Some call Canterlot "The Golden City." Under the rule of Princess Celestia, the city has flourished. Every resident is well fed, loved, and, most importantly, they are happy. Especially today of all days.
Today was Canterlot's Spring Festival. The morning sun shined brightly on the beautiful city. Flowers grew in boxes on every balcony and banners hung from every streetlight. Even the narrow alleyways were pristine. One by one, the ponies gathered in the streets, waiting patiently for the festivities to begin.
Gold Rush stood outside with his mother. A grin spread across his muzzle as he waited for the procession to start. His mother stroked his gold and silver streaked mane and pointed to one of their neighbors. Gold waved an earthy brown hoof at the kindly old stallion across the street. The old stallion smiled back and called, "Happy birthday, my boy!"
Gold grinned even wider and replied, "Thank you!"
It was a special day for Gold. Not only was it the Spring Festival, but it was also his tenth birthday. This was the day that Celestia would take him into Canterlot Castle and initiate him as a fully fledged citizen of their glorious city. None of the adults would tell him about the initiation, but he was content just to enjoy the day.
Gold's ears perked up as a symphony of sounds traveled on the gentle breeze. He looked down the cobbled street and watched as the procession of ponies came into view. The crowd was led by a full marching band happily playing on their instruments, directing the following crowd up the main street toward Canterlot Castle. As the band passed, everypony joined the crowd and trotted excitedly after the band. Hundreds of ponies gathered behind. They danced and sang in the warm sunlight as they made their way up the mountain. All of them smiling. All of them happy.
Gold Rush and his mother joined the crowd, and he soon located some young colts and fillies. They leaped around and cantered underhoof, but the older ponies only chuckled at their antics. Soon the beautiful castle gates came into view.
The golden gates opened smoothly to admit the cheering ponies who flooded onto the castle grounds. Food and games were available for all. Artists set up easels to capture the beauty around them. Musicians played joyful music; the kind that can only come straight from the soul.
Special stands were set up holding tiny piles of glittering golden powder. Gold's mom went straight to the powder and inhaled a large portion of it. Her eyes glazed over and she smiled giddily. Gold laughed as she bounced off, laughing about how bright and vibrant the world looked. He always liked to see his mom having as much fun as he was.
Gold trotted around the gardens. He saw ponies picking fruit from the trees and playing with the friendly animals that called the gardens home. He even stopped for a few moments to throw around a shiny red apple with some colts he had seen a few times in the city. He may not know everypony in the city, but everypony treated each other like family anyway.
Catching sight of his teacher, he trotted over to her to say hello. As he approached, he noticed the stallion lying under her.
"Good morning, teacher. Good morning to you too, Mr. Baker," he called cheerfully.
The stallion let out a grunt then returned Gold's friendly smile. "Good... grhh... m-morning to you too." His teacher moaned in ecstasy as she continued to grind her lower body against the stallion rutting her from below. She licked her lips and glanced back at Gold.
With a broad grin, she happily replied, "Good morning, Gold Rush, and happy birthday!"
"Thanks!"
"Would you like to join us, dear? You could use my mouth, if you want," she asked kindly, with no change in her cheerful tone.
"No thanks," Gold replied, "I'm looking for Princess Celestia. I just turned ten after all. Have you seen her?"
"Ummm," she groaned as the baker gave an exceptionally hard thrust, "I'm not sure, but I think you could find her by the cake table."
"Okay then, bye. Hope you both have fun!" Gold trotted back the way he came, hoping to find the princess at the snack table. He whistled a merry tune along with several birds that flitted above his head.
Finally, he came to a large table that dominated one corner of the castle's central courtyard. The table was absolutely brimming with confectionery masterpieces. Cakes, pies, fritters, turnovers, tarts, cookies, cupcakes, sundaes, and anything you could possibly imagine and more were available for any who wanted it. More than a few ponies were sprawled out on the grass enjoying a comfortable nap, massaging their swollen bellies contentedly. Pie tins littered the ground around them..
Standing near the gurgling fountain, munching on a large slice of chocolate cake, was Princess Celestia. Her ethereal mane and tail constantly moved even if there was no breeze. She was the most regal and beautiful mare in all of Canterlot. She was loved by all of her subjects and they praised her for the peace and prosperity that they now celebrated.
"Good morning, Your Highness," Gold said. He gave a polite bow as the princess smiled at him.
"Well, good morning to you too, my little pony. What can I do for you?" Her voice sounded like starlight on a cool moonless night, twinkling with grace and beauty.
"It's my tenth birthday!"
Celestia's smile never faltered, but her eyes lost their glorious glint. She replied, "That's wonderful. What is your name, little one?"
"I'm Gold Rush!" He replied excitedly.
"Follow me, Gold Rush, and I will initiate you as a fully fledged citizen of Canterlot."
Skipping with joy, Gold Rush followed the princess into the castle. She led him down a stone hallway lined with rich tapestries and stained glass, showing the glory of her realm. She led him through a stone archway. Beyond it was a torch lit staircase that spiraled down into the dark earth.
Gold was confused by the dark passage, but he followed his princess dutifully. He stopped abruptly as his hoof landed on something moist. He glanced down at the stone step to see that he had stepped on a small drop of water. Looking forward, he noticed that almost every step had a drop or two of the same clear liquid reflecting the light from the torches. Still confused, he started forward to catch up with the princess. He turned around the next bend and saw that the passage leveled out. The princess stood by a large metal door at the end of the passageway.
Gold caught up, but the sight before him caused him to drop his perpetual grin. Princess Celestia was crying, and her tears pooled at her feet. This wasn't the first time that Gold had seen tears, but only whenever somepony started laughing too hard. Princess Celestia was clearly not laughing. He had no words for what she looked like. He had never seen a pony look so... unhappy.
Celestia croaked, "Gold Rush, what do you know about our city?"
Gold cocked his head slightly. This was the easiest question in the world. "Canterlot is the perfect city. Everypony is happy and treats everypony else like family. We all love each other and we love you for protecting us from all the bad things that exist in other places."
Celestia sniffed as another bout of tears welled in her eyes. "Do you know how I manage to keep everypony happy and the city free from the evils that plague others?"
"Um... I'm not sure what you're asking, Your Highness." Gold responded hesitantly.
Celestia sat on her rump and took a deep breath. She explained, "When the city was first founded, crime, illness, and poverty ran rampant through the streets," She glanced at the young colt, "You probably don't even know what those words mean."
He shook his head to indicate that he did not. She continued, "I tried my best to help my subjects, but there was only so much that I could do. Then one day, a miracle came to our city. A stranger in a dark cloak walked into my city and offered me a solution. He offered me a spell that would make this city perfect."
A sob wracked her entire body and she had to lean against the stone wall to keep herself aright. "But there was a price to pay. One innocent colt or filly must be taken and imprisoned for a century. During that time, he or she should be showed no kindness, no love, and no interaction with the outside world."
Gold started to back away slowly. The princess' story was starting to scare him. Faster than he could blink, Celestia had vanished and reappeared behind him. He whipped around and started back pedaling toward the iron door.
Celestia continued speaking, her face gleaming demonically in the torchlight, "I took that deal. Seventy years ago, I ripped a small filly from her mother's hooves. She cried the whole way to the castle. I forced a small crystal down her throat and threw her in that room. The crystal sustains her life, but it does not offer her satisfaction. Every day she has been starving and parched, but no aid has come. To this day, she longs for her mother and for the warmth of the sun, even though her mother is long dead. She does not age, but that only makes her confinement feel like an eternity. If the spell is to remain intact, then she must never know a moment of kindness or compassion. Even on the day that she will be replaced, I must mercilessly rip the crystal from her belly and force it into another. Be grateful that it is not your fate."
Gold gaped in horror. Something like this just couldn't be possible. The life he lived and the city he knew were both perfect. Surely something so horrible couldn't be real. This had to be some sort of well-meaning prank or joke.
As if reading his thoughts, Celestia sighed wearily and said, "Turn around and see for yourself the price of your happiness."
Gold reluctantly turned around to face the iron door. Celestia's horn flared to life and the heavy door opened with a mighty groan.
Gold peered into the gloom and noticed something that would forever haunt his nightmares. A small filly was laying in a puddle of fresh excrement. She didn't look older than six years old. Her coat color was indistinguishable under the coat of grime and filth, and her body was emaciated. Her mane had long ago fallen out and only a handful of stringy, colorless threads remained. Her eyes were milky white; useless after all of the years living in the dark. Her hooves were chafed and bloody due to the shackles that pinned her in the cell and her side and rump were covered in infected sores from lying in her own filth.
Her ears, caked with gunk as they were, perked up as she heard the door open. She opened her mouth to speak, revealing a set of blackened teeth. Tears of blood ran from her defective eyes as she begged, "P-p-please. I'll be good now! I p-p-promise! I wanna go home! I wanna see my mommy! Please don't leave me in here again! This isn't fair!"
Gold stared in terror, and slowly backed into Princess Celestia. She shivered at the sight and closed the door with a loud boom. The filly inside thrashed weakly against her chains and cried with a bloodcurdling scream, "Mommy! Mommy, help me! Don't leave me here! MOMMY!!!"
Wobbling on weak knees, Celestia walked slowly up the stairs. Gold Rush followed obediently. When they reached the landing above, the radiant room looked dull. Everything that he found beautiful was now a foul reminder of the one who suffered silently below their very hooves. He felt dirty... tainted.
Celestia laid down on the cold stone floor so that she could be eye level with Gold Rush. "Now you know the secret of Canterlot's happiness. Now you are officially a full citizen of Canterlot." She pulled her lips back into a pained smile. "Congratulations."
"Does anypony else know about her?" he asked.
She nodded, "Everypony over the age of ten knows. They agree that it is the price that must be paid for them to live happily. What they fail to realize is that soon enough, we will need another. He or she will be somepony's son or daughter, somepony's granddaughter, somepony's nephew, possibly somepony's brother or sister. There is always a price to pay, but they are content as long as somepony else pays it."
Gold Rush just walked away in a daze. He felt like he would never smile again. The world had become a hostile, dirty place. There was no love or joy. He wandered onto the grounds and he saw the ponies prancing and playing contentedly, but this time they were different. They were responsible for torturing a poor defenseless filly because their ancestors couldn't get along without some magic charm.
He passed his mom as he continued to wander away from the castle. She was being rammed by a pair of stallions that Gold had seen around the city. Sex was a natural thing, and it made ponies happy, but now he felt nothing but disgust. He knew that in thirty years, some poor child, maybe even his own niece or nephew, would have to pay the price for their extravagance.
He continued to walk in a daze, ignoring all the ponies around him. He walked down the same street he had danced merrily through only a few hours earlier. He walked past his home, ignoring the beautiful banners flapping in the breeze. Soon he was outside of the city gates, and so he kept walking... and walking... and walking....
Gold Rush became one of the few who refused to benefit from the suffering of another. He was neither the first nor the last. Some are youths, like him, who couldn't accept the truth. Some are old, and wish to be free of the guilt. Still others are ponies young and old who flee in terror. Nopony knows where they go; the ones who trot away from Canterlot.
Author's Note
I felt like writing a one-shot and this story has always stuck with me. May it serve as a lesson for everyone.
