Some ponies thinks that being the former joint of Equestria, with enough magical power to raise the sun every day is an easy job. I can understand why they might think that.

The truth is, it's probably the worst job ever! Raising the sun is only a little part of it. You also have to listen to your subjects' problems, and try to find a solution that makes everypony happy. You have to make sure that the economy is working well, keeping the welfare of your people stable. You have to listen to all the complaints of the pompous 'nobility' that always have something to say about their lack of excessive privilege, and such things.

I do that without any problem. I'm devoted to the welfare and happiness of my kingdom and my subjects. Even of the ones that deserve it the least, always eventually giving them another chance. Eventually.

I had to remember that, this morning.

I was doing my daily work, as usual. After raising the sun, I managed to eat something, while waiting for the rest of my councilors to wake up and help me. I may be powerful, but that doesn't give me more time to deal with everything. So when I left the dining room and realized it was still early in the morning, I thought I would go say good morning to Luna, since we often don't have very much time to talk together.

I was right outside the door to her room, when I heard a scream of anguish come out from the around the corner. I was immediately startled; I could feel my wings open with a snap, ready to spring into action, as my mind immediately began to jump to the more horrible, and I might add exaggerated, events as of late: the return of the changelings, Discord free again, an attack from the dragons…

I calmed almost immediately when a couple of servants poked their heads out from around other corners, as Luna herself poked her head out of the darkness of her room, her cute nightcap resting on her head. I smiled at her reassuringly, and prepared to investigate the scream.

"Your highness!" exclaimed a guard from behind me, trotting towards me. "Leave this to us, we'll-"

He didn't have the time to finish his sentence, as a pegasus mare in a clean white uniform darted past us crying in distress and disappearing after a few seconds. The guards were dumbfounded, blinking at the corner where the mare disappeared. Along with myself. She was quite fast, and I didn't even have the time to recognise the poor dear. Luna, on the other hoof, did.

"Am I wrong, or that was Miss Green Gem?" she asked in a groggy voice, rubbing at her eyes. Indeed, she had been Green Gem. The latest psychologist of the dungeons, after the last four had given their resignations over the last five months. I had a clear idea of why the poor dear had been crying like that.

"Luna, do you mind reassuring Miss Green Gem. Tell her I'll see her as soon as possible. I'll be really upset if even she leaves us like the others." I said, while trying to keep my voice under control. Luna looked tiredly at me, but walked slowly out of her room, and left to search for the mare, the sleeping cap still on her head. Good girl.

I reassured the guard, before I started to walk towards the dungeon entrance. Since the current dungeons had once been a storage area beneath the castle, the entrance were quite decorative and elaborate. It's definitely hard to identify it as a dungeon. The first two level of the dungeons are quite nice and well-polished. Usually burglars and thieves are kept there. They are treated well by the guards and the attendants.

By the time they get out they are mostly changed, with a new job that we manage to find for them. They are all well behaved, and bow to me when I pass, as do the guards. Some of them already have some sort of job, especially the ones that have to maintain a family. It's my duty to help the less fortunate, even if they have done wrong. I continued to descend, smiling warmly to my little ponies. The third level of the dungeons are still in the old, refined style of the castle, and it's actually used as a storage area and barracks for the dungeon guards. The lower levels are rather new, carved in crude stone, without any definition in the walls. I had them built just in case. I never used them, luckily. Until now, of course.

As I continued to descend, I started to hear arguing: a group of Solar Guards and Night Guards were arguing, hissing sharp and cruel words to each other. They stopped as soon they saw me, saluting, just to start again as soon as I walked away. They used to be friends and allies, but lately, there is only poison and harsh words between them. Sometimes, when they come out of the dungeons, they start to pick on the servants and the other guards. Disorder spreading everywhere.

That was something I could hardly tolerate. I walked towards the last cell, and glared at the unicorn inside.

-oOo-

As the alicorn cleared her throat to announce her presence, she couldn't stop herself from looking around the cell: it was much smaller and darker than the older ones. The only light came from a lantern chained to the ceiling. Inside, there was just a dusty little bed. And a unicorn, looking at the stone wall while murmuring to himself, and splattering the rests of the green soup inside the bowl behind him on the wall, drawing some strange symbol.

Knowing what was in the soup, the alicorn couldn't really blame him for wasting the food. As soon as the princess cleared her throat again, the unicorn turned towards her, smiling politely: he was a black stallion with a long, silver scruffed and unclean mane. Not that he had the chance to clean his figure very much down here. His purple eyes immediately stopped on hers, without fear or respect.

He raised to his hooves and began to walk slowly towards the cell door, his long and unclean silver tail dragging on the dirty floor. The lantern's light shimmered on the crystalline horn of the unicorn, which was enclosed by a gold and black ring, as he sat in front of the alicorn, his smile unchanging.

"So, princess. Why have I been graced by the honor of your presence?" he asked in his calm and controlled voice. The voice of a charming stallion.

"The voice of a liar." thought the princess, holding herself back from growling at the unicorn. She instead sat on the ground, smiling at the unicorn, her pastel colored mare waving slightly through the air.

"Good day to you, Crystal Horn. I was just thinking of paying you a visit. We have to be sure you are in shape, after all."

"Since that journalist came here twice a week to make up stories about me, I assume it's better if I am in shape, yes." Said calmly Crystal Horn, studying the alicorn.

"Oh, by any chance, did you have one of your sessions with the new psychologist today?" the alicorn asked kindly. The stallion smirked, before standing up and walking to his bed.

"I assumed this was about that. After all, you came see me just once, since I've been here. It was the first day I arrived, playing the game of the "Good Cop, Bad Cop" with your sister. Really pathetic, I must say." The alicorn stiffened, but didn't drop her smile. That was what the unicorn wanted. "Yes, I had a session today. Quite frankly, I'm disappointed: she burst into tears after only twenty minutes. I must say that the third psychologist was the best one between the five."

"They are supposed to help you, Crystal." Said the alicorn. The stallion chuckled.

"No, they want to obtain what you and your sister failed to obtain from me: the reason why I tried to damn all of Equestria. You don't need to be a genius to understand that. So, I've just been having a little fun with them. I wouldn't do that if I had something to read down here."

"You drive them away!" snapped the princess, frowning. "You open old scars. For all of them! Things that they didn't want to think about!"

"It's one of the advantages of being a psychologist too: it's easy to see other ponies' weaknesses." chuckled the stallion.

"You let them give up the job! One of them killed himself two days after!"

"Things that happen."

The alicorn bit her lip, calming down. That was the stallion wanted, after all. He was playing with her like he had played with the others. He reminded her of Discord: smug, prideful and without a care for how annoying he was.

"And I assume that making the guards fight each other is your doing as well?"

"As I said, I have to pass the time somehow." Stated calmly the unicorn. "It's quite boring in here, you know? I don't even know whether it's day or night time. I don't even know if I'm supposed to sleep or not." Commented calmly the unicorn. "So yeah, I drove away another doctor trying to play mind games with me. If this answers your question."

The alicorn sighed, as Crystal Horn turned again towards the cell wall, and started to draw symbols again with the rest of his meal. In the beginning, she had thought that he was crazy. Completely out of his mind, living in a false world his brain had created. That would have explained everything he had done. But the third psychologist that had examined him (the only one that that hadn't left the session screaming and crying) stated that he was completely sane. He was completely aware of what he was doing. And that was not encouraging in the slightest.

The alicorn stood up and walked away, fuming slightly. As soon as she left the dungeons, the fake smile she used to greet the other few prisoners and the guards dropped, and the alicorn let out a heavy sigh.

"He doesn't regret his actions, does he?" asked Luna, coming out from behind a corner. Celestia shook her head, walking with her sister.

"No. Sometimes, I start to think that keeping him in the dungeons wasn't the greatest idea. He's spreading unhappiness among the guards. They were fighting when I went down, and they were fighting when I left there. And you know how these things work. When the guards change, unhappiness spreads all throughout the castle…" She let out another sigh. "Sometimes I think I should have gotten rid of him in the first place, and told the ponies it was an accident."

"Tia!" exclaimed the dark blue alicorn with surprise, frowning at her sister. "We are better than that!"

"I know, I know… it's just that sometimes it's hard to deal with certain subjects…"

"You know Tia, I don't think we are dealing with him in the right way…" stated the smaller alicorn, getting her sister's attention. "We are closing him away, without letting him have anything, trying to trick him into telling us why he was going to do what he was going to do… I don't think we're giving him the right motivation…"

Celestia sighed, rolling her eyes. This again. Of course Luna was more sympathetic towards a convict with a sentence of life-imprisonment. She had been imrpisoned in the Moon for a thousand years. She knew all too well what it was like being isolated from… well, everything.

"I think we should take into consideration what Calm Wave told us. About the rehabilitation." Ended Luna, giving a quick glance at her sister.

"We can't permit that. We don't know what the outcome might be."

"Sister, Calm Wave was the only one that didn't leave in tears after her session with that unicorn, so I assume we can trust her judgment. She said that in a positive environment, Crystal Horn may become a better pony. Explain himself. Redeem himself, even!"

"Luna, please, you can't think that something like that might work. Somepony that tried to poison all Equestria… is somepony that will not change."

"Everypony deserves a chance, sister." Stated simply the princess of the night, yawning. "Maybe he might decide to tell us why he was trying to do that. So we may have the confirmation if it was an attack planned by some enemy of the realm. It'll be much easier than trying one psychologist after another." She yawned again, before levitating her hat and stumbling towards her room. "Think about it." She yawned once more, before entering aher room nd closing the door behind her.

Celestia grumbled to herself, before starting to trot towards her next chore of the day. She didn't have think about it. There was no way in pony hell she'd let that happen!

-oOo-

The princess shuffled a little uncomfortably on the little seat where she was sitting. While the mare that was hosting her was in an adjacent room, fixing some tea for her, Celestia let her eyes explore the little room: she rarely had the chance to see how her subjects actually lived. The walls were of a dull gray color, darkened by the dim light coming inside from the cloudy sky out of the big window behind the desk in front of her. She quickly glanced at the degrees framed on the walls.

"Here I am princess, sorry for the wait." Stated the mare she had been waiting for, trotting inside the room while levitating a pair of cups full of tea in a gray magic grip. Smiling, Celestia nodded and grabbed one, while studying the mare as she sat behind the desk: she was quite a mature unicorn mare, with a white coat, silver and well groomed mane and tail, and a pair of glasses on her muzzle. She sat on her seat and looked quizzically at the princess, taking a sip.

"You probably are wondering why I'm here. Don't worry, I'm not here to ask you to come back to your old job." Began the princess, taking a sip of tea. "I just want to ask you your professional advice."

"I think I might know what this is about." Chuckled the mare. Celestia noted her hooves shaking slightly on the table. "It's not a surprise really. Even if I doubted you would ever consider my proposal."

"I'm still doubtful." Admitted the alicorn, before drinking a little bit more tea. "But I must admit, that in all the years of my life, I never had the time to accurately study a pony's mind. I could actually use the help of an expert."

"You were too busy saving all of us." Stated the mare, smiling. Celestia smiled back. It was always a pleasure talking with her. She always knew what to say. "For what we talked about… I'm sure that a calm, happy and positive environment may help the subject to rehabilitate his mind and soul. He's not affected by any mental illness, so I'm keen on he thought that he's just ill in the soul."

"So what? I have to make him part of the castle staff?" asked the princess, raising an eyebrow when the mare giggled.

"No princess, that will not work. There will still be the oppression caused by your presence, reminding him that he's a prisoner. He has to forget that, he has to reintegrate with a normal, sane society. Of course, there have to be no guards around for the same reason."

"I can't let him wander without supervision!" exclaimed the alicorn, while putting (with a little too much force) her cup on the table.

"Yes, I think that in the beginning it wouldn't be a good thing. But if the pressure is still on him, it will never rise to a better level. You don't have any servants, or trusted friends that can keep an eye on him, and in case of a bad reaction, take him down?" asked the mare, tilting her head. Celestia tapped her chin, thinking. There was indeed somepony…

-oOo-

The last line is made. Finally! I had had enough of the gross sensation of the food's remains on my hoof. The guards thought I was going nuts. I let them fight each other. At least now they are far away with their huffing and growling.

The last sign is made, the set is complete. Now, the species… I crawl under my bed, and take out a set of dead, dried leafs. Perfect. I also take out a little piece of iron and flint. I'll need a little fire. I put all of this under the symbols on the wall, and breath heavily.

I have to do this. I have to tell them to give me a little more time. I can't pay my debt without magic, right? I hope they understand… I gulp fearfully, knowing what I have to do. I need blood for this. A good amount. Probably have to bite off my own hoof. Hope they fix it.

I open my mouth and put my left foreleg inside, pressing down slightly with my teeth. A pony's teeth aren't made to cut flesh, so this will hurt a lot. I'm ready to bite, when a sudden, strong smell flooded my nostrils. The sun witch is here again. Fuck. I kick the plants under the bed, as well as the steel and flint. I jump against the wall and start to scrabble over the signs. She hadn't recognised them this morning, but better safe than sorry. When she arrives at my cell, her golden aura sparkling all around and accompanied by a group of guards, I'm happily singing to the ceiling.

"Stand up prisoner!" growls one of the guards, apparently a captain. Bulky unicorn, bigger than me, white coat, blue mane, a shield-like cutie mark. I oblige flatly, putting on my best condescending smile. Since I had to deal with them, I might as well play a little.

"Prepare yourself, Crystal. We are taking you out of here." Says the princess, smiling deviously. That surprised me. A lot. She chuckled, since I stay still like an idiot, without saying anything, and] my smile replaced by an open. "After a little talk with my sister and Calm Wave, we decided to try to rehabilitate you, outside of here. In Equestria."

That's rich.

"You are going to stay in a small town, in the hospitality of another pony. You're going to have a job, and basically pass some nice time. I think that may help a little, yes?"

Not in the slightest, you dumb bitch. So coky and sure of yourself, with all the power you think you have. Without even knowing about the real forces of the world…

"I already made the arrangements. Come on, don't waste time." She says, now looking a little annoyed by my lack of reaction. I sighed and trotted over to the open cell door. Maybe being out wouldn't be so bad. Maybe I could even try to escape. Or get this damned anti-magic ring off of my horn.

"So… Princess, where are you taking me? What idyllic place have you chosen for my….rehabilitation…?" I asked, putting as much poison as possible in the last word. She didn't seem impressed as she walked alongside me, while the captain and another guard walked in front of us, with two following behind.

"A little rural village, south-west from here, not too far away. It's called Ponyville. Ever hear of it?"