The Robbery of the Canterlot Mint

Twilight and her friends ran into the castle in Canterlot. After they had all read the article in the paper, they decided to go and show their support for Celestia. Tears threatened to blind the young princess, but she fought them off. She had to remain strong for her mentor and closest confidante. She and Celestia held such a close relationship, that tabloid newspapers in Canterlot and the surrounding towns often referred to them as being romantically involved. They had repeatedly denied these allegations, but the rumors persisted.

Now, that close bond was being put into severe jeopardy. The strains of crime had battered the foundations of the core of Equestria, and Twilight knew that it was up to her and her friends to try and save it. They ran into the throne room, trying desperately to get through the large crowd of press ponies who had jammed inside. They were all taking pictures of what was going on at the front of the room, but no questions were being shouted. They were all in shock at what was going on. Princess Celestia was being formally arrested for the crime.

When Twilight and her friends finally arrived at the front of the crowd, they found it difficult to look at the sight. Celestia had been stripped of her royal emblems and diadem and was being paraded out of the room in chains. Her wings had been locked in special holders, and a magic shield had been placed over her horn. Her hooves were cuffed, and she had a very sad look on her face. Twilight saw the liquid dribbling out of the disgraced ruler’s eyes, and she knew that her mentor felt as if all Equestria had betrayed her.

Twilight also noticed Dragnet Decoder, the chief of the Canterlot police force, standing by. He was attempting to look tough and hardened against the mob of photographers, but she could tell that he was holding back a torrent of emotions. It was well known that he and Celestia were very good friends, and his heart was torn in twain. But he had to make the arrest, because his duty to the ponies of Equestria demanded him to do so.

Twilight trotted up to him. “Dragnet?”

He turned to her, eyes watering behind the thick shades that hid them. “Hey, there, kid,” he said, using his special nickname for Twilight. He had known her since she was a filly and he was a colt. He and Shining Armor had been her only friends in the world and she had continued their relationship even after he graduated from the Police Pony Academy and she was sent off to Ponyville. Their letters were frequent, but never went beyond friendship.

“You had to…didn’t you?” She asked, referring to the arrest.

“Yes,” he said in a shaky voice. “Twilight…I never dreamed this day would come. Not even in my worst nightmares did I think that I’d be forced to arrest my beloved princess. I had to watch them put her gentle wings in those terrible holders, and the same hooves that weaved friends together were put in bondage. This is the darkest day in Equestrian history, kid, and I don’t know if we’ll recover.”

“I believe we will,” a new voice said.

The two ponies turned to see Princesses Luna and Cadance standing there. It was Luna who had made the declaration, and both ponies were smiling. Twilight found it peculiar that they both showed such happy expressions as their leader was being hauled to prison. But she shook off the feeling and offered the customary bow between princesses. When they bowed back, she trotted over and hugged Cadance tightly. For a moment, she could be a filly again and revel in the feeling of Cadance’s tender love and motherliness.

“Oh, come on, Twilight,” Cadance said, “cheer up. Equestria will grow stronger than it ever has been. I know that Celestia’s arrest and crime has been a shock to the nation, but I promise that we will become stronger.”

“Not without her, we won’t,” Twilight said sadly, “she was the rock that stabilized everypony else. She was the one who carried Equestria through its roughest thousand years. She was the one who taught me everything I know about magic and a lot about friendship! She was everything to me and to Equestria, and now she’s gone!”

“Twilight,” Luna said, “my dear sister had her flaws. We all do. It’s just unfortunate that she chose to display said flaws by robbing the largest bank in Equestria.”

Twilight just couldn’t believe the nonchalance her two friends were expressing. After all, one of their closest and dearest companions had just been arrested for a horrible crime. She had been accused of forcibly embezzling nearly every pony in Canterlot and its suburbs, and all they could sit there and do was smile and chat like nothing had happened! She became angry with them and turned to face her friends.

“Listen, everypony! Princess Celestia could not have done this terrible deed.”

“I’m with ya on that, sugar cube,” Applejack drawled, “but how the hell are we gonna clear her name? I mean, we’re just simple ponies from Ponyville!”

“Yeah, AJ’s right,” Rainbow Dash said, “I mean, there are ponies who go to school for years to learn how to be detectives.”

“Oh, darling, there’s nothing to being a detective,” Rarity quipped, “all you have to do is-“

“Wear the right outfit?”

“Oh, ha-ha, you’re so droll,” Rarity said sarcastically.

“Listen, everypony,” Twilight said, “this is no time to be snarky with each other, and it’s also no time to question things. Our friendship has seen us through very difficult times in the past, and this is no different. In fact, this may be the most difficult thing we’ve ever faced. If we don’t clear Celestia’s name, then Equestria won’t be as strong as it once was. We’re open to attack by any number of villains right now. As soon as they hear that Celestia’s been incarcerated, they’ll be on top of us! We cannot let that happen. Equestria needs all of its leaders, especially her. We need to keep morale up while we conduct our own investigation. Come on, everypony! Let’s go clear Celestia’s name!”