Fizzlepop Berrytwist couldn't eat her dinner.
The former lieutenant of the Storm King rested a hoof on the table and looked down at her meal: a haybacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich, a small garden salad, and a glass of water. It wasn’t anything too exciting, but it was far better than she expected...or deserved.
Gingerly, Fizzle picked a spinach leaf with a dark purple hoof and dropped it in her mouth, methodically chewing it with the enthusiasm of a machine. She didn’t taste a thing. Every since the tribunal, food had just lost its taste- lettuce, haybacon, sugar, it all tasted the same to her. Maybe it was the multiple inhibitor spells that had bottled up her magic like the stopper on a wine decanter. Maybe it was just the fact that she was now one of the greatest traitors in pony history. Didn’t matter. It wasn’t like she had much of an appetite left. Not since the trial.
The trial had felt like one huge nightmare. Any moment she had expected to wake up in her bunk on the Storm King’s airship. With a grimace, she could still feel the cold shackles against her fetlocks, could the overwhelming smells of wood varnish and dust, from century-old furniture, and the roaring of the jury out for her blood.
Pushing aside the plate, Fizzle slid off her stool and flopped onto the guest room’s queen-sized bed, sinking into the pegasus-down mattress. She turned towards the guest room’s antique grandfather clock and stared, brushing a few strands of magenta mane out of her eyes. According to the guards who had brought her her supper, the Council was still deliberating over her sentence, and would come up with a verdict “in due time.”
Deliberating? Fizzle punched the silky mattress. What was there to deliberate? Since she’d never formally renounced her Equestrian citizenship, she had technically committed grand treason against the Crown. Not only that, but she’d stolen the magic from every pony in Canterlot, and ponynapped the princess of Friendship. Even with Twilight acting as her advocate for some inexplicable reason, it was an open and shut case of treason.
Fizzle gritted her teeth and thumped a hoof against the mattress while hot, bitter tears trickled down her cheeks. They called her a traitor, so her name was probably already synonymous with “treason”,but she was far more than that.
She was a fool.
Only a fool would willingly serve a lunatic like the Storm King. Only a fool among fools would trust him to keep his word. Only the most foolish of the most foolish amongst fools would betray their entire race just to fix their precious horn!
With a bitter laugh, she remembered how she had told Twilight to “open her eyes." Talk about the yak calling the griffon “hairy.”
Rubbing her sore flank, Fizzle looked around the guest room, trying to keep herself occupied. This room didn’t feel like a prison. She’d expected (and wanted) a tiny, dimly-lit cell with a plank bed, straw mattress, and a tiny, tiny window. Instead, she was confined to this luxurious, well-lit guest room atop one of the castle spires, with antique furniture that probably cost as much as a down payment on a new house, and velvet curtains worth as much as a small town. If it weren’t for the pegasus guards outside the large picture window or the two burly earth pony guards by the door, she could just be another honored guest here for a visit.
If this is how the Princesses treated their enemies, it was a wonder there weren’t more attempts to overthrow Equestria.
Something caught Fizzle’s ear. Hoofsteps, coming up the stairway. There were the heavy thump and clunk of two heavily armored earth ponies moving to the side, followed by a faint creak as the guest room door swung open. In walked a very familiar periwinkle-blue alicorn, flanked on both sides by two thestrals in midnight-blue armor.
Fizzle threw herself on the floor. “Princess Luna.” While she tried to control her thrashing tail, her belly still churned and bubbled like a cauldron about to boil over. They said that Luna was very popular amongst the children of Equestria. Well, she had a hard time believing that. While she was no longer Nightmare Moon, the mare was still downright terrifying. In fact, just looking at her seemed to suck all the heat out of the room. The alicorn’s eyes felt like magical lasers, boring right through her.
“Rise, Miss. Berrytwist.” The Night Regent said in a surprisingly soft voice. She turned to her guards. “You are dismissed.”
To Fizzle’s relief, both thestrals nodded and trotted out the door, though not before giving her the nastiest look she’d ever received.
“Come.” Luna motioned towards the table and took the larger of the two seats. “Let us sit down.”
Fizzle meekly obeyed, making sure the entire time to avert her eyes. With a flash of light and a puff of ozone, a silver teapot popped into existence, accompanied with two silver teacups floating by its sides like honor guards. The uneaten meal was gently pushed aside as the teacups floated down, setting down on the tabletop with a gentle tink. One of the cups scooted itself over to Fizzle, while the teapot levitated itself to the cup and poured a stream of steaming amber liquid into it.
“Please, take a drink.”
Not feeling particularly rebellious, Fizzle lifted the cup and took a sip. Like the salad, the tea was completely tasteless- the princess could have filled the cup with muddy water and she wouldn’t have been able to tell the difference- but after it trickled down her throat, the unicorn could feel a gentle warmth in her belly. A bit of the tension in her body eased. The spring in her stomach uncoiled a little.
“Well, how is it?”
“Good.” Fizzle mumbled and sniffed, taking care not to make eye contact
“Please raise your head, Ms. Berrytwist.“
Meekly, she obeyed, and stared right into the eyes of a pony she’d imprisoned in stone, then drained of all magic. For a very long moment, she just stared, barely able to think. The only sound was the tick-tock tick-tock of the grandfather clock. The air in the room felt as thick as soup.
A rivulet of sweat down Fizzle’s brow, pooling above her eye. During her time as the Storm Lord’s second-in-command, she’d become quite adept at reading the faces of others. After all, even the most stoic pony could be betrayed by a slight tremor in his voice or a barely-noticeable twitch in his eye. Not so with Luna. As intimidating as she was, the Princess’ face was completely neutral, without a single twitch or tremor. Her voice was almost as uncooperative; no signs of anger, no hints of rage. The most she could sense was a slight hint of disappointment, like a mother speaking to a disobedient child.
Somehow, it only made things even more terrifying.
“I sincerely apologize for not attending your trial, but the Captain of my Night Guard insisted on discussing plans for improving castle security,” Luna said. “Are you well?”
Fizzle nodded. Why in Tartarus should Luna care?
“Are you certain? It appears that you have barely touched your supper.”
Again, Fizzle nodded.
“I see. Well then. I suppose there is no point in tarrying any longer,” Her horn flashed blue and the teapot and teacups vanished, quickly replaced by a scroll, still smelling of fresh ink. “‘Tis time to pronounce the Council’s verdict.”
Luna cleared her throat. “We, the members of the Equestrian High Council, do find the defendant, Fizzlepop Berrytwist, guilty of the following charges: sedition, high treason, unlawful imprisonment, multiple counts of slavery, collaboration with a hostile power, use of forbidden magic…”
Each crime she spoke was like a solid buck in Fizzle’s stomach. She’d known this would happen; barring divine intervention, there was no possible way she would get away with this. But hearing the princess list off her crimes in this slightly disappointed tone, it hurt. A lot.
“...and destruction of public property. Do you understand these charges?”
“Yes…” Fizzle croaked, sniffing several times. This was it; time for the punishment. Part of her tensed in fear. The other part, in anticipation. No matter how harsh her punishment would be, it would be exactly what she deserved. Maybe through it, she would finally be redeemed.
“Very well. Now, after much deliberation, the Council, Twilight, and I have arranged the following sentence. But first, there is something I wish to give to you.”
A brown package wrapped with string materialized in the center of the table, followed by the familiar scent of ozone.
“Please, open it.”
Confused, Fizzlepop cut the rough twine with her teeth and opened up the box. Survival gear, that’s what it had to be; water, some food, a tent, everything she’d need to survive in the Badlands or wherever they planned on sending her. Quite generous of the princess, considering everything she’d done.
Lifting open the cardboard lid, Fizzle dumped the box’s contents onto the table. What? Just...what?
This...wasn’t what she’d expected: instead of survival gear, a plain orange vest and matching hat lay on the table, each emblazoned with the Royal Seal of Equestria. She’d seen this somewhere before: during her initial reconnaissance of Manehattan, she’d seen several ponies wearing this outfit...
Her eyes shot open. No. There was no...
“Well?”
“Princess,” Fizzle said, ”What...what is this?”
“Your sentence,” Luna said. “For the next six months, you are to assist the city maintenance crews with their duties, which include — but are not limited to -- sweeping streets, disposing of litter, and the removal of weeds from public parks. During that time, you will not be allowed to leave the city.”
Fizzle nearly fell out of her seat. What? WHAT?! How did...how could…Was this some sort of joke? The princesses were notorious pranksters. Any moment now, the unicorn expected Luna to drop the act and reveal her true sentence. But then again, the Princesses’ pranks were usually lighthearted, not cruel.
But if that was the case then....why?! She'd been away from Equestria for only eighteen years. Had the laws changed since she ran away from home? Maybe they had. Despite herself, Fizzle started to laugh. That was the only rational explanation: Nowadays, if you commit treason, you get community service. Robbery? Punishable by a stern lecture. And foalnapping? Just an eighteen-bit fine.
“Is something amusing, Miss Berrytwist?”
“No.” Fizzle shut her mouth and shook her head. “Nothing. It’s just...”
“Confused? I do not blame you. T’was not easy convincing the council to agree to this punishment, given the severity of your crimes. You narrowly avoided having to write ‘I will not invade Equestria and imprison the princesses ever again’ a thousand times, which would have been followed by a full year without dessert.”
There was a short silence, followed by a short sigh. “That was an attempt at humor. Truth be told, were it not for Twilight and her impassioned defense of you...well, let's just say we wouldn’t be talking here right now,” Luna smiled. “Had she not be coronated, my sister’s student would have made for a superb lawyer.“
Fizzlepop opened her mouth, only to close it again. So many questions begging to be asked that she didn’t know where to start. All of them just jammed in her throat. Twilight, defense...they advocated for her, after that? None of it made any sense. It felt like her head was about to split.
“I know what you are feeling at this moment: that your sentence is much too lenient, and that you deserve the most excruciating punishment that one can imagine, and even that would not be enough. Believe me, I know what it is like.”
The gears started turning in Fizzle’s head. “How…?”
The princess was silent for a moment. “Tell me, Fizzle. May I call you Fizzle?” Luna sat still until Fizzlepop nodded. “Very well, Fizzle. Do you know how Twilight and her friends scoured the Nightmare from my soul using the Elements of Harmony?”
Fizzle nodded. While news about Equestria had been scarce in the Borderlands, she had heard rumors that the Princess of the Night had returned and Nightmare Moon was no more. It hadn’t been until the first scouting missions that she’d learned the full story.
“What many do not know is what happened afterwards. For weeks afterwards, I was consumed by guilt. After all, t’was my folly that lead to the birth of Nightmare Moon.
“But Princess-”
Luna held up a hoof. “May I continue? Thank you.”
The princess cleared her throat “Though my banishment lasted for a thousand years, it seemed trifling compared to what I had done. I wanted to be punished like no being had ever been punished before, so that I would never repeat my horrible mistake. So great was this desire for punishment that I created the Tantabus, an entity whose only desire was to torment my sleep with nightmares for all eternity.”
“Later, though, I realized that punishing myself for my crimes was pointless. I had already paid for my mistake because my sister had long since forgiven me. Twilight and her friends had already forgiven me. All of Equestria had forgiven me. The only mare who still held a grudge was me.”
“Princess?”
“Yes?”
“If I may...what in Tartarus does this have to do with me?!” Fizzle blurted, then slapped both hooves over her mouth. She was so dead.
“Whatever do you mean?” Luna said, tilting her head slightly.
“Princess, with all due respect, Tempest Shadow was not Nightmare Moon. When she took over your body, you were completely helpless. I wasn’t. Everything I did I did because I wanted to, not because some monster was pulling my strings.”
“I beg to differ. Tis true that the Storm King did not control you directly, but he was no less the puppetmaster. Your desperation and loneliness were his strings, while his false promise to restore your horn was a carrot on a stick, leading you in whatever direction he chose.”
Luna smiled. “In a way, we are not so different. Both of us have been given a second chance. How will you use yours, Fizzle? Will you cling to your old sins for the rest of your life, or will you cast them aside and become a new mare. What shall it be, hero?”
“Hero?”
“You threw yourself in front of a petrification orb that was intended for the element bearers, then used it to stop the Storm King. If that does not make one a hero, nothing shall.
For a few moments, Fizzle just sat there, trying to digest what she’d just heard. Had anypony else said it, she would have thought them insane, but this was Princess Luna, a mare who had every reason to hate her, yet didn’t.You didn’t get much more validation than that.
Something changed in Fizzle. She felt lighter as if a heavy weight had been taken off her shoulders, one that she hadn’t even known she was carrying. The bitter crust around her heart began to flake off; years of bitterness, hate, and loneliness dissolved, and a warm, bubbly feeling started to fill the vacuum. The entire room seemed to grow ten times brighter, the colors more vibrant. What was this strange feeling? She knew that she had felt it once, but it had been so long...
What was it called again? Oh yes, happiness.
It was too much. Fizzlepop’s face scrunched up, and she laughed for the first time in over a decade. This wasn’t the sick, sadistic laughter that she’d known as Tempest, but actual laughter!
It must have been contagious, because Luna’s face scrunched up, and she too burst into laughter. For a while, the two of them just sat there and laughed until they cried; it was as if an entire lifetime’s worth of pent-up laughter was being released in a glorious explosion of cheer, happiness, and joy. This was what it was like to be redeemed. This is what it was like to be free.
“Princess….” Fizzle said, wiping tears of mirth from her eyes. “Thank you.” She sniffed, still deliriously happy. “Thank you so much.”
“I am not the one you should thank. Were it not for Twilight, your punishment would be much, much worse. But you are welcome regardless.” Luna stared at the grandfather clock. “Well, it seems that my time here is done. Tis almost time to start Night Court.” She stood up. “Tomorrow morning, you are to report to a Mister Clean Sweep for your first assignment. Do you understand?”
“Loud and clear, your highness.” Fizzle nodded.
Luna smiled. “That is the proper attitude. It will get you far.” She started towards the door, then stopped. “Do you have any more questions?”
Something came to mind: “Actually,” Fizzle took a deep breath. “why didn’t you just tell me that my sentence had been commuted to community service?
To that, Luna’s smile turned impish. “What, and spoil the drama?”
Fizzle laughed. They weren’t joking: the princesses were pranksters. Some of the best.
With one last chuckle, Luna fixed her face back into an expression of divine tranquility. She nodded briefly to Fizzle, then turned fo the door.
“Do be sure to finish your dinner. You will need your strength.”
“Got it, Princess!”
With a final nod and a hug, Luna trotted out the door and closed it behind her while Fizzle returned to her meal. She lifted the sandwich to her lips and took a bite.
It was delicious.