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Organised by
RogerDodger
Word limit
400–750
The Crime You Committed
You spent a lot of time planning out how to get into Canterlot Castle without getting caught.
True, the castle isn’t particularly well-guarded; the Royal Guard is a joke. But you knew that if they caught wind of what you were planning, it was straight to the dungeons for you. You aren’t Princess Twilight or one of her friends; you couldn’t afford to be seen there, even if it might take them an extra round to realize you weren’t supposed to be in the castle.
No, you had to go in during the dead of night. Everypony is looking out for someone trying to fly in; no one expects a pony with a grappling hook, let alone a unicorn doing it by hoof. Only a fool or a pony who could fly if need be would attempt such a dangerous approach up the cliff face.
Of course, that was the easy part.
Once you got up to the side of the castle, you had to actually get in; climbing over the parapets was hardly an option, not with the possibility of one of the competent night guards noticing you from the air. No, you had to go in through a window. And you knew just the one. Sure, that stained glass was a national treasure, but compared to what you were going to do, it was a flying violation.
It was really easy to cut through those circular seams, and once you got the hole cut out, tossing the glass down the mountainside ensured that the sound of it breaking would be too faint for anypony to hear.
Once you were inside the great hall, you were practically there already. The vault wasn’t even guarded. Princess Celestia, in her vanity, probably thought that guards were unnecessary with the wards she had. But she didn’t count on what you could do. Not that you’d ever tell them how you did it if they caught you, not even under the most intense forms of interrogation. But the wards that kept out the wrong ponies were worthless against you, leaving the most powerful magical items Equestria has in its possession yours for the taking.
What’s that, you say? You didn’t set hoof in Canterlot Castle? Then who was it who—
Oh, a changeling did it? I’m sure the guard will believe you. Especially with all this evidence lying around your house. The maps. The grappling hook. The bits you got for selling those items to your client, paltry compared to their true value, but still a small fortune to a pony like you. Not to mention your intimate knowledge of the details of the crime. You won’t be able to hide it when they find you.
Nopony ever believes that somepony was held prisoner in their own home while a changeling steals their face and mark and commits crimes in their name, trapped in adhesive gel that somehow vanished by the time the guard comes. That’s ridiculous.
After all, if anypony believed a story like that, they might actually catch one of us. We can’t afford to be sloppy.
True, the castle isn’t particularly well-guarded; the Royal Guard is a joke. But you knew that if they caught wind of what you were planning, it was straight to the dungeons for you. You aren’t Princess Twilight or one of her friends; you couldn’t afford to be seen there, even if it might take them an extra round to realize you weren’t supposed to be in the castle.
No, you had to go in during the dead of night. Everypony is looking out for someone trying to fly in; no one expects a pony with a grappling hook, let alone a unicorn doing it by hoof. Only a fool or a pony who could fly if need be would attempt such a dangerous approach up the cliff face.
Of course, that was the easy part.
Once you got up to the side of the castle, you had to actually get in; climbing over the parapets was hardly an option, not with the possibility of one of the competent night guards noticing you from the air. No, you had to go in through a window. And you knew just the one. Sure, that stained glass was a national treasure, but compared to what you were going to do, it was a flying violation.
It was really easy to cut through those circular seams, and once you got the hole cut out, tossing the glass down the mountainside ensured that the sound of it breaking would be too faint for anypony to hear.
Once you were inside the great hall, you were practically there already. The vault wasn’t even guarded. Princess Celestia, in her vanity, probably thought that guards were unnecessary with the wards she had. But she didn’t count on what you could do. Not that you’d ever tell them how you did it if they caught you, not even under the most intense forms of interrogation. But the wards that kept out the wrong ponies were worthless against you, leaving the most powerful magical items Equestria has in its possession yours for the taking.
What’s that, you say? You didn’t set hoof in Canterlot Castle? Then who was it who—
Oh, a changeling did it? I’m sure the guard will believe you. Especially with all this evidence lying around your house. The maps. The grappling hook. The bits you got for selling those items to your client, paltry compared to their true value, but still a small fortune to a pony like you. Not to mention your intimate knowledge of the details of the crime. You won’t be able to hide it when they find you.
Nopony ever believes that somepony was held prisoner in their own home while a changeling steals their face and mark and commits crimes in their name, trapped in adhesive gel that somehow vanished by the time the guard comes. That’s ridiculous.
After all, if anypony believed a story like that, they might actually catch one of us. We can’t afford to be sloppy.