Test Intro · 10:40pm Oct 4th, 2022

Still working on other current stories and expect to finish a Silver Spoon Adapts a Naga chapter by tomorrow. However, I had a bit of inspiration and decided to run a bit of a test by people to see if it was worth pursuing writing a story. This would be an original story not tied to any of my previous ones.

The door to my cell opened, briefly blinding me by breaking the perfect dark. I raised a leg to shade my eyes, and I was reminded of how short the chains were when the leg abruptly stopped halfway to my face. I don't know why they bothered with such short chains or with chains at all. I was deep in the most secure prison in Equestria, with an entire division of armed guards a stone's throw from me. I couldn't even make it out of here if they afforded me no chains, an open cell door, and my full cache of weapons, not against that many guards. Who did they think I was, some comic book supervillain? I was one lone earth pony mare. Trying to jailbreak would leave me dead without having exited the cell block.
I'd be dead soon, anyway. Executions were rare in Equestria, near unheard of, but I knew what sentence my final day in court tomorrow would bring. The only question was how long it would take them to carry it out. Would they drag their hooves over months, or would they do it quickly? I hoped they did it quickly. Waiting was torture.
Something happening, Mama?
I seem to have a visitor. Your doing? I answered back over the telepathic link.
Not anything to do with me. Do they have shinnies?
My eyes adjusted to the new light and saw a tall mare in royal regalia standing in the door, looking sadly at me.
It's Princess Twilight, so lots of shinnies, but good luck getting your talons on them. I informed my closest companion over the link. She's probably here to make some speech about friendship or offer me a deal to spare my life. I'm surprised she's just sat silent through the entire court proceedings.
Ask her if I can have her shinnies.
I figured it would be rude not to acknowledge her presence. Even a killer needed to have manners. Actually, a killer needed more manners than the average pony. People wouldn't let you get close to them if you were rude.
"Hello, your highness. What brings you to my little corner of Equestria?"I asked, smiling.
She closed the door with her magic and silently studied me. Her horn was still glowing, spells at the ready. Was she afraid of me? I should take that as a compliment, but it was a joke.
"If you came to get the true deepest darkest part of the dungeon experience, you really should douse that light. It messes with the ambiance of the place," I informed her.
She sat, still keeping her horn alight, and shook her head. "Still no repentance, even now?"
"Repentance for what, your highness?" I asked as if unsure what she was talking about.
"For the murders, the theft, the racketeering, and all your other crimes," the princess said tersely.
I shrugged. "I still deny all charges. Showing repentance requires some form of confession, and while not confessing to any crime, I do object strongly to being called a thief."
The alicorn sighed. "Why won't you confess? There's no point in keeping things secret anymore. We've gathered enough evidence and witnesses to make an iron-bound case against you. I know you are part of something larger. There's an organized crime organization working in the shadow of my realm, and I have no idea how long it has been operating or how far it stretches. If you disclose information, I assure you your life will be spared. I don't want to see the first execution conducted in centuries."
"Well, I can help you with that last part. The answer is simple– don't show up for it," I suggested.
She studied me coldly for a few more seconds.
"Someone has leverage over you," she said after careful consideration. "Leverage you care about more than your life. You have a little brother."
I yanked at my chains. "Don't you dare threaten him!"
"I would never do that. You know very little about me or what I stand for if you think I would," she said, sounding offended. She might have been. I wasn't sure how much she cared about all that friendship stuff.
I relaxed. "Well then, you have no leverage over me."
She considered me some more. "That cutie mark, a pie with a plum. It fits your name but not your profession. What's it for?"
"Cooking and baking. I do run a restaurant, and I do enjoy cooking," I summed up. "I'm not lying about those things or hiding any hidden meaning. My mark has nothing to do with the things you accuse me of and wouldn't even if the accusations were true."
She smiled for some reason. "I have an offer for you."
I sighed loudly. "We already went over this. I'm not confessing to anything."
"Hear me out," she said. "You don't have to give me names or places. You can make fake ones if you wish, but I want to know how a cook and baker…in theory…becomes such a hardened killer and criminal. I, in turn, promise to make sure your brother is well protected against whatever dangers might be out there."
I considered it. "My crow wants your shinnies, your regalia."
Her eyebrows shot up. "You really can communicate with that bird with your mind, can't you?"
"Yes," I answered. There was no danger in telling that. "Don't hurt him. He's important to me too."
"I have a good friend who is already taking care of him," she assured me. "Is giving my regalia part of the deal?"
Feathers, are you being well taken care of by a friend of the princess?
This yellow wing-horse is nice enough. She gives me lots of treats and sings to me. The mane is too pink.
That was answer enough. "Yeah, your regalia and my brother protected, and I tell you a story. I may be an unreliable narrator, so do it at your own risk."
"Agreed."
My eyebrows shot up. "I didn't expect you would really give your regalia to my crow."
.
She looked me in the eyes. "That ponies like you exist means that there is something that has gone terribly wrong with my rule. To find out what and start figuring out how to fix it, I would happily give up much more than some jewelry."