Who Killed Princess Celestia?
A crowd was gathered in a small field just outside of Canterlot. The large group, made up of almost everypony from the capital city, was focused on the small, temporary stage in front of them. On the stage, the two most powerful ponies in the land of Equestria, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, stood side by side. A small amount of guards stood in a loose formation just downstage of the two sisters, and watched the crowd for any suspicious activity.
Behind the stage, waiting for her cue, was the newest addition to the Equestrian royalty. Princess Twilight Sparkle had a soft smile on her face as she watched the two sisters address the crowd with a short speech. Taking part in this event was almost like a dream come true for Twilight. Even if it was the second time she'd be participating in it, the simple fact that she'd come to be a princess and was helping Celestia and Luna in the Summer Sun Celebration boggled her mind whenever she thought about it. She shook her head to clear it of those thoughts, as Princess Celestia's speech was coming to an end.
On stage, the princesses of the sun and moon glanced at each other, before looking at the crowd in front of the stage. Celestia, standing in front of and below a small statue of the sun, nodded at Luna. The younger Princess of the Night closed her eyes, and slowly flew up to be level with a statue of the moon. Reaching her hooves out to either side, the blue alicorn's horn began to glow. With an approving smile, Princess Celestia closed her own eyes and lifted herself off the ground, rising until she was level with the statue of the sun. Concentrating, she reached out with her magic, seeking out and taking hold of the gigantic fiery ball so very far away.
Using her magic in its most taxing form, Celestia willed the large mass of flame to move. At the same time, Luna stretched her own magical grip out to her moon, and pushed it in the opposite direction of the sun. To the crowd in front of the two sisters, the sun and the moon slowly started to rise and fall in the sky. Twilight Sparkle braced herself, leaning slightly forward and stretching out her wings. In a few short moments, the celebration would reach its focal point, and she would rocket out to add her own little flare to the event...
***
Not far from the field holding the stage, there was a large, ornate hotel known as The Cat's Meow. With its intricately designed brick patterns and the glossy sheen of its pristine walls, it gave off an air of elitism typically reserved for only the most important of ponies. In fact, most of the capital's elite ponies were watching the celebration from the hotel's luxurious rooms, with esteemed guests such as Fancy Pants and Prince Blueblood being the most notable. On the roof of the hotel, however, was somepony else. Dressed in a grimey, well-worn janitor's outfit, the pony had wandered throughout the building earlier that day, cleaning the rooms and halls for the guests that would leave just as soon as the celebration was complete.
Now, though, that pony had left the mop and bucket in a storage closet. When the fanfare for the princesses had started, they had fetched a small case out of the same storage closet, slung it around the neck, and climbed the stairs to the roof. As the princesses had started to walk onto the stage, the assassin had taken the parts in the case and built a new, deadly weapon: the crossbow. Satisfied at the dull clunk sound the wooden device made as it snapped together, the assassin pulled one, and only one, bolt from the case. Setting the bolt in the proper place and pulling the string back, the assassin propped the crossbow on top of a little wall.
The assassin knew that there'd be only one chance for this. If the shot missed the target, then security would crack down and this opportunity would never happen again.
Leaning against the wall, dirtying its pristine surface with the dirt and oil smears on the uniform, the assassin tried to prepare for what was about to happen.
As Princess Luna started to float up, the assassin's breathing slowed. Last minute thoughts flashed through the mind, and were dismissed.
As the Princess of the Night's horn started to glow, the assassin took careful aim at the target. The pony's breathing slowed, gradually making the heart pump at a lower pace. This would allow for a steady shot when the time was right.
As Princess Celestia slowly floated upwards, the assassin made one final adjustment to the crossbow, before pressing down on the trigger lever.
When Princess Celestia was suspended in the air, and the sun had just started to set, the assassin released the trigger.
Through the sight of the crossbow, the disguised pony saw the bolt fly straight into Princess Celestia's skull, and the Princess of the Sun, the most powerful pony in all of Equestria, fell out of the sky, slamming into the stage below her with a sickening crack.
The crowd erupted into screams, the guards rushed to form a barrier around Celestia, and Princesses Luna and Twilight Sparkle rushed to the fallen alicorn's side.
Meanwhile, the assassin pulled back from the wall, and snapped the crossbow apart.
The pony quickly disassembled the crossbow, and, carrying the parts and the case, moved towards the stairway door. Quickly walking past several chimney pipes, the pony dropped pieces of the crossbow down the metal tubes, until all the bits of the weapon were gone. As for the case, the assassin decided to destroy it in another, preferably calmer, area.
The pony reached the stairwell door, and casually walked down through the hotel. Exiting the stairwell at the lobby, the assassin found several ponies panicking and rushing around asking each other what had happened.
The assassin calmly shifted the case into a more comfortable position, and quietly walked out into the confused group of ponies. With hardly anypony even noticing, the assassin calmly walked out of the door, and into the city street.