Letters from the Homefront

Amore's Death Rocks Relationship with Crystal Empire

Early this morning, we received this tragic news from our sister office in Couer: Princess Vero Amore, Empress of the Crystal Empire, is dead. It was reported that she passed away last night in her bedchambers; furthermore, it was reported that an autopsy revealed that she had been being systematically poisoned since mid-summer. A clerk in the Crystal Palace whose name has not been released was arrested this morning and it was reported that documents were found in his position that revealed that he had been hired as a spy by the Equestrian government.

Sombra, the Prime Minister of the Crystal Empire, called an emergency session of the Crystal Parliament this morning to discuss their response to the Princesses' death. They have also sent a message to Princesses Celestia and Luna, demanding reparation for the murder.

“These shocking statements are blatantly false,” Princess Celestia declared in a press conference just before noon. “Luna and I grew up with Amore; we loved her like a sister. We mourn her passing and had nothing to do with her death. This clerk was not employed as a spy and we request an explanation for this outrageous accusation from Prime Minister Sombra.”

We have also received scattered reports that earlier today, two soldiers from the Crystal Empire who were in Canterlot as part of a cooperative training exercise attempted to kidnap Princess Cadenza. Princess Cadenza is safe, but one of her bodyguards, Staff Sergeant Battering Ram, was shot and killed during the fighting. The Crystal soldiers have been arrested and are being held pending a trial, but both have released statements to the press that they were following orders from the late Princess Amore to bring Cadenza back to the Crystal Empire. Both claim that Cadenza's bodyguards fired upon them first and they acted in self-defense and that Princesses Celestia and Luna are holding Cadenza in Equestria against her will.

Princess Celestia has announced her intention to travel to the Crystal Empire tomorrow to meet and speak with Prime Minister Sombra, to explain her side of this story and attempt to reach a peaceful settlement. By this evening, she will arrive in Vanhoover to stay overnight, where she intends to meet and speak to the Crystal soldiers who are still posted mere miles north of the city doing live exercises. She will arrive in Coeur tomorrow morning.