Death Note: Equestria

by Nonagon

Smolder

17
*Smolder*

Every God of Death must own at least one Death Note. This Note may not be lent to or written on by a pony.

Fluttershy’s imprisonment, day 1

Night had fallen. The moon had risen. Twilight’s breakfast toast lay untouched on the table downstairs. The unicorn herself sat hunched in front of her desk, a pair of mismatched books open in front of her. Her back was stiff, her throat was dry, her stomach roared. She didn’t notice. She’d neglected to turn on the lights or even light a candle, so her eyes strained in the moonlight as she glared holes in the dimly-lit pages.

What she’d intended to do was plan the deaths of guilty ponies for the days and weeks to come. Between plotting, Fluttershy and keeping up appearances with L, she hadn’t had much time to devote to killings in advance on top of her regular executions. As such, the last of her “safety net” was due to expire at the end of tomorrow. Once she moved properly into L’s base, she knew it would be even harder to find time to herself. But despite this knowledge, she couldn’t bring herself to delay any deaths longer than it took to write them down.

Twilight tore through the Equestrian Justice Records, flipping through the pages at random until she found an appropriate entry. She would scratch out the corresponding name, then pause, her quill hovering over the line below. She would read over the entry again, feeling flashes of rage grip her, and then stare at the offending pony’s picture, counting down the seconds until their painful demise. Then she did it again. And again.

None of them deserved to be spared. None of them deserved to live another day, not another hour, not another second while Kira was in control. Twilight snarled down at the pages as she worked. She was aware on some level that this was counterproductive and that the burning tightness in her chest came from another source, but she couldn’t bring herself to care. Knowing what they’ve done, how can I spend another week knowing that these monsters are still out there? she asked herself. For instance, here was a stallion who had beaten his wife until her ribs had cracked. He was being released after she paid for his bail. Just as she had the time before, and the time before that.

Crimson Ore

Here was a mother with a string of misdemeanors who had drunkenly thrown her newborn foal off of a cloud. No arrests had been made because the two witnesses were underage.

Winter Waters

Here was a shameless addict who had stolen much-needed medicine from a country hospital. She had only been charged with theft, even though the loss had ended the lives of two elderly ponies.

“Dark in here, isn’t it?”

Still in a trance-like state, Twilight finished writing the name Silver Chalice before turning away from her desk. “So there you are,” she croaked, swallowing painfully as she realized just how dry her mouth had become. “Where were you when I needed you?”

“With Mer.” A pair of large yellow eyes looked back and forth in the blackness. The dark shinigami fluttered to the floor and cleared his throat. “I tried to show her the apple orchard. I thought she wanted to look around Ponyville. Turns out she just wanted to get me away from Fluttershy so she could yell at me.” The god shuddered. “Gods of Death can’t really hurt each other, but... Mer sure has a way with words when she’s upset.”

“Is that so.” The voice was calm, but it was a forced calm, the unsettling kind that hinted at superequine restraint. "I suppose she knows about Fluttershy by now."

"Yeah. We arrived just in time to see her get... you know. I don't think I've ever seen Mer so angry. I thought she was going to-"

"Byuk," Twilight interrupted. "What were you and Mer fighting about?"

The god looked down. "Nothing," he mumbled.

"Don't give me that," the unicorn snapped. "I've been paying attention to you two. I know there's something you're not telling me!" Twilight rose from her seat and took a step forward, lowering her head threateningly. Her horn didn't light up, but lightning danced behind her eyes. "Now tell me why Mer is so angry with you," she continued in the same drawn-out tone, "or so help me, we'll see how much gods of death can hurt each other."

Byuk bit his lip and gulped. "Look," he said, scratching his mane sheepishly. "You know that Death Note I dropped?" Twilight nodded, her expression not changing. "Well, it's... I mean, I..." He sighed. "It's a shinigami thing, all right? It won't affect you."

“Byuk...”

“Really. If it was a problem, I would tell you, but it’s not. Just trust me on this, okay?” The god looked around the room, desperate to change the subject. "What are you doing in the dark, anyway?"

"The right thing." Twilight backed up and sat down at her desk again. "I always do the right thing. You know that, right?"

The god nodded quickly. "I mean," he clarified, "why don't you turn on a light? You're making me a little uncomfortable."

A second passed. Twilight concentrated for a second and the candles on her desk exploded into flame, sending bright pillars of fire to almost scorch the wall behind them. The unicorn twitched. In the harsh and flickering light, Twilight was not a pretty sight. Her mane was plastered lank and knotted against her skull, and her eyes were clouded and bloodshot. Her hind legs constantly shifted, painfully stiff from sitting still for so long. Her head hung low, every movement causing a dull ache to spread through her. Byuk had seen far worse, but something in his expression must have hinted to Twilight that she wasn't looking her best. "I'm fine," she intoned flatly before the god could open his mouth.

Byuk attempted to smile. "You don't look it," he said. "Seems like you've been through kind of a frenzy. Have you thought about taking a rest?"

The unicorn blinked several times. Muscles around her mouth and neck pulsed and flexed, as if something were trying to claw its way out of her. “Rest?” she hissed, as if the word itself were offensive to her. “Does crime rest? Does L rest? Don’t you dare tell me what to do, Byuk. Don’t you dare. Besides, doesn’t giving advice contradict the rules of your game?”

“I wasn’t!” the god protested. “I just don’t want to see you lose because you’re stressed. It’s no fun to watch you beat yourself up for no reason.”

“No reason?” Twilight laughed, which quickly turned into a hacking, furious cough. “Oh, of course,” she continued with venomous sarcasm. “What possible reason could I have to be worried? It’s not as if the only pony who knows my secret identity is in the hooves of my worst enemy, who is probably torturing the information out of her as we speak! I bet there’s no chance of a group of guards charging in here any minute! And even if things do get out of hoof, I can still keep her quiet with the Death Note, because it’s not like there’s a crazy god out there who’ll make any excuse to murder me if Fluttershy gets so much as a scratch on her! Oh no, wait, that’s exactly what’s happening!” the unicorn shouted. She threw her hooves into the air in frustration. “I don’t see how this situation could possibly get any worse!”

The god backed away, reflexively raising his front hooves. “Hey, don’t take it out on me,” he pleaded.

Twilight refocused. A pair of thin, tightly-bound scrolls dangled from the shinigami’s claws. "Were you hiding those from me?" she demanded.

"Huh? No!" Byuk raised the hoof holding the papers towards Twilight. "Someone slipped these under the door downstairs. I thought you might want them."

In a rush of magic Twilight ripped the two scrolls from Byuk's claws. One was marked with a symbol of Celestia's sun, the other with Luna's dark moon. Twilight unfurled the solar missive first.

Dear Twilight Sparkle, my beloved student,

I am deeply sorry for having taken so long to respond to your inquiry. Certain situations here in Canterlot have made it difficult for me to find time for personal affairs. Thankfully, I have been able to make arrangements that will make life easier for both of us.

My faithful student, do not concern yourself with the golems of the Everfree Forest. My scientists are aware of the issue and are determining the best course of action. At present they are not considered a threat to Ponyville or Equestria. For your own safety, please do not attempt to attack or follow a golem if you see one. Leave them be. The situation is under control.

I so wish that I could tell you about my position, Twilight, but the time is not right. In the future, when you are older and all is right in the world again, I may be able to tell you about the events of the past few days... and of the past. But until that day comes, I simply ask that you trust me, and that you do not worry about me. Do not tell anypony about this letter. I will write to you again as soon as I am able.

Your loving teacher.

Twilight snorted. The celestial mare hadn’t even signed her name. Not a threat? Did she even read my report? Does she even know about Sunny Days? Gritting her teeth, the unicorn threw the first scroll carelessly onto her desk and tore open the second.

Dear Twilight Sparkle,

I write to you concerning a matter of grave importance. My Sister, Princess of the Sun and co-ruler of Equestria, has disappeared. She makes her customary appearances at daybreak and at formal events, perhaps to keep the populace from panicking, but refuses to speak directly to anypony and disappears as soon as she is able. She cannot be found anywhere in the city during the day, and does not retire to her bedchamber at night. I grow increasingly concerned both for her personal well-being, and for the safe future of our beloved country.

While she may have chosen to spurn me, I hold out some hope that Celestia may choose to confide in you, Twilight Sparkle, her most faithful student. I understand that she desires privacy, but in times such as these the good ponies of Equestria cannot afford to keep secrets from one another. If Celestia attempts to contact you in any way, it is vitally important that you inform either myself or a member of the royal guard at once.

Understand that I make this request not out of distrust of my Sister, but out of concern. My only wish is to help Celestia bear whatever burden she is attempting to hide from me. I will do anything in my power to keep us from being separated once again.

Your friend,

Luna

Above the final lines several other attempts at a closing had been crossed out, including Your Royal Princess and Your Eternal Guardian of the Night. Twilight couldn’t help but smile at the lunar princess’ attempts to fit in. “Well,” she said, letting out a slightly feverish giggle, “it looks like I’m not the only one who won’t be sleeping tonight.”

Byuk craned his head over the paper. “I guess those two have quite the history, huh?”

“More than you know.” Twilight laid the two scrolls out beside each other. Now that she was back in her element she started to slow down, regaining a little of her lost composure. “The two Princesses have been together for most of recorded history, not counting the imprisonment of Nightmare Moon. It was their bond of love and friendship that defeated Discord five thousand years ago and made them rulers of Equestria. Nopony knows much about their lives before that, but it’s likely that they’ve always needed each other, in one way or another.” She scanned the two letters again. “And it looks like they still do.”

“But now, you can only respect the wishes of one.” Byuk grinned. “What will you do?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” With a flick of her horn, the unicorn placed one letter on top of the other and rolled them up together. “Neither course of action benefits me. If Celestia has some kind of plan, and I can’t count on Luna to put a stop to it, then the best way to gain information will be to keep my teacher’s trust.” She laughed bitterly. “Besides, if these came from Spike, then it’s likely that L’s already been through my mail. I can’t raise her suspicions by not siding with the pony I’ve looked up to all my life.”

The dark god tilted his head and looked at the paper bundle. “So...”

“So this never happened.” A thin smile on her face, Twilight raised the twin scroll to one of her still-blazing candles and set it alight. She held onto it as she passed the pages through the flame, keeping the ashes held aloft with her magic. Once the entire bundle had been consumed she lifted the charred remains and carried them towards the window, pushing it open with her hooves. “You see this, Celestia?” she muttered, staring at the distant lights of Canterlot. She held the ashes out into the night air. All at once she let them go, allowing the winds to carry the remains of the letters away. “This was for you.” She narrowed her eyes, never once looking away from the sparkling towers. “Remember this. It might not happen again.”

---

Far away, in the distant city, another set of candles burned on a very different desk. As Twilight Sparkle returned to her twin books and her obsessive writing, one of her unwitting counterparts whiled away the late hours filling a very similar role. He sat over a stack of papers as thick as his hoof, a quill almost crushed between his powerful teeth, and wrote away a seemingly endless number of lives. Instead of scrawling the name of each victim individually, however, this pony only had to write the same two words, again and again, to send each criminal to their deaths. Once on every page, right above the dotted line.

Straw Bolt.

The pegasus sighed. He put down his quill and, without looking at the clock, told himself to take a five-minute break. This would be the third such break within an hour, and one of many more throughout the day, without which his paperwork would surely have been done by now. Somehow, the lower the candles burned, the less significant this fact seemed. With barely a glance at the stacks remaining on his desk, the captain of the City Guard rose up and began to pace restlessly around his office. If anypony asked, he was simply stretching his legs; it wouldn’t do for a high-ranking officer to admit that he spent his valuable time questioning the validity of his job.

From a young age, Straw Bolt had known that he was destined to be an officer of the Royal Guard. Justice had always called to him, preferably of the swift and righteous variety. He’d met and exceeded the height requirement before leaving flight school, and had the regulation white coat without the need for dyes or enchantment, though his mane was an unfittingly rustic straw yellow. Even his cutie mark was the image of a golden shield. True, he’d earned it during a particularly rough game of flight school hoofball, but that wasn’t the point. The point was that it was his job - no, his purpose - to protect other ponies, a goal he’d spent his entire life working towards. A goal that this line of work had seemed synonymous with, but was now making impossible to fulfill.

Some parts of the fantasy had turned out accurate, to be sure. His office, for instance, was more or less as he had believed it would be. He had not only a finely-crafted desk and chair, but a whole filing cabinet and set of shelves to himself, which was practically royal treatment compared to the cramped conditions at the barracks. He had awards, a framed written commendation from the Princess herself, and a signed picture of his niece. Beyond that, however, the dream started to fall apart. The ornaments around the room were not gold, as they should have been, but silver. His uniform wasn’t the shining metal he’d admired in his youth, but simple and functional iron plate. Perhaps most significantly, instead of spending his nights plotting how best to keep the ponies of Equestria safe, he’d wound up lining them up one by one and sending them to be killed.

Ironically, these ponies were not even meant to be marked for death; since Celestia had passed the new laws, he hadn’t had to sign an execution warrant in over a year. No, the papers he’d been presented with were release forms. As Princess Celestia had refused to reopen the castle dungeons, the Guard had been incentivised to advance parole dates and shorten sentences for good behavior in order to prevent overcrowding in the prisons. The result was as many ponies leaving on a regular basis as came in, some of whom deserved their release, and some of whom did not. The forms had all been filled out in advance. All it took was the captain’s signature to add them to the enchanted records. Then, one by one, the newly released prisoners would die.

There was, it had to be admitted, a kind of cruel logic to the killings. No pony would ever say that Kira was not fair. He never killed a pony who had served a full sentence for their crime, nor one whose guilt or innocence was still in doubt. But even so, there was no denying the damage that had been done to the very concept of justice in this city alone. Prisoners now lived in fear, more terrified of freedom than imprisonment. On a recent patrol in the western prison an inmate had broken away from the guards and begged Straw Bolt, down on her knees, to not follow through on the early release she’d been promised. She said she’d rather wait another year than go out early, because Kira’s eyes were everywhere, and she wouldn’t last a month if he made her leave.

But he’d done it anyway, because it was his job and because the system would not function if he didn’t. Less than a week later the mare had been released, and two days after that she was dead.

Straw Bolt stared out the window. He looked with distaste at the distance to the street below. Despite being a pegasus, he didn’t like to be too far off the ground; it was hard to get a good look at anything from high up. Unfortunately, there were few buildings in Canterlot that didn’t extend into a tower, whether it made practical sense for them to or not. He blamed the short-sightedness of the architects, as well as anypony else in earshot when he was in a bad mood. In a way, though, his position was a blessing in disguise; the commanders of the Royal Guard occupied an even more impractically high spot in the next tower over. He supposed that was one silver lining to the post he’d been given. He supposed.

In a way, it was nopony’s fault that this had happened. It was with diligence and determination that he’d risen through the ranks, and when the elderly captain of the Royal Guard, Piercing Light, had finally retired, Straw Bolt had believed himself to be a prime candidate for his replacement. But no; the position had instead gone to a unicorn with royal connections several years his junior, and in the administrative shift the pegasus found himself delegated to a branch of the City Guard, a position his leadership skills seemed to have trapped him in. In a matter of days he’d gone from aiding national security to scraping thugs and lowlifes out of the city gutters.

Under different circumstances the lesser captain might have held a grudge, but his unintended rival, Shining Armor, was a difficult pony to dislike. He was both a powerful soldier and charismatic leader, and even Straw Bolt was forced to develop a grudging respect for him. Besides, to his immense frustration, the City Guard seemed to suit the pegasus well. Visually imposing, he had a forceful and often ruthless way of dealing with criminals, and the younger recruits looked up to him as an almost saintlike figure. It had, on the whole, been a very fair decision.

Very, very fair.

Straw Bolt sighed again and resumed his endless pacing, tired of the taunting glow of the Royal Guard tower outside. He resolved to return to his work, then paced for another minute. He knew that one way or another, those forms would be signed; the only question was how much sleep he would have to give up because of it. Fine, he decided, steeling himself. No more distractions. No more breaks. With a heavy heart, he turned back to the flickering candles.

“Captain?”

The large pegasus instantly straightened up. His office door creaked open about a foot and a familiar grey face peered in. On the other hoof, Straw Bolt’s brain hastily added, one must be ever vigilant in case of new dangers. “What is it, Lieutenant?” the captain barked.

Lieutenant Quicksilver squeezed her way into the room, choosing to pass through the narrow gap in the doorway rather than push the door open further. She gave her customary awkward bow and cleared her throat. There had been few females in the Royal Guard, mostly due to the formidable physical requirements - it was a simple fact of life that most stallions grew up larger and tougher than mares - but the slightly less restrictive conditions of the City Guard had made Straw Bolt’s current workforce a little more evenly mixed. “Message from the Royals,” the light grey pegasus said, lifting a letter out from under her wing. The City Guard generally referred to their gold-plated counterparts as the Royals, though some spoke the name with respect, others with bitterness. Quicksilver was among the former. “Important business in Ponyville.”

“Ponyville?” Straw Bolt accepted the document and laid it out on his desk, examining the letterhead. These orders had passed through Shining Armor less than an hour ago. “That’s a little outside our jurisdiction, isn’t it?”

“Apparently not, sir.” Quicksilver stared straight ahead, standing with an obviously forced stiffness. “A filly deemed important to the safety of Equestria was foalnapped by an unknown entity earlier today. She was carried by an artificial life form known as a golem to somewhere within or through the Everfree Forest.”

Straw Bolt blinked. “A golem? I was under the impression that they were the figments of an old mare’s tale.”

Quicksilver seemed a little surprised at this, and failed miserably at hiding it. “Perhaps, sir, but the report appears genuine. As Ponyville has no defensive force of any substance, we have been tasked with locating and retrieving Sunny Days before she comes to harm.”

The guard captain clenched his teeth. He glared down at Shining Armor’s purple seal, ignoring the briefing beneath it. “This is just like him,” he muttered at what he knew from experience was just enough volume for Quicksilver to think she wasn’t supposed to hear him. “As soon as a real crisis comes, he sends us off on some menial...” He paused. “No,” Bolt realized, a little louder than he intended. “This is perfect.”

Quicksilver’s ear twitched. “Beg pardon, sir?” she asked.

Straw Bolt turned towards his lieutenant, a smile creeping onto his face. No faceless monsters and unexplained deaths. No stuck-up detectives and their moral grey areas. Just us, a villain, and one lost little girl. For glory... for Equestria... and for justice. He gave Quicksilver a confident grin. Perfect. “Lieutenant, how soon will we be able to leave?”

“Within...” The grey mare’s lips moved soundlessly for a few seconds. “Two days. We’ll have to find ponies trained in forest navigation, and-”

“Make it one. You find us a team, I’ll order supplies. A little girl needs us, Lieutenant. We leave in twenty-four hours.”

“Twenty...” Quicksilver trembled, then snapped a quick salute. “Yes, sir! I’ll begin immediately, sir!”

“Excellent. Dismissed!” In a single, strangely fluid motion, Quicksilver turned around and squeezed back through the gap in the doorway, vanishing along the corridors of the guard tower. Straw Bolt watched the last tip of her silvery tail slip through the crack before turning away and looking back out his window. In the distance he could make out a few twinkling lights of what he judged to be Ponyville, and beyond that, the devouring blackness of the Everfree Forest. “Sunny Days,” he muttered, only partly to himself. “Don’t worry, kid. We’re coming for you.”

The captain started to turn back to his desk, then paused. He looked back at Ponyville and squinted. From this height as well as this distance it was difficult to see anything clearly, but against the background of the night Straw Bolt could make out one important detail.

One of the distant lights was getting a lot brighter.

---

At the stroke of ten o’clock, a single house in Ponyville burned to the ground.

The fire spread quickly and burned dimly. By the time the local fire brigade arrived the home had been almost completely consumed. Rainclouds were deployed only for the sake of preventing the fire from spreading to other houses; nothing within was salvageable. Had anypony been asleep inside when the fire had started, they would have almost certainly perished.

However, by some stroke of luck, none of the ponies who lived in this particular house were present when it burned down. The two parents had taken their daughter to the hospital just an hour before to deal with a twisted ankle, which she had attempted to hide from them until they put her to bed. For convenience, as well as not wanting to be parted from their child, they had agreed to stay the night there. Their other daughter, Sunny Days, had disappeared some hours before, accounting for much of their panic and overly protective reaction.

After careful searching, accelerants and several matches would be found mixed among the ashes of the house. While an investigation was filed, no culprit was ever named.

---

Dear Princess Luna,

It has been a long and grueling ten hours. We have gained no new information from the subject, though L insists that her terrified cries and mumblings are full of information. I cannot say I agree. Now that our subject has finally fallen asleep, I feel that I’ve gained enough confidence to say this one thing.

What we are doing is evil.

I cannot justify it. Even if the unthinkable truly has happened, if Harmony has been truly broken and even the bearer of the Element of Kindness has become an instrument of death, even then I would still not be able to justify this. What we have done to this mare is unforgiveable. But even though under any other circumstances I would recommend, no, demand that punishment be brought down on us, I cannot in good conscience justify that either. My coworkers are children and innocents, and it is not their fault that they have been involved in this.

I don’t know what to do. I admit it. I don’t know what to do. At this point all I can do is follow L, and pray that when she finally leads us to Kira, she won’t have turned the rest of us into monsters like her.

Your loyal servant,

Colgate

Next episode: Rainbow Dash reads a book!

Comments

[Starry Guise]

I approve of this!
Not that that's worth anything....
But hey, glad a new chapter's out!

[Rapid]

Oh my goodness.
Is it a coincidence that I was making up pony names yesterday, and that one just happened to be Silver Chalice?
....
You know what? Probably not. But still; kind of strange. XD;

[Morex25]

This is delicious as always. TwiLight's concern for her safety is spot on!
An Straw Bolt seems like a good character, will he have regular appearances? I ´d really like to see more of him.
Shining Armor is in this too? does that mean Cadance will show up next? I really like her, but I don't know how could she fit in this fic., maybe as cameo but not a full and important role.

[Master Lyra]

Awww yeah!
Twilight's screwed, and this new character is gonna be important somehow!
Yay!

[Fenrir]

nice so far, I cant wait for the next part to come out

[Dirty Bit]

Not to overthink things, but I wonder who the Mello and N characters shall be...

I hate them both, even if N is voiced by Cathy, but I just stop and wonder...

[Nonagon]

555400 555469
Interesting fact: I originally created Straw Bolt for the sole purpose of filling in a twenty-second gap in the first chapter. I had no idea that he was going to be a recurring character, and was surprised to see him turning up again. Of course, now that the plans for future plotlines have been further fleshed out, he's... well, you'll see.

[aaaa_aaaa]

Are the abacuses being used for a statistical analysis like Gwern's or just as a camera operator?

[Nonagon]

561094
Just for data organization, nothing advanced. There's only so much wood can do, even if it is run on magic.

[Paladin Redflare]

572222 Yeah but it's Ponies/Pinkie Pie so...

[Imakidbanme]

finishes watching Death Note
goes to Fimfiction
unfavorites and unreadlaters
i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/176/987/images-3.jpeg

[Wayward Mind]

This fic is getting beter and better!

Oh man, this new character is awesome. I hope we see more of him!

I can't help but root for Twilight.

[PoniesAreBrilliant]

603501 twilight killed pinkie how are you still rooting for her to win.?

[PoniesAreBrilliant]

561263 Still waiting to see if doctor whooves gets a say in this mess. You, mentioned him at the beginnin, but nothing since. I know he's really not meant to be in a death note story. But I can always hope

[SamRose]

643957

I refuse to believe Discord, the God of Chaos, able to make it night or day at will, change the entire fabric of reality and the way the world works with a snap of his fingers, could be killed by a simple 'heart attack'. Or ANYTHING the Death Note could whip up to 'kill' him with. The Death Note is a stealer of pony life, not an all-powerful magical armament.

[Wayward Mind]

644083 I love Pinkie Pie, yes, but it's inevitable. Everyone who reads this will root for Twilight. I mean, who didn't root for Light? In Death Note, that is.

When Pinkie Pie and Rarity died, and it was revealed that Twilight had planned it all, all I could think was, "Damn, that's clever. Terrible, but clever." It's wrong, yeah, but it's true.

And with Fluttershy on that team, I have no regrets. Fluttershy is best pony.

[PoniesAreBrilliant]

647227 I know discord is crazy strong. But who's ever name is written in the death note shall die.I think that as long as their not a death god, they can be killed. I may be wrong may be right, but got no way to find ou-- unless....

[PoniesAreBrilliant]

647478 I did root for Light up until he thought of himself as a god. (end of episode 1) Sure, Light did make the world a better place. But not because he wanted it to be safe, but because he wanted to be god. I don't think it was ever about making the world better to live in. As for Twilight, she has no god complex right now. She's trying to do what she thinks is right. I do like this about her, but she's far more insane than light ever was. She killed her best friends. Rarity had it coming, but pinkie did nothing wrong yet, she was innocent. There was very little if not any reasons to kill her. That's why I can't root for her. But if it's any consolation I can't root for L either. I can't put my finger on it, but I just don't like the way this L acts. I'm rooting for Colgate.

[Wayward Mind]

648440 Yeah, I also hated Light's god complex. That's why I'm glad and slightly disappointed that Twilight doesn't have one... yet.

I like L. It makes so much sense for Lyra to be L, it's amazing! It's like, the perfect fit! Not to mention Light and Twilight, that one should have been obvious.

I also like Colgate... a lot. He's just a likable character.

[PoniesAreBrilliant]

650804 I feel that L and Lyra was a great match as well ,but something is off about this L. It has nothing to do with the being scared thing. I just can't put my finger on what's different. Do, you have any idea why I may think this way.

[Noradora]

So I ask for princess action in my comment on last chapter, and here it is. Brilliant.

Though Twilight's lack of regard for either of them at this point (except a bit for Celestia? Just a little. So jaded...) bothers me (in that it's so strange for Twilight as we know her normally).

And uh... stuff. And maybe RD gets to do something again. lol

Hm.

[SinfulDreams]

650804 114weeks later,
Lyra
has
a
vagina.

[Xarsor]

4821497 You mean Colgate? Colgate is the pony whose gender was misplaced.