The sky above Canterlot was a dark and depressing grey, thunder rumbled through the clouds above and a cold air swept through the dark alleys of the city. The streets of the normally bustling city were barren of life, save for the occasional stray animal rushing to find shelter from the coming storm. A newspaper fluttered softly through the cold air, passing by the closed up windows of a bakery.

'The city is in mourning...' Celestia thought to herself as she stood outside the courtroom of Canterlot Castle. Her body was still wrapped in bandages and her eyes held dark bags beneath them. She stared down at the city below her through the large stained glass window. Of the many ponies who had attended the wedding the previous day, several had been reporters. Their original purpose had been to report on the happy tidings of a royal marriage, but with what had occurred...

'To think they could get the news out so quickly... and to be able to name all those who died, somepony will pay dearly for this...' Celestia's frown deepened. A flash of light startled her from her thoughts and she watched as finally, the clouds above began to weep. She raised her right hoof and softly placed it against the glass, the coolness of the rain on the other side chilling the glass against the frog of her hoof.

'How could it have become like this?... What could I have done to prevent it?... What can I do now to make it right?...' Her mind was in turmoil, much like the storm that raged outside her castle walls. The rumbling of thunder echoed around her, the cavernous hall giving the sound waves a perfect stadium with which to play their symphony.

"Princess?" A soldier's voice spoke softly from behind her. She did not want to face him, she did not want to go into that room, to face the one she had failed more than any other than her sister. She closed her eyes tight, holding back a choked sob.

'Please... don't make me do this... please...' She prayed to the Gods and Goddess above. To any that would show her mercy, but fate would not let her escape this.

"Princess, it's time..." The guard pressed once more, a bit of urgency in his voice. With a trembling breath, the Princess removed her hoof from the winder and turned to face him. Her heart in her hooves.

"Yes... it is..." She spoke softly, quietly walking past the guard and towards the doors of the courtroom.

The quiet of the Courtroom was deafening to all those present. The air tense with anxiety and no small amount of worry.

The Bearers sat in the booth normally reserved for the Jury, while Celestia sat upon a high throne at the back of the room, just behind a large crescent table where six other ponies sat, each going through an envelope of records with varying degrees of interest. The many rows of chairs to the front of the Courtroom were barren of all but two other occupants. A navy blue unicorn stallion with an even darker navy blue mane and tail held tightly to the trembling and weeping form of a grey unicorn mare, her mane and tail were also grey but a dark purple and white streak ran through both.

"Shhh, shh. It's gonna be ok sweetheart... it'll be ok." Night Light whispered softly into the mare's ear as he held her close, her tears staining his chest fur. His own eyes were red from holding back his own sorrow in the face all that had occurred. Celestia looked to them from across the courtroom and felt her heart in her hooves. It hurt to see the parents of a pony whom they all loved so much, suffer so greatly. Their son in a coma, their daughter on trial for terrible crimes. It left her wishing that she were anywhere other than here at this exact moment.

'But I need to be here... I have to see this through...' She sighed and looked to the ponies going through the papers before her.

The six ponies sat in groups of two, each divided by tribe as the council had been constructed for hundreds of years. The two in the middle represented the Unicorns. A tall white stallion in fine black suit and tie with a curled blue mane and a monocle over his right eye, looked carefully through the information before him, his face stoic and his breathing even. Fancy Pants was a high ranked upper-class stallion, his position into the council had been something of a surprise to Celestia. Not many of the upper class tended to care much about the goings-on within the government, often preferring to keep to themselves unless it benefited them in some way or other. Celestia's eyes drifted to unicorn mare beside him.

' Hasty Vote, however...' There were not many ponies that Celestia could say she outright despised, even among the council there were only two ponies she would admit to having no attachment towards. This mare was one of them. Hasty Vote sat with the envelope before her, her stylish rimmed glasses held to her snout with what looked to be a diamond-encrusted laurel of some sort. Her dark brown mane was expertly curled into locks about her face and neck. She wore a rather boorish fuzzy pink dress that went along with the fuzzy pink designer's hat that sat upon her head. Her peach-colored fur could barely be seen under all that pink. The mare looked through the documents with her nose raised a good inch higher than it should and her horn glowed a dark hazelnut as a quill went about taking notes next to her.

This mare had been the one to force a vote to have her sister under house arrest. She had at first tried to have Luna imprisoned in Tartarus, but Celestia would not have it. She may be more of a figurehead these days when it came to overseeing the affairs of the country as a whole, but she had not been so foolish as to let them have all the power. There were many ' back doors' she had left herself in the case that she would have to intervene in the affairs of a government on the verge of corruption. She had only been forced to exercise this once in the thousand years of having to rule without her sister, and that had been upon her return and this mare had the gal to propose imprisonment. Using a bylaw that she had held in reserve, she threatened to dissolve the council and reinstate Luna fully into the Diarchy, effective immediately.

Hasty was furious, and no doubt has gone through every text in the laws trying to find a loophole in the system.
Looking away from the abhorrent amount of pink, Celestia gazed further down the table and to the members of the council from the Earth pony tribe. She paused on the stallion who trembled lightly. His papers were roughly handled and he looked to be struggling to remain in control of the emotions streaming across his features. The light grey stallion ran his hoof through his oily black mane, sweeping the few locks that had come loose back into place. The stubble on his chin looked to be only a few hours old and the bags under his eyes showed his lack of sleep. Business Savvy was in no small amount of frustration, the documents before them outline not only the charges held against the defendant but also the names of those lost with minor descriptions as to how.

His son had been one of the soldiers who died, even worse, she had eaten him.

"LIKE TARTARUS I'M GOING TO SIT THIS ONE OUT!!" Fancy Pants found himself slammed into the wall behind him, his monocle falling to dangle under him as Business Savvy held him in place. The other council members watched idly from the side, some with disinterest, some with worry.

"Sav, you aren't yourself my friend. You are much too close to this case to give an informed and reasonable vote." He felt the pressure on his chest tighten as Business Savvy tried to push in further, his eyes wild and his normally well-oiled mane a mess.

"DON'T TRY TO SELL ME THAT YAK-SPIT! I have EVERY right to be in this trial! That bitch KILLED my SON!" he exclaimed, pulling his right hoof back, only to slam it into the wall behind Fancy, next to his head. Fancy Pants was starting to sweat lightly, as he struggled to stay calm.

"That is enough, Business Savvy. If you don't calm down, then you are NOT going to be part of the trial. We will find a stand-in." Everypony turned to see Celestia with them in the meeting room, her hard gaze lowered at Business Savvy. The irate Earth stallion slowly pulled back from Fancy Pants, who took a moment to straighten his suit and replace his monocle, before finding that the princess and Savvy were in a hard staring contest.

"You're threatening ME Princess?! What about you? She was YOUR student. If anypony is too close in this case, it's YOU!" the force of his yell causing their ears to ring. Celestia simply glared back at the stallion, she had been through too much already to be fazed by a single Earth pony.

"You are right, we are BOTH too close to this case. However, I will only be there in presence, I will have no political sway over the events that take place. You, however, are a member of the council and will be necessary to provide an even vote. Now, either you calm down and promise to give a fair and concise ruling, or I WILL have you sent home under armed guard." The two stared at one another in silence for a moment longer, before Savvy straightened himself, sweeping a hoof through his mane. He took several deep breaths before walked forward and pushing past the princess.

"I'll see you in the courtroom." His quiet voice was still brimming with repressed rage, the door closing with a soft click behind him. Celestia closed her eyes and took a few calming breaths of her own.

"Are you sure that it is wise Princess?" Opening her eyes, she found the other council members before her, with Fancy Pants standing in front.

"What choice do we have? It's either this or find a stand-in, but that would take to long. The trial will begin within the hour, a suitable stand in wouldn't be available for several more." Fancy nodded and made his own way past the princess quietly, the other members following behind him. Hasty Vote gave the princess a sharp look.

"Personally," Her high pitched, chipper like voice cut through the air like a razor and made Celestia's ears hurt. " I don't think you need to be there at all, whether politically involved or otherwise." Celestia glared at the mare while she smiled a sickeningly sweet smile.

"Just my opinion, your majesty." She trotted out after the others calmly, her pungent perfume nearly making the princess gag.

Celestia watched Savvy carefully, his slightly ruffled black suit struggling to retain its previously ironed smoothness.

'If he cannot pull himself together soon, we may have to postpone the trial... not that I wouldn't mind that.' She thought idly. A small groan to her right caught her attention. Turning she found the Bearers all sitting rather stiffly in the Juror's booth. It was the only place that all six of them could fit comfortably while being visible by all occupants of the room. The source of the groan quickly revealing itself to be the prismatic pegasus as she lifted off her seat a few inches, glancing anxiously around the room.

"We've been in here for hours, how much longer is it gonna take?" She complained even as Rarity turned and shushed her.

"These things take time darling. Not only do the council have to get their own thoughts together for the trial ahead, but the guards have to make sure that Twilight is prepared as well. Speaking of... I haven't seen a defense attorney... I don't suppose anypony else has?" She already knew the answer of course, but a small amount of hope could still be heard in her voice. That was quickly snuffed out as the others shook their heads.

"There will not be a defense." Everypony looked to the center of the room to see Hasty Vote had stood from her chair and was calmly approaching the mares. Rainbow Dash and Applejack both visibly bristled, while Rarity looked to the mare with a slightly more critical eye.

"What do you mean? No defense?" The shy voice of Fluttershy cut through the momentary silence as the mare came to a stop before them. She smiled a sweet smile to them all, before turning her gaze to Fluttershy, who flinched back slightly.

"What I mean dear, is that the convicted has already been found to be guilty, we don't need a vote to determine that." Her smile was far too chipper. Rainbow Dash growled as her wings flared, nearly swatting both Rarity and Pinkie in the faces.

"What do you mean she's already been found guilty! We haven't even had the trial yet!" Hasty turned to the brash pegasus, her smile never faltering.

"Now now, none of that or we'll have to have you escorted out of the courtroom dearie. You wouldn't want to miss being here for the sentencing now, would you?" Rainbow glared hard at the mare before her, everything about her screamed at her to knock her on her flank. An orange hoof reached forward and pulled her back into her seat, however. A rough snort escaped from Applejack as she stood calmly, standing above the other five as she stared into the mare's cheerful eyes.

"Y'all best watch what you say 'round us. Ya can belittle us all ya like, but when y'all threaten our friends, our FAMILY... Y'all are steppin' on a rattler's tail..." Her glare hardened as she finished. Hasty Vote's smile lessened somewhat before she raised an eyebrow.

"Are you threatening me? Did you not just hear what I told your friend there, or can you even understand me? I suppose it's reasonable to assume considering your, upbringing." Her smile got wider as the other gasped, however, Applejack did not react.

"Y'all talk an awful lot for a pony that was spoon-fed her whole life, makes me wonder how y'all fit in them clothes at all." Hasty Vote stared slack-jawed at the apple farmer while her friends all fought to hold back a guffaw of laughter. Even Celestia found herself struggling not to openly snicker. Just as Hasty Vote looked about ready to fire another insult of her own, there was a loud knock upon the door of the courtroom. With an angry blush and a snort, she made her way back to the council table and sat back down.

"You may come in!" Her shrill voice filled the room.

The doors slowly crept open, the sound of groaning wood was drowned out by the gasps of all those present as the scene behind them unfolded.

Dimmed Star was many things: twisted, sadistic, unstable, psychopath, murderer, cannibal; albeit that last one, she would dispute on account of the fact that she no longer considered herself a pony in the same sense that they would. But ignoring all of those, she was undeniably bored even as she was pulled along on the hardwood platform that her entire frame was chained to, its wheels squeaking quietly as they rolled.

The moment the door to her cell had been opened, she had cackled at the expressions of the guards who nearly pissed themselves. Of course, they immediately sounded an alarm, causing even more guards to come rushing down the hall, all of them dog piling her. Applying the new and stronger restraints upon her person with all the care of treating a rabid animal, they hauled her through the castle while keeping spears trained on her at all times. If she could smirk at the memory she would, but it was hard to do so with the thick chain around her muzzle.

As they found their way through the castle, she was curious as to where they were headed. She had thought it was merely breakfast time when the guards first opened the door, she didn't think it warranted getting paraded through the castle to go see the princess.

'A simple runner would have sufficed.' She thought to herself as they passed through a set of double doors.

Dimmed Star wasn't a fool, she knew the entire layout of the Castle like the back of her hoof and it took little deduction for her to realize that they were on the final hall before the courtrooms. She did, however, have no idea as to why they would be going to the courtrooms so soon after having her locked up. As they closed in on the final set of doors, they came to a slow stop and two of the guards stepped up to her platform, slowly lowering their spears while the rest moved in closer with theirs pointing to every vital spot on her.

'Awe, I think they like me' She imagined that she would grinning widely at this, but alas, it was not to be. The two guards on either side of her now began to go over her restraints, checking them for any vulnerabilities.

Not only had they replaced the iron shackles on her hooves, but they had also added an iron collar around her neck that three iron chains were attached to, leading to the front end of the platform she stood on. The simple metal band that had been around her barrel, however, had been replaced with several lengths of chain. Wrapping around her barrel, they too were attached to the platform in some way, a few of them having been crudely hammered into place with nails the size of railroad spikes. One of the guards cautiously reached toward her face, the others all watching him and her with bated breath as he tested the muzzle restraints.

Dimmed Star had half a mind to flinch toward him, if only to see their reactions, but decided against it as he raised his hoof higher to check the two magic suppression rings on her horn.

"A-are you su-sure this will ho-hold sir?" He asked shakily as he made sure the rings were functioning properly. The guard on the other side nodded carefully as he slowly back down off the platform.

"No pony could get out these restraints, not even the Princess..." His voice was low, but he seemed quite certain. Dimmed Star merely rolled her eyes.

'No pony, maybe.' She thought as a guard stepped up to the doors and banged his hoof, the sound echoing within the room in front of them. A shrill voice could be heard from the other side, granting entrance and they finally began to move forward once more, pushing into the courtroom.

The shocked looks on the faces of those present were priceless!

'Oh for Star Swirl's sake, I need to get a camera for moments like these.' She chuckled internally. The expressions of all those present quite clearly showed that they were not expecting her to arrive in such a state. Celestia rose from her throne, a sharp glare aimed at the captain of the squad as they came to a halt before the council. Dimmed Star threw a sidelong glance to her ' friends' in the booth normally reserved for the Jury, before passing over them to see her parents.

Her heart throbbed with a pain she had not felt since becoming what she was now, regret. Her mother stared at her in shock, tears streaming down her face as her hoof covered her mouth. Her father held even tighter to her mother, his eyes never leaving her's as denial brimmed alongside his tears. She quickly looked away from them as her heart sped up, her own anxiety at seeing their reactions to her quelling any enjoyment she had been feeling.

"Prisoner Twilight Sparkle, convicted for the crimes of mass homicide, attempted regicide, cannibalism, and destruction of Government property. For the Court." The guard in front spoke as everypony else sat back down slowly, although her friends all looked to the guards in disgust. Celestia, however, refused to be seated.

"What is the meaning of this, Squad Captain?" The guard looked to the princess is slight trepidation, but held his ground as everypony awaited his response.

"I apologize for the state of the prisoner your majesty. She was discovered this morning outside of the restraints that we had originally placed upon her, including the magic suppression ring. All of the previous restraints were found on the floor of the cell, corroded and falling to pieces." Everypony looked to Dimmed Star in shock at hearing this. Celestia slowly lowered herself to the cushion below her, the look of astonishment never leaving her face.

"Do you know of any way that she could have done this?" Everypony looked to Fancy Pants as he carefully analyzed the mare on the platform, the guard shook his head.

"There's nothing that I know of that can do that to metal, not unless you leave it out in the elements for about two hundred years, but even then..." He glanced over his shoulder to the prisoner who seemed to suddenly find the rest of the courtroom rather interesting.

"Did she attempt to flee in any way, or struggle as you detained her once more?" Fancy Pants followed up. He eyed the bits of the mare that he could see through the many restraints. Though he saw no physical wounds, he could see places where her fur was more ruffled than a natural coat of fur and a great deal of dirt and dust-covered her. It was not enough to block out her actual colors, but it was noticeable enough. After receiving no answer, Fancy Pants turned to look at the captain, who now seemed to be struggling with himself.

"Answer the question, Captain..." Celestia's voice rumbled across the room, a hidden venom behind her words as her eyes burned into the captain. He took a shaky step back and quickly bowed to the floor.

"N-No your majesty! She did not struggle or attempt to make any sort of escape!" The temperature of the room went up by several degrees. The captain dared not look to his ruler, he knew the image that would greet him would haunt his memory for eternity. The other guards also quickly dropped into bows where they stood, their hearts pounding.

"What does it matter if the monster is chained?" If possible the room got hotter as everypony looked in shock to Business Savvy. Sweat dripped from his brow, but it was not due to any fear he felt for their ruler, but more than likely the rising temperature of the room. Celestia's eyes bore into him now.

"... What..." She let out with a hiss. He turned to her with a sharp glare, matching her heated stare with his own.

"I said, ' What does it matter if the MONSTER is chained?' Need I say it again or have you finally gone deaf in your old age?" Celestia rose to her hooves quickly even as Rainbow Dash and Applejack were both held in place by their friends.

"Princess, stop this right now or leave the Court Room." Hasty Vote state simply, her voice calm as she addressed the princess. Turning her heated gaze to the mare, she saw that several of the council members were looking at her with a similar conviction. With a show of great restraint, she drew her temper back in and returned her face to that of an impassive mask.

"We will discuss this later." She stated harshly. The council members gave no response as they returned to facing the guards who had brought the prisoner.

Dimmed Star watched all of this in mild amusement. She would never admit that seeing Celestia get angry over the Earth pony addressing her as a monster had brought her a sense of warmth, unrelated to the temperature in the room of course.

"You may go, captain, leave two guards posted here and two more posted outside if you would." Wind Rider, a pegasus stallion who represented the Pegasus tribe, said to the captain, his wings fluttering a bit to cool himself off. The captain and his squad rose to their hooves quickly. With a jerk of his head to the two guards pulling the platform, they unhooked themselves and placed the yokes on the floor, before walking to stand on either side of the curved table. The captain gave a brisk bow to the princess before turning on his hooves and heading out the door with the rest of the company.

Dimmed Star watched the captain pass her with the best smirk that she could manage. Once the doors clicked shut behind them, silence once more ruled the courtroom. Finally, Hasty Vote stood to her hooves, her bright pink outfit greatly offended Dimmed Star's sight.

"Well then, let the sentencing of Twilight Sparkle commence."

Author's Notes:

Shaded: * Peeks around a corner* Is... is it safe? Is she gone?

* Crickets chirp*

Shaded: Huzzah! I live to see another day! Alright guys, here is the next chapter for The Power of the Equinox! I hope you guys like it, I literally rewrote this same chapter like fifteen times trying to figure out how I wanted it to go. I have also been SOOOO busy with work, like you don't even know! I THOUGHT I'd have free time to write and work on my stories, boy was I wrong. I'll put up a blog post to explain some things, but for now I hope this will do. And as always, my name is Shaded Blood and I do NOT own MLP: FIM or the Equinox Ponies!

* Crack*

Shaded: . . . Huh?

* Crack... Boom!*

Twilight: YOU LAZY SON OF A * Censored*!!!!

Shaded: *Scrambles to run* NO-O-O-O-O!!!! I WANT TO LIIIIIIVE!!!!

Twilight: GET BACK HERE YOU * Censored*!!!!