our doors to have the same thing done again. It doesn’t matter to those Equestrians, we will always be monsters in their eyes. Celestia has done nothing to change that. So if that’s the way they want to be then I say fine. Let us fight fire with fire.”
Trixie’s jaw fell when she heard this. There was no way they could be talking about war! There just couldn’t. But looking around, Trixie could see that the senators appeared to be considering this.
“I…I know how you feel Senator,” said Twilight. “And I know that when the vote comes I will have no say. But, before we do something like that, perhaps we should first try to find out for sure if it was an accident or not.”
Senator Gigawatt opened his mouth to speak, however it was Princess Luna whose voice was heard first. “Twilight, why are you defending them?” she asked.
Twilight didn’t answer at first. Instead, she turned her head to look at the Equestrian group. Trixie followed her gaze and saw that she was looking specifically at Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash. She looked at them for a moment before returning to look at Princess Luna.
“Because,” said Twilight before taking a deep breath. “I believe we were starting to become friends.” As Twilight said this, Trixie noticed Luna’s eyes widen a bit.
“I’m afraid that doesn’t account for much,” replied Gigawatt. “For all you know, they were just getting close to you so you would lower your guard. If there is one thing that these events have proven is that the ponies from Equestria can not be trusted!”
“Perhaps,” said Stock Market. “Yet I feel like Twilight makes an excellent point. It could have been an accident and we should give Equestria the chance to make amends.”
“Why you greedy-” began Gigawatt.
“Don’t get me wrong,” interrupted Stock Market. “I’m all for ejecting them all into the vacuum of space for what has happened. But if we did that then the problem will still be here. Then what do we do?”
“We could just take the food and water from Equestria,” said Scorpio simply. “And if anypony tried to stop us we could easily destroy them.”
“Yes, but do we really have the time for that?” asked Stock Market. “Every moment we waste, ponies will go hungry or thirsty. So I propose this: we will keep these ponies here in the Republic and inform Princess Celestia what has happened. We shall also demand that Equestria replenish what has been lost due to the actions of her ponies. If she agrees to do so, we shall release her ponies into her custody. If not, they shall remain here to be tried as terrorists.”
Gigawatt let out a growl. “That is a waste of time,” he said before looking at Princess Luna. “Please tell me you’re not considering this insanity?”
“Sadly, I am,” said Princess Luna. She then raised a hoof to silence the senators who were about ready to argue with her. “Right now, keeping our ponies from dying of hunger and thirst is of greater importance at the moment. So I will give Celestia this one chance to make things right. She will have until tomorrow at noon to replace what has been lost. If she does not, then I shall call for the death vote as well as consider war.”
Nearly all of the senators, other than Land Share and Stock Market, seemed to be very displeased by this announcement. Many faces were turning red, but nopony said a word against it.
“Do not worry,” continued Luna as she got to her hooves. “No matter how this ends, our dealings with Equestria will be at an end. Something like this will never happen again. The events of today have shown that we are better off without them. Now then, let us send them a message along with one member of their party as a sign of good will. Ready the cannon!”
-End Flashback-
“And the next thing Trixie knew, Trixie was stuffed in that thing with a note tied to Trixie’s tail,” finished Trixie.
As Celestia took the note with her magic, she could hear her nobles speaking with each other. Many seemed to be seriously agitated by the actions of the Republic, saying that they were out of line for denying the Equestria party their diplomatic immunity. A few others, on the other hoof, were remaining strangely quiet. One of those ponies was Prince Blueblood.
It was only Celestia who seemed to truly understand the significance of Luna’s actions. Yes, she had returned Trixie. But Trixie wasn’t like the rest. She wasn’t a Bearer of the Elements of Harmony! And with the threat of killing them unless her demands were met meant that Celestia had no choice but to agree.
Slowly, the sun princess opened the scroll and began to read it only to be shocked by what they were demanding. As she read, her jaw began to slowly drop. They lost that many gallons of water? They lost that much food? Celestia could hardly believe it as she passed the note to one of the nobles who had a similar reaction to her. Soon every noble had seen the demands from the Republic.
“They are demanding that much?” shouted the last noble after he finished reading. “Are they insane?”
“We can’t just give them that much without proof to their claims,” said another. “How do we know they aren’t exaggerating their claims in order to get more food and water?”
“Regardless, we have little choice,” said Celestia. “Lives are at stake here.”
“I’m afraid I have to disagree with that,” said Blueblood. “We do have a choice here. And I say they are asking for too much. We barely had an alliance with them and, as your student said, Princess Luna plans on ending relations with us once she gets what she wants. Even if she didn’t intend to end relations with us, we only have a light trading agreement with her.”
“So what are you suggesting?” asked Celestia as her eyes narrowed. “That we abandon the group we sent there?”
Blueblood smiled. “Not at all,” he replied as he turned to the nobles. “We will simply come at them with a counter offer that is more appropriate. Let’s say a tenth of what they are asking. That sounds more reasonable for two nations that have a light trading agreement.”
“Yes,” said Majesty before Celestia could say anything. “I believe that sounds more than fair.” Around her, several other nobles were nodding in agreement.
“There is no way Princess Luna will go along with this,” said Celestia. “It was our ponies that caused great harm to her nation. We should be lucky that they aren’t declaring war right this instant!”
“Very well then,” said Blueblood calmly. “Out of who’s mouth will the food come from?”
Celestia took a step back. “What do you mean?” she asked.
“Well it’s very simple,” said Blueblood. “We’ll have to get the food from somewhere. Do we just take the food from a few towns, leaving them with nothing? If we do that then our own subjects will be robbing from each other in order to stay alive. Perhaps we could explain the situation in the hopes that they could donate some of their crops. But, given how most ponies view the Republic as well as its leader, I’m not so sure many would cooperate. The only other option will be to pay for the food, but from who’s pocket will the bits come from? It most certainly will not be me.” Several of the other nobles voiced their agreement to this. “And if we take it from the royal budget, we will be losing a good chuck. The only way we will be able to keep the government running would be to increase taxes which will lead to many protects. Then there is the water situation. How many lakes will we have to drain in order to replace what they lost? Think about how this will affect Equestria!”
Blueblood paused for a moment to let his words sink in. He had spent the last several days thinking this over, to make sure there would be a good agreement against giving those filthy Republican ponies food, but he never thought he’d be so lucky as for them to also lose a large chuck of water! Looking at Celestia, he could see that his words were having the desired affect. She looked worried and torn, right were he wanted her for the final strike.
“But, I suppose there is one way,” he began as he turned his back towards Celestia. “We could…no, it might not be appropriate to suggest this.”
“What is it?” asked Majesty as she played her part.
“Yes,” said Celestia with a nod. “If you have an idea then please share it.”
Blueblood did his best to hide his grin as he turned around to face the sun princess once again. “Well, I was thinking that the ponies of Equestria would be more willing to help other fellow Equestrians. To that end, we tell Princess Luna that if she wants the food and water then she must relinquish the Lunar Republic to you.”
Celestia’s eyes widened in shock. ‘He has to be joking,’ she thought as she stared at her nephew. ‘Please, somepony tell me he’s joking!’
“Are you out of your mind?!” yelled one of the nobles. Celestia turned her head to see Lord North Star glaring at Blueblood. North Star as a bit smaller than the average unicorn with a bright yellow coat and a silver mane that matched his mustache.
“No, I am most certainly not,” said Blueblood as he turned to look at the other stallion. “If they truly want food and water, this is the best way for them to get it.”
“I agree,” said Majesty. “I mean, what are they going to do to us if we don’t?”
“They could just take it and take our response as a declaration of war,” replied North Star. He then looked up at the hole Trixie had made when the lunar ponies had shot her back to Equestria. “And I fear it would be a battle we would lose.”
“Do you have such little faith in our army?” demanded Majesty.
“It’s not that,” said North Star. “I’m worried about a potential enemy that can fire at us from the moon with great accuracy. If they wanted to I’m sure they could bombard us for years.”
“Ah, but they don’t have years,” replied Blueblood calmly. “See, eventually they will have to come down here to get what they want. They may have more advanced technology, but we have superior numbers, superior magic, and experienced soldiers! All we have to do is hold out long enough and those lunar ponies will begin to suffer from both hunger and thirst. At that point, they will have to give in to our demands. And if Princess Luna refuses, I’m sure her ponies would rebel against her. I mean, she is letting her own stubborn pride stand in the way of the well being of her subjects.”
“That’s assuming-” began North Star.
“Enough,” shouted Celestia as all heads turned to look at her. “I…I will need time to think about this. Court is dismissed for the day.” And with that, Celestia turned and walked away.
-x-
Meanwhile, in the Lunar Republic, Princess Luna was looking out the window of one of the many hallways of her castle as she tried to clear her head. With so much going on, she felt like her head was going to explode if she didn’t take a moment just to breath.
After the meeting with her senate, Luna had ordered the retrieval of all the ponies trapped in the bunkers underneath Dome Three. In order to accomplish this, Crescent Hope as well as most of the Shield Corps had been deployed. Right now the plan was to use the Shield Corps magic to create pathways leading from the bunkers to the ship. Once that was done, they would all be brought to Dome Zero where beds would be waiting for them until their Dome could be repaired. It was the least Luna could do in order to help them.
While that was going on, Princess Luna spoke to the press about the current situation. It was with a heavy heart that she had to inform her ponies that until further notice, food and water would have to be rationed out so that they could survive. Many of the reporters wanted to know identities of the ponies who had caused these damages as well as what was being done to them. As calmly as she could, Luna informed them of the Equestrian party and that they would see justice very soon.
Speaking of the Equestrian mares, they were currently in their guest quarters. While Luna hadn’t forbid them from leaving, she made sure to inform them that they would be watched very carefully. Gigawatt had contacted Director Sealed Document, head of the LBI, and requested that they double their surveillance on them. She had also made sure that security was tripled in all major areas with the orders that if the spotted any of the Equestrians, they were to be placed in prison pods on site.
Luna then let out a sigh. Those five had were proving to be nothing but trouble. If they had been any other group of ponies, she wouldn’t have listened to Stock Market and would have started the death vote. However, they were the Bearer’s and, as much as Luna hated to admit it, they needed to be kept alive for the time being. They were also very lucky that Twilight knew what they were as well and stepped in when she did. Learning that they were making some progress in becoming friends also saved their miserable flanks.
“Somepony looks lost in thought,” said a voice behind her. Luna’s eyes widened as she spun around to see Bunsen Burner smiling at her.
“Oh, its you,” said Luna as she took a deep breath.
“Yes, it’s me,” he agreed with a nod while still smiling as he walked next to the princess.
Luna, however, did not like the fact that he was smiling. “Wipe that grin off your face,” she demanded. “Today there is little reason to smile.”
“Oh, but I do have a reason,” said Bunsen Burner as he reached into his lab coat. For a moment, he searched through its contents as he pulled out several small devices until he found what he was looking for. It was small black device that could have been mistaken for a pen. He clicked one of the sides causing the device to float in the air in front of the two. While it was hovering, light began to be projected from its sides as it created holographic images of words and numbers.
Luna looked at Bunsen Burner curiously for a moment, wondering what he had to show her. However, the stallion said nothing but indicated to her that she should look at it herself. With a sigh, Luna turned and began to read. At first glance, she could tell that these were test results of some kind. But, after reading the first couple of lines her eyes widened in shock. With increased interest, she began to read more quickly as a smile appeared on her face as well.
“It works,” whispered Princess Luna when she was done. She then turned to Bunsen Burner. “Are you positive that these number are accurate?”
“If I wasn’t I wouldn’t be showing them to you now,” replied the pegasus as he retrieved his device. “As noted, we tested the affects of Operation Umbrella on the piece of Discord you brought back with you and it worked seventy seven times. Now all that is left is to isolate the frequency so that it will only affect him.”
Hearing this greatly pleased Luna. Once this ultimate weapon was perfected, the Lunar Republic would no longer have anything to fear from fiends like Discord ever again. It would also mean an end to their reliance on the Elements of Harmony making Celestia hold on her nonexistent.
“Very good,” said Princess Luna happily. “Please keep me informed.”
-x-
Later that night Applejack found herself walking through the halls of the castle alone. Personally, she would rather be in her quarters right now. Every time she passed a guard or a member of the castle staff, they would stop to give her an icy cold glare or reach for their weapons. Yet she had to get out of her room. It wasn’t because Rainbow was snoring or that Fluttershy wouldn’t stop crying or that Rarity was trying on dress after dress trying to decide which would make her more innocent. Well, these were partly the reason, but the main was that she had to speak with another pony about something important.
As she neared her destination, she could hear angry yelling just down the hall. Fearing that somepony might get attacked, she began to gallop at full force. However, one of the doors suddenly flung open as the shouting stopped. As Applejack slowed down, she saw Gigawatt walk out with an angry look on his face.
“I’ll return later to continue this conversation,” he said to the other pony in the room. “I’m sure once you’ve cooled down you’ll begin to see reason.”
“I can only hope that the same applies to you,” said Twilight as she too stepped out of the room looking rather angry.
Gigawatt snorted and turned towards Applejack. When he saw her, he began to bare his teeth as his horn glowed. Applejack watched nervously as lightning began to dance around his horn. But, before he could do anything, Twilight stepped in between the two.
“Walk away,” she said as she glared at him.
Gigawatt looked at Twilight for a moment before returning his attention back to Applejack. Seeing this, Twilight’s own horn began to glow as she prepared her own spell. For a while, no pony moved nor spoke. Then, without a word, Gigawatt ceased his spell before turning around and walking away like Twilight had told him to do.
As for Twilight, she stayed as she was until Gigawatt was out of sight. Once he was, the glow on her horn faded and she let out a sigh of relief.
“Thanks much,” said Applejack only to have Twilight spin around to look at her.
“Just what do you think you’re doing here?” demanded Twilight as she poked Applejack with her hoof. “Right now you and your friends are the most hated ponies in the Republic. Walking around in the dead of night is like asking to be killed.”
“Ah know,” Applejack. “But ah needed ta talk ta ya for a moment.”
Twilight looked at Applejack for a moment before she motioned her to get into the room. Applejack nodded and entered it quickly. The room was rather…bare. It was large, easily double the size of her own back home. But with all that space there was only a bed and a nightstand in it.
“This was my room back when I lived here,” said Twilight as she entered the room herself. “Took almost everything out of it when I moved out. Now I’m staying in it while Scootaloo is in the medical wing.”
“How’s she doing?” asked Applejack.
“Fine,” replied Twilight. “Right now Shadow is with her. I’ll be heading down after I get some sleep. Now, what did you want to talk about?”
“Ah just wanted ta say how sorry we all are,” said Applejack as she took off her hat. “Ah know that might not mean much right now but-”
“I know,” said Twilight as her face softened a bit.
“But ah prepared a speech an everything,” said Applejack as she put her hat back on.
Twilight giggled. “It’s ok. I don’t know how I know, but I just know that none of you meant for any of this to happen.” Then Twilight let out a sigh. “But, sadly, saying sorry doesn’t fix everything. Things are really…complicated right now.”
“Do ya think things will get better?” asked Applejack.
“Maybe,” said Twilight. “But not for a long time. I…I really can’t see the Republic getting over this anytime soon.”
“Gee, that’s too bad,” said Applejack. “I guess this means we won’t see each other again.”
“Well,” began Twilight hesitantly. “I’m, ah, not sure. Maybe we will.”
“Good,” said Applejack as she wrapped one of her front legs around Twilight neck in a friendly manner. “Because ah want ta see ya again to. Maybe next time we can all have a shindig down at Sweet Apple Acres.”
A short while later, Applejack left leaving Twilight alone to try and get some sleep. She needed her rest so she didn’t look so tired when she went to see Scootaloo. Yet, as she closed her eyes, there was a knock on her door. Groaning, she pulled herself out of bed and walked slowly to the door. When she opened it and her tired face was replaced with a confused one.
“Back again?” asked said.
-x-
Shadow looked up at the clock and frowned. Twilight was late. She was never late.
Looking down at the bed where Scootaloo was sleeping he sighed and shook his head. ‘Maybe she overslept,’ he thought to himself. ‘It was a long day after all.’ For a moment, Shadow considered brushing it off and letting the two mares in his life get their rest. But something in the back of his mind kept nagging at him. True Twilight was tired, but that wouldn’t stop her from being here. When he had broken a wing back in basic training she had showed up by his bed early every morning despite the long hours of her new job.
Silently, Shadow stood up so he could go check up on her. Moving quickly he left the medical room and headed straight for Twilight’s old one. He thought about using his wings to speed things along, but if he did that he might bump into a member of the staff. No sense in rushing and possibly causing an accident over nothing. After all, nothing was out of the-
“MURDER!” came a scream.
Shadow’s heart began to race as he opened his wings and flew at full speed in the direction of the scream. Fear began to grip his heart as he realized that it was in the same direction as Twilight’s room. In his head he began to chant ‘Please don’t be Twilight’ over and over again as he picked up more speed.
Finally, he spotted Land Share on the floor near Twilight's room. The poor stallion was pale and pointing a shaking hook towards Twilight’s open door. Shadow’s breath quickened as he dashed into the door to see something he never wanted to see.
Twilight was on the ground lying in a small puddle of blood. In her side was an apple peeler with a green handle and a red apple at the end.