Plop!

Another piece of rancid meat fell onto my wings.

The princes sure are messy eaters, I thought to myself. But of course I didn't say a word; if I did I would run the risk of execution.

Since I was a young filly this was the only world I'd known. A world where only three things remained constant.

1) I was Dining Armour, the personal bib of the princes.

2) My white wings were always stained red with other ponies' blood.

3) The princes were our supreme and ever-present rulers who could not be overthrown or influenced in any positive way.

Perhaps I should explain a bit.

Long ago, Equestria was ruled by a kind and gentle leader, Queen Eris. No one knows where she went or why, but when she disappeared her three closest relatives took over her throne.

For a while life remained normal and cheery, but it slowly deteriorated into chaos and madness. The princes became dictators rather than beloved royals and killed everypony who dared stand against them.

I was a filly when the first real uprising began. School was halfway over when the entire world went pitch black. The princes had cut off all electricity and set both the moon and the sun. It was high noon but the sky would lead you to believe it was a moonless midnight.

For a while ponies remained in revolt, lighting fires and using magic to guide their way and carry out attacks. But we could only last so long with so little food.

Prince Solaris was the most prominent ruler. He controls the sun, without which we cannot grow food to survive. He almost never set it for too terribly long though. All three lords wanted us to be as fat as possible.

They'd acquired a taste for pony meat, and I was their bib.

It wasn't actually that bad of a job. Sure my wings were hopelessly stained, but I was never chosen as their next meal and I lived in the comfort of the castle. My only wish was that I'd known my parents, that I'd known my real name….

That's not important, I thought, shaking my head. That's the past, it's over now. Dining Armour is as good a name as any and Solaris is the only father I needed growing up. Sighing, I turned my attention back to the dinner. Mine sat beside me, a simple daisy salad as ordered. I was the only one out of the three bib ponies who didn't share the princes' tastes. The others' wings were not stained like mine; they licked theirs clean after every meal.

The dinner was over before I knew it and I was off to try washing the blood off once again. Looking in the mirror was always hard. The only thing I knew about my parents was that they died fighting the princes' power and reign, and there I sat waiting on their every whim.

"I'm a disgrace," I whispered, breaking my reflection in the water violently with a wing. As usual, no matter how hard I scrubbed, my wings stayed the same dreadful red.

Feeling a traitor and disgusting, I made my way to my chambers. The long corridor always unnerved me for some reason, but it was the quickest way.

I encountered a very drunk soldier on the way there. He tried to stop me and flirt but one good slap across the snout with a blood-stained wing was enough to tell him I wasn't in the mood to deal with him. He stepped back, suddenly embarrassed, and let me pass.

When I reached my chambers I was shocked to find my simple twin-sized bed gone, replaced by a luxurious queen bed. In disbelief, I went out and double checked the room number and the name below it. Sure enough I was in the right place.

"He…Hello? Is anypony there?" I called, remembering horrible rumors about similar situations. One of the princes starts leaving mysterious gifts to beautiful young mares, but never shows himself until a bottle of wine is left. The next day the mare wakes up with a hangover and is carrying a bastard child.

Walking toward my bed cautiously, I notice that the sheets are a dark, velvety purple. Then I see a note on the pillow. Scared, I walked over to read it.

Dearest Dining,

I apologize for the suddenness of my actions, but I thought you deserved a better mattress than that rock you had before. You'll find this one makes for a better night's sleep, and you'll need all the rest you can get tonight. Don't ask why, just trust me.

~Midnight Colt

"Midnight… Colt? What the buck?! Who the hoof is that?!" Greatly confused, I laid the note aside. The rumors hadn't said anything about the princes using an alternate name… so maybe I was safe. In any case I didn't have the willpower to deal with it tonight, so I would just sleep there.

After a while I began to drift off. As I closed my eyes I could've sworn I saw a handsome, dark blue stallion with a flowing, starry mane and tail smiling down on me.

"Come dear child, I'm the Prince of Dreams as well as the moon. I've come to explain everything to you."

Gently, I opened my eyes. In front of me was the same handsome stallion I'd seen just earlier. His kind face beamed and me, and I realized I was in a grassy glen rather than my room.

"So this is a dream then? And you're a prince huh? I knew I was going mad, but to create a new prince in my mind…." I sighed.

"Not a new prince, a reformed one. I'm Midnight Colt, but you might know me better as Prince Artemis. Like I said, I've come to explain." He smiled softly, seeing the confusion and fear on my face. "Tonight sees the beginning of the end; the very thing everypony has been waiting for. We will revolt, hundreds of us. I ask that you join us in our quest for freedom."

"But… if you really are the prince, you already rule. Why jeopardize that?" I ask in confusion.

He frowned, seeming ashamed and beaten down. "I have ruled terribly for many years, and I wish to fix that. I cannot undo what I have done, but I can still fight for the future." Looking me in the eye, he said gravely, "You have but a few minutes to decide. Will you join us or stay in the castle like a duchess while the rest of the nation suffers?"

Artemis had always been my favorite of the princes; he had always been the kindest and the most willing to accept ponies. But even so, he hadn't been much better than his brother and nephew. I glanced at him and the answer became clear.

"My parents died fighting for the freedom of Equestria. I owe it to them to fight. You're cause is noble, and I will join."

I was suddenly awoken from my dream by the shattering of glass. A red mare with a blonde mane stood over me in an instant.

"Are… are you going to hurt me?" I asked, scared silly.

"Eeyup. I sure am sorry lady." She turned around and kicked me in the head. I was stuffed into a bag as the world went black.