Pinkie was roused from her slumber by an impending feeling of danger. She looked up to see Adagio looming menacingly with bared teeth. Squeaking with surprise, she wrapped her arms around the still slumbering form of Sonata and tried to vanish away, but the room prevented such tricks.
"You may have put us here," said Adagio with acid dripping from her words. "But you're stuck here with us. The guards don't care who makes it to trial, so let's save them some effort."
Sonata started to rouse from Pinkie's movement of her, blinking sleepily even as Adagio darted over her. Pinkie swung an arm wildly, doing little more than ensuring her arm was bitten and held painfully in the siren's grasp. Pinkie's shrill call for help brought Sonata fully away with a jerk. She bumped into Adagio entirely by accident as she came upright, knocking Adagio away.
"Even waking up you manage to get in the way," hissed Adagio. "Such a shame you gave up our proper birth form, it's so good at teaching bad ponies a lesson." She lashed out with her thick tail, wrapping it tightly around Sonata's squirming form, "You just stay there. The pink one goes first, then, we get to you, slowly."
Pinkie quickly climbed to her hooves, ducking around a lightning strike as she bounded away, "You leave her alone!" she cried. "She's a much better pony than you ever could be."
"On that, we agree," said Adagio, squeezing Sonata and digging sharp fins into her protesting form. "I'm not a pony. Give me a moment and you two won't be either."
Heavy hoof steps came from down the hall. Giving a loud tsk of annoyance, Adagio dropped Sonata to the ground and pulled herself quickly across the room in time for the guards to arrive and peer into the cell.
"What's all this noise?" demanded the mare. She frowned as she inspected them, "No fighting in the cells. This will not reflect well on your trial."
Sonata rose to her hooves, shaking a little in place, "She tried to kill me! I don't want to fight."
Alas, they all sported injuries of varying severity. The guard shook her head slowly, "We only have one anti-magic cell. Those don't come cheaply, I'll have you know. Settle down and be civilized, if it's in you."
Pinkie didn't have her magic, but she still had some tricks in mind. She flashed a bright smile at the guard, "Sorry for the trouble, but please, can't me and Sonata," she gestured at the sea pony, "have a room? We won't make any trouble, Pinkie swear." She went through the motions of the swear, to the amusement and bafflement of the guard.
The guard hiked up a brow, "You get one chance, exactly one. If you make any trouble at all, back in here you go." She pressed some switch out of sight and the bars receded away, "Come on."
Pinkie and Sonata were swift to make their escape eagerly. Adagio scowled at them even as the bars slid back into place and locked. The guard led them just a few feet away to a separate cell and waved them inside with a hoof. "No mind tricks. The Queen has provided us protection against that."
Sonata shook her head quickly, "No ma'am. We'll be good." She headed inside, Pinkie just behind her. The guard shut door and a soft click of its lock engaging filled the room.
"Alright, no more noise, go to sleep." The guard trotted down the hallway.
Sonata felt Pinkie brushing her back and jumped in surprise. Her aches faded away with each pat as Pinkie softly repeated 'there there' to her. She was soon relaxing into the attention and sank to the floor. "They're never going to forgive me."
"Who? The sirens?" asked Pinkie as she settled besides Sonata. "I think they want to always be jerk heads or something."
Sonata laid her head down on Pinkie's barrel and the favor was soon returned, using one another as pillows in the dimly lit cell. "It makes me sad. They weren't, uh, the best friends, but they were all I had for so long."
A loud angry voice called out, "Then maybe you shouldn't have stabbed us in the back!"
Pinkie stuck her tongue out in the direction of the voice, "Maybe you shouldn't be such meanie heads." More quietly she whispered in Sonata's ear, "It's ok, you have better friends now, who won't try to hurt you."
Maybe it was the way Pinkie said it, but Sonata felt safe wrapped around Pinkie and soon drifted to sleep. Pinkie stayed awake, alert and watching the darkness for danger for several minutes over her new friend before she allowed sleep to finally claim her.
Twilight was escorted by two soldiers until they arrived at Spike's spartan cell. She nodded at them with a smile and they opened the door for her. "Spike, are they treating you alright?"
Spike sat up the moment Twilight came into view, "Yea, just boring. Good to see you." He hugged her eagerly, "Even better to see you not under their crazy control."
"Yea," she agreed. "That wasn't any fun. I didn't hurt you too badly, did I?"
Spike shook his head quickly and squeezed Twilight all the more firmly, "What? No! I can take a few love taps."
She snorted into a giggle at his words. "You'll get no love taps out of me, young dragon," she chastised lightheartedly, poking him with a hoof. "I've been studying the local laws and I feel confident I can defend you."
"As if there were any doubt," he said with a smile. "Besides, I didn't do anything that wrong."
Twilight raised a hoof, "Don't be so quick to say that. You did assault a few guards, even with a good intent in mind. But we'll get through that. I wanted to see you." She bumped him with her snout, "It's my fault you're in here."
Spike grabbed her muzzle and forced her to look him in the eyes, "Don't say that. We're a team, right? I know you'll get me out." He flashed a grin, "I'm just waiting for the magic to happen."
Twilight gently pulled back, "Don't worry, I'll have all of you out of here. But that reminds me. They won't let me see Pinkie or Sonata since they're in the higher security cells. Can you tell me anything about Sonata? Is she really sorry, or is she just saying that?"
Spike seemed to consider this. "Is she a great pony? I wouldn't say that, but she was willing to listen. She really seemed to hit it off with Soft Mane and Pinkie, like they were big sisters, even if she's, you know... how old is Sonata again?"
Twilight shook her head, "Sonata was banished from Equestria a long time ago, but I'm not sure how time works with that... Still, that's not the important part." She held up a hoof, "What do you think of her, as a pony?"
Spike shrugged softly, "I think she could become alright. We only got to talk for a little while. She's not as eager to bite as her sisters."
"And I plan to use that," said Twilight. "The fact that she's four hooved instead of finned is good evidence on our side that she's had a true change of heart." A soft sigh escaped from her, "If not for the fact that she kind of helped take over the whole castle. That's a big crime to be charged with in any world."
"You are learning," said the voice of the Soft Mane's instructor. "Your adversity has strengthened your bond to the spirit within you. Tell me, what have you learned of it?"
Soft Mane considered this for a moment before nodding, "Love is complicated. Not everyone is ready to experience it, and that's OK. I think my new friend, Sonata, is desperate to feel it now that she has an idea it may be out there. She thought she had it with forced affections, but I showed her there's more."
"Have you," asked the teacher, "Learned more of this god of yours?"
"I saw her, once," confessed Soft Mane. "She is... very pretty. A pony, pink and low to the ground. Unlike most of the other ones I saw pictures of, not a hybrid."
He nodded, "Good, then you know the face behind the power, and the curse, within you. Do you feel love for her, or spite?"
Soft Mane shook her head slowly, "A little of both? I think she's a good pony, but I miss seeing things not already in my face. Why couldn't I just be a priest?"
"An easy enough answer," he replied. "Clerics require years of study and training. Your god did not feel like waiting. You are now her only tie to this world, and one she felt needed to be secured swiftly."
Soft Mane rolled her milky eyes, "Well she got that. Guess love really is blind."
Long Road stood in the office of Lilac, facing her. "Will the Seekers stand in support of its members?"
Lilac waved a hoof, "Of course. We know what happened and will have testimony on the stand. Besides, who do you think informed the Queen?"
Long Road raised a brow, "I wasn't entirely sure who was behind that good timing."
"It was your friend," Lilac said, settling on her haunches behind her desk, "Swift Strike. He has met her once before and done her a favor. She took him at his words when he came to her and surrendered with the tale. She didn't even arrest him, though I imagine this makes it even between them."
Long Road raised the other brow, both now up, "Friends in high places. Swift Strike seemed like a griffon of means, but I didn't think it extended that far."
Lilac nodded, "He led a very full career of free swordsmanship before he semi-retired to teach the younger generation. I imagine he didn't have much trouble with the guards."
Long shook his head, "I wasn't there to see him subdue them, but Spike said he was quite good at his art."
"A violent art," said Lilac. "But still an art, especially when he does it. Is there anything else you wanted to ask of me?"
Long Road nodded, "Is it common to toss Seekers out if they get on the wrong side of the law?"
"Oh, yes." Lilac rose to her hooves, "It's in the charter. Our first rule, don't anger the local law. That castle happens to be part of the law of the entire country. We're here to protect you from ignorance, elements, and cheating employers, not the law. Nothing a Seeker does should be against the law, or find something else to do." She leaned in a little, "Or be much quieter about it."