Chapter 3

Surprisingly, you don’t dream about Toffee that night. You see yourself returning to the castle at Canterlot, still with a bandage wrapped around your midriff, bowing before Her Majesty, Princess Celestia. The place feels surreal, shadows elongated more than usual by the high arched windows, adding to the deep fear you can feel working it’s way up from your hooves, tingling along your spine to your brain.

“Well, Ambassador? What do you have to say for yourself?” the unusually ice cold queen before you demands, a golden shod hoof tapping impatiently against the marble floor of the throne room, her taps echoing in the hall.

“I... Ma’am” you stutter, words unable to leave your lips.

“You abandoned your duties. You took the time to get yourself injured and spent your time in the bed of a WHORE!” Celestia screams, drawing huge anger filled eyes in front of your face. She was a caricature of her usual self, heavily outlined eyes narrowed, teeth bared, almost snarling at you - her normal kindness and level thought replaced by hatred. Over the furious sounds of her Majesty, you begin to hear a gentle laugh, similar to that of someone almost insane, coming from next to the towering white alicorn.

“My dear sister, what do you think we should do with this foolish colt?” the shape of Princess Luna asks, cast in shadow beside Celestia, “Maybe we should have him executed, as a gesture of good will to the buffalo, like we did with the foolish ponies who abandoned him to get drunk?” motioning with a hoof to a series of severed heads on pikes behind her throne; you recognise the captain, sergeant and guardsponies that had accompanied you, grimacing open mouths, wild dead eyes staring into your very soul, judging you.

“Please, your Majesties, I didn’t...”

“Off with his head.” Celestia says, quietly.

“OFF WITH HIS HEAD!” Luna cheers ecstatically before giggling and clapping her hooves together, fetching a sword and levitating it with her horn. You feel the blade press against your neck as the younger Royal prepares to take a swing, she pulls back, and you hear the whoosh of metal through air.

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