THE GODMARE
By BrastaAura17
Disclaimer: All copyrighted characters, events and places mentioned are the property of Hasbro, Lauren Faust, and Mario Puzo.
BOOK ONE: Chapter I
It was a hot, muggy day in Canterlot. Mares fainted and fanned themselves, while stallions simply wandered uncomfortably around the streets of the city, searching for shelter. However, despite the heat, the streets still resounded with the chattering of ponies great and small. The hustle and bustle of the crowds grew louder and louder along the Old Barley, the street which was home to Canterlot’s Central Criminal Court.
But within the proud structure, the sounds of the city could not be heard. A tense silence reigned within the court, while Rarity Belle sat and waited for a sweet serving of justice.
She waited for vengeance on the colts who had tried to dishonour her sister.
The Recorder of Canterlot, Lord Solitaire Courser, glared down at the two teenage colts on the other side of the bar, his muzzle twisted in an expression of disgust. Rarity allowed herself a smile at this; obviously, the judge seemed to be on her side. Justice would be served to those... brutes.
“You acted like the absolute worst of scum.” The judge noted in a harshly matter-of-fact tone, pushing down the spectacles he wore as if he could glare over them better than through them. Rarity silently nodded her head in agreement, her own piercing glare directed towards the colts. Filthy brutes, the both of them. They acted like beasts, they should be treated as beasts.The two colts, coats brushed, heads submissively lowered and eyes downcast, sat where they were silently, keeping up their pretence of being repentant criminals. Not that Rarity believed their act for a minute.
“You acted like wild hydras, like dumb brutes with no self control whatsoever; and you may count yourselves very fortunate that you did not sexually molest the poor filly, or I would not hesitate to throw you in Belmarsh Tacky Prison to rot for twenty years." The judge paused, his eyes darting towards Rarity for a few seconds before jumping back to the two colts. He sighed, and stood up from the bench with a smile that was trying to be apologetic, but somehow didn’t quite make it. Rarity’s leaned forward in her seat, her every nerve tensed as she waited for the sentence...
However, what came out of the judge's mouth next was the last thing she expected.
“But, due to your previously impeccably clean records, your foolish youthfulness, and the good names of your families...” The judge said, glancing towards two pairs of well-dressed unicorns in the audience, “and because the laws of Equestria are inspired by harmony, not vengeance, I hereby sentence you to five years in TH’s Prison Felthay, sentence suspended immediately.” And with the echoing bang of a gavel, all Rarity’s hopes faded away to nothingness.
Only years’ worth of practice trying to be a cool, calm, and collected lady prevented Rarity from leaping over to the would-be molesters and strangling them with a spool of ribbon she had brought to put in Sweetie Belle’s hair at her visit to see her in the hospital earlier that day. Her beautiful, innocent sister was still in a hospital bed, with her face bruised and both her front legs broken, while these... these hellions went free? This was not justice, she knew; the colts’ families were likely bribing or blackmailing the judge, she knew as well. She turned away in disgust as the happy parents stepped forward and embraced their pure, spotless sons, smiling all the way. Oh, how Rarity wanted to wipe those saccharine smiles off their faces.
As she watched the two colts strutted towards the exit of the courtroom, their faces set in smug smiles that repulsed Rarity ever more than those of their parents. As they passed by Rarity’s side of the court, the colts glanced towards Rarity with looks of pure arrogance. They knew they, not her, had triumphed today, and they did not hesitate one bit to let it show. Their parents briefly looked over at Rarity as well, their eyes at least showing hints of remorse for their sons’ actions. But that wasn’t good enough for Rarity; remorse would not pay Sweetie’s medical bills. Remorse would not undo the damage that had emotionally and physically traumatised her poor sister. Remorse wasn’t worth one ounce of true justice.
Rarity twitched in her seat as her eyes narrowed menacingly. I will make sure you will cry instead of smile. I will make damn sure that you will be weeping pathetically like defenceless fillies. Just you wait. The colts’ barristers took notice of her wrathful gaze, and prudently hurried their clients out of the court as fast as possible. A couple of guards stood watchfully nearby, as if waiting for her to attack the defendants. But there was really no point in this. They all knew that she had lost.
Rarity had originally moved to Canterlot with Sweetie Belle to be near Twilight, her best friend and the newly-crowned Princess of Equestria, and to expand her business. But despite her influence as both the Element of Generosity, a friend of the princess, and one of the largest fashion designers in Canterlot, she had not the power to influence the Equestrian Courts and Tribunals Service, and all its bloated, greedy bureaucrats. That power could only be legally be relegated to top-notch barristers and solicitors; and more specifically, the people who doled them out the largest pay cheques. With a sigh, she looked to her own barrister, Light Charmer, whose expression of pain was the most genuine one she had seen all day. Rarity looked despondently down at the papers on her attorney’s desk and said firmly,“I’m afraid we have no choice. If we want justice for the crimes against my sister, we must go kneeling and begging to Donna Smith Apple.”
