Tomorrow. My deadline was tomorrow. I had a little over twenty-four hours before Chrysalis posed the exact same question she had every day for the final time. My answer was always no, of course, because I still had hope. Hope that I would be saved. That I would be rescued. I still had hope of salvation, no matter how futile it seemed as the hours ticked away on the clock. But my last bit of hope is slowly dispersing; dissolving into nothingness. "But why me? I'm just a regular, albeit very fast, pegasus. What is so special about me-" but my thoughts are cut off by the sound of the doors opening; the only sound I had been hearing in what had been nearly a week and a half because Chrysalis didn't have the guards in the room anymore. I didn't bother looking up. I knew it was Chrysalis. What surprised me was the sound of chains clinking and clattering. I heard my cell door slide open, followed by a few thuds and pained outbursts. Knowing the voices, I suddenly shot up and turned around to face my five best friends. "You didn't have to be so rough." Twilight told Queen Chrysalis, who stood on the outside of the cell. A sickening smile spread across her lips. "I know," she replied. I walked up to the bars of the cell and stared at the changeling queen. "What's going on?" I asked, throwing a glare at the overgrown, bug-faced, black pony. "Well, Rainbow, I thought you might want to see your friends for a while before tomorrow. And in the event you say no, they'll stay in the cell a little longer, until I return for you the next day." Chrysalis replied. "Why did you bring them here, though? It's not that I don't want them here- really, I do- but why?" Chrysalis dropped her smile and tried to look innocent. "I just wanted you to happy," she claimed. I leaned closer, glaring harder. My head was pressing against the cold, rusted metal bars. "I don't believe you." I spat through clenched teeth. Chrysalis sat down and leaned forward with her head tilted downwards, so that we were at eye-level. I continued to glare at her face, which was only inches away. She obviously decided to drop the innocent act, because her lips curled back into a smirk, revealing her pointed teeth. "Well, I figured that you wouldn't be seeing them for a while after I take you out of this cell." she whispered, lowering her eyelids in a slightly suggestive manner. "Just get out of here!" I demanded. I turned around and walked towards my friends. I then stopped as I remembered something. "Oh, and the answer, as always, is no!" I yelled at her. "Fine, then! But don't forget about the deadline." she sneered. She then smiled triumphantly."For it will come soon and I shall win." Chrysalis then completely turned her back on me and walked towards the double-doors. A bright green energy enveloped them and they opened. Chrysalis stepped through them and they closed behind her. I looked at my friends. Pinkie Pie's hair was flat, dark, and lifeless. Fluttershy's mane was a mess, just like the others, and she had an impossible amount of terror in her eyes. Rarity's mane and tail were ragged and tangled, and her pristine white coat was now grey and splotched with dirt. Applejack was missing the red rubber bands from her main and tail and she was covered in bruises on her legs and shoulders, as if she had tried to fight to get out of the cage. She probably had. Twilight had bags under her eyes and looked like she hadn't slept in days. They all looked starved as well. "Guys I..." I couldn't think of anything to say. My throat tightened and my stomach twisted into knots as I stared back them, too ashamed to speak, too afraid of how they'd reply, and too upset and guilty because I knew this was all my fault. There was no way I could tell them how sorry I was. And there was probably zero chance of them actually listening to me anyways. So I just sat there in silence and hung my head. Tears began to trail down my cheeks and hit the cold stone floor without a sound. I was so damn stupid for trusting that witch! I trusted her, I believed her lies, and I ate up her comfort like cake. I'm an idiot! I should've confronted Soarin instead of jumping to conclusions. I should've- wait, that's it! Soarin! Cadence and Shining Armor were able to banish Chrysalis with a kiss. If I was able to get to Soarin, we could kiss and that would get rid of Chrysalis! I rose my head to see my friends all staring at me. I took a deep breath and began to apologized. "Guys, I was such an idiot and I never should've trusted Chrysalis." I felt a great amount of surprise as my friends surged forward and tackled me in a massive hug. When they released me, we were all smiling. "We knew you weren't evil." Applejack said, relieved. They had thought I was evil? Well, I did do all those terrible things...I deserve to be called more than evil. I deserve to be called a monster. "I never was..." I whispered, trailing off. "I was a heart-broken fool who fell perfectly into Chrysalis's trap." I told them. I looked them in the eyes with a determined expression. "But I have a plan. If I can get out of this cell and get to Soarin, we can kiss and it'll get rid of the changelings like it did at Cadence and Shining Armor's wedding." I explained. "But what if he doesn't love you anymore?" Fluttershy inquired quietly. And with that, my heart fell and my head hung while new tears made their way onto my face. Why would he love me now? I hurt him. Horribly. Terribly. I'm a monster. Especially to him. "You're right Fluttershy." I replied. I lifted up my face and tried to reassemble my determined, strong demeanor, only being partially successful. "I have to try, though." I said. "And if it doesn't work?" Twilight asked. The question just hung in the air for moments on end. "I don't know... But it's our only chance. It's the only thing we can do."

---

That night, we all slept restlessly. Except for me, that is. I sat up nearly all night, staring out the small barred opening on the back wall of my cell, which allowed me to see into a narrow hallway with a door at each end. One led to stairs that spiraled down into the depths of the castle and into the many rooms full of cells in the dungeon. The other door was also a spiral staircase, but it led up; up to the main floors of the castle where most of the ponies in the castle tended to mill about. Neither door was guarded, but I had a feeling that was just because the guards were on the other side of the doors. I sat there, studying every detail of the hallway; every crack in the floor, every hole in the wall, every brick, every scratch, every chip, every tile on the floor. Every single detail. My thoughts then began to stray to Soarin. Even if he still loved me, how was I suppose to get to him? How was I suppose to even find him? What are the odds that he isn't in the dungeon? What are the odds that he isn't even in the castle? Or even in Equestria?! My hope for salvation was gone now. Because I knew that no salvation, no savior, no brave pony willing to risk it all and save the kingdom, was coming for me. I was all alone. I was helpless. I was doomed. "If I want salvation," I begin to realize, "I'll have to be my own salvation." And with that, I finally drifted off to sleep on the cold stone floor.