The faint light of a torch illuminated the cell from the corridor as Twilight nervously paced inside. After the guards had arrested her yesterday, Twilight had been escorted to the Palace dungeon. She had no idea whether she’d managed to save the king — nopony had said a word to her since. In fact, nopony had even visited.

It was a worrisome sign.

Surely, King Hearth wouldn’t let her be locked up in a dungeon if he had any say in the matter. As much as Twilight feared the thought, there was a high chance the poison had worked as intended — destroying the king’s mind. There had been a few cases of ponies recovering from the poison eventually, but that was extremely rare and the process would take years. More often, the relatives of the victim simply euthanized the pony, as it was considered more merciful.

Twilight sighed and dropped on her haunches, shivering from the cold stone floor. The cell lacked even basic furniture. The mare squirmed uncomfortably, hoping that somepony would at least let her use the toilet — it was getting harder to hold her natural urges.

Twilight swiveled her ears, when the squealing of a rusty door reached her. By the sound of approaching hoofsteps, it seemed that more than one pony had decided to finally pay her a visit. Soon, a group of three stopped by the bars. Their faces were barely visible in the dim light of the dungeon, but Twilight recognized the caped pony in the center.

“Twilight Sparkle,” Everlight greeted her coldly. “Tell us, why have you poisoned our king?”

The mare jumped on her hooves, her heartbeat accelerating.

“I haven’t!” she exclaimed. “There was another pony in his chambers; he or she poisoned the king.”

“A likely story, no doubt,” Everlight smirked. “But I have another one. You assaulted the guards, broke into his chamber and then forced the king to drink the poison. And that’s after everything he’s done for you. How ungrateful.”

Twilight gaped at her accuser for a moment, blood rushing to her face.

“I gave him the antidote!” Twilight glared at Everlight. “Why would I poison him?”

“I’m the Captain of the Guard and it’s my job to find out,” a tall unicorn standing beside Everlight introduced himself. “However, there is no doubt in my mind that you were the one behind the crime. My guards saw you breaking into his chamber with a strange bottle, do you deny it?”

“No, but—”

“Keep your mouth shut and listen,” the unicorn interrupted her. “All the evidence clearly proves your guilt. Save us the trouble and just confess.”

“I have nothing to confess,” Twilight said, clenching her jaw. “All I did was try to save the king, why don’t you believe me?! There was an antidote in the bottle. You can check it. Did you check the windows, by the way? The assassin got away through one, even though it was supposed to have been enchanted against any intruder.”

“Every protection spell in the king’s chamber was in order, including the windows,” the Captain told her. “As for the bottles — we did in fact check them. And found poison.”

Twilight blinked in confusion, while her brain worked furiously. The medical ponies who had given her the antidote couldn’t have messed up so badly, could they? There was only one feasible explanation — the assassin had an accomplice on the inside, somepony who had access to the king’s chamber.

She was being set up.

The mare looked at the unicorn with narrowing eyes. If the pony in charge of the investigation was setting her up… No matter what she would say, she would be blamed for the king’s poisoning. Twilight sagged to the floor and sighed heavily, tears welling up in her eyes.

It was hopeless.

“Let me speak with her alone for a moment,” Everlight asked his companions.

Twilight’s ears perked up.

“I know you didn’t poison the king, little filly,” the Grandmaster said, and Twilight raised her reddish eyes to look at him in surprise. “I know that because I was the one who did it.”

Twilight’s eyebrows shot up. Of course! Everlight had had the perfect opportunity to remove the spells, as he’d had a meeting with the king just before the poisoning. And being the Grandmaster of an ancient magical order, he certainly had the means to hire a professional to do the deed itself.

“Why?” Twilight simply asked, even though her rage was boiling up inside. If not for the inhibitor ring on her horn, she would blast the pony in front of her with her magic.

“That is really none of your concern”, Everlight shook his head. “I’m telling you this so you’ll understand that there is no hope for you, unless you do as I say. Your trial will be held a few days from now and I want you to publicly confess.”

“Have you gone mad?” Twilight asked incredulously.

“I have not,” Everlight chuckled humorlessly. “It’s in your best interests, after all. I recognize your talent. I wasn’t kidding when I offered you a place in my Unicorn Union. This is your last chance. Do what I’m asking for, and you’ll get it. I’ll change your appearance and name, obviously, but it’s a preferable alternative to being executed for treason.”

Despite her emotions, Twilight didn’t reject the Grandmaster’s offer out of hoof. She didn’t want to die, and as much as she would hate to help the pony who’d poisoned the king, it was the only way for her to survive. That is if Everlight was to be believed. He could be simply trying to fool her to make his goal easier.

“Can— Can I think about it?” Twilight asked in the end, hating herself even for contemplating such an idea.

“No,” Everlight answered flatly. “You no longer have the luxury of time. I need the answer right now.”

Twilight thought rapidly, weighing her options. Did she trust Everlight enough to confess a crime she hadn’t committed, based on promises that could very well be empty? The obvious answer was no.

Everlight shrugged. “A pity. Well, I would like your confession anyway, so I’m going to get it the hard way.”

Having said that, Everlight trotted away without saying another word. A pegasus mare, one of his companions, entered Twilight’s cell in his place. Twilight didn’t like the ominous grin on her muzzle. Before she knew it, the mare had prickled her with something sharp through the bars and Twilight felt her head spinning. She fought the nauseous feeling, but her hooves had given up and she fell on the stone floor as the darkness engulfed her.

Twilight screamed in agony as a burning red rod touched the frog of her hoof. Her vision was blurry from the pain and she was barely hanging on, on the edge of losing consciousness. She would love nothing more than to fall into a blissful abyss, but the potion the pegasus mare made her drink kept her from it. The same potion also began healing her burned frog as soon as the rod was removed, quickly dulling the pain.

The brutal torture had already been lasting for hours and only this potion was keeping Twilight alive. During this horrible session, Twilight had learned more about a pony’s weak spots than from any anatomy book she had read before.

The pegasus mare had a manic smile that grew wider the more pain Twilight experienced. When Twilight got a glimpse of her cutie mark — a pair of tongs — she shuddered, imagining what the crazy pony would do with that particular instrument.

Twilight breathed in and out heavily, using the time that the pegasus was going through her tools to recover. The purple unicorn’s coat was all sweaty and covered in blood, while her body was stretched on the table, leaving her helpless against her torturer.

“Will you confess?” the pegasus asked her hopefully.

Gripping her jaw, Twilight shook her head, but she didn’t have the same resolve as before. Lighting up with glee, the pegasus picked up a pair of tongs. Another scream escaped Twilight’s dry throat as she pinched a sensitive spot on the unicorn’s soft belly.

Twilight was thrown back into her cell hours later. She landed on her side and didn’t bother getting up. The potion had worked perfectly, so she had no physical scars on her body. Unfortunately, the same couldn’t be said about her mind.

Twilight had failed horribly. In the end, she’d agreed to do anything they wanted just to make the torture stop. Her ear twitched as the mare remembered the pain from it being almost cut off at some point.

That was quite an expensive potion, Twilight thought as she took a more comfortable position on the cold floor. I guess Everlight doesn’t want me to look bad for the trial.

She closed her eyes, forcing her limbs to stop shaking. She knew it was likely the potion’s side effect, as it used up the pony’s magic to heal any minor wounds. It wasn’t quite as good against serious injuries, but it had its uses on a field of battle. A simple soldier couldn’t afford it, since it cost hundreds of bits for a tiny bottle, but rich nobles who had to go to war always took a few of them along.

Twilight kept thinking about the potion to avoid thinking about her failure. Eventually, she slipped into a slumber.

“Wake up, for Sun’s sake!”

Twilight jerked her head and lifted her ears at the sound, cracking her eyes open. She had no idea how much time had passed, but it couldn’t have been too long, since she was still feeling exhausted. She couldn’t quite see the pony’s features in the dim light of the dungeon, but it certainly wasn’t Everlight.

“Finally,” the young stallion said, stepping from hoof to hoof. “How can you even sleep in such a dreadful place?”

“Blueblood?” Twilight raised her eyebrows, assuming a sitting posture.

“Prince Blueblood,” the pony corrected her, causing Twilight to roll her eyes. “But that’s not important right now. I’m not really supposed to be here, but I just had to know for sure — did you really poison my father?”

“Of course not,” Twilight assured him and then told Blueblood everything she knew. Her voice was shaking slightly when she went through the torture part, but she forced herself to ignore her feelings about that and continued.

“That bastard!” Blueblood spit on the floor. “I knew he was behind it as soon as he’d appointed himself as regent.”

“Regent? But aren’t you the legitimate heir?”

Blueblood hit the bars of Twilight’s cell in rage, making the mare recoil.

“Sorry,” the prince threw at her. “I am the heir, but technically my father is still alive, if braindead. Everlight used that fact to convince the damn High Council to let him rule the kingdom until the king recovers, instead of letting me ascend the throne, as is my right.”

“He planned for everything…” Twilight drew back her ears.

“Not everything,” Blueblood chuckled. “I bet he didn’t think I would be able to help you escape.”

Having said that, Blueblood opened the cell with a key he produced out of his saddlebag. Twilight didn’t move at first, slightly surprised, but then she stood up and gingerly walked out.

“I’ve got a plan,” the stallion said. “But we shouldn’t be talking here. I’ve rented a house in the city for—doesn’t matter what for, but it’s the perfect place for you to hide. Follow me.”

The prince grabbed her hoof without waiting for a response, and practically dragged her through the dark corridor. It wasn’t illuminated, except for a lone torch outside of Twilight’s cell, so the unicorn lit up his horn in a dim light, which was just enough to see the shapes.

Twilight allowed him to lead her, though she freed her hoof from his grip, preferring to walk of her own accord. She didn’t really know Blueblood — and his father had often referred to him as a party fool — but she had no other choice but to trust him. Besides, whatever Blueblood had in mind couldn’t be worse than the execution that was awaiting her otherwise.

Soon, the two ponies stopped at a dead end. Twilight examined the brick wall in front of her, looking for any indication of a hidden path. It was the only logical conclusion for why he’d led her here. While she looked, the prince approached the wall and touched one particular stone with the tip of his horn.

It produced immediate results. The whole wall shuddered and moved out of the way, revealing the hidden passage behind it. Blueblood trotted inside and Twilight followed, suppressing the urge to stay for a moment to examine the fascinating magic behind the process.

The passage continued in a long, straight line forward. The mare counted her steps and according to her calculations, they were outside the Palace’s borders already. Their hoofsteps were the only sound in the quiet corridor, but Twilight didn’t feel the need to fill the silence. Blueblood had promised to explain everything pretty soon, so she simply waited.

When they reached a staircase, Blueblood stopped.

“We’re going to move through the city now, so wear this,” the unicorn said, picking up two dark capes off the floor with his magic.

He offered one to Twilight and the two stared at each other in confusion, until Twilight remembered the inhibitor ring still on her horn. Blushing, she took the cape in her teeth and put it over her back clumsily, being out of practice with using anything but her horn.

After both of them had hidden their features, Blueblood led Twilight upstairs. They climbed out from a hatch in some tiny closet. It was too small for both of them, especially since the large stallion was taking up most of the limited space. Twilight crawled back down until her companion started working on opening their way out.

Glancing up, Twilight saw something that drew her attention like a magnet. She didn’t usually look at stallions from such a low angle, but she couldn’t deny that the view was quite… magnetizing. Blushing heavily, she broke her stare and cast her eyes down. Finally, there was a click and a rush of fresh air waved over her heated body.

“Let’s go,” Blueblood called her from above, oblivious to Twilight’s discomfort.

Trying to force the lingering image out of her mind, Twilight climbed up again and followed the prince outside. She found herself in a dark alley between two buildings. Twilight looked back, but the way they’d come from was already closed and didn’t look any different from the wall around it. Very fascinating, indeed.

Blueblood extinguished his hornlight, since the stars and the moon were glowing brightly above. Twilight looked at the sky — it had been quite some time since she’d been outside at night. She narrowed her eyes, when her attention fell on the moon. She could swear it had looked different the last time she had seen it. There used to be that pony shape on it, but now it’s gone, Twilight mulled inside. When did that happen?

“There’s no time to enjoy the view, filly,” Blueblood interrupted her thoughts. “Follow me.”

“I’m older than you,” Twilight murmured, but otherwise complied.

As the two trotted through the night city, Twilight darted her glance around, soaking in every bit of information. She hadn’t really had the time for strolls around the city since she’d arrived here a month ago. Starswirl Academy was far away in Canterlot and that was where she’d been born and raised, but since the capital was here, in Birminghoof, she’d had to move here to work as the Court Mage.

That city was much bigger than her home one, but as Twilight walked through the street, she realized that that didn’t necessarily mean it was better. Plenty of houses she saw could use a renovation, not to mention the occasional garbage lying right on the street. Such a thing was unimaginable in Canterlot. The few rare ponies they met were trotting fast and didn’t pay any attention to their surroundings. Ponies were rarely rushing anywhere in Canterlot, preferring to enjoy the sights of the small city, but here it was quite the opposite.

Thankfully, the house that Blueblood had rented turned out to be near the tunnel exit. The place didn’t look any better than its neighbors and Twilight wondered why the prince had it in the first place. Inside, however, it was much fancier. As Blueblood turned on the light in the corridor, Twilight was greeted with a rich interior completely at odds with its outer image.

“Here we are,” Blueblood said, throwing his cape at the rack in the corner.

Twilight did the same, though it was hard using just her mouth. The stallion looked at her struggle with raised eyebrows, until a realization dawned in his eyes.

“Oh, I forgot about that.” Having said that, he lowered his head, touching the inhibitor ring with the tip of his horn. It cracked open and thumped on the floor.

“Thanks,” Twilight said, rubbing her horn gingerly. She levitated the cape to make sure her magic was in order and hung it on the rack. “Why didn’t you do that before?”

“I told you I forgot, don’t question me now,” the prince cut in, waving his hoof.

Twilight frowned at his small outburst and then shrugged, putting it down to him having had a stressful night.

“Okay, so you were talking about some plan you had,” Twilight tackled the issue directly.

“I remember,” Blueblood nodded. “It’s really great, believe me.”

After that, Blueblood led Twilight to a large guest room, where both ponies sat on a soft couch. Blueblood levitated a bottle of wine to a small coffee table before them and prepared the two glasses. Before taking the offered beverage, Twilight cast an elemental spell on it to make sure there was nothing but wine in the glass.

“What are you doing?” Blueblood asked, staring at Twilight with wide eyes.

“Checking for poison,” the mare simply answered.

“Do you really think I would poison you after I’ve just risked my life getting you out of the dungeon?” Blueblood smirked. “That wouldn’t be very smart of me, don’t you think?”

“Somepony else could have poisoned it while you were gone,” Twilight explained.

“Oh.” Blueblood’s smirk had disappeared, a worried expression taking its place. “Do you think Everlight would poison me as well? But he doesn’t know about this place. Nopony does.”

Twilight ignored the stallion, concentrating on her spell. After a while, she was satisfied with the wine being safe. Blueblood yelped as her horn flashed in a bright light, illuminating every shadowy corner in the room, while she examined it for any signs of a potential assassin, but none were present.

“What in Tartarus are you doing?” the prince asked in annoyance, covering his eyes.

“Making sure we’re safe here,” Twilight said apologetically and extinguished the light. “Everything is fine now.”

“If you say so,” he shrugged, frowning at the mare, and took a sip of wine. “Anyway, I brought you here so we could talk. I need to take down Everlight and I require your help.”

“I want him to face justice for what he’s done to the king, of course, but what can I do?” Twilight shrugged, wilting her ears. “You, the prince, can’t do anything and I’m a simple lowborn unicorn…”

“Don’t sell yourself short, my father has been bugging me about how great you are for years,” Blueblood retorted bitterly. “Besides, you’re the only one I can really trust with this.”

Twilight nodded, waving for him to continue. Just as she was the only pony he could trust, he was her only ally in this situation.

“What do you have in mind?” Twilight asked reluctantly.

After Blueblood had explained his “great” plan, Twilight didn’t know whether to feel excited or devastated. The whole plan was nothing more than making her find some long-lost artifact of great power, so Blueblood could deal with his enemies. As if it was that easy.

“Do you really expect me to do it?” Twilight asked, bulging her eyes at the prince. “Ponies better than me have searched for them and failed. Those artifacts have been lost for generations, for Sun’s sake!”

“But my father clearly thought it was possible. Why else would he make you research them? Everlight has every advantage. Finding one of those artifacts is our only option to even the odds.”

“I guess,” Twilight mumbled. “Though the king would have given me the resources for the search, not to mention full access to the Library. But I’m basically a fugitive now, so that’s out of the question.”

Blueblood shrugged.

“Even though I don’t have the throne, I still have some power,” he said, waving his hoof dismissively. “I can provide you with enough bits to fund your search.”

“It’s not that simple, Blueblood,” Twilight objected, raising a hoof to stall his reply. “Everlight will be looking for me as soon as he finds out I’ve escaped. The artifacts would be difficult to search for even with the king’s support, but right now it’s next to impossible.”

“My father has done so much for you and that’s how you repay him?” Blueblood stood up angrily, almost spilling his wine.

Twilight recoiled, surprised at his sudden outburst and then felt ashamed. The king was his father, for Sun’s sake. Twilight’s heart was clenching thinking about poor Hearth and she could only imagine what his own son must be feeling, despite his outside nonchalance.

“I’m sorry, that’s not what I meant,” Twilight murmured. “I do want to help, I’m just pointing out the flaws in your strategy.”

Blueblood sat back on the couch, relaxing slightly. Another sip of wine helped to put his nerves at ease even more. Both ponies fell silent for a little while, thinking of what to say next. Twilight was the first to break the silence.

“Can I get my journal please?”

The prince nodded and passed her a small leathered book where Twilight had written everything she’d learned during the past month. The unicorn perused it page by page, her eyes flickering through the text as she contemplated Blueblood’s plan.

All the artifacts the king had made her research had one thing in common — they were extremely powerful and had been hopelessly lost ages ago. Some of them were even considered a mere legend by ponykind, but Twilight had found enough evidence to dismiss such claims. Each powerful item was enough to overthrow a kingdom, defeat a whole army, go one-on-one with a dragon — the power they gave to their owner was tremendous. Blueblood was right — with that, he could easily outmatch Everlight, even with his whole order backing him up.

Trusting the prince with such incredible power was a matter for another time however, Twilight thought.

To achieve success, they needed to concentrate their attention on one artifact. When Twilight searched her journal, she stopped on the two that she calculated had the best chances of being found.

The Alicorn Amulet and the Elements of Harmony.

“I’ll do my best, Blueblood,” Twilight finally said.

I hope you enjoyed the second chapter as much as the first one.
The next chapter would introduce another character from Mane 6, can you guess who would that be?
Write your guesses in the comments and see if you're right on next sunday.

Thanks Purple Smart2 for his great editing work as always.