My screaming brought a crowd of ponies to the scene as I burst into tears over my beloved marefriend’s body. I’ll never feel another kiss from her again, never hear her sweet voice or see her fly. At that point I decided that I just wanted to be with her in the Otherworld, if such a place really existed after death. I certainly was not going to try and kill myself, I didn’t want to fail and end up brain damaged or paralysed from the neck down, even though there was a chance that healing magic could save me from such a fate. I decided I would wait for them to find me. Swift Wing, I’m coming for you, just give me a little time. Soon enough the police ponies turned up and ordered everypony out of there before they put their hoofprints all over whatever evidence there was.

Fetlock Bones was soon at the scene and said angrily “That’s why we wanted you both in witness protection, where you could be safe. That’s the sort of thing the Cavallinos do to anypony that gets in their way or threatens to bring them down. No medical potion or spell can bring back Swift Wing now, and you’re their next target. With you dead the case against Big Red will have to be dropped for lack of evidence. You have to come with me now.”

He was surprised when I shook my head in disgust. “Fetlock, without Swift Wing I don’t want to live anymore. I want them to come and kill me so that I can be by her side in the Otherworld. I loved her that much.”

There was a light pop and I stared in amazement. Twilight Sparkle, one of Princess Celestia’s closest friends, had teleported right next to us. “Spell Bookmark, Big Red is a major threat to Equestria and for the good of the country he has to be stopped and sent to the salt mines or the moon. And for that we need you alive, so I’m ordering you into witness protection for everypony’s sake.”

“If he is doing such damage to Equestria, why can’t Her Majesty just use her powers to banish him to the moon, like she did to Nightmare Moon? We’re not a democracy, why do we need fair trials?” I snapped, in my sadness and my anger not caring how important Twilight was.

There was another pop and I bowed low to the ground for standing in front of me in all her royal finery was Princess Celestia herself!

“If I was to just send Big Red and other criminals to the mines or the moon without a trial and without proof, then sooner or later I would do the same to an innocent pony without meaning to, or worse, would begin misusing my powers deliberately. As it is, almost everypony loves me, if I did as you said, sooner or later everypony would fear me and the genuine love and warmth would be lost. Misusing power is like scratching an itchy rash; once you start doing it, it’s almost impossible to stop, and I might end up being as bad as Discord. I put Twilight Sparkle in charge of witness protection as she loves to help everypony, and she is just the right pony for the job. So far, she’s helped thirty two ponies hide from those who want them dead, and I very much want you to be the thirty-third.”

She walked up to my side and bent her head towards my flank, and for a moment I thought that the Princess of Equestria was going to kiss my cutie mark! Instead she touched it with the tip of her horn and I felt a jolt as the cutie mark that I was so proud of changed from a book to an apple. “I order you to enter witness protection and do whatever Twilight Sparkle says to keep you safe,” she said, and with another pop she was gone. Well, I could hardly disobey a direct royal order, and Twilight took me to the police station and gave me my new name and told me what to say if asked, and put me on the first train to Applelosia. I protested that I wanted to be at Swift Wing’s funeral but she told me that the Cavellinos knew that and would try and kill me at or near the funeral. And that is how I came to be trying not to cry on the night train to Applelosia.