//------------------------------// // From the Gates of Paradise... // Story: The Monster Below: Nightfall // by Greenback //------------------------------// There's an old saying from Equestria's darker, less-civilized past: “To torment someone, take them to Paradise and let them enter through its gates, then drag them away to the darkest depths of Tartarus, so that they will know the agony of what they almost had.” Like so many others, I had disregarded the saying as nonsense, philosophical babble from the past. Only now do I realize how true it really is. Two years ago, I was at the gates of Paradise. It hadn't been an easy journey to get there: I had manipulated many, almost succumbed to death, and inadvertently given my worst enemy the power to destroy nearly half of Manehattan and kill hundreds in the process. I was an outcast and a criminal. But it was on a train heading to Canterlot that Beakbreaker, my only friend, revealed that she had feelings for me, despite everything I had put her through through. And not only that, but my parents, whom I feared would disown me, had revealed that they, too, still loved me. For a few hours, I had a family. I had my Paradise. But it wasn't to last. Near the end of my journey, I glanced out a window and spotted Canterlot. I had never been to the capital of Equestria before, and should have been excited. Instead, I felt the fear of knowing that something horrible is coming, but there's nothing you can do to escape. The train pulled into Canterlot's station an hour later, and my heart was pounding: I stayed in the royal car with Beakbreaker and my parents as long as I could, knowing that the moment I feared would come at any second. Shortly after the last pony exited the train, four of Princess Luna's Royal Guards came for me. A royal carriage was waiting for us as we left the train. Nobody spoke as we got in and rode away. Beakbreaker and my parents stayed close to me, as if they were shields that could protect me from what was coming. I tried to focus on them, to let their presence give me strength as we rode into the mountains behind Canterlot. Then we stopped. We had arrived. My shaking legs could barely keep me upright as I got out of the carriage. We were before a raised drawbridge, and several ponies chained together, watched over by several guards, the leader of whom looked towards me, a pile of chains in his hooves. I embraced my parents, clutching them as hard as I could. And like any parent about to see their child sent to prison, they were barely able to keep themselves from having a nervous breakdown. Mom was a blubbering wreck; Dad tried to assure me that it'd be over before I knew it, but I could tell he didn't believe it. Both of them promised they'd visit as often as they could, and write to me every week. When I got out, they said, they'd come and take me away from this awful place as fast as they could. It wasn't easy to let go of them, but letting go of Beakbreaker was worse. She was the first true friend I've ever had, and just when we were starting to heal our relationship, forces beyond our control were tearing us apart. She tried to find words of encouragement, something to give me strength, but nothing came. And I, even with my silver tongue, was equally as silent. I didn't want my loved ones to leave, but I gathered them once more and told them to go. They said nothing, but I think they knew what I was doing: it was better that their last sight of me was as a free pony, rather than being dragged away in chains. Getting back into the carriage, they looked out the window as it rolled away, our gazes focused on each other as long as we could manage... and then the carriage turned a corner, and was gone. I was numb... which made things a little easier to bear as the guards surrounded me. I was marched to the others, and a steel collar was locked around my neck and chained to the others before me. The drawbridge creaked as it was lowered, revealing towering, stone gates on the other side. As we were marched across the bridge, the gates swung open, revealing a dark void beyond. One pony, crying his eyes out, broke down and screamed, begging the guards not to take him inside. A poke from the guard's spears forced him onwards. As we reached the gates, I looked to the sky above, now yellow and pink from the glow of the setting sun. I wanted the sky to be the last thing I saw as I was taken from Paradise. We were marched into the abyss, and the gates groaned as they slammed shut. *** The march into the mountain's dark depths was a blur. I remember little of being processed, of having my few belongings taken from me, of being scanned several times to ensure that I didn't have any charms or aids to help in an escape, and being forced to change into an orange jumpsuit. I could barely focus as a set of shackles and chains were locked around my legs, and then we were marched into a room where the prison's warden awaited us, where he told us about our new home. We were going to be staying in one of Equestria's most secure prisons, built to house the most notorious, and the worst of the worst. Good behavior, following commands, and staying out of trouble would be rewarded. Getting into fights, disobeying commands, or disrupting the order of things would lead to loss of privileges, and if the charges were serious, we'd be sent to the prison's more secure levels. With the briefing over, my fellow prisoners and I were taken via several elevators deep into the mountain, until we emerged into a tall, cylindrical chamber, the bottom of which was so far down I couldn't even see it. Each floor had several gates, and while most of the other prisoners continued down to the deeper levels, I was taken to one of those on the topmost floor. Once inside, I was led through a labyrinth of tunnels and halls, no doubt built to disorient inmates who might try to run for it. We came to a barred door. It was swung open, revealing an empty cell. I was pushed inside, the door was locked tight, and the guards left. I looked it over: there was an alcove in the wall for sleeping, a hole for toiletry purposes, and nothing else. This was going to be my home for the next two years. *** The first few days of my incarceration were the hardest. There were no windows, only lights from torches and candles set within the halls, casting the dungeons in a permanent twilight. With no indication of day or night, I was reliant on guards hitting gongs to know when it was time to sleep and wake. Every day started with a breakfast of the most tasteless food imaginable, followed by several hours of work. We were not only prisoners of this place, but its janitors as well, as we were all forced to clean its halls, cells, and common areas. Following that was lunch, then reading from the library, dinner, and then our cells until the next day, when it would start all over again. I was a nervous wreck, but the terror slowly faded as I followed the same routine day in and day out. According to rumors from my fellow prisoners, we were the lucky ones. Those below us suffered even more strict routines, with those at the bottom being forced to live in complete darkness. Inquiries with the guards didn't reveal if the rumors were true, but I learned that Mangus Bluehorn - my most hated rival and the monster who had nearly destroyed Manehattan - was being stored here as well, and he was one of those in the prison's deepest level. Not that I cared; as long as he was down there, and I was at the top level, that was fine with me. I got through my first week with no problems... well, almost. With little light reaching into my cell, sleeping in that cramped alcove brought back memories of the tunnels beneath Saddle Lanka, and the thing that had nearly caught me. Night after night I was haunted by nightmares of that thing coming after me. I would inevitably wake up with a scream. Those night terrors eventually convinced the warden to allow a small, glowing crystal to be placed in my cell, which acted as a nightlight. The nightmares didn't go away entirely, but it helped. Even then, I was still trapped within the earth. *** Weeks passed, and I got a letter from my parents saying that they had to go back to Saddle Lanka to run their gardening shop. I got a letter from Beakbreaker as well, cautioning me that her work with Medicomp was keeping her busy, and she wasn't sure if she'd be able to come visit me. A month passed. Staying true to their word, my parents sent me lots of letters, telling me each and every little thing that was happening in the world beyond the mountain. Beakbreaker was only able to send a few. Medicomp, she told me, wasn't doing well: she was having to put in mandatory overtime every week trying to help rebuild the company's public image. But she assured me that she would try to write when she could, to hang in there, and to be strong. *** The months passed, and the fear of prison faded away. Like so many others before me, I had adjusted to my new life. But now that I had adjusted, I was stuck in a state of tedium: I was no longer at the beginning of my sentence, and the end was still far off. But worse was knowing that I was losing time. So many other ponies were living their lives and fulfilling their dreams. They were starting families, having picnics, going to the movies, and spending time with their loved ones while I was locked away. Little fears began to gnaw at me. Regrets and what-ifs became a constant companion. I should have been more clever when I was trying to become an alicorn. If I had done so, I would still be free, and probably famous and powerful beyond measure. I would have had everything I ever wanted. I quickly learned that to think like that would lead to madness. I tried to stop, but it was so hard to not daydream about what could have been. And I was one of the luckiest ones in this place: I had a life waiting for me on the outside. So many others didn't have that; they would spend the rest of their lives down here, never to see the sun and moon, never to know freedom again or have their dreams come true, for prison is the place where dreams go to die. My only dream was to be with Beakbreaker and my parents once again. All I had to do for that dream to come true was endure and wait it out. During those long days and nights, I had to find a way to keep myself motivated. Knowing that I would see my family and Beakbreaker again would have sufficed, but as I lay in my bunk one night, I realized there was another tactic I could use to motivate myself, not only to make it through the two years, but to also prepare myself for life beyond the bars. All I had to do was keep asking myself one question. What would Celestia do? Celestia, my idol and inspiration, had been the reason I tried to become an Alicorn. That had failed, but she could still inspire me. Whenever I faced hardship that seemed insurmountable, or an obstacle seemingly too great to overcome, all I needed to do was ask myself what she would do. And what would Celestia do in my position? She would make the most of her situation. She would do what she could to make life better not only for herself, but for those around her. For the remainder of my time behind bars, I would take inspiration from Celestia and work to become greater than I had been going into this dark place. *** A year passed. I finally earned enough merits to gain the privilege of bringing books into my cell. A few months later, and I was allowed to have the scroll that Princess Celestia wrote to me, along with Little Celestia. Many a night passed with me drifting off under her watchful gaze, and whenever despair threatened to overcome me, she reminded me to hang in there and take everything one day at a time. Spring came, then summer, and finally winter. Those of us fortunate enough to still have family and friends received gifts; Mom and Dad sent me photos of Saddle Lanka and all the other areas of Equestria they had traveled to during a long vacation. There were pictures of the Crystal Empire, Rainbow Falls, Saddle Arabia, and events like the Passage of the Breezies, the annual pie festival in Appleloosa, and a yearly air show by the Wonderbolts in Cloudsdale. One photo even had them posing with Captain Rainbow Dash, and a message from her wishing me the best of luck (a bit odd, considering that she had helped turn me to stone in Manehattan, but my parents had no doubt hoped a celebrity endorsement would give me encouragement). Every photo had notes on the back, and the reassurance that one day we'd all see these places together. I mounted those photos on the walls, creating at a mosaic of Equestria, reminding me of what awaited after my sentence was done. But what really got my hopes up was when I finally got a letter from Beakbreaker: she apologized for not having written in so long, as she had been all over Equestria on a publicity tour for Medicomp. She still couldn't see me, but promised that she was counting down the days until I was free. I kept that letter with the one Celestia had written me; both lifted my spirits many times in the days to come. *** I reached the halfway point of my imprisonment, and it was getting easier to bear. I could have given in to daydreams of everything I was going to do once I got out, but instead kept focused on my daily chores, tasks, and classes, and trying not to gag on the tasteless food. Every morning I asked myself how I could make this day better for everyone I met. I would offer a smile or an encouraging nod when it was needed. When someone was on the verge of breaking down in tears, I would go to them or help them with their chores. Not everyone appreciated my gestures; some resented me, and a few attacked me, but such fights were rare. No one dared to risk being sent down a level and having their sentences extended. The days counted down. I mentally kept track, until I had a month to go. Then three. Then two. And finally, I reached my final day as a prisoner. And now, here I am. I'm lying in my alcove, awoken from another nightmare. It's taken me almost an hour to finally calm down, but I'm now regretting having tried to sleep at all. It only took me a few minutes to pack up all my things, and I decided to try and sleep, rather than slowly wait for midnight to come around. Still, now that the nightmare is gone, I'm getting excited again. I've waited almost two years for this moment. By this time tomorrow, the shackles and chains will be gone, I'll have my life back, and the alicorn nightmare will finally be over. Well... it'll be over for me, at least. I may be getting out, but Mangus isn't. I wonder what he's doing now...is he sitting in darkness, lost in nightmares like my own? Is he raging against Luna for the sentence she gave him? Or is he sobbing, wishing he had another chance to prove himself? I don't know. Two years in this place would break anyone, and as my dad would say, it's only when you're broken that you can finally rebuild yourself as something better. Maybe I should ask to go see him? To say goodbye, perhaps? Celestia would probably want to wish him well, and hope that he would one day find peace. For the longest time he was my worst enemy, but now I don't feel anything towards him. No anger, hate, or even mockery at his sentence. He, on the other hoof, would never listen to my sympathy. He'd rage and roar and possibly try to hurt me. I won't see Mangus. I'll spare him the rage of seeing his worst enemy being free, something he'll never experience again. There's a sound coming down the hall outside my door. Hoofsteps. Getting out of the alcove, I put little Celestia in my bag and stand at attention as the warden and two guards come to the door, flanked by two guards. Seeing that I'm already awake, the warden pulls out a scroll. “Silverspeak, by order of the Princesses, you were sentenced to two years in the Canterlot dungeons. You have been a model prisoner during those two years, and it is my pleasure to announce that as of now, January first, you have completed your sentence.” A guard unlocks the door. “You're free to go.” I can't grab my bag fast enough. I'm flanked as we leave the cell and head into the main rotunda. From there we take the elevators up to the room where I was processed so long ago. I can barely resist wanting to jump up and down as I'm allowed to remove this accursed jumpsuit, and I almost throw it away in disgust. The last of my belongings comes next, along with my tie, which I put on and straighten. I came into this place a prisoner, but I will leave with my dignity. I'm escorted to the main gates, and I don't bother holding back my grin as they slowly grind open, revealing the lowered drawbridge, and the road beyond it. As the guards stand aside, I walk into the cold, crisp air of the night. Closing my eyes, I take a deep sniff of fresh air. It's like inhaling candy. A breeze blows, beckoning me on. I follow it across the bridge. I walk at first... then I trot. Then I canter. And finally, I run. At long last... I'm free.