"Guards, seize this traitor immediately!" Celestia commanded the two guards in the room. However, neither of them made a move to do as she commanded and just stood where they were making malicious chuckles to each other which made the former princess confused and nervous. "What's the meaning of this?! This stallion is a traitor!"
"These aren't your guards, dear auntie," Jewelius mockingly told her. "They're mine. I'm afraid most of the ponies under former captain Shining Armor's command suffered some pretty serious injuries during the changeling invasion. While we tried to care for them in the castle's medical wing, unfortunately most of them did not make it." This revelation caused the imprisoned heroes to gasp in horror, a reaction that made Jewelius smile. "Allow me to explain the details."
Jewelius remembered sitting in his new throne room shortly after exiling the heroes. He sat on the throne that had once belonged to his aunt with a proud and satisfied smile on his face.
"This day has been just perfect!" he said to himself before turning to his assistant. "By the way Vivian, have you taken care of that little task I asked?"
"Yes sire," the grayish mare answered handing him a scroll. "Hildread and I investigated all the guards recovering in the medical wing after the attack. These are the ones still swearing their loyalty to the princesses."
Jewelius opened the scroll and read through it. The scroll looked to be at least four feet long. After a moment, Jewelius decided he had read enough and a smile with wicked intent formed on his face.
"Well then they're the ones who will be the casualties of this terrible disaster," Jewelius declared.
"It's a shame," Vivian commented with a hint of remorse in her voice. "Those are some fine stallions and mares. This will decrease the numbers in the Royal Guard significantly."
"No matter," Jewelius apathetically replied. "I'm sure there are some ponies locked up in the dungeons who will be more than happy to help solve this issue for the right price." The usurper couldn't help but let out a small cruel chuckle at his latest idea before handing the list back to Vivian. "Go speak with Hildread. You know what to do next."
"Yes sire," she confirmed bowing her head before turning to complete her dark new task.
"A new Royal Guard for a new ruler of Equestria!"
Once he was done, horror and devastation donned the prisoners' faces, specifically Celestia and Shining Armor. So many innocent ponies who had sworn themselves to serving both of them had senselessly lost their lives because of their loyalty and replaced with the scummiest of ponykind. While both the former captain and princess were furious at this crime Jewelius had committed, they couldn't help but feel responsible as well. Flawless Glow was horrified. She kept listening in.
"You... had..." Celestia struggled to say.
"So many of our loyal guards murdered?!" Shining finished while shedding a tear of anger and sorrow. Most of the guards he had under his command were his friends and some of them he even treated as family.
"Don't worry," Jewelius said taking pleasure in their misery. "The new guards aren't that bad. With the right motivation they're quite loyal and effective."
"Beats rotting down here for the rest of our lives," one of the new thug-turned-guards commented before he and his partner burst into hysterical laughter.
"You Snake!" AJ yelled angrily. The rest of her friends shot hateful glares at the smug usurper. "How were you able to fool Twilight when Chrysalis wasn't?"
"Simple," Jewelius replied. "I did the one thing none of YOU did. I listened to her and gave her the benefit of the doubt. I was THERE for her! I was her friend!"
"I'm not busy with anything at the moment. Would you like to tell me about it?"
"If it makes you feel any better, I have also noticed some rather out-of-character moments in her behavior."
"Remember Twilight, if you need anything, just come and find me."
"Be careful who you think you can trust. I fear someponies may not be what they seem."
"This is probably just a huge misunderstanding."
"I'm… I'm so sorry. Truly I am."
"But after you all broke her heart and abandoned her at the wedding rehearsal, she became a lot easier to manipulate. And now, I have her completely under my control. I didn't even need to use a mind control spell either!" Jewelius proudly boasted.
Spike glared at the arrogant usurper and growled like an angry animal.
"You… you used my sister, and the changelings!" an enraged Shining Armor growled. "You're responsible for all of this!"
"Whoa, calm down," Jewelius mocked the stallion. "I didn't manipulate any of you into making yourselves look like fools. You chose to believe the lies of an imposter over the one pony who made any real sense during all that stupid nonsense. And in the end, Twilight was right about everything. Well, except one thing: she thought all of you were her friends! Now THAT couldn't had been farther from the truth!" Then Jewelius burst into cruel and hysterical laughter. Hildread joined him. Vivian continued standing silently and obediently at his side.
The cruel laughter struck the prisoners in their hearts like daggers. He was right. Because they refused to listen to reason, they destroyed their relationships with Twilight, they let an army of changelings nearly take over Canterlot, and they had given a conniving traitor the means to usurp control over all of Equestria.
"How does it feel to know just how much damage you've caused?" Jewelius asked in a sadistic and mocking tone.
"Jewelius! What about Cadance?" an angry Celestia demanded to know.
"Don't worry, auntie," Jewelius said sinisterly. "I'm making sure she's getting special treatment for her wounds."
Jewelius remembered earlier that day, he was in the medical wing watching Cadance, who was strapped to a hospital bed, being painfully electrocuted by a group of doctors involved in his plot with some sort of lightning generating machine, which was connected to her horn by a jumper cable, while he watched with an evil and sadistic grin.
The prisoners were extremely horrified to hear this. Especially Shining Armor and Celestia. Flawless Glow couldn't believe it.
"Sadly, it doesn't look like she's going to make it," he said with false sympathy. "I may have been able to turn Twilight and all of Canterlot against you, but they still remained faithful to Cadance. So I set up this little accident to finish her off for good while pretending to do everything within my power to save her."
"I don't understand," Celestia said greatly shocked and disappointed. "The nephew I raised would never be so cruel to anypony, especially his own family!"
"The nephew you thought you raised never existed!" Jewelius angrily yelled at her. "Love, family, friendship! You think I really cared about all of that?! I only choked down all those 'happy' moments while standing in yours and Cadance's shadows! But no more. Now I will be the only one who will cast the biggest shadow!"
"There's still one thing I don't understand," a confused Fluttershy spoke. "Why are you making the rest of ussuffer if it was the princesses you wanted gone?"
"It was nothing personal really," the vile traitor replied. "Most of you were in the wrong place at the wrong time. However, there was 'who would possibly want to do anything that could ruin such a glorious event like the wedding of the wonderful Princess Mi Amore Cadenza'," he mockingly mimicked Rarity's line in a deplorable immature tone of voice. "Let's just say what you all said that time didn't sit too well with me."
"You're Mad!" Rarity yelled.
"But I do have some good news," Jewelius announced. "There will be a wedding eventually after all. It took awhile, but my dear student, Twilight, has agreed to become my queen!" The prisoners' all gasped in horror at this news. "Love is in bloom," the usurper jokingly commented. "And none of you will be bridesmaids this time. With a powerful unicorn like her by my side, we will produce offspring that will continue my glorious legacy!"
"YOU STAY AWAY FROM MY LITTLE SISTER!" Shining roared in absolute rage and tightly clenched the bars of his cell.
"Sorry Shining," Jewelius mocked the furious stallion. "But your sister and I don't need your blessing to get married. And I had your parents secretly put someplace safe for a little leverage incase Twilight somehow turns against me. Twilight Sparkle will be my queen! That is unless I find another more powerful unicorn. Then I might have to stage a little accident."
Shining gridded his teeth with murderous intent in his eyes.
"You're a real dirt bag! You know that?" Pinkie angrily insulted the smug usurper. But he just smirked at her.
"What are you going to do?" Jewelius mockingly asked. "If you still had Twilight on your side, you might've stood a chance. But without her, you're nothing! Sad, isn't it?"
The prisoners bowed their heads in sadness. He was right. Without Twilight, they had no hope of winning. But because of their betrayal, she was no longer there for them when they needed her. Just like they weren't there for her when she needed them.
"You will all be sent back to where you were exiled," Jewelius announced. "But this time, security will be heightened to make sure none of you escape again. Except for you, Aunt Celestia. You have been sentenced to death, and are to be executed tonight."
"WHAT!" they all said in absolute horror.
"Shouldn't she have a trial first?" Spike asked.
"We already had one earlier today," Jewelius replied. "And the verdict is guilty. Guilty of the one unforgiveable crime: betrayal!"
"You won't get away with this!" Fluttershy angrily declared.
"Oh, I already have!" Jewelius smugly retorted. Then he, Vivian, and Hildread all turned and left the prisoners to think about what they just learned.
"JEWELIUS!" Celestia shouted furiously back at her traitorous nephew, but he did not answer.
Flawless Glow was in total panic! She quickly snuck out successfully and flied from Canterlot to Baltimare. She heard word of an army from Tamriel led by the Emperor and his brother.
"I need to warn the Emperor and tell him to setup a garrison in Ponyville!" She said as she was flying as quickly as she could.