//------------------------------//
// Chapter 6 
// Story: Loved And Lost 
// by EquineAvenger 
//------------------------------//

	Later that night, Princess Luna had returned to the castle. She was greeted by a group of royal guards.
“Hello, everypony. Did I miss anything?” she asked in a pleasant and friendly tone. The guards responded by brandishing their spears at her. The princess was shocked by the hostile greeting. “What is the meaning of this?” she demanded.
“Princess Luna.” A guard said. “By the order of Holy King Jewelius I, for deserting your post during a changeling invasion of Canterlot, you are under arrest for high treason.”
“Changelings?! King Jewelius?! High treason?!” Luna was almost at a loss for words. “Where’s my sister?”
“I’m afraid Celestia is no longer in charge.” Said an approaching Jewelius, who was now back in his purple royal attire, with a smug smile on his face. “I am.”
“Jewelius, what is going on here?” Luna bewilderedly asked her nephew.
“Change.” He answered with evil eyes. “Glorious change.”

Deep within the underground dungeons of Canterlot, the once proud heroes of Equestria were imprisoned criminals of the kingdom. Special devices were locked onto those with horns to prevent them from performing any magic and tough belts were strapped along the waists of those with wings holding them close to their bodies to prevent them from flying. A unicorn mare with light yellow fur, a dark red tail and mane, light green eyes, with a cutie mark that resembled a chain, and wearing a grey militaristic uniform and cap entered the room. 
“Pardon me, would you mind releasing us?” Fluttershy politely asked her from her cell.
“Yeah, let us out of here!” Rainbow Dash said in a more demanding tone.
“Calm down and please step away from the bars.” The mare told them.
“Please, this is a horrible mistake!” Rarity desperately tried to tell her. “We didn’t mean for an army of hideous monsters to attack Canterlot!”
“I said get back!” the mare snapped.
“Calm yourself, Lieutenant Shackle.” Came an ominous voice from the shadows. Slowly, a taller mare with white fur, a dark brown tail and mane with a ponytail, dark red eyes, an x-shaped scar on her left cheek, and it looked like she was wearing the same kind of uniform but most of her body was covered by a grey cape. She had a very malicious look on her face. “If you’re having trouble with the prisoners, then you should let me handle them.”
“Commander!” the mare named Shackle said both surprised and nervous.
“Hildread!” Shining Armor said with resentment in his voice when he saw the second mare.
“That’s Commander Hildread to you, Captain Armor!” the mare named Hildread snapped. She was Canterlot’s head jailer and an old rival of Shining Armor. “Or should I say, Former Captain Armor?” she said with a little more sadism in her voice as she approached his cell. “It’s been a long time. Never thought I’d see you in one of these cells. What a pleasant surprise.”
“I see you haven’t changed a bit.” Shining said bitterly.
“So much for being Captain of the Royal Guard.” She taunted. “As much as I would love to help all of you out, our new ruler won’t let me.”
“Don’t play nice! We both remember when I booted you out of the guard for unnecessary brutality. This is payback, isn’t it?!”
CLANG!
Hildread struck the bars of the former captain’s cell, but not with her hoof, with a metal wing. She was really a pegasus who concealed her wings underneath her cape. But her right wing was completely metallic. She glared at her old rival now turned prisoner. “Well, it seems the prisoners are getting restless.” She said sporting a malevolent grin and removing her cape. “I think they need to be taught a lesson. Right, lieutenant?”
“Right… ma’am.” Shackle nervously and reluctantly agreed. She used her magic to handle the keys and unlock Shining Armor’s cell. 
Hildread slowly trotted into the cell and stared menacingly into the former captain’s eyes. “I have been waiting a long time for this moment.” She said sinisterly as she opened her wings. In their cells, the others cringed and stared in horror as they heard the sounds of beating and painful moans from Shining’s cell. Lieutenant Shackle averted her pity filled eyes as her commanding officer continued the beating.
“Leave him alone!” Cadance desperately cried. But her pleas of mercy fell on deaf ears. She watched with heartbreak in her eyes as her beloved Shining Armor was tortured mercilessly in his cell.

An hour later, Celestia, Luna, Cadance, Shining Armor, Spike, and the Mane Five were all escorted to the throne room in chains pulled by guards. Celestia and Luna had both been stripped of their shiny royal garments with nothing to wear. Shining Armor looked beaten and bruised from his encounter with Hildread. They all stood before the new self-proclaimed king of Equestria, who sat on Celestia’s throne looking sinisterly down at all of them with his assistant at his right side.
“Vivian, if you please.” Jewelius instructed.
Vivian stepped forward and pulled out a scroll. “By decree of Holy King Jewelius I.” she read the scroll aloud. “For foolish and selfish acts in the line of duty that not only could have brought the downfall of Canterlot, but all of Equestria, you have all been found guilty of high treason.” The prisoners all cringed at the blameful words. “You are all more dangerous when you are together. Therefore, Rarity and former captain Shining Armor are to be sent to work in the mines as part of a new treaty with the Diamond Dogs.”
“Oh no, not again!” Rarity exclaimed miserably.
“Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy are to be sent to the Dragon Lands to fight as gladiators in their new coliseum as part of our new treaty with the dragons.” Vivian continued.
Fluttershy hugged Rainbow Dash fearfully as the cyan pegasus just stared in despair up at her accusers.
“Applejack and Pinkie Pie are to serve as galley slaves to move goods from and to Equestria across the ocean.”
Both AJ and Pinkie were horrorstruck. “But we’ll be separated from our families forever!” the cowpony said in a voice that pleaded for mercy.
“This isn’t right!” An upset Cadance spoke. “Do you know what you are doing? Equestria is anti-slavery!”
“New laws come with new management, Cadance my dear.” Jewelius smugly announced.
“And finally, the three alicorns and the dragon are all hereby banished from Equestria for life.” Vivian finished. All the prisoners gasped when they heard this. “There is no place for them in our society.”
“This is crazy!” Rainbow shouted.
“Are you loco in the coco?!” Pinkie yelled.
“This is a mistake!” Luna tried to reason with her nephew and his assistant. “There has to be another way!”
“Please, we’re sorry!” Fluttershy apologized with fearful tears streaming from her eyes.
“Give us another chance!” Rarity pleaded. The other members of the Mane Five started desperately pleading and crying altogether.
“We promise we’ll-” Applejack tried to speak.
“SILENCE!” Jewelius yelled rendering the entire room quiet. “You foals have had your fun, now pay for it!”
“Jewelius.” Cadance gently spoke. “Remember when we were younger? We used to play together in the castle. I have always kept a special place for you in my heart. We may be cousins, but we wear raised like siblings. You are one of the ponies who mean more to me than anything in the entire world. You’re angry, we all know, but surely you must know this isn’t the right way to handle what happened today. I know the happy and loveable colt I grew up with is still in there. Maybe this will remind you.” Everyone watched as Cadance cast one of her signature love spells on the young stallion who sat on the throne. However, the spell disappeared when it reached him. To the prisoners’ horrific surprise, the new king grinned maliciously and let out a hysterical laugh to show that the spell had no effect on him at all.
“Your pathetic tricks are useless against me, Cadance!” Jewelius snapped at his cousin, taking great delight in her horrific confusion. “I believe I’m done.” He said with boredom in his voice. “Get them all out of my sight.”
As the guards began escorting the newly pronounced exiles away, Shining Armor was desperately struggling to ask one important question to the king.
“Jewelius, wait! Where’s Twilight?” Shining desperately asked. “Where’s my sister?” But he didn’t answer and just watched with a sadistic smile as the guards took the scared screaming stallion away. “Jewelius, please! WHERE IS SHE? WHAT HAPPENED TO HER?! TWILY!” The throne room doors slammed shut once the guards and exiles were gone. 
Jewelius sat proudly on his new throne, enjoying the new power and authority he now had. “This day has been just perfect!” he said to himself.

Later on, six prison wagons rode across the land. The weather had become intensely rainy with thunder and lightning clashing. Each wagon went in a different direction, and they all carried the disgraced, shunned, and now exiled former heroes of Equestria. 
Shining Armor stared through the bars of the prison wagon he was in back towards Canterlot with a tearful, broken, and shameful expression on his face. Despite the dark and terrible future that awaited him, all he could think about was his sister, Twilight Sparkle. He never got the chance to see his sister before his banishment, to see if she was okay, to say goodbye, and to reconcile for his wrongful outburst toward her at the wedding rehearsal. He had learned about how the changeling invasion came about from the others, and realized that if he had just listened to his sister’s suspicions it all could’ve been prevented and the wedding would’ve truly happened, and everyone would’ve been happy. Not only that, but he also feared that he might’ve unwittingly shattered the wonderful bond he had with his little sister, possibly forever. Now it was too late. He and Rarity would soon become slaves in the Diamond Dogs’ mines for the rest of their lives. He would never see Cadance, his parents, or Twilight ever again.
“I could’ve gained a wife. But instead… I just lost a sister.” Shining said to himself as raindrops fell upon his face, making it difficult to tell if he was shedding tears. 
“This day could’ve been just perfect
The kind of day of which I’ve dreamed since I was small
Because of one fatal mistake
No more dancing, love, or cake
Now my wedding bells will never ring at all.”
While Shining Armor sobbed over his failure, Jewelius was laughing over his success back in Canterlot without a shred of remorse over the fates of the exiles.