The sun was just barely winking out when a terrible scream was heard. Crying and anger followed, as the entire town of Ponyville was swept into chaos. A newspaper with today’s date and a large headline met with the soft blue hooves of Lady Rene.
“Who would do such a horrible thing?” Rene asked her husband, unsure if he would answer.
Ryan just stared astonished and still, face laid down between his hands. He said nothing for several seconds, before getting up and reaching for his coat. “Where are you going?”
“I.. I think I don’t know. Maybe to help, maybe to give my condolences.”
“Wait,” Rene reached out her hoof. “...Let me come with you.”
-
“ITS ALL OVER THE GROUND!” A pink pony screamed, followed by a horrified mob of faces looking out. A single mare with a blue cap and gray overcoat steadily pushes through the crowd, grunting.
“Make way, move!” Detective Boots barks, ripping herself off of the sea of bodies to land mere feet away from a grotesque scene. She winces, carefully picking her hoof to go around the other side. She is careful not to step on the red stains covering the grass, as she maneuvers in a way that she could better examine the three small corpses. The detective struggled to keep a straight face, and tried not to heave while she moved closer.
In the center was the bodies of three young fillies, all well known by the townsfolk as Applebloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle. Their bodies had big bruises around their necks, legs, and even abdomen, suggesting broken ribs. One of them, the one that could still be conveyed as having yellow fur, had a measurable chunk of their right ear ripped off, and all three had patches of their fur and mane littered on the ground. It was obvious that none of the fillies could walk, as all four of their legs have been bent in unnatural angles. Detective Boots did not want to even think of the possibility that they have been left alive in such a condition.
“Who was it?” A shriek resonates. This causes another burst of sobs from someone in the crowd.
“It couldn’t have been a monster from the everfree!”
“It has to be somepony from town!”
“But who can be so HORRIBLE?”
Seeing all she needed, Boots almost turns back before two more blue capped ponies decide to arrive on the scene. Not wanting to be here for any longer than she needs to be, she joins her co workers in looking for clues. But there was always that question; who could do something this horrific to another pony?
She pondered this aimlessly, before accidently stepping on one of the red stains. Cursing, she lifts her hoof, to find something sticking onto it. She rubs the dry blood off, and is greeted by a shiny glare. It looked like…
-
“...My pendant!” Ryan exclaims disparagingly. “How did it break?”
“What was that, dear?” Rene asked soberly.
“The pendant I’ve had for years has a chunk snapped off!” He crys.
“Oh Ryan, we can always fix it. I am sure we can make everything better soon.” She reassures. “Lets just get the town settled for a little while and we can go to the nice old jeweler to take care of us.”
Ryan sighs, but admits defeat. He wraps an arm around Rene, and she leans her body against his. This was then, of course, that one random mare decides to point an accusatory hoof at them.
“YOU!” The distressed mare screeched. “You did it, didn’t you! I knew we shouldn’t have ever let you live with us!”
Ryan steps back, and Rene begins to approach her. A small group of ponies beat Rene, grabbing the hysterical mare. With a couple of apologetic stares, they drag their friend out of the way.
“You know, maybe its best if we go back home,” Rene smiles up at Ryan. “At least until the town gets a little more back to normal.”
-
Twilight, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy continue to wait outside, hoping for the door to a certain boutique to open. “Rarity…” Twilight asks softly, “Can we please come in?”
Still no response, but the same vivid wailing could be heard on the other side of the door. Twilight marches back around, visibly angry. “Come on, girls, we need to see if we can get Applejack to help us catch this monster.” An occasional spark and snap of magical energy forms around her horn, ready to strike. “Spike, take a letter.”
-
As the moon rises and sets, it is once again that the sun barely winks out that screaming could be heard outside in Ponyville. “Come out here, you coward!”
Terrified, Rene and Ryan get up, alerted by the sudden treble of hooves and yelling outside their front doorway. “I’ll take care of this.”
Ryan gets up and towards the door, opening it carefully. With his greatest smile, he greets the mob of ponies. “How do you do this fi-”
“Get him!” A pony jumps at Ryan, before more follow. He shouts, trying to crawl back into his home. Rene runs to help him, trying to pull the mob off of him.
“STOP.”
Everyone stops what they are doing. The ponies on top of him freeze, some of them sliding off. Ryan and Rene look up to see Celestia flying above them all. Her eyes sharp and accusing, her horn lights up brightly. A magical aura surrounds Ryan, and before Rene can grab him, he was gone.
-
A row of chairs line up in front of him, one with Celestia in the center and the rest of the princesses by her side. Twilight was by her right side, expressionless. The other three, on the other hand, wore short of furious glares towards the chained Ryan.
“Human,” Celestia reverberated, “You stand accused of three separate counts murder, child abuse, and mayhem.”
He could only stare back in shock, as the two guards beside him aim their points at him.
“How do you plea?”
“I-I, Celestia I don’t know what you are talking about!” Ryan pleads. “I haven’t done anything!”
Celestia remains stoic. “What do you have to say about the condition that the three bodies were found? Do you have any commentary on the bruises found around their necks?”
“What about them, Princess?”
“There are few creatures with appendages such as yours, Human.” Princess Celestia glared. “You are the only suspect capable of producing the marks found on their bodies.”
“T-Those, I.. I do not know anything about that, Princess! Believe me, I would never do such a thin-”
A hoof smacking hard onto the granite silenced the room.
“Silence, human. I have heard enough.” With a glimmer of magic, Ryan’s necklace lifts up to produce his broken amulet. Another, dirtier piece of silver floats from Celestia’s side to meet. A perfect match.
“Take him away.”
-
I can’t believe it. Twilight thought, watching her former friend taken away in chains. She feels her mentor’s soft wing wrap around her, but is too numb to respond. Twilight reluctantly starts walking towards the exit with Celestia, where all but rarity and fluttershy stood waiting. Applejack was there as well, but farther back by the wall. He.. He killed those sweet innocent fillies..
“It is time to go to the sentencing room, Twilight,” Celestia announces. “There is something I want you to see, if you think you are ready.”
Twilight and Celestia walk down a hall, lined with guards at attention. After many flights of stairs,they reach a dark, metallic room. Inside was the human, held in place in a kneeling position and chained onto the floor. A cryptic circle made out of some sort of black ashes surrounded him. “Whenever we find a pony who is too dangerous to simply lock away or execute, we lock them away to a special place in Tartarus, where their soul will remain for an eternity.” Celestia explains. “This human’s soul may still try to commit wicked acts in the afterlife, so he must be sent away. Hopefully this will be the only time you will have to see this, Twilight.”
With a raised hoof, a stallion wearing a black robe lights the ashes. A red fire erupts, and the ground begins to dematerialize. Larger chains wrap around the human, digging into him. He looks to be screaming as smoke leaves the points of contact between the chains and his skin, but Twilight hears nothing. The entire circle begins to sink, as the human starts thrashing and begging one of the guards for help. After a few more seconds, ground takes him completely, and the room grows dark once again.
“You must understand, Twilight, that sometimes this is necessary to keep Equestria safe. As a princess, you must do whatever you can to ensure such vile acts do not perpetuate under our watch.”
