Beads of water dripped down from the ceiling onto my forehead. I woke up in a cold sweat, trying to remember just what happened me before I blacked out. The Doctor used a stunning spell, a powerful one too. How long has it been since then? I stumbled as I tried to stand up on all four hooves, but only managed to limply bring myself up.
Where was I? I could only see shadows flickering back and forth on the walls by the dim light of a single candle centered in the room. I could see that the walls were moss laden and moist from the leaking ceiling. To my back were iron bars and a door chained shut by a heavy lock.

A weak voice spoke from the shadows, "She's awake!"
A grey filly, about a year younger than me, strode into the circle of light. Her eyes were the shade of caramel brown, which reminded me of sweet toffee. Her flowing mane matched the color of her eyes, however, it was a tone lighter. Nevertheless, it only added to her innocent face. Her flank was void of a cutie mark, instead it was streaked with red lashes. She was a unicorn like me.
"So what got you thrown in here?" she asked.

"Here?" I said, dumfounded. I realized that this was no place anypony would want to be. I assumed that this was a crude cell of some sorts, but that was all I knew. "Well…"

I was about to tell her, but nightmares and screaming swirled in my head, and I thought against telling her the truth - I was ashamed to admit what I've done. "No reason," was all I could say.

Suddenly, a soothing but sad melody started to play from the dark corner. At first, it startled me, but then I became entranced by its mysterious beauty. I was unlike anything I have ever heard before, my mind went blank. The filly grabbed my hoof and tugged on it as she tried to pull me to the corner. "That's just Blue, my dad."
I approached the mysterious pony in the dark cautiously, making sure not to interrupt his music. As I stood near him I could make out his scraggly cyan mane and baby blue coat. Three little silver harmonicas etched his flank on either side, with smaller blue musical notes flying out of them. I was never exposed to this music, only the war chants and the King's anthem all unicorns were forced to remember by heart. This music was different from those, it calmed my heart and mind and made me forget about my sadness.

Blue played his last note and put down his instrument. He reached out his hoof to greet me, "The name's Blue, Blue Breeze, former performer."

I took his hoof, "You were amazing, Blue." I was truly awestruck by the fact that somepony could play music like that. It was an experience more than a mere performance, and I was about to ask for an encore if I hadn't realized my naiveté.

"Blue, where in Equestria are we?"

"Somewhere nopony would ever want to be," he said. He turned and looked into the flame of the candle, mind deep in thought "We're under the Grand Castle, prisons for holding unicorns until we're to be sent to questioning."

Questioning? What did they want to ask me? Oh, right.

"Someponies like us who just don't agree with this whole 'pure race' idea are sent down here for interrogation." He turned and started at me, "You understand, right?"

I nervously shifted my hooves around. I wonder if he doesn't like all purebloods.

His eyes moved back to the flame. "It's all so pointless. Everything is so pointless."

I stood silent, only listening and taking in his words.

"It'll be all right, daddy," said the filly, nuzzling her father with her snout, "we'll get out of here soon and we can go back home."

What was this? Blue could smile, even when in such a dire situation. Didn't he know about the terrible things these ponies were capable of? Of course he did! That's why he's down here! I pondered this thought; then, I realized. He wasn't smiling because of ignorance or bravery. Well in fact, quite the opposite. I could tell that deep within his mind he was concentrating to keep reality at bay. He knew exactly what they could do. He knew exactly what they would do. His knees were shaking ever so slightly, but they looked as if they would give away at any moment. But why did he continue this facade of smiles? The filly - he smiled because of the filly. Was this love? Could another pony really make another happy even in a time like this? Either way, I wouldn't know. I never had a real family.

For some reason, something inside me yearned to have somepony like that filly did. I was always so alone.

He embraced his daughter in his arms, "Don't worry, your mother and sister can't hurt you anymore." He saw my confused face and explained: "My wife, the Great and Powerful Garnet placed us in here once she found that our child wasn't a pureblood. She also took her twin." He took his eyes away from the flame and looked back at me with his golden eyes. "Some ponies are just too prideful; just too prideful in something not worth dying over."

I knew that this pony was a sweet, kind, and unfortunate father. If only he hadn't been in Canterlot in a time like this. He could have had a wonderful life anywhere but here. I felt shame that ponies like me, purebloods, would sink to such a low level. It wasn't the Other Ponies who were wrong, it was us. Now I was certain of this.

I heard metal hoofsteps outside of the cell, making loud rackets as they approached us. I saw Blue hug his child closer burying his face in her mane. I heard him whisper faintly: "It'll be all right, Aria. Don't be scared, be a strong brave filly now."

The hoofsteps grew closer. The noise grew louder.

"Daddy will always be here for you. Daddy will make everything okay."

I heard the wheezing of the prison guard approaching our cell.

"I love you, Aria, never forget that. Daddy will always love you."

Then everything stopped. A commander, armored in bronze and obsidian, took a key off his belt and opened the door to the cell. He was escorted by two armored ponies who stood stiff at his side, heads head high in the air.
"You, filly," the commander ordered, pointing at me, "go straight down the hall and up the stairs."

The first guard forcibly shackled my hooves in chains and lead me down step by step to stairs at the end of the long hallway.
"As for you two," he pointed to the two remaining ponies in the cell, "to the interrogation room, now."

They too were shackled and forced out, but were allowed to stay at each other's sides. Blue whispered lullabies into the ear of his child, attempting to calm her. The truth was the filly wasn't the slightest bit afraid. Her father promised her that they would be safe, and that they would return home happy as they were prior to their imprisonment. Her father had never lied to her.

The father and daughter trailed only a few feet behind me. As I looked around, left and right, I could see that every cell was empty. The only trace of prior inhabitants was the melted stubs of candles in each and every cell.

The first door to the left caught my eye. From a distance I could read the sign which hung outwards from the door: "Interrogation Room." This is where Blue would be questioned, I assumed. I took a few more steps and could now see what was in the room. My eyes grew wide in terror. This was no interrogation room. A masked pony stood in the room, holding in both his hooves a giant sharpened steel axe. There was a wooden table, raised vertically, with one leather restraint at neck-level. There was absolutely nothing else in that room.

Time seemed to slow down and stop for the next steps. I turned my head around, unable to take my eyes off of the father and daughter. My eyes were tearing up. "No. Please, don't let this happen." I saw Blue covering his daughter's eyes before stepping in to be 'interrogated'.

"Hooves over your ears, Aria," he told his daughter, "and don't open your eyes." His eyes were in tears, but forced himself to silence his sobs.

I saw him let go of his daughter and touch her for the last time. The little filly lay crouched in front of the door, with eyes shut tightly and hooves over her ears just as her father told her to do. She believed in her father. Her father wouldn't lie.

My head was jerked forward by the guard. I could only rely on sound for what was about to unfold behind me.

Clop. A step taken.

Slam. A body thrown.

Crack. Wood split by metal.

Thud. A body falling onto the floor.

Silence. Dead silence.

That's when the high-pitched screaming began. "Daddy? Daddy? No... DADDY! PLEASE NO! THIS CAN'T BE REAL. WAKE UP DADDY, WAKE UP!"

The filly's screams echoed as I climbed the stairs up into the light. Why did this happen? How could anypony do this?

Halfway up, I heard another crack. The screams ceased. I finished climbing the stairs crying for them and walked in

silence.