Lilith and Grimm embark on an experience that set them in a dangerous situation.
Lilith, the once blood-crazed filly, has grown and has made a name for herself in Canterlot as a High Commander of the Royal Guard. Renowned and redeemed, she has put most of her unfortunate past behind her, though she does still have her impulses from time to time. Lilith isn't alone though, as she lives in Canterlot with her best friend, Grimm Smiles. A unique looking pony and quite shy to say the least, they live happily together. However, a string of gruesome reports is noticed by the Royal Guard about multiple murders that have been taking place lately at night. With Lilith in charge of the investigation, she faces challenges with not only the crimes, but with herself as well.
*This is a side story, and is a bit of a mesh, using the Redeemed Lilith from my story 'A Wandering Soul: Demon's Remorse" and Grimm Smiles from "Pinkamena's Awakening: A Promise Unforgotten".*
"HELP! SOMEPONY! THOSE THIEVES JUST MADE OFF WITH MOST OF MY JEWELRY!" The Merchant Pony yelled.
It was late at night in Canterlot and things were usually docile and in order at the time, but there is always the occasional "incident" from time to time. It turns out that this time a few petty thieves ransacked and looted a local jewelry store in the Market District.
"See guys? I told you it would be an easy one." The First Thief said, as all three of them ran quickly through the alley ways. "All we have to do now is make our grand escape."
"Yea you're right! I expected at least a little resistance of some sort, but that was too easy!" The Second Thief said.
"Yea... a little bit too easy..." The Third Thief said. "Aren't you guys worried that we'll get caught by... her?"
"Pfft please, we did this so quick we'll be out of here before she even realizes what happened!" The First Thief said.
The three thieves raced to end of each corridor until they reached the end, but all three of them stopped dead in their tracks when they saw what was waiting for them on the other side.
"It's about time you got here, I was getting pretty bored waiting for you three." Lilith said, leaning against a lamp post.
"H-How did you know we were-
"I know every inch of this city and what goes on through it, I wouldn't let something like this slip past me so easily." Lilith said, as she started to walk towards the thieves. "Now it's pretty late so let's make this quick, I have to go home and start making dinner."
"If you think we're gonna surrender so easily you've got another thing coming!" The Second Thief said.
"I was never asking you to begin with." Lilith said, as she suddenly appeared behind them and forced all of them to the ground, cuffing each one.
"I told you guys it was too easy..." The Third Thief said.
Shortly after, a few members of the Royal Guard appeared from around the corner and noticed Lilith with the captured thieves.
"You sure made quick work of them." The Guard said. "But I guess that's to be expected from you."
"These were only petty thieves, it's nothing to really celebrate about." Lilith said.
"True, but you did save the livelihood of that jeweler so that's something." The Guard said.
"I suppose so." Lilith said. "Here, you and the others take these three to the castle for containment. I have to go and return these bags to the jeweler."
"Understood." The Guard said, saluting.
Lilith picked up the bags and put them on her back as she proceeded to walk back to the Market District.
"There she is!" A Townspony exclaimed. "I knew she'd be the one to stop them!"
A crowd of happy ponies cheered as Lilith brought all of the stolen jewelry back to the shopkeeper.
"Oh thank you so much! I can't express how happy I am that you caught those thieves!" The Shopkeeper said.
"You don't need to thank me, I'm just doing my job after all." Lilith said, setting the bags down.
"Even so I really appreciate everything you've done!" The Shopkeeper said, with the townsponies nodding in agreement.
"Thank you, however I am sorry about the broken window and the state of your shop." Lilith said.
"Oh, it's alright. I might have to close down for a bit while I scrape the money together to get this all fixed up, but it could have been a lot worse." The Shopkeeper said.
"No I'm sorry, It's my duty to safeguard you all and even this counts as a failure for me." Lilith said, taking out a piece of paper and a pen. "Here, take this letter to either one of the princesses when you get the chance, it should be more than enough to cover the damages your store has suffered."
"R-Really? Are you sure? T-This is a lot of money I don't know if I-"
"It's alright, it's the least I could do for you. It has my signature and seal of approval so you should have no trouble getting it. " Lilith said, as she turned around and walked back to the castle.
"T-Thank you Commander Lilith! Thank you so much!" The Shopkeeper said, wiping the tears from her face. "...That's a lot of zeros..."
- Back at Canterlot Castle -
"Hey Lilith!" Shining Armor said, noticing her walk in. "That was fast, guess you really didn't need any help!"
"Yea, cases like that are just child's play." Lilith said, walking up to her office.
"True, but then again you are a lot different from the rest of us you know, that might also give you a big advantage." Shining Armor said.
"I guess, but I'm pretty sure you could have handled that case just as quickly as I did. "Lilith said, as she entered her office.
"Heh, you're probably right." Shining Armor said. "Either way, you've sure made quite a name for yourself around here since you joined, and a lot ponies have taken a real liking to you."
"I've noticed... and it's a good feeling." Lilith said. "It's definitely much different than how I used to be... thankfully, most of that is all behind me."
Shining Armor smiled and looked at the clock.
"Whoa, it's really late. I think I'm gonna start heading on upstairs to bed." Shining Armor said. "You coming?"
"Not yet, I just have to write a quick case report about this little incident and then I'll be done for the day." Lilith said. "Besides I don't have a room in the castle remember?"
"Oh yea that's right I always forget!" Shining Armor said. "Why is that again?"
"Grimm doesn't like the environment, too many ponies around in the castle, more than she's comfortable with." Lilith said, writing her report. "It's alright though, it doesn't bother me in the slightest, she's my best friend so I'm happy wherever she is."
"That's a side of you I don't see very often." Shining Armor said, laughing and taking a crumpled piece of paper to the face. "Hey!"
"Wasn't me." Lilith said.
"Heh heh sure it wasn't." Shining Armor said. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow Lilith."
"Hey wait!" Lilith said.
"Yes?" Shining Armor said.
"...I lied it was me." Lilith said, continuing to write her report.
"Boy you sure had me fooled." Shining Armor said, laughing some more. "Night Lilith."
"Night." Lilith said. "There we go, finished. Now I can finally go home... it's really late, Grimm's got to be really hungry by now... I've really got to start taking off a bit earlier so that doesn't happen."
Lilith locked up her office and head outside, closing the gate behind her and making her way towards the largest house in the Residential Area.
- Lilith and Grimm's House -
Lilith unlocked the door and started to hear moaning coming from the living room.
"Grimm? Is tha-"
"LILIIIIIIIIITH" Grimm said. "LILITH WHERE ARE YOOOOOOOOUUUUUU!"
Lilith ran to the living room only to see Grimm sprawled out all over the couch.
"LILITH! YOU'RE FINALLY HOME!" Grimm exclaimed, getting up and running to hug her. "CAN YOU PLEASE START MAKING DINNER! I'M SO HUNGRY!"
"Don't worry Grimm I'll start right away." Lilith said, taking off her Commander Armor and tossing it aside. "Is there anything specific that you want?"
"As long as there's meat in it I really don't mind whatever it is HeHe!" Grimm said. "So what did you do today Lilith? Catch anymore baddies HeHe?"
"Just one case today, a few petty thieves tried to rob a jewelry store but it was very unsuccessful for them." Lilith said, frying up a large amount of assorted animal meats.
"Buck yea! That's my girl! Showing them who's in charge!" Grimm said. "You've sure become pretty well known around here HeHe."
"Yea, I've noticed that and it's pretty nice I have to say, having a title and everything." Lilith said, pouring all the meat onto multiple plates on the table. "Dinner's ready by the way Grimm."
"Yes! Food!" Grimm yelled, as she rushed over to the kitchen table and started devouring the meat.
Lilith watched and smiled as her friend ate at alarming speeds. She walked over to the pantry and took a granola bar to munch on as she sat at the table with her friend.
"So did you do anything interesting today Grimm?" Lilith said.
"Not really, I've honestly been getting pretty bored lately." Grimm said, swallowing her food. "There aren't really any animals to hunt because it's a city and there's usually a lot of ponies outside, so I've just been inside a lot recently HeHe."
"Oh I'm sorry to heat that." Lilith said, finishing up her granola bar. "I'll try to think of something to help you out."
"Thanks Lilith! You're the best!" Grimm said, burping and finishing her food. "That hit the spot! You're a really good cook too HeHe!"
"Heh Thanks Grimm." Lilith said, looking at the time. "I think it's time for me to head to bed now, I've got another long day ahead of me tomorrow."
"I'll come too!" Grimm said. "I'm not that tired but I just wanna be with you and stuff."
Lilith smiled and walked with Grimm to their room. Grimm jumped on the bed and laid down on her side, cuddling next to Lilith as they laid down together.
Lilith wakes up and turns off the alarm quickly, stretching her hooves and yawning. She looks over to Grimm, noticing her still deep asleep and drooling all over her pillow.
"Even an earthquake wouldn't wake you up..." Lilith said, chuckling to herself and petting Grimm's mane. "I'd better start getting ready to go to work, but first I have to make breakfast for Grimm for when she decides to wake up."
Lilith walked out of the bedroom and into the living room, picking up and putting on her Commander Armor that she tossed there last night. She continued on into the kitchen and noticed that the plates were still there emitting an undesirable odor.
"Ugh! I knew I had forgotten to do something last night..." Lilith said, picking up all the plates with her magic and putting them in the sink, letting them soak in cold water. She continued on and opened the fridge, but to her dismay is was mostly empty. "It looks like I'll have to go grocery shopping... or in Grimm's case, I'll have to go hunting since the stores around here don't exactly sell what she eats."
Lilith looked at the time and realized she didn't have time to go shopping, or hunting, at the moment.
"Hmm... It looks like I'll have to go after work since I barely have any time now." Lilith pondered, getting out a piece of paper and a pen. "I'll leave her a note, hopefully she'll be able to wait until then."
Lilith looked at the time again.
"I'd better start going, don't want to be late." Lilith said, quickly taking a granola bar and munching on it. "It's a good thing I bought these in bulk."
Lilith walked out of the house and ate as she trotted to the castle.
- 2 Hours Later -
Grimm tosses in bed until she finally wakes up.
"...Man, I slept real good last night HeHe." Grimm said, climbing out of bed. "But wait... something feels off today HeHe..."
Grimm ran out of the bedroom and into the kitchen, and a feeling of grief overtook her.
"THIS IS HORRIBLE! THERE'S NO BREAKFAST ON THE TABLE! HeHe!" Grimm said, about to burst into tears. "Wait what's this HeHe?"
Dear Grimm,
Sorry that there isn't any food on the table for you like there always is. The fridge was empty and I didn't notice we were running low. I didn't have enough time to go "shopping" for you because work started really soon for me, but I'll try to take off early today and then head down to the forests in Ponyville. I should be back by nightfall so just try to hold out till then okay?
Love, Lilith
"Nightfall HeHe!?" Grimm yelled. "I don't know if I can hold out that long... I'm already so hungry and it's still the afternoon HeHe!"
Grimm looked at clock, seeing that it's still fairly early.
"...I might have to resort to something drastic HeHe..." Grimm said, with an eerie tone.
- Canterlot Castle -
"So Lilith, how are you enjoying your position here in The Royal Guard?" Princess Celestia said.
"I like it Princess, and I'm very grateful to have it." Lilith said. "A pony like me shouldn't even exist honestly..."
"Don't think like that, you've come a long way and I'm very proud of you!" Celestia said. "I'm sure Twilight would be too."
"I would hope so..." Lilith said. "But princess, I have a favor to ask of you."
"What is it?" Celestia asked.
"I've finished most of my work for today and I was wondering if I could take off early." Lilith said. "I'm sorry to say that it's for a personal reason, but I'd be very grateful if you'd let me."
"I think you definitely deserve some time off Lilith." Celestia said, giggling. "Go ahead and take the rest of the day off, I'm sure nothing of great importance will come up, but if something does I'll contact you."
"Of course, thank you very much Princess!" Lilith said, turning to walk out of the castle.
"Oh wait Lilith! Before you go, I have to ask... did you authorize for a withdrawal of a... quite large sum of money to be given to one of the Shopkeepers?" Celestia asked.
"Oh yes I did, it was from my personal account so there's no problem right?" Lilith said.
"Well that's just it, I thought it hard to believe because it was from your personal account." Celestia said. "But it did have your signature and seal of approval so we gave her the funds."
"It was all correct, I just wanted to make sure that she'd be able to get her shop back up and running again after that unfortunate incident." Lilith said.
"...I can see why the citizens of Canterlot look up to you so much." Celestia said, smiling. "Now you go on ahead, I'll have your pay increased to help you cover the donation you made."
"Oh that really isn't necessary Princess! I mean I-"
"Lilith, don't worry about it." Celestia said. "You've definitely earned it.
"...Thank you Princess." Lilith said, as she continued to walk away. "I very much so appreciate it."
Lilith left the castle and made her way to the train station. The time was about 6:30 P.M. and the sun was starting to go down.
"I'd better hurry to the Everfree forest, I only have so much time." Lilith said. "I wish I could pay a visit to Twilight, but I guess it'll have to wait for now."
- Ponyville -
Lilith stepped off the train and made her way towards the forest, but it wouldn't be that easy when she went through the Town Square.
"Look! It's the High Commander!" A Townpony exclaimed.
Shortly after, a crowd of happy and frantic ponies surrounded her, asking her questions and expressing compliments.
"T-Thank you all so much, really I do appreciate it but it's just what I do." Lilith said, trying to get away from the crowd.
"Lilith? Is that you?" A familiar voice said.
Lilith looked in the direction of the voice. The crowd separated and revealed that it was Twilight and her friends.
"Lilith!" Pinkie squee'd, running up and hugging her. "What are you doing here!? It's so great to see you again!"
"We haven't seen you in the longest time!" Fluttershy said softly.
"Oh... I... I'm here on a few errands is all." Lilith said. "It's really good to see you too Pinkie, all of you, but I should really get going."
"Nonsense! Surely you have a little time to chat right?" Rarity asked. "We haven't seen you in quite some time after all, ever since you joined The Royal Guard!"
"Speaking of The Royal Guard, how does it feel to be a High Commander huh?" Rainbow Dash said, putting her hoof around Lilith's shoulder. "I bet you get yourself into a whole bunch of awesome situations!"
"Well it doesn't happen everyday you know." Lilith said. "I mean yesterday was probably the only incident I had to deal with in like a week."
"You mean The Jewel Theft right?" Twilight said. "Everypony knows about it, it's practically all over the news!"
"Really? I wouldn't expect something like that to be everywhere." Lilith said. "It honestly wasn't really that big of a thing."
"Crime doesn't happen that often around here, so when it does it's usually on the headlines, regardless of how petty it is." Twilight said. "Anyway, I'm glad to see you again, and I'm really proud of you!"
"Heh... thanks Twilight... that means a lot coming from you." Lilith said, smiling. "N-Now if you'll excuse me I really have to get going! I have to get these errands done right away."
"Are you okay Lilith?" Twilight asked.
"Like I said I'm in a bit of a rush so I'll catch up with you all some other time alright?" Lilith said, as she turned around and ran towards the Everfree Forest.
"Well she's awfully busy isn't she?" Rarity said.
"Well as a High Commander of The Royal Guard I would expect her to be!" Rainbow Dash said. "Come on Twilight, let's start heading back."
"You guys go on without me, there's something I need to check out..." Twilight said, trotting off in Lilith's direction.
- The Everfree Forest, 8:30 P.M.-
Lilith walked into the forest, and tried to get to a mostly remote area where nopony would notice what she's doing.
"Alright, here we go." Lilith said, setting some large bags on the ground.
Lilith ran around the forest and slaughtered any little, or large, creatures that she came across. She then put the corpses of the animals in the bags that she brought along with her.
"I had a feeling you were doing something... but I didn't expect it to be anything like this!" Twilight said, revealing herself from following Lilith.
"T-Twilight! What are you doing here?" Lilith asked, feeling nervous. "I can't believe I didn't notice your presence..."
"You were probably too busy killing little woodland creatures to pay any attention to it." Twilight said. "Why are you doing this? I guess I understand if it's to satiate your "urges" that I know you still sometimes get."
"No... that's not it." Lilith said, taking a deep breath. "Listen Twilight, you know about my housemate Grimm right? I'm pretty sure I've told you about her before."
"Mhm, I know about her, she's your best friend." Twilight said. "But what does she have to do with this? Did she tell you to do this?"
"Not exactly... see the thing is is that Grimm has a different "diet" than the rest of us." Lilith said. "Shops around Canterlot or basically anywhere don't sell food like... this."
"So... you're killing these animals and bringing them back to her for her to eat?" Twilight asked.
"Please understand Twilight, I mean it's all she's willing to eat. Besides... she means everything to me... I'd probably be really lonely out there in Canterlot if it was just myself." Lilith said. "I come out here like once a week because she does eat a lot... I hope you understand Twilight."
"...I understand completely." Twilight said. "Though it may seem unconventional, you're doing all of this for your friend because you care about her so much... and I'm alright with that Lilith."
"Oh thank you so much Twilight... it means a lot to me, truly." Lilith said.
Just as Lilith was about to pick up the bags of the deceased, shouting could be heard coming from the exterior of the forest.
"Lilith! Lilith where are you!" Rainbow Dash said. "You're sure she went this way right?"
"I'm positive!" Applejack said. "Lilith! Someone from The Royal Guard is here for you! He say's it's an emergency and they need you!"
"Oh man... what am I supposed to do with all this?" Lilith said.
"Don't worry about it, I'll keep it safe for you until you decide to come back for it, just come by my castle." Twilight said.
"Thanks Twilight, you're a lifesaver." Lilith said, running out of the forest and into the group of ponies.
"I'm here, what's the problem soldier?" Lilith said.
"Commander Lilith! Please come this way, I'm afraid this is confidential and only for your ears." The Guard said.
Lilith and the Guard walked away from everyone else and spoke in a secluded area.
"Commander... I'm afraid I have some terrible news!" The Guard said. "We've just gotten reports of what appears to be... a murder in one of the alleyways in the city."
"What!? A murder? Are you serious!?" Lilith asked. "Something like this rarely happens... even I can't remember precisely the last time this happened... Come on, we're heading back to Canterlot immediately, I need to know the status and severity of the situation."
"Understood." The Guard said.
- Canterlot Castle, 9:00 P.M. -
"Princess Celestia! I came as soon as possible! I need to know what's going on!" Lilith asked.
"Lilith... it appears we have a murderer on the loose..." Celestia said. "It happened not too long ago, maybe less than 30 minutes."
"Where's the crime scene? I need to see the body and what exactly happened." Lilith said.
"These two guards will lead you there, but be careful Lilith... it's a very gruesome site..." Celestia said. "Shining Armor should also be there to assist you on the matter."
"Thank you Princess, and trust me, in the time that you've known me... I think some gore and blood isn't exactly new to me." Lilith said, as she ran out of the castle behind the two guards.
- The Crime Scene, 9:20 P.M. -
Lilith and the guards arrived at the scene of the crime. It was near the outskirts of The Market District, very close to The Residential Area. There were already numerous other guards blocking off the alley way from entry, stopping questioning citizens who were wondering what was going on.
"Look! Commander Lilith is here!" A Townspony said. "If she's here then it must mean something really bad has happened..."
The guards moved out of the way to let Lilith through into the alley. She made her way down until she finally came to mangled pony corpse.
"Has anyone touched the body at all since the murder?" Lilith asked.
"No, I made sure that no one went near it until you got here." Shining Armor said. "I figured this would be your specialty."
"Well you figured correctly." Lilith said. "I doubt anyone could match what I used to be like..."
"I really hope that's the case." Shining Armor said.
"Give me some time with the body, you make sure I'm not disturbed in the process." Lilith asked.
"Will do." Shining Armor said.
Lilith walked carefully up to the body to analyze it. It was a colt, not very old by the looks of it. The victim had many chunks of their flesh missing, almost resembling large bite marks in many places. Blood was splattered all over since the alley is a very confined area.
"Well one thing is for sure, this colt didn't have a chance to put up any sort of a fight." Lilith said. "There are marks on his neck and multiple other places, so it's clear that he was taken by surprise."
"Is there anything else?" Shining Armor said.
Lilith looked more closely at the body and noticed something looked familiar about these marks.
"...Why does this look so familiar... as if I've seen them before..." Lilith questioned herself. "But that doesn't make sense..."
Lilith looked closer and noticed very thin black strands of hair on parts on the victim.
"This hair... it looks so..." Lilith said. "...Oh no..."
The sky became darker as clouds loomed overhead, thundering as rain started to come heavily down.
Lilith used her magic and quietly destroyed all but one strand of black hair, which she tucked away into her scarf. Lilith stood up and walked back to Shining Armor.
"What did you figure out?" Shining Armor said.
"...It's hard to tell honestly... whoever did this is exceptionally skilled as they left nothing behind that would reveal even the slightest idea to who they are... there aren't even any witnesses to what happened..." Lilith said. "I don't have much to go on but that doesn't mean I'm gonna stop investigating. Have this body brought to the morgue without the public knowing, we don't want them panicking about a killer on the loose."
"Right, I'll have my squad take care of that now." Shining Armor said.
"I can examine it some more later but for now I've done all I can... make sure you clean up all that blood too, the rain should help with that." Lilith said. "I'm going to head back to the Castle to tell Princess Celestia about this.
"Alright, I'll see you when I'm done with all of this." Shining Armor said.
Lilith walked out of the alleyway, ignoring the crowd of ponies questioning her about what was going on as she made her way back to the castle.
- Canterlot Castle, 10:30 P.M. -
"Hello Princess, I've investigated the crime scene to the best of my abilities..." Lilith said.
"Did you find out was responsible?" Celestia asked.
"Unfortunately not, whoever did this is very skilled as they left nothing behind to reveal even the slightest clue to who they are..." Lilith said. "I'm having the body brought to the Castle's Morgue so I can examine further if I need to, but as of now I don't seem to have any leads..."
"I see... in any case I'm glad you took a look at it, hopefully you'll get some more clues as to who did it as you continue to investigate this." Celestia said.
"Of course, I'll make sure that I figure this out Princess, you can trust me." Lilith said, bowing. "I'm going upstairs to write and file my case report, then afterwards I'm going to head home."
"That sounds good." Celestia said. "I'm putting you in charge of this investigation Lilith, I know you'll do good job."
"Yes Princess." Lilith said, walking upstairs and leaving the Throne Room.
Lilith quickly writes her case report, still making sure to not leave out any details... except for one. Finished, she leaves her office and quickly runs home to confirm her suspicions.
- Lilith and Grimm's House, 11:00 P.M. -
Lilith quickly opens the door to her house, running into the living room and seeing Grimm sleeping on the couch.
"Grimm! Grimm wake up!" Lilith yelled, shaking Grimm's body until she jumped.
"Wah? Who's there? Is it time to eat HeHe?" Grimm said. "Ohhh Hey Lilith HeHe, you sure came home pretty late... even though you said in your note you'd try to come back early today HeHe..."
"I know I know I'm so sorry, a lot of things came up..." Lilith said.
"...OH I can't be mad at you come here HeHe!" Grimm said, picking up Lilith and squeezing her.
"Thanks Grimm... probably the most time consuming thing today was that there was a murder in the Market District..." Lilith said. "...You wouldn't happen to know anything about that would you?"
Grimm let go of Lilith and sat up on the couch.
"A...A murder you say HeHe? No I can't say I've heard about anything like that until now from you HeHe..." Grimm said.
"...Tell me Grimm, are you hungry?" Lilith said.
"Not really actually, I'm feeling alright HeHe." Grimm said. "Why do you ask HeHe?"
"Well that's just it, I didn't make any breakfast today... so what exactly did you eat?" Lilith asked.
"O-Oh well I... Um... I ate your granola bars! You know you bought the bulk box of them so there was plenty to hold me over HeHe!" Grimm said, nervously.
"...Normally I'd be annoyed because those granola bars are my favorite flavor... but I offered you one one time and you hated it because there wasn't any... protein." Lilith said. "Come on Grimm... tell me the truth, you're the murderer aren't you?"
"What? Me? Lilith... you can't honestly believe that I wou-"
"I found this strand of your mane at the scene Grimm, I know it was you." Lilith said.
Grimm let out a big sigh and fell down onto the couch completely.
"Alright... you caught me Lilith... It was me HeHe..." Grimm said.
"Why did you do it Grimm? I wouldn't expect something like this from you." Lilith said. "I mean you barely go outside you're so shy."
"I know I know... but I was so hungry and it was night time so there weren't many ponies outside HeHe." Grimm said. "I snuck into the other district looking for even the smallest rat or something... but I was so hungry and when I got to this alley there was this pony and I just-"
"It's alright, you don't have to explain yourself any further." Lilith said, sitting on the couch next to Grimm and hugging her tightly.
"I'm sorry Lilith... I really am HeHe..." Grimm said.
"But why were you so afraid to tell me?" Lilith asked.
"Well you are High Commander of The Royal Guard... because of you position I thought that you'd turn me in if you found out HeHe." Grimm said.
"Don't ever think that Grimm, you may have killed someone tonight, but I'll always put you and your safety first before anything else, even my job." Lilith said. "I have to keep "investigating" this, but I'll cover for you no matter what."
"...Thank you so much Lilith Hehe..." Grimm said. "You really are the best HeHe..."
"I'm just glad that it's behind us now..." Lilith said.
"...About that Lilith HeHe..." Grimm said. "...I may or may not want to... do it... again... HeHe..."
"...Say what now?" Lilith said, as Grimm continued to giggle and hug her.
"What do you mean you may want to do it again?" Lilith questioned.
"Well HeHe... I will admit that it was sort of the most entertaining thing I've had to do in a while HeHe..." Grimm said.
"I know that you haven't been really able to do much lately... so I guess I can see where you're coming from..." Lilith said. "But I'm sorry Grimm, this isn't something that I can just agree to let you do!"
"Aww come on Lilith pleeeeease? HeHe." Grimm said. "I promise I won't do it that much! HeHe."
"My position is to protect these ponies Grimm... I'm sorry but this is the only thing that I just can't allow you to do." Lilith said.
Grimm's head drooped down, even though she was still smiling, it was obvious for Lilith that she was quite sad.
"...Tell ya what." Lilith said, getting closer to Grimm. "Tomorrow, I'll take the entire day off and dedicate it to spending time with you."
"R-Really? HeHe..." Grimm said. "You haven't done something like that in a while HeHe..."
"I know, and that's why I think I finally should." Lilith said, smiling. "So we should both head to bed now, we've got a long day ahead of us tomorrow."
"Alright Lilith HeHe..." Grimm said, hugging her.
- The Next Day -
"Wake up Grimm!" Lilith said, shaking her body. "You're not sleeping in today!"
"Huh? What? HeHe..." Grimm said, rubbing her eyes. "Agh... the sun is too bright HeHe..."
"I know, it's called getting up early." Lilith said, chuckling. "Come on now, We've only got a few hours until the train leaves for Ponyville."
"Ponyville? What are we going there for? HeHe." Grimm asked, thinking about it herself. "Wait! Are we going to where I think we're going? HeHe."
"If by that you mean you think we're going to the Everfree Forest, which was your absolute favorite place to go hunting..." Lilith said. "Then yes, you're right."
"YES! I haven't been there in so long! HeHe." Grimm said, as she jumped in excitement. "It's so different from any other forest and I love it! Oh thank you Lilith! HeHe."
"Well we'd better get going then right?" Lilith said, as she walked towards the door with Grimm following behind her.
- Ponyville Town Square -
Grimm and Lilith walked through the Town Square after getting off the train. Grimm tended to stay very close to Lilith, as she was extremely shy around other ponies. Lilith noticed and would pet her mane and move closer to her to reassure her.
"Look! It's Commander Lilith!" A Townspony exclaimed.
"Oh not again..." Lilith said.
A flock of ponies quickly gathered around her and Grimm.
"Hey, who's that pony she's with?" A Townspony said.
"I'm pretty sure that's her roommate, I've heard that their extremely close too." A Townspony said.
"Alright everypony!" Lilith announced. "I appreciate all of your praise and compliments, but I have to ask that you all disperse please. I have important things to do today and I'd ask to not be interrupted."
The Townsponies understood and agreed as they all started to walk away.
"You sure are popular aren't you? HeHe." Grimm said.
"It can be quite cumbersome sometimes. "Lilith said. "But I guess it is nice."
"I had a feeling that it was you. There's only one pony I know that could get everypony else's attention like that." Twilight said.
"Hey Twilight, it's nice to see you again. This is Grimm by the way, Grimm Smiles." Lilith said.
"Lilith has told me a lot about you Grimm, it's nice to finally meet you." Twilight said, sticking her hoof out.
Grimm hesitated to shake her hoof.
"It's alright Grimm, you can relax around Twilight." Lilith said, petting her mane. "Aside from you, she's somepony I trust completely due to our history together."
"Well... if Lilith says it's alright... then I guess I can try to get to know you HeHe..." Grimm said, quivering as she shook Twilight's hoof.
"Wow, you're really shy aren't you?" Twilight said. "Don't worry, I'm sure that we'll get along just fine!"
"She doesn't really go anywhere by herself unless I'm accompanying her." Lilith said.
"Speaking of which, what brings you back here so quickly?" Twilight asked.
"Well I took the day off to spend time with Grimm because I haven't done so in a while." Lilith said. "We were heading to the Everfree Forest again because it'd her favorite place to do you know what."
"I see... well that's really sweet of you Lilith!" Twilight said. "Hey, would you mind If I joined you? There's something I'd like to talk to you about."
"Oh, well I guess it's alright, is it alright with you Grimm?" Lilith asked.
"...If you're alright with it then I am too HeHe." Grimm said. "I just wanna get to the forest! I'm so excited! HeHe."
"Alright alright let's go." Lilith giggled. "Come on Twilight, walk with us."
- The Everfree Forest -
"YES! I haven't been here in so long! HeHe." Grimm exclaimed, as she jumped into the forest.
Lilith and Twilight followed her into the forest, until they got into a secluded area.
"Alright Grimm, enjoy yourself for as long as you want." Lilith said.
"Oh I will! HeHe." Grimm yelled, as she snuck around the forest and began her activities.
"Now, what was it that you wanted to ask me Twilight?" Lilith said.
"Well..." Twilight said, as she became distraught. "Lilith, I'm sure you're aware about the murder that occurred in Canterlot last night... right?"
"...So you know about it." Lilith said. "Though it shouldn't surprise me since you are a princess, you had to have gotten word of this from Celestia or Luna."
"Indeed, and I wanted to ask you if that's what you were called for yesterday." Twilight asked.
"It was. Celestia has put me in charge of the investigation..." Lilith said.
"Have you gotten any leads?" Twilight asked. "This is a very serious situation Lilith."
"I know it is..." Lilith said, looking back at Grimm sneaking around and pouncing at small animal. "...Listen Twilight, I can trust you right?"
"Well of course you can." Twilight asked. "Is there something you need to tell me?"
"Twilight... you have to promise me you won't say a word of this to Celestia or Luna or anyone..." Lilith said. "Please, I can't risk letting her get in trouble."
"Her? What are you talking about Lilith? Is there somethi-
"Please Twilight... just promise me." Lilith pleaded.
"...I promise, I won't say a word of this to anyone." Twilight said.
"...Thank you." Lilith said. "Twilight... Grimm is the... murderer."
"What!? Grimm? As in your Grimm?" Twilight said.
"Yes, Grimm was the one that committed the murder..." Lilith said.
"But why? She's so unbelievably shy around other ponies!" Twilight said. "How could she murder somepony?"
"That's why I was in such a rush yesterday... I told you her diet was very different from everypony else's..." Lilith said. "There wasn't anything for her to eat at home because we were out..."
"So she did it because she was hungry?" Twilight said. "I can't believe it..."
"Listen Twilight, I told her she's not allowed to do it ever again... just please don't tell anypony about this." Lilith asked. "I can try and cover this up in time, but I just can't bear to see her get in trouble or be taken away from me..."
Twilight put her hoof on Lilith's shoulder.
"You're a good friend Lilith... as long as something like this never happens again, my lips are sealed. " Twilight said.
"Oh thank you so much Twilight!" Lilith said, hugging her. "You don't know how much this means to me..."
"Oh I think I might have an idea." Twilight said, smiling. "...You know, it seems like a lot of hassle for you to keep coming down here once or twice a week just to do some "grocery shopping" that'll only last for a few days."
"It's alright, it's not really bad, just time consuming." Lilith said.
"Well... how about we make some kind of transfer system." Twilight said. "We can have connecting portals from my house to yours, and either I'll do the "shopping" for you sometimes and send it through the portal, or you could come through and do it much faster without and hassle!"
"That sounds amazing Twilight! I like the sound of that." Lilith said.
"Then it's settled! I'll get to work on making the connections since I'm sure you still have your hooves full with work." Twilight said.
"When don't I have work is the real question." Lilith said, laughing along with Twilight.
Lilith and Twilight continued to talk as Grimm enjoyed herself immensely. They stayed there for most of the day and eventually went home when it started to get dark. After a few weeks, Twilight finished the creation of the connecting portals to help ease Lilith's work. Lilith herself did her best to cover up the crime, explaining that it probably wasn't an actual murder, but a simply unlucky encounter from a rogue animal due to the bite marks, which couldn't possibly be from a pony. The case was eventually closed and never revealed to the public. Unfortunately, the case and it's contents wouldn't stay closed for very long.
- 3 Months Later, Canterlot Castle, 8:30 P.M. -
Lilith was at her desk doing paperwork late at night like usual. Shining Armor was also there conversing with her in the room. She was about to get ready to go home until a member of the royal guard ran into her office.
"Commander Lilith! Captain Shining Armor!" The Guard said. "We have an emergency!"
"What is it?" Shining Armor said.
"Its'... Its' happened again... there's been a murder in the Residential Area." The Guard said.
"W-What? A murder?" Lilith said. "Are you absolutely sure?"
"We're positive, only this time there were 2 victims... and it happened in their own house." The Guard said. "It happened relatively close to where you live too, so It's all the more reason to tell you immediately."
"We have to get over there now!" Shining Armor said, running out of the room.
"No... please tell me it's not happening again." Lilith said, following Shining Armor.
- The Residential Area, 9:00 P.M. -
Lilith and Shining Armor arrived at the house. Guards were holding back a flood of anxious ponies, while a few guards moved aside to let Lilith and Shining Armor through.
"Alright Shining Armor, I want you to help the guards here calm down the other ponies. It looks like this murder wasn't as subtle as the last." Lilith said. "I can take care of the scene, you can look at them in the autopsy room when we have them brought in."
"Alright, be careful." Shining Armor said.
Lilith walked into the living room of the house and saw both bodies, mutilated with bite marks all over their body. Upon closer inspection, Lilith noticed the same black hair's scattered over the bodies. She carefully incinerated every strand just as she did last time.
"Why Grimm... why would you do this again!" Lilith said, her voice breaking.
She let out a sigh of disappointment and almost started to cry. Lilith wiped her eyes and walked back out to Shining Armor.
"So, what's the verdict on it?" Shining Armor said. "Is it the same as the one from a few months ago?"
"...It looks like it unfortunately." Lilith said. "I... I thought this case was closed a while ago I don't understand..."
"It looks like this is something more than just a rogue animal..." Shining Armor said.
"...Alright, bring both of those bodies back to castle without causing an uproar and give your report to Princess Celestia." Lilith said. "I'll join you back at the castle in a bit, there's something I have to take care of first..."
"If you say so." Shining Armor said, going into the house.
Lilith rushed down the street and into her own house, locking it behind her.
"GRIMM!" Lilith yelled. "WHERE ARE YOU!"
"IN THE LIVING ROOM LIKE I ALWAYS AM! HeHe." Grimm yelled. "ALSO WHY ARE WE YELLING? HeHe."
"Grimm! Why would you do this! I thought that I told you not to do this ever again!" Lilith said.
"Do what ever again? HeHe." Grimm said.
"Not to murder other ponies again!" Lilith yelled.
"Oops? OOPS!? Is that really all you have to say!?" Lilith yelled angrily.
"Well... actually HeHe..." Grimm said, pointing to the fridge. "We're starting to run low again HeHe... just thought maybe you should know HeHe..."
Lilith's eyes widened and one of them began to twitch.
"Are... are you serious? Are you serious right now?" Lilith said angrily. "You just killed 2 more ponies and you're concerned with the state of our food supply?"
"...I'm just letting you know is all HeHe..." Grimm said.
Lilith dragged both of her hooves down her face and took a deep breath.
"...Why? Why Grimm? WHY did you kill 2, not 1, but 2 MORE ponies when I specifically told you not to!?" Lilith questioned.
"Well I was really bored and hungry HeHe... so I thought maybe one more stalking wouldn't be so bad HeHe... and it was definitely a fun time!" Grimm said happily.
"W-Why didn't you just use the new portal we had installed in the basement that lead to Twilight's Castle? You could have gone to The Everfree Forest from there! It isn't that far of a walk!" Lilith yelled.
"But it's still a walk nonetheless HeHe... I didn't exactly want to walk through Towns Square by myself this time HeHe..." Grimm said. "It was much easier to do here since it was right next door HeHe..."
"Grimm... do you realize how long it took me to try and cover up the last murder you committed? After all my hard work you just go and unveil it again!" Lilith yelled, covering her eyes. "Don't... Don't you care about me? About what I have to say?"
"I do care about you Lilith! HeHe... I was just.. I didn't realize how much you HeHe..." Grimm said, trying to form a sentence. "...I'm sorry Lilith HeHe... I'm so sorry... I promise HeHe... I won't do it anymore... at least I'll try to HeHe..."
"It's too late for that Grimm... you know you mean everything to me but... well I can't let this go unpunished..." Lilith said, still angry.
"You're going to punish me? HeHe... please don't Lilith I'm sorry! I promise you I'll-" Grimm said, cut off.
"Grimm please! Just... just go on up to bed right now until I think of a suitable punishment for you..." Lilith ordered.
"But Lilith I-" Grimm said, cut off again.
"JUST... GO... NOW..." Lilith yelled, not even looking at Grimm.
Grimm didn't say anything after that, instead she slowly got up off the couch and went upstairs to the bedroom, her head drooping downwards sadly.
"Dear Celestia..." Lilith said, taking a deep breath and trying to calm down. "It's not good for me to get angry like that..."
Lilith got a pen and some paper and wrote a note for Grimm for when she wakes up in the morning and stuck it on the fridge.
"I better head back to the Castle... I've got a lot more work ahead of me now..." Lilith said, as she walked out of the house.
-Grimm and Lilith's House, 1:32 p.m.-
Grimm's eyes slowly open as she stretches and lets out a big yawn. She noticed the alarm clock that's been going off since 7:00 a.m. and turns it off.
"...I guess Lilith never came to bed HeHe..." Grimm said sadly. "I guess she's at the Castle now... I really made her mad last night HeHe... I've honestly never seen her that mad at me before HeHe..."
Grimm walked downstairs into the living room and headed into the kitchen.
"It looks like she left another note on the fridge HeHe..." Grimm said.
Dear Grimm, There's still some food left in the fridge, you don't seem to care whether or not you eat it cooked or raw so it should be fine for your standards. I'm going to be working all day today and I probably won't see you until very late at night. It's probably going to be like this for a while until I can get everything sorted out again... I'll head to Twilight's when I'm done working and pick up some more food for you then... don't think I've let you off the hook either, when I get back we'll discuss your punishment, until then just behave please.
Love, Lilith
"Man she's so disappointed with me HeHe... and I don't blame her..." Grimm said, setting the note down. "Even when she's furious with me though she still cares for me HeHe... I have to change... I can't keep doing this HeHe..."
-Canterlot Castle, 7:46 p.m.-
Lilith was in her office, working diligently for hours on end on trying to figure out a way to bury this case again.
"That's not going to WORK!" Lilith yelled, sliding her hooves across the desk and flinging everything onto the floor and grabbing her head. "...What am I going to do... It was hard enough to cover it up the first time... but now..."
"Commander Lilith! There's somepony here to see you!" A Guard said, knocking on her door.
"I'm a little BUSY right now! Whoever it is just send them away I'm in no mood to speak with anybody!" Lilith demanded.
Lilith heard the door slowly open and hoofsteps approaching.
"I thought I said I-" Lilith said, cutting herself off. "Oh, Twilight... it's you."
"Yea, it's me." Twilight said, with an angrily, stern look on her face. "Lilith, can you explain to me why there are 2 more dead ponies? I thought you said you had this under control!"
"I do Twilight! It's just... Grimm's a special case okay? She's not like all of you I've told you this before!" Lilith said, getting up from her desk and closing the door. "I didn't expect her to go off and do it again, she's usually pretty obedient with this sort of stuff!"
"Listen Lilith, I said I wouldn't say a word to Princess Celestia or Luna if you managed to keep things under control... but with things as they are now you're not leaving me with many options!" Twilight said. "I know she's your friend and she means the world to you, but I don't think I have much of a choice but to tell the Princess!"
"Twilight NO! Please! I know what I said and I know I failed but please don't tell the Princess!" Lilith pleaded. "Grimm's shy enough as it is! I can't imagine how she'd react if she was thrown into the Castle Dungeons... or worse..."
"Lilith I'm sorry but-" Twilight said, cut off.
"Please Twilight! I'll straighten her out! I'm still deciding on a suitable punishment to give her when I get back!" Lilith explained.
"Suitable punishment!? What are you gonna do slap her on the hoof and send her to bed!?" Twilight mocked. "What's wrong with you Lilith!?"
"What's wrong with me!? I should ask you that! I'm telling you I'll handle everything and you're sitting here insulting everything I'm doing!" Lilith said angrily.
"Ohh yea it's all my fault isn't it! I'm the one to blame! Not that voracious eater of yours that you have holed up in your place!" Twilight insulted.
"Twilight don't push me! I'm angry enough as it is with everything and I don't appreciate your CONDESCENDING attitude towards me!" Lilith argued. "I'm working hard enough as it right now and I don't need your annoyance!"
"Working? Right right, trying to create fake stories and cover ups is clearly working! You're so good at your job Lilith! I'm so envi-" Twilight said, cut off.
Lilith slammed her hoof down on the floor, causing the room to shake a bit and the lights flicker. Lilith's eyes switched from her luminescent yellow color... to that of her old, hollow black eyes with blood red pupils. Lilith lifted her head and started directly at Twilight.
"L-Lilith? I...I'm sorry Lilith I... I went to far..." Twilight said, slowly back up away from her.
"...I don't like to get angry Twilight... do you know why I try to avoid that emotion?" Lilith said, demonically. "Heh... because it brings back a very unpleasant figure from our past don't you agree?"
"Alright Lilith I'm... I'm sorry! I didn't mean to push you that far..." Twilight said, terrified. "You have to understand... I was only looking out for everyone else..."
Lilith grabbed her head with her hoof and squeezed.
"It... it hurts... so much..." Lilith said, moaning. "I need... I need to... to..."
Lilith began to run crazily around the room, trying to suppress her "urges". Thunder and lightning could be heard outside and it had been raining pretty hard for a while now.
"Lilith... Lilith please don't! Don't go and-" Twilight said, cut off by a blinding lightning bolt that shone in from the windows. Twilight heard Lilith letting out pained moans she ran towards the window, opened it, and jumped out into the streets.
"LILITH!" Twilight yelled, running towards the window and looking outside. "We're so high up! Is she alright!?"
Twilight jumped out and flew down to street level. Her mane was soaked and she could barely hear anything since the rain was coming down extremely hard.
"Lilith! Lilith where are you!" Twilight yelled. "I have to find her! I just have to! it's my fault she reverted back to old self!"
Twilight ran all over the area, but she couldn't find Lilith anywhere. Twilight continued to search until she heard a faint scream for help from above. It was hard to hear since it was being masked by the thunder and lightning.
"There!?" Twilight questioned, looking up and seeing an open window with the light on in the house next to her.
Twilight struggled to fly up to it due to rain, but was able to manage and climbed it.
"L-Lilith... You..." Twilight said, scared and about to cry.
In front of Twilight, there was the body of a colt... mangled and massacred beyond belief and splattered all over the wall. Intestines and organs laid on the ground mostly in pieces. The colt had been eviscerated so badly that he was barely identifiable.
"You don't have to worry... I'm fine now..." Lilith said sadly while she sat there, looking at the body. "The urge is gone now... It's... it's gone..."
"Lilith I... I'm sorry... I'm sorry I pushed you over the edge! I was angry and I didn't know when to stop..." Twilight cried, moving closer to Lilith and holding onto her. "Can you ever forgive me?"
Lilith looked at Twilight and nodded her head up and down, as she then proceeded to hug Twilight properly, who was crying in her arms.
"...I know you didn't mean it Twilight... you were only angry because you wanted the best thing for the ponies of Ponyville and Canterlot..." Lilith said. "...I understand... and I can respect that..."
"But... B-But what do we do now?" Twilight said, sniffling. "We have to do something about this right?"
"It's okay Twilight, this will be easy to cover up so you can leave it to me..." Lilith assured. "This colt lived alone and had little to no acquaintances... no one will know that he's gone and the storm covered up most of the... screaming."
"...Okay...I'll leave it up to you Lilith..." Twilight said, still sniffling. "Don't worry... I won't tell anyone about Grimm... if you really believe you can set her straight... then I'll put my trust into you..."
"Thank you Twilight... that means so much to me..." Lilith said, releasing Twilight. "If you could do me one favor, would you mind bringing about 3-4 bags of Grimm's food through the portal and leaving it in the basement? I was going to do it myself later but it looks like this will take some time to clean up..."
"Yea... sure no problem... I'll do that as soon as I return home." Twilight said, wiping her face and walking towards the window. "Be careful okay Lilith?"
"Always." Lilith said, cleaning up the pony remains.
Twilight jumped out the window and returned back to Ponyville to fulfill Lilith's request. After about an hour in the house, Lilith completely removed any trace of a murder taking place. No blood, no odor, and no evidence. She returned back to the castle to clean up her office and lock it up for the night. No pony seemed to have notice anything, not even the arguing that happened before. It seems the storm was a better cover than one once thought.
Lilith began walking back to The Residential Area in the pouring rain, still thinking and unsure of what exactly to do.
"Oh man... I still haven't thought of a suitable punishment for Grimm after all this time..." Lilith said to herself. "Hopefully she's at least behaving... I have so much work to do it's ridiculous... and I don't even know where to start..."
Lilith returned home, tossing her armor aside and shaking herself dry. As she continued into the living room, she was still unsure of what she should about Grimm.
"Alright Grimm I'm home..." Lilith said drearily. "Listen I haven't thought about what to do so..."
"LILITH!!" Grimm cried, leaping off the couch towards Lilith. "Listen to me please HeHe!... I'm sorry okay? I'm really truly sorry HeHe!... I want to stop but I can't! It's who I am Lilith HeHe!... I like hunting small animals and it's what's I usually did for food before HeHe! I'm not meant for city life... but I've tried to contain myself for so long because... I knew you liked it here HeHe..."
Lilith brought Grimm closer to her. She caressed her head and held onto her tightly.
"...I'm sorry Grimm... I'm sorry I was so blind... Why should I punish someone who can't control themselves, when I myself can't control myself at times..." Lilith expressed. "I've truly been a horrible friend haven't I?"
"No no... it isn't your fault HeHe... I should have told you much earlier about how I feel HeHe." Grimm revealed. "But I just didn't want to ruin anything for you HeHe..."
"Look at me Grimm. If I was given the opportunity to rule over all of Equestria, but leave you behind in the process? I would turn it down in a heartbeat if it meant abandoning you." Lilith said. "You're everything to me. If you don't like it here... then tell me, and we'll return to Ponyville right away."
Grimm thought about it for a little bit, and then proceeded to look up at Lilith.
"...Give me one more chance HeHe. I know how much you like it here and I want you to be happy HeHe..." Grimm said, turning around and walking back onto the couch. "...I can't promise it won't happen again HeHe... but please, give me just one more chance HeHe."
Lilith smiled and shook her head in agreement.
"Why don't I make something for you to eat, even though it's already pretty late." Lilith said, starting to walk towards the kitchen.
"Actually, why don't you head to bed HeHe? You look like you've had a long day and I want you to get some rest HeHe." Grimm said. "I can get the food myself HeHe..."
Lilith, surprised by the gesture, agreed and walked upstairs to the bedroom.
"Will you be up soon after?" Lilith asked, yawning.
"I will don't worry HeHe, I'm sure it won't take long for me to eat, it usually doesn't HeHe..." Grimm said playfully.
Lilith went upstairs and collapsed onto the bed, covering herself and immediately passing out with a smile on her face.
- 2 Weeks Later, 2:31 P.M., Lilith's Office -
Lilith sat at her office desk, sorting through various papers and reviewing past documents. While working, someone knocked on her door.
"It's open." Lilith said.
The door opened and Princess Celestia entered Lilith's Office.
"Your Majesty." Lilith said, moving to Celestia and kneeling before her.
"Hello Lilith, how are you today?" Celestia asked.
"I'm doing well Celestia, I was just reviewing some papers on previous events." Lilith said, returning to her desk.
"I see... Lilith it's been quite a while since those... incidents have occurred. Have you turned up anything at all on the matter?" Celestia asked, with a serious tone.
"Oh... I'm... I'm sorry Celestia but... I can't seem to turn up anything on the subject. It's really... amazing honestly." Lilith said, not looking at Celestia. "N-Now Celestia, I don't mean to be rude at all, but if you wouldn't mind I do have a lot of work to do right now..."
"...Of course Lilith." Celestia said, suspiciously. "I'll leave you to it then."
Celestia left Lilith's Office with a perturbed look on her face as she walked down the hallway.
"Hello sister." Luna said, passing by Celestia. "Are you alright? You seem bothered by something."
"...Tell me sister, you are aware of the murders that happened in the past correct?" Celestia asked.
"Of course, it's not exactly something we can forget." Luna said. "Have you not found the perpetrator after all this time? Don't we have Lilith working on this case? Shouldn't she technically be an expert on this matter?"
"That's exactly why I'm suspicious of her actions dear sister." Celestia said. "This should be a cakewalk for her, but she hasn't turned up a single clue since the start of it all... she even tried to bury it by assuming it was caused by wild animals."
"So... do you think she's hiding something from us? You suspect she's maybe... sabotaging the case somehow?" Luna asked.
"...Listen to me sister, these murders tend to happen at night so I won't be immediately aware of another one happens. If another murder does occur, do NOT tell Lilith about it." Celestia ordered. "Tell all the guards to NOT inform Lilith about it, I want her to stay in the dark about it. Have Shining Armor investigate it by himself... maybe then we'll turn up something different."
"I understand sister, I'll let the guards know immediately!" Luna said, rushing off in the opposite direction.
"...I don't want another murder to occur... but it might be necessary..." Celestia said sadly, walking away.
- 3 Weeks Later, 10:15 P.M., The Marketplace -
"Princess Luna!" A Guard yelled, as he entered the Throne Room.
"What is it? Speak!" Luna demanded.
"I have unfortunate news... another murder has been committed in The Marketplace, the victim this time was an elderly pony on the sidewalk near an entrance to a nearby alley." The Guard explained.
"Has Lilith been alerted of this?" Luna asked.
"No Your Majesty, directly from your orders we did not inform her." The Guard said.
"Good, let it stay that way. Go tell Shining Armor about this and tell him he will be leading this investigation." Luna said. "But do it discreetly."
The Guard saluted and quickly made his way to Shining Armor's Chambers upstairs, knocking on his door.
"Yes? What is it soldier?" Shining Armor asked.
The Guard explained the situation to Shining Armor.
"I see... and were not to inform Lilith of this right?" Shining Armor asked.
"Correct." The Guard replied.
"Then let's go right away!" Shining Armor said, running together with the soldier out of the castle.
- The Next Day, 11:00 A.M., Lilith's Office -
"Lilith!" Twilight said, opening Lilith's door.
"Twilight? What are you doing here?" Lilith said, surprised.
"A meeting's been called by Princess Celestia... she wants all of us in the conference room right away." Twilight said. "I don't know the reason, but she was pretty serious about it and said it was urgent. I just got here not too long ago and she told me to come get you."
"Oh, I wasn't informed of any meeting today... I wonder what it's about." Lilith said, walking together with Twilight out of her office.
