Punishment and Forgiveness
Author's Note
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Punishment and Forgiveness
Punishment and Forgiveness
by Jonathan “KnightMysterio” Spires
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Canterlot...
Royal court...
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The buzzing of nobles filled the room, unicorn, pegasus, and earth pony alike. All were clad in black robes, muting their normal colorful coats as they awaited the subject of this trial.
At the head of the court, three figures waited with grave air and sour expressions. One was a white unicorn with a blonde mane and tail, a compass star on his flanks and a bow tie and cravat around his neck. He was glaring at the pegasus next to him, a royal blue stallion with a red mane and tail, wearing a black suit coat and red necktie. An official-looking document adorned his flanks. Looking pensive and wishing she wasn't there was an earth pony mare, deep black with a white mane. On her flanks was a judge's gavel, and she wore a regal-looking robe.
“Let's get this farce over with,” the unicorn muttered.
“Prince Blueblood,” the pegasus said, irritated, “I'm surprised at you. You of all ponies should be questioning Celestia's judgment on this.”
“I question her on matters of commerce, Lord Frilled Shirt,” Blueblood said. “I question her on matters pertaining to the commoners and her spoiling of them. On matters of state? On matters of justice? I find no fault in her actions.”
“Then you're a fool,” Frilled Shirt snapped.
“Gentlecolts, please,” the earth pony said, holding up a hoof. “We are the highest nobles in the land, chosen by the people to represent our respective tribes. We should behave better than this.” She was silently glad that she was not between the two of them.
The two stallions glared at each other, but calmed down. “My apologies, Minister Tough Choice,” Blueblood said. “I simply do not see the need for this trial.”
“Which astonishes me,” Frilled Shirt said. “Princess Celestia has made a long string of foolish, risky decisions. This latest one is simply too much.”
Blueblood shook his head. “Let's just get this over with,” he muttered.
“Indeed,” Frilled Shirt said. “We have delayed FAR too long!”
Tough Choice nodded. “This meeting of the Noble Court of Canterlot is now in session!” she called out. “We meet today to launch an inquiry into the decision-making process of one half of the Most Noble Diarchy, Princess Celestia!”
There was a rumbling of murmurs from the gathered lords of the various houses. Tough Choice gestured to the door. “Guards, please allow her Highness to enter.”
The two unicorn guardsponies by the door nodded, their horns flaring and pulling open the massive golden doors of the hallway. Almost immediately, everypony in the room flinched.
Princess Celestia stood in the doorway. The alicorn was massive, compared to the other ponies in the room, tall and slender, with a long, pointed horn. Her wings, folded at her sides, added to her angelic appearance. Her coat was shining white, and her mane and tail were the color of a morning sunrise, flowing in an unseen breeze. Her regalia, a tiara-crown, peytral, and hoofcups, were golden, as shining as she was.
What made everyone flinch was her eyes.
Instead of the benevolent, kind gaze those magenta orbs usually held, her eyes were instead narrowed in utter irritation with everyone in the room. And for some reason, she was holding a large plush kangaroo in her magical aura.
“Erm... Your Highness, the kangaroo?” Tough Choice asked.
“I figured it was appropriate for this court,” Celestia said, the more loyal among the nobles flinching again. “And besides,” she added, “the staff in the royal gardens wouldn't let me take the real one.”
Frilled Shirt coughed. “Well... insult aside, I assure you that every charge in this case is legitimate. A fair and balanced judgment will be provided in this case.”
“Oh? Then why are you here?” Celestia taunted, Frilled Shirt visibly bristling, his wings flaring in anger. Celestia just sneered at him, and set the plush kangaroo, as large as a normal pony, down in front of her. The alicorn then lay down, using it as a legrest.
Frilled Shirt glared down at her. “Your Highness, please sit up for this,” he said. “These are serious charges.”
“Serious to you at least,” Celestia said. “I find this whole thing to be farcical.”
“You are showing disrespect to the Court,” Frilled Shirt growled.
Celestia glared at him. “And when has the Court ever shown respect for me? For centuries I have been trying to pass laws to allow educational reform, only to be stifled at every turn...”
“WE ARE NOT THE ONES WHO'S ACTIONS ARE IN QUESTION!” Frilled Shirt bellowed, taking to the air in his anger.
Celestia's eyes narrowed. “Calm down,” she ordered, her voice reverberating with the quiet force of it.
Frilled Shirt flinched, both Tough Choice and Blueblood forcing him to sit down. “If you seriously want to do this, idiot,” Blueblood muttered, “then calm down. Otherwise Trollestia here will provoke you into making a fool of yourself.”
“Please, Frilled,” Tough Choice said, “you do have a legitimate case. If you'd just be patient...”
“I'm fine, I'm fine...” Frilled Shirt growled. “Just... let's get on with it.”
“Please do,” Celestia said. “I've sacrificed precious time I could be spending with my sister before she sleeps to come to this joke of an inquiry.”
Tough Choice shook her head. “Your Highness, this is serious. There are serious questions about your judgment in play here.”
“About?” Celestia asked, already bored.
“The pardoning of Tempest Shadow,” Blueblood said, “and her subsequent assignment to Princess Twilight Sparkle's personal guard.”
Celestia rolled her eyes. She had seen this coming, and didn't even need one of her occasional prophetic dreams to do it. “And I assume other pardons I issued will be brought into question as well?”
Frilled Shirt nodded. “Indeed. The pardons of Starlight Glimmer, your treasonous former student Sunset Shimmer, the Changeling hive once under the control of Queen Chrysalis, Trixie Lulamoon, Discord, the Pony of Shadows, and the madmare Nightmare MoGGKKK!” Celestia's horn flared, a magical aura appearing around Frilled Shirt's throat and lifting him into the air.
Celestia's eyes had become a deep, fiery red, the irises becoming the color of fire. “I'm sorry. What was that you said about my sister whom I love more than my own life?” she said in a distressingly calm voice. The nobles of the Court pushed away from her in their seats, those closest to Celestia noticing that the temperature around her had gone up.
“Nothing!” Tough Choice said fearfully, glancing up at the struggling Frilled Shirt. “He said nothing!”
“Auntie, please!” Blueblood begged. “Calm down!”
Celestia closed her eyes, letting Frilled Shirt drop back into his seat. “I will tolerate no insult against my sister. She has proven herself time and again. You will not refer to her as Nightmare Moon unless you are referring to her favored 'costume' for Nightmare Night,” she said. Her eyes opened again, and they were back to normal, as was the temperature around her. “Do you understand?”
Frilled Shirt just nodded, his gaze a mix of anger and fear of the alicorn. “Yes, your Highness.”
“Good,” Celestia said, nodding. “As you can see, angering me causes my solar magic to flare, raising the temperature of the room. And I wouldn't want to incinerate Mr. Hoppity here.”
“Mr. Hoppity?” Blueblood asked, confused.
Celestia giggled, picking up the plush kangaroo and hugging it. “I find myself growing rather fond of my new friend here.”
Blueblood facehoofed.
“...To begin with,” Tough Choice said, deciding to move on, “the Court calls into question the wisdom of pardoning Tempest Shadow, who led the recent invasion and subsequent conquest of Equestria.”
“Fizzlepop Berrytwist,” Celestia said.
“...Excuse me?” Tough Choice asked.
“It's her real name. Fizzlepop Berrytwist,” Celestia explained, making her plush kangaroo dance around idly. “She's decided she wants to be known by that from now on.”
“...That is the cutest name ever,” Blueblood commented.
“Very well...” Tough Choice said hesitantly. “But the fact remains, that... Fizzlepop Berrytwist was involved in the subjugation of Equestria, for the purpose of stealing its most powerful magics, that of you and your fellow alicorns, for the use of the Storm King.”
“Yes... Poor girl,” Celestia said softy. “She's had a rather rough life. Amazing how strong she became to compensate for her missing horn.”
Frilled Shirt snarled. “What about the ponies she hurt? That she enslaved!? What about them?!”
Celestia nodded. “Certainly, I care about them as well. I've already authorized the funding necessary to rebuild damaged homes and replace any replaceable items lost in the various battles. As for Fizzlepop herself...”
“You have allowed Twilight Sparkle to take her in as a member of her personal guard!” Frilled Shirt said. “She BURNED Ponyville to the ground, and you're allowing her to protect it!”
“It was more Luna's idea, honestly,” Celestia said, smiling casually. “I wanted to assign her to my personal guard.”
Frilled Shirt's jaw dropped. Tough Choice, Blueblood, and several of the nobles in the room gave Celestia incredulous looks.
“...You cannot be serious,” Frilled Shirt said.
“She commanded an army that bested the military forces of every nation it came across,” Celestia said. “Why wouldn't I want her on our side?”
Frilled Shirt blinked. “Wait, you pardoned her for her military prowess?” he asked.
Celestia smirked. “What, you thought I only did things for friendship reasons?” she teased.
“...Maybe?” Frilled Shirt said, fidgeting uncomfortably.
Celestia sighed, shaking here head. “I am not that much of a sentimental fool,” she said. “Certainly, I feel sorry for the life that Fizzlepop has led, and I believe that working to redeem herself will be good for her. She is honestly penitent for her crimes, and regrets letting the Storm King use her for so long.” She looked directly at Frilled Shirt. “She is also a brilliant general and a masterful warrior. Princess Twilight has resisted starting her own personal guard for so long... by assigning Fizzlepop to her as a 'friendship student,' she'll be better protected.”
Blueblood nodded, understanding. “So you forgave her for practical reasons,” he said.
“Indeed,” Celestia said. “And if you'll let me, I can justify all of my pardons with logical reasoning.”
Frilled Shirt, Blueblood, and Tough Choice all conferred for a moment, and nodded. “Proceed, your Highness.”
Celestia sat up, looking over the crowd. “I have already explained my reasons for allowing the pardon of Fizzlepop Berrytwist, so let's move on to the next on the list – Starlight Glimmer. The fact that her name was brought up at all shows me that her actions both as the leader of the anti-Cutie Mark cult and her attempts to disrupt the timestream are known to you all.”
“Yes,” Frilled Shirt said. “She is dangerously unstable, and impossibly powerful...”
“And astonishingly brilliant as well,” Celestia said. “Executions are forbidden in Equestria, as they are an act of hatred that would contribute to the revival of the Windigos. That being said, locking her up would be impractical. With her brilliance, talent for innovation, and raw power, even with her horn suppressed, I believe that she would find a way to escape and continue her rampage. Pointing out the pettiness of her reasons behind her actions as well as helping to reform her has gained Equestria a powerful ally. Indeed, she was one of the ones responsible for saving all of us when the deposed Queen Chrysalis kidnapped us all. In addition, she helped Twilight, the Elements, and the Pillars permanently seal away the Pony of Shadows, freeing his host Stygian as well.”
The gathered nobles all muttered to themselves. They still weren't convinced. Celestia just smiled, continuing. “As for Sunset Shimmer, while she was badly misguided and admittedly did a great deal of terrible things during her first couple years in the other world, she has since made a complete turnaround in the kind, noble young mare I knew before she left. She, along with Princess Twilight and the Element-Bearers counterparts, bested the Sirens in a musical battle, removing their ability to cause strife with their magic. And since then, Sunset has taken on the responsibility of solving the magical leak from Equestria to that world that been causing trouble there.”
That caught the attention of the nobles, as many of them were unaware that magic was leaking over. Many realized, to their dismay, what a leak into a non-magical world would result in, and how it could affect their world as well. They couldn't fault Celestia for leaving someone as talented as Sunset there to take care of it.
“But what of the Chrysalis's hive, your Highness?” Tough Choice said. “Twice now, they've invaded Canterlot with intent to conquer!”
“And the moment King Thorax presented them with a better option, they tossed her aside, sided with him, embracing peace and friendship,” Celestia said. “And before anypony says anything, King Thorax himself embodies ALL of the great virtues our country espouses. He is kind. He is generous. He is honest. He is LOYAL. And oh, how great the joy in his heart is...”
“How do we know that this isn't just a plot of Chrysalis's?” Frilled Shirt questioned.
“How do we know that you aren't planning to assassinate me and take the throne for yourself?” Celestia questioned right back.
Frilled Shirt sputtered indignantly at the accusation. “I AM LOYAL TO EQUESTRIA!” he proclaimed.
“I know,” Celestia said. “Despite our differences in opinion, and how annoyed I am at this time-wasting inquiry, Frilled Shirt, I trust you.”
Frilled Shirt blinked, taken aback.
“That's what it's all about, really,” Celestia said, sighing. “Trust. The Pillars, including my beloved mentor Starswirl the Bearded, chose not to trust Stygian, condemning him without asking why he took their artifacts. That condemnation led him to be possessed by the entity you call the Pony of Shadows. It is a small miracle that Twilight and Starlight were able to free him from the creature's control before it was exiled to limbo.” Celestia shook her head. “Fizzlepop. Sunset. Starlight. Discord. Stygian. They all made terrible decisions that led them down a path of darkness. They are truly penitent and regret their actions. I have chosen to trust them, and allow them the chance to make up for their misdeeds.”
“Discord betrayed that trust,” Blueblood said, deciding to play devil's advocate.
Celestia shook her head. “And how much of a reason did we give him to trust us?” she asked. “Chaos is necessary. Without it, there is no advancement, no movement forward. Everything becomes stagnation and rot. Chaos adds vitality, chance, and excitement. It spurs innovation, new ideas. In addition, I knew that if we just locked him up, he'd eventually escape again and start hurting everypony. Which is why I took a chance, and entrusted him to Fluttershy's gentle kindness.” A sad look crossed her face. “She was the only one who truly gave him a chance at first. So when Tirek offered him a chance at both friendship and freedom, he took it. It was only after Tirek betrayed him that he understood what friendship truly meant, and how much he gave up by siding with him.” She looked every noble in the eye. Many of them flinched away. “I chose to forgive him. To trust him. And that trust was rewarded in the best possible way, when he helped Starlight, Trixie, and King Thorax save my family, myself, and the Elements from Chrysalis.”
“His nature is chaos,” Frilled Shirt said, glaring. “How do we know he'll remain loyal?”
“I don't know,” Celestia conceded. “So we'd best give him reason to stay loyal, hm?”
The nobles all muttered amongst themselves for a moment.
“What of Trixie?” Frilled Shirt said, grumbling. This had NOT gone as expected. “She sought out a dangerous artifact and, after being possessed by it, caused a great deal of harm to other ponies.”
Celestia rolled her eyes. “Trixie's a harmless braggart who made a bad decision. Even under the corrupting influence of the Alicorn Amulet, no one was really hurt. Even Pinkie could still breath somehow, despite her muzzle being removed. On top of that, she was beaten with simple stage magic trickery. She's made good friends now, has been regularly meeting her parole officer, and despite still being a raging egomaniac, is still on a much better path than she used to be.”
“What about the LAW?!” Frilled Shirt demanded. “They've all committed tremendous crimes! They should be PUNISHED!!!”
“And what good would locking them up serve, hm?” Celestia snapped. “Put them in a box and let them stew, all you'd get in the end is someone with even MORE reason to hate us! Forgiveness, friendship... those are much better ways of helping someone. Besides...” She sighed. “I am not the strongest fighter, gentlemen. I am powerful, to be sure, but I'm more of a talker than a fighter. Luna was always stronger than I. It is so much better to earn an enemy's friendship, to make them not an enemy, instead of locking them up. It removes the threat, and keeps the conscience clean.”
Blueblood smirked. As expected of his dear Auntie...
“Besides,” Celestia said. “If I were implementing the law strictly, then you'd be up for summary execution, Lord Frilled Shirt.”
“WHAT?!” Frilled Shirt almost shrieked.
“Your majesty, what are you talking about?” Tough Choice asked, confused beyond measure. The other nobles were making similar noises of outrage.
“Oh dear...” Blueblood said softly, realizing where this was going.
“Lèse-majesté,” Celestia said simply. “You insulted my royal sister by referring to her as a madmare. It's an old law, and I'm not fond of it... but if I recall, it's a treason-level offense.” She smiled wickedly.
Frilled Shirt felt his blood run cold. “I... I...” he stammered.
Celestia smiled benevolently. “It's all right,” she said. “I forgive you. As I forgive all of you your foibles and sins.” She picked up her plush toy, standing up and preparing to leave. “All I ask in return... is your trust. Trust in me, if you cannot trust them. I believe that their desire to reform their evil ways is real. And I believe that they can be the better ponies they were meant to be. As I believe in all of you.”
She turned to the three heading up the inquiry. “Is there anything else?”
Tough Choice sighed. She looked to Frilled Shirt, who just grumbled and waved dismissively, while Blueblood just smirked and nodded. “No, your Highness,” she said. “I suspect you'd have an answer for anything we gave to you.”
Celestia just smiled, leaving with her plush toy. “May Harmony bless you all,” she said, trotting calmly out of the room. The door slammed shut, and the nobles began to talk among themselves.
“Well that went well,” Tough Choice said sarcastically.
“Can't believe we're letting her get away with this,” Frilled Shirt growled.
Blueblood rolled his eyes. “It's Celestia. The commoners would forgive her anything,” she said. “It doesn't help us that she's almost always right.”
“You could have done more, Blueblood. You're just as opposed to some of her policies as I am,” Frilled Shirt growled.
Blueblood chuckled. “That's not quite true. I am against them, yes,” he said. “I think she's pathetically naive and has an unhealthy fascination with her lessers. But I know better than to oppose what she wants. She's almost never been wrong, and never forgives her own mistakes, such as in her failure to curb Sunset Shimmer's ambition or her inability to recognize the stress her sister was under that made her become Nightmare Moon a thousand years ago. Equestria is better off with the alicorns in charge, I recognize that.” He stretched, and rubbed his neck. “I just don't have to like it.”
“We're never going to be able to bring Tempest and the others to trial, are we?” Tough Choice said softly.
“I don't think so, no,” Blueblood said. “For one thing, she's right about how useful the former villains have been. In addition, Auntie believes too much in reform rather than incarceration. I truly believe that she'd give Chrysalis, Tirek, and Sombra a chance to reform if they came to her and meant it when they said 'I'm sorry.'”
“I truly hope we never have to deal with that,” Frilled Shirt growled, slumping in his seat. “The paperwork for dealing with the villains we already have reformed is bad enough. To think of the logistical nightmare we'd have to deal with for those three...”
Blueblood shook his head. “Celestia is a tidal wave, my friends, one that's gotten stronger since Luna returned,” he said. “The best thing you can do is surf the curve, and hope you don't wipe out.”
“...Since when do you surf?” Tough Choice said.
Blueblood grinned wickedly. “Well, one time, in the Marehamas...”
“Forget it,” Frilled Shirt said. “I don't need to hear you going on about your conquests. I just want to get out of here and get something to drink.”
“I'll consider that a motion, and second it myself. All in favor of calling off any further inquiry for now?” Tough Choice asked. A vast majority of hooves went up. “Motion carries. Dismissed.”
The nobles all filed out, Blueblood deciding to indulge himself and head to that commoner shop Celestia and Luna liked, Donut Joe's. He shook his head as he thought about his fellow nobles. Why couldn't they see how pointless it was to stop her attempts to reform villains?
And when would they realize that she was subtly trying to 'reform' them as well?
Ah well. Questions for another day. For now, all he wanted to do was enjoy some donuts. Heck, if the Sisters liked them, they had to be good.
THE END
