My Little Pony FanFic Chapter 2

There was no talking as the group made their way to the palace, surrounded by an entourage of armed guards with Shining Armor in the lead. When they entered the palace they were ushered into a quiet room. In the room was a large oval table. Seated at the head of the table was Princess Celestia who looked beside herself with worry. On her left sat Princess Luna who was seated next to a blue unicorn with a shield cutie mark and next to him was a green pony with a cutie mark of a hoofprint inside a magnifying glass. Twilight Sparkle did not know either of these two ponies. On Princess Celestia's right sat Princess Cadence, Twilight Sparkle's sister-in-law.

Shining Armor posted two guards outside and then closed the door behind Twilight Sparkle and her friends and locked it tight. Shining Armor immediately went to the other side of Princess Cadence, patted her hoof and whispered something in her ear. She smiled reassuringly and he took his seat next to her.

Princess Celestia spoke first. "Twilight Sparkle, my faithful student and friends please be seated so I can explain everything to you."

As each pony took her seat, Twilight Sparkle instructed Spike to take the seat next to her and to take notes. Once everyone was seated Princess Celestia began without ceremony. "Last Night my cousin Dazzleglow was murdered." The room filled with gasps.

"How awfu!l" Said Rareity.

"Landsakes!" Cried Apple jack

"Oh my goodness!" Said Fluttershy.

Princess Celestia held up a hoof to prevent any more outbursts of shock. "It was awful and I'm very upset, but please, let me continue. There is so much to get through and it's so hard to know where to start. Dazzleglow was no longer in contact with myself or the other members of the royal family. Sadly, the last time I spoke to her was several years ago. This was even before Princess Luna was banished to the moon.

Princess Luna coughed quietly.

Princess Celestia continued. "Dazzleglow was… well… more of a wild filly then is typical of the royal family. She was not interested in performing royal duties, but instead preferred to party and she had aspirations to theatre and the performing arts. However, every member of the royal family must take on his or her royal duties by the time they reach a certain age. When Dazzleglow reached that age, she ultimately refused her duties, which left our family no choice but to send her away from the royal palace. She was no longer entitled to royal treatment, or anything else that came with her royal birth. Instead, she was to make her own way as all other ponies must do.

Dazzleglow went out to pursue her dreams of becoming an actress. However, she was not ultimately successful and because she shirked her royal duties she could not be welcomed back to the palace. This made Dazzleglow very bitter and she did not maintain contact with any member of the family. The last I had heard she was working a few acting gigs here and there under a stage name. What this name was I do not know. Then last night, one of the members of the Royal Guard, Caramel, found her murdered in a dark alley behind his apartment. This would be upsetting in and of itself; however, we also received this letter earlier that day." Princess Celestia indicated a sheet of parchment in front of her. She began to read it aloud:

Dear Princess Celestia,

It's amazing how easy it is to fall from Royal Favor.
It seems even being family is no guarantee
But know that revenge is a skill to savor
And this Pony of Death is a devotee

Three deaths there will be:
First, the Royal who fell from grace,
Next, a Royal who was once a banishee
Finally a foal whose birth is yet to take place.

Most Unfaithfully Yours,

Pony of Death

"Wowie Zowie! Who's the royal banshee?" Exclaimed Pinkie Pie.

Twilight rolled her eyes. "Banishee . Someone who was banished Pinkie Pie. It means someone who – "

"It means me." Said Princess Luna. "I was banished to the moon, to be the Mare of the Moon. It means I'm next!"

"Oh." Said Pinkie Pie.

"I thought she said Royal Banshee too." Said Spike.

"SHH!" Said Twilight Sparkle.

"And the Royal who fell from grace must have been Dazzleglow!" Said Applejack.

"Precisely." Said Princess Celestia.

"Wow Applejack! You're a genius!" Said Pinkie Pie.

"But wait! Who is the foal whose birth is yet to take place? You are already born." Said Rainbow Dash to Princess Celestia.

"That's just what I was wondering." Said Twilight. "Cadence is already born, my brother isn't actually royalty…"

Princess Cadence glanced nervously at Shining Armor. Then she spoke. "I've just found out I'm expecting."

"My goodness! A Royal Birth! How very exciting! Congratulations are in order!" Said Rareity.

"You never told me I was going to be an Aunt!" Said Twilight Sparkle who was starting to get upset and was glaring at her brother.

To diffuse the situation, Princess Celestia quickly moved on.

"I know the entire Royal Family is extremely concerned. However, because of the sensitive nature of the murder, we don't want just anyone to investigate it. That's why I asked for you Twilight Sparkle and your friends to come and investigate."

It was the blue pegasus's turn to cough.

"Now I'm going to ask Chief Berry to fill you in on his initial investigations. Chief Berry, if you please."

Chief Berry cleared his throat and stood up. "Essentially, shortly after 3:00am…"