Celestia's Nightmare
Celestia walked down a long hallway carved from stone far below Canterlot with two guards trailing along behind her. Sounds of water dripping echoed behind them as the scent of mildew teased their noses. They walked in silence as they neared Tranquil’s cell near the end of the prison cave system, their hoofsteps and the sound of dripping water being the only sounds that echoed through the tunnel.
As they neared Tranquil’s cell, Celestia slowed to a halt. “Wait here, please. I want to speak to the prisoner in private,” she said.
“Yes, Princess,” both guards replied before stepping aside to stand on either side of the hallway.
Celestia resumed walking, her head hung low as she thought about what she was going to say to one of the ponies who plagued her friends’ lives with such malice. Part of her felt like she’d let Tranquil’s family down, making her wonder how many other families were suffering or in otherwise similar states from her not being able to oversee everyone’s lives. She fought down the side of her that reasoned against her, telling her that Tranquil’s actions were of her own free will.
She saw the only occupied cell out of the corner of her eye up ahead and tread softly until she stood before Tranquil’s cell. She peered in through the small barred window near the top of the door to find her sister’s moonlight shining in through the window from the other side of the room. Her prisoner was fast asleep on a bed of clouds, a light smile on her face as the tips of her wings trembled, almost as if she was dreaming of flying.
Celestia’s eyes narrowed momentarily as she wondered how she was able to get something comfortable, so with a quick flash of light from her horn, she evaporated the cloud in an instant, letting Tranquil drop down a few inches onto the cell’s poor excuse for a mattress.
Tranquil groaned as she woke up. She pushed herself up with her right foreleg, then yawned and looked out the little window. Celestia watched her rub her eyes with a hoof, stretch her legs, then her wings. Celestia softly cleared her throat to announce her presence. “Quite odd taking a nap in the evening,” she said.
Tranquil’s head whipped around to look up at her, her expression turning quite sour a moment later as she glared at her. “Not much else to do in here,” she muttered. “Coulda woke me up before you poofed away my comfy bed, by the way.”
“Yes, I could have.”
Tranquil stared at her in silence, expecting her to continue talking. Once she realized that Celestia wasn’t going to say anything more, she rolled her eyes. “So… did you need something or can I go back to sleep?” she asked, her tone filled with disdain.
“I wanted to ask you some questions.” Celestia plainly stated. Much to Tranquil’s surprise, she lit her horn once more, opened the cell door, and walked inside. The door shut behind her with a loud clang. She lit her horn again and teleported a tray of food onto her prisoner’s bed. In stark contrast to the usual bread and water that prisoners ate, a salad, a large bowl of soup, and two cups of steaming tea sat before them. “Ah, wonderful. Still piping hot.” She used her magic to levitate one of the cups up to her lips. She blew across the top of the tea, then took a small sip. “That hits the spot,” she said with a content sigh. She took another sip, then noticed Tranquil hadn’t budged. “Oh, silly me. I brought you something nicer to eat. Our prison food can be rather… lacking.”
Tranquil’s wings trembled at the sight of the food but she didn’t make a move to grab it. “...Why? I don’t understand.”
“Why what?”
Tranquil rolled her eyes again. “Why are you being… nice to me? Wait, are you trying to poison me?” She glanced down at the tray of food with a longing momentary stare, then looked back up at Celestia. “You’re trying to poison me, aren’t you? That’s so below you! Or…” Her eyes narrowed. “Or is it?”
“Of course I’m not trying to poison you. I would never stoop down that low,” Celestia simply said. “See?” She took another sip from her cup to prove that it was indeed not poisoned.
“That’s the one without the poison, obviously,” Tranquil scoffed. “I’m not stupid, ya know.”
“I never said you were.” Celestia pointed at the food with the tip of her wing. “I promise the food is not tainted in any way. I was hoping I could entice you to open up a little. My guards said that you weren’t as cooperative as they had hoped.”
“I don’t believe you.”
Celestia sighed. “Oh, very well. Pick something for me to eat and I’ll prove it’s not poisoned by eating it myself.”
Tranquil warily eyed her up and down. “Uh… ok. Try some of the salad.” She watched Celestia select a single leaf from the bowl, her eyes never leaving Celestia’s face as the princess munched away on the leafy green.
“Believe me now?”
Tranquil observed Celestia’s expression for a few seconds, taking in her relaxed posture, calm demeanor, and her normal tone of voice. Part of her still thought it was a trick, but her stomach grumbled at the nice food sitting before her. Compared to the thin soup and bread she’d been eating lately, this was a treat that she was certain she wouldn’t get to enjoy for a very long time. “I guess…” she mumbled.
Celestia pushed the tray of food closer to her with her magic and sat down near the end of the bed. As Tranquil started to eat the salad, she cleared her throat. “I apologize for taking a while to come see you. I’ve been rather… busy, as you can imagine.”
Tranquil scoffed. “Well, you are a princess. I’m surprised you made time for little ‘ol me.”
“Yes, well, you are in a lot of trouble,” Celestia replied. She stood up and walked past Tranquil to look out the window, watching as Luna’s moon glistened amongst the stars. How could we have let them slip through the cracks? she thought to herself. “Tell me… when did things get so bad? Did you ask for help?” she softly asked.
“Huh?” Tranquil glanced over her shoulder. “Oh, uh…” She swallowed the food in her mouth, then shrugged. “I dunno, it just… happened? We got some help but nothing changed. Then the help disappeared and things just kept getting worse.”
Celestia turned back around and sat down to look at her little pony. She softly cleared her throat, coaxing Tranquil to look up at her. Her prisoner’s eyes were filled with a genuine sadness, replacing the cold, icy stare of hate that was once there moments ago. “Had I known how bad things were… perhaps I could have helped. Between my sister and I, to not have seen it happening… I am sorr–” She paused as that same icy look of hate filled Tranquil’s eyes once more.
“Can it,” Tranquil snarled. Her shoulders drooped as her head lowered. “It’s not like you can take care of every single pony in all of Equestria at the same time.”
Celestia’s ears flicked back. “While that may be true, every pony still is my responsibility. It is my duty to ensure that everyone lives a life of peace and happiness. I regret that you and your family had to suffer.” She placed a hoof on Tranquil’s shoulder.
Tranquil took a deep breath and slowly let it out before she looked back up at Celestia. “Look, I know I messed up, but, well…” She bit down on the tip of her tongue hard enough to force tears into her eyes. “Will you let me go?” Tranquil asked hopefully. “I promise I’ll be better and do better for my family.”
Celestia brought her hoof back. “I’m afraid that I can’t do that.”
“Ugh. Figures.” Tranquil rolled her eyes again and went back to eating. “Can’t blame a girl for trying,” she said in between mouthfuls.
“While you’re enjoying your meal, I do have some questions I’d like to ask you. Your husband was here, was he not?”
Tranquil paused in between bites. She glanced up at Celestia, shrugged, then went back to eating. “Look, if you want information, you gotta give me something in return.”
“I already gave you better food, and lots of it.”
“Nah, I mean like time off my sentence or better conditions. This cell is pretty cramped.”
“It’s supposed to be like that.”
“Yeah? Doesn’t it feel bad to throw one of your precious little ponies away down in such a dark and dismal place?”
“Your actions brought you here, not I. You have no place to demand such niceties, though while we haven’t had to use these cells in quite some time, they are suitable for the time being. I have yet to work out a suitable punishment and the duration of your stay is still to be decided.” Silence filled the cell as Tranquil quickened her pace with her dinner.
A minute passed in silence, then another before Tranquil set her spoon down to ask, “So what more do you want to know of me?”
Celestia thought for a moment. “What else did your husband give you? Did he say where he was going?”
“He gave me nothing more than that cloud, and why would I ever tell you where he was going or what he’s doing? I would never betray my family like that.”
“Not even young Scootaloo?” Celestia shot back.
Tranquil glared at her. “After what she did, she’s no part of my family,” she spat out.
“I’m sorry to hear that. She’s a wonderful filly with a bright life ahead of her. You, on the other hoof…” Celestia stood up, used her magic to open the cell door, then let it clang shut behind her as her magic faded away. Another spell made the tray of food vanish. “You’ll have at least a decade or so to think about where your loyalties lie.” She started to walk away from the cell, walking as slowly as she could as she prayed that Tranquil would take the bait.
“Wait, a decade?” Tranquil screeched as she raced to the cell door. “Come back! Yes, I know something that can help!” She banged on the wooden door with a hoof until Celestia came back into view.
Excellent… Most excellent… Celestia thought as she paused. She turned around and walked back to the cell. “Yes? What is it?” she cautiously asked.
Tranquil’s frantic breathing slowed a little bit. “First, you have to swear to me that my sentence will be reduced. I won’t tell you what I know any other way. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life in this hole in the wall, after all.”
“If the information that you provide pans out, perhaps we can come to an arrangement. That’s all I’m willing to promise,” Celestia said, hoping her noncommittal answer would convince Tranquil to spill her secrets.
Tranquil glared at her for a few moments before her shoulders slumped. “You drive a hard bargain. To answer your question from earlier, yes, I know where my husband went and I know what he’s doing. He was here a day ago, and I kinda sorta told him to– uh… Would I get in more trouble if I sent him to do something… bad?”
Celestia’s heart sunk in her chest as she watched Tranquil struggle to talk her way out of the hole she worked herself into. She stared deeply into Tranquil’s eyes. “Speak,” she ordered, cutting her blabbering off.
Tranquil gulped, cowering from Celestia’s menacing demeanor. “I… I… He went to go, ya know…” She drew a line across her throat. “To my poor excuse for a daughter.”
“Not if I have anything to say about it.” Celestia lit her horn and kept the spell from activating as she watched her prisoner squirm, probably fearing the worst, before she let the spell finish, teleporting her away to her study.
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Little did Tranquil know that Princess Celestia spent the last millennium building up an immunity to iocane powder.
accessory to murder. That's an extra 10 to life.
11266263
Wait what is that anyways?
11266265
Yep
Great chapter!
the "father" better not hurt her or he will face the wrath of the sun and a pair of momma bears
Some peoole don't want help .i knkw a guy that used tobwork with a grouo to help the homeless. Som many loved being homeless to the effort was a waste.
Dead stallion walking.
Never mess with those Celestia loves.
11266294
A reference to The Princess Bride.
11266265
Sure is. I don't think Twilight and Rainbow are gonna let that happen. On top of that, Brick would have to get through Spike. Doubt he's gonna let him get anywhere near them.
11266339
Yeah, some people just want to rot in misery by themselves.
11266426
11266375
Damn right! Haha.
11266320
I have a feeling he's not gonna get that chance.
11266435
Oh okay thank you
11266263 "You've heard of Aristotle, Plato, Socrates? Morons."
*places rusty spoons, a steel pipe with razer wire welded too it, jugs of lemon juice, scalpels, bench vices, volt generators, and assorted other tools on a table two steel chairs with steel clamps stand ready near by*
Well, I'm surprised Tranquil didn't find herself face to face with Daybreaker right then and there. Is Brick going to get a Rainboom speed flying hoof to the face??? Or will he find himself getting schooled Royal Guard style by Shining????? It would actually be awesome to see Shining take him down to show he's not just a pretty face.
11272758
Find out on the next episode of “I’ll do anything for you”
11334239
lol
I really love this story, especially all of the Snuggles parts it really warm's my soul
Just read the story. Absolutely love it. Looking forward to reading more.
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Thanks!