> The Princess & The Coward > by Erebus Cantillon > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > The Princess & The Coward > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Princess and The Coward. by Weapon01 “My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic” characters belong to Hasbro. The New Year was close at hand, and she began her preparations to bring to all her loyal subjects, the midnight hour, and hours later the first sunrise. She heard music, she saw dancing lights, she could smell the delicious foods, and sweet confectioneries prepared for the new year celebration. Colts and fillies, stallions and mares alike talked and socialized, laughed and as always happy, knowing their Princess, Celestia, gave them such joy. Princess Celestia gracefully excused herself from her throne, to her bedroom, passing by two guards, two guards, then two more guards. In her royal bed chamber she, with a small motion of her head, excused her harem of young white stallions to their own room, She wished to be alone momentary. With the music from the main dance hall and garden playing distantly, she admired herself in her long mirror with the thick solid-gold frame. She turned, and the lights went out, the music could no longer be heard, and a cold cold, wind blew in from her window, and she saw there, a standing figure. It wasn't a guard, nor a member of her harem, nor a servant, nor was it equine even in general, for it stood tall, thin, and not on its forward forelimbs. It stood dressed in black, with an old coat, old shoes, and a roped neck-tie in a shape, fashioned to a hangman's noose, his neck bruised from long ago. She stamped her hoof to the ground and demanded most commandingly- "Who are you to intrude in my chamber uninvited?" He stepped forward, and made himself to view in moonlight, now could be seen, has thin face and boney hand, and a glass liquor bottle labeled "FEAR" This was The Coward Mr Croft. Princess Celestia turned to call her guards, but she couldn't yell, and found herself turning back to face The Coward Mr Croft. Her heart raced, it pounded, it sank to her stomach, her mind told her to run, to hide, to flee, to damn her reputation, and save herself from The Coward Mr Croft. The Coward Mr Croft brought the bottle to his mouth and took a long drink, and wiped his lips of spilled drink with his sleeve. He spoke, his voice rumbled and howled, in her mind, but aloud his voice was not even above a whisper to whisper secrets. He stuck a boney finger in his bottle and pulled out a small drop of the deadly concoction, he pressed the drop to her mouth and smeared inside. Princess Celestia fell to the ground shivered and recoiled to a foals position, her eyes went wide, her heart thumped and pounded pleading her body to die and be done with it all. The Coward Mr Croft took off his noose from 'round his tightened neck and placed that loop over her head and then to rest on her neck. The Princess began to see many measure of horrors before her eyes, from the Narallie, the Incivous, the horrid Timyra, the Brusuda, the numerous Tuscichen, and then, The Butcher. The Butcher, a figure she could not see, but knew of "him" all the same, turned and held out his hand, she look and saw her severed head. THEN THE SEVERED HEAD LEAPED AND BIT HER!! It's tongue gouged out her eye, and slithered it past the eye-cavity and slithered down her throat and slithered into her stomach! ARUGH!!!!!!! She screamed... she looked around and found herself back in her royal bed-chamber, in tact and without injury. The Coward Mr Croft was still there, and approached, he leaned in and audibly spoke... "Re--memb--er--" His spoken voice was a rasped and strained croak "This d--debt i-i-is still owed. D--don't not remem--ber. You can on--ly f-f--ool them ff--ffor ss--soo long with our con--s-ssent. She listened as she pushed herself into the corner to get away from him "Don't f-ooorget, www-hat is owed to ussssss...." His noose turned by an unseen force the cut end was pulled taut, then yanked high *CRAAACK!!* his neck broke and his body flew out the window. Princess Celestia found herself already prepared and proper and primed to begin the New Year's celebration, only being recently reminded, the dark cost of to rule all of Equestria