//------------------------------//
// Chapter 2 
// Story: Twilight's Birthday Bash 
// by Charliebbarkin 
//------------------------------//

After punching in a code on a keypad next to the door, the guard in front of Twilight opened the door. The hallway was long, and seemed to last forever. There were multiple doors on both sides of the hallway, but no windows whatsoever. Twilight thought she could hear somepony crying behind one of them, but due to the thickness of the doors, she couldn't be sure.

Twilight and the security guards approached the end of the hallway, which was terminated with a pair of double doors. The guard in front of Twilight opened the door with his hoof. Within a few seconds, Twilight found herself standing at the defendant's podium in a courtroom!
But this didn't look like any courtroom Twilight has ever seen. Instead of portraits of Celestia or Luna, or any figures of historical importance, the walls were instead lined with portraits of stallions, none of which Twilight recognized. Twilight squinted to see the text below the portraits. The realization hit her that there were no royalty or historical figures at all. They were all the previous CEO's of NGN casino and resorts. This wasn't a real courtroom at all, it was a sham!

Before Twilight had a chance to voice her objections, another guard spoke in a loud voice. "Please rise for the honorable Judge Shady."
Doors at the back of the fake courtroom opened and an older looking pony came walking out. Dressed in a black robe, with the NGN company loco embroidered on it, the pony walked up to the bench, and sat. Before anything, the judged glanced at a clock on the wall, and banged a gavel.

"Alright, what have we got here? The judge inquired.

One of the security guards that brought Twilight into the courtroom walked up to a podium at the other side of the courtroom. "This pony has committed one of the gravest offenses. She refuses to pay her bar tab."

Twilight couldn't believe the wording she was hearing. "But I..." Twilight cried out.

"ORDER!" The judge yelled. "Tell me, how much was the bar tab?"

"Five hundred forty eight bits, you honor." The security guard said.

"Hmm. Over the five hundred bit limit, huh? Very well. Miss..."

"Sparkle. Princess Twilight Sparkle, your honor." Twilight said proudly. She was sure her title alone would get her out of trouble.

"Miss Sparkle. Do you have the money with you?"

"No your honor, I..."

"Do you at least have forty nine bits with you? That will bring it under 500 bits, and you will face a lesser charge."

"No your honor. But I'm sure I can get that tomorrow if I talk to my friends."

"I'm sorry, that isn't good enough. Will the defendant please rise."

Twilight's mouth gaped open, as she couldn't believe the so-called trial was already over. Reluctantly, she rose from her sitting position.

"Twilight Sparkle. You have committed one of the most heinous crimes in our fair city. The refusal to pay for your bar tab. Because of the amount of your tab, over five hundred bits, you must serve your mandatory punishment. I hereby sentence you to death by hanging at dawn tomorrow. I suggest you pay your tab before dawn, miss Sparkle. The court is now adjourned." With a bang of the gavel, the judge got up, and walked out the door near the courtroom bench.

Twilight stood frozen, her mouth still gaping open. She couldn't believe her sentence. Death? By hanging? For not paying a bar tab? What kind of city is this? This can't be real, can it? The endless list of questions raced through her mind. Before she had a chance to finish those thoughts, the security guards started pushing her toward the back door of the courthouse.

After exiting the same door she entered the courtroom in, the guards escorted her down the hallway. All the while, Twilight's mouth was still hanging open, speechless. The guards stopped at a door they previously passed in the hallway. It was the same door Twilight thought she heard crying from on her way to the courtroom. A guard took out a heavy looking key ring, took a moment to locate the correct key, and unlocked the door.

Behind the windowless door were a set of bars. It wasn't a room, but a prison cell. The guard unlocked the cell, shoved Twilight in. The prison bars were quickly slammed shut, as was the door to the hallway, and that was it. Twilight's fate had been sealed. She closed her eyes for a minute and finally closed her mouth. After a moment, she regained her thoughts and opened her eyes to observe her surroundings.

There was a small, barred window leading outside, and there was some hay in the corner of the room. From the smell of it, it became obvious to Twilight that they hay was not for eating. In the other corner of the dimly lit room, Twilight noticed a blue pony, staring into the corner of the room with her head down. From the light through the window, Twilight could see her cell-mate's cutie mark. It couldn't be!
"Trixie?!? What are you doing here!?" Twilight said.

The mare in the corner turned around. "Twilight? Is that you?"

"Yes, Trixie....I'm afraid it is. What are you doing here?"

"Well, the Great and Powerful Trixie was caught using her magic to read other people's hands at poker...and tomorrow they're going to hang me for it!"

Twilight could see the tears welling up in Trixie's eyes, and it wasn't a second later Twilight found a sobbing Trixies clenched onto her, with Trixies head buried into her chest. Twilight felt like sobbing to, but resisted. Composure had been one of many things Celestia taught her over the years. Twilight tried to think of something, anything that could take her mind off her current situation.

Twilight gazed outside the barred window and stared at the ponies walking on the sidewalk just outside her cell. All of the sudden, Twilight saw Spike on the sidewalk. In a split second, Twilight cast the great and sobbing Trixie off of her. Twilight ran to the window and stuck her hoof out the window and waved furiously.

"Spike! Spike, come here!"

"Huh? Spike looked around to see who was calling his name. Spike noticed a purple foreleg sticking outside a barred window waving at him. Spike approached the window. "Twilight? Is that you?"

Twilight hoisted herself up for a moment so she could look down and see Spike's face. "Spike, I need you to take a letter to Celestia. Now."

"Um, alright..." Spike got out a scroll pen and ink from his satchel.

"Dear Princess Celestia, thank you again for your wonderful birthday present. I seem to be in a spot of trouble. I have run out of bits, and have been jailed! They are going to execute me tomorrow if I'm unable to pay the tab for my friends and I. Could you please send me five hundred forty eight bits immediately? Your faithful student, Twilight."

With a green flash, the letter was sent. Trixie glared at Twilight with anger. Trixie shoved Twilight away from the window. "And what about the great and powerful Trixie!?! Are you not going to help me? I thought we were friends! Well...non-enemies, anyway..."

Before Twilight could answer, Spike burped up a letter. "Oh thank goodness!" Twilight said in relief.

Spike unsealed and uncurled the scroll. "Dear Twilight. I have already paid for your birthday trip for you and all your friends. The train tickets and the hotel room for all of you. Was that not enough? I can not believe you are asking for even more. That is far beneath you. We have been over this before, just because you are my personal protege does not entitle you to special privileges. And to make up such a ridiculous lie, as if you would be executed if you didn't pay a simple drink tab. I am very disappointed in you. After you return from your birthday trip, I would like you to travel to Canterlot so we may go over the lessons of honesty and gratitude. You will pay for your own train fare."

Twilight's mouth hung open as she processed the content's of Celestia's letter. She wasn't sure which was worse, being executed, or falling from Celestia's good graces. She stood in silence as her thoughts consumed her.

"Ha!" Trixie blurted out. "Serves you right for not trying to help me."

Twilight's head immediately glanced at Trixie. Trixie's gloating had obviously annoyed Twilight. "Fine, Trixie. How much do you need to pay to get out?"

"A thousand bits, I'm afraid."

Twilight looked back towards Spike through the window. "Spike! I need you to take another letter!"

"Are you sure about that, Twilight? I don't think Celestia wants to read another letter from you right now...And you don't have to yell at me like that every time you want me to take a letter..."

"This letter is for Princess Luna." Twilight coughed to clear her throat. "Dear Princess Luna, I hope you are adjusting well to being back in Equestria after being gone for so long. This is Twilight, one of the ponies who helped set you free from Nightmare Moon. I need to ask you for a favor. My friend and I are in a spot of trouble. May I please borrow one thousand five hundred forty eight bits so my friend and I can get out of jail? We need the money urgently. I will pay you back, I promise! Sincerely yours, Twilight Sparkle."

With a green puff of flame, the letter was on it's way to Princess Luna. The three waited for a minute, then two, finally five minutes. "What's taking so long!" Twilight asked impatiently. Before long, Spike burped up a letter. Trixie and Twilight breathed out a sigh of relief together.

Spike unfurled the scroll. It was actually the same piece of paper that he had sent to Luna. Luna's reply was written below the text of the original letter, but it wasn't in regular ink. It was in magical ink. It must've taken a great deal of concentration and skill for Luna to craft her response. Spike wondered why Luna didn't just use a quill and ink, but instead of voicing his concern over the oddity, he began to read the letter.

"My dearest Twilight, I was wondering if I would ever hear from the wonderful pony who saved me those few months ago! I would love nothing more than to help you, but unfortunately, I do not have access to the royal coffers. I am not even allowed out of my room ever since Celestia put me back onto suicide watch. Celestia has already dropped off my food for the night, I will not see her again until tomorrow evening. I will ask her to help you then. If you cannot wait so long, perhaps you can send me a sharp knife so that I may pick the lock on my door. Forever in your debt, Princess Luna."

Twilight's mouth hung open for a moment. She blinked repeatedly trying to process the severity of her situation. That was it then, there was nothing else she could do to avoid execution, unless..."Spike! I need you to go to our hotel room and beg the girls for money to bail us out."

"But I don't know our room number! I tried to check in while you were all at the casino, but the pony at the desk said he couldn't help me check in or give me any information because I'm not an adult." Spike replied.

Twilight's hoof became planted into her face as she sighed. "Then check every room if you have to!"

"But that'll take all night! Can’t we just send Luna a knife like she asked?" Spike complained.

"Under no circumstance should you send Luna anything. Just GO!" Twilight demanded. And with that, Spike ran off to start his mission. Locate Twilight's friends, get some bits, save Twilight's life. If any time ever came for him to prove he's the world's number one assistant, now is the time.

Spike rushed into the hotel, and to the elevators which would take him from the lobby to the hotel portion of the building. Spike already discovered it was against the hotel policy to allow any staff to speak with a minor, so he'd just have to check every room. Spike arrived at the first floor and stepped out into the hallway. The long, windowless path seemed endless, and checking every door  on every floor would likely take all night. Spike began his critical assignment and knocked in the first door he approached.

Meanwhile, the sun was starting to set, and since it was the only light source for Twilight and Trixie's holding cell, the room was starting to go dark. Both Twilight and Trixie remained silent as they contemplated their life and what was going to happen in the morning. Twilight let her leadership skills take control as she spoke up. "Don't worry, Trixie. Spike will find the girls, and they'll pay our finds and get us out in no time!"

"Trixie wishes she could be so sure..." Trixie replied.

"Spike is the best assistant I know, we have nothing to worry about!"

"You're lying." Trixie said flatly.

"No I'm not!"

"I'm put on shows for a ," Trixie paused and sighed. "For a living. I can tell when someone is lying, there's no point in denying it."

"But I'm not lying!" Twilight said.

"Hmm..." Trixie's hoof went to her chin to think, and she squinted her eyes to see Twilight's face in the diminishing sunlight. "Maybe you think you're telling the truth, but deep down you know that he might fail and let you down. That is what friends always do in the end."

Silence filled the room as Twilight made a sudden realization about the stark differences between her life and Trixie's. "Trixie, can I ask...what made you like that?"

Trixie cocked her head slightly towards the side. "What do you mean?" She said blankly.

"I mean...." Twilight paused to think of a way to rephrase her question so that Trixie would understand. "Why don't you trust other ponies? Spike is my friend, I can trust him to do anything I ask him to do."

"The Great and Powerful Trixie doesn't need any friends. Look around you, Twilight. Did your trust in your friends prevent you from ending up here?"

Twilight realized that maybe there was something Trixie could teach her about friendship, or lack thereof. Twilight realized her friends had let her down by not letting her borrow some bits to pay a tab that Twilight had generously offered to pay for everyone. "My friends probably didn't know this was going to happen to me, Trixie. I'm sure once Spike finds them, they will  come to rescue both of us."

"Life doesn't work like that, Twilight." Trixie said flatly.

"You know, Trixie, you could really work on that attitude of your. Didn't your parents teach you any better?"

Trixie's eyes squinted and Trixie frowned. "Trixie never had any parents." Trixie said, with a strong tone of spite and resentment.

"Oh." Twilight said as an immediate reaction. This was going to be a long night for Twilight.

Meanwhile, Spike knocked on yet another door. His hand was throbbing, as he had already knocked on every door on the first three levels, and was halfway through the fourth. After a few moments, a white stallion opened the door. He was tall, with large, well defined muscles and square muzzle. "Can I help you?"

Spike wasn't surprised that none of his friends answered the door, that had already been his whole night. "No, I have the wrong room, sorry." Spike replied. After the door was shut, Spike continued one to the next door.

The stallion turned around and walked back into the main part of his hotel room. "Okay ladies, who's next for a massage?"

"Ooo! Me!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed. In a heartbeat, Pinkie displaced Rarity and took her place upon the massage table set up in their hotel room. The stallion immediately lathered Pinkie's back with lotion and began to massage her back.

Rarity stood back up. "You know, I feel simply dreadful about not helping Twilight earlier."

"Ain't nothin' we could've done about is, Sugar. We all know it's best not to mix friendship and money." Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Rainbow nodded in agreement.

"I suppose you're right," said Rarity. "But what do you think has happened to her? I would've expected them to release her by now."

Rainbow spoke up. "Don't sweat it Rarity. She'll just get Celestia to dragon her the money. She's probably with Spike right now watching a magic show or something."

Rarity cocked her head towards the side and looked upwards while contemplating what Rainbow said. "I suppose you're right. She'll be fine."

Meanwhile in the hallway, Spike managed to make it a few more doors. He heard some hoofsteps coming down the hallway, but didn't bother to think twice about it. He proceeded to the next door like he had done so many times previously that night. The hoofsteps stopped directly behind spike as he turned around and looked up.

A tall, gray earth pony in a suit towered over the baby dragon. "Sir, we've gotten some complaints about a dragon disturbing them. You're going to have to come with me."

The sun had set hours ago, and the night was far underway. Trixie and Twilight were sitting up against the wall together, side by side, staring at the blinking lights from flashy signs and advertisements through their barred window. The two ponies had been quiet for a while now, neither one of them wanting to accidently say anything that will make them feel any worse than they already did.

Spike's face appeared through the window. "Twilight!"

Twilight gasped. "Spike!" She got up and ran towards the window so she could talk face to face. "Did you get the bits, Spike?"
"Well, not exactly. They threw me out of the hotel before I had a chance to knock on all the rooms!"

Twilight's mouth hung open. How could her assistant fail her so badly! "So...that's it then. Tomorrow morning will be when I die..."

"Not necessarily!" Spike said cheerily.

"What do you mean?" Twilight asked.

"Well, after getting kicked out of the hotel, I wrote another letter to Luna asking for her advice. Upon her request, I was able to find a sharp knife from an unguarded table at a restaurant. I swiped it and sent it to princess Luna so she could pick the lock on her room. As soon as I sent it, she wrote me back." Spike dug around in his satchel for a scroll. Spike unraveled it and began to read.

"Dear Spike, thank you so much for your previous letter and gift. You are right, I will be able to use this. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. -Princess Luna"

Twilight was in complete disbelief. "Spike! What were you thinking?!?! I told you not to do that!" She yelled at her now former assistant.

“I didn’t know what else to do!" exclaimed Spike. “Besides, what’s the worst that could happen? She gets caught trying to escape from her own room?”

Twilight sighed and planted her hoof firmly into her face. “Spike, take a letter. Dear Princess Luna, are you there?”

Spike wrote down the message as he was told and looked back up to Twilight, expecting more message to write down.

“Send it now, Spike!”

With a fiery breath, the letter was send. Almost immediately, spike burped up a scroll. He unrolled it and began to read it. “We’re sorry, the princess you are writing to could not be found. Please try again later.”

Twilight couldn’t believe what had happened. Even though she knew it was Spike’s fault, deep down inside, she couldn’t help but blame herself. “Go away.” Twilight said under her breath.

“Sorry, I couldn’t hear you.” Spike replied.

“Get out of here!” Twilight said angrily, jabbing towards Spike’s face with her horn, between the bars in the window.

Spike ran away crying, not understanding what had happened, or why Twilight was mad at him. “Well, I guess we’ll at least be remembered in the history books.” Trixie said, snarkily.

Twilight whipped her head around furiously and glared at Trixie. “You be quiet! This is all YOUR fault!”

Trixie pointed to her chest with one of her forehooves. “MY fault? I had nothing to do with it! It’s your fault you didn’t explain to your assistant WHY he shouldn’t send anything to Luna. Does he even know what suicide watch is?”

Twilight sighed and sat down against the wall opposite of Trixie. “I don’t think so, but he’ll find out soon enough.”

As the hours passed by, the sun started rising and Twilight and Trixie’s cell began to be lit up once more. Twilight was glad she got to see the sunset, but annoyed that she didn’t at least get to see the sun rise one last time due to the direction the window was facing. The two ponies heard footsteps in the hallway that stopped just outside their door. With a rattling keychain, the door was unlocked.

Four ponies in guard uniforms entered the cell and forced Trixie and Twilight to their hoofs. They were escorted through the hallway, which seemed to last forever. Finally, the guards led the two girls into an enclosed courtyard. Twilight looked up at the wooden scaffold that was designed to end her life. Not allowed to stand still, the guards pushed Twilight’s flank forward to force her to walk up the creaky wooden stairs.

As Trixie and Twilight stood on the platform, side by side, they looked out into the audience, which was nothing more than several rows of empty benches. Trixie wasn’t sure she was happy or not that there was nopony to watch her final moments on stage. Twilight, on the other hand, was deeply saddened that her friends weren’t there to at least support her. She wasn’t sure her friends even knew where she was.

The guards didn’t take much time at all to fit the nooses onto their necks. “All set over there?” One guard called out to the one putting the nooses on.

“Yeah, that’ll do. I’m glad it’s just two ponies today. The pile was already high enough, I don’t think many more could fit in the garbage cart.” The pony on stage replied as he walked off stage. Never once did any guard acknowledge or speak to Twilight or Trixie.

Just after the guard said that, Twilight’s attention turned to a tarp in the corner of the courtyard which had flies all over it. It was a large pile, perhaps three times taller than her. Then her attention turned toward the ground, where it looked like a few lifeless hooves were not completely covered by the tarp.

After a few more seconds, a guard pulled a wooden lever, and the bodies made two great snapping noises. Trixie the Great and Powerful and Twilight Sparkle were no more.