She knew it had been coming for a long time but there was no possible way she could ever prepare for it. Of all the time she had spent locked away and all the times she wished it would come sooner; it had to be today, at this very moment, that the guard came to take her. The point when she finally snapped and was about to be free, it was once again taken from her.
The purple bubble that surrounded her drifted through the elaborate labyrinth of hallways, followed closely behind by the royal guard. An unimaginable amount of eyes watched her from behind the square panes of glass as she passed. She had no idea that the place was so large, that so many ponies had been locked away just like her.
The dank corridors continued on for what seemed forever – at least she wished they would continue on forever. The faded white doors on either side blurred past until they eventually came to the end and she was roughly flung into the back of the wagon outside. She stared out through the metal bars as the cart creaked to life and rattled through the peaceful streets of Canterlot. It was a dark, overcast day that she looked out upon, but it was still enough to lighten her spirit. She was finally outside. She could finally see the natural light of the sun. She could finally feel the ethereal breeze through her mane. She had made it. If nothing else, she was free in her mind once more.
Ponies of all types began to gather in the streets to watch the wagon wobble past. Many wore sad, downcast looks as they saw the repulsive figure staring desperately out at them. Some couldn’t even stand the site of the pegasus and promptly went back inside. Others shook their hooves defiantly in the air and still others raised their hooves in triumph. The platoon of royal guards showed no emotion as they continued to lead their prisoner forward.
Eventually the wagon slowed to a stop before the impossibly high walls of the royal palace. One of the guards threw open the wagon doors and grabbed Rainbow Dash with his magic. Cheers rang out as he dragged her through the dirt like an animal towards the eccentric white and gold doors. She didn’t resist as the mud and grime built up around her coat and clods of dirt stung her eyes.
“Traitor!”
She flinched as a glob of spit landed below her eye from one of the guards lined up on either side of her. Soon a chorus of insults and threats rang out all around her and by the time she got to the palace her entire face was coated with a thick layer of saliva. Her body screeched against the cold marble floors, a long brown streak of mud revealing the straight path where she had been dragged across the courtyard to rest before the hooves of the princesses.
“Kneel.” The guard ordered.
Rainbow Dash choked on the dust in her lungs before shakily doing what she was told.
*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*
“Get out.”
The white unicorn turned to Spike uncertainly before stepping out of the wagon with the guard.
“It’ll be okay.” He tried to sound reassuring but the mare knew he was lying.
Spike followed her out with the signal of the guard and couldn’t help but gasp as he saw the lines of ponies watching them. Every one of them was silent as the two captives marched past them through the streets towards the royal palace. Whispers broke out behind them but Spike couldn’t make out what any of them were saying. Rarity had seemed to finally accept her fate just as he had. She walked with her head down beside him, her mane and tail dragging through the dirt.
The royal palace had once been a beautiful shining symbol of a utopian society, but no longer. The platoon of guards around them led what was left of the resistance. Any hope of freedom would die with them.
The glorious white of the castle walls stung their eyes until they had to squint just to see where they were going. Suddenly the guards stopped. They all remained stoic as they awaited the massive pearly gates to open. A thunderous boom echoed through Canterlot as they finally began to swivel. Spike dreaded every second.
“Kneel.” One of the guards ordered.
Rarity and Spike both did as they were told, devastated at the condition of the chromatic pegasus beside them.
*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*
“You stand before us as rebels, sought to rattle and shake the foundations of our way of life until nothing remains. We will not stand for this. We have brought peace and prosperity to a land that has only known struggle and hardship. What do you have to say for yourself?”
“You have brought struggle and hardship to a land that only knew prosperity and peace!” Spike stood up pointing an accusing clawed finger at the silver-maned princess. “You have perverted the ways of Princesses Luna and Celestia and every living creature in Equestria has suffered because of it!”
“Mind your tongue.” One of the guards snarled pushing the dragon back down to his knees.
“It hasn’t been easy reconstructing a broken society, and it’s only made harder by the meddling of you and your rebellious cohorts.” Twilight picked up. “My sister and I rose to power not long after the passing of the old alicorn sisters. We sacrificed everything in order to help Equestria grow as a nation. We even offered our most loyal subjects and friends a place by our side. Why is it that you feel so inclined to bring us down?”
“Because you stood idly by while thousands died!” Rarity spat. “Wars, famine, plague – they all broke out while you sat up in your palace doing nothing. Equestria is still a broken state and you somehow are able to justify it. You’re more concerned with a petty rebel group then you are the lives of everypony!”
“You rebels are the cause of everything bad in Equestria! If it weren’t for you everypony would be flourishing and not afraid to step outside the walls of Canterlot!” Trixie shouted, slamming a defiant hoof down on the marble floor with an ear-shattering crack.
“Don’t blame this on us!” Spike jumped up again. “Ponies are afraid to leave Canterlot because you ordered every guard to return to the palace before constructing the giant white walls around the city! Anypony who steps outside is instantly banished, never to return.”
Twilight sighed. “I tried to give you all a chance, I really did. After the passing of Fluttershy it was obvious that I had let the power go to my head. I offered you all jobs in the royal palace, Pinkie Pie and Applejack both graciously accepted the positions of personal cooks for my sister and I, but there was no getting through to the rest of you. I was hoping that a short stay in the institution would sway your hearts towards my endeavor. I see Rainbow Dash hasn’t spoken out against us yet. Perhaps it worked.”
“You’re sick.” The pegasus breathed dangerously.
“We will never forgive you for what you did to Fluttershy!” Rarity snapped.
“Examples had to be made.” Trixie replied coldly.
“I see there is no further use in arguing with you.” Twilight continued. “As you all must very well know at this point, attempting to overthrow the matriarchs is one of the most heinous of crimes in Equestria and it will not go unpunished. But seeing as you already lost your friend I am willing to free you of your vain mortal struggles.”
The two mares and dragon kneeling before the princesses looked up with astonishment. They were all speechless as the alicorns turned to leave.
“Execute them.” Twilight murmured to one of the guards as she was turning away.
Screams of fear and panic rang out behind the sisters as they heard the three friends being dragged away by the guards.
“You’ve done a terrible thing, Twilight Sparkle.” The voice in her head sounded familiar.
She looked to Trixie uncertainly and for the first time her sister looked back at her with the same feeling of doubt.
Somewhere out in the royal courtyard the distorted figure of her idol smiled with lips of stone.