The sunshine leaking through the windows and cloudless sky did not match the mood of the ponies inside the Zephyr Heights castle. The tension was palpable. You could cut it with a knife. And it was all about to come to a head.
Inside the throne room, Queen Haven sat on her throne with Phyllis Cloverleaf and Alphabittle to her right, Zoom to her left. In front of her stood six ponies: Flurry Heart, Zipp Storm, Pipp Petals, Izzy Moonbow, Sprout, and Hitch Trailblazer. They all wore identical expressions of anxiety and fear.
“So tell me one more time,” Haven said, standing up and rubbing her head, “what exactly happened?”
Hitch, Sprout, and Zipp groaned. Flurry stepped forward, the calmest of the group, and said, “Sunny was helping me set up stained glass windows, but she was acting a little… different. She seemed to zone out, as if she wasn’t really there, and I went to get everypony else. Then… it was as if Sunny disappeared. She was there, but it wasn’t… her. She would never have said those things, never have acted like that.” The alicorn lowered her head. “She ran off, and we followed her to the airstation, but when we got outside, she had disappeared.”
Haven turned to Alphabittle, who looked sullen and depressed. “And you say that…”
The large gray unicorn sighed. “We were watching the Tree, just as you asked, and then Sunny came out of the tunnel. These three creatures emerged from the shadows, and she walked up to them as if she were working with them. She gave them a bell, and then we tried to stop them, but it was like they threatened to hurt her if we got any closer. So… we let them go.” He bowed his head shamefully.
“Your Majesty,” Izzy said, stepping forward. “What if Sunny wasn’t acting in her own mind? What if somepony else was controlling her?”
“Is that possible?” Phyllis asked, looking at Flurry, who nodded.
“Mind control is a very advanced kind of magic, one I don’t see anypony from this time doing anytime soon. But these creatures aren’t from this time. It is possible that they were using Sunny in some way-”
“This doesn’t change the fact that she walked away,” Zoom interrupted, “to our worst enemies, no less!” She sighed and addressed the six ponies on the throne room floor. “Look, I don’t want to think that Sunny did anything wrong anymore than you do, but this is serious. We don’t know what she could be doing with them, mind controlled or not. If anypony sees her again, we won’t know if she can be trusted. We have to take action.”
Zipp, Pipp, Flurry, Hitch, and Sprout all started yelling at Zoom, though Izzy surprisingly remained quiet. Haven held up her hoof, and they all fell silent.
“I am sorry,” she said, “but Zoom is right. We can’t know if Sunny really is Sunny anymore, and this could wind up being a matter of national security.” She bowed her head, hating what she had to say. “I hereby decree that Sunny Starscout is charged with treason.”
“What? You can’t do that!” Hitch shouted.
“She did nothing wrong!” Sprout protested.
“Sunny is not a traitor!” Zipp snapped angrily.
“You can’t arrest her!” Pipp wailed.
“Please, Your Highness, if you would just reconsider-” Flurry started, but the queen held up a hoof, and they all reluctantly quieted down again.
“I don’t like it,” Haven said miserably, “but it is what must be done. Zoom, I want notices posted in the city. Say that I’m going to publicly address everypony later today. I expect that there will be a lot of ponies with questions.”
“Starting with us,” Sprout interrupted heatedly, ignoring a warning look from his mother. “How can you charge Sunny with treason?”
“By law, betraying your land qualifies as treason,” Haven explained with a heavy heart. “And Sunny walked into an enemies open wings-”
“It wasn’t of free will!” the red earth pony snarled. “Sunny wasn’t being Sunny!”
“She also saved everypony from going to war on multiple occasions,” Zipp joined in, stepping up next to Sprout. “Doesn’t that qualify her for a pardon or a less severe sentence or something?”
“That’s not how it works,” Pipp whispered, and Zipp wheeled around to face her.
“Well, fine, if you want our friend arrested!” she snapped, her wings flaring, and Pipp immediately backed down.
“Your sister is right, Zipp,” Haven said. “But we can bring her in for a trial. However, I’m afraid that the only evidence that will present itself will point to her being guilty.”
“But she wasn’t herself!” Hitch said.
“I believe you,” Haven interjected before the others could start protesting again. “But it doesn’t matter whether or not I do. By law, the accused must be brought in for a trial. If you can find real evidence other than your stories - because that is the only thing Sunny has in her defense: testimonies of other ponies - then there may be a chance that she may be found innocent.” The queen sighed. “But that would mean…” She looked Zipp in the eye. “You know what it would mean.”
The pegasus bowed her head and nodded. The other ponies gave her a strange look.
“What?” Pipp asked, preparing for the worst.
Zipp sighed. “It would mean… By helping a traitor, we ourselves would be considered in the same league as said traitor and be charged with treason, too.”
Pipp gaped. “But… but we’re princesses,” she spluttered. “Doesn’t that - can’t we-”
Her older sister snorted. “There was a warrent for our arrest a little more than a month ago,” she said, glaring at her sister, “twice. Just because you’re a royal doesn’t mean you’re excused from every aspect of the law.” Pipp winced at the unpleasant memory and decided to focus on the fascinating patterns of the throne room floor.
“I’ll do it,” Sprout said, stepping forward with a defiant look in his eyes. “Sunny’s my friend. I’m not going to leave her in such a state, no matter what your law says.” He lifted his head and fixed Queen Haven with a stern look.
“Me, too,” Hitch chimed in.
“Same here,” Zipp added, tossing her head and rustling her wings. Her sister and Flurry nodded in unison. The five ponies all turned to Izzy, who bit her lip.
“Guys… maybe we should…” the unicorn started, but Hitch butted in.
“Sunny’s your best friend!” he exclaimed, and Izzy winced. “Of all the ponies who would ever leave her hanging, you are among the least likely to do it!”
“Izzy, are you sure that you’re not being mentally invaded by an evil force?” Zipp asked.
“It’s not that,” she assured them. “But… doing this would mean we’re charged with treason, so… I mean, would Sunny really want us to do it?”
“What has gotten into you?” Pipp asked as they surrounded the unicorn, who played her last card.
“Sunny told me that if - when - things went south, she wanted us to stay safe and out of it - she made me promise that I would keep you guys from going after her!” Her voice quieted to a whisper. “I didn’t want to. I want to help Sunny just as much as you guys, but she made me promise.”
“Izzy…” Pipp walked forward and put her wing around the unicorn. “Why didn’t you tell us?”
She sniffed. “Sunny didn’t want me to. She told me about how she was feeling strange and getting strange thoughts in her head, but she didn’t want me to tell you guys because she thought it would put you in danger, and she didn’t want that.”
“See?” Hitch exploded, waving his hoof at Izzy and glaring at Haven. “See? Sunny knew something wasn’t right - she knew something was in her head! Isn’t that enough?”
“What more do you need, a signed confession from whoever was doing it?” Sprout added.
“That actually isn’t a bad idea,” Alphabittle muttered under his breath, and Phyllis shoved him, though as he was so big, this had about the same effect as a playful nudge.
“You don’t know what you’re getting into,” Haven began, but Flurry stepped forward.
“With all due respect, Your Majesty, we rarely ever do,” she said. “My aunt had no idea what she was getting into when she arrived in Ponyville for the first time. Sunny didn’t know what she was getting into by going on a quest to retrieve magic crystals that may or may not bring back magic. I think we can improvise.”
“I don’t care if the whole world’s hunting us down,” Hitch declared heatedly in a final tone. “I am going to find my friend and I am going to prove to all of you that she’s innocent.” He whirled around to face the others. “Who’s with me?”
Everypony raised their hooves, matching determined looks on their faces, and Zipp led the way out of the throne room.
“Sprout,” Phyllis called, running down to catch her son by the arm before he left. “Wait. Are you sure… all of this is really a good idea? Maybe you should let the others handle this. They have saved the world, after all,” she added with a weak chuckle.
“I’m going after Sunny,” he told her, gently pulling his hoof away. “Look, we’re all here because - I can’t shake the feeling that it’s my fault. And I owe it to Sunny.”
“But the treason…”
“It’ll be fine,” he assured her. “We’ll figure it out.” He pulled his mother into a hug before hurrying to catch up with his friends.
“Are you sure about this?” Alphabittle asked Haven up by the throne after the queen dismissed Zoom to inform her troops of recent events. “Maybe you could search for a loophole or something? I mean, it’s Sunny Starscout - there has to be some kind of exception, right?”
Haven sighed and shook her head. “I wish there were…” Her head suddenly snapped up. “Actually, there might be… But for now, the law stands. I wish it could be any other way.”
“But what do we do?” Phyllis asked by the door, staring after her son. “I can’t let him - them - go into danger like this while I sit back and do nothing.” She looked down at her hooves, wishing that there was a way she could help.
The queen stood and spread her wings. She, too, glanced at the door and visualized the ponies who had just left through it. Deep down inside, despite the dire consequences they would have to face, she was glad that Sunny had such devoted friends who would go to the ends of the earth to help her. If the loophole she thought was there was really there, then they all might have a chance of getting out of this.
“There may be loopholes in the law,” she decided. “I will look through it and see if I can find anything. In the meantime, the threat of these three villains still looms, as well as new efforts to search for Sunny Starscout.” She turned to Alphabittle. “I imagine Sunny’s friends will have her search covered, but I will need you to take a team of ponies - earth ponies, pegasi, unicorns, anypony - for the legal side of things.” The large gray unicorn nodded and stepped off the dias, trotting over to the door. Haven then turned to Phyllis. “I understand that, before magic returned, you had a factory that created defense mechanisms.” The earth pony mare lowered her head shamefully, hoping they wouldn’t have to bring up who Canterlogic had been originally created to defend against. “Do you think it’s possible to develop something that would work against these creatures?”
The founder of Canterlogic thought about it. “I suppose we could try,” she decided. “This kind of magic, though, I’m not sure technology will be enough to stop.”
“At least attempt it,” Haven agreed, and Phyllis nodded before exiting the room after Alphabittle. The queen of Zephyr Heights took a deep breath and turned to look at one of the many stained glass windows now displayed in the throne room. “I hope I’m doing enough,” she whispered. “I hope they have what it takes.”