The Robbery of the Canterlot Mint

Twilight, Moon Dancer, and a bevy of armed officers and soldiers descended upon the house that Magnifying Glass had shown them. They had managed to contact the other teams and everypony rendezvoused at the target location. The officers, stallion and mare alike, wore heavy battle armor and carried long swords. The unicorns in the battalion had been fitted with a special type of magic that would kill a pony with one strike. They were under strict orders only to use it if absolutely necessary. Other than that, everypony was the same.

Everypony, that is, except for Twilight and her friends. They wore no protective gear and strode into the eye of the storm with brave faces and strong words. Their weapon was their friendship, and they knew it. If they could connect on a different level from everypony else, then the culprits wouldn’t stand a chance. Twilight had ordered her group to remain calm and stay together, in order to ensure that their various Elements of Harmony matched up. They knew that they carried the essence of every element inside them, even though the actual implements had been destroyed by King Sombra a few months before.

“Alright, everypony!” Twilight addressed the crowd, “this is it! Remember, we need them alive! Do not use lethal force unless authorized to do so by either myself, Moon Dancer, or one of our captains.” With that, she turned and knocked. “Open up in the names of Their Royal Majesties, Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Princess Cadance, and myself, Princess Twilight! Open up in the name of the law, or else we’re breaking down the door! We have warrants for all of you!”

For a moment, everything was still. A pin could have sounded as loud as a bomb had it dropped to the cobblestones below. Everypony stood their ground, waiting for something to happen. Then, suddenly, the door broke open and three ponies rushed the princess and Moon Dancer. They held them down as they fired lethal magic blasts into the crowd. Some of the officers didn’t have the chance to defend themselves, and they fell in the line of duty. Twilight flipped her captor around and attacked with her hooves. The two ponies scrambled around on the porch until the princess felt a strong magic grab her and toss her through a window. Moon Dancer was given the same treatment, and the door slammed shut once again.

“FOR CELESTIA’S SAKE, GET SOMETHING TO BREAK IT DOWN!” Decoder Dragnet, who had been part of Twilight’s team, screamed. He had a soft spot for the young princess, and considered her a close friend. Knowing she was trapped in there caused his heart to sink rapidly, and he began shouting orders in a frantic state.

Inside, Twilight and Moon Dancer were tied to chairs as the three criminals gloated over their capture. Like descending buzzards, they encircled the disabled mares. All that Twilight and Moon could do was growl and put up an antagonistic front. They couldn’t show weakness. If they did, then they would be killed for sure. They had to ensure that they kept up their character and tenacity in the face of this evil.

“Well, well, well,” Common Law said as he paced in front of the now shocked mares. They had no idea that Common was behind all this. “The royal book horse, and her little playmate, too! How quaint…”

“How dare you attempt to call yourself a defender of justice and an upholder of the law!” Twilight shouted, “you crooked crackpot!”

“Oh…such hurtful words, Your Majesty,” Common said sarcastically, “and here I thought you were the Princess of Friendship.”

“I am,” Twilight said, “but I’m also a leader of Equestria, and I will defend my home until my very last breath! I will see to it that justice and decency are carried out in all aspects of life, even when I ascend to take Celestia’s throne!”

Common Law chuckled as he wound himself around the captives. He knew them both quite well. Princess Twilight had been a thorn in his side for quite some time. He found her ideals of friendship and love weak, and he found the idea that strength can only be found in blind numbers to be quite the attractive one. He stepped forward and dared to put his hoof on her face. “I consider myself quite the just and caring pony,” he said, “more caring than even you, Princess. But there are some ponies out there who are…let’s say…annoyances, and those ponies must be dealt with accordingly. You four royal pains are at the top of that list!”

“How can you say that?!” Moon Dancer asked thunderously, “Princess Celestia is the one who gave you your license to practice law! She administered the bar exam! You’re the one betraying her!”

Common smiled as he maneuvered over to Moon Dancer. He bent down and placed a poisonous, mocking kiss on her cheek and began gently pressing his hoof through her mane. “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll stop touching me,” she said with hatred in her voice.

“Oh, Moon Dancer…my pretty, sweet Moon Dancer. The prodigal wife has finally returned to me! You know, sweetheart, I knew you’d come crawling back to me one day. Why? Because you can’t live without me, and you know it!”

“Bite me, you pathetic excuse for a stallion!” Moon said in a rage.

Through this exchange, Twilight found herself becoming more and more confused. Moon Dancer and Common Law seemed to know each other on a very deep level. Common had referred to her as “the prodigal wife,” and this caused the gears in Twilight’s brain to begin turning. It didn’t take long for her to put two and two together and figure out that Common and Moon were ex-mates.

Common bent down and kissed his former bride again, only this one seemed to mock her even more. The spot where his lips left her cheek seemed to burn with a fire born of mutual hatred. It was very obvious that whatever love he once held for her was gone, and it had been replaced by a despisal that scared Twilight to death. She knew that Common could snap at any moment and begin leaving slashes instead of kisses.

“My dear, darling Moon Dancer,” he mocked, “you must think that I am a very stupid pony. I mean, really. For you to come crawling back on your hooves and knees like this, only to be foiled and tied to a chair? Ha! This reminds me of our wedding night…”

“For the record, I didn’t enjoy it,” she spat.

“Oh, I know you didn’t. I also know you faked a lot of things, and not just when it came to our physical relationship. You faked an entire romance! You faked your love for me, you liar!”

“I didn’t!” She defended herself, “I did love you, and some twisted part of me still does! Where’s the Common Law I knew? The Common Law who had such a passion for seeing justice and mercy carried out? The Common Law who would defend foals from bullies? The pony I met at the Police Academy all those years ago? Where is he?”

Common snickered. “He’s gone, Moon Dancer, and the new and improved version has taken his place. I swear, I will rule Equestria, and there’s nothing you or anypony can do about it! These two mares here have given me more than you ever did, Moon Dancer, and that’s a damn fact! Now, then…why don’t we dispense with the conversation and get to the killing?”