Broken Blossom

Chapters

Protector in Shining Armor
Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns
Questions Need Answering
Open Wounds
Tarnished Silver, Broken Tiara
You Are My Child and I Will Love You Forever
Changing The Rules
Talking to Thought Process
I Don't Wanna Hurt Anypony
Send Her Home
Fears of a Princess
A New Apple in the Barrel
The Search Begins
Mio Padre
Downfall
Hello, Aunt Rarity
Frightened Little Filly
Danger
Able or Willing
Not Going Anywhere
Not Her
Am I or Am I Not?
Do I Let Her Suffer?
Afraid
Going to Sleep
Epilogue: Paradise Untouched By Darkness
Non-Canon Alternate Ending?
New Stories!
Not My Home
Escape
I Wanna Know You
Blossom's Fate
Author's Note

Protector in Shining Armor

Well as it turned out, the duo reached the castle a little late for lunch as it was about five thirty in the evening by the time they entered the main hall. Still, that was hardly cause for Shining Armor to go back on his promise of feeding Blossom some of the best food she had ever eaten and the two of them journeyed to obtain the food.

As the two of them went towards the dining room, they were intercepted by none other than a worried Princess Celestia who breathed a huge sigh of relief when her eyes landed on the filly. "There you are, Blossom!" she said. “I’ve been worried about you!”

Blossom's ears flattened and she slid off Shining Armor's back and retreated a few steps. Her protector levitated his helmet off of her head and placed a comforting hoof on her shoulder. "Remember what I said, kid," he said. "Who here is going to hurt you?"

"Nopony is going to hurt me," mumbled Blossom.

"Right on, kid. Princess Celestia doesn't want anything bad to happen to you any more than I do. She's going to protect you too."

Princess Celestia nodded. "That's right, Blossom. You have nothing to fear from either me or my sister."

"You're not gonna take my horn away?"

Princess Celestia frowned and shook her head. "We would never," she said. "Why would you be afraid of that?"

"You took Mommy's," whispered Blossom.

Shining Armor and Princess Celestia exchanged uneasy looks as Blossom turned her gaze to the ground and began poking at a loose thread in the carpet.

Princess Celestia shook her head and sat down in front of the filly. "Blossom, we had to take your mother's horn because--"

"I know; because she's sick in the head and you're afraid that she'll hurt ponies by trying to escape."

Princess Celestia nodded. "It's merely a precaution, Blossom. I promise you that when we took her horn it didn't hurt her at all, nor does it hurt now."

Blossom nodded. "I guess I was just scared because I tried to hurt one of the guards when I wanted to get away."

Princess Celestia raised her eyebrow and leaned in a little closer. "What do you mean, 'I tried to hurt one of the guards'?"

"It wasn't really that bad," interjected Shining Armor. "She was surrounded by no less than nineteen of my men and she panicked. She hit Storm Shaker in the muzzle with a color changing spell. It turned his nose blue but he suffered no damage."

"And you thought we'd remove your horn for that?" said Celestia.

"The other guards were really mad at me when I did that and they did bad things to me so I thought that you would too," Blossom muttered.

Princess Celestia cocked her head. "What do you mean they did bad things to you?" Blossom's bottom lip began quivering and tears filled her eyes. She resumed her shivering and took a small step backwards. "Blossom? What did they do to you?"

It was too much. Blossom began sobbing quietly and she hid her face in her forelegs. Princess Celestia's eyes widened and she turned confusedly to Shining Armor who returned her look with a grim one.

"I got there a little too late, I'm afraid. They didn't hurt her any, but she had hoofcuffs on both her hind and forelegs and one of my men had negated her horn with a spell. Frankly it doesn't surprise me that she thought we were going to chop it off."

Princess Celestia's eyes widened and she turned back to the sobbing foal. "Oh Blossom," she whispered. "I'm so sorry that happened to you." She reached out to take Blossom in her forelegs but she jumped away and ran over to Shining Armor and wrapped her forelegs around one of his. Shining Armor sat on his haunches and wrapped Blossom in a hug.

Princess Celestia reached out to stroke the filly’s mane but thought better of it and retracted her hoof. "Do you know which of your soldiers did this to her?"

Shining Armor nodded. "They've been standing at attention in the courtyard ever since I walked in on their arrest of Blossom. I was going to get Blossom some dinner and then deal with them. I take it that's something you want to be a part of?"

"I think that would be for the best,” said Princess Celestia. “Are you going to be hard on them?"

"Imagine the sight of this filly completely chained up like a common criminal, with her magic blocked because she changed the color of one of the noses of my men, while curled up in a little ball and sobbing on the ground. Meanwhile, nineteen of my men are standing around her, watching her cry and not a single one thinks that they're doing anything wrong, treating a foal like that."

"I think I'm getting the picture," said Celestia.

"She was so scarred from it that even after she calmed down when I told her that I was Twilight's brother, she tried to bolt when I reached out to her. I had to hold her down to tell her that everything was okay."

Blossom sniffled in his forelegs. "'m sorry," she muttered.

"Hey, kid; you don't have anything to be sorry about," said Shining. "If anything I'm sorry for the way my men treated you. I'd try to run too if I had that happen to me." He glanced up at Celestia who nodded. "Well, Blossom, I think I promised somepony some of the best food she's ever eaten. You don't want to make a liar out of me, do you?"

Blossom wiped her eyes with her hoof and looked up at her protector. "No, I guess not," she said. "I think I am kind of hungry."

"Kind of? I imagine you're starving after today." He levitated Blossom onto his back and began walking in the direction of the kitchens. "Now, kid, what does your heart desire?"

Blossom sniffled but tapped her chin with her hoof. "Umm... well I think that I'd really like a grilled cheese sandwich and hay fries with ketchup."

"As you wish m'lady. What would you desire for dessert?"

Aha, that piqued her interest. Blossom's squeal of delight was almost heard by her tormentors standing at attention. "Ice cream!"

"Ice cream, you say? And what flavor would that be?"

"Chocolate!" squeed Blossom.

"Then chocolate it shall be," said Shining Armor. "Come on, let's get you fed."

* * * *

Shining Armor trotted down the hall of the guard barracks, hoping that he wouldn't completely blow his top at his men. Oh they deserved it, no questions asked, the way they treated Blossom was beyond not okay. She wasn't a criminal, she hadn't done anything illegal, she was just a scared filly who wanted her mother and was overwhelmed by her situation. Not even Rarity, the deadliest serial killer ponydom had ever known, was treated like that.

Shining Armor sighed. Seeing that filly even a little bit happy made his heart melt. The kid had had enough terrible things dumped on her in her life; she didn't need any more from him or his men.

As he continued onwards, the question crossed his mind of how would she react if she ever found out that he had been the one to arrest not only her aunt, but her mother as well after Rarity had killed Iron Will?

He had been the arresting officer that night; that fateful night that he would remember for the rest of time. He would always remember the expressions that the two of them wore. Sweetie Belle was huddled in a ball at the hooves of his men and Rarity was pleading with him to spare her sister arrest and shame. To see such an evil pony at his hooves looking so helpless... well, suffice to say he still dreamt about it sometimes.

And now Sweetie Belle had been convicted of murdering foals and he was likely the only bright spot in the life of her scared child right now. It was tragically ironic that one of the ponies who played a part in her aunt's death was now one that was taking care of her. Now that he thought about it, she didn't need to know about his arrest of Rarity.

He was brought out of his thoughts when Princess Celestia walked up beside him. "What are you thinking about?" she asked.

Shining Armor shrugged. "I don't know. I guess I was thinking about Blossom and what her life is going to be going forward."

Celestia nodded. "We all are," she admitted.

The journey to the courtyard was silent for a few moments before the sun goddess spoke up again. "You were also contemplating the irony of the fact that you were the one who arrested Rarity, not to mention her mother and the rest of the Elements that night, and now Blossom has taken quite a liking to you."

He would have questioned how she knew that, but he decided it wasn't important. She was perceptive like that a lot. "Well, yeah," he said. "You know how much that night affected me. I arrested my little sister and executed one of her closest friends. That would be tough for anypony."

"Yet you did not take the three weeks of leave that I offered you."

"No I didn’t your highness. You know that pretty much every guard who was there took that leave. I was needed to make sure that things ran smoothly. I had done my duty when I arrested them and I needed to keep my personal life out of it."

"You could have taken your personal life out of it and still have just cause to take the leave to recover mentally," Celestia observed. "You saw what was in that basement."

"I did," said Shining Armor. "And you know that I woke up screaming for the next three months. But the fact remains that my men needed me through that time."

"I interviewed each and every soldier under your command and not a single one of them said that they would have lost a single scrap of faith in you had you taken a vacation because of that incident."

Shining Armor scoffed. "Pardon me, princess, but of course they would have said that."

"And each and every one of them meant it," said Celestia. "Do not underestimate the loyalty you have inspired in your men. They would follow you to the ends of Equestria and back." The duo reached the door to the courtyard but stopped short. "But do know this; they are aware that you are as equine as they. It is part of what inspires them so much. They see you not as an aloof authority figure, but as one of the greatest stallions they've ever known, strengths, weaknesses, and emotions all in one."

Shining Armor sighed and shook his head. "Why exactly are we having this conversation twenty years after the fact?"

"Because I left you alone to handle it the way you saw fit," said Celestia, "and I trusted you to make the right decision about what you needed in terms of recovery because you were the only one who truly knew how you needed to handle what had happened. I was admittedly foolish to not notice that you chose to mask your emotions to hide your pain and now that Blossom has appeared, I see some of those scars are still as fresh as they were on the night you arrested your sister."

"I'm fine," Shining Armor insisted.

"It is hard to lie to a goddess, Shining Armor," said Princess Celestia. "Your facial expressions alone tell me that you still feel tremendous sorrow at your actions that night, exacerbated by the fact that you knew they were the right ones. And now I see how you interact with Blossom and I wonder whether or not you see her as a way to put some of your personal demons to rest."

Shining Armor clenched his jaw but otherwise didn't respond to the comment. "We should go talk to my men," he said.

"Very well," said Celestia. "But I do ask you to reflect on my words."

Shining Armor opened the door to the courtyard and was greeted with the sight of nineteen of his men standing at attention. In truth there was a part of him that wanted to completely lose his mind at his men. What they had done to Blossom was nothing short of inexcusable and they. Needed. To. Pay. End of story.

However, he remembered that Princess Celestia herself was standing directly behind him. To completely fly off the handle at the handle at them when Princess Celestia had just gotten done with saying how much they trusted and respected him wouldn't exactly look good. Still, there was a time to be firm with them and that time was certainly now.

"Attention!" shouted Shining Armor.

His guards had already been standing at attention when he entered the courtyard, but now even the ones who were slouching even slightly snapped up.

Shining Armor's eyes scanned the courtyard, desperately hoping that all of his men were there so he didn't have to get even angrier with them then he already was. To his relief, he had ordered nineteen of his men to the courtyard and nineteen of his men now stood at attention. Good.

"Now I take it you all know why you're here?" he barked.

"SIR, YES, SIR" his men chanted.

Shining Armor paced in front of them before turning quickly and looking one of his colts directly in the eye. "Since you all seem to know why you're here, why don't you speak for the rest of your comrades and tell me why I ordered you here."

"Sir, because we mishandled the arrest of the foal, sir!"

"And who said that you were arresting her, Private?"

"Sir, Princess Celestia ordered us to retrieve the foal, sir!"

"Without any damage, correct?"

"Sir, yes, sir!"

"Sir if I may speak, sir!" said a mare three soldiers down the line.

Shining Armor frowned and walked up to the mare. "What do you have to say, sergeant?" he snapped.

"Sir, our orders were to retrieve the filly without harming her, sir! If I may say so, we did her no harm, sir!" said the mare.

Shining Armor snorted. "And the hoofcuffs and horn negation? For a seven year old? What was that all about?"

"Sir, she had attacked Private Storm Shaker, sir!" said the mare. "We didn't know if the filly possessed any offensive capabilities that would allow her to harm us, sir!"

"And you thought that a frightened seven year old would be able to take on nineteen fully trained guards who could themselves take on any threat to Princess Celestia herself?" growled Shining Armor.

"Sir, the sergeant repeats that we didn't know her offensive capabilities, sir! If even one of our company had been injured and it was preventable then we would not have done our duty to our fellow soldiers, sir! Even the weakest unicorn foal can cause damage if said foal experiences a powerful magical surge, sir!"

Shining Armor glared at the sergeant, mulling her words over. He hated to admit it, but... it made a bit of sense. He might have done the same thing in their position. True a seven year old was unlikely to know any powerful spells, but his sister had emitted a magical surge that had grown a newborn dragon to full size and turned his parents into potted plants at Blossom's age. If Blossom had surged like that in her emotional state then she could have escaped and potentially brought harm to his men. They had erred on the side of caution based on a lack of concrete information of her powers.

His glare softened and he sighed quietly. "Very well, you've convinced me that the horn negation was a necessary precaution made in order to protect your comrades, one that I trust that you don't need to make again under these present circumstances."

Shining Armor stepped away from the sergeant and the line once more until his eyes landed on a stallion four soldiers down. He walked up to him. "We have determined that the horn negation was a precaution that you felt you needed to take to protect your fellow soldiers seeing as how she had already attempted to attack you to escape and you didn't know what she was capable of. But that leaves the manner of the hoofcuffs unresolved."

"Sir, yes, sir," said the stallion.

"Private, would you explain the meaning of hoofcuffs on both her hind and forelegs?"

"Sir, we--" The soldier faltered. "We were preventing her escape, sir!"

"Once her horn was negated, did she indicate in any way that she was either capable of escaping or about to?" barked Shining Armor.

"Sir, no, sir!" said the stallion.

"Would you inform me of the physical and emotional state of the seven year old foal at your hooves?"

An uneasy look crossed the soldier's face and he had to clear his throat before continuing on. "S-Sir, the foal was on the ground crying and...and she wasn't moving, sir."

"So her horn was negated, she wasn't moving, she was crying, and she was surrounded by nineteen obscenely powerful and completely armored guards, am I hearing that right?" said Shining Armor.

"Sir, yes, sir!"

"Alright, so would you mind telling me if you believe now that you were in the right to secure the foal in that manner?" said Shining Armor.

The guard faltered once more. "S-Sir the private believes that...that maybe we went a little farther than we should have in our capture of the filly, sir."

"And why do you believe that?"

"She was physically and magically incapable of bringing harm to anypony and she was in no emotional state that would have allowed such actions, sir."

Shining Armor scoffed and turned away from his men and walked back over to Princess Celestia. "What are your thoughts, Princess?" he said quietly.

Princess Celestia frowned. "Well, you already believe that the horn negation was in the right based on their perspective and I'm inclined to agree. Even if I do believe that it was too far and I wouldn't have done it, they didn't know that and she had just attacked them. Obviously the hoofcuffs were too far and I think they realize that. They went too far in the heat of the moment based on training that they have had to use before in arrest situations."

Shining Armor nodded. "That's what I'm thinking too," he said. "Still, there were nineteen of them surrounding an absolutely defenseless filly and not one of them thought that what they were doing wasn't right."

Princess Celestia looked up and studied the faces of some of the guards. "No, I think that there were some in that group that knew that they were going overboard but didn't speak up because it was technically not breaking orders. She was not physically harmed during her arrest."

"She was emotionally scarred and they should have known that," Shining Armor pointed out. "But..." He shook his head. "I can see where they're coming from. You told them to go get her, she tried to escape, she attacked one of them, and they did everything they could to secure her to ensure their safety. If she's totally secured then she can't hurt anypony, herself included."

"That was their thought process, I think," observed Celestia.

"Regardless, I can't help but believe they went too far and I think a few of them knew that then too," said Shining Armor. "She was defenseless, crying, and a mere filly."

"What do you suggest, captain?" asked Celestia.

"I was just about to ask you the same thing," Shining Armor retorted.

"They are under your command, Shining Armor. It is ultimately up to you," Celestia pointed out.

"And in that train of thought, how Equestria is run is up to you in the end but even you have ponies who advise you on the proper way to do things." Princess Celestia raised an eyebrow at Shining Armor, causing him to take a step back and flatten his ears. "I'm sorry, Princess; I was out of line there."

"Oh don't be sorry, Shining Armor. You were only asking for a little advice and you are quite right, even I need some at the best of times." Princess Celestia looked out at the guards. "If I understand the situation correctly, then your temperament is not such that you would rain fire and brimstone on them for their actions."

Shining Armor held back a chuckle. "Well I admit that it was when I told them to wait here," he responded. "I was ready to strip most, if not all, of them of their rank and dishonorably discharge them."

"But now you would suggest a lighter punishment?" Celestia observed.

"Not what I just mentioned, that's for sure," Shining Armor agreed. "But like I said, what do you think?"

"I think there are two sides to this coin. If they are punished severely for something like this then they may come to resent Blossom. For Blossom's part, it would not do well for her to grow up living in constant fear of these ponies. They are under oath to protect innocent ponies as they would protect me and as such, they are sworn to protect Blossom. It would not do her good to be afraid of them all her life."

"I'm not sure that's avoidable," Shining Armor pointed out. "After all, from her perspective these are the ponies who took her mother away."

"That is true, but I was thinking more along the lines of these individual ponies. If she can see that they're just ponies like her, albeit stronger ones with a job to do, then she will likely be less afraid of them. She may be living here for a few years; we cannot have her scared of every guard who comes into her field of vision."

Shining Armor looked towards the castle where, Blossom was undoubtedly enjoying her meal, and nodded. "I think you're right. But I also think it should be up to her. I'll ask her about if she's up for it, but if not, then what?"

"A light punishment that will suffice until she can meet them so they can apologize," said Celestia.

Shining Armor nodded and walked back to his men. "Alright, soldiers, listen up! I am going to bring the child here and you are going to apologize to her! She is not to be treated like a criminal, she is to be treated like you should treat an innocent civilian both now and going forward!"

"Sir, yes, sir!" chanted the guards.

Shining Armor turned from his men and began walking back to the castle, Princess Celestia beside him. "How do you think it will go?" he asked.

"I cannot say for sure," said Celestia. "But I believe that Blossom has more strength in her that even she doesn't know about. If told that they want to apologize to her, then I doubt that she will let fear get in the way of their redemption in her eyes."

"And for them?"

"It's as I said before: they respect you. They'll want to get on her good side because of that respect."

"I was thinking more about their real emotions as opposed to simply because they want to stay on my good side," replied Shining Armor.

"I think there is also the aspect that you know that each of them are fine ponies, correct? I doubt that they would relish in the prospect of physically or emotionally harming a foal. It is as I said before: I think that a lot of them were uncomfortable with what they were doing and they will legitimately want to apologize to Blossom."

Shining Armor shrugged. "I suppose we'll see," he said.

The pair was silent as they walked towards one of the dining rooms where they had been told that Blossom was situated. Princess Celestia decided to stay behind as Shining Armor walked in the door. He smiled when he saw the sight of the filly, smiling with a wide grin for what must have been the first time in days, and wiping the last traces of chocolate ice cream off of her muzzle. She smiled even more when she saw Shining Armor walk in.

"Hello, Mr. Armor!" she chirped happily, getting off the chair and bouncing over to him. "You were right! That was some of the best food I've ever had!"

Shining Armor chuckled. "No need with the 'Mr.' stuff, Blossom. Shining Armor will do just fine."

Blossom's grin faded and her ears flattened. "Oh... sorry," she mumbled.

"Hey it's okay, kid," Shining Armor reassured. "So you really liked your meal?"

It was like a switch had been turned as Blossom's demeanor switched to elation again. "Oh it was, it really was!" she squeed.

"Excellent," said Shining Amour. "Because I have some ponies I want you to meet. They have something very important to say to you."

Blossom cocked her head. "Who?"

"Well..." Now came the hard part it seemed. "The soldiers under my command who arrested you today. They...they want to say they're sorry."

Immediately Blossom switched back to fear and she backed away with her ears flattened. "I dunno if I want to talk to them," she whimpered. "T...They're scary."

"Blossom, they want to say they're sorry," said Shining Armor. "They all feel really bad about what they did."

"Okay," whispered Blossom.

"So do you want to go see them so they can say that?"

Blossom whimpered again and she took a step back, hiding her face in her mane.

"Blossom, remember what I said about nopony going to hurt you? Well, they're the same way. Besides, Both Princess Celestia and I will be there to make sure that nothing goes wrong."

The tip of Blossom's muzzle slowly peeked out of her mane and Shining Armor smiled warmly at her. "It'll be okay, I promise."

* * * *

The next twenty minutes saw Shining Armor leading Blossom towards his men only to have her slowly start backing up again causing him to have to talk her back into the whole situation once more. He insisted it was for her own good, and it was, but it still scared her. Having said that, if Shining Armor wasn't so aware that the young filly had been scarred by everything going on around her in the past few days, then he would have been thoroughly irritated with her by the time they reached the courtyard.

When the trio reached the courtyard, Shining Armor was surprised to see that each and every one of his men had taken their helmets off and was standing at attention.

Frankly, he had to count himself as impressed with the idea. If their helmets were off then Blossom could see their faces and it would be easier for her to recognize them as ponies like herself and thus she would be less afraid of them. He was a little disappointed that he didn't think of it himself.

Blossom took a few shaky breaths and bravely walked towards the row of guards. Even without their helmets on, they were still standing at attention and decked out in full battle regalia. It seemed that they didn't want to look too unprofessional.

Blossom slowly trotted up to them and sat on her haunches a good twenty feet away from them. "H-Hello," she whispered shakily.

To Shining's surprise, the sergeant he had talked with earlier who reasoned why they needed to negate Blossom's horn trotted up to the filly and smiled warmly at her. "Hello, Blossom," she said kindly. "I'm Stormy Weather. It’s a pleasure to meet you." Story Weather extended a hoof in greeting and for her part, Blossom bravely shook it. "Look I think I speak for all of us here when I say that I'm really sorry about what we did to you. Our behavior... well, it wasn't very nice."

Blossom took a deep breath but her face retreated into her mane all the same. "'s'okay," she mumbled.

"Well no, it wasn't okay," said Stormy Weather. "We crossed the line big time, Blossom and we're all very, very sorry about that."

Blossom weakly nodded. "Okay," she whispered again.

The warm smile returned to Stormy Weather's face. "You wanna meet some of the rest of the guys? I know they'd all be honored to meet such a brave filly."

Blossom looked up at the rest of the guards and to her surprise, all of them had the same warm smile that Stormy Weather had. Her face came out from her mane a little more and she slowly nodded.

The next half hour or so was spent with Blossom meeting each of the guards who had arrested her. They all profusely apologized and they were all just as friendly to her as Stormy Weather had been.

Shining Armor smiled at Princess Celestia. "Well, that turned out well, Princess."

Celestia nodded happily. "Indeed it did," she said. "You have some good soldiers here, captain."

"I really do, don't I?" Shining Armor's smile widened slightly when he saw that Blossom's mood seemed to have dramatically improved and she was almost laughing now. "She's going to be okay, isn't she?"

Celestia's smile faltered for a brief moment, not that Shining Armor noticed, but she was quick to return it. "I think so, captain. I think so."

Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

Blossom took a few more deep breaths as she stared at the large, ornate door in front of her. Behind said doors was the trio of ponies that would decide whether or not she would be accepted into Celestia's school for Gifted Unicorns. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna had insisted that she would get in but they also told her that they would not interfere with the selection process. She had to get in on her own merit.

That's not to say that she didn't have help of course. Shining Armor had been spending most of his free time teaching her as much about magic as he could and she was getting a lot better at it. Interestingly enough, her best spell was still her color changing one and it had gotten to the level where on top of changing Shining Armors' coat light green and his mane jet black, she had even managed to change his iris color to bright orange while keeping the rest of his eyes the same color.

She had also completely mastered levitation of multiple objects and had even learned a basic shield spell from Shining Armor. It was nowhere near as powerful as Shining Armor's but Blossom had managed to make one that completely encased a book in a protective spell.

Now it was time for her test. She was trying the calming breathing exercises that Shining Armor had said really helped him when he was going through his initial tests for the guard. he had her sit down, put her hooves on top of her head, and slowly breathe in and out while imagining what it would be like when she passed.

Blossom imagined her mother hugging her after she told her how she had passed and Princess Celestia would be so pleased that she would let the two of them have a moment alone without anypony watching the two of them or listening in on their conversation. She'd get straight As and her mommy would be very proud of her. Maybe she'd even see that neither of them was a danger to society and she'd give her mother her horn back and they'd...

No. That was ridiculous.

Blossom knew that her mother would never get her horn and freedom back because she had said that she had killed Fire Ruby and Golden Necklace. Blossom took a few more deep breaths, this time to hold back tears instead of nerves. Her mommy was gone and now she was alone in the castle... and it was all her fault.

Suddenly, the large doors in front of her opened up revealing what appeared to be a large classroom with only a trio of desks behind which sat three very official looking ponies with stern looks and fancy suits levitating clipboards in front of them, an empty table beside them, and a chalkboard about thirty feet in front of them. The mare in the middle desk looked directly at her and frowned. "You may enter, child," she said.

Blossom weakly nodded and shakily trotted into the room. She stood in front of the desks as Shining Armor had told her to do and put on her biggest smile for the judges just like Miss Twilight had said. A confident look was important to getting into the school, she had said.

The judges all looked at her with mild interest for a second before the judge in the left desk, a stallion, leaned in next to the mare in the middle. "Isn't she the foal of...?" he whispered.

The mare nodded. "Yes, she's the daughter of the mare who killed those two foals and the niece of that serial killer," she replied.

Blossom had to hold back a whimper as her smile fell slightly. Even here she could not escape the shadow that had befallen her family. Even here they whispered, talked amongst themselves as if she wasn't there.

However, the two ponies cleared their throats and looked up at the frightened filly. "Now then, it says here you received a near perfect score on your written exam, Ms. Blossom," the mare in the middle began. "If you do as well here you should have no problems gaining entry into our fair Princess' school."

"Yes ma'am," Blossom said with as much confidence as she could muster.

The mare on the right nodded and flipped over a sheet of paper. "Now then, Ms. Blossom, this exam will consist of one portion during which you will need to cast every spell that we ask you to. We will be requesting that you cast five separate and completely different spells, Ms. Blossom. Failure to even produce sparks during any one of the five will result in a rejection of your application. Is that understood?"

"Yes ma'am," said Blossom.

"Good," said the mare in the middle. She fired up her horn and encased a bag she had next to her in a magical glow which opened up the bag allowing her to levitate a small golden ball out of the bag and place it on the table beside her. "Your first assignment is to change the color of this ball from gold to bright blue. You have thirty seconds to complete this assignment."

Blossom turned to the ball, a confident smile on her face. Yes, this would be simple! Color changing spells were her specialty at the moment, though she hoped to expand her repertoire of mastered spells quite considerably. She stared directly at the ball and charged up her horn, causing both it and the ball to be bathed in a light purple glow. She focused a bit more power in her horn and a beam of purple light shot out of her horn and hit the ball directly in the center. The effect was immediate and with a small pop the ball's color changed from gold to bright blue. With a confident smile she turned back to the testers and placed the ball in front of the mare in the middle.

The trio jotted down something on their clipboards before looking back up at Blossom. The mare in the middle examined the ball for a moment and then snorted. "This seems adequate. Well done I suppose." She placed the ball back in the bag. "Your next test will be one of dual levitation. You are to levitate both the table beside you and the chalkboard behind you and spin them around the room three times. Failure to complete such a task will result in failure."

Blossom nodded, the confident feeling that had faltered slightly when the judge had labeled her color changing spell 'adequate' returning full force. Levitation was another skill that she had become quite adept at. Based on stories she had heard from her mother, her aunt Rarity was quite adept at levitating multiple objects her...

Her aunt Rarity.

Blossom violently shook her head and focused on the table and chalkboard. She couldn't think about her aunt now. She had a test to pass.

Once more she fired up her horn encasing the table and chalkboard in her purple glow. Slowly the table and black board began to rise a few inches in the air and she focused on getting them to move around the room. She only needed to move them three times, but the chalkboard in particular was far heavier than she had anticipated and by the pair's second rotation, she felt a dull ache at the base of her horn that turned into a sharp pain as the rotation continued. She let out a whimper of pain as the magic in her horn began to sputter out. Blossom groaned and focused more magic into her horn. She couldn't fail; she had to do this for her mother!

With a final push the chalkboard and table finished their rotations around the room and returned to their places in the room. She had done it!

Blossom exhaled sharply as her legs gave way. She collapsed on the floor and began rubbing the base of her horn in an attempt to dull the pain. However, the middle judge cleared her throat once again. "I suppose that was a success," she said. "But now is the time for the third test."

Blossom whimpered. "Can I have a moment to recover please, ma'am? My horn hurts."

"Absolutely not!" said the mare sharply. "Either get up or get out."

"Uh... maybe we can give her a few minutes," said the stallion judge. "We do for most of the other--"

"I'm sorry, who is in charge here?" snapped the mare. "It is our job to weed out the ponies unfit to be in Princess Celestia's school and if she cannot complete the final three tests then she will not be accepted!"

"She's done a spectacular job so far," said the mare on the right. "We can give her a minute to recover and get a drink of water if she needs one."

"And I'm saying no!" barked the lead judge. She rotated her head and looked directly at Blossom. "You heard me before, get up or get out!"

Blossom held back another whimper. "Yes ma'am," she whispered. She planted her hooves on the ground and pushed herself up off of the floor with as much strength as she could muster. The sharp pain in her horn had been reduced to a dull ache and Blossom was unsure of how much longer she could keep this up, particularly if the tests got progressively harder.

The lead judge snorted and looked back down at her clipboard. "Now then, the next test is transfiguration," she said. She took a small cup out of her bag and placed it on the table. "You have thirty seconds to transform that cup into a plate of equal size or larger. Begin now."

Blossom nodded and turned to face the cup. She took a deep breath and fired up her horn once more. Instantly the sharp ache returned and she let out a cry of pain. Her horn sputtered out and Blossom almost collapsed on the ground again. "Ten seconds!" the lead judge called out.

Blossom bit her lip and tried to fire up her horn once more but the pain only increased tenfold. Blossom was pretty sure that her horn was about to crack down the middle if she kept it up but she tried to focus more power into her horn anyway in the vain hope that she could transform the cup in ten seconds.

"TIME!" shouted the mare. "The cup has not been transformed which means that you have not only failed the test but the entrance exam as a whole. I'm sorry, but you will not be attending Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns." The mare encased the contents of her desk in her magical glow and stuffed them in her saddlebag. "You may leave the testing hall now. We have other foals to attend to."

By this point Blossom was sitting on her haunches and rubbing the base of her horn. The pain had dulled to the point where she could likely stand up, but the intensity had taken a lot out of her. Still she couldn't sit in front of them all day and the head judge seemed rather mad at her for not passing the test. She took a deep breath and shakily got to her hooves and walked out of the entrance hall. The doors slammed behind her, causing her to flinch which in turn made her collapse on the ground again.

She weakly looked around the entrance hall to see if anypony would be there to help her. She tried to get to her hooves again to leave the entrance hall, but she felt as if her legs had turned to oatmeal. She whimpered and opened her mouth to call out for help, hoping that anypony was in the area who would take pity on her.

To her surprise she heard the doors behind her open again. She swiveled her ears around and heard two sets of hoofsteps coming up behind her. It was them again, it was the judges! She weakly tried to drag herself to the door of the entrance hall but she was stopped when somepony gently put a hoof on her back. "I was so stupid," said the voice of the stallion judge. "Why did I just let her torture this filly like that?"

"Because she was the one in charge," said the other mare judge, the one who wasn't being cruel to her. "We have subjects lose their strength all the time, but not like this."

"I've never seen it this bad," said the stallion. Blossom heard his horn fire up and she felt herself being lifted into the air. Within a few seconds she found herself on the stallion's back. "I should have put a stop to it when she asked her to rotate the chalkboard and table around the room three times."

The mare didn't respond. She only walked into Blossom's line of sight and smiled kindly at her. "We're going to help you out, okay?" she said gently. "We're going to take you to the nurse to help you re-charge."

Blossom weakly nodded and shifted on the stallion's back so she felt more comfortable.

* * * *

The next hour saw Blossom in a comfortable bed in a nearby nurse's station with a comfortable blanket laid over her. An empty packet of crackers and a drained glass of water rested on top of a nightstand next to her bed. Blossom was doing her best to fall asleep as per the nurse's instructions, but her sleep was cut short when she heard the door to her room open. The two judges, who hadn't left her side, immediately stood up. "Princess Celestia," said the stallion.

"How is she?" asked the distinct voice of the sun-goddess.

"She's going to be okay," said the female judge. "Her exam just drained her magic that's all."

"Is that it?" asked Princess Celestia. "She looks so weak."

"Well, it almost completely drained her magic. She passed out on our way over here."

Princess Celestia sighed. "What was she doing that drained her magic? I've seen unicorns with Blossom's talent before and my tests shouldn't be too difficult for them."

There was an uncomfortable pause while the two judges exchanged nervous glances before the mare spoke up. "The test started out well enough," she began. "Blossom here aced the color changing portion but the levitation portion is what drained her magical reserves."

"Levitation?" said Princess Celestia incredulously. "She should have had no problem with that unless she was moving something far larger than she was for an extended period of time."

There was another uncomfortable pause before the stallion spoke up. "Shooting Star...Shooting Star required that she levitate a chalkboard and a table around the room three times and then return them to their starting positions."

Princess Celestia gasped. "That is something I would expect students three or four years older than she is to accomplish and you are telling me that Shooting Star asked a seven year old filly with very little magical study under her belt to accomplish such a task?"

"And she succeeded," said the mare.

Now it was princess Celestia's turn to fall silent for a brief moment. "She succeeded," said Princess Celestia quietly.

"Yes," said the mare. "It was clearly taxing for her but she pulled it off. She collapsed not long after and asked for a break for a few minutes but Shooting Star refused her. She then asked her to transform a cup into a plate and it's at that point that Blossom collapsed again and Shooting Star failed her and kicked her out. She walked out of the hall and her legs gave out when she was outside. The two of us came to our senses and rushed out to help the poor dear."

Princess Celestia sighed and shook her head. "Very well. I thank you both for coming to her aid. I will be having a talk with Shooting Star about this and if I find out that this had anything to do with her past then she will be let go."

"Yes Princess," said the stallion and the mare in unison.

"Good," said Celestia. "Now if you'll excuse me, I must return to the solar court. Notify me at once when she wakes up. I feel that there is something that I must do for her."

With that the princess walked out of the room leaving Blossom alone with the two ponies. When she figured that she wasn't going to hear anything more about what happened to her, she allowed herself to slip into the warm embrace of sleep.

* * * *

The next day saw Blossom back in her room in the castle. She had felt far better after the six hour nap that she had gotten at the nurse's station and she was sure to thank the two nice judges for helping her. She wasn't sure what she would have done if they hadn't taken her to the nurse's station.

She had only been recently woken up when Princess Celestia had come into her room and asked that she wait for an hour before doing anything as she had a surprise for her. Blossom had been uneasy about it but she remembered what Shining Armor had told her and it helped calm her down.

So, she had gotten out of bed and walked over to a nearby mirror to brush her mane and tail. Her horn was still a little sore from the day before but she could levitate small objects with a decent amount of dexterity. Once that was done all she could really do was wait for Princess Celestia to return with whatever she had for her. She had seemed really excited about it which made Blossom slightly less uneasy about the whole thing. If Princess Celestia was excited then it must be good.

After another fifteen minutes of waiting, the door to her room swung open once more and Princess Celestia and Princess Luna beckoned her out. "Come along, Blossom, the surprise is only a few minutes from here," said Princess Celestia.

Blossom bowed her head slightly and allowed herself to be escorted down the hall to whichever destination the princesses had in mind. To her surprise they passed by the castle entrance so wherever they were taking here was inside the castle.

The walk only lasted a few minutes with the final destination being what appeared to be a simple door. Princess Celestia used her magic to open it and led Blossom inside where standing on the opposite end of the room was...

"MOMMY!"

Blossom squealed in joy and ran up to her mother who swept up her daughter in her forelegs and held her close, nuzzling her head. "Mommy missed you, Blossom," whispered Sweetie Belle.

"I missed you too, Mommy," said Blossom, the first traces of happy tears appearing in her eyes. "I've missed you every day."

"I've missed you every day too, Blossom," said Sweetie Belle tearfully. "I haven't stopped thinking about you."

"Are you in a bad place, Mommy?" asked Blossom. "Do they hurt you there?"

Sweetie Belle shook her head and began gently stroking Blossom's mane. "No, Blossom, they haven't hurt me at all. They've been very kind to me there and they really want to help me."

Blossom looked up at her mother. "Are they helping you, Mommy?” she asked. "Are they making it so that you're all better and we can go home?"

Sweetie Belle fell silent at the question and she turned her gaze to Princess Celestia who could only sigh sadly. "They're trying, Blossom, they really are. We'll see about us going home, okay?"

"Okay," Blossom whispered.

The room was quiet for the briefest of moments before Princess Celestia spoke up. "It's eleven in the morning now. You have until seven at night. Anything you need to make this day as good as you can don't hesitate to ask. Let us know when you're ready for lunch and dinner or when you want a snack of some sort. The day is yours."

Tears of happiness began welling up in Sweetie Belle's eyes and she managed a small smile. "Thank you," she whispered. "Thank you."

Questions Need Answering

Princess Celestia exhaled deeply as she closed the door housing Sweetie Belle and Blossom. She despised how they had to be confined to the room until Sweetie Belle was dragged back to the mental ward, but she was still technically imprisoned by the state and even her flawless behavior couldn't free her.

Celestia moved away from the door and began trotting down the hall. She had decided to trust Sweetie Belle enough to not post any guards by the door or lock it as she knew that the promise of more visits like this would keep her behavior as perfect as it could be under the circumstances. Of course, she'd be ordering a few guards to check the room every couple of minutes. Just to be safe.

However, that was not what was on Celestia's mind right now. What was beginning to occupy her thoughts were Shooting Star and Blossom's fixed entry exam. She had ordered the mare brought to a private conference room where she could pass down judgment on her for her treatment of Blossom at the exam. There was more to it than simply trying to weed out those unworthy to attend the academy, that much was certain. It was doubtlessly connected to Blossom's past and the sins of her aunt and mother.

Princess Celestia reached the conference room and took a brief moment to center herself. Not many ponies knew this, but she needed moments to keep her emotions out of situations just like everypony. After the emotional turmoil that had come in the past few weeks, she needed one such moment now to deal with Shooting Star who would likely not be returning as a judge for her school despite twenty-six years of loyal service.

Princess Celestia ran a hoof through her flowing mane and pushed the door to the conference room open. Immediately she was greeted with the sight of Shooting Star who was looking at the floor until she heard Celestia come in. Her head snapped up and she immediately started to get off the chair for a bow but Celestia forestalled that action with a wave of her hoof. "There is no need for that, Shooting Star," she said. "I'm merely here to talk to you, not to banish you from Canterlot."

Shooting Star sat back down in her chair and nodded slightly. Princess Celestia noticed that her eyes were puffy and red and her face was streaked with tears. She walked up to the chair closest to it and sat down in front of Shooting Star who continued averting her gaze. "I suppose I'm fired for what I did," she muttered.

"That all depends on why you even did it in the first place," said Celestia. "You forced a seven year old foal with little magical training to complete tasks that I expect of older students and when she was drained of her power you forced her to continue without respite." Princess Celestia observed the unicorn for a brief moment before speaking up again. "Shooting Star, I need you to look at me."

The unicorn in question flinched back at the harsh undertones of Celestia's words but forced herself to meet Celestia's gaze. "I'm only going to ask this once and I need you to be truthful with me, no matter how malicious your intent was. Why did you do that to Blossom?"

The tears that the unicorn had thought controlled came streaking down her face once more and she almost broke her eye contact with Celestia. "I..." she sniffled and wiped her eyes with the back of her hoof. "I was scared, Princess."

Princess Celestia cocked her head. "What were you scared of?"

"That foal..." Shooting star's voice cracked and she cleared her throat. "That foal is the niece of one of the most evil mares to ever live and...and then there was that business a few weeks ago where her mother killed two of her classmates just because she got the same rush that her sister did. I was scared that Blossom was..."

Shooting Star's emotions finally overcame her and she bowed her head again and began openly sobbing. Princess Celestia closed her eyes and subtly shook her head before continuing on. "You thought that Blossom was a potential danger to the students, is that it?"

Shooting Star nodded. "Yes, Princess. If it turned out that the foal ended up just like her mother and aunt and I had the power to stop her from entering the school before she killed any of the other foals who were attending..." She took a deep breath and managed to look up at Celestia again. "Wouldn't you try to stop something like that? It's not as though I'd be risking a hoodlum in the school, she could very well be capable of murder!"

"That wasn't your choice to make," said Celestia simply. "Your cruelty to her could have caused her serious harm."

Shooting Star's eyes snapped up. "Did I?" she asked quietly.

Princess Celestia shook her head. "No and she was lucky for it," she answered. Shooting Star seemed to visibly relax at that, a feeling that was rescinded by Celestia's next words. "You caused her a great deal of pain and fear. If your fellow judges hadn't rushed her to a doctor then she might not be in as good of a condition as she is now."

Shooting Star's eyes trailed to the floor once more and she weakly nodded. "I know," she whispered. "I know that what I did was wrong, no matter what she did."

"What do you mean, 'no matter what she did'?"

Shooting Star flinched away at her words but she retained enough composure to answer. "There are whispers," she said, "rumors going around that it wasn't the mother who killed those unfortunate fillies but Blossom herself. I have talked with more than one of your staff here at the palace when I am here to talk to a student of put some business in order. You have more than one pony in your service who thinks that Blossom is the true murderer and that her mother was just as much of a victim in this case as she was when her sister was executed."

Princess Celestia remained silent for a few seconds as she processed Shooting Star's words. She had long suspected that some of her staff distrusted Blossom but to hear it so plainly stated by a mare that had herself done Blossom harm... "How many ponies have you talked to that believe Blossom is the killer?"

Shooting Star shrugged. "I'm no rat; I won't name any names but it's more than I think you know." Shooting Star turned her gaze from the floor to the opposite wall. "Cooks, maids, guards, professors at the school, I've even heard a few of the foals spouting out different theories and rumors surrounding the case of the two murdered Ponyville children. One doesn't hear whispers and rumors without starting to question it themselves."

"Why was the belief so engrained that you decided to administer vigilante 'justice' to keep her out of the school? Why did you think that I would not hear of it?"

"I don't know," she sighed. "It was a foolish action that was more than just a biased mistake and I'd take it back in an instant if given the chance."

"But you do not have that," said Celestia simply.

Shooting Star shook her head. "No, I don't." The unicorn paused for the briefest of moments before shifting gears. "There's a little more," she said, "a few extra things that contributed to my poor choice."

"And that is?"

Shooting Star wiped the last traces of tears from her eyes before responding. "I saw an article, more than one as a matter of fact, about the murders."

"That is hardly so unusual given the circumstances," said a frowning Celestia.

"I know, Princess," she said. "But this time was different. This time...this time the papers in question claimed to have pictures of the unfortunate foals."

Despite herself Celestia let out a soft gasp. How had pictures of their bodies leaked?! Who would have done such a thing and what in Equestria could have possessed them?! However, Shooting Star trudged on with her explanation despite the sun goddess' shock. "I...I had to know what she had possibly done," she said glumly. "I was scheduled to conduct her entrance exam in an hour's time and I needed to know what she could have done; I needed to see it with my own eyes so I would know what I was potentially dealing with and what I might be letting into the school. If she was a foal murderer then what is the benefit of exposing her to more foals?"

Celestia didn't respond to her train of thought, instead choosing to contemplate the implications of somepony who printed the pictures of Fire Ruby and Golden Necklace's dead bodies. She let out a sigh that was part anger and part sorrow before returning to the matter at hoof. "Which paper or papers printed such an article?"

Shooting Star shrugged. "I didn't see which particular one it was; I was more focused on the headline. I did buy a copy that I still have if you want it."

"Yes I do want it if you could fetch it right now," said Celestia sharply. "I need you to be quick about it."

Shooting Star stood up and rushed out of the room. If Celestia was worried about the implications of such an article then it must be important. She was only gone for fifteen minutes before she returned with a rolled up newspaper in her telekinetic grasp. Princess Celestia instantly snatched it out of her grip and unrolled it to reveal what had potentially gotten out.

Serial Killer Sister pictures revealed!
We are all, of course, aware of the tragedy befell the small town of Ponyville for the second time in too short of a time when the sister of The Ponyville Butcher, a mare that slaughtered as many as eighty ponies in her basement, continued the bloody family tradition by violently murdering two of her young daughter's classmates, Fire Ruby and Golden Necklace. Sources say that both of the victims were the daughters of two mares that had allegedly made cruel remarks to Sweetie Belle about her lateness in obtaining her cutie mark.

However, sources have come up with new information and one such source leaked pictures of the unfortunate foals. Forensic evidence confirmed Sweetie Belle as the killer but some ponies are questioning just what went on in the woods that fateful day. One or two of our more valuable sources claim that Sweetie Belle's conviction was a conspiracy to protect the real murder, Joyous Blossom, Sweetie Belle's seven year old daughter.

Cont. on page six with the pictures.

Princess Celestia's breath had long since died in her throat and she had to expend a serious amount of mental effort to will herself into opening up the paper to page six. She had seen the pictures right after the murders; she had seen them and knew what they looked like. If the pictures held within were fakes then she would merely place a heavy fine on all papers involved.

However if they were real...

Slowly Princess Celestia engulfed the page in her magical glow and pulled it aside to reveal the information on page six. The picture stuck out immediately and she had to hold back a gasp for the sake of the pony watching. There was no doubt about it, those pictures were real. Not only that, but they came with an article pinning the blame for the murders on Blossom herself. As if the poor child needed any more of this.

With a blank expression that masked a fury that would have had her burn down every news station in Canterlot were it not contained, Princess Celestia gently placed the newspaper down and stood up. This took priority over everything right now. This was not only about protecting Blossom from potential slander, but also finding out who had given, or taken, the pictures from the police.

As she opened up the door, she heard a voice behind her that gave her pause. "I take it I'm fired?" said Shooting Star sadly.

Princess Celestia sighed and slowly nodded. "I'm sorry, Shooting Star. I wish there was another way for this to go but I cannot overlook your actions. I will meet with you later to discuss what that means in more detail."

With that, the solar princess walked out of the conference room, doing her best to drown out the sobs of the unicorn still contained within.

Her mind was racing as she went down the hall towards the room housing Blossom and Sweetie Belle. It was in her best interests to deal with the two of them before dealing with the press and who had leaked the photos. She rued the fact that facing a foal murderer was simpler than facing the press.

She reached the room with the two of them inside and forced a mask of happiness on her face. There was no reason to alert them to any issue right now. They would surely find out, but now was not the time. She opened the door revealing Blossom and Sweetie Belle, both of whom were smiling wider than they had in ages. Blossom was amusing her mother by levitating a carrot stick around the room and changing its colors at the same time. Sweetie Belle applauded whenever the color shifted and Blossom basked in the warm glow of her mother's love. The sight warmed her heart just as much as it saddened her.

After only a few seconds of watching Sweetie Belle realized that Princess Celestia was watching and put a hoof on her daughter's foreleg to signal to her that she needed to stop. Blossom placed the now turquoise carrot stick back on the plate and looked over to see Celestia standing in the doorway smiling warmly at them. "Good afternoon," she said, walking up to the happy pair. "I just came by to discuss something with you. I was talking with my sister about how you two seem to be having such a wonderful time together and we decided that after the time you two have had recently we should extend your visit to an overnight stay and Sweetie Belle could possibly stay until as long as tomorrow evening."

A small gasp escaped Sweetie Belle's lips and her eyes widened as they filled with tears of joy. "Do you really mean it?" she whispered. Princess Celestia widened her now more genuine smile and nodded. Blossom squealed happily and wrapped her mother in a giant hug which she tearfully returned.

"I'll come by later to discuss sleeping arrangements for the two of you," she said as she began leaving the room. "You two be sure to enjoy yourselves. I know you deserve it."

The happy duo continued hugging each other, both crying tears of joy at the prospect of staying a whole other day with each other. Princess Celestia smiled once more at the pair before walking out of the room and closing the door behind her. Almost instantly her happy mask slipped off as the realization of the daunting task ahead of her began to register in her mind.

Open Wounds

Princess Celestia trotted down the main hallway of the castle, en route to the one pony that she could trust to help her in this scenario. She might not be too open to the idea of being woken up, but being alicorns did come with the benefit of having a lot of energy reserves to call upon when needed.

She reached Luna's door and rapped her hoof on it five times to signal to her sister that whatever she had for her was important. She heard a loud groan from the other side of the door and the rustling of sheets. "Thou would do well to take thy plot to the other side of the castle and leave us be, Tia!" Luna groaned.

"Come now, Luna, we don't have time for this," said the sun goddess. "Something terrible has happened and I need your help!"

"What, has the cake run out in the kitchens again?" grumbled Luna. "We told you that We would not awaken just for that 'emergency'."

Celestia frowned. Though she could not see her sister, she could hazard a guess that she had made quotation marks in the air with her hooves. She didn't have time for this. "Luna, pictures of the murdered foals leaked to the press."

A blanket of silence covered the other side of the door for a good fifteen seconds before Celestia heard her sister's bed sheets being pulled aside and the night goddess rushing towards the door. One unlocking later and the frazzled looking Luna was next to her sister, with wide eyes and a dropped jaw. "How did this happen, Tia?" she whispered. "We left those pictures with the most reliable of sources. Nopony in the Ponyville station would have deliberately leaked photos, especially not ones of that nature!"

Celestia nodded. "I know," she said, "but that still leaves a myriad of other ways the press could have gotten their hooves on the pictures. Theft is not an impossibility."

"Which paper would steal such pictures?" asked Luna.

"I think the big question is which one wouldn't!" said Celestia. "Their goal is to sell as many papers as possible and with the event still so fresh..."

Luna and Celestia reached one of their private rooms where they usually went to discuss such matters. It was a back room in the palace library so they could have access to whatever they needed but still be alone to talk in private. "Tia, We suppose the first order of business is to discover which paper printed the pictures first?" she said once the door was closed and locked behind them.

Celestia nodded. "I hope that such an endeavor is successful. No newspaper would let a rival paper print photos like that first so whichever one printed first was the one behind it all. The other papers merely followed suit to keep up I'll wager."

"We suggest starting with the Canterlot papers and the Ponyville ones since they were the only ones in direct proximity with the source of the photos."

"And it would be prudent as well to question the police station involved," agreed Celestia.

"Then we are in agreement," said Luna. "We will expend all efforts to track down the cause of the leak. What shall we do to the guilty parties?"

Celestia sighed. "Prison and fines at least," she said. "Stealing evidence from a police station? That's ten years right there."

Luna nodded and opened her mouth to respond but she was cut off when a trio of loud knocks shattered her train of thought. The royal sisters frowned at each other and looked at the door uneasily. It wasn't unheard of for them to be interrupted during their meetings in the library, but it would only have been for very important problems, something that neither of them needed at the moment.

Regardless, Celestia opened the door with her magic revealing a very uneasy solar guard. Celestia frowned at him. "Yes, sergeant?"

The guard saluted. "We have a problem regarding the matter of the recent photo leak," said the sergeant.

"We are trying to solve such problems right now," said Luna. "Surely there is no bigger issue than the leaks themselves?"

The guard flattened his ears and seemed as if he wanted to look to the floor. "I'm sorry your highnesses but there is. It's..." he sighed. "It's best if you handle it yourselves as all of our attempts have been unproductive."

The two sisters exchanged a look and Luna nodded. The pair got up and motioned for the sergeant to lead them to the source of the trouble. "What is the issue at hoof, sergeant?" asked Celestia.

The sergeant shifted uneasily as he walked but answered all the same. "The...the parents of the foals are here. They found out about the leak and they're demanding to speak to you and you alone."

Celestia had to withhold a tired sigh for the sake of her sergeant and continued to allow him to lead the sisters to the throne room where the two distraught mothers had been sent. The guard pointed at the throne room but didn't enter himself. The two sisters opened up the doors and walked inside revealing Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara. Silver Spoon was sobbing hysterically while Diamond Tiara merely looked blankly at a copy of a newspaper that was laid at their feet. When silver Spoon saw the princesses come in, she got to her hooves and ran up to Celestia. "Please tell me they're not real!" she wailed.

"Miss Spoon--"

"PLEASE TELL ME THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN TO MY FOAL!" she shrieked. "Please tell me it wasn't that bad, that she didn't suffer that much! Please tell me that she wasn't hurt like that!"

Princess Celestia sat on her haunches and wrapped her wings around the distraught mare in a comforting hug. "Shh," she whispered. "We will find them and punish the ponies who did this, I swear to you."

"She didn't suffer like that. Please tell me those pictures aren't real!" Silver Spoon wailed. "My baby didn't hurt that much did she?"

"No," said Celestia. "I assure you that when it happened it was completely painless. Your daughter did not suffer for a moment." Celestia leaned in and gently nuzzled Silver Spoon's head. "Nor is she suffering now."

"That's more than that animal that killed my child deserves!" growled Diamond Tiara, looking contemptuously at the paper. She studied the paper for a moment. "Do you know what Sweetie Belle deserves? She deserves what we're going through right now. She d-d-deserves reading about how her daughter was put down like a rabid dog. THEN SHE'D UNDERSTAND!"

With a scream of fury and sorrow, Diamond Tiara began viciously tearing into the newspaper as if it were Sweetie Belle beneath her. Her cries of anger became mixed with sobs and once the paper was nothing more than tatters at her hooves, she collapsed on the ground and began weeping openly.

Silver Spoon whimpered and wiped her eyes with her foreleg. "Why did they do this to us?" she mewled. "Why did they feel it as okay t-to print pictures of my foal like that?"

"I don't know," said Princess Celestia sadly. "But I promise you that each and every pony involved will be punished for what they did. Neither you nor anypony else needs to see that."

Princess Celestia looked up to see Luna comforting Diamond Tiara and sighed. She looked down to the gray mare encased in her wings and shook her head. "Miss Spoon, may I ask you when and where you found out about this? Did you hear about it from others in Ponyville or was it from a Ponyville newspaper?"

"I h-heard it from one of the ponies in town, Roseluck, and saw her copy. I...I grabbed it and ran over to Tiara's house to see if s-she had heard and she already had a copy. She said she was going to Canterlot to talk to you about it and I c-came along," stuttered the mare.

"So you saw it first in a Ponyville paper," Celestia said. "When was this?"

Silver Spoon blinked back a fresh wave of tears before answering. "Just this morning; it was in the morning papers."

Princess Celestia looked up at her sister who was cradling Diamond Tiara in her wings in the same way that she was comforting Silver Spoon. Diamond Tiara had stopped bawling and was now silently crying. Luna leaned in and whispered something into her ear before looking back up at her sister with a grim expression. Celestia nodded and released Silver Spoon from the hug. "My sister and I will attend to this matter at once," she assured them. "Those responsible will be severely punished."

Diamond Tiara wiggled herself out of the night goddess's grasp and wheeled on Celestia with a fire in her eyes. "I want to have a hoof in their punishments!" she cried. "I want to make them suffer the way they've made me suffer!"

"Miss Tiara my sister and I will hoof down justice on those responsible. Every paper who published these photos will be fined and those who released it originally will be punished heavily, I promise you."

"I DON'T WANT FINES!!!" she screamed. "I WANT THEM TO SUFFER!!!"

Luna put a hoof on Diamond Tiara's shoulder. "Miss Tiara We--"

Diamond Tiara smacked the hoof away. "They have no right to disrespect my foal like that! That animal, that you threw in a nuthouse instead of putting down like you should have, killed my foal!" Diamond Tiara advanced towards Celestia menacingly, her tears falling hard and fast, staining the floor beneath her. "Doesn't that mean anything to you at all?"

Princess Celestia got to her hooves and the first traces of a glare appeared on her face. "Miss Tiara you forget yourself!" she said sharply. "My sister and I want justice the same as you do!"

"Fines aren't justice!" spat Diamond Tiara. "Justice would be to make them watch as their foals suffered! Make them watch and realize that they can't help them then put it in a newspaper for all of Equestria to read about! That. Would. Be. JUSTICE!"

Princess Celestia sighed closed her eyes to center herself for a moment before responding. "Miss. Tiara we have our laws and the guilty parties will be given justice, I promise you." Celestia motioned for Luna to come with her before returning to the distraught mares. "The best we can do for now is give you both rooms in the castle so you can be completely up to date on what is going on in the investigation. we will find out who is responsible and punish them to the full extent of the law, I swear."

Silver Spoon nodded and once more wiped her eyes with her foreleg. She raised her head to lock eyes with the goddess of the sun. Her eyes held none of the fire that Diamond Tiara's did, but they lacked none of the conviction. "Find them, Princess," she whispered. "Find out who did it and make them pay."

Author's Note

Short chapter I know, but what it lacks in length it makes up for in feels.

Tarnished Silver, Broken Tiara

Diamond Tiara slowly trudged down the hall of the palace, painful rage burning inside of her. Princess Celestia had given her an apartment in the castle and had ordered her servants to retrieve some necessities from her home in Ponyville so that she could live there until the matter with the media was settled. However that was not on Diamond Tiara's mind at the moment. What consumed her thoughts was the foal. Sweetie Belle's foal.

She was here somewhere.

It was common knowledge that Princess Celestia had taken that runt in and was housing her while her mother rotted away in a nuthouse when she should have been rotting away in the ground next to her evil sister. In fact, both Sweetie Belle and her foal should have suffered that fate. That would be justice.

Still, there was the slight issue that Diamond Tiara faced in that she didn't know where the foal was. The palace was quite vast and she could be anywhere. Princess Celestia had her in the dungeons as far as she knew. Diamond Tiara mused that that would be slightly fitting, but that Celestia likely had her in a cushy room with servants to wait on her all day. Meanwhile her baby was...was in the ground.

Diamond Tiara felt tears well up inside her eyes once again and it took the burning rage to felt towards Sweetie Belle and her foal to keep them at bay.

In truth she didn't know what she would actually do when she found Sweetie Belle's child. She knew she wouldn't kill her, but the idea was... tantalizing. She could make Sweetie Belle suffer just as much, if not more, than she was already suffering. Maybe she could even smuggle the body out of the castle if she was careful enough. Yes, maybe she could do that and mail locks of Blossom's mane to Sweetie Belle so she would know what had happened. Diamond Tiara giggled madly to herself. She would give up Barnyard Bargains to see her reaction to that.

Diamond Tiara's fantasies were interrupted when she heard a voice call out from behind her. "Diamond Tiara?"

Diamond Tiara wheeled around and saw Silver Spoon walking up to her. She glared at her former friend before turning her back to her. "I don't have anything to say to you."

Silver Spoon ran up next to Diamond Tiara. "B-But I--"

"I said I don't want to talk to you!" screeched the pink mare, wheeling around to glare at Silver Spoon. "Why would I ever want to talk to you again after you accused me of murdering our children?!"

Silver Spoon wilted under Diamond Tiara's rage and she took an uneasy step back. "I didn't--"

"Didn't what, didn't mean it?" spat Diamond Tiara. "Don't lie to me, you meant every word! You made it sound like I told Sweetie Belle to kill my foal!"

Silver Spoon's mouth flopped up and down like a fish as she tried to find any words that would allow her to contradict Diamond Tiara's rage, but none came. Finally she took a deep breath and looked down the hallway. "What are you going to do to her?"

"I don't know," Diamond Tiara growled. "I wouldn't want to be her, though." Diamond Tiara shook her head angrily and began walking down the hall again. Silver Spoon rushed to her side and briefly considered blocking Diamond Tiara's path before she did something she regretted. Diamond Tiara shot her a glare. "Well, why are you still here?"

"Because I don't want you to do anything you're going to regret."

Diamond Tiara scoffed. "I wouldn't regret hurting her foal."

"Diamond Tiara listen to yourself!" said Silver Spoon incredulously. "You've never wanted to hurt anypony in your life; not like that! What would you do if Golden Necklace saw you doing that?!"

"I'd hold Blossom down and ask Golden Necklace to help Mommy with something," said Diamond Tiara simply.

Silver Spoon gasped and actually moved in front of Diamond Tiara. "How could you say something like that?!"

"Spoon, get the buck out of my way."

Silver Spoon shook her head. "Now listen, DT! You're hurting a lot, I am too! It isn't fair that Sweetie Belle's foal is still alive and ours aren't but I still don't want to hurt her! Blossom is innocent, she didn't ask for all of this to happen!"

"Silver Spoon if you do not get out of my way in the next three seconds I will make sure you spend the rest of your life wishing that you had."

Silver Spoon raised a hoof to take a step backwards but bravely stood her ground. "I'm not going to let you hurt that child. We're insulting the memory of both of our foals if you do! They wouldn't want their mommies to turn into something like that!"

Diamond Tiara's jaw clenched and she took a menacing step forward. "One."

"Don't do this, we're old friends!"

Another step forward. "Two."

"If you try to hurt her I'll...I'll fight you I swear to Celestia I will!"

"Thr--"

Diamond Tiara's final warning was cut off as the faintest sound entered her ears. She swiveled them in the direction of the noise and slowly turned her head to see if she couldn't locate the source. It sounded like... laughter. Yes, that was it, laughter. And it was coming from behind that door about a dozen paces away. She turned around and slowly began trotting towards the door, straining to hear what was behind it. Silver Spoon uneasily trotted behind her while being sure to keep her distance.

When she reached the door, Diamond Tiara reached a hoof towards the doorknob. With one swift motion she pulled the door open revealing what was inside.

The foal was inside. The foal was inside with Sweetie Belle. They were together and they were laughing together and they seemed so... happy. Sweetie Belle was missing her horn, but she was with her child and for her that was all that mattered; all was right with the world when her child was near. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon looked on at the joyful scene in shock for a moment before Silver Spoon collapsed on the ground with a loud wail of sorrow. Sweetie Belle and Blossom both looked towards the door. Sweetie Belle gasped and pulled Blossom into her forelegs and backed up towards the far wall.

Diamond Tiara studied the scene for a while, secretly relishing in the fear that her mere presence elicited in the two ponies. She slowly stepped inside and pointed at Blossom. "The foal. Give her to me. Now."

Sweetie Belle hit the back wall and held out a hoof as if to block Diamond Tiara's advance. "Stay away from us," she begged. "Go away!"

"Shut up you little bitch and give me the bucking foal before I take her myself."

Blossom whimpered and buried her head in her mother's chest. Sweetie Belle kept trying to back away. "Get out of here! Leave my child alone!"

Diamond Tiara let out a humorless cackle. "I don't think so," she giggled. "I'm going to leave you alone, but I'm going to tear that bastard foal from your forelegs and do you know what I'm going to do?"

Sweetie Belle whimpered and began backing into the corner. "Go away!"

"First I'm going to take her away from you, then I'm going to hold her head steady so she's looking directly into your eyes."

Sweetie Belle began sobbing as she hit the corner. "Help!" she called out weakly.

"Then I'm going to take my right foreleg and hook it under your daughter's chin and then I'm going to pull it back as hard as I can, snapping her neck like a twig."

"Somepony please help us!" Sweetie Belle called a little louder.

"I'm going to snap her neck and because she's looking at you you're going to see the light leave her eyes and you'll have that memory to cherish for the rest of your pathetic existence. You'll spend the rest of your days replaying the exact moment you saw your daughter die in front of you day after day after day."

"HELP!" Sweetie Belle screamed.

Diamond Tiara cackled and continued moving forward. "I'm going to throw her corpse right at your hooves. I don't care what you do with it after that." Her twisted smile immediately shifted to rage. "NOW GIVE ME THAT FOAL!"

Before Diamond Tiara could take another step forwards Blossom tore herself out of her mother's grasp and encased the table in the room with her magical glow. She levitated it in front of her creating a barrier between her and the murderous mare. Undeterred, Diamond Tiara snarled and bucked the table as hard as she could. Her earth pony strength and blood lust combined with Blossom's relatively weak grip on such a heavy object meant that the table went flying towards the wall. Blossom ducked to avoid it and Diamond Tiara seized her opportunity and reached for the foal.

Her advances were cut off when a pair of white hind legs collided with her forehead. The force of the blow from Sweetie Belle sent her flying backwards into the opposite wall. Sweetie Belle stepped in front of her daughter and took a step towards Diamond Tiara, all semblance of sanity and calm long since gone at the thought of her child in danger.

"Get away from her you bitch!"

Diamond Tiara shook her head to clear the grogginess that had come from her collision with the wall and slowly tried to stand up, but Sweetie Belle lunged forward and tackled her before she could and began wailing on her. "YOU WILL NOT TOUCH MY FOAL!!!" she screamed.

Diamond Tiara screamed herself as Sweetie belle continued to rain punches down on her once again tormentor while her daughter cried in the corner. Age and maternal rage had increased the power behind Sweetie Belle's attacks and Diamond Tiara would have likely found herself joining her foal in death it a trio of royal guards hadn't tackled Sweetie Belle, pinning her to the ground and securing her with hoofcuffs.

Blossom squealed as the guards started to drag Sweetie Belle of the room. She ran forward and wrapped her forelegs around her mother's waist. "Don't take my mommy away!" she wailed.

Before the guards could do anything, the chaos was cut off by a powerful voice booming through the halls. "STOP!!!!"

Instantly everypony froze where they were as Shining Armor himself walked down the hall flanked by six more soldiers and a sobbing Silver Spoon. The captain of the guard halted in front of the entrance to the room and glared at everypony inside. "What is going on here?" he growled.

There was a pause for a moment before Diamond Tiara let out a wail and threw herself at Shining Armor's hooves. "Oh thank goodness you're here!" she cried. "That mare is crazy! She tried to kill me!"

Shining Armor turned his angry gaze to Diamond Tiara. "What do you mean?"

"I was walking down the hall and she must have heard me talking to my friend Silver Spoon! She jumped me and stated hitting me; she tried to kill me!"

"That's not true!" Sweetie Belle retorted. "You came in here and you tried to kill my daughter!"

"I would never!" cried Diamond Tiara.

"Then how did you get in here and why is the table overturned against the opposite wall?" said Shining Armor quietly.

Diamond Tiara sniffled and looked up at Shining Armor. "Huh?"

"Sweetie Belle jumped you and took the time to drag you in here even though she knew that killing you would end with her execution which would mean that she could never see Blossom again, is that what you're saying? Even with that, how did the table get overturned and what are those dents in it?"

Blossom moved her head away from her mother's chest to speak up. "She told Mommy that she wanted to break my neck," she whimpered. "I lifted the table and put it between us so that she couldn’t get to us so she kicked it into the wall. She tried to grab me but Mommy kicked her and started hitting her when she tried to get back up to hurt me."

Diamond Tiara looked up at Shining Armor and vigorously shook her head. "N-No that isn't what happened at all! Why would I hurt that foal?"

Shining Armor was silent as he shifted his gaze between Blossom, Sweetie Belle and Diamond Tiara. Finally he took a deep breath and spoke. "The reason I was called here is because Silver Spoon found me and started talking incoherently to me. I wasn't able to understand much, but I did hear the words 'Blossom', 'Sweetie Belle', 'Diamond Tiara', and 'trying to murder'."

Diamond Tiara let out a sigh of relief. "See, she saw it too! She--"

Shining Armor cut Diamond Tiara off with a wave of his hoof. "But considering that of the two of you only you had the motive and when I take into account how the placement and condition of the table lines up perfectly with Blossoms story, the only one that can account for it, I'm going to say that you are the one who committed the crime of attempted murder."

Diamond Tiara whimpered and scooted backwards a few inches. "N-No! I would never do that! Tell him, Silver Spoon, tell him that you saw Sweetie Belle attack me!"

Silver Spoon's sobs echoed throughout the halls but she managed to speak through them. "W-Why didn't you j-just leave Sweetie B-Belle and her innocent foal alone? W-Why did you have to go l-looking for them?" she sobbed.

Diamond Tiara froze in total shock. She was unable to fully comprehend Silver Spoon's words until she saw Shining Armor take a pair of hoofcuffs off of the belt of one of his subordinates. "Diamond Tiara you are under arrest for the crime of attempted murder of the unicorn foal Joyous Blossom." Diamond Tiara squealed as the hoofcuffs were placed on her forelegs and she tried to back up further but she was stopped by the guards who had released Sweetie Belle by this point. They fired up their horns and encased Diamond Tiara in a powerful shield spell and lifted her into the air.

Diamond Tiara screamed in horror and began desperately pounding on the shield. "I WASN'T GONNA HURT HER!" she wailed. "I WASN'T, I SWEAR!"

"Take her to the dungeons," said Shining Armor. "The princesses will likely want to deal with this themselves. Also if somepony could escort Ms. Spoon to her room I would appreciate that." Two guards saluted and prodded Silver Spoon until she was on her hooves and began walking her to her room. Diamond Tiara was taken away in the opposite direction, still kicking and screaming. Eventually the cries of both of them faded away leaving only Shining Armor, Blossom, and Sweetie Belle in the room.

Shining Armor sighed and removed Sweetie Belle's hoofcuffs. "I'm sorry, I should have posted guards by the door when the two of them came into the castle."

Sweetie Belle sniffled and wiped her eyes with her foreleg. "S'okay," she whispered. "You couldn't have known that they were gonna do that."

Shining Armor nodded. "Yeah. I guess not." Shining Armor took a deep breath and gave the hoofcuffs to one of the guards who was waiting outside the room. "I'm going to suggest that the princesses tack on another day to your visit. It's the least I can do after all of this."

Sweetie Belle's eyes began filling with tears once more, but this time they were tears of joy. She gave Shining Armor a watery smile. "Thank you," she whispered. "Thank you."

Blossom adjusted herself in her mother's forelegs until she could see Shining Armor. "What's gonna happen to Miss Tiara?" she asked.

Shining Armor's jaw tightened and he glanced down the hall that Diamond Tiara had been taken down. "Our laws are very clear about attempted murder. Committing such a crime warrants life in prison. However considering her mental state brought on by everything that's happened she might get a reduced sentence. Not much of one but still." Shining Armor sighed and ran a hoof through his mane. "I'm going to have you two moved to a more comfortable room and I'm going to post guards at the door. I know it's less private for the two of you but..."

Sweetie Belle nodded. "We understand." She leaned her head down and nuzzled Blossom before glancing back up at Shining Armor. "Why was she even at the castle anyway?"

Shining Armor shifted uncomfortably and glanced over at one of the guards outside the room who shook his head. Shining Armor sighed and nodded. "Trust me, you don't want to know."

Author's Note

Uh yeah... I know I don't like using swear words in my stories unless it's in the literal sense (like when Golden Necklace called Blossom a bastard foal) but I couldn't really think of a better way to show just how far off the deep end Diamond Tiara has gone.

You Are My Child and I Will Love You Forever

The next morning saw Princess Celestia flying back to the palace in her chariot after a long day of interrogating newspaper offices for any possible source of the leak. Right now she just wanted to get to bed but there were a few matters to attend to with her sister whom had also been out searching for the culprit.

The chariot touched down and Celestia gracefully stepped out of it before walking towards the entrance of the castle where Princess Luna waited with a grim look on her face and a pair of Lunar Guards flanking her. Celestia tilted her head in a nod, a gesture that Luna returned. The sisters met up just outside of the castle entrance.

Celestia took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "I found the leak," she said.

Luna nodded. "We heard. It was a Baltimare paper was it not?"

"The Baltimare Sun," Celestia confirmed. "It seems that one of their reporters has a contact in the Ponyville police department; one of the night janitors if I understand correctly."

"Both have been arrested?" asked Luna.

Celestia nodded and beckoned for the two of them to walk back into the castle. "And the paper itself has been fined five hundred thousand bits."

Luna cocked her head. "A bit light for such a crime is it not?" she questioned.

Celestia sighed. "I suppose it is," she agreed. "But when you consider that they will lose just as much when they recall all of the papers that they still can and they have to destroy an entire week’s worth of stories that dealt with the pictures, I think they will lose enough without us having to put them out of business."

The duo reached the throne room doors and Luna's guards opened the door for the princesses. "What of the other papers who printed such photos?"

"That... is a complicated issue," Celestia admitted. "I have talked with many of the head of such papers and their reasoning was unanimous: they did it to protect their businesses. With such a crime still so fresh in the minds of our ponies, a story like that would sell thousands of papers and any paper that couldn't print the story would quickly find themselves in a state where they could not sell their cleaner papers so in a panic they obtained a copy of the photo from a Baltimare Sun paper and it spread like wildfire from there."

"I see." Luna stopped walking and turned to face her sister. "And their punishment?"

"Ten-thousand bits a piece," said Celestia. "Once more that is on top of all they will lose doing more damage control." Celestia shook her head sadly. "I believe this will affect the media in Equestria for a long time."

"Indeed, sister," said Luna. "Our ponies may find the need to obtain their news from The Foal Free Press as it seems to be the only paper that didn't commit such a transgression."

"It would seem that way, Luna," Celestia agreed.

Both princesses were silent as they digested the words Luna had just spoken. Then, despite everything, Celestia's face broke out in a wide grin that she utterly failed to suppress. "This is not the time for jokes, Luna," she said.

Luna cocked her head and mirrored her sister's smile. "Oh? Then why do you smile as such?"

Celestia snorted and the first giggle escaped her lips. "Luna this is s-serious!" she said in her worst attempt to act serious in a long time. "We have a lot to do with this and we cannot... we... I..." With that both royal sisters broke out into hysterical laughter. Both nearly collapsed and they had to lean on each other for support. They laughed so hard that tears began streaming down their faces.

Of course, both princesses knew that their laughter hardly came from legitimate joy but rather as a stress relief. However they pushed such thoughts aside as they had not laughed like that in a long time. With everything that they had gone through since the murders it seemed like an eternity had passed since they shared a good laugh together.

Finally their giggled died down and the two wiped tears from their eyes, taking deep breaths as they did. "That really wasn't as funny as all that," Celestia chuckled.

Luna snorted and got up off of her haunches. "Indeed not, sister, but... it was nice, was it not?"

Celestia giggled and stood up next to her sister. "It was wonderful," she agreed. Her smile faded away as life rushed back into her thoughts once more. "I do wish it was a bit more lighthearted."

Luna sighed and put a hoof on Celestia's shoulder. "As do We," she said sadly. "Particularly when We must attend to matters here in the castle."

Celestia grunted in agreement. "We do need to tell Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara that the perpetrators have been caught and sentenced."

The night princess’s face shifted to one of unease and she slowly took her hoof off of Celestia's shoulder. "That is the main order of business," she said quietly. "Something happened in our absence."

Celestia's eyes widened. "What happened? Are they hurt? Did they attempt to do something?"

"Silver Spoon is safe in her room and is being monitored by a therapist," said Luna gravely. "Diamond Tiara..." Luna looked to the floor and shook her head. "Diamond Tiara deduced that Blossom was in the castle and she hunted her down." Celestia gasped but Luna continued on. "She did not find the child alone; she was with her mother at the time. The sight of the two of them drove her mad it seems and she...she attempted to kill Blossom as retribution for her own foal's death."

Celestia silently contemplated Luna's words for the briefest of moments before speaking up. "What happened?"

"Sweetie Belle defended her child and injured Diamond Tiara. She suffered from a pair of black eyes and a couple of bruises. Both Sweetie Belle and her foal are safe and are under guard in another room. Diamond Tiara is in the dungeons."

"I wish to see her at once," said Celestia sharply. "I need to understand why that happened."

"Of course, sister," said Luna. "I will follow your lead. If you wish we can contact Captain Shining Armor who was the arresting officer."

Celestia waved a hoof and began walking towards the dungeons. "Later we shall question him and Sweetie Belle on what transpired, but I would like to talk to Diamond Tiara first."

Luna nodded and the duo walked through the palace towards the dungeons. Neither had been there for a long time and both wished that it would remain that way. Even Rarity hadn't been transferred to the palace dungeons when she had been captured. But now they had to deal with an attempted murder, a crime that, as rare as it was, usually resulted in life in prison. Considering the circumstances, neither princess was certain of that sentence.

When they reached the dungeons, Princess Celestia used her magic to unlock the main door and she stepped aside to allow Luna to enter first. She followed her sister inside and shut the door behind them before walking down the rows of cells to get to the one Diamond Tiara was being held in.

They did not have to search long as they spotted a cell about five away from the door with a guard posted in front of it standing at attention. He bowed when he saw the princesses approach. "The prisoner is in there," he said, pointing to the cell behind him. "She's..." The guard glanced back uneasily. "It's best if you see for yourself."

Celestia and Luna stepped in front of the cell and looked inside. What they saw made their stomachs drop. Diamond Tiara was sitting on the bed, her head and ears were drooped and she wasn't moving. Her breathing was very light and if one didn't know that it was a live pony, one would swear it was a statue.

However despite the tragedy of the sight what shocked the princesses the most was a set of bruises that had begun to form on her right foreleg and side. They shone through her pink coat as if they were stains. The picture was completed with a cuff attached to her right hind leg that chained her to the wall.

Princess Celestia pointed to the chain. "Is that really necessary, sergeant?" she inquired.

"I'm afraid so, Princess," said the guard. "It isn't because we're worried that she'll escape but rather for her own protection. She kept throwing herself at the bars and that's what those bruises on her side are from."

Princess Luna opened her mouth to respond but Diamond Tiara's voice, weak but sharp nonetheless, cut through the conversation. "You can stop talking about me like I'm not right here. I can hear everything you're saying."

Princess Celestia shifted her eyes back to the broken mare and stepped closer to the cell. "Miss Tiara I'm..." She sighed and shook her head sadly. "You know why you are here do you not?"

Diamond Tiara gave a barely perceptible nod. "I'm here because I saw that foal and tried to kill it."

Luna's face hardened. "Joyous Blossom is not an animal, Diamond Tiara."

Diamond Tiara's face snapped up, revealing for the first time the wounds Sweetie Belle had inflicted upon her. "Oh I think you're quite wrong there, princess," she growled. "I think she is cut from the same cloth that her mother and aunt were and they were both animals, right?"

"Rarity and Sweetie Belle were not and are not animals!" growled Luna.

"They killed ponies!" screeched Diamond Tiara as she jumped off the bed. "Rarity butchered so many ponies you're still not sure how many unsolved disappearances were caused by her. As for Sweetie Belle, she killed my daughter!" Diamond Tiara's face hardened into a glare that would have made Discord uneasy. "Do they really sound like ponies to you?"

"And if they are not then you sunk to their level by attempting to kill an innocent child," said Celestia.

Diamond Tiara threw her head back and let out a joyless cackle. "Innocent? Do you really think she's innocent?" She took a step forward. "By merely being related to those two vile animals she's the farthest thing from innocent."

Celestia frowned. "Miss Tiara I--"

Her words were cut off by a snarl from Diamond Tiara as she jumped towards the bars. The chain attaching her to the walls went taut and she was caught in midair. She fell to the floor with a loud thud and a cry of pain. Before either princess could do anything about it, the enraged mare was back on her hooves. "WHY DIDN'T YOU KILL HER?!" she screamed. "WHY DIDN'T YOU KILL THE ANIMAL THAT BUTCHERED MY DAUGHTER?!"

"Miss Ti--"

"Don't even bother answering, we all know why!" she screeched. "It's because she had ties to the Elements of Harmony who had ties to you!"

Luna glared at Diamond Tiara and walked directly next to the bars. "Rarity was an Element of Harmony and she was executed for her crimes. Sweetie Belle's punishment was within the legal boundaries."

"Don't give me that!" spat Diamond Tiara. "If I had done what she did for the exact same reason I'd be in the ground right now, to Tartarus with the feelings of my child!" Princess Luna opened her mouth to angrily retort but Diamond Tiara's rage continued. "You didn't kill Sweetie Belle because you know her and her family! Even though Rarity was a serial killer she was an Element of Harmony and like family to you! You knew the family well and if you had even the slightest reason to not kill her you would take it despite the fact that my baby never even touched that bastard foal of hers!"

"You go too far!" snarled Princess Luna.

Princess Celestia put a hoof on Luna's shoulder and shook her head. "Let me talk to her."

Diamond Tiara rolled her eyes. "Oh yes, Princess, please do talk to me, I'd love to hear your explanation of why you twisted the law to keep that butcher alive. I wonder if you regret not doing the same for that sister of hers. You made every effort to avoid killing sweetie Belle, but would you have done the same for me?"

Princess Celestia took a few steps closer to the bars and gently motioned for Luna to back away. She sighed and sat down on her haunches in front of the door. "Diamond Tiara I know that you are in a lot of pain," she began, "please know that this situation has been hard on all of us. Do you think that Sweetie Belle is not being punished for what she has done? She has had her horn removed and she will remain in a mental institution for the rest of her life on top of the fact that she can rarely see her daughter."

"Oh really? Then what were they doing yesterday? She seemed to be having a pretty good time with her spawn." Diamond Tiara's face twisted into a mocking pout. "Oh but poor her that she only gets to see her foal every once in a while. That's way worse than me never getting to see mine for the REST OF MY LIFE!!!"

At that a sob escaped Diamond Tiara's lips and her legs gave way, putting her on the ground once more. She whimpered and weakly raised her head to make eye contact with her ruler. "Please," she whispered. She pleadingly reached a foreleg out to Celestia. "I...I know I was wrong to attack her a-and I'll take my punishment for that, but please... give my baby justice."

Princess Celestia looked silently down at Diamond Tiara for a moment before sighing. "I'm sorry, Diamond Tiara. We have passed down the judgment that we did for a reason."

Diamond Tiara simply stared at Princess Celestia with wide, watery eyes, hardly moving while she registered her words. "Y-You aren't gonna..." Before either princess could do anything, Diamond Tiara leaped to her hooves with a snarl and lunged at the bars. Once more her chain prevented her from reaching the bars and her chained leg snapped back as the chain went taut. Diamond Tiara fell to the ground, squealing in pain and clutching her hind leg.

Celestia's eyes widened and she quickly got to her hooves and turned to the guard. "Get a medic down here at once! I think she's dislocated her leg!" The guard saluted and ran out of the dungeon. Princess Celestia exchanged a worried look with Princess Luna before she opened the cell and removed Diamond Tiara's leg cuff. "Diamond Tiara, you need to keep still. It will only hurt worse if you move."

Diamond Tiara continued squealing in pain and thrashing about. "Golden Necklace I'm sorry!" she wailed. "Mommy's sorry that she couldn't get her! Mommy's sorry that she didn't get her for you!"

Princess Celestia ignited her horn and placed a freezing spell on Diamond Tiara that stopped the thrashing. Diamond Tiara continued sobbing and apologizing to her foal. Her lack of movement did prevent her from aggravating her leg any further and she had managed to calm down slightly by the time a duo of medical ponies had come with a stretcher. They gently placed Diamond Tiara inside and began transporting her to the medical wing, leaving the two princesses alone in the dungeons.

Princess Luna's gaze was fixed on the entrance to the dungeon while Celestia was looking sadly at the floor. "Luna what have we done?" she whispered.

The night goddess swiveled her head in Celestia's direction. "What do you mean? Do you believe we have erred somewhere?"

A single tear dripped from Celestia's face and splattered on the floor below. "That is where I feel I am lost: I do not know if we went wrong somewhere."

Luna walked over to her sister and gently placed a wing over her shoulder. "It is her comments about your emotional involvement with these goings on that are striking closest to home," she observed.

Celestia nodded and wiped her eyes with her wing. "Yes," she said. "I want to pretend that my judgment of Sweetie Belle was not clouded by my emotions but rather my drive to see justice done on all sides but..."

"You are unsure," Luna finished.

"Yes," said Celestia. She took a deep breath and shakily got to her hooves. "My perspective on the matter is that I did not wish to perform an execution, particularly when I had ordered one merely twenty years before. Before Rarity's death I had forgotten how much pain it brought, executing one of my subjects. I did not wish to be reminded of that so soon and under such circumstances. In regards to Diamond Tiara's accusation that I would not have expended such efforts to avoid her execution if their roles were reversed... I would like to believe that she is mistaken. I would not wish to see her dead any more than I wished death upon Rarity, despite her heinous crimes."

Luna rose to her hooves and nuzzled her sister. "We know, sister," she muttered. "But if you could return to that time would you have ordered Sweetie Belle's execution?"

"Please never ask me that again," said Celestia sharply. "I do not wish to dwell any more on whether or not I should have killed her."

"Very well, sister," she said quietly. Luna took a deep breath and looked up at the dungeon entrance. "Would it be prudent to inform Silver Spoon that those responsible for the pictures have been caught and punished? I think it would do her good."

Celestia nodded. "I think that would be best. Faust knows that somepony needs some comfort right now."

With a murmur of agreement from Luna, the royal sisters exited the dungeons and went to the apartment that they had arranged for Silver Spoon. When they arrived they knocked on the door and they heard a small 'come in' from inside the room. Luna opened the door and the royal sister's walked in to see Silver Spoon sitting on the bed. When she saw who it was, her eyes widened and she ran over to the sisters and threw herself at their hooves. "Don't kill her! Please don't kill Diamond Tiara!"

Princess Celestia put a hoof on her shoulder. "Miss Spoon--"

"S-She wasn't thinking, that's all!" Silver Spoon wailed. "She's not a bad pony; please don't kill her!"

"Miss Spoon we will not execute Diamond Tiara," said Princess Celestia.

Silver spoon's head snapped up and she scrambled to her hooves. "You won't?"

Princess Celestia shook her head. "We have seen her mental state and we feel that imprisonment would be counter-productive. She will be sent to an institution in Fillydelphia where she will be given the finest medical treatment in Equestria. We agree that she was not in her right mind when she tried to kill Blossom."

Silver Spoon's eyes started watering. "Is she gonna be there forever like Sweetie Belle?"

Princess Celestia sighed and sat on her haunches next to Silver Spoon. "I don't know. We'll have to wait and see."

Silver Spoon nodded and sat on her haunches as well. She looked down at the floor, tears dripping from her eyes. "It's just that... I don't think that seeing Sweetie Belle and Blossom... happy like that was good for her."

"How did you feel about that?" asked Celestia.

Silver Spoon raised her head. "Honestly? It was one of the vilest and most painful things I could have imagined. To see the mare who murdered my foal happily playing with her own was..." Silver Spoon sniffled and shook her head.

"You hate her," Celestia observed.

"Of course I do," said Silver Spoon quietly. "And I think I'll hate her for the rest of my life."

"Do you think that I should have had her executed?"

At this Silver Spoon's eyes widened and to the surprise of both sisters she vigorously shook her head. "No, I don't!"

Celestia raised an eyebrow and frowned. "Why not?"

Silver Spoon hesitated a moment before answering. "Too many ponies have died because of all of this. Killing Sweetie Belle won't bring my foal back." Silver Spoon sniffled and wiped her eyes. "She was just scared 'cause she thought that m-my foal was gonna hurt hers. It was my fault that they were in the in there first place!" Silver Spoon's voice became steadily more hysterical as she continued on. "I-If I had asked Fire Ruby where she was going instead of letting her go out with Golden Necklace right after that brat had gotten the both of them expelled t-then she'd be alive right now and Sweetie Belle and her foal wouldn't be going through this. Nopony would be going through this!"

Princess Celestia scooted closer and extended a wing to wrap around Silver Spoon. "You couldn't have known that they would have done that."

Silver Spoon shook her head and began sobbing. "It's all my fault!" she wailed. "All of this! If I had just paid better attention, if I hadn't let my daughter get influenced by Diamond Tiara and Golden Necklace, if I had told her that she couldn't go out that day then none of this would be happening!" Silver Spoon threw her head back and let out a tortured wail. "It's all my fault! Everything is my fault!"

Princess Celestia pulled Silver Spoon into a comforting hug and stroked her mane. "You couldn't have known any of this would happen. How could you? Your actions did not influence the actions of others. If you had prevented your child from going out that day or even forbidden her from seeing Golden Necklace again then they still would have found a way to get their revenge on Blossom. It was the decisions of others that led us to this point, not you."

Silver Spoon cried into Celestia's chest. "I just want my foal back," she sobbed. "I wanna hold her and tell her that it's all going to be alright. I wanna tell her that Mommy has her and she's safe now."

Celestia sighed and wiped away the first traces of tears from her own eyes. "That's actually something that we wanted to talk to you about. The ponies who printed the pictures of your foal, we caught them. They are going to be punished for what they did."

Silver Spoon slowly nodded. "Okay," she mumbled.

"Is there anything else we can do for you? I know that... we can't do much, but what can we do for you?"

Silver Spoon sniffled and pulled herself out of the hug. "I...I think I just need some time alone. A lot of time."

Celestia rose to her hooves and nodded. "Very well. If you need anything at all..." Silver Spoon nodded and turned away from the goddesses.

Changing The Rules

Blossom and Sweetie Belle had been moved into a smaller room inside the library where they were more comfortable and secure. A trio of guards had been posted by their door with instructions to only let Shining Armor, a few select servants, or the princesses inside to see them.

The moment they had been placed inside the room, Sweetie Belle had thrown her forelegs around Blossom and hugged her tight. Both had immediately started sobbing. "Mommy, why did she try to do that?" Blossom wailed.

Sweetie Belle stroked her daughter's mane. "Shh," she soothed. "She's gone now. She won't try to hurt you anymore."

Blossom wiped tears from her eyes and leaned her head into her mother's chest. "But she really wanted to hurt me, Mommy!" she cried. "Did she know that--"

"Blossom she was just very sad," said Sweetie Belle gently, cutting off her daughter before she could say something that the guards would overhear. "It...it was very wrong of Mommy to hurt them and Miss Tiara was very sad. She's not a bad pony; she just... made a very very bad choice."

Blossom slowly nodded and dried the last of her tears. "Did you want to hurt her so bad that she died?" she whispered.

Sweetie Belle had to hold back a whimper but she maintained control long enough to answer. "I don't know, Blossom," she admitted. "I did hurt her, but I don't think it would have been good for me to kill her. She wasn't thinking straight."

"Okay, Mommy." Blossom took a shaky breath and nuzzled her mother's foreleg. "Can...can we do something fun now? I don't want to think about Miss Tiara anymore."

Sweetie Belle gave her daughter a watery smile and nuzzled the top of her head. "Of course we can, baby, we have the next few days to ourselves so we can do whatever we want."

Blossom looked up at Sweetie Belle and smiled. "It'll be just like we never moved away."

Sweetie Belle nuzzled her daughter's head again. "Yes Blossom, just like we never left Ponyville at all."

* * * *

The next two days were heaven for Sweetie Belle and Blossom. They spent every waking moment with each other, never leaving the other's side. True to Blossom's words, it reminded the two of them of their old life in Ponyville, before the fateful day in the woods had torn the two of them apart. It was as if that day had passed without incident.

However life moved on and their single days of paradise came to a close. Blossom and Sweetie Belle wept when they were torn apart once more but Sweetie Belle and the princesses promised Blossom that this would not be the last time that they saw each other. They would someday have those small slices of true joy once again.

The following day found the princesses sitting in their private library conference room. Neither of them were speaking, they were merely sitting in their chairs and contemplating the conversation they were about to have. In truth it was a conversation that neither of them wished to have as there would likely be repercussions for decades, if not centuries, but it needed to be done.

Finally Celestia took a deep breath. "I believe that we should put Blossom in therapy. Not to determine whether or not she killed Fire Ruby and Golden Necklace, but rather to possibly prevent this from spiraling further out of control. I do not wish to see a third member of that family commit murder and I believe that we made a significant mistake in not presenting such an opportunity for Sweetie Belle."

Luna nodded. "We agree, Tia," she said. "It is not our wish to see this repeated again. Joyous Blossom deserves as much help as we can give her."

"Indeed she does," said Celestia. "We have made far too many mistakes in how we have handled everything from Rarity's case to the present day. I wish to learn from them." Celestia sighed and idly moved a pencil around the table with her magic. "Which brings me to our second order of business and our most important one: the death penalty."

Luna shifted her gaze over to a bookshelf behind her sister and ignited her horn. Immediately a large brown book flew off of the bookshelf and came to rest between the diarchs. Celestia fired up her own horn and the book opened up to a middle page. Celestia levitated the book and began scanning the contents. "In the event of one pony causing the death of another pony in a manner that is not brought about by self-defense, the death penalty shall be administered to the guilty party without exception," Celestia read. She put the book back on the table and looked up at her sister. "You know how much we had to do to find a loophole to prevent Sweetie Belle from suffering the same fate as her sister, but I cannot allow such a blatant and unforgiving law to be on the books any further."

Luna cocked her head and glanced down at the book. "You suggest abolishing it completely?"

Celestia shook her head. "No, I do not. Ponies who commit first degree murder should still be subjected to the needle, but there are certain amendments that I wish to make."

"If We may guess, We suspect that you would like to place age restrictions upon the penalty?" Luna questioned.

"I do." Celestia levitated a quill and parchment over to her and dipped the quill in a nearby inkwell. "I suspect that when Rarity first murdered she covered it up because she suspected that she might be punished with the death penalty for what she did and under our current law she would have been. If I am correct then she could have received help and her feelings could have not deteriorated until she was a merciless killer."

"Rarity's first kill was accidental, was it not?" Luna guessed.

"According to her testimony it was, but she killed the other two foals to prevent them from relaying what had happened in the clearing that day. She feared she would die for her actions."

Luna scanned the parchment Celestia had in front of her for a brief moment. "You suggest that the minimum age before first or second degree murder warrants possible execution be sixteen?"

"Yes," said Celestia, jotting the notes down onto the parchment. "And I would also like to make amendments regarding how soon the killer is executed after capture. Rarity was given the needle less than forty-eight hours after her capture and I only questioned her on her motives once. If I had taken the time to delve further into her mind we could have possibly gained information that would have helped us prevent such a thing from occurring again."

"We agree," said Luna with a nod. "All prisoners convicted of murder regardless of circumstances are to be evaluated by one or more psychologists to gain a better understanding of their minds and motives." Celestia grunted in agreement and jotted down the necessary notes onto the parchment. Luna observed her for a moment before speaking up again. "How will our changes affect Joyous Blossom if she is revealed to be the guilty party?"

The tip of the quill that Celestia had been using snapped at Luna's words, staining the parchment with small drops of ink. Celestia blinked at the paper for a second before turning her eyes upwards at Luna. "What do you mean, Luna?" she asked.

Luna scoffed. "You know what we mean, Tia. Should we execute the foal if at a later time she is revealed to be the killer; particularly when we consider that she willingly let her mother take the blame in its entirety."

Celestia's jaw tightened and the glow around her horn and the quill faded, causing the quill to clatter onto the table. "I'm not sure," she admitted. "It all depends on how our lawmakers wish to interpret her situation. When she killed Fire Ruby and Golden Necklace the law in effect would have warranted her execution. However this new law we are writing would lessen that punishment a great deal based on her age were she to commit the crime now."

Luna frowned and scratched the back of her head. "There are many factors to take into account should she be revealed to be the killer, Tia," Luna observed. "Which law we want to fulfill based on the time of the crime, her age when we find out that she killed the unfortunate foals and so forth. If the therapy we wish her to undergo results in her admitting that she is the killer then do we give her the penalty as this new law is not on the books?"

Celestia shrugged and moved a new quill over to her. "I'd rather cross that bridge when we come to it rather than speculate. In the eyes of the law Sweetie Belle is the killer and we must continue to act with that information." Princess Celestia looked up at Princess Luna and cocked her head slightly. "You still suspect Blossom."

"Not suspect, sister, We believe that she is the sole killer. I observed the way the two of them acted when Sweetie Belle was taken back to the institution last night. The way Blossom looked at her mother... We are uncertain of whether or not what We saw was correct, but it seemed to Us that she looked at her mother with a sadness that did not come from merely being upset at being torn from her mother under the circumstances, but rather a sadness that said 'it should be me'."

Celestia's eyes narrowed. "You think Blossom murdered the foals based on your interpretation of an expression?"

Luna hesitated slightly before shaking her head. "No that is merely the latest in a string of events that make us continue to suspect the foal. We know that We cannot back them up with hard evidence and We will continue to act according to the judgment that Sweetie Belle is guilty and We will certainly not let it influence how We interact with Blossom, but We still believe it was her."

"Luna I think dwelling on those feelings wouldn't be prudent."

A flash of anger appeared in Luna's eyes. "Do you not find yourself questioning the judgment as well, Tia?" she growled. "Can you tell us with absolute certainty, without a shadow of a doubt that Sweetie Belle is the killer?"

Celestia matched her sister's gaze for but a second before she bowed her head with a sigh. "No, I cannot," she conceded. "Unless we get a confession from one of them I doubt we'll ever truly know without a doubt who killed the two of them." Celestia raised her head and turned her attention back to the parchment. "Until such a time as we can know for sure, we must continue to act on our judgment of Sweetie Belle. I repeat that I wish to only deal with Blossom's guilt at such a time as we know for sure it was her."

"But a time when the issue will be pressed farther is already at hoof, Tia!" Luna pointed out. Our nation is already split on the issue to the point where half of the articles we examined regarding the pictures accused Blossom of the crime. One of them even urged its readers to sign a petition asking for Sweetie Belle's release and Blossom's conviction." The fire drained out of Luna's eyes and she looked sadly at the parchment. "This law is important and will change Equestria for generations, but once we have the cogs in motion we need to consider the fact that Equestria is split on who killed the foals to the point where it will likely affect her life even after she is given over to the Apples. There are ponies who will not tolerate a perceived murderer in their midst yet at the same time we cannot keep her forever."

"Luna, I know," said Celestia sadly. "But I do not want this to affect how we write out this law. We need to take more into account than just her case. Blossom is important and I promise you we will look into these accusations against her but for now..." Celestia shook her head sadly. "I want to change the law to prevent more situations like this from arising."

Luna nodded and inclined her head slightly. "Forgive me, Tia, I let my feelings about Blossom cloud the more important issue."

Celestia waved Luna's apology away. "No need to apologize, Luna," she said. "Blossom's fate is on all of our minds right now. But right now we need to focus more on changing the death penalty as well as the penalty that immediately equates attempted murder with life in prison."

Luna nodded and motioned over to the parchment. "Then let us continue."

* * * *

Blossom was sitting in her room, idly changing the colors of the bedspread when the princesses opened the door and walked in. The filly immediately leaped off of the bed and stood in the center of the room. Princess Celestia smiled warmly at her while Luna seemed strangely distant, something that set Butterflies off in Blossom's stomach.

Princess Celestia walked over to Blossom and sat on her haunches in front of her. "Good afternoon, Blossom," she greeted. "How has your day been?"

Blossom's eyes flickered back over to Princess Luna and she took an uneasy step back at the night goddess' gaze. "W-Whatever I did to make you mad at me I'm sorry for, Princess Luna," she whimpered.

Luna's eyes widened and she shook her head. "Oh, no it is nothing you did, child," she reassured her. "We simply had a long day in court. You are not to blame for such a thing." Blossom continued looking uneasily at Luna who seemed to notice and so she stretched her mouth up in a warm smile. Still, Blossom sensed that there was a falseness to it.

Princess Celestia quietly cleared her throat. "Blossom, my sister and I would like to talk to you." Blossom's head snapped back to meet Princess Celestia's gaze. "We have been talking and we have decided that after everything that has been happening..." Celestia hesitated for the briefest of seconds, something that did nothing to bolster Blossom's courage. "Well, we have decided that we want to help you by having you talk to somepony about how you are feeling twice a week to make sure that you're doing okay."

The effect was immediate. Blossom's uneasily curious demeanor instantly shifted to complete fear and with a squeal of terror she began backing away. "Please don't take me away!" she cried. "D-Don't take my horn and lock me up!"

Celestia's eyes widened and she stood up, extending a hoof to placate the frightened foal. "Blossom we are not going to take you away and we are not going to put you in an institution."

Tears began streaming down Blossom's face and she backed into the far wall. "You're gonna take me away like you did to Mommy!" she accused. "I'm not sick in the head, I promise I'm not!"

Celestia took a step forward. "Blossom we are not--"

"W-Whatever I did to make you mad I'm sorry!" she sobbed. "I...I didn't mean to and I'll do better, I promise I will! Just don't take me away like Mommy!"

"Blossom we are not going to take you away!" Celestia insisted. "You are going to stay here and we are just going to have somepony talk to you about how you are doing to make sure you are okay."

Princess Celestia took another step forward and with another squeal of terror, Blossom ignited her horn and shot a spell towards the sun goddess. The spell missed its mark and hit the bedpost next to her, turning it from its normal brown to a bright magenta. Luna took a step forward but Celestia held out a hoof to stop her. Seeing this, Blossom let out a wail of sorrow. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to! I...I..."

Princess Celestia shook her head and held up a hoof. "I'm not hurt Blossom and I know you didn't want to hurt me. You could have shot something worse at me than a simple color changing spell after all."

Blossom sniffled and turned her gaze to the floor. "Not really," she muttered.

The princesses exchanged a brief glance before Celestia looked back to Blossom. "Blossom, we are not going to take you away. You're going to do just what you've been doing only you'll talk to somepony who wants to make sure you don't get sick in the head. We do not want you to stew with your emotions; we want to know what you are feeling. We want to make sure you are as happy as possible, now and going forward. Wouldn't you like somepony to talk to about what's going on in your life?"

Blossom stared silently at the floor for a second before answering. "I guess," she mumbled.

Celestia smiled warmly at her. "That's all that we're doing," she explained. "We will not harm you in any way; that was never the plan."

Blossom slowly raised her head to meet Celestia's gaze. "Does this have anything to do with why Princess Luna is mad at me?"

Luna sighed and took a step forward. "Blossom, We are not wroth with you. As We said We simply had a hard day in court today and We wish to go to bed. You are not to be blamed for that."

Blossom looked back at Princess Celestia who nodded. "Neither of us are angry at you for anything. You've been a wonderful filly and we are glad to help you in any way. We both love you very much, always know that."

Blossom's eyes darted back to Luna who smiled warmly and nodded. "Our sister speaks the truth, Joyous Blossom."

Slowly Blossom's head moved up and down in an uneasy nod and she got to her hooves. "Okay," she whispered. "If you think talking to this pony is gonna help me I guess I can give it a try."

Celestia's smile widened and she walked up to Blossom and put a comforting hoof on her shoulder. "We only want to help you, Blossom," she said. "We think that you will feel a lot better after talking about how you're feeling." Princess Celestia removed her hoof from Blossom's shoulder. "Well, my sister and I must be going now. If you need anything--"

"Just press the button," Blossom repeated.

Celestia nodded. "Press the button." With that, the two goddesses walked out of the room.

When they were gone, Blossom slowly walked over to the pony doll of her mother that she had made. "I'm not sick in the head," she whispered to it. "I promise I'm not." Blossom then threw her forelegs over the doll's shoulder, buried her head into its chest and wept.

Talking to Thought Process

The next week saw Blossom in her room, waiting for the psychologist to arrive. Princess Celestia had asked her if she would mind going to his office near the palace to talk to him, but she had said that she didn't want to do that. So, Princess Luna suggested that they hold their conferences in Blossom's room, somewhere she felt safer. Blossom had agreed and the princesses had scheduled the appointment not long after.

Over the course of the week, Blossom had been allowed to see her mother one more time before the psychologist visited. Sweetie Belle had been quite pleased to hear that Blossom was getting help, telling Blossom that she had seen somepony about things in her life that were going wrong and that he had helped her overcome her sad feelings about Rarity's death. Blossom had relaxed upon hearing her mother confirm that seeing a psychologist wasn't a bad thing, though Sweetie Belle had reminded her more than once to keep their secret.

Now Blossom was in her room, once more changing the colors of various objects as she often did when she was bored or uneasy. She had gotten to the point where she could even change the appearance of certain objects to make them look completely different from what they had started as while still keeping traces of the original object left.

She was in the process of turning a red rubber ball into a bright blue orange when she heard a knock on the door. She froze and the orange splattered on the ground, causing the spell to break and the orange to revert to its original form.

Blossom looked nervously at the door but managed to muster the little bit of courage that she had to call out. "Come in."

The door to her room opened and a chipper looking gray pegasus pony with a salt and pepper mane and tail walked in. he flashed her a warm smile. "Hello, Blossom, my name is Thought Process." The pony walked in front of her and extended a hoof that she nervously shook. Thought Process sat on his haunches in front of her and put the saddlebag he had been wearing down on the floor. "Princess Celestia asked me to come talk to you about everything that's been happening lately, is that okay?"

Blossom's head retreated back into her mane, but she tilted her head in a slight nod.

Thought Process cocked his head and frowned. "Is there something wrong?" he asked. "Do I scare you?"

Blossom retreated farther into her mane. "Yes," she whispered.

Thought Process thought about putting a hoof on her shoulder but thought better of it and shook his head. "Why is that, Blossom?"

Blossom shrugged. "I..." She sighed. "I guess it's because ponies like you took Mommy away and took her horn off. They think she's sick in the head so they took her away."

"Ponies like me? Blossom, I assure you that I did not take your mother away and I have no intention of doing anything remotely like that to you. I just want to talk to you about how you're feeling, that's all."

Blossom took a deep breath and poked her head out of her mane slightly. "I know, that's what Princess Celestia said, but it's still scary just because of what happened to Mommy."

Thought Process nodded understandingly. "I can see why somepony like me could be scary because of that, but I promise that I will not hurt you. If I ever bring something up that you don't want to talk about, you be sure to tell me right away and I'll stop talking about it at once, is that okay?"

Blossom nodded and moved her head out of her mane. "Okay," she said again.

Thought Process smiled warmly and took a quill and notebook out of his saddlebag. "I need to take some notes about our talks to better help you and understand what you're going through, is that fine?" Blossom nodded. "Good. Now why don't you tell me a little about yourself, Blossom."

"What do you want to know?" she asked.

Thought Process shrugged. "I don't know, whatever you feel up to telling me."

Blossom cocked her head and frowned thoughtfully. "Um... well I'm from Ponyville, I have two aunts in the Wonderbolts, uh... I'm really good at magic; I really like changing the looks of a lot of things."

Thought Process cocked his head. "What do you mean by that?"

Blossom thought for a moment then looked down at the red rubber ball that was still at her hooves. She raised it into the air with her magic and focused on it. With a flash the ball turned into what appeared to be a Zap Apple. Thought Process raised his eyebrow. "That's quite impressive there, Blossom. I've never seen a unicorn who could do something like that."

A small smile formed on Blossom's face for the first time. "Yeah it's what I do whenever I'm bored or nervous. I pick an object in the room and start changing its colors and appearances. I can even change how ponies look too."

Thought Process' eyes widened and he nodded, impressed. "Can you really? I've only heard of a few unicorns who could do something like that."

Blossom's smile widened and she fired up her horn. Instantly she was encased in a bright purple glow for a minute. When the glow faded, Thought Process gasped at what he saw in front of him. Instead of the alabaster filly with a light purple mane, there was now a bright yellow filly with a red mane. The filly smiled. "This is what my aunt Apple Bloom looked like when she was as old as I am now," said Blossom proudly. She looked up at her forehead from which a yellow horn protruded. "I still can't make it look like I don't have a horn, though."

Thought Process spouted of a few gibberish words, his mind blown at the filly's capabilities. Blossom smirked at him and fired up her horn again. In an instant she was back to her normal appearance. Thought Process' mind went back to something resembling his namesake when Blossom changed back and he took a deep breath. "Blossom that was incredible. I've never seen something like that before. When did you find out that you could achieve things like this?"

Blossom shrugged. "I dunno. At first it was just basic color changing but once I got good at that I tried to do different stuff with it." Blossom looked down at the zap apple. "It's just an illusion, though. This isn't actually a zap apple. It's still a ball."

"Well I think it's impressive nonetheless," said Thought Process. "You're very gifted."

Blossom smiled and nodded. "I think I'm good at it." She continued her grin for a moment before cocking her head. "Is there anything else you wanna know about me?"

Thought Process tapped his chin with his hoof, contemplating her question. "Well you've told me where you're from, some bits about your family, and you've clearly demonstrated what you're good at. How about we get started on some of the questions I want to ask you and you tell me anything relevant when it comes up, whaddya say?"

Blossom's grin faded but she nodded nonetheless.

Thought Process nodded and glanced down at his notebook. "Okay, the first thing I want to ask you is how you're doing in this new setting. I know that this is not quite your home in Ponyville, how are you dealing with the transition?"

Blossom's gaze turned to the floor and she shrugged. "Like you said it's a lot different," she said quietly. "I guess for a lot of ponies it would be really nice since I have ponies who get me whatever I want and I have a good room here, but I'd rather be back at Carousel Boutique."

"That was the name of your home in Ponyville?" Thought Process questioned.

Blossom nodded. "Yeah. It's where Mommy and I lived before I came here. She got it from..." Blossom's words were cut short and a shiver ran up her spine. "My aunt Rarity," she mumbled.

Thought Process studied the filly silently for a second before he started up the questioning again. "If you don't want to answer this then by all means don't, but how does that make you feel, knowing what your aunt did?"

"Mommy walled off the basement so I never have to think about what happened. I don't like thinking about it. I didn't even know until..." Blossom's eyes filled with tears and she sniffled slightly. "Until Golden Necklace and Fire Ruby put that newspaper article on my desk."

Thought Process jotted down a few notes before rooting through his saddlebag and pulling out a packet of tissues that he slid over to Blossom. Blossom opened the pack with her magic and dabbed at her eyes with one of the tissues. "We don't have to talk about this if you don't want to, Blossom. We can talk about something else."

Blossom's head shot up and she looked at Thought Process with wide eyes. "Like what? Isn't that what you're here to talk about: that day and how it affected my life? Everything that's happened happened because of that!"

Thought Process held up a hoof to calm her down. "Blossom we don't have to talk about that if you don't want to," he said gently. "We can talk about whatever you want to talk about."

Blossom's tears were falling harder now. "Why did they do that?" she wailed. "Why did they have to put the newspaper on my desk like that?"

"I don't know," said Thought Process sadly. "I don't know why they thought that was okay. Some ponies can be very cruel sometimes."

Blossom buried her head in her hooves. "But now they're dead because of it!" she cried. "T-They didn't really deserve that!"

Thought Process looked sadly at the crying filly in front of him and took a deep breath. "Blossom I'm going to tell you something, but you have to promise to keep it a secret." Blossom nodded and wiped her eyes with a tissue. "I know that what your aunt Rarity did hurt you and your mom a lot. If she hadn't done what she did you wouldn't be here."

"I don't hate her for that," mumbled Blossom. "She was a sad pony who did bad things."

Thought Process slowly nodded. "Yes, I know. One of the bad things that she did hurt me too." Blossom's eyes widened and she looked up at Thought Process. The psychologist continued on. "I had a cousin named Krissy. She was a psychologist like me and she disappeared one day on her way to a psychology convention."

"Aunt Rarity killed her?" Blossom whispered.

Thought Process nodded. "My parents were very sad when they heard the news. Even if they didn't know her that well, nopony wanted to hear that their family members had been victims. I was only ten at the time, but I immediately knew that I wanted to be a psychologist to help ponies who were hurt by that." Thought Process looked down at his flank and smiled. "I've been told it was similar to hers." Blossom glanced over at his cutie mark and saw that it was a question mark but instead of a dot at the bottom it was a tear drop.

"What's the tear for?" she asked.

Thought Process smiled. "It represents my talent for making ponies who have been hurt feel better." He turned back to Blossom. "It's why I want to help you feel better. I know what it's like to have a family member hurt because of what Rarity did. I think you have it worse off than I do because you have to live it down. I want to help you through that, to make you realize that it's going to be okay in the end and you can live your life separate from what your aunt did. You don't have to be hurt by this."

Blossom took a deep breath and nodded. "I don't want to be sad."

Thought Process put a hoof on Blossom's shoulder. "And I don't want you to be sad. I want to help you. Forget the princesses, forget what other ponies think, I just don't want to see you sad." Thought Process smiled kindly at her and for the first time in a while, Blossom smiled back. Thought Process then took a deep breath and stood up. "I think this is a good place to end it for today. I'll see you Friday, okay?"

Blossom nodded. "Okay, I think I'd like that."

Thought Process widened his smile. "I'll see you then." Thought Process put his saddlebag on his back and began turning around to walk out of the room. Before he did, he stopped and looked back at Blossom. "By the way, that really was impressive, what you did with changing your appearance and all."

Blossom giggled. "Yeah, I think I'm getting pretty good at it."

Thought Process smirked. "Yeah you certainly are. About that, though, you might want to look yourself over; you know, just to make sure nothing's changed permanently."

Blossom cocked her head and Thought Process gave her a knowing smile. "I have to go now. I'll see you later, okay?"

"Okay," said Blossom. Thought Process waved goodbye and exited the room.

After the door had closed, Blossom mulled over his words about looking herself over to see if something had changed. She was usually pretty good about making sure she changed completely back to normal whenever she powered down the spell, but there was the possibility that there had been something she missed. She began looking over her body to see if something was different and...

She spotted it at once and leaped into the air with a squeal of joy.

* * * *

Sweetie Belle was sitting on her bed; leafing through a book she had been given. It was some trashy pulp novel, but it was something to do to while away the hours. She suddenly saw her door open and she put her book down. It was one of her guards. "You have a visitor," he said simply and beckoned her forward.

Sweetie Belle's ears perked up. A visitor? Her friends weren't scheduled to come again until that Saturday so she was unsure of who it could be. She jumped off of her bed and followed the guard to the visitation room.

When he opened the door she immediately saw who had come to see her. a wide smile split her face. "Blossom!" she said happily.

The two ponies ran over to each other and embraced. Blossom was excited beyond belief, more so than she usually was when she saw her mother. "Mommy, the greatest thing just happened!"

Sweetie Belle broke off the hug and smiled at her daughter. "What's that?"

Blossom turned so her mother could see her side. Sweetie Belle gasped.

"I got my cutie mark!" squeed Blossom.

Indeed she had. Where previously there was nothing on her flank, there was now the image of a blue unicorn horn with red sparks flying out of it. The upper half of the horn was bright orange. "It represents my talent for changing the appearance of things!" she said happily. "I got my cutie mark!"

Sweetie Belle's eyes filled with tears of joy and she embraced her daughter again. "Mommy's so proud of you," she whispered. "Mommy's very proud of you, Blossom."

I Don't Wanna Hurt Anypony

Blossom's horn powered down and her chosen disguise washed over her body. He would be here soon now. He was almost never more than a few minutes late and their latest session started in a minute or so. Once he walked in she would get him. He wouldn't even see it coming.

Blossom's magical grip encased her chosen weapon. Yes, it would be perfect for when he came in, unsuspecting and unknowing. He would be down for the count before he even knew what had happened.

The knocks on the door came, just like they had every Friday for the past month. "Come in," Blossom called out. She saw the door open and she grinned to herself. Thought Process walked into the room with an unknowing smile on his face. He would never suspect what she had in store for him. She had even camouflaged her weapon.

Though Process' smile quickly faded when he looked around the room which seemed to be missing his patient. That made no sense, he had heard her calling out to him. A sly smile of realization crossed his face and he began scanning the room. "Oh Blossom, come out, come out, wherever you are!"

Blossom had to hold back a devious laugh and she readied herself for her attack. Just a few hooves closer.

"Blossom I know you're in here so you might as well not bother playing any games this time."

Blossom licked her lips in anticipation. Just... a little... closer.

Thought Process chuckled and fluttered his wings out. "Even if you hide I will find you. There are only so many viable places for you to hide. I'm coming to--"

Without warning Blossom pounced out of her hiding spot with an inequine war cry. She raised her chosen weapon high and brought it down, smashing it into the side of Thought Process' head. The psychologist went down without a sound. Blossom landed next to him and put the weapon down. She grinned at the downed psychologist and let out a mad giggle. "Gotcha," she whispered.

She heard a chuckle in front of her. "Indeed you did, Blossom," said Thought Process. "I admit that I should have seen it coming. The curtains are a different color. Bright blue instead of the normal purple. You even changed the color of the pillow to match the curtains. A stroke of genius, that."

Blossom giggled again as the psychologist pushed himself off of the floor. The blue filly fired up her horn and her, the curtains, and her pillow weapon all changed back to their normal colors. Thought Process smirked at her and beckoned over to their usual spot on the floor. Blossom used her magic to put the pillow back on the bed before trotting over to a beam of sunlight that was coming through the window. Thought Process sat in front of her and put his saddlebag next to him and took out a quill and notebook as usual. He ran a hoof through his mane and shuffled his wings to get more comfortable. "How is everything today, Blossom?" he asked. "You seem to be doing okay. You never pounce me when something's wrong."

Blossom smiled. "Oh yes, things are going good," she confirmed. "Princess Celestia's private tutor for me started teaching me some easy spells that don't have to do with my cutie mark. He says that I'm really good at changing the appearance at stuff and levitating things, but I need to study some other stuff too."

Thought Process began taking notes. "Such as?"

Blossom shrugged. "He said he wanted to teach me some stuff about healing magic; something that would make small cuts and bruises better, you know?"

Thought Process nodded. "Yes that does sound pretty useful," he admitted. "I wish I could learn things like that."

"It's kinda fun once you get the hang of it," Blossom confirmed. "I really like it."

Thought Process chuckled at Blossom's happiness but his smile slowly started fading and he took a deep breath. "Blossom... I'd like to talk to you about today, how you pounced on me."

Blossom frowned and cocked her head. "Was that too mean of me?"

Thought Process waved his hoof dismissively. "No I wasn't hurt and it was amusing but..." He sighed. "Basically what I'm worried about is what you're going to do with it. How do you see yourself applying that in real life?"

Blossom tapped her chin with her hoof. "Uh... I dunno," she admitted. She thought for another moment before her eyes widened and she looked up at Thought Process. "Is my special talent useless?"

Thought Process vigorously shook his head. "Far from it, my dear," he reassured her. "Nopony has a special talent that is useless and certainly not somepony with a special talent as impressive as yours. I only ask because I'm curious. You can hardly be expected to know how it's going to affect your life at the age of eight. I'm just wondering what your thoughts were, that's all."

Blossom slowly nodded. "Okay..." She paused for a brief second. "But you asked about it in terms of me pouncing on you. Are you worried that I'll use my special talent to be like my aunt Rarity?"

Thought Process uneasily scratched the back of his head. "Well no," he said. "It was just a general question."

Blossom lowered her gaze to the floor. "I dunno," Blossom mumbled. "I guess I could use it to hurt other ponies and get away with it. It would be easy to look like somepony else entirely when I hurt somepony." She looked up at Thought Process with wide eyes. "But I don't want to hurt anypony!" she insisted. "My aunt Rarity died because she hurt ponies and Mommy was taken away so why would I want to do something like that?"

A subtle sense of relief seemed to wash over Thought Process' body and he flashed her a more genuine smile. "I think that's wonderful to hear, Blossom," he said happily. "I think you're a wonderful filly who is going to go on to do great things and I'm sorry that you had to experience what you did in the clearing a few months ago."

Blossom nodded sadly. "It was scary, having to go through all of that."

"I can imagine."

"I still don't remember much about it," Blossom admitted. "I just remember that they were saying that I was gonna be like aunt Rarity and then I...I remember that they were dead." Blossom shrunk back and began shaking. "Then they took Mommy away."

Thought Process put a comforting hoof on her shoulder. "If you don't want to talk about that's perfectly okay. It's obviously... well it's obviously not the best time in your life."

Blossom nodded and looked up at Thought Process. "Do ponies think that I did it?" she asked.

Thought Process froze up, his mouth slightly open as he tried to process her words and come up with a viable response. He flashed her a weak smile and cleared his throat. "Blossom... uh, it's best not to think about what other ponies think. With everything there will be nasty rumors going around. What matters is that you didn't do it."

Thought Process looked at the shaking filly in front of her. His words had done nothing to assuage her fears that everypony in Equestria suspected that she was a murder and that her mother had taken the fall for it. He shook his head sadly. "Blossom it doesn't matter what other ponies feel so long as you know the truth," he assured her. 'The brutal truth that her mother murdered her classmates' he silently finished.

Blossom slowly raised her head and made eye contact with Thought Process. He smiled warmly at her, but his smile faltered slightly when he saw what was behind her eyes: fear. Thought Process had been counseling ponies for ten years now and he had become adept at recognizing different types of fear, particularly where his specialty was concerned. In his expert opinion, Blossom's fear was not that of a filly who was scared of other ponies thinking bad things about her; it was a fear that came from... being scared of getting caught.

He cleared his throat and reinforced his smile. "Blossom, please believe me when I say that everything is going to be okay with you. Even if some ponies believe a false version of events."

Blossom's eyes widened. "You don't think I did it?"

Thought Process shook his head. "No, I don't. I think you are a wonderful filly who had some terrible things happen to her and you're very scared as a result. I don't think you are the type to... well, let's just say that I know for a fact that you won't be like your aunt. You're going to go on to do great things, Blossom. Life will work out for you, I know it will. You have ponies who love and care about you, right?"

Blossom slowly nodded and a small smile played at her lips. "Yeah, I do," she mumbled.

"Well there you go," said Thought Process. "You're going to be just fine."

Thought Process stretched his wings and glanced up at the clock. "I think that's a good place to end for today," he said. "Think about what I said about, about your special talent, okay? I'll see you on Wednesday?"

Blossom took a deep breath and got to her hooves. "Okay," she mumbled. "Have a good day."

"And you as well, Blossom," said Thought Process with a smile.

After packing his saddlebag, the psychologist walked out of the room. He glanced back to see Blossom changing the pattern on the curtains. He sighed and shut the door behind him. He walked down the hall for a minute and was surprised to run into both of the princesses. Celestia flashed him a smile and he returned it with a bow. "Good afternoon, princesses," he greeted.

"Good afternoon, Thought Process," greeted Celestia. "How was your time with Blossom?"

Thought Process smiled weakly. "It was--" His voice cracked and she cleared his throat. "Good," he finished lamely.

Luna frowned and cocked her head. "Is something amiss?" she questioned. "Thou seem uneasy."

Thought Process waved a hoof and shook his head. "No, nothing is wrong," he assured them. "Blossom and I just touched on some big things today, that's all. I'd talk to you about them but, you know, doctor/patient confidentiality."

Celestia nodded. "Of course, doctor. We wouldn't dare intrude upon such a thing, especially not with a filly like Blossom." Celestia looked down the hall. "My sister and I have some matters to attend to, but I assume we'll see you on Wednesday for her next appointment?"

Thought Process nodded and bowed to the princesses once more. "Yes, of course. I'll be here for her."

The three ponies exchanged goodbyes and Thought Process began trotting down the hall, a little too quickly for Luna's liking. "Sister, go ahead to the throne room. We must speak with him about something. We won't be long."

Celestia frowned but Luna preemptively waved away her objections. "We shall not question him about anything involving what he spoke with Blossom about as he is quite right that it would violate said agreement."

Celestia studied her sister for a moment but she eventually sighed. "Very well, but be quick about it. I would also like to know what it is you ask him," she said.

Luna nodded. "Of course, Tia, it shall be our first order of business."

With that Luna began walking down the hallway after the nervous psychologist. He was hiding something, something big and Luna wanted to know what that was. She wouldn't ask him directly of course, she would merely ask him benign questions and gauge how he reacted to them. They had talked about the murders, she knew they had. What she had told him could, and would, prove invaluable in her mind of discovering who was the true killer.

She turned a corner and saw her target. He was sitting down with his head in his hooves, leaning against a bench with his back to the princess. Luna opened her mouth to call to him, but she stopped when she saw that he seemed to be hyperventilating. She frowned and stepped forwards. He seemed to be muttering something to himself as well.

Luna took another step forward and swiveled her ear closer to hear what he was saying. She nearly gasped in shock when the words entered her ear.

"Holy Celestia, she did it, Blossom killed them."

* * * *

Princess Celestia was just about to sit down on her throne to hear the first of the day court cases when the west door to the throne room banged open, revealing a nearly livid Princess Luna. The assorted nobles gasped and muttered amongst themselves when she entered. Hearing this, Luna turned to them. "THE DAY COURT WILL BE POSTPONED FOR ONE HALF-HOUR!" she cried out in the Royal Canterlot Voice. "BEGONE FROM THIS HALL UNTIL THEN!"

Nopony dared argue with the night princess and within two minutes the entire hall was emptied leaving only a confused Celestia and an angry Luna standing in the throne room.

Princess Celestia came to her senses after a moment and glared at her sister. "Luna, would you mind explaining what that was?!" she yelled. "Why did you just kick our--"

Luna wheeled around and faced her sister. The fire in her eyes was such that ever the sun goddess was slightly unnerved. "Blossom is the killer!" she cried out.

Celestia's eyes widened and she let out a gasp. "What did you say?"

"We heard it from the doctor's own lips; he muttered to himself that Blossom was the guilty party!"

Celestia frowned. "You have no other evidence besides that?"

Luna groaned. "Tia, thou certainly saw how uneasy he was to be in our presence and on top of that he mentioned that he had discussed emotionally heavy topics with Blossom!" she growled. "Add that to the fact that there would be no heavier topic than the murders and directly after he left he said that Blossom is the killer, it leaves no doubt in Our mind that the foal is the guilty party!"

Celestia stared at her sister in open mouthed shock. She had to take more than a minute to fire up her brain again. "Luna, I realize that the circumstantial evidence of what you just heard does point to Blossom, but we have no evidence beyond what you overheard to overturn our judgment. I do not see that as sufficient."

Luna's glare intensified and she took an angry step towards her sister. "If what he said is true then we have been housing a murderer while her mother rots in a mental ward in her place! We realize that what We heard cannot overturn our judgment, but We wish to give Sweetie Belle her horn back!"

It was Celestia's turn to take an aggressive step forwards. "You know why we cannot do that, Luna," she growled. "If she committed murder then that is part of her punishment!"

"THAT MARE IS INNOCENT!" Luna screeched. "You have caused her enough suffering and it is your duty to return her horn. If thou wishes not to do it then We will give it back ourselves without your support!" Luna's eyes narrowed. "And We know thou would not wish to remove it again, particularly if We tell the foal of what transpired."

Celestia gasped. "Luna you wouldn't dare!"

"There is little that I would not do for justice," Luna snarled. "That goes double for this case. We know that this chain of events is traceable back to Rarity in the end and we do not wish to see any more suffering come out of what she did! We will give Sweetie Belle her horn back; it is the just thing to do!"

Celestia glowered at her sister but the night goddess gave no quarter. She returned the glare with an equally fiery one of her own until Celestia sighed sadly and looked towards the ground. "Do what you must."

"Thank you, Tia," Luna said curtly. "We shall begin the process immediately."

With that, Princess Luna turned around and walked out of the throne room.

* * * *

The next day saw Sweetie Belle in her room, her horn back on her forehead for the first time in months. She walked up to a mirror and grinned at the sight of it. It looked like it had never come off at all.

She fired up her horn and her toothbrush, manebrush, and an empty water glass were encased in a magical glow. They were lifted into the air with ease and Sweetie Belle lazily moved them around the room.

It was perfect.

Send Her Home

The next week saw Thought Process and the princesses standing in front of a two way mirror, looking at the sight of Sweetie Belle and Blossom hugging. It was visitation day for Blossom and Sweetie Belle and Blossom had been elated when she saw that her mother had her horn back. Princess Luna had told her that it was because of her good behavior and that the doctors said that she wasn't a danger to anypony. Luna had even requested that Sweetie Belle be sent to a lower security ward in the institution but Celestia had finally put her hoof down at that. They had compromised by having her transferred to a medium security wing.

Now the mother and filly were happily hugging each other while the three ponies watched on. Thought Process was smiling but the two princesses were stoically looking at the scene before them.

Finally Princess Celestia spoke up. "If we may have a few words with you Thought Process," she said. "There are some things that we must discuss.

Thought Process' smile faltered but he turned to the princesses and bowed his head. "Whatever you need to discuss I am open to so long as it does not violate doctor/patient confidentiality."

"We leave that up to you," said Luna. "There are questions that must be asked regardless."

Thought Process nodded. "Very well. What do you want to know?"

Princess Celestia took a deep breath. "Our first question is the most important one: is that filly dangerous to anypony?"

Thought Process' eyes widened and he took a step forwards. "Absolutely not!" he cried. "She would never willingly hurt another pony; it's not something that appeals to her."

"We understand you thoughts," said Luna, "but we merely ask because her special talent would prove... advantageous to any willing to follow in her aunt's hoofsteps."

"If I had to pick her greatest fear right now it would be her being capable of following in her aunt's hoofsteps," said Thought Process curtly. "I have talked to her about it a few times and every time I do she insists that she doesn't want to hurt anypony because nothing good can come of it. I even asked her about using her powers to do something like that yesterday and she said that she'd rather lose her horn than use her talents to hurt anypony." Thought Process gave a mild smirk. "And after what you did to her mother, losing her horn is her second biggest fear."

The princesses mulled over his words for a moment. Luna glanced back at Blossom who was clapping her hooves together as her mother lifted a cup into the air with her re-acquired magic. The night goddess sighed and looked back to Thought Process. "What do you suggest we do?" she asked.

"You want my advice? Send her back to Ponyville and transfer her mother to the nearest hospital." Both princesses raised their eyebrows interestedly but the psychologist continued on. "You only brought her here and hired me to find out if she's dangerous, right? Well she's not! Not remotely dangerous! If you gave custody of her to the Apple family you would not hear tales of missing ponies coming from Ponyville."

"You are sure of this?" asked Luna quietly.

Thought Process vigorously nodded. "If I wasn't then I wouldn't say it." The pegasus turned to the mirror again and looked through at the happy pair on the other side. "If you still want to keep en eye on her that would be prudent, I suppose, but I see no purpose in keeping her under your direct gaze. She would function much better around ponies she actually trusts."

Celestia cocked her head. "Do you think she trusts you?" she questioned.

Thought Process shrugged. "Probably not as much as your captain of the guard, though that is probably half because he rescued her from a perilous situation and half because he's the brother of Twilight Sparkle, a mare she was familiar with in Ponyville." Thought Process glanced up at the princesses. "Which just further strengthens my thoughts that she should be sent back to Ponyville."

"What sort of reception do you think she would get there?" Luna wondered.

Thought Process shrugged. "Hard to say, thought from what I understand they would be largely forgiving. I have an old colleague there named Working Mind and I made sure to consult him about what the Ponyville climate might be if Blossom were to return. He did some asking around and the consensus was almost unanimous: they did not blame Blossom for what happened. Heck, most would probably welcome Sweetie Belle back with open forelegs just because of the nature of the case. After what Spoon and Tiara's fillies did to Blossom on top of what happened in the woods and why..." Thought Process took a deep breath. "Well, they've felt that the family has been through enough."

Celestia sighed. "And did your colleague inform you of what the town thought in terms of who the guilty party is?"

Thought Process snorted. "Honestly, princess, they couldn't care less who did it. In their eyes it was a defensive kill, no matter who did it. Golden Necklace and Fire Ruby set a trap for her in the woods and cornered her so she couldn't get away. They don't see death as the proper punishment for that but they think they were asking for something bad to happen in either case. Remember, princess, they are aware that this is just another example of somepony suffering because of what Rarity did. The entire town was torn apart when she was caught and executed and to see a filly suffer because of that..." Thought Process closed his eyes and shook his head. "They'll do anything to make her feel better."

"This is the entire town?" Luna asked.

Thought Process nodded. "For the most part. There will always be those who look down on her but that'll be the case wherever she goes."

The trio fell silent and observed Blossom and Sweetie Belle levitating objects around the room. Blossom was smiling wider than she had in months at the sight of her mother with her horn attached once again. Her and her mother began tossing a ball between the two of them in a telekinetic game of catch, each giggling when the ball was caught by the other.

Princess Celestia closed her eyes and slowly nodded. "My sister and I will talk about what you have said, Thought Process," she said quietly. "If there are no objections if we can find no fault in your logic then... Joyous Blossom will return to Ponyville.

* * * *

Thought Process slowly trotted down the hall towards the entrance of the palace. He still had not heard whether or not the princesses would follow his advice and let Blossom return to Ponyville, but he was hopeful that Celestia would at least push for it. Of the two she did seem to have more say about how things worked.

As he turned a corner to begin the final stretch of his journey to the entrance, he heard his name called out to him, stopping him in his tracks. He turned around and was unnerved to see Princess Luna walking towards him. He dropped to his knees in a bow. "Princess Luna."

Luna waved away his gesture. "Rise, Thought Process, we have a few things to discuss before you leave."

Thought Process tightened his jaw uneasily but rose to face Princess Luna. "I take it this is about Blossom and my orders to send her back to Ponyville."

Princess Luna nodded and stopped in front of him. "Indeed," she said. "We shall be blunt, We do not wish for the filly to leave our care."

Thought Process glared at her and took an assertive step forward. "You know my reasons for sending her back to ponies that actually care about her. Are those not good enough?"

"They are not when she committed murder!" Luna snarled.

The pegasus' eyes widened hand his aggressive step forward was cancelled out by an uneasy step back. "W-Who said that she killed anypony?"

Luna's eyes narrowed as she glared at the psychologist. "We believe the words out of your mouth were 'holy Celestia, she did it. Blossom killed them!' That sounds to Us like an admission that you are aware of her guilt!"

Thought Process' jaw dropped and he uneasily glanced back down the hall, hoping to exit the conversation. He forced himself to return his gaze to the night princess. "It was a suspicion that I had based on a single expression that she had for ten seconds!" he insisted. "That is hardly conclusive evidence either way!"

"But that is not what you believe," Luna pointed out. "Your demeanor was not one of somepony who had a mere suspicion; you seemed quite certain."

Thought Process glared at Luna. "I was surprised by what I thought I might have seen, nothing more!" he snapped. "That filly wouldn't hurt anypony out of malice!"

"And yet it seems as though she did," Luna retorted. "Two foals are dead."

Thought Process took on a mocking tone. "Oh I'm sorry, Princess, maybe you heard a different version of the story than I did, but I was under the impression that the two unfortunately deceased foals, who had already shown that they didn't care for Blossom at all, had set a trap for Blossom then they lured her into the forest where nopony could help her so they could verbally torment her some more! If you ask me those brats were begging for somepony to hurt them!"

"Do not take that tone with Us!" Luna snarled. "Those foals did not deserve to be brutally murdered!"

Thought Process scoffed. "Who ever said that they did? I certainly don't think that they deserve to be dead, but even you have to admit that there was a level of self-defense involved! They had cornered her in the woods and wouldn't let her leave and she got scared and acted rashly if she's guilty at all!"

Thought Process and Luna continued to glare at each other for a moment. Neither seemed willing to give quarter until Thought Process let out a frustrated breath. "Look, I know the family history," he began. "It's pretty much required for ponies going into my field to do some study on Rarity and why she did what she did. The consensus based on the brief interviews Princess Celestia had with her is that she did what she did because it was fun for her." Thought Process took a step forward and flared his wings out for emphasis. "Blossom. Would. Never. DO THAT! If she killed she did it because she was alone, scared, and cornered by two foals who were tormenting her. She will not become a serial killer if you send her to Ponyville!"

Luna continued to glare at the pegasus as she spoke. "What assurances to We have that she is not dangerous aside from your word? She has attacked both a guard and my sister already."

Thought Process rolled his eyes. "Yes I heard those color changing spells can be pretty nasty if you don't get them looked at right away," he snarked. "From what I understand she was really scared in both of those instances; and not a normal kind of scared either. Correct me if I'm wrong, but she thought her life was in danger both times yes?"

Luna's glare did not soften but she slowly nodded nonetheless. "Yes," she said curtly.

"Precisely," said Thought Process. "Now obviously she needs to learn not to fire off spells at anypony she thinks is threatening her life, but that's where a pony like me can help her. A psychologist could help her though her fears of being killed or taken away and locked in a cell for the rest of her life; fears that as far as she knows are very real possibilities! She wouldn't panic like she does if she didn't think that."

Luna's glare softened ever so slightly at the psychologists words but she still did not reply. Thought Process did soften his glare and he closed his eyes and bowed his head. "Princess Luna I'm sorry for the way I've just spoken to you, it was out of line and I know I can't talk to you like that. But I have to leave you with this question: have you ever stopped for even a moment to think about Blossom's perspective and why she does what she does or are you so engulfed in your crusade for justice that you ignore the fact that she's scared out of her eight year old mind and for good reason? Put yourself in her horseshoes for even a moment."

Princess Luna's glare softened even more and she let out a small sigh. "Your points are sound, but murder still occurred. We must be frank with you: We have no desire in the slightest to see an eight year old get the needle. That is barbaric and We would not stoop to that. Our anger comes from putting Ourselves in Sweetie Belle's horseshoes as if she was innocent, which we believe she is. We do not wish to see her suffer any more than she already has. We merely wish for justice, not more wonton death. Were Blossom to admit her guilt, We would not kill her."

Thought Process visibly relaxed at her words and he folded his wings back at his sides. "I just don't want to see her hurt. She deserves a better hoof than the one life dealt her."

Princess Luna actually let out a wry smile at that. "We certainly cannot gainsay you on that. Both mother and child deserved more than to live in Rarity's shadow." Princess Luna's smile fell and she looked sadly at the floor. "They came so close." The night princess shook her head and she turned her gaze back to Thought Process. "We will talk with Our sister and suggest that Blossom be sent back to Ponyville on a few conditions. Firstly, We do not want her leaving Ponyville by herself until she is eighteen years of age. We know that is unlikely in any case but it would help us sleep better during the day.

"Secondly We will require her to see a psychologist three times a week, a psychologist that would report back to us anything that they saw as a warning signal that Blossom might be dangerous outside of fear." Luna paused for a moment to let the words sink in before continuing. "We would like your colleague Dr. Working Mind to be that pony."

Thought Process' eyes widened. "B-But she already has a rapport with me! She trusts me as much as she can trust somepony like me and it would take time to build that up with somepony else!"

"Your emotions would get in the way of unbiased observations, We have observed as much just in this conversation," said Luna simply. "You would not report warning signs even if you saw them for fear of us hurting Blossom." Thought Process opened his mouth to speak up but Luna held up a hoof. "Your words will not sway us. Be grateful We are following your advice to send her back to her hometown at all."

Their business concluded as far as Luna was concerned, the night princess turned around and walked away from the stuttering psychologist.

* * * *

Three Weeks Later

Applejack, Apple Bloom, and Apple Seed all stood excitedly at the train station, each eagerly awaiting the arrival of the four o' clock train from Canterlot. Apple Seed for her part was bouncing happily around her mother. "Blossom is comin' home! Blossom is comin' home!" she crowed happily.

Apple Bloom smiled down at her and put a hoof on the dark red filly's shoulder. "Now just you settle down there, Apple Seed," she said. "Remember what Ah told ya 'bout not tacklin' her the second she gets off the train."

Apple Seed looked up at her mother with wide eyes. "But Blossom is comin' to live with us, right?" she questioned. "Ah mean, that's what you 'n Aunt Applejack said, right?"

Applejack chuckled at the filly. "That's right," she confirmed. "Princess Celestia herself asked if we would take care of Blossom until she's old enough to live in her old house again."

"And you remember how we got the guest room ready for her," Apple Bloom pointed out.

Apple Seed nodded proudly. "Yeah! And Ah even helped put the sheets on the bed! Ah know she's just gonna love her room!"

Apple Bloom opened her mouth to respond but she was cut off when the sound of a train whistle cot through the noise of the train station. Apple Seed squeed excitedly and looked down the tracks to see the train coming from Canterlot exactly on time.

With a great puff of steam the lumbering train came to a stop right in front of where the Apple family stood. Apple seed began bouncing up and down excitedly, eagerly looking for the alabaster filly.

The train doors opened and to Apple Seed's delight, the first two ponies through the door were a porter with a suitcase balanced on his back and Blossom herself. Apple Bloom had to hold her daughter back to prevent her from pouncing on Blossom, but that did nothing to prevent her foal from calling out to Blossom. Blossom looked over to see who was calling to her and her face broke out into a wide smile when she saw the familiar ponies waving to her.

She was finally back where she belonged.

Fears of a Princess

Princess Celestia looked out her balcony, watching the latest train from Canterlot depart to Ponyville. Blossom was on that train, riding away from the direct gaze of her and her sister. She could not go to Blossom's room every day to check on her to see how she was doing. Now she would have to get that information from a second-hoof source. Blossom's fate was almost entirely up to her at this point.

Celestia watched as the now tiny train snaked over a hill, disappearing from her sight completely. She sighed and shook her head. She really was unsure of why she was so worried. Blossom had only attacked with a harmless spell when she was afraid for her life; when she really felt things were getting out of her control and she panicked. However, Celestia mused, if Blossom truly wanted to hurt her or Storm Shaker, she could have fired something more damaging than a color changing spell. She could have used her skill at levitation to attack her with a physical object, but she refrained. Celestia was unsure of whether or not that was was a conscious choice or if she merely cast the first spell that popped into her head; the one she was best at.

Princess Celestia exhaled and turned away from the balcony. She decided to see if Luna was awake or if she had dragged herself off to bed. She honestly wished the latter as Luna had been awake far too long already. Being an alicorn she did not physically need to sleep, but both princesses certainly enjoyed it. It was a good respite from the daily, or nightly, grind they endured ruling a nation.

She exited her room and began trotting down the hallway to the throne room. If Luna was indeed awake it was likely she would be there, waiting for her sister to return so they could discuss what to do about Blossom next. In truth there was little they could do if they wanted her to have something resembling the normal life that Celestia felt she deserved. Celestia was honestly going to suggest that they only involve themselves in Blossom's life in the context of the reports the sisters would receive from Dr. Working Mind. They had interfered with that filly's life far too much.

Celestia reached the door to the throne room and was surprised to find that there were no guards in front of the door. Normally there were at least two guards standing at attention; either her own solar guards or Luna's bat ponies. If Luna was inside the throne room she had sent the guards away. Celestia ignited her horn and encased the door to the throne room in her magical glow. The door swung open revealing a completely empty throne room with one exception.

A sobbing Princess Luna sat in the middle of the throne room.

Celestia gasped and ran over to her sister. She briefly used her magic to shut and lock the throne room door before rushing over to the distraught night goddess and wrapping a wing around her shoulders. Luna flinched away at the sudden warmth of her sister, but once she realized who it was she leaned into the embrace. Princess Celestia put one of her forelegs over Luna's shoulders. "Shh," she soothed. "It's okay."

Luna vigorously shook her head. "N-No, it is not okay, Tia!" she insisted. She took a few uneven breaths and continued sobbing.

Celestia cocked her head and tightened her embrace. "Luna, what is wrong? Why are you crying? Is there something I can do to help?"

Luna sniffled and wiped her eyes with a foreleg. "Tia, thou cannot help Us unless you can change the past; erase out past mistakes."

Celestia blinked in bewilderment. "W-What do you mean, Luna?" she questioned.

Luna's sobs nearly began anew but she took a deep breath and closed her eyes tightly to keep back the tears. "We... no... I, Tia, I, I am feeling guilty about my past mistakes, particularly those regarding..." Luna whimpered and fluttered her wings "Rarity."

Celestia let out a sad sigh and shook her head. "Luna I..."

"No, Tia, no!" she said sharply. "Thou cannot erase our mistakes with a mere word! Tis my fault that nine of our subjects are dead!"

Celestia shook her head. "No, Luna, Rarity's actions were her own. You cannot be blamed for what she did."

Luna snarled and pushed her sister away. She stood up and wheeled to face her sister, her wings flared out aggressively. "IS A RABID DOG TO BE BLAMED FOR ITS ACTIONS OR IS THE ONE WHO ALLOWED IT TO BE KEPT OFF OF A LEASH INSTEAD OF PUTTING IT DOWN AT FAULT?!" she screeched. "I KNEW that Rarity was a serial killer and I instead put my faith in trinkets that did not allow me to access the kind of power that would have allowed me to help her!"

Celestia rose to her hooves and raised one in an attempt to placate her sister. "Luna you only..." Celestia paused as her brain drew a blank. Her mouth opened as if willing comforting words to come forth but none came.

Luna's face contorted into an expression of pure rage. "Say it, Tia, admit that everything that has happened since I found out is my fault!" Luna began shedding angry tears and she actually whimpered in frustration. "Had I merely informed you and o-ordered her execution then nine of our subjects would be safe at home! She killed a mother and her child after I had found out!" Luna let out another pained sob and collapsed onto her haunches. Her voice dropped to a low whisper and she bowed her head. "It keeps us up in the morning, sister," she whispered. "It pains us, Tia." Luna widened her eyes and took a step forward. "We see their faces and know I could have saved them if I hadn't been so misguided!"

Celestia merely continued to stare silently at her sister. No words of comfort came but she felt that she had to say something. "Luna, you didn't know that...that she would continue on with what she was doing. Particularly if she expressed regret and a willingness to--"

"Spare me your empty words, Tia!" Luna snarled. "I made another mistake that I can never take back that cost the lives of our subjects!" Luna put her head in her hooves. "And I just wanted to avoid making the same mistake with her niece." Luna sighed and shook her head. "I know that I...I was probably too hard on her but if she committed murder and is capable of it again and I had the opportunity to stop it; to redeem myself for once in my wretched life." Luna opened her eyes and stared up at her sister. "Wouldn't you?"

Celestia gingerly took three steps forward and reached a hoof out to touch her sister's foreleg. "Lulu..."

The corners of Luna's mouth turned up and she managed a small chuckle. "Thou have not called us that since we were but fillies," she whispered.

Celestia gave a smile of her own and took another step forwards. "To err is to be equine and we are not perfect, not nearly as perfect as our little ponies believe us to be. When ruling a nation, sometimes mistakes are made that cost us lives."

"Not so obvious as our mistakes," Luna mumbled bitterly. "Twas not difficult to see the correct choice and still we did not take it." Luna closed her eyes and a singular tear feel from them and splashed onto the floor below. "Now ponies are dead and it is my fault."

Celestia shook her head and put her hoof under Luna's chin and raised it so she made eye contact with her. "No, Lulu, Rarity's actions were her own. Your intentions were good. We both know how painful execution is and I know you wanted to avoid that, particularly with a pony that had helped you in your darkest hour. I do not blame you for that."

Luna pushed her sister's hoof away and stood back up. She turned away and slowly trotted over to a window and stared out it as if searching for something. "Good intentions do not bring cadavers back from the grave, nor do they prevent their deaths in the first place." Luna sighed. "We are frightened, Tia, We are frightened that Blossom will follow in her aunt's hoofsteps."

Celestia stood up and walked up next to her sister. "She will not," said the sun goddess simply. "I do not know what the future holds for that filly, but she will not see the end of her life on the execution table."

Luna tightened her jaw and continued staring out the window. "And if she does?"

"Luna that will not happen."

Luna rounded on her sister with an angry glare. "You know as well as I that ponies in our positions must consider possible outcomes to events, however unlikely! Blossom becoming a killer may be unlikely to you, but it is still a possibility and I would like to know what would come of that!"

"Luna I do not know!" Celestia snapped. "I do not want to consider that option, I do not wish further misery and death upon that family, I do not want to believe that Blossom will become a killer especially when the evidence points to the fact that she will not become one!"

Luna sighed and shifted her gaze back out the window. "I hope you are right, Tia, I really do," she whispered. "And We know that We may be acting unfair to the foal to the point of cruelty and I wish to avoid that." Luna shook her head. "I also do not want to know that we could have stopped more murders if we just kept her here under our watch."

"I know, Luna," Celestia muttered. "I know. But we cannot control her life and she is innocent until proven guilty. I am sorry but there is nothing we can do unless Working Mind says that there is a danger or she does something."

Luna glanced over at her sister and a grim look crossed her face. "By then I fear it will be too late."

A New Apple in the Barrel

An hour later the wagon pulled by Big Macintosh and Applejack came to a halt in front of the humble house that was the prime living space of the Apple family. The two elder Apples unhitched themselves from the cart and Applejack walked to the back of the cart and opened the door revealing Apple Seed and Blossom chatting excitedly with each other while Apple Bloom looked on in maternal pride at how her daughter was making Blossom feel so welcome.

When the back door opened, the two Apples and Blossom looked over at Applejack who beckoned them out of the cart. Apple Bloom took Blossom's luggage in her mouth and swung it onto her back while the two foals gleefully hopped out of the cart. An hour's ride would have seemed like a millennium to the duo were it not for each other's company.

Applejack pointed towards the door. "Now Apple Seed, why don't y'all just go and show Blossom to her room. Yer momma and Ah 'n Uncle Mac'll just be a second."

Apple Seed nodded vigorously. "Okay, Aunt Applejack, Ah'll get her to her new room!" She turned her head towards the white unicorn and beckoned her towards the house. "Come on, it's this way!" she cried. Blossom giggled at her excitement and the two quickly began running towards the Apple abode.

The three older ponies smiled as they watched them go, but all three smiles fell in rapid succession once the door to the house swung shut. Apple Bloom shifted the luggage on her back and Big Mac closed the back door to the carriage. Applejack merely looked towards the door, deep in thought. Neither was quite willing to start the conversation they had been putting off for weeks.

Finally it was Big Macintosh of all ponies that broke the silence. "Alright, just come out and say it: we're worried 'bout her."

Applejack snorted. "Ah didn't think we needed to say that, big bro," she replied. "Ah'm more worried 'bout what you two are worried 'bout."

Apple Bloom cocked her head. "Now why would you need to be worried 'bout a silly thing like that?" she asked. "We've all heard the whispers and we all saw the papers, but Ah don't think that Blossom did anythin',"

Applejack slowly nodded and turned back to her brother. "And you?" she asked.

Big Mac slowly shook his head. "Nope, Ah don't think she did either."

"We're kinda wonderin' why you're worried 'bout that, sis," said Apple Bloom. "Do you think she's done anythin'?"

Applejack scoffed and shook her head. "No Ah don't," she replied. "And honestly Ah wasn't so much worried about whether or not you two thought she did as much as how we're gonna handle ponies who think she did. We all know that most of the town don't think she did, but there are a few who talk about it sometimes."

"It ain't their concern," said Apple Bloom simply. "Blossom is our problem, not theirs. They shouldn't judge when they don't have alla the facts. You just be sore to remember that mosta the town adores that filly and don't want to see her hurt any more than she already is. Why, from what Ah understand most of 'em are gonna be there for Blossom's surprise 'Welcome Back to Ponyville' party that Pinkie's puttin' together.

Applejack gave a small smirk. "Oh yeah, that's next week innit?" she chuckled. "Ah dunno, Ah guess with the nature of everythin' that's been happenin' to her Ah was just worried that things might be difficult for her here 's all."

"Life is difficult," said Big Mac evenly.

Apple Bloom nodded. "It'd be worse if she stayed at the castle," she reminded her older sister. "She'll be happy here and there won't be any reason to worry. You saw how happy she was with Apple Seed."

"Oh, speakin' of her we'd better go check on the two of them," said Applejack. "Now that Blossom's got her cutie mark Apple Seed'll be tryin' to get her to help her get hers and knows what'll happen then!"

Apple Bloom chuckled and began walking towards the house again. "Ah know what ya mean," she said. "Why, she's messier than Ah was when Ah was trying to get mah cutie mark!'

The elder Apple siblings had to hold back snorts of laughter at that as they exchanged an 'uh-huh, suuuureee' expression with each other that Apple Bloom didn't notice. Big Macintosh ran ahead of his sisters and opened the door for the two of them, allowing them to walk inside before entering the house himself.

The three ponies walked upstairs towards Blossom's new room to deposit their luggage and to make sure that all was in order before they got dinner going for the five of them. Applejack was the closest to the door so she nuzzled it open revealing...

Two Blossoms.

The three ponies stared silently at the two Blossoms for a moment before Apple Bloom broke out into a wide smile. "Ya know, the effect would probably work better if one of you Blossom's wasn't an earth pony half the size 'a the other."

The two Blossom's groaned in defeat and the unicorn Blossom fired up her horn. The illusion on the other Blossom slowly melted away revealing a giggling Apple Seed. "We were hopin' that ya'd hafta take a minute to guess which one was which, momma!"

Apple Bloom smirked and walked into the room to deposit the suitcase on the bed on the far end. "Well Ah'll admit that it did look mighty convincin' for a minute there," she chuckled. "It's no wonder changin' the looks of things is yer special talent, Blossom!"

Blossom giggled and before anypony could stop her, she levitated Applejack's Stetson off of her head and in a flash changed into the spitting image of a seven year old unicorn Applejack. "Aw shucks, sis, Ah appreciate you sayin' that!" she said in her best, but rather poor, imitation of Applejack's southern drawl.

Applejack chuckled and took her Stetson back from Blossom. The unicorn filly smiled up at the orange mare and was surprised to note that there was something a little forced about her smile. Applejack seemed to take a little too much care in putting the hat back on her head and adjusting it until it was just right on her head. The farm pony looked down at Blossom and widened her forced smile. "Uh, Blossom, if you could change back to the way you normally look that'd be great. You look impressive and all, but... yeah," she finished lamely.

Blossom uneasily nodded and ignited her horn. The Applejack disguise wore off, revealing the white filly underneath. "It's just an illusion," she mumbled. "I didn't actually turn into you."

Applejack chuckled and a hint of genuineness reached her smile. "Naw it ain't that, sugar cube," she reassured her. "It's just..." Applejack let out a humorless chuckle and shook her head. "It ain't nothin' so don't you worry your pretty little head about it."

Blossom's ears flattened and she turned her gaze to the floor. "Is it because I touched your hat, Miss Applejack?" she said quietly.

"Sugar cube Ah told you that you ain't got to worry about it," said Applejack gently, putting a hoof on Blossom's shoulder. "It's just that the hat was my pa's so I'm careful with it."

Blossom nodded and her ears perked up slightly. "I get it," she said.

"We can get you one if you like hats like that," said Apple Bloom.

Apple Seed's eyes widened and a grin split her face. "Yeah! Mah ma got me one!" With that the filly ran out the door towards her room, only to return a few seconds later with a filly sized red tinted Stetson perched on her head. "See, just like ma's!" she said gleefully.

Blossom looked up at Apple Seed and a small smile crossed her face. "It looks nice," she said. "It looks really good on you."

Apple Seed nodded happily. "Now that yer an Apple, you gotta have one too!"

Blossom opened her mouth to respond but she was cut off when Apple Seed's eyes widened and she let out a dramatic gasp. "Yer an Apple now," she said breathlessly. She looked up at her mother and pointed at Blossom. "She's livin' with us so she's an Apple now, right?"

The adults chuckled while Blossom blushed and gave an an embarrassed grin. Apple Bloom put a hoof on her daughter's shoulder to calm her down. "Well Ah think that's up ta Blossom, Apple Seed," she replied.

Blossom quietly cleared her throat. "Um... I'd like that," she whispered, loud enough for those present to hear. "I'd like to be an Apple if I'm living here."

Applejack smiled warmly down at the timid filly, all traces of falseness and awkwardness gone. "Shoot, sugar cube, you were family before ya even got here."

Before Blossom could respond, Apple Seed squealed in delight and gave Blossom one of her signature flying tackle hugs, sending them both tumbling to the floor. "Yay! Yer an Apple now, we're sisters now!" she squeed.

Blossom chuckled weakly and tried to pry herself from the vice-like grip of her new honorary sister but the Apple Seed held on tight. Blossom settled for sitting upright and adjusting herself so she could breathe. Noting this, Apple Bloom called out to her daughter. "Now Apple Seed, don't be crushin' her ribs none. We don't want to hurt her."

Immediately Apple Seed's forelegs retracted and the hyperactive filly was standing next to Blossom while the latter took a few relieved breaths. She loved Apple Seed, but her hugs could be more than a little enthusiastic; particularly the 'flying tackle' part. Apple Seed for her part only gave Blossom a second or two of recovery time before launching into another tirade. "So if yer gonna be an Apple now can Ah call ya Apple Blossom?" she asked excitedly. "Ah mean, yer name is Blossom and yer an Apple so it works, don't it?"

Before Blossom could respond, Apple Bloom looked down at her daughter with a hint of sternness. "Now Apple Seed, don't be puttin' too much on her at once. Blossom is a fine name and if that's what she wants to be called then--"

"Uh, actually I like that," Blossom said quietly. "She's right, it does kinda work doesn't it? It's nice."

Apple Seed immediately squealed in delight and gave Blossom another tackle hug. "That means yer mah big sister Apple Blossom! Ah've always wanted a big sister like my ma has and now Ah've got one!"

All of the adults chuckled as Apple Seed affectionately nuzzled Blossom. Blossom awkwardly pulled her forelegs out of Apple Seed's grip and wrapped her new little sister in a hug of her own. She hadn't even been here fifteen minutes yet and already she knew one simple fact.

Life was going to be good.

The Search Begins

Ten Years Later

ThwackThwackThwackThwackThwack

A rain of Red Delicious apples cascaded into the buckets as the five Apples slammed their hind hooves into five different towering apple trees. Blossom stretched out her neck and pushed back her brown Stetson. She wiped a bead of sweat from her brow and fired up her horn to levitate three full apple buckets and place them on a large wagon. Big Macintosh lifted three buckets onto his back and placed the under a new tree for Blossom to buck.

Blossom began walking over the tree when a familiar voice rang through the apple orchard. "Good afternoon, Apple family!"

The five Apples all turned to the source of the voice to see Dr. Working Mind trotting up the road towards the orchard. Blossom half grimaced/half smiled at the sight of her psychologist but walked up to him with a wave anyway. "Dr. Mind, how are you today?"

Working Mind smiled at her. "I'm just wonderful, Blossom." The brown unicorn looked over at the other four ponies. "Hard at work I see."

"Eeyup," said Big Macintosh and Apple Seed together. The pair looked over at each other and smirked. It was something the now fifteen year old Apple Seed had started up a few months ago and the elder Apple had taken it in stride.

Working Mind chuckled and shook his head. "I hate to be a bother to all of you hardworking ponies, but would you all be so kind as to allow me access to Blossom for about an hour or so? I promise that I'll give her back in the exact same condition that I took her."

Applejack nodded. "You bet, Doc, she said. “The apples'll still be here when she gets back."

Working Mind rolled his eyes and beckoned Blossom towards the entrance of Sweet Apple Acres. Blossom pushed her hat back and let it hang on the string that had been attached to it. She followed Working Mind towards the entrance and once they reached it, the psychologist slowed his pace and began walking beside her. "So..." he began.

"So..." said Blossom.

"Your eighteenth birthday is coming up."

Blossom's half grimace faded away to be replaced by a genuine smile. "Yep and I gotta, say, I'm really excited for it!"

Working Mind chuckled. "I'll bet you are. You and I don't have to see each other any more if you don't want to and you can move to Carousel Boutique if you so desire."

"Or leave Ponyville all together," said Blossom quietly.

Working Mind raised an eyebrow and came to a halt. "Is that a plan of yours or are you just pointing it out?" he asked. "Yes it’s technically true and all, but I didn't think you'd want to."

Blossom chuckled. "No, I don't mean move out, there are just... a few things that I want to do and I don't think that they're possible to do in Ponyville is all."

Working Mind cocked his head. "Such as?"

Blossom didn't respond for a moment. She merely smiled and looked out into the horizon. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I want to find my father."

* * * *

The day of Blossom's eighteenth birthday had gone by in a flash. Pinkie Pie had thrown her a big surprise party and most of the town had shown up. To her delight, most of the gifts she was given were more practical than for fun. Most of the town had, in fact, given her bits. Ten, or twenty bit checks that she could use to start her own bank account. By the end of the party she had over three hundred bits which she planned to use to start the account.

The party was an absolute blast as per usual with Pinkie Parties. Despite the fact that Pinkie Pie was now in her fifties and graying at the edges, all of the Mane Five were, she had not lost a single bit of the energy that she was known for. She had even taken the gray hairs she was starting to get in stride and had often said that her mane was even more awesome now that it was two colors instead of one. If she was nervous or upset that the gray was creeping up, she didn't show it.

After the party Blossom had gone straight up to her room. Tomorrow was a big day for her. She had done some research and had discovered that there was a clinic in Manehattan where blood tests could be done to determine parentage. Blossom had found out about it by doing research on how abandoned orphans found their parents over at the Ponyville Orphanage and she had been told about the clinic. It was supposedly a hush-hush place that ponies didn't see it as polite to talk about, but it was legal.

Blossom laid back in her bed, looking up at the ceiling. The last ten years had been wonderful years for her and she couldn't think of living with a better family than the Apples. They had ensured that Blossom had the best upbringing that she possibly could. It was largely thanks to them that the town didn't even talk about her past anymore except on the rarest occasions and not to her face. She definitely planned to come back here to live... unless her father took her in.

Yes, her father. The idea had struck her one day when the Apples were visiting the graves of their parents, buried alongside Granny Smith. Applejack in particular stared at the grave of her father for longer than the other two had and that's when the idea had come to her. While Applejack had gotten thirteen years to spend with her father, Blossom had never known hers. She was the result of a one night stand, she knew that and had long since come to terms with it. The fact remained that she had a father that she had never met and she needed to rectify that.

Blossom shifted under the comforter and nuzzled up to the pillow. She was about to drift off to dreamland when she heard her door open slightly. "Apple Blossom?"

Blossom's ears perked up and she raised her head to see Apple Seed standing in the doorway. She shirked to herself. The filly had never stopped calling her Apple Blossom and it was a term of affection that she adored.

Blossom sat up in her bed and used her magic to flick the light on. "Yeah?"

Apple Seed looked uncomfortable as she walked towards her adoptive sister. "Ah... uh... Ah couldn't sleep so Ah wanted to come talk to you."

Blossom cocked her head. "Talk to me about what?" she asked.

Apple Seed glanced uneasily at Blossom and the unicorn smirked. She wiggled out of the sheets and patted the open spot in the bed next to her. Apple Seed smiled and hopped onto the bed. She leaned in and affectionately nuzzled her older sister before speaking up. "Ah know yer leaving tomorrow," she said quietly.

Blossom sighed and nodded. "Yeah. I'm going to Manehattan."

Apple Seed snorted in a half laugh. "Mah ma said that Aunt Applejack went to Manehattan when she was just a filly and she didn't like it there very much."

Blossom smirked. "Yeah well I doubt I'll be staying for very long," she reassured. "I'm only going there to... try to find some stuff."

"Yer pa," said Apple Seed simply.

Blossom frowned and looked down at Apple Seed. "How did you know that?"

Apple Seed snorted. "What else would ya go out to Manehattan fore 'ceptin ta go to that there clinic where you can find yer pa?" she questioned. "Are ya at least gonna stop to see yer grandparents in Hoofington?"

Blossom shrugged. "Probably but we'll see what happens when I find my dad." Blossom's smile slowly faded and she had to take a deep breath. "My dad..." She scoffed. "That dumb stallion who mounted my mom for a night just to say that he had and then ran off leaving her to care for me by herself."

Apple Seed frowned. "Don't you go off doin' somethin' foolish now."

Blossom rolled her eyes. "I'm not gonna go off and kill him if that's what you're worried about."

Apple Seed shook her head. "It ain't what Ah'm afraid of," she said. "Ah'm more afraid that you'll do somethin' to maybe hurt him emotionally when you don't know a darned thing about him. He could be really sorry fer what he did and maybe he even would really like to get ta know you better. Ah jest don't want ya to ruin that before ya know is all."

Blossom snorted and levitated her Stetson over to her to begin idly playing with the string attached to it. "What if he's just as bad as he was when he knocked my mom up for bragging rights?" she muttered. "What do I do then?"

Apple Seed's mouth broke out into a wide smile and she pushed Blossom's head up. "Well then ya just hold yer head up and ya say to yer pa that you don't want anythin' to do with him and good riddance to him forever!" she cried. "If he ain't gonna be a gentlepony 'bout findin' out that he has a daughter then he don't deserve to get to know you and what a wonderful mare you've become. If he's like that, then you jest turn tail and come back to yer real family. You don't need ponies like him in yer life."

Blossom tried to hold back a giggle but she failed. Apple Seed matched her giggle and soon both ponies were trying to stifle rambunctious laughter so as to not wake up the other three ponies in the house. "I'll do that, Seed, I'll just turn back and never think about him again," Blossom chortled.

"And you'll be a lot happier for it, Ah promise you," Apple Seed said with a giggle. You don't need to let nopony in yer life that ain't gonna give you the respect you deserve!"

Blossom's giggled slowly died down and she wrapped her forelegs around Apple Seed's shoulders. She nuzzled the top of the shorter pony's head and rustled her mane. Apple Seed giggled and tried to push her away but Blossom held on tight. "Apple Seed..."

Apple Seed's giggled stopped when she heard the more solemn tone in Blossom's voice. "Yeah, Apple Blossom?"

Blossom took a deep breath and nuzzled Apple Seed again. "If my dad turns out to be a really great pony and I want to go live with him for a while, please don't take that personally. You guys are my family, no matter where I'm living."

Apple Seed slowly wrapped her forelegs around Blossom's waist. "Ah know, Apple Blossom. Ah know that we're yer family and even findin' yer real pa ain't gonna take that away from ya. Just know that yer always welcome back at Sweet Apple Acres."

Blossom gave a small smile. "Thanks, Seed, thanks."

* * * *

The end of the week saw Blossom sitting in the waiting room of the Manehattan Ancestry Center. It had turned out that the center was generally used to trace ancestry farther back than parenthood, but it wasn't exactly uncommon for abandoned orphans to come to the center to try to find their long lost parents. Now Blossom was there, waiting for the results to the test.

She hoped that her father was close by. Between the motel room and the test itself, a decent chunk of her money was gone. She had just enough to get to Hoofington and if her father wasn't closer than that then she would need to get a job to save up for a train ticket farther than that. It wasn't an idea that appealed to her as she preferred to get the situation over as soon as possible. If she couldn't get to know her father, then she wanted to be back in Ponyville as soon as she possibly could.

Blossom sighed and began flipping through a magazine. She chuckled to herself when she saw that it was a few years old as nopony around Manehattan was wearing clothing like the kinds she saw in the magazine. Taffeta capes indeed; who would ever wear such ridiculous clothes?

She tossed the magazine aside and began leafing through the pile to try to find a more recent one. Her eyes landed on a trashy pulp magazine, The Equestrian Enquirer; a magazine a bunch of wild stories filling its pages. The front page had an article on how Princess Celestia and the fashion designer Photo Finish had a secret relationship going for the past three years, despite the fact that the famous designer had passed away from an accident involving her sunglasses a month before the supposed relationship had begun.

Blossom snorted and shook her head, amused at how silly some ponies could be. She continued flipping through the magazine and the articles were all pretty much cut from the same cloth. Princess Luna is addicted to hard cider and Celestia is considering sending her to rehab (AKA, the moon again), Fancy Pants' wife is having an affair with Hoity Toity, Appleloosan apple trees were planted over ancient buffalo burial grounds, that kind of thing. She had to stifle a giggle at a few of them.

Blossom finished reading an article about how Fancy Pants' mustache wasn't naturally blue or, in fact, real at all and turned the page to the final article. She had to hold back a gasp when she saw what it was and almost threw the magazine across the room and considered incinerating it, but she forced herself to hold on to it and begin reading.

SWEETIE BELLE: FILLY MURDERER OR TWO TIME VICTIM?

We have all heard the tragic tale of how the Element of Generosity, Rarity, turned out to be the deadliest serial killer ever, but very few have stopped to think about the obvious damage done to her family. Princess Celestia swore that her sister and parents were innocent of the crimes that Rarity committed and they opted to largely stay out of the public spotlight.

But, of course, it was not meant to be.

Just under ten years ago, Rarity's family was once again thrust into the public eye when Sweetie Belle herself followed in her sister's hoofsteps and brutally murdered two of her out-of-wedlock daughter's classmates. Rumors indicate that Sweetie Belle lured the unfortunate foals into the woods where she sprung her trap and killed them both by bashing their brains in with a rock.

Or did she?

Sweetie Belle was convicted of the crime and sent to the Canterlot Mental Ward where she remained until her transfer to a Hoofington branch. Her daughter, Joyous Blossom, was given to the care of the Element of Honesty and her family. The popular belief was that, while Blossom was in the woods at the time of the murders, she did not have anything to do with the death of the unfortunate fillies and even tried to stop her mother from committing such a heinous act.

But did she really? What if Joyous Blossom herself was the perpetrator?

Reliable sources in both Ponyville, where the murders happened, and Canterlot, where Joyous Blossom stayed for the better part of a few months, indicate that Sweetie Belle was not the killer, but Blossom herself was the guilty party. That would mean that an innocent mare took the fall for her psychotic daughter who was more than happy to follow in her aunt's hoofsteps. Now that filly is out from under the care of the Royal Sisters and is free to kill anypony that she desires. In fact, Joyous Blossom is about to turn eighteen and sources say that once she does she will be free to move about Equestria, murdering as she pleases.

To further speculate on such matters, we interviewed Dr. Analytical Brain, the leading psychologist involving matters of the mentality behind The Ponyville Butcher. He is the author of such titles as Into Her Mind: The Psychology of The Ponyville Butcher and To Catch a Killer: How to Stop Killer Before They Begin. TEI: Good afternoon, doctor.

AB: Hello

TEI: We thank you for coming out to our offices. We'd like to ask you a few questions about the allegation that Rarity's niece might have been the actual killer in the crime that Rarity's sister was convicted of.

AB: I don't think there is any doubt at all that Joyous Blossom is the killer. Any rational pony can see that plain as day.

TEI: Tell us about why you think that.

AB: I have talked to a few of Joyous Blossom's classmates and they said that Blossom went into the woods after a stray ball. Sweetie Belle did not show up until a few minutes later and she did not know where her daughter was but she rushed into the woods in a panic when she was told where her child was.

TEI: So what you're saying is...

AB: I'm saying that the filly was in the woods before her mother even arrived at the school giving her ample time to commit the murders before her mother showed up.

TEI: What were the victims doing in the woods that day?

AB: I do not know and I suspect that we will never know. I believe that when Blossom discovered the two of them she saw her opportunity and killed them both. Her mother arrived a minute later and in her anguish she covered it up instead of letting Joyous Blossom pay for her crimes.

TEI: What do you think that says about the two of them; that Blossom killed and Sweetie Belle covered it up?

AB: I think that it says that Sweetie Belle was a mare who could not stand to see more of her family commit murder so she covered it up rather than let her child be put down like she deserved. In terms of Joyous Blossom herself, I think that it means that she is just as evil as her aunt is and should at the very least switch places with her mother in the mental institution.

TEI: Now that Joyous Blossom is almost free to move about Equestria as she pleases, do you think that she will try to follow in her aunt's hoofsteps and become the second serial killer that Ponyville has produced in twenty years?

AB: I think there is no doubt about that. If that mare is allowed to roam around Equestria free as a bird, expect to see reports of ponies disappearing without a trace all around the land. I can promise you.

Blossom's magic sputtered out and she let the magazine fall to the floor. She stared blankly down at it, wondering if what she had just read was real or if it was just something that a few ponies had made up to sell a few more magazines. Nopony knew about what she had done; they couldn't. The only ponies who had been in the woods that day were her, her mother, and... them. Nopony knew. Nopony knew because they couldn't know.

She gently lifted the magazine into the air again and charged up her illusion magic. There. Now the story was about why Sapphire Shores was secretly a man.

"Joyous Blossom?"

The voice cut through her shock and made her jump with a small yelp. She blinked rapidly and turned her head to the source of the noise. She saw that a blue unicorn mare was standing next to her, levitating a clipboard in front of her. She shook her head to clear it and cleared her throat. "Uh... I'm Joyous Blossom, ma'am."

The mare looked over at her and nodded. "Follow me."

Blossom hastily put the altered magazine back on the table and hopped off of the chair. She followed the mare to one of the back offices and the mare directed her inside. Blossom walked in, followed by the mare who shut the door behind the two of them. She directed Blossom to a chair in front of a desk in the middle of the room and she sat down on the opposite end of the desk. She put her clipboard down on the table and pointed at a manila folder lying on top of the desk. "Those are the results," she said simply.

Blossom stared down at the folder and studied it for a moment. It was in there. Her father's name was in that folder.

The mare cleared her throat and Blossom's head snapped up. "Now, I'm required to ask you if you really want to know this," said the mare. "If you choose not to look at the results then you will be given half of your money back and we will destroy these documents. Otherwise you are given one copy of the results."

Blossom slowly nodded and took a deep breath. "I want to know," she whispered. "I want to know who my dad is."

The mare nodded and used her magic to open up the folder.

"His name is Rolling Thunder."

Mio Padre

Baltimare.

He was in Baltimare.

Blossom had to do more than a little digging to figure that one out and it had depleted even more of her funds, but eventually she had an address. She didn't know what kind of neighborhood his house was in, but she rather hoped that it was one of the upper-end ones. She had heard that in Baltimare one was either upper class, or scraping by on three bits a day. It was surely an exaggeration, but all rumors had a little basis in fact.

Even the ones that she wished would stay buried.

She pushed those thoughts out of her mind. She couldn't let that distract her when she was a three hour train ride away from her father. She had to focus on finding him, even if he had potentially heard rumors that his daughter was a murderer. Blossom sighed and opened her saddlebag one more time to check on the address. Fourteen Twenty-Eight Elm Street in Baltimare. She had promptly sent the address to the Apples to let them know where she'd be staying in case things worked out. Blossom checked the contents of her coin purse. She hoped that five bits would be enough to get a taxi there, otherwise she might be walking a long way around Baltimare trying to find her way.

Blossom looked out the window and watched Manehattan zoom by. It had served her well but she was glad to see the back of it. She disliked big cities, preferring the charm of Ponyville and even the simplicity of Appleloosa the seven or eight times she had visited over the past ten years. Of course the irony in that is that she was now going to Baltimare, one of Equestria's largest cities after Manehattan and Canterlot. She mused to herself that if she did stay with her father in Baltimare then it would be something that she would need to get used to.

She sighed and closed her eyes, trying to get a nap in before she had to face Baltimare. If there was one thing that he learned in Manehattan it was that big cities tired her out. Even on those nights where she had gotten nine hours of sleep after going to bed at a reasonable hour she was still exhausted by the energy it took to keep going in the city.

She was about to drift off to dreamland when she heard a voice beside her. "Hi, what's your name?"

Blossom's eyes opened and she saw a pair of mares, both earth ponies, who seemed to be about her age sitting in the seat across from her. Blossom let out a small yawn. "My name's Joyous Blossom but most ponies just call me Blossom," she responded.

The two mares across from her smiled widely at her. "That's cool!" said the one on the left, a yellow mare with darker yellow hair.

"Yeah!" said the other, an orange mare with a mane of a darker shade of orange I'm Orange Peel and this is my buddy Lemon Seed." Lemon Seed waved in greeting and Blossom returned it.

"Pleased to meet the both of you," she said.

"So, Baltimare, huh?" said Orange Peel.

Blossom nodded. "Yep, I'm... visiting family."

"That's cool," said Lemon Seed, "We're going to see some new show that's supposedly in Baltimare next."

"What show is that?" Blossom asked.

"I think her name is The Amazing Dixie if I remember right." said Orange Peel. The orange mare suddenly leaned in conspiratorially. "I heard that her sister was one of The Ponyville Butcher's victims. Trixie I think her name was. As a matter of fact, I think that the Butcher got her parents too."

Blossom flinched but neither mare noticed. Lemon Seed frowned at her friend and hit her on the shoulder. "It isn't polite to talk about those things!" she reprimanded.

Orange Peel flinched back herself. "What? I'm just making conversation," she insisted. "Besides, it's been almost thirty years, I think we can start to talk about it like civilized ponies."

Lemon Seed glared at her companion. "Not when that thing just happened with her sister!"

Orange Peel snorted. "'Just happened'? Puh-leeze, that was a good ten years ago. I think we can also move on from that. It doesn't have much to do with The Ponyville Butcher at any rate. That mare has been in the ground a loooong time."

Blossom had to resist whimpering and she desperately wanted to move away from this conversation or even change seats if she had to. With the way that they were bickering, she wondered if the mares would notice until they were in Baltimare already.

Speaking of which, they were still going at it. "I'm just saying it's disrespectful to the ponies who tragically lost their lives!" Lemon Seed pointed out.

Orange Peel rolled her eyes. "It's not like we still talk that way about The Canterlot Killer," she pointed out.

"The difference being that The Canterlot Killer has been gone for five-hundred years, not thirty. I still think it's a little raw is all."

Orange Peel snorted and to Blossom's horror she turned her attention to her. "What do you think, Blossom?" she asked.

Caught off guard, Blossom had to think for a moment before she could even begin to stutter out an answer. "Uh..." She blinked once or twice. "I... think that..."

Lemon Seed cocked her head. "Are you okay? You seem..." Her eyes widened as comprehension dawned on her. "Oh," she said quietly. "You lost somepony to The Ponyville Butcher."

Orange Peel cocked her head. "But you're what, seventeen, eighteen? The Butcher died thirty years ago so that's long before you!"

Orange Peel's remarks earned her another punch on the shoulder from Lemon Seed. "Just because she's not that old doesn't mean that she didn't lose family."

Orange Peel flattened her ears and she looked over at Blossom. "Sorry," she muttered. "Who did you lose?"

"She was my aunt," Blossom mumbled. Instantly she regretted the words as these two mares were complete strangers but the deed was done.

However, the comment thankfully seemed to fly completely over their heads. "The Butcher killed your aunt, huh?" said Lemon Seed. "I'm sorry, that must be tough, you never getting to know her, I mean."

Blossom's eyes trailed to the floor and she gave a slight nod. "'s'alright," she muttered.

Orange Peel for her part was relatively quiet for a second. Blossom glanced up at her and she saw the orange mare examining her suspiciously. The realization hit her without warning. "Whoa... The Ponyville Butcher didn't kill you aunt... your aunt was The Butcher."

Blossom squeaked and began looking around to see if she could find the nearest exit but her legs failed her and she couldn't stand up. This conversation was a mistake.

Despite the information, Lemon Seed put up a hoof in a comforting gesture. "Hey, it's okay," she said soothingly. "We aren't going to run away in fear because we think that you're going to murder us." She glared at her friend. "We shouldn't have brought it up in the first place, right?"

Orange Peel gulped and chuckled weakly. "N-No of course not. I guess it was a little tactless." She leaned in. "But seriously, how was I supposed to know?" she whispered.

"Well we shouldn't have been talking about it at all!" Lemon Seed reprimanded.

"It's okay," Blossom mumbled.

Lemon Seed looked back at Blossom. "You might say that but I'm sure you're really tired of ponies talking about it."

Orange Peel nodded in agreement. "Yeah I'm sorry about that. It must be especially tough, what with what happened with your mo..." Orange Peel's ears flattened as she realized what she was saying. "Oops," she mumbled.

Blossom's head slowly retreated into her mane for the first time in years and she had to hold back the first traces of tears. Lemon Seed cuffed her friend over the back of the head before looking back to Blossom. "My friend here isn't usually so blatantly tactless. I apologize for her."

"You don't have to do that," Blossom mumbled.

"Well no," said Lemon Seed, "But I'm sure that you really hate hearing about it so much."

"Well yeah," said Blossom softly.

"Well then let's not talk about it," said Orange Peel. "Let's talk about... uh, your cutie mark. It looks pretty cool."

Blossom shrugged. "Yeah I guess it is."

"Well what does it mean?" Orange Peel asked.

"It represents my talent for changing the appearance of stuff."

Lemon Seed cocked her head. "So what does that mean exactly? Like you can make an apple look like an orange?" Blossom nodded and the two ponies let out impressed murmurs. "Can you show us?"

Blossom came out of her mane slightly and looked up at the two earth ponies in front of her. Her eyes landed on Orange Peel and she took a deep breath, firing up her horn. In an instant she had changed her appearance to that of the orange mare with a horn.

The duo in front of her let out loud gasps. "You look just like me!" cried Orange Peel.

"It's my special talent," said Blossom.

Orange Peel shook her head vigorously. "No, no there's 'special talent' and then there's that. I've seen unicorns that can make stuff look a lot different, but not that." Orange Peel suddenly leaned in next to Blossom's neck and tilted her head slightly. "You even have the scar that I got from an accident on the farm. I didn't even show that to you!"

"How do you do that?" asked Lemon Seed in awe.

"Lots of practice," Blossom admitted.

"It must have taken a ton of practice for you to get that good," said Orange Peel. "That's one of the most amazing things I've ever seen!"

Blossom smirked and felt herself become a little more at ease now that the conversation was not on her aunt and mother. 'It's just one of those spells that I've always liked doing and I took it to the next level," she explained. She powered up her horn again and the spell slowly melted away.

To her surprise she heard another gasp of surprise to her left and she turned her head to see a mother and her filly looking at her with wide eyes. "Mommy, did you see what that mare did?" asked the filly excitedly. "That was amazing!"

The mother blinked in surprise. "W...Why yes it was."

Eventually the impressed noises coming from the four ponies watching her was enough to draw a crowd and within ten minutes she was changing her appearance in front of a train car wall to wall with ponies. Some of them even tossed a few bits into her saddlebag, something that delighted her to no end as now she would definitely have enough money for a taxi ride to her father's house.

She grinned as the ponies in front of her gasped in wonder as she changed into a slightly smaller, wingless Princess Celestia.

* * * *

When Blossom finally exited the train, she did so to uproarious applause and almost two-hundred and fifty bits richer. If her dad told her to get out of his sight the second he discovered who she was, she'd have enough cash to get her back to Ponyville easy. In fact, she even wondered if she could make more money out of it, traveling around Equestria and doing shows. Her horn had started to ache a bit after three hours of changing her appearance, but if she did it professionally then she could dictate how long the shows would be. It was certainly something to think about.

Blossom levitated her saddlebag on her back after checking one last time to see if her papers were in there. Her dad would not believe her that she was his daughter if she didn't have the proper identification with her.

After exiting the Baltimare Train Station, she flagged down a passing taxi and hopped inside. "Where to, miss?" asked the driver.

"Can you take me to Fourteen Twenty-Eight Elm Street, please?" Blossom asked. "Do you know where that is?"

The driver nodded. "Sure, miss. It's a ways away but I can get you there if you need me to."

Blossom smiled. "Then that's where I'd like to go."

The driver returned her smile and gave her a little bow. "As you wish, madam. I'll have you there in about an hour and a half."

* * * *

The ride was a pretty silent one for the most part. Blossom used a bit of it to take a quick nap to recharge her magic and when she woke up she felt refreshed, despite the fact that she had only been out for about twenty minutes according to the driver. She tried to instigate some small talk but the stallion pulling the taxi asked that she not as he would become quite winded during such a long journey if he had to participate in a conversation. Blossom had understood but it did mean that her journey was rather boring. She took to talking the papers out of her saddlebag and reading them over, just to make sure that there was no mistake and she was going to meet the right stallion.

Eventually, though, the taxi came to a halt in front of a rather charming little suburban house in a well maintained neighborhood. The house of her dad looked a lot like the houses surrounding it. It was a simple two-story house with a white picket fence and a light blue paint job and a red door.

Blossom took a deep breath and hopped out of the taxi. She was here.

"How much?" she asked the driver.

"For that journey? Forty bits." Blossom nodded and pulled the proper amount out of her saddlebag plus a fifteen bit tip. The driver nodded in thanks and took off, leaving a small cloud of dust behind him.

Blossom slowly turned back to the house. She hoped that he was home, that would be unfortunate for her if she had caught him at a time where he was on vacation for a week starting yesterday. If he wasn't home then she could ask a neighbor or two if they knew where he was.

Slowly and carefully she trotted up to the white picket fence and opened the gate. She followed the stone path up to the red door and uneasily raised a hoof. When her hoof refused to go forward to knock on the door, she growled to herself. "Come on, Blossom, what's the worst that could happen?"

"Your mom is in a mental ward and your aunt was the deadliest serial killer in history," she mumbled to herself. "A lot can go wrong."

"What, is he going to call the cops on you?"

"No, but I just want you to be sure that you're ready to handle rejection from him, even a cruel one."

She sighed. "Blossom, I've been mentally preparing for that for weeks. I know it's a possibility."

She shook her head and slowly lowered her hoof. She had begun the habit of talking out loud to herself when nervous or if she needed to work something through. She didn't know where she had picked it up.

Finally she shook her head. "You're being dumb, Blossom."

With that, she raised her hoof once more and knocked on the door three times. She instantly heard a voice on the other side of the door. "Coming!"

Blossom inhaled sharply and almost began running away. That was definitely the voice of an adult stallion. "Don't run, Blossom," she whispered. "It might not even be him."

Within ten seconds it was too late. The red door in front of her opened up revealing a cheerful pegasus stallion with a light purple mane, the same shade as Blossom's, and a very light gray body. He smiled warmly at Blossom when he saw her. "Oh, hello there. How can I help you?"

Blossom merely stared dumbly at him. All of the carefully chosen words she had spent months preparing died in her throat. Her mouth moved up and down in an empty imitation of speech. The pegasus' smile faded and he raised an eyebrow. "Uh... are you okay, miss?"

Blossom somehow managed to snap out of her shock and decided to force herself to say something. "Are you... are you Rolling Thunder?"

"Yeah, that's me," said the stallion. "May I ask your name?"

Blossom blinked a few times and cleared her throat weakly. "My name is Joyous Blossom but most ponies call me Blossom. I..." She took a deep breath. "I think I'm your daughter."

Rolling Thunder's eyes widened and he took a small step backwards as his jaw dropped ever so slightly. His eyes alternated between Blossom and the door as if he was unsure if he should slam it in her face or not. His wings fluttered nervously and he took a deep breath. "Well, Blossom, may I ask why you think that?"

Blossom nodded and opened her saddlebag. She levitated the papers out. "I've never known my dad and so I went to a clinic in Manehattan where they do tests about that kind of thing. The results said that you're my dad."

Blossom moved the papers over so Rolling Thunder could scan them. He leaned in and his eyes traveled over the paper. Each line made his eyes grow wider and he almost took another step back. Eventually he nodded and Blossom took the paper away. "Who is your mother?" he asked quietly.

"Her name is Sweetie Belle," said Blossom, her volume matching Rolling Thunder's, "and I know for a fact that she only slept with one stallion: my father."

Rolling Thunder closed his eyes. "Oh Celestia," he whispered.

"Are you my dad?" Blossom asked.

Rolling Thunder sighed and opened his eyes. He tried to manage a weak smile but failed so he settled for a neutral expression. "Yeah... I suppose I am."

Before Blossom could respond, she heard two sets of hoofsteps coming from inside the house. “Thunder? Who’s at the door?” asked the voice of a mare inside the house.

“Yeah, we’re still at dinner, daddy. I was just about to tell you about how far I flewed today!” said the voice of a filly.

Blossom’s eyes widened and she considered bolting right then and there. Her dad already had another family?! Of course he did, if he was a normal stallion and her mother’s age then it would be likely; especially with a house like this. She had been foolish not to consider it.

Rolling Thunder stuttered something unintelligible for a second before turning around. “There’s somepony here that… uh, stopped by to visit me.”

The mare who had been talking, a dull pink unicorn mare, came to the door and saw Blossom standing on the porch. She cocked her head. “Who is this?” she asked. “Is this a relative of yours that I don’t know about?”

Rolling Thunder nodded. “Yeah, she’s closely related to me. It would be best to explain later,” he said. “I was just about to invite her in. Do we have an extra spot open for dinner?”

The mare uneasily nodded. “Yes I suppose we do. I’ll go set another place.”

“Um… you don’t need to do that for me,” Blossom said quietly.

She half considered leaving right then and there but her father waved a hoof. “Nonsense. You’re… you’re family so you are welcome in my house.” Rolling Thunder stepped aside. “Please, do come in.”

Blossom slowly nodded and stepped inside the house. She looked around the entryway which was rather sparsely decorated. A desk of some sort was placed against the opposite wall and it was decorated with two or three pictures of the family, including a wedding photo of her dad and… well, she’d be her step-mom wouldn’t she?

“I’ll take your saddlebag,” said Rolling Thunder. Blossom levitated it off of her back and her dad took it in his mouth and placed it underneath the desk. “If you’ll follow me, the dining room is this way.”

Blossom tore her attention away from the wedding photo and followed her father towards the dining room. The dining room had a large table in the middle as well as a smaller table with a phonograph playing quiet classical music. The table was laden with a few different bowls and plates, each holding a few types of food. Thankfully Blossom saw that she liked everything being served. It wouldn’t do well to be a picky eater now, it would leave a poor first impression.

Rolling Thunder pulled a chair out for her. Blossom thanked him and sat down. She looked to the opposite end of the table where a young pegasus filly with a bright green body and an electric blue mane was staring at her with wide eyes. “Uh daddy, who is she?”

Rolling Thunder managed a smile. “She’s one of daddy’s relatives who has come by for a visit. Her name is Joyous Blossom.”

Blossom cleared her throat. “Most ponies just call me ‘Blossom’, though.”

The filly examined her curiously for a second but slowly shook her head. “Okay.” She looked over at her father. “How is she related to you?”

“Yes I’m quite curious of that myself,” said the mare. “How do you know Blossom and why haven’t I heard about her? She seems to know you well enough if she’s dropping by for visits.”

Rolling Thunder shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “It’s… complicated,” he said. “I’d rather wait until later to discuss it and I promise you that we will talk about it. I also promise that it’s not… that.”

Blossom blushed and looked down at the floor. In hindsight she could guess why the mare thought that. The two of them were being rather secretive about the whole thing. The mare seemed mollified for the moment, though. “Well if you say so,” she said. She looked over at Blossom. “My name is Blooming Lilly, but I prefer to just go by Lilly.”

Blossom nodded. “How do you do,” she said quietly.

“And my name is Comet Blitz!” said the filly happily. “I’m gonna be in the Wonderbolts someday!”

Blossom managed a small smile. “I have two aunts in the Wonderbolts.”

Comet’s eyes quadrupled in size. “You do?!” she said, awe filling her voice. “Who?”

Despite how awkward she felt here, she did manage a smile at the filly’s glee. “Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash.”

Comet’s eyes somehow widened even more and she clapped her hooves over her mouth with a loud gasp. She put her hooves down and sputtered in a frankly adorable manner that left all three adults chuckling slightly. “No. Way,” she whispered. “Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash…” The filly placed her left foreleg on the table and rested her head on it in a ‘thinker’ pose. “I’m not sure what to say about this.”

Blossom’s smile widened. If this was her half-sister then she’d actually enjoy getting to know her. At any rate, the filly seemed to want to know everything about Blossom as she pestered her the entire dinner about what Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash were like.

* * * *

The dinner went very well all things considering. Lilly and Thunder were fairly quiet but Comet more than made up for that with her persistent questions, all of which Blossom was more than happy to answer. They were mostly about Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash anyway. Comet had nearly keeled over when Blossom had told her that Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash had both been there when she was born.

Finally the last plate was cleaned off and Lilly excused herself from the table to begin the dishes. Comet was by Blossom’s side almost instantly. “If you want to, I can show you my room. I have lotsa Wonderbolts stuff but probably not as much as you do.”

“Actually, me and your mom need to have a talk with Blossom before you show her your room. It won’t take too long,” said Rolling Thunder.

Comet raised her eyebrow and cocked her head for a brief moment but her smile soon returned full force. “Okay!” she said happily. She began bouncing towards a nearby staircase. “I’ll be in my room when you want to see it.”

Blossom smiled and waved goodbye to the filly. “Okay.”

When Comet was upstairs, Rolling Thunder beckoned Blossom towards the kitchen. Blossom nodded and followed her father. They walked through the connecting doorway and saw Lilly standing in front of the sink, staring directly at them with a slight glower on her face. “So, Blossom, is it?”

Blossom almost took an uneasy step backwards. Were it not for Rolling Thunder standing next to her she’s almost certainly be thrown out on her plot in a second. “Yeah, that’s what I prefer being called.”

Lilly nodded curtly. “Good, now would you mind explaining how you are ‘related’ to my husband?”

At this Rolling Thunder stepped forward. “Lilly, I promise you we are related and I have never met this mare before in my life. She’s my daughter.”

Lilly didn’t take the news quite as well as Rolling Thunder had. She turned to Blossom with a look of pure fury.

“Get. Out.”

Downfall

Slowly but surely Blossom regained consciousness. She groggily opened her eyes revealing what appeared to be a simple basement. Its walls were completely blank and the seemed to be no furniture in it. It was completely bare as far as she could see. Frowning, Blossom tried to stand up to look around for an exit but to her surprise she was completely incapable of movement. Head, legs, she couldn't move anything except for her eyes.

As she regained her senses more and more, she realized that she was lying on a horizontal table and she felt sheets strapping down her head and legs. Her eyes widened when it hit her. She was strapped to a table in a basement!

The memory came flooding back. Diamond Tiara. Diamond Tiara had broken into Carousel Boutique and drugged her and now she was strapped to a table in a basement.

Blossom's eyes scanned the room. Diamond Tiara didn't seem to be in the basement right now. Maybe she had left to go get something. If so this was her chance! Even if she was strapped down, she had her magic and could easily remove the sheets if she needed to. She fired up her horn and used her magic to fell around for the place where she could loosen the sheet strapping her head down.

Before she could she felt a sharp pain in her horn and instantly saw Diamond Tiara's face inches from hers. She looked surprisingly well groomed but her face was more sunken then when she had seen her last. "No! Bad foal, bad foal!" she growled. "You don't get to use your magic until I tell you to!"

Blossom squealed in fear and tried to flinch away from her captor but the sheets held, and she couldn't wiggle away. "Please let me go!"

Diamond Tiara raised an eyebrow and rested her forelegs on the table. "You know something? That exact phrase sent your aunt on the warpath. From what I hear she had a poster that she put on the wall so her victims would know not to say when she was gutting them." Diamond Tiara placed her forelegs back on the floor and walked over to a blank stretch of wall right in front of the table. She pointed to it. "I believe it was placed right here. It would have to have been for her victims to see it."

The implications of Diamond Tiara's words hit her and Blossom shrieked fearfully. Diamond Tiara glanced over at Blossom and shot her a satisfied grin. "Oh that's right I didn't tell you." She motioned around to all of the basement. "Joyous Blossom, we are currently in your aunt Rarity's torture and murder basement! When I came here yesterday it took all of two minutes to find it and kick out the drywall covering it and now here we are!" Blossom began sobbing but Diamond Tiara ignored her and rubbed her lower jaw thoughtfully. "It took a little longer than that to bring your kitchen table down here and get everything I needed to keep you strapped to it so you couldn't get away but that is neither here nor there right now. What matters is that you're here!"

Diamond Tiara walked behind Blossom and she heard her fiddling with something. "I wasn't actually sure if I wanted to use this one or not but I've decided against it. I may put it back on later but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

Blossom felt the sheet on her head loosen and eventually it came off altogether. Blossom rotated her head around to ease some of the stiffness out of her neck while Diamond Tiara walked beside her and righted a large tray and placed a black medical bag on it. She undid the clasps and reached inside. To Blossom's horror she pulled out a large butcher knife. "Found this in the kitchen. I've spent the past two hours sharpening it to perfection!"

Blossom screamed in horror and instinctively fired up her horn to try to get the sheets off again. Diamond Tiara noticed immediately and with a snarl of rage she grasped the knife in both hooves and slammed it down on the table above Blossom's head. The knife was as sharp as Diamond Tiara had promised, and the blade cleanly severed the tip of Blossom's left ear.

Blossom screamed in pain and began struggling more violently to get out of the straps before she lost something else. However, she stopped when she heard something... unusual. Diamond Tiara had cried out when she had cut off the tip of her ear but seemed to be a cry of fear. It seemed strange to Blossom, as Diamond Tiara didn't seem to have any reason to be the one who was afraid.

"No, you can do this, you can hurt her! Her mom killed your baby, you are more than capable of doing this. Don't chicken out now," the mare whispered to herself. "This is for Golden Necklace."

Diamond Tiara took a deep breath and turned back to Blossom with a maniacal smile on her face. "That's what happens if you try something like that. Next time I take the whole ear, got it?" Blossom weakly nodded and Diamond Tiara flicked the ear fragment off of the table with her knife. "That's a good foal." Diamond Tiara placed the knife back on the tray and trotted up next to Blossom. "Now, I've heard that your cutie mark means that you have a talent for changing your appearance, right?"

Blossom weakly nodded. "Yeah," she squeaked.

Diamond Tiara nodded and reached into the medical bag once more with her muzzle. When she pulled it out, she had what appeared to be a photograph in her mouth. Blossom whimpered when she saw who it was: Golden Necklace. Diamond Tiara tapped the photo and pointed to Blossom. Blossom whimpered. "Please just let me go!"

Diamond Tiara glared at her and nudged the butcher knife before tapping Blossom's injured ear. Blossom resumed her sobbing and Diamond Tiara sighed. She flattened Blossom's ear on the table and picked up the butcher knife. "NO, NO I'LL DO IT!" Blossom screamed.

Diamond Tiara grinned and placed the knife back on the tray. Blossom did her best to control her sobbing before glancing at the photograph. With a few deep breaths she fired up her horn and in seconds she became a teenaged Golden Necklace. Her white body suddenly mirrored the pink of Diamond Tiara’s and her purple mane turned into a soft gold.

When she saw the image of her foal on the table, Diamond Tiara's mouth dropped open and the photograph floated to the floor. "Necklace?" she whispered. "Baby, is that you?"

Blossom sniffled and slowly nodded. "Yes, mom." Feeling those words come out of her mouth made her want to vomit but she held the bile back as Diamond Tiara approached the table.

Diamond Tiara shakily reached out a hoof and began stroking Blossom's mane. "Oh Necklace you've grown into such a beautiful mare." Diamond Tiara leaned in and nuzzled Blossom's mane. It held none of the love that her mother's affection did. Instead it was merely a shallow imitation.

Diamond Tiara locked eyes with Blossom and smiled happily at her. "How is your schooling going?"

Blossom sniffled but forced herself to return the smile. "It's... it's going good, mom. I got an A on a paper I wrote about Hearths Warming Eve."

Diamond Tiara's eyes widened with almost childlike joy. "You did?" She leaned in and did her best to wrap her forelegs around Blossom. "Oh Necklace I'm so proud of you. You're such a smart mare; I always knew you were one."

"Thanks, mommy."

Diamond Tiara broke off from the hug and her face turned almost conspiratorial. "So, are there any stallions that you have your eye on? I know there have to be some cute guys in school."

Blossom had to hold back more tears and her weak smile faltered but she cleared her throat and regained control of her emotions. "Y-Yeah there's a guy."

Diamond Tiara gasped and beamed at Blossom. "Ooh, is there? Come on, give mommy some details!"

Blossom took a deep breath. "Well, he wants to become a doctor a-and I think he likes me too. There's a school dance next week and Fire Ruby says that she thinks that he's gonna ask me out."

"And why wouldn't he?" cooed Diamond Tiara. "You're quite the catch if I do say so myself."

Blossom began shivering and she considered trying to struggle out of the straps again. As soon as she did, though, she became aware that her ear was aching and she forced her hooves to be still. She doubted that she could get free before Diamond Tiara managed to get the knife or that she could get the knife away from Tiara.

So she had to endure Diamond Tiara treating her like she was Golden Necklace.

For three hours it dragged on. Eventually Diamond Tiara wrapped Blossom into a tight hug and squeezed. "Mommy loves you, Golden Necklace. I... I know I probably didn't say that enough, but I always want you to know that Mommy loves you." Diamond Tiara pulled away from the hug and her loving smile slowly faded away and she tapped Blossom's horn. "Stop pretending to be my daughter you worthless foal," she growled. "She's ten times the mare you were so STOP IT!"

Blossom whimpered but powered up her horn and reverted back to her original form. Diamond Tiara nodded and reached into the medical bag. To Blossom's horror she pulled out a straight razor. "Now that you're not pretending to be Golden Necklace anymore, I think we can get on to the main order of business." She glowered at Blossom and pointed the razor at her. "Taking you away from your mother just like your mother took my daughter away from me. That seems like justice, doesn't it?"

Blossom began sobbing and turned her head away from Diamond Tiara but the psychotic mare merely violently turned it back. She used one hoof to keep Blossom's head still and her mouth and the other hoof to put the strap back over her forehead, keeping it still. "No, you're going to stay right where you are and you're going to be still while I tear you apart bit. By. Bit."

"Please just let me go!" wailed Blossom. "You don't have to do anything!"

Diamond Tiara rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I really think that I do," she said simply. "You see, your mother took my foal away from me and she's still alive; I got no justice." Diamond Tiara began slowly running the flat part of the razor up and down Blossom's chest. "It was in my ten years in a loony bin that I realized that if you want justice you have to take it for yourself."

With that, Diamond Tiara held a large lock of Blossom's mane down and began slicing through it with the razor. Blossom's screams and pleas for mercy went unheard by Diamond Tiara and she shaved Blossom's mane off bit by bit. When she had reduced Blossom's mane down to frayed remnants, she moved down and severed Blossom's tail.

As Blossom continued to cry, Diamond Tiara put the razor down and picked up Blossom's tail. "You know, I think I'm going to mail this to your mother so she knows what happened here tonight. I think your ears would make a nice addition to the care package too, what do you say?"

"Just let me go!" sobbed Blossom. "I just want my momma!"

Diamond Tiara's thoughtful expression hardened into a glare. "I'm sure that's what Golden Necklace wanted too, but did your mom show her any mercy? No! Your mother just killed her like she was an animal!" Diamond Tiara walked up to Blossom and placed her hoof on her left cutie mark. "And now I do the same to you."

"Don't take my cutie marks!" Blossom wailed. "Please don't take my cutie marks!"

"Why not? If I'm taking justice it would only be fair wouldn't it?" Diamond Tiara snared. "My daughter never even got a cutie mark; what makes you think you deserve yours?!"

Blossom began hyperventilating and her struggles became steadily weaker as she got more lightheaded. Diamond Tiara scoffed and walked closer to her head. She reached up and tapped her horn. "I've heard tell that the single most agonizing thing to happen to a unicorn is for them to get their horn torn off. I've heard that it's like having your head split open and then having molten iron poured into the wound. If you're a good foal and don't try to use your magic, we'll save that for last."

Blossom merely continued hyperventilating and Diamond Tiara shrugged. She walked back over to Blossom's cutie mark and hooked her foreleg over the handle of the razor to begin cutting it off. Slowly she brought the razor closer to Blossom's cutie mark, but as she was just about to place the edge on the skin, she paused. "Come on, Tiara you can do this," she growled to herself. "You cut off part of her ear and you cut her hair, you can do this. Her mother murdered Golden Necklace, you've been planning this down to the last detail for years. Don't chicken out now."

Diamond Tiara resolutely nodded to herself and adjusted her grip on the razor. She placed the edge just above Blossom's cutie mark but once again paused. "Don't be a coward. This foal deserves what you're doing to her and her mother deserves to know about it. Just... just do it. DO IT NOW!"

With that, Diamond Tiara swung her hoof, letting the razor leave a long, deep cut just above Blossom's cutie mark. Blossom shrieked in pain and began violently struggling. She almost instinctively charged her horn but Tiara's warning put those thoughts to rest.

However, Diamond Tiara didn't seem to be willing to break her horn of even if she did use magic. Blossom quieted her screaming and to her surprise she heard hysterical sobbing coming from her right side. To the best of her ability she looked over and and saw Diamond Tiara on the floor staring at her bloody hooves with the red soaked razor on the ground in front of her. "P-P-Pull yourself together!" she mumbled to herself. "This is for Golden Necklace, she deserves this!"

Slowly Blossom's horn fired up and she undid the strap over her forehead, allowing her to raise her head up. "Miss Tiara?" she whispered.

Diamond Tiara shot her head up and looked at Blossom with wide eyes. She slowly got to her hooves. "I... I'm sorry," she whispered. "I d-didn't..."

Diamond Tiara weakly got to her hooves and trotted over to Blossom's left side. She undid the strap, freeing Blossom's left foreleg. She then walked over to the right side and undid the strap there, freeing Blossom even further.

The second her forelegs were free, the new feeling that Blossom felt that day in the woods with Golden Necklace and Fire Ruby coursed through Blossom as the thoughts of her damaged ear and cutie mark along with her destroyed hair came to the forefront of her mind. All it would take was one little swipe and Diamond Tiara could never hurt her again. it would be a good thing. Before Diamond Tiara could do anything about it, Blossom levitated the butcher knife over to her, clasped it in both hooves, and plunged it into Diamond Tiara's gut up to the handle.

With a weak gurgle Diamond Tiara collapsed onto the ground, allowing Blossom to use her magic to free her hind legs. She hopped off of the table, knocking the tray over in the process. It fell to the floor with a loud clang, but Blossom only cared about Diamond Tiara. The wounded mare was still alive and desperately trying to crawl away. Blossom clasped the knife in her hooves again and slowly began pulling it upwards. "You wanted justice? Well do you want it now?" growled Blossom.

Diamond Tiara's mouth flopped up and down and she only managed one weak word. "Please."

Blossom cackled and pushed the knife up further. "Oh I'm sorry, I didn't think you knew the meaning of that word! You didn't seem to when I was on the table over there!" She pulled the knife up even further. "You wanted to get back at my mom for killing your stupid brat? Well here's a little something I think you would have liked to have known!"

An evil smile crossed Blossom's face and after another jerk of the knife, she leaned in next to Diamond Tiara's ear. "My mom wasn't the one who killed your little brat..." Blossom licked her lips in anticipation. "I did."

Diamond Tiara's eyes widened but the fatally wounded mare could only lie there, twitching weakly as Blossom slowly disemboweled her.

"I took the rock and bashed her head in." Another jerk of the knife. "I watched her fall to the ground before I moved on to that friend of hers." Once more. "I bathed in her blood, and you had me on the table, right there but you chickened out." A mocking look crossed Blossom's face. "What would your daughter think? Let's ask her, shall we?"

Blossom's horn fired up and she changed back to the form of teenaged Golden Necklace. Diamond Tiara whimpered and weakly raised a hoof up to Blossom but she batted it down and she twisted her face into a sad whimper. "Mommy, you had her on your table and you didn't do right by me! Didn't you love me, mommy? Why couldn't you do it? Why couldn't you make it so that I got the justice we both wanted? Why?"

Diamond Tiara slowly closed her eyes before throwing her head back and letting loose an ear-splitting shriek of emotional agony. A shriek that was cut off when Blossom jerked the knife up one final time.

Then she was still.

Blossom took a deep breath and reverted back to her normal looks. A satisfied smile crossed her face as she stood up. As she did, a jolt of pain shot through her side and she collapsed onto the ground. Her cutie mark wound. She whimpered in pain and looked around trying to see if there was something she could use to bandage the wound. She brought the medical bag over to her and opened it up but to her horror all she saw was half a dozen large knives. She tossed the bag away from her and leaned against the wall. "Well, Blossom, you got her," she muttered to herself. "She was too weak to take you out." She chuckled. "Good thing too; that cut really hurt. It'll need a bunch of stitches."

"Yeah, Blossom. It was lucky that she was about to let you..." She sat up and began blinking rapidly as what she was about to say sunk in. "She was about to let you go. She was about to set you free and not h-hurt you anymore and you killed her."

Slowly Blossom turned her head and saw the bloody corpse of Diamond Tiara with the knife still jutting out of it. She snapped her head away, unable to bear the sight of what she had done. She whimpered and looked down at her own blood-soaked body. If one looked at her then, one would have difficulty seeing that her coat was supposed to be white.

"Blossom what did you just do?"

* * * *

Applejack, Apple Bloom, the Royal Sisters and a trio of royal guards all ran quickly towards Carousel Boutique.

When they first discovered Diamond Tiara's disappearance, they first thing that they had done was try to track Blossom to Baltimare and six guards were currently trying to discover if she was still there. If she wasn't, they figured that she would be in Ponyville with the Apples. That line proved to be fruitless so the two elder Apple mares had suggested that they might try Carousel Boutique. It wasn't unlikely that Blossom had been rejected by her father and if she had she would have made her way back to Ponyville immediately. The only place she could be was Carousel Boutique.

When the group arrived they quickly entered and began calling out for Blossom. Apple Bloom was the first to catch sight of evidence that she had been there when she found her saddlebag overturned near the stairs. The group was about to begin tearing the place apart of Blossom when Applejack heard something. "Shh. Ah think Ah hear somepony cryin'."

Apple Bloom gasped. "It sounds like Blossom!"

The group began following the source of the noise and soon discerned that it was coming from Rarity's old basement. Princess Celestia turned to her guards. "Be at the ready for whatever might be down there," she commanded. "I want the three of you to go in first. My sister and I will be right behind you."

The three guards saluted and began walking down the stairs. The Sisters and Apples listened quietly for a moment to and were rewarded with the sound of a shriek of terror. Instantly the four of them bolted down the stairs and into the basement. There they saw the tragic scene.

There in front of them was a maneless Blossom, soaked in blood and sobbing. She was staring blankly ahead and cradling the disemboweled body of Diamond Tiara in her forelegs.

Hello, Aunt Rarity

The next few hours passed like a blur for Blossom.

She was only vaguely aware of the events around her, but she could pick up bits and pieces every now and again. She felt somepony take what was left of Diamond Tiara out of her forelegs and she felt herself being lifted onto Princess Celestia's back. The sun goddess carried her up the stairs, away from the basement and gently laid her down on the floor. Somepony put a blanket over her shoulders which she supposed she appreciated. It was a little better being a little warmer.

She saw Princess Celestia standing in front of her. She was looking down at her and her mouth was moving so she must be talking to her. Blossom didn't respond. It was if her mouth was glued shut. Had Diamond Tiara done that? No, if she had then she couldn't have talked to her when she had...

Blossom pushed those thoughts out of her mind and just stared dumbly at Celestia. Aunt Applejack, Aunt Apple Bloom, and Princess Luna were all in front of her too. Aunt Apple Bloom was crying into Aunt Applejack's shoulder while the older mare simply looked dumbly at Blossom's head, paying particular attention to her mangled ear. Princess Luna just silently observed Blossom, hardly moving at all.

Eventually the door to Carousel Boutique opened and Blossom slowly turned her head to see a team of medical ponies walking in, two of them levitating a stretcher in front of them. She was gently placed on the stretcher and carried into the back of a covered medical wagon. "Just hold on, Blossom, you're going to be just fine," said one of the medics. She sounded like she was miles away. Her voice sounded like quiet echoes and Blossom was hardly sure she had heard her at all.

Through everything that had happened she gained enough presence of mind to whimper out one solitary word.

"Momma."

* * * *

Applejack and Apple Bloom sat in the waiting room at the hospital, holding each other silently. Apple Bloom had stopped crying halfway to the hospital and Applejack merely stared into space, a haunted expression etched across her face.

"Ah can't believe it," she whispered after a while. "Ah can't believe this had to happen again to that wonderful filly."

Apple Bloom wiped her eyes and sat up. "Ah've never seen so much blood in mah life," she whimpered. "It was everywhere and Ah didn't know what was Blossom's and which was Tiara's!"

"Now don't you be thinkin' 'bout that," said Applejack. "It won't bring ya nothing if ya do."

Apple Bloom wiped her eyes. "Ah was so scared for her when Ah heard that DT escaped," she whispered. "Ah thought that the worst had h-happened and it almost did!"

"But Blossom's alive and she's gonna be fine," said Applejack. "What happened was beyond unfortunate and it'll take a lotta time for her to heal but she's a strong mare. She'll pull through."

"It ain't that Ah'm worried about!" said Apple Bloom. "Ah'm worried that maybe Blossom's gonna get punished fer this!"

Applejack shook her head. "No. There is no way that's happenin'. You saw what was down there, even if Ah wished that hadn't happened, and Diamond Tiara was gonna kill her. Blossom defended herself, simple as that."

Apple Bloom nodded and the two sisters sat in silence for a few more minutes before the double doors leading to the E.R. opened in front of them and the Royal Sisters walked out. The Apples immediately got to their hooves. "How is she?" asked Applejack.

"Blossom will be fine," said Princess Celestia "Both now and going forward. Based on the evidence what she did to Diamond Tiara was not murder. Blossom had knockout drugs in her system and wounds that Diamond Tiara inflicted upon her. Diamond Tiara took her down to that basement to kill her and Blossom killed Diamond Tiara to prevent that. I will not punish her for that."

Apple Bloom and Applejack both breathed sighs of relief. "Can we see her now?" asked Applejack.

"I suppose if you want to, though she is resting now," said Princess Celestia. "She's in room 13B."

Without waiting for another word from Celestia the two ran towards Blossom's room. It was thankfully only a short ways away from the E.R. entrance and the two of them walked through the door into Blossom's room. What they saw made them both gasp. Blossom was lying on a bed in the middle of the room. There was an oxygen mask over her face and an IV in her right foreleg. Her right ear was wrapped up in bandages, the tip stained red. Her right leg was also wrapped up in blood soaked bandages.

A doctor was standing next to Blossom's bed, taking notes on a clipboard. He looked up when he saw the two mares walk in. "I know she looks bad, but she's going to be fine."

"What happened to her?" Applejack asked.

The doctor sighed and looked down at his clipboard. "The upper sixth of her left ear was severed and she sustained a large knife wound just above her left cutie mark that required twenty-six stitches. There is of course the obvious damage to her mane and tail as well. Blood tests we did found knockout drugs in her system and she began hyperventilating when we took her in to get the stitches. We gave her a mild sedative and she's resting peacefully now. She'll have to take a few painkillers in the next couple of days to dull the considerable pain she's going to be in, but for now she's asleep." The doctor managed a weak smile. "If you look into her eyes you can see she's in REM sleep right now. She's dreaming."

"Ah hope she's havin' good dreams, doc," whispered Apple Bloom.

* * * *

When Blossom awoke it was nighttime. She was in a room in the hospital, lying a a plain white bed. Her eyes scanned the room, searching for somepony who might be around so she could ask what was going on. Nopony was on her left side, so she turned her head to the right and that's when she saw it. A silhouette of a pony sitting on a chair beside her, watching her sleep.

Frowning, Blossom turned on the light beside the bed and who she saw made her yelp in surprise.

White body, dark purple mane, three blue gems for a cutie mark... Blossom's eyes. It was her. "Aunt Rarity?" Blossom whispered.

Rarity merely stared silently at Blossom for a second before she slowly nodded and stood up, beckoning Blossom onwards. Blossom hopped out of bed just as Rarity exited the room and raced out after her aunt. When she was out of her room, she saw Rarity turn the corner down the hallway leading to the exit of the hospital. Blossom quickly ran after her, hoping to catch up to her so she could ask what was going on. But no matter how fast she ran she couldn't catch up to her aunt. She always seemed to be ten steps ahead of her.

Eventually Blossom made it out of the hospital and into the streets of Ponyville. The entire town was covered in a thick blanket of fog and Blossom could only barely make out a purple blur in the distance that she ran after. Like in the hospital, no matter how fast she ran Rarity was always ahead of her, despite the fact that Rarity seemed to be trotting along at a leisurely pace.

"Aunt Rarity slow down!" Blossom pleaded. "I can't keep up with you!"

Despite her pleas Rarity did not slow down for her niece and instead remained ahead of her. Blossom was about to call out again but she saw a large, dark shape looming in the distance. A few seconds of running forwards revealed the shape's identity: Carousel Boutique. What's more, the front door was open.

Blossom walked through the door and into the house. The door slammed behind her, covering the house in pitch black darkness so that Blossom could not even see her own hoof in front of her face. Growling in frustration, she illuminated her horn just in time to see a curly purple tail dart behind a doorway.

The doorway that led to the basement.

Despite every internal warning bell she possessed sounding off, Blossom slowly walked towards the basement door and when she reached it, she trotted down the stairs.

She reached the bottom, and Tartarus was revealed to her.

It was decorated just like it had been in its glory days. Manes, tails, and hides decorated the walls which were caked in blood. A large workbench was placed against the opposite wall and it was popped open revealing a large compartment filled with knives of every kind. However, it was what was in the middle of the room that horrified Blossom the most.

Her aunt Rarity was adjusting knives on a large tray that was similar to the one that Diamond Tiara had used when Blossom was strapped to the table. Next to the tray was a large metal table, fitted with leather straps. Straps that were securing...

"Lilly?"

Blossom's step-mother was strapped to the table, sobbing her eyes out. Where her horn normally was, now there was only an open wound oozing blood. Her severed horn lay on the ground at her hooves.

Seeing Blossom come in, Rarity smiled at her and levitated one of the knives into the air. Blossom took an uneasy step backwards, unwilling to watch her aunt murder her step-mother. But Rarity did not attack Lilly. Instead she rotated the knife so that the handle was pointing towards Blossom. Rarity smiled at her niece and motioned towards the knife, then at Lilly.

Blossom looked blankly at the scene before her for a moment before she slowly walked up to the knife. She examined it in the air. It was the same kind that she had used to kill Diamond Tiara. It seemed just as sharp as the one that she had used too so she knew that she was capable of using it to cut Lilly to ribbons.

She shakily began reaching a hoof towards it, ignoring Lilly's sobs beside her. She didn't know how her aunt had gotten Lilly, but here she was. Here was a knife. They were alone in the basement with nopony there to stop her if she wanted to do this.

As she continued reaching for the knife, she saw Rarity standing next to her, an increasingly large smile on her face. She turned to Rarity and Rarity nodded and motioned towards the knife.

"No," Blossom whispered.

With a snarl of rage Blossom batted the knife down and kicked over the tray of knives. "I'M NOT YOU!" she screamed.

Rarity's grin faded and she took an uneasy step back. With another snarl, Blossom leaped forward and tacked Rarity to the ground. She got on top of her and began repeatedly slamming her hooves into Rarity's face. "Why does everypony think that I'm just like you?! You're evil; you're pure evil and you ruined my life!" Each blow brought forth only silence from Rarity, but Blossom continued on. "They kept saying it, that day in the woods, they kept saying that I was gonna be like you, and for one second I believed them and now look at me! Now look at your sister! Now look at everything you've done! Was it worth it? Was it worth it to satisfy your sick, twisted urges?!"

Blossom grabbed Rarity's head between her hooves and slammed it on the ground as hard as she could. "I. AM. NOT. YOU!!!!"

Rarity slowly brought a foreleg to her face and wiped off the blood that had begun oozing from the various lacerations that Blossom had caused during her assault. She put her foreleg down and to Blossom's surprise, she began chuckling. "Of course you're not me, darling." Rarity turned her head towards the table and tapped one of the legs. "But why in Equestria does that mean you are incapable of doing this?"

* * * *

With a scream Blossom bolted up in bed. It took a few seconds of looking around to see that she wasn't in Carousel Boutique's basement, but still in a hospital bed.

Her scream had awoken Applejack and Apple Bloom and they were by her side in an instant. Applejack wrapped Blossom in a hug. "Shh. It's alright, sugarcube, yer safe now."

Blossom wrapped her forelegs around Applejack's shoulders and began sobbing. "I don't want to hurt anypony," she whimpered. "I'm not like Aunt Rarity; I'm not!"

Frightened Little Filly

Thanks to the injury to Blossom's leg, her mobility was limited while she was in the hospital. The first day after her ordeal saw her confined completely to her hospital bed. Not that Blossom was capable of getting out anyway. Even with the painkillers it still hurt like Tartarus but she was only allowed two painkillers every six hours so she just had to bite her tongue and bear it.

Her family was quick to come see her in the hospital. At least one Apple was by her side at all times, usually Apple Seed or Applejack. Some of the townsponies from around Ponyville had stopped by to visit her from time to time. Pinkie Pie was a frequent guest in her room, bringing gigantic baskets of treats from Sugarcube Corner to munch on while she sat in bed all day. But visitors couldn't be in her room all of the time so she often found herself lying in bed, bored out of her mind.

In the third day of her stay right after she had gotten her bandages changed, she was delighted to see none other than Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash walk into her room. She greeted them with a delighted grin. "Aunt Scootaloo, Aunt Rainbow Dash!" she cried. She reached out her forelegs and her two aunts quickly gave her hugs in succession.

"When we heard what happened we dropped everything to come to Ponyville right away!" said Scootaloo.

"It's a good thing that we were in Manehattan for a show otherwise it would have taken us a lot longer to get here," said Rainbow Dash.

Much to Blossom's unease the elder mare's eyes slowly traveled up to Blossom's damaged ear. Blossom uneasily flattened it to hide the deformity which seemed to snap Rainbow Dash out of her staring. The pegasus blushed and cleared her throat. "Well, we also have somepony here to see you. She..." Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. "Whatever, forget it." Rainbow Dash turned her head. "She's fine, you can come in now!"

Blossom cocked her head curiously and looked towards the door. It burst open and the one pony that Blossom had wanted to see ran through the door, followed by two mental hospital orderlies.

"Momma!"

A sobbing Sweetie Belle rushed up to her daughter and wrapped her in the tightest hug she could while the orderlies went to go watch the door. The mother and daughter held each other, each crying but still trying to comfort the other at the same time. "I was so scared for you when I found out!" Sweetie Belle wailed. "I... I thought you were gonna die!"

"I'm fine, Mom, really I am," Blossom reassured her. "She didn't... she didn't get to do much."

Sweetie Belle pulled away and her eyes traveled up to Blossom's ear. She shakily reached a hoof up and touched up, causing Blossom to flatten her ear and flinch back. "I'm sorry!" Sweetie Belle squeaked as she hugged her daughter again. "Does it really hurt?"

Blossom shook her head. "No it's just... a little sensitive for me. It's odd not having all of my ear there anymore."

Sweetie Belle nodded but before she could respond, the door opened once more. The four ponies in the room turned to face the newcomers and Blossom had to hold back a gasp when she saw who they were: Lilly, Rolling Thunder and Comet.

Sweetie Belle broke off the hug and stared in wide-eyed shock at Rolling Thunder. "You," she whispered.

Rolling Thunder flattened his ears and looked away uncomfortably. "Hi, Sweetie Belle," he mumbled.

Sweetie Belle's eyes hardened into a glare. "No, you don't get to 'hi, Sweetie Belle' me," she growled. "Stallions who see me as just a conquest don't get to say things like that to me."

Rolling Thunder took an uneasy step back. "Look, I'm sorry, okay? I was..." He scratched the back of his neck and closed his eyes with a sigh. "There are no excuses. All I can ask is that we try to move past that and make Blossom's life the best that we can make it."

Sweetie Belle's glare softened ever so slightly. She opened her mouth to respond but was cut off by a piercing scream from Comet. "Blossom!" she cried. The pegasus filly ran over to her sister and jumped onto the bed, throwing her forelegs around Blossom's neck as she did. "Daddy said that a bad mare hurt you a lot!"

Blossom smiled weakly at her sister and returned the hug. "Not too much," she reassured her. "She just gave me a bad cut."

"But she took off your mane and part of your ear!" the filly wailed.

Blossom gave Comet a reassuring nuzzle. "My mane and tail are gonna grow back and be just as good as new. My ear doesn't even really hurt anymore."

Comet whimpered and buried her head in Blossom's chest. "I just got a big sister, I don't want to lose you!"

"Sister?" Sweetie Belle whispered.

Rolling Thunder smiled at the pair. "Comet is my daughter, same as Blossom is." He motioned over to Lilly. "This is my wife, Lilly."

Sweetie Belle and Lilly exchanged stiff nods and refused to make much eye contact with each other. Blossom sighed as she watched her mother interact with her father. She had hoped that maybe they could get along as well as she did with Comet, but it was a fool's dream, she realized.

She lifted Comet's head up. "Hey, did you see who else is in the room with us?" she asked. Comet shook her head and Blossom's smile widened and she pointed to the corner of the room where Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash were sitting. Comet turned her head her eyes widened as they landed on the two Wonderbolts in the room. She gasped quietly but to Blossom's surprise, she buried her head in her sister's chest again. Blossom frowned. "I thought that you loved the Wonderbolts. You already have their autographs."

"I was too nervous to ask for them so Daddy got them for me," Comet whispered.

Blossom chuckled and beckoned the two Wonderbolts over. They walked up next to her bed with smirks on their faces, doubtlessly used to seeing fans react this way.

Scootaloo, having been a Wonderbolt for a shorter time than her adoptive mother was gentler with nervous fans so she reached out and gently placed a hoof on Comet's shoulder. "So, Comet, is it? You like watching us fly?"

Comet tilted her head in a shy nod. "Yeah," she whispered.

A warm smile crossed Scootaloo's face. "Well then maybe we can take you to our training facility sometime to give you a grand tour. Would you like that?"

Slowly Comet turned her head towards the two smiling Wonderbolts, her eyes nearly taking up her whole head. "Really?" she whispered.

"We've taken Blossom a lot 'cause she's our niece," said Rainbow Dash. "If you're Blossom's sister then that kinda makes you our niece too."

With that declaration, Comet's jaw dropped and she fainted on the bed.

Despite everything that had happened, all of the adults in the room couldn't help but laugh.

* * * *

That night the dreams came again. It was always the same, Rarity would appear in her room and lead her to Carousel Boutique into the basement where a hornless Lilly would be strapped to the table. Each night Rarity would offer Blossom the knife and Blossom would refuse to murder her step-mother.

Tonight's dream was no different.

The elements where there. She was in Rarity's basement, staring down her aunt while her step-mother sobbed on the table beside her. Rarity had offered the knife once more and Blossom had batted it down just like always. "Why do you keep wasting your time with me?" Blossom growled. "I think I've made my feelings about what you want me to do quite clear."

Rarity chuckled and picked up the knife. "Yes, well, I think your murder of that ghastly mare Diamond Tiara says otherwise. She was about to let you go, was she not? Yes she cut off part of your ear but did you need to disembowel her for that?"

Blossom remained silent but hardened her glare. Rarity tisked and put the knife on the tray in front of her. "I should thank you, really," said Rarity. "I've wanted Diamond Tiara dead ever since she first started bullying your mother but because she was too young and I was caught too soon she never fell under my knife." Rarity idly began straightening the knives on the tray. "Pity really," she mumbled.

Blossom uneasily glanced at the floor. "I wish I could take it back," she muttered.

Rarity raised an eyebrow. "Do you really?" Blossom nodded sadly and Rarity scoffed. "But you did everypony such a great service!" Rarity insisted. "I mean, you single hoofedly wiped out the entire Rich line with nothing more than a rock and a sharp blade. Filthy Rich, a ghastly and manipulative stallion if I ever met one, will never have another descendant thanks to you!"

"Shut up," Blossom whispered.

"Think about it, aren't the couple who run Barnyard Bargains much nicer and more reasonable than Diamond Tiara was? Not only is a line of nasty ponies eradicated, but now prices at one of Ponyville's largest stores are down meaning that the good citizens of Ponyville have more money which in turn means that they're all better off and can afford things that they might have had to save for before!" Rarity's lips curved up into a smile. "You made the lives of an entire town much better with just a rock and a knife; doesn't that matter at all?"

"No!" Blossom snarled. "Diamond Tiara was going to be in an institution for the rest of her life anyway!"

Rarity rolled her eyes. "Oh you don't know that. She could have been deemed fit to return and once she did then it's back to outrageous prices at Barnyard Bargains. If you hadn't killed her worthless foal then her line would have continued to exploit the ponies of Ponyville forever! You prevented that."

Blossom slowly began backing away from Rarity but as she did, she noticed that the room was steadily growing larger around her. It was as if she was suddenly a filly again and the world towered over her as it once had. "She didn't deserve what I did to her!" Blossom wailed.

Rarity scoffed and pointed to Blossom's flank, still bearing the stitches that tried to heal Diamond Tiara's strike. "You will carry that as a reminder of what she did every day for the rest of your life. Ponies everywhere will look at your cutie mark, but they will also see that reminder of what that mare did to you. Every. Single. Day. Forever. You have to endure that and you tell me that she didn't deserve it?"

Blossom whimpered and shook her head. "No. S-She was gonna let me go!"

Rarity took a step forwards. "Sure she chickened out then, but what if she worked up the nerve to escape and she foalnapped you once more? She could have done a lot more damage if she had tried again. You weren't just protecting yourself there, you were protecting yourself in the future!"

"Miss Tiara I'm sorry!" Blossom cried. She began slowly backing away.

Rarity scoffed. "And how sorry do you think that she was?"

"She was gonna let me go!"

Blossom continued backing away until she hit the wall behind her. To her horror she saw that Rarity had advanced to the point where she was standing right in front of her, blocking her way to the exit. Blossom squealed in terror and covered her eyes with her hooves while trying to curl up into a ball. "Go away," she mewled. "I don't want to hurt anypony."

"Blossom?"

Blossom's ears perked up at her aunt's voice. It wasn't the gleefully evil tone that it had been, it seemed... sad now, as if she had recognized that she had hurt her niece. Slowly she looked up and saw Rarity sitting on her haunches in front of her. The fur on her face was streaked with tears and her expression was one of pure sorrow. "My dear Blossom," she whispered.

Rarity scooted a few inches closer to her niece and extended her forelegs, wrapping the filly in a warm hug. Common sense screamed to Blossom saying that she break free of her aunt's grasp, but there was a warmth and kindness in her embrace that surprised her. She tilted her head so it leaned against Rarity's shoulder and the mare began stroking Blossom's fragmented mane. "I never wanted this for you," Rarity whispered. "I...I never wanted your mother or you to become like me. It scared me even when I was still alive."

"Then why did you say those bad things to me just now?" Blossom whimpered.

Rarity paused for a brief moment before answering. "Blossom, that wasn't me."

Danger

A week later Blossom was finally released from the hospital. The Apples came and helped her come back to Sweet Apple Acres until she was one-hundred percent again. Blossom still walked with a slight limp as the stitches had only come out a few days prior, leaving a nasty scar. Thus, she was rather proud of herself when she walked all of the way from the hospital to the farm without stumbling very often. Her father and sister had to go back to Baltimare for school and work but they both promised to come back to see her that upcoming weekend if they could.

When the five ponies arrived on the farm they walked inside the house where Applejack and Apple Bloom immediately got dinner going. They joked that Blossom had so much hospital food that she had forgotten what a good home cooked meal tasted like. Blossom replied with a quip that it was less of a joke than she would have liked.

The group was just about to sit down to dinner when they heard a knock on the door. Frowning, Applejack opened the door revealing Working Mind standing on their porch. "Hello, Applejack," he greeted.

Applejack smiled warmly at him. "Hey, doc, what brings you to these parts?"

The doctor's eyes flickered over to Blossom. "I would like to have a word with Blossom if that's okay," he said.

Applejack nodded and beckoned him inside. "Sure thing, doc," she said. "Ah know she's gonna need a lotta help to get through what just happened to her." Working Mind thanked Applejack and entered the house. "Feel free ta stay fer dinner if ya want to."

Working Mind shrugged and allowed Applejack to take off the hat he was wearing and place it on a coat rack. "We'll see how my talk with Blossom goes. If it's over and she's feeling good then I'll gladly stay. If she would feel uncomfortable around me after our discussion then it wouldn't be prudent."

Applejack tilted her head in a nod. "Fair 'nuff."

Working Mind and Applejack walked into the dining hall where Blossom was about to gingerly sit down on the chair at her usual spot. She looked up when she saw the psychologist walk in and the smile she had been wearing on her face faltered slightly. "Hello, Dr. Mind," she said.

Working Mind gave her a reassuring smile. "Hello, Blossom. I'd like to have a word with you if I may. It'll just be quick and informal."

Blossom slowly nodded and beckoned Working Mind up to her room. "They're not gonna listen in on us up here," she explained.

Working Mind cocked his head. "Er... would they anyway?"

Blossom shook her head. "I guess not but it’s going to be harder for them to hear us."

Blossom pointed to a simple chair that she had in her room but Working Mind shook his head. Blossom shrugged and slowly laid down on her bed. Working Mind walked closer to the bed and sat down in front of it. "You look tired," he observed.

"Yeah," said Blossom blankly. "I haven't been sleeping too well since..." She shook her head. "You know."

"I can imagine," said Working Mind sympathetically. "I can't begin to understand what that must have been like for you."

"I actually don't really dream about what happened to me down there." Blossom bowed her head. "I dream about something a lot worse."

Working Mind raised an eyebrow. "What might that be?"

Blossom took a deep breath before responding. "I've had this dream every night since the stuff with Miss Tiara. It starts out with me awake in the hospital. It's always night there. I look to my right and I see Aunt Rarity sitting next to me."

Working Mind's jaw dropped and his eyes widened. "You see your aunt sitting next to you every night when you go to sleep?"

"Yeah." Blossom uneasily ran a hoof through the frayed remains of her mane. "Every night she leads me back to Carousel Boutique and into her basement. It looks like how all of the papers say that it did, with her kill trophies and the blood, kinda like how it looked when she was actually doing... that."

"She takes you down to her basement," Working Mind repeated. When Blossom nodded he shook his head incredulously. "What does she do?"

"She doesn't do anything," said Blossom quietly. "She wants me to do something. Every night Lilly is on her kill table. Aunt Rarity has already snapped off her horn but she offers me a knife so I can finish the job."

Working Mind stared at Blossom unable to believe what he was hearing. "Do you?"

Blossom's eyes widened and she vigorously shook her head. "Never!" she cried. "I never take the knife but she always tries to convince me that I should!" Blossom began crying. "She always tells me that it was really good that I killed Miss Tiara, that everypony is better off because of what I did!"

"Do you think that?"

"NO!" Blossom wailed. The distraught mare slowly slid off of the bed and began pacing around the room. "S-She hurt me, she hurt me really bad but I didn't m-mean to hurt her that bad!"

Blossom collapsed onto her haunches with a grunt of pain and began sobbing. Working Mind quickly stood up and wrapped his forelegs around her shoulders. "Shh," he said soothingly. "I can't imagine how hard it must have been for you, being in the situation that Diamond Tiara put you in, but you are not a bad mare for doing what you had to do to survive. It's a tragedy that you had to do it, but it's not like you enjoyed it."

Blossom paused for a heartbeat. "Of course not," she whimpered.

Unbeknownst to Blossom, Working Mind picked up on the pause. A subtle, uneasy frown crossed his face. "When you are down there in your dreams are you ever tempted to do what your aunt tells you to do?"

"No!" said Blossom instantly. "Every night I bat the knife away from me! She says that it'll be good for me but I never think so! I never even consider doing it!"

"Are you scared that someday you will?" asked Working Mind. "Not in real life, but the dream? You're scared of what that could mean if you did do something bad in the dream."

Blossom wiped her eyes with the back of her hoof. "Yeah," she muttered. "I'm scared that someday aunt Rarity is gonna force me to do it somehow or I won't be able to resist. Even when I try to leave the basement I can't. I'm stuck down there until I wake up." Blossom sighed and pushed herself to her hooves. "There's one last thing, though."

"Yes?"

"About a week ago the dream was a little different," Blossom began. "Aunt Rarity was trying to tell me to kill Lilly just like normal, and I shrunk down to a filly as she was. I backed into a corner to try to get away from her, but... something happened. She talked to me again, but she was gentler, nicer. She hugged me and it was almost like one of my mom's hugs. She said that she never wanted me or my mom to be like her."

Working Mind frowned. "She just changed her stance just like that?"

Blossom paused for a second then slowly shook her head. "No. When I asked her why she was saying I should kill Lilly... she said that it wasn't her saying those things."

Working Mind's expression slowly turned to one of concern to a more blank expression. "A different Rarity said that the one who told you to kill your step-mother wasn't her?"

"Yeah, and I think I believe her," said Blossom quietly. "I talked to my mom about my dreams, that one especially, and she said that the Rarity who told me that she didn't want me to be like her was more like the real one because Aunt Rarity never wanted Mom to be like her when she was alive. She never pressed her to kill and Mom said that she wouldn't press me to kill either." Blossom looked up at Working Mind. "What do you think?"

Working Mind tightened his jaw. "Having helped your mother, I can say that I think she is right, meaning that the pony in your dream who is telling you to kill your step-mother is not a manifestation of your aunt."

Blossom cocked her head. "Then who is it."

"I don't know for sure," Working Mind admitted. He glanced out the window with a grim expression. "But I think I have an idea."

* * * *

Princess Celestia and Princess Luna sat in Working Mind's office, waiting for him to return. Celestia sat nervously on the couch while Luna paced around the room. "He has been gone for too long, Tia," she said.

Celestia raised a hoof. "Patience, Luna," she said calmly. "He will return. He just went to go talk to Blossom and he'll be back."

"Of course he will be back," said Luna with a wave of her hoof. "But We are nervous that he will be less than receptive to your line of questioning."

"I know, Luna," said Celestia. "However our laws are clear. Doctor/patient confidentiality can be bent, if not broken, to preserve public safety."

"That does not mean that he cannot be stubborn about giving us the information," Luna grumbled.

Before Celestia could respond the door opened and Working Mind trotted into the room. "Princesses," he greeted simply.

Celestia inclined her head in a nod. "Dr. Mind."

"I take it you are here to get an update on Blossom's mental stability and how last week's events affected it?"

"Indeed," sad Luna. "We are all worried for her."

"Yes," said Working Mind stiffly. "But before I delve into what I think is happening with her, I need to ask you a question." Working Mind turned around and looked Princess Luna dead in the eye. "Have you been dream-walking in Blossom's dreams?"

Both princesses were silent as they studied Working Mind. Finally Luna sighed and nodded. "For the past three days We have been entering her dreams to see if We cannot gain some clue of her mental stability. Each night the dream is the same."

"She's in the basement and Rarity is asking her to kill her step-mother," said Working Mind. "She told me."

Luna nodded. "The first night we thought to inhabit the body of Rarity to test out Blossom's mental state with Our own line of questioning and prodding. If she did snap and kill Lilly then We would know that she might be willing to do such a thing in reality.

"But we were prevented from doing so. When We dream-walk, We cannot inhabit the form of a dream specter that is already a manifestation of something else. So we inhabited the form of the step-mother." Luna glanced down at the floor. "Every night Blossom refuses to commit murder, she never even considers it. However..." Luna trailed off but Working Mind spun his hoof in a 'go on' gesture. "Blossom said that Diamond Tiara was about to release her when she killed her."

Working Mind took a deep breath and bowed his head. "I had wondered..." he said quietly.

"Wondered what?" Celestia asked.

Working Mind sighed and sat down at his desk. "I had two theories of who the pony that is urging Blossom to kill could be." His eyes flickered up to Luna. "One of them was you."

"The other was Rarity herself, I'll wager?" Celestia guessed.

To the surprise of the sisters, Working Mind shook his head. "No. Blossom said that one night a version of Rarity appeared that was full of regret that Blossom was struggling with this at all. If Rarity is in her dreams at all, it was there."

"Then who was the pony urging Blossom to kill?" asked Luna.

"Blossom," said Working Mind quietly. "I think it's Blossom."

Celestia looked uneasily at the psychologist. "What do you mean?"

Working Mind closed his eyes and shook his head sadly. "If that pony isn't Rarity and isn't you, then my only other theory is that it is a physical manifestation of the side of Blossom that..." Working Mind hesitated for a moment. "Enjoyed what she did to Diamond Tiara. I think she gave it Rarity's face because of what Rarity did, but behind that mask she would find herself."

"You think she enjoyed what she did?" asked Luna.

"Not all of her," said Working Mind. "And I know that the dominant side of her regrets what she did." Working Mind opened his eyes. "But you saw what she did to that mare; didn't it seem a tad... excessive?"

Celestia sighed and nodded. "I'd be lying if I said that we hadn't had similar thoughts. However there are aspects of the situation such as Diamond Tiara had tortured her and that knife was sharp enough that that wound would have taken very little effort to inflict."

"But the foal said that Diamond Tiara was about to let her go!" Luna pointed out. "We must take that into consideration!"

"And we will," said Celestia gently. "And soon. Blossom's dreams, while technically not admissible in court, are an insight into her thought process. If she thinks that Diamond Tiara was about to let her go, we need to follow that train of thought."

"Agreed, sister," said Luna. The night-goddess turned back to Working Mind. "Before we do, We must ask you one last thing." Working Mind grunted in agreement. "Based on your analysis that the Rarity in the dream is a manifestation of the side of her that enjoyed killing Diamond Tiara, do you think that Blossom has the potential to cause harm to other ponies?"

Working Mind turned his attention to his desk and stared at it blankly. "When I talked to Blossom, she mentioned a dream in which she shrunk down to the size of a filly while the Rarity who insisted that she kill stayed the same. That side had all of the power in that scenario and if the 'real' Rarity hadn't shown up I don't know what she would have done."

"That does not answer our question," said Luna. "Is Blossom capable of first-degree murder? In your opinion, is she potentially dangerous?"

"...yes."

Both of the princesses released a breath and Celestia stood up. "If that is the case then we must take our leave. We have a lot to discuss with each other."

Working Mind nodded and stood up. He walked to the door and opened it for the princesses. "Then I..."

All three ponies in the room had to hold back a gasp when they saw who was on the other side of the door. Blossom was sitting on the floor, Working Mind's hat lying next to her. The injury to her leg had come open and was bleeding again. Tears of horror poured from her face.

Able or Willing

The Princesses and Working Mind stared at Blossom who was weakly trying to say something as she blinked away tears. "You forgot your hat," Blossom mumbled finally. She levitated the hat onto Working Mind's head and slowly stood up.

"Blossom," said Working Mind softly but Blossom cut him off with a shake of her head.

"If you don't mind, I wanna talk to somepony else from now on," she whispered. She weakly turned around and began limping away.

"Blossom, can you stay for a moment, please?" asked Princess Celestia. "The three of us need to talk to you."

Blossom stopped and hung her head. "What's there to talk about? You all think that if you let me out of your sight I'll start killing ponies because I can't help myself. You think I murdered Miss Tiara, you probably think that I'm on my way to murder your secretary, Dr. Mind. What do we need to talk about?"

Working Mind shook his head. "Blossom we don't think that you're--"

"You don't have to lie to me, I heard every word," Blossom muttered. "As far as you three are concerned I am my aunt. Do you want to talk to me about how I'm getting a padded cell next to my mother or are you just going to preemptively give me the needle? I assume my horn is coming off in either case?"

Princess Celestia shook her head sadly and began slowly walking up to Blossom. "Blossom, we just want to help you. You are not the pony that your aunt was, nor do I think that you will be."

Blossom chuckled weakly. "Well, then what do you want to do right now? I assume you're not just gonna let me walk out of here; I might butcher the entire town square. According to Dr. Mind I'm fully capable." Blossom slowly turned around and glared at them. "But capable and willing are kinda different things, right?"

"Blossom at the very least let us take you to the hospital to get your leg fixed!" Celestia pleaded.

Blossom glanced down at her leg which by this point was stained with her blood. "You sure? If I bleed out then pretty much every problem that keeps you up at night goes away. You just gotta do a little cleanup and try not to think about Mom and every single thing my aunt did will just fade away."

Luna glared at Blossom and stepped forward. "Thou art being foolish, Joyous Blossom!" she growled. "We do not wish you harm!"

"Well you still haven't answered my question!" Blossom snarled. "Let's say I go back to the hospital and my leg gets stitched back up. Then what? I am not letting you take me anywhere until I get an answer! My leg means that I can't run away so just answer me!"

The princesses exchanged a look and Celestia sighed sadly. "Once your leg is repaired we think it is best to put you in a mental health hold. We would not send you to an institution, it would take place at the hospital."

Blossom tightened her jaw and glanced down at the ground. "Well then lead the way," she muttered. "It's not like I have any choice in the matter. I mean, if you're all so scared that I'm gonna make my own kill basement that all it took was the hunch of my shrink then we'd better get this all over with right now shouldn't we? The sooner we stuff me in a padded cell, the sooner Equestria can move on."

* * * *

A few hours later, Blossom was lying in a hospital bed, fresh stitches in her leg. She was idly toying with her mane which, with time and a little help from Zecora, had grown back enough that it could be cut so that the style hid what had happened to her. She mused that it still felt weird, not being able to feel her mane on her neck.

She sighed heavily and leaned forward to fluff up her pillow with her magic. "You think I'd be high on my new shrink's 'to do' list but I guess not," she grumbled to herself.

She shook her head and glanced over at a book on her bedside table. Daring Do. Again. When the nurse had come by with the book cart she had picked out the only one that looked remotely interesting. Sure she had read it three times already, but it was that or stare at a wall.

Grunting irritatedly, she picked up the book and flipped it open to a good chapter. No reason to not skip anything she found boring. "Go get that sapphire stone, Daring," she muttered sarcastically.

"Ah, reading Daring Do, hmm? It's one of my daughter's favorite books."

Blossom's eyes flickered up and she saw a tan earth pony mare trot into the room. The mare smiled at her and pulled a chair next to Blossom's bed and sat down. "Good evening, Blossom," said the mare, "my name is Nevitt." She extended her hoof and Blossom half-heartedly shook it. "I'd like to ask you a few questions if that's okay."

"I'm not leaving until you've asked them so don't let me stop you," Blossom grumbled.

Nevitt's smile faltered slightly and she reached into her saddlebag to take out a notebook. She flipped it open and scanned something written on the page in front of her before looking back up at Blossom. "So, I'm just going to ask a few basic questions first, okay?" Blossom nodded. "Good. Question one, who raises the sun and who raises the moon?"

"Princess Celestia and Princess Luna," Blossom replied blankly.

"What is today?"

"Thursday."

"What is your name?"

"Joyous Blossom."

Nevitt nodded and jotted down a few more things in her notebook. "Okay, who is the mayor of Ponyville?"

"Blossomforth."

"The names of your parents?"

"Sweetie Belle and Rolling Thunder."

"Good." Nevitt shifted in her seat and turned a page in her notebook. "Now, these next questions are going to be a little more... emotional, but if you don't want to answer something just--"

"Say so and we'll move on to another topic," Blossom recited. "I've seen more than my fair share of shrinks in my life."

"So I understand," said Nevitt stiffly. "But you know that it's my job to say things like that."

Blossom snorted and put the book down. "Yeah I know," she grumbled. "But you can imagine that it would be tiring to hear so many times."

Nevitt shrugged. "I suppose so, but that's not important right now. We need to move on to my questions if that's okay." Blossom spun her hoof in a 'go on' gesture. "Okay, do you know why the princesses thought it would be best to put you in an M1 hold?"

"Because they think that if they take their eyes off of me for two seconds they'll turn around to see half of Ponyville slaughtered in pools of their own blood," Blossom deadpanned.

Nevitt shifted uncomfortably. "Er... that's not quite--"

"Save it," Blossom snarled. "It may not be how you put it but let's not beat around the bush here: you all think I am my aunt!"

"Blossom we don't think that!" Nevitt insisted.

"Spare me! I heard every word!" Blossom's expression hardened into a glare. "Dr. Mind told the princesses that he thinks that I'm capable of first-degree murder. My aunt was a serial killer, it doesn't take a genius to connect the two! You're all scared that I'm going to be Equestria's next murderer!"

"Blossom, that isn't true at all!" Nevitt insisted. "We just--"

"Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah," Blossom growled. "We just want to help you. I've heard it all before, despite the fact that it stopped being true when I was eight. You think that the princesses took me up to Canterlot to 'help' me? No, they took me to make sure bodies weren't gonna start turning up in Ponyville! What, did they think that my aunts would just let me run around, killing willy-nilly without so much as a second thought? Did they really need to take me to Canterlot to keep an eye on me?!"

Nevitt uneasily cleared her throat. "Blossom I assure you that the princesses motives are pure. They just want to make sure that you don't hurt yourself or anypony around you."

Blossom let out a joyless cackle. "Oh don't make me laugh!" she cried. "They want to know that they don't have Rarity 2.0 on their hooves and that's all. But did they, or anypony else stop to consider the one big question that seems to come up the least?"

"What question is that?"

"You all ask whether or not I'm capable of murder as if it's some disease! Of course I'm capable of murder!" Blossom pointed a hoof at Nevitt. "You're capable of murder! Everypony you meet on the street, everypony you meet for a meal, everypony you give a glancing nod to is capable of murder!" Blossom deflated slightly and lowered her gaze to the ground. "It just depends on how far you're pushed." her eyes snapped back up. "But nopony ever thinks about the fact that I have continuously said that I don't want to hurt anypony. You all whisper about whether or not I will you don't even take a second to consider whether or not I want to hurt anypony at all!"

"Do you?" said Nevitt quietly.

Blossom sadly shook her head. "No. I don't. I didn't even want to hurt Miss Tiara and I wish that I could take it back. I really want to take it back, even though she hurt me. I know I hurt her too much when I killed her, but I was scared that if she got back up she'd keep trying to hurt me. She had cut off my ear and was gonna cut off my cutie marks." Blossom flattened her ears and a tear dripped from her eye. "If I was another pony, the princesses would look down on my situation with pity, not fear. I'm here just because of who my aunt was. How is that fair? It isn't, is it?" Blossom leaned her head back on her pillow. "I just want them to leave me alone."

Nevitt silently observed Blossom for a minute before putting her notebook and pencil back in her saddlebag. "I think that's enough for today," she said. "I'll come back to talk to you tomorrow." Nevitt stood up and walked out of the room.

After closing the door behind her, she walked down the hall for a few paces and met up with the two princesses who were waiting for her. "How is she?" asked Celestia.

Nevitt glanced back towards Blossom's room with a sigh. "You want to know how I view this, Princess?" she said. "Blossom is like an open wound that you're worried will get infected, despite the fact that it's bandaged up. If you leave it alone it'll heal, if you keep gnawing at it it's just gonna get worse." She shook her head sadly. "And even though today is the first time I've met Blossom, I've read a lot about her. If you want my honest opinion based on everything that I know about her, you two have been gnawing at that wound for ten years if you'll pardon me for saying so."

Nevitt bowed to the princesses and began walking down the hall. After a few feet she stopped and turned back around. "If you just leave her alone, that mare will not be a danger to anypony. The only confirmed kill she has is of a mare who was physically and psychologically torturing her. She has two families who love her and will do anything to support her. She's bandaged up. Stop tearing off the bandages to see if the wound got infected."

The two princesses watched the psychologist walk away, neither quite sure of what to say.

Not Going Anywhere

Thanks to the suggestion from Nevitt, Blossom was released from the hospital the following morning. She was picked up by Apple Bloom and Applejack and the three of them silently walked back to the farm. When they walked inside the house, Blossom silently walked past Apple Seed and Big Mac and trotted up the stairs to her room. She closed and locked the door behind her and plopped onto her bed. "I am not gonna have any nightmares tonight, okay? If you wanna talk to me, aunt Rarity, you can do that but we are not going to go down into your basement, do you hear me?"

Blossom pulled the covers over her and was out like a light the second she hit the pillow.

* * * *

When she woke up she felt refreshed like she hadn't been in weeks. She tried to recall what she had dreamed about, and all she could remember was that a giant room where the floor was littered with gigantic fluffy pillows and blankets and the walls were made up of massive bookshelves. The fourth wall was a gigantic movie screen, playing a popular film that Blossom had seen last month. It was an undeniably finer way to dream than what she had experienced the past two or so weeks. She woke up and went downstairs with a smile on her lips and a spring in her step.

She walked into the kitchen and saw the four Apples eating at the table. "Hello, family!" she chirped.

The four ponies all turned to her and smiled when they saw how chipper she appeared. "Well look who's finally awake," Apple Seed teased. "One woulda thought that ya hadn't ever slept before!"

Blossom chuckled and sat down next to her sister. She levitated a plate next to her and scooped apple cobbler onto it. "So how long have I been out?"

"Pretty much since ya came home yesterday mornin'," Applejack replied. "It's lunchtime Saturday now."

Blossom let out an impressed whistle. "I guess I shouldn't be too surprised given how many restless nights I've had since... that, but I don't feel too worried about any of that anymore!"

"Why is that, Apple Blossom?" asked Apple Seed.

Blossom gave a wide smile that almost threatened to split her face in two. "Because when I was at the hospital again, a new psychologist came to talk to me and she told the princesses that the best thing for me is for them to just leave me the heck alone. So, they're not gonna be around anymore and neither is Dr. Mind. From now on if I need help I'm going to go to my family instead of some Celestia-appointed shrink."

The four Apples voiced their approval and Apple Seed clapped Blossom on the back. "They shoulda just let ya do that in the first place!"

Blossom vigorously nodded. "Definitely." She leaned back in her chair. "I think things are going to get much better from now on."

* * * *

The next morning saw Blossom packing her saddlebag for Baltimare. She had a large grin on her face as she had been looking forward to spending some quality time with her father and sister and to her surprise she was even warming up slightly to her step-mother and she hoped that it was mutual.

As she closed her saddlebag, she heard the door open behind her. "Apple Blossom?"

Blossom turned around and saw Apple Seed standing in the doorway. Blossom smiled at her and beckoned her into the room. "What's up?"

Apple Seed trotted over to Blossom and nuzzled her on the shoulder. "Ah just wanted to talk to you is all," she said quietly.

Blossom frowned. She had rarely seen the youngest Apple so subdued and downtrodden. "Is something wrong?" she asked, directing her sister to the bed. "You seem down."

Apple Seed sighed and leaned her head in on Blossom's shoulder. "Ah'm just..." She sighed. "Ah'm just worried 'bout you is all, with you goin' to see yer pa and everythin'." Apple Seed's ears flattened and she turned her gaze to the floor. "Ah know Ah'm foolish to worry, but Ah'm just worried that y'all are gonna jest forget 'bout us, now that ya know who yer real pa is."

Blossom chuckled and wrapped her forelegs around Apple Seed's shoulders. "I would never," she reassured her. "I would never in all of my days forget about you. You and Aunt Applejack and Aunt Apple Bloom and Uncle Mac are my family and don't think I'll just forget that because I know who my dad is."

Apple Seed managed a small smile. "Ah'm really happy fer you 'bout that. Ah don't know if Ah ever told ya that Ah felt that way. You know mah pa died not long after Ah was born so ta see you have a pa that loves you..." Apple Seed's smile widened. "Ah don't know anypony else who deserves one more than you do."

Blossom nuzzled the top of Apple Seed's head. "Thanks, Apple Seed. But just remember that even though I have a dad and another sister, you were my sister before she was. I could never replace you with her. Aunt Applejack always used to say that I have a big heart. Well that just means there's room for all of you in there." Blossom smirked. "As sappy as that sounds."

"Ah know Ah'm bein' silly, worryin' that you won't come 'round no more because you got yer own family in Baltimare," Apple Seed mumbled, "but ya haven't been back from the hospital more than a day and already yer headin' off again."

"Apple Seed, I'm heading out because my dad and I planned a father-daughters outing together. I'm just going to be gone for three weeks and then it's back to Ponyville. My house is here, you know."

"Ah know that Ah'm bein' silly, Apple Blossom, but with everythin' that's been happenin' with Diamond Tiara and all that, Ah'm scared of losin' you."

Blossom tightened her hug and leaned her head on top of Apple Seed's. "I'm not going anywhere, Apple Seed."

Not Her

Blossom trotted up the steps to her father's house with a smile on her face and a spring in her step. It has been a few days since her conversation with Apple Seed and, while she could certainly understand where her sister was coming from, she knew that her fears would be assuaged when life returned to its normal state and her visits to her father, or vice-versa, became commonplace in her life. At any rate, she was eager to begin the long planned tour of Baltimare that her father had promised her the day that the two of them met.

She raised her hoof and knocked three times on the door and it was almost immediately opened up by her smiling father. "Blossom!" he greeted, throwing a foreleg around her shoulder in a hug. "It's nice to see you, kid."

Blossom smiled and returned the hug. "It's nice to see you too, dad. It's great that we're finally going to be able to do this!"

Before Rolling Thunder could respond, he was cut off by a squeal of delight from a green and blue blur that shot past him and attached itself to Blossom's left foreleg. "Blossom's here!" Comet squeed, "Blossom's here!"

Blossom chuckled and used her magic to pry her sister off of her and levitate her onto her back. The filly instantly latched onto her neck and nuzzled her sister. "Hey, how's my favorite little sister?" Blossom giggled. "I take it you missed me?"

Comet nodded eagerly as Blossom walked into the house. "I missed you a whole lot!" she confirmed. "I've been so excited about our vacation together!"

"Well you'd better make sure that I don't miss anything cool while I'm here, okay?" Blossom reached her hoof back for an awkward hoof-bump with Comet. "I'll make sure to do the same when you come to Ponyville to stay with me."

Comet hopped off of Blossom's back and turned to her with a mock salute. "There is no cool place in all of Baltimare that you will not see, sister of mine!" Her royal guard demeanor faded and she looked up at her father with a wide grin. "What are we gonna show her first?"

Rolling Thunder tapped his chin thoughtfully as he put Blossom's saddlebag down on the desk. "Well given the time I think that lunch is a good place to start." He glanced down at Comet. "Do you have any suggestions?"

Comet began bouncing up and down happily. "Ooh, ooh, ooh, we could take her to Cheebow's Cafe!" The filly leaned in next to Blossom in an almost conspiratorial manner "Best hay fries in the whole entire universe," she mock-whispered.

That was the moment that Lilly decided to walk in and to Blossom' unease, she had a slight frown on her face. "Comet, Cheebow's is a bit on the expensive side. We can pick somewhere else."

At that moment Blossom and Lilly made eye contact. Blossom blinked and when she opened her eyes, she was horrified to see that she was in the basement once more. Lilly was on the table, Rarity was holding out the knife and motioning over to her immobilized step-mother.

However as quickly as the vision had come it faded away, leaving Blossom standing dumbly in the entryway, unsure of what she had just seen. Her father's voice cut through her shock. "Nonsense, this is a special occasion and I think that Cheebow's is just the place to take her." He turned to Blossom with a smile. "What do you think, Blossom?" he asked.

Blossom had to take a moment to blink away her surprise but she managed to work a smile back on her face. "I think that Cheebow's sounds good," she said.

Rolling Thunder nodded happily. "Well then let's go!"

* * * *

The four ponies arrived at Cheebow's and were greeted by a waiter in a bow tie who led them to an outdoor table for four at Comet's request. The family sat down with Rolling Thunder to Blossom's left and Comet to her right while Lilly had taken the place in front of her. The waiter placed a menu in front of each of them and took their drink orders.

After he had left, Blossom opened up her menu and perused the inside of it. The food was pretty much limited to a few dozen different varieties of burgers and the foods that normally came with said burgers. Blossom scanned the menu. Most of them looked pretty appealing, though there was a small section for burgers made out of meat that Blossom assumed was for griffin clientele that came through the city, but she eventually settled on the hay bacon cheeseburger with lettuce, pickles, and Canterlot Cheese.

The waiter returned with their drinks a few minutes later and took their food orders right afterwards. Comet got the same thing she did, something that was slightly amusing to Blossom.

A few minutes of idle chit-chat later, Comet poked her mother's foreleg. "Mommy, I gotta go to the bathroom," she whispered.

"I'll take her," said Rolling Thunder. "I could use a pit stop myself."

Comet smiled and hopped off of her chair and followed her father inside towards the restrooms leaving the two mares alone at the table. Blossom uneasily glanced up at Lilly who seemed to be intently studying her soda water. Blossom looked over at her own drink and took a sip.

"So," said Lilly suddenly, "are you enjoying your time?"

Blossom slowly nodded. "Uh, yeah, I am," she replied.

Lilly sighed and turned her head to face Blossom. "Blossom let's just move past the frivolities, I want to apologize for how I treated you the other day." Lilly turned her gaze to the table. "It was wrong of me to just assume that... that you might be dangerous just because of who your aunt was or what your mother did."

Blossom's ear twitched at the mention of her mother but Lilly didn't notice. "Yeah," Blossom said quietly.

Lilly looked back up and gave Blossom a small smile. "I'll be willing to wager that you got that too much growing up."

"Yeah," said Blossom quietly. "It's the whole reason the princesses took me to Canterlot in the first place after... that. They were scared that I'd become my aunt if I wasn't watched twenty-four/seven."

"All the more reason that it was wrong of me to assume anything about you," said Lilly.

Blossom's eyes flickered over to the entrance of the restaurant where Rolling Thunder and Comet had gone into a few minutes prior. "Do know one thing," she began. "I would never, ever hurt them, especially not Comet. I know that's what you were worried about when you found out who I was, but, and this might be macabre to say, even my aunt would never hurt foals, especially not ones she was close to. I'm not my aunt and even if I was mad at Dad for doing what he did, I would never have taken that out on Comet in any form." She turned her gaze back to her step-mother and managed a small smile. "Please believe that."

Lilly actually managed to return Blossom's smile and she reached across the table and patted her foreleg. "I'm really starting to," she said. "I'm really beginning to see what a truly great mare you are. Just seeing how you interact with Comet is enough to show me that you really do care and that you would never hurt her. What happened with that mare in Ponyville a few weeks back..." Lilly flattened her ears and her smile faded. "I won't say that I didn't feel guilty. If I hadn't driven you off you never would have left and she would have been re-captured before she tried anything. You and your father could have had a great time here in Baltimare with Comet!"

Blossom widened her smile just a hair and reached out a hoof to Lilly. However, as she did she was treated once more with a split second vision of her dream, causing her to retract her hoof ever so slightly. Lilly noticed her retraction and a hurt look crossed her face, something that Blossom was quick to rectify. She widened her smile and placed a comforting hoof on Lilly's foreleg. "We're here now and I'm doing fine," she reassured her. "I'm going to do as much as I can to make sure that I'm the best big sister that I can be to Comet. I'm going to make sure that I'm the best daughter that I can be to Dad and..." Blossom paused for a moment and took a deep breath. "You," she finished. "I wanna be a good daughter to you too."

Lilly's jaw dropped slightly at Blossom's declaration and the corners of her eyes began filling with tears. Before Blossom could say anything else, Lilly got up from her seat and wrapped Blossom in a maternal hug, something that Blossom eagerly returned.

Unfortunately Blossom received none of the warmth and affection behind the hug. She found herself in the basement once more. Lilly wasn't hugging her, she was strapped to a cold metal table with her severed horn at her hooves, she wasn't waiting for her dad and sister, her aunt was standing in front of her offering Blossom a knife. "You can do it," Rarity giggled. "Even if this isn't real, there are means to do it on the table next to you."

Blossom whimpered as the scene shifted back to the restaurant, but this time Rarity was there as well, standing just behind Lilly. She smiled at Blossom and glanced down at the table where a silverware set had been wrapped in a cloth napkin. "There's a perfectly good knife in here," Rarity whispered. "It'll juuuust take a moment."

Blossom whimpered again and slowly shook her head. "I'm not like you," she whispered almost inaudibly.

Rarity scoffed. "I already told you that you don't have to be me to do something like this." Rarity nudged the napkin forward. "One little swipe and you'll understand everything."

"I'm not gonna hurt her!" Blossom growled.

"I know you won't, Blossom," said Lilly quietly, completely unaware that something was begging Blossom to kill her. "You're a good mare."

Rarity rolled her eyes. "So good that you tortured Diamond Tiara with a vision of her daughter as you were disemboweling her. Seriously, Blossom, we don't have all day." She nudged the napkin forward again. The nudge pushed the knife ever so slightly out of the napkin and the exposed blade glistened in the sun. "Remember how much it hurt you when she said those things to you?" An evil grin crossed Rarity's face. "You would have done this to her with no prompting from me then, wouldn't you?"

"She doesn't have to worry about me I'm not going to do anything bad to her." said Blossom through clenched teeth.

"I know, Blossom," cooed Lilly, "Comet is safe with you, you'd never hurt her or my husband."

Rarity took a step forward and leaned in over Lilly's shoulder. "Tell me something, wasn't the feel of fresh, warm blood all over you exhilarating? When you clasped the handle of that knife and were driving it upwards..." Rarity's cat-like grin widened. "Have you ever felt so alive?"

Blossom's mouth began flopping up and down like a fish out of water and Rarity nudged the knife forwards again. It was just within reach now, one little burst of her magic and she'd be holding Lilly's corpse instead of hugging her in acceptance. Rarity slowly trotted up next to Blossom and leaned in next to her ear. "To hold another pony's life in your hooves means absolute power. When you killed Diamond Tiara, you held complete power over her. When you killed her spawn and her friend, you held complete power over them. They couldn't make you sad and they couldn't hurt you or anypony that you loved. You were the one in total control." She leaned in closer until her muzzle was almost touching Blossom's damaged ear. "She hurt you when she told you to go away. She can still do that. Take control."

Before Blossom could respond the voice of her father cut through her struggle. "Well, you two seem to be getting along well. Maybe Comet and I should leave you two alone more often."

"They're hugging, Daddy!" said Comet excitedly. "Blossom's really family now!"

Lilly and Blossom broke off their hug and looked up at the approaching pair. Lilly smiled at her husband and stood up to give him a peck on the cheek. "We've been having a really good talk and I think that we've really come to understand each other a lot better. I don't think that there are going to be any more troubles between the two of us." Lilly smiled down at Blossom. "Comet's right, she is family now."

Blossom's eyes had been scanning the table for any sign that her aunt still wanted her to kill her step-mother, but all signs of that seemed to have gone away when her father and sister had appeared. When Lilly had welcomed her into the family, her eyes snapped over to her. A large smile slowly crept onto her face as Lilly's words slowly sunk in. She slowly got to her hooves. "You're my family too."

* * * *

That night saw Blossom wide awake.

She didn't dare fall asleep for fear of finding herself in her aunt's basement once more. She had thought that those dreams had stopped, that she wouldn't have to go to bed afraid that she'd open her eyes to find her aunt beckoning her into the basement. Heck, after everything that had happened she was scared that she'd just wake up already in Rarity's basement.

She forced her eyes to remain open and flipped onto her back. "I'm not gonna dream about the basement again," She said resolutely. "I haven't had one of those dreams in a while, I'm not gonna start now. There's no reason to go through this again. I am not my aunt and I am not a killer."

"You know for all of your talk about not ending up in my basement you seem to forget we crossed paths in the restaurant again."

Blossom growled to herself and shot up in bed. Sure enough, her aunt was sitting against the opposite wall, idly examining her hooves. Blossom glared at her and hopped onto the floor, throwing a sound spell around the room to keep their conversation private. "You really need to get out of here," she snarled. "I have my own life here and it doesn't involve you!"

"Every second of your life has involved me in one way or another," Rarity deadpanned. "Why stop now when you're so close to becoming an even more efficient killer than I ever was?"

"I am not a killer!" Blossom said angrily.

"You have the ability to change your appearance at will. I don't need to tell you that that is the single most advantageous attribute that a serial killer could have." A wry smile crossed Rarity's face. "I myself would have killed to have your abilities." Rarity snorted at her own joke. "Literally."

"It doesn't matter," Blossom snapped. "You're not even my real aunt!"

Rarity snorted and got to her hooves. "Of course I'm not your real aunt, the real Rarity died thirty years ago in Celestia's execution chamber. However, that certainly does not mean that I cannot be her in the spirit!"

"You're just a manifestation of some sick part of me!" Blossom insisted. "If Rarity is visiting my dreams she isn't you!"

"What, you think that the Rarity who told you that she never wanted you to be a killer is the real one?" Rarity chuckled to herself and took a step in Blossom's direction. "As much as I denied it, I think that I would have loved to have a partner in crime. If I were still alive, you would make a wonderful apprentice."

"Mom said that the real Rarity hated herself and what she did!" Blossom retorted. "You think that the real Rarity would have wanted an apprentice, particularly somepony like me or mom?" Blossom let out a humorless chuckle. "You're just some part of my brain that needs to go away."

Rarity rolled her eyes and jumped onto the bed and sat on the end. "Let's say for grins and giggles that you're right and that I'm just some figment of your twisted murder-prone mind, what then? What are you going to do about that?"

"I'll..." Blossom paused for a moment and took a deep breath. "I'll go talk to Dr. Nevitt or something," she finished lamely.

Rarity giggled. "Ah, you'll admit defeat then? You do realize that if you give up and see another psychologist, not that they've ever been any help to you whatsoever, you'll be proving everything that the princesses have worried about correct?"

"They were worried that I'd be a killer!" Blossom retorted. "If I take steps to make sure that I don't become one then they'll leave me alone!"

"Oh you don't believe that any more than I do," Rarity replied. "If you go see a psychologist about me then word will get back to the princesses and they'll be watching your every move. The only reason that they aren't watching now is because they think that you don't want to hurt anypony but if you go see a shrink then it will tell them that you are afraid that you might." Rarity smirked at her niece. "I don't see them ever leaving you alone after that."

Blossom's jaw tightened but she didn't reply. The cogs were whirring in her mind, each cell in her brain was trying to find some way to refute the logic of the mare across from her but no words came. Rarity took the silence as a clear victory if her ever growing smirk was any indication. "There is one way that you could get rid of me without the princesses standing over you every second of the day... if you're careful enough."

Blossom's face twisted into a snarl and she took an aggressive step forwards. "I'm not going to hurt Lilly. End of story!"

Rarity sighed. "Yes I have quite come to figure that out," she admitted. "You had every opportunity this afternoon and you didn't even consider it for a moment. I don't know if it's because you truly see her as a second mother or if you only refrain from attacking because of how much it would hurt your father and Comet." Rarity waved a hoof. "I know a lost cause when I see one so I'm not going to be bothering you about that anymore."

"Good, because I'm not going to hurt my family," Blossom muttered.

"Well that doesn't exactly exclude the literally millions of other potential victims that you have between here and Ponyville!" said Rarity happily. "All you have to do is snuff the life out of just one of them and I'm gone forever."

"Yeah, because I'm on the execution table if you do!" Blossom growled. "I'm not going to hurt anypony!"

"Just imagine it, Blossom, you can go to bed without having to worry that you're going to find yourself in the basement again!" Rarity squeed. "Wouldn't it be so lovely to get a full night's rest for the first time in months?"

"I'm not gonna hurt anypony, ever!" said Blossom a little louder than before. "This isn't going to happen!"

Rarity's face twisted into a mocking pout. "Oh but why not, darling? Won't it be worth offing some faceless drone just to get rid of me? I can keep pestering you about it..." Rarity's gaze turned thoughtful and she tapped her lower jaw with her hoof. "I think forever is the amount of time that I can keep this up. Can you do this every night for the rest of your life? Can you resist every time something like today at the restaurant happens?"

Blossom's eyes began filling with tears and she began backing away. "Just leave me alone!" she pleaded.

"Just imagine it, you're sitting at the table right next to Apple Seed three years from now. You've had this conversation with me every night, sometimes more than once! You see the knife next to you and you see just how vulnerable she is."

"Go away!" Blossom mewled.

Rarity continued on, completely ignoring Blossom. "Wouldn't it be terrible if you messed up when you snapped and stabbed her in the neck? I mean, watching her take ten minutes to bleed out all while she looks at you with a look of utter sadness and betrayal..." Rarity tisked. "That would be tragic, wouldn't it?"

"I don't want you here!" Blossom cried. "I don't wanna hurt anypony!"

"Anypony you know," Rarity corrected. "If you killed some faceless drunkard on the street, somepony that nopony would miss then I'm gone and both of your families are safe!"

Blossom collapsed onto her haunches and backed against the wall. "Please just leave me alone!"

"You could make it as painless for you as you liked; that's the best part. If you wanted to make it so quick you didn't even get a good look at him or her you could do that or you could have as much fun as you did with Diamond Tiara. That was fun for you, wasn't it?"

"No!" Blossom insisted. "I don't want to hurt anypony!"

"But you did and you enjoyed it is my point," said Rarity simply. "You can do it again to some faceless stranger to get rid of me for good, or you can do it to somepony you love and I promise you that if you hurt somepony you love I will not be going away until you do it right or you get the needle. You notice that even I never hurt anypony close to me. I was never tempted to kill your mother."

Blossom was curled into a ball by this point and sobbing into her forelegs. Rarity sighed at her niece and hopped off the bed. "You only have three options. One, you kill and get rid of me, two, you try to live with having this happen to you every day for the rest of your life, or three you give up, see a shrink, maybe get rid of me and definitely have to live with the princesses watching you forever. Celestia will send guards to spy on you, Luna will walk in your dreams every night and you’ll be more of a prisoner than ever! It's your choice in the end." Rarity shook her head. "I can see I'm not getting an answer out of you tonight, though. Just think about it some more, okay?"

When Blossom opened her eyes again Rarity was gone.

* * * *

Rolling Thunder rolled around in his bed, unable to get to sleep.

He didn't get it, Blossom had seemed so excited to come to Baltimare but now it was almost as if she was going through Tartarus every moment she stayed. She had been here for a week and every morning she came downstairs looking as though she was about to drop from exhaustion. She drank three or four cups of coffee to wake up enough so that Comet didn't notice, but it didn't escape his eye.

He sighed and slid out of bed. It was likely that whatever it was that was bothering Blossom was happening at night. She didn't want to talk about it when he questioned her, but it was past time to see what was going on. He slipped out the door without walking Lilly and quietly walked up to Blossom's door. He pressed his ear against the wooden door to see if he could hear anything and to his surprise, he heard what sounded like whimpering coming from inside. He quickly pushed the door open and poked his head in.

His heart sank when he saw his daughter. She was asleep, but her fur was wet with tears that were streaking down her face. She was talking quietly to herself but Rolling Thunder couldn't hear what she was saying. Still, it didn't take a genius to figure out what was going on. "Nightmares," he whispered to himself. "What happened with that mare is giving her nightmares. I should have seen it."

Rolling Thunder sighed and a plan formed in his head. He knew that there was a twenty-four hour pharmacy that was close by. They would definitely have some dream suppressing herbs that could aide in Blossom's sleep.

Rolling Thunder quietly shut the door and walked down the stairs to get Blossom some medicine. As he left, Blossom continued crying and thrashing about on the bed. However her muttering became slowly more pronounced culminating in one clear sentence.

"Alright, I'll do it!"

Am I or Am I Not?

Silver Spoon shifted in bed, completely unable to sleep. Naturally, nights where she truly got a good night's sleep were rare after Fire Ruby's death and now everything that had happened with Diamond Tiara...

She pulled her comforter tighter over her body and once again rolled over in bed. She couldn't think about Diamond Tiara anymore. She wished that she had good times to recollect, when her and Diamond Tiara were at the height of their friendship, but all of the times she could think of embarrassed her. Her past cruelty to Sweetie Belle was the reason that her daughter was in the ground instead of sleeping peacefully in the next room.

The gray mare rolled over yet again and reached towards her nightstand where a foal sized necklace with a small fire ruby embedded in the front rested. It was meant to be a birthday present for her daughter. It had only been three weeks away when she was killed. She had seen it in a Canterlot department store when the two of them had gone last with Diamond Tiara and her daughter. She had instantly fallen in love with it, and Silver Spoon had made sure to get it the second she thought that Fire Ruby wasn't looking. The silver necklace would have matched her soft red coat perfectly if she had ever gotten to wear it.

Silver Spoon put the necklace down and looked up at her alarm clock. It was three in the morning and she had work in four hours so she needed to get to sleep. She rolled onto her back and let her head sink deeper into her pillow. If she didn't get to sleep soon then she would be too tired to do her job right.

Silver Spoon closed her eyes and was about to force herself to slip into dreamland when a small noise entered her ears. Her ears flickered up and her eyes snapped open and began scanning her room. That wasn't the sound of the walls of her apartment settling or somebody walking around downstairs. It sounded like... It sounded like somepony opened the door.

Her breath caught in her throat. There was another noise. Somepony was walking through the entryway, closer to her room. Unless she was dreaming than somepony was in her apartment and coming towards her room. Was it a thief? Did somepony know about who she used to be and had come to rob her? She pulled the covers over her head and did her best to hold completely still. Maybe in the darkness she would not be noticed and no harm would befall her. She silently cursed herself for not hiding Fire Ruby's necklace under the covers with her for if somepony was here to rob her they would certainly go for that first.

Her apartment was silent for a minute and Silver Spoon began to wonder if she was hearing things or if it was the night playing tricks on her. However, those thoughts were laid to rest when she heard an elongated creaking noise, signifying that whoever had come into her apartment was now opening the door to her room. She bit her tongue to hold back a whimper as she heard the sound of hooves softly trotting over the worn down carpet right in the direction of her bed.

Just as the noise of somepony walking into her room was at its loudest, it stopped. The intruder was right next to her bed, doubtlessly aware that she was under the covers and wide awake. Silver Spoon heard the sound of metal scraping lightly against wood as the pony took her daughter's necklace off of the nightstand. Silver Spoon actually did whimper at that. Now instead of her daughter having it some cheap two-bit hood was going to pawn it off at the Manehattan black market to make a quick bit.

However, instead of the sound of it being put in a saddlebag, she heard it being placed back on top of the nightstand. She frowned slightly. If the pony wasn't going to take the single most valuable object in the place then why was he or she here?

Before Silver Spoon could think on it any more, she heard the sound of a unicorn horn firing up and she saw her blanket engulfed in a bright blue magical aura. Slowly the comforter was rolled back and finally pulled off, exposing Silver Spoon entirely to the intruder. The gray mare had to hold back a shriek of terror at the sight of the intruder. He, or she, she couldn't tell, was a pony as black as night itself. The only distinguishable feature was a pair or bright red eyes that looked down at her, unblinking.

Silver Spoon lay on her bed, fear freezing her to the spot. Every molecule of her brain told her to run, to scream for help, to fight back if necessary, but her body did not respond to her mind's commands. The two ponies continued to stare at each other, their eyes locked and each looking into the very soul of the other. Finally Silver Spoon managed one quiet, meek, and terrified sentence. "You're here to kill me," she whispered. It wasn't a question for her, it was a statement, an acceptance of her impending fate.

At her words, the pony above her blinked once. His or her red eyes trailed to the floor and the horn fired up. Out of the corner of her vision Silver Spoon saw something rising from the floor. Her heart dropped into her stomach when she saw what it was: a large knife.

Silver Spoon's eyes trailed back up so that they locked with the intruder's. "Doesn't really matter, does it?" she muttered. "I mean look at me: my daughter would be ashamed of me if she saw me like this." Silver Spoon let out a weak half laugh/half sob. "It'd almost be a kindness."

The pony blinked once again and the red eyes flickered briefly over to the necklace on the nightstand. The intruder took a deep breath and grumbled something to herself. The voice was unmistakably a feminine one.

Silver Spoon's half smile faded and she looked back into her attacker's eyes with almost childlike fear. "Just don't make it hurt me too bad, okay?" she whimpered.

The red eyes closed and the knife slowly inched higher in the air. Silver Spoon shivered once but forced her eyes shut so she wouldn't have to see the knife as it swung downwards. She hoped that it wouldn't hurt too bad, that it'd just be a little pinch and then she'd fall asleep for good.

The knife never came down. It never plunged itself into Silver Spoon's body, bleeding her out and ending her life. Instead Silver Spoon heard it hit the floor with a muted thud and an elongated whimper filed her ears. She opened her eyes and saw the black figure sitting on the ground in front of her bed, her head in her forelegs. Silver Spoon's body reacted and she leaped out of bed and backed against the wall. She reached forwards and flipped on the nearby light switch, bathing the room in an artificial white glow. The sudden light blinded Silver Spoon for a moment and she slammed her eyes shut until they adjusted.

When she opened them again, she saw that the black figure was still on the ground, but she was not black anymore. Instead her coat was a pure white. She looked familiar, almost as if... "Blossom?"

Blossom flinched back at the sound of her name and she turned her head back to Silver Spoon and once more locked eyes with her. While before her eyes had been blank and unforgiving, now they were wet with tears and regret. "'m sorry," she mewled. "I don't wanna be her; please don't let me be like her."

Silver Spoon's jaw dropped. "Blossom, what are you doing here?"

"She told me to kill somepony," Blossom muttered. "She told me she'd go away if I killed somepony." Blossom sniffled and wiped her eyes with her foreleg. "If she leaves me alone I can be happy again, I can move on and not h-have to worry about being scared of any of this anymore."

Despite her internal warnings Silver Spoon took a small step forwards. "Blossom what happened?"

"I see my aunt in my dreams and she tells me to kill somepony. She thinks that I like what I did to Miss Tiara." A sob coursed through Blossom's body. "And I did. Celestia help me I did. S-She cut off my mane and tail and part of my ear and she was gonna take my cutie marks away."

Silver Spoon took another few steps forward and slowly reached out to put a hoof on Blossom's shoulder, stopping only to slide the knife under the bed. "Blossom, what's going on?"

"I see her a lot these days," Blossom whimpered. "I see her when I sleep, I see her when I'm awake..." Blossom turned around and looked up at Silver Spoon with wide eyes. "I see her right now. She's standing right behind you."

With a yelp of shock Silver Spoon jumped onto the bed and looked where she had just been standing, half expecting to see The Ponyville Butcher in the flesh come to help her niece kill her; but the room was empty save for her and Blossom. "Blossom you're scaring me," she said whispered fearfully.

"I know," said Blossom glumly. "I know the knife is under the bed but I'm not gonna use it!" Blossom shot up onto her hooves and wheeled around, glaring daggers at an empty spot in the middle of the room. "She doesn't deserve anything else to happen to her! She never did!"

Silver Spoon began crying tears of fear and she curled up into a ball on the bed. Blossom ignored her and kept on talking to nothing. "I'm not going to hurt anypony, Aunt Rarity, I'm not! I'm gonna do it, I'm going to go back to see Dr. Mind and I'm going to get rid of you for good, even if it means that the princesses lock me in..." Blossom let loose a sob and her damaged ear twitched. "Even if it means that the princesses lock me in a padded cell forever. I'm not going to kill anypony else."

Blossom hung her head and flattened her ears. "I'm sorry, Miss Spoon," she mumbled. "I'm sorry you had to see us talking like that. I'm sorry if I scared you."

Silver Spoon had begun crying thick tears of pure fear but Blossom's words reached out to her. "Blossom, you're very sick," she said softly.

Blossom chuckled weakly and nodded. "Yeah. I know." Blossom turned her head up to look at Silver Spoon. "But I'm gonna go see somepony. I promise that I'm not going to try to handle it by myself anymore, okay? I'm gonna get help, even if it means that the princesses never leave me alone again. I'm sorry that I almost hurt you, Miss Spoon."

Silver Spoon took a deep breath and relaxed her stance slightly. "It's okay. You... you didn't."

"Doesn't matter," Blossom muttered. She turned around and began walking out of the room. Before she did, she halted and turned her head back to Silver Spoon. "I'm really sick so I'm gonna go get some help on one condition." Silver Spoon gave a sharp nod. "You do the same thing, okay?" Blossom's eyes scanned the room. "Fire Ruby loved you, Miss Spoon; she wouldn't want to see you like this. She'd want her mommy to be happy. That's the best thing that you can do for her, I guess, be happy again. You do that and I'll try the same."

* * * *

The next morning Blossom walked into the house at Sweet Apple Acres to find her aunts, uncle, and honorary sister sitting at the table. The four of the looked up when they saw her walk in and seemed to breathe a collective sigh of relief.

"Well where in the hay have you been?" asked Applejack with more than a hint of maternal sharpness. "We've been worried sick about you ever since you didn't come home when ya said you would!"

"I was out," said Blossom simply. "I wandered around a bit and tried to clear my head. I've got a lot going on."

"Well ya couldn'ta maybe told us 'bout that before you ran off to Celestia knows where?" said Apple Bloom with a frown. "You told us you'd be home two days ago, your pa didn't even know where you were!"

Blossom closed her eyes and sighed. "Look, it's complicated, okay? Just know that I'm alright and that I've decided that I need to see Dr. Mind again."

The eyes of all four Apples widened and Applejack stood up from her seat. "Blossom what's goin' on with you? You didn't want to see Dr. Mind no more and now you disappear fer two days and you suddenly want ta go back to him?"

"Aunt Applejack please just trust me on this," Blossom pleaded. "I need some space right now but I know that I need help."

The ghost of a glower appeared on Applejack's face. "What happened to you sayin' that all you needed was yer family ta help ya through this?"

Blossom's eyes shifted to the side and she uneasily scratched the back of her neck. "I just..." She sighed. "I don't know if you can help me with the kinds of things I'm going through."

Applejack's eyes widened for a second before they hardened into blank expression. She sat back down in her chair. "Fine. You want alone time and to go see some shrink then that's yer choice. Yer a grown mare and can make yer own choices. Go have yer alone time."

Blossom groaned. "Aunt Applejack don't be like that. I just..." She shook her head. "I don't know what's happening to me right now."

"Blossom Ah ain't mad at ya," Applejack insisted. "What ya just said kinda hurt is all. Ah just said that yer a grown mare so Ah'll trust that ya know what's best fer yourself."

Blossom nodded sadly and slowly began walking up the stairs to her room. Before she made it up, she heard Applejack call out to her again. "Write yer pa and tell him you're okay, ya hear? He's real worried about you."

Blossom gave a frustrated sigh as she walked into her room. She shut the door behind her and shook her head. "That could have gone better," she mused.

"I agree," said Rarity, "you don't need to treat her like she's worthless just because you've given up."

Blossom growled angrily and wheeled around to see Rarity idly relaxing on her bed. "Just go away!" she growled.

Rarity rolled her eyes. "I think I made my position on that quite clear, Blossom. You didn't kill so I'm not going anywhere."

"Yes you will," Blossom insisted. "I'm going to see a psychologist for as long as I need to to make sure that I don't see you ever again in my life!"

Rarity chuckled before stretching and hopping off the bed. "Are you sure that you're ready to give up? I already told you that all you need to do is kill some faceless drone and I'm gone. Why did you choose Silver Spoon anyway?"

"I don't know!" said Blossom angrily. "I should never have tried it in the first place!"

Rarity tisked and shook her head sadly. "You were so close to getting rid of me forever, Blossom. All you had to do was swing the knife down and a sad mare gets to see her daughter again and you get to be happy."

"I wouldn't have been happy if I had done that, my life would have been destroyed!" Blossom insisted.

Rarity shrugged. "I suppose we'll never know now, will we? You could have been happy but now you're surrendering to the princesses. What, are you going to extend your forelegs to them and demand that they drag you away in hoofcuffs?"

"If that's what it takes then yes!" Blossom snarled. "I'm not going to hurt anypony!"

"But you already did!" said Rarity. "You disemboweled Diamond Tiara and you killed her daughter and her daughter's friend."

"Diamond Tiara physically mutilated me and Fire Ruby and Golden Necklace cornered me in the woods and I got scared! I didn't want to kill Miss Tiara and I didn't want to kill Fire Ruby and Golden Necklace! I only killed the three of them because I was scared!"

Rarity's small grin twisted into a triumphant smile at Blossom's words and her eyes traveled to the spot just behind her. Blossom frowned and turned to see what her aunt was looking at. She gasped and backed up a few steps when she saw who it was. "A-Apple Seed I..."

She was cut off when she the glare of utter contempt that her sister was giving her. Apple Seed took a step into the room, mirroring Blossom's uneasy steps back. "Ma and her siblin's just went outside to start the day's work. Ah came up here to check on you and Ah heard what you said. You killed Fire Ruby and Golden Necklace?"

Tears began streaking down Blossom's face and she backed up against the bed. "Apple Seed, I can explain--"

"Shut up!" Apple Seed yelled. "You don't get to talk no more! Ah'm the one who gets to do all the talkin' here, you lyin', betrayin' pitiful little..." Apple Seed let out a roar of anger and slammed her hooves into the ground.

"Apple Seed you don't need to lose your temper!" Blossom whimpered.

"Yeah Ah think Ah do!" Said Apple Seed angrily. "You let yer ma take the blame for murders that you did yerself?! Ah have every right ta be mad at ya fer betrayin' yer ma like that!"

Blossom collapsed onto her haunches and began loudly sobbing. "I didn't betray her, she asked me to do it! I was scared, I didn't know what to do!" Blossom's face hardened into a glare. "I was seven years old!"

"Fine, you were seven and yer ma told ya to do it and ya did it because you were scared," snapped Apple Seed. "But what about when you were older? What about when you were thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, or eighteen? You've been livin' under our roof here while yer ma is in a nuthouse for somethin' you did fer ten years!"

"They were gonna kill me if they found out!" Blossom wailed.

"Yeah?" Apple Seed rushed forwards and came so close to Blossom that all she could see was Apple Seed's fiery red eyes, blazing with contempt and anger. "They didn't really kill yer ma for that, how do ya know that they woulda actually executed a scared seven year old?"

"It's the law! It's what they did to my aunt!"

"Yer aunt was a serial killer, Blossom," Apple Seed spat. "She got what she deserved fer killin' ponies fer fifteen years. You don't know that they were gonna kill ya, Blossom. They didn't. Execute. Yer. Ma!"

Blossom let out a pitiful wail and curled up into a ball on the floor, sobbing her eyes out. Apple Seed looked on with no pity for the pathetic unicorn. She merely shook her head. "Mah ma always taught me that family was the most important thing in life. Betrayin' the mare who gave birth to ya like that..." Apple Seed scoffed. "A mare who does somethin' like that ain't no sister of mine."

Blossom let out another wail of sorrow. "I'm sorry!" she wailed "I didn't mean to hurt them!"

"If ya truly are sorry, then Ah think you know what ya need ta do."

Blossom gasped and immediately stopped crying. She looked up at Apple Seed with wide eyes. "They'll kill me!" she moaned.

Apple Seed slowly nodded. "Yeah. Maybe they will. Maybe you'll get the same punishment that yer aunt did. But you'll have done right by yer ma in the end." When Apple Seed spoke next Blossom could hear the first traces of tears in her eyes. "Ah'll cry fer ya, Blossom. Ah'll cry fer mah sister but at the same time Ah'll be proud of her; proud that she did the right thing in the end and was selfless." Apple Seed walked past Blossom towards the nightstand by her bed where her Stetson lay. "Until you do that you and Ah have nothin' else to say to each other. Ever."

With that Apple Seed grabbed the hat in her mouth and walked out of the room leaving the scared unicorn huddled up next to the bed.

Blossom continued to stare at the empty doorway for a minute almost as if she hoped that Apple Seed would run through it again to embrace her and tell her that she didn't mean it that she'd help her but she never came. Slowly Blossom managed to push herself up to her hooves and walk towards the door. She went down the stairs, out the front door of the house and began running.

Do I Let Her Suffer?

Blossom kept running.

She continued running until a fire burned in her lungs and she was on the verge of collapsing on the ground from sheer exhaustion. She ground to a halt and looked around to see where she had ended up.

The Everfree Forest.

A gasp died in her throat and she looked around to see how far in she had come. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that she was only a hundred hooves away from the edge.

However, her relief gave way to sorrow when the reality of her situation washed over her. She was caught; there was no two ways about that. Even if she didn't admit what she had done, she couldn't go back to the Apples ever again. If she tried then Apple Seed would likely tell her aunts, uncle, and mother why Blossom wasn't allowed near the farm anymore. If they found out, then where would it end?

There was, of course, still the matter with Silver Spoon. She had broken into her house to kill her and had an argument with Aunt Rarity right in front of her. Blossom mused that it was only a matter of time before the police came to get her for good. It was attempted murder, even if Blossom hadn't done anything.

Blossom slowly reached up to her horn with her hoof. She figured that she only had days to use it before she was arrested for trying to kill Silver Spoon. She whimpered and began sobbing again as the hopelessness of her situation fell over her.

"You know, instead of crying like a foal over the fact that you're going to lose your horn, you could use it and get out of here," Rarity observed.

Blossom looked over at her aunt who was lounging against a tree. Blossom weakly scoffed and shook her head. "And go where exactly?" she muttered. "They'll look for me at dad's place and he's the last family I have right now."

Rarity rolled her eyes. "Oh please, Blossom, you have the single most useful attribute that a pony who needed to hide could possibly ask for. If you want to avoid life in prison and keep that horn of yours then I'd suggest actually using it."

"I don't know where I'd go!" wailed Blossom. "I don't wanna run!" Blossom exhaled deeply and wiped her eyes with her foreleg. "Not to mention that when they take me they're gonna find out that I killed Golden Necklace and Fire Ruby."

Rarity raised an eyebrow in interest. "Oh? And why would they find that out?"

Blossom took a few shaky breaths in before she finally answered. "Because I'm gonna tell them," she whispered.

Rarity let out a groan of frustration and took a few steps closer to Blossom. "You know, this all could have been avoided if you had just slit that pathetic mare's throat in the first place! Yes, they'd be looking for a murderer and they'd suspect you, but they'd have no solid proof, particularly if you got rid of the body!" Rarity's eyes narrowed. "You're a weakling."

"I'm not weak!" Blossom wailed. "I don't wanna die!"

"And you won't if you just listen to me as you should have from the beginning!" hissed Rarity. "Just change your appearance and get out of Ponyville while you still can. Run and you don't have to die."

Blossom stared dejectedly at the ground, her ears dropped and tears falling from her eyes. She could only sit here, thinking about how her life was ruined while her aunt stood beside her. A million options raced through her mind, but through all of that, Blossom realized one thing: there was a correct answer, there was a right thing to do. Slowly she raised her head and wiped her eyes. "Yeah, Aunt Rarity, I do."

Rarity's eyes widened and she took a surprised step backwards. "What did you say?" she whispered.

"I think I do," she repeated. "Even if I could get away, why should I? I'd just be leaving Mommy to suffer even more."

"You did it for ten years," Rarity pointed out. "She's accepted it, I figured that you had to. If you give up now you waste everything that she gave her life for! You're doing her a disservice if you just give up."

Blossom blinked back a fresh wave of tears, but managed to get the resolve to respond. "They wouldn't have killed me for killing Golden Necklace and Fire Ruby."

Rarity glowered at Blossom and walked right up to her. "But they would have institutionalized you," she stated. She tapped the end of Blossom's horn. "And you would have also had to say goodbye to this as well as your cutie marks. She lived her life and wanted you to have yours."

"Mom was in her thirties!" Blossom snarled, batting away Rarity's hoof. "She didn't live her life because of you! You took her childhood away from her and then I came and took the rest!" Blossom angrily stood up and stared her aunt directly in the eye. "It doesn't have to be that way anymore!"

"Well go on then," Rarity yelled, "go on and throw away every sacrifice that she made for you! Make those ten years of rotting away in an institution for nothing!"

"She's innocent!" Blossom howled. "She didn't hurt anypony!"

"Nevertheless, she made that sacrifice for you and you're spitting in her face if you don't accept it."

"And I'm torturing her if I keep letting her take the blame for my mistakes!" Blossom retorted. "I'd rather upset her by ruining ten years of her life than torture her by destroying the rest of them too!"

Blossom and Rarity continued to glare at each other, each one unwilling to give quarter in their argument. However, Blossom was the first one to speak up. "I only have one more thing to do, then I'm turning myself in whether you want me to or not!"

"Fine then," snapped Rarity, "I can't wait to see you explain this one to Comet and your father. You're going to have a lot of fun telling that filly why she has to watch the sister she just got get put down!"

Blossom flinched back at the mention of Comet, something that Rarity didn't fail to notice. A wide grin split her face and she began pressing her advantage. "You remember how much it hurt you to find out who I was, right? Well, do you really want to put Comet through that?" Rarity giggled. "I can see it now, she finds out everything about how her sister was a murder which leads her to finding out about me. Ooh, imagine the emotional pain of her discovering who I was."

"Shut up!" Blossom growled shakily, but Rarity paid her no heed.

"Of course your death or incarceration would make national headlines," Rarity mused, "'The Ponyville Butcher's Niece Executed for Murder!' Yes, then all of Comet's classmates find out!"

Blossom covered her ears. "I'm not listening to you anymore!"

"Comet's classmates find out, and in a city as big as Baltimare there are going to be far more than two classmates of hers that are willing to tear her to shreds for who her sister was. Foals are social cannibals who tear each other apart at the first sign of weakness!"

"Go away! Leave me alone!"

"Let's say that the torment continues day after day until she's miserable, let's say that one day she thinks that she's cornered and has nowhere else to go! Let's say..." At this Rarity smiled and gleefully licked her lips. "Let's say that she finds the out that you and I did."

Blossom's eyes widened and she let out a gasp. "Comet isn't going to be like either of us!" she growled. "She is going to be a happy, successful mare!"

"Something your mother said of you if I recall correctly," Rarity observed. "You seem quite the opposite of that if I'm reading into this right. Think about all of the pain you could spare her by just letting things play out. Silver Spoon technically cannot prove that you were in her apartment the other day."

"I told you to leave me alone!" Blossom screeched.

"Face it, Blossom, all you have to do to keep everypony happy is just run or ignore the problem! If you give yourself up then you die, you waste your mother's life and Comet slowly becomes a kill--"

Rarity's words were cut off when Blossom let out a snarl of anger and swung a nearby tree branch into the side of Rarity's head. The older mare gasped and hit the ground, blood pouring from a large wound where the branch had connected.

Blossom stared down at the limp form of her aunt for a few seconds before, to her horror, Rarity let out a little chuckle. "Didn't that feel wonderful?" she whispered.

With a cry of panic Blossom turned around and ran out of the forest.

* * * *

Two days later, Blossom was sitting in one of the empty visitation rooms at the institution where her mother was being held. She had come here far too rarely for her liking, she mused. Not that she should have had to come here at all. Her mother should have come in to see her, not the other way around.

After a few more minutes, the door opened and a grinning Sweetie Belle was led inside by one of the guards who told the two of them that they had half an hour. Sweetie Belle thanked the guard and immediately walked over to Blossom to give her a hug. "How are you doing, Blossom?" she cooed as she nuzzled the top of Blossom's head.

Blossom allowed herself a few seconds to bask in her mother's affections, knowing that this could very well be the last time that she ever hugged her mother. It would be time, soon. She would be going directly to Canterlot after she left, provided that everything went well and that her fears were unfounded.

Finally she broke away from the hug and forced herself to answer. "Mom, I need to talk to you about something, something really important."

Sweetie Belle cocked her head and Blossom directed Sweetie Belle to a chair. "What's the matter?" she asked. "Did something happen?"

Blossom's lower jaw quivered at her mother's confused looks, and she had to hold back a wave of tears that would have left her a sobbing mess on the floor. "Mommy, I'm scared," she whimpered.

"Scared of what, Blossom?" asked Sweetie Belle. "What happened?"

Blossom took a deep breath and shakily ran a hoof through her mane. "I..." Inhale. Exhale. "I'm gonna turn myself in, Mom. I'm gonna tell the princesses that I was the..." Her words were cut off as emotion overtook her and she began sobbing. Sweetie Belle squealed in fear and rushed over to her daughter's side and wrapped her in another embrace.

"Blossom, you don't have to do that!" she wailed. "Mommy's fine, she was happy to keep you safe like she did!"

"Mommy I'm sick!" Blossom cried. "I-I'm scared that I'm gonna hurt somepony! Aunt Rarity keeps telling me to and I almost did!"

"Blossom, you killed Diamond Tiara because she cut off your ear!" Sweetie Belle insisted. "She was gonna hurt you and you made sure that she didn't. That doesn't make you a bad mare!"

"But I am a bad mare!" Blossom sobbed. "I almost killed Miss Spoon a few days ago!"

Blossom's admission struck Sweetie Belle silent and she held her sobbing daughter in shock as she processed what she said. "Did you?" she finally whispered.

Blossom shook her head. "No Mom, she's physically fine and I didn't touch her. She's probably going to tell somepony, though. I'm surprised that she hasn't already."

"Blossom, why would you do that?" Sweetie Belle asked sadly.

"Because Aunt Rarity told me to," she whimpered. "She told me that she'd go away if I killed somepony so I tried to kill Miss Spoon. I don't know why her, but Aunt Rarity said she'd go away if I did!"

Sweetie Belle sighed sadly and nuzzled Blossom again. "Blossom, that just means that you need to start seeing Dr. Mind again, that's all. You don't need to turn yourself in." Tears began rolling down Sweetie Belle's face and she hugged her daughter tighter. "You don't have to die."

"Apple Seed found out that I killed Golden Necklace and Fire Ruby," Blossom admitted. "She told me she didn't want to see me anymore and that I needed to give myself up."

"Oh Blossom, you don't need to do that just because she said so!" Sweetie Belle insisted. "Just..." Sweetie Belle paused for a moment. "Just tell her... something."

Blossom wiped her eyes with her hoof and scoffed sadly. "Is that what we've come to?" she mumbled. "Are you so used to this emotional hell that we've put you in, that you're willing to stay here because of something I did?"

"Blossom, Mommy's okay! I'm not suffering here, I promise you!"

"Yes you are," Blossom muttered. "You've been suffering every day for the last ten years because of me." Blossom broke away from the hug and stood up. She stared directly into her mother's eyes with a bravery that she didn't know she had in her. "You're a completely innocent mare who never hurt anypony in your entire life. I failed you when I killed them, I know I did, but you don't have to suffer for me anymore. It's time I did what I should have done ten years ago."

Sweetie Belle whimpered and wrapped her forelegs around one of Blossom's own. "Blossom, I didn't want you to die! I still don't want you to die! I'm fine here; you should just go see Dr. Mind, a-and we'll think of something to tell Apple Seed, okay?"

Blossom shook her head. "No, not okay, Mom. It's not okay that you have to go through this for me. Apple Seed was right; they were all right. I am dangerous and I do need to make amends for my past mistakes." Blossom bit her lip. "Starting with freeing a mare who never hurt anypony in her life."

At this, Sweetie Belle slowly shook her head. "Blossom, I've done bad things too," she whispered. "I deserve to be in here too, Blossom, because I've hurt ponies too."

Blossom was silent for a few seconds as she digested the news, before she slowly pulled her leg out of her mother's grasp and sat down to look her directly in the eye. "Mom, what happened?"

"It was back when your aunt was still alive," Sweetie Belle admitted. "I did some things that I regret and I killed a mare that Rarity had brought home to kill." Tears began dripping from Sweetie Belle's eyes, and she looked down at the floor. "I didn't mean to kill her, but I did."

Blossom slowly nodded. "Who else knows?" she asked quietly.

"Just Dr. Mind and Twilight," said Sweetie Belle.

Blossom breathed a huge sigh of relief and she allowed a small smile to cross her face. That would be easier, then. "I've been working on a spell in the past two days, just in the small chance that you said that."

Sweetie Belle looked up at Blossom, confused. "What are you talking about?"

"Since you lived with Aunt Rarity while she was doing those things, I suspected that you might have seen or done something that would make Princess Celestia keep you in here, so I worked on a spell as a little insurance. I crossed my illusion magic with a memory reading spell. It's safer than the variety that just erases memories. I've been perfecting it for the past two days."

Sweetie Belle's eyes widened as the impact of Blossom's words hit her and she tried to back away from her daughter but the younger mare was quicker and she shot a beam of light directly into Sweetie Belle's forehead just underneath the horn. Instantly the world faded away from Blossom, and she was plunged into her mother's memories. She saw their most recent conversation, the one they had been having before this and focused her magic until she could travel back. The images of the memories began zooming past Blossom, and she had to focus to see where she was. There was Sweetie Belle in the hospital after Blossom had been attacked by Diamond Tiara, then she was getting transferred to Hoofington, then she was getting her horn back. The memories came faster and in the blink of an eye Blossom was seeing memories of when she herself was but a filly, then when she was a baby, then Sweetie Belle was single.

On and on the memories went until Blossom saw Sweetie Belle as just a filly. At a funeral with the statue, being carried up the stairs by Rarity, in the basement with...

Blossom gasped and she screeched the memories to a halt. She moved forwards a bit and saw the basement in all of its twisted glory. There on the table was an earth pony mare that Blossom didn't recognize, Aunt Rarity with a straight razor in her grasp, and her horrified mother looking on. Blossom knew what she had to do.

She took a deep breath and began casting her illusion magic over the memory. Of course if somepony was looking for this memory they would recognize the illusion and change it back, for she was not destroying the memory entirely, she was merely changing it. Her mother would never know the difference if she did it right.

After she had changed the memory in the basement from that to Sweetie Belle taking a nap in her room, she went through her mother's mind again and changed any memory that had that basement in it. She hoped that it would work in the end but she had used the illusion spell so that changing the original memory would change all subsequent memories regarding the original as well. She hoped that it worked as well as she wanted it to.

Eventually she found nothing else she felt that she needed to change, and powered down her horn. She was brought back to the physical world where she saw her mother staring blankly at her. Blossom gave her a small smile and wrapped her into a hug. "Out of all three of us, you, me, and Aunt Rarity, one of us deserves a happy ending, okay?"

Blossom felt hot tears drip onto her shoulder as her mother snapped out of her stupor. "Blossom, you don't need to turn yourself in."

"But you've never hurt anypony, Mom," Blossom whispered.

"Blossom, that doesn't matter!" sobbed Sweetie Belle. "I just wanted to protect you! You didn't deserve to die!"

Blossom leaned her head on Sweetie Belle's shoulder and let her mother cry.

* * * *

Seven hours later, Blossom was walking into Canterlot towards the palace. Her mother had calmed down after a few minutes, but had resumed her hysterical sobbing once Blossom had left. The only thing that gave Blossom the strength to go through with this was the knowledge that her mother wouldn't have to cry like that anymore because of her. She knew she would cry if the princesses decided to execute her, and she almost hoped that they did, but now the wound she had inflicted would heal.

She mused that changing the memories of Working Mind and Twilight had been simple enough. All she had to do was ask to see them and ask about when they had found out that Sweetie Belle had been in the basement. She had finished that task in just under an hour between the two of them. Now the only pony who knew what her mother had done was herself.

As she walked forwards and the castle grew larger, her legs began shaking in fear. This was it, this was really the end for her. This was her last time in the sunshine, to see the world without bars between her and the outside world.

At worst, that is.

At best she wouldn't live to see sundown.

She growled at her weakening legs and began running in the hopes that the act would take her mind off of her fears which would allow her to make it to the castle without collapsing. Her efforts proved fruitful and she made it to the entrance and stopped just in front of a trio of rapidly approaching guards.

"Halt!" said the lead one, just as she stopped. "State your business or you must vacate the grounds immediately!"

"I need to speak with the princesses," Blossom said simply.

The guards stopped in front of her and the lead one scowled. "If you must then there is a waiting period that--"

"I want to report a double murder."

The guard's jaw dropped and his eyes widened while he two behind him exchanged disbelieving glances. The cowardly part of Blossom's mind told her to run, to get out of there and try to pretend that the whole thing was a joke, but it was too late to turn back now. She shakily took a deep breath in. "I'm only gonna talk to the princesses about it and I want to get it done as soon as possible."

Her words snapped the lead guard out of enough of his shock that he managed to beckon her to follow him, and he led her to the throne room. Given the time of day, there were several ponies waiting outside to see the princesses themselves. The guard who had led Blossom to the doors walked up to one of the guards standing at attention in front of the entrance and she whispered something in his ear and pointed back to Blossom. The other guard nodded and opened the door, beckoning Blossom inside.

Bloss om nodded and followed the guard in. Thankfully the room was already empty, meaning that Celestia wouldn't have to kick anypony out to hear her confession. As she entered Celestia's line of sight, the sun goddess widened her eyes and stood up off of her throne. "Blossom? What are you doing here?"

Blossom's eyes flickered over to Luna who was staring at her contemplatively. Blossom half expected Luna to know just what she had to say.

Pushing those thoughts out of her head, Blossom held her head high and stood in the center of the room. "Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, I'd like to report a d--" Blossom's words were caught in her throat as her nerve left her for a moment but she cleared her throat and forced herself to be brave. "A double murder."

Celestia gasped and even Luna's eyes widened as she stood up off of her own throne. "Blossom, what happened?" asked the sun goddess.

Blossom took one last deep breath and blinked away her tears of fear as she forced herself to admit what was likely to be the death of her. "Before I do I want to make a deal."

Celestia uneasily frowned and she took a step towards Blossom. "What are you talking about?"

"The deal is is that my mom goes free once I tell you what I have to say. She's served more than her time for what happened and she deserves to be free. If you don't like the terms of the deal then I serve three years for perjury, my mom continues rotting away, and a murderer gets away forever. Or you can accept the deal and catch one."

The two princesses exchanged a glance and Luna nodded. Celestia sighed and looked back at Blossom. "Very well. If your information leads us to the capture of a murderer, your mother shall go free. What do you have to say?"

To Blossom's surprise, the words came easily. She had expected to find herself a blubbering mess on the ground at the question, but it was as if some unseen force was giving her strength to counteract the ten years of cowardice she had submitted herself to. With one final pause, she raised her head to look Celestia directly in the eyes. "Just over ten years ago, I was cornered in the woods by my classmates Golden Necklace and Fire Ruby. In my fear, I took a rock in my magic and hit them both in the head. They did not attack me, they never said that they would; I was the first pony in that situation to resort to violence and I killed them both. My mother is innocent of that crime."

Celestia's jaw dropped and Luna took a few steps forwards, her eyes hardened. "Dost thou swear that thou art saying this because it is the truth and not to spare thy mother?"

"Read my mind!" growled Blossom. "Read my mind so that you know I'm telling you the truth!"

Celestia gasped and even Luna looked a little unsettled. "What did you just say?"

Blossom growled in frustration. "I, the unicorn Joyous Blossom do hereby give Princess Celestia and Princess Luna the right to read my mind to determine that what I am saying is true!"

Celestia closed her mouth and took a deep breath. "Do you understand what the implications of your request are? Do you realize what you are asking us to do?"

"I do," said Blossom. "Just get it over with."

Celestia nodded and the two sisters fired up their horns, shooting a beam of blue light into her mind.

* * * *

Blossom frowned and looked around. Where was that ball? Punter kicked it far to be sure, but there was no reason to think that it couldn't be found in a few minutes. It had gone in a straight line.

Blossom used her magic to push through some bushes and found herself in a small clearing. This was it, she decided, the ball couldn't possibly have gone any further than this. Blossom scanned the clearing and to her delight, her eyes landed on a large red ball stuck in a shrubbery about twenty feet from where she now stood. Now she could go play with her friends again!

Humming happily to herself, she skipped over to the ball and encased it in her magical glow. She lifted it out of the bush and gave it a chidingly playful frown. "Now let's get you back to school, and don't you run off anymore, okay?"

"'Don't run off', yeah we'd say the same to you," said a chillingly familiar voice from behind her.

Blossom gasped and the ball fell out of her telekinetic grip and bounced away as she turned around. To her horror she saw none other than Fire Ruby and Golden Necklace standing behind her, each grinning evilly at her. She whimpered and took a step backwards. "Go away," she mewled. "Leave me alone, I didn't do anything to you!"

Golden Necklace let out a caw of a laugh and the duo began advancing towards the frightened filly. "Or what? Are you gonna kill us? Are you going to be just like that psycho aunt of yours?"

"Oh wait, you already are that crazy!" cackled Fire Ruby. "You're just the crazy bastard foal of an evil mommy and in inbred daddy."

"Go away!" Blossom begged as she took another step backwards.

"You wanna know how I think you'll die? I think you're gonna butcher half a town and then the princesses are gonna come and put you down just like your aunt. Mommy told me she whined like a wounded dog when they put her to sleep. I wonder if you're gonna start crying when you die?"

Blossom backed up but tripped over a rock and fell to the ground. Fire Ruby and Golden Necklace both cackled again and continued advancing. "Poor, gullible psycho," Fire Ruby said in mock sympathy.

Golden Necklace snorted. "Gullible is right. It was too easy, freak. I just had to tell Punter to kick it out here as far as he could and then suggest that you go get it. He has a crush on me, so I have him wrapped around my little hoof. Poor fool. He was so easy to manipulate, just like Mommy taught me."

Blossom began sobbing but her fear combined with the fall locked up her legs and she couldn't back away anymore. "No, please leave me alone!" she sobbed.

Golden Necklace's mocking smile twisted into an angry frown as she stepped forward again. "You didn't have to go and get us expelled, you know. What's the matter, you can't take knowing that your aunt was a psychopath and that you're probably going to turn out just like her?"

Blossom desperately wished that her mother was there to ward off the bullies to take her back home, where they wouldn't be there. She even thought that she heard her mother calling out to her that she was coming, but nopony was there. It was just her and them. "Please leave me alone! I didn't do anything to you! Don't come any closer!"

Golden Necklace evilly shook her head just as Blossom's eyes landed on the rock she had just tripped over. The second she saw it, a surge of what felt like anger, but was somehow something else, surged through her body. It was as if some chemical had been injected into her, and now...

Now she wanted to hurt Golden Necklace. There was a rock nearby. She could hurt her with that, and she'd stop talking and go away. Maybe she'd even leave her alone forever if she hit her with the rock.

The filly in question advanced another two steps forwards with her crony behind her. She was within Blossom's range now. "Nopony can hear us out here. Punter did a good job. Now it's--"

With one more surge of the new feeling, Blossom grabbed the rock in her magic and slammed it into Golden Necklace's head as hard as she could. The filly fell to the ground without a sound and Blossom didn't even need to look to see that she was dead.

Silence filled the clearing. Birds did not chirp, the wind did not blow, and even the delusions that she had had of her mother calling out to her that she was coming had been silenced. The silence was short lived, though as Fire Ruby let out a piercing shriek of terror. Blossom's eyes flicked up to the shrieking filly and the new feeling surged through her once more. It didn't matter that she wasn't attacking her, it didn't matter that she was sobbing or calling for her mommy, the new feeling told Blossom to hit her with the rock to make her stop screaming.

So she did.

Blossom dropped the rock and looked sadly at the two ponies whom she had killed with her own hooves. Now that the new feeling had gone away, it had been replaced by sadness and fear. She was like her Aunt Rarity. They were right all along, both of them were.

She heard a noise in front of her and she raised her head to see what it was. It was her mother. Her mother was looking on in shock at the two ponies that she had just murdered.

"I guess you were wrong, Mommy," she whispered. "I guess I really do have those sad feelings like Aunt Rarity."

* * * *

Blossom suddenly found herself back in the throne room. The princesses had clearly seen enough and were staring at her now. Luna was blank but Celestia was holding back tears. It was a solid minute before the sun goddess managed to say anything. "Joyous Blossom... you are under arrest for the murders of Golden Necklace and Fire Ruby."

Blossom nodded and held her forelegs out when two of Celestia's royal guards walked up to her. As expected, they secured them with hoofcuffs and after she had stood up, they led her out of the room to whatever fate lay in store for her.

Afraid

Applejack leaned back in her chair at the dinner table and scanned her family. They had previously been discussing Blossom and how she seemed to have disappeared again, and it worried her. Big Mac and Apple Bloom were similarly worried, but Apple Seed seemed strangely quiet. The farmpony was no idiot and knew when something was wrong with her niece, but hadn't pressed her on the issue during the conversation. However, she knew that having gotten no answers from her siblings meant that it was time to see what Apple Seed knew.

She leaned forward again and looked her niece in the eyes. "Apple Seed, y'all have been real quiet tonight. Is there somethin' that you'd like ta tell us?"

Apple Seed flinched back, obviously surprised at having been addressed about it as her aunt hadn't included her thus far. She shifted her gaze between her aunt, uncle, and mother, all of whom were giving her their undivided attention. The young mare forced a weak smile on her face. "W-Why would y'all think a thing like that?"

Applejack frowned. "Because we've been talkin' about where Blossom might be right now and you haven't said one word about it. You don't even seem particularly worried."

"Ah am worried!" Apple Seed insisted. "It's just..." Apple Seed bit her lip and flattened her ears as she looked away, further solidifying in Applejack's mind that Apple Seed knew exactly where Blossom was.

"Apple Seed," she said sharply, "where is Blossom?"

Apple Seed opened her mouth, but just as she did the group heard a knock on the door. Apple Seed breathed a small sigh of relief that the pressure had been taken off of her for the time being as Apple Bloom had gotten up from her chair to answer the door. The youngest Apple sibling opened the door and gasped when she saw who was on the other side. "Sweetie Belle!" she cried.

Instantly the other three were on their hooves and rushing to meet the recently released mare. Apple Bloom had already wrapped her in a crushing hug and was crying tears of joy. "They let ya go!" she said happily.

Sweetie Belle gave a small smile and returned the hug. "Yes, they let me go."

"Well that's just wonderful!" Applejack cried. "What happened?"

At Applejack's question, Sweetie Belle's small smile faded away and she burst into tears, something that startled the three elder Apples. "Sweetie Belle, what's wrong?" Apple Bloom questioned. "Yer free now, you and Blossom can be together again!"

At the sound of her daughter's name Sweetie Belle only cried harder. Applejack rushed over to the distraught mare and wrapped her in a giant hug as well. "Shh, it’s okay, sugar cube, we'll find Blossom and then you two can be happy together like before."

"No!" Sweetie Belle wailed. "B-Blossom's gonna die!"

"Now don't be talkin' like that," Applejack scolded. "Ah know that none of us know where she is right now, but we'll find her and get her back to ya Ah promise!"

"She's in Canterlot," Sweetie Belle sobbed. "She gave herself up for me, she took my place!"

The four Apples fell silent at Sweetie Belle's words, none really sure of how to handle what Sweetie Belle had told them. All save one. The corners of Apple Seed's mouth were turned up in a small smile and she almost looked relieved. Her expression didn't escape Sweetie Belle's notice and the mare's sorrowful expression hardened into a glare filled with maternal rage. "You," she growled, "you killed her."

Apple Seed's eyes widened and she took an uneasy step back. "Ah... Ah didn't kill her, Ah just told her ta do the right thing!"

"That wasn't your place!" Sweetie Belle snarled. "What happened after their deaths was our choice, not yours!" Sweetie Belle pushed Apple Bloom and Applejack away and stood up. "She's gonna die now and it's all your fault!"

S-She killed them!" Apple Seed replied, tears now rolling down her face. "She betrayed you when she let ya take the fall for her! You didn't do nothin' wrong!"

"That was my decision!" Sweetie Belle snarled. "I had only just gotten her, I was not going to see her put down like I saw my sister put down, and now I have to because of you!"

"Sweetie Belle, did Blossom kill Fire Ruby and Golden Necklace?" Applejack asked quietly. "Were you innocent the whole time?"

"Yes!" Apple Seed insisted. "Blossom told me that she had killed them, a-and she betrayed you!"

"They were going to kill her!" Sweetie Belle screeched.

"They didn't kill you," Apple Seed whimpered as she backed against the wall. "Ah just thought that--"

"Yeah, well you thought wrong!" Sweetie Belle said angrily. "Now they're gonna kill her, a..." Sweetie Belle's eyes filled with tears again and she collapsed onto her haunches. "And it's your fault. I was okay where I was, and she's very sick. She needs help, not the needle."

The four Apples watched in silence for a moment as Sweetie Belle continued crying on the floor. It was Applejack who broke the silence and put a hoof on Sweetie Belle's shoulder. "We need ta go ta Canterlot, then," she muttered. "If you can make the princesses see it yer way, Blossom can get better and she doesn't hafta die."

"Ah'll make sure her pa and sister know," Applejack said. "They can meet us there."

Sweetie Belle whimpered and slowly pushed herself to her hooves. Applejack was right, they needed to go to Canterlot to beg for Blossom's life.

* * * *

Blossom sat in the corner of her cell in the palace, shivering from fear more than the drafty conditions. She had not had her horned removed... yet, but the guards had put a nullifier ring on it to prevent her from using any spells. Of course, it wasn't as though she would want to escape. If she did they would hunt her down, probably to the ends of the planet. She was a murderer, after all.

She sighed sadly and looked up at the small bed in the cell where, sure enough, Rarity was lounging. The gash on her head was gone, but so was her smug demeanor. In fact, she looked strangely contemplative. Blossom scoffed quietly and shook her head. "I thought that you'd leave me alone once I was in here," she muttered. "I can't kill for you anymore. My horn is blocked and I'm chained to a wall in a dungeon, there's no way I'm getting out of here."

Rarity sighed. "No, I suppose not," she mumbled. "I'm still unsure of why you would thrust this upon yourself, though. I mean, you are literally built to be Equestria's greatest serial killer. If I had your powers I would never have been caught by anypony, why would you throw all of that away?"

"Because I'm not a murderer," Blossom said quietly. "I never wanted to hurt anypony."

"But I know you felt that feeling that I did," said Rarity as she sat up in the bed. "I know that you know how wonderful it was and how powerful you felt!"

Blossom shook her head. "I didn't feel powerful. I didn't feel like I could do anything. I actually felt like I wasn't in control of myself and that really scared me, Aunt Rarity. I didn't like that feeling."

"But you followed it anyway," Rarity pointed out. "You bashed their brains in with a rock and they stopped bothering you, and everypony else, forever!"

"And look where I've ended up!" Blossom cried as she motioned around the cell. "I'm about to die for what I did! That..." A single sob escaped Blossom's throat. "That makes me afraid, Aunt Rarity, I'm really scared."

Blossom blinked once and when she opened her eyes, Rarity wasn't on the bed anymore. She was standing in front of her with a kind, but sad, smile on her face. She sat down next to Blossom, and wrapped her in a hug. The warmth and love behind the hug told Blossom beyond a shadow of a doubt that this was not the Rarity that had tormented her waking life. "So was I when my time came," Rarity said soothingly. "I won't pretend that I left this world with my head held high and courage in my heart, because I didn't." Rarity gently nuzzled Blossom's head and began stroking her mane. "Blossom, you are a better, braver pony than I ever was, or could ever hope to be. If this is your end, I know that you have the strength to be brave when your time comes."

"But I'm scared, Aunt Rarity," Blossom whimpered. "I'm scared that I'm going to Tartarus."

"Oh Blossom," Rarity whispered, "Tartarus is for evil ponies like me, not scared ponies who did bad things because of that fear. If I'm right about what kind of mare you are, you will see paradise."

"I lived a lie for ten years!" Blossom retorted. "I let my mom suffer in my place while I went free. How is that not evil?"

"You accepted a sacrifice that your mother made for you," Rarity explained. "Was it the right thing to do? I suppose not; but you were just a scared filly who didn't know what to do."

"I still am," said Blossom quietly. "I don't want to die, but there is still that part of me that does."

Rarity frowned and cocked her head slightly. "What do you mean, darling?" she questioned.

Blossom sighed and leaned her head against Rarity's chest. "Aunt Rarity, I... I'm tired. I'm just tired of all of this. I'm tired of being afraid, I'm tired of living in your shadow, I'm tired of that sick part of my brain continuously telling me to murder ponies, I'm tired of the princesses, and I’m tired of making ponies sad..." Blossom lifted a hoof to wipe away tears that had formed. "After everything that's happened over the past few months, dying would be like going to sleep after a long, bad day. If I'm in prison for the rest of my life, it's going to be Tartarus for me anyway. I couldn't stand day after day of therapy, of my mind telling me to kill my therapist or anypony else who come within my reach, I couldn't stand not being to see the sunlight anymore."

"You would still be able to see your family," Rarity pointed out.

"Behind bars? In a small room under constant surveillance?" Blossom shook her head. "Every time they'd see me they'd just be sad. It'd remind both of us of what we used to have. On one hoof I have a life of misery, sorrow, and the constant stress that I'm going to hurt somepony. On the other, I die in a way that's just like going to sleep after a long day. When I think about it that way..." Blossom looked up to see that Rarity had gone and she was alone in her cell once again. A small smile formed on her face and she began walking over to the comfort of the bed.

"Dying doesn't really sound all that bad, now does it?"

Going to Sleep

Princess Celestia and Princess Luna sat in their throne room, silently filling out paperwork of all things. Blossom's upcoming execution needed to be documented and it needed to be made official. Neither princess spoke except to say what was absolutely necessary, which wasn't much. For them, signing the documents made the whole things seem more real.

Celestia sighed sadly and looked down at the paper she was holding in her telekinetic grasp. It was the official order for her execution. One simple signature, and Blossom's life ended in a mere fifteen hours. Slowly she dipped the quill in the inkwell and brought the tip closer to the paper. One scrawl, and it was over.

Before the quill could even touch the parchment, the door opened and a solitary guard walked in the room. Both princesses put down their work and turned their attention to him.

The guard uneasily cleared his throat and bowed quickly. "Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, you have some ponies who would like to see you."

"The time for petitions is over," Luna replied. "They may come tomorrow should they wish to speak with us."

The guard uneasily scratched the back of his head. "Uh... you might want to see them. It's Blossom's family."

Celestia's eyes widened and she stood up from her seat. "Send them in!"

The guard inclined his head in a bow and trotted out the open door to beckon Blossom's family inside.

The two monarchs exchanged an uneasy look, followed by a sad sigh from Luna. Celestia, for her part, was just as uneasy about seeing them as her sister was, for she knew why they had come.

The doors opened even wider, allowing the Apple family, Sweetie Belle, and Blossom's father and his family inside. Both princesses stepped off of the dais, and met the group of ponies in the center of the room. All of the adults stopped just in front of the princesses, but the filly kept walking forwards for a few more steps. When she was a few hooves in front of them, she dropped to her knees in a bow. "Your majesties, we wanna ask you to please not give Blossom the shot that will make her die. She's not a bad pony; she doesn't deserve it."

Seeing such a young filly begging for the life of the sister she didn't know she had until recently almost caused Princess Celestia to burst into tears. She managed to keep her subtly sad expression, and she put a hoof on the filly's shoulder. "What is your name?"

The filly got to her hooves and looked up at the princesses with tear-streaked eyes. "My name is Comet Blitz, but most ponies just call me Comet. I'm Blossom's sister a-and I don't want her to die!"

"Comet. Such a lovely name." Celestia closed her eyes and sighed sadly. "Comet, do you know why we put your sister in jail?" Comet shook her head. "When Blossom was a filly, not much older than you are now, she hurt two fillies so much that they died. She just told us about it and that's why we had to put her in jail. I assure you that we do not like doing it."

"I-If you don't like it then let her go!" Comet begged. "Please I'm sure it was just an accident, my big sister wouldn't hurt anypony!"

"I'm sorry, Comet. We have made our choice." Princess Celestia looked up at the adult ponies as Comet began sobbing. "And Blossom has made hers as well."

"What do ya mean?" asked Apple Bloom.

"After her arrest, my sister and I talked to Blossom. She is of the opinion that her death would benefit her greatly." Princess Celestia turned her gaze to Sweetie Belle. "She's suffering, Sweetie Belle, she's suffering a great deal, and she's asking us to put her out of her extreme misery."

"Can't you help her?" whimpered Sweetie Belle. "I know she's sick, but can't she just see Dr. Mind some more so he can make her better?"

"Even if he did she would waste away in prison," Celestia said sadly. "If I knew of a way to genuinely help her I would take it in a heartbeat." Celestia subtly shook her head. "If our laws did not already call for her execution."

"But she was just a filly!" Sweetie Belle moaned. "You changed the law so that she didn't have to die!"

"She was just scared, Princess," Applejack pointed out. "It wasn't like she enjoyed it, right?"

"Had she killed just one of them I could accept that, but she killed them both," Celestia replied. Celestia shook her head sadly and turned her gaze back to Comet. "She welcomes death. If you want you can see her and maybe you can convince her that she has something to live for. If you do then I may reconsider. If not then my hooves are tied. I do not wish to see her suffer any more than you do. If letting her go is the one kindness that I can do for her to make up for the numerous mistakes I made in her life..." Celestia sighed and called a guard into the throne room. "Please escort them to Blossom. Give them as much time to see her as they desire."

* * * *

Blossom was lying on her bed, counting the seconds until ten o' clock the next morning when she could finally be free. No more sorrow, no more pain, no more Rarity telling her to snap the neck of the next pony she could get her hooves on, it would all be over and she could go to sleep. She allowed herself a small smile. It was a very comforting thought.

Her ears perked up when she heard the dungeon door open. She swiveled her ear in that direction and was surprised to hear what sounded like a lot of ponies coming down. She frowned, but didn't get up. If it was Celestia with a bunch of shrinks to analyze her she wouldn't tolerate that. She would remain silent if Dr. Mind had come to see her. There was no point anyway.

No. The voices weren't random ponies and they weren't Celestia. All of them sounded familiar, especially... "Momma?" Blossom scrambled out of her bed and ran up to the bars. She reached her hoof through them to signal where she was. "Mom I'm over here!"

"Blossom!" Sweetie Belle wailed.

The imprisoned mare heard the clattering of somepony running towards her, and in a mere second she saw her mother, and she wrapped her forelegs around one of Blossom's own.

Blossom gave Sweetie Belle a watery smile as her mother nuzzled her foreleg. "Hi, mom," she whispered. She looked past her mother at the gathering crowd of ponies behind her. She flashed them her weak smile. "Hi, everypony."

Blossom heard a whimper of fear, and she saw Comet breaking away from her mother. "Blossom!" she cried. When Comet reached the bars, she slipped through them and wrapped Blossom's waist in one of her tackle hugs, though this one held no joy. "I don't want them to give you the bad shot!"

Blossom half chuckled/half sobbed and returned Comet's hug. "Comet, Big Sister is very sick, and even though the shot would make me die, it would also make me feel a lot better."

"Blossom, you don't need to die, you need to get help!" Sweetie Belle insisted. "Princess Celestia told us that if don't want to die anymore then she might not order your execution! You would just have to see a lot of ponies who could help you! You'd get a better and you'd still be able to see us!"

"But if I die then we'll get to see each other again anyway," Blossom responded. "Think about this, Mom, would you rather see me in prison, slowly wasting away and holding on to the vain hope that I might get better so that I could fully register how terrible my life has become and how sad I'm making you, or would you rather wait just a little while longer, and see me in paradise, as happy and carefree as I was before all of this happened to me?" Blossom nuzzled a sobbing Comet's head and began stroking her mane. "I've made peace with what I am. It's time for me to go to bed."

Sweetie Belle whimpered and collapsed onto her haunches. She burst into tears, causing Apple Bloom to come forwards and wrap her forelegs around her shoulders.

Comet wiped her eyes with her hoof and nuzzled her sister's foreleg. "I just got a sister," she whimpered. "I've wanted a sister my whole life, I don't want you to die now!"

"Comet, I'm going to be okay," Blossom reassured her. "I know you don't want me to be suffering anymore, and this will make me better. We'll see each other again, I promise you. When we do, I'm gonna be the happiest mare in Paradise. I'll be all better, and we can be together like we would have been before all of this bad stuff happened." She nuzzled Comet's head and the filly resumed her sobbing as she leaned her head into Blossom's shoulder. Blossom resumed stroking her mane and began singing.

"Hush little filly and don't you cry,
know you sister loves you, this isn't a goodbye,
for we'll see each other in paradise's halls
in a beautiful land where darkness never falls.

Don't cry little filly, dry those sad tears,
your sister's love will abide throughout the years,
I'm going to a place that badness cannot touch,
we'll see each other again, Big Sister loves you very much."

"Big Sister loves you, Comet," Blossom whispered. "Never forget that, no matter what happens."

So the two sisters held each other, each wanting that moment to last forever. Blossom knew that someday it would, someday they could be happy together. But the current reality was not as kind.

"Such a touching scene," snickered an all too familiar voice from behind Blossom.

Blossom inhaled sharply and turned her head to see none other than Rarity herself standing behind her with a wide grin on her face. Blossom whimpered and began gently pushing Comet off of her. "Comet, Big Sister needs you to go back through the bars now. It's very important that you do!"

"No!" Comet sobbed, tightening her grip on her sister. "I don't wanna leave you!"

"Comet, please just trust me, I need you to go back to your mom!"

"Blossom, what's going on?" Apple Bloom asked. "Yer scarin' me!"

Blossom's attempts to pry her sister off of her became more desperate as Rarity slowly began walking towards the pair. "Comet please just trust me! I need you to go back to your mom!"

"Comet doesn't want to leave you," Rarity giggled. "All it will take is one little movement and you two can see each other in paradise, you get rid of me, and your execution comes that much quicker."

Blossom let out an ear-splitting shriek of fear, something that finally startled Comet enough that Blossom was able to pry her off of her. "Comet please go back to your mom! Please trust Big Sister!"

Comet began sobbing harder than ever, but she slipped back through the bars and into the waiting forelegs of her mother.

Rarity sighed and clicked her tongue. "Oh you're no fun."

Rolling Thunder began looking wildly between his two daughters, both of whom were sobbing in fear. "Blossom what's--"

"I'M NOT GOING TO HURT HER!" she screamed to Rarity. "I would never hurt her, Aunt Rarity, why don't you just leave me alone?!"

Blossom and Rarity both ignored the collective gasp that came from the group on the other side of the bars. Rarity in particular acted as if none of them were there. "I'm a construct of your mind, Blossom, I'm not going anywhere." A wide grin split Rarity's face. "Being part of your mind makes me privy to all sorts of information, like how close you were to killing Comet just now for instance."

"I was never going to kill Comet," Blossom snarled. "I'm not like you!'

"Blossom, there's nopony there!" Rolling Thunder walked up to the bars. "Blossom, you need to just calm down and we can talk about this!'

"I'm not going to hurt Comet, I never thought it for a second!"

"Blossom, I know that," Rolling Thunder assured her. "You're a good mare, you just need help!"

"I'd give you a week before you snapped and murdered whatever dullard they gave you for a shrink," said Rarity as she idly examined her hooves. "You might not kill Comet because she's your sister, but some faceless pony? Oh, I suspect that you'd have absolutely no trouble with him or her."

"I'm not going to kill anypony!" Blossom insisted. "They're going to give me the needle tomorrow, and then I can be free from you, and I'm not going to ever have to worry that I'll hurt somepony!"

"You could at least make an attempt to kill one of your killers before you go," Rarity mused. Celestia probably won't have you in hoofcuffs as you're going to the execution chamber, you can still get rid of me for the last few minutes of your life." Rarity's grin widened. "Otherwise I'll be talking your ear off the entire time!"

With a wail of sorrow and fear, Blossom collapsed onto the floor, leaning against the bed in her room "Just leave me alone, Aunt Rarity!" she wept. "I don't want to hurt anypony."

"But you did and you loved it."

"I hate myself for it," Blossom mewled.

"Think of the rush you got from it," Rarity replied. "Isn't that a good feeling to go out with?"

"I was sorry right away."

"They'd kill you quickly, you'd go out with that feeling," Rarity pointed out.

"I don't want to go to Tartarus."

"And you won't," said Rarity softly.

Blossom inhaled sharply and looked up at her aunt. Once more the psychotic version of her mind had been replaced with the kinder version of her aunt. Only this time it was different. This time her aunt was standing over the version that had tormented her for so long. Blossom had to hold back a gasp when she saw her evil aunt on the floor. She wasn't moving, she wasn't smiling anymore. She had a butcher knife stuck in her back up to the handle.

Her aunt smiled sadly at her and trotted over next to her. She sat down next to Blossom, neither caring that the bad Rarity's blood was pooling around her. "You're a good pony, Blossom," said Rarity. "And I know you'll be brave when your time comes."

Before Blossom could respond, she blinked once. When she opened her eyes, both Raritys were gone and the cell was empty once more. Blossom signed and turned back to her family, only to find that they had all left during her argument, doubtlessly unable to see her like that. All save for Apple Bloom who was still holding a sobbing Sweetie Belle. Blossom smiled weakly at them. "It's okay. She's gone now and I'm not gonna see her anymore after tomorrow."

Blossom walked up to the bars and sat on her haunches. "Mom... you need to go with Dad now. Comet needs everypony to help her right now." Sweetie Belle continued sobbing, unable to leave her daughter. "Please," Blossom whispered, "do it for me."

Slowly Sweetie Belle nodded, and she shakily got to her hooves with the help of Apple Bloom. Blossom mirrored her action, and allowed Sweetie Belle to come closer to the bars for one last hug. "This isn't goodbye, Mom," she whispered. "It's 'see you later'."

Slowly Sweetie Belle nodded and, with one last nuzzle, she trudged out of the dungeon. Apple Bloom initially began following her, but was stopped when Blossom called out to her.

"Aunt Apple Bloom? Can I talk to you for a second?"

Apple Bloom uneasily glanced over at Blossom, but she slowly nodded and stood in front of her again. "Yeah?"

Blossom sighed sadly and began blinking away tears. "I want to ask one request. It's not just for you, it's for everypony." Blossom looked up and locked eyes with Apple Bloom. "Make her feel joy again. I don't care how you do it, but make her smile with joy again."

Apple Bloom slowly nodded and whispered an affirmation before she too walked out of the dungeon, leaving Blossom alone once again.

* * * *

Thirteen hours later, Blossom was woken up by the sound of her cell door opening. She opened her eyes, and saw two of Celestia's royal guards entering her cell.

It was time.

She slid off of her bed and gave the two guards a small greeting nod, a gesture that wasn't returned. One of the guards took out a key and unlocked Blossom's leg cuff, allowing her to be led out of the dungeon. Blossom didn't bother looking around, desperately trying to squeeze a few last images of the world before her end. It wasn't something that she wanted to remember at any rate. Before she knew it she was inside a small, windowless room with only a table with restraints on it, and a tray, on which rested a solitary syringe.

Like her aunt before her, Blossom gave no resistance and placed herself on the table, allowing herself to be strapped down. She supposed there was a part of her that was afraid, she was dying after all, but it was dwarfed by a sense of relief that she felt.

Blossom didn't flinch when she felt the prick of the needle in her skin. She didn't tense up as the fatal liquid flowed through her veins, numbing her senses and darkening her vision.

It was time to go to sleep after a long, hard day. There was nothing to be feared from that.

Nothing at all.

Epilogue: Paradise Untouched By Darkness

Sweetie Belle was alone.

She had requested that the others leave her alone and go back to Ponyville without her for the time being. She would join them in a little while, but for now she just wanted to be alone.

Her daughter was dead.

Joyous Blossom, the daughter that she had carried, raised, was imprisoned for, loved with every fiber of her being, had been executed by Princess Celestia. If Sweetie Belle never saw either princess again it would be far too soon; not that she trusted herself to not blow up at them anyway for killing both her sister and her daughter.

It had been a small confirmation; the group had been sitting in a room a little ways away from the execution room. Blossom had requested that nopony be allowed to see her execution and the guards had honored her request. Sweetie Belle wasn't quite sure how she thought about that. On one hoof, it was a kindness to not see her daughter's lifeless body, to not see her life slip away like grains of sand through an hourglass to the point where she was empty. She had done that with Rarity and she still dreamed about it.

On the other hoof, Blossom had to die alone; without her family there to support her. She couldn't draw the strength she needed to go out with her head held high from her executioners.

The guards had come out of the room after it was done. Two left immediately, but one stayed and gave a small nod to the group, most of whom had burst into tears immediately. Well, those who had not already been sobbing, anyway. The guard had given them her best sympathetic look and had said 'she died well; she looks very happy', before leaving with her fellows.

Sweetie Belle hadn't responded to her words. She merely told them to go back to Ponyville and began walking. Where, she didn't know, but she just had to walk.

She found herself leaning against a wall in one of the castle corridors, staring out the nearby window at the glorious day that had arrived with Celestia's sun. The happy atmosphere seemed to Sweetie Belle to be Celestia mocking her for what she had taken from the broken mare.

Her thoughts were cut off when she heard a voice behind her, the last voice that she expected to hear at a time like this. "Sweetie Belle?"

Sweetie Belle turned to see who was calling her, and found Silver Spoon of all ponies standing behind her. Sweetie Belle scoffed lightly. "Come to rub it in? My daughter took yours, and now I lost mine too. Have you come to gloat that now your child can rest in peace, knowing that her murderer was put down?"

Silver Spoon's eyes widened and she took a step forward. "No, I haven't! I..." Silver Spoon began blinking back tears as she took another step forwards. "I heard the rumors that Blossom had given herself up. I know what happened. I wanted to say that... I'm sorry for all those years that I hated you."

"You didn't know that I was innocent, why would you apologize now?"

Silver Spoon bridged the gap between her and Sweetie Belle and, to her surprise, she threw a hoof over her shoulder in a hug. "Because I would have done the same thing to protect my child," she whispered. "I don't hate you, I don't hate Blossom for what she did, and I don't hate anypony." Silver Spoon gave a small, but comforting smile. "We've had enough of that to last an age, don't you think?"

Sweetie Belle blankly sat on her haunches, allowing her childhood enemy to sit down with her had hold her close. She didn't know why she accepted her comfort; maybe it was because they both had to bury their daughters, but the two childless mothers sat in silence, unmoving.

* * * *

Blossom's eyes fluttered open.

The first thing that she became aware of was how warm everything was. It was like a nice summer day in Ponyville that wasn't too hot or cold. Everything was just right. She was lying in a field of bright green grass that felt cool and relaxing on her fur. The cloudless sky was a wonderful shade of blue and reminded her almost of her Aunt Rainbow Dash's fur.

Of course she knew that she couldn't lie here forever. There was a time that she had to get up to see where she was and that time was now. She sat up on the grass and pushed herself onto her hooves.

When she was standing up, she noticed that the field around her seemed to stretch on endlessly, save for a hill jutting out of the ground to her left. Deciding that this was the best place to go, she began her trot towards the hill.

As she walked, she saw what appeared to be a very young filly standing at the top, positively beaming down at her. Blossom chuckled to herself when she realized that this filly looked kind of like her mother, but with darker fur and a purple mane. The filly giggled when Blossom was close enough, and ran down the hill to meet her as Blossom climbed up. "Hello, Blossom!" the filly chirped. "My name is Sweetie! We've been waiting for you!"

Blossom smirked at the filly and continued climbing up the hill. "Your name is close to my mother's name. Her name is Sweetie Belle."

The filly's grin widened and she vigorously nodded. "Yeah, I know, and I think that's really cool!"

Blossom's smile slowly faded as the pair neared the top of the hill and she looked down at Sweetie. "Where are we?"

Sweetie giggled but said nothing as the two reached the top of the hill. When Blossom saw what was on the other side, she gasped but it was followed with a smile of childlike wonder. For on the opposite side of the hill there was a great city whose splendor far outstripped even the wonders of Canterlot. The buildings were made of what appeared to be opulent marble and they shone brightly as the morning sun reflected off of them. However the effect was not overpowering as it might have been if the effect were repeated in the real world. The buildings stretched to the skies and the streets below them were paved with the same white stone that the buildings were made out of. A pure city, untainted by anything bad.

Sweetie giggled again at Blossom's wonder and began tugging on her hoof to lead her into the city. "Come on, silly, you have a lot of ponies who want to see you."

Blossom's smile returned and she allowed the filly to lead her inside the city. Normally such splendor would have intimidated her, but here it was so peaceful that she entered it without trepidation. Blossom had to admit, the outside of the city did not do the inside justice. The buildings were even more impressive close up, and it was hard to imagine that this would be where she spent the rest of eternity.

Of course, what really got Blossom's attention were the ponies.

Ponies of all shapes, sizes, and races were walking around the city, each of them with a look of pure bliss on their faces. She saw a pair of pegasi, one with a dark grey coat and the other with a bright green coat, chatting animatedly with each other like only a mother and daughter could. She saw a pony that looked like Starswirl the Bearded telling thrilling tales to a group of wide-eyed ponies, she even saw two ponies who looked like they could be the parents of Applejack, Apple Bloom, and Big Macintosh.

"It's pretty awesome, isn't it?" Sweetie said with a contented sigh.

Blossom nodded dumbly and continued to look around in an impressed stupor. "It's magnificent."

"You never get used to how cool this place is, that's the best part!" said Sweetie happily. "But right now you gotta talk to some ponies who have been wanting to see you for a long time."

Curious, Blossom followed the little filly down a few streets and alleyways to a small little cabin type building near the edge of the city. Curious, Blossom frowned at Sweetie. "What's here?" she asked.

Sweetie giggled and pointed towards the cabin door. "You'll see. It'd ruin the surprise if I just told you. Sweetie looked behind her. "I think I hear my Mommy calling me. You go on ahead and just open the door. They won't mind."

With that, the light gray filly bounced away, leaving Blossom staring at the door of the cabin. In life she would have been nervous about just walking into some stranger's home, but here she had a feeling that everything would be fine. She began resolutely walking towards the door and she reached it in a few short moments and pushed it open. What she saw inside made her gasp in surprise.

Fire Ruby, Golden Necklace, and Diamond Tiara were all inside the cabin, happily playing a game with each other. Blossom could not recall the last time she saw the three of them looking so happy, if ever she had ever seen it at all.

She wasn't standing in the doorway for more than a few seconds before all three of them noticed that she was there. To her surprise, they didn't look angry, or even a little upset that she was there. If anything their smiles widened a little. Fire Ruby and Golden Necklace rushed over to Blossom and wrapped her forelegs in a crushing hug while Diamond Tiara was slower to get up. She seemed no less happy to see her killer, though.

Blossom exhaled sharply and sat on her haunches on the floor. Diamond Tiara chuckled and sat down next to her, bringing her in for a tight hug. Blossom expected to have to blink back tears at the reunion, and in life she would have, but here was not the place for tears. She merely opened her mouth and whispered out two words. "I'm sorry."

Diamond Tiara chuckled again and began stroking Blossom's mane.

"Blossom; my dear Blossom. There's nothing to forgive."

Non-Canon Alternate Ending?

Now, a few things before I go into this one.

I would put this in a blog post, but they don't get the same kind of exposure that chapters do. Plus, people who hate the story but follow me can see it.
THE ENDING THAT I WENT WITH IS THE ENDING THAT I PICK AND IT IS CANON!!! I AM COMPLETELY HAPPY WITH THAT ENDING!!! Seriously, I don't want you to take this as a 'guess he regrets the ending he picked' post because it isn't.

So, basically I had a one-shot chapter that I was going to post here that was an alternate ending where Blossom didn't end up dying and she got therapy. However, it grew into its own storyline in my head and I wasn't sure I could resist. It would be in the same vein as 'Breaking of a Non-Brony' or 'TD's Little Rarity', just an alternate look into what could have been and I'll let you guys decide which is better if you want me to do it. No matter which, I will still stick by the ending I gave you first as the best one. Do know that. However, if you want to see what would have happened had Blossom gone down a different path, it's very doable.

If not, I'll scrap it for Blossom but still recycle the idea into another fic just so you guys aren't deprived of one of my better ideas.

One one hoof, it might lessen the impact of the original story.

On the other, I have a truly great idea for it.

What do you think? Should I show you what was behind door #2?

New Stories!

The alternate ending to Broken Blossom, The Word is Fear

And the one-shot 'here's how Rarity affected the world' story, Ripples

Not My Home

Silence.

Well, more specifically a lack of talking. There was always the background noise of Canterlot citizens bustling about. Even this late at night there were still ponies around whispering to each other after a hard day's work or enjoying the decent night life that Canterlot had to offer.

However, such was not the case with the occupants of the private covered chariot of Princess Celestia and Luna, nor their shivering charge.

The two had been as gentle as they could have been with the seven year old Joyous Blossom. The daughter of Sweetie Belle had not taken the arrest and incarceration of her mother very well and it was not hard to see why. She had been convicted of the brutal double murders of two of Blossom's classmates and now the filly was wondering if her mother would ever see the light of day again. Indeed, that was the worst part about all of this: she likely wouldn't.

Blossom continued shivering, despite the fact that she was wrapped up in a few warm blankets and Celestia was magically heating the chariot. Of course, the filly's reactions were not of temperature, but of fear. It was fear that coursed through her body, shaking it to its core. Would she ever get to see her friends again? Would Aunt Applejack and Aunt Apple Bloom come by with Apple Seed? Would Aunt Scootaloo and Aunt Rainbow Dash take time out of their schedules to drop in and give her comfort? Would her grandparents hold her tight assuring her that everything would be alright?

More than likely not. At least, that's what the filly surmised.

No, her days would be filled with two goddesses trying to make her feel at home. Yes, they had been telling her about it during the first leg of the trip to Canterlot. She'd have a large room, servants to fulfill her every desire and she would even be accepted into Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns provided she passed the entrance exam. Of course, the two of them had assured her that she would pass with flying colors.

But Blossom didn't want that. She didn't want a big room in the castle away from everypony. She loved her room at Carousel Boutique with her toys and small trinkets that helped her pass the hours of boredom away. She had a Wonderbolts poster in her room signed by not just Aunt Scootaloo and Aunt Rainbow Dash, but the whole team! Still, the signatures of her aunts were the only two that she liked. Would the Princesses let her obtain these sentimental items from her room? They hadn't mentioned it when they began their journey and she had been too scared to ask. After all, they had been the ones who took her mommy away so if she made them mad with pointless requests then maybe they'd take her horn away too and then she would never see anypony ever again!

Blossom gathered enough bravery that she managed to glance up at Princess Celestia. To her horror the Princess of the Sun noticed and flashed her a warm smile. Blossom supposed that she was trying to comfort her, to show her that the world hadn't ended and that there were still ponies who cared about her even now.

Blossom sunk further into her blankets. No, the world had ended. She would never get to see her mother again. She was lying in a cage in some crazy house with no horn and no child to embrace. She would never be able to hug her again, to tell her that everything would be alright. Nothing would be alright again.

She had heard Princess Celestia tell Miss Twilight that she would want for nothing. Well she wanted her mother. But she couldn't have her mother it seemed. She had to go away so that the doctors could make her mind better. They thought that she was sick because she had hurt Golden Necklace and Fire Ruby so bad that they died.

No.

Her mother hadn't done that, she had.

She had hurt them so bad that they died. She had sad feelings like Aunt Rarity did. Golden Necklace and Fire Ruby were right; she was crazy and she was a bad pony. She had hurt them and they were dead and it was all her fault!

So why did her mommy want her to lie? Why did her mother have to suffer for bad things that she did? Her mother had always told her to tell the truth no matter what; so why was it okay this time?

Well, her mother had told her why. The Princesses would execute her if they ever found out that she had killed her classmates. They would chop off her horn and give her a shot that would make her dead like the foals she killed. Would she go to Tartarus where everypony said that Aunt Rarity had gone? She supposed so since she had murdered other ponies.

But the Princesses could never find that out, could they? If she never told them and lied like her mother had told them to then she wouldn't have to have that happen to her. In truth she didn't know if that made her relieved or terrified her even more. As long as she was free her mother was not.

Eventually the chariot stopped and two of Princess Celestia's servants opened the door so that they could get out. Princess Celestia smiled at her charge and levitated her onto her back so that she could take her up to her room. It was really dark now; way past her bedtime at home.

The two princesses were escorted inside by a bunch of scary ponies who didn't smile and who were wearing armor. They looked mad all the time and that scared Blossom. If she was living in the palace with Princess Celestia then she would have to see them a lot and she would undoubtedly do something that made them mad at her.

Thankfully they didn't seem mad at her right now, just really stern. Blossom figured that it was probably because they were tired from staying up all night waiting for the princesses. Blossom knew that a lot of ponies, herself included, got cranky when they hadn't had much sleep.

Eventually the group of ponies reached a pair of doors that were soon opened by Princess Luna. Curious, Blossom poked more of her head out of her blankets and looked inside the room.

Wow.

She had to admit, it was a very pretty room. The bed looked extremely comfortable and there were several toys scattered around the room. Still, it was nothing compared to her simple room back home. No, this room was cold, it was unfriendly and it seemed too nice. It didn't have the warm embrace that her old room back home had had. She immediately decided that she didn't like this room.

When they reached the bed, Princess Celestia gently levitated Blossom onto the bed and pulled back a few sheets so she could tuck her in. The sheets were very warm, but given the situation they seemed more constrictive than loving.

She looked up and saw Princess Celestia looking down at her and smiling. Somehow she seemed bigger, more imposing than she had been in the police station. The smile was nothing compared to her mother's.

"Goodnight, Blossom," said Princess Celestia. "If you need anything, anything at all, all you need to do is press this button here and Luna or myself will attend to it immediately." Princess Celestia stroked her mane and her eyes scanned the room. "This was Miss Twilight's room when she was a filly. She liked it quite a bit and I know you will too. She was very happy with it."

Ah, that's why it was alien to her; it was somepony else's room. Even if it was Miss Twilight's that still made it not hers even if Miss Twilight's room was in the library now.

Princess Celestia leaned in and kissed Blossom on the head. "My sister and I must go now. Remember what I said about the button. If you need anything at all do not hesitate to ask."

"Yes, your majesty," whispered Blossom. She figured that she might as well be polite, but for some reason Princess Celestia frowned.

"No need for that, Blossom," she said. "Princess Celestia is fine. The other is... well, I like that one better."

"Okay," she muttered.

Princess Celestia smiled once more and the two princesses walked out of the room, closing the door behind them.

The second they were gone, Blossom wiggled out of the sheets and grabbed the one that Miss Twilight had materialized for her in her mouth. She looked over at the room and spotted a small corner. Yes, it would be perfect.

She hopped off of the bed and deposited the blanket in the corner. She then grabbed a large pillow off of the bed and did the same.

With that done, she looked across the room. She knew that she had seen it when she came in but... ah ha! There it was.

She trotted over to a large stuffed pony. It would have to do. It was a simple thing, a large gray pony with a poofy blue mane and a scroll for a cutie mark. Blossom grabbed a foreleg in her mouth and dragged it to the center of the room where the moonbeams shone brightest and turned back to the pony.

Miss Twilight had taught her this spell, it was meant to change colors on something simple. She had mastered it after a few weeks of study. Her mother had been so proud of her that day. Hopefully she could do it now.

Taking a deep breath, she envisioned the color she wanted to use. The color filled her mind and her horn fired up, Yes. She just needed to breathe in and out; just like Miss Twilight showed her and it would work.

Figuring that it had worked, she opened her eyes and squealed in delight. The formerly gray pony was now snow white and as an added bonus, she had successfully changed the cutie mark to one of a bell with a musical note. The mane was still a problem but with another effort, it was the pink and purple of her mother's.

She allowed herself another smile at her success. It almost looked like her mother.

Grabbing the foreleg in her mouth once more, she dragged the pony to the corner and placed it lying down with its back to the wall. She then placed the pillow on the floor and laid down on top of it, pulling the blanket over her for warmth. With a simple spell, the foreleg of the pony was wrapped over her shoulder as if holding her in a loving embrace. It held none of the warmth of her mother's hugs, but it... it would have to do for now.

Blossom curled into a ball and nuzzled the stuffed foreleg.

"Goodnight, Mommy," she whispered.

Escape

Princess Celestia powered down her horn and placed her hooves back on the ground. She looked up in the sky and smiled at the sight of her sun shining brightly, bringing warmth and joy to all of her little ponies. She took a deep breath, relishing in the clean Canterlot air that filled her lungs. It was refreshing to be sure.

Princess Celestia took another deep breath and sat on her haunches with her eyes closed. Contrary to what most ponies believed, raising the sun often took a lot out of the sun goddess, particularly when she wasn't emotionally centered and last night... well, it was not hard to see why she was feeling a touch out of focus.

Still, a being such as her had long discovered the proper way to center herself after such an event. Yes, some time alone would serve her very well. Of course, she couldn't take too much time. There was still the day court to be held, snooty nobles to meet, and demands to be met from some of her more determined subjects.

And then there was Blossom.

Yes, Blossom, Sweetie Belle's emotionally devastated daughter. She had tried to comfort the filly last night, she had tried to make her at least feel a little bit at home, but so far she was unreceptive to her attempts. Of course, it wasn't like she could blame her. As far as Blossom was concerned, she had taken away her mother and surgically removed her horn before locking her away in a mental institution for the rest of her life. Celestia had to admit, were she in Blossom's position she would probably not be too open to whoever did it either.

Princess Celestia shook her head sadly and stretched out her wings. She exhaled and began twisting her neck around; circling her head on her shoulders before violently twisting her head to one side. The ensuing pop felt marvelous and she let out a contented sigh afterwards.

Well, it was time to start the day proper now. Raising the sun was only one of her many duties and she really couldn't stay in her room all day.

She stood up and stretched a bit more. She turned around and walked out of her room, ready to face the day that she had brought about. She looked down the hall and fixed her eyes on the door that led to Blossom's room. She hoped that the filly would be awake so they could figure out where to go next with her. She knew that Blossom wanted her mother, that much was certain, but she also knew that Blossom understood that she could not have her mother back. Things could not go back to the way they used to be for the child.

Slowly she trotted down the hall to Blossom's room and opened the door quietly in case she was still asleep. She poked her head in and looked at the bed. She took a sharp intake of breath when she saw that the filly was missing! She was not on her bed and she could not see her in the room either.

She opened the door all the way and quickly entered the room. Where would she have gone?! How could she have escaped without anypony noticing! If she had gotten out and been caught then Luna would have woken her up to tell her; or at the very least she would have had one of the servants leave a note on her door.

She turned around to leave the room to ask around in case anybody had seen Blossom, but the sight that greeted her when she noticed the corner of the room gave her pause.

There she was; there was Blossom wrapped in the blanket that Twilight had materialized for her and using a pillow as a mattress. She was curled into a ball and fast asleep. However, the most heartbreaking sight was the fact that she had taken the large pony doll in the room and transformed it into a doppelganger of sorts of her mother and wrapped one of the forelegs around her while she slept.

The sight of the foal showing such sorrow and vulnerability even while she slept... it was more than heartbreaking, it was downright tragic.

Celestia sighed and walked out of the room. Blossom could sleep for as long as she wanted. It would be unfair of her to wake her up now when what she needed most was more rest. She deserved that small comfort.

As she was about to close the door behind her, she saw Princess Luna trotting down the hall. Normally she would have smirked at the sight of her sister's mane so disheveled, it seemed that the night court had been a particularly taxing one, but the sight of the child had drained her of joy.

Princess Luna yawned and nodded at the sun goddess in greeting. "Good morning, sister," she said. She glanced at the door. "Thou were checking on the child, We see. How is she?"

Princess Celestia motioned for her sister to check for herself and Luna entered the room. She exited a minute later, a blank expression on her face. "We see not well," she whispered.

Princess Celestia nodded and sat on her haunches before gently closing the door. "Luna... what have we done?" she said tearfully.

"What we had to do," said Luna. "One of them committed murder."

Celestia shifted her gaze from the door to her sister. "One of them? But the evidence revealed Sweetie Belle as the killer."

"We know, sister," said Luna. "But We have already stated that the evidence never sat right with Us."

"You still suspect Blossom?"

Luna nodded. "We are sorry, sister, but We still suspect that Sweetie Belle covered up the evidence of her daughter's crime." Luna looked over at the door and sighed. "Part of Us wishes to read the child's mind to determine the truth of the matter."

"No," said Celestia sharply. "You know as well as I that we cannot do that. The mind is the most sacred and private part of a pony and it would be a violation to enter it."

"We know, sister, We are simply stating what We wish. Were We to actually commit such an atrocity then We would likely release them both in our guilt." Luna sighed. "Still, it would simplify matters if we knew without a single doubt who committed the crime."

"It's not worth that," said Celestia.

She stood up and saw that Luna was glancing longingly at the door to her room. This time she allowed herself a small smirk and motioned for Luna to follow her there. "I must ask you, sister, what would you do about assuaging your concerns on the matter of Blossom's potential guilt?"

"We do not know, sister, and that is what makes this all the more frustrating. You know that the wounds left by the mother were such that they completely covered up evidence of a smaller blow. It seems to Us that the only way now to determine guilt is to get a truthful confession from the child."

"Who is unlikely to cooperate with us on the matter," Celestia finished. "I know I have asked this, but what would you do if it turned out she was the killer? She is not yet eight years old."

Luna shrugged. "Were she older, say, in her pre-teen years and beyond, We would suggest thou give her the needle for what she has done. She potentially murdered two foals."

"Do you suggest that we put her in therapy to see if the therapist can uncover the truth?"

"Mayhaps," said Luna, "but in truth We are almost afraid of what such an endeavor would uncover."

Princess Celestia nodded and used her magic to open the door for her sister. "So should we leave this alone for now? If so, when do we give custody of her over to the Apple family?"

"We feel that we should not rush into this. Let the child adjust a bit to her surroundings and see where to go from there. We would not suggest forcing more sorrow and heartache upon her."

"Agreed," said Celestia. Luna nodded and walked into her room and shut the door behind her. "Good morning, Luna," she whispered.

* * * *

Blossom's eyes slowly opened as the sun moved to the point where its rays were shining in her eyes as she slept. It jarred her out of her slumber and she put a hoof in front of her eyes to block its blinding glow and wiggled out of her blanket to escape the sun.

When she was free from the sun's brightness, she turned back and looked at her makeshift bed. She whimpered at the sight of the pony doll she had made into the image of her mother. It still held the coloration of her mother to be sure, but the sun's light did to it what the moonbeams did not: it left no doubt in Blossom's mind that it was not her mother but a mere imitation of her. In the darkness she had been able to pretend, to let her mind believe that it was her mother that was holding her; even if the doll held none of her mother's love and warmth in its embrace.

No, the doll was fake and most certainly not her mother.

Blossom sighed and looked around the room. Now what? The position of the sun seemed to indicate that it was late afternoon, a fact confirmed by the clock on the wall which read 3:47. The princesses had let her sleep in, something that she was grateful for.

But the fact remained that they hadn't told her what she was supposed to do. They hadn't said that she should come to a certain room or ask some of the servants what to do next so it seemed she was on her own for a little while until the princesses came and got her.

Or she could try to leave.

Her ears perked up as the thought crossed her mind. She had always been good at sneaking around and not getting caught. After all, she had successfully found her mother's cell in the police station without anypony noticing that she had gotten away from Miss Twilight. Of course, it would be harder here since she didn't know her way around the castle and there were those ponies in armor around who would definitely try to stop her if she tried to escape.

But what would she do if she did get out? Well, there was always the train station. A city as big as Canterlot had to have one and it had to lead back to Ponyville at some point.

Yes... she could escape and stow away in some luggage on a line that was going to Ponyville! Aunt Applejack and Aunt Apple Bloom would definitely hide her once the princesses realized she was gone and figured out where she was headed.

For the first time in a while, a genuine smile crossed her face. Yes, this could work. If could definitely work if she was careful enough.

She trotted over to the door and used her magic to open it enough that she could slip through unnoticed. To her delight the hall was completely empty. She could walk around without anypony noticing if she was careful enough. There had to be places to hide; cabinets that she could go into, curtains she could hide behind, potted plants that she could escape into, anything like that would aid in her escape.

She quietly walked down the hall in the opposite direction of the large double doors that marked the end of the hall to her right. Whichever way she had to go to get out, she had to start here. She frowned to herself as she journeyed to the end of the hall. She regretted not paying better attention when Princess Celestia had carried her to her room. If she had only done that then there would be no need to wander around hoping for an exit, she could simply walk out the way that she came in.

A minute or so later, she heard the worst noise that she could possibly hear at that moment: voices. And they were coming this way. She gasped and looked around wildly for a hiding place but to her horror she found none! The voices were getting closer and she had nowhere to hide!

"I say, the princess was unusually easy on that peasant today," said one of the voices. "The money she's spending on his proposal for that orphanage in Manehattan could easily be used to greater effect to beautify some of the Canterlot sporting arenas. I mean, the Canterlot Hoofball stadium needs some updated grass on the fields!"

"Well I suppose that the orphanage is a good cause too," said the other pony. "But really, we need some of it to throw the next garden party."

The voices were getting closer and there was nowhere to hide!!

Blossom froze where she stood and her eyes looked around wildly, hoping dearly that a spot to hide would materialize or that she would remember a spell to make herself invisible!

Too late, the ponies entered her field of vision. They were both dressed in fancy clothes and her immediate impression of both of them was that they weren't very nice. Their faces held none of the kindness of most of the ponies that she knew.

To her utter horror the two of them spotted her immediately and frowned.

"I say, what are you doing here, child?"

Blossom took a few steps back and whimpered.

"She must be the child of one of the servants," muttered the other. "I didn't think that they let them run around the castle willy nilly like this."

Servants. Child of one of the servants? Yes!

"My mommy works in one of the kitchens," she said. "S-She said that I could go play around here while she worked."

Both ponies harrumphed. "Very well, but don't be a bother to anypony. We are very important ponies!" And with that, the two of them stuck their noses in the air and walked past her.

Blossom breathed a sigh of relief. Did that really just work? Was that really the best way to go about this whole thing; hiding not behind vases and curtains but a fake identity? Well, it worked once so why not again?

With a slight spring in her step, she began her trot down the hall once more. Yes, this could work if she did it right. Would the royal guards be fooled? Likely not as Princess Celestia had almost certainly told them to watch out for her in case she tried to do exactly what she was doing. Still, if she was careful then she wouldn't be caught.

As it turned out, the castle was fairly easy to navigate. Every now and again she would come across a map that was slightly out of her sight range but if she stood on her hind legs to read it she could find her way around easily enough. The patrols of guards were few and far between and it only took her around a quarter of an hour to reach what she figured were the front gates.

There was only one problem with that: the front gates were packed with ponies waiting to see the princess and even worse, dozens of guards!

Blossom whimpered and took a few shaky steps backwards. Maybe there was a back entrance she could take or...or a window that she could climb out of if one was low enough to the ground to go out of without hurting herself. Yes, that would probably be better and she would have less of a chance of getting caught.

As Blossom continued to back away, one of the nobles in line turned his head in her direction and raised his eyebrow when he spotted her. Frowning, he turned to the pony next to him and spoke a few words before walking in her direction.

Blossom froze in fear once again. If she ran then he would know that something was wrong and he'd go after her or maybe get the guards to but if she stayed...

The pony, a white older stallion with a small blue mustache and a monocle decorating one eye, trotted over to her with a kind smile on his face. "I say, my dear, is something wrong? Why are you all alone here?"

Blossom's mouth flipped up and down like a fish out of water. She was caught, that much seemed apparent. Although, maybe not if she played her cards correctly.

The stallion smiled warmly at her and extended a hoof. "My name is Fancypants," he said. "I'm here on business with the princess. What's your name?"

"Joyous Blossom but most ponies call me Blossom," whispered the frightened filly. She shook Fancypants' hoof so as to not seem rude.

"Well, Blossom, it is a pleasure to meet you. May I ask once again why you're all alone here? You look absolutely terrified."

"I...I lost my mommy," whispered Blossom. "She was meeting with the princesses and we got separated. I think she's outside the castle." It technically was not a lie.

Fancypants tapped his chin with a hoof. "Hmm, that is a conundrum to be sure. Are you certain she's outside the castle? I can't imagine she's gone very far if she intends to find you."

Blossom's eyes flickered over to one of the royal guards. Fancypants frowned and followed her gaze. A look of understanding crossed his face and he nodded. "Ah yes, I think I see the problem. They are an intimidating lot, aren't they?" Blossom nodded. "Well then, would you like me to escort you out of the castle and help you find your mother?"

Blossom's eyes widened. Was this seriously happening? "Well... if it wouldn't be too much trouble, I'd like that a lot."

"Oh it's no trouble at all, my dear," he said. "It would be my honor. My wife is holding my spot in line so I can expend a few minutes to help you find your lost mother."

Blossom's mouth twisted up into a weak smile which Fancypants returned. He beckoned her to follow him and Blossom immediately went to his side. The duo was close enough to the gates that it was hardly a trip to the outside. It was only a few minutes before the two of them were outside of the range of the royal guards and out in the streets of Canterlot proper.

"Now then, where do you think your mother might be?"

Blossom frowned and looked around the streets. She needed to get away from Fancypants, but she didn't know how to do that unless she actually found a mare willing to play the part of her mother.

However, luck seemed to be on her side as a mare walked by a little ways away, minding her own business. She would be perfect.

"There she is!" said Blossom, pointing to the mare.

"That mare over there?" said Fancypants. "What a stroke of fortune!"

Blossom nodded eagerly. "Yep!" she said. "And I think that I can take it from here Mr. Fancypants. You have to meet the princess after all."

Fancypants glanced at the mare but nodded after a second or two. "Indeed I do and if she's right there then I suppose I don't need to escort you anymore." He smiled fondly at the filly. "I'm glad that I was able to help and I wish you a good day, Ms. Blossom."

With that, Fancypants turned around and trotted back into the castle.

She was free! She had gotten away! Sure she had to lie a bit and get help from a pony with one of the most incorrect names in Ponydom, but it didn't matter now because she could enact the next stage of her plan: getting to the Canterlot train station and getting on a train to Ponyville.

She ran in the direction of the mare but ran by her when she caught up.

She had a train to catch.

* * * *

Princess Celestia shifted uncomfortably in her seat. The court had been going on for about five hours now and she needed to get some lunch in her. She had called for a few snacks to tide her over, but it was time for a legitimate meal. She addressed the crowd of ponies. "I'm sorry, everypony, but I'm calling a half hour snack break. The Solar Court will reconvene at 4:30."

The ponies who were in line to see her grumbled, but it was nothing compared to how much her stomach was grumbling at her. They could wait until she had some food. It would help her keep her temperament balanced which would in turn help her be just when decreeing. They could wait half an hour for that.

As she walked towards her private dining room, the thought occurred to her that now would also be an excellent time to check up on Blossom. It was unlikely, though not impossible, that the filly was still asleep but the castle would likely be intimidating for her and she would want to stay in her room.

Celestia quickly reached Blossom's room and gently opened the door. "Blossom? Are you in here?"

No response.

Celestia frowned and opened the door a little more. "Blossom? Blossom, are you--"

Princess Celestia looked at the corner where the filly had slept the night before and gasped when she saw the empty blanket. She ran to the closet door and threw it open. No Blossom. Wherever she was, it wasn't here.

Princess Celestia rushed out of the room and approached some passing servants. "Excuse me, ladies, but have you seen Blossom?"

"No, Princess," said one of them. "We haven't seen her."

"The only child we've seen is one who claimed that she was the daughter of a new maid."

Celestia's eyes widened. "Did she have a purple mane?"

Both servants nodded. "Yes indeed, Princess. Is that the filly you're looking for?"

"Yes, and it's imperative that I find her immediately!"

"Well she went that way," said the other.

Oh no. That was in the direction of the front gate. She was trying to escape!

She thanked the two servants and ran towards the front entrance of the castle. The line of nobles was there, milling about and waiting for her return. "Can I have your attention, please!" she said. "There is a filly missing from this castle and I think she came this way. Did any of you see a white filly with a purple mane?"

Of all ponies, Fancypants chimed up. "Indeed I did, princess," he said. "I saw her and she told me that she was looking for her mother who met with you and afterwards they got separated. I escorted her out of the castle because she surmised that her mother had left but was too afraid to leave herself because the guards frightened her. She found her mother almost immediately."

Princess Celestia's jaw dropped slightly and she looked out the castle front entrance. "Clever girl," she muttered to herself.

Fancypants frowned. "I take it I was played for a fool then, was I not?"

"I'm afraid so, Mr. Pants," said Princess Celestia. She turned to a group of nearby guards. "Lieutenant."

The guard saluted. "Princess."

"I need you to spare as many men as you can to search for Joyous Blossom. You should know what she looks like from my reports so that shouldn't be an issue. It is imperative that she be found as soon as possible! I advise you to check the train stations first. If she cannot be found within an hour then send detachments to Ponyville to look for her there!"

The guard saluted once more. "Yes, your majesty."

"One more thing, Lieutenant. Do not let any harm befall her and I mean anything. If she comes back with a concussion, a broken bone, a bump on her head, or even a scraped knee, I will see that the guilty party is severely punished, do I make myself clear?"

Another salute and the guard left to carry out the orders.

* * * *

Blossom poked her head around a corner and frowned when she saw a distinct lack of a train station nearby. She had been running around Canterlot for the past half hour with absolutely no success. She had asked a few ponies where the train station was, but she had been met by either total indifference or a few vague directions that weren't really helpful at all. A few ponies had pointed in a general direction but she had received no concrete directions.

She rued the fact that she couldn't ask ponies in large crowds. She wanted to escape the bustle of the main city as the guards would certainly have noticed that she was missing by now and they would begin their search for her as soon as they could. She shuddered at the thought that they might actually find her. She was certain that if they did then Princess Celestia would order her horn removed and arrange for her immediate incarceration. Even if she was sent to the institution where her mother was kept it would still mean no mommy.

The rest of her body followed her head around the corner and she silently walked down a largely quiet street. There might be one or two ponies that she could run into that could actually direct her to the train station instead of pointing vaguely or ignoring her. She wished for nothing more than that simple scrap of luck at that moment.

What she got instead was far worse.

She had reached the end of the street when she saw them: two of Celestia's royal guards were walking in the same direction but only a few feet in front of her.

"Where do you think she could have gone?" asked one.

The other shrugged. "I don't know, but the princess said that the foal, Blossom I think her name is, isn't to be harmed. That aside, we have an entire platoon searching for her and we'll send another detachment to Ponyville soon. We'll find her."

Blossom almost screamed in terror right then and there. They were looking for her; they were all looking for her! One of them had said that Princess Celestia didn't want her harmed in any way. Ah, so Princess Celestia wanted to carry out her punishment herself! If that was the case, then horn removal would be the least of her worries.

Slowly Blossom backed away from the duo who thankfully hadn't noticed her. She saw a side street to her right and sighed in relief. That would be the best course to take.

She backed up a bit more until the entrance of the side street came into view before she quickly slipped down the street. Here she wouldn't be found.

Or not.

When Blossom was about halfway down the street, her fears and horrors came true. No less than five royal guards turned and began trotting down the street. The one in front noticed her immediately.

He gasped and pointed in her direction. "There she is! That's the filly we've been looking for!"

Blossom screamed and shot in the opposite direction as if the contents of Tartarus were chasing after her. Well, in her mind that's exactly what was happening.

"Don't let her get away!" said another guard.

"Grab her, man, we're gonna lose her."

Blossom reached the end of the street and booked it back up the street. She considered running into a crowd to lose her pursuers but it was likely that there would be more guards.

She took a moment to glance behind her and to her horror; she saw that the two guards she had gone down that side street to avoid were now chasing her as well.

Oh how dearly she wished she was a pegasus at that moment. She could lose those guards who were chasing her if she could only take flight and go away, far away from here. She could escape somewhere and go were Princess Celestia could not find her. Maybe she could fly to another land and the inhabitants could help her free her mother and give her her horn back!

But she wasn't a pegasus. She was only a unicorn filly with no teleportation magic and no knowledge of offensive spells at all. The guards chasing her were not only unicorns and pegasi themselves, but they doubtlessly knew a dozen different ways to kill her on the spot. What was worse was that they were some of the fittest ponies in Equestria and it wouldn't be long now before they caught her and then it would all be over. She would never see her mother again.

She tearfully reached the end of the street, followed closely by half a dozen royal guards. maybe on this street there was somewhere she could... NO!

Instead of an empty street with a place to hide, she was confronted with no less than another dozen royal guards who knew full well that she was coming that way. A shriek of terror escaped her lips but it was no use. The guards quickly surrounded her, blocking off any chance of escape.

She was caught, and she knew it.

She whimpered as the guards closed in around her. She wanted to back up, but she was surrounded from all sides. What was worse was that some of the guards were carrying spears that they could definitely use to kill her in an instant if they wanted to.

No, she wasn't going to go down without a fight! She put on her best brave face and shot the first spell that came to mind directly at the head of the guard closest to her. The guard flinched backwards, but being an Earth Pony meant that he could do nothing to block it and the spell hit him directly in the face.

Her victory was short lived. A nearby unicorn guard hit her horn with a spell that negated her magic, effectively cutting off any means for her to attack. Her bravery faded without even this most basic of weapons and she fell to the ground, tears streaking down her face.

However, her situation went from bad to worse when she felt both her forelegs and hind legs being secured with hoofcuffs. Her sobs became mixed with hyperventilation and she curled up into a ball on the ground flinching away from anypony that came near.

"The prisoner is secure for transport back to the palace," said one of the guards. "Should we use a shield spell or would a wagon be better in this instance?"

Another guard shrugged. "Well--"

"WHAT THE BUCKING TARTARUS IS GOING ON HERE?!"

The powerful voice shattered the conversation as each guard froze in place. Even Blossom had stopped crying but her fear had increased and she merely began shivering.

Even her fear could not stop the small amount of curiosity at what kind of creature could make a noise like that. Was it what Celestia had sent to kill her?

The soldiers in front of her parted to let the new arrival through. Blossom squealed when she saw that it was another guard, but this one... this one was different. He was decked out in head to hoof with some of the most ornate armor she had ever seen. Everything about this pony radiated dominance and control and Blossom was surprised to see that even her tormentors, who were usually so stern and intimidating, looked uneasy at the wrath of this new pony.

The pony looked down and observed the wretched spectacle that was Joyous Blossom for a brief moment before he looked up at the guards. "Somepony, I don't care who, has two seconds, I repeat, two bucking seconds to explain this to me. Celestia help you if I don't get an answer."

"W-Well, sir, we were pursuing the filly as ordered and we captured her after a brief chase."

"And this?" Blossom felt the hoofcuffs detach from her legs and she looked up to see the new guard holding them in his telekinetic grasp. "Whose bucking idea was this?!" he slammed them at the hooves of two nearby guards who took fearful steps backwards.

"W-Well, sir, she attacked us first. S-S-She shot a spell at Storm Shaker, sir."

The commander turned his attention to the pony she had hit with the spell. He was covering his face with a foreleg. The commander glared at him and batted his hoof away. "You put hoofcuffs on her and negated her horn for this? A color changing spell?!"

Blossom dared another glance and she saw that the guard she hit had a light blue muzzle that sharply contrasted with his snow white coat.

The commander took a deep breath. "I want each and every one of you to report to the courtyard in our base and stand at attention until I tell you otherwise. I count nineteen of you. If there are not nineteen of you standing at attention when I get back, there will be Tartarus to pay the likes of which you cannot even imagine. As it is, if Princess Celestia doesn't obliterate you where you stand, I'll make you wish she had."

There was a mumbled chorus of 'yes sir' and the group of guards quickly dissipated. Blossom felt her horn block fade away but she knew it hardly mattered. This pony was likely going to remove it entirely.

She looked up at the pony who was still standing over her. She couldn't tell what he was thinking as the helmet he was wearing obscured his face from where she was lying.

The guard's horn fired up and the helmet was slowly levitated off his face so that it was not obscured to Blossom. He was a white unicorn stallion with blue hair. His expression... it seemed familiar somehow but she couldn't put her hoof on it.

The pony laid down to her level. "Blossom? Are you okay?"

Kindness. His voice was filled with kindness and gentleness, just like his eyes. He had asked her a question, though. Was she okay? Slowly Blossom shook her head. No, she most certainly was not okay.

The guard sighed and shook his head. "I want to apologize for the terrible way that my men treated you. They're used to taking down ponies ten times your size and thirty times as dangerous. When you hit Storm Shaker with that color spell, well, I'm afraid that their training kicked in a little too much."

Blossom nodded but she kept on shivering.

"My name is Shining Armor, Blossom. I understand that you know my sister Twilight. She runs the library down in Ponyville."

Blossom's eyes shot up and her shivering lessened. This was Twilight's brother? Yes, that was where she had seen that expression before. It mirrored one that Twilight had on her face often. It was so kind, so gentle, so... comforting.

Shining Armor reached out a hoof to her, but that only succeeded in kick-starting panic mode once again. Blossom shot up like a rocket and tried to run in the direction she had originally intended, but she quickly felt a pair of powerful forelegs wrap around her, holding her tight. She whimpered and tried to struggle out of his grasp.

"No ya don't, kid," said Shining Armor. Blossom continued whimpering and struggling. "Hey, Blossom, it's going to be okay. Nopony is going to hurt you, I promise. You're going to be okay!"

"No!" she squealed. Maybe if she could pick a different spell...

"Hey, Blossom, I'm not gonna hurt you!" Shining Armor began gently stroking her mane. "Shh. Nopony is going to hurt you. Not me, not my men, even Princess Celestia and Princess Luna don't want anything bad to happen to you."

The frightened foal continued shaking for a few more seconds, but the calming effect of Shining Armor's voice combined with the gentleness he displayed when he stroked her mane did wonders for her fears. She stopped struggling and relaxed in his forelegs.

"That's right, nopony is going to do anything to you, I promise." Blossom's panic began creeping up inside her once more despite her best efforts and she twitched in Shining's forelegs. "Hey, no need for that, kid," said Shining Armor. "Do you remember what I just said?"

Blossom's body was still. "Nopony is gonna hurt me," she whispered.

"That's right," said Shining Armor. "Nopony will lay a hoof on you while I'm around and I can trust some of my men who are actually competent, then nopony is going to hurt you when I'm not."

Blossom slowly nodded. "Okay," she whispered.

Shining Armor took a deep breath. "I guess we gotta get you back to the castle. Ya want a ride back, kid? If you haven't had lunch yet then I can get you some of the best food you've ever tasted, whatever you want. But you have to promise me that you won't run off. Do we have a deal?"

"Uh-huh."

Shining Armor smiled and levitated Blossom on his back. "You might want a helmet, kid. I gave Twiley tons of rides on my back when she was your age and she never fell off once. But better safe than sorry, right?"

"Right," said Blossom.

Shining Armor levitated his helmet up in the air and placed it on Blossom's head. Despite herself, the filly giggled. "There, it fits ya like a glove, kid."

"Nuh-uh, it's way too big for me!"

"Oh don't be ridiculous, Blossom. It fits like it was made for you. Now hold on to me and I'll get you back to the castle in no time."

"Okay!" said Blossom.

With that, the duo began their journey back to the castle.

I Wanna Know You

Princess Celestia pulled the covers further over her body in an attempt to maximize the warmth they brought. That day had been a taxing one for her, she must remember to ask Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie to prank the nobles, when was she going to get around to that, and she was eager to fall asleep. Her sister had everything well in hoof, she was sure of it.

Without warning the door to her room burst open. Celestia bolted out of bed and saw her sister running towards her with a wild look in her eyes. "Tia, a crisis has occurred!"

Celestia's eyes widened. "What? What is it?!"

"Diamond Tiara has escaped from the custody of the institution she was staying at!"

Celestia gasped and quickly slipped on her regalia. She rushed out the door with her sister. "When was this?"

"That's the worst part, Tia," said Luna grimly. "According to the doctors who discovered her escape it appears she has been gone for several hours."

Princess Celestia groaned. "How could that have happened?" she whispered to herself.

"Our biggest concern right now is where she could be headed," said Luna. "We fear that she had a purpose to her escape beyond merely getting out."

Princess Celestia nodded. "I agree, sister," she said. "The question is where..." The answer hit her like a ton of bricks. "Ponyville," she whispered. She turned to her sister. "She's going after Blossom!"

* * * *

Blossom's eyes widened as she registered the words that her step-mother had just said and she took a step back. Tears began welling in her eyes. "W...What?" she whimpered.

Rolling Thunder stepped in front of Blossom and flared his wings out. "No, you don't get to say that to her!" he growled.

Lilly glared at him. "Oh you're one to talk," she snarled. "Who's her mother, huh? When were you going to tell me about her?!"

"I didn't know about her until an hour ago myself!" Rolling Thunder insisted. "If I had I would have told you!"

The first tears began falling from Blossom's eyes. This was a mistake, she knew that now. She should have stayed back on the farm with the Apples or maybe even moved into Carousel Boutique. She was foolish to try to enter her father's life. She flattened her ears and took a step back. "I guess I should go then," she said quietly.

Rolling Thunder turned around and put a hoof on her shoulder. "No, you don't need to go. My wife here is just... surprised is all."

Lilly snorted. "Understatement of the century."

Rolling Thunder shot her a glare but continued on. "You don't need to go. I want you here."

The corners of Blossom's mouth tugged up and her ears perked again. Lilly sighed angrily and shook her head. "I guess it isn't your fault if you just wanted to find your father." She turned her glare back to her husband. "But I didn't know said father slept with a lot of mares when he was younger."

Rolling Thunder's ears dropped and he smiled uneasily. "Yes, well, I didn't really."

Lilly rolled her eyes. "What is your mother's name?" she asked Blossom.

"My mom is Sweetie Belle."

Lilly's eyes widened and she took an uneasy step backwards. She raised a hoof and pointed it at the white unicorn. "S-Sweetie Belle? As in 'murdered two foals' Sweetie Belle?" Blossom uneasily nodded and Lilly collapsed on her haunches with a sharp exhale. She shook her head in shock before regaining her senses and looking up at her husband. "You mounted The Ponyville Butcher's sister and knocked her up?"

Rolling Thunder flattened his ears even more and looked guiltily at the floor. "Well you see, it was..."

Lilly let out an angry groan and got to her hooves. "You are sleeping on the couch tonight, buster!"

With that, she turned around and walked up the stairs, entering a room on the top floor and slamming the door behind her. Rolling Thunder flinched when he heard the slam and turned uneasily back to his daughter. "S-Sorry about her," he muttered. "I didn't quite expect her to take it like that."

Blossom weakly nodded. "It's okay," she said quietly. "I guess I didn't really think about if you might have a family when I came to look for you. If I had known I wouldn't have even bothered."

"No you shouldn't have had to worry about that," Rolling Thunder insisted. "You never knew... me, so you wanted to find out about who I was when you could. I probably would have done the same thing if I didn't know my father when I was growing up.

"Yeah, I guess so," said Blossom. "But I didn't want to make your wife mad at you."

Rolling Thunder held up a hoof to stem any more words. "If she is it isn't your fault," he insisted. I guess she's just nervous and all since... well you can understand, can't you? She's just found out she has a step-daughter."

Blossom sighed and slowly nodded. "I can see where she's coming from and all, and I was trying to prepare myself for that reaction from you. Once you didn't react like that I guess I let my guard down."

Rolling Thunder cocked his head. "You expected that reaction from me?"

Blossom shrugged. "I didn't know what to expect," she admitted. "I mean, I had no idea who you were and what kind of stallion you might be. Then I come along and say that I'm your daughter? I think even a lot of rational, kind stallions would have a bunch of different reactions to that."

Rolling Thunder nodded. "Blossom, the truth is that I always suspected that I might be your father ever since I heard about what happened with you and your mother in the woods that day. I had heard how old you were and I did the math and braced myself for the possibility."

Blossom frowned and cocked her head. "So why didn't you try to come find me?"

"A lot of reasons," he admitted. "I wasn't quite so sure that your mother wanted anything to do with me, I wasn't sure that you did either and, the biggest one, I wasn't sure that I was your dad." Rolling Thunder chuckled. "I suppose that the mane would be a giveaway, but I didn't really follow what happened to you and your mom."

"Why didn't you if you thought that I might be your daughter?"

Rolling Thunder beckoned them back to the dining room and motioned her over to a chair before continuing on. "Well, I followed your aunt's story pretty closely," he began. "First serial killer in hundreds of years? That kind of thing was interesting to me when I was a younger stallion. I've probably read everything to do with your aunt. I even have the books that Analytical Brain wrote. When your mother came along and... well she was a the bar and I was drunk..."

Blossom held up a hoof. "I get the idea. I know the details."

Rolling Thunder chuckled nervously and continued on. "Yes, well, that happened. But it wasn't too long after that that I kind felt really bad about what I had done. Your mom was worth more than just some conquest for me and I almost wanted to track her down to apologize and see... well, if we couldn't actually take it somewhere." Rolling Thunder bowed his head sadly. "I was just about to buy a train ticket to Ponyville before I panicked. I stayed in Baltimare and I remained ever since."

Blossom smiled sadly and placed a hoof on her father's shoulder. "I don't blame you, dad. I'm not angry."

Rolling Thunder glanced up at Blossom and chuckled weakly. "It's odd, hearing you call me 'dad'."

Blossom retracted her hoof. "Well I don’t have to if you don't want me to."

Rolling Thunder waved away her objections. "No, no, I like it. It's just odd hearing somepony who isn't Comet call me 'dad' is all."

The two of them smiled at each other and Blossom was about to open her mouth to speak but she saw her dad's smile slowly fade. Her smile faded in turn just as she heard a set of hoofsteps behind her. She turned around and saw Lilly walking towards the two of them. To Blossom's surprise she looked rather... guilty almost.

She walked between the duo and nervously cleared her throat. "I...I would like to apologize for the way that I acted to you, Blossom," she said quietly. "It was wrong of me to just tell you to get out after I found out that you're my step-daughter."

"It's okay," said Blossom.

Lilly shook her head. "No, it isn't really okay. I guess you just... startled me is all. I know that doesn't excuse my actions and I accept responsibility for them, but I was surprised. My mind went a bunch of different places. Plus finding out who your mom is well... I also could have been a little more tactful about that."

"A little?" said Rolling Thunder irritatedly.

Lilly closed her eyes and sighed. "You know what I mean," she grumbled. "I'm trying to apologize here."

"And I don't want you to lose sleep over it," said Blossom with a wave of her hoof. "Yeah, it hurt to hear you say that, but if you're sorry then I want that to be the end of it."

Lilly gave Blossom a weak smile. "Thanks, Blossom. I know we got off on the wrong hoof, but I'd rather we move past that."

Rolling Thunder managed a smile himself. "Now that that's all settled, what do we do now?" He turned to Blossom. "I assume it would be too fast to invite you to live here."

Blossom nodded. "Yeah, I have my own house in Ponyville. Plus I'm at that age where it's time for me to move out anyway."

Rolling Thunder nodded. "Yes I suppose you're right. Still, you're here now so stay a little while. I don't know about you, but I'd like to get to know you and I know that Comet is going to be overjoyed when she finds out that you're her sister."

Blossom's smile widened and she looked over at Lilly who smiled back at her. Still, she noted something a little forced in her smile but decided to ignore it in the hopes that it wouldn't come up again. She looked back over at her father. "I'd like that a lot.

"Excellent!" said Rolling Thunder happily. "I think the first order of business is for you to go meet your sister."

Blossom's unease instantly faded away and she nodded vigorously. Rolling Thunder beckoned her onwards with one of his wings and she followed her father towards the stairway. He led her upstairs and pointed over towards a room at the end of the hallway that was decorated with a large Wonderbolts poster with Scootaloo striking an epic pose. "Comet's in that room there. I know she's eager to talk to you so you just go on ahead. I'll get your room ready."

Blossom smiled and thanked her father. She trotted over to the door and knocked on it and heard a squeal of delight from behind it. The door quickly opened revealing a beaming Comet behind it. "Blossom, you're here!" The excited filly eagerly grabbed Blossom's hoof and pulled her inside.

Blossom gave an impressed whistle when she saw the inside of the room. Blossom hadn't been kidding: she had a massive amount of Wonderbolts stuff in her room. "Comet this is an amazing amount of Wonderbolts stuff. It's more than I have."

Comet giggled. "No way, I'm sure you have more than I do, what with your aunts being Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash! I mean, how cool is that?!"

Blossom grinned at her sister. "Yeah, well they don't give me a lot of stuff but they gave me a big poster signed by the whole team."

Blossom began to consider that it might be a good idea to stop telling Comet about her connections with the Wonderbolts as the filly looked like she would have an awe induced heart-attack if she kept going. Her eyes seemed to take up her entire face after this latest revelation. "You...you have what?" she whispered.

Blossom blushed and flattened her ears. "It's not too big of a deal I just--"

"Not a big deal?" Comet shook her head as if she couldn't comprehend what Blossom had just said. "N-No that's a big deal! I would kill for something like that!"

Blossom frowned. "Don't say stuff like that, Comet, it's not polite."

Comet nodded dumbly. "Okay I won't say that but I would love to have something like that!" The filly rushed over to a desk she had in her room and took a large box off of it. She returned to Blossom and opened it at her hooves and began taking out scraps of paper. Blossom examined them and saw that they had signatures on all of them. "I have Scootaloo, Rapid Fire, Rainbow Dash... no, three Rainbow Dashes, Fly By, Lightning Dust..." She looked up at Blossom. "But I don't have one poster signed by the whole team!"

Blossom chuckled to herself and sat on her haunches in front of Comet. She fired up her horn and placed all of the scraps of paper inside of the box and pushed it to the side. Comet looked up at her with a frown. "Why did you do that?"

"Because I have something very important to talk to you about," said Blossom. "You know how your dad said that I'm related to him?" Comet nodded uneasily. "Well I'm his daughter, just like you are. That makes us sisters."

Comet's jaw nearly hit the floor and she sat in front of Blossom in total shock for an entire minute, hardly blinking. Blossom frowned at her. It seemed as if she had broken her brain or something. "Comet are you--"

Her words were cut off when Comet began shouting. "DADDY, DADDY, DADDY!"

Blossom flinched back and flattened her ears to block out some of the noise. She considered telling Comet to quiet down before she shattered her eardrums but thankfully Rolling Thunder burst into the room in seconds. "What? What's wrong, Comet?"

Comet snapped a hoof up at Blossom. "Blossom just told me that she's my sister! Is she my sister, daddy?"

Rolling Thunder stared at his daughter in total silence for a few seconds before he breathed a sigh of relief and laughed to himself. "Yes, Comet. Blossom is your sister."

The effect was instantaneous. Upon hearing the confirmation from her father Comet wrapped Blossom up in a tackle hug that reminded the mare of the kind that Apple Seed used to give when she was a filly and still gave on occasion. "I have a sister!" Comet cried happily. "I have a big sister!"

"Yes, I'm your big sister," said Blossom. "Uh, Comet, can you let me go? You're kinda crushing my forelegs here."

Comet released Blossom from the hug and instead chose to begin bouncing around her, happily yelling out that she had a big sister. It took Blossom and Rolling Thunder five minutes to calm her down to the point where she wasn't jumping around anymore. By that point she seemed to want to give Blossom another tackle hug but Blossom quickly stood up and took a few steps back to prevent this.

Eventually Comet calmed down enough that she was merely asking Blossom a series of rapid questions like she had at dinner, which Blossom had to make an effort to keep up with. Rolling Thunder had left to finish preparing Blossom's room when he saw that his daughters were fine.

Soon enough the night fell over the city of Baltimare. Blossom and Comet were in the process of playing 'Wonderbolts' with Blossom controlling the Scootaloo figurine with her magic and Comet balancing the Rainbow Dash one on her hooves. Together the two flew around and got into all sorts of adventures with each other. Comet even had Rainbow Dash do a Sonic Rainboom no less than five times over the course of the evening. The real Rainbow Dash was still the only one who had managed to pull it off, though Scootaloo was trying, according to her mother.

Finally Rolling Thunder came in with Lilly trailing behind him. "Hey you two," he said warmly. Blossom and Comet both greeted him with smiles. Rolling Thunder turned to Comet. "It's eight-thirty, Comet. It's time for the little Wonderbolt cadet to hit the hay for the night."

"Awwww daaad!" Comet whined. "Can't I stay up just a little while longer with Blossom?"

Rolling Thunder shook his head. "Sorry, kiddo. You need your sleep. Blossom will be here tomorrow and you can play Wonderbolts then."

Comet flattened her ears with a sigh. "Okay, dad," she muttered.

Rolling Thunder turned his attention to Blossom. "If you want to check out your room, it's down the hall, third door on the right. The bathroom is right next to it. I'll be in after I tuck Comet in."

Blossom smiled and got to her hooves. After wishing Comet a good night she trotted over to her room. When she entered, she saw that her saddlebag had been placed in the corner of the room, something that she appreciated. The room itself was simple. The white walls and the plain blue bedspread made it clear that this was a guest room but it looked comfortable enough.

She used her magic to pull back the comforter so she could get into bed but before she could she heard the door open behind her. She turned to see her dad walk into the room. She greeted him with a large grin. "Hi, dad."

"Hey, Blossom," said Rolling Thunder. "Is the room okay?"

Blossom nodded happily. "Oh yes, it's quite nice. Thank you very much."

Rolling Thunder waved a hoof. "Oh it's no trouble at all, Blossom. You're my daughter and it's my duty as your father to make sure that you are comfortable in my home. I want to get to know you as much as you want to get to know me starting tomorrow. What say you to a tour of Baltimare?"

"I'd love that," said Blossom. "If you stop by to see me sometime I'll give you a tour of Ponyville."

""Sounds good to me."

Blossom was just about to respond when she was struck with a rather impressive yawn. It seemed that she needed that three hour nap on the train after all and expending all of that magic didn't help matters either. Plus Comet took a lot of energy to be around when she got going. "Well, I think I need to go to bed," said Blossom sleepily. "I'd better do it now if we've got a busy day ahead of us tomorrow."

"It sounds like a plan." Rolling Thunder walked over to Blossom and wrapped her in a hug. "As much of a surprise as it was, I'm glad I met you today."

"I'm glad I met you too, dad," whispered Blossom. "I know we're gonna be happy, getting to know each other."

Rolling Thunder released Blossom from the hug and allowed Blossom to get into bed. When she had, Rolling Thunder pulled the comforter over her and tucked her in. He leaned in and kissed her on the head. "Goodnight, Blossom. I'll see you in the morning."

"Goodnight, dad."

With one last smile Rolling Thunder left the room, shutting the door behind him. Blossom let out a contented sigh and nestled further into the sheets.

Things were going pretty well.

For all of about thirty more seconds.

"How long is she staying, Thunder?"

Blossom's eyes snapped open as she heard Lilly's voice from the other side of the wall. The master bedroom must have been the one right next to hers and as such she could hear everything.

"As long as she want to, Lilly," she heard her father reply. "She's my daughter and I want to get to know her. Wouldn't you? Heck, don't you?"

"Oh, the child you had with another mare? How do you think that makes me feel?"

Rolling Thunder sighed. "Look, I can't blame you for being surprised; I was pretty surprised today too. But don't you want to at least give her a chance? She's a wonderful mare!"

Hearing her father defend her like that made Blossom smile. Even though he'd known her for less than four hours he already wanted to accept her into the family. It felt... nice.

However, Lilly didn't seem to agree. "Yeah, I'm sure she seems that way," she growled. "But Thunder, I know you've heard the rumors too."

Rolling Thunder groaned. "Lilly, I don't want to talk about that."

"Thunder if there weren't any rumors and we knew for a fact that Sweetie Belle was the guilty one then I'd be more open to this because she'd just be a mare who had something terrible happen to her and she's reaching out to you. But... we might have a foal murderer sleeping in the next room!"

Blossom sharply inhaled. Had she just said...?

"No, she didn't do anything like that! She's exactly what you just said: a mare who had something bad happen to her so she's reaching out to the only family she has left. I will not tolerate the notion that she did anything wrong."

"But if she did do something then I'm not sure I want her around Comet. If she's capable of murdering foals--"

"No, you saw how they interacted!" Rolling Thunder retorted. "They formed an instant bond, she would never hurt Comet!"

"But how can you know that?" Lilly countered.

"Because her mother was arrested and incarcerated and there have been exactly zero incidents since then!"

"But she's been under the eye of the Royal Sisters since then," said Lilly. "They only just removed their gaze!" Lilly sighed. "Look, the issue here is murder. That's way more severe than anything else. What's more is you know who her aunt was. Even if her mother is the killer that kind of implies that it runs in the family, right?"

That was it. Blossom had heard enough. This was a mistake, that much was clear.

Blossom hopped out of bed and put her saddlebag on her back. Hopefully she could catch a train back to Ponyville soon. She would write her father apologizing for leaving so suddenly and inviting him and Comet to stay with her in Ponyville. Obviously Lilly wouldn't come with, but that's the way she wanted it.

She opened the door and tried to quietly walk down the stairs. If she could leave without them noticing then it would be easier. "You didn't even make it four hours, Blossom," she muttered to herself.

"Blossom? Where are you going?"

The voice behind her came out of nowhere and she jumped a little. She turned around to see her father looking at her with concern while Lilly looked contemplatively at her. Blossom made eye contact with the mare and her eyes hardened into a glare. "I heard every word," she growled. "'Runs in the family', huh?"

Lilly's eyes widened and she took a step forward. "Blossom I..."

"Don't say that you didn't mean it because you clearly did," Blossom snarled. "You don't even know me and already you're worried that I'm going to cut Comet's throat while she's sleeping?!"

"N-No that wasn't what I meant at all!"

Blossom rolled her eyes. Okay, then what exactly did you mean when you said that you didn't feel comfortable with me being around Comet? Because that seems to imply that you thought I was going to hurt her." Lilly tried to stutter out a response but Blossom held up a hoof to cut her off. She turned to her father. "Come visit me in Ponyville sometime. Comet is more than welcome to come too." She shifted her gaze to Lilly. "You? Not so much."

Ignoring the pleas of her father, Blossom trotted down the stairs and out the door.

* * * *

Luck was on Blossom's side that night as she arrived at the train station just as a train to Ponyville was arriving. She paid for a private sleeper car with the rest of her money and hopped onto the train a few minutes before it departed.

As it pulled away, Blossom began angrily pacing back and forth. "What gives her the right to say that stuff about me?" she growled to herself. "Who does she think she is anyway?"

"Well, Blossom, she was just worried about her foal," she replied to herself. "She's obviously protective of her and with your history..."

Blossom scoffed. "History? That's rich. It was just that one time and it's not like I..."

Blossom's eyes widened and she sat on her haunches. The truth was that she had been the murderer. She was the foal murderer that Lilly was worried she would be. But no, she would never hurt Comet. Fire Ruby and Golden Necklace had cornered her in the woods and were verbally abusing her. She had panicked, that was all. She would never under any circumstances hurt Comet or her father.

"Would you hurt Lilly, though?" she whispered to herself.

Instantly what she had said hit her and she gasped. "Blossom how could you say something like that?!" she cried.

"I don't know! I just kind of slipped out!"

"No, that kind of thing doesn't just slip out."

"But it did, I promise! I don't want to hurt her either, no matter how mean she is! It's like I said: she's just protective of her child!"

Blossom growled to herself and looked over at her bed. "We'll talk about it tomorrow."

* * * *

The train pulled into Ponyville at around one-thirty in the morning. Blossom was awoken by one of the conductors doing rounds and she sleepily exited the train. She briefly considered going back to Sweet Apple Acres, but decided that it would be best if she just went back to Carousel Boutique. It was closer and there was no reason to wake up the Apples this late. She would go see them tomorrow.

Within ten minutes she was outside the door to her house. She took the key out of her saddlebag and was about to unlock the door but she found that it was already open. She frowned to herself but supposed that she had just forgotten to lock it before she left. It happened.

She walked in and closed the door behind her. Despite the three hours of sleep she had gotten she was still pretty tired and ready for a good night's sleep.

That's when she felt a small prick in her neck.

She flinched back and swatted at her neck and to her surprise she felt something there. She used her magic to examine it and saw that it seemed to be a small... needle?

It was then that she became extremely woozy. Whatever was in that syringe was affecting her.

She stumbled around. Maybe she had imagined it and was just more tired than she thought. She just needed to get to bed, that was all. She was just imagining this.

"Why won't you fall?" growled a voice behind her.

With a squeal Blossom collapsed onto the floor. The voice chuckled and rolled her over as her vision started blackening. Her eyes widened when the moonlight revealed her attacker's identity.

"M... Miss Tiara?" she muttered weakly.

Diamond Tiara smiled down at her and gently put a hoof over Blossom's mouth. She leaned in close to Blossom and whispered in her ear. "When you wake up you will be mine."

Blossom's Fate

That night brought Blossom her first dreamless sleep in her memory. She endured no torment, she received no comfort. It was merely a deep regenerative sleep brought on by an overwhelming sense that her time had come. Although, in its own way the knowledge both frightened her and relieved her but as she thought more on it, the relief side won the day. It would be good to leave this place, to see paradise, to put down her burden after a long day.

When she awoke, it was with a sense of peace that was foreign to her, but no less unwelcome. She was still chained to the wall in a dungeon, her magic had been taken from her even if her horn had not been, she still had to endure saying her goodbyes, but none of those things frightened her. She suspected that nothing ever would again.

Her ear swiveled in the direction of the door leading to the dungeon when she heard it open up. Curious, she pushed herself off of her bed and stood in the center of the cell. In hindsight, she supposed that she should not have been surprised that Princess Celestia and Princess Luna would want to speak to her before they passed down their judgment, but here they stood.

"Good morning, Blossom," Celestia greeted with a subdued sorrow that punctuated her words. She tried to hide it, but seeing Blossom brought out a sort of vulnerability.

Blossom gave Celestia a small, almost reassuring smile. "Good morning, Princess Celestia." She turned her gaze to the night goddess. "Good morning, Princess Luna."

Luna's contemplative look subtly shifted to a small frown. "Your mood is perplexing to us, Joyous Blossom," she noted. "Is there a reason for this?"

Blossom nodded and took a step towards the bars. "If I'm right, you are here to talk to me about what the rest of my life is going to look like, whatever that may be."

"Yes," Luna confirmed, "you seem strangely peaceful for such a solemn time."

Blossom's eyes trailed to the floor and her smile turned vaguely sad. "It's because I know what I want. I think that I know what's best." Blossom took a deep breath and forced her gaze back to the princesses. "I'd like the needle."

The eyes of both princesses widened and Celestia's jaw dropped. "Blossom, I need you to listen to me very carefully," she said sharply. "Do you understand what you are saying?"

"I do." Blossom took another step forwards. "I'd like to die."

Celestia exhaled sharply, but Luna's expression returned to a contemplative one. "What are your reasons?" she questioned.

Blossom quietly sighed, and sat on her haunches on the floor. "It'd be better for everypony, I think," she began, "my aunt's line dies with me, and we can move on. If I'm alive and in prison, my family has to see me degraded, insane, and a constant reminder of everything that has happened in the past forty years. Because of what I've done, I am the last symbol of my Aunt Rarity's actions.

"But I admit that there's more to it than that. I’m scared of being alive, because if I am, then I might kill again. I see my Aunt Rarity all the time, and if I'm allowed near other ponies, she'll just keep telling me to kill. Eventually, I know that I'd snap, and kill some poor pony who was just doing her job, or I'd kill myself to prevent that." A wry, humorless smile crossed Blossom's face. "I'd hate to be the pony that came to my cell to find out that I'd swallowed my tongue. You could restrain me to prevent that, but that would be torture."

"But your family would be devastated," Celestia pointed out. "Your mother already buried her sister. She could not handle burying you too, I think. None in your family could endure a second execution of a loved one in so short a time."

"And them seeing me miserable, behind bars, wasting away into a shell of my former self would ease their pain, is that it?" Blossom retorted. "If I die, they could know that I died happy, painlessly, and at peace with everything. I wouldn't be suffering anymore." A single tear rolled down Blossom's face, and she reached out to touch one of the bars before her. "And I'm suffering. Every day is like a nightmare, every dream is torture, and every waking hour is misery the likes of which I know you cannot understand. I am guilty of murder. I deliberately murdered two foals, and I can never take that back. When I killed, the death penalty would have been administered to me. If I'm executed, it's well within the legal boundaries, is it not?"

Celestia closed her eyes and bowed her head. "Your family would suffer in your absence."

"But not forever," whispered Blossom. "Their lives could go on without my misery weighing them down. It would be justice, it would be merciful, and it would be peaceful to just let me go."

Celestia merely stood there, rooted to the spot as she contemplated Blossom's words. Every fiber of her being desired to see as many of her subjects as safe and happy as possible, but she was unsure if Blossom's execution would achieve that. The mare's words rolled through her brain, enduring every last bit of scrutiny that her wisdom and knowledge could give it.

"Sister?"

Celestia's eyes snapped open and she turned her head to Luna who was looking worriedly at her. Celestia could see in her eyes that Luna was just as unsure of what to do as she was, but it was time to pass judgement. Slowly the monarch of the sun turned her gaze towards the broken mare in the cell before her.

"Joyous Blossom, I sentence you to be executed by lethal injection at ten o' clock tomorrow morning for the murders of Golden Necklace and Fire Ruby."

To see the look of relief that washed over Blossom's face, one would imagine that Celestia had told her that she could erase all of the damage that Rarity had done. The happiness chipped away the last vestiges of Celestia's composure and forced stoicism and she beckoned her sister away from the cell. The night goddess followed Celestia out of the dungeon, both knowing that it would be the last time that they would ever see Joyous Blossom alive.

* * * *

Three hours later, the two princesses were sitting on their respective thrones in the throne room. Both had long since cried themselves out, and they merely sat in a stoic silence. Neither felt that they needed to say anything, for there was nothing to say. No mere words could erase the pain of the second execution in thirty years. Neither goddess moved. It was almost as if two statues inhabited the throne room.

* * * *

Rolling Thunder put down the book he had been reading and stretched his forelegs. He put them down and let one hang limply over the edge of the couch he was reclining on and he draped the other across his chest.

Normally reading helped him keep his mind off of things, but the letter he had received telling him that Blossom had never made it back to Ponyville weighted heavily on his mind. He hadn't known her for that long, but she didn't strike him as the type of mare that would disappear and not tell anypony for no reason. If she was missing there was likely some nefarious cause and he wished that he could help with the search, but he was needed in Baltimare in case she showed up at his house again.

He was brought out of his thoughts by a loud knocking on his door. Hopeful that it might be Blossom, he leaped off of the couch and ran towards it. He threw it open with an expectant smile on his face but found not Blossom, but Applejack and Apple Bloom on the other side of the door. He sighed and shook his head. "She hasn't been around here, I'm sorry to say," he mumbled sadly. "I would have told you."

"We're not here ta ask you where she is, we're here ta tell you," said Applejack solemnly.

Rolling Thunder's ears perked up and he shifted his gaze between the two Apple sisters. "Yes, where is she?"

"Who's at the door?" asked the voice of Lilly.

Rolling Thunder turned his head back and saw his wife walking towards them. "It's Applejack and Apple Bloom. They know where Blossom is!"

A look of relief spread across Lilly's face and she smiled as she trotted over to stand next to her husband. "That's wonderful news! Where is she?"

At the question Apple Bloom burst into tears and collapsed onto her haunches. Applejack had to blink back tears of her own, but she remained resolute despite the growing fear of the two ponies in front of her. "Blossom is in Canterlot," she explained, "she went there because she was the one who killed those two foals when she was just a filly. She's turned herself in to Celestia now."

Lilly gasped and took a step back while Rolling Thunder began blinking back tears. "N-No, she's not a killer," he whispered. "S-She's a good mare, I know she is! This has to be some kind of mistake!"

Applejack sadly shook her head. "No, Blossom and Sweetie Belle both told us the truth: that Blossom was the one who did it." Applejack sighed and wiped her eyes with her foreleg. "We're all goin' ta Canterlot right now. We're gonna go talk to the princesses and ask for her to spare Blossom's life."

Rolling Thunder bit his lip and slowly nodded. "Of course. We'll meet you there."

With that he shut the door in the faces of the two Apples and ran to the middle of the living room and collapsed onto his haunches. He grabbed his head in his forelegs and began moaning as though in pain. Lilly walked up beside him and wrapped him into a hug in an attempt to comfort him despite her own tears. "She's not a killer," Rolling Thunder whimpered. "S-She's a good mare."

"I know," said Lilly sadly as she nuzzled her husband's mane. "She's going to be fine. The princesses are merciful ponies and I know that we can convince them to spare her life."

"What are we gonna tell Comet?" he groaned. "Her and Blossom..." He sniffled and wiped his eyes. "Well, you know."

"I don't know," Lilly sighed. "We have to tell her now though if we're going to make it to Canterlot in time to help her." She turned her head towards the stairs where Comet was playing quietly in her room. "I'll go talk to her."

"No." Rolling Thunder shakily got to his hooves and took a deep breath. "I'll tell her. You make sure we're ready to go to Canterlot once I'm done; we need to leave as soon as possible."

Lilly nodded and trotted over to the closet where she kept her saddlebag and Rolling Thunder slowly trotted up the stairs. As he approached the door, he heard Comet playing Wonderbolts inside her room and he had to pause as the memory of Blossom playing Wonderbolts with her such a short time ago burned itself in the forefront of his mind. He shook his head and exhaled. He had to do this.

He walked up to Comet's room and knocked on the door three times. The sound of Comet making whooshing sounds to signify the Wonderbolts flying around halted and after a second he heard Comet telling him to come in. He pushed open the door and saw her sitting in the middle of the room with her Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash dolls at her hooves. She smiled at him when she saw him enter. "Hello, Daddy," she chirped. "Do you wanna play Wonderbolts with me?"

Rolling Thunder let out a half chuckle/half sob at his daughter's demeanor, and the knowledge that he had to essentially crush it. "I'm sorry, Comet, but it isn't time to play Wonderbolts anymore." He pushed the dolls aside and sat down in front of his daughter.

Comet was remarkably perceptive in picking up her father's mood and she flattened her ears and leaned back a little. "Daddy what's wrong?" she whimpered.

"It's about Blossom," he began. "We... we know where she is."

Comet's eyes widened and she perked up her ears. "Where is she?" the filly cried. "She's okay, right, Daddy? Nothing bad happened to her like when that mare hurt her, right?"

"Uh..." Rolling Thunder blinked back a fresh wave of tears and nervously scratched the back of his head. "Blossom is in Canterlot with the princesses right now. She... she did something really bad and they put her in jail because of it."

Comet gasped, followed by a pained whimper and instant tears. "Blossom wouldn't hurt anypony!" Comet sobbed. "She's going to be okay, Daddy! I know it!"

Rolling Thunder reached forward and hugged Comet close to him. The filly threw her forelegs around her father's waist and began sobbing loudly into his chest. "We're going to go to Canterlot now, okay? We're going to go ask the princesses to be kind to Blossom and not hurt her."

"Then she can come home?" Comet sniffled.

Rolling Thunder let loose another sob but collected himself and cleared his throat. "No, Comet. If the princesses listen to us then Blossom still can't come home. They want to give Blossom a shot that would make her fall asleep forever. We're going to go ask them not to."

"Are they gonna listen, Daddy?" Comet whimpered.

Rolling Thunder began stroking his daughter's mane and he nuzzled the top of her head. "I don't know, Comet, but we're going to try. I promise you that we are going to try.

Author's Note

Well, we've come to the end of the Killer Rarity trilogy and I have to say, I'm as depressed as you all are. I've been working on these stories for almost a year and to have it end at all... well, I feel like a piece of me has just died (no pun intended)

Now, I know that some of you know this but for the rest of you I'm going to say it. I'm not done writing this universe. I'm going to be releasing a compilation of short stories that involve the ponies around the series who we didn't get to see much from such as the rest of the Mane Six, Spike, Scootaloo, the Ponyville ponies, as well as a lot of family members of Rarity's victims. I hope you like it all as much as I do!

The other thing for that is that it's going to be open to anybody. You have a story that you think can come out of it? You really want to write how Spike would view this? Well, then write it and I'll publish it! There are going to be some quality prerequisites, but if you want to write for the Killer Rarityverse then please do and I'll publish it in the upcoming anthology titled 'Ripples' (tentatively titled, that is. If you can think of a better one I'm all ears).

So yeah, the main storyline for the Killer Rarityverse is over unless I really think of a good story for Comet. I have also had somebody suggest that I make a fic about The Canterlot Killer mentioned in the original so that might be something I look into.

Anyway, that's where this universe is headed. Thank you all so much for reading, commenting, and giving constructive criticism! You guys are all the best!