It’s a cloudy, overcast day in the grand city of Canterlot. To the citizenry, it’s a day just like every other, a day for peace, prosperity, and productivity. Pegasi flit about with each other, nobles enjoy leisurely strolls to their personal favorite cafes, students practice magic in the field in front of their school. Indeed, it’s a regular day, just like any other, with barely a single notice given to the slight increase in guard activity.
To the young mare trotting through the halls of Canterlot Palace, it is anything but. The youthful Pegasus, Sweet Dreams, an energetic little thing with a dark color scheme, wearing a bright yellow robe, trots rapidly down the halls, towards a personal meeting room. Often, she looks down at a piece of paper in her wings, a personal summons from Princess Celestia, and frets over why it was given to her. As she trots, she pauses, looking over to a skewed painting, and straightening it, before trotting on.
Celestia sits in a dark meeting room, floating up some tea to take a sip, as the door is slowly opened. Sweet Dreams pokes her head in, blinking upon seeing the Princess, “Y-you wanted me, P-Princess?”
Celestia smiles serenely, and nods, “Please, Sweet Dreams, come in, and take a seat. Oh, and close the door behind you, if you would.”
She nervously trots in, slowly closing the door behind her, anxiously sitting down, tapping her hooves tensely, “I-I’m here, P-Princess.”
Celestia smiles more, “There is no need to be nervous, Sweet Dreams. You are not in trouble.”
The mare lets out a long breath, and nods, “Understood, Princess. May I ask why I am here?”
Celestia grins slightly, “You may.”
Sweet Dreams blinks after a second, “Umm… why am I here?”
Celestia looks at her, and smiles, “I just have some questions, Agent Sweet. I have heard some news about the dreams of Zebras…”
Sweet blinks, and draws back a bit, “W-well, Princess, you see-“
Celestia smiles more, “I don’t see, actually. I’m afraid I looked into the sun when I was a filly. I’ve been secretly blind this entire time, surprise.”
Sweet pauses for a second, “Umm… okay, Princess. You see, about the Zebras-“
Celestia leans forward, until her muzzle almost touches Sweet’s, looking into her eyes, “Do you know what happens when you look into the sun, Agent Sweet?”
She draws further back, until she’s almost leaning off the chair, “U-umm, you look away?”
Celestia smiles softly, “No, Agent Sweet. You go blind. Do you know why that is?”
“I-it, umm… melts your eyes?”
Celestia grins, “No. No, Agent Sweet, that is far too foalish an answer. The sun, Agent Sweet, is all-seeing, you see, it sees, what all see, from sea to shining sea, it will see when you get a ‘C’, it will see. When you look into the sun, Agent Sweet, it steals what you see, it becomes your eyes, all you will ever see, you see?”
Sweet slowly blinks, “Are you… feeling well, Princess?”
Celestia smiles, “No, Agent Sweet, I am not. I am a very patient pony, as all would know. Infinite in beauty, patience, radiance, and yes, Agent Sweet, in knowledge. But there is one thing I am not, Agent Sweet. I am not forgiving to liars.”
Sweet shakes her head rapidly, “P-Princess, I haven’t lied to-“
“You were going to.” In a flash of magic, Celestia moves the table between the two aside, standing up, still smiling as she trots closer to Sweet, “Let me guess. You were given an order by a higher-up to not cover your area? Perhaps you did cover your area, and Agent Astral is just lying? Or was it that you are sorry?”
Sweet falls backwards out of her chair, standing up and backing away from Celestia, “P-please, Princess, you’re acting-“
Celestia trots closer, Sweet backing up until she’s against a wall, “Insane? Irrationally? Out of rage? If you believe this is me being either of those three, Agent Sweet, you would not want to see me when I actually am.”
Sweet’s eyes begin to water up as she looks at Celestia, “P-Princess… I’m sorry! I was lazy and I didn’t cover my-“
Celestia smiles, “Liar. You are not a lazy pony, Agent Sweet, I know that. And you aren’t sorry.”
She shakes her head rapidly, “But I am, Princess! I am sorry!”
Celestia’s smile becomes softer, “Do not dare to utter another lie in my presence, Agent Sweet. You will tell me why, now.”
Sweet looks around rapidly, “P-Princess, please!” Then, in a flash of motion, she reaches into her robes, drawing out a dagger, slashing it at Celestia’s face. The steel blade scrapes against the Princess’ flesh, sinking in a single inch, before the blade itself breaks. The dagger shatters into a hundred bits from the strength of Celestia’s skin, falling to the ground in tiny fragments, the handle hitting the ground with a bang as Sweet drops it.
Celestia blinks, slowly reaching a hoof up to her cheek, patting the tiny amount of blood there, before the cut disappears. She looks at the blood on her hoof, her smile gone, “You have made a mistake, Sweet.”
Sweet stammers as Celestia takes a few steps back, “P-P-Princess…”
With her horn lighting up, Sweet is surrounded by a field of golden magic, floated away from the wall, and up into the air. Celestia trots in front of her, looking over with a glance, “I wish you would have just told me, Agent Sweet. But now I must punish you.”
Sweet shakes her head rapidly, “Princess, no, please, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean-“ With a flash of magic, a zipper appears over her mouth, zipping shut, ensuring nothing but mumbles can escape her. Then, slowly, the golden magic aura gathers around her wings, stretching them to either side.
Celestia trots back over to her chair, “I believe you’ll be called, hmm, Persistent Smile. Yes, that sounds like a perfect name. A worker in Hoofington who just came from Fillydelphia. A lovely earth pony.” She looks at Sweet, smiling peacefully, “Won’t you like that, Agent Sweet, to be an earth pony?”
Sweet blinks, before her eyes widen. She rapidly shakes her head, beginning to tremble and cry, not able to do anything but mutter. Celestia’s magic strengthens more around her wings, before then pulling either way. It takes just a second for the two limbs to come off, splattering blood across the room as Sweet cries harder.
Celestia smiles more, cauterizing the wounds and evaporating the blood with a single flash of solar magic. She then floats the wings over to her, turning them to ash with yet another burst of magic, “There. That wasn’t that bad. And don’t worry, Smile, you won’t remember this. In fact, you won’t remember anything.” She trots up to Sweet, putting her horn on her chest, sending a pulse of magic into her.
Slowly, Sweet begins to change. Her coat becomes a bright yellow, and her mane a bright orange, as the stumps of her wings disappear entirely. Inside, she relives all of her life’s memories in a single instant. Her parents, her first day at Flight School, blood dripping from a knife as she stands above the corpse of a bully, meeting the Princess, being hired to be a Dream Agent. In but a second, her memories leave her, being replaced by false facsimiles of a life never lived. Daughter to the happiest factory workers in Fillydelphia, president of the Princess Celestia fan club, gaining her cutie mark by cheering up a crying filly.
Slowly, Persistent Smile is lowered down to the ground, her happy eyes opening as she looks at the Princess. She smiles, “Your majesty.”
Celestia smiles back, “Persistent Smile. Your permit for ownership has been approved by my very hoof. Congratulations on your founding of the Clip Clop Clinic on Fifteenth Street, Hoofington. Here, I’ll accompany you to the train station, and see you off.”
Smile smiles widely, “Thank you, Princess!”
Celestia chuckles lightly, trotting out of the room, “Come on, Smile, the day won’t last forever.”