The window showed a starry, tranquil night sky. A pony's head appeared, mostly covered by a black mask and close-fitting black hat. The pony's head moved in a large circle, making a scraping sound. The head dropped back down, and a hoof gently tapped the glass. A circle of glass fell to the outside of the window, caught by something unseen below.
"Leave nopony behind," the darkness-shrouded pony whispered. The pony seemed to be listening for an answer, but heard nothing.
The pony reached through the space where glass had been and opened the window, climbing indoors.
"This looks like a guest bedroom for children," the pony whispered, "But I don't see anypony. Where are you, my darling?"
"My dearest? My sugar lump? My little Scrawny Flanks? That nasty Twilight Sparkle has been giving me the runaround, but she can't keep us apart. It's time to come home."
The pony looked around the room again. "What does the princess keep in here? Is this a dollhouse?" She peered through a dollhouse window. "Does the princess play with dolls?"
Something inside the dollhouse made a small sound.
"What was that?" the masked pony asked. She opened one of the dollhouse's doors and reached a hoof inside. She felt around.
Something flew out the dollhouse's back door. Startled, the masked pony leaped backward with her hoof still inside the dollhouse, which for the moment was stuck on her hoof.
"Buck this," the masked pony said, her other hoof tapping a lamp to turn on the light. In one corner of the room, near the ceiling, hovered a tiny pony like a miniature alicorn.
"How delightful," the masked pony said. "What are you? I don't know what you are, but you must be good for something. I'm taking you with me."
"You can't make me!" the little flying pony said. "You're not a good mommy!"
"What?" the masked pony said. "Scrawny Flanks, is that you?
"Honey, dearest, stop acting up and tell me where the good stuff is hidden in this castle. I've taught you well enough. Even if you're as stupid as you look, you still have no excuse."
The tiny pony just gave her mother a stubborn, angry look.
"Unless you're trying to hold out on me. Scrawny Flanks, as ugly and sickly as you are, nopony will ever love you the way I love you."
"No!" the miniature pony said. "They'll love me better. They'll love me for real. Not like you."
The masked pony got down on her rear knees. "Oh, they say they love you. But they're lying. They'll use you and then they'll leave you. Just like what happened to me. You've known me all your life and I'm the only pony who's never abandoned you. I'm the only pony you can trust. I've taken care of you your whole life and I'll never stop."
The little hovering pony whimpered. "That's...what I'm afraid of."
"I know, dearest. You're right to be afraid. Because they WILL abandon you, and leave you all alone. That's how they are."
"No, I'm afraid you'll take care of me my whole life, and you'll never stop."
The masked pony stood up on her hind legs. "Why you...ungrateful brat! How dare you talk like that to me?" She waved her dollhouse-covered hoof in the air, leaping towards the corner. "I'll show you to be ungrateful!" She slammed the dollhouse against the wall near the tiny flying pony, who dodged just in time.
The masked pony slammed the dollhouse against the wall again. "What is WITH this dollhouse anyway? Why doesn't it come OFF?"
A door opened, and the Mane 6 walked into the room. Twilight shouted, "That isn't just a dollhouse! It is a DOLLHOUSE OF JUSTICE!"
Spike followed her, rubbing his eyes. "Twi, are you sure you want to stick with that name? It sounds kind of silly."
"Yes," Twilight said, "I do want to stick with that name. Because it's about time for Equestrian criminal law to develop some nuance and subtlety!"
"Yup," Spike said, "Nothing says nuance like DOLLHOUSE OF JUSTICE."
"Oh hush, Spike," Rarity said. "I know it sounds ridiculous, but she has to start somewhere."
The masked pony bashed the dollhouse against the wall repeatedly. "Why won't it break? Why won't it at least come off?"
"Historically," Twilight said, "Equestrian criminal law has had two modes. Drastic, when we put somepony into Tartarus, or turn them into a stone statue for a thousand years. Or absurdly lax, when we catch con artists like Flim and Flam, and we just let them go so they can try to ruin the next town over."
"You can't get away with this!" Bridlewhinny shouted. "I KNOW IMPORTANT PONIES. I'm the head of two highly respected Equestria-wide organizations! I can get whatever I want, whenever I want it!"
"Ha," Spike said. "Try getting that enchanted dollhouse off your hoof."
"Did you say...enchanted?" Bridlewhinny said. "I can make it worth your while to take it off me."
"I don't know what you could offer me that would be worth more than my self-respect," Twilight remarked.
"I could offer you...something you seem to want very much. My daughter."
Several ponies gasped.
Twilight stood up on her hind legs and crossed her forelegs. "You seem to assume that you HAVE a daughter."
"Oh? Don't I? Why are you keeping her locked up in this castle, if you don't want her?"
"It seems to me, "Twilight said, "this is a surprisingly complicated subject. Can you prove that the little winged, unicorn-horned pony flying around this room IS your daughter?"
"She called me 'mommy' already once tonight. I assume she can be persuaded to do it again. Even in court."
Pinkie Pie stepped forward, and pressed a forehoof against one side of her muzzle. A tiny, tinny voice said, "You can't make me! You're not a good mommy!"
"Technically," Twilight said, "she did not call you HER mommy, she just said you weren't a good mommy. Which is a perfectly legitimate opinion."
"We'll see what the court says about that," Bridlewhinny said smugly.