We Stopped Checking for Monsters in the Everfree...

Princess Celestia stood at the podium, eyeing her speech. In truth, she had memorized it, but she couldn't shake the feeling that it wasn't good enough. For the first time in a long while, she felt uncertain. This speech would be televised, but she hoped that doing the speech live in Canterlot Square would ease the epicenter of chaos.

"Hello. My name is Celestia. The past week have been... hectic to say the least." She prepared for the crowd's backlash that was going to come. And it came immediately.

"Hectic?! Is that what you're calling it?" yelled a pony.

"My house was invaded!" another pony screamed.

"My colt was killed because you couldn't stop one single pony!" a mare hollered.

"Some princess you are!" a younger colt said.

Celestia almost lost herself in the words of the crowd. She had been thinking the same things to herself for the last week. Twilight and her friends, though the tried, could do nothing to stop it. The crowd's words stuck like a stain in her coat. What if? No! She had to be strong. She had to be the symbol of harmony. An incorruptible symbol.

"I understand your problems, and I will..." she was cut off by more yelling from the crowd. She was starting to fear a riot was coming, but the crowd finally calmed down enough for her to speak.

"We now know that when the murderer went to steal the buns, he also came to collect a favor. Rising Dough was responsible for the fiasco yesterday... He is now missing. It has become increasingly clear that the murderer, whomever he may be, is doing these things to create panic. That is why he cause the two explosions on Tuesday. That is why he blew up Mends 'n Hay Hospital on Wednesday. That is why he poisoned Her Days's spa products. He wishes to cause strife. We must not let him.

His actions are why I saw the need for martial law." She paused a moment and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. I really am. It was wrong on me to impose such measures on citizens. It was wrong of me to invade your homes in search for criminals. However, I don't know what to do. I don't know how to catch this pony. He is far less predictable than we thought he was.

We are checking Rising Dough's connections to see if we can find the killer, but it seems unlikely that we will find him anytime soon. We are also checking famous establishments for bombs, but... After Saturday's mass prison escape... we have realized that we are far too ill-equipped for protecting Canterlot. Because of this we are calling over police from other provinces to help protect you, the people."

Cookie Dough shook a tiny bit, though no one in the large crowd seemed to notice. Sweat was collecting in her bubblegum pink coat. Could she really do this?

"Hello, my name is Celestia" the Princess said. A real-life princess! Cookie Dough always wanted be a princess. Maybe, once she was reunited with her dad, she would get to be one. Ah, her dad.

She willed herself not to cry. She would see her dad again. All she had to do is this one thing. All she had to do was this ONE thing, and she would see her daddy again. The Joker had promised her that. A pinkie promise. Nopony could brake a pinkie promise.

The crowd seemed to hate Celestia. Cookie thought that that was silly. Princess Celestia was perfect and beautiful and good. Even the Joker said so. Why does he want me to do this, then? She shook her head. You shouldn't try to understand the Joker. Trying to understand the Joker was like trying to broadcast TV in color. It couldn't be done.

When she had asked him to (please) not hurt her daddy, the Joker responded with a whole spiel about some pony named "Sigmund Frued" and made a "yo mama" joke. That joke also involved several beatings...

The time was coming. Could she do it? She started tearing up. This was not right. Good ponies didn't do this kind of thing. But it was to save her daddy. She clenched her eyes shut and got ready.

She stood on her hind hooves to get a better angle. Levitating a tiny metal ball up, she opened her eyes to aim. Through her blurry vision, she saw her. The Princess. Beautiful. Powerful. Amazing. Hesitation only a moment further, she fired.

"Do not lose hope. Canterlot, I---" Celestia did not get to finish her sentence. A boom sounded as the smell of magic filled the air, and Celestia was hit in the chest with a spell. She collapsed as ponies scattered in panic.