Denounced

Chapters

Chapter 1: Fear
Chapter 2: Spite
Chapter 3: Hopeless
Chapter 4: Broken
Chapter 5: Pieces

Chapter 1: Fear

Dresses and tuxedos sat on every single mannequin in the Carousel Boutique. Some were minimalistic while others were flamboyant and over the top. Each and every dress had been hand-stitched over the course of the previous week, which had required all of Rarity's attention and care. There had scarcely been time left over to spend with her friends.

Today was the last day, and while the order was finished, Rarity still went from mannequin to mannequin in order to review her work carefully. Every stitch, every choice of color, and every design had to be perfect. There was absolutely no margin for error.

Her trained eyes ran up and down every inch of fabric as they hunted mistakes. Despite her confidence in dressmaking Rarity knew nobody was perfect, and even she could make grave mistakes at times. When the elites of Canterlot made such a request, every single thing had to be perfect. If she succeeded, this one order could make her career skyrocket to unimaginable levels.

Rarity mumbled incoherently to herself as she inspected the dresses. To an outsider she might have sounded crazy, but there were no others to concern themselves with her work. Talking to herself always did seem to boost creativity, too. Granted, it wasn't a very ladylike thing to do, but in the confinement of her solitude there was no need for acting the part of a lady.

The corners of Rarity's mouth slowly turned upwards as she inspected the final tuxedo. Her mind was finally calming down for the first time in the entire week. There had been many bumps in the road and time-consuming detours, but now she could finally claim the rewards for her hard work.

“Perfect,” she said aloud. Rarity looked around at all of her magnificent creations with a weary smile. “Absolutely perfect.”

A quick glance at the clock revealed there was plenty of day left. Noon had only just passed, and with her work finally complete, Rarity decided to take the remainder of the day off. She flipped the sign in the window from ‘Open’ to ‘Closed’, and she did so with a faint giggle. Not even Princess Celestia herself could reopen the shop on this day.

“A trip to the spa would be splendid,” Rarity thought. She could already feel the experienced hooves of Aloe and Lotus relieving her of all the tension in her muscles. Even a simple mud bath would be more than enough to satiate her weary mind and aching body. “I do deserve it, too.”

Rarity made sure to put protective spells on each and every one of her creations. The last thing she wanted was a spilled drink finding its way to the expensive fabric. Granted, nobody would be here for hours, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

Once done with the colorful protection spells, the proud and exhausted mare turned in place. Finally ready for a good, long break, she began walking towards the door to freedom. With every step she took, her heart got just a tiny tad lighter. Rarity even found herself humming by the halfway point, simply because of the giddiness inside of her.

Before she could open the door herself, however, it swung open. The little bell above the door rang out cheerfully, but the goodhearted nature of the tones was not shared by the pony who had caused them. Into the shop walked a small, frowning filly with a coat as white as snow. Sweetie Belle’s eyes were plastered to the floor as she slowly stepped into the store.

“Hi, Rarity…” she mumbled. She closed the door behind her and slumped to the floor with a heavy sigh.

“Sweetie Belle, what are you doing here?” Rarity asked in confusion. “Weren’t you going to your friend’s house?”

“Yeah, but he wasn’t there,” the younger sister replied, sighing once more. “We had plans and everything.”

The words of her sister tugged at Rarity’s heartstrings, which compelled her to move forward. She sat down next to Sweetie and wrapped a hoof around her.

“I thought today was going to be really special. You’ve been talking about it for the past week.”

Sweetie Belle nodded slowly and sobbed quietly. “It was. But he didn’t show up. Colts are jerks.”

“I know you’re upset, but it doesn’t help to blame him like this,” Rarity said quietly. Although her sister was not looking, Rarity still smiled at her. “I’m sure he had a good reason for not showing up.”

“Yeah, sure.” Sweetie Belle turned her head even further away from her sister. Narrow streams of tears quietly slipped down her cheeks and onto the floor.

“Come here.” Rarity wrapped both her hooves around her sister and held her gently. The filly sobbed once before she turned to embrace the hug. Her tiny hooves latched onto her sister and squeezed tight. Sweetie buried her muzzle in her older, kind sister’s fur and let loose her sorrow.

“There, there,” Rarity whispered. “It’ll be all right.” She spoke softly to her sister, almost like a mother speaking to her very own child.

“Tell you what. Would you like me to go speak to him and his mother?” Rarity asked, causing Sweetie to raise her head and look upon her sister. The wetness in her eyes made Rarity’s stomach churn and her heart sink. Eyes of a filly should not look like this, not at all.

Sweetie’s lower lip quivered as she nodded slowly. Unable to bear this sight, Rarity put her hoof on her sister’s cheek and gently caressed it. The fur was drenched by the salty tears, and Rarity wanted nothing more than to wipe it completely clean. However, wiping away the tears weren’t enough to stop them.

“Why don’t you go into the kitchen and eat some ice cream while I’m away, hmm?” the adult unicorn chuckled. “When I come back, we can do whatever you want, okay?”

A weak smile forced its way onto Sweetie Belle’s lips, and she even managed to chuckle herself. A tight knot loosened inside Rarity’s chest at the sound of her sister’s innocent laughter. This was the Sweetie Belle she knew and loved.

“Thanks, Rarity,” the younger sister whispered. She once again embraced Rarity with her small hooves. “You’re the best sister ever.”

Despite all of her willpower, Rarity could not hold back the single tear creeping out the corner of her eye. She smiled warmly as she gave her sister a tight hug. Somehow, the filly had managed to renew at least part of her energy with those sweet words of hers.

“Go on, then,” Rarity said quietly as she nudged her sister away. “I’ll be back before you know it.” Sweetie Belle complied and began walking towards the kitchen, now with a warm little smile on her lips. It brought such sweet warmth to Rarity’s body to see her sister smile like this. If one could bottle the emotions coursing through the mare, the world would be rid of all negativity.

Rarity got up and got herself back on track towards the door. This time, she was successful in her attempt to leave the boutique, much to her satisfaction. The last thing she needed was more heartbroken fillies to tend to.

After a brief walk throughout the bustling streets of Ponyville, Rarity turned down one of the more lonesome roads. She had moved all the way to the outskirts of the town, and there weren’t many ponies around here. The only thing occupying the streets here were homes, not shops or offices. It was quite the change of scenery from the crowd of colorful ponies, but Rarity enjoyed the peace and quiet.

The mare walked down the streets with determined steps. She knew exactly which house to go to and what to say. There was not a shred of anger to be found in her mind; these mishaps happened from time to time, and the colt surely had a reason for his absence. Even if he didn’t, he was just a colt, after all. One couldn’t hold up the youngest to the standards of adults.

Exactly eight houses passed Rarity’s right side by before she finally stopped. In front of her stood the proud home of Button Mash, the colt who never showed up. It was a quaint little house, much like the rest in Ponyville. There were two stories, the second containing the room of the young video game enthusiast.

Rarity walked up to the fuchsia door and inhaled deeply. After putting on the warmest smile she could, she gently knocked on the door three times. Much to the unicorn’s surprise, a minute passed without any response. The previous few times she had been here, someone opened the door within seconds.

After another thirty seconds of waiting, Rarity decided to try again. This time, however, she put more strength behind her knocking. When her hoof landed on the door for the third knock, it squeaked quietly and slid slightly open. Rarity watched the door intently, waiting for someone to pull it completely open.

When none came, she took matters into her own hooves, quite literally so. She gently pushed the door open and looked into the hall. There were no signs of any residents, yet the door had been unlocked.

“Hello?” she called out. As with her knocking, nobody responded. “Hellooo?” The faintest hints of worry began settling inside of her as she took a step inside. There were many perfectly logical reasons for the door being unlocked, but Rarity couldn’t help feeling something was wrong. Stray thoughts of burglars and monsters grazed her mind, but she fought them off.

“Is anypony there?” she called out again. She nearly gasped when someone seemed to reply. From further within the home came a muffled groan, one that sent shivers down Rarity’s spine. The stray thoughts from just a moment ago came back in full force, invading her mind with the most horrible images.

“Are… are you okay?” The response came once again in the form of a groan, this time slightly louder. Despite her trembling body and shivering mind, Rarity moved forward into the house. With each step she took, the groaning became louder and louder. She opted not to call out any further, just in case there truly was someone wretched inside the house.

Sweat formed quickly on Rarity’s forehead as she walked down the main hallway in the house. The dreadful noises were coming from somewhere further on, and it took all of Rarity’s inner strength to set one hoof in front of the other. She desperately wished for one of her friends to show up and help her on this most unpleasant journey, but as expected, they did not.

It was nearly painful to watch the door on the left become bigger and bigger. There was no doubt in Rarity’s mind that behind that door, she would find the answers she sought. Whether there was a monster, an evil scientist, or something completely different was another story. None of the possible options in her mind were the least bit pleasant to think about.

Rarity whimpered when she stopped in front of the door. She wasn’t sure which room lay behind that door, and she cursed at herself for having to find out. All she wanted to do was turn around and get as far away as possible. Yet she knew she could never live with herself if someone was hurt due to her cowardice.

Her hoof trembled greatly as she moved it towards the air and onto the door. Part of her mind was screaming at her to get out, but Rarity did her best to ignore it. It was time to go past the point of no return. She took a deep breath and lifted her head. Feeling ready to take on any potential dangers, Rarity shoved the door open.

What met Rarity’s eyes made her stomach churn and her blood freeze. Her jaw dropped as the entire world froze around her. She stared, it seemed, for hours on end at the scene in front of her. On a modest bed lay the mother of Sweetie Belle’s friend, and her dinner plate eyes stared right at Rarity. They were the eyes of a desperate, horrified mare.

Another set of eyes had fallen upon the white unicorn; the eyes of Button Mash. His small body was locked to his mother’s, his hips connected to her flank. Behind his mother he stood, trembling in terror underneath the disbelieving stare of Rarity. Both mother and son were panting, which provided the only source of audio inside the room.

“What in the name of Celestia…” Rarity whispered, mostly to herself. She knew very well what she was looking at, but her mind simply couldn’t fathom it. Ponyville was such a quiet, nice place. There existed no vileness in this place, yet here it was, clear as day.

“I can explain,” Button’s mother said quietly. Her voice shook and trembled, but it did not break. “Please just-“

“Explain?!” Rarity exclaimed suddenly, surprising even herself a little. “I don’t need an explanation! This is sick! How could you do something like this?!”

“Please! Just listen to me!”

“Listen to a mare like you?! I’d rather drop dead!” Rarity stepped backwards until she was in the hall. Her eyes were still plastered to the scene, even despite the great discomfort it brought her to look. Her body still trembled, but the cause of it had changed from fear to unparalleled anger. Every part of her felt dirty and vile, as if she had been showered in excrements.

“Please…” Button’s mother whispered. Her eyes had already grown wet, and they, alongside her voice, pleaded with Rarity. “Don’t tell anyone. Please.”

The mother’s words echoed throughout Rarity’s mind. They rung deep and hollow inside of her, bouncing around in her skull. However much she tried to convince herself otherwise, she knew the words were genuine and true. This was not a simple request, but actual begging. A maelstrom of conflicting opinions and beliefs raged inside the unicorn’s mind, threatening to swallow her very being.

“Please…”

When the first tear fell from the mother’s eyes, the maelstrom inside of Rarity’s mind exploded in an inferno of destruction. Both her body and soul felt weak and vile, causing her to slowly shake her head. She did not do this in reply to the mother’s pleading, but merely because her body willed it.

Unwilling to spend another moment looking at the atrocities before her eyes, Rarity quickly turned to her side and began galloping through the hallway. Her heart seemed to beat as fast as her four hooves clopping onto the floor beneath her. The sound of it pumping blood and adrenaline into every corner of her body was the only thing Rarity could hear, as she ran out of the house and into the streets of Ponyville.

“M-Mom?” Button whimpered as he pulled out of his mother and moved to her side. “Why did she yell at you? A-Are you crying?”

His mother had indeed let the tears flow freely from her eyes. A waterfall of sorrow rushed from each of her cerulean eyes and down her face. They were silent tears, however, ones brought about by grief and guilt.

“Because of what we did,” she whispered. Although her vision was blurry from the excessive amount of crying, she could not bear to look at her son. Instead, her head remained quite still, her eyes facing the fabric beneath her.

“But, but you said it was n-normal,” Button replied, still whimpering.

“I know what I said!” his mother snapped. Button quickly stepped backwards, away from his mother. He wasn’t quite sure whether to feel afraid, worried, or guilty, which caused a swirling mess of horrible feelings inside him.

“I just –“ Button’s mother gulped “- I just…” She sighed heavily and closed her eyes. “I just wanted to be happy.”

Button crept closer to his mother and placed a hoof on her back. “Y-You can still be happy, c-can’t you?”

“I don’t know, sweetie…” his mother whispered. “I hope so…”

Button moved closer to his crying mother and lay down next to her. She felt colder than before, and the air, too, felt alien on his body. It was as if everything in the room had changed, and not for the better. Although it was his mother’s room, Button suddenly didn’t feel at home inside of it.

“What’s going to happen?” he asked quietly. “Am I in trouble?”

“I don’t know,” his mother sighed. “I don’t know.”

Button nuzzled his mother’s neck. “I love you, mom.”

“I love you too, sweetie. Never forget that.”

“I’m telling you the truth, I swear to you!” Rarity exclaimed. All five sets of eyes stared at her in a mixture of horror and disbelief. Rounding up her five best friends had been easy; making them believe her was not.

“That’s a mighty strong accusation, Rarity,” Applejack replied calmly. “And ya do have a reputation for gosspin’.”

“I saw it with my own eyes!” Rarity huffed. “I saw them right there on the bed!”

“M-Maybe we should just talk about something else?” Fluttershy whimpered. Her face was completely flustered, and she had sunk lower than the rest of her friends. Most of her body was hidden by the table inside Twilight’s library, where they had all met up.

“I agree,” Twilight said. “It’s none of our business.” When Rarity opened her mouth to speak, Twilight added: “You do remember what happened last time, don’t you?”

“This is nothing like the Gabby Gums situation!” Rarity blurted out, despite Twilight’s protests.

“But it’s still not our business,” Twilight replied sternly.

“What about her kid?” Rainbow Dash interjected. “We can’t just those things happen to a foal!”

“Ah don’t like it any more than y’all do, but we can’t just go bargin’ into other ponies’ homes,” Applejack replied calmly. “It ain’t our responsibility.”

“So you’d just let it continue?!” Rainbow Dash roared. She shot up into the air, wings flapping furiously.

“Ah don’t know!” the orange mare snapped. “What do ya want me to do, buck their house? Ah’m just a farm mare!”

“Well, we certainly can’t let something so… despicable continue any further!” Rarity said and nodded at Rainbow Dash.

“They’re just having fun, silly,” Pinkie Pie chuckled. “Why do you want to stop that?”

“Fun?!” Rarity and Dash roared in unison, causing Fluttershy to whimper and Pinkie to jump a few feet into the air.

“Everypony, calm down!” Twilight yelled out. All of her friend’s heads slowly turned to face her. There was a dangerous mix of fuming anger and calmness within the room. Although Fluttershy was the only one visibly upset with the scene, Twilight knew more might follow.

“Let’s just calm down before anypony says something they’ll regret.”

Rainbow fluttered back down to her seat and exhaled quietly.

“There is no need to make any hasty decisions,” Twilight continued.

“But we-“ Rainbow began. She immediately stopped when Twilight raised her hoof.

“We don’t know all the facts, and it’s obvious none of us know what to do. I suggest we all relax and just think it through over the next couple of days,” Twilight said calmly. Rainbow Dash mumbled something to herself, but Twilight ignored it. “I’ll read everything I can about the subject so we can actually come up with a proper course of action.”

“Fine,” Rarity huffed. “But I still think we should do something sooner rather than later.”

“I understand,” Twilight said with a smile. “But we have to be careful. If we make a bad decision, we could potentially ruin somepony’s life. Let’s give ourselves some time to process all of this.”

Rarity walked up to her purple friend and stared her right in the eye. She wasn’t angry with Twilight, but she needed her to know the importance and sincerity behind her following words.

“I hope you’re right, Twilight. For everyone’s sake.”

Chapter 2: Spite

Inside the house on the outskirts of Ponyville stood two ponies who looked at the door. Both mother and son stood there with their saddlebags and stared at the exit. Neither of the two had used the door since their discovery the previous day. Now it almost seemed like a challenge to even step towards the wooden thing.

“Mom?” Button asked quietly.

“Yes, sweetie?”

“Why are we just standing here?” His mother didn’t take her eyes off of the door to look at her son. If not for the blinking of her eyes, she could easily have been mistaken for a statue.

“I don’t know,” she replied. “Because I’m afraid, I think.” A gentle nudge on her leg caught her attention, and she finally looked away from the door and down at her son. He was smiling gently at her, as if everything was quite normal.

“Don’t be scared,” he said. “You’ve got me.” His brave little words made his mother chuckle. She put her hoof on his back and rubbed it gently.

“You’re right.” Button’s mother took a deep breath and returned her gaze to the door. “Let’s go.”

The two of them began moving forward until they reached the door. Button’s mother reached out for the knob with her hoof, but stopped in mid-air. She stared intently at the knob, unable to move on. This time, however, Button took charge and put his own hoof on the knob. He quickly opened the door, revealing the outside world to them both.

A brief rush of panic struck his mother when the street outside their home became visible. In a fraction of a second, she imagined all of the terrible things waiting for them right outside the door. Yet there was nothing out there. It was just the good old street, devoid of ponies as it usually was. Button’s mother let out a breath she didn’t realize, she had been holding.

Button jumped out into the street in front of his mother, causing a warm smile to appear on her lips. A mother could not have asked for a better son. She had been dealt a good hand, and it was a hand she cherished more than anything else in this world. There were of course other good foals out there, but none quite like Button. None had his cheerful mind or determination.

“Come on or we’ll be late,” Button called out. The smile on his lips was pure and innocent, a smile simply calling out to his mother. Looking at him was like looking into the past. He was so very young, so very naïve.

Button’s mother exited the house and locked the door behind her. She deeply inhaled the brisk morning air and looked around the street. Not a single pony was to be seen, as was quite normal for their neighborhood. As a result of this lack of ponies, the walk to the junction was quite uneventful for the two.

“All right, I’ll see you after school,” Button’s mother said as she smiled at her son. “Have a good day, okay?”

The colt nodded furiously and chuckled. “Of course. See you later, mom.” He turned around and began walking towards the center of Ponyville, the opposite direction of where his mother was going. She watched him the entire way, however. An invisible force was compelling her to watch him take one small step at a time towards his destination. He was so very brave to walk that road.

The mother in the street sighed deeply and closed her eyes. A silent prayer left her lips as she imagined her son’s continued walking. Whether they would be heard, she knew not, but it was worth the try. Anything to keep the lives they had always lived.

She turned around and began her journey to the hospital. Yet another Monday had fallen upon the city of Ponyville, and that meant another day of work. Button’s mother could not have asked for a better job; taking care of foals was a joy in itself, and getting paid for it was simply the cherry on top. Their adorable little bodies and cute noises were payment enough to her.

No other ponies were around in these early hours of the morning. Most ponies either started work later in the day, or simply had nothing to do, and as such slept in. Their absence was replaced instead by the chirping of the birds in the air and buzzing noise of the center of town in the distance. Living away from all the hustle and stress was quite a relief, one that Button’s mother valued highly.

An additional source of joy came from living so close to her workplace. It took the mare no more than ten minutes worth of walking to arrive at her destination. Not enough to tire her, and just enough to clear her mind and prepare her body for the work to come. There were many joys in life, of course, such as having a foal of her own. It was the gift she could not be thankful enough for, but the little joys in life were quite the good additions as well.

She stepped inside the dull, gray building with a nervous smile on her face. It had been so many years since this building last unnerved her, and it had been for entirely different reasons. Starting on a new job always brought some semblance of fright with it, but today was just another day out of many. Yet this day out of many brought to Button’s mother shivers and a churning stomach.

The moment she breached the doors to the main hall of the hospital, the air around her changed. Instead of the briskness and rather refreshing air lingering outside, she was met with what felt like a heavy fog. It clung to every strand of hair on her body and seeped into her nostrils. Never before had the air itself felt so alien to the mother, and it made her entire body tremble.

Every single eye in the hall fell upon the slowly moving figure of Button’s mother. They watched her every move and, to her it seemed, every thought. Normally the hospital was quite the noisy place to be, but today was different. Like the air around her, the ponies seemed strange and even frightening. All of them sat in their chairs or stood on the floor, and they watched her.

Her breathing became ragged and her throat dry. Yet she didn’t let these nuisances stop her; she moved forward just as she had before, albeit slowly. Her mind did not wander, and no images flashed before her inner eye. What she feared, she knew was a fear caused by logic and reason. It was not a fear of the unknown, the alien. It was a fear of the truth.

“What are you doing here?” The male voice broke the silence in the room, but only the eyes of Button’s mother looked to the source of it. A pit of ice manifested itself within her stomach as she looked upon her boss, Doctor Helpinghoof.

“I’m… going to work,” Button’s mother replied quietly. The word felt odd in her mouth, sullied even. In her ears, they sounded like the words of a liar, despite the clear honesty behind them.

“No you’re not.” Doctor Helpinghoof slowly stepped forward, his eyes reeking of horrible intent. “You’re fired, effective immediately.”

“But, but I… Why?” Button’s mother gulped and panted. Her body was truly starting to shake and twitch underneath the increasing pressure brought forth by her surroundings. Even the simple task of keeping her eyes in one place was becoming difficult.

“Why?” Helpinghoof repeated. “You know damn well why. You think we’d ever let someone like you anywhere near infant foals, let alone work here?”

Looking at the pony addressing her became too much to handle. There was nothing good in his words or his gaze, and his mere presence stung like thorns in her side. Instead she looked at all the ponies around her, the ones she knew and the strangers. Every single one of them stared back at her, their eyes burning with either anger or sorrow.

Like knives their staring cut through the air and into her ribs. They made her body bleed invisible drops onto the clean hospital floor. Only her eyes managed to conjure quite visible fluids, and they kept going despite her best efforts. Her body felt so very barren and cold, and underneath it, her legs shook as if freezing coldness had overtaken her.

“Get out before I call the authorities.”

Doctor Helpinghoof’s words rung hollow in her ears. They settled within her mind, clawing their way deeper and deeper into her brain. There was nothing but his words within her head, repeating themselves over and over. A terrible, smashing headache soon followed. It felt as if the doctor himself had taken a mace and started smashing her skull into a thousand pieces.

Each of her hooves trembled as she began walking away from her former boss and friend. The world around her spun and twisted, causing sharp twinges of nausea to assault her stomach. Inside of it, she could feel the contents swirling around as if stirred like a soup. It rumbled and groaned with the ferocity of a manticore, threatening to burst free of its bodily prison.

Button’s mother wanted to leave quietly and peacefully, but neither of the two seemed at all possible to her. There were far too many voices inside her mind and knives stabbing her body to accomplish even such a simple task. More than anything, she wanted to throw herself to the ground and let the darkness consume her to rid herself of the pain.

Yet something deep inside compelled her to run, and run she did. The mother ran faster than a pony fleeing for their life, faster than pony trying to set an Equestrian record. Past the crowd of ponies she ran, out of the hospital and into the brisk morning air. Traces of the suffocating, foggy air from inside followed her outside, clogging her throat and nostrils.

It was no more than ten seconds after her escape that she let herself go. Her stomach exploded inside of her, sending a torrent of vileness through her throat and onto the ground. Burning pain followed in the aftermath, causing her cry out incoherently. Not a single pony was around to see her loss of control, and for that she was thankful.

Although the rebellion of her body left her drained, she did not stop. The world had become a dangerous place with evil lurking around every corner, and she could not afford to be caught alone. So she resumed running faster than any pony had ever run before; away from the hospital and everyone inside of it.

The tears obscured her vision greatly, but she needed not vision to go where she wanted. All she needed was to put one hoof in front of the other, and that is exactly what she did. Her mind was devoid of thoughts as she ran; all it contained were the still echoing words of Helpinghoof.

“Freak!” a female voice called out in front of her. Despite her blurred vision and numbed mind, Button’s mother could clearly make out the shape of a mare ahead. Whoever it was, she was raising her hoof into the air as if threatening the galloping mother. “You’re sick!”

Inside of her mind, the words took their place next to Helpinghoof’s. They danced with his, sending the mind of Button’s mother ablaze through their destructive art. She felt no sign of the tears stopping, not with the assault on her spirit continuing in such horrible fashion.

Button’s mother ran past the mare with blazing speed. There was only so little left to go, and she desperately wanted her journey to end. She wanted the familiar and safe, the place where her mind could roam free and her body rest. It was the only place her legs dared carry her now, for the world had turned dark and untrustworthy.

Although the world was crashing down all around her, she did retain some semblance of luck. Her journey was short and provided no further challenges along the road. Getting to the front door of her home was still tougher than expected, and when she finally found herself within reach of the good old fuchsia door, she collapsed.

On each side of the door used to stand two potted plants, but not any longer. Bits and pieces of the pots were scattered all over the place, and the plants themselves had been trampled flat. They laid there on the little step, a reminder of the type of place the world had come to be. Inside her mind, Button’s mother could hear the mocking words of the ponies as she envisioned them during the act. She could almost feel their hooves beating down on her instead of the plants.

Wanting not to sit in this dreaded place for one second longer, Button’s mother forced herself to her hooves. After a bit of fumbling due to her shaky body, she opened the door. The mare stumbled into her own home, her legs barely able to carry her. To anyone who might have seen her lying in the hall, she no doubt seemed hurt or even dying.

Button’s mother managed to close the door with her hind leg, and once it had fully sealed her inside, she let it all out. Every part of her body roared alongside the screams leaving her mouth. The screams did not end until her lungs begged for her to stop and leave it be. Even then she attempted to keep going, keep screaming until she fainted, but all she could produce were quiet whimpers.

A sudden rush of panic washed over her as something pressed itself against her body. While her mind had the capacity to enter that brief period of hyperactivity and quickness, her body did not. All of her muscles tensed up and she lazily turned her head to the side.

What met her eyes was something far worse than any of the events occurring that morning. Her son was tightly hugging the back of her neck, clinging on to her like a sailor clings to the mast of his sinking ship. All of his face was covered in bruises and spots of pure red blood. One of his eyes was swollen and had taken on shades of black and blue.

“Button!” His mother immediately turned around and wrapped her hooves around him. “Are you all right?! Sweetie, sweetie, talk to me. Who did this?”

“A-At school,” he stammered through his sobbing. “The c-colts.”

“Does it hurt? Is anything broken? Are you still bleeding?” his mother asked in quick succession while looking over every part of her son’s body. “Button, sweetie, are you okay?”

“Y-You said it w-was normal,” Button whimpered. His little voice almost drowned in the sea of fur on his mother’s neck. Yet those tiny, fragile words stung harder than anything a grown pony could ever say. They ripped the flesh of his mother’s heart away, crushing every little bit that came apart.

“Y-You lied. They all h-hate me.”

“I, I only wanted…” In her mind, she saw her bed. “I just…” Two ponies appeared on the soft, blank sheets. “I never…” Without a word, they began interacting in the lewdest of ways, some unknown to many ponies. “What have I done?”

Button’s mother tightened the hold on her son, bringing him near the point of physical discomfort. Hugs had been given a plenty throughout his growth, but now they seemed more important than ever. The desire to hold her son grew inside of her, until it paralleled a physical need like food or water.

“It’s s-so unfair,” Button whispered into his mother’s neck. “Life sucks.”

For minutes they sat there, embracing each other. The mother and son simply sat and hugged each other as they both emptied their eyes. Each of them felt the compelling need to sit there and do exactly that. It was as if the world outside their home had disappeared, for it was no longer important to them. All the two of them cared about were each other and the hug in which they shared their love.

“Come on, sweetie." Button's mother broke the silence, but quietly so. “Let’s go clean you up.”

Button moved his head from his mother’s neck and looked up at her with his one good eye. The mere sight of him made her heart splinter and ache inside her chest.

“Can… Can we sit here five more minutes? Please?”

It took all of her strength not to burst the bubble of held back tears as she looked upon him. Despite everything that had happened, he had somehow managed to turn his frown into a smile. His lips stood there defiantly on his face, smiling at the prospect of enjoying a simple hug with his mother. As he proudly displayed his emotions to his mother, all she could do was nod and hug her son once more.

Enjoying a home-made sundae can be difficult when one is an important maker of dresses and all things fashion. With such a job comes the stress, the deadlines, and more importantly, the customers. Rarity reluctantly moved away from her sweet and delicious treat as the knocking on the front door intensified. Judging from the strength and force laid into each knock, there was either a disaster going on, or a customer was extremely unhappy with their order.

When she opened the door however, Rarity had to do a double take in astonishment. The town seemed nice and quiet, just like it always had been. Furthermore, there was no angry customer, just an angry looking mare in front of her.

“Twilight? What’s the matter, dear?” Rarity asked in surprise.

“What’s the matter?! Rarity, I thought we agreed not to do anything yet!” Twilight fumed at her friend. The nostrils on her purple nose were flared and her brows were furrowed.

“Do anything? I’m sorry, Twilight, but I’m not sure what you’re talking about,”

“The whole town’s talking about that mare you walked in on!”

The final piece of the puzzle finally fell into place, and Rarity nodded to herself. “Well, of course they are. It is such a horrible thing, after all.”

Twilight ground her teeth together for a moment and quickly counted to ten. Neither of the acts seemed to help one bit in extinguishing the fire within her. In fact, the sound of her teeth grinding together only served to annoy her further. Ultimately, she wasn’t able to restrain herself in the slightest.

“We agreed not to do anything!” Twilight roared. She could already feel the magical tingling in her body, informing her of her dangerous proximity to excessive levels of anger.

“And I didn’t do anything,” Rarity scoffed. “I’ve been going about just as I always do.”

“Then how come the entire town knows about this?” Twilight pointed out.

“Because I talked it over with some of my clients, of course. And news do travel fast.” In the back of her mind, Rarity’s sundae was calling out to her. It would probably be halfway melted by now, and she so dearly wanted to get back and enjoy it while it lasted.

“Exactly!” Every muscle in Twilight’s body was tense, and it brought her to speak much louder than she would have liked. “Why would you do that?!”

Rarity raised an eyebrow as she looked at her fuming friend. “Why wouldn’t I? All I did was talk about it, Twilight. I haven’t been anywhere near that mare or her son. Talking about it is quite a natural thing to do.”

“Did you know that ‘just talking about it’ got her fired from her job this morning?!” The tingling in Twilight’s body was becoming more and more apparent. The unicorn was quite visibly trembling in her spot, and it took all of her willpower not to lash out at her friend.

“In all honesty, who would want a pony doing those… things, working for them?” Rarity countered. She would have been a liar if she had said the news didn’t bring just a twinge of guilt, but she knew what had happened was the right thing.

“Rarity, you…” Twilight looked to the ground and groaned loudly. “You’re unbelievable! I’m going back to reading!” She turned 180 degrees and began stomping away. “Maybe I can still help somehow!”

Rarity watched her friend slowly walk away from her boutique with a raised eyebrow. It wasn’t like Twilight to get this upset over such unimportant matters. Granted, losing one’s job was terrible, but knowing who that mare really was made it seem fair. It wasn’t like bad ponies wouldn’t get punished for what they did. Even Twilight knew that.

Instead of dwelling further on the matter, Rarity shrugged and closed the door. With the image of her delicious sundae still in mind, she rushed back to the kitchen. It was sitting on the table in exactly the same spot as before, and it hadn’t even melted, which brought a smile to Rarity’s lips.

Without further delay, she sat down at the table and grabbed the spoon in her telekinetic grip. Normally she ate her meals quite slowly, as was expected of a lady, but ice cream had this strange power over her. She quite simply couldn’t control herself, causing her to immediately dig up a large scoop of sweet goodness.

Rarity nearly giggled in anticipation of the splendid taste about to assault her mouth. She shoved the spoon into her mouth and made sure to get every bit of ice cream off of it. However, once she started moving the dessert around in order to fully enjoy its texture and taste, there was nothing. There most certainly was perfect ice cream within her mouth, yet it had no taste.

Shrugging off the strange experience, Rarity swallowed her mouthful of tasteless dessert. Rather than speculate too much about the cause of this oddity, she decided to simply eat another spoonful. Perhaps her taste buds were merely sleeping for the first round, for the ice cream most certainly had been fantastic when she first began eating it.

The second time the spoon entered her mouth, she noticed right away. Just as before, no taste was present. No matter how much she moved it about or licked it, it remained the same. All it served to do was freeze the inside of her mouth to the point of prickling pain. If she didn’t know better, Rarity wouldn’t have thought this to be ice cream at all.

She swallowed all of the odd ice cream and sighed heavily. It had been so magnificent before, and now it was nothing more than a bowl of wasted food. Her eyes lingered on the pure, white vanilla ice cream and brown chocolate sauce. It had somehow managed to make itself look unappealing to her as well. Looking at it now, she wasn’t sure what brought her to even make it in the first place. It just sat there, useless and boring as it was.

After letting out another sigh, Rarity levitated the bowl to the trashcan and flipped it upside down. All of the contents fell neatly into the container of other discarded food products with a sloppy sound.

“Stupid sundae.”

Chapter 3: Hopeless

The following morning was unlike anything Button’s mother had experienced in a long time. When the first rays of sunlight struck her face, she reluctantly opened her eyes. Never in her life had such a simple task become so daunting and tough. Even moving her head to the side, as to avoid those blinding rays, was a challenge in her current state.

Outside of her window, the birds were chirping happily, just as they did every morning. Their high-pitched conversations blasted into the ears of Button’s mother, creating the very beginning of a terrible headache. Lying in her bed wasn’t as nice and comfortable as she remembered, yet she didn’t make any attempt to move. She laid there, with her eyes stuck to the ceiling, and contemplated nothing.

Not even when the door to her room opened did she move. Her ears caught the creaking and the sound of hoofsteps, yet nothing compelled her to look. It was simply an open door, after all. Doors had been opened and closed many times before. There wasn’t anything new nor interesting about it this time; it was just a door.

“Mom, do I have to go to school?” Button asked quietly. He stood in the doorway with a slight frown on his face, watching his mother in her bed.

“No, you don’t.” His mother’s response was ragged, almost a sigh in itself. “Stay home if you want to.”

“Can… Can I lie in your bed for a bit?” Despite all their previous escapades, Button couldn’t help but blush slightly at the sound of his own request. Even though he just wanted to lie down and nothing more, it felt odd to play the role of the initiator.

“Sure,” the tired mare responded meekly. Even when she felt the bed rustle as her son climbed into it, she kept her eyes firmly planted on the ceiling. Her body rocked gently as he stepped forward, which made it that much harder to keep her eyes open.

However, when her son’s body pressed itself against hers under the blankets, she couldn’t help but smile weakly at the blank ceiling. Smiling at the sight or physical presence of her son had almost become a reflex. Even when he defied her wishes or misbehaved, he was still her son. To her, there was nothing more precious in the entirety of Equestria. If given the choice, she would gladly sacrifice the world itself for her son.

“Mom?” The colt spoke quietly, just barely loud enough for his mother to hear.

“Yeah?”

“Why are you just laying here?” A slight hint of worry was present in her son’s voice. His words seemed to stumble out of his mouth, trembling as they soared through the air.

Button’s mother pondered the question unenthusiastically for a minute. “I don’t know.”

The question lingered in her mind, presenting itself time and time again. No matter how much she focused, no matter how much energy she put into answering, not a single reason appeared in her thoughts. In the end, she mentally shrugged and decided the bed was too comfortable to get out of, which wasn’t untrue.

“You should get up,” Button said while gently poking his mother’s side. Her belly was quite good poking material, being so soft and squishy as it was. In his past, Button had spent countless hours using it as a drum, much to his parent’s amusement.

“Why?”

Button furrowed his brow and looked up at his mother’s face. It was still pointed straight into the air, and her eyes hadn’t moved in the slightest. His mind desperately attempted to find an answer to her question, yet nothing came to him.

“Because…” He closed his eyes and scrunched up his face. “Because… Because I don’t like it when you’re sad.”

For the first time since her awakening, Button’s mother removed her gaze from the ceiling. She slowly turned her head to the right until her son’s big, blank eyes came into sight. Another weak smile crawled onto her lips, and she reached out with a hoof.

“I’m not sad,” she whispered before putting her hoof onto Button’s cheek. “I’ve got you, remember?” As she looked her son in the eye, the faintest hint of warmth began spreading in her body. Her eyes became more inclined to stay open, and she felt just slightly more energetic.

“I’m just… tired, that’s all.” She closed her eyes and sighed deeply. “Tired of it all.”

When she reopened her eyes, her son bore a proud little smile on his face. It was a joy to see, especially because of the horrible reminder that was his blue eye. Although it had grown better, it was still swollen and discolored. At least the colt could use it once again.

“Sweetie?” she asked quietly.

“Yeah, mom?”

“I think…” The words got caught in her throat as they frantically tried to stay within her mind. “I think you and I need to go on a vacation.”

“Vacation?” he replied with a raised eyebrow.

“Yeah, vacation.” His mother nodded gently in front of him. “Just the two of us. Wouldn’t that be nice?”

“But what about dad?” Button asked instantly.

“Don’t worry about dad” – Button’s mother ruffled his hair – “or your brother. I’ll take care of all that.”

A quiet, almost inaudible, whimper escaped the colt’s throat. “But you have a job, and, and I need to go to school.”

Mustering all the strength she could, Button’s mother took a deep breath before speaking. All of her focus was spent on keeping her body steady and mind clear. Not once did she take her eyes off of Button’s, for she so dearly wanted him to simply accept her words.

“Hey, mommy always takes care of things, right?” Her son looked down for a second before nodding slowly. “Don’t you worry, sweetie. Everything’s going to be just fine.”

“I wish everything was normal again,” Button mumbled. Not even the loving, caring hoof running through his mane could brush away the uncomfortable hollowness inside of him. Where the world had once been colorful and joyous, he now felt a sense of dread when thinking about the outside.

“I know, sweetie.” Button’s mother leaned forward and planted a gentle kiss on her son’s forehead. “It’ll be fun, though, won’t it? Me and you on an adventure? We could go anywhere. You’ve always wanted to see Phillydelphia; we could go there.”

“Do we have to leave right now?” he asked quietly. “I like Ponyville.”

“No, we… we don’t,” his mother sighed. “Not today. I have some things I need to take care of. But tomorrow morning we will. You and me, sweetie. We’ll do whatever we want. Just you and me.”

“If you say so.” Button got up and looked at his mother with wet eyes. She was a good mare, and a good mother, but he couldn’t help feel a stab of sadness in his heart. Everything seemed different now, and it frightened him greatly.

“Don’t forget to pack a bag,” his mother said as Button walked to the edge of the bed and jumped down. “You can bring whatever you like, okay?”

“Okay.”

When the little colt was finally out of the room and walking down the hall, his mother finally got up. It took all of her strength, in addition to a grunt, to lift herself up and out of the bed. Despite having gotten plenty of sleep, her legs felt like pudding beneath her. It was almost like being young and drunk again, simply not as fun.

What she needed to do, however, was more important than shaky legs. She would not let herself be held back by the incapability of her own body. Exhausted groans filled the bedroom as she slowly walked towards the desk underneath the mirror. Once she reached it, she slumped onto the small, wooden chair in front of the desk with a whimper.

Although she hadn’t yet begun, she could already feel her throat twisting itself around and her heart growing cold. She had promised herself she wouldn’t cry, but now that she was actually sitting there in front of the mirror, staring at her own reflection, it was impossible. A depraved, vile mare stared back at her, looked her right in the eye and laughed.

Under the roaring laughter of the mare in the mirror, she pulled open the drawer and grabbed a piece of paper along with a quill. With a heavy heart, a mind filled with mocking laughter, and a trembling body, she put the quill in her mouth and began writing the note for her husband to see upon his return.

Chapter 4: Broken

Sleep, it seemed, was a rare and precious luxury when one had a burdened mind. For the second night in a row, both Button and his mother’s nightly hours of relaxation had turned to troubled shifting and trashing about. Nightmares had been frequent, but they were not the primary source of concern. Sleep simply wasn’t the comfortable experience it had been before.

They sat opposite each other in utter silence while eating breakfast. Button nibbled at his cereal while his mother lazily chomped on a piece of plain bread with butter. Not a word had left their mouths since their awakening, leaving only an odd silence in the room. The house was typically only this quiet when nobody was home.

In the center of the table laid an envelope containing the note written by Button’s mother the previous morning. In the end, she had used three full pieces of paper in order to get every word she wanted written down. Button either didn’t care or didn’t want to ask about the note, for he hadn’t even glanced at the brown paper more than once.

Celestia’s sun had only just risen from its slumber, and it cast a most beautiful, red carpet over the entire sky. It was time for Ponyville to wake up and begin bustling with life like any other day. For the two ponies sitting at the table, however, it was time to leave the town behind in search of peace. Every second that passed reminded Button’s mother of this, and every second made it harder not to reconsider.

Even now, sitting at the dinner table in her own home, her heart ached for the life in Ponyville; the good and quiet life among kind ponies. Yet the longing of her heart did not falter the reasoning of her mind. Ponyville was a lost cause, and staying here would bring them no closer to the life they wanted. There was only one way to go from here: far, far away.

Whenever her beloved son frowned at his sloppy cereal, she would send a smile his way. How a simple smile managed to cheer him up, even if very slightly, she had no idea. If it helped him accept and understand, however, she would gladly smile all day long. A smile was such a small price to pay for the happiness of Button Mash.

From outside the home came sounds of quite a few ponies who spoke, laughed, and walked about. It was uncommon for the street outside their house to be this busy, but it did occur from time to time. Every now and then groups of ponies would meet up there, before leaving for their activities. Some went to play sports on the open fields outside town, while others simply went for walks together, particularly the elders.

That morning, however, something different happened. Both Button and his mother gasped when three heavy knocks on the door echoed throughout the house. Their muscles tensed up as they waited in silence. Button’s lower lip quivered uncontrollably on his face, and not even a shaky smile from his mother could remove that.

Thirty seconds of silenced passed the family members by, which caused Button’s mother to exhale sharply. She closed her eyes and placed a hoof on her face, mumbling to herself as she sat like that. No more than a few seconds of relief was given to the mother, however, for the knocking returned, this time accompanied by a deep voice.

“This is Sergeant Stone of the Royal Canterlot Guard! Open the door, or we’ll be forced to break it open!”

The beating heart of Button’s mother stopped immediately, and the blood in her veins froze. Her body and mind stopped as if locked in time by the sound of the stallion’s voice. Every strand of hair on her body stood upright as a slivering coldness crept down her spine.

“No, no, no, no, no, no…” Button’s mother lifted her head and looked towards the ceiling. “Please, please don’t. Please, all I want is my son.”

Button himself was on the verge of hyperventilating in front of his mother. “W-What’s going on?! Mom?!”

“I’ll, I’ll do anything, I swear.” Her rambling continued, turning more tearful with every word. “Y-You can’t d-do this to m-me.”

“I’m scared, mom!” Despite his size, Button yelled loud enough to catch his rambling mother’s attention. Her head snapped into position, her wet eyes locked with the big, frightened eyes of her son. Tipping her chair over, she ran around the table and stopped in front of Button.

“Sweetie, listen, it’s all gonna be fine.” Her words were shaky and came in quick succession. “We’re going to go to your room and leave through the window, okay?”

“What do t-they want?”

“They’re bad ponies who want to do bad things.” She placed a hoof on her son’s cheek and caressed it gently. “We’re not going to let them. Now, come on.”

“M-Mom, I’m, I’m scared,” the colt cried. Tears were already streaming down his muzzle like waterfalls.

“I know you are, sweetie, but you have to move.” Button’s mother grabbed a hold of her son and pulled. Despite her superior strength, Button only moved mere inches closer to the edge of his seat.

“I, I c-can’t!” He shut his eyes tight and shook his head violently. “I d-don’t wanna g-go!”

“We have to!” she yelled, far louder than intended. “Those ponies want to-“

A roaring, ear-deafening explosion cut off her words and sent Button’s chair tumbling. He fell off with a shriek, but luckily landed in the grasp of his mother. Both of them stumbled to the floor, connected by their hooves in their impromptu hug. All of Button’s resistance to the crying was lost the minute the devastating roar of the explosion hit his ears, and he was now fully bawling his eyes out.

Immediately after the explosion died down, many sets of heavy hoofsteps echoed through the house. The steps were accompanied by the rustling of armor and muffled grunts. Button’s mother immediately turned her face toward her son, speaking panicked words into his ears.

“Run! Quickly! Out the window in your room!”

“I d-don’t want t-to, I don’t! N-No!”

“Button, I order you to run right now!”

“I d-don’t wanna l-leave you!”

Although she could not see the doorway, she knew exactly when they stepped into it. After shaking her head and fighting back the tears to the best of her ability, Button’s mother turned her head to face them. She held her son close to her chest, and seeing the three royal guards standing there only caused her to tighten the grip.

One of the guards, a female pegasus, stepped forward with a stern look on her face. “You’re under arrest for the following crimes: Engaging in incest, pedophilia, and by extension thereof: endangering the newborn foals at Ponyville Hospital. You’re going to have to come with us.”

Button’s mother was shaking harder than a volcano ready to explode. The very taste of anger spread inside her mouth as she stared at the armored stranger.

“You are NOT taking my son away from me!” she spat at the mare.

“I’m giving you one chance to come quietly. Please, I don’t want to use force.” Despite the situation, the guard spoke very quietly and calmly. There was not a shred of emotion, good or bad, in her voice or eyes.

“And I’m giving you one chance to get out of my house!” Button’s mother tightened her grip on her son, pinning him firmly to her chest.

“All right,” the guard sighed. “Restrain her.”

Her two male companions immediately moved forward, their eyes locked on the shaking mother. They were not armed, but both of them were equipped with horns, however. There wasn’t any need for them to move into physical range of the two ponies on the floor; they simply had to look and cast their spells.

“LET GO OF ME!” Button’s mother roared as a magical field enveloped her entire body. Despite all of her struggling, she could not keep her hooves around her son. They were forced open by the magic of the unicorns, and Button was promptly lifted away from her in a field of magic of his own.

“DON’T YOU DARE! HE’S MY SON!” The mind of the mother tore in half as her son was levitated away from her. A primal rage erupted within her as she saw his crying face slowly move in the opposite direction of herself.

“MOM! HELP ME!” Button stopped moving once he was on the opposite side of the table, but the magical field did not disappear. While he was kept in place, the guard restraining Button’s mother stepped towards her.

“ONE STEP CLOSER AND I WILL KILL YOU!” she screamed at the top of her lungs. The stallion, however, didn’t even bat an eye. He simply moved forward and forced the mother’s hooves together. Within a second, he cuffed them together and did the same for her hind legs.

“L-Let her go! P-Please!” Button cried from the other end of the room. “S-She’s the b-best mom ever! I l-love her!”

Every pony in the room, except for his mother, ignored his words. The female guard simply walked over to the mother and looked down at her. Still her face remained neutral and completely devoid of emotion.

“We’ll find a good home for him, I promise.”

Although the spell constrained the movement of Button’s mother, it did not apply to her mouth. As a result, she spat the mare above right in her face.

“He’s my SON, and he belongs with ME!” Her words were coated in the thickest of venom known to any being in Equestria. Not even Ursa Majors were as dangerous as a mother protecting her child.

“Take her away,” the female guard sighed before wiping away the spit with her hoof. “And I wouldn’t let her free of that magic if I were you.”

Both of the male guards nodded and grabbed a hold of Button’s mother in addition to their continued restraining spells. With no way for her to fight back, they began dragging her through the kitchen.

“Mom! NO! PLEASE!” Free of the binding spell, Button immediately rushed towards the male guards. Before he could reach either of them, the armored mare stepped in front of him, blocking his path.

“I want my son! You can’t do this! BUTTON!”

The guards cared not for her pleading or protesting. They continued dragging her away, out into the hall and away from the eyes of the young Button Mash. In front of him, the armored mare lowered herself to match the eye height of the colt.

“Listen-“

“I want my mom!” Button bashed his hooves against the metal on the mare’s chest.

“I know you’re upset-“

“Give her back!” He continued wailing his hooves at the breastplate, while his mother screamed on somewhere in the house.

“But just let it out-“

“GIVE HER BACK!” Button’s hooves didn’t even dent the armor as they struck it. All he managed to do was create thundering roars of metal drums.

“It’s not your fault-“

“Give, give her back!” Each blow became weaker than the previous, just as his mother’s screams died off in the distance.

“You’re gonna be okay.“ The mare placed a hoof behind the young colt’s head.

“Give… give her back…” Both of his hooves struck the armor simultaneously for the last time. All of the strength given to him by his anger and the adrenaline had been spent, and Button collapsed on the floor. His eyes gave out and let the flood of sorrow flow freely.

Thunderous applause and cheering from outside filled the air around Button and the female guard. It sounded like half of Ponyville was outside the house, waiting to see the apprehension. The very sound of ponies cheering for what just happened snapped Button. Inside of his chest, one splinter of his heart turned to thousands, and before long, nothing but a devouring emptiness remained.

“It’s going to be okay,” the mare said softly. For the first time since her arrival, her words were full of emotion. She spoke freely from her heart, and not from words dictated by law. “We’re going to find you a good, safe home. You’re safe now.”

“Mom…”

Twilight quickly approached the enormous horde of ponies gathered in the street. Whatever was going on, it was apparently important enough to block every inch of the entire road. She moved back and forth behind the ponies in front of her, looking for a way to get further ahead. Unfortunately, all of the ponies were standing cramped together, leaving no room for her to move forward.

All she could see when stretching her neck was the sea of ponies ahead. To her, it looked more like they were all stuck and simply couldn’t move. There was absolutely nothing interesting to see ahead. Confused by the whole ordeal, she approached an older stallion, who was seemingly there on his own.

“Excuse me? What’s going on here?” she asked calmly.

The stallion turned his head and raised an eyebrow. “Ya don’t know?” When Twilight shook her head, he continued. “Well, it just so happens that there mare is gettin’ arrested.”

“Somepony’s getting arrested?!” Twilight exclaimed. “But that never happens! Who is it?!”

A quiet chuckle left the stallion’s mouth as he shook his head. “Don’t tell me ya haven’t heard of the mare who did those horrible things to her son. Whole town’s been talkin’ ‘bout it!”

“SHE’S being arrested?!” Twilight tripped around on her tip of her hooves, ready to make a dash for it.

“’Course she is. By the royal guard no less”, he chuckled. “Seems even the princesses heard ‘bout it.”

Twilight Sparkle’s mind went into complete overdrive. Never before had it worked this fast or effectively, despite her vast intellect. In no more than two seconds, she had her entire plan ready to go, and there was no time to waste. Keeping up with the royal guard was no easy task.

“Thank you!” she burst out before turning on the spot and setting into full gallop. As she ran faster than her untrained legs had ever carried her before, she heard a roar of applause and cheering from the crowd behind her. Those very sounds only made her speed up even more, for they could only mean one thing.

She reached the front door of the library in record time, and slammed it open harder than she ever had before. From the sound of it, the poor thing might need new hinges after such a rough experience. Twilight skidded to a halt in the middle of the library and called out.

“Spike! Take a letter!”

Chapter 5: Pieces

Being the student of Princess Celestia itself had its perks; a direct line of communication being, by far, one of the most useful. Having been picked up by a sky-cart flown by the fastest pegasi in the royal guard, Twilight was now galloping through the castle on her way to the throne room.

Still her mind raced on as she ran, unable to rest or relent. A thousand thoughts flashed through her head each second, and every single one of them pointless without action. What she needed right now was straight ahead and through the enormous doors.

Charging up her magic as she ran, the doors easily slid open, allowing her passage into the throne room. Not a single guard was present within the enormous place. In fact, there was only one other pony occupying the room. Princess Celestia sat on her throne, watching her fuming student rushing straight towards her.

Once within speaking distance, Twilight abruptly stopped and inhaled deeply. “Where is she?! Did they arrive yet?!”

“The court is over, my faithful student.” Celestia spoke calmly and caringly. “The mare is in the dungeons.”

“WHAT?!” Twilight exclaimed. Despite her excessive running, she still had plenty of strength left to yell. “But, but I was going to fix it! I was going to help her! I, I could have… How could you just do that?!”

Celestia sat completely still as she watched her student vent all of her anger. The only muscles she moved were the ones used to conjure and warm smile on her lips.

“You can’t just put her in the dungeons! Give her a second chance! Please!”

“Twilight.” Celestia got up from her throne and slowly began moving towards the purple unicorn.

“We, we could have… The Elements! O-Or a spell of some kind! Anything!”

“Twilight.” Celestia spoke not as a ruler in this moment, but as the loving, caring mentor she was. Every step she took dampened the volume of Twilight’s voice, until it was just a unicorn speaking quietly.

“Anything but the dungeons. She doesn’t deserve that.” Although she was not personally affected by the events, Twilight could still feel the tears welling up in her eyes. It became increasingly difficult to keep them back the further Celestia came closer.

“My faithful student,” Celestia said quietly as she came within touching distance of Twilight. “I have never met a more good-hearted pony in all of my years.”

Twilight sniffed once and wiped her eyes before looking at her mentor again. “Why? We could have helped her.”

“Being a ruler isn’t just about parades and shaking hooves with important ponies. Sometimes –“ Celestia sighed heavily “- Sometimes, you have to make tough decisions. And sometimes there’s always a pony who gets hurt, no matter what you do.”

Twilight slumped to the floor, sitting in front of her mentor, listening to every word like a filly in school. Her mind finally slowed down, calmed by the voice of the pony she adored more than anyone.

“I did what was best for everypony.” Before Twilight could interrupt, Celestia continued. “I know that it might not seem like it, but believe me when I say it was for the best.”

“She’s all alone in the dungeons,” Twilight responded quietly. “How is that for the best?”

“I don’t like it any more than you do. But sometimes the best solution isn’t the optimal one. I’d like nothing more than to see every single pony happy. There simply is no way for me to achieve that.”

Twilight opened her mouth to speak, but she couldn’t find the words. She so desperately wanted to say something, anything, yet nothing came to her. The words of her mentor had left her unarmed and unfit to comment any further. Every solution she ran through her head left her with the same answer: somepony would get hurt.

The lavender unicorn sighed and lowered her head. “You’re right… I’m sorry, princess.”

“Twilight.” Celestia lifted the face of her student with a gentle hoof. “There is nothing you should feel sorry for. What you have showed me today, is that you are a pony with remarkable virtue and a desire to help. That is nothing to apologize for.”

Warmth spread slowly within Twilight as she stared into the beautiful eyes of princess Celestia. It was a special, fantastical warmth that only the goddess of the sun could ever invoke in any creature. Like a blanket it slipped over her, comforting her cold and aching mind.

“Sometimes, there is nothing you can do to help, and that is not your fault.”

Sometimes, the world can seem unfair and unjust. When one is a member of the royal guard, however, there is little room for questioning the commands being given. Sometimes, instead of patrolling the beautiful gardens in the lovely weather, one has to stand in a damp and dark room, making sure nobody enters or leaves without permission. Sometimes, life can be cruel.

The guard stared intently at the stone brick wall in front of him. His eyes hadn’t left the spot in any of the three hours he had been standing here already. Looking away for even a second would be detrimental to his job. One wrong thought or move could send him down the path of being branded a traitor.

In all of his many years as a guard, he had never before been given such a terrible assignment. Standing guard in the nearly empty dungeons was nearly torture in itself. The dungeons themselves weren’t so bad, but the one single prisoner within them was worse than a banshee. Her wailing and cries echoed through the room, bouncing off every wall and into his ears.

Three hours had passed, and not a single moment was without the mare voicing her sorrow. Three hours’ worth of heart-breaking cries for her child and pleas to be let out. The guard knew very well what she had done, yet now that he stood here on his own, listening to those soul-shattering sounds, he cared not. Never in his life had he heard or seen anything like it, and he shuddered to imagine what actually being her was like.

On and on she went, crying, screaming, and slamming her hooves against the bars. However she got the strength to keep at it for so long, he had no idea. It almost seemed as if she got stronger with each passing second. Then again, earth ponies were well known for their resilience and strength. Whatever the reason, the guard looked forward to the end of his shift. Nothing was more tempting than to simply open her cell and let her be free. Not for his own sake, but for hers.

Despite being a kind pony, he also knew the repercussions for doing such a thing. However much he wanted to help her, and his entire mind screamed at him to do so, he had a family of his own. They would be waiting at home with dinner ready and stories to tell. His beautiful wife, his loving kids. There was no way he could ever give them up.

The guard spat out the most foul of curses under his breath. He stomped a hoof hard into floor and sighed. There was still a whole hour left to go.

Sometimes, nobody wins.