The two things that became most evident when disaster struck where the pain in her head and the cold all around them. She didn't know if the white in her eyes was because she had never been so cold, and may have been in an arctic tundra for all she knew, or if the pain that bled from the back of her head and went all the way around and up her horn was slowly killing her.

When she woke up, her eyes were clear, and the pain was subsiding. The cold was all but completely gone. Nopony else was awake yet, but she only counted four of her companions. Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack lay asleep at her hooves, Twilight, Spike, and Fluttershy were nowhere to be found. Slightly less frightening was the revelation that she and those with her were inside a dungeon cell.

Hay was matted against corners and sprawled across the floor, the stink was among the most putrid she had ever smelled. Starlight looked to the very small window, and saw that it was night time outside. The bars keeping them caged inside the stone walls were old and black, but sturdy all the same. Her very brief attempt to use her magic and test the metal ended up in a relapse of pain. She rubbed her temples and fell back down beside her friends, of which Applejack was now beginning to stir.

"Welcome to...wherever we are," Starlight greeted wearily.

"I haven't been this sore since.....shoot, I can't even remember," Applejack said, stretching slowly upwards, and with a few unpleasant cracks.

The farm pony looked around and went over the bars, looking around them for any signs of life. Thus far, their captors were avoiding them. A few seconds later, Starlight got up to join her. The torch-lit hall was filled with many other cells, most smaller than the one the five occupied. Not in any of them could Starlight spot their missing companions, but a table with two empty chairs was within view, no doubt where the guards would keep watch whenever they appeared.

"What happened?" Rainbow Dash pondered in a hazy voice as she too rose.

"Don't know, but I don't like it," Applejack said, trotting over to help the pegasus up.

"Maud no!" Pinkie shouted herself away, "that's my slice of cake!"

The party mare clutched at her chest and staggered to the wall of the cell, leaning against the stone and frowning, "Never mind...I ate too much."

"Does anypony know what happened to Twilight, Fluttershy, and Spike?" Starlight asked after the blue pegasus and pink earth pony had gained their bearings.

It was frustrating enough to wake up with no explanations, but the absence of her first friend since fillyhood was more troubling to Starlight than the mystery and the pain. She had half a mind to go up to the bars and demand an explanation as to where the rest of their party was, but her logical side reminded her that if nopony were there to listen, it would simply be a waste.

"I don't have a clue," Rainbow admitted, with Pinkie shaking her head with a worried look behind the fast-flier.

Of course not...nothing to do but wait it out now.

To occupy the time, Starlight attempted to piece together where they might be; from the small view the window provided, it seemed that the city they were in was not abandoned, for the shadows of ponies in the night passed into view from time to time. The land itself was warm and grassy, and small, community gardens seemed to be placed every so often, Starlight had already spotted two. It must've been a well off city, for there was also a statue with a built in fountain sitting across from their cell, but whatever historical scene it may have depicted could not be determined from behind the stone walls.

The whistles of crickets and the buzzing of flies were the only sounds between the short bursts of conversation, as everypony waited or tried to remember anything about whatever had brought them here. Rarity, like the others, had no idea what caused their arrival here or where the others might be. Frustrating as it was, the wait did not seem to last very long. It was perhaps an hour, maybe a half hour longer than that, before the door to the dungeon hall, just barely out of their view, opened.

"I-I'm sorry..." Fluttershy weeped as she was carried into view by two guards, tall and hulking unicorns who did not bat an eye at any of them, nor answer any of their questions.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry....please...I'm so sorry..." Fluttershy continued to cry.

When Applejack made a motion that suggested she might try to keep the door open behind the guards, one of them thrust a spear at her, and she jumped backwards to keep her skin intact. The guard said nothing, but eyed them all furiously until he was satisfied, and followed his companion out the hall door.

They were locked in again, but at least they had a source of new information.

"Are you alright, darling?" Rarity asked sweet as she could, wiping away some of the grime and tears from Fluttershy's face.

"I...not really..." the yellow pegasus sobbed.

Through a combined effort, Rarity, Applejack, and Starlight managed to calm and assure Fluttershy, and then the answers came eagerly.

"I didn't know anything when I woke up, the rest of you were still unconscious, and-"

"What about Twilight? And Spike?" Starlight interrupted.

"They weren't here...I'm not sure if they woke up before me, but I didn't see either of them."

"And where did they take you?" Rainbow asked anxiously.

"They asked me questions in a dark room. I don't even know who I was talking to. The same guards who brought me back were the ones who took me over. I never saw anypony else."

"What kind of questions did they ask?" Rarity inquired, looking over her shoulder to the still empty hall.

A cold draft swirled through the cell as Fluttershy continued, "About who I was and where I came from, mostly, who you all were...except, they didn't ask about Twilight or Spike, now that I think about it. Anyways, when I told them we were from Ponyville in Equestria, they didn't believe me. They said no such city or town exists...they got really mad and started roughing me about..."

When it looked like she might cry again, Starlight stepped forward and placed a reassuring hoof on her shoulder, and smiling, seemed to ease the hurt away.

Based on her explanation, Starlight had surmised that the guards would come to take another of them away, repeat the process and check their answers from Fluttershy against the rest of them, but no guards came. It was not for several more hours, and the beginning of the moon's descent, that another sign of life appeared to them.

The guards and their cohorts, whomever they may be, asked of how the group had arrived here, what the last things Fluttershy had remembered, what their intentions were, all kinds of questions that could not properly be answered or that had answers they did not like, which resulted in Fluttershy's harm. Obviously, it was becoming too much to hope that this was some kind of misunderstanding. The implications were grave, and Starlight's brow became sweatier and sweatier as the minutes rolled by, the lack of clarity as to what had happened was not quite so troubling as the lack of clarity on what was going to happen.

The others showed signs of anxiety and fear as well, and the bruises were starting to appear on Fluttershy. When at last more guards came, there were twelve in number, and each pony was shackled without any explanation, chained together by their necks and marched off in a line, one by one leaving the cell for the unknown ahead of them.

They walked, alone except for their rude escort, down great halls and through large rooms with many great trinkets to adorn the walls. Paintings of ponies none of them had ever seen or heard of, with a few exceptions, noticeably, a portrait of Clover the Clever hanging over a fireplace. Could it be that this was some kind of...offshoot nation? Split up from Equestria? Or was it all perhaps some cruel charade? A wool of woven lies to cover their faces and keep them in the dark until the horrible reveal?

They treaded down several more halls and past many more rooms, all far nicer than the accommodations they were provided. Yet, curiously, they were all empty. What was it that was so barren about this place? Where was everypony? Aside the guards, whispers and shadows were all that could be accounted for.

That was, until, they were marched into the biggest and grandest room yet.

Ponies of all creeds, but mostly unicorns, packed the great hall, buzzing among themselves, pointing, whispering, at Starlight and her friends. The guards who had mistreated Fluttershy were among many posted throughout the hall, many lances reaching well above the heads of the crowd. Some lances bore banners of a shining, blue diamond, glittering before a large, white orb, the moon, perhaps, or maybe even a great pearl?

But the banners soon lost Starlight's attention, for to the northern end of the hall, the room was raised up several steps, and on this stage, a large throne of iron, swords melded together and thrust into a monument of battle success, sat higher than anything. And it was upon this large, Iron Throne that a mare around the age of the captives sat, looking down at them with disdain and pompous arrogance. Fluttershy was intimidated, the rest were angered to various degrees. Starlight did not recognize her in the slightest, but it was clear that her word was law in these parts.

A pony under the Throne but above the crowd blew his trumpet and announced the beginnings of what was likely going to be a witch's trial.

"Before the Royal Court of the Princess of the Four Kingdoms of Equestria, Mercury Iridia, the great defender of the Realms and the true descendent of the Iron Throne, I call this trial to order!"

Starlight gulped at her accuracy. A trial. Perfect.

"Commence!" The Princess upon the Throne announced in a high voice.

"Your Grace," the guard leading their troupe of escorts spoke up, "these brigands were discovered in the city limits, no identification, no proof of allegiance, and no known ties to any House of the Four Kingdoms, except perhaps for the mare with the hat, a possible bastard of House Appleton."

"What did he call me?" Applejack whispered from among the small huddle of friends.

"Worse still," The guard captain announced, his hoof running through his flowing black beard, "among their group was a...criminal of known infamy."

Princess Mercury eyed the guard captain with almost as much hatred as she did Starlight and the others upon that last statement.

"I wish to know," she told the assembly, "exactly whom this criminal is! Why has your Princess not been told of his or her identity? It is maddening that in my realm, I am left without answers. More than that, it is wholly unacceptable, and I will see heads roll before I go any longer without answers!"

Starlight glanced nervously to the others, and they looked back at her. If heads were going to be rolling, and this continued as poorly as it was going, theirs were sure to be among them.

"Your Grace, please," A stallion of considerable size and overzealous hygiene spoke up from below the Iron Throne, "Those of us who have witnessed this criminal's return are, frankly, bewildered. It doesn't seem possible, and yet...the proof is here, in this city. As we speak, she is being brought to you. I fear I must warn you, you will not be pleased."

Starlight noticed that the only zebra in the crowd below the Throne (and, further, of the whole room) eyed the new speaker with a cold grin, but when he stepped away, the zebra mare returned to her silent neutrality.

"In the mean time," Princess Mercury announced, "May we ask the accused as to their identities and purpose?"

"We have interrogated two, Your Grace, one a dragon, since sent to the Wall, according to your law; the other, this pegasus with the yellow coat," The guard captain in front of them answered.

"What's happened to Spike?" Starlight heard herself ask, though she did not remember her intention to speak and step forward. Now the Princess on the Iron Throne eyed her with daggers once more, and Starlight found the mysterious courage was quickly leaving her.

"Who speaks to the Princess with such bold ignorance?" Mercury demanded.

"My..." her throat caught but she forced her voice up and out as best she could, "I am Starlight Glimmer of Equestria, and I-"

"Your name does not sound familair," Mercury cut in, "of which House in Equestria are you from?"

"Excuse me?" Starlight asked back.

"Which House do you call home? Surely you are not from the South, which means you, as a unicorn, must call the North your home. So I ask again, which House do you come from, insolent one?"

"I...I don't...I don't understand," Starlight stammered. This could surely not be the Equestria she knew. Houses...Four Kingdoms...what unpleasant madness was all of this?

"Princess! Princess!" a voice called from the crowd, "the criminal comes! Here she is!"

Starlight knew before the pony was let out of the great burlap sack that Twilight was whom they spoke of, but the reaction the Court gave was truly astonishing, and all hatred and scrutiny towards Starlight disappeared at once when Twilight was revealed to them.

Huge gasps and cries of fear and anger mounted up, none louder or more ferocious than Princess Mercury, who the commanding tones of a general hardened from years of battle.

"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS!?!?"

Twilight looked around, catching Starlight's eye briefly, but before they could so much as exhale another time, it was broken, and Twilight was brought forward by three guards, each of them pushing and shoving her along with all amount of prejudice, white cloaks dragging behind them.

"WHAT SORCERY IS THIS!?" The Princess continued, losing all regality, "HOW DO YOU STAND BEFORE ME!? HOW ARE YOU IN MY GREAT HALL???"

Once again, Twilight was denied the chance to speak up, and Princess Mercury rose from the Iron Throne, and a timid pony, who looked more scared of Twilight than the Princess Mercury, brought her a large sword, which her magic raised at once and flew towards Twilight's throat, stopping inches away from spilling the life within.

Now the external fury ended, and Mercury struggled to take in what she was seeing. Twilight did not try to speak now, but stood alone, hated and silent, and waited for Mercury to finish her stroke of anger and disbelief. Many whispers and hushed outcries arose from the crowd, and even a few ponies on the stage, though the servants of Mercury held their composure well, for whatever Twilight had done to cause it. Starlight and the others were old gossip, neglected like ghosts.

At last the words came out of Mercury's mouth, as though she were regurgitating them from some foul place within herself that she had not managed to kill entirely.

"Four Bloody Hells! How is it...that after your death on my front porch...you stand before me again.....Twilight Stark?"

Author's Notes:

Thank you for checking this story out, I hope to make many more additions to it in the future. As I said in the summary, I will say so again here, I'm still in Season 2 of GoT, so please, do your best not to spoil anything for me.

And yes, I realize how ironic it is that I am writing this despite my freshness to the show and books.

Anyways, hope you enjoyed, please leave a like and a review!

-TBK