Through a Mirror, Darkly

Rarity looked at the restrained pony, "and how is she our ticket out of here?" Fluttershy didn't answer, she grabbed the keys from Rarity's magical grasp and inserted them into the door, trying to find the right one to unlock it. "If she's as dangerous as you think I don't think they would just leave the key lying around."

Pinkie looked at the Fashionista like she was an idiot, "You really think the guards aren't going to take advantage of a prisoner? Especially one that can't fight back?" She looked over at Fluttershy, "Hey, Bitch Face, how mad are you accepting Greenhorn here as a rescuer?"

"You're welcome to go back to your cell any time Pinkemena, you're only here because I made a fucking promise." came the irritated reply.

Pinkie once again turned on Rarity, towering over the mare almost literally, "I don't know what sunshine rainbow crap you've been fed about this place but it is not a prison, it is a place to send ponies to be broken. While here guess how many rights you have? Zero. Guess how many fucks are given? Zero. This, is, Tartarus on Equestria, so get used to the idea, Greenhorn, of nothing in here being very nice."

As she finished Fluttershy finally found the correct key the click in the lock followed by a thunk as the door jumped inwards slightly, before continuing to open on its own. The trio of mares walked in, observing the restrained unicorn who remained motionless, not that she could have moved at all judging by the suit. An IV stood nearby, presumably to supply the nutrients for living to the prisoner.

"Who's there?" A voice rattled out of the suit, raspy and hoarse. It sounded weak.

Rarity stepped forward, closing the distance between her and the restraint "Relax, we're getting you out of here darling."

Silence echoed around the room before the raspy voice spoke again, "finally, it's about time Light sent somepony to get me."

"Actually we're getting you out at my request, we've never met, but I saw your prison break attempt, the name's Fluttershy. Though I'm expecting you to help me out in return for busting you out."

"Any rescue is better than no rescue, get me out of this thing and I'll follow you into bucking Tartarus itself if I have to." a series of coughs followed this statement.

Pinkie chooses that moment to step in, "So how do we get you out of that?" A silence fell over the room, as the mares realised the flaw in their plan.

"The guards would know in case of emergency, but I have no idea how you'd get them to tell you."

Fluttershy grinned wickedly, "Interrogation isn't a problem, we have that covered, we'll be back in a bit." She and Pinkie left  the cell. Making their way back down the corridor towards the entrance.

Rarity looked at the restrained unicorn, feeling no small amount of sympathy for her predicament.

"Well that was probably the most I've talked in a while." The voice rasped to itself.

"I'm still here darling." Rarity told the restrained pony.

"Hm? Oh. I didn't notice, sort of been in this fucking restraint for eight years, you know?" Somehow despite it's dry tone the voice still managed to ooze copious amounts of liquid malice.

Rarity was aghast, denying somepony the sensation of feeling mana for that long would be like chopping off a pegasus' wings, or leaving an earth pony in a metal box, most ponies would sooner die by their own hoof than experience that sensation for a few days let alone years.

"What's your name? I didn't catch yours when we were making introductions, my name is Twilight Velvet."

"My name is Rarity." Rarity smiled thoughtfully, "Twilight Velvet, that's a nice name darling."

"It was my mother's, call me Velvet."

"So your name is Rarity huh?" Rarity jumped at the sound of Fluttershy's voice as she re-entered the cell. "Shame, I was this close to coming up with a name for you, something along the lines of moron, or retard."

Rarity looked round and paled at the sight of the previously yellow mare, she's now splashed from head to hoof in a red substance that gave off the distinctive smell of copper.

"Did you?"

"Relax, I left the guard alive, just, this was mostly Pinkie anyway, trying her hoof at physical persuasion for once, fucking amateurs." Fluttershy walked over to the restrained unicorn, "I have a way to release you but I want to be certain you're on my side once I do, do I have your word?"

"Obviously," a moment of silence, then the voice spoke again, stronger than before, "I will aid you in any endeavours until such a time that I consider this life debt repaid, I give you my word."

Nodding in satisfaction Fluttershy moved round to the side of the restraint, and began fiddling with something on it.

"Wait a moment, you're just going to take her on her word?" Rarity asked, "what's to stop her from just breaking her promise?"

Fluttershy looked over and tsked before going back to fiddling with the restraint, "You explain for the greenhorn Twilight while I unlock you."

"Okay, Rarity, how much do you think I own in this prison?" A slight pause, "Let me tell you, nothing. I have nothing else to swear by but myself, I am the last thing I own, and I do not give myself up easily. When I do you can expect me to stick to what I say, or else I will end up losing myself as well. That's the thing about prisons in Equestria Rarity, if a prisoner gives you their word and you understand that that means, you can trust them that they will deliver."

A series of clicks sounded within the cell as small screws holding the armour together were slowly ejected, causing the entire thing to collapse to the floor, revealing the occupant. Looking at her Rarity gasped in shock and horror.

"and as you can see I have even less than normal," the painfully thin unicorn rasped, "therefore I am even more determined not to lose it." She finished her statement just in time for her legs to give out, she was saved from the floor by the quick actions of Fluttershy, who caught her and hoisted the thin unicorn onto her back.

Rarity couldn't help but shiver at the sheer level of cruelty that had been exposed, she could count every bone in Twilight's body, her skin hugged tight against her ribs and her face was gaunt, Her mane and tail were long but matted and unkempt. Her eyes were squinted against the dim light of the cell and her lips were cracked from lack of water. In all she looked no different from a corpse.

"Alright, lets blow this joint." Pinkie yelled from the doorway

Twilight only smiled weakly, "I'd rather not 'blow' anything in the near future, blow up? definitely, blow? just, just no." her eyes finally adjusting to the light opened fully revealing a fiery determination on par with the hottest flames of hell. "Hold on a second please." she started breathing slowly, her horn flickering to life.

Rarity gasped at the sudden flux in mana, its passage actually causing a physical wind to manifest and blow around the room. All the while Twilight's horn grew brighter, it's weak purple light waxing to a deeper lavender in moments. The change it wrought in the emaciated unicorn was incredible, where once had been a thin weak pony now stood a unicorn mare in her prime, the magic in her eyes daring anypony to stand in her way.

Slowly Twilight clambered off Fluttershy's back, standing on legs that not moments ago couldn't have possibly supported her weight.

"How?" was all Rarity was able to ask.

"A spell I developed, It essentially converts the surrounding mana into a bodysuit, multiplying my strength several times, I designed it for when I got out of here." She looked at Rarity, "This allows me to walk on my own hooves, but underneath this I'm still how you saw me before."

"When did you develop it? Surely such an advance would be a benefit to unicorns everywhere." Rarity gushed, thinking of the unicorns who'd lost limbs and were otherwise bed-ridden.

Twilight smiled fondly, "I developed it six years ago. Only one other unicorn in the world knows how to cast it." She looked at her fellow unicorn, "Also it requires a large amount of magic to even cast and maintain, I can only cast it for ten minutes before my reserves will be depleted."

"But weren't you already in the restraint six years ago?"

"Yes."

Rarity looked at her completely confused "Then how? You were completely immobilized and from what I've heard the guards weren't exactly friendly."

Twilight smirked as she walked out the door, "I have my ways. Maybe if you're lucky I'll teach you a few things once we're out of here."

The quartet of mares trotted back out of the secure section, the three inmates chatted almost amicably the entire way. While Rarity walked to one side, slightly unnerved by them.

"So you're the 'Queen' of block E, no wonder your name sounded familiar." Twilight smiled, "I'm a fan of your work, I'd hear about it from time to time as the guards walked past, they all deserved it."

"As I said I witnessed your attempt at a breakout, eight years ago, I have to say" Fluttershy grinned, "I might not have liked it at the time, but eventually I saw a certain, magnificence, to it regardless. That was way back before I took control of this dump, it was only my second week inside."

"I remember that, but I only heard about it, that was you?" Pinkie asked the lavender unicorn, who merely nodded in affirmation, "now I see why the Ice Bitch there wanted you on our team." She looked at the unicorn with a mixture of respect and joy, "We might actually pull this off."

Twilight raised an eyebrow, "Pull what off? I'd prefer to know what I'm going to be doing."

Fluttershy looked over at Rarity, who looked back with interest, "Fine I'll tell you, because honestly at this point Greenhorn isn't even a threat to us any more if she doesn't like what we're planning. We're going to kill the Princesses."