Well here I am, being hauled from my cell to Celestia knows where, with a magic blocker and hoof cuffs, so even if I wanted to run there’s no way I’m getting away. Passing through several guarded gates and doorways I finally arrive in front of a wide ornate door. One of the guards hauling me knocks a few times, upon hearing “Enter” they bring me inside and chain me to one spot a few hooves in front of the desk where the warden Silvanna stands. Looking around I spot one more pony sitting in the room, he looks to be quite aged but with very active eyes.
Once I’m fully chained, he guards salute Silvanna and leave. Once it’s just the three of us Silvanna steps out from behind her desk and starts to circle me. “So, I’ve heard ze story from my guards zat vere prezent and you friends. So let’s hear from you. Vhat exactly happened at ze train station? Tell me everyzing from start to finish, but Luna help me, eef you lie to me you vill never leave Transylmania alive,” Her eyes intensify immensely as she stares me down “Not only vill you never leave, but you’ll be vorked for everyzing you have, your magic vill be drained so you vill never be able to cast magic again.” After relaxing her stare “Speak, let us hear your side.”
And so I tell her my side, our arrival, the confrontation, I don’t say anything about my internal strife, and the battle, not saying that I wasn’t in control.. My explanation wasn’t that long but I was detailed. At each step the other pony in the room took notes while Silvanna just sits behind her desk listening intently. As I finish Silvanna stands up and begins to walk around, as if contemplating something. The silence is torture. I’m not sure if she’ll believe me or call me a liar and lock me up for the rest of my life. I can feel myself begin to sweat as the silence drags from minutes into tens of minutes, only the tick tock of the clock breaking the silence in the room.
Finally she speaks, “I have a situation on my hooves here. You and all you friends told same story, each varying from you own view. Vhile my guards tell me different story but it’s zall ze same story on zeir end. If you and your friends were different ponies you’d all be slaving avay vith no magic till ze end of your days by now.”
At this I’m quite puzzled “So… what has you pausing?”
Her response is instantaneous “Three ponies, Princess Tvilight Sparkle, You, and Count Bian over there.”
I think my face contorts from my sheer level of confusion at this point “ok…Twilight I get, listening to a fellow Translyvanian, I get…but me?”
She gets in my face again “Yes, YOU,” she begins to walk around me again “Your transformation is similar to vhat overtook Luna before her banishment, but you vere able to revert back, vith seemingly no aftereffects, other zan exhaustion from magic usage. Zis has caught our attention as your sheer strength was profound. I vant to know how you did zis, if you can do again, if zis can be passed on by teaching, and if eet’s controllable. Coincidentally Count Bian vants to know zese as vell, hees intent ees alvays odd but of no concern for me.”
“…Umm, ok… to be brutally honest… I have no clue how I did it…I don’t even know if this power is mine, or how to control it.” Huh, first I claim it as my own now I disclaim it. How do I feel about it….questions for later. At this, Bian slams his notebook shut and walks over to me. His color shifting eyes only make this creepier as he seems to investigate every part of me, as if looking for the last piece of a puzzle in a big jumbled box a puzzle pieces. After his search ended, he walk over to his notebook, jots a few things, collects his things, nods to Silvanna and leaves.
As I open my mouth, Silvanna speaks “Eet seems as eef Bian has vhat he came for, and that you’re not lying about your lack of knowledge. Nonzeless I have much to consider.” She summons the waiting guards “Put heem back in hees cell. I have to zink.”
Back in the cell Twilight asks “So how did it go?”
“I’m not sure, I told her my side. My understanding is that she wants to believe her guard’s outright but a princess’s words carry a lot of weight so she has a lot to consider.” So I’m hiding a small truth, it won’t affect the outcome at all right? The next week is spent with idle chit chat, eating, sleeping, and hearing idle threats from the guards.
After the week I’m dragged back to Silvanna’s office. After the guards are dismissed, Silvanna locks her office door, and she unlocks me from the floor. “’Ave you had any idea how to transform?”
I shake my head “No clue. Most I can gather is that it’s tied to my anger.”
She nods her head “I zought as much. I am villing to let you and your friends go. But you must do somezing for me”
“Okaaaaaaaaaaaaay, what is it you want me to do.”
“You ‘ave a few options, you show me your transformation here and now so that I can understand your power, you remove an upstart family, or you rot in my jail. Vhat do you chooze?”
I’m a bit blown away from this “What happens if I choose one of the first two? Can I leave?”
Silvanna nods her head, "you vill be ushered to the train station and taken to nearest city.”
“One last question, by removing an upstart family, do you mean kill…”
“The entire family yes, ozervise they vill keep trying to rise up. Choose!”
At this I walk around the room I don’t have a lot to consider, I will not commit familacide, but I have no idea how to transform. I gulp then say “I’ll attempt to transform, but I’ve only done it once so I have no idea how to do it. I have no idea if I can even control it.”
“Right, I’m going to take off magic blocker now, eef you do anyzing but transform vith magic I vill personally introduce you to new hell. Procede vhenever.”
With the blocker off I immediately try to induce a transformation…only to fizzle. Within my head--- “AHAHAHAHAHAHA, you’ve been in the backseat once and now you believe you can fly into it whenever?!?!? What an unbelievable idiot you are! You can’t tame me that easily!”
“Wait a minute, before you could barely speak and now you’re mocking me?”
“Of course, when you used me it made it easier for me to talk to you, and control you.”
“WHAT?!?!”
“Oh yeah, I get to be in the driver’s seat when you flip out, and by the way, there’s nothing you can do about it!”
“Well at least let me transform if I don’t…” I get interrupted
“I know the stakes, it doesn’t help me if your locked up with a magic blocker on, so I’ll transform. Funny, to think you’d come crawling to me for help after you refused me soo fervently. I’m going to enjoy this relationship, now sleep.”
“But I don’t want to!” and I lose consciousness.
When I wake up I’m back in the cell, I’m no longer in manacles, I smell of soap, and the magic blocker is back on. As I look up I see Applejack and Twilight have also been freed of the shackles. Looking right at Twilight I ask “So I take it we’re going to be free soon? Our cell conditions have improved, how long was I out?”
Applejack cuts her off “Only a day, yall did the fire thing again didn’t ya?”
I get a little flustered “Yeah I did, it was either transform or kill a family to get out…so I choose to transform.”
Twilight gives me a stern look “I wish you wouldn’t use that magic without me being nearby. We have no idea how it’s going to affect you in the long run… what’s that on your cutie mark?”
“Huh? What do you… WHAT THE FAUST IS THAT?!?” In the middle of the fire in my cutie mark is a black flame, and I’m panicking. “WHEN DID THAT GET THERE?!? WHAT’S HAPPENING TO ME?? HOW DO I FIX THIS?!”
My ravings are cut off by Twilight in a clear and powerful voice “CLEANSING FLAME! YOU WILL CALM DOWN THIS INSTANT!” My ears splay back in shame as she snaps me out of it, she now takes on a demeanor that greatly reminds me of Princess Celestia. “We will find out what’s going on with you but we cannot do it from here. Once we are on our way we can look into what’s going on with you.”
My mouth is wide open; I could have sworn for a second that Twilight had channeled Celestia.
I hear Rarity say “I say Twilight you look as though you exuded Princess Celestia there.” I nod with my mouth still wide open.
Twilight giggles a bit “Well I was her student for a long time. I’d hope I can imitate her from time to time.”
I open my mouth to say something but I’m cut off by the main door opening with Silvanna commanding her guards, “Take zese prisoners to ze train station and send zem to ze nearest town. I vant zem out of Transylmania, NOW!”
The guards snap to and release us from the cells, but not removing the wing bands and magic blockers until just before shoving us onto the train. Silvanna talks to Bane, handing him money while saying “Take zem to ze nearest town. And never bring zem back! Outsiders not velcome in Transylmania! Eef you bring zem back, I take vings!” Bane gulps and nods vigerously before frantically working the switches and levers to get the Faust out of here. Even though I just woke up, being in Transylmania has been one crazy emotional ride and the tension being released has made us all tired so we fall asleep in a big pony pile with me pulling Applejack in close.