Ghosts
It was time to put her plan into action. It was her trump card, her best bet at catching Blossom before her rampage got out of hoof, though, some would argue that it already had. Eighteen ponies had died by Blossom's hooves, and there were definitely more to come unless she did something.
That's where The Ghosts came in.
Princess Celestia, flanked by Shining Armor and Princess Luna, opened the door to her private tactical room and walked in. It would be safe here. Only nine ponies knew that it even existed, and six of them had found out today. The six in question were six royal guards, a male and female from each race, all standing at attention about twenty paces away from the door. All six of them bowed their heads when the princesses walked in, but Celestia waved her hoof. "There's no time for that, my little ponies. What I have to discuss with you today is of the utmost importance."
She glanced behind her and shut the door to the room. "I assume you have all been briefed by Captain Armor on the situation there."
"Yes, Princess," the all chanted at once.
"Excellent." Celestia's eyes scanned the room. "I will not lie to you. We are facing one of the greatest threats Equestria has ever seen. You all know what The Ponyville Butcher was like, but her niece has the potential to be far deadlier. Rarity was caught and gave up without a fight. Blossom will not go down so easily." Celestia's face hardened, her expression devoid of all happiness and warmth. "She has the power to change her appearance at will, and she is indiscriminate of who her victims are. She killed her own mother in Ponyville last week. There is literally nopony in Equestria besides my sister and I that is safe from her bloodlust. She is to be shown no mercy if found, for none shall be given by her."
Celestia's horn ignited and six packed manila folders levitated out of a briefcase Shining Armor had on his back. She moved the folders so that they stopped in front of the pony that they pertained to. "This mission is a simple one in theory, but it may end up being the most difficult one you have ever imagined. I will not order you to accept it, you are doing so of your own free will.
"Know this, should you join this organization, you are in it for good. You are not allowed to turn back." Princess Celestia's horn expelled a bit more magic and the edges of the folders began to singe. "You will cease to exist." The folders stopped burning at the edges. "Do you accept what I am asking of you?"
One of the guards, the one on the far right, stepped forward with her head held high. "I believe that I speak for all of my fellows here when I say that we will join you, Princess Celestia. We will do our duty to Equestria and its ponies."
Princess Celestia looked over the other five. "Does she speak the truth?" The other five sharply nodded once, and Celestia responded in kind. With one more bust from her horn, the folders disintegrated, not even leaving ash. "It is done. There is no turning back for any of you."
"We understand, princess," said another one of the newly anointed Ghosts.
Celestia gave a singular nod. "You will be my right hoof, scouring Equestria for Joyous Blossom. Any trace of her, and you are on the spot, searching every possible hiding place. You will study her patterns, determining where she is likely to strike next. When she does strike, you are there without fail. You will learn every detail of Joyous Blossom's life. You will come to know her better than you know those ponies who used to be your family. Only then will you be able to catch her. Discretion is your greatest ally. I do not know if Blossom will come to discover what you are, but I would like to prevent that for as long as possible."
Princess Celestia turned back to Shining Armor and Princess Luna, both of whom shook their heads. She nodded and turned back to The Ghosts. "You know your mission. Dismissed."
* * * *
The two princesses and captain of the guard quickly went over to the princess' private room in the library after briefing The Ghosts. She wordlessly closed the door behind them, and turned to her sister and nephew-in-law. "Art thou certain that their efforts will not be in vain?" Luna questioned.
"No, Luna, I'm not," Celestia admitted. The three of them sat down at the table. "It is still out best option. Blossom knows the guards are looking for her. They will not be subtle about it and as such she will find it easier to evade them." Celestia took the briefcase away from Shining Armor and opened it up, pulling out several charts of Blossom's murder patterns. They had not yet started, but she had marked where she was likely to go next. "If we have a group working in the shadows, we can catch Blossom unawares. For all her powers she is not a genius. An indiscriminate killer such as herself will slip up somehow. When she does... we'll be ready."
Princess Luna opened her mouth to speak, but she was interrupted by knocking on the door. All three ponies diverted their attention to it, and Luna opened with her magic. Instantly an out of breath servant burst into the room, levitating what looked like a newspaper in front of him. "Your majesties, I... I was..." The servant sucked in air, but decided it was simpler to put the newspaper on the table. All three ponies studied the paper for only a moment before gasping in shock.
EQUESTRIA'S NEW NIGHTMARE SPEAKS!!
The horrors that The Ponyville Butcher inflicted upon Equestria are known throughout ever corner of the world, and it was our sincerest hope that such an event would not occur again in our lifetimes. However, it is not to be. A new killer has taken the place of The Butcher, and she has the powers to be even deadlier than her aunt. The killer in question, is none other than the niece of The Butcher herself, Joyous Blossom. We received a message from Blossom last night that we share with you now.
Mares, stallions, fillies, colts, my name is Joyous Blossom, the niece of The Ponyville Butcher, and I am writing to you today to tell you what is about to happen. In ten day’s time, I will follow in the hoofsteps of my aunt, and go on a killing spree throughout all of Equestria. Each week I will travel to a different city and murder three ponies. After I have done so, I will move on to another one. Once I have completed the circuit, it will begin again. I have already given this message to the princesses themselves, with additional orders that they are not to stop me, or the kill count per city increases. I expect them to ignore that demand of mine, so prepare yourself for what is to come.
Enjoy the last ten days of peace.
The three ponies stared silently at the newspaper, still as statues. It was Shining Armor who broke the silence by slamming his hoof onto the table. "No, I'm not buying it! I know Blossom, this theatricality is unlike her!"
"The Joyous Blossom that you knew before now is irrelevant," Celestia said quietly. "Blossom went to Ponyville and brutally slaughtered eight ponies, but gently put down a ninth. The Blossom that killed her mother was gentle, kind, merciful, closer to the Blossom that you knew." Celestia motioned over to the paper. "This is the Blossom that allowed the hallucinations of her aunt to dictate her actions. I believe that Rarity would hardly have been so melodramatic, but if Blossom believes that she would then she will act accordingly."
"You are sure of this, Tia?" Luna questioned.
Celestia gently exhaled and shook her head. "I have not spoken with this Blossom. Any statements regarding her mental health are pure guesswork at this time. I'm only going off what I suspect to be most likely."
"If this letter is true then we only have ten days before she starts cutting ponies down," Shining Armor observed. "If I had to guess, she's going to be laying extremely low during that time. She could be anywhere in Equestria, and six special ops ponies aren't going to find her in time. She can change her appearance at will!"
Celestia closed her eyes and dropped her wings down as she scanned the paper again. She only looked back up when Shining Armor moved closer to her. "Princess Celestia, I hate to say this, but I think Blossom's already substantial kill count is going to go up. I may underestimate The Ghosts, but I think the only way we're going to catch Blossom right now is if she's sloppy."
"She is also motivated," Luna guessed. "We suspect that she will be indiscriminate in her kills, but will follow through with them no matter the cost." Luna motioned over to Shining Armor. "Should she find herself in a room with somepony as skilled as Captain Armor, she would do everything in her power to be the only one to make it out of that room."
Both Luna and Shining Armor flinched back when Celestia swept the newspaper off of the table and slammed both of her hooves onto it. "I will not let this happen again!" she cried. "I will not have another Rarity, I can't!" Celestia stood up and began angrily pacing around the room. Shining Armor gasped in surprise when he saw the tips of Celestia's mane and tail start to glow bright orange, as if they were on fire. He backed away from the wrath of the sun-goddess. Luna was the only pony who could help now.
As if on cue, Luna got to her hooves and stepped into Celestia's path. "Tia, thy anger helps nopony!"
"I know that, Luna!" Celestia snarled. "Can't I blow off steam for once?" Celestia let out a cry that shook the room and disintegrated the chair that Shining Armor had been sitting on not fifteen seconds ago. "I just... I can't sit back and watch more of my ponies die, knowing that I cannot do anything to save them! I don't want to have to wait for a frightened filly that I should have executed murder another innocent pony, and hope that maybe she slips up so we can catch her before she does it again!"
With another screech of agony, Princess Celestia's mane and tail burst into flame. She began repeatedly slamming her hooves onto the table, each blow denting the solid steel. When she next spoke, her voice held an almost other-worldly tone to it. "I. HATE. FEELING. THIS. HELPLESS!!!
"TIA!" Luna screeched in the Royal Canterlot Voice.
At her sister's voice, Celestia's eyes went wide, and she collapsed onto her haunches. Her mane extinguished until it was in its flowing ethereal form once more. "Lulu," she whimpered.
Princess Luna sat on the floor and embraced Celestia, letting her cry on her shoulder. "I h-haven’t done that in many millennium," Celestia sobbed.
Luna rubbed Celestia's back and nuzzled her shoulder. "I know, Tia," she said gently. "I know. I feel just as you do. I do not know what the future brings for Joyous Blossom and our little ponies, but they will need you. You can be strong for them."
"I can hardly be strong for myself sometimes," said Celestia bitterly. She sighed and wiped her eyes with her foreleg. "But you are of course right, Lulu. Equestria needs me." Princess Celestia broke away from her sister's embrace and resolutely got to her hooves. "And I will be strong for them." She turned her gaze to Shining Armor, who had regained some of his courage, but was still uneasily standing in the corner of the room. "Captain Armor, Blossom was last seen in Manehattan. Send out The Ghosts.
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Six more kills for Blossom - six Royal Guards ceased to exist in this chapter.
2575127 Do we count those as kills?
Oh boy, here we go...
Things are getting very interesting
Couldn't the ghosts just return to their former lifes as soon as Blossom is a pile of ash?
2575218 Theoretically, but that's not in the foreseeable future.
2575127 I wouldn't count them as actual kills just yet. Though I doubt that all of them will be coming back from Manehattan.
2575158>>2575244
When you go that deep undercover, so deep that your files are destroyed, then you ain't coming back.
You are dead. Your family gets condolence letters. You no longer exist. You are a Secret Agent working for the State.
Even the worst spy story knows that.
2575158
Kill definition: to deprive of life in any manner.
With that meaning i supose the kills count to Celestia because she have the idea of erase the life of the guards.
Pd.- What with the "Solar Equinox" incident, something I should worry or put special attention?
2575348 Casualty of War vs. Death. The six guards are the former.
They may be functionally dead to Equestria at large, but they are still alive in the same way that the Men in Black are: they have moved beyond the system. Sure their families will get official condolences and all records will be erased or closed off, but they are still biologically alive and thus cannot be counted under the strict definition of kills performed by Blossom.
In addition, it is Celestia who is metaphorically killing them, so she would be credited with their deaths, not Blossom.
My Little Death Squad, My Little Death Squad, ahh ahh ahh ahh ahhhhhhhhhh~
Rule of hoof: peaceful equestria equals bad military training......
lol child please, she is gonna get the drop on these losers and tear through them like Jason Bourne.
Was announcing her future attack patterns to really such a smart idea?
If only one city is left and they still haven't caught Blossom, then all they'd have to do is send in every last able bodied guard from all over Equestria to watch over every last corner, house, back alley, street, building, and so on.
Celestia could even help spearhead the whole thing.
They'd catch her eventually.
The only real issue would be ponies who have gone insane from paranoia.
What's stopping Blossom from color changing a mare in front of some guards?
2576345 Nothing.
2576351 Excellent
Very good writing, although this sticks out to me:
"I just... I can't sit back and watch more of my ponies die, knowing that I cannot do anything to save them! I don't want to have to wait for a frightened filly that I should have executed murder another innocent pony, and hope that maybe she slips up so we can catch her before she does it again!"
I just strongly believe that the only important pony Celestia should have saved was Blossom herself. By failing Blossom, she failed her ponies. If Blossom doesn't deserve to live peacefully, let Equestria suffer
2577372 Either way she made some serious mistakes and everypony in Equestria is going to pay for it in one way or another.
I thought of a song based off of I Could Have Danced All Night
Bled!
Bled!
My victims yes they bled
My head's too light to try to stop it now
Nananana-nananana-nananana-na
Seep!
Seep!
My insanity seeps
Reality fa-ades
~~~
I could have killed all night
I could have killed all night
And still have bled through more
I could have spread my things
And clipped a thousand wings
Like I've never done before
I could have killed
Could have
KILLED ALL NIGHT!!!
2575888 Heh. That's where you're wrong. If they know where she will be next they will be far more obvious in their efforts and thus be easier to avoid. You forget that none of them have ever had to try and catch a killer like this and have no perspective through which to try and understand her. By making her plans known she creates chaos, and her confidence will push the authorities to desperation. They have no leads, no pattern to follow and no leverage. No, this is a nightmare that nopony will wake up from. There will be no escape, there will be no survivors.
I get the feeling you have thought about being a serial killer yourself. I know that I have(also for the sake of a story, mind you), and you follow very similar patterns in your writing of Blossoms methods to mine: misinformation, deception, ingenuity and reverse psychology. Slightly different circumstances, but unless Blossom screws up she won't ever get caught.
2578970
Nah, there are still a few ways to solve the problem.
Depending on how much effort Luna/Celestia feels like putting in to this, they could wait until she gets to the last destination and then nuke it.
Bam, crisis averted and only a couple thousand die.
Unfortunately, they'd never do that.
Technically the Ghosts should be Called the Hand. More ominous.
As dictated by Doctor Richtofen. " I want to bath naked. IN THEIR BLOOD!"
2650123 Ponies don't have or know what hands are
HOLY CRAP! Why? Why did they need to lock Sweetie Belle up? Maybe if Blossom had had her mother to raise her none of this would have happened! Yeah, the other ending was far better, but this is like watching an action movie, and a really good one at that.
This reminds me of Death Note. I wonder why.....
Are the Ghosts a reference to Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon? If so, shouldn't they have the stealth tech instead of Blossom?
5741865 That is very true! If they feared that Blossom would become another Rarity, why in Equestria would they lock Sweetie Belle up for most of Blossom's life?!
I should have said this in the last story, but this is incredibly impressive! The way that you portray insanity is masterful. Especially in the records Analytical Brain made I really felt like I was hearing what someone in Blossom's position would do. I can't wait to see how you write the Blossom Butcherings. I wish I hadn't stopped reading this series for awhile, it's absolutely amazing.
7315162
Because SB admitted to double murder.
Can't exactly have a murderer on the loose when they've already been caught and admitted to murder.
Also Celestia and Luna aren't perfect.
BronyWriter has kind of said that multiple times.
Celestia is slowly losing it...and that temporary transformation into Solar Flare confirmes it.
I hope she doesn't do something she'll regret later on.
You know...they are missing something, and since Equestria hasn't changed in the 5 years since NNM came back, I doubt they will.
Rarity was trapped by three bullies. Killed them out of fear. Found out she liked the rush, AND kept it secret to avoid the death penalty for foals.
Joyous Blossom was bullied by DT's hellspawn. When they got expelled they bribed another foal to help them trap JB. JB felt trapped and killed the 2 bullies. Sweetie Belle took the fall because of the foal death penalty.
Yes, Celestia finally got off her ass and changed that law. But harsher penalties for bullying? Na, can't do the smart thing and stop one avenue of psychos becoming psychos. Much better to just kill those who kill, and forgive ANYTHING short of that. Except Luna. And the guards who perform the executions. And Chrysalis. I also maintain Diamond Tiara leaked the photos of her dead daughter herself because she's that much of a sadistic cunt.