Pinkamena's Tribulation

by TheAccidentalBrony

5. Baltimare

Twilight Sparkle glided above the cluster of towering skyscrapers that clearly demarcated Baltimare’s historic downtown when viewed from above. Distractedly, she picked at a few hairs on her chin, silently chiding herself for her lack of preparation with regards to the task at hand. Typically, she'd insist on a thorough investigation of the facts prior to embarking on such a grand expedition, but Rainbow Dash's situation seemed to warrant more immediate action. As Baltimare would be at least a full day's journey, she'd only hastily tossed a couple of semi-related-looking books into her saddlebags in her rush to depart, leaving her substantially under equipped. This seemed particularly salient when considering that she was traveling to a region with which she was completely unfamiliar, and with the specific intention of vouching for Rainbow Dash’s release. In such a situation, there were specific measures that should always be taken, and one of those was ensuring adequate knowledge of local laws and customs.

Which was why, as soon as she landed, she had to make finding Baltimare’s main library her top priority.

Tipping her wings upwards to slow her descent as she circled over the city, Twilight allowed a protracted breath to slip out slowly from her lips. Her eyelids fell gently, the rushing air her filling her senses with one of nature's oldest, grandest symphonies. It flowed around the barbs of her primaries, a peculiarly satisfying sensation that was akin to having one’s hairs rubbed, but only at the very ends so that the skin was never touched. The wind caught in the corners of her lips, immediately drying any moisture from them. Gradually, she felt the layers of anxiety melt away, reaching a kind but temporary peace. Sliding her eyelids up just a hair, she could tell that she had descended more quickly than was her intention; the street below was now only yards away, but she judged it far enough that she could give her mental checklist a final pass:

Step 1: Find the library Find a friendly pony

Step 2: Ask how to get to the library

Step 3: Fly Walk Get to the library

Step 4: Find Ask the librarian for help finding legal texts

Step 5: Research!

Step 6: ...

THUD!

Twilight felt her hooves contact sharply with the ground, her body lurching forward from the impact. She’d completely failed to prepare herself adequately for landing, being caught up in the planning process, and she knew that at her current rate of speed, allowing her body to smash into the hard cobblestone road would be disastrous. The granite setts rushing towards her far too quickly, she screwed her eyes shut, body tensing as she braced for impact.

An impact that never came.

She cracked a cautious eyelid, barely able to take a breath as she found that her nose was but a hair’s breadth from the stone block in front of her.

“Hon, you alright?” a masculine voice chirped.

“Huh?”

Twilight blinked, twisting her head around in the direction that the voice had come. An ivory-maned pegasus stallion hovered above her, and she blushed as she realized that the crushing feeling in her chest wasn't from being gripped by anxiety, but rather, a pair of thick forelegs.

“Oh. Oh!” Twilight exclaimed breathlessly, the pieces finally clicking in her mind as she felt her hooves gently contact the ground.

“Do you need an amb’lence? I can call for one if you need…”

Twilight could feel the heat rise in her cheeks, blood rushing to the surface as her face flushed red.

Once everything settles down, I’ll have to get specific instruction about landing on paved surfaces from Rainbow Dash.

“No, no,” Twilight replied abashedly, smoothing her mane with a fetlock, “I’m sure I’ll be alright.”

Except for death from embarrassment, of course, she retorted silently.

Glancing around quickly, it seemed that nearly all of the ponies around were just taking to their own activities. Even if they had gawked at Twilight’s...ungraceful descent, they certainly hadn’t done so for long. Her eyes wandered back to her unexpected savior; on the whole, she judged him fairly unremarkable. Middle-aged, she supposed, based on the thin lines visible on his forehead. His cutie mark, which seemed a bit high on the flank, was a set of black stone columns. Twilight couldn’t connect their meaning, but made a mental note to check herField Guide to Cutie Marks and their Impact when she got home.

“Quite a spill you took there,” he commented, interrupting her thoughts as he ran his tongue along his teeth. “Sure I can’t do anything for you?”

“Well,” Twilight began, “I was trying to get to the library…”

“Oh sure, that’s easy, hon. Just keep goin’ downey payment here. It’s right in dantan; you can’t miss it,”

Twilight blinked. "Uh...what?"

The stallion sighed, his eyes flicking up briefly as a scowl formed on his muzzle. "Just go that way, okay?" He rolled his eyes, jabbing a hoof down the road in the direction of her current heading.

"Great! Thanks a bunch!" Twilight said, nodding enthusiastically as she trotted away.

"Don't mention it," a reply floated back, with perhaps a hint of gruffness that hadn't been there before.

She scratched her head with a hoof, still feeling a bit confused by the stranger's mannerisms. Nevertheless, he'd seemed to indicate that her destination was, in fact, just a bit up the road, so she continued her trot. As she traveled, the clogged city air was slowly replaced by a fresh, briney odor that had to come from the approaching ocean. Seagulls squawked overhead, diving into the streets to occasionally quarrel loudly over the remnants of a discarded hayburger. The victor would gobble down the crumbs he could gather before a cart came down the street, then take to the air once more.

As she strolled down the road, it occurred to her that although similar in size and relatively near each other, Baltimare seemed a very different sort of city than Manehattan. The latter city often felt like a monument to modernity, its cascading towers and flashing lights providing constant stimulation, thrilling the senses. In comparison, Baltimare had an austere, almost reverential atmosphere.

A dark shadow fell over Twilight as she watched a set of ponies, clearly close friends, by the banter they seemed to carry. They moved in perfect formation down the streets, blithely unaware of the frown settling on Twilight's muzzle as she watched them, her mind’s eye replacing them with ponies of blue and yellow, purple, white, and orange.

I hope they can forgive me...

Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rarity cared about Rainbow Dash too, and it wasn't fair of her to exclude them completely like this. It wasn't that she hadn't thought of them, but between flight and teleportation, she could make far better time than if she'd had to wait for a train, which would have ruled out all but Fluttershy. And, while Twilight loved the buttercream mare as much as any of her friends, fighting a legal battle over somepony's freedom just didn't match up with her personality all that well.

She groaned, raising a hoof to her forehead. She was just making excuses, now. In fact, she hadn't even told them that she was leaving, or about Rainbow Dash, or anything. She'd told Spike as she was leaving, although now she wasn't sure that all the words had even come out in the right order.

Yes, they were going to be angry with her.

Likely, very angry.

Well, at least I'll have enough time to figure out a good way to apologize for this...

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sudden appearance of the Baltimare main library in front of her. The building was indeed unmistakable, if only for its size. As she approached, it seemed to break through the haze with sheer force of its size alone. Though it only stood a fraction of the height of the buildings around it, the massive gray slab occupied an area the size of a city block. Punctuating the plain exterior were numerous tall, narrow windows evenly spaced across all the building’s faces, but it seemed this was the only effort the library’s architect had bothered making to give it some distinctiveness. Certainly, had she accompanied Twiight, Rarity would have had a few strongly worded opinions regarding its design – that, or it would have evoked a fainting spell.

Not wanting to wait for the cross traffic (or, particularly, to climb the imposing set of stairs that led to the gaping maw of the building), she took to the air, swiftly gliding over the street and through the massive library doors, her mouth gaping as she landed. It was a truly astonishing building; though the archives in Canterlot had the most rare and desirable titles, the sheer size of the collection here was impressive.

“Excuse me,” Twilight approached the circulation desk, “Where can I find books about Baltimare’s history, laws, and politics?”

“Yew kin find those over there,” the librarian waved impassively to her left, "third row past the 'Non-fiction' sign."

“Thanks!” Twilight turned away, cheerfully trotting towards her destination. Even though her friends weren't around, libraries were the next closest thing she had.

And this was one big library.

---

Twilight fidgeted with her hooves, rolling them together as if shaping clay.

She fastened her jaw tightly, her teeth scraping together as she gathered all of her resolve for one singular purpose: to limit the scream bubbling in her throat to the nearly-inaudible hum that now vibrated through her teeth. Her hooves fell, clattering sharply against the polished tile floor. Screwing her eyes shut and popping them open again did little to resolve the situation.

She was frustrated.

In a few minutes she'd be meeting with Baltimare’s highest authority, and here she'd nearly rubbed her hooftips off with anxiety.

Highest local authority, she reminded herself.

She really had no right to be even slightly apprehensive. Her standing as a Princess of Equestria meant she was the highest authority in town. It was small comfort, though, and did little to untangle the knot in her throat or slow the racing of her heart.

After all, Rainbow Dash’s freedom hung in the balance, and here Twilight was, on an unauthorized diplomatic mission to a semi-independent territory in which she was acting as Celestia’s agent, entirely lacking her former mentor’s consent to do so.

Though she hadn’t had nearly the amount of time she’d usually spend preparing for such a test, she’d managed to read the Abriged History of Baltimare cover-to-cover; it did a reasonable job of filling in most of the gaps. Rather than being governed primarily by a mayor, whose duties were generally limited to municipal and local concerns, it seemed that Baltimare had inherited its leadership structure from times long past. One of the first settled cities in the land now known as Equestria, Baltimare had existed for over a thousand years prior to Unification. It was one of a handful of communities that had escaped the rule of Discord intact, a fact that seemed to be a point of local pride. When Princess Celestia brought together the nation of Equestria as one, special accords were signed with Baltimare permitting it to continue self-government into perpetuity.

As if Twilight hadn’t already risked scandalizing the royalty by whisking away to a far-flung province, the special provisions granted to Baltimare served only to amplify the risks inherent to her gambit. Just thinking about it was enough to make her blood run cold.

Governors were selected by a process that melded traditional and modern politics. Every ten years, each family of noble rank would select a single member who would then stand for election by popular vote. Due to Baltimare’s unique situation within Equestria, the Governor and his council had the authority to enact legislation and execute orders in much the same way the Princesses did.

“The Gov’ner will see you in just a minute,” the secretary announced dispassionately, not looking up from her work.

“Great,” Twilight squeaked, her voice cracking a bit as she clopped her hooves together.

Her eyes dropped again. She hadn’t even planned out what she was going to say yet. She couldn’t order the Governor to act without causing a political incident, but at the same time she needed to portray confidence and authority. Then again, maybe she should just turn and leave. It wasn’t, yet, too late. She’d rushed headlong into this, but that didn’t mean she had to see it through. She could always return to Canterlot and attempt to employ more official channels...

At that moment, the frosted glass door to the governor’s office flew open.

“Why, if it isn’t Equestria’s newest princess, here to see me,” the sharply dressed mare in the doorway sneered. She spoke with none of the peculiar twang that Twilight was quickly growing used to, but based on her research, it wasn’t unexpected. It appeared that only ponies from certain areas of the city, or certain family lines, spoke with the unique inflection.

“Seems these days old Celestia is handing out titles like a foalsnatcher hands out candy,” the governor muttered, glaring at Twilight. “Well, come along; unless Celestia’s made the day longer without my knowledge, I can only spare you a few minutes.”

Hesitantly, Twilight rigidly followed her into the airy office, ears pricked cautiously. She couldn’t place it, but something just felt off. As soon as she passed through the entryway, the door slammed shut once more, large pegasus guards posted on each side.

Twilight’s face rumpled with confusion. “Uh…”

“Allow me to introduce myself, since I’m sure you’re not as familiar with me as I am with you. My name is Governor Public Trust, Duchess of Baltimare. You, as we’ve already determined, are Princess Twilight Sparkle. Though it’s possible you’ve come to my office for some other diplomatic purpose, my guess is that you’re here to see about your...friend.”

The last word dripped off her lips like a vile poison that she had spat out, her expression one of clear disgust. Twilight’s jaw dropped, gaping at the sizable pegasus before her. “You...you knew!?”

“What, you thought I wouldn’t recognize Cloudsdale’s greatest embarrassment. Rainbow Dash, who couldn’t even finish flight school due to her inability to check her innate talent with a modicum of discipline. Rainbow Dash, the pony who could someday have led the Wonderbolts, if only she wasn’t so lazy. Rainbow Dash…”

“Hey! I...You...need to stop talking about my friend that way!” Twilight commanded angrily, her face lighting up. “She’s an Element of Harmony, you know, and has done more for Equestria than…”

She stopped herself, not wanting to cause a scandal.

“Oh, I’m sorry, your highness, if my words offended you,” Trust leered, meeting one of the guardsponies’ empty stare with a glance full of intention. “If that was an order, why I’m certain that I must obey.”

“No...no, it wasn’t an order; I just don’t understand why…”

“Oh, well, good then,” Trust smiled widely for a moment, her face immediately dropping to a cold, emotionless expression. She ruffled her feathers as she spoke, “Element of Harmony...yes, I’m aware of what you and your ragtag gang of ‘heroes’ are up to, and even if Celestia thinks you’re something special...I don’t. You’re reckless, the whole lot of you, and from where I stand it seems you’ve done Equestria a good deal more harm than good. This latest incursion from your friend, I understand, is nothing new for you, but around here, such hooliganism will not be tolerated!”

Twilight’s wings flared as two guardsponies set down roughly beside her. She’d opened her mouth to speak, and it took every ounce of self-discipline she had to clamp her jaw back shut, her front teeth resting squarely on top of her tongue. In her anger, there was nothing she’d say that would improve the situation.

“See, princess,” Trust smirked, “That’s what true authority looks like. I know you haven’t had much of an example provided for you.”

Twilight withered, ears pinned to the sides of her head.

“My forebears,” the governor continued, motioning with her left wing to a long series of portraits hanging on the wall behind her, “generation after generation of nobility. In their day...well...there’d certainly be no need for you ‘elements’ to wreak havoc on society in your clumsy attempts to douse flames too insignificant for ponies of prestige to concern themselves with. But, with regards to the matter of one Rainbow Dash; we’ll permit you to see her in the morning, provided that you’ll agree to our policies around such matters…”

“In the morning!?” Twilight blurted out, standing tall once again, stretching her height to its fullest extent. “But…”

“Princess,” Trust ahemmed, “if you please. Some dignity? Good. Yes, in the morning. We must make...arrangements, after all. There are forms to file with the courts, security measures to be taken. Boring stuff, really; I’m sure you know all about it. In the meantime, you’ll find that arrangements have been made for you at the Mareiott Hotel, complements of the city. We trust you shall find these accommodations sufficient.”

The guards positioned beside her seemed to have crowded in, and Twilight shifted her shoulders away from them, choosing instead to stand awkwardly with her barrel drawn upward and her legs pinned tightly together. She closed her eyes, letting a deep breath pass through her lips.

“I see,” she finally replied, employing her best imitation of Celestia’s unflappable calm. “I’m sure they will be.”

Public Trust smiled.

“Good. We’ll see you tomorrow morning, 9AM. Don’t be late.”

---

Ding-ding-ding-ding-ding-ding, the alarm screamed.

Twilight rolled over frustratedly onto her stomach, burying her head deeply into her pillow.

It would stop soon...

Ding-ding-ding…

“Grrrr…” she growled half-consciously, blinking the sleep out of her eyes as the persistent sound pierced through the thin layers of cloth and feather.

“Alright, alright already!” Twilight pushed herself up with her left hoof, throwing a solid right hook in the direction of her foe before collapsing back onto the smooth, sateen sheets.

The clock, luckily, was composed of bronze, steel, and other similarly durable component, so a large dent in its exterior was the extent of the damage it received from the blow. The table on which it had rested had not fared so well, as the clock blasted through the thin wood surface, the remainder of the table caving in on itself above it. In seconds, the nightstand had been reduce to a worthless pile of rubble, splinters shooting up from the impact in all directions.

“Oh, for pony’s sake!” she cried, rubbing her eyes with a hoof. She’d have to add “chat with Applejack about annoying stupid unmanageable earth pony strength” to her list of things to do when she got back to Ponyville. Glancing down at the mangled clock, it looked like the hour hand was pointing near to the 9, with the minute hand just above the 7…

Eight thirty-seven!

“Augh!” she moaned to nopony in particular. Leaping out of bed, she galloped over to the vanity at the foot of the bed.

Mane…mane…

Her mane stood out in all directions, curling upward awkwardly towards the front.

No...no time for mane… Teeth…

She squinted at the visage in front of her, drawing her lips back to fully bare her teeth. Noticing a slight imperfection, she rubbed a green fleck that sat on her front incisor lazily with the tip of her tongue.

Eh, passable. Checklist…checklist….

She scanned the shelf in front of her, shuffling various pamphlets and brochures about on i’ts mahogany surface, but no page appeared.

“GAH!” she shrieked, throwing down her hooves in frustration, leaving too hoof-shaped impressions in the wood's otherwise unbroken surface..

Celestia, I hope this place has good insurance.

Turning, she saw a shred of paper sticking out from below the busted alarm clock.

Checklist!

Racing over to it, she tugged the sheet out from the pile, quickly reviewing the items noted. Satisfied that she’d completed them all (or at least, intentionally skipped them), she tossed the list back at the rubble and took to the air, leaving the hotel room through the bedroom window...

...with an extremely loud crash.

Turning to look at the damage she’d wrought as she shook glass shards from her mane, she could only manage a single thought:

Rainbow Dash would be proud.

---

“Twilight!” Public Trust exclaimed boisterously, making no attempt to hide the snicker escaping her lips as her eye traced over the length of Twilight’s form, “We almost thought you weren’t going to make it. Trust me, that would have been a dreadful shame.”

Twilight eyed the governor suspiciously. Compared to yesterday, this seemed downright hospitable. Something was up...

“Well, follow me,” she advised tersely, turning towards the prison building.

“We keep our normal prisoners in this facility, above ground. But...your friend is no common prisoner,” the governor added as one of her guards slipped a large, rusty key into an equally mistreated lock.

Twilight was sure she saw the seeds of a smile dancing across the governor’s lips as the metal door squeaked open to reveal a narrow, dark passageway within.

She took a step forward.

“Wait!” a black-armored guard shouted, approaching rapidly.

“Princess Sparkle, Field Captain Razorhoof,” he announced quickly, struggling to catch his breath. “Before entering the dungeon, you must sign...here…and here…and here…”

“What is all this for, exactly?” Twilight inquired skeptically.

“Just the S.O.P., Princess. Hold harmless agreement, acknowledgement of rules and procedures, acceptance of magic inhibition…”

“Wait, what?”

“They...didn’t tell you?” the military stallion said hesitantly.

“No.” Twilight replied.

“I see. Well, protocol dictates that unicorns...or alicorns, I suppose...must have an enchantment on them that temporarily neutralizes their magical abilities. It should only last a few hours, and when dealing with magic...we can’t be cautious enough.”

Twilight sighed, looking back over her shoulder to see the duchess smirking quite obviously as she watched on.

“Fine,” she said, taking the quill in her magic and hastily signing all three papers. “Just get it over with.”

Razorhoof quickly hoofed through the stack of forms, and with a nod, withdrew a small vial from his saddlebags.

"I'll be applying just a drop of this to your horn. I've been told that it tingles a bit," he mumbled, jerking the cork out with his teeth. As he brought it nearer to her, a sudden panic overcame Twilight and she cringed backward, hooves scrambling over each other.

"What, got cold wings?" a voice sneered from behind.

Twilight swallowed, planting herself as she sealed her eyes against their will. A beat, and then a cold chill washed over her, starting from the tip of her horn and proceeding until it seemed to escape through her tail.

“Well, on you go,” the governor coughed, breaking the stillness.

“Huh?" Twilight blinked. “Wait...what do you mean, ‘you’?”

“Well, now that we’ve verified your identity and all the authorizations are in order, and Captain Razorhoof has arrived to take you to see the criminal – I mean, your friend – I see no reason for myself or my entourage to tarry here any longer. He should prove to be a more than capable guide for your little tour, and I have actual business to attend to.”

With that, the governor and her personal guards took to the air, leaving Twilight alone with Razorhoof.

“Well, shall we?” he said, tipping his snout at the path ahead.

---

Planting her left forehoof on the other side of the large iron doorway, Twilight suddenly felt a wave of lightheadedness come over her, and had Razorhoof not rushed to her side, she likely would have tumbled down the narrow set of stairs in front of her.

“W-what was that?” she coughed queasily. Unlike Rarity, random fainting spells were not an occurrence that Twilight was accustomed to.

“Oh, you must have sensed the detection array as you passed through it,” he replied matter-of-factly.

“Detection...array?”

“Well, yeah, uh...” he muttered nervously, “Why don’t we move on, though. That is, assuming you feel steady enough to proceed.”

Twilight pushed herself off the sturdy stallion, testing her balance on her own hooves. Feeling confident enough in her ability to walk, she nodded shallowly at her escort. Returning the gesture, he snapped around and pushed the heavy iron door of the dungeon shut, the lock clicking in place automatically.

By the stars, it’s dark in here, she thought. She closed her eyes, trying to spark her own illumination, but none came.

Right...no magic.

“See,” he snickered, commencing his trek down the stairs, “That’s one reason we put the magic wards on you. If you’d so much as made a spark down here with that thing, you’d have found a couple dozen guards on either side of you, and they wouldn’t be very happy about it either.”

“I see,” Twilight nodded thoughtfully, placing a hoof on the step below. “You guys certainly have your stuff together here, huh?”

“Well, I’ll say that we at least do our best with what we’ve got.”

Completing her descent, Twilight noticed that the dank, dark corridor smelled musty, and reflections of the dim light gleamed off small puddles that had collected from water that seemed to steadily drip from above.

“You know,” Razorhoof began, clearing his throat, “our old stories say that back in the days of the republic, we kept these dungeons full. Criminal masterminds, prisoners of war, all sorts of characters. Baltimare has quite the history, you know.”

Indeed...

“If you stay here long enough, maybe you can even see some of it firsthand,” the captain grinned. “Though, these days, nothing much exciting happens around here. Actually, the spectacle that your friend made was the most newsworthy event to happen to Baltimare in years. In fact, Rainbow Dash is the first pony that I’ve had the misfortune to place down here during all my years of service. Probably why this place is such a dump.”

Twilight looked up at him, eyebrow pricked up quizzically.

“Hey, even in dungeons, we’ve got standards.”

Twilight opened her mouth to respond when, as they rounded a corner, a clearly occupied cell containing a cyan pegasus came into view.

“Rainbow!” she shrieked, her particularly short flight ending with her head colliding against the cold steel bars. She rubbed her forehead with a hoof, pressing her muzzle against the still-ringing bars. “Rainbow! Are you okay?”

“Hey, Twi,” Rainbow Dash replied weakly, raising a hoof to her mouth to cover a raspy cough. “Did...did you…”

Twilight looked downward as her friend’s voice trailed off, veiling her eyes to avoid eye contact. She’d been hoping to put off answering this question as long as possible, though she should have expected that Pinkie would be the first thing on Rainbow’s mind.

“No...” her swallowed reply gurgled out, barely escaping her throat.

“Yeah,” Rainbow sighed, ”I guess I couldn’t really expect any different…”

Rainbow Dash turned her head away from Twilight, her sliding her hooves slowly against the rough concrete floor of her cell. Her eyes burned, but she wasn’t about to rub the pain from them with Twilight watching. Minutes ticked by, counted away by the splash of droplets, those leaking in from the cracked roof above and otherwise, but neither pony said a word.

Maybe there was nothing to say, Rainbow thought.

No, that wasn’t true. In fact, there was too much to say; she just didn’t want to say it. Rainbow Dash closed her eyes and drew in a heavy, shaky breath. Her mind railed against the thought, but she knew she couldn’t keep it in any longer.

She swallowed her tears with a gulp, turning back to face her friend. At first, Rainbow thought she’d left, as the space where Twilight’s muzzle had been pressed was now vacant, but looking downward, she could see the alicorn laying in a tight ball on the hard prison floor, muzzle buried under her hooves.

“Twi’...” she began, Twilight’s head lifting up at the sound of her voice, “Twi’...I was wrong to shut you out.”

“That’s...it’s okay, Rainbow. I don’t blame you. I know Pinkie was…”

“Is,” Rainbow hissed through clenched teeth.

“...is special to you,” Twilight finished, shifting on her hooves.

“About that…” Rainbow started hesitantly, scraping her hoof on her chest, hoping to disguise its gentle quaver.

“Rainbow,” Twilight interrupted, clearing her throat. They’d already had enough wallowing for one day. “Whatever it is, we can talk about it later. Right now, we need to address the matter at hand: getting you out of here.”

The future Wonderbolt popped up without warning, flapping slowly from one cell wall to the other, a slightly disgruntled expression written on her face.

“Well, that’s easy, right egghead?” Rainbow's eyes narrowed as she folded her forelegs across her chest. “Just light up that horn of yours and sparkle me outta here!”

Twilight cringed.

“Rainbow Dash...that was…terrible. But no, I can’t do that. Not only would it be illegal, I had to let them use a magic-disabling spell on me before they would bring me down here. From the sounds of things, they have other defenses against magic as well. No ‘sparkling’.” Twilight concluded, rolling her eyes.

“Hmm...fine,” Rainbow mused, a hint of annoyance in her voice. “Well, what about...you’re a princess now -- can’t you just order them to let me go?”

“It’s not that simple, Rainbow.” Twilight stated, starting to pace in front of the cell. “Baltimare…”

“Just hang on one feathering second,” Dash interrupted, scowling. “You’re a Princess, Twilight. No pony in Equestria can say no to you, not counting the other princesses, and certainly no two-bit politician from this,” she waved a hoof around, “this one-horse town is gonna boss you around, right?"

"Dash," Twilight groaned, "That's what I was trying to explain. Baltimare was one of the founding cities of Equestria. It was one of the first places where earth ponies and pegasi lived together peacefully before the Unification, before the Princesses came into power. The Baltimareans are strong, proud ponies...”

“Yeah, and they talk funny too,” Rainbow grinned at her own joke, letting cackling softly under her breath.

The sound of a deeper chuckle echoed from down the hallway, the two friends grimacing as his voice reached their ears.

“Anyway, as I was saying, ponies here are proud...and steeped in tradition. Things aren’t like they were back home, Rainbow. Ponies here mean business. They have their own system and their own way of doing things. They’ve operated independently for centuries. We can try to make our case to the governor, but we can’t order her to let you go.”

Twilight looked down, slowly rolling her forehooves together as if grinding reagents with a mortar and pestle.

Speaking more softly, she continued, “Based on my conversation with her yesterday, I can’t say I feel confident that she’ll be too receptive. She...well, she didn’t seem to like us – me – very much. I’d intended to to this on my own, but right now, if I could find a way to contact Princess Celestia...”

“Celestia? Celestia!? Seriously, Twi? I'm stuck out here, in jail, in this plothole of a city, and you want to phone a friend? Jeeze...I need to get out of here now!”

Rainbow Dash threw her body to the ground, driving her hooves into the concrete floor, cracks spidering out from the point of impact.

“Look, Twi, Pinkie’s still out there, I know she is. You know she is. We just...I gotta get outta here, then we can find her, I know we can.”

“Dash, just...hang tight. I’ll figure something out, okay?”

“You always say that,” Rainbow frowned, crossing her forelegs.

Twilight allowed a smug smirk to creep onto her face. “And I always figure something out when I do, don’t I?”

“Yeah. Sure,” Dash scowled, “Just don’t take too long. Being caged up like this...well, it’s making me crazy, Twi’. I just...I gotta get out...After all, Equestria's greatest flyer's gotta fly, you know!”

That’s not the whole truth, and you know it, Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow pressed up against the door of her cage, wrapping her hooves tightly around the bars. She swallowed again, her heart racing.

Keep cool, Dash, you can do this.

“And...well...” she whispered hesitantly, casting a suspicious glance around Twilight, peering down the corridor.

“You know what, it’s nothing,” Rainbow declared confidently, grinning widely.

“Hey,” Twilight interjected, bringing Rainbow’s gaze back to her with a gentle hoof. Her foreleg fell lightly onto Rainbow’s shoulder, her hoof folded back around the rainbow-maned neck.

“Uh, Twi’,” Rainbow’s eyes widened, “What…”

“You miss Pinkie; I know. We all do…” Twilight whispered, soothingly stroking Rainbow with the frog of her hoof.

Rainbow’s body seemed to stiffen at the touch. “Ugh...” she muttered.

“Rainbow,” she said sincerely, meeting her friend’s gaze. “I want you to know you can tell me anything. I’d never breathe a word of it to anypony if you didn’t want me to.” She chuckled, adding: “Trust me, Pinkie taught me that lesson well.”

Rainbow Dash stared into her friend’s deep, lavender eyes, panting in a few shallow breaths.

“This wouldn’t have anything to do with you staring at Pinkie’s flank…”

A cyan hoof slammed painfully into the purple alicorn’s muzzle, silencing her instantly.

“I don’t know where your mind is, but I’m no fillyfooler!” Rainbow seethed, her face flushed.

Twilight blinked away thin tears, briskly sweeping her friend’s foreleg away. “I wasn’t saying anything like that! And—I don’t think I deserved that, either. But anyway,” she let out a terse laugh, “you know it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world for somepony to like one of their friends as more than just a friend...”

Dash snorted reprovingly. “Well, I don’t. Pinkie’s just a really, really, really, really spec–good friend to me. One that,” she paused, swallowing audibly as her boisterousness seemed to drain from her body, “I really don’t know what I’d do without.”

“I—” Twilight took a deep breath to steady herself. “Rainbow, I know how you feel.”

The dark blue shadow that her friend had become flared to life once more, slamming her slick snout into Twilight’s, meeting the alicorn’s comforting gaze with eyes of fire. “You have no idea how I feel!” Her chest shuddered, her cry echoing through the tunnels. “Maybe,” she muttered almost inaudibly, “I don’t either.”

An awkward silence fell between them, but the boiling rage from only moments ago had given way to a war of emotions playing out in Rainbow Dash’s eyes as she settled to her hooves.

Twilight blinked. “So...that’s it?”

Rainbow Dash took a deep breath, studying her friend with uneasy eyes.

“Yeah. Sure. That’s it, Twi’.” Her lips spread wide, but her eyes told a different story.

“Rainbow…”

“Really, Twi’,” Rainbow said, spreading a wing and taking a primary in her mouth, “Thaf’s it.”

Twilight rolled her eyes.

“Rainbow, if I could use my magic in here…”

“Buf’sha can’t,” her grin visible through the mouthful of feathers.

“Rainbow...did something happen between you and Pinkie?”

The wing fell from the pegasus’ now-still mouth, a chill running down her spine as she stood stiffly, frozen in place.

“Wh-what? No—what in Tartarus gave you that idea?”

Twilight blinked, but offered no response. All at once, the pegasus collapsed on herself, as if the air had been drawn from her body until her chest caved. When she could finally bring herself to look at her friend again, her eyes were haunted, wizened like those of an aged mare.

“It’s just...I’ve been having dreams, Twilight. Ever since I read that letter…”

Suddenly, Rainbow Dash’s jaw shut with a painful-sounding snap, the mare cringing fearfully. Twilight reached out, lifting Rainbow Dash’s hooves in her own and cradling them gently.

“Rainbow,” she consoled warmly, leaning in carefully so that her horn slipped between the bars. “It’s okay. She’d forgive you. Like you said, no more secrets.”

Her teeth still clamped tightly, Rainbow could feel herself weakening. Finally, she nodded a resigned assent.

“She...she didn’t want anypony to know, she didn’t want ponies to have to worry about her. Even though she didn’t say it, I think she might’ve been a bit embarrassed about it. I guess she had nightmares, bad ones, since she was a filly. And I guess,” Rainbow hesitated, “it got worse than that. Sometimes she’d do things in her sleep. Violent things.”

Noticing that Twilight hadn’t responded yet, she continued. “She almost killed one of her sisters when she was young. In her sleep. She was unconscious for almost a week; she still can’t see out of one eye. Even her father could barely fight her off, or at least, that’s what he told her. They’ve got her on some pills now that make it better, I guess, but she had...a relapse.”

Rainbow swallowed, her breaths quickening again. “She’d been having dreams about me recently, I guess.” Noticing Twilight’s lips curving in a grin, she hurried to stammer the rest. “Probably, you know, ‘cuz I’ve been gone and all that. Anyway. The night she disappeared, she woke up in the hot air balloon. Outside my window. Covered in blood.”

Twilight’s jaw audibly thudded against the floor.

“She didn’t know how she’d got there, where the blood was from, anything. But if she’d slept for a little longer…”

“Twilight,” she looked into her friends eyes, her own glazed, “I—I don’t want to die.”

Whatever was left of the alicorn’s defenses crumbled; with tears streaming down her cheeks, she wrapped her hooves around her friend’s neck. “Nopony’s going to die, Rainbow. Nopony.”

“Twilight, I can’t stop thinking about it. Every time I fall asleep, she’s there, but not the Pinkie we know; the creepytown version of her from the party, when her mane went all straight and stuff.” Rainbow wiped her blurring eyes, the icy grip of panic clutching at her core. “I-I-I j-just want my friend back. I just want things to be the way they were.”

“I don’t want to think that I did this to her.”

Twilight pressed closer, closing her eyes as she surrendered to the growing void in her heart. Her eyes grew moist, tears beginning to fall from her eyes to meet with Rainbow’s, two separate streams that would blend into one substance as they dripped to the ground.

“I’m sorry, Rainbow,” she choked out, barely above a whisper, “I’m so sorry.”

They fell silent again; aside from the shallow respirations each heard from the other side of the bars, not a sound was made. Razorhoof must have either had other duties to tend to or have fallen asleep, as they didn’t see him again. They gripped each other as tightly as they could, their bodies pressed as near each other as the bars that separated them permitted.

They remained in each other’s forelegs for a long time.

Author's Note:

Thanks again to Orlunu for pre-reading, and for putting up with my many revisions to this chapter!

Update 12/3/14: Unicorns removed from Baltimare.

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