Twilight had saved the most painful trial for last today. The three mares brought to her throne were barely visible in the setting sunlight. Twilight looked down on the three with sorrow and contempt in equal measure.
She’d chosen to do this particular judgement in Celestia’s old throne room. The floor bore new carpeting (she didn’t remember ordering that) that matched the lavender tone of her own coat. White stars lined the dark purple trim, and the sunset cast the colors of the mosaic windows upon the guards and on the three criminals before her.
Twilight hadn’t visited the place personally for longer than a glance in over 20 years - ever since that fateful day when the three princesses of equinity gave Twilight their power, in a desperate (though ultimately successful) bid to keep it out of Tirek’s hands and to destroy him.
Their actions had saved all of Equestria.
Her greatest regret was that she’d been unable to save them in turn.
The orange mare spat on her throne.
… Well. One of the greatest.
The guard next to her throne stepped forward. “You stand accused of treason against the Princess of Equestria. How do you plead?”
The orange mare scowled. “I don’t.”
Twilight’s eyes narrowed. “He means ‘do you admit your guilt or n-?”
“I KNOW WHAT HE MEANS, TWILIGHT!!” The criminal strained against her bindings as she yelled, desperate to break free.
“Princess Twilight.”
She laughed. “You’re no Princess of mine.”
“You will not even attempt to ask for mercy, then.” Twilight sighed and leaned back on her throne. “Prepare them for execution.”
“... Wait.” The yellow one raised an eyebrow. “Dy’all not know who we are?”
"The leaders of this little rebellion."
The white one shook her head. "No, she means... you don't recognize us? Our faces?"
Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Should I?”
“You killed our sisters!”
Twilight leaned forward and signaled to her guards to wait. “Your rebellion has forced me to kill many sisters, dear. You’ll have to be more specific.”
The yellow mare pulled against her binds. “Applejack.”
“RAINBOW DASH!!!”
“Rarity!”
Twilight blinked, suddenly seeing the three in a new light. Bright yellow coat, red hair with a beat up old hat… pink bow in that hat…
Orange pegasus with a magenta mane… Slightly stunted wings, but otherwise lithe and athletic…
Pristine white coated unicorn with multicolored mane…
Twilight’s eyes widened. “You three…”
Scootaloo’s fury only seemed to grow. “Oh NOW you recognize us!”
Twilight was very still now. “I… I thought you died when Tirek destroyed Ponyville… you… you’re all…”
“No.” Sweetie spoke up. “Just the three of us. We were lucky."
“I... um...I see you three got your cutie marks.” Twilight cleared her throat. “Well done.”
“What are you- … oh. Right.” Applebloom looked to the others, smiling wistfully. “Cutie Mark Crusaders. We were so desperate fer ours we started the whole thang. Remember?”
“That was a long time ago, ‘Bloom.” Scootaloo’s glare was fixed on Twilight.
Twilight sighed and stood up from her throne, trotting down to the three chained mares. “Yes.” She agreed. “None of you are the innocent little fillies you used to be.” She glanced at Applebloom. “You’re an inventor now, I hear. Bit of a departure from the farm.”
Applebloom’s flank was marked by a gear, hanging off of a tree branch by its stem. She didn’t actually say anything.
Twilight looked to Sweetie Belle. “Between you and me… I always thought you’d be a singer. And I was right.”
Sweetie Belle had a microphone. Around it swirled green magical sparkles in the vague shape of a treble clef. Twilight presumed she was responsible for all the music-based magic they had encountered as of late - she was quite the talent. Twilight wished she’d had a chance to mentor young Sweetie in such spells… There was so much she could have…
…The past is past.
She finally turned to match Scootaloo’s glare with her own mask of indifference. “You, on the other hoof… I thought you’d be an athlete.”
A blood red hoof stuck straight up on her flank, striking a chain so hard that it shattered. Behind the hoof was a stylized black A.
“A born rebel was the last thing I expected.”
“A lot can change when everyone you know and love dies because of someone you thought was a friend.” Scootaloo said coldly.
Twilight’s face fell. She sighed as her wings fell to her side. Tirek had been the greatest threat Equestria had seen in a long time. Even with the power of four alicorns, Twilight had not been able to stop Tirek from blowing up Ponyville. For a moment, the battle had stopped, and Tirek declared the two at an impasse. He had held her friends hostage, and offered a trade: she got her magic, or her friends would all die.
Twilight had called his bluff.
On the one hand, she’d been right: he was bluffing. And his death returned the magic he’d stolen to its rightful owners.
On the other, he had plenty of power and time to kill her friends before she destroyed him. She'd miscalculated there.
Luna, Celestia and Cadence were trapped in Tartarus for weeks before Twilight and the royal guard finally broke through the plane’s barriers. By that point, it was too late - all three had died. Twilight had done her best since then to rebuild Equestria.
She hadn’t expected to need to deal with this ever again. “Scootaloo, there was nothing I could do to save Ponyville, nor Rai-”
“DON’T YOU LIE TO ME!” Scootaloo threw herself against her chains, straining to reach the Princess. “YOU LET HER DIE!!”
Twilight’s eyes flashed, and Scootaloo was slammed to the ground.
Almost immediately she felt a twinge of regret. Scootaloo had never been the most diligent student, but she was still Twilight’s. For however brief a time...
“Scootaloo.” Twilight said quietly, trying to put care and respect into her tone, though even as it left her mouth she knew it sounded condescending, “You know if there’d been another way, I would’ve-”
“There was a way.” Scootaloo’s anger had drained a little. “But you didn’t even try it.”
“Tirek was bluffing. He would’ve taken my magic and killed them just the same.”
“Or he could’ve done exactly what he said.” Scootaloo’s face turned up, and Twilight saw her tears. “Why didn’t you even try?”
Twilight’s face fell once more. She’d wondered that herself, for a long time.
“......... Because Equestria is more important than anypony’s happiness. Yours, Applebloom’s, Scootaloo’s…”
Scootaloo snarled, anger building again. “How can you say that? THEY WERE YOUR FRIENDS!!”
“Yes.” Twilight said quietly. “My happiness isn’t important either.” She trotted down the steps before her throne to look each of them in the eyes. “To business. The three of you stand accused of high treason to the crown of Equestria. Treason that lead to the deaths of 4,335 ponies, 212 Zebras and six gryphons. Do you deny it?”
Applebloom glanced up. “We din’t mean for Manehattan t’happen, Twilight.”
“But it did.”
Applebloom looked down. “Yeah.”
Sweetie couldn't look her in the eye either. "We're sorry."
Twilight snorted. “Fantastic. I’m sure they’re so deeply thankful that you’re all so sorry.” Twilight paced before them. Enough of memory lane. She had a trial to finish. “Your rebellion - and I hesitate to call it a rebellion, as that implies legitimacy that you did not have - has destabilized our nation to an unacceptable degree. The numbers I gave were for your direct actions. Indirectly you’ve also gotten the Gryphon kingdoms eyeing us up like a slab of raw meat. They’ve been skirting our borders, testing our strength. How many ponies do you think die in those skirmishes?”
Sweetie Belle shuffled her hooves, looking away.
“So you don’t deny it?”
They didn’t say anything.
“This wasn’t some crusade of yours gone wrong. You toyed with lives, you lied to young ponies to leave their families and die for your cause. Do you know how many fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers, grandparents, and children want your heads? You saw the mob outside, they were ready to kill you where you stand.”
By now tears were appearing on Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle’s faces. Scootaloo, however, just remained silent.
“Your sisters would be ashamed of what you had done. And deep down you three know it,” whispered Twilight as she turned away and lowered her head. “If you had come to me. If I knew you three were alive…” Twilight trailed off. The crusaders said nothing for a long time.
Then she sighed. “It doesn’t matter now. Your crimes cannot be overlooked.” Twilight looked up.
“... For the pain you three have brought others, there is no absolution.” She turned around. “But you were close to me once. Sweetie Belle and Applebloom, you are sentenced to life in prison.”
Applebloom perked up. “Wait. What about…”
“Scootaloo is a rebel. She cannot change that, and I cannot tolerate it even in a prison.” Twilight said quietly without turning around. “She will be executed via hanging tomorrow morning.”
Scootaloo simply glared at her.
“HAY NO!” Applebloom yelled, throwing herself forward so hard she cracked her nose on the steps.
Twilight turned her head around. “Excuse me?”
“No way do ah get to live while one of mah best friends dies!”
Sweetie was glaring now as well. “We’re the Crusaders. We live together. We die together.” Sweetie’s scowl deepened. “Whether you’re the one to kill us or not.”
Twilight blinked.
Scootaloo tried to shake her head. “No, you two can’t-”
Sweetie shook her head more successfully. “You’re not talking us out of this, Scootaloo.”
“But-”
“Butts are fer ashtrays.”
Twilight blinked again as all three of the Crusaders looked her in the eyes.
… Something old and familiar sparked in her.
She knew those eyes.
“............ Unfortunate.” Twilight said coldly. “I cannot allow a rebel in my territory, imprisoned or no. So my only recourse is to execute all three of you.”
Scootaloo’s eyes grew livid.
“Good-bye, Crusaders.”
While the crusaders had lost their homes and been traitors to all of Equestria, they still had friends and family who wished to pay their final dues. Twilight had allowed it, for those uninvoled in their rebellion. She had arranged a small private funeral for all 3.
Twilight looked upon the gathered mourners as they milled out of the funeral home. She couldn’t remember most of the Apple family’s names, but she did see a few familiar faces. What was that one’s name? Broadburn? No, that wasn’t it… She sighed and shook her head. That life was over for her anyway.
One of her guards moved up next to her. That one, she remembered… er… wait... It was uh…
“All is prepared as you asked, Princess. The fake caskets are ready to be buried.”
“Thank you, Lone Star.”
Lone Star, that was it!
He hesitated. Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Yes?”
“... I don’t understand.” He bowed his head. “I do not require more explanation than you give me, but… why are we faking their deaths?”
Twilight was quiet a moment, then looked up to the caskets. “The life I had with them is over now. But...” Her face fell. “I… I couldn’t let it go entirely. Ponyville was the happiest time of my life. I… I didn’t want...” Twilight fell silent for a moment. “Just make sure their death certificates are valid. And… leave me.”
Lone Star didn’t say anything else as he slipped away.
Twilight had paid respects publicly, though she couldn’t really remember what she’d said. Something about how she would remember the fillies they once were?
It occurred to Twilight she was forgetting a lot lately. Maybe she should look into that.
She looked into each of the caskets. Applebloom had been laid to rest in a dress that matched her mane. Twilight had ordered her hat and bow taken away, and while she knew the younger mare would have gagged at the thought, she’d also been given pearl earrings. Her hooves were clasped together before her, and she may have looked for all the world like she were asleep.
Twilight’s horn glowed. Now came the hard part.
The memory spell.
“Your name is Dixie Flower.” Twilight intoned quietly. “You were born in Canterlot, but always hated the city. Recently, you decided to set out to the gryphon kingdoms. You learned that the village of Brokebeak has recently lost its carpenter, and decided to offer your own talents to the task.” Twilight kissed Dixie’s forehead. “Good-bye.”
Next was Sweetie Belle. Twilight knew that Rarity would have been proud of how beautiful her little sister had become. She bore the peaceful smile of a serene angel, her white coat practically glowing. Whoever had done her make-up needed a raise. She wore a dress in deep purple that macthed her older sister’s mane. Unlike Ap- Dixie, Sweetie didn’t carry any personal mementos, so there was nothing to remove.
“Your name is Angel Tone.” Twilight intoned once more. “You grew up with your single father Elusive. While you don’t know where your father is, you know he loves you and lives in the Gryphon Kingdoms now. He sends you a regular stipend. Your singing career failed to take off in Manehattan as you wished, but you did hear of an opportunity for a good gig in the Gryphon Kingdoms’ capital.” She kissed her forehead as well. “Good-bye.”
She would have given Dixie the same stipend in her backstory, but Applebloom would never have accepted such a thing. She was like Applejack, in a way - they wanted to work for what they had. Angel would find that her career would take a swift and easy path to the top.
… Now for Scootaloo.
The angry scowl was still on her face. In contrast to her two friends, she actually wore a suit to her casket (on her own request - Twilight wasn’t too clear on why, but who was she to judge?)
“.... Your name is…” Twilight hesitated. “... Dash. You decided long ago it was your destiny to tear down the established order. All your life, you’ve hated the Gryphon Kingdoms. Not because of the gryphons, mind, but because of the monarchy that it establishes and maintains. While you were sad to leave your friends Angel Tone and Dixie Flower behind, you know they could never be happy on the battlefield, and you could never be happy while they live under such rule. You still visit, and they are always your friends.” She kissed her forehead. “Good-bye.”
Her eyes flashed, and she addressed all three. “Your memories are as I have said them. All else is for you to decide upon awakening.” Her magic washed over the three mares.
Mares Twilight still saw as three little fillies, pulling off insane stunts and wild escapades to find their destinies.
Twilight hadn't been entirely truthful with Lone Star. It was true that she didn't want to destroy all that was left of the happiest time of her life, but that wasn't what had stopped her. What had really given her pause was the fact that - even with all that had changed - the Crusaders were still as close as she remembered them. They were friends before they got their marks, they were friends after.
Twilight may be the Princess of Ponykind now, but she had ascended as the Princess of Friendship. And this one was too beautiful to let die.
The real caskets were taken away, and Twilight trotted back to her castle, her expression resolute. She did not speak to anypony.
Only when she had returned to her bedchamber and locked the door behind her did she finally let her mask fall.
Princess Twilight Sparkle was alone.
She fell to the ground and began to sob.
