Two days. Apple Bloom didn't know why she kept track of the time she and Sweetie spent in this cell, but it had been two days. Two days of nothing but the dark, quiet cell, six terrible meals, little sleep, and a lot of tears. She knew it would have been stupid for Scootaloo to try and rescue them, knew it was terrible she wished Scootaloo was here with them. She only wanted to know if Scootaloo was alive right now and not shot down and dead somewhere out there. Multiple hoofsteps were coming down the hall, Apple Bloom guess it was time for breakfast. She wondered what it would be this time, maybe some blue goop today, maybe some pink. Sweetie sturred next to her as the door opened on the other side of their cell. What did they want? Have they reached a city were they'll be tried in court. Oh how she would enjoy that court, with the comm records showing that they fired on their ship without notice, without a proper warning, they wouldn't be here long.
The door to their cell opened, light flooded in blinding Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, a pair of hooves grabbed both of them and dragged them threw the doors, halls, and stairs of the ship. Sweetie Belle tried to figure out where they were taking her and Apple Bloom, but she couldn't keep track or even know what half of the floors were designed for. Finally they stopped at a closed door, while one of the troops raised their hoof to the scanner, Sweetie realized that it was an elevator that they came to. She noticed the guards holding her, they looked sad, depressed. Sweetie wanted to care for them, but after what they did to her ship, and the beaten they gave her and Apple Bloom when they brought them on board, she just couldn't forgive them no matter how sad or depressed they looked. The elevator doors opened and the guards threw her and Apple Bloom in, turned their backs, and walked off as the doors closed. Apple Bloom stood and walked to the doors.
"Ha, ya stupid foals! I knew ya couldn't do anything but let us go! HA!"
"Apple Bloom!"
"Well sorry Sweetie, but you know they can't do nothing to us."
"I know that, but still don't push it! We don't know where we even are yet."
"Don't worry will find out soon enough, then we can find Scootaloo and..."
Apple Bloom sank to the floor, realization finally hitting her. The Crusader was gone. No matter how it was repaired, no matter how much nicer or faster it was, it was still gone. Sweetie put a comferting hoof around her friends shoulder.
"What are we gonna do Sweetie? The Crusader's gone and what chance to we have of finding Scootaloo when we have nothing."
"Don't worry Apple Bloom." Sweetie patted Apple Bloom's back, "We'll figure something out."
The doors of the evelator opened, causing Sweetie and Apple Bloom to roll onto their backs.
"Get up!"
Two imperial troops grabbed and lifted them up to face the Captian of the airship. Light brown fur, brown mane, gray captian uniform. All of that was expected, but what Sweetie didn't expect was the kindness in his eyes.
"Gentlelmen, if you please."
The two guards let go, walked into the elevator, and left them alone with the captian. Sweetie knew something was wrong, no matter what the captain of a ship always had at least two guards with them, always.
"I can see you're a cautious one." The captian spoke to Sweetie as he poured himself a glass of applecider. "Can I offer you gals anything, applecider, water, milk."
Sweetie knew he was trying to play with them, trying to get them into a position he wanted them in.
"No thanks, we're fine."
The captian walked to a bench that overlooked a window. They were heading towards a city, but Sweetie couldn't see what city, they were still to far away.
"What's going to happen." Apple Bloom spoke with a cold tone in her voice.
The captian swirled his applecider. Sweetie could see that he was trying to say something in a nice way.
"I guess that there is no way around this." He drank the rest of his cider, sucked in a breath, and exhaled. "You two were caught on Imperial controled grounds. You were warned to leave and you started to, we were going to let you leave until we scanned your little fighter ship." He drank some cider, turned his head and started and Sweetie and Apple Bloom. "Your fighter ship is the newest model of the v-class fighter ships, given to your airship as a payment from one of your customers. When you got this ship did you notice anything odd about it?"
"Well we don't know. We're not the ones who fly the dang thing."
The Captian put his empty glass down, and walked towards the window staring at the approaching city.
"It contains some sort of signal that we traced when we arrived to Appleloosa. We traced the signal to something flying away towards the south. We were about to give chase when your airship appeared, we gave you the warning to leave, and then we saw your fighter ship, scanned it, and found a similar signal in it."
Apple Bloom stood with shock at what the captian was implying.
"How could you think that we could do that!"
"I knew you couldn't and wouldn't do it, but protocols dictated my actions. Your fighter had a similar signal to the thing that we presume to be the cause of Appleloosa's fall."
Apple Bloom seemed to rage at the captians words. "PROTOCOLS DICTATED YOUR ACTIONS MY ASS! YOU COULD'VE ASKED US FOR BOARDING PERMISSION! YOU COULD'VE EXAMINED OUR FIGHTER!"
"Apple Bloom..."
"Not now Sweetie I'm going to teach this little...."
The elevator door opened, showing four guards standing there, shoulder mounted guns armed and aimed at them.
The captian looked at Apple Bloom with a look of uter apologe. "Your family always did have brash anger issues."
"You're accussing us of attacking a city, or having to do something with its destruction."
"Not me, but Prince BlueBlood. He's ordering that you two be taken to different cities for your trials."
"What?"
"I'm sorry Miss Belle."
"Sorry? Sorry!"
"Miss Bloom please, let me finish. Miss Belle you will be dropped off at New Ponyville, were you will be tried and hopefully returned to your sister."
Sweetie nearly started to cry, returned to her sister, he made it seem like she was just a lost package.
"Miss Bloom, you will be taken to New Canterlot for your trial."
Neither one of them spoke, both stood still from the shock.
"Now I'm sorry," He waved a hoof towards the four guards. "but Miss Bloom you will be taken back down."
"Like hell I will!"
Apple Bloom kicked one of the guards in the chest, throwing him back hitting the elevator door. The three other guards fired their SG's. Each magical enhanced crystal shot acting like an electric charge, sending Apple Bloom into a state of fidgets. Two guards grabbed Sweetie before she could react, dragging her to the elevator.