From Riches to Death

Princess Twilight Sparkle – or rather, merely Twilight Sparkle – was done for. It'd only been a few hours before that she was enjoying some quality time with her friends, only for everything to go downhill as soon as the news of the other Princesses' deaths had surfaced in Ponyville. Furious, Equestria shifted the blame to Twilight, knowing that she was the only pony capable of doing such a thing.

She could still remember the shocked expressions on her friends' faces as they heard about the murder as well; being the best friends they were, they defended Twilight like always, but even their friendship wasn't enough to save the former Princess from the solid evidence police had discovered a few hours later.

Her Element of Harmony.

"That's impossible!" Twilight exclaimed in disbelief, eyes fixed on the gold tiara in front of her. "Sir, my Element of Harmony was here in Ponyville all along! This can only be a replica, as there is only one Element of Magic!"

The detective in charge of the case, Detective Silverzap, merely shrugged. "And where is that proof, Ms. Sparkle? You do realize that if you are not able to produce sufficent evidence in time, you will be charged as guilty?"

"Yes, I do understand. Anyways, please follow me, sir. There's no way that the tiara you have there is real, since I've hidden the real one in a secure room all along." Twilight led the detective through the Castle of Friendship, traversing a bunch of different corridors, until they finally came to a stop in front of a door created purely from crystal. To Silverzap's disappointment, the crystal wasn't that transparent as to let you be able to see through to the other side, so he couldn't glean anything from it.

Twilight's horn lit up, disabling the many magical enchantments placed on that door as precautions, before her trademark violet glow faded away and she reached for the doorknob. Twisting it, the two ponies watched as the door slowly swung open to reveal a small, mahogany box.

"Here it is," Twilight informed Silverzap, using her magic to wrench off the box's lid and yield its contents as well.

Silverzap took a few quick peeks inside before his muzzle scrunched up in confusion. "Ms. Sparkle, there isn't anything in here. Perhaps you are mistaken?"

"What?" Twilight snatched the box away from him in one fluid movement before examining the inside of the box as well. "T–This can't be happening! It was still here this morning!"

Silverzap frowned. "Are you absolutely certain you weren't hallucinating, Ms. Sparkle?"

"It was definitely here this–" Twilight broke off as her gaze slid over to the gold tiara being gripped tightly in Silverzap's hoof. "I know this unexpected... disappearance might have rendered me guilty already, but there's still another method that can prove my innocence, Detective! Trust me on this!"

"Interesting. And what is this method that you speak of?"

"It's pretty simple, actually. Since I bear the Element of Magic, my Element will respond to me when I wear it, so I just have to put on the tiara. If it, for some reason, doesn't work when I wear it, it's definitely a replica."

"Very well, then. I do have to warn you, however: if this 'experiment' happens to backfire upon you, you are to be immediately restrained for interrogation. Royal orders." Cautiously, Silverzap hoofed over the tiara, eyeing the mare's expression expertly.

"Royal orders?" Twilight echoed, reluctantly retrieving the tiara from the detective. "The Princesses are dead! Who else can give royal orders?"

"I'm afraid that's classified information, Ms. Sparkle. I've been informed that you are quite the intellectual pony, though, so it should be quite simple for you to figure out who."

Twilight waved a hoof in dismissal. "Fine, whatever. I'll get to it afterwards." Taking a deep breath, she donned the tiara, anxiously waiting for the response that would determine her verdict.

As if on cue, the magenta gem that resembled her cutie mark lit up in a bright flash of light, blinding the two ponies temporarily before fading away.

Silverzap's expression became stony as he hastily rushed forward and hoofcuffed the former Princess before retrieving the Element of Magic from atop her head. "I'm sorry, Ms. Sparkle, but you have commited a severe crime the likes of which Equestria has not seen for many years. By murdering fellow royalty in cold blood, even the Princess that was your own mentor, you have sentenced yourself to the worst punishment of all."

Time sped by fast after that... right up till the point of when she was thrown in one of the dirty, damp jail cells of Canterlot's royal dungeon. Her sentence was already decided: a slow and torturous death as the consequence for supposedly killing the other Princesses. Thankfully, it wasn't to be carried out until a week after, which gifted her with plenty of time to just think about everything, anything that came to mind.

After what seemed like an eternity, even though it was only a few hours, the sound of heavy hoofsteps out in the corridor caught her attention. She perked up slightly but did not raise her head completely, curious as to which pony those hoofsteps belonged to.

"Twilight Sparkle?" The hoofsteps came to a halt in front of her cell, surprising her. A bulky silhouette flickered in front of her, and she slowly lifted her head to see a Royal Guard standing outside the jail bars.

"Y-Yes?" Her voice was hoarse after such an extensive time of disuse.

"According to my orders, I am to deliver some important news to you."

"News? What news?" Twilight shot up from the cold floor, eyes wide with curiosity.

And in that next moment, the guard informed her of the best and worst news she'd ever heard of since her imprisonment.

"Your friends are coming to visit you tomorrow morning."