Saturday 13 January 2018, 18:00, Dungeon
375.
That's how many they had to put in cells.
5 in each cell.
"Did... did she say... that... earlier?"
Rainbow was having a hard time comprehending that one line from the funeral.
"Those were her words, Dash."
As if being in a dark cell 24/7 for the rest of their lives weren't enough, they were ponies.
They knew that much, but the shackles and rings on their new bodies kept them from being able to stand.
"Darlings, someone's coming!"
They all looked to the small window and saw a lantern stop at the door.
"Oh please no!"
The door unlocked and opened, revealing a white unicorn guard with a serious expression, clad in gold armor, and was levitating 5 gray, metal rings. One for a unicorn's horn, two for pegasi bodies, and two collars for earth ponies.
"Somepony wishes to see you," he said, swapping the shackles for the rings, "Any misconduct will result in you being shocked with energy."
"Yeah, right! Sunset jumped because she was a bi- FUCK THAT HURT!!!!!"
"Dash, you'd better do's he says," Applejack said to the near-electrocuted Rainbow Dash.
"Yeah," Dash agreed, wobbly standing up.
"Let's go."
Going into the hallway, they found that there were five more guards, one to escort each of the former-rainbooms, with the sixth one leading the path.
"Darling," Rarity said to her escort, "Might I ask where you are taking us?"
"No."
After a long walk, they all found themselves in a large room. In it were at least a hundred other guards, a cruel-looking Princess Celestia, a Princess Twilight who was ready to zap the five into oblivion, a table, five chairs on one side, three on the other, and they were occupied by Anon-a-Miss. However, they were still as humans.
"Sit. Now."
They did as ordered.
"Why aren't you ponies?"
The girls behind the former Anon-a-Miss looked to each other.
"I'm going to tell you off," Scootaloo said, taking Seth's former demeanor, "Sunset told you it was us. We fucking told you it was us!" she stood, now leaning on the table and glaring daggers at the five prisoners, "You were too caught up in your game of 'Put Sunset Through ALL UNGODLY HELL' to so much as give half-a-damn!" she held her hand towards Twilight, "Letter."
Twilight obliged, materializing a letter headed 7.1.2018 in Sunset's handwriting, to which Scootalloo slammed down on the table. Now she was the one to be feared.
"The only reason we're not with scum like YOU is that we knew what we did, 'fessed up, tried to actually HELP her, so she asked the princesses NOT to imprison us. Honestly, I'm surprised you aren't dead or being tortured right now."
Rainbow read the letter, "She jumped because she wanted to! That ~~motherfucking~~ bitch-"
Scootaloo yanked her former idol across the table and gave her what could best be described as a mini-red army stare. It wasn't as bad as having a few hundred Soviet guns pointed at you like Seth's, instead being more like a few dozen.
Still, two seconds and Rainbow was scared, on the floor, frozen in fetal position.
"Good," she said, looking to the other four, "Anyone else?"
The other four, just from being around her, turned pale.
"Conducting last rights in Equestria is the only thing above the law, so I'm obligated to tell you, from this letter, that, at Sunset's accord, they won't be punished as harshly. She wanted you to be informed that their punishment will be to remain in Equestria. They are forbidden to go back home for the rest of their natural-born lives, and, with consideration, to live as humans still, so they cannot access magic."
Scootaloo sat down, though still maintaining the position of definite leader of the three young girls.
"Would you like to say anything else?"
"No, your majesty," Scootalloo said, her expression unreadable beyond pissed and disappointed.
"Take them back, guards."
As soon as they left, the three girls returned to their original demeanor, Princess Celestia sat down, trying to keep herself from crying even more, and the other guards were at ease.
"What happ'ns now, Princess?"
"Well," she said, teleporting the letter to Sunset's old room, "The letter was a written record of her last requests. It's almost completed, but until then, it's the supreme law of Equestria. You'll all be staying at my castle, because you don't have a home here. But, to be honest with you, you're in the same league as Sunset was at the Fall Formal and Starlight when she took a town's cutie marks. In my eyes, the Princess's eyes, and the other elements of Equestria, you're reformed. She didn't want you to live with that guilt."
"What about our clothes?" Sweetie Belle asked, "We only have the one set."
"I've made arrangements for you to get new clothes made later."
The three girls and Twilight then helped Princess Celestia to her room, where Princess Luna joined her to help her get through this painful time.
Author's Note
HUGE thanks to diablo4000 for giving me a point to start at for the sequel!
You're awesome, dude.
Monday 15 January 2018, 07:44, CHS
"It's quiet," Celestia said to Luna.
Quiet... was an understatement. Of the 500 students that made up the original body, 375 were in Equestria for the rest of their lives and two were dead, leaving 123 students. Their appearances, along of two-thirds of the others that were at CHS today, clearly marked a high level of stress. Nearly everyone there had some form of energy drink, coffee, or something else highly-caffeinated to combat the weekend's toll.
It had taken the entirety of the weekend after the funeral to update the student roster after the steep decline in students. It was almost time for the morning announcements.
"We'll get through this together," Luna said, "Ready?"
Celestia went over to the intercom in the front office, her sister next to her. As the second hand on the clock ticked to the top, Celestia took one last gulp before turning on the microphone.
55, 56, 57, 58, 59...
BING
On went the mic.
"Morning, students. As you all know, this weekend was hectic, so for this week, classes and rules will be more laxly enforced for everyone's benefit. For those of you that are in clubs or other school-related organizations, the new roster is reporting about twelve of you, those organizations will be put on hold until further notice. As the new roster is reporting between four and fifteen people per class, many things are going to be on call. Eighteen of you have already came to us, claiming that your teachers have not shown up, so if you're one of the affected students, please come see Ms June Days. She will have you a temporary schedule. Lunch will be on call, the north and west wings of the school are closed, and be ready to dismiss from school early. Thank you."
She cut off the mic and begin to cry.
She NEVER wanted to have to make that announcement AGAIN.
"We'll be in my office, June," Luna said, noticeably depressed.
"Mhm," the secretary said, half-asleep.
They had been in the younger sister's office for about five minutes before someone knocked on the door.
"It's me," came Twilight's voice from the other side of the door, "Princess Twilight."
"It will have to wait," Luna said, stressed and exhausted.
It did no good.
Twilight, not by being legally bound (technically she was), but rather in the memory and honor of Sunset, went in, anyway.
She was dressed in magenta and lavender robes, not unlike a Greek-goddess.
She... didn't like what she saw... to say the very least.
Luna gave a sigh of defeat, "Yes?"
"Sunset wanted you and Celestia to have this," she said, setting a golden box on the table and opening it.
The contents were simple, just two books. One was Sunset's link to Equestria, and the other was one she had commissioned for the two principals to use.
"Write me when Celestia is doing better."
"Yes, your majesty."
