//------------------------------//
// The Coward's Way Out 
// Story: Trial of a Changeling 
// by twilightsparkle3562 
//------------------------------//

Chapter 16

"The Coward's Way Out"

So, there would be no hanging in the center of Canterlot. General Kuwaga was dead, not by an executioner but by his own claw. Determined to not die in an undignified manner, the Changeling General managed to inject himself with an unknown type of poison that was somehow smuggled into his cage. Celestia was furious that Kuwaga would do such a thing and all she could do was pace around the throne room, seething with fury.

"Sister, acting this way isn't going to make things any better," protested Luna, trying to get Celestia to see sense. "You must understand that."

"No," growled Celestia, who was so angry that her horn was glowing with rage. "I will not rest until I have answers. I want answers and I want them NOW!"

Celestia fired a blast of magic from her horn and the blast struck the ceiling of the throne room. The sounds of Celestia's anger made Cadence and Twilight jump back, despite their sympathies. Up until now, nopony had ever Celestia so full of rage. After all, this was the first time that a prisoner killed him or herself under her rule. Realizing that someone might had smuggled the poison into Kuwaga's cage, Celestia turned her attention to Private Centipede, glaring at him.

"Did you have anything to do with this?" snapped Celestia, her eyes locked onto Private Centipede as she picked him up with her alicorn magic. "I swear on my life that if you had something to do with this…"

"I didn't know he was going to kill himself!" cried Private Centipede. "If I did know, then I would have told you, your highness!"

Celestia was not convinced, for she was much older than the young Changeling was and she could smell a liar if she saw one. Furthermore, this only tightened the grip on Centipede even more to the point where he almost couldn't breathe.

"You're lying to me," snarled Celestia, growing more and more angrier by the minute. "I know you had your loyalties still to that murderous Changeling. My niece was at the mercy of you bugs and you caused me to betray Princess Twilight, my once and most faithful student! I'm going to keep you in this grip until you tell me the truth!"

"I am telling you the truth, your highness, please!" cried Centipede. "I swear, I did not allow General Kuwaga to have the poison that he used to kill himself!"

Celestia was still not convinced and continued to bind her magic on Centipede even more to the point that he almost started to choke. At this point, Luna needed to step in and stop this behavior that her sister was displaying.

"Sister, enough!" cried Luna, pulling Centipede away from Celestia, much to her annoyance. "If he says that he didn't help the General kill himself, then he is telling the truth! Otherwise, how could he have said the things he said at the trial?"

The sounds of Luna's voice caused Celestia to lower her ground slightly. Celestia was too tired and too wound up to have an argument with her younger sister. Besides, this kind of behavior was not going to solve anything. There was another suspect in this suicide and Celestia wanted to question him.

"Guard!" she shouted and a member of Luna's guards came into the throne room. "Has Lock Down been spotted at any time tonight?"

"He was last seen outside the dungeons where Kuwaga was being held," replied the guard. "Apparently, he had left Canterlot before we had a chance to ask him where he was going."

Now, things were starting to become very interesting. Celestia and Luna both knew that Lock Down was a pony that couldn't have been trusted and now, they were starting to believe that Lock Down would allow Kuwaga to take his own life.

"I've always known that he couldn't be trusted," remarked Celestia in a state of shock. "Lock Down must have done something to him and I want to know what it was. Where was he last heading to?"

"Towards the Everfree Forest," said the guard. "It appears also that Prince Armor is also on the move. According to reports, he told two of us that he was going to try and talk to Lock Down about what had happened in the dungeons."

Realizing that Lock Down was on the run, Celestia decided that she needed to find Lock Down and question him on why he would aid Kuwaga in killing himself. There were so many dots that needed to be connected and so little time to do that.

"We have to find him," ordered Celestia turning back to her fellow princesses before looking down at the guard. "Summon as many guards as you possibly can. We have to find Lock Down before it's too late. Do you hear me?"

"At once, your highness," he replied and left.

Once the guard had disappeared, Celestia ran down to the courtyard followed by Luna, Cadence and Twilight where about 15 to 20 guards were quickly summoned just outside the drawbridge. Each of the guards were armed with a spear and had much thicker armor than normal.

"If you find Lock Down," cried Celestia, taking to the skies for a moment and speaking in a mid-ranged Royal Canterlot voice . "Do not engage him in any way! I want him to be brought back here for questioning. No violence is to be used unless if it is necessary! Is that clear?"

"Yes, your highness!" cried the soldiers and at that moment, Celestia motioned for the drawbridge to be lowered and the guards, both day and night guards, charged into the night with Equestria's four monarchs following suit.

It was now a race against the clock to find Lock Down and find out the truth to why General Kuwaga decided to do himself in before being executed in front of so many of the ponies he and his fellow Changelings had harmed or even killed.

Meanwhile, Shining Armor had managed to find Lock Down in the Everfree Forest not far from his hut. His dogs growled at the young prince of the Crystal Empire as Shining Armor tried to approach his mentor with a worried expression.

"Lock Down, stop!" cried Shining Armor, trying to keep Lock Down from taking another step. "There is a reason for why you had to help Kuwaga kill himself. You can tell me!"

"There are some things that are better left unexplained," replied Lock Down. "Go back to Canterlot and move on with your life, Shining Armor."

"No!" snapped Shining Armor. "You will tell me now and I won't leave until I get the truth, Lock Down! The choice is yours!"

But, rather than staying here and allowing Shining Armor to continue pushing him to spill the beans, Lock Down used his magic to make himself disappear in a puff of smoke. Shining Armor knew that while Lock Down had a strange and troubled history with Celestia and Luna, he couldn't imagine what would happen if Lock Down didn't surrender.

Shining Armor had to find him before the Princesses, but he was running out of time…