Funny Games
Blossom pushed her hind hooves into the back of the mare she was strangling and tightened her grip on the mare's trachea. The mare convulsed as Blossom's foreleg crushed more of her throat, but her twitches became noticeably weaker the longer Blossom held on.
"Just let go," Blossom whispered in the mare's ear. "It's just like going to sleep. It'll all be over soon."
The mare's normally bright orange face turned red as the blood in her brain was unable to be pumped back down to the rest of her body. She grasped at Blossom's forelegs, her hind legs twitching as she did. Finally her twitches ceased completely, and she lay still in Blossom's forelegs.
Blossom cracked her neck and released the mare. She flopped onto the ground like a rag doll. Blossom sat down next to the mare and pressed her hoof on her neck. Yep. Whoever this mare was, she was dead now.
Blossom removed her hoof and stood up. She fired up her horn and took the appearance of the mare. "Yeah. There's nothing there anymore." Blossom ignited her horn once again and slipped the mare's work shirt off. She checked the name tag before she put it on herself. "Orange Peel. Gotta remember that," she muttered.
As she adjusted the plastic name tag attached to her shirt, Blossom heard two sets of hooves come up behind her. She turned around and saw her aunt and the foal walking up to her from different directions. She smiled at her aunt, completely ignoring the foal as she did. "Hello, Aunt Rarity."
Her aunt flashed her a smile. "Good afternoon, Blossom. You ready for the next round?"
"Yep. Figured that as long as I was in Canterlot to rent a hot air balloon to go to Cloudsdale I might get a kill or two in." Blossom motioned to the hotel back entrance. "What better place than some hotel for stuck up nobles? Their coin purses would also mean that I can feed myself for a long time."
"Very shrewd," said Rarity with a nod. "Though they're likely to have increased security."
"Blossom, why did you do that to your sister?" the filly whimpered. "She loves you very much!"
Blossom's ear flicked, but she otherwise ignored the filly. "Uh... yeah. W-well not if you have the right method."
"You were sad that she hurt you, but she's very sad that you hurt her!"
"I... uh, wanted to try something other than a knife this time." Blossom began walking towards the body of Orange Peel and lifted her into the air with her magic. "Just having one method would be boring, you know?"
Blossom heard the filly sniffle behind her, and she flinched forwards when she felt a small hoof touch her hind leg. "I know you were quick when you killed your mommy because you love her very much. Why did you have to hurt your grandma and grandpa so bad when you killed them? Why did Apple Seed have to suffer like she did?"
Blossom growled and roughly opened a nearby dumpster. She tossed Orange Peel's body inside before covering it with the large trash bags that the unfortunate mare had come out to throw away. She flattened her ears against her head and slammed the dumpster shut.
"Don't you feel a little bad for it?"
Blossom groaned angrily and spun around. She stood on her hind legs and grabbed the filly, lifting her into the air and slamming her against the opposite wall. "YES!" she screamed. "DON'T YOU GET IT?! YOU'VE SEEN THE SCARS ON MY FACE!" Blossom slammed her hoof on the wall next to the filly's head. "Of course I bucking hate myself for this. I... I..." Blossom deeply exhaled and dropped the now sobbing filly on the ground. She ran a hoof through her mane and leaned her head against the wall. "I cried for hours when I realized just what I had done to Apple Seed."
Blossom ignited her horn and the orange on her coat faded away to reveal her natural white. She lifted up her foreleg and stared at the three recently healed jagged scars and tooth marks. "I hope I didn't hurt her too bad when I stabbed her," Blossom mumbled.
Rarity clicked her tongue. "If you ask me, she got what she deserved. What kind of mare does what she did anyway?"
"She was your sister and you really hurt her," The filly whispered.
"I'll bet she hates me now," Blossom groaned.
"Oh let her hate you. You hate her just as much."
"You don't hate her! You love your sister!"
"She wasn't even your real sister," Rarity snarled. "If you ask me you should have left her to bleed dry!"
"Shut up both of you," Blossom growled as she re-disguised her foreleg. "I can't deal with this right now!"
"That is true," Rarity mused. "You do have a few kills to perform and a trip to Cloudsdale to plan."
Blossom grunted and moved the brick holding the back door aside as she entered the hotel. She entered a large kitchen where at least three dozen chefs and servers were bustling about preparing the meals for the guests. Blossom moved past them, but was stopped when a chef stepped in front of her.
"Hey Orange Peel, can you take this cart up to room two-oh-nine?" The stallion motioned over to a cart laden with a pair of large plates and a large goblet. Blossom nodded and began pushing the cart. Get in, kill the guests in that room, get out.
Blossom exited the kitchen and towards a large ramp beside the stairs leading up the second floor. She pushed the cart up the ramp and was soon on the second floor. Room two-oh-nine was the third door on the left. Ignoring the room itself, she pushed the cart towards a nearby janitor's closet and opened it up. She looked around to make sure that nopony was watching her before searching the closet for anything useful. "Come on, there's gotta be something I can use to..."
Blossom raised an eyebrow when she saw a bright yellow box sitting in the corner of the closet. She poked her head out once more to make sure nopony was coming and lifted the box into the air. She smiled when she read the label.
Rat poison.
Blossom chuckled and opened the flap on the top of the box before sprinkling a conservative amount of the flakes into the goblet of the guest. A few flakes were sprinkled on the food as well. Blossom put the box back in the corner and shut the janitor's closet. She grabbed the fork next to the plate and used the handle to stir the drink, dissolving the flakes.
"Here's hoping."
Blossom cleared her throat and wiped the fork clean before pushing the cart towards the correct room. She reached it and rapped on the door. "Room service."
"Ah, excellent!" said a voice on the other end.
The door opened in front of Blossom revealing a pair of tall fully armored griffin knights armed with sharp spears. Blossom squeaked and flattened her ears, stepping backwards as she did. "Oh... I... uh."
Her muttering was cut off when a third griffin came to the door, motioning for the two knights to step aside. He smiled fondly at Blossom. "You needn't be afraid of them, child. They can be an intimidating pair, but they wouldn't hurt you."
"Okay," Blossom whispered.
The griffin chuckled. "Do come in, please. I want to make sure there are no issues with the food. If there is something wrong I'd like to save you a trip back up here. It's one less time to walk up the ramp, my dear. Otherwise you'd have to go down only to get called up by me and have to walk up and down one more time. No need for that if you stay here for a minute while I check the food." He flashed her another smile. "I'm sure it's wonderful though."
Blossom nodded and pushed the cart into the griffin's room. She levitated the plates onto a table next to a large canopy bed. The two guards moved over to the cart and searched it as the griffin sat down at the table.
As Blossom put the plate down, she noticed that the table was covered in letters and official documents. She subtly scanned them before the ambassador moved them aside and handed them to one of his guards.
She only picked up a few sentences before the scrolls were moved. It seemed to be a letter of sorts.
I spoke to Princess Celestia and I think that she will accept our help to catch The Nightmare. Begin assembling the troops.
Blossom tightened her jaw and slowly raised her hoof as if to begin running. The griffins were coming. She put her hoof down and forced a smile onto her face. "I-if you don't mind me saying so, I've never met a griffin before."
The griffin chuckled. "Now you have." He extended one of his claws and Blossom shook it. "I'm Ambassador Chint of Griffonia. I'm the most direct line between my emperor and your princess."
Blossom cocked her head. "You met with Princess Celestia?"
Chint nodded. "Just yesterday, as a matter of fact."
"Excuse me, ma'am," said one of the guards. "We're going to have to frisk you if you stay here much longer."
Blossom shrank back and whimpered. "W-why?"
"It's just a precaution, my dear," Chint explained. "With this whole New Nightmare business, it's best to err on the side of caution."
"Okay." Blossom stood still while the guard closest to her patted her down. Thank goodness I left my knives at the motel I'm staying in.
The guard frisking Blossom straightened up and nodded. "She's clean. No weapons on her."
"Excellent." Chint lifted up his fork and took a bite of the quiche on his plate. "So..." Chint swallowed his bite. "You've never met a griffin before?"
Blossom shook her head. "I think I might have seen a few in passing, but I've never really met one."
"I know we might seem like an intimidating lot, but I assure you we strive to be a peaceful people." Chint smiled and took a long drink from his goblet. He made a choking noise and set it down on the table, his face wrinkled in disgust. "My, my. That certainly has quite the... unique aftertaste."
"Is there something wrong with it?" Blossom questioned.
Chint cleared his throat. "Well... I don't know. I have to admit that I've never actually tasted this particular vintage before. Thought I'd try something new while I was here. It was bitter and sharp at the same time."
Blossom chuckled. "Oh that's just the way the wine is. I've had a few glasses myself. It's an acquired taste."
"Clearly." Chint grunted and took another sip. "Bugh. It might be a while before I acquire a tolerance for it."
Blossom shrugged. "I can get another wine for you if you want."
Chint nodded and pushed the goblet towards Blossom. "That might be best. A 1293 Manehattan Cognac if you don't mind. I've acquired the taste for that already."
Blossom inclined her head in a bow and took the empty goblet in her magic. "I'll get on that right away."
* * * *
Blossom stepped out of the hotel and began walking towards her hotel. She glanced to her left and saw Rarity walking next to her. "So, how did it go?"
Blossom exhaled with a growl. "Celestia's upping the ante. She's thinking of bringing Griffonian troops to help catch me. She's not messing around anymore."
"Oh dear. What are you going to do about it?"
Blossom sighed and scanned the bustling streets of Canterlot. Her eyes locked onto a trio of guards walking down the streets, looking amongst the crowd themselves.
"I'm going to show her I'm not messing around either."
Rarity frowned and cocked her head. "And how exactly are you going to do that?"
Blossom licked her lips with the tip of her tongue and the corners of her mouth went up. "Cut off the head..."
* * * *
Shining Armor sighed and put his head in his hooves. "I can't believe it," he moaned. "I just can't bucking believe it."
Shining Armor shook his head and glanced down at the report in front of him. Six days prior the Griffonian ambassador was found dead in his hotel room. The autopsy revealed poison as the cause of death. The two bodyguards stated that the only time somebody had been in his room the day of his death was when a server named Orange Peel has delivered his lunch. He had complained about the taste of a goblet of wine he drank, but the mare had insisted that it was the normal taste. The last Shining Armor had heard, the two bodyguards had been dishonorably discharged from the Griffonian army and sentenced to thirty years in prison for failure to do their duty.
Leaning back in his chair, Shining Armor flipped the report closed and glanced over at his second-in-command. "We're screwed, aren't we?"
His Lieutenant shrugged. "Princess Celestia is a good diplomat. She'll probably have to let them join in the investigation."
Shining Armor nodded. "Last I heard, the griffin emperor has issued an ultimatum that Celestia allow Blossom to be brought to Griffonia to stand trial and face public execution there." Shining Armor smiled sadly. "And their execution methods are nowhere near as painless as ours."
"I heard it was disemboweling."
"Then you get drawn and quartered by a quartet of chariots. The worst part is that the criminals are given both a sensory amplifier so that they feel the most pain but also an adrenaline shot so they don't pass out."
"And they're not just going to let Celestia deal with her?"
"Nope." Shining Armor ran a hoof through his mane. "They're saying that they should be the ones to kill Blossom or else."
The lieutenant cocked his head. "What does "or else" mean?"
"I don't really want to find out. It could mean war for all I know."
"Well we can't deal with that right now." The lieutenant put a manila folder on Shining Armor's desk. "We still haven't found the body of the mare we think Blossom disguised herself as. We're not sure that's how she got in, but a mare named Orange Peel was reported missing from the hotel not long after we were informed of Ambassador Chint's death."
Shining Armor pulled the folder over to him and flipped it open. "No possible leads on where she might be?"
"No. We've suspected that she might have dropped her body in a dumpster because it's plausible that The Nightmare got her when she went to take out some trash, but the dumpster had been emptied by waste removal by then." The lieutenant grimaced. "We've been searching through the waste processing plant for the body, but we're not hopeful."
"Perfect," Shining Armor grumbled. "What's worse is that Blossom hasn't killed three times in Canterlot as far as we're aware so she may still be in the city."
"She could have already killed the third and move on by now."
"Could have."
Shining Armor took a deep breath and glanced outside the window. It was a few hours into the night and the crickets were chirping. "Well, Battle Charge, I'd best be getting home. I don't want the wife worrying about me and I'd like to be there for her if Blossom's still in Canterlot. I have a few guards protecting her for now, but she needs me."
Battle Charge nodded. "I'll walk with you. If she's still here it's best to stick together. My house is in that direction anyway."
Shining Armor nodded and the two walked out of the guard barracks and into the night. Shining Armor took a deep breath as the cool night air washed over him. "I'm thinking with this that it might be best if Cadence and I move into the castle. The only reason we haven't yet is because Blossom has never been in Canterlot for more than a day and she's always killed civilians. I didn't think she's go for really high profile targets until she killed the ambassador. She's probably going to want to be close to Twiley too."
Battle charge nodded and stretched his wings. "I wanted to move the wife and our two fillies into the palace too, but I'm not really high profile and can defend my family if need be. My wife and I have talked a lot about not talking to strange mares. Plus the atmosphere in the castle is going to be a nightmare now that Celestia has to deal with the griffins." Battle Charge shook his head. "I'm going to spend as much time as I can at home. My family needs me."
"I hear that," Shining Armor agreed. "Cadence and I were talking about having a foal a few months back, but that's not going to happen now. Not now that Blossom is doing what she's doing."
The two walked in silence down the completely empty Canterlot streets. What residents hadn't taken leave to other cities had locked themselves up tight at night, leaving Shining Armor and Battle Charge as the only ponies out and about.
"It's too bad how afraid everybody is about all of this," said Shining Armor. "I can't wait to get back to how things used to be before two serial killers went through Equestria."
"I know. Can you believe that between The Ponyville Butcher and The New Nightmare they've killed almost one hundred and thirty ponies?"
"Terrible," Shining Armor mumbled. "But she's not going to get my wife if I can help it."
"I hear that," Battle Charge agreed. "I'd do anything to protect my family."
Shining Armor nodded. "Yep."
"And I mean anything."
"Same he--"
Shining Armor's words were cut off when a sharp blow to the back of the head sent him crashing to the ground.
* * * *
Slowly Shining Armor opened his eyes, mumbling something unintelligible as he did. He groaned and raised his head, but a light shining in his eyes magnified the splitting headache he was experiencing and he snapped them shut. "What's going on?" he mumbled thickly.
"Here, drink this. It'll help with the headache," said the voice of Battle Charge. Shining Armor felt a cup being pressed against his lips, and he took a few sips of the cool liquid. The throbbing pain in his head died down, allowing Shining Armor to open his eyes completely. He found himself sitting on a chair in front of a small table inside of some sort of run-down warehouse. He tried to move, but his limbs would not respond to his commands. To complete the scenario, he felt a horn blocker ring slipped onto his horn.
Shining Armor turned his head and locked eyes with Battle Charge. His face twisted in a snarl and he tried to leap out of his chair, but once again his legs did not respond. "Traitor!" he snarled.
Battle Charge flattened his ears and took a step backwards. "I... I'm sorry, Captain Armor. I didn't want to do this, believe me!"
"Then why did you?!"
"Because I told him to."
Shining Armor's eyes widened and he felt his chair being encased in a magical glow. The chair rotated one hundred and eighty degrees, revealing the New Nightmare herself. She was grasping a knife that she held at the throat of a young filly who had a rope leash around her neck securing her to a pole. Another filly and a mare that could only have been their mother were in similar situations.
"I told you, Captain Armor, I'd do anything to protect my family."
A smirk crossed Blossom's face. "I got them last night. I've been stalking various guards to see if any of them had families and I struck gold with your lieutenant here. I drugged them and used a stolen cart to transport them here." Blossom motioned around the room. "This used to be an ore processing plant before it got shut down a few years back. I checked some public records and found that it's set to be demolished in a week, so don't plan on us being disturbed."
Shining Armor stared at the captured family for a moment before turning his head back to Battle Charge with another glare. "All you had to do was tell either myself or the princess and we could have caught her!"
"She would have killed them if I had. She said I had to be here with you by nine tonight or they wouldn't find all of them."
"We could have formulated a plan!"
"Sir I worked all night last night and all of today! I only found out that she foalnapped my family three hours ago! It... it would have been too late."
"But you're here with him now so that's all that matters," Blossom replied. "I'd hate for you to have to be given another reminder of just how serious I am about all of this."
Blossom grinned and motioned to the mare. Shining Armor gasped when he saw that the mare's mane had been cut to the point where it was almost non-existent. "Sent the mane to your lieutenant along with a note with my instructions. Since he's followed them to the letter and gotten you here he can take his wife and go."
Battle Charge's eyes widened and he took a step forward. "Let my daughters go too!"
Blossom rolled her eyes. "Then I don't have any hostages." Blossom took the knife and cut the mare's rope. She shoved her forwards. "Take your wife and get out of here. If I see any guards in the next five hours both of your kids get it, understood?"
"Please just let them go!" Battle Charge cried. "Th-they're good fillies; they don't deserve this!"
Blossom scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Fine." she cut the leash of the younger filly and pushed her forwards. "I'll keep the other one. You have two minutes to leave before I bleed her dry, understood?"
"Mommy!" the filly wailed, reaching for her mother.
"Mommy and Daddy are going to get you out of here!" sobbed the mare. "Just be brave and we'll come get you!"
The filly tried to run forwards, but Blossom wrapped her foreleg around her and held the knife to her throat. "Get out. What happens next is between me and Shining Armor here."
Battle Charge whispered something in his wife's ear before putting his daughter on his back. He gently led his sobbing wife out of the old factory. When Blossom was certain they were gone, she sighed and dropped the knife.
"You're a monster," Shining Armor growled.
Blossom scoffed. "Tell me something I don't know." She took a deep breath and wrapped the crying filly in her forelegs and nuzzled the top of her head. "Shh. It's okay. Your mommy and daddy love you very much and they're going to come get you soon, okay?"
"I want my mommy!" the filly wailed.
"I know," Blossom whispered. "I'm not going to hurt you. I never was going to hurt you. I... I didn't want to hurt your mommy either. That's why I only cut her mane. Don't worry. It'll grow back and be just as good as new." Blossom began stroking the filly's mane. "You're a very brave young mare. I'm sure your mommy and daddy are very proud of you." Blossom took a deep breath and levitated a strip of cloth over to her which she tied around the filly's eyes. "Don't take that off, okay?" Blossom got to her hooves and fired up her horn. The filly was encased in a small shield that quickly faded away. A sound muffling spell.
Content that the filly was taken care of, Blossom trotted over to the table, turning Shining Armor's chair around as she did. She sat down in a chair of her own and dropped the knife onto the table. She bowed her head and stared at the floor. Shining Armor fixed her with a glare. "Don't think that because you tried to comfort her that you're any less evil!"
Blossom quietly scoffed. "I never said I wasn't evil. In fact, I think I've been saying that I'm evil this whole time." Blossom lifted her head to reveal that her face was streaked with tears. "I just... I hated doing that. When I cut that mare's mane, I almost started bawling. Th-they were all so scared a-and it was my fault!"
"You could have just let them go. Who's to say that Battle Charge isn't organizing a rescue mission now that he knows where you are and what you're doing?"
Blossom shrugged. "He could be. That would mean that my last act on this planet is killing you and an innocent filly." Blossom wiped her eyes and began idly spinning the knife. "He was willing to bring you here to me to protect his family. He's not going to just cut his losses and let his child die for a gamble. He knows I'll let her go. They'll be here in five hours."
"And I assume you have some sort of plan for me then?" Shining Armor spat. "You going to torture me?"
Blossom picked up her knife and tapped it on the table. "No, not exactly. You and I are going to have a little chat and fate gets to decide which one of us dies tonight. Who knows? Maybe both of us do."
Shining Armor frowned as Blossom put the knife back on the table. "What do you mean?"
Blossom hit the handle of the knife, spinning it around until it came to a halt pointing at the back wall. "I'm going to spin this every so often. I will cut whoever it points to. Whoever bleeds out first loses." Blossom pointed over to a bowl next to the table. "When I got the cuts on my face, Ms. Zecora made a healing gel of some kind for me. It closes up cuts pretty well. I looked up the recipe. If you die first I'll just heal myself. If I die then my freezing spell will be lifted and you can heal yourself up and come out of this a hero. Now..." Blossom placed her hoof on the handle of the knife. "Tell me something: why do you think that I do this?"
"Because you're evil!" Shining Armor spat. "You're the same breed of pony your aunt was!"
"What if I told you that you were wrong? What would your second guess be?"
"There isn't a second guess because what I said is the truth!"
Blossom sighed and spun the knife. The tip pointed closer to Blossom and she picked it up. Lucky you." She picked up the knife and dragged the edge against her left foreleg, leaving a deep gash. She tossed the knife back on the table. "If you were forced at knife point to choose a second guess, what would it be?"
"Because you get a sick pleasure out of killing ponies!" Shining Armor retorted. "You kill indiscriminately and don't regret a moment of it!"
Blossom scoffed. "Really?" She motioned to the scars on her face. "Then what exactly are these from? They're not from your soldiers, that's for sure." Blossom spun the knife again and once more it pointed to her. She gave herself another cut on her left foreleg.
"You're a masochist."
Blossom spun the knife again. "You're getting warmer, but not quite there yet."
This time the knife stopped with the tip pointing right at Shining Armor. He widened his eyes and tried to struggle, but he couldn't move an inch. Blossom picked up the knife and made a deep cut on Shining Armor's left foreleg, eliciting a scream of pain.
"Okay, where were we?"
"Blossom stop it!" Shining Armor yelled. "Just stop this!"
"Nopedy nopedy nope." Blossom put the knife back down. "One of us has to die. I'd kill myself, but I'm too scared to do it. If I die here it'll kind of be accidental on my part, right? I'll just kinda slip away and it'll all be over." Blossom chuckled and spun the knife again. "You'll have some cool scars to show Ms. Cadence. Mares like that kind of thing."
"Blossom they will hunt you down to the ends of the planet if you do this," said Shining Armor through clenched teeth.
"Something they're already doing anyway." Blossom sighed and spun the knife. "I do hope me killing that one griffin doesn't lead to a war." The knife pointed at Shining Armor again, and Blossom sliced open his right foreleg.
"It might!" he shouted. "They want to tear you to pieces! If the griffins don't get you then they might invade Equestria!"
Blossom spun the knife again. "Why do I care? I'll be dead. Everypony else I care about is already dead, so they won't have to go through it." Another cut on Shining Armor's left foreleg.
"What about..." Shining Armor gasped in pain. "C-Comet?! You don't want to hurt her!"
Blossom went to spin the knife again, but paused at the name of her sister. Her gaze flickered upwards. "And if the griffins do decide that they want to take revenge on me, and by extension Equestria, by hurting my family, are you just going to let that happen or will they be protected?"
"Blossom listen to yourself! You're willing to potentially start a war with Griffonia?!"
Blossom shrugged and spun the knife, dragging the blade across her chest when it pointed to her. She flinched from the pain but put the knife back on the table. "You never really did get why I'm doing this right." Another spin, another cut for Shining Armor. "Don't you remember the days when I was just a filly living in the castle? I got arrested and you were willing to knock heads together to make sure that I was okay. Now you'd jump at the chance to tear my head off." Another spin, another cut for Shining Armor.
"BLOSSOM STOP IT!" Shining Armor yelled. "The princesses will go easier on you if you do and we can potentially avoid war!"
Blossom scoffed and spun the knife again resulting in another cut for her. "The last pony who told me to turn myself in is currently sitting in a hospital with three broken legs and a stab wound." Spin. Cut for Shining Armor. "If you're not going to guess why, I'll tell you." Blossom's face twisted into a snarl and she slammed her hoof on the table. "It's because I can't bucking help myself!"
"Oh... don't... g-give me that," Shining Armor weakly. "You... b-bucking enjoy it and you know it."
"You listened to the tapes of my therapy sessions in prison, right? You know how hard I tried to stop Aunt Rarity from making me kill somepony!" Another spin. Another cut for Blossom.
"I... j-just wanted to die!"
Shining Armor groaned, but lifted up his head to stare into Blossom's eyes. "Then... j-just bucking do it. Y-you’ve cut yourself a lot. Just... just do it against your throat."
"I told you already: I'm too scared to do it myself!" Blossom spun the knife and slashed Shining Armor's shoulder. "I'm scared to die because I know I'm going to Tartarus to burn for eternity!" Blossom reached for the knife, but the amount of blood she had lost was beginning to make her dizzy, and she put her hoof down next to it. "If you want to know the truth, I don't even think that... that I was actually ever going to let you win this one. I thought that if maybe I accidentally cut myself too deep I'd die and... and maybe it wouldn't be too bad. I'd be bleeding on the floor and I'd be forced to accept my fate."
Blossom looked down at the ground where a pool of blood was forming. A similar pool had certainly appeared under Shining Armor. She looked up and saw Shining Armor slumped over, bleeding profusely from his many cuts. "I... I think I might have cut you deeper than I cut me. M-maybe not."
Blossom used her magic to tilt Shining Armor's head back, and, using the last of her strength, she stood up and walked next to him. His eyes were barely open and his breathing was shallow. It would be soon. Blossom pressed the blade against Shining Armor's throat. "R-remember when you let me ride on your back after you saved me all those years ago? You promised me the best food I'd ever had." Blossom quietly chuckled. "It was pretty good. I... I think I had a grilled cheese sandwich and hay fries with chocolate ice cream for dessert." Tears began dripping from Blossom's eyes. "Even though Mom was in a mental institution... I... I miss how simple things were. I w-wish I could go back to a year ago and not kill Ms. Tiara. Maybe I... I could go back farther and not kill Golden Necklace or Fire Ruby. I didn't want to be my aunt then. Maybe I still don't."
With one swipe, Blossom drew the knife across Shining Armor's throat.
* * * *
Princess Cadence opened her eyes and sat up in her bed. She looked beside her and clicked her tongue. Shining Armor hadn't come home again last night. "Shiny, I swear you work too hard sometimes," she muttered. Cadence slid out of bed and stretched her wings. She used her magic to lift up a picture of the two of them on their wedding day. "I guess with Blossom doing what she's doing you have to work hard to get her, but I can't wait for the day to come when I can wake up beside you again."
Cadence trotted out of her bedroom and glanced out her window where her bodyguards were changing shifts. They spoke to each other for a moment, Cadence surmised that they were checking identities, before five fresh guards replaced the ones who had guarded their two-story house while she slept.
She sighed and shook her head. In reality all she wanted was her husband back to protect her. Being the wife of the captain of the guard had its disadvantages, particularly during times of national crisis.
Cadence was just about to go to the kitchen for a bowl of cereal when she heard a small commotion behind her. She glanced out the window again and saw the royal chariot pull up. Both of the Equestrian monarchs were on it as well as a few of the new type of guard to catch Blossom. Cadence frowned. They usually gave at least a few hour’s notice before a visit.
Shrugging to herself, Cadence trotted over to the door and opened it up. She flashed her aunts a smile as they stepped off of the chariot. "Good morning, Aunties. How are..."
Her smile fell and her eyes widened as her stomach twisted into a million knots. Neither of her aunts had a smile on their faces. Instead they wore masks of grim determination, but Cadence saw that both of their faces were streaked with tears.
"No," she whimpered. "N-no, no, no."
"Cadence--"
"Go away," Cadence mewled as thick ears began streaming down her face. "I... I don't wanna... go away!"
"Cadence I--"
"GO AWAY!" Cadence screamed. "I DON'T..." With a wail, Cadence slammed the door and collapsed onto her haunches. Her screaming sobs echoed throughout the house. The front door opened and Celestia walked in. She sat next to Cadence and wrapped her in a hug. Cadence returned it and buried her face in Celestia's shoulder.
"Shh," Celestia soothed as she stroked Cadence's mane. "I promise you we'll get her. She is going to pay for what she did to you, I swear on the sun I raise every day. Joyous Blossom will pay."
Cadence continued sobbing and Celestia turned her head back to Luna and the Ghosts. "I understand that Lieutenant Battle Charge was the one who turned Shining Armor over to Blossom, yes?" Beta nodded. "I want him executed with the hour, is that clear?"
Beta saluted, but was stopped when Luna put a hoof on her shoulder. "Belay that. We shall deal with him when Tia is more centered."
"I am centered, Luna," Celestia growled. "Battle Charge is an accomplice to murder. I want him executed within the hour."
"His family was held hostage, Tia! We must take that into--"
"If Battle Charge isn't executed within the hour I shall go to the prison and perform the execution myself, is that clear?"
Beta glanced up at Luna who subtly shook her head. She beckoned Beta back to the chariot. "We shall deal with Battle Charge, Tia."
"Beta." Beta turned around and locked eyes with Celestia. "I have one more request. Tell it to the other Ghosts. Execute Order 42."
Goes well with this song.
Blossom's kill count: 53
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what's order 42? I feel I forgot it
So are we half way done or is this near the end?
Celestia, you wont mercy kill an obviously insane pony who is begging to die...
But you'll kill a pony who was forced to turn in a soldier to save his family because you're having a hissy fit?
Punish him? Sure. Killing him right off the bat IS NOT THE SOLUTION. All his family will see is a princess who murdered their father/husband/son because he saved his wife and kids. Not everyone is going to see what Battle Charge did in the same light as people outside the situation would. I think that a dishonorable discharge is definately in order, but execution? Save execution for Blossom.
2780967 Well, Celestia is clearly losing it a little, that's why Luna is going to deal with it. She has the power to challenge her sister's orders. She, ironically, has to be the voice of reason.
*sees title*
Dis gun b bloody!
Clones, the time has come... Execute order 66...
2780983
Eeyup.
Kill the jedi!
Awesome chapter. This is what I was waiting for. Well, this and the moment when Celestia strings Comet up in the gallows and threatens to hang her if Blossom doesn't turn herself in.
But, that was a stroke of genius. Innocently running into the ambassador, the filly haunting her, cutting off the head... I can't wait to see what's next. In fact, I'm going to spam F5 until you post it, starting now.
Am I the only one who wants to see a Criminal Minds Crossover with The Word Is Fear?
2780967
If fear is causing them to turn.
Fear is going to be needed to keep them in line then.
At least what she's probably thinking at this point.
now celestia dont do it if you did kill him them his kids might grow up hating her and thus the whole new nightmare will be born plus you know wanting to kill her
2780967 She isn't going far enough. If the point is to deter other ponies from turning because Blossom threatens their family, Celestia has to kill the family too.
I kinda like darker celestia.
She's finally taking the gloves off.
And all it took were the deaths of x ammount of innocents + s.a and a potential invasion from another land.
Well... fuck.
I know it's kinda horrible but I'm enjoying all this juicy, delicious tragedy and distress that Blossom's causing without getting caught very much. I actually kinda hope you drag this out until it comes to some really absurd resolution like Blossom triggering some sort of world-ending war (or an equivalent of a mutual nuke strike).
Things just got VERY interesting
Shit just got real.
2781340
Then what will the populace think? Ponies may see it as having another murderer, except this one is almost all-powerful and can't be fought against. The family did nothing wrong except for Battle Charge. Think about how you would feel your friends father betrayed someone to save his family from certain death, and everyone in the family was slaughtered for it. Family includes relatives too.
2780973
I hope Celestia doesn't do something rash if she doesn't get her orders fulfilled.
2781613 It doesn't matter what ponies think -- they already lost all faith in the government.
2781571 Maybe she could start hunting the griffons hunting her until they get super-paranoid and start killing any pony they see?
So this all started because the Griffon couldn't keep his trap shut?
I cannot even begin to fathom how many breeches in protocol it is to reveal highly classified political movements and a criminal to a complete stranger. In what was was it a good idea, or seemed a decent conversational piece? Especially with a chameleon killer? Even if he knew with 100% accuracy that she wasn't the killer, why tell her? Profilers know that the profile itself is highly subjective, including such shows like Criminal Minds. It's a guideline, not a rule. It's classified intel. That's punishable by court martial in the military and his underlings would be obligated to go over his head and report it. Even if he's not military, ambassadors are trained to handle secure information. Why does this guy even have a job to begin with?
This seems more contrivance than anything, and Shining and the diplomatic tensions sprouting up because of this stupid, stupid mistake make this seem like an artificial way to build tensions. I vehemently disagree with Blossom's killing prowess as it is. This isn't a string of events, it's a string of accidents beyond the law of probability that give this story the ability to work. Blossom's mind breaks, yet she still caries the ability to execute calculated murders instead of the spree killings she was built up as? Her horn wasn't removed, despite Sweetie and Rarity going through the same thing when she was believed to have killed as well? Chint actually having a job? Canterlot not scanning for subterfuge, despite the order in place to search for disguises?
2781691
Doesn't matter what they think?
Excuse me?
Does the possiblility of total anarchy resulting from having their leader murder ponies ever come to mind? The gryphons and various other empires could use a rioting populace as an opprotunity to step in and take over. Not only would Celestia have the reputation of being an incompetent leader as she has right now, she would be seen as unstable and bloodthirsty. Unable not only to serve her people, but to be governing them. If you can't protect your people, at least give them no reason to think you're a murderer.
Then again, we're discussing the potental views of fictional cartoon ponies in the face of slaughtered families, and I am a banana.
42, Hue. The answer to life, the universe and everything.
Ironically, it's gonna be something to end life, isn't it? xD
2781802 Good point. She should blame the murder of the family on the new nightmare. "Even though they cooperated, the family was tragically already dead." "No, the reports that they were found alive are planted by griffon spies. There's no truth to them." "It turns out that one of the guards who's been blowing the whistle on the 'execution' of the traitors' families was actually the new nightmare in disguise. Unfortunately, she got away, and the guard she replaced was found tragically murdered."
And so on.
2781613 You would certainly hate the princess for it, but at the same time, you wouldn't dare disobey her out of fear for your family.
And thus the princess changes from ruler to tyrant.
2781829
Its time for the S-S-S-SPINNN DOCTORRRRR!
Tyrant Celestia, HERE WE COME! All aboard the Police Statemobile!
Order 42. Unicorn genocide perhaps?
2781016>>2781070>>2781884
Begun, the purge has.
2781754 Uh, Blossom was going to kill him anyway. It didn't matter if Chint told her about what was going on, she had already put rat poison in his drink. On top of that, once the griffins were deployed in a few days it wasn't going to be a secret and Blossom would have upped the ante anyway. So really all it changed was that Blossom killed Shining Armor in one week instead of two.
In terms of Blossom's killing style, how complex really are the things she's doing? Killing a pony and taking her clothes? That doesn't exactly take Hannibal Lecteresque genius. Neither does threatening a family to get something she wants. Remember Buffalo Bill in the Silence of the Lambs? He was a totally mad killer but even he was able to act and formulate plans to get his victims. He played the part of a cripple to get victims into his car. He had enough presence of mind to hide the bodies. What Blossom is doing isn't more complex than that. She's getting away with it because she can change her appearance and it's hard for the police to find one pony amongst forty million.
In terms of Blossom getting away from scanning: 1. She would avoid situations like that. 2. It's impractical to scan your employees every single time they take out the trash, and it can be especially complicated and time consuming to do that in a high speed kitchen setting.
I have done a few re-writes expressing why Blossom's horn wasn't removed
Chapter seventeen.
But even then I made some changes to chapter four after the meeting with Celestia and Luna.
I also changed it so that Blossom got out two days later, before they came to a decision on that.
Order 42: Time travel. Lol just kidding but I can't wait to see what happens.
2781981 I've been waiting eight years for a chance to say what I said. Worth the wait.
Jesus H. Christ.
Because of this, I wouldn't want to be Blossom in the foreseeable...ever.
Interesting times, but I have a few small points to mention.
Missing a quotation mark.
So, how many front doors do they have?
This is just a small quip;
I don't know if this was the correct way you wanted it, but I found it a bit confusing that Rarity talked to Blossom and then walked up later for a hello. Just a small detail.
Now for my own bit of speculation: Order 42, the implementation of Martial Law with a focus on Unicorn Mares and Mares in general to a lesser degree. Until such a time that Blossom demonstrates the ability to alter her species, all Unicorn Mares rights will be severely limited; they will need to have a Non-Unicorn accompany them at all times in public or they will be thoroughly frisked and searched by every guard they come across. As for mares in general: all Earth Pony mares will be forbidden to wear any kind of head gear or mane style which could potentially conceal a horn; and all Pegasus mares should stay air born at all times unless it is impractical to do so, even then they shall be required to demonstrate the functionality of their wings whenever they enter a new area with unknown ponies.
Am I close?
Typo here.
The Princesses were never really my favorite characters, every time I read one of your stories, I find more reasons to dislike them.
2781884 2780940 2780916
Wasn't that the plan to hold Comet hostage?
2782182
Even from a story-telling standpoint that she was going to find out very soon, it is still a completely unacceptable and unbelievable move on Chint's part. Even if it "didn't matter", no one would rationally do that in his situation and job.
Rarity is a serial trophy killer. It's self explanatory: she takes trophies with her kills. Blossom was a spree killer, sometime called a rampage killer. The difference between the two is that spree killers don't plan their kills. She was randomly maiming and killing everyone she came across at the start, and it made sense. She was suffering under hallucinations to kill and broke under the strain. However, then she escapes and sends a public message. That's when she changes and no adequate reason is given why. She carefully chooses her kills. She waits and hides among people. She leaves public messages with political and news outlets, along with those at the scene of the crime, takes time to kill pursuers, and (as you said) takes the time and effort ahead of time to avoid situations where she could be scanned and discovered. These aren't the actions of a spree killer. I could accept one or two instances, but she keeps doing it. It's even stranger because now she's given an ultimatum of three kills per city. That's not spree killer behavior; that's ritual killing.
So over the course of the story, she's transformed from a disorganized killer(the start), to a spree killer(When she escapes), to a ritual serial killer (now).
To get on the topic of psychology in Blossom and serial killers, you bring up Buffalo Bill? Interesting choice, but not correct. BB, along with Gein and Bundy, the characters he was based on, he takes the time and effort to ensnare he victims with a ruse. Again, not spree killer behavior. You can be mad and still be a serial killer. You can be mad and be a spree killer. My issue comes when Blossom starts off as a spree killer, only to do a 180 and turn into a serial killer without any justifiable cause.
Cadence's reaction brought tears to my eyes. : (
"With this whole New Nightmare business, it's best to air on the side of caution."
"Air" should be replaced with "err".
2783251 I personally don't think she was a spree killer in the mental ward. She was very methodical and level headed (or as much as a mare like Blossom can be). She went for the guard, killed Dr. Mind, and while it was a bit overindulgent, it was clearly planned out. She didn't just walk in that day and go "Okay, let's do this." on the spot. She killed other prison guards because they were in her way and she changed disguises whenever she killed a unicorn so as to have a bit more security in case somebody came across the bodies of Dr. Mind and the guard before she could get out of the prison. I know I didn't explain this very much because it's hard to go into that when you get that after the fact and from a different persepctive, but I don't really think Blossom changed her approach at all. The escape was planned out. It had to have been on some level or else she wouldn't have made it very far.
2782935 Is that a failure on my part?
2783694
As I've debated with you in the past, it's not failure. The princesses are IC and all... well, Celestia is, not sure about the other two.
In any case, as I said before, on multiple occasions, I dislike their legal system and treatment of individuals like Rarity. I think of them as the antagonists and villains, essentially.
Poor Rarity and blossom. Live free, little ones!
2783753 Well, Blossom has been winning so far.
2783766
Indeed, I wish I could give her hugs...
... Maybe she should get a flamethrower.
Uh oh. If things weren't in hell already, they're certainly headed there.
Great chapter as always. Really looking forward to the next.
Love the quick chapters! Keep em coming!
2783251 Okay, I fixed it so that Blossom glanced at a letter the ambassador was writing when she put the food on the table. The ambassador moved it away before Blossom could really read it so he didn't give away any secrets.
JESUS CHRIST JUST TELL US WHAT ORDER 42 IS ALREADY FUCK.
*EXTREME REVISION TIME*
*Mechanical noises*
Okay, my temper is back under control, and I feel like a douche now.
I'm sorry, BW.
I haven't eaten my pizza and cheese fries yet.
So I'm grumpy.
Also, I want that guard to live. HE WAS JUST PROTECTING HIS FAMILY.
2784603 I already did. I go into a lot of detail about it next chapter, though. If you paid attention during the chapters before you'd already know what it is.
2784614 Srry. I'm tired and hungry.