Twilight got up from her desk, which was covered in crayons and paper, and exited her small room. Moving into a gray stone corridor, she set off towards a door further down. The florescent lights flickered continuously, casting eerie shadows around Twilight in the windowless hallway. It did not take long to reach the room adjacent her own.
Selecting from a ring of keys around her neck, Twilight fitted one with “Fluttershy” etched into it inside the keyhole. Then with a deft flick of her hoof she twisted the key and unlatched it from her keychain before reaching for the door handle. She pulled at the large steel door and it began to slowly move outwards. Huffing and panting she continued to pull until the door was open wide enough for her to step inside.
Upon entering the room she found Fluttershy herself laying in the corner of a stone walled room. She was softly cooing into the large cracks at the base of the floor but as Twilight clattered in she sat up and turned around.
“Oh hey, Twilight,” she murmured.
“Hello!” Twilight said brightly. “I’m here for your checkup.”
“I know.”
“Right,” Twilight chuckled with embarrassment. “Well, you know the drill.”
Fluttershy sighed and rose to her hooves. Moving to the center of the room she outstretched her wings and stood there, reciting in a dejected tone.
“I have been eating all my food and have kept myself clean. I’ve stretched my wings each day and kept them in flying condition. I have not developed any new aches or pains since your visit yesterday.”
Twilight moved closer and pressed down on Fluttershy’s right wing. The pegasus resisted the pressure until Twilight snorted with satisfaction and repeated the process with her other wing.
“Alright, Fluttershy, your wing muscles seem to be fine for now, but we might need to get you outside soon to give them a real workout,” Twilight chirped. “Well, I’ll see you later!”
“Goodbye, Twilight,” Fluttershy responded. Promptly moving back to her corner, she ignored Twilight and laid back down with her attention on the crack.
Twilight closed the door as quietly as she could and relocked it, reattaching the key as she did so. Moving to the next door she fumbled for its key with her hooves twice before she got it in the door with a grumble. Once she got the door pulled open she stood for a moment to catch her breath.
“Darling! Please hurry up I’ve got a terrible headache,” a voice chimed.
Twilight bounced inside at once. “I apologize Rarity, I was just catching my breath.”
“Honestly Twilight, I don’t understand why you don’t have them take that magic suppressor off your horn. It would make your job so much easier and it’s not like they need to be afraid of you--”
“Oh no Rarity! That wouldn’t be fair to you at all!” Twilight interrupted, glancing at the ring around her horn. “As long as you require the ring around your horn, I will do the same.”
Rarity rolled her eyes and opened her mouth to speak again, but Twilight held up a hoof. “Enough, I’m not going to argue this with you again,” she said firmly. “You said you had another headache? You haven’t been trying to use your magic have you?”
Rarity shuddered. “Of course not, Twilight. Once was enough for me on that.” She gave Twilight an appraising glance. “I can learn.”
Twilight hummed in response and indicated for the mare to stand in the center of the room. Rarity obliged and Twilight began her physical checkup as she continued to speak.
“It’s just that there is nothing interesting in the room to look at. I very well can’t sleep all the time so whatever else am I supposed to do? A mare can only stare at these ugly walls and horrible bed sheets so long before she goes crazy and I--”
As Twilight peered into Rarity’s eyes she frowned and interrupted the mare again. “Rarity, have you been staring at the light?” she asked.
“I, well yes,” Rarity said sheepishly. “It’s the only thing that moves at all in here.”
Twilight glanced up at the florescent tube of light and watched it flicker slightly. She groaned and rolled her eyes. “Alright Rarity, I’ll look into getting you a painting or one of those rotating stress reliever thingies.”
“Thank you very much darling. Don’t worry about the headache, I’ll manage. You’ve still got to check up on the rest of your friends.”
Twilight frowned at that. “Rarity, it’s our friends, not just mine. You know that.”
Rarity scoffed, “Of course, they are still my friends. After all I get to see them every day and they still talk to me, or yell in your case--”
“Okay okay I get the idea.” Twilight frowned and turned to leave. She hesitated at the door. “Would you like me to schedule a meetup date?”
Rarity gave her an icy stare that sent tingles up her spine. “Fine! It was just a suggestion!” Twilight said, hurrying out the rest of the way and closing the door.
Setting off towards the next door, she took a deep breath. It was Rainbow Dash next. As she wrestled with the key to the door, she wondered if perhaps enabling her magic was the thing to do. It would certainly cut her door time down, among other things.
Taking another deep breath she entered the small room to be greeted by Rainbow Dash herself. Unlike Fluttershy and Rarity, Dash’s wings were tied down around her body and she was chained to an intricate system along the floor. It allowed her free movement to walk, but only in small steps as it did not allow her to lift her hooves more than a few inches from the ground.
The blue mare was sitting in the center of the room, her back to Twilight. She sighed, every day it was the same old thing.
“Hello Dash,” she began quietly. “I um... Well it’s checkup time, will you stand up please?”
The pegasus stood up, but remained facing away from Twilight. With a sigh Twilight carefully began checking over the other mare for any physical maladies of any kind. Rainbow Dash did not move a muscle and she stared stoically at the wall as Twilight examined her.
“Everything seems to be in order,” Twilight said crisply. She then moved around in front of the pegasus. “Will you remain calm today so we can check over your wings?”
“Buzz off Twilight,” Rainbow Dash growled.
“Rainbow I only--”
“I said get lost!” The pegasus shouted, shocking Twilight into taking a step back. “I don’t want to see you, Twilight. You’ve already done enough! I’m sick of you staring at me every time you come in here!”
Tears formed in the unicorn’s eyes as she tried to formulate a response. Rainbow Dash stepped forward, her chains clinking and grating against their restraints.
“This is not how I want to live and you know it!” Rainbow hissed. “I’d rather die but you know I can’t do that. I either comply to being kept alive... Or I’m forced to live in the most humiliating way possible. I hate you, Twilight! I wish you’d never come in here again and remind me of my stupidity for being your friend once.”
There was a sudden clattering outside the door and in rushed two armored stallion unicorns who promptly magicked the chains around Rainbow Dash, forcing her to sit down.
“You see this Twilight?” Rainbow shouted. “How can you think this is the right--”
She was cut off as one of the stallions hit her across the mouth, causing a dark red gush of fluid to spray across the floor. The armored hoof threw Rainbow Dash to the side, but instead of falling, she only tilted crazily as the magic kept her hooves firmly planted.
“Stop!” Twilight cried. The tears running down her face blurred her vision, but she stood up and moved to hug the pegasus. “I’m sorry Rainbow. I’m sorry you don’t see things like the rest of us, that keeping you locked in here makes the world a safer place.”
The pegasus stiffened. “How can you even think that?” she whispered thickly. “What has perverted your mind so much that--”
“I’ll have them bring you some ice for that,” Twilight said loudly. “I’m sorry.”
She turned to the two stallions. “Don’t do that again!” she growled. “If I see any of you harming my friends the Princess will hear about it! I’ll be sure to put a word in with your captain for this.” Twilight paused in the doorway. “One of you go get a doctor and see to it that Rainbow Dash is taken care of.”
She left, the two stallions looked at each other until one pulled out a coin and flipped it.
“Call it,” one said.
“Tails.”
They both sniggered, but then the first one groaned as it came up tails.
“Fine, but I won’t be gone long,” he said moving towards the door. He closed it with a bang and left the two ponies locked in the cell together.
*
Twilight headed down the corridor until she came to a spiral staircase. With a grumble, she began to carefully head downwards. Really, they put in electric lighting for the whole place except the stairwells? It became almost pitch black before things started to brighten up again and she made it down to the next floor.
Continuing along the passageway she eventually came to a stop among one of the many steel doors. She dried her eyes and took a few fortifying breaths before unlocking and opening the door. Stepping inside she was greeted by another mass of chains.
“Hello Applejack!” Twilight said as brightly as she could muster. “I know I’m not here every day, but there really is no point in me doing that as I’m sure you’re aware. But, I have some good news, they are putting the finishing touches on your new quarters.”
Twilight glanced at the mare chained to the floor, unable to move anything except her eyes, which were focused with a burning intensity on the unicorn. Twilight swallowed nervously and looked away.
“You should be able to get in there within the week. Then you can finally move about by yourself. I won’t ever be able to come and see you again though, but I just don’t see any other way this will work. If only you would remain calm when we release you?” she pleaded, looking back at the earth pony.
She received a simmering glare in response; Twilight could almost feel them boring into her flesh.
“R-right, well...” Twilight took a deep breath. “I’ve got to go, bye!” She quickly turned on her hooves and exited the room, shutting the door with a clang behind her. As she walked away she heard a harsh wrenching of chains as they protested the movement of their captor. She told herself she was only imagining the distant sobs.
Moving further down she came to one of the steel doors that had a little window in it. The window was locked shut with a plate of steel, but Twilight fished out a key and used it to open the little hinged plate of metal.
The open window was still barred, but Twilight could peer into the dimly lit room around them.
“Pinkie...” she called in a voice barely above a whisper.
Almost instantly a face popped up right in front of the bars. It was certainly pink, but the hair around the face was straight with a greasy, wiry look. The eyes that protruded from the sockets were large and bloodshot while the mouth was twisted into a sickly grin. Twilight recoiled in shock and noticed something was trickling down the mare’s lips, but she wasn’t sure what it was in the dim light.
“Oh! Hellooo there, Twilight.” A raspy, cooing voice emanated from the pony within the cell. “Come to say hello to us?”
“Uhh, yea. How are you?” Twilight tried to grin, but she felt like it was more of a grimace.
“Oooh, we are just fine. Just fine... In here, alone,” the voice mewled. “I made friends with a rat yesterday, I named him Tibbers.” The deranged eyes dropped to the floor of the cell. “He is gone now though... He made mommy really angry.” The mare turned her gaze back to Twilight before continuing slowly. “So she punished him.”
“That’s... nice?” Twilight’s forced chuckle died as the mare continued to stare at her.
“You can’t run Twilight, nopony can. The end, judgement, it is coming closer each day. I hear things, the voices... They are a good source of news you know.” The pony’s eyes suddenly went wide and she tried to reach out, but the bars stopped her. “Twilight!” She cried out. “Twilight you had better be careful! I feel it coming, it will be here soon to rage and burn and--”
Twilight slammed the window shut, hurriedly locking it with shivering hooves. Some days Pinkie Pie wasn’t that bad. Unfortunately, today was not looking like a good day. The unicorn quickly set off along the corridor, sweating and jumping a little any time one of the lights flickered or she heard cackling laughter.
Another flight of stairs and a long hallway she came upon a magically sealed door that was guarded and maintained by half a dozen unicorns. The barrier was a bright blue even though the color of magic emanating from each of the unicorn’s horns was different.
“I’d like in please,” Twilight said, breaking the oppressive silence.
Without a word one of the unicorns opened the door with his magic and turned a small portion of the barrier purple, indicating Twilight could pass through. Once through, she was met with another barrier, but this one was physical. Still, the door itself was enchanted with dozens of runes and glyphs that confused even Twilight.
Fitting a key into the lock she tugged at the door. It resisted for a moment, but then with a red flash of light around the edges it began to open on its own.
When it finally opened, she stepped into a room smaller than the ones her friends had been in. However, its occupant, while larger, required little restraint, or room, as it lay on the single bed. Just looking did little to tell Twilight if Princess Luna was healthy or not, her body looked as perfect as it did when she was released from her bondage of Nightmare Moon years ago. Instead, listening to her shallow, labored breathing told a much more accurate story.
“Luna?” Twilight asked quietly.
“Hello, Twilight,” Luna responded, her voice still as beautiful as ever. “Why are you here?”
“I just came to check up on you.”
Luna laughed weakly. “And?” she prompted.
“And...” Twilight paused to take a deep breath. “And to beg again.”
“No,” Luna said, her voice hard.
Twilight flinched. “But Princess if you would only--”
Luna sat up, stopping Twilight from continuing.
“No,” she repeated.
Twilight looked at her hooves and sighed. “Is there nothing I can say that will change your mind?”
“I’m afraid not, Twilight. I’m sorry but I’ve made my choice and you have made yours. Go and live the life that you have--”
“Do you think I want this?” Twilight shouted suddenly. Luna blinked.
“I want to be free just like you, Princess, but I won’t abandon my friends. So long as they refuse to change and conform there is no place for them in Equestria anymore!”
“I’m sorry that you see it that way, Twilight,” the princess said sadly. “I’m sorry that she has made you believe--”
“DON’T TRY THAT PRINCESS!” Twilight screeched. “You know as well as I do that each one of us is a danger to society. Did you know that while we’ve all been locked up crime rates have dropped fifty percent and the economy has actually been recovering!
“That’s a damn sight better than things were when we tried to handle things! Rainbow Dash, for all her devotion, was just another Derpy when it came to things other than flying. Applejack was the same way, she could never understand the complex mechanisms that a government has at its disposal to fix the--”
“To fix? To fix what, Twilight?” Luna interrupted harshly. “You speak of lowered crime rate and better economies, but at what cost? Have you actually lived in this better world, or are you just listening to what others would have you believe?”
“I have seen... Well, I’ve been told...” Twilight trailed off.
Luna snorted and continued in her harsh tone, “You may think I’m blind down here Twilight. But I am not. I assure you I see just as much of the world from here as I did twenty years ago. I choose to be in here, I refuse to be a part of what Equestria has become.
“There is no freedom in the world anymore, Twilight. The moment you step outside this... this prison, you will find that your life will be dictated to you even more than it is in here! You want to know why crime rates have been lower? It’s because nopony has a chance to do anything they want anymore. One hoof out of line and it’s the meat grinder! Oh yes, crime rates are lower, but you want to know what is even lower out there? Happiness, that’s what. Personal success, love, freedom of choice, speech and getting to take a dump in your own bathroom whenever you want.”
Luna stopped, breathing hard. Twilight said nothing as the weak Alicorn regained her breath. “Step outside Twilight, just for a day. Your friends don’t--”
“Don’t need to know?” Twilight interrupted. “What exactly are you saying Luna? What are you trying to get me to do? I remember the lies and the stories you spun before you were locked up. How do I know you aren’t still trying to twist the truth or get me in a place where--”
“Twilight Sparkle,” Luna spoke, her voice, while quiet still rumbled like thunder. “So long as you retain your pitifully ignorant beliefs I have nothing to say to you. So long as you refuse to treat and see me with the respect you know I deserve even as an equal I have nothing to say to you.” Her voice rose in intensity but the volume remained the same. “So long as you continue to twist my words into that fantasy of me being a liar without testing the validity of what I say, I have nothing. To. Say. To. You.” She finished, thrusting her face into Twilight’s.
Twilight swallowed. “Celestia says that you--”
“Forget what she says for once, Twilight!” Luna cried. “Make your own choices! What happened to the mare who brought together five vastly different ponies to create something even she couldn’t? What happened to the mare who lived on her own and eventually turned a small town into a working, thriving metropolis that outshined even Canterlot?”
“How can you so easily disregard everything she--”
“Because she didn’t create that city, Twilight! It was you and your five friends. It wasn’t Celestia who harnessed electricity and advanced the world’s technology, it was ponies! It was you!” Luna poked Twilight in the chest.
“But that doesn’t change the fact that my friends were continually tearing down any progress made by ponies! Every day Rainbow Dash was obstructing air traffic and destroying skyscrapers! Let’s not talk about everypony else!” Twilight protested.
“Twilight,” Luna growled in frustration. “How can you say that in the face of all the things they, and you, achieved? Because of Rainbow Dash, practical flight for earth ponies became possible. Because of Applejack, you had a legal system that was doing wonders for your city’s economy! Because Pinkie Pie was trespassing through ponies homes with confetti your crime rates were low! Because of--”
“Because of them the world was in constant need of being saved,” Twilight interrupted harshly. “Because of them Celestia had to implement more and more protocols and laws to keep things in check.”
“Had to, Twilight?” Luna inquired with a raised eyebrow. “Did you ever even look at the things she implemented in detail? Did you ever even once question her when she took away your right to perform advanced magic? Your right to talk about anything you wanted in the street? Your right to eat, sleep and conduct business when and where you wanted?”
“If you’re trying to make her out to be some sort of sneaky dictator you’re wrong. Every single law and regulation she implemented were to control how crazy the Element bearers were. It was for the good of Equestria!” Twilight shouted the last, this time she was the one jutting her face forward.
“She took the world away from everypony bit by bit and they didn’t even see it Twilight,” Luna shouted back. “When she finally presented the manacles of tyranny they accepted them without question and so did you!” Luna stopped and breathed deeply.
“She isn’t the same anymore,” Luna said softly. “The change was gradual, even I was fooled for a time. I once thought that maybe she had good intentions... But now?”
Luna sighed. “Twilight, I’ve told you my story, my thoughts and how I understand things. Gradual indoctrination works so much better than brute force. Until you realize that and decide to come to your own conclusions about the world, I can’t do anything for you. I refuse to conform to this world as it is and I would rather sit in here when I can at least go to the bathroom when I feel like it.”
Luna nudged Twilight to the door, ignoring the further pleading of the unicorn. She shook her head. “Listen to you Twilight, even now you disregard what I’ve said. You are just like everypony else, not wanting to face the truth for fear of being saddled with more responsibility. But in the end, you are forced to take on more work without even realizing you agreed to, do you not? With taking care of your friends?”
Twilight stood outside the cell door in silence. Now that she thought about it, she was doing more for her friends than she ever had to. They always took care of themselves, how had she been roped into doing it? She glanced up at Luna, her eyes wide.
The princess gave her a sad smile. “Ah, it seems I finally struck a chord, that’s good.” Luna turned back to the bed. “I don’t want to see you again Twilight,” she said quietly. “Not until you have something different to say.”