The Day The Murder Appears
"Present the criminals to the Court, please."
The prisoners of the crime stumbled their way into the court, bloodshot eyes, on a few of them. The rest were either drowsy, sleepy, or just plain peeved. They stood in a line, Twilight, Celestia, Luna, and Cadence staring at them with tears. "State your names." they heard.
"...Cutting Blade." a pony said. Blade was a bright red pony, covered in darker blood. His eyes filled with black sags, his hoofs strained and in pain from struggle, and lack of water in his mouth. His voice sounded in pain, crying for more water, and he was on his crumbling knees.
"Iris Chrome." another pony said. She was lime green, covered in blood from flank to face. Her voice sounded like she was crying, and she still was. "I'm so sorry..." She said, only to be kneed to the side by Blade. Her cry in pain was heard, and she fell over, pushing the other prisoners to the ground with her.
"Shut it, you knucklehead! You'll get us sent to the dungeon again!" He whispered. A spear was found right near his vocal chords, as a guard growled at him. "Keep your mouth shut, criminal scum! Your lucky your in Ponyville Court. The Crystal Empire Jury would've had your head from the very start." He yelled.
Blade growled quietly, not wanting to be pierced. Iris slowly stumbled her way up, and getting right back on her knees. Twilight was about to interrupt, but Luna held out a hoof in response. "Not yet, Sparkle. We must wait." She said.
Twilight only sighed and laid back into her chair, tears falling down to her cheeks. She wasn't expecting sixty ponies to die. All from four of these criminal leaders and their friends. "N-next pony." Twilight stuttered.
The pony stood up, his orange mane in the way. "Midnight Dust." He said, his voice dry. His voice was teenage, and it made every pony very shocked. His blue skin and his green eyes visible. "Y-you...your..." Twilight couldn't finish, as Midnight Dust nodded.
"Young, 15 years old. I understand, Princess." He said, before kneeling once more. The last one was so shocking, their was no way she was part of this. She stood up, her height barely changing, as she spoke in a child-like voice. "Party Stw-weamers." She stuttered.
Streamers looked like she was the age of five, her pink rosey body with a pink and red bow, and her eyes full of tears. "M-my mommy told me to say sowwy. I'm sowwy." She said, her eyes never leaving the ground.
Twilight's and Cadence's heart couldn't help but melt from the sight, but Celestia and Luna remained unharmed. "So, Blade, Iris, Dust, and Streamers were the criminals behind the crime?" Celestia asked her guard.
"Unfortunately so, your honor. We weren't able to get much information, but thankfully, the young one gave us some vital information." A guard said.
"Like what?"
"Well, your honor," said the guard, reading the evidence from another. "the little one said that her father, Blade, would ask her to get any pony to follow her home to safety. She would always run out into Ponyville and cry to get ponies attention. Many ponies would take them into safety, and in return, be surrounded in politeness and generosity. But when their ready to leave the green one would always beg for help downstairs, saying that theirs something she can't carry. After that, the little one said she has no idea what happens next, but she does say that they don't return."
"And we assume that after that, Iris, Blade, and Dust kill the grouped ponies, am I correct?" Celestia asked, her brow raised in questioning.
"Not assume, we know. We checked the hidden rooms to find...that." He shuddered from the memory.
"And what about the rest of them?" Celestia asked.
"Assassins. As soon as someone find out about the secret, the family would ask one of the assassins to hunt them down and keep quiet." He explained.
"That does explain the sudden deaths in Ponyville. Very well. Before we come to conclusions, do any of you have any objections?" Celestia asked.
All of them were silent, all except Streamers. She looked up at the Princesses with pure fear and sadness as she said, "Pwease don't hurt my Daddy. Pwease don't hurt my Mommy. Pwease don't hurt my Burbur! Pwease! I'm Sowwy!"
This almost made Celestia rethink her decision, until..."Shh!" Blade said, raising his hoof as if he was threatening his own daughter to hurt her. Streamers wimpered quietly and nodded at his sudden outburst, and Celestia's anger returned. She would say death, but she couldn't do it without Streamers drowning in her own tears, so she sighed and rethought her decision. "Blade, you are sentenced to life in the dungeon. Iris, you are sent to 30 years in dungeon. Dust, you are sent to three years of Jury duty, and Streamers is free to go. Her family relatives will pick her up from here." She said.
Before she could seal the case, she heard a faint laugh. "You gone soft, Celestia." She heard Blade say. "I knew it. Couldn't even kill me even if it was the right decision."
"Shut it! Now, hurry up." the guard said, shoving him forward, back into the dungeon. The rest left quietly and the court was immediately deserted.
~Hours Later~
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Luna walked through the halls to check on Celestia. Right after the court session, Celestia's having a hard time focusing on her duties. She made her way through Canterlot to find Celestia looking out at the stars. "Sister, is something the matter?" Luna asked, worry not found in her voice.
Celestia jumped a little, but regained her posture. "Sorry, just thinking about the little filly from the court earlier." She said, rubbing the side of her head in a circular motion.
"Theirs nothing to be afraid of, sister. She is fine at home." Luna said, but Celestia shook her head. She looked at luna, and their was fear. Fear that none was able to see until now. She was scared, but what is she scared of? "It's not that, it's my little ponies. Do you think I've been doing well?" She asked, her fear rising.
"Yes, sister! I think you've been doing well!" Luna said, trying to console her, but Celestia repaid her with a broken heart.
"Have you thought what the ponies have been doing behind our backs, sister?!" She yelled, her pupils shrinking into madness. "What if they always been doing this?! Is it my fault that I can't control them?! Is it my fault I descended into kindness and...madness to the point where I can't seem to punish a pony responsibly?!"
"Tia!!" Luna yelled back, trying her hardest to console the out-of-control princess. "Thou have not cared about that before. Why should thy care now?"
"They kill!! We haven't any pony killed before since the extinction of humans!! Have I done something wrong sis?" Celestia asked Luna in a scared tone. The Princess of the Night was not expecting the Ruler of Equestria to panic so quickly. Luna sighed and shook her head. "It's not what you have done, sis. It is what you are doing." She said.
"I do not follow, Luna."
"You were kind and responsible, and you let these ponies out on the slap of the wrist. Maybe you shouldn't let these ponies off so easy." Luna said to her. Celestia only stared at her in shock. "M-maybe your right, Luna. But I haven't got any sleep yet. Thank you." She said.
Luna smiled a little, before turning away and disappearing through the door. Celestia stood on the balcony long and hard. Her wings were close to her sides, shaking and trembling from earlier. "Maybe I do need to be stricter. But how much stricter?" She asked herself.
She looked at her room to see paper and a feather pen. Celestia nodded to herself and went to the feather pen and paper. Her magic grasped the pen and wrote the note down quickly.
News to all around Equestria.
Starting today, a new law has been ordered. Any pony who have been caught in the act of the wrong doing, will be severely punished for their crimes. Any rebellion will be found dead, and all crime is now personally held by royalty themselves. Please, welcome the new law: *The Solar Empire Law.***
She nodded when her quill stopped writing, and she quickly rolled it up. She went to her front door to see two guards standing at their post. "Spear. I need you to take this to Ponyville Goverment and tell them the new law." She said.
"What is it, your majesty?" He asked, his curiosity getting the best of him.
"Worry not, as you'll see this for yourself." She said. Spear quickly ran off, leaving his former friend. He looked up at Celestia, his armor clanking a bit. "Your Highness, are you okay?"
"I am, but don't fret, I'm not hurt in anyway." She said. The guard nodded, and went back to standing. She quickly shut her door, and resting upon her bed. "I'm sure every pony will agree to this." She said to herself.
But what if they don't, Tia? You sure this is the right thing to do? Her mind started to think negatively, and she scowled.
"My little ponies will be just fine. I'm sure of it." She said, but little did she know...
...this was the Rise of the Solar Empire.
