When I finally wake, it’s to the sound of a great many voices outside my room. At first, I shrug it off as a prisoner in the next cell getting a not-so-friendly wake-up call, rolling on my crappy mattress to face away from the door. The idea of going back to sleep is quickly abandoned, because I don’t think a wake-up usually involves one or more ponies shouting through megaphones about surrendering weapons or standing down. Come to think of it, those sound like the sorts of things you might hear from guards during a prison riot. Seriously though, a riot now of all times? Come on!

“This is highly unusual and uncalled for, Captain Cutlass.” I hear a rather gruff mare protesting, as a set of voices draws nearer. Wait, haven’t I heard that name somewhere before? “I assure you we are not detaining any ponies we shouldn’t be. We’ve been operating independently and under high scrutiny from a royally appointed committee for centuries, so I hardly see a need for a battalion of royal guards taking over the prison. Furthermore, I hardly see why you would be bringing a civili—”

“That is where you are wrong, Warden Gray. I can assure you that this is quite necessary, and well within our jurisdiction,” another voice, likely this Cutlass character, replies in a harsh tone. “This operation is under the personal authorization and authority of Princess Luna. You see, things may look fine on paper when brought before a committee, but it’s a lot harder to hide corruption when one of the princess’s scholars is snatched away in the middle of the night, and when contacted through dreamwalking, that very mare admits that she is being held in solitary confinement of your prison.”

Oh hell! Cutlass was Princess Luna’s personal guard, wasn’t he? Has he been promoted sideways to Captain of the Guard in Shining Armor’s absence? Is the Royal Guard doing a raid on the prison because of me? Surely I’m not that valuable. I mean, if this is a prison operated independently from the Royal Guard, it could very well be that there has been suspicion of corruption here for some time, but lacking any evidence, they simply could not act. Would that mean that I’m a chess piece in the game of politics? Because if it is, it sounds like the sort of thing I wanted to avoid.

The prison warden sputters some near incomprehensible words as they stop outside my cell. “I trust that you are not leading me on a wild goose chase, Warden,” Cutlass adds. “This civilian is that mare’s lover, and she is here to ensure I am not played a fool.”

A key slides into the cell door’s locking mechanism, and I hear the warden speak up again. “This is the only registered prisoner intake last night,” she replies in a defeated tone as the lock clicks open. Clearly some major shit is going on if she is just rolling over like that. “Some of my ponies may be taking bribes or taking part in felonies, but here at Ironhoof, paperwork is sacrosanct. Nopony moves through this prison without a paper trail in triplicate, even if details are doctored.”

It suddenly occurs to me that Cutlass mentioned my lover. Did that guy really bring my Blossom to a place like this? Before I have a chance to compose myself—as much as is possible for a mare in prison orange and an unkempt mane—the door swings open. “Uh, hi ther—oof!”

I’m tackled to the floor by Blossom the moment to the door opens, leaving me sprawled out awkwardly beneath my weeping love. The look on her face in the cell’s dim light seems to be more of anger than misery. She’s definitely angry about this whole situation, especially the way she’s pounding the floor with one hoof while weeping into my chest. “Er... Hey there, Blossom,” I reply as calmly as I possibly can, stroking her mane with one jumpsuit-clad fetlock.

She looks up at me in shock before that pained, angry expression returns to her face. “You... you... you bucking idiot!” she finally sputters, glaring at me. “Do you have any idea how worried you had me?”

“I... yeah,” I nod, stroking her mane and looking apologetically up at the gray unicorn in night-guard armor. It’s clear the guy clearly hadn’t planned on taking her with him, but no doubt it’d been Luna’s idea. As far as he’s concerned, he is on a timetable, and our joyful reunion was cutting in on the time. “I do and I’m—”

Reaching up with a hoof, she taps me angrily on the tip of my muzzle. “No you don’t!” she cried loudly. “When I told the princess, she attempted to scry for you immediately, but even she could not find you! She said that you could be in any number of places, and unless she could make contact with you—assuming you had not already been murdered—she would be unable to find you!”

“It’s okay, Blossom!” I reply sharply, catching her attention. “I knew that they weren’t going to kill me. Aqua Regia may be a pig-headed idiot, but she’s not a total moron. A kidnapping is easier to cover up than a murder, and I think this was only a delaying tactic anyhow.” The stallion and the prison warden both look at me in confusion, and even Blossom’s crying momentarily eases. “Think about it. If she kills me, what does she gain? Same with kidnapping me. Even faking my death wouldn’t get her anywhere for very long, so clearly she had some sort of plan. Being accused of these crimes so close to Princess Twilight’s coronation would be disastrous for the Blueblood family, being found guilty of having somepony killed to cover up a crime, even more so.”

Helping Blossom back to her hooves, I shake my head. “No, in a political atmosphere like this, they would only have me ‘vanish’ long enough for them to curry favor from Twilight,” I continue to explain, rising to my own hooves and stretching like a cat. I take some pleasure in hearing my vertebrae pop up and down my spine, knowing that all of this would be worth it in the end. “At least with this hanging over them, they are more likely to pass it off as one of their subordinates acting on their own volition, or an act of a lesser house seeking their favor. By the time anypony figured out I didn’t belong here, nopony would be able to prove who put me there beyond possibly the griffon mercs and the corrupt guards. Legally, the case would go nowhere, due to the lack of evidence.”

Blossom smiles, possibly catching onto my line of thinking. “But they didn’t count on you being found so soon, so maybe all is not lost?”

“Nah, we still can’t prove it was her or someone working for her,” I reply softly, shrugging. “Nothing we can do about it except bring it up when I press charges, at which point we’ll see where things go. Either way, she’s fucked.”

The prison warden tuts impatiently and looks crossly at Captain Cutlass. “Can we get a move on, Captain?” she asks in a tired tone. “I assume I’ll be occupying one of these cells before the day is over, so I’d very much like to just get it over with already.”

“Miss Ice Blossom, Miss Silver Script, would you two please come with me?” he asks, ignoring the warden. “I do believe you have a ceremony to attend, do you not?”

Reminded what day today is, I glance at him in alarm. “Shit! What time is it?”

“Five minutes to running out of time, I’m afraid,” he answers with a smile. “Do hurry now.”

Blossom composes herself and allows me to exit the cell to join the guard, following close behind. “We’ll never make it in time, never mind being able to get all dressed up and fancy. Are you able to teleport multiple ponies all the way to the castle simultaneously, sir?”

“Yes, but wouldn’t you like to make yourself more presentable?” he asks, almost offended. “This is a momentous occasion. What kind of message would it give if you arrived at the ceremony wearing a prison jumpsuit?”

I glance back at Blossom, a wild grin spreading across my face. “I have no idea! Isn’t that brilliant?” Uncontrollable giggling escapes me like helium from a punctured balloon. “Let’s find out!”

The prison warden steps in front of me, or rather the captain, scowling at us both. “I will not be ignored!” she shouted.

Captain Cutlass looks anxiously between me and the prison warden, deciding whether he would rather put up with a possible madmare or an angry one. Personally, I think the choice is rather obvious; madponies can be quite a lot fun—always something new, and never a dull moment—whereas an angry pony brings only scorn. Thankfully, the captain seems to share this sentiment and gives her an apologetic smile, lighting his horn in a crimson flare. “Go back to the end of the corridor and meet up with Sergeant Wind Whisper. She’ll take it from here.”

“Wha—” Whatever it is she intended to say is lost to the aether as a bright red flash envelopes the three of us. Even as I vanish into nothing, all of my molecules scattering to the wind as the spell tears my very being apart, I can’t stop giggling. There’s no rhyme or reason to my mirth, but the thought of trolling Twilight—and Rarity too!—with my jumpsuit is just too great to pass up.

I’m unsure what first clues me in that we have materialized in the castle. It might be the prickling sensation of every fur on my body standing on end, or it could be the slight pins-and-needles sensation as every single piece of me vibrates out of tune, trying desperately to reach harmony and stabilize my body structure. Either way, it doesn’t really matter; point is that I’m in the castle, at the very back of a hall that I’m pretty sure is the same one Shining Armor and Cadance were wed in.

In front of me are scores of ponies all dressed up or wearing fancy jewelry, facing the front of the hall where Princesses Celestia, Luna, and Cadance are all lined up on a stage in fancy regalia, wings flared proudly, and most of the Element Bearers right up there with them. Every single pony in the room looks excited for this occasion, even if not all of them realize what this is truly about.

None of the ponies in the main audience notice our entrance, as their backs are to the back of the room—go figure—but those up on stage all do. There’s an array of looks. Luna shoots me a knowing grin, while Celestia, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash look almost amused. Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Spike, and Cadance all look horribly confused, but Rarity?

Rarity’s expression is fucking priceless. The mare looks like she’s trying her hardest not to cry out, or eat her fucking Queen of England-looking hat. If it weren’t for the fact that ponies don’t wear underwear, I would wonder if she hadn’t royally shit herself. She is caught somewhere between horror and outrage, leaving her looking very, very constipated. Totally worth going to prison, all things considered.

Any amusement I might take in torturing Rarity with my shit-eating grin is quickly brought to an end as Celestia walks to the top of the walkway leading onto the stage, her horn lit in a light-gold aura. I recognize the spell she’s casting even before she speaks: a voice amplification spell. Sure, she could use the traditional royal shouting or a microphone, but it’s clear that it’s all for show.

“We are gathered here today in celebration of a momentous occasion,” she announces with a serene, motherly expression. “My most faithful student, Twilight Sparkle, has done many extraordinary things since she’s lived in Ponyville. She even helped reunite me with my sister, Princess Luna.” Celestia pauses to give a warm smile to her sister. “But not too long ago, Twilight did something truly amazing. She created new magic, proving without a doubt that she is ready to be crowned Equestria’s newest princess. Fillies and gentlecolts, may I present for the very first time, Princess Twilight Sparkle.”

Right on cue, the doors to my right swing open, and Twilight, fancy in garb—a Rarity design no doubt—and followed by a quartet of Fluttershy-esque standard bearers and a quartet of unicorn guards, strolls through. She looks nothing less than embarrassed, but when the standard bearers open their mouths to sing, I can’t help but blink in confusion and slight recognition.

“The Princess Twilight cometh, behold, behold!” they sing as Twilight walks measured but anxious steps up the center aisle of the room toward the stage. “A princess here before us, behold, behold, behold!”

As they continue their march through the room, their song still going loud and proud, a silent curse escape me. “Motherfucker!” I whisper to myself as the procession reaches the front of the room and Twilight takes the stage. “They stole my fucking lyrics!”

That earns me a jab in the ribs—or at least it would be were it not for the harness in the jumpsuit still binding my wings—from Blossom and a sour look. “None of that matters,” she whispers back in reproach. “Even if they did, it is a good choice.”

Our short conversation comes to an end as I see Twilight up on stage receive her crown from a tuxedoed Spike. A squeal of awe slips free of Blossom as soon as my first mentor is coronated. It’s hard to disagree; Twilight looks absolutely stunning, beautiful even. At this very moment, she looks every bit the princess she’s supposed to be.

Strolling out onto the balcony behind them, Princesses Twilight, Celestia, and Luna face what sounds like a large cheering crowd down in the castle courtyard. After some verbal prodding from Celestia, Twilight clears her throat loudly and moves to the very edge of the balcony to address the crowd.

“A little while ago, my teacher and mentor Princess Celestia sent me to live in Ponyville. She sent me to study friendship, which was something I didn’t really care much about. But now, on a day like today, I can honestly say I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for the friendships I’ve made with all of you,” she says turning back to peer at her friends over her shoulder. “Each one of you taught me something about friendship, and for that, I will always be grateful.

“That isn’t to say that I haven’t had my share of weak moments,” she continues, once more turning her gaze to the crowd in the room behind her, as though searching for somepony. “I want you to know now that I am by no means infallible, but I vow to you all now that I will not allow my past mistakes to prevent me from performing my new role. Instead, I will use the lessons learned from those mistakes to ensure I can be the best princess I can be to you all.

“A pony I consider to be a good friend of mine, a pony I once caused a great deal of hurt, showed me that even when ponies feel betrayed by you and that by all rights they have a right to hate you, forgiveness is possible,” she says softly, even with Celestia’s spell amplifying her voice. “Even though my involvement in another pony’s foolish attempt to make contact with another world ruined this pony’s life and drove her to the brink of madness, she’s forgiven me, and taught me more about myself than I ever expected to learn.

“She taught me that my capacity for learning and magic is dwarfed by my propensity for making friends,” she continues with a teary smile, looking out to the crowd, “and that Celestia has taught me well. She proved to me that I might someday make a great mother, even if all I did was teach her about being an Equestrian from the ground up.”

A giggle escapes her. “Because of her... because of all of my friends, this was possible. Today, I feel like the luckiest pony in all of Equestria. Thank you, friends. Thank you everypony!”

“Aww, was she referring to me?” I whisper, leaning up against Blossom as the crowd goes wild. I nuzzle her gently before watching as Twilight makes her way through her friends and family, and well wishers. “Isn’t that sweet?”

The two of us just sit there, close together as Twilight is stopped and greeted by almost everypony in the room. Her friends, Shining Armor, and Princess Cadance all follow behind her, wherever she’s headed, though she’s definitely in no hurry. When they finally reach the back of the room, Rarity is the first one to speak up, probably out of confusion.

“Silver Script, darling, is that you?” I only nod, batting my eyelashes innocently at Twilight and Cadance. “What are you wearing, dear?”

“Oh, you know... I wanted to start a new trend in formal attire,” I reply sweetly. “There are just so many Canterlot nobles I’m dying to see in a prison jumpsuit.”

“You were in prison? For what?” Twilight, Cadance, and Rarity exclaim all at once.

“Before I tell you, let me take the opportunity to tell you that you are going to absolutely love Canterlot politics,” I answer, looking Twilight dead in the eye. “The nobility loves to think it has the right to do anything.” With a nod, I look over to Rainbow Dash and Applejack. “I just publicly called out a member of House Blueblood on sexual assault... so I was snatched up in the middle of the night by some goons and tossed in prison!”

Rarity’s outraged and confused expression fades from her face as her jaw goes slack. Her lips almost curl into a snarl as she mouths the name Blueblood before finally she gives me a pitying expression. Granted, she’s probably thinking that my encounter was one with Blueblood himself, rather than a relative, but all things considered, that’s not too far off the mark.

“So that’s what mom was talking about last night,” Shining Armor interjects before anypony has a chance to react, shaking his head in disappointment. “You really don’t know how to stay out of trouble, do you Silver?”

“I am staying out of trouble though!” I reply with a giggle. “I’m just shaking up the political scene by exposing mass corruption in the prison system and legally getting the nobility into trouble. Heck, I was going to press charges after the coronation even before the kidnapping last night.”

The prince consort only shakes his head before turning to his wife. “Cady, I know I turned in my commission in the royal guard in favor of ensuring the Crystal Empire can protect itself in the present era, but I kinda want to sit in on this,” he says, nuzzling Cadance before glancing back at me. “Canterlot is still my first home, and I’m curious just how badly it’s to be shaken up.”

“Of cour—”

“What I wanna know is how Silver got so big so quickly,” Rainbow Dash interrupts. “Last time we saw her, she was practically a foal!”

Regaining some of her composure, Rarity glares at Dash. “Rainbow Dash!” she whispers sharply. “How can you be so insensitive? She just admitted that she’s been sexually abused by somepony in power, and all you can say is, “How did you grow up?””

Applejack moves in between the two, holding a hoof up warningly. “Easy sugarcube,” she says to Rarity softly. “Dash and Ah both already knew. Don’t ask; long story.” This comment earns a curious look from the diva. “Anyway, Ah know the question is on all of our minds, especially the Princess.”

When I look back to Twilight, I can see the little gears working inside her head. “Tried out that potion Pinkie dosed some of those cupcakes with, way back when,” I reply quickly. “I was doing some preemptive research for the upcoming term. Basically, it fixed my genes, making me completely pony.” Oh jeeze, now she looks like she’s ready to break down my door for my research data. “My data will be submitted to the professor at the beginning of the term, Twilight. You’ll be able to pull that information at any time.”

Ponies can be heard outside the castle, chanting and cheering, their voices filtering in through the balcony archway. Glancing at the door, I quickly add. “Anyway, I think you have somewhere to be. That crowd sounds pretty anxious to see their new princess paraded about.”

The silence as Shining Armor leads us through the castle halls—I refused to send Blossom home until this was all sorted out—is rather unbearable. I know the fact that I have basically started a small revolution in Canterlot sits heavy on his mind, but after a night in a prison cell, I would much rather just talk to ponies rather than sit in silence.

“So,” I begin, unsure of exactly what to say. “How are Cadance and the baby? We didn’t really get much of a chance to talk back there, did we?”

“Her last prenatal exam went well,” he answers stiffly, seemingly uncomfortable. With a pause, he glances back at me. “You know, if the charges you plan on pressing are true, you’re not going to be a very popular pony.”

“Boy or girl?” I ask curiously. “Aqua Regia sealed her fate when she decided to play hide the magic egg in the midget. She cemented it when she tried to silence me last night. I don’t care a lick for popularity.”

“Filly. Not due for a few more months, before you ask.” We all stop in the middle of the hallway and I have to stop myself from bouncing off of his chest. “Take this seriously, Silver!” he grumbles, stomping angrily. “You’ve upset one of the most powerful noble houses in all of Canterlot, been kidnapped and spent a night in prison, and you sound like you don’t even care.”

I narrow my eyes and suck a breath in through my teeth. “I don’t know if anything untoward happened between you and the changeling queen, or if you even know anything about being raped beyond it not being nice, but I assure you that I am taking this very seriously,” I hiss, taking a step forward. “I’ve been spending the last few months living in fear of that mare, worried that if I spoke out, she would harm the people I care about—” I point a hoof at Ice Blossom. “—and the mare that I love! Don’t think that just because I am choosing to be casual about it does not mean that I haven’t considered being a hysterical idiot or taking justice into my own hooves!”

“Enough, Silver, Prince Shining Armor!” Blossom squeals, interposing herself between the two of us. “Fighting each other solves nothing.” She looks to the prince consort and gives him a weak smile. “She is just trying to make this less stressful for herself, sir.”

At this moment, part of me is glad none of the princesses are here to see this. Here I am on my way to press charges against a ‘princess’, and all I can do is lash out at one of my friends. “I’m sorry, Shining,” I whisper. “I shouldn’t have spoken to you that way, and I have no place bringing up what happened at your wedding.”

An apologetic look overtakes his face. “It’s... okay,” he replies. “Sometimes, it’s just hard for me to see ponies acting so... casual about situations like yours, acting like it doesn’t affect them.”

“It’s a coping mechanism,” I reply calmly. “Like I said, it’s all I can do not to be hysterical or violent sometimes. Even when I can hold it together, sometimes I don’t do it well enough. Why do you think I picked a fight with a cockatrice and a lamia?” With a shake of my head the beginnings of a wry smile fall from my face. “It’s a shame my therapist has had to take so much time off.”

That said, nopony manages any more chatter. It’s almost as though the gravity of what is about to happen has sucked the conversationalism out of us all. Not that it isn’t understandable. I kinda do have a habit of creating awkward silence, and setting into motion things I don’t completely understand doesn’t often help things any.

How big is this castle, anyway? Is it like a TARDIS? Is it bigger on the inside? Maybe it’s the inverse of the prison, which looked bigger on the outside. It makes me wonder, though: if ponies evolved from a migratory species—even now in their architecture you can see their preference for spacious areas—would it not be considered cruel to restrict them to a small amount of space like a prison? Do they not have some sort of friendship gulag out in the Badlands or up north, full of wide open spaces and no means of escape?

After what feels like a good little eternity, we draw close to a set of double doors, and a sense of deja vu washes over me, as though I’ve somehow been here before. When the doors open by way of gold and blue auras of magic, it’s not hard to understand where the sensation comes from. On a long fancy couch, Princesses Celestia and Luna sit, serious expressions chiseled into their faces. Before them is a coffee table, a tray of tea and biscuits already laid out upon it. With the couch across from them, there is no doubt in my mind that this is the same sitting room in which Luna comforted me months ago.

“It would seem,” Princess Celestia begins, somberly, “that we need to discuss a great deal of things.”

Author's Notes:

Thanks go to E3gner, Refro, Kaidan, and Nightmare Knight.

The next chapter is where it all goes to hell for you know who.