The Incantation

I just stood there, unsure of what to say. What could I say? Everything that could have been said was already said. Still they glared at me, all but Fluttershy. She was quietly sobbing, still over by the stairs. I looked at the paper, which was still splayed out on the floor. The inside of the paper held the other article of me being a murderer.

What have I done?

"Well?" Twilight repeated, taking another step toward me.

I gulped. "I-I-I'm...sorry..." I managed to utter.

"Sorry? That's it? You get Fluttershy nearly killed, you lied to us all, and you're a power-hungry thief, and all you have to say for yourself is 'I'm sorry'?" Rainbow bellowed, her voice cracking. "I oughta kill you!" She took off in flight after me, but Twilight stopped her, snagging her tail with her magic.

"Stop, Rainbow Dash! We won't stoop to his level. Besides, Emerald is wanted by Princess Celestia, and we can be sure she'll deal with him appropriately."

Fluttershy let out a little squeal, not very loud, but enough to prompt Applejack to go comfort her.

"Why, Emerald?" Twilight demanded, taking up the paper and passing it around to the others. "Why

would you lie? Why would you use us to escape from your wrong doings? Why would you - " she glanced back at Fluttershy, " - why would you betray her? Use her? Lie to her? All she did was trust you. We all did. And this," she gestured toward the damage in the room. "This is our repayment?"

I felt tears welling up in my eyes. "I never meant to hurt anypony...I really didn't..."

"Well, you nearly got Fluttershy killed. You did hurt somepony." She motioned to all the others, who refused to make eye contact with me. "All of us."

I felt such hatred of myself. I ruined everything. I had, lost, found, and lost again. And it was entirely my fault.

"Please, don't..." I moped at the floor between me and Twilight. "Please don't send me to Celestia. I-I know I'm a horrible pony, but I - "

"Are you serious right now?" Rainbow asked in disbelief. "You want us to exempt you from your rightful punishment because you ask nicely? I don't think so," she said, folding her arms across her chest.

Twilight stared at me for a moment without a word. Then she turned toward the broken door. "Emerald

• as a Princess, I have jurisdiction, and on that note, I will not turn you in to Princess Celestia."

The others gasped. Even Fluttershy looked up momentarily, acting surprised, before again burying her face in AJ's shoulder.

"Twilight, what are you thinking?" Rainbow demanded hotly. "This guy deserves to rot in Tartarus!"

Twilight held up a hoof. "But instead, I hereby banish you - from Equestria."

My heart sank. "What...? No! Please...no!" I fell to my knees. "Don't...please don't..."

"Serves you right," Rainbow spat.

Her words stung, like the tears in my eyes, ready to fall.

Fluttershy pushed away from AJ, coming up to me, her head hung low. When she stood right in front of me, she sat. And looked straight into my eyes. Hers were wet with tears, and portrayed unimaginable hurt.

"Fluttershy..." I murmured.

"Why would you do this, Emerald?" she asked sadly, her voice soft and low. "Why would you..."

"Please, Fluttershy," I begged.

She let the tears fall to the floor. They were tears I caused. "I - I loved you..."

I reached out to her, but she looked away. "Fluttershy...I'm sorry..."

She turned away and wiped the tears from her eyes with the back of one hoof. "I am too."

Twilight stepped between us. "You need to leave, Emerald. Before I change my mind," she warned me.

"Twilight... please, don't do this..." I pleaded, still on my knees. I let the tears flow freely now.

She closed her eyes. "I have to. Now go."

I saw so much hatred and hurt in the room. This was not how it was supposed to be. They were supposed to hear it from me, they were supposed to understand...

"Emerald - leave."

"But..." I protested.

Twilight narrowed her eyes. "Ten...nine...eight..."

I spun around and grabbed my saddlebag, throwing it on. I turned and made my way to the door.

Outside the darkness waited for me.

Right where I belonged.

I took one last glance behind me, at the faces I'd never see again. And while the memories with them as a whole were small, the ones with Fluttershy were the ones that would cause me the most heartache.

I looked at Fluttershy, who watched me, a mournful pout on her face. "I..." my voice faltered. "I...I love you...and I always will..."

She rushed over to AJ and began sobbing loudly.

I turned and made my way out into the night.

Twilight watched Emerald go out and disappear into the darkness. She made sure he left, then went back to her friends.

"I didn't want to do that," she admitted after a few moments.

Rarity came up to her. "Whatever do you mean?"

Twilight sighed. "I didn't want to exile him. But I didn't want him to sit in a dungeon forever, either. After all, he did save Fluttershy's life."

"Yeah, but that was his fault to begin with," Rainbow argued, making a point.

Rarity nodded. "Rainbow Dash is right. He was the reason, it seems, for the attack in the first place. You shouldn't have given him the opportunity to run."

Twilight turned back to the door, sighing again. "I know..."

"Whatever. As long as he's gone and out of our lives, I couldn't care less," Rainbow proclaimed, flying

over to Fluttershy to comfort her.

Twilight walked over to her and put a hoof on her shoulder. "Fluttershy, are you going to be okay?"

Fluttershy sniffled and wiped away some tears, but didn't look up. "No...I-I think I just wanna be alone for a little bit..."

Twilight and the others exchanged concerned glances.

"Okay," Twilight said finally. "Just promise us you'll feel better soon."

Fluttershy saw them all to the door. "I wish I could, Twilight..."

They all stepped outside and watched as Fluttershy shut the door. They immediately heard her sobbing again.

"That poor girl," AJ said quietly, tipping her hat to cover her eyes.

"Yeah..."

They stood around for few more minutes before heading to their homes for the night.

I trudged through town crying and cursing myself. I messed everything up. And even though I felt that they kind of overreacted, I still was wrong for being so deceitful to the ponies who were my only real friends. They didn't know that I really didn't kill anypony, and that I really only stole the crown because it was the only thing I could grab, and that I didn't find out about what it was until after I stole it...

Too late for all this. I'm banished from Equestria. I had to leave. Never show my face again here/

I stopped on a bridge and screamed in frustration, feeling the warm, salty tears streaming down my face.

"Why? Why?"

I slammed my hoof down on the barrier of the bridge, looking out over the stream that snaked through Ponyville. I slumped over and stared at me reflection in the water below. "Why...?"

I hadn't cried this much since my parents died. But that wasn't my fault.

       This was.

I watched one of my tears fall into the stream, making gentle waves that soon disappeared in the motion of the water. I don't even know if I recognize the eyes I seen looking back at me in the reflection. I wasn't sure what I was going to do, either.

Where am I to go, banned from Equestria? I don't know anything about the other countries. And I don't know anypony who could help me.

Why did I ruin everything for myself? I had a group of wonderful friends, and a marefriend other stallions could only dream of...and I threw that all away...because I wasn't honest. With them, with her, or...

With myself.

If only I'd never resorted to stealing. It was stupid of me. Why didn't I just go die somewhere, that way nopony had to worry about me?

"Emerald Rain! Do not move!" a voice thundered from nearby.

I froze, looking out the corner of my eye.

Royal Guard.

"Oh, Celestia, no..."

They stormed up to me, roughly snatching me up, putting me in chains, and tossing me into the back of a barred carriage.

They hauled me off before I even knew what to think. But I knew what'd happened.

I was just captured by the Royal Guard.