Back at Fluttershy’s cottage, Relv is now stiffly laying his body down on the couch with a shuttering Fluttershy sitting by his head, having just told the story of when he unleashed his forty second power.

“You-u-u killed Princess Celestia’s mom and dad?” She whimpers in terror.

“Yes, but I didn’t mean to,” Relv stutters, “I didn’t mean to shed the blood of the innocent, and especially to those worthy to live like Tia’s mother and father. That blasted net, and my inexperience with my stronger powers, I look back at that day and shame myself. To still day, I still don’t know what my forty second power truly does, and I’m never going to find out. I promised to myself I’d never unleash it again.” The yellow mare then notices a single clear tear rolling down Relv’s cheeks, she knows now that he is completely serious.

“What happened after that?”

“I cried. Knowing what I just did, the true crime I have committed out of idiocy and anger, I cried. Tia soon came from out of the kitchen and saw me. I could tell just by the look of her eyes, she was terrified, furious, miserable, and many more depressing emotions. Slowly, she walked up to me, and soon also began to cry. We cried together for minutes on end, Luna meanwhile left the kitchen through another doorway to get help. It was only a matter of time before whatever was left of the barracks to show up and take me away.”

“For his crimes, Relv was going to be sentenced to death.”

“Did he escape?”

“No, I saw that he was genuinely sorry for what he did.”

“However, instead of being executed, Tia decided to let me live.”

“Why?”

“I don’t truly know. I was sentenced by her to eternal imprisonment to a pocket dimension designed to be a prison.”

“I ordered him to be imprisoned at the Interdimensional Containment Unit for Treacherous Enemies. A special prison designed by Star Swirl the Bearded to restrain any and all dangerous ponies. There, I could safely check on Relv to see if he’s okay without him causing any trouble. I didn’t want any harm to come to him back then, I still had feelings for him that I couldn’t perish from my mind.”

“However, I would’ve rather taken the death option if I was a lesser pony.”

“Why?”

“The prison, it taunts you.”

“At first, I came to the prison on a weekly basis to check on him and maybe talk with him. Sometimes, during those first months, I’d bring somethings to make his cell area more comfortable. I included a library, some pillows, and other small luxuries.”

“Weren’t you mad that he killed your parents?”

“I was, but for some reason I felt pity for him still.”

“She’d come every week for four months and bring me small luxuries from the outside world. Everytime she came, it reminded me that there still is an exit, a light at the end of the tunnel. Hope, hope was what made the prison so much more tortuous than death. I rotted there over the centuries and looked to the light and imagined climbing to freedom. It seemed so easy and simple for Tia to walk in and out. And like shipwrecked ponies turning to sea water from uncontrollable thirst, many would have died trying to leave. I learned there that there can be no true despair without hope. And with that hope, I tried, I tried, I tried, and I tried, to break out of that prison. Each time, I drew a little closer to freedom, feeding me more of that self-destroying hope.”

“He’d attempt to break free day after day. Each time however, he’d end up being tossed back to his chamber more bruised and beat up than before. He’d always be caught in a trap or surrounded by guards that watched over the prison.”

“Were you ever involved in some of his escapes?”

“I was taken hostage on several occasions, but in the end, Relv always was recaptured and sent back. I started visiting him less and less as the stakes grew higher and he grew more desperate. And each time I visited since then, Relv changed more and more. A long silver strand of hairs grew from his mane, his body became much more muscular, and he eventually adopted a harness and swords that were impossible for us to remove from him.”

“Even when Tia stopped visiting me that often, hope still clung to me. I used the library she gave me and occasionally updated to memorize everything about biology, geology, psychology, geometry, chemistry, history, and philosophy. Using my powers and raw strength, I used parts of the prison walls I’d punch out to craft my swords. I trained while making hundreds of thousands of escape attempts over hundreds of years, perfecting my technique, my knowledge, my strength, and my powers. I never did let go of that hope for a second. Eventually, instead of letting it destroyed me, I destroyed it, and turned its shattered remains into the fact that I would escape.”

“I should have seen the signs that he was going to escape sooner or later. He drew closer and closer to the exit everytime he tried to escape. But while I was dealing with the loss of my sister and my new duties to the kingdom, I couldn’t attend to the matter.”

“When was the last time you visited him before he escaped?”

“When was the last time Celestia visited you before you escaped?”

“Two years ago, I was five sixths away from escaping before being caught again. Then, she came to visit me outside the door to my cell. She told me that Luna has returned from being Nightmare Moon to her normal self. Tia was quite joyous.”

“Was that all?”

“No, she then proceeded to read me a book, a fictional one.”

“Why?”

“You read him a storybook? Why?”

“I was in a good mood after having my sister return, so I decided to see Relv. After his last failed attempt of escaping, as I looked into his chamber, I saw him throwing a temper tantrum of all things. I felt sorry for him then, so I decided to read to him the book I brought along, in hopes of calming him down. It is called ‘Treasure Kingdom’. Almost immediately, he stopped his fit and was sucked into my narration of the story. And, for a moment at least, I thought I saw a twinkle in his eyes, the twinkle that was present in the old Relv I knew as a friend.”

“She read me the story, from front to back. She seemed unusually passionate about it, despite the incredibly high risk of me taking her hostage once more. I could’ve even done it on the spot in the blink of an eye.”

“Then why didn’t you?”

“I… I don’t know…”

“He was almost mesmerized by the book as I read.”

“Couldn’t he just break open whatever was separating you and him since he had become so strong and took you hostage, or worse?”

“He could, but he didn’t. He may be putting up this tough stallion act and maybe even adapted himself into it, but inside, there was still that little stallion that was my friend. Now though? I’m not sure if he’s still in there.”

“Finally, after countless numbers of attempts, eliminating the tortures of hope, and perfecting every aspect of me. I was finally ready to escape. With the prison fully repaired and a full staff of guards set, this would be the ultimate test to see if I am ready for the world.”

“Did you make it in one piece?”

“No, I lost all four of my legs and was decapitated twice, but I still escaped and was able to promptly repair myself.”

“I heard the news that Relv escaped the entrance to the pocket dimension prison in a matter of moments and immediately sent the guards after him.”

“I found myself in an underground cavern system beneath Canterlot and had to dig my way out.”

“I knew he was searching for me.”

“I wanted to talk to her and make my presence known.”

“How were you caught again after your actual escape?”

“I was slightly disorientated after initially surfacing, due to the new layout of Canterlot and my body still recovering from my escape. The guards were coming so I had to hide. Then she came and casted her spell onto me.”

“We searched high and low until we eventually found him hiding in an alleyway.”

“How did you even detain him, let alone place a mind control spell on him?”

“After facing off a few guards, I snuck up to him and engaged him in small banter. While he was still weak and distracted, I quickly placed the spell onto him before he could properly react.”

“And now here I am.”

“And now here he is.”

“Trapped,”

“Controlled,”

“A freelancer that wants to help,”

“A betrayer that has turned into a monster,”

“The necessary evil,”

“The purest of corruption,”

“The Black Paladin,”

“The Weaponized Demon,”

“I don’t know why she kept me alive.”

“I was an idiot for keeping him alive.”

“I wanted to save everypony.”

“He wants to destroy everypony.”

“Only now I have been restrained to your command.”

“He will break from his mind control sooner or later. And when that happens, I’ll be ready for him.”

“That’s everything that has happened that has leaded me up to this point.”

“Relv…”

“What?”

“Your voice, have you been able to talk freely for a while?”

“Yes. Tia’s spell has grown weak after all of that that has happened. However, it still hangs on to your will.”

“Do you want me to set you free?”

“Yes.”

“What if I don’t want to?”

“Then I have no power to force you otherwise. You could shut me up forever at this very moment, and turn me into that thoughtless machine that you first encountered.”

“Rex, thank you for coming to help me. You’ve given me insight on what I should’ve done long ago. Please, go back to Manehattan. I don’t want you to get hurt when this goes down.”

“Celestia, wait. What is killing Relv going to solve?”

“It will remove one of the most dangerous threats from Equestria and I’ll finally avenge my parents.”

“You said it yourself, he was sorry-”

“He was sorry. Now? He’s probably proud of it, as well as all of his other crimes. Now go.”

“But what about-”

“I said go! I don’t want you to die because of my problems.”

“Alright, I’ll go back to my duties in Manehattan. Just think about what you’re doing. Who’s life you are going to end? Will you be able to kill him? What’s going to happen to not just you, but to everypony else when this goes down? And what would your parents, as well as others close to you, think of you? Me? I suggest that you give Relv a chance and actually talk with him again.”

“…”

“Goodbye Princess Celestia. Good luck…”

“…”