It was the beginning of a new day, and the Church's clock was striking seven, when Night Glider awoke. The bright sun, announcing a sunny weather for the rest of the day, had woken her up, and she got out of her comfortable and restful bed. She washed herself, eat a little, and got out of her house.
As she was walking in the street, she felt a little concerned about the fate of Twilight Sparkle and her friends, who have been staying in prison for 7 days, for she knew that 7 days was the "deadline". Past that limit, Starlight Glimmer would decide of what is to become of them. Although she knew Starlight Glimmer wanted all of them to be happy, she couldn't help but worry.
She decided to buy today's issue of "The Truth", the only newspaper which could be distributed to the townsfolk here. The front page announced a reduction of the portion of food distributed to the inhabitants, in order to "better distribute it".
While she was reading, the clock struck eight, and she heard a voice rising from the speakers installed in the village.
"Everypony! Let us all go to the prison! We'll see if our prisoners are ready for our philosophy," said the voice of Starlight Glimmer.
She immediately got up, and headed for the cottage where Twilight Sparkle and her friends were imprisoned. Ten minutes later, the whole village was there, and Starlight was opening the door.
"So, have you had a good night?" Starlight Glimmer asked rhetorically. "Get out, please."
"Haven't y'all given up, after a week?" said Applejack. "We won't join you, stop trying and give us our cutie marks back!"
"So it's no, then?" said Starlight Glimmer.
"Yes, it is a no." answered Rainbow Dash.
"All right then. Have it your way." said Starlight Glimmer. She then turned to the other ponies. "Everypony! These prisoners have chosen the way of madness by not agreeing with us. They're enemy of the people of this town. A council shall be held immediately, and its judgement shall be given in two hours from now. Meanwhile, they are to remain imprisoned."
She led the prisoners back to their cell, and told everypony to go home, which they quickly did. Night Glider, too, went home, and stood puzzling for the hour that separated her from hearing the decision that Starlight will come up with. The events which had taken place just a moment before just made her more worried than ever, and she did nothing but ponder the future of the prisoners. After a complete hour, she heard the usual voice of Starlight announcing cheerfully that she took a decision, and that every townsfolk had to gather around the prison.
Swiftly, Night Glider got out of her house, and dashed as quickly as she could to the prison. Barely had she arrived, every pony in Equal Town was here, waiting for Starlight's decision.
"I have decided," said calmly Starlight, "that they are to be executed—immediately."
All of the audience, as well as the prisoners, gasped. Night Glider's anxiety was at a maximum.
"Impossible… Starlight wouldn't do this. She couldn't!" she thought, "I must've misheard. But how could it be?"
In less than 5 minutes, some ponies put together a scaffold out of some wood , and the prisoners thrown onto it. Fluttershy had fainted, and thus was easy to immobilize. Four ponies were neutralising Applejack, and four others on Rainbow Dash. Pinkie Pie was crying; Twilight tried to teleport, but couldn't use any spells. Rarity, as she did not have any fainting couch at hand, fell on the ground, and started to cry.
Once all the ponies were neutralised, Starlight Glimmer got onto the scaffold, and her horn started to glow.
Night Glider assisted, horrified, to this morbid spectacle. She wished she could stop it, but seeing all the other ponies helping Starlight to kill six innocent ponies made her idle, as though it was happening in another reality. She did not understand how Starlight, who seemed so kind and helping at first, could allow herself to murder, on behalf of an ideal, which seemed so right and fair. But there she was, witnessing Starlight's murder.
First, Starlight's horn touched Fluttershy's head. Fluttershy's body twitched, then stopped, now lifeless. She calmly moved towards Applejack. As her horn touched Applejack, Applejack stopped struggling, and her body fell to the ground, lifeless as well. Rainbow Dash was the next to go, falling dead to the ground. Pinkie Pie showed no resistance whatsoever, neither did Rarity.
The sight was awful, five dead corpses were lying on the scaffold, the crowd was cheering, and Twilight was still trying to cast spells, but her horn just blinked hopelessly—some sparkles were getting out of it, but no more. That sight made Night Glider feel like throwing up. The last of the six ponies was going to be murdered before her eyes.
Then, silently, as Starlight's horn touched Twilight's neck, Twilight's body dropped to the ground, inert.
It was the beginning of a new day, and Night Glider was still in bed. She'd been so ever since the public execution, which had taken place 4 days before. Her bed didn't feel comfortable or restful any more. The execution had traumatised her, particularly the crowd's response to it. How was it possible, that an entire village was cheering on someone putting to death innocent ponies? She couldn't conceive it, it was not possible!
And yet, she remembered it very well : The sight of six dead bodies, inanimate on the scaffold, with the sound of the crowd echoing in her head. She felt like she would never forget that day. She looked at the wooden desk which was installed at the other side of the room. She got out of bed, and sat on the chair in front of it. She opened the drawer, and got a small notebook out of it. She felt that it was important to write down her feelings, because it felt like it could be important.
She began to wrote, "April, the 18th 2051". She stopped. Even though she was pretty sure it was April the 18th, Starlight forbade them to use Celestian years to date anything, and no serious substitute had been proposed. She knew she had her cutie mark removed around 2040, and it'd been around eleven years, so she thought it was 2051, but there was no way to be sure.
She then thought, for whom was she writing? If everyone in the village thought the ponies executed less than a week ago deserved what they'd got, whom could she trust? If she told her fears to the wrong ponies, she risked to be considered as enemy of the people, and be imprisoned, or worse, executed!
She long thought about it, and she thought that the only ponies she could really rely on, was Sugar Belle and Party Favor. After all, it was because of her and them that Twilight and her friends went to the vault, which led them to their deaths. She got up, got downstairs, opened the door, and rushed to Sugar Belle's.
Once she arrived in the small cottage, which distinguished itself only by the table installed outside, and went inside. Upstairs, she found Sugar Belle, sleeping on her bed. Her bedroom was exactly the same as Night Glider's; in fact, all of the townsfolks' were. Her store hadn't been opened for 4 days now, and Night Glider was wondering how could that not draw any suspicion whatsoever. She shook Sugar Belle, which awoke her.
"Why are you here?" asked Sugar Belle.
"I needed to talk to you about the execution. You okay?" said Night Glider.
"Well, officially not. Officially, I'm ill. It's how I could close the store without getting myself on the disreputable list. That would be the end of my store, and perhaps of me." answered Sugar Belle. "What did you want to talk about? It's kind of a sensitive subject."
"I know, that's why I wanted to talk to you about it, and not anyone. How did it make you feel?" said Night Glider.
"Well, I mostly felt guilty. I mean, you know, it's because of us that they—"
"I know, I know. But, didn't you find it shocking? I mean, all the ponies I thought I knew were cheering, and—" she stopped. She'd forgotten to ask the question. "Were you cheering?"
"No, no, I wasn't. But, aside from the guilt, it kind of felt like the moment of hate we'd do before." answered Sugar Belle.
Night Glider hadn't thought of that. But she remembered it. The moment of hate was like a moment of silence, but instead of being quiet, ponies would watch a portrait of the enemy of the people, Paint Brush, who had got his cutie mark back, and fled from the village.
"Sugar Belle, I think we should go see Party Favor. I bet he's feeling like us. Together, we could… Maybe go tell Princess Celestia what happened? Twilight was a princess, I think we'd have an audience if we just say we know what happened to her." said Night Glider.
So they were off to see Party Favor. His house being just next to Sugar Belle's, the travel wasn't very long.
When they passed the door, they found a smiling Party Favor.
"What brings you here?" he asked.
"Well, we wanted to ask you what you thought of the execution." said the two mares.
"What execution?" asked Part Favor.
"Well, the one—Wait, you mean you don't remember?" asked Night Glider.
"Euh... Nope. Should I?" said Party Favor.
"I think you should" answered Sugar Belle.
"Well, I don't" answered sharply Party Favor. "Have you got anything else to say? Because I kind of wanted to nap".
"All right, we'll be on our way then" said Night Glider and Sugar Belle, disappointed.
So they went to Night Glider's. On their way, they met Double Diamond. Night Glider hadn't really thought of him. He was the right-hand pony of Starlight Glimmer, but Night Glider hoped there were more. She hoped he would reveal to be secretly on the other side, or at least open to the idea. Something on his face suggested it. But before she could put her hoof on it, they were in her cottage.
"So, what do we do?" asked Night Glider.
"I don't know. It's pretty messed up" replied Sugar Belle.
"Perhaps we should get back our cutie mark. I mean, if the Princess of Friendship had one, it may not be as bad as Starlight made them look" suggested Night Glider.
"I don't know. I mean, that would make Starlight Glimmer pretty sad" said Sugar Belle.
"Who cares? She killed 6 ponies, one of which was a princess!" answered Night Glider.
"Yeah… I guess" said Sugar Belle. "Maybe you're right. Maybe we should go."
"I know I'm right. Let's go" said Night Glider.
