Sweet Sauce knew how difficult his life was about to become.
Even in the perfect world where Princess Celestia accepted his return and forgave all crimes, things would never be the same in Equestria again.
But Sweet Sauce had a realistic idea about how likely that outcome was. The oldest sibling had always been a pony with extremely rigid views. Evidently that attitude had come up against more than just Sweet since his banishment.
He was even prepared for anger—Celestia had been furious enough to banish him once, after all. Maybe that same anger would rise again. At least that way he could die knowing he had come as far as he could, and never tried to conceal the truth. He was no covert spy here to seduce and subvert Equestria. Let him own the consequences of his actions, and the pain he had caused.
But what he wasn't prepared for was bewilderment. Princess Celestia stared back, her plate of food untouched. Sweet stared, searching for any crack in her mask. But he saw nothing.
It felt like forever, but it had probably been only a heartbeat. Celestia's hesitation faded, and she sat up in her seat, grinning politely at him. "I'm afraid you must be lost, little colt. The foals party is outside. You should go down the stairs there, and back out. I know you'll find something fun to do."
With Celestia's own confusion gone, the ponies around her sprang into action. Guards appeared from nowhere, but they couldn't just sprint up the ramp and tackle him. That would make a scene in front of these important ponies.
If there was one thing he could count on Celestia to value above all else, it was keeping up appearance. He could use that to his advantage.
As far as everypony else is concerned, I'm a lost foal. I'm an embarrassment to her event, and she can't do anything to me without the whole country talking about it with the morning paper.
Instead of backing away, he hopped up onto the platform, then took one of the chairs in his mouth. It squeaked and ground loudly as he dragged it, but its size did not deter him. Even a throne built for another Alicorn was light enough for earth pony strength to handle. Let nopony say he didn't use the pitiful magic life gave him.
Besides, he wasn’t the only distraction. There were half a dozen guards gathered near the entrance, all packed into a circle. He couldn't overhear what they said, or else risk taking his focus off Celestia. But being gathered over there meant there were only a few left to bother him.
So long as he was careful not to get too close, they wouldn't be able to grab him. He could keep this going as long as it took to get his answer.
"I know you might not recognize me," he said. "I'm Tellus Mergen. I know I wasn't much of a younger brother. I deserve what you did to me, banishment to that awful place. Even the realm beneath, without magic or soul, was not enough suffering for what I did. If you think my sentence is not yet served, I'm here to face justice."
He hopped up onto the chair, to gasps from the already staring crowd. This conversation was dramatic enough that even the ponies outside were starting to react. He couldn't hear Vinyl's thumping bass through the walls, or the cheers of the younger ponies, celebrating the night in a more authentic way.
Sweet saw her twitch, in the instant he mentioned his true name. But it was so subtle that even Sweet couldn't be sure of what he'd seen. Her expression had lasted for so short an instant that he couldn't get a good look.
She stood up, dramatically enough that ponies all around the stage fell silent again, watching her. "I am sorry, young colt. You look so determined, and you have come all this way. But you are lost, and confused. Whatever names you think you know, you should forget them."
Her horn flickered gold, for a period so brief that he'd barely even seen it. He had no doubt the other creatures around the room hadn't. But he felt no spell. Even in his weakened state, Sweet would've known if he was targeted by something. His diminished powers did not translate to diminished wits.
"You don't want to punish me?" he asked, dumbfounded. "I'm glad if that's the case. I think I learned a lot during my banishment. I'll keep my head down, I won't ask for help with dangerous experimental magic. I won't put others at risk."
Celestia turned her back on him. She gestured with her wings, and at once the two hesitating guards rushed to meet him by the chair.
Neither touched him. They had no weapons drawn, just stood menacing in their fine armor. But if he tried to escape, he had no doubt those hooves would tackle him to the ground. He would not be getting away from this. Though what the princess would do with him after this was over...
At least he hadn't picked the Summer Sun Celebration for his dramatic return. She might've just barbequed him right there in front of everyone.
"I would like to know what this foal is doing here," she said. Sweet instantly recognized that tone, and knew that he had lost. She sounded like a slightly perturbed mother, one whose disappointment grew in him and everypony else present. It was the voice of a pony who had already made up their mind.
"Who is responsible for this?"
Sweet prepared to scream—one last demonstration, something that would make it to the front page of the newspaper. If Celestia wouldn’t acknowledge his return, maybe the crowd would force her into it. Even pressuring him to go to prison would be something.
Tellus Mergen would've acted without hesitation. But Sweet Sauce was so much smaller than all these creatures. Celestia loomed over him in stature and magical power, and there were guards to either side. He hesitated.
The crowd parted at her words. Creatures stopped dancing, backing away to clear a path to the entrance. Even some of the guards stepped aside, revealing two little ponies. Pipsqueak and Dinky Doo, looking terrified.
What the buck are you two doing here? Sweet's shouted display died on his lips, unspoken. He whimpered instead, not loud enough for anyone further than Celesta to hear. "How can you not remember? You sent me there, big sister. I couldn't stay away forever—I would rather be banished to Tartarus. At least that way I could see the ponies who came to visit."
He started to cry, distorting whatever he said next. This was as far as he could possibly come, the end of all roads. It still wasn't enough. Wasn't coming here the right thing to do? I spent my whole life escaping the consequences. The one time I try to face them directly, and Celestia refuses to even look at me.
"It appears the nature of this venue has changed without my knowledge," the sun princess continued. "See that these foals find their way back to their parents. Make whatever further alterations to the door policy are required for uninvited guests not to get themselves lost, please."
Sweet felt a pair of hooves grip him by the shoulders, lifting him out of the room and carrying him through the crowd like a sack of grain. He didn't resist, or try to get away. There was nothing more for him to say here.
Sweet Sauce had come to an end, begging for justice or forgiveness for Tellus Mergenw. Celestia refused to give it. Where did that leave him now?
The punchline of jokes among the wealthy ponies in attendance here tonight. He saw them whisper and point, and knew this very moment would be discussed at dinner parties and fine meals for months to come.
At least it was probably Princess Celestia who would receive the mockery here. Watching the princess of the sun get completely flustered by children arriving would have amused him too, under other circumstances.
They brought him out the door, but not the way he'd come in. The rest of the castle was roped off tonight, even to the wealthy guests. The guards carried him past it, with several others walking ahead.
Eventually they reached a small lounge, with comfortable sofas on either side and an empty tea table in the center. The wood was as fine as anything Sweet had seen in his old home, without succumbing to rot. There was gold inlay here, and fine tapestries on the walls.
But he would not be welcome here, probably ever again.
The other guards arrived through the open door, depositing two other little ponies on the couch. Pipsqueak and Dinky Doo, though he had already guessed who it would be.
Both looked overcome with terror—even worse than they looked in the Everfree forest, facing down monsters that wanted them dead.
Both collapsed onto the couch, practically melting before his eyes. The guards retreated, or at least most of them did. One of the door-guards lingered by the entrance, eyeing them with barely-restrained anger. "We will find your parents. Don't try to leave."
He pulled the door shut, and it clicked locked.
Sweet Sauce lay exactly where he had been deposited, a barely distinguishable lump atop the cushions. He closed his eyes, wishing he could melt away into the couch and vanish completely from sight.
What was he supposed to do now? His ultimate goal—reaching Canterlot, forcing a confrontation with the princess—had come and gone. Celestia's punishment was worse than a simple execution, she had erased him completely. Even from her own memory.
There was nothing left to aspire to. There was no more reason for him to plot to escape, no secret meetings to have, no way to force the authorities of Equestria to listen to him.
One by one they had rejected his story, all the way to the top. Now even his older sister refused to acknowledge he existed. Why would you pretend? I know you remember me. You couldn't forget that name.
What could a pony do when they finally reached the end of every desperate plan, and they were worse off than when they started?
Cry, mostly. Cry alone on the couch, wishing for a world that still made sense. The hell of his banishment had been cruel, but at least everything made a twisted sense. Generally a selfish, uncaring kind of sense, where everyone had to fight for their own survival, or else drown.
I spent all those years imagining how Equestria would be different, but maybe I was wrong. Maybe the place I imagined only existed in my memory.
He wasn't sure how long he lay there—time had never mattered much to Sweet, and it mattered less now. But something jostled the cushions beside him, enough to make him look up.
Dinky Doo stood there, head tilted to the side. She watched him with compassion, and more than a little concern. "Are you... alright?"
He sniffed, wiped his eyes on the fine pillow behind him. If he was lucky, he would leave a stain. "Not really."
She sat down beside him, but didn't try to get closer. "We were worried about you. Got lost in the maze, but didn't know where you would've gone."
"That part's not quite true," said another familiar voice, from ground level. "I knew where he'd go. Week after week, what's he always say? He's gonna meet the princess, get the truth. He's gonna get banished to the moon or thrown into Tartarus or made into a statue or..."
Pipsqueak rolled his eyes. "Are they gonna do those things to us?"
"No," he said, voice flat. "The princess... acted like we'd never even met. Like I was just a lost little pony who wandered somewhere he didn't belong. My family doesn't care about me anymore. They want to forget I was ever born."