The Remaining Element

"We have to stop this....just breathe...it will be alright, I promise..."
"Twilight..."

"Shh....don't talk. Please, just lie still, Applejack."
The sun had set, the day was done, and night had graced the land. However, the purple alicorn longed for daylight to come so that it flood the old barn and spill all over all it's furnishings. But daylight was far away now, and there was only dark that seemed to slowly creep into the lavender mare's heart and lay to rest there.

She was laid comfortably on the couch, sprawled out but with her muscles tightly clenched at the same time. She refused blankets, water, food, but only wished that the alicorn was there to keep her company. The princess was, sitting just beside her, and watching as if her eyes would never stray.

Her face was scratched, her hooves bruised, and there was deep signs of wear on almost every inch of her. The wound on her stomach was patched up, and there was no blood. Her mane and tail, however, were the only things that didn't show battle, staying the way it had always been; in two trusty ponytails. It was exactly how the lavender mare had so fondly remembered her before.

She did not cry. She did not stir, or fight, or bleed. She simply lay. That was all she had energy left for, and that was all she wished to do. She watched her alicorn friend with a certain irreplaceable and untarnishable fondness, and sadly watched the princess's eyes, for behind them great pain was living. One that would never subside.

There were no more. She was the last, and all the empty necklaces were given to a solitary alicorn, in hopes that when she looked at them, she would remember everything. The lavender princess didn't need an empty necklace to do that. Not now, and not ever.

The first death was the easiest. It was extremely difficult, but at least then the alicorn had the ones alive for comfort. The second was harder, and the third and fourth as well. The fifth, like all the others, was unbearable, considering it wasn't even an equine who had passed. By the sixth, the lavender mare's heart had been scratched up, cracked, shattered, and rebuilt poorly so many times that she couldn't feel if she had one anymore. In it's place, a void that nothing would fill.

The barn's silence was louder than any noise. The few animals that resided there had long since passed away, as well as a certain old green mare. Her brother and sister were still alive, but both had already moved away and started their own lives. She now lay on her family's old couch. Thinking of her family made her think of all those who had died.....but she had a certain feeling that her time to see them once more and to leave the beloved princess behind was drawing ever near.

It seemed that the atmosphere had taken a permanent shade of a dulled and pale gray, and it seemed to wash all the other color out. Their grown children were the sole things that the alicorn found joy in in the current days. They always came around the castle to hear stories of their parents back in the glory days, the days in which happiness was abundant and one couldn't ever see the end. Until now.

"Twilight...." A soft voice, one to pierce and to slightly fill the gray, and a voice that the alicorn had scarcely heard before. The alicorn looked up and acknowledged her friend, tears long since finding residence on her cheeks.

"Yes, Applejack?" The lavender princess spoke with a inevitable and impeccable grief, such a fate no one pony should ever endure.

"Will ya.....will ya get something for me?" A small and almost inaudible cough added to the well-known and embraced accent.

"What is it?" The alicorn carefully rose from her place by the couch, knowing all too well what the earth pony wished to give her. A soft and delicate rage bubbled up inside the princess, but she shoved it back down. It was an old friend, one that had stood by her all this time, and after all that had happened. But she wouldn't...not here.

"It's....over...over in the drawer," came the reply, and the alicorn slowly trudged over to where the weathered carrot orange hoof was motioning to.

The lavender mare had left the Elements to them. She saw no reason not to; they represented them, they should care for them. They would always have them in case of emergency. She vividly remembered giving the earth pony the delicate and empty necklace, and remembered how the orange mare had insisted on not keeping it. After the alicorn had insisted, the mare finally gave in.

Then, before the princess knew it, her brain was a slideshow, with memories exploding like fireworks across her conscious. There they all were, giving the beloved Elements to the delicate tree. There they were helping out at Sweet Apple Acres, at Carousel Boutique, Sugarcube Corner. There they all were, alive, happy, and oozing contentment and the feeling of belonging.

The princess wanted them back more than ever. She'd give her life to bring back all of theirs; it didn't matter what happened to her. Even if she was a royal. Another memory resurfaced: one of a certain orange mare suggesting on turning the princess away just because she was a royal, to keep her safe. A mistake, but that didn't matter now.

The mare had reached what she was being pointed to, through all her happy memories. A small, and much like everything else she knew, old bedside table was in her direction, which she recognized but never truly acknowledged. There was only one drawer, so there was no way she or anypony could mistake it. A single vase was atop it, with a few dying pansies laying inside. Just seeing the flowers made the princess's insides turn to mush and the tears stream down her cheeks faster. Taking a loud sniff, she lifted a lead filled hoof up to where the single drawer's handle was, and slowly pulled it open.

The sound of the drawer opening caused the couch dweller to open one careful emerald eye. A wisp of a smile played on her mouth, as she knew very well what was inside, and all the memories it held.

The alicorn had fully opened the drawer, and though she knew what was inside, the tears came faster now. It was as beautiful then as it was today.

Carefully reaching the same lead filled hoof inside, she took the empty necklace out of it's resting place, sending a tiny shower of dust into the drawer, and began to walk back over to the couch. Every step brought her closer to saying the one word that she could not. Every step to that word. Every step to being alone. But the smile that played on the couch dweller's lips was enough to bring her closer, and to sit as she was before, and to give the delicate object to the dweller.

The earth pony accepted the necklace and brought it into her weathered hooves, looking at it fondly.

"I saw them....give theirs to ya. We've....we've had a good time, haven't we? Ah thought....it might be best." The soft words were enough to bring on fresh tears, and the alicorn bent her head and nodded, reaching out a single lavender hoof and brushing a stray lock of blonde off the carrot orange mare's freckled cheek.

"You can't leave me!" The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them, their noise bouncing off the walls of the near empty barn.

"Twilight...."
"No!" The tears were coming faster now, streaming and racing down as fast as they could. The rage found its way among these tears, just as it always had.

"You......I......." The lavender mare stammered in an attempt to calm herself. The rage and numbness that she so often kept inside herself began to flow all out again. It bubbled up inside her and caused violent amounts of tears and snot to run down her muzzle, and it allowed sobs to escape their old resting places.

"I'm sorry, it's just....."
"Ah know......Ah didn't....see it coming either."

"Applejack.....if you go....who will stay here with me?" asked the alicorn, her tone fleeting to the helplessness that she only dealt with alone in her bedroom at night.

"We will always be with ya. We're....inside ya, remember?" she said, giving another slight cough.

The two sat in silence, with the alicorn crying softly now and the couch dweller examining the empty necklace further, trying to delay the inevitable.

"Twilight." the softness of her voice had evaporated, and she spoke with such force that anypony nearby who was listening would have just by her tone. Sure enough, she had a pair of teary violet eyes and her best friend's full attention.

"What is it?" the mare asked again, sniffing loudly, and trying desperately to be serious.

"Your...hoof." she said, softer than before, but with the same commanding tone.

Wordlessly, the lavender mare handed over a single forehoof, the tears still coming steadily. Without hesitation, the couch dweller positioned a weathered orange hoof above the waiting princess's, and let the necklace fall into the lavender one. A glimmer of gold flashed about the room in the lack of light, and it fell delicately into the alicorn's lavender hoof, with a small tink of ore on hoof.

Once it was safely placed inside the beloved princess's care, the couch dweller leaned forward, and with two of her forehooves encased the necklace holding hoof of the alicorn. The two stayed this way, and before long, tears were racing down both faces, soft sobs filling the dark and quiet.

The couch dweller was the first to shatter the moment, and the carrot orange hooves left the single lavender one. She lay on her back, in her original place of position, and gave a heavy sigh, tears still leaking out of her beautiful emerald eyes.

The alicorn brought the necklace holding hoof back down to her level of eyesight, and her breath quickened, and hot, fresh tears streamed out of her eyes. The mare was close to crying herself out soon, and once she had accomplished this, she would dry sob until she was ready to quit. The lavender princess was not sure that she would ever be ready to stop crying.

"Twilight. Can Ah......ask ya....for another favor?" The small voice had returned, still dripping with the accent.

"Anything, Applejack." was the reply, and the princess forced herself to look into the emerald eyes. The eyelids were growing heavy now, and the breath that the couch dweller was breathing was growing labored.

Before the alicorn could tell her friend that she shouldn't speak and to save her strength, the couch dweller moved more quick than the princess had seen her move since she had brought the dweller back to the barn.

With one swift movement, she grabbed both the mare's forehooves and looked straight into the alicorn's violet eyes. Shock spread itself over the lavender mare's face, but the emerald eyes were so pleading, so urgent, that she did not say a thing. Her breathing was even more labored now, and pain hinted on her face, but she focused on the mare with all her remaining strength. The moment spray painted itself deep in the mare's memory, a place in which it would never leave.

"Twilight, will ya avenge them? And me? We....they....can't die in vain. We all love ya...and we won't ever be away from ya...but...find.....find.."

She panted, gave a heavy sigh, contorted her face in pain, but looked back at the princess, whose eyes had widened bigger than the couch dweller had ever seen them.

"Find who did this to me....and....and to them....please, Twilight." Her grip grew slack, and her eyelids more heavy. The princess nodded, and she felt one orange hoof leave hers and find it's way onto the lavender mare's cheek.

"Please...remember..............that we all.....love ya......Ah....love ya, Twilight.....don't forget....."

And then, all time came to a screeching yet soft halt. Her eyes closed softly, and her last breath was warm on the mare's face. Her head found a place to lay on the alicorn's shoulder, and her matted and beat-up body went slack and still against her beloved princess.

The couch dweller was no more.
.............................................

The sun that the alicorn had so longed for was present, though the mare could not feel it on her back. The wind was blowing, and there were few clouds to dot the sky. She stared straight at the stone, surrounded by an array of others, laid to peace in the soft, green grass.

Her eyes swept across the headstones, reading every name, each bringing a warm and delighted memory of the one who had passed.

The alicorn's eyes landed on the new headstone once more, placed carefully right by the others. She slowly walked up to it, and put a single violet hoof down by the freshly dug dirt, and lay two somethings atop the dirt, up against the headstone, leaving one clenched firmly in her hoof.

The first, a bouquet of delicate pansies, baby's breath, and lilies. The sun caught their blooms just right, and they glinted up at the grief-stricken princess. The wind blew softly and combed itself through the mare's mane.

The second, the delicate golden necklace. She stood by her belief that the necklaces, once holders of the Elements, belonged to them, and she would not keep them and dwell on them for very long. If she kept them, she knew that every day she would trot by their resting places, and be reminded of the obvious. She didn't need the necklaces for reminders, either.

The mare took a few steps back, and looked across the headstones once more. Glints of gold flashed up into her eyes, as each necklace shone in the sun from their places by the headstones, with one headstone not bearing a necklace, who's rester was not even a pony.

As she watched each necklace flash up at her, the alicorn was reminded of the couch dweller's last plea. The remaining something grew inexplicably heavy in her hoof, and it's very presence began to slowly burn through her. The couch dweller's words echoed through the lavender princess's mind, and the reminder urged more tears.

Her sobs danced and were carried by the wind, through the quiet resting place of her beloved friends.

Through her tears, the alicorn felt something spark and begin to bubble up inside her. At first, the mare was oblivious to what this something was. She assumed it was grief, or her extreme sadness and hopelessness, but as it bubbled more furiously, she recognized it instantly. White-hot rage. The something was clenched even tighter than before.

The couch-dweller's plea shone from it's place in the princess's memory as she turned away from their final resting places and began to trot back to her abode, and opening her hoof so that the something would fuel this anger. The anger that she had always resisted but never had the courage or the mind to fully embrace it. Things had changed.

She would do what the dweller told her to. She would fulfill the dying wish. And she would accomplish it even if it killed her.

Memories

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She could scarcely remember how they all passed, but the memories were there, clearer than she could ever remember them. The purple mare was in her castle, in it's library, the only place she truly found peace in these days. It was about mid-morning, with the sun cheerfully shining into the grand library.

Her memories were laid out on her library table for her to inspect and pick apart. All were there, and each resided in her renovated happy place: her mind. It was the only source of happiness now.

Each death was not an accident. She knew it then, and she knew it now. Even though she knew at first, each was widely recognized as so by the public.

The first death had left her speechless. It was a drowning, in which a certain white unicorn was found in her bathtub, soaking wet, with all signs of life gone from her eyes. Though their princess commanded it, the police didn't even open a case. The head officer suggested that the unicorn could have fallen asleep in the bath, or was sick earlier in the week and could have died then.

The only compromise the alicorn could get was that an autopsy would be performed as soon as possible. In the meantime, the lavender princess was left to grieve in peace, with the remaining Elements. The evidence and body were sent away, but the police didn't hear anything back. The only thing that returned was the body of the white unicorn. In a gray silk bag.

The second was more intriguing. A sky blue pegasus mare had been flying home at dark after seeing her friends and helping her princess friend grieve, when a beam came off town hall's structure suddenly, and fell on the rainbow maned mare before she had a chance to react. By the time she was found the next morning, she had bled internally and externally a great amount, and had died alone under town hall, with the beam carelessly strewn and now lay close beside the body.

It was then that the lavender mare could not and would not believe that it was an accident. So many questions had she thrown at the police, hoping desperately that they could answer them. Why hadn't anypony heard the beam come down on her pegasus friend? The princess was sure that town hall was built more satisfactory than that. She had also begun to suspect(though lightly) that the sky blue mare had been murdered, along with the white unicorn. But by who, she hadn't the slightest clue. One part of her wanted desparately to believe that the deaths were accidents....but another part of her thought otherwise.

The police dismissed her questions, knowing nothing, but they awarded their princess two victories: one which was to hire building inspectors to come and look at town hall, the other was to suspend the case for further questioning. The lavender alicorn was still furious at this, and for days the three remaining Elements and a certain dragon could not get her out of her castle bedroom. Those days dragged longer than three hundred years, and when they were finally able to pry open the door, they found her laying on her bed, staring deep into space.

Then the third death came to strike Ponyville. It's resident party pony had been found dead in her quarters at Sugarcube Corner, and when the investigation was made, one police officer found the trace of some sort of plant just under the pink earth pony's bed. The trace was sent to a lab, and when the test results returned, the plant was identified as oleander.

The lavender alicorn now had a stronger belief on what her other side thought on the whole ordeal. Unknown hints of rage joined the ever stream of grief. She demanded the police keep all three cases open, just in case any possible shred of information came up. They agreed, but also made arrangements for their funerals and burials, which the lavender princess reluctantly agreed to. But not after spending an extra four days in her bedroom. With the door tightly locked.

The chief of police argued frequently with his princess, though he was often shaky about doing so, saying that maybe the white unicorn's and the pink earth pony's deaths were in fact accidents. He agreed that the building incident was suspect, but he also classified it in the accident nature. He insisted that maybe the white unicorn died of sleep, old age, or shock, and that the pink pony couldn't take the grief that the deaths of her other friends before her had brought on. The cyan pegasus was a terrible victim of improper building, and he promised the royal that someone in that department would be fired right away.

This arguing only made the princess more angry and more questionable, and with three remaining friends, she was desparate to find answers.

And then, as if on cue, the mare got one. She had been returning from her most recent argument with the police, when she saw it. It was written crudely on a scrap of parchment that had a putrid perfume scenting it. It was delievered shortly after she returned home from the police station.

A beloved owl's wing pointed to the crack under the door, indicating the letter's sliding entrance. It had a crusty wax seal, as if it had attempted to look presentable, and naturally no return address. The princess had it open so fast that the envelope had barely come out of the opening in one piece.

A beautiful princess sits on a throne
Among all she finds joy in to own
However this joy will change it's tone
When the princess's joy is overgrown
I remain to you, Unknown
And unless my demands are sewn
Those dear to you will be overthrown
Including you.
Give up your throne to me, and I will spare lives.
-U

The lavender mare visited the police station for the second time that day, sending all officers in an uproar.
Clearly their princess was a basket case, but when she showed them the letter they understood.

After a half hour of coaxing and calming, they were finally able to put the royal in a comfy chair with a fluffy pillow and a cup of coffee. The head officer soothed her by saying that it was nothing; a simple prank played on her by the local schoolfillies. She pressed it, and they allowed her to demand that they put the letter away in evidence and to open a case, just so she would leave the station. She was to bring all other letters of this nature to the station immediately. This action seemed to work, at least for the time being.

She waited. She had memorized the letter, and spent many nights and days pondering its whereabouts, with the remaining Elements and the dragon to assist her. Just when she needed the letters to come, they did not.

She had no leads, either. The only thing she had accomplished so far was heavily questioning the remaining villains who now held places in Equestria. Discord had long since passed away, and Queen Chrysalis was in prison.

King Sombra was somewhere in the Arctic, enjoying his solitude and learning to be good, and Sunset Shimmer was being taught friendship back in the alternate world. The alicorn did not get a chance to talk with Sunset, and the villains she had spoken to knew nothing. Tirek, of course, was back in prison, and though she had yet to visit him, she knew he was heavily guarded and too weak to make another appearance.

During these dry spell days, she stayed mostly alone or in the company of the remaining friends, letting them soothe and calm her as best as they could. Their attempts were futile, and they knew it, for the alicorn mare was not the only one in disarray. Nopony was taking the situation lightly.

The lavender alicorn had even taken the precaution of questioning Zecora, the old zebra who had recently taken residence in Ponyville Retirement Home, trying to keep herself busy and her mind off the obvious. Although the princess found it doubtful that the zebra would send such a letter, but she saw no harm in questioning. As expected, Zecora was innocent, and the mare was back to square one.

She had begun the process of accepting her beloved friend's deaths when another death and another crusty letter came to pass. A certain butter yellow pegasus was found at the edge of the Everfree forest, with a delicate white hankerchief and a smelly envelope just nearby. The hankerchief was sent to the same lab used for the pink pony's investigation, and it returned, it was found to be filled with a mysterious substance. One only recognizable as ether. The letter was examined, and sent to the lavender mare's castle.

Such a delicate life this one lead!
I do hope everything is alright in your head.
But there's nothing more to be said,
Now that another has come up dead.
I ask again, before more bloodshed,
Let this be the dawn of your dread.
Give up your throne to me. Hold a public assembly in front of your castle and invite your dear princesses. Then make the announcement, and say nothing of anything I have told you. I will come out of the audience and you will tell the audience and the princesses how you wish to give your crown to me.
If you do not hold the assembly, my death will continue to spread. Tick tock. You're running out of friends.
-U

With the new evidence, the police finally began an official investigation, though not every officer was assigned to the case as their royal would have liked. The lavender mare was beyond a mess, as were all the others, and the police personally asked therapists from all over Ponyville to take a look at her and her friends.

With only two remaining friends, the lavender princess insisted that the orange farmer come and stay with her in her castle, away from harm. The purple dragon was moved to the room closest to her, and both chambers were to be heavily guarded at every moment of the day. The farmer and the dragon were the only ones who could comfort her now, to save her from her blooming insanity, and from the mysterious U.

So many unanswerable questions swirled in her mind, keeping her awake at night, along with her irreplaceable grief. Though heavy bags stood at attention under her eyes, no sleep came to her. The ever nagging rage kept her on her hooves every day, and she refused to believe that she was out of options.

Just when she couldn't be torn apart a second longer, another struck the town, along with it's deadly signature. A certain purple dragon, along with three of the princess's guards were walking by the edge of the Everfree when they were viciously attacked by something. An old herb farmer found all four mangled bodies, and had seen the bite marks and the blood. The letter now had blood tattoos when it was finally given to her highness.

What a waste to kill a perfectly good drake.
I hope that now you will choose to end your self inflicted heartache.
For if not more deaths will undertake,
As I said, only you can stop this outbreak.
I still have not yet heard you call a public assembly, but I am waiting patiently until you do. I've seen you at the police station, and I know how badly you are being shaken up. Do as I instructed, or I shall take the one remaining. If you still do not comply, more deaths will occur, this I promise you. -U

The police were becoming quite used to her visits by now, and this visit didn't shake them up as much. A full blown murder investigation was called, and every avaliable officer was set on the case. Officers were to be stationed by the princess and the remaining Element at all times, and houses were being randomly searched at points in the day. The train station was guarded, and any suspicious beings were to be taken into custody immediately.

Numerous suspects were brought in and questioned, but none of them turned out to be correct. Their royal was called down to the station some of the time, but mostly, she was left at peace.

This was no longer the princess being paranoid. This was a real case, and the head officer no longer believed the deaths to be mere accidents. In fact, when the royal was around, the word 'accident' was not to be mentioned. The mare's condition continued to worsen, with bloodshot eyes, a train wreck mane, and increasing bags finding places under her violet eyes.

And now the couch dweller was dead. All because she couldn't bring herself to give up her royalty. One side of her screamed at her conscious for not being able to give up her crown, while another cowered at the thought of just who she would be giving her magic and power to.

The remaining Element was shot by an arrow, right in the stomach, in broad daylight. In the square. With at least five witnesses. It's shooter was not found, even after an extremely extensive search. The police could only locate one thing: a bow, left behind in an alley close to where the body was found. A letter was attached to the arrow. As the farmer died, she was brought back to the barn so that the words could be exchanged. When the bow was inspected for hoofprints, none were found.

And now, as she sat in her library remembering, her decision was clear and indefinite. She stared at the clean piece of parchment in front of her, and the quill levitating inches above it. A letter to the princesses. Saying to come at once. They knew of her predicament as well, and had taken the necessary precautions.

There were no words to describe her fear. It had joined the rage and grief as she sat up at night. It was the knocking of an innocent branch on her window, and the howling wind that sang across the castle. It wasn't the deaths or the abdicating or the heavy guards that scared her the most. It was U.

The very thought of him watching her made her insides chill straight to the marrow. She rarely slept anymore without five guards in the room with her and her horn alight with a spell ready to stun. Grief clouded and dulled her once loving heart, and it filled her entire body. The void grew, and the heart shrank. She could feel its weight on her head everywhere she went, and it never left.

She stared at the most recent letter, reading its words over and over again until she got it tattooed on her mind. This one had yet to be given to the police, even though it had been sent over a week and a half after the couch dweller's death. She was so heavily guarded now that it ceased to matter.

There are no more, and this is the end
And yet your mind has yet to bend
My killing spree has yet to extend
Unless you do as I ask this very weekend.
Just as I have so tirelessly instructed you to. I will come out of the audience and you will not breathe a word to anypony about our arrangement. I know guards will be watching for me, but one word from you and they will not harm me.
Have you noticed how lovely the princesses are lately? I certainly hope nothing bad happens to them.
-U

There was no other way for her now. U had given her no choice. She dipped the levitating quill in the inkwell and lowered it towards the parchment, ready to write, the cinder block of grief weighing her forehead down.

As quick as a gunshot she was taken back into the old barn, and she was looking into the couch dweller's grass green eyes, and with the carrot orange hooves grasping her lavender ones. The plea reverberated through her mind, and it's place there ate away parts of her withered mind. The plea was so loud that it echoed through the very room and across every shelf, book, and speck of dust.

"Find who did this to me....and....and to them....please, Twilight."
The quill was slammed straight through the parchment so violently that a bleeding black hole found its way inside the untarnished abyss. Lavender hooves shook violently as more tears fought their way to the princess's eyelids.

"NO."
She knew this rage. She had felt it bubble inside her every time she got a letter. It was the only thing that had kept her constant company throughout the stream of deaths. She had to find this pony. She WOULD find this pony. Whoever he or she may be, the lavender mare would not rest until she saw him or her dead. For good.

It would be done slowly. Painfully. The mare would take all the emotion gathering inside her and would make this murderer feel her wrath. They would pay a thousand times over for what they have done. She swore on her life, then and there. They would pay for what they took from her.

Muzzle tensed, eyebrows tight, and hooves clenched so tightly together that miniscule drops of blood were beginning to surface, the alicorn lowered the quill in a clean corner of the parchment, away from the hole. Taking a large and shaky sigh, the quill began it's journey across the parchment, her slow and loopy scroll decorating the parchment. She was sending for each of them, and she would arrange for an Equestria-wide search. They, of all ponies, would understand completely.

Dear Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and Princess Cadence,

I'm sure you've all heard of the predicament I am in currently. I am writing to all of you to request that

WHAM

The door was thrown open so violently that it came back to the wall, richocheted off it, and came bouncing back before abruptly stopping. Tensed even more, the princess turned and readied herself to give whoever was disturbing her a death glare. It was, of course, none of them.

They're no more, her mind reminded her dutifully.
It was simply one of Twilight's royal guard, armor and sweat clad, as always. However, he was sweatier than usual, and he seemed to be panting, as if he had been galloping for a long while before reaching his princess.

"What is it?" she called, trying not to bark. She knew that her guards knew of her daily escapades to the police station, and they probably thought that she hadn't been right in the head since the incidents.

"Your......majesty.......I came as fast.........as I.....possibly.....could......" he panted, and he calmed himself, leaving Twilight in suspense while he rested.

"Well?" she asked, trying desparately to be gentle in some way, though the rage was boiling in her insides.

"Your majesty......I bring news....very urgent!" he panted still, though his breath calmed. She tossed him an expectant look, which he responded with a look that showed his apologies.

"There's.....well....you see, your highness...."
"Spit it out." she said, sighing in an attempt to calm herself.

Finally, he stood properly, looked her straight in the face, and resumed the proper guard demeanor. He was still panting softly, but he had her attention now. Worry shot through her and found its way among all the rage as she waited. Then, he spoke.

"It's Princess Cadence and Shining Armor, your majesty. There's been an accident."

The Third Reason

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It was a peaceful drive down to a butterfly garden to spend a nice, peaceful family afternoon. The carriage was heavily guarded, and there were not very many ponies on the road that they were travelling on. There were no survivors, and debris had scattered at least twenty feet away from the carriage. That was the first thing that the princess noticed, at least.

There was a single witness; and she was the hardest pony to speak to at the moment, as she was being questioned by every authority pony on the field. She was traumatized beyond her limits, and she kept repeating herself, over and over and over again. The story had found its way to the lavender mare in no time at all, passed to her through frantic guards who took it upon themselves to be running to and fro, looking for something they could do.

The witness stated that she had been taking a peaceful mid-morning walk when she saw the carriage plummet from out of the sky. She had heard the screams of the ponies inside of it, and had galloped closer, wondering what she could do. The next thing she knew, there was a deafening sound of something splitting apart, a high pitched and very feminine scream, the sound of something skidding across the soft green grass, and then silence. When the witness had gone to check, there were no eyes that showed life. She went for help then and there.

Paramedics rushed this way and that, and the calm field that the carriage had landed in was polluted with shouts, flashing lights, and sobs. Police were blowing whistles, and gathering bystanders were demanded to move back, behind the yellow tape. Investigators were busy drawing chalk outlines and gathering shreds of evidence, and guards of all armors were beginning to creep in. Reporters were crawling outside the boundaries, trying frantically to get a precious snapshot.

And yet, all this chaos did not faze her. She was well used to the word 'accident' by now, and when this particular word was spoken she knew she would have to say another word. The word she could not say. Not even if she forced it out of herself.

As she dwelled on the word that she would not speak, a ripple was going through the crowd, along with whispers. She turned her ears to these whispers, and relief flooded through her as she discovered that she was not the topic of interest. If she listened close enough, and blocked all other emotion rising up inside of her, and heard swatches of conversation.

"......say that she will rule now....."
"When are the princesses getting here?"

"..........too awful......"
"........soon, the carriage is coming this way...."

As she continued her trek through the frenzy, a paramedic found her and saddled up beside her, as if he wished to speak to the royal privately. She looked at him from the corner of her eye, and he returned the glance. The throng continued to bustle about like shoppers on Christmas, and took no notice of the royal and the paramedic. Checking to see that no reporters were following them with their cameras(her picture had been in the papers lately), she gave her attention to the paramedic once more.

"What is it?" she asked, speaking softly yet loud enough for him to hear over all the commotion.
"Your majesty, you may want to come with me." he said, and with that, he disappeared into the flow of ponies.

Carrying her emotions with her, the princess followed the paramedic through the crowd, past one outer corner of the wreckage, and straight to an enclosed white ambulance carriage. Stark white, and with the red cross logo shining like a beacon of hope. The paramedic opened one of the double doors, and entered, and glanced at her to see if she'd follow.

Before she could hesitate, her violet eyes found two someponies in front of the double doors. They were two guards, both in golden armor. Feeling a bit safer, she slowly trudged beyond the guards, and in front of the carriage's doors. Just as she was about to ignite her precious magic, one of the armor-clad guards ignited his first and opened one door for her. Taking one last glance behind her to make sure she wasn't being followed by reporters or anypony suspicious(ever since U popped up, she wasn't taking any chances), she grabbed the handle of the opposite door with her hoof, and hoisted herself inside.

There was just enough light for the seemingly cramped space. There were two wooden seats on either side of a slightly plush gurney. The walls of the enclosed space were lined with miniature clear plastic shelves of a sort, and each pulled out to a drawer filled with supplies. A prominent color was a dulled, soft white, like a cloud on a clear summer day.

Despite the lack of space, the carriage was quite crowded. There were four, now five occupants. The paramedic that had spoken to her initially sat in one of the wooden seats, the body of a very recognizeable bubblegum hued alicorn lay on the gurney, and the sun and moon princesses themselves. There were no tears. There were only grave looks, mixed in with grief and concern.

"P-P-Princess Celestia?" she asked, her voice shaking like a leaf. The sun princess's pale violet eyes met her former student's, but this time they weren't filled with their usual warmth.

"Princess Luna?" her voice echoed off the enclosed walls, and she had the moon princess's attention as well. Her look mirrored that of her sister's.

"And Princess....." her voice cracked and trailed off as she let her eyes lay to rest on her now former sister in law.

She was just as lovely and as delicate as always, and despite a few cuts and bruises here and flecks of sawdust there, she appeared unharmed. Externally, at least. Her extensive magenta, violet, and honeycomb mane was sprawled gracefully across the gurney, curling over the edge. Her tail was matted slightly, but still held it's glory. She was uncrowned; eyes shut carefully, and the way she had been positioned on the gurney appeared like she was in mid gallop.

The very sight of the princess of love made the tears come up all over again, even though she had so tirelessly kept them in as she trudged through the noise. Except this time, she didn't fight them. She allowed them to race down her soggy cheeks, and allowed tiny rivers of snot to find their way out of her nose. The carriage was silent for the longest time, and the princesses and the paramedic didn't stop the lavender mare from sobbing once more. They allowed it.

Familiar flickers of rage sprang up and down her conscious, and the tears concluded the race immediately. Taking a large and very unladylike sniff, she wiped her nose with the back of her hoof, and the violet eyes commanded attention of all pairs that weren't paying so in the room. Slowly, surely, the blue-green eyes of the moon princess found the violet ones first. Then, the paramedic's. Finally, the sun princess allowed her eyes to be taken ahold of the violet ones.

"Why have you brought me here?" she asked, quietly, but loud enough so that everypony's ears would hear. The paramedic's pale blue eyes flickered with fear, but his muzzle's expression showed the usual poker face as he opened his mouth to speak.

"I asked him to, Twilight."
The violet eyes darted to the paler ones in the room as quick as a blink. The sun princess seemed to be in the beginning stages of where she was currently, with her multicolored mane in a slight disarray and the gray bags already finding places under her eyes.

"Why?" she demanded, masking her tidal wave of emotions that was coursing through her very blood.

"For three reasons." said the older alicorn, sighing softly and patiently. A flicker of yet another emotion joined the others. Jealousy. How could the sun princess be calm at a time like this? And why wasn't she suffering as the lavender mare was? Why wasn't she tearing out her rose, mint, sky, and teal mane out from her very head? Why wasn't she sobbing as the moon princess was about to? And why couldn't she recognize the internal suffering that had taken permanent place behind the mare's eyes and comfort her? Why leave her in the stupor that she was, cold and alone?

"Why?" she repeated aloud, tears threatening once more, cold suffering shooting across her, cooling the rage for the time being.

"What are your reasons?"
The moon princess's eyes found her sister's, and the mare watched a look being silently exchanged. The sun princess's eyes reassured the moon princess, and that seemed to calm the air between them. The paler violet eyes found the deeper ones again.

"First, I have gotten all your letters and have heard your theories about your friend's alleged murders. I did not believe you at first. Neither one of us did." said the white alicorn, motioning to her sister and the gurney's occupant.

"I believe you. And I also believe that we have a real emergency here. Something maybe of Equestria-wide importance. As of today, I am stationing as many guards as possible around Ponyville, Canterlot, and the Crystal Empire. The railroad stations and the airways are to be patrolled at every moment of every day. We......are declaring a national search for this U. I know tha-"

"Princess.....with all due respect...." the mare interrupted, shakily. The white alicorn's eyes found the violet ones this time.

"If it is alright with you....I would rather find U on my own.....and though a search would be nice, I'd really rather do it alone."

The sun princess's face slowly filled with shock, and all eyes found hers again. The shock drained, and calm resumed once more.

"Alright, if you insist. I know how much this might mean to you. So, secondly, as you know, now that Princess Cadence is.......the way she is, we now have nopony to look over the Crystal Empire."
The lavender princess was quiet once more, and she put her eyes on the floor of the enclosed carriage.

"Now....circumstances being what they are, we've had to resort to drastic measures. Twilight, I know you have your own place here in Ponyville, but I have no choice. I need you on the next train down to the Crystal Empire, as fast as you can. Your guards will lock your castle up, and the mayor will oversee things while you are away. I understand that this is a huge responsibility, but I know that you'll be just fine. It won't be for very long, either. With time I will figure something out. But for now....I need you there. Do you understand?"

Silence ensued from the mare. The sun princess exchanged glances with the moon princess once more, as they watched the younger alicorn work through the request.

"You want me to....stay at my dead brother's and dead sister in law's castle? To....to remind me of how they used to live there?" Rage boiled up and over her senses, and bled into the cold suffering. The sun princess nodded.

"And what, stay in their bedrooms as well? Sleep on the same sheets and pillows? Well, guess what? They won't be coming back to their castle! I can't just castle sit. I can't not knowing I won't hear their voices again and I won't hear....their daughter asking me for advice on how to run a kingdom! I won't smell Cadence's peppermint mane shampoo or hug my brother ever again! They're gone! Gone, Princess! And they're NEVER COMING BACK!"

Her yells reverberated off the enclosed space and hit everypony deep down. Silence ensued, and the only things that were heard was everypony else's noise outside. The sun princess opened her mouth.

"You don't think I don't miss them too?"
The mare recoiled.

"I've always been very patient with you, Twilight. All those times that I needed help, you were always there, helping me. Even if it was the littlest or the stupidest thing." the sun princess breathed heavily, and the moon princess put a midnight blue hoof on the white alicorn's back in comfort.

"I need you. There is nopony else to run the Crystal Empire. Your friends can no longer help me, either. You are the only one I have left."

More silence from the mare's end. Part of her wanted to get even angrier at the sun princess for no reason at all. She wanted to scream and yell and demand that the bubblegum alicorn sit up and comfort her....to tell her that everything was okay and that her friends were alive.....and that her brother was as well....and that everything would return to the way it was.....the way it was before U.....

The other side of her wanted to run into the sun princess's arms and cry her eyes out for good. To have tears run down her face and to have snot coursing out of her nostrils. To have sobs come barrelling forward in a joyous abandon. To never leave the sun princess's embrace. To stay with her and the moon princess always.
Still

Her friends were gone. She was the only one left. She had a duty to the ponies of the Crystal Empire, to Equestria, and to the two princesses. Without another word, she resumed studying the floor of the carriage and nodded, tears still threatening with every blink.

"Thank you." said the sun princess, voice tinged with emotion.
"What....is the third reason?" she asked, quietly.

Wordlessly, the white alicorn ignited her horn with golden hued magic, and levitated a greasy and painstakingly familiar letter into the mare's line of sight.

There goes the princess of love
Flying from this world on the wings of a dove
Yet one thing remains, the one thing that doesn't fit like a glove
But of course you of all ponies would know what I speak of
My demand still remains. My patience with you is wearing thin. I've been very generous with you with time, but you still have not been convinced. Do as I have instructed, or I will continue. This is your one and only choice.
Do watch your hooves with the blood on the front of this envelope. Your brother bled sparingly.
-U

Instructions

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The much missed sun finally found another reason to shine as the soft rumbling and vibrations of the train lulled her into a very shaky sense of sleep, as she kept her heavily bagged eyes on the scenery blurring itself outside. She wanted so badly to fall into a troubled sleep, and to quiet her never ending thoughts, but this was not to be. She had to stay awake. If she was asleep, U would find her and kill her because she had repeatedly dodged his/her demands.

It wasn't that she was doing so purposely, either. She fully intended to abdicate, and was sending for the princesses when her sister in law, her brother, and their daughter were found dead.

And now, as she sat comfortably with her eyes trained outside, she still fully intended to give up her wings and crown. She didn't need to think it over any more than she already had. If giving up the throne and everything that came with it meant that everypony close to her would live healthy lives, she would do it in a heartbeat. She cursed herself for not abdicating sooner. If only she had held the assembly right after she received the first letter. Then half of them would still be alive.

She would never be ready to give up on the ones who had passed, but at least then she'd have the remaining three as company and comfort. But it was no use. They were gone, just as she had furiously told her beloved princesses. And, as she had said, they were never returning.

The pink alicorn, her brother, and their foal were all sent to the hospital for further examination. Even though the rumors were flying about that they were all dead, the paramedics rushing about insisted on taking them back for a final check. After this check was completed, and if the victims were fully deceased, there was to be an Equestria-wide service in the Crystal Empire, and everypony was invited, whether they wished to attend or not. None of this information interested her, though. She had been to one funeral too many, and she knew in her gut that even after the check was finished the result would be death. It always seemed to be.

Shortly after she had received yet another letter from infamous U, the guards at their posts in front of the ambulance heard a disturbance inside, and whipped open the doors to see if everything was alright. Everything was fine, not unless somepony found a carriage in absolute disarray and all other occupants in the carriage to look seriously shaken up to be presentable. She had been removed from the scene along with the moon and sun princess, in their carriage. She had resisted with all her might, the letter's ink tattooing on her bare hoof. Her hooves kicked and her muzzle emitted sounds that neither the sun or moon princess had ever heard out of her before.

At the end of her rage-filled tantrum, the moon and sun princess had finally managed to calm her, though they had not come out of it looking presentable(the moon princess sported a nasty bruise), and several pictures had been captured during. The reporters hadn't seen the younger alicorn in quite some time, and the few shots they had been able to capture weren't anything to the photographs they had just captured. Many were to be featured on the next day's front page.

Once inside the sun princess's carriage(which had been parked gracefully off to the side of things behind a thicket of trees to avoid further inspection), the sun princess tried her absolute hardest not to unload then and there on the lavender princess. Just as she had told the younger alicorn in the ambulance, she missed the princess of love just as much as the younger did. The sun princess had had her fair share of suffering ever since she had taken the throne, sending the moon princess to the moon being among that, and she was just now growing accustomed to it. Welcomed it even. It was part of her responsibilities to Equestria. The white alicorn understood what the younger was going through, and because of this lavender princess had her sympathy.

But just because the younger alicorn was going through a tremendous amount of emotion didn't mean that she could throw a rage tantrum in a very small enclosed area. With almost all of Equestria's paramedics, guards, police ponies, and reporters bustling about just outside. She was always patient with her former student, as she had said, and she wasn't about to stop. She would guide her former student deeper into her ongoing studies about being a princess, and she would not, could not unload her problems onto the lavender alicorn. Not then, and not now.

A one-way ticket to the Crystal Empire was purchased at the Ponyville train station by one of the sun princess's guards. All three alicorns stayed in the carriage while this was being accomplished, and the white alicorn(with some help by her sister) had prepped the younger on exactly what she was supposed to do in the Empire.

The train would leave in half in hour, they said. She was to pack a small bag, just enough things to get her by for a week or so, and then if needed she could send for more things. She would need her crown, a few nice dresses to wear to formal dinners if dignitaries came to visit, and some novels that would keep her busy in her free time.

Her task was simple: look over the Empire and enforce rules and prevent trouble. If anypony asked about the future of their royals, she was to inform them cordially that the royals would be hospitalized for further notice, and that she would be looking after the Empire in their absence. Surely this would water down rumors for at least a little bit, and if such rumors were brought to the castle, she wasn't to reveal anything until the hospital check was completed. She was to be polite but not too personable, and she was to participate but she wasn't to get too involved. She was, as they had said, a substitute for the time being.

It was simple enough; she knew she could accomplish this. The only thing that troubled her currently was the prospect of actually staying in the castle. The white alicorn did say that as part of the request, she would be staying in the castle and the few servants and all guards staying there would be briefed and would cater to her every whim. The older alicorn said that her sister-in-law's and brother's bedroom would be locked up, as was their daughter's so that the younger alicorn wouldn't be tempted to enter these rooms and become more depressed than she already was.

Little did the lavender alicorn know, the sun princess had taken the liberty of not mentioning that each guard and servant that had residence in the castle were being strictly advised not to let the mare near the bedrooms of the current occupants at all costs. In fact, the guards were instructed not to guard the particular locked rooms so as to not give the younger alicorn hints to where these rooms actually resided. Instead, she was to be followed by at least two guards at all times, and they were to be posted inside her chambers day and night, to prevent accidents or even non-accidents.

All servants were strictly commanded to wash every sheet, pillow, cushion, blanket, towel, and anything used by the royals that had been living there. The mare was not to be told that this was occurring or why, so that she would not reminisce on how the former occupants dried themselves on the same towels or even slept on the same sheets or pillows, even though such a thing was clearly not possible. There were at least three dozen extra guest bedrooms in the castle, and they each had their own sheets and other cloth items.

There were to be three full meals a day, all held in the grand dining room, and she had access to every amenity available in and around the castle, including the extensive library, indoor swimming pool, bowling alley, movie theater, shooting range, flower garden, grounds, and of course the giant bathing area, which included an enormous bathtub the size of the swimming pool and at least 25 different kinds of bath salts, mane shampoos, mane conditioners, and fancy coat washes and soaps. The only place she was not guarded was of course, the bathroom, but a female servant was required to supervise so the princess would not try to drown herself in an attempt to join those who had passed.

She would be handling simple tasks around the Empire and not delving too deep in the kingdom's larger and more important matters. She would answer questions that the subjects asked, and she would meet with dignitaries if they so happened to visit.

And as part of these responsibilities, the white alicorn's gaze hardened as she said so, the mare was absolutely, in no way shape or form, allowed to unload, rant, inexplicably rage, or uncontrollably sob to the subjects. The mare was already seen as a basket case by most of the more recent articles in the media, and ever since the deaths of the Elements had been in the papers ponies now knew to steer clear if danger showed in her face.

If, however, the mare needed a place to sob or rant, she was to do it alone, behind a closed door. The older princess also secretly advised the guards that were to be following her former student around all day to be very careful when the mare went into her bedroom alone. Even though guards were to be posted in her chambers whenever she was occupying them, the sun princess thought it best that she be alone when things got to be this way. They were suggested that if they should hear any strange noises, to come into the room immediately, and if there was a situation, to contact the elder, and to stay with the younger until the elder arrived.

All the duties that her beloved princess bestowed upon her buzzed through her mind like an angry hornet. She knew what was to happen now. She would be guarded very closely, because she figured that after everything that had occurred, her beloved sun princess would conclude that she would wish to join her friends who had passed. And attempt to even pass herself.

But she would never do something like that. No matter how bad things got, no matter how many tears she cried or how much snot filled numerous tissues, and no matter how many times she let the rage spill out of her, she would not take her life. Even if she convinced herself it was the best and only option. She would not. Not since she had some unfinished business to accomplish here in this world.

U's most recent letter had left her extremely angry and unbearably sad, as all of them often did. But now she was faced with two other choices, one being, of course, the one that had continued to pop up the more she received each letter. One that had been a dying plea, and one that could take her a lifetime to complete. She couldn't imagine it, and yet...at the same time she could.

Three options. Much like the white alicorn's three reasons, each had their own paths and consequences, some more complicated and some not so difficult. These were what kept her awake as she traveled, the only choices that she could make to push her life forward or to drag her back.

The first was definitely the hardest. It went something as follows: she could stay where she was, and ignore the letters, and allow the princesses to make an Equestria-wide search for the killer. While they did this, she would wallow in her own pain and suffering and not do anything to try and avenge the deaths, and also slowly watch more close to her die painful deaths, all the while receiving more notes. This, the more she pondered, wasn't even good enough to be an option. She shunned it from her mind.

The second was to obey the plea. To find the ludicrous murderer by the name of U and to give them all the punishment and more that they deserved. To make their death as slow and as painful as she could possibly make it. To make the price of all the deaths be put on U's head. This was the option that pleased the angrier side of her the most. It would satisfy her, but it would also never leave her mind.

The third was to actually fulfill what U wanted. To hold a public assembly in front of her castle(or at the Crystal Palace), to invite the remaining ponies that she loved and cared about, and in front of everypony remove the golden and star shaped crown from atop her head and to make the announcement. She was then expected to believe that once this was accomplished, the never ending death stream would cease, and U would take his or her place on the throne. Just like that. That and not breathe a word for the rest of her natural born life to anypony. And leave her to be normal again; to leave her as a shred of the pony she used to be. To leave her in a torn up stupor, to leave her in the state that she was, which landed between not wanting to get up in the morning to frequently breaking things.

No.
She would do as she had always told herself to do, even know she had absolutely no idea where to start.

But yet, she did. She would bring in all the former villains of Equestria and question them once more, of course doing it when she wasn't tending to the needs of the Crystal ponies. She would show them the letters, and try to be as patient and as non threatening as possible, when in reality the entire situation was making her want to go and destroy an entire building or cry an entire ocean.

She would call in different ponies from around Ponyville, like bystanders, workers, acquaintances, and even members of the police force.

She retrieved her saddlebag from the empty seat beside her and opened the clasp of it with her magic. From it, she levitated a simple notebook, inkwell, and a spare quill. She wordlessly levitated the notebook open to a fresh clean page, dipped the quill in the inkwell, and began to scrawl.

To Question
-Former villains: Queen Chrysalis, Tirek, Sombra, Sunset Shimmer, Maneiac? Trixie? Changelings if can find.
-Citizens of Ponyville: Derpy, The former Cutie Mark Crusaders, Roseluck, Cheerilee, Big Macintosh, Bon-Bon, Lyra, Spa ponies, and any other acquaintances I know. Any information is helpful!!!
-Prince Blueblood?
-Royal guard?
-Police force
-MEDIA

"Attention, all passengers and honored guests!"
A voice broke her frantic concentration, and her attention shifted from her notebook to the conductor pony standing just a few seats away from her at the front of the train car that she occupied. The pony's attention was not on her, but on the general audience.

"We are coming into the Crystal Empire! The time is about three fifteen in the afternoon, and the weather today is cool but very sunny. Please gather all personal belongings, remove all trash from the seat that you are sitting in, and be ready to depart from the train. Thank you!"

She closed the notebook then and there, and put the cork back on the top of the inkwell. The quill went back in it's plastic wrapping, so ink would not leak all over her other possessions. As she returned the notebook and everything back into their places, one thing caught her eye. A very smelly, greasy, and crusty sealed something.

The rage began to boil once more, but before she could relish and feed the rage, she felt the train begin to slow, then come to a screeching halt.

"Everypony off!" came the familiar call of the conductor pony.
Sighing heavily, she shut the clasp on her saddlebag, hiding the letter from her once more. She secured the saddlebag on her back, and looked out the window of the train once more. A sigh found its way out of her mouth.
Welcome back.

First Suspect

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It was dark. That was the first thing that came to her mind. It was so dark, in fact, that she could not even see where she was, or the hoof in front of her face. She was summoned here, and now she wasn't entirely sure what she had just gotten herself into. All she knew now was that it was pitch black, it smelled clean and flowery, and she was not alone. Every time the strange figure moved, she could see a shadow or two of a real outline.

"Greetings, Miss Roseluck. Thank you for joining me today."
A voice. Out of the darkness. Definitely feminine, and definitely one she had heard before. But she couldn't place it. Her head whipped around and around, trying frantically to find a shred of light, or any actual being which owned the voice. It was thanking her for joining it. Had she been kidnapped on her way to fulfill the summons? Panic shot through her, and she kicked her back hooves, which were the only things not bound to the thing she was uncomfortably sitting upon.

"H-H-Help me!" She yelled into the nothing, only to hear her voice reverberate right back to her instead of echoing. It was tinged with fear, with notes of desperation and the growing panic.

"Please do not yell, Miss Roseluck. I promise not to harm you in any way. I just want to ask you some questions, and I'm not exactly sure if you can help me with them or not."

"W-What do you want?" she blubbered, fighting tears and hysteria.
"Recognize this?"

A minuscule spiderweb of light appeared, and followed a sliding something across the room and to where she was bound, and fell ever so slightly upon it. She leaned forward as best she could, and let her gaze sweep the object.

It was a greasy-looking envelope, one that she clearly and painstakingly did not recognize in any way. It looked battered, weathered and beat-up, as if somepony had thrown it across a pit of lava in hopes that it would make the other side, and the hoofwriting was unlike any she had ever seen before. It wasn't by her own hoof, thankfully. She was innocent; she had never seen a letter of this nature before. The panic cooled within her in an instant. The figure was merely asking if she had written the note or if she knew who did, and fortunately, both questions were refusals on her part.

"I.....don't recognize this letter." she said, finally, the shakiness and fear gone from her voice. Sweat cooled all over her body, and her muscles relaxed. She was no longer fearful of this figure. She was merely fearful of how she was expected to get out of her current and pitch black surroundings. She was sure that she would need a nice long nap when she returned home.

"Are you positive?" the voice changed. It was still a low and feminine one, but this time she detected anger. Rage, even. Anger that she herself had never experienced, seen, or known. This made her precarious sense of safety break, and fresh panic, sweat, and even tears found places all over her body.

"Yes!" she said, the shakiness returning. She was breathing heavily now, and she knew that if she was not taken out of this horrible place soon, she would surely hyperventilate and possibly have a heart attack.

"Don't lie!" shouted the voice very suddenly, anger rising as well as pitch in the voice.

"I'm not lying to you!" she shouted right back, still breathing heavily. Sweat began to slowly trickle off her forehead and down by her mouth.

"Why would you, somepony I d-don't even know, think that I, the victim here, would be lying?" she yelled, nearing hysteria.

"I'M TIED TO A BLOODY CHAIR, FOR CELESTIA'S SAKE!" she screamed, making her voice as loud as equinely possible, breathing frantically now.

Her screams came right back to her, and pierced her ears, but she did not care. She wanted this....this madpony to release her, and that instant. She would report this to the princess that had summoned for her. Clearly the lavender alicorn had no idea that such crime was about in the Empire that she was overseeing. This madpony was looking for a killer, and had obviously suspected her, and tied her to a chair, even, in an attempt to get answers.

She was, as she had convinced herself earlier, completely innocent! She paid her taxes and sent her foals to the local school. She was never violent and never complained about the way things were run in Equestria. She had never gotten involved with the shady folk, the ones who lived on the streets and sometimes ate their own sewage. No! She was nothing like them! And she never would be!

However, before she could demand to be released, there was a loud and very unmistakable sound. It was fairly close to where she was bound, and she felt tension in the room increase. Her captor cursed softly, but loud enough for her to hear, and relief flooded through her as she finally embraced the sound. It was a frantic and very loud knocking on something. It was a hoof, surely, perhaps even a police force, waiting to arrest the madpony and take her to safety.

They would question, surely, and she would give the entire story as it was, and see to it that this weirdo was arrested and put away immediately. Then, she would go see the princess, and tell her of this crime. Afterwards, she'd probably be escorted to the train station, where she'd be on the next train to where she resided, and she'd go into her house and take a nap in her bedroom. Under the covers. With all the doors and windows locked.

However, whoever was knocking did not come into the room immediately. Surely her captor was devious enough to lock the very door in which they resided behind. The knocking persisted, and grew steadily more violent by each passing minute.

"PRINCESS TWILIGHT SPARKLE!" A yell, much louder than she could emit, pierced and filled her ears. All at once, her brain stopped working, and she almost fell over in dead shock.

"What?" came the reply, trying desperately to be innocent.
That madpony has the princess!!, her mind screamed throughout her conscious, causing her to panic even more. And then, another noise came to fill the room.
WHAM!

The door that the somepony was knocking on fell completely over, and landed inches from her spot. Light flooded the room, and she blinked rapidly to make some use of where she actually resided. When she finally focused, she saw that it wasn't just one pony knocking, it was three. And each was dressed in recognizeable armor and all had the same familiar sheen to their coats. Noticing her, more fire exploded across their faces, perhaps more than had originally resided there. Quick as a wink, they threw on a lightswitch, and nothing was hidden any longer.

She was in a plush and very comfortable suite, with milky white carpet as far as her grass green eye could see. There was a floor length window(with curtains tightly drawn) just to her left, and a little ways beyond that stood two doors, both shut. There was a chandelier above her that glittered and relished in the newly discovered light. The room was finely decorated, with expensive wallpaper adorning the walls and a few intersting but very pricey decorations atop the wallpaper.

She faced a four-poster queen bed with a shimmery and very soft looking bedspread peeking out among the milky white canopy draped around the entire frame. Beside the bed stood a small table, piled high with novels of every size and color, and just beyond that stood an ivory vanity, stool, and mirror, though the only things atop it were a single bottle of perfume, a manebrush, and what appeared to be a tube of mascara.

And sitting on the stool, but facing her and now the guards, was the lavender princess herself, looking simply horrible. Her mane and tail were in complete and utter disaster, as if she hadn't brushed either in a month. There were at least 6 layers of dark grey bags under her now bloodshot violet eyes, and she wore a look of shock, disbelief, and unreplaceable pain.

A shadow came up behind her and she felt her bounds magically loosen, then finally fall off. The letter that was slid over to her was levitated away by magic. The guard who had freed her helped her out of her seat, which appeared to be a simple old wooden chair, and she tottered on all four hooves, trying not to collapse. Shock was coursing through her, as well as disbelief. Surely the princess that she wanted to rely on was going....well.....insane.

The other two guards were sustaining the alicorn, who took it upon herself to kick and fight their restraints. Her yells of protest echoed across the suite as they finally stuck a piece of fine cloth into her mouth to silence her. They wrestled her off the vanity stool, all the while her still fighting and muffled screams coming from the cloth, they finally managed to remove her from the premises, leaving the first guard and she alone. He turned to her, his face sympathetic behind the usual guard neutrality. He, like everypony else that had occupied the room, looked completely frazzled and shaken up.

"I'm very sorry you had to go through this, Miss-?"
"Roseluck." she answered for him.

"Miss Roseluck. As you can probably tell, Princess Twilight isn't feeling herself these days, for obvious reasons."
She knew these. It was all they ever talked about in the papers and news anymore. She had seen the photos of all the victims, including the whole, now hospitalized, royal family of this very Empire.

"What....will become of her?" she asked, quietly. Although she was still shocked and angry at Her Highness, worry filled her senses now. What would Equestria come to if there were only two princesses? Surely they would crown new ones? Would they.......could they.......

The mare dismissed that horrible thought away from her mind. The princess was just going through depression or grief. It was nothing that a good visit to a psychiatrist wouldn't cure. As if he could read her mind, the guard looked at her reassuringly, as nothing of that nature would happen.

"I do not know why I feel inclined to tell you this, but when Princess Twilight was sent here to look over this Empire, Princesses Celestia and Luna instructed everypony who works here to send for them immediately if something of this nature occured. I've only just sent for them, and those guards will sustain her until they arrive, which should be in due time. In the meantime, I've been assigned to escort you home, Miss Roseluck. I do hope that Princess Twilight did not harm you in any way."

"She didn't," she said, pondering the information that was just shared with her.
"She merely asked if I wrote this letter, and I assure you I have done nothing of the sort." After she finished, the guard pondered this.

"I believe you. As I said, she hasn't been herself in a very long time. But, on a brighter note, I believe that she will shape up if she continues to reside here. This Empire is a beautiful and happy place; I myself have enjoyed residing here for many years, and I'm sure this will get to her eventually. I must apologize again to you for everything that she has put you through." he said, and bowed.

"It's....alright, actually." she said, scarcely believing her own words. Even the guard looked surprised. He had expected her to fly into hysteria the moment that the princess was taken away.

"I can almost understand what she's going through. Especially after she insisted for the longest time that the deaths were murders. What if.....they really were? Maybe they aren't coincidences like the media says they were?" she inquired, her voice quieting. He pondered this once more. The rumors......were they correct?

"Perhaps. But we shouldn't dwell on said thoughts. Come, Miss Roseluck. I'm disregarding my orders. We must leave at once." he said, and turned towards the exit, shoving the previous thoughts away.

"Okay," she said, happy to finally depart. She didn't look back as she crossed the exit and left the room completely, with her escort, her nap drawing ever near.

As the two left the room, one of the two doors off to the side slowly but surely creaked open and watched them go, and was alone in the alighted room. For a few moments, the one behind the door was quiet, to make sure that it was fully and truly alone. Then, when it was sure that the coast was clear, the room was softly filled with a low, dry, and unmistakable cackle. The plan was working perfectly.

Conflicts

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"What....did I tell you?"

The rotunda was growing dim with the failing light. She sat comfortably atop a purple shimmery couch, and two guards had taken places beside her. The floor had become her study subject. She knew what she had done, and she was ashamed, but there was only one way to find U now. And it wasn't sitting around doing nothing.

The moon princess stood close by to her pacing and very disgruntled sister, and her eyes left the floor momentarily to glance up at her superior. The sun princess wasn't taking this very well; she could see it in the elder's face.

They had been called as soon as she was wrestled away from the innocent flower pony. Even now the earth pony was already on the next train to Ponyville, and she was here. Probably getting lectured and/or punished. Part of her was guilty for making her beloved white alicorn come all this way just to reprimand her for something. She surely was pretty angry right about now.

The other part of her didn't care what the princess had to say. She would find U by herself and kill him/her, just as she promised the now former couch dweller that she would do. U wouldn't last a full hour by the time she was done. No, not even a full twenty minutes. This part made her want to stand up and say that she was only doing what she was begged to do, and that U wasn't going to find him/herself. She was simply running over her list of suspects, and she decided that going in a random order might put U on his/her guard, because as he/she mentioned, she was being watched. Which caused a fresh round of dread to bloom in the pit of her stomach.

However, she found it strange that U had not yet killed somepony near or dear to her already. Perhaps the madpony was giving her extra time? Or perhaps U did not know that she was in the Crystal Empire? Wishful and foolish thinking; if U was following her then he/she probably had seen the papers and the announcement. He/she probably would have seen her on her journey down to the Empire, perhaps even on the same train. Perhaps U was buying his/herself time, to lull her into a false sense of confidence, so that she would eventually-

"Are you even listening?"
The elder alicorn's words snapped her out of her thoughts. She looked up into her superior's paler violet eyes, which gathered with a fresh round of anger.

"What am I going to do with you, Twilight?" asked the princess, rage begging to be released from its resting place.

"Terrorizing an innocent citizen? Tying them up? Bounding them to a chair? What in Equestria was going through your mind?"

"I was investigating." she said, surprised by the calmness of her own voice.
"Investigating?" The skeptism was not hidden from her superior's voice.

"Yes. Roseluck was on my list to question. I asked what I needed, and I showed her the most recent letter, and it's not her."
"Really. Twilight, I offered to investigate for you, didn't I? To call a national search for U? Why would you insist that you do it on your own? So you could terrorize more innocent ponies?"

"No! The only way for them to talk is if the setting is that way. If I come up to them casually they won't talk."
"And you know this how?"

"Well, have you ever tried getting something out of somepony when you're talking to them on a sunny afternoon, when they're unbound and potentially free?"

The white alicorn pondered this. The younger was clearly correct. Whenever the sun princess needed information, she usually had to force it out of whoever she was trying to get it out of. This was, however, no excuse for the younger to do this, especially when she was in the state that she was. A sigh escaped the elder's mouth.

"You are correct, Twilight. However, that still is no excuse. I've given you the freedom of having alone time in this castle. But it appears that I must change that." The white princess turned to the guards that were seated by the younger alicorn.

"Take note, please."
They did as they were told. A small scroll of parchment was unfurled from nowhere, and a quill was dipped in an inkwell and poised right above the clean parchment, ready to begin.

"From this day forth, Princess Twilight Sparkle will not be allowed free time throughout the day, even when she's having an episode. You will not allow her to summon other ponies from neighboring-"

"WAIT!"
A voice broke the soft scritching. The younger was on her hooves now, and was facing the elder full on.

"Princess, you have to listen to me."
"Twilight, I gave you privileges, but you-"

"No. I am my own princess now."
"But I am taking care of you!"

"Are you? Or are you just taking care of yourself?"
"You of all ponies know that's not true."

"Then what is?"
"I am taking care of you because as of now, you can't even take care of yourself."

"But-"
"ENOUGH!"

A voice who had yet to speak finally did so as she broke the budding shouting match. The moon princess was standing in the middle of the argument, with a look of pure fire in her eyes. From this, both princesses backed down, even though she was the younger sibling to the sun princess.

"The both of you are acting no better than common schoolfillies!" she said, voice echoing across the rotunda.
"Twilight, I understand that you wish to continue the search for this killer on your own, but as my sister said, that doesn't give you right to bound our subjects.

"Sister, you of all ponies know what Twilight is going through. I believe that you are acting too strict with her, coming down every time she does something that we may not see right."

The sun princess opened her mouth as if she was about to say something, but then shut it. She would allow her sister to have her moment. She stood back to listen.

"You both should not argue. You are both of proper age! Arguing like this isn't going to get us anywhere. The only thing it will do is give me a headache and make me ashamed to be in contact with the both of you.

"Now." The moon princess took a collective breath.
"I do not think it is fair to take away Twilight's privileges to complete this search. You there!"

A midnight blue hoof was pointed at the very confused guards, but they snapped back at attention when they realized a royal was summoning them.

"Take new notes, and disregard the others."
They obeyed.

"From this day forth, the Princess Twilight Sparkle will be able to continue her investigation for the mysterious murderer by the name of U, ONLY under the supervision of five guards at a time. They will oversee interrogations and referee when things get out of hoof.

"Princess Celestia and Princess Luna will not be called down to the Crystal Empire unless there is a real situation, which may in fact consist of the events that occurred today. If there is a real emergency and Princess Twilight cannot be swayed to do anything, then the princesses will be summoned. Then and only then." finished the midnight blue alicorn, and cast a glance at her sister and her ally.

"Come, sister. We'll take our leave of absence now. I think I'm getting that headache I mentioned before."

It was soft. And smelled flowery and clean. There was darkness, but not enough; light was peeking through. Not that she cared.

The princesses had just departed, and even she didn't know what to make of the moon princess's speech. The midnight blue alicorn hadn't said much of anything since the meeting in the carriage, as they all watched the bubblegum alicorn's lifeless form. She shoved those thoughts out of her head. She was way too exhausted to have a rage fest now. She had other things to focus her time and energy on anyway. The investigation.

She had barely gotten away with Roseluck's interrogation, and now she would be supervised. Was she really that dangerous? Was she that much of a threat to innocent citizens? Apparently she was, or else she wouldn't have to be watched by five other pairs of eyes every time she tried to find answers. Could they blame her? Yes, obviously they could. She sighed, heavily, and moved her head from it's original resting place: facedown on the soft comforter. After this was accomplished, she allowed her thoughts to drift.

Where was U? Who was he/she? Was he/she someone that she had seen before? Even encountered and spoke to? What if....he/she was someone close to her? What if he/she was one of the princesses?

She shoved that thought away. Why would they kill all of them and an ally and her family? There seemed no point.

The whole ordeal didn't make any sense, from where she stood. Blood for royalty. A crown for nine(and supposedly) counting lives. Where did one pony get such motivation? Was royalty worth killing several other ponies over? Apparently it was, but why would U pick on her and not one of the other princesses? Or he/she had...and the princesses hadn't mentioned it to her in an attempt not to get her riled up again. She didn't need a letter for that.

How she wanted to visit their graves. They were the only ones who truly and fully understood her. If they were here, they would tell her so. And they would soothe her and coax her, and save her from the ditch from which she could not remove herself from. She had yet to say the word that she could not. Then again, she wouldn't ever say such a word because she knew that she would never be able to let them go. They would never truly leave her.

A soft knock sounded at the door, bringing her out of her stupor. She lifted her head. She knew she was alone; the guards surely thought she was going to have one of her episodes. She had considered crying, just to soothe them, but she had cried herself out long ago.

The door opened, and a single guard found his way in. He was very familiar to her; with a soft orange colored coat, and his cobalt mane. His kind sky blue eyes. He was too kind for her. She did not deserve his kindness, or his charity. He had yet to say a word to her ever since she had arrived, which she thought was for the best. He wouldn't recognize her; at least, not in this realm.

"What?" she asked, turning her attention to him and off U for once.
"Your majesty, I've come to you with news." he said, and bowed.

"And they are?"
"I've been assigned as your personal bodyguard throughout the rest of your stay here." he said, cordially.

"What? A bodyguard?" Rage flickered across her senses.
"Yes, the princesses thought it was a good idea. So I'll be with you every minute of every day, starting now."

"But-"
"And there's something else. This just arrived for you."

Knowing full well what he was about to give her, the lavender princess did not utter another word, but slammed her head into her comforter, and screamed as loud as she possibly could.

Another folly, another mistake, and yet another day filled with muck,
On that note, I cannot believe you mistook me for Roseluck.
You are, as you have realized, deliciously wrong, and just when you thought the answer had struck,
But you are still, as I mentioned, wonderfully stuck.
I have been extremely generous, more than I should be with you. I've played your game, and stopped taking lives just this once to see if you could possibly find me. You've failed, by the way, and you've pleased me. Perhaps my amusement suspends your loved one's untimely deaths. My demands, as you know, still stand, just as they always have. Your carelessness will cause more lives to be taken, but for some reason, I still have not gotten through your thick head yet. I wonder why?
Anyway, do tell the princesses to be careful. We wouldn't want them to be alone somewhere, would we?
I remain, as always,
U

Little by Little

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"Full name?"
"Queen Chrysalis."

Sounds of frantic scribbling across a scratchy surface filled the Queen's delicate ears. This day had certainly not been what she had expected in the least. She had awoke in her cell just like any other day when she realized that she was not alone like she had been promised. A crystallized and armor clad guard was watching her, tentatively, from the other side of the never-opening bars of her confinement. When she asked him why he was there, the only thing he did was ignite his horn with magic, tie her hole-filled front hooves together, and open the door to her prison.

And now she was sitting in a very dimly lit room(which strangely comforted and pleased her; her cell was often extremely bright), and she was bound by magical bonds to a chair. Somepony, somepony whose voice sounded eerily familiar to the Queen, was questioning her. For what, she hadn't the slightest idea. Perhaps they wished to make a biography of her scintillating life. She did have her fair share of stories.

Or, they wished to punish her further for the crimes she had committed in the past. Which, in her opinion, weren't bad in the least. All she did was try to take over Equestria. Eight times. They were clever plans, too. Such a waste of her true talent.

But now she was playing the good Queen card, which involved her serving her sentence in prison for as long as the sun and moon princess would allow, and when she escaped she would find her subjects again. Perhaps even come up with a new battle plan for Equestria. She swore on her life that she would have it. And this swear had not left her mind since the day she had promised it. However, she still needed to not appear menacing or disagreeably, or else the princesses would never free her. She would be a good actress for as long as she needed to, and no longer.

First on her agenda, though, was to find out where in Equestria she was, and why she was even there. Running a rough tongue over her still gleaming and full grown fangs, and tried not to grimace. The room was uncomfortably cold, as if somepony had put blocks of ice in the room to stay solid. Although she was used to the cold, the entire ordeal made her uneasy. She'd never show it, of course, but the thought of being alone in a strange place in the dark still put her on her guard. Fear had no place in her face. It would never be visible there. Not so long as she was the Queen of the Changelings.

"Who are you?" she called into the nothingness.
"It doesn't matter." was the reply.

"Does it? I think it does. Why don't you tell me what I'm doing here?"
A short pause.

"I must ask you, Queen Chrysalis. How did you escape?"
"Escape?"

She had done nothing of the sort. Her good Queen card was still very much intact, just as it had been the day she had been imprisoned.

"Yes, escape. How did you manage to do it?"
"You are clearly mistaken. I have not escaped since the day I was imprisoned." she responded, long buried rage flickering ever so slightly across her senses. It had been a long time since she had had one of her fits, and since she was attempting to appear good, the stored emotions had been built up so finely that even the smallest amount of annoyance could cause the scale to tip.

"What exactly did you say you wanted with me?" she inquired into the darkness.

"Do you recognize this?"
The sound of something sliding across a smooth floor filled her ears. A single beam of light followed it, and when she tried to trace it back to it's beginning, she found nothing. From her bonds, the Queen leaned over whatever she was sitting on to inspect the something. It was a filthy looking envelope, a letter of sorts. With an opened crusty wax seal.

Using one hole-clad back hoof, she gently flipped the letter over in an attempt to read the hoofwriting. Once this was completed, she studied it. It was no writing that she had ever seen before.

"This is of no use to me." she said, plainly, pushing it back where it slid from with the same back hoof that had turned it over.
"Did you write it?" The voice was tinged with hints of blind fury and confusion.

"Of course not! I've been in prison this entire time. What makes you think the ponies guarding me would allow me to send things out of my prison?" she spat.

"Don't.....don't lie to me." the voice said, shaking with anger.
"If you know anything.....anything at all, tell me NOW."

"I'm not lying to you!" The Queen's voice now matched the voice's anger.

"I don't know anything! All I know is prison. That's where I've been for the last TEN YEARS!" she said, the pitch in her voice rising. The buried fury was finding places in her senses now. The scale was about to be tipped.

In response to her anger, she suddenly felt her magical bonds tighten around her hooves, causing her to stop in surprise and for pain to shoot up her front hooves. She breathed heavily for a few minutes, and shoved the rage back down again.

Calm yourself, Chrysalis,her mind demanded.
The scale would not yet be tipped. Not here it wouldn't. She still had no idea who she was speaking to. This disembodied voice could belong to the sun princess herself. Maybe this meeting was to decide her fate in or out of her cell. She forced a thin coating of calm to settle over the layers of fury and slowed her breathing down.

"Are you sure that you don't recognize this letter? AT ALL?" asked the voice again.

"Yes. That's what I've been trying to tell you." she said, the venom bleeding through the calm. There was a pause on the other end, followed by a deep and troubled sigh.

"Very well. Take her away."
She felt a presence behind her, but before she could react, a dark something, darker than the very room, came in her line of vision, and swept itself over her head.

"Your majesty, the Queen has been safely escorted back to her cell. The report says that she'll be out for another five hours, and wake up with a pretty bad headache, but other than that she'll be just fine. I wonder, is there anything else I may do for you while I am here?"

It was quiet except for his voice. The fan attatched to the ceiling was running silently, blowing cool air into her face. The pillow-softness of the comforter soothed every inch of her tired body, but it did nothing to calm her raging insides. Another suspect, come and gone, and still she had no answers. She had found place in a ditch.

Everypony here was too kind to her. She did not deserve their kind words and gestures. Nor did she deserve to be in this comfortable bed, in this wonderful castle, haunted by her brother's family. Word had not yet come from the hospital, but it didn't matter at all. She already knew the answer; it had burned itself in her mind. Besides those who had passed, the one thing she could not have back was her solitude. She had not been left fully alone since the day she arrived, and his kindness and service had begun to nauseate her.

And yet, while she craved her solitude, she also feared it. If she was alone, U would have more chances to try and kill her too. She feared for her life, and for her remaining dear one's lives, all the while crying for those who had passed and not wanting to even breathe she was so furious.

But currently, she was in a dry spell. Though these emotions still lived quite obviously inside her, they had found resting places and had made themselves dormant, should she need to stir them up again. She knew where to find them. Since they were now dormant, she felt numb, and emotionless. Helpless, even. The palace dwellers were relieved at this, but also worried for her, and sent the orange guard to keep her company. And he was present, as he always was, watching. She found it best to ignore him whenever possible.

Sighing heavily, she levitated her trusty notebook and a quill and inkwell to her place on the bed. She flipped through the pages until she found the one she was looking for.

"Twilight."
She was about to cross off the flower pony and the Queen before he stopped her. He was right at her bedside now, looking her straight in the face.

"What?" she asked, her voice softer than it had been in a long time. She did not lift her violet eyes to meet his. She would suffer alone; it was her fault that she still wouldn't meet U's demands. She just........no. She stopped herself. There were no more excuses. She either did it or she didn't. And she couldn't bring herself to.

"Look at me." he said, in a commanding tone once used by a certain dweller. Five minutes passed, and slowly but surely the violet eyes met his.

"What?" she repeated, and flinched at the warmth of his eyes. He sighed heavily, and studied her. No longer did she look insane, but rather, burdened. Her mane was limp and she still had large bags under her eyes, but she didn't look as if she were about to throw somepony across a room. And for that, he had her sympathies.

"I never did express my condolences for your friends." he said at last, and he watched as tears began to gather in the violet irises.

"You....don't need to." she said, glancing down.
"It.....it doesn't matter anymore."

"Does it?" he asked, knowing the princess was lying.
"It does." she said, more tears beginning to pool.

"You never told me much about them." he observed.
"I didn't know them personally, but I know that they were wonderful ponies and that they meant a lot to you."
A curt nod from the princess.

"They did." she said, still not looking at him.
"I don't think you should stop the investigation. I think that you need to pull through this dry spell and.....avenge them. All of them."
That got her attention; the teary violet eyes locked onto his, and he knew now that she was listening.

"That's right.......they.....told me. That's right." she said, stammering a little.
"It will be alright, your majesty. I know it. We'll find this killer, and they'll get what's coming to them. I promise." he said.

The eyes watched him after he said this, only a few precious moments. Then, before he could react, the princess threw her hooves around him as best she could from her place on the bed and began to sob.

Surprise flooded his senses, but he hugged her back, and listened as her sobs filled the suite, landing on all the furnishings. Though her tears soaked his mane and some of her snot got on his ear, he didn't care at all. He knew that her pain was immense, and he allowed her to sob. Though this gesture broke the barrier between royal and guard, he knew that he was the only one who could comfort her now.

Finally, after about fourty-five straight minutes of sobs, he carefully removed her two front hooves off him, and looked her in the face. She had cried herself out, for now. Now she looked even more fatigued and deflated than before she had began to sob.

"Come on," he said quietly, loud enough for her to hear.
"Let's go get some dinner, your majesty."

And with that, he escorted her out of her chambers, her tears and snot still dripping down the side of his face.

When he brought her back to her chambers after a delicious meal, she went straight back to her bed to lie down. Since she was out of tears for now, she was immensely sleepy, and wished to lie down. He was with her, as always, and he watched as she made herself comfortable. She was still very much miserable; it was painted on her very face, but he knew she was better for the time being.

No sooner had she laid her head down on the end of the bed when the door to the chambers burst open. Her head snapped up in a second, and looked at the arrival.

"Your majesty! I have....grave news." he panted, his crystalline face contorted with worry and concern for his princess.

"What is it?" she asked, softly. He looked at her, carefully, ready for the princess to break down again. The guard panted before continuing.

"I have just received a report that Queen Chrysalis was found in her prison dead!"
He watched her face plummet into dangerous territory, and his heart went out to her. Guard or not, he wasn't going to be indifferent while somepony was having to suffer like this.

"That's not all, actually." said the guard, looking not happy in the least.
"I also got word from Ponyville. The local flower pony, Roseluck I believe, was also found dead just moments ago!"

"No....." she said, softly, her eyes growing to the size of saucers.
"And.......as always, your majesty, a guard investigating the two deaths found a slip of paper next to Miss Roseluck's body, addressed to you, saying for you to look in your closet."

She was out of her bed faster than she had seen her move in a long while. The closet door was thrown open with great force as the princess peered inside, and leaned forward out of the two guard's views.

"What is it?" he asked her, wondering if she would hear or listen to him.
In response, she brought out a letter, just like one he had delievered to her previously. It was written on old parchment, with the same spiderweb-like hoofwriting, except there were tiny spots of crimson dotting it this time. He knew what it was, and he was pretty sure she knew what it was as well. Blood.

She had it opened by the time he had crossed the room to comfort her. She had read it before he could say or do anything. It was on the floor faster than anything, thrown there forcefully, with the one who had thrown it facedown on her bed, sobs clearly heard through the soft comforter.

Now, as I have spared their lives,
It was obviously time for them to meet their indefinite demise.
Remember what I've told you, we both cannot survive,
Only one will, in the end, thrive.
I've decided to spare your precious princesses for the time being, and I've taken the liberty of killing those you've questioned so far. I figure that if I kill those you suspect, you'll stop trying to find me, and you'll FINALLY do what I've been asking. Besides, you won't miss a washed up queen and some idiotic flower pony.
Your get-out-of-death card has expired. I ask you again, give me your precious crown and stop the investigation, or more lives will be taken, including the princesses'.
You'll have to excuse all the blood on this envelope. It always seems to get on everything, doesn't it? It's Roseluck's, in case you're wondering.
By the way, while I'm on the subject of the princesses, the sun and moon will still be raised in their absence. I have enough power now to do just that. Maybe even more than you.
As always,
-U

Blueblood

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It was five o' clock somewhere, and he definitely needed a cocktail. Something strong. Something to dull and cloud his senses and make him possibly forget about what was happening to him that moment. But he probably wouldn't be able to escape this for at least another hour. If the crazy pony who was holding him here let him go. And if he decided to behave. Which was pretty unlikely on a regular basis. He, of course, had been very busy when the crystal guards came to collect him. He had been reading the newspaper while drinking coffee and had been enjoying a blueberry danish when they knocked upon his door. Of course the headlines these days had been all in an uproar, especially since the newest crowned alicorn had gone bonkers. It was a shame, really, but it didn't concern him, and therefore he didn't see any point to get his hooves dirty over the matter. Unless either of his aunts asked him to go comfort the weirdo, he wasn't budging.

It was also a shame that he hadn't been able to finish the article he was reading when they came. Today's headline had seemed very interesting. Interesting enough to spend his precious time over, and certainly interesting enough to pick up the paper and actually pay attention to the media for once.

PRINCESS TWILIGHT: IS SHE SAFE FOR EQUESTRIA?
by Flashbulb
Princess Twilight, most recently crowned princess and moved to the secluded Crystal Empire until further notice, was reported today by a well known source to have made a rash decision in regarding the investigation of her dear friend's suspected murders. "I was tied to a chair and placed in a dark room," says source. "I thought that the kidnapper had gotten Princess Twilight as well, but when the guards came to rescue me, I realized it was she who was the culprit!"

Twilight, as reported earlier, has been in this state since, as mentioned above, the deaths of her closest friends and now the hospitalization of Princess Cadence, Prince Shining Armor, and their daughter Aria Rosebud. Other sources tell us that the Princess has been placed under tight security during her time in the Crystal Empire, and that she is allowed to continue the investigation, but only under supervision. We're also told that Her Majesty's sanity is also speculated against, along with the deaths being in fact murders.We've heard tidbits of the deaths since they occured, but the police have sealed the cases until further notice.

In other news, word has yet to come from the hospital regarding the three royals. Sources there tell us that hospital employees have not released any information, and have orders not to until they complete the check. Until then, all eyes point to the three princesses, and their actions to deal with their weak link, while....

And on it went, winding its way down the cheap parchment like a fairy tale pony's incredible mane. He had thought to himself how much he could be like a fairy tale pony....he was surely handsome enough. And brave enough. And overall everything enough.

Yes, it certainly seemed like the newest princess was the talk of the papers these days. Her friend's deaths had certainly been tragedies, and certainly suspect enough to have cases opened for each.

If the murderer had been him(and in no way was he saying this fact was possibly true) he would have done it a bit more messily, especially with that white unicorn character. Nopony had ever not succumbed to him, and since she acted the way she did, it was better if she wasn't alive. What was she compared to all the mares in existence, after all?

But now he was here, tied up against his will, with his perfectly styled mane going limp because of the freezing temperature in the very dark room he was in. He believed his exceptionally white self was bound to a chair, just like the pony in the paper had been, and because of this, he now knew who his captor was.

The crazy mare herself. And, because of him paying a little attention to the media, he had an idea of what it was that she wanted. She either thought him unbelievably attractive and fall under his spell as she should, or she wanted to question him about her friend's. Unfortunately, he figured it was the latter.

Now, if he was correct and remembered the article, the lavender alicorn would be under supervision. Which made the dark and depressing atmosphere of the room all the more useless. He didn't know how many guards would be supervising, or what she would ask him, but the shred of fear that had found its way into his conscious was now being extinguished.

"Let's start...with your name."
A voice. Hers, most likely. He cursed himself behind his untarnished mask. If only he could toss his extraordinary blond mane at that moment, he would. Mares died for that one.

"His Highness Prince Blueblood the Fourth." he said, and tossed his neck in an attempt to move his mane. He was positive that he looked extremely ridiculous, but he would surely look very attractive in doing so.

Another sound pricked his ears. The sound of somepony frantically scribbling something down on a fresh sheet of parchment. Obviously documenting every precious second that he stayed there, for future reference.

"Okay...and do you know why you've been asked here today?" she asked again, and he noted that no note of longing or desperation was added to her recognizable voice yet. He considered trying harder for a short moment, and then, in his brilliance, an idea sparked.

"A slight idea. It's WONDERFUL to almost see you again, your majesty. It has been such a long time since I've seen your beautiful face."

He was careful to choose his words here. Perhaps if he charmed her, she would fall all over him, just as every other mare in existence should. Why, he was too exquisite and too wonderful not to be embraced by every mare there was. Surely each mare out there wanted to burn his image in their minds, to want him more than anything, to wish for his crown, his power, his money, and, on a more obvious note, his-

"Then you do know who I am." her voice changed here, interrupting his self wallowing. Not in it's usual pitch. It was a pitch that had never fallen upon his ears before...and certainly not one that he considered to be a good mood. Fear prickled at his senses, and he quickly shoved it back down behind his pristine outer shell.

"Yes, quite so." he replied, filling this statement with it's usual flair.
"If that is the case then you must have some idea why I have called you here." The strange note in her voice grew ever so slightly, causing a shiver to creep up his spine, chilling him more than he already was.

"Correct again." he repeated, flashing the most dazzling smile he could muster at that precise moment.
"Very well. I suppose you wouldn't recognize something if I showed it to you?"

"I will do my very best, your majesty." he said, laying it on thicker than it should have been.
"Then what is this?" she asked, coolly, the strange note ever present.

Before he could respond or think, something foul and unfamiliar to him was shoved in his face by an unseen presence. An unfamiliar unicorn's horn ignited, piercing the dark, and illuminated the something, just enough to where he could see clearly. It was a letter, and quite possibly one of the most hideous things he had ever laid eyes on.

"UGH!" his flair was shattered as he thrashed his head this way and that, in an attempt to rid his perfect self from the awful letter. It carried a stench that would surely latch onto his exquisitely smelling coat, and then he couldn't possibly make all the mares in existence yearn for him and only him!

Luckily the hideous thing was levitated away, back into the abyss, before any further damage could be done.

"So, you have seen this object before?" her voice implied, returning.
"Of course not! Such a foul thing...would never be near or even in my line of sight!" he said, frantically, sweat beginning to find its way onto his brow. He breathed heavily for a few moments more.

No. Stay cool, Blueblood. She might still release you, his mind soothed.
His original flair returned, as if it had never been broken.

"Did you write it?" she inquired.
"No, silly mare." he said, trying to be kind. Then, in an instant, the bonds that held his two front hooves tightened to a most unpleasant level, causing pain to shoot up his hooves in tiny pinpricks.

"Don't......don't lie to me. Did you or did you not write the letter that I showed you?" the note in her voice was at a more fearful pitch now. Perhaps it was the hinting insanity the papers so often spoke of.

"I did not write the horrible thing. Nor do I know anypony who did." he said, and tried not to show his desperation for getting out of the increasingly tight bonds. Then, as quickly as the bonds had tightened, they returned to their original firmness. Pain stopped pulsing through him, and he relaxed, panting slightly and softly.

"Very well, then. A pleasure as always, Your Majesty." her voice had become gravelly, as if it had been run over a thousand sharp boulders. She addressed him properly, and yet it sounded as if she were referring to him as nothing more than common pond scum. Which he certainly was not.

"Take him away."
And before he could respond or tell her how stunning he thought she looked, a dark thing, darker than the very room he was in, came over his perfect head from behind, and silenced him. It was then and there, before he dramatically sought to faint, that he recognized that strange note in the Princess's voice. Festering but ever present insanity.

Even now it was beginning to prove difficult for him to stay enthusiastic while she stayed depressed. It was becoming contagious, and at times unbearable.

It was now shameful to face his fellow guards; as they often approached him and jokingly inquired as to how he could take it, looking over a depressed royal every single day while still keeping his own happiness intact. His answer was simple, and not detailed. Something to keep them from laughing too much at his post. It was to keep happy memories in his own mind, and not let the royal's bad ones cloud them.

He was back in her chambers, just as always. With her still lounged on her bed, thinking everything to be hopeless, and with her still needing his assistance. It wasn't like it was the end of the world, but around her, it may very well have been. It was a rude awakening for him; it was every day he sought to be around her. He had never been around a pony of her state, and after this ordeal he planned not to be for a very, very long time.

That day he was in charge of escorting the pompous and air-filled prince out of the Crystal Palace. He had come out of the endeavor scathed, covered in bruises and exhausted beyond his limits. The prince, though filled with his over-inflated ego and pure arrogance, sure knew how to fight. The royal was obviously taught self defense, in case somepony tried to 'pickpocket' him. Which, as he reasoned, was nearly impossible.

However those bruises and his extreme fatigue could not take him from what he was summoned there to complete. She was what he was guarding now, and he would guard her, as he promised himself, even from her very self. Shoving his frustration down deep, he concentrated every ounce of happiness he had left into his next statement.

"So Blueblood wasn't the culprit. There's always tomorrow, right?" He was back beside her bed, pain lacing its way up his body, and still forcing a smile onto his face.

"I guess." she said, softly, violet eyes turning downward. She looked, as always, terrible. And today, it seemed she was worse than usual, if that were even possible. No matter how much he coaxed, begged, and asked nicely, she still had no motivation, even to brush her mane. He had had to resort to to calling in attendants to do it for her. Taking a bath was usually even harder a task.

"He's probably gonna die too, in a little bit." she said, softly still.
"Come now, your majesty. That can't be the truth." he said, trying to be comforting. It was almost as if she had two go-to moods nowadays: inexplicable anger, or the state she was in now. The state that always made him feel sorry for her, no matter how many times she kicked him in the face or spit on him or burst his eardrums from screaming so loud.

"And yet we both know it is. How can I ever hope to find U if he/she keeps killing all my suspects? Innocent ponies that....won't ever be able to go home....and see their families again....." her voice was on the edge of breaking.

"Now, now. Don't start up the waterworks again. It will be alright."
"How can it be?" she said, and pushed her face into the comforter once more. He despised it when she did that.

"You have to believe." he replied.
"Yeah, I believe. That everypony I know one day will be gone the next. Even you." her muffled voice declared from its prison through the comforter. He sighed, heavily, letting his voice echo throughout the room. Sitting in silence for a moment, he thought desperately for something good to say. As he was just about to say he would go get her something to eat, his memory flooded to him, and he perked up again.

"Your majesty, I almost forgot! There's somepony here to see you!" he said, not keeping the enthusiasm out of his voice as he crossed the carpeted floor to the entrance.

"What is it?" she inquired, not removing her muzzle from the comforter.
"Somepony I think that you might remember. She arrived this morning, when you were questioning Blueblood."

"MMmmm." was the reply.
Rolling his eyes, he sidestepped the two crystal-armor-clad guards that stood at attention by the grand double doors and opened one of them.

He poked his head out, far enough past another two guards to where the princess's visitor was waiting patiently. He smiled at the visitor, who returned this smile, and he showed the visitor inside. The guards at their posts looked inquisitively at the intruder, but didn't say a word. He had made sure to tell them that the visitor was alright before he had allowed her into the Crystal Palace. The visitor followed him inside, and he smiled as the stranger's face filled with awe at the magnificent suite.

"Here we are. You have a guest, your highness." he said, and smiled what felt like the surest smile he had smiled in days.
Her prison was to comfortable to leave. She did not want to remove her head from its place. When would he learn to stop smiling? To leave her in the state that she was forever? When would he learn to let her be at peace?

"T-Twilight? Is that.........is that you?"
That voice. She KNEW that voice. She had heard it.....she knew she had. Somewhere. Long ago.....before.....before they died. When they still lived. When life pulsed its way through their veins.

Her head snapped up before she could instruct it not to. Her violet eyes found the visitor before her mind did, and for a few moments, her eyes did not look at anything else. They did not see anything else but that visitor.

The visitor turned out to be a very familiar sunset orange pegasus, with a stylish but short purple-magenta mane and tail. A recognizable cutie mark was adorned on her flank, one that she had so tirelessly sought for. Her own pale violet eyes found the deeper ones, and almost instantly the paler began to tear up.

It was then that the visitor knew for absolutely sure who she was staring at. Quick as a blink she galloped over to where the alicorn was lounging, and threw her two front hooves around her old mentor, tears beginning to flow down her face and lacing itself into the other mare's unbrushed mane.

"It is you!"

It was pitch black. He couldn't see a single solitary thing in his path. He knew he shouldn't be afraid of this place, and yet he couldn't help it somehow. There was no light. Not even shreds of it from the dank and raging night outside. If he stumbled slightly, the other somepony there would have laughed. Such was the way of his employer; whom he still had not had the pleasure of meeting or even gazing upon.

The cold was bone chilling and frigid, so much so that he would need at least four layers of warm clothing just to walk around. It felt like ice growing on his coat, and the simple parka he wore was freezing on the outside. In a matter of moments, if either pony did not speak, he would surely be dead within the next twenty minutes. To make matters worse, a howling wind had found residence there, screaming up against the tiny place, obscuring any noise unless he yelled at the top of his voice.

He still couldn't believe that they had chosen to meet here, of all places. But, since it was abandoned, and in the least populated area they could think of, it was, in its own way, perfect. In his employer's eyes, at least. Whatever his employer said went. And nopony had the guts or the mind to argue against him. He knew that if anypony did, they might as well cut their own throats, to save the employer time.

"So you did decide to show up."
It had been three months...and he still was hearing the voice of his employer for the first time. It was a low and raspy sort of voice, one that sounded as if his employer had swallowed an entire desert. He saw a dark figure move ten feet from where he stood shivering. A shot of fear injected itself into his very bloodstream, causing him to shiver even more than he already was.

There were times when he sat down and asked himself why he of all ponies would get tangled up with somepony such as his employer. In fact it wasn't even his idea at first; his mates thought it would be fun. He had been drunk; the room was dim, and everything had brightened and distorted itself. He had felt happier than he should have been in a long time. But one word out of the strange pony's mouth had him convinced, even in his stupor. Freedom.

It was the taboo word not spoken anywhere near Canterlot castle. The word that could tip the scale between royal and rebel. The word that had churned inside him for months now, building and building and boiling and boiling until he knew inside him that he was destined to be a part of this. This was the one thought that kept his hooves firmly planted in the shack. The thought that stopped him from running away.

"Y-Yes.....I came....just.....as you....i-instructed." he said, his teeth chattering from the lack of heat, trying not to sound fearful, but proud.

"Good, good." His employer sounded pleased.
"What......do y-you w-want me to d-do?" he chattered, helplessly.

"Prepare yourself." said his employer simply, as if the answer weren't an illusion or being evaded from.

"F-For what?" was the inquiry.
"Simple." The dark figure moved closer to him now. So much in fact, that he could no longer see his employer's outline as it moved closer. He whipped his head this way and that, desperate to get a glimpse. Then, a breath behind him. A slight bit of warmth. Something to put his mind back on the track of his pride. And yet...when his employer said nothing, fear bled into the fragile layer. He whirled around, panting, as a venomous tone answered him.

"Your death."

Indisputable

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The day should have dawned pouring, dark, and depressing, and yet it did the polar opposite, as luck would have it. It was a gorgeous morning, with light spilling from the windowpanes and painting itself upon the furnishings of the grand palace. Yet, with the day being chipper, the palace residents were anything but. The maids were frowning as they tied up the heavy drapes in front of the exquisite drapes. The guard's usual demeanor looked extra sour today, and the butlers seemed more stiff than usual, if that were possible. And all of this was because of her decision. One that she had evaded all this time, one that seemed so clear and yet so foggy. One that would change her life for eternity.

Her elders had been called at dawn. They were on their way at this very moment, and yet seeing them didn't arouse the usual excitement or joy inside of her, which wasn't shocking. The general assembly that she had ordered was to start at exactly noon, and everypony in the entire Empire was to attend, or there would be consequences. At noon, instead of standing on the balcony like she had done so many times before in all her grandeur, she would stand at attention at the base of the palace where the crystal heart stood and await the pony who was the source of her pain.

The thought had crossed her mind many times to kill U before he/she could take her crown, but what was the point? Suppose U had accomplices. Suppose that U wasn't one pony, but a whole bunch, working together to have supreme control over her? If that was so, then she would never be free of the death that cloaked her. She would never truly be free of U.

Then there was the thought of an assassination, through her assumed dead chances of freedom. This was stamped out as well. If U was to be the royal now, then he/she/them would be constantly protected, of course. No one would let any harm come to the royals, even if she was a former royal. Former royal. These words echoed and buzzed around angrily in her mind. She didn't like it in the least, but as time went on further, the reality of her choice was clear. It was to be her new title.

The window that she stood in front of showed her the hustle and bustle of those down below the palace, readying for noon. Crystalline ponies with shimmering coats lingered at the base, trying not to look hasty or fearful. She could tell that they were staying close to the palace, but were trying to appear as if they were going about their normal lives and weren't worrying about her assembly. They did not have this pleasure anyway. That was granted to her, burned unseen into her heart; a fresh burden. She would do all the worrying for today. As always, he was there, standing close by, watching her observe her brother's subjects. The visitor was also there, and though she knew she should be pleased, she could not help but let the reality of this day to poison this long awaited pleasure.

Ever since the guest had arrived yesterday, she had been doing nothing but speaking with her. The visitor had heard plenty of the deaths, and had shared a particularly long weep with the lavender alicorn when a certain cyan pegasus was mentioned. As the tears were hastily wiped away, the visitor told the princess of her vow, which consisted on carrying out the late cyan pegasus's accomplished dream. The now grown orange pegasus was now in training for being Captain of the Wonderbolts, and she reasoned that she would be given this honor within a few years. If she worked very hard, and if she never gave up, the princess reasoned, this dream would very well come true.

And now as she stood, she ignited her horn with magenta magic, and levitated the crown off her head, thinking of dreams. How unfair life had been to her; it had ripped her friends and brother out of her arms, and now it was taking her crown and wings, the two things that she was working towards obliviously for the longest time. But no, she reminded herself, it was not life that was taking these things away. It was U. The last thing U could take from her now was her own life. He/she had already successfully taken everything else. Her rage mixed with her grief, and she wanted to let go of it so badly that she could taste these very emotions on her tongue.

The sound of the door opening snapped her out of her thoughts, but she did not turn. Let him or the visitor see to the arrivals; it was most likely her elders, coming for the assembly, wondering what this whole ordeal was about. She returned the crown to atop her head, knowing that it would not be resting there for much longer.

She didn't have to turn to know that he had escorted both of them in and that the white alicorn's pale eyes fell upon her figure. She didn't have to turn to know that the white alicorn would cross the room, take a place beside her, and calmly ask why she had called them there. Her eyes did not have to find her elders to know what their faces would spell; her ears did not have to hear the scolding and fear in their voices when her own spoke of what she was about to do. And what did it matter? There was no place for her now. She would escape to a land far away......perhaps one she had visited in the mirror so many years ago........and stay there forever. At least there, she would have one friend she knew. One that had yet to die.

Her thoughts had been correct on her elder's actions. The white alicorn crossed the room, followed by her sister, and they took places beside her, following her violet eyes as she watched the subjects that weren't hers.

"Twilight. Why have you called us here?" asked the sun princess, the calm resonating out of her voice just as her younger knew it would.

"I.......have called this assembly.......to stop the murders and threats against my subjects, and to stop the reign of terror from the pony known as U." was the reply. She focused on the street below her and then started to wonder if she would survive the leap.

"What do you plan to do?" asked the moon princess, worry and fear lacing her voice.

In response, the younger alicorn ignited her horn once again, and removed the crown from her head once more. This was all the explanation her elders needed, and all they would get. As she suspected, they understood without her uttering a single sound.

"You can't possibly mean........" the moon princess's voice trailed off, and out of the corner of the younger's eye she could see the darker blue alicorn turn to her beloved sister.

"This is what U wants." she said softly, staring at the crown that would soon cease to belong to her.

"Twilight, think about this. We gave you the throne because you earned it. You are the Princess of Friendship! Wearing a crown will not change that." scolded the sun princess, searching her former student's face for any sign of reconciliation.

"I've thought it through..........and I want the death to stop. I'm tired of seeing somepony alive one day and knowing them in a graveyard the next. Please...........Princess Celestia..........this is my choice." she finished, not lifting her eyes into her elder's.

"I understand that you want the threats to stop..........but giving up your wings isn't the ans-"

"And yet it is." she interrupted, the truth welling inside her much like her tears beginning to well up in her eyes.

"If I don't do what U asks, the deaths won't stop. Even if we find U and kill him/her, he/she surely has accomplices. You both have enemies. I have enemies as well. If I delay U any more than I already have, then eventually he/she will kill both of you!"
The silence on both of her fellow alicorn's ends filled her ears.

"I-I............can't let that happen. You're all I have left.......besides Scootaloo.......and Flash. If anything happened to you, I'd slit my own throat and save U the trouble. Please............let me do this. I know what I'm doing. I-I'm saving your lives." she finished, letting the last part of the truth catch in her throat, causing heat to form around her eyes, threatening the awaited tears.

Before either princess could say or do anything, an unmistakable sound filled the air around and chilled every resident in her suite down to their bone marrow. It was the chime of the clock that was stationed at the end of the hallway where her suite was built. It's loud chimes worked their way into her heart and echoed through, sending anxiety shooting through her. She returned the crown to her head one last time, and started towards the door before anypony else had a chance to react, knowing that every step took her towards her new future.

"Come on," she said, speaking softly but knowing full well that everypony there could hear her perfectly.
"Let's go greet the subjects."

The wind blew softly and gracefully through the base of the palace, and the crystal heart's eerie blue light painted only a few crystalline muzzles. The entire Empire had squeezed itself all around the small area, and despite the breeze everypony seemed to be sweating through their crystal sheen. A thousand pairs of eyes of every size, shape, and hue watched her every move as she ascended the platform that had been set up so that she could see everypony. Crystal armor clad guards were stationed at every point by the platform, with the princesses on the platform with her, him on the ground with the other guards, and the visitor at the front of the audience.

The podium was made out of pure violet crystal, with the Crystal Empire's crest stuck to the front. There was a single microphone attached to the top, and as she trudged helplessly to the podium, she was sure that this microphone would pick up everything. No need to mumble now; she might as well accept her fate. To never fly again. To never be a royal again or to feel equal or one among her fellow alicorns. To keep her mind off of the obvious, she allowed her mind to wander. She wondered if her brother or her sister-in-law ever climbed this platform to speak at this very podium. They probably never needed to.

Then, there she was. At the podium, with the microphone trained on her muzzle, and with every eye watching worriedly, intently, to see what the announcement could possibly be. She scanned her gaze over everypony standing before her. Which one of those crystal faces was U? Which one was the perpetrator responsible for her pain? For her suffering? Where was that pony? Where was he/she? She hadn't the slightest clue, and because of this the anger and the suffering bubbled up inside her chest once more. U said that they would come out of the crowd and accept the throne. Then what? When was the time for Twilight to rid herself of her never ending rage, jump off of the platform, and slit U's throat in front of everypony? To stand over U's mangled and bloody body, and scream to the entire Empire that she wasn't crazy at all, that this was the pony responsible? That everypony was mistaken about her insanity, and that her beloved princesses had been treating her strangely all for nothing?

These very thoughts in itself made her want to keel over in front of everypony and sob her eyes out. She wouldn't care, either. She wouldn't care if there was snot in her mane and red around her eyes. She would sob to everypony, demand that U show his or herself, and and have U dragged to the podium by his or her mane so that she could finally........finally rid herself of him/her. However, this was not to be the case. She was still in front of everypony, eyes dry, and still oblivious to where the source of her suffering stood.

Her silence cast an uneasy feeling across the audience, and the white alicorn, standing at attention with her sister, cast a glance over at her former student. Pain had eased itself onto her face, along with irreplaceable fury, and overwhelming suffering. The fact that the younger had yet to speak was putting the audience on edge, so the sun princess opened her mouth first and cleared her throat. Her volume was loud enough for any microphone, but the device picked up on her noise anyway. Soon all eyes shifted to their beloved elder as she set one hoof forward in a stance that welcomed relief.

"Good morning, citizens of the Crystal Empire." she said, allowing her voice to bounce off the base of the palace. Relief dawned on some faces, but worry still painted others. The elder cast a glance over at the younger, seeing if she would take up the speech, but she made no move to do so, so the sun princess continued, not letting her uneasiness bleed through her soothing.

"Princess Twilight has called all of us here today because she has a very important announcement to make."

The wind blew softly through everypony's faces as the white alicorn turned once again to face the lavender one. Her former pupil seemed to be staring off into space, as if she had forgotten that she was even in front of a waiting audience. The princess cleared her throat, and slowly lifted out the same hoof that had stepped out to nudge the younger. It worked, and the deeper violet eyes snapped into focus. It took a few seconds, but the younger's mind finally seemed to turn on. The younger slowly and carefully cleared her throat.

The microphone picked up on her throat clearing, and she allowed it to echo through the crowd. Her eyes scanned tons of pairs, looking for U. When nopony came forward, she tentatively opened her mouth.

"That's.......right." she said, carefully. Casting a look at the two alicorns beside her, she took a calm and collected breath. Sobbing uncontrollably would have to wait.

"Over the past three months, I'm sure you all have read the newspapers with my inferred insanity, and I am here to put all those rumors to rest. I will tell you the story, straight from the source." she took another collective breath, and she felt tension slightly relax in the room.

"About three months ago, my good and lifelong friend Rarity was found dead in her bathtub, and when her body was sent to the lab, it appeared that she was drowned. I was devastated, of course, but I thought it was an accident, and so did the police. I had my other friends to grieve with, and for a while, things were seemingly okay. Then the next death came, followed by another. After that I began receiving letters by somepony who signed their notes with a single letter: U. The letter came with a simple request: Give up my throne or they would continue to kill those near and dear to me.

"At first, I thought they were just dry threats, because as you all know, I am royalty, and I'm sure that Princess Celestia and Princess Luna have been threatened before. But whatever the case, I turned the letter in to the police, and they said that they would keep the investigations of my friend's deaths open in case I should find something, and I was also instructed to bring all letters I received to them. And then, before I knew it, my friends were dying left and right, and next to their bodies were the letters, all demanding the same thing.

"When all my friends had perished, U wrote to me and told me that if I didn't comply, the princesses that you see standing before you today would be killed as well. I was about to call an assembly when my sister-in-law, brother, and their child were found in that carriage accident. That's when the princesses decided to send me here to look over the Empire, and when I decided to continue my investigation. It seemed that I couldn't hide from U anywhere, because the letters and death streak followed me here too. That's why I did that to Roseluck.......I wanted to see if she was U or not.

"And today I stand before you in extreme and utter suffering over the deaths that my ignorance to U's demands have caused. A Queen, a prince, and a humble citizen are dead, along with every one of my beloved friends. My own brother is in the hospital, not waking, because of me. Today I am here to put all of them to rest finally, and save lives who could have been lost, for today...........I.........T-Twilight Sparkle, princess and alicorn of Equestria.......do h-hereby........."

Her hooves gripped the sides of the violet crystal podium as the words caught in her throat.
What is wrong with you?, her mind screamed at her.

Finish what you started.
"I.............h-hereby............" she stammered helplessly, her rage and grief pulsing through her ears and thundering in her heart and through her very blood. The plea screamed through her brain causing explosions of pain to dance across her conscious.

"A-A-A-A-A-"
"Your majesty!"

A voice through the crowd. She swallowed hard and struggled to find the voice, hoping and praying that that voice belonged to U. Movement came through the crowd, and her heart sparked with anxiety. If U was coming through the crowd this second......she would finally look upon the face of the monster. And she would move before she could comprehend it, and kill U with every ounce of hatred that she had in her.

But the pony coming through the crowd was a crystal armor clad guard, sweat covering his brow and panting as if he had run a long way. He had something levitating with him in his magic, but from where he was she could not put her eyes upon it just yet. He fought his way through the throng, and finally ended up in front of the podium, all attention now trained on him. He panted and composed himself, leaving her and everypony else in suspense, before finally opening his mouth to speak.

"What is it? You are interrupting an important assembly." said the sun princess before he could say anything.

"A thousand apologies, your majesty, but we have found something that you might want to see."
There was a sharp intake of breath on the sun princess's end, and the moon princess watched her sister worriedly.

"Can it wait until after the assembly?" she asked, calmly.

"I'm afraid not, your majesty. I believe that it is something that Princess Twilight will wish to see. It has something to do with her investigation."

"Very well. Quickly, and then we will return to our assembly. You may present whatever you have to Princess Twilight."
But she had already had an eyeful of it. How could she mistake it? No, she couldn't. She couldn't possibly, not now and not ever. Her eyes glued themselves to it, though whispers were coming up all around the audience, that didn't seem to bother her. Only one question resonated through her mind and silenced all the emotion bubbling and overflowing over her. How.

In the guard's levitating magic, he held an object that she thought she had buried long ago. An object unmistakable to her, one that she had seen so often she thought it was a living part of the pony who had worn it. It was almost proof that.........no......it couldn't be possible. And as she threw herself onto the podium and began to sob, the princesses began to recognize what this object was; they had seen it as well. The crying violet eyes looked at the object once more and fresh tears found their way out of her eyes, for the guard's magic levitated the couch dweller's hat, worn, brown, and leather.

Just in Case

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"You know you're going to have to come out of there."
It had been an extremely long morning, and her attitude wasn't making anything even the tinest bit easier. He needed a coffee, an aspirin, and a nap just to look at her. Unfortunately, he wasn't going to get those needs.

After she got an eyeful of the hat, she had opened her wings faster than anypony could blink and had flown from her place on the podium, taken the hat from the guard's magic, and had locked herself away in the nearest bathroom. It had taken forty five minutes total to find where she was, and it was taking even longer than that to get her out of said bathroom. He had been standing there, along with five other crystal guards, for a grand total of an hour and a half, coaxing, yelling, threatening, and trying every way he knew to get her out, and yet she still refused to budge or even consider opening the door.

He had even gone to the princesses and asked them to come and speak with her. They made a fuss as well, and the sun princess had threatened to destroy the door, but she was too clever; using her elusive and extremely powerful magic to make the door and every window invincible. All that was left to do now was to wait for her to decide to come out. Which was probably going to take days, at the current rate. He didn't think she cared, either.

The assembly came down with fire after she left the platform. The Empire's citizens went into an uproar. Some began to sob uncontrollably, others yelled, and others just stood there, waiting for instruction with perplexed looks on their faces. He had never laid eyes upon the hat before, but from the way she began to sob on the podium and the way she had distanced herself from everypony else made one thing clear to him: she knew the hat's owner. And from her reaction, the hat's owner, he supposed, had passed long ago. One of her friends, he guessed. But how did the hat find it's way here?

Suppose U was intelligent enough to place this particular bogey into the crowd as proof that he/she was a notorious graverobber, but this fact was highly unlikely. Even if U was so, why take the hat in the first place? Perhaps it was the most recognizeable object to her? Or perhaps this hat's owner had died very recently, the most recent of all the deaths?

He pushed those thoughts from his mind. Now wasn't the time to make accusations. He didn't know why or how, but the hat found its way here.......and now it was tearing apart the youngest princess. Almost to the point of no return. He sighed heavily, and lay himself up against the grand bathroom's door and released another heavy sigh into the ornate wood.

"Twilight. Please come out of there. Haven't you been in there long enough?" he asked carefully, letting the words roll off his tongue.

"No. I'm too close to an answer, Flash!" was the reply.
"Please, your majesty. I beg you. What is it that you have discovered?"

"This hat belonged to Applejack. I'd know her hat anywhere. But.....this doesn't make any sense. How would Applejack's hat find it's way to the Crystal Empire? I buried her hat with her..........and unless U is a grave digger, I don't know any possible solution." she said on her end. He almost blanched. Her thought patterns were extremely similar to his, perhaps he could assist her in her investigation............

"Unless.........." she interrupted his train of thought.
"What do you think? That Applejack is alive?" he asked her, his voice raising. He fought hysteria back down his throat.

"No. She's not alive. I watched her die, Flash. She's in her grave......in Ponyville. Just like they all are." came the response, her voice quieting and he could detect notes of emotion even through the door.

"Twilight, I know you're upset about this. I think this whole thing has hit us on a personal level, but.....you have to come out of the bathroom. We aren't going to solve your problem with you sitting your life away." he said, trying to be reassuring. There was silence on the princess's end.

"You're right." she sighed finally, and he allowed the familiar and long awaited sound of a lock clicking unlocked to fill his ears. And then, there she was again. She looked in disarray, as she often did these days, with her mane a wreck and bags attatched, almost permanently, to the rims of her eyes. Levitating haphazardly between them was the source of her behavior; the hat. It was just as he had seen it before; worn, leather, but loved to the fullest.

"What do you think?" she asked, softly, her deep violet eyes searching his sky blue ones.

"Worn, but loved." he sighed heavily.
"I don't understand, Twilight. How is your deceased friend's hat going to help us find U?"

"Simple. U was in that crowd and is likely still in the Empire. He/she always told me that when I abdicated, he/she would come out of the crowd and accept the throne. U's here, Flash."

"Be that as it may, I thought you said that U followed you here. To keep killing the ponies you questioned?"

"Well yes. I've always assumed that. But now my suspicions are correct. We can trap U in the Empire and find him/her faster than ever! Don't you see? By cutting off means of transportation, we can catch him/her!"

"But....what if he/she is a pegasus? Or has already left the Empire?"
"It's only been a few hours! They couldn't possibly have left, they're waiting for me to truly abdicate!"

"Yes...........but......"
"No more contradictions, Flash. I can do this. I'm going to find U, just as I promised Applejack. I can't stop the investigation now, I'm so close! U won't kill the princesses or anypony else, not while they're here in the most protected part of this Empire."

He considered this. She was correct for the most part, but there was one detail that she had missed, one that would surely, if true, could cost her more lives.

"Your majesty.......what if U......is inside the Palace?"
"They aren't. They can't be. If they were inside the Palace they would have killed the princesses by now, or even a few maids, or have sent me a note asking why I haven't abdicated by now."

"They could be hiding out, waiting for the chance to strike."
She shook her head.

"It's alright, Flash. I know you're worried, but now that I've found this I think I may have the answer."

The violet eyes found his once more, and one look in her face and he had all the answer he would ever need. As a royal guard, he would stay loyal to his princess until the very end.

"I need you to do something for me, Flash."
"What is it, your majesty?"

"Send for the royal guard second in command, under my brother."
"My boss, your Highness? What would you-"

"Yes, your current boss. Also, send word to the Ponyville Police Station. I want the reports on the investigations of my friend's deaths." she interrupted. He opened his mouth to say something, but then shut it. He bowed, and gave her a nod.

"Consider it done."

"Incompetence. I'm surrounded by incompetence."
A cloaked and unseen figure paced across the quiet and bone chilling floor of the shack and glowered at the pony before it.

"Please......listen to me......I fully intended to do what you asked-"
"And that is exactly why you have displeased me!" the figure interrupted, so enraged that it could spit.

"But......."
"I tire of your excuses and countless acts of incompetence. Why did I ever agree to listen to one word out of your filthy muzzle?"

"Hear me out, I-"
"No. I'm sick of hearing you out, listening to you beg me for second chances. I ask you to do one simple thing and even that you cannot do correctly."

"Give me another chance!"
"You're out of chances. I am in no longer need of your services. You have made You-Know-Who very angry, and me as well."

"I.......have?" the shivering pony shrank down even more at the pony that the figure had named. It was one thing to upset the figure, but it was surely another for him to anger.............no.......he couldn't have possibly.......

"Yes, you have, you dirt-eating street worm. I have your mess to clean up, and your fire from U to put out."

"What can I do to redeem myself?" asked the pony, crumbling before the figure's very eyes, on the verge of crying his eyes out.

"Get out of my sight. And as quickly as physically possible."
"You're...........letting me go?" Hope dawned on his face.

"I never said that, now did I? I asked you to get your raggedy flank out of here. You will receive no compensation, as your work was highly unsatisfactory. That being said, I do not wish to repeat myself. MOVE."

The pony scrambled to his hooves, hastily wiping tears out of his eyes and throwing declarations of thanks to the figure. He opened the door of the shack, allowing a blast of cold to infect the entire shack, and the figure wiped snow out of it's eyes as the pony made his retreat. Silence resumed in the shack, and hidden figures began to emerge from the shadows, turning to face the figure. Henchmen of They-Knew-Who.

"What do you wish us to do, Master?" they inquired, in raspy voices. It only took a few moments for the figure to send them on their way, with a single statement from the figure's mouth.

"Kill him."

"I have done what you instructed, your majesty."
After a dozen phone calls, three ponies yelling straight into his eardrums, about two miserable hours, and ordering himself hoarse, he had accomplished what his princess had instructed of him. It had not in any way shape or form simple, either. Even as the events that had occurred in the past hour slid back and forth deep in his conscious, his head still found reason to throb.

Firstly, a call to the Ponyville Police Station was made. He spent a grueling thirty minutes attempting to persuade the receptionist that he was, in fact, calling from the Crystal Empire, and that his call was important enough to be transferred to the chief. When he at last got his call transferred, but the chief was on his coffee break and couldn't be disturbed. He was set on hold for ten minutes, when finally the chief answered. When told of the predicament, it took an extra ten minutes to convince the chief that this wasn't a prank or a fake call. When that was sorted out, the records were asked for in as much kindness as he could possibly muster, though at the moment he felt anything but kind.

The chief not-so-kindly informed him that he would have to be transferred to the head of records keeper, and did so without him even asking twice. When he was put through, it was revealed that the record keeper was also out, but for an early lunch. By this time he was extremely close to throwing somepony through a plate glass window as hard as he could, but he figured that now may not be the best time. Instead, he was put on hold for the second time, until at last the records keeper got on the line with a lazy greeting.

When the records were requested, the records keeper lazily inquired if the chief had sent him, which in fact, he had already had that conversation with the chief. It another precarious ten minutes to locate the records another ten to verify that these were the correct ones and that he in fact was calling for his princess, the youngest alicorn. The records keeper moved extremely slow, but at last, the records were arranged to be sent by the fastest mode of transportation avaliable, and were due to arrive in an hour.

Moments ago, the sweaty but package clad deliverypony had arrived just outside of the Crystal Palace. There was no conversation between them as he wordlessly nodded a thanks and took out a stamp to sign for the records. After which, the deliverypony hurried off, taking the clipboard, and leaving him with hasty instructions that the pony would return for the records when he was called at a specific number, which was left in his hoof.

All the while he rushed around making numerous calls, she was hard at work in questioning the next suspect, which happened to be his boss. He was thankful that he wasn't around to experience his boss's questioning; fear wasn't something that could be forced into his superior.

But here he was, after his grueling task, standing outside of her door, with the records intact, waiting for her invitation to come in. He wouldn't be allowed a second of break until she was satisfied, no matter how much his hooves threatened to go to jelly. Her wish was his command.

There was rustling from the other side of her suite door. A sense of deja vu clouded his senses, as he had just been in front of a door with her on the other side almost three hours previously. Only this time, he was ten times as agitated, and she was going to let him in at any moment.

Then, as if on cue, the suite door swung open, with her usual tangled mess of self standing before him. Without so much as a thank you or even a simple hello, she snatched the package he held out of his hooves and disappeared into her suite, this time leaving the door ajar. She bounded over the plush carpet and onto her bed, where she began ripping the package open like a small filly opening a present on Hearth's Warming Eve. He went inside the suite, and stationed his exhausted self at the bedside, watching her.

The package's paper went everywhere, and though he figured it wasn't the most efficient tactic, it did prove to be effective. The records were printed especially neatly on clean white parchment, with minuscule writing marching across. At the top, the records stated the day of which they were made, the incident, the name of the chief of police in Ponyville, and the victim. They were placed in alphabetical order, from what he could see, and he watched as she devoured them each hungrily, like she was eating chocolate cake instead of reading police records.

As much as the sight of her reading the records almost obsessively should have scared him, he couldn't help but feel like she deserved to read the records and to attempt to get somewhere in her investigation. He supposed that if something of this nature ever occurred to him, then he would be acting exactly the same way. Meanwhile, she had yet to say anything to him, much less thank him, but she had now successfully skimmed all of seven records, and was now pouring over one in particular, leaving the rest in a pile off to the side. Without uttering a sound, he eased one of the records off the pile and peered at it. She glanced at him, but didn't make any contradiction. He skimmed past the day, and the chief of police's typed name, and lead his eyes straight down to the victim's name.

NAME OF VICTIM: Dash, Rainbow
REPORT: Victim found deceased at site of Ponyville Town Hall at 10:05 a.m. on 16 May. Address 294 Main Street, Ponyville, Equestria. (1)Fallen and damaged oak beam found beside victim, along with letter delivered to Princess Twilight Sparkle at 10:30 a.m. on 16 May.
MEDICAL REPORT: Minor outer damage including a scratch on L. cheek, scuffed hooves, matted coat, but severe internal bleeding around wing/lung/and heart area. Both wings broken, damage to r. bone on L. wing.
WITNESSES:

It went on to list several neatly printed witnesses, none of which actually saw the beam fall down upon the pegasus, all except for one, who was clearly not emotionally stable enough to comment on the report. He sighed, placed the record back into her neat pile and took another.

NAME OF VICTIM: Pie, Pinkamina (Pinkie) Diane
REPORT: Victim found in Sugarcube Corner, 231 Main Street, Ponyville, Equestria at 2:30 p.m. on 31 May. Found on floor, with no serious physical outer damage inflicted. Search conducted at 3:45 p.m. on 31 May. Identified herb: oleander, found under victim's bed at 4:10 p.m. Sample sent to lab. Letter found. Delivered to Princess Twilight Sparkle at 4:45 p.m.
MEDICAL REPORT: Very little outer damage, scuffed hooves, matted coat, scratch on R. cheek. Traces of oleander found on victim's saliva, and in victim's bloodstream.
WITNESSES:

From there, the report listed the witnesses, just as before. At first inspection, the deaths seemed pretty cut and dry, in his opinion. Deaths that could very well be explained outside of murders. He was sure, though, if she pondered each enough, she would find something that he hadn't caught. This would be of little surprise to him; surely her intelligence matched, if not exceded, his own.

As his eyes fell upon her figure once more, he almost let a laugh escape. She appeared almost comical, with her back hunched over and her eyes devouring the records as if they were her favorite foods. He was glad that she was doing something other than moping around. It made his job all the more easy. At least, for now.

All at once, the violet eyes stopped skimming as fast as they could. They were stopped on a single sentence.

"Your majesty?" he inquired. There was no acknowledgement.
"What are you........?" his voice trailed off. Silence rang out through the room, chilling him.

"Flash........" she spoke at last, her eyes filling with something that he himself had not seen in the longest time.

"I...........I........."
"You what?" he asked, softly, studying her. She turned around as quick as a whip and bore her eyes into his.

"I found something."

The Last Alicorn

by Cerulean Swirl

The Remaining Element

Memories

The Third Reason

Instructions

First Suspect

Conflicts

Little by Little

Blueblood

Indisputable

Just in Case