As the final cell door slammed shut the only sound that filled the air were the mewling whimpers of Fluttershy; despite her earlier outburst she was now back to shuddering like a little filly. That said none of the others looked in a better state. Rainbow sat on her haunches near to the yellow Pegasus staring into the middle distance; she hadn’t even made a sound since they had left the throne room, not even when she had been poked or hit with a guard’s spear. Applejack and Pinkie had been placed in a separate cell across from the Pegasus duo. Applejack was probably the most vocal of the group, screaming at the departing guards to let her out. Pinkie also sat on her haunches but unlike Rainbow her brow was furrowed in a deep scowl that made her look extremely alien considering her usual smiling face. Rarity was in the cell next to them; the unicorn looking back and forth as she paced around her cell looking for a way out and occasionally shooting sympathetic glances at Spike. The dragon sat huddled in a small cage of his own which hung from the ceiling in the middle of the room. There was barely enough room for him to stand up but currently he sat with his head in his hands and a depressed look on his face.

At length Applejack seemed to tire of her volley of insults and instead looked around at her friends. She grits her teeth, what were they going to do now? They had to get out of here but the question was how? For a moment she looked at the bars of her cell. They looked worn and tired but covering their surface was an odd coating of small black crystals. She frowned at them and then glanced back at her hind legs. She was an Equestrian renowned applebucker, if she couldn’t do something about the bars she doubted anypony else could. Slowly she stepped away from them before turning round and running full tilt towards them.

As she reached them she spun quickly, thrusting out her hind legs against the bars and was rewarded with a solid and firm impact. However the bars themselves didn’t even move at all; instead there was a slight clang, a whir and a large pop. With the last noise Applejack was sent flying across the cell as the force of her kick was directed right back at her. She slammed into the opposite wall with a cry of pain before collapsing to the ground. Pinkie was almost immediately at her side, every pony else looking at her with great concern.

“Oh my gosh, are you alright Applejack?” exclaimed Pinkie with a faint hint of panic in her voice.

“Other than feeling like I’ve done twenty round of cider, I’m fine,” replied Applejack as she rubbed her head, “That’s going to hurt in the morning. At least we know we won’t be getting out that way…Rarity, think you might be able to pick the lock with your magic?”

“I can try I suppose,” replied Rarity as she her own cell door a glance, “I will admit I’ve never done anything like this though.”

“First time for everything I guess,” replied Applejack.

They all watched as Rarity approached her cell door and gave the lock a look over. It wasn’t a complex thing, a simple key and tumbler lock but something about it made Rarity a little nervous. She took a deep breath and slowly reached out with her magic. As the glow surrounded the lock she felt a slight jab in her mind. It only took a moment for the full effect to kick in as a bolt of black magic sprung from the lock and struck the tip of Rarity’s horn. Her scream was a silent one, her body frozen on the spot as the bolt struck, but a moment later she crumbled to the ground like a puppet that had lost its strings.

“Rarity!” cried Spike as he reached out of his cage towards the mare.

Applejack and Pinkie had also rushed to the side of their cell but Rarity was too far away to reach. All they could do was wait. The few seconds that it took for Rarity to recover though seemed like an eternity to every pony around her. Slowly her ear flicked back and forth a few times and with a slight groan of discomfort she opened her eyes. She twitched a few times and then slowly pushed herself up, every pony gasped.

“Rarity! Your horn!” exclaimed Spike as he stared at her in fright.

Slowly Rarity looked up, her shriek piercing straight through all of them. Around her horn were small spikes of black crystal, each of them looking like they had sprouted from within her horn itself. She frantically ran her hooves over them trying to knock them off. When that didn’t work she tried using her magic only to find it stopped at the base of her horn, she couldn’t cast any spells.

“Those crystals, they’re like the ones Shining Armour got on his horn when…” began Applejack.

“…when we we’re fighting that big meanie Sombra!” finished Pinkie.

“I don’t care what it looks like!” cried Rarity in a panic, “I can’t use my magic! I can’t…what’s happened to me?! Why can’t I use my magic?!”

“Rarity calm down,” snapped Applejack, “Panicking isn’t going to solve the problem, we have to find a way out of here!”

“Calm down?! Don’t panic?! You’re the one who told me to try my magic and now…”

“P-Please…every pony please!” came a soft whimper from the cell opposite them.

They all stopped and looked; Fluttershy was pressed up against the bars of her cell, tears flowing freely from her eyes in river.

“We…we…we have to stick together,” she murmured, “We…we have to find a way to save Twilight…we…”

“What’s the point?!”

Every pony stopped dead and turned towards the voice. A little behind Fluttershy Rainbow Dash had turned her head to look at them. Her face was like an open book, displayed for every pony to read, and what it said made every pony shudder. There was no hint of determination, no fighting spirit, not even a glimpse of sarcasm or rebellion; all there was the look of a pony who had completely succumb to her despair, a look of acceptance and sadness.

“Why should we even bother?” continued Rainbow with a small laugh of despair, “Even if we get out of these cells there has to be hundreds of guards waiting in the castle. Even if we somehow manage to get by them do you really think Twilight will just sit back and watch us leave? Did you see what she did to Lightning Dust…what she did to Ponyville? There’s nowhere to go, nowhere to hide. She’ll find each and every one of us and kill us. I don’t know what happened to her but I guess it doesn’t matter…nothing we can do will change her back.”

Every pony was speechless, such words may have come from any normal member of Equestrian society, from a scared noble or a small foal…but for Rainbow herself to say it sent a chill through each one of them that they couldn’t fight. Time seemed to freeze and only the low howl of the wind stirred the air.

“…n-no…”

Applejack spun on the spot, looking around at where the sound had come from, “who’s there?!”

“…you...c-can’t give…up…” croaked the voice again.

This time Applejack managed to work out where it had come from and looked towards one of the far cells. There was a faint hint of movement, a shadow shaking against the flickering light of the wall mounted oil lamps. Strains of exertion and pain started to emanate from the cell as the occupant tried to stand but each time seeming to fail. Finally the dark form slumped to the ground and a scraping sound filled the air as they dragged themselves forwards. Every pony gasped in horror as the black shadow finally managed to make it into the light.

“Princess Celestia!” came a chorus of shocked and fearful voices.

Celestia herself didn’t look good at all. Her broken horn not withstanding her body was covered in bruises and cuts and both of her wings hung limp at her side. She looked thin, half-starved even, and blood ran freely from her dried cracked lips. Her fur was no longer white, matted with dirt, blood and grime and her mane lay still and lifeless.

“…you can’t…give up…” she croaked once more, her voice hoarse and dry.

Nopony spoke, they all knew Celestia wasn’t the immortal god some ponies thought she was, her fight against Chrysalis had proved that, but to see her like this made their stomachs churn. The question of what had happened to Celestia was finally answered but perhaps it would have been easier if they had not found out at all.

“Please…you can’t give up on her,” continued Celestia as she reached out a hoof toward them, “Please.”

“Celestia…” murmured Applejack, “What happened to you?”

Celestia just looked away, afraid or maybe ashamed to answer the question. Again a silence hung in the air but this time an all too familiar voice split the air.

“Whilst I usually try not to agree with Princess Sunshine I must say in this case she makes a valid point.”

“Discord!” snapped Applejack quickly as she spun back and forth on the spot looking for the offending draconequus himself.

“Right you are Applejack,” continued Discord as a floating smile appeared in mid air between the cells.

A moment later the smile spun round a few times and in a small poof of needless smoke Discord appeared.

“Dingy accommodation you have here I must say,” he said aimlessly as he looked around at the caged ponies.

“What are you doing here Discord, did you do this to Twilight? What are you up to this time?” accused Applejack with a stamp of her hoof.

“Moi? Oh you wound me so Applejack,” retorted Discord with an over exaggerated show of fake pity, “I have had nothing to do with this I can assure you.”

“Likely story…”

“Yes, yes,” interrupted Discord with a roll of his eyes, “Now then, shall we move onto more pressing matters? What Celestia has said is actually quite important, wouldn’t you agree?”

He looked towards Celestia, frowning slightly as he did. The white mare met his gaze for but a moment before looking away again.

“Are you here to rescue them?” she asked slowly.

“Indeed I am,” replied Discord, “and I see that time has finally caught up with you.”

“Something you must be pleased to see…”

“A part of me is enjoying this but frankly I have no desire to go back to my previous life...”

“Don’t mean to interrupt,” cut in Rarity sharply, “But would somepony please explain what in Equestria is going on!”

Discord and Celestia both cast a glance at Rarity before looking away again.

“I’m sorry…there simply isn’t time…” replied Celestia, “Discord take them and get out of here.”

“Woah woah woah!” interrupted Applejack, “What do you mean us? If we’re being rescued you’re coming along too?”

“No Applejack,” replied Celestia with a cough, “It’s too late for me, I’m as good as dead.”

“What do you mean?” asked Rarity cautiously.

Celestia looked away, “Discord go...and…I’m sorry…for everything.”

Discord nodded and raised his hand, “I know you are Celestia but that doesn’t excuse you.”

With a snap of his fingers seven flashes of light lit up the room before fading to nothing. As stillness fell on the cellblock once more Celestia was left to sob quietly by herself.