“You wanted to see me, Celestia?”
The white alicorn opened her eyes and glared at the younger alicorn. “Yes. I did, Twilight.”
Celestia stepped down the steps leading to her throne and walked over to Twilight. “What do you know of the New Lunar Republic?”
“Well, it’s an idea,” Twilight responded, “nothing actually threatening to Equestria, or the Empire as a whole.”
The older alicorn nodded, “I see. Tell me, do you believe that it could exist?”
“Well.” Twilight paused, “Yes. Such a thing could exist, but it would have to have been created after Luna returned from the moon. If it did, it would be in hiding.”
“Hiding from what?”
“You, most likely.”
“Why me?”
“Luna had a grudge against you before she went Nightmare and was banished. She probably still has it. And she wouldn’t be as up front about as she was last time.”
Celestia nodded. “But,” Twilight asked, “what does that have to do with me?”
“Princess Twilight Sparkle.”
Her brother’s voice drew her attention to a group of ponies entering the room. Shining Armor, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Trixie, and Flash Sentry, ponies that she knew and trusted. But, something was wrong. Except for Shining Armor, Flash Sentry, and Rainbow Dash, the ponies were wearing cobalt blue armor, resembling that of the Royal Guard.
The ponies approached Twilight and encircled her. A look of hatred was in Shining Armor’s eyes. “W-wait. Guys, let’s not do anything hasty.”
Celestia spoke. “Princess Twilight Sparkle. You are a traitor to the Solar Empire. You’ve worked with the Arch-Betrayer, helping her to reform her ‘Lunar Republic.’ What do you have to say?”
“I am nothing of the sort! I just befriended her, because everyone was afraid of her! No pony deserves that!”
“You’re right. But,” Celestia paused, “that is not your decision to make.”
“Who’s is it?”
“Mine.”
Twilight’s eyes widened. A hoof struck in the back of the head knocking unconscious.
Chapter One: The Trial, Part One
Twilight woke up, gasping.
She found herself lying on a flat surface. She tried standing, but found herself strapped to the surface.
Looking around, she attempted to find out where she was. The room was brightly lit. A door sat within sight. It was on the other side of the room from her rear hooves. Twilight used her magic to loosen her restraints, or tried using it, anyway.
A magic-nullifier ring had been clamped to her horn, preventing her from using her horn. Whoever had her strapped to a table knew how to disable a unicorn's magical abilities. Twilight decided to look at the room again. There was a poster on the wall. There was a goggled pegasus on the poster, staring back at viewer. The caption on the poster read:
WORK SAFE. THE WEATHER FACTORY DEPENDS ON YOUR SAFETY.
“I'm in the Weather Factory? But why?”
“I'm glad you asked."
The voice was familiar. “Pinkie? What-?”
A pink hoof appeared over her mouth, silencing the alicorn. “Don't worry. It'll be alright. We just need to start.”
‘Start what?”
“You'll see.”
A hoof ran along Twilight's horn, drawing a gasp from Twilight, and an irritated statement from the alicorn. "Pinkie! Unicorn and alicorn horns are sensitive!"
“I'm glad you said that, Twilight.”
“Wait, what do you mean by-?”
A sharp, burning pain lanced through her horn, drawing a scream from Twilight.
The pain stopped, allowing Twilight to catch her breath. Her breath came in short and fast. “Why'd you do that?”
“Just checking you can still feel it.”
“Of course I can still feel it!”
A chuckle escaped from Pinkie. Pinkie's face hovered into view. “Hi!”
“Hey, Pinkie.”
Pinkie's mane was flat, but she was happy. “Why are you happy? You're mane's flat.”
“I dunno. It's been this way a little while now.”
“We're going to have fun, you and I.”
Pinkie moved out of view.
“Wait, wait, wait! Pinkie! Don't-!”
The pain returned, forcing Twilight to scream again.
************
Twilight opened her eyes, after the first torture session with Pinkie, and found herself in a cell.
She looked down at her body. A few slashes had been made across her chest. Her rear legs had been slashed as well, the slashes were far apart, and ended at her cutie mark. Twilight felt throbbing pain coming from her abdomen. Pinkie had punched her multiple times there.
Extending her wings, Twilight was glad that they were still there. The weight of her horn was still on her head.
“Hey, egghead.”
Rainbow Dash's voice startled Twilight. “Dash, don't startle me like that.”
“Sorry,” Dash responded, "I thought that you'd be out of it still.”
Twilight waved her hoof dismissively, “It's fine.”
“Twi…”
Twilight looked at the pegasus. Her armor was a dark green, with armor extending to her wings, legs, and neck. “Why’s your armor like that?”
“Like this? Oh, it’s a new pattern of armor the Royal Guard are testing. It’s supposed to cover the limbs and neck better. I volunteered to test it.”
“How is it?”
“Surprisingly comfy, actually. And light, too.”
“Yeah, that’s nice.”
Dash sighed. “You doing okay? Can I getcha anything?”
“I’m doing alright. Thanks, though.”
“You don’t look like it. Pinkie did a number on ya, holy hell.”
“Yeah, I suppose she did. I passed out for the second part of that.”
“No,” Dash said, “you were awake. I could hear the screaming as I walked by. You were begging Pinkie to stop, I guess that’s either ‘cause she’s a friend, or it really, really hurt. You don’t remember?”
Twilight shook head. Was she being that loud? She shrugged. “If I don’t remember, I don’t remember. Simple as that.”
Another guard came up to Rainbow Dash and whispered something in her ear. “I see,” Dash said, “head back to your post.”
The guard left. Twilight, interested, asked, “What was that?”
“Hmm? Oh, nothing important.”
“Didn’t look like it.”
“It’ll be fine. Trust me.”
Twilight rolled her eyes. “Am I in the Weather Factory?”
“Yes,” Dash easily answered.
“Why am I here?”
Dash sighed. “This place is the one place in the Solar Empire where no pony escapes from.”
“What do you mean, ‘where no pony escapes from?’”
“Earth ponies and unicorns can’t walk anywhere but their cells, and pegasi have their wings clipped. No escape.”
“What usually happens to the ponies that are brought here?”
“Those brought here are eventually sent to The Machine to… benefit… the rest of Equestria with rainbows.”
“That’s evil!”
“Maybe,” Dash said, “maybe.”
“What do you mean, ‘maybe?’”
“Do you remember what you said about the turning of convicts into Raptors being a ‘necessary evil.’?”
“Yes…”
“Well,” Dash stated, “The Machine is a ‘necessary evil,’ no more evil than say, fire.”
“Raptors and rainbows are completely separate things!”
Dash sneered, “Heh. But, they are not so different.!”
“No, they aren’t!”
“Really? What does Raptor Conversion do to a pony?”
“They are taken, against their will, to a machine that will turn them into that they don’t want to be.”
“Guess what Spectrization does?”
“The same… thing. But, what does that have to do with me being here?”
“If you’re here, you’re not as innocent as you think.”
“B-but I…”
Dash glanced at the alicorn. “Ain’t my problem,” she said, simply.
“But, Dash…”
Dash tapped her chest with a hoof. “I’m a Royal Guard. No Royal Guard questions orders without a good reason. I ain’t gonna be one of them Guards that grows a heart for the scum of the Empire.”
“Dash, our friendship! Dash, please!”
“Come on, egghead,” Dash snapped, having turned away, “you’re a grown mare and a princess, too! You don’t need some easily forgotten Royal Guard Lieutenant to hold your hoof for you, do you?”
Twilight was silent. Rainbow Dash’s statement held truth in it. Dash was a Lieutenant in the Royal Guard. Twilight was a princess, after all. Twilight smiled.
“Dash,” Twilight ordered, “I order you to let me out of here.”
Rainbow Dash turned around to look at the purple alicorn. “Run that by me again.”
“I order you to let me out of this cell.”
Dash stared at Twilight for a few seconds, her eyes flicking back and forth between staring at Twilight’s eyes individually. Then she started laughing.
Twilight, confused by Dash’s laughter, asked, “What’s so funny?”
Dash stopped laughing, and looked at Twilight, an amused smile plastered wide across her face. “Look at you! Look at you! You, a princess in title only, dared giving me orders! That’s funny!”
Twilight growled slightly. Dash wiped her eyes, “But, I was also laughing at your pain.”
“MY PAIN!? THAT’S NOT SOMETHING YOU LAUGH AT!”
Dash smiled, fangs showing. “I laugh at other ponies’ pain. Always have. It’s a good laugh.”
“You’re insane.”
“No, I’m not. Pinkie, on the other hoof…”
“Lieutenant Dash,” another voice said, over Dash’s armor radio, interrupting Dash’s musing, “bring me Prisoner 4971526. It’s time that we had a little chat.”
Dash responded, smirking, “Yessir.”
“Well,” Dash said to the alicorn, “time for a chat with Ms. Freckles.”
"'Freckles'?"
"You'll see."
