The Twilight of the Crystal Heart

by WanderingPony

Chapter 5: The Ceremony Of Innocence Is Drowned

Ponies, even highly intelligent (and magical) little ponies have their racial stereotypes. Herd-think is a big one. That is, if you have enough ponies thinking something out loud, pretty soon the other ponies around them are thinking it too- and will tell you that they had been thinking the same thing, even if the pony in question didn't have a clue on the subject to begin with. In good times, this can mean an idea is acted on with remarkable unity.

In bad ones, it means a large group of ponies can become a mob in no time at all.

Canterlot in two days of waiting for a verdict had become a very rowdy mob as Princess Celestia's heartfelt confession had leaked out of the House chamber and spread across Canterlot with a cloud of ugly rumors: That Celestia had used her "Elements" as patsies for destroying a rival Princess and the Empire, Twilight Sparkle had discovered the truth and been magically sabotaged and eliminated for knowing too much, that the Element's families were being "guests" guarded by freakish monsters to keep their good behavior, and dozens of more outlandish theories that brewed faster than the local bars could plunk down mugs of cider and sassafras beer.

The lockups were straining to hold more ponies than Canterlot expected to ever need- locals, refugees that'd had a few too many and broken a few windows or brawled over lost homes, lost friends, and lost land while trying to drown out bad memories. Tents had spread out around the castle as crystal ponies had gotten antsy about the limited space in the courtyards proper and moved to slightly greener (or at least roomier) pastures for their temporary housing. The weatherponies had taken to walking clouds down the grounds in and around the castle to keep things rinsed mostly clean and cool, but even pegasi couldn't kick the haze of bad feelings that was darkening the sky over Canterlot like a flight of gremlins.

Celestia had not been seen in public since the trial. Luna, her mane shifting from one highlight to another (first having her mane's "stars" go almost nova, then dim to the charred dusk of a dwarf star) had been raising and lowering both celestial bodies. Dark-maned, she had quietly gone to the Element's families and sent them away, despite protests, yelling, and tears. She spoke to them quietly, of dreams and what she had seen in the sleep she snatched between court and clatter, sun and moon.

"Twas not to send thee away from thine family and children, but so they would not fear for their kin."

A stallion-team pulled a three-car train of "relief supplies" away the second night, destination Ponyville.

An hour later, the clouds of gloom burst wide upon the city.

---

Sunset Shimmer walked along the balcony-lined path that marked the edge of Canterlot- a view that gave a sweeping vista of the lands below the mountain and an occasional updraft to refresh the passerby with a cool draught of mist from the plunging waters as they poured down into the valley below. Blueblood walked beside her, and the young unicorn was thoroughly smitten by her tall husband.

Or so you'd think, unless you looked deep in her eyes to see the green glimmer of enthrallment that had her "happily" loving her dear Blueblood and brainlessly pleased to finally be the princess she'd always wanted, locked inside fantasies of taking over Equestria and ruling it as King and Queen, just as soon as that nasty Celestia and her sister (who everyone knew was Nightmare Moon in disguise) were dealt with....

Two pegasi guards in silvered armor trotted along a few paces back, bored as the couple mouthed sweet sugar-cube nothings at each other on their evening romantic trot. A shady balcony beckoned the two, and they stopped under a swaying willow tree to share a smooch, the kind two pony newlyweds managed ten minutes or so rest between at best. It was photoworthy. Indeed, Quick Pic was busily sketching the make-out scene from a safe distance for the Old Nag Rag, a fine example of Equestria's free press that had captured many of Blueblood's most romantic moments for posterity.

It made the earth pony the perfect witness to the couple's finale as Blueblood's two guards sent the unicorns flying off the edge with a galloping charge, driving into their victims with lowered steel shoulders. Sunset Shimmer let out a piercing scream as she plunged into freefall, the two pegasi simply opening their wings to float off into the night like feathered angels of death. Blueblood himself only grunted in surprise as the two vanished into the darkness below.

He stared deep into Sunset's eyes for a long moment, a hellish green spark stunning the mare into a dizzy spin...and opened two membranous wings to glide onto a cliff face where two changelings hefted a limp white unicorn between them. As she fell past, they tossed the flopping body to accompany Sunset in her dazed decline. Trailing a few sticky bits of what had once been a changeling's cocoon, the real Bluebood's lips curled back as he dove face-first into terminal velocity.

A gust of wind shoved the two into the path of the torrent that poured down below the castle's walls. A white hoof flailed briefly above the plunging river current before the hungry waters consumed the two unicorns without a trace.

"Well, that takes care of THAT little problem.", the false Blueblood said as he stepped into the shrouded nook. Green flames leaped to catch shadows suddenly cast by rough rock and blackened chitin, and he became she, tall and crook-horned. With a flick, she launched the horn-ring declaring his-her eternal love for Sunset Shimmer off the edge to join the two unicorns in their long fall to the bottom.

"It will be SUCH a story. Celestia's own royal guards tossing her troublesome nephew and ex-student off a cliff to their doom, with only a brave little pony hidden to witness the depraved act.", the true form of Chrysalis crowed. "But why rely on one to spread such wonderful news when five will do?"

The two guard-pegasi landed, and with another wash of venomous energies, five changelings became four "ordinary" pegasus stallions and a mare that shared a brief laugh before leaping off the narrow ledge and howling with feigned horror.

"SOMEONE'S FALLEN INTO THE WATERFALL!"

"OH, CELESTIA! WE WERE TOO LATE!"

"CALL THE GUARD! CALL THE GUARD! TWO UNICORNS FELL INTO THE RIVER!"

The faux-fliers circled like vultures over the foaming pool where the waters finally came to meet earth. Nothing surfaced below them save bubbles. Above them, more voices and the heads of curious ponies peered down to listen to the mournful screams of the "witnesses" as a squad of Canterlot police stampeded through the crowd with Quick Pic leading the way, who stopped to point as a flight of guards swooped in to investigate the commotion.

"Officers! It was two of THEM that gave Blueblood and his beau the deep six!", Quick Pic shouted.

Police whistles and arguments between clashing authorities floated down (with a few feathers) as dozens of castle staff, guards, police, and random onlookers turned into a all-nighter of nasty words mixed with three-ring crime circus, a Royal Guard officer horn to head with a Canterlot Watch mare as they argued over who got to bring Quick Pic in for questioning and more than one winged servant of justice tangled in midair trying to clear the skies and the crime scene, badges and armor flashing in mouth-held lanterns bent to shine into the silt-filled waters for a sign of the lost.

The changeling pegasi let themselves be herded off easily by random ponies-in-"charge" of the madness and caught a thermal that let them float lazily over the mountain road that led to Canterlot's front gates, a spiral that carried them away from the angry babble of outrage.

"Drones? Keep an eye on the river. Find what's left of those two and make sure you're there when they wash up. I want lots of VERY angry, sad ponies to hear how Celestia had them pushed. Every pony should hear about THAT."

"My Queen? What will you do now?", Six-Seventy-Five hissed in a voice that no pegasus could manage without enough prosthetics to star in the next Nightmare Night on Elm Street movie.

"Oh, I thought I'd revisit an old face, Celestia's lost so many Princesses lately she'll just DIE to see this one...", and the black-winged pegasus mare went to ground. Her ebony fur turned pink as her hooves touched the earth. A crooked horn stretched from her head to form a cracked, half-broken spiral of rosy ivory, and patches of pelt became bruised with the signs of a desperate journey on hoof through miles of snow and wasteland.

Limping on a blackened, gangrenous hoof, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza slowly made her way back in the dark to the foot of the mountain. The cackle of evil glee sent a few bats fleeing from nearby trees to swirl about her seemingly useless horn in escort. At a good shamble, she expected to be at the bottom of the road to Canterlot right after breakfast- not that she hadn't had a decent meal lately, but there'd be an all-you-can-eat feast of crystal ponies just -waiting- for a miracle to love in a few more hours to take them away from the horrors of Canterlot.

And the adoring mob would even carry their poor, broken Princess anywhere she liked. Straight to the promised land. Where she'd promised all her lovely brood a crop of crystal ponies to hide in, feed on as they loved their Cadence and kept Celestia's murderous cronies far away from where the swarm would drink deep until nothing was left but loveless, bitter husks to discard. By then, Equestria would have it's defenses broken and ready for her well-fed horde to trick the rest into utter destruction.

She barely managed to turn a second cackle into a pained, choked wheeze of suffering. Wouldn't want any ponies catching on, would we?

Comments

[Rathalos122]

It´s such a shame that chrysalis probably doesn´t include the return of a dead one in her plans^^

[WanderingPony]

3042280

No, I'm afraid that Queen has a HORRIBLE streak of crossing the wrong Sparkle. That is, if she can pull herself together and not explode again. And Celestia doesn't emo out. Or Luna gets old-school on her uppity subjects and declares Mare-ital law.. Or the rest of her friends (and that Trixie mare) don't end up with a century-long statue sentence.

And then there's two unicorns she sent down, down, down the river. Even Blueblood doesn't deserve death by excessive hydrobreaking, does he?

: I hear a calm pool at that speed is like going horn-first into a chunk of concrete!

Um...maybe that's a changeling masquerading as Rarity.

: You mean you DIDN'T kill off that rotten plothole?

I blame prison, It's hardened her. Sorry, dear. Find out later on in the story.