A bay stallion sat at a table inside a brightly lit, crystalline room. His image reflected back at him from a thousand different angles. The light in the room did not come from any one source, but instead it seemed to emanate from the room itself; nothing cast a shadow in this place. There were no doors, and no windows. Only a hollowed jewel kept him contained from the outside world.

Atchmon -- a Human from another world, who was transformed into a Pony stallion-- explored the room thrice over, and found no flaw on its pristine solid surface.

But that was some time ago, the human-stallion grew bored and hungry with only the ghost of his reflection to keep him company; but more than that, he felt alone and fearful for the future.

His heart leapt as Twilight Sparkle suddenly walked through the crystalline wall without warning, the magics at work made the previously solid surface warble like ripples in a pond, before settling solid once again. Her long purple horn was wreathed in pinkish magic, before dropping the spell.

Twilight gave him a sympathetic smile as she sat on the seat cushion by the table opposite him.

Atchmon couldn't return the smile. The seriousness of the situation prevented him from faking any of the usual formalities.

“Just tell me what happened.” Twilight asked calmly.

“You know what happened.” Atchmon said curtly.

“I do know, but this is for the investigation.”

“How much trouble am I in, Twilight... Princess Twilight.” Atchmon sighed in resignation.

“Thank you. I don’t feel comfortable with you calling me by my title anymore than you like saying it, but I have to come off as unbiased. ”

Atchmon shook his head in disbelief. "You know it wasnt me... Twilight tell them it wasn't me!" he raised his voice.

Twilight extended a hoof to calm and reassure him. "I'm on your side, Atchmon; but I'm not going to lie to you, you may be looking at some time in the dungeons... maybe even Tartaros." She finished in a whisper, and started chewing her lips.

Atchmon stared angrily at the table. "I've always been told I'd end up in jail..."

"I'm sorry, Atchmon; but the Ponies of the Crystal Empire need safety, closure, and assurance that this incident will never happen again. Just remember that the Ponies of the Empire believe in full transparency; just speak truthfully from your heart, and all will be made clear."

Atchmon lowered his head, feeling defeated.

"How about we start at the beginning." Twilight suggested.

Atchmon breathed a long resigned sigh, and nodded his head. "Sure..."

Author's Note

A prologue, in a sequel. Like you don't wanna know what happens next.