"Execution? Really?"
The guard who handed her the orders shrugged. "That's what it says, ma'am."
"But there's no proof that they're rebels!" Other than what Fluttershy had said to her, but nopony had heard them.
"The High Lady doesn't need proof. Her word is law, unless countermanded by the Queen herself."
"Yeah, yeah, I know." It took Dash a moment to realize why something felt wrong about this. "Why isn't the High Lady telling me this herself? Is Rarity too good to talk to me now?"
"It is not my place to speak for the High Lady." The guard quickly looked around to make sure nopony was nearby. "That being said, she did look more... distraught than usual this morning."
"Hmm." Dash kept her expression strictly neutral. "Alright, fine. Go back to doing whatever you were doing."
"Yes ma'am." The guard snapped off a crisp salute. "Hail Nightmare Moon!"
"Hail Nightmare Moon."
Dash spread her wings and took to the air. It was faster to fly than to run, and she didn't want to waste any time.
She found the warden of the dungeons in his office by the by the entrance. "Iron Cuff, I need to talk to you."
"Yes, Officer?"
"High Lady Rarity says to execute all the suspected rebels that I transferred over a couple days ago." Dash handed over the letter with the orders.
"I see. And what would you like me to do about it?"
"You oversee executions, right? So it's your job to do this?"
"It is indeed. Shall I have them hanged or beheaded? Or were you looking for a more exotic method of execution? We haven't used the lightning chair in quite some time, but I'm sure I could get it working again."
"Nah, I was thinking of something a bit more old-school. March 'em all out into the heart of the Everfree Forest, and tie 'em to a tree somewhere. We'll let the monsters take care of them."
"Most excellent. I'll have a small contingent of guards ready to do as you say in an hour."
"Great. And see if you can find some of the raw meat they're using to cook for the Minotaurs to bring with you. Wanna make sure that all the animals know what's going on."
"Inspired. It shall be as you say."
"Good. Now if you'll excuse me, there's somepony who needs me."
"This is a test that most ponies passed. Between our kind's natural aversion to murder and most of them being unwilling to stand by while their own friend was killed, the ones unwilling to stand up directly to the High Lady usually found some way to orchestrate an escape. And of the ponies who failed, almost all of them were very reluctant about having to follow their orders.
"And you, of course, dropped the logistics on the warden and then ran off to be with your crush."
"Wait, you don't have a file on Fluttershy? I thought you guys knew everything about us. Which is kinda creepy, I guess, but considering how awesome I am, I'm not surprised you want to follow me around and stuff. Hey, you want my autograph while I'm here?"
"No, I do not want your autograph... but if I could get one for my son, that would be nice. That can wait until afterwards, though. We have very little information on Miss Fluttershy. Princess Luna's notes only state that she is incredibly shy, and the wielder of the Element of Kindness. She also loves animals, so it was especially cruel of you to sentence her to such an ironic death."
"You know what? Go back to that Somnambula thing and see what happened to Fluttershy after the guard left her tied up in the Everfree. I'll wait."
"...Very well. I'll be back in a few minutes."
...
...
...
"So, did you see it?"
"I could feel her eyes piercing into my soul."
"Yeah, it does that sometimes."
"I saw the disappointment of my mother when I told her I was going to join the guard instead of becoming a baker like her. I saw my first failing grade in officer school. I saw every soldier I ever let down in my career. I saw everything, and became nothing."
"Oof, looks like you accidentally got a full-on Stare. Sorry about that. I was gonna warn you but I didn't think you'd get the whole thing. You gonna be okay?"
"I'm not sure I'll ever be okay again. Those eyes will haunt me until I pass from this world, and possibly afterwards. I had to leave the dream recording before I saw what she did to that bear."
"Oh, good, Harry found her? I was worried the meat thing wouldn't be enough. Why don't you go watch the rest of that part? Trust me, you won't regret it."
...
...
...
"Better?"
"Oh Luna that was the most adorable thing I've ever seen."
"Gonna go with better."
"I learned what hope truly was today. This world is good so long as such purity still exists in it."
"Great, so... back to the interview?"
"I did not know wonder until— right, yes, the interview. So, you anticipated this outcome?"
"Yeah, I knew what was gonna happen if I put Fluttershy and some animals together."
"Very well, in light of that, I suppose we can say that you passed the trial. Although, it's still... questionable that you didn't stay to make sure your plan worked instead of cavorting with the enemy. Again."
"You heard what the guard said. Rarity needed me..."
"I don't want to talk to anyone! Leave me before I have you dragged over a bed of hot coals and then stuffed into a corset made from neon light tubes and plaid fabrics of non-complimentary colors!"
"Eh, that's not really my thing, but I'm always down for trying new stuff in bed if you want," Dash said as she pushed open the door into Rarity's personal quarters. It was probably an abuse of power to use her position as a Shadowbolt Officer to get the keys to the High Lady's rooms, but it wasn't like this government didn't already have tons of that going on.
Rarity was... well, Dash wanted to say she looked like crap, but this was Rarity— her worst was still pretty great. Though, the mascara running down her face was a pretty big turn off. "Oh, it's you," she said, her reddened eyes glaring at the intruder. "If you're here to make another romantic overture towards me, I am very much not in the mood."
"Nah, not my style." Dash strode into the room and plopped herself on the bed next to Rarity, making sure to keep a good distance away. "I just got worried about you. Didn't see you today, and then I get your orders delivered from a guard? Figured something was up with you."
"Did you do as I commanded?" Despite the hitch in her voice, Rarity was every inch the judge as her piercing gaze settled on Dash.
"Yeah, I arranged something with the warden," Dash replied. "You won't be seeing them again."
Rarity nodded to herself, but she didn't look satisfied. In fact, from the way her body tensed, Dash's answer just seemed to have made her feel worse. "I needed to make sure you were still loyal to the Queen. Your behaviour of late was... concerning, and we felt a test was necessary."
"You know me. Loyal 'til the end." Dash smiled in what she hoped was a comforting way.
"You don't think me less for asking you to turn against your own friend?"
"Fluttershy made her choice." Dash shrugged. "And I get it. Loyalty's important. It's good that you're devoted to Nightmare Moon. Gotta believe in something, right?"
"I'm glad you're so understanding," Rarity muttered. "If only others could see things as you do."
"Why, what happened? Is that why you're so sad right now?"
"It's my sister, Sweetie Belle." For a moment, the mask that Rarity always wore broke, and Dash saw the mare who had grown up in Ponyville instead of the High Lady. "I discovered that she was the one who warned the rebels of our impending raid on their headquarters. My own sister, an agent of the enemy."
Something inside Dash ached for Rarity. Which was odd, since Dash didn't have any siblings. But somehow, she understood the kind of pain Rarity had to be feeling, how broken she must be at being betrayed by her own family. "What did you do?"
"I— I faltered." Rarity laughed, and the laugh turned into a choking sob. "I'm such a hypocrite. Here I am, testing your loyalty, when mine is even more suspect. I should have sent Sweetie down to the dungeons, to let our interrogators have their way with her until she gave up all her secrets. Then she'd join the other rebels on the gallows."
A shudder wracked its way through Rarity's body, sending ripples down her matted coat. "But I couldn't. She's my sister. And now I'll never see her again."
"Oh?"
"I had her exiled from Equestria, and pulled some strings to ensure that she'd be safely escorted to the Zebra lands and provided with the means to live a comfortable life." Another harsh laugh that seemed to hurt Rarity as she let it out. "I could only allow myself a few minutes to speak with her alone before she was sent away."
Rarity paused to wipe the tears from her eyes with a tissue. "She told me she hated me, and that she never wanted to see me again. I tried to explain that I'd done what I could, but she just called me a horrible mare and wished I would drop dead. And those are the last words I might ever hear from my only sister."
"That's rough." Unable to keep her hooves to herself, Dash reached out place a comforting foreleg on Rarity's shoulder. "It sucks that you had to go through that. But you saved her life, and you found a way to stay loyal to your family and your Queen. That's what's important. You'll get through this — you're a strong mare."
"I thank you for your kind words." Rarity slid over and leaned into Dash's hoof. "But I'm afraid they're little comfort in the wake of all I've lost. Regret is not my cup of tea, but it's a bitter draught I've been forced to taste tonight."
"She's your sister." Dash wrapped her foreleg around Rarity's neck, pulling the soft mare closer towards her. Rarity didn't resist. "She loves you. One day, she'll understand why you did what you did, and she'll forgive you, even if she doesn't agree with it."
"You think so?" There was a glimmer of hope in her eyes, and she looked so vulnerable that Dash just wanted to pull her into a hug and keep her safe from the world. She almost laughed at the thought — as if it wasn't the world that needed to be protected from Rarity!
"I know so." There was nothing sensual about the way Dash rubbed slow circles across Rarity's shoulder with her hoof. This was all about making her feel better. "But I also know that sometimes, you need a good cry to get everything out of your system."
Rarity's snuggled up closer to Dash, pressing her barrel against hers. "Maybe I'm tired of crying," she said, her voice dropping low and husky. "Maybe I want to feel something else besides this pain in my chest." A hoof slid down Dash's foreleg and began lightly stroking her wings in delicate, precise motions, making Dash groan with pleasure.
"R—Rarity, what are you—?"
"Shh." A dainty hoof was pressed against her muzzle, shutting her up. "You've made it abundantly clear you desire me, and you're quite the specimen yourself." Rarity's smiled at Dash, but the smile never reached her bloodshot eyes. "I think the night should be a time of passion rather than regret."
She leaned in towards Dash, and Dash gently but firmly pushed her away. "Okay, first of all, it's always night time now. And second, as much as I'd like to rock your world right now, I'm not going to take advantage of a mare who just lost her sister."
Disbelief broke the mask Rarity wore wide open, and Dash could see the pain of rejection plain in her features. "You—You don't want to be with me now?"
"Oh, I do. I so do." Dash gave Rarity a reassuring smile. "You have no idea how much I wanna pick you up, drop you back on the bed, and make you scream my name until your throat hurts. But you're hurting right now, and if we're gonna hook up, it's gonna be because you want me, not because you want to forget about somepony else."
Rarity blushed at Rainbow's words, her gaze hardening. "You know, I could order you into my bed."
Rainbow met that gaze with her own. "Yeah, but you won't. You're not that kind of mare."
"I might be tempted to do so with a mare who clearly wants me but is too soft-hearted to act on her desire," Rarity retorted.
"Believe me, there's nothing soft about what I'm feeling right now."
Rarity let out a hacking cough as her breath caught in her throat. "R-Rainbow Dash!" she spluttered between gasps of air. "How vulgar! That double-entendre doesn't even work for us, on account of how we lack the requisite anatomy!"
"Yeah, but it got you to laugh, right?" Dash smiled, and a moment later, so did Rarity, and this time, it did reach her eyes. "Tell you what, I'm not going blow your mind — or any other part of you — tonight, but we can still cuddle if you want."
Rarity pretended to think hard on her offer, her face scrunching up cutely. "You drive a hard bargain, Officer Dash, but I suppose I can live with cuddles."
"Great!" Dash pulled Rarity in again, wrapping her wings around the mare and covering her in a blanket of feathers. The warmth of their bodies mingled into one as they shifted around to find a comfortable position to hold each other in.
"Thank you," Rarity said after a few minutes of silence. "I haven't known kindness like this in a very long time."
"Anytime, Rarity. And if you're up for it tomorrow, we can totally see if we can sneak off and have some fun in the storeroom."
"Rainbow Dash!"
"If nothing else, we can commend you for possessing extraordinary strength of will. After observing that scene, all of the admissions staff had to break for fifteen minutes to take a cold shower."
"It's still a little creepy that you were watching us the whole night. Like, I get the thing with the trials, but did you have to go through everything?"
"We needed to know why the events of the Somniorum played out as they did. As such, we watched all of your interactions with Miss Rarity. We noted for this scene that you never once tried to turn her against Nightmare Moon, and in fact praised her for exiling her own sister."
"Rarity didn't needed somepony being preachy at her. She needed a friend to be there for her and make her feel better."
"Once again, I would like to reiterate that we're talking about Nightmare Moon's right-hoof mare, the one in charge of overseeing her reign of terror."
"If you wanted some big bad evil pony without a heart for that, you should have picked someone else."
"The Iudicium Somniorum selects a pony that the subject fears for the role of the High Lady."
"...huh. Well, you might want to rethink that one. Like, power is sexy, right? And if you give a pony who's scary a bunch of power, and that pony turns out to be Rarity, then— whew. Like, I thought she was hot when she went all Boss Lady mode on us during some of her fashion emergencies, but this is a whole other level."
"We hadn't considered that someone would try to seduce the High Lady, and everypony else managed to keep it in their flight suits during the trials."
"Yeah, but again, Rarity."
"...we did not predict the existence of Miss Rarity, it's true. Regardless, I believe we should move on to the third trial."
"Yeah, about that. I've been counting, and I keep coming up with four? Unless one of those just kinda happened by accident."
"No, it's true, the third trial is different. Because the trials are sequential, the way the third trial plays out — and what it tests for — can be different. In your case, the first part of your trial was a test to see if you'd act directly against a tyrant in a premeditated manner, even if that tyrant wore the face of your Princess..."