Warning: The next chapter contains violent scenes or explicit sexual content, so the reader's discretion is advised.

Moonbeam

Chapter 33 – The Meeting.

-Luna wait!- Celestia called her sister galloping up to her.

As soon as she crossed the hospital’s threshold door, she felt the cold winter air making its way into her fur until it reached her skin, causing an involuntary jolt of her muscles.

They were in the main area of the hospital in the late night, her younger sister kept her eyes on the horizon, which was adorned by very few lights. At that time of night, it was very uncommon to find some pony awake, but inside the hospital, you could see a reasonable amount of active staff, In the waiting rooms several ponies slept in the uncomfortable seats waiting for the news of their beloved ones. But the exterior was something totally different, there was not a single pony apart from the two princesses, possibly driven away by the cold or the constant snowfall.

-Please Stop Luna!- called the pearl-colored fur alicorn once more.

The indigo alicorn stopped her walk a couple of steps away from the hospital light, her body was slightly covered by the shadows of the night, however, the youngest of the monarchs did not turn to look at her, she just stopped there, staying completely still as if it were a statue.

-I know this is hard for you… I know how much you appreciate them, believe me… I have come to like them greatly since we met them too, but… making yourself look like a strong pony like that, is not the best solution, you should not suppress your feelings Luna… We all have the right to cry the same way we have the right to laugh, even us. We may be the pillars that sustain the kingdom, but that does not make us insensitive beings.

The princess of the night remained silent, looking at the shadows that covered the fields in front of her, the snow clouds hindered the light of her star, which further obscured the winter nights.

-Luna… Please tell me something-, said the sun deity, afraid to get too close to her sister, yet she opted to take a couple of steps closer to her.

The youngest of the monarchs had a strangely neutral aura. Celestia couldn't perceive annoyance, sadness or in general any emotion, it was as if Luna had completely blocked her heart.

-I'm fine-, the princess of the night finally replied with an extremely emotionless tone.

-No, you are not Luna. You have the same look you wore the night Megres died-, said the eldest. She hated having bring that back, but it was the only way that her words would break through in the stubborn mind of her younger sister. –I know you are worried that we have not been able to locate Chrisy, and I understand that you are worried about Epsilon’s current state, but… - The indigo alicorn still did not respond, so Celestia took a couple more steps. –You must stop blaming yourself for everything, what happened was not your fault-, Celestia said with glassy eyes.

-You're right-, said the deity of the night without looking at her older sister.

Celestia looks up, approaching a couple of steps closer to Luna.

-Luna, I…-

-The fault is yours-, this time the deity of the Sun could feel some discomfort in her tone.

Luna's words made her stop her advance instantly. Her eyes looked at her in complete shock. For a moment she stopped feeling the cold outside, while her heart seemed to freeze instantly.

-It was you who sent her to chase the suspect, right?- said the princess of the night without looking at her, Luna’s voice continued to sound quite neutral. -It's strange because… I remember you mentioned earlier that you had sent MY NIGHT GUARDS to talk to Chrisy's mother-, Luna kept going, this time her voice denoted certain pain.

-Didn't it occur to you that something like this could happen?- said the princess of the night.

-I apologize for that, I did not think that these creatures would have replaced Gemstone, but I assure you that Hurricane and I have already taken action on the matter. Yesterday I spoke to her before returning to the hospital to ask her to help me organize a search team, we will soon find Chrisy and stop the one who did this to Epsilon. I assure you that we will take them to face our law for what they did-, Celestia said.

-Like arrest them?... Take them to trial?- The young monarch smirked, although it sounded more like a mocking laugh. -This is why noble families did not take your threats seriously dear sister. You should let the night watch and we, take care of these matters-.

-What are you…?- as soon as she understood Luna’s statement, Celestia's voice rose a couple of tones. -No Luna!. Although we are princesses, if we start to seek justice using our own hooves, we will end up becoming dictators, everything we have worked for will fall apart-, said Celestia standing firmly on the snow.

“It's funny that she says it, because as far as I remember dear Luna, those decisions were always made by her, your opinion was rarely taken into account”, commented the voice in Luna’s head.

-Tell me Tia…-, the youngest of the sisters spoke -Are the families on the outer edges still a threat?- the deity of the night spoke without looking at her sister.

-A threat…-

Celestia's eyes widened, she couldn't believe what she was hearing, she had certainly thought that one of the night guards might be to blame for the massacres, considering Luna had recently requested the approval of a law to legalize the execution of those families. However, Celestia had dismissed that idea thinking that none of the night guards would execute such an action without the approval of the princesses. she refused to believe that the order had been executed directly by her own sister, especially knowing that she was against the idea from the beginning.

-I'm just saying that my methods are more effective and permanent-, added the indigo alicorn. -For years you've had to deal with them, but that's something you won't have to worry about anymore-, argued the deity of the night taking a couple of steps into darkness.

“In the end no one will miss them”, added the voice in her head.

Celestia looked at her, she was really surprised by the cynicism her sister showed. she remembered the rooms of the little ponies stained with blood, the corridors of those mansions dotted, entire families murdered. She then recalled Epsilon's absence for several days. The deity of the sun guessed that the captain had taken the midnight guard, because it did not seem to be arround when Celestia was awake, however, now everything seemed to make more sense.

Like Luna, Celestia knew the Night Knights had been slaves in her early years, so it wouldn't take much for any of them to take a mission like that and execute it, especially considering that Epsilon used to have the most explosive temperament of the four.

-You ordered her to do so-, she said with a lump in her throat, -You forced her to carry those deaths even knowing that I did not agree with it-, she added, taking a couple of steps forward determined to confront her sister.

-My hooves are as stained with blood just as much as hers-, Luna replied in a monotonous tone, -She may have wielded the weapon, but it was I who gave her the order-, said the princess of the night.

-LUNA!, How… How could you…!- shouted the sun deity, taking her by the shoulder and forcing her sister to look into her eyes.

-Tell me Tia, why do you care about these traitors, more than you care about the welfare of all those slaves who continued to suffer while you looked away and pretended that nothing bad was happening in their lands?-

The Princess of the Sun took a step back by releasing her sister's shoulder.

-Admit it, I only did what you were afraid to do, I had the guts that you lacked, wasn't the night watch founded to maintain order no matter what? Wasn't that the reason they would be hidden from the sight of others? Wasn't that the condition for which they would never receive credit for their actions? Or did you give them that title just because the rest of the ponies don't accept them the same way we do?

-The night watch was created to protect the kingdom, that's true, but… since when is a small foal seen as a danger to the kingdom? Since when did you become so extreme as to think about murder? We had never killed any creatures before. When we confront Tirek, we lock him up in a prison, when we face Discord, we lock him up in a prison. They represented a real danger to the kingdom and yet we never thought of taking their lives. Tell me sister, since when did you lose respect for the lives of others? - Celestia rebuked her.

Both princesses looked into each other's eyes defiantly. Luna was the first to look away.

-I knew you wouldn't understand-, she murmured.

-Princesses…- Caramel called them, opening the door of the hospital.

Several of the ponies inside looked at them with concern. The Princess of the Sun looked at the captain before looking at her younger sister.

-I think the lack of sleep has affected us. We will talk about this tomorrow-, said the ruler of the day with some annoyance.

The horn of the alicorn shone with a zarco-colored aura and after a sonorous PUFF, the youngest of the monarchs vanished completely.

The albino alicorn stood there watching where her sister had been standing moments before. Snowflakes fell on her body forming a small layer of extremely thin ice.

-Did you hear anything?- the princess asked with concern, her voice returning to a much calmer tone.

-The crystals are thick, it was difficult to know what you were talking about, but the tone of both was… well… it didn't seem like a casual conversation-, the captain added.

Celestia sighed.

-I need to rest, these sleepless nights are ending my nerves-, The princess looked at the soldier. -Caramel… I need you to keep an eye on her-.

-That's what I'll do princess-, the captain replied.

-No Caramel, you are not understanding me. I want you to… Watch her-, she said emphasizing the last phrase.

The captain noticed the annoying tone in her voice.

-Princess Luna will feel like a caged bird in the old castle if I do that-, said the captain, understanding the request of his ruler.

-Something happens to her, that behavior is not normal. I don't want you to intervene, just send me a letter with whatever you notice, as unimportant as it may seem-

-I will princess-, said the captain. The alicorn nodded once.

After this, both went back to the hospital, it would be another long sleepless night for her.

Certainly the following mornings were not any nicer. The Sun deity did not really have time to rest and was sure that her sister was in a similar situation, spending most of her breaks in the hospital and the rest of the time attending to her royal duties. Unfortunately that had also delayed the meeting with the noble families of the kingdom.

As soon as the first rays of the sun caressed Equestria that morning, Luna was back in the hospital, giving Celestia some time to return to her duties.

The youngest of the princesses asked to stay to take care of Epsilon so that the rest of the guard could rest a little from the wakefulness, although they were against Celestia’s request to take a brake, when listening to the princess of the Moon asking the same, the three stallions retreated to the waiting room. After all, they didn't want to abandon their sister, especially knowing that, according to the words of the hospital's chief doctor, Epsilon was unlikely to regain consciousness and the longer it took to get out of the coma, the greater the risk that she would never wake up again.

As expected, Luna did not say a word to her, so Celestia just decided to come back to her meeting at the castle. Now she was even more frustrated, tired and pissed.

-I really don't get it Lord Red, Why bring a such an unusual mare?- - the voice of one of the nobles brought her back to reality.

The lord was an elegantly dressed colt, his fur had a light green color and his mane wore a pale orange color, on his flanks there was a cutie mark in the shape of a cupcake, on top of the frosting was a slice of melon.

At the entrance was the Lord of the Wine family accompanied by her sister, her brother-in-law, a mare dressed in a tuxedo and a rather peculiar mare whom the princess immediately identified thanks to her unmistakable wild and electric blue colored hairstyle, she was wearing the sweater that Cent had given her on the Heart’s Warming Eve, apparently she had liked the garment too much so she wore it constantly, her hind hooves were covered by a pair of socks of different colors that covered her reaching the base of her cutie mark and a pair of dark purple glasses.

At that time the princess and the most recognized leaders of the noble families were inside the throne room. Among those present were mainly Princess Platinum, Commander Hurricane, Chancellor Puddinhead, Lord Luxury Pants, Lady Marvel, Lady Crystal Print and Lady Orange Juice who had recently received her title as well as Lord Blueblood. The latter had arrived at the meeting accompanied by her butler. On one side of the throne was Clover and a rather peculiar zebra who seemed to try to capture the sorceress's tail using her own, causing the famous sorceress to maintain a reddish blush on her cheeks.

Smart Cookie and Private Pansy were close to their friend as the former cooed little Cadence in her fore hooves

-Surely he considers that she is capable enough to handle this matter Meloncake-, Luxury Pants commented, throwing a look that, although neutral, indicated to the pony of the Melon family his annoyance.

-You should have more respect-, Pink Wine said, looking at the noble pony of the Melon family with displeasure.

-There is no problem, I understand your point of view Meloncake, but I assure you that she is a capable mare-, Red assured him.

-I am glad that you were able to join us Lord Red. And I'm glad you're with us Vinyl- mentioned the princess. The musician returned the same kind smile.

-I was worried when I hear you postpone the meeting the first time, so I thought it would be necessary for me to be present as soon as I got the second letter-, said the lord.

-I think we're all-, said Lady Cristal Print.

At that moment the doors opened again revealing a large stallion, his muscles were strong, especially those on his hind legs, he had a rather rough build body, his fur sported a green color similar to that of an apple and a cream-colored mane. On his head he was wearing a Stetson hat and on his flanks they could see a cutie mark with an apple made up of pieces of different types of colored apples.

-I'm sorry for the delay, your majesty-, said the pony, with a southern accent and deep voice.

The stallion approached ignoring the glances that some of the nobles threw at him. As soon as he found himself in front of the throne, the stallion bowed to the ruler.

Cristal Print looked at the pony with eyes full of desire, even though he did not seem to be any kind of noble, the figure of that stallion was certainly enviable.

Celestia recognized that pony after looking at it more closely, it was one of the ponies that had carried several baskets full of apples to the Heart’s Warming Eve, and clearly also had a relationship with the musicians of that night.

-It's a pleasure to finally meet you Applecore-, said the princess.

-The pleasure is mine princess-, the stallion replied with his peculiar accent.

-Princess if I may ask, What does an Apple farmer do in a meeting like this?- asked Meloncake.

-The Apple family has a large part of the apple trade under their control and they have been very supportive of the communities since before the war started, so it is logical that he was invited to a meeting that concerns the affairs of the kingdom-, Luxury Pants responded taking the floor.

-Anyway, can we please start?- asked Lady Marvel.

-Of course-, replied the monarch, -Although I am afraid that this will be a sensitive issue so I recommend that we move to a room with a table and seats. Oh! and maybe some tea, that will help keep you calm-, the monarch added with a smile.

There was no way to avoid that situation. The ruler knew very well that most of the nobles were not even moderately tolerant, but for Equestria’s sake, she herself made a great effort to maintain her composure.

After explaining the facts and having them confirmed by Hurricane and Clover, several of the nobles entered a state of… Mass hysteria. Which is why, it took several minutes to calm those present to a point where the screams were moderately tolerable.

Certainly most of the noble families of the outer edges had disappeared, which greatly affected the economic stability of the kingdom. Although being honest, their contribution came mainly from activities that Celestia herself reproached, so to some extent she was relieved not to continue receiving those inputs with certainty dubious origin. In an unpleasant way, the ruler of the sun had also stabilized the situation of rebellions and mutinies that slave traders had generated, something that Hurricane seemed to appreciate, because she did not have to continuedealing with that problem any longer.

Although the princess deliberately omitted her sister's confession, the situation was not well received by most of those present. Several of them quickly began to criticize the lack of organization of Huricane's military forces, and in consequence, the abilities of the monarchs to deal with the issue.

Not only did this make the commander's blood boil, but even Puddinhead's humor was quite pessimistic about the matter in general.

-It's not possible that something like this happened during the Heart’s Warming Eve-, Luxury Pants said indignantly.

-It is certainly unacceptable that there is any creature capable of doing something like that, on one of our most important holidays-, Lady Marvel spoke. -Although not all creatures share the same celebration, it is well known to all kingdoms how important it is to keep the spirit of the Heart’s Warming Eve alive. For all ponies! even dragons are quite aware of that, and they are DRAGONS- Marvel added emphasizing the last word.

-This is unacceptable-, Meloncake commented, -We cannot let loose a murderer who is trying to exterminate noble families, we must act immediately-, the colt continued with panic in his voice.

-Not to mention the impact this will have on the kingdom's economy. Several entire families have been exterminated. We can't let something like that happen-, Lady Cristal Print agreed.

-Have any common patterns been identified in the attacks?- Orange Juice asked.

-The only thing we know about them is that they were all families involved in some kind of illicit activity-, Hurricane said, sharing a series of sheets with the general reports of the incident.

Vinyl took one of the reports and watched it closely. The report generally spoke of a mass genocide, apparently executed for several days and not in a single night, also noted that among the names of the members of the affected families appeared the name of a particular pony that she would never forget. Her body could still feel the shame and humiliation she had suffered that night, not to mention the pain they brought to her.

Red soon noticed the change in the mare's bent as she started to show her teeth almost growling.

-So, in other words, all the families affected were part of some organization that acted against the kingdom's orders-, Pink Wine said.

-I can assure you Lady Wine that my nephew Melondrop was a decent stallion-, Meloncake said, completely oblivious to Vinyl's murderous look.

Red was sure that if it were not for his presence, the mare would not have hesitated for a second to tear Meloncake’s throat, although Red still did not understand the reason for that uncontrolled anger, especially coming from one of his most prestigious acquisitions. Afterall, Vinyl was one of the few mares who didn't get carried away by her instinct. Red also couldn't help but notice the worried look that the butler of the Blueblood family threw at the mare.

-Whether or not your nephew was involved in those businesses, we will never know that, but it is public knowledge that families like the FreshFish always had friction with the royal crown-, Pink Wine added.

-Forgive my interruption Lady Wine, but it seems that you are insinuating that Equestria's crown had something to do with the attack-, Platinum spoke, looking harshly at the pink unicorn.

-I'm sorry if my sister's comment was insensitive Princess Platinum, but it's just a mere observation, none of us are assuming anything at all-, Red intervened.

Celestia who had just observed everything while sipping the tea from her cup decided to take the floor.

-I must admit that this situation is quite inopportune for everypony. While it is true that the affected families have had many frictions with us since the abolition of slavery, which my sister and I presented to the council of Equestra for approval years ago, the truth is that none of us wanted a conflict, we have done our best not to confront each other violently-, the princess of the sun said.

Vinyl gave a slight blow with her elbow to Blueblood who was conveniently sitting next to her. Receiving the signal from the mare, it didn't take long for him to take the floor.

-It is certainly very likely that this is the work of another faction, after all, if Princess Celestia had wished to do such a thing, she would not have waited until the kingdom found itself in such a delicate economic situation. She was always able to stop that insubordination from the start. she could easily accuse them of treason and even request the creation of a new law to crush any pony that could represent any danger to anypony.

Celestia looked at the lord with total attention, it was incredible how close those words came to reality. Certainly she had always looked for an alternative way to fix things… Luna, on the other hoof, had gone so far as to request her permission to present to the council a new law that would allow her to end the problem using inesppreciable methods. Especially considering that she had ended up acting behind her back.

-But the princess has always had faith in us, her ponies, she has always thought that we are capable of changing for the better. She has put her trust in us thousands of times hoping that we will be able to achieve what no other race has achieved before… To reach harmony, to become the first race capable of bringing harmony to our kingdom. That is why I doubt very much that Princess Celestia will be able to order an attack such as this one-, Blueblood continued, while reciting from memory that speech that Vinyl had helped him prepare for that occasion.

Red swept through his gaze watching the reaction of each of those present, smiling internally as he noticed that his plan was finally beginning to succeed.

-Even though I share Blueblood's thought-, Orange Juice commented. -We still have that unsolved mystery. I am sure that they will have found some clue to identify the attacker-, she added.

-What do you tell me about the monsters hired as night guards-, Pink Wine said.

-What do you mean, Lady Wine?- asked Puddinhead.

Celestia's gaze quickly fell on the younger sister of the Wine family. It was clear that the assignment of the night knights should not be public knowledge, so she thought that Wind Chaser, Pink Wine’s fiancé, was responsible for having let that information leak into the ears of the noble mare pony.

-Who can assure us that the newly appointed night watch was not created to take care of matters like this?, it is certainly quite intriguing that the guard is only made up of four members of the same species and that only the council and the representatives of the most influential noble houses have the knowledge of its existence-

-Before you continue, My lady. I must warn you that those four ponies, because they are ponies-, Hurricane added upon noticing the mare's gaze. -Have proven their worth several times during the war. Many soldiers would not have returned alive if it were not for that group-, the commander said.

-But that was during a war, what would happen if this time they did it on their own?, maybe their nature is too violent, it is possible that they got too used to open throats with their knives-, added Cristal Print.

-That would be impossible. The night watch is under the direct and total control of the princesses-, said Wind Chaser getting up from his seat next to Pink Wine.

-Enough Soldier-, ordered the commander raising her voice, after which Wind Chaser took his seat again, this time lowering his gaze.

Celestia noted that Captain Chaser seemed to try to make amends for Pink's mistake in exposing that information, however giving that detail, the captain had also compromised the royal crown. Fortunately Hurricane had also noticed this, so Celestia understoodthat the commander was thinking of reprimanding the captain for having given confidential information to others.

-Excuse me commander, but unfortunately Wind Chaser is right-, spoke Red. -The night soldiers are much more aggressive than the rest of the royal guard, they were even the culprits of the wound caused by theloss of one of my brother in law’s wings, if I remember correctly, commented the stallion.

-That’s wrong Lord Red…-, Hurricane replied annoyed. Immediately the mare closed her mouth.

-Well, I guess you can catch us up with that fact, right commander?- said the lord looking at the mare who turned her gaze to the Princess of the Sun.

It was true that the reports of the Wind Chaser accident had omitted who or what caused such damage to the captain’s wing. Unfortunately, the soldier seemed to have commented something to his wife's brother, although Red certainly did not link Princess Luna directly, it did so to Siegfried with whom Wind Chaser had had that confrontation during said night.

-Please my little ponies-, said the princess interrupting the conversation to the commander's relief.

Once she got the group's attention she added.

-I must intercede for the night watch, until there is sustainable evidence that indicates that they are the culprits we will not be able to proceed-

-We have not yet found substantial evidence that can link the events to any specific pony, but I must say that I am dismayed by the fact that most of her suspicions are towards the crown-, Platinum added.

-Maybe this could be solved in a simpler way-, Applecore said, speaking for the first time since the meeting began.

-What do you mean cousin?- Orange Juice asked.

-In the Apple family, many times the union of a stallion and a mare have helped us achieve peace with other farming families-, said the pony. Red's inner smile grew wide.

-Certainly the union of two families can help reinforce trust on both sides of the families-, said Cristal Print understanding what Applecore meant. -If one of the princesses joined one of the leading families, we could reach a common agreement and none of us would be affected-, she continued. –I have two sons that could…-

-Don't get me wrong my lady, but…if you want to propose the union of one of the princesses with one of the leading families, the best option is to choose a family that is trustworthy-, Red said.

-Excuse me, but my family…-, Crystal Print said.

-It's unpleasant-, Red interrupted her again.

-So, I guess you want the honor of joining one of our princesses in marriage?-asked Meloncake with skepticism.

-It is true that I am a member of one of the most influential families, but the people will not accept me as their leader. I am not precisely very sociable-, Red explained.

-Princess Luna seemed quite attached to the mare of the party and judging by her clothes I doubt she is a commoner-, Marvel said.

-We cannot elect a representative of a family that is not even known to the rest of the noble families. Personally, I have no idea what family the mare comes from-, Red added.

Another elbow from Vinyl made the newly appointed lord react. It was time, the cards were on the table.

-Wait a second, we are talking as if the decision is ours, but, we do not even know if the princesses will agree with such a deal. It's almost as if we're offering them at auction, this is just what brought us to this situation to begin with, you behave in the same way as those slave traders, offering another ponyto the highest bidder-, the blond pony said.

-Well, I never said that we should force them to make a decision, I just gave my opinion-, Applecore said, standing up.

-Blueblood is right we can't make such a decision-, Luxury Pants said, turning his gaze to the ruler.

The sun deity let out a sigh, before looking at those present. She understood the situation and certainly could not allow things to continue as they were, she had to find a way to reassure the noble families and certainly what happened to those families was the responsibility of her and her sister alike. Just as the lives of the two victims found in her back garden were.

Celestia didn't want to force that decision on Luna, her mental state was not the best at the time. she was extremely worried that she would act behind her back. After what happened with Chrisy's kidnapping, the ruler of the sun didn't want to imagine what her little sister would do if she found out that she had engaged her to some other pony; especially if they still didn't really know the whole truth about Chrisy and her connection to Luna's life-threatening creature. She only knew they both loved each other. That was certain, especially after that kiss in the middle of the dance floor.

-I will-, said the princess.

-You don't have to do it princess, please think about it-, the commander said, getting up from her seat.

-No Hurricane, the truth is that this is my responsibility. And if with this I can keep the noble families united with the crown, then I will take that responsibility as ruler of Equestria-

-I must say princess that the union must be permanent with the house you choose, so it is necessary that it is a stallion with which you can have offspring-, Said Red.

-The problem is choosing the right family-, said Lady Marvel.

-The Apples are not nobles-, said Applecore, -If we want it to work, it must be a well-known and preferably popular noble house-, the stallion added.

-The Orange family is only well known in Manehattan-, added Orange Juice.

-I'm not a good candidate either-, Red said, -What about you Luxury? Your family is one of the wealthiest and beloved families–, Lord Wine asked anticipating the other lord's answer.

-I'm sorry, but I don't agree with all this. I'll just accept why the majority has decided to do so, but I am not planning in taking any active role in all of this-, the stallion in a top hat replied, while cleaning his lens with a handkerchief he was levitating with his magic.

-What about Blueblood?- commented Platinum, surprising those present, -It is clear that the Blueblood family cares about the welfare of the kingdom first of all, after all it was the one who took the initiative to unite the noble families to support with the reconstruction of the most affected cities by the war.

-I have no objection-, Applecore said.

-The Orange family have no problem either-, said Orange Juice.

-As a representative of the Melons, I approve of the motion-, Meloncake reluctantly replied.

-I agree too-, said the leader of the Print family somewhat dissatisfied.

-The Wine family agrees with the decision-, Red said.

Platinum looked at her two friends and after a nod of acceptance she responded.

-The three representatives agree with the decision-

Clover looked at the princess, she wasn't sure what she should say at the time. The Sun deity nodded once telling her what to do.

-As a representative of the magic council. I, Clover the Clever… approve the motion-, replied the sorceress with a hoof on her chest, although certainly those last words had refused to leave her lips.

-As a representative of my mother Zephora's tribe, Shayla approves the motion too, Yes, Yes, Yes-, said the zebra situated at one side of Clover.

Clover turned to the princess in a last attempt to give her a chance to change her decision.

-Princess Celestia… Do you agree?-

The sorceress felt as if she herself was placing iron shackles on the princess.

-I accept-, replied the Princess of the Sun, feeling as if the locks of her fate were closed around her neck.

Red Wine looked pleased at the scene, finally his plan was beginning to take hold, the princess had fallen into his game. While the youngest of the monarchs had sealed her own fate by ordering the massacre of the nobles. And although a substantial clue had not yet been found that linked her or her night watch, now that the nobles were aware, there was no doubt that some of the families would begin to exert pressure, and as a result, he knew well that they would soon find something.

The group began to withdraw from the room in complete order. Some of those present were still clearly upset.

-Lord Meloncake- the princess's voice calling one of the nobles attracted Red’s attention, who tried her best to stay in the room for a little longer while pretending to pick up some things and settle his clothes.

-Yes, your highness?- replied the confused lord.

-There is one issue that I would like to discuss with you alone, if you don't mind, it concerns your nephew Melondrop-, said the princess.

-What do you mean princess?- the pony asked.

-Let's say that the circumstances around his death are somewhat peculiar-, the princess replied, guiding the stallion.

Red's gaze focused on the rowdy-haired mare standing next to the Blueblood family's butler. The mare looked at him nervously when she noticed that the lord had not looked away from her.

-Viper…-, Red said softly.

-¿Yes, master?-

-I want to know what happened to Melondrops and let me know as soon as possible-, ordered the stallion.

-Yes, master, as you wish-, replied the mare dressed in that elegant tuxedo separating from the group without anyone else noticing.

Somewhere in Hollow Shades

Inside a temple was an old priest, the pony sporting a black stole adorned with a white collar and a rope firmly tied to his torso. His body was badly injured, one of his front limbs was deformed, and a huge bump was born from one of his shoulders. His face was the one in the worst condition. Its snout had several deformations, as did its skull and eye, which was as bulging as a water balloon.

-Please!- a shrill and pleading voice was heard.

-I told you, you can't get away from my sight-, spoke a much more serious second voice.

-But it's not fair, I want to play with them too…- complained the first voice. -This place is boring, and my toys break down very fast, they can't even hold their shapes for more than a few hours-.

CRACK

The priest could do nothing but let out a roar of pain when he felt the blow to one of his limbs, which ended up bursting by the force of the impact, spreading pieces of bone and flesh on the ground.

-Fun, Fun, Fun-, the voices of three infants could be heard around him as he began to feel multiple impacts on his body, which although they were not as powerful as the first, began to break several of his bones.

-No wonder, you know their bodies can't stand that kind of mistreatment for too long-, said the second voice which came from the body of a pony that the priest knew very well.

The priest observed the body of his acolyte advancing towards him. From the sides of his ribs emanated black and purple flames as did from one of the wounds on his neck. The second voice the priest had heard earlier emanated from the lips of the acolyte.

-If you want your fun to drag on, you need to be more careful and avoid the most sensitive points-, the creature said.

Hundreds of laughs were heard around the priest as he watched the figure of another being formed completely by black and crimson flames.That creature was accompanied by three small fillies that jumped and laughed around it, the same infants who, momentsago, had given him a severe beating. The priest couldn't help but notice that the numerous laughs came from the scarlet flame creaturethat guided the little ones.

-I need something more resilient to play, If you let me out I could find something worth Middy.- The creature spoke as the three infants climbed on its backs to be consumed by the flames that enveloped that being of darkness.

-On the path of light, I will trot for life-, the priest recited with difficulty.

The Creature made with black and crimson flames turned to see him with annoyance, on its face was presented an insane smile adorned with endless rows of sharp teeth covered with saliva and blood.

Without saying anything, Maddy approached him before joining its lips with the priest’s own. The priest felt those flames burn his skin, tearing off his lips in the process, while he felt the grotesque sensation of the skin that was under the embracing fire that covered such a monster. He tried to scream again, but the instant he opened his mouth, Maddy took the opportunity to suck his tongue before closing its jaws, successfully tearing off the priest's tongue before swallowing in one go.

-Silence, the adults are talking-, Maddy said after leaving the priest, whose burned lips, left exposing his bloody teeth.

-I think I can fix your problem Maddy-, Middy said, patting Maddy softly on the head. -There is a way to give you a physical body, with which you can play with your toys without damaging them easily, but you must get some mortal to agree to create a pact with you- The acolyte added.

Maddy began to jump for joy as the multiple, unhinged laughter emanated from her throat, which make the priest shivers, who had begun to crawl on the ground in an attempt to leave that place.

-Yes, Fun!- said the creature formed by those black and scarlet flames with joy.

-But until I find you the most suitable guest, you must settle for the toys I bring for you, okay?- proposed Middy without stopping its caresses, even though the body it had possessed, had most of its fore leg burned by the constant contact with Maddy’s flames.

-Maddy will be patient-, replied the creature before expelling the three small fillies from her body, which began to gnaw the flesh of the priest causing the pony's rites of pain to echo throughout the place.

Author's Note

Fortunately I’ll start an early work hours, so I will be able to take some time to do other stuffs on the afternoon. I hope I could release some chapters faster, I really want to bring you this story in a quick step than its been this year.

This story has also helped me to practice my writing and writing method a lot, but it would be very helpful to be given some observations on these issues.

Additional information: The name Maddy comes from the alteration of the word Madness, while Middy, comes from the alteration of the word Midnight.

That is all for now, see you in the next chapter… ALLONS-Y

In memory of Victor Fidel Amado grandfather and mentor.

March/1938 - October/2018

In memory of Carolina López Beloved aunt and life's example.

May/1947 - February/2020