Inside a room in the castle in Canterlot, Princess Luna was emerging from her secret chambers. She slid the door carefully, but then Applejack stormed in on her before she could finish. "Princess Luna?!" Applejack called out. "Oh, uh, Princess Applejack!" Princess Luna said as Trixie was entering the room. But Trixie got pinned in door frame when Princess Luna slamed the door shut. "Ack! Luna, I'm stuck!" Trixie called out in pain. "How may I be of service to you?" Princess Luna aske bowing down as Applejack approached the advisor with a very angry look on her face. "The guards just took a stallion from Ponyville on your orders!" Applejack shouted. Princess Luna merely scoffed and said "Your father's charged me with keeping peace in Equestria. The stallion was a criminal." "What was his crime?" Applejack asked. "I can't breath! Luna!" Trixie said in pain.

"Why, ponynapping the princess of course." Princess Luna said as she was about to kick Trixie back inside the secret chambers. "Luna, if you could just-!" Trixie tried to say, but she got kicked back inside the secret chambers. "WOW, that hurt!" Trixie yelled out. "He didn't ponynap me! Ah ran away!" Applejack exclaimed. As if shocked, Princess Luna took a few steps away from Applejack, and said "Oh, dear! Oh, why, how frightfully upsetting. Had I but known." "What did ya'll mean by that?" Applejack asked. Princess Luna looked at Applejack and said "Sadly, the stallion's sentence has already been carried out." "What sentence?" Applejack asked. "Death. By beheading." Princess Luna answered sinisterly. Applejack gasped. "No." She breathed out before collapsing onto the floor. "I am exceedingly sorry, princess." Princess Luna said. With tears in her eyes, Applejack turned to Princess Luna and said "How could you?!" She then ran out of the room crying. Once Applejack left, Trixie finally made it through the secret door, and went over to Princess Luna while feeling out of breath.

Once Trixie regained her breath, she said "So, how did it go?" "I think she took it rather well." Princess Luna said with a sinister smile on her face. Outside in the garden, Applejack was at the edge of the fountain crying her eyes out as Fluttershy walked over to her and nudged her gently. "Applejack? Are you ok?" Fluttershy asked gently. "It's all mah fault, Fluttershy." Applejack said sadly as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "Ah didn't even know his name!" Fluttershy hugged Applejack as she started crying again. Meanwhile in the Canterlot Dungeons, AJ struggled against the cuff chained to the ground, and holding one of his back hooves. He stopped struggling and said "She was the princess! Ah can't believe it. Ah must've sounded so stupid to her!" He then heard a voice that said "Yoo-hoo! AJ! Hello! Up here!" AJ looked up and smiled when he saw Spike, and said "Spike! Down here, ya'll!" Spike then went down and went up to AJ.

"Hey, come on. Help me out of this!" AJ said. "Well I certainly hope you learned your lesson about trying to help the princess." Spike said. "Hey, she was in trouble!" AJ said. "Ah, she was worth it." "Yeah, yeah, yeah." Spike said as he got out a small key from his small bag. "Don't worry, Spike." AJ said as Spike was using the key to sat his friend free. "Ah'll never see her again. Ah'm a street-pony, remember, and there's a law. She's gotta marry a prince. She deserves a prince." Spike finally freed AJ, and said "Ta-da!" AJ sighed and said "Ah'm a fool." "You're only a fool if you give up, young stallion." A voice said startling Spike. AJ turned to the voice to see a donkey named Cranky Doodle Donkey sitting there. "Who are ya'll?" AJ asked.

"A lowly prisoner like yourself." Cranky Doodle said. "But together, perhaps we can be more." "Ah'm listening." AJ said. "There is a cave, young stallion. A Cave of Wonders! Filled with treasures beyond your wildest dreams!" Cranky Doodle said showing AJ and Spike beautiful ruby gems." "Oooh!" Spike said as he and AJ stared at the ruby gems in awe. Cranky Doodle put the rubies back into his bag, took a few steps back and said "Treasure enough to impress even your princess, I'd wager." "Luna, can you hurry it up, I'm dying in here!" Trixie whispered out. Apparently, Cranky Doodle Donkey was actually Princess Luna and Trixie in disguise. Princess Luna hit her apprentice on the head before continuing the disguise. "But the law says that only a prince can-!" AJ tried to say, but he was interuppted by Cranky Doodle, who got in his face, and said "You've heard of the golden rule, haven't you?" Cranky Doodle backed up, and said "Whoever has the gold makes the rules." He then smiled showing him the gold tooth.

"So, why would ya'll share all of this treasure with me?" AJ asked. "I need a young stallion with strong legs, and a strong back to go in after it." Cranky Doodle said as he went over to the right. "Ah, there's one problem with that, ya'll." AJ said. "It's out there and we're in here." "Mmm, mmm, mmm. Things aren't always what they seem." Cranky Doodle said as he pushed open a hidden exit. "So, do we have a deal?" AJ looked at Spike as if to say "Should we trust this donkey?" "Uh, I don't know." Spike said.