Choice

Ambassador Twilight leads a risky but necessary purge of Princess Celestia's remaining loyalists in the wake of the Equestrian Freedom Fighter's emergence. Within the royal court they are judged dispassionately for their continued support of the former Princess Celestia during the post war era.

Princess Celestia.

It is a name that once held sway over the hearts and mind of countless ponies far and wide.

Its mere utterance spake of more than just of her holy eminence. To speak the name Celestia was to openly embrace ponykind, Equestria and its ascendant ideals in its entirety; peace, friendship, harmony, and the many other saccharine concepts that formed the bedrock of their lauded civilization.

Even in the shadow of the Conversion War her name is synonymous with moral righteousness to a minority of devout followers who continue to zealously regard her as the warm sun that watches over her little ponies and the roaring flame which smites any and all maleficent forces that threaten their very existence.

An existence that unfortunately no longer has a place in the post war era.

With the explosive reveal of the Equestrian Freedom Fighters to the world, Ambassador Twilight has taken the steps necessary in order to seek out and punish all those who remain staunchly loyal to the lingering vestige of old Equestria. For as long as Celestia's loyalists persist they will continue to undermine her efforts every step of the way as an ongoing threat alongside the freedom fighters that can stifle or even potentially undo all the progress the new regime has made.

Lustration is at hand and judgement must be swift and merciless.

Castle Canterlot
Main Audience Chambers
4 ACW
(Four Years After Conversion War)

Twilight sat behind a grand desk of rich mahogany coloration atop the dais of the audience chamber within Castle Canterlot, wings folded and eyes steely as she wore a poised and collected expression upon her weary visage. High up on her seat she radiated an air of ultimate authority practiced across the years as the Princess of Friendship, a presence that has not diminished in the slightest as ambassador of a new Equestria.

Beside her was her adopted baby brother and trusted confidant, Spike the Dragon, standing behind a tall jewel encrusted lectern as he nervously shuffled and organized the mounds of paperwork laid out before him. Diligent and deceptively astute, the young drake readied himself for what was to come today.

Seated below them in a row of tables were a fair number of pony politicians, lawyers and other miscellaneous authority figures that made up the greater whole of Equestrian leadership, establishing a council of trusted individuals who were all tasked with meting out justice in the name of progress. These ponies of higher standing understood the nature of their assignment and were prepared to fulfill their duty in a manner befitting of their station.

A large retinue of guards were posted throughout the room. They all stood at attention, focused on maintaining security as they kept a close eye on just about everything with a healthy degree of caution and suspicion.

A few were dressed in the traditional uniform of the Royal Guard; sculpted armor blessed with abjuration magic and helmets adorned with a flamboyant crest. Outwardly they were armed with spears and daggers, but hidden in a secret pocket lined within their suit of armor these guards carried a nasty modern day surprise: a fully automatic equine adapted laser PDW (a weapon with a silhouette suspiciously similar to that of Heckler & Koch's ubiquitous MP5).

The others wore modern utilitarian outfits such as kevlar lined suits paired with classy sunglasses not unlike their defunct counterpart, the Equestrian Secret Service. Similarly to their ostentatious fellows they were also armed with laser PDW's, albeit more openly with it slung over their shoulder.

Filling up the rest of the room was a small contingent of journalists and news teams consisting of both human and pony that stood in anticipation of the following court proceedings. Cordoned off behind a humble velvet rope barrier and kept in check by the aforementioned guards, they each mumbled and fidgeted impatiently amongst themselves, eager to broadcast to the world Equestria's next big event.

The Canterlot Trials

Or, as others have referred to it more bluntly: The Loyalist Purge.

Up until recently, Celestia's existing loyalists, namely those who weren't explicitly a part of the EFF, had mostly kept to themselves since the early days of reconstruction, having done little of actual note to rock the boat enough to warrant Twilight's attention beyond bellyaching about the Conversion War being 'brought to a tie' and how wonderful the 'good old days' were, of which they were incessantly vocal about to the aggravation of their peers.

Most were simple, if frustratingly obstinate, Goddess fearing folk who just couldn't let go of the old ways in spite of the tragic truth of it all brought before them, either dismissing them outright as conspiratorial nonsense or refusing to acknowledge it as the truth.

In spite of all that, there shouldn't have been cause for concern. For all their bluster and mutterings they were harmless. Annoying, perhaps, but harmless all the same.

The rest were true believers, unshakeable in their beliefs, who felt it was their moral obligation as survivors of such atrocities to hold onto their hate and act on it when the time was right; even if that time never came, even if it meant cultivating that hatred and perpetuate the cycle of revenge in the generations to come.

These were the ponies Twilight considered to be a probable threat and had for some time now. Partly because they weren't completely stupid, holding key positions of power in and around the country that made them particularly irksome to dislodge without collapsing key areas of their already precarious government, and partly because she actively works with them, even now.

She had hoped they wouldn't resort to anything drastic but ultimately it was a naïve and short-sighted thought.

Ever since the Equestrian Freedom Fighters had made themselves known to the world at large there has been a palpable air of unrest surrounding the country.

The loyalists had become emboldened by this surge of violence and unabashed patriotism, seeing it as the perfect opportunity to finally start undermining the efforts of the new government with the goal of reigniting the war all in the name of a manipulative madmare and the dream of old Equestria; a world where ponies were the sole architects of a grand design.

Or barring that, making life miserable for everypony out of sheer spite.

It started out with insubordinate behavior, civil disobedience and the like. Then came the protests, which were almost immediately followed by rioting.

Though few in numbers, these ponies had been given hope and a purpose.

Revolution sang in their hearts; it compelled them to rebel.

The fragile calm was shattered and Twilight found herself reliving the darkest days of the Conversion War, suddenly having to deal with a battle on two fronts all over again:

The battle without and the battle within.

This time, it was exclusively against her own kinfolk.

The thought of ponies turning on each other in another ideological fueled frenzy made her sick to her stomach.

While she was confident the matter of both the EFF and the loyalists would be handled in due time, swift decisive action needed to be taken in order to mitigate the gnawing threat of civil unrest, which could very well spiral out of control if left unchecked.

At great personal risk to her already tenuous reputation and the overall welfare of the nation, she did what she thought was necessary to stem the bleeding and buy her people time in the long run.

Thus, she had unleashed the full might of the both the Royal Guard and the occupying UN forces to seek out and detain a specific roster of rowdy loyalists to have them all tried in open court and summarily sentenced for all to see.

She need not punish everypony who still holds belief in Celestia, only the ones who's unfettered fervor and obliviousness to the truth, deliberate or otherwise, could be exploited to her gain.

A bit heavy hoofed, she was forced to admit, but that was the plan.

Twilight was keen enough to understand throne room politics and the power of theatricality.

Through her knowledge of both she intends to wield them like a cudgel to bludgeon her detractors into submission as well as cleanse the landscape of old world taint in a single stroke.

Two birds, one stone.

She had done it before, ironically

The stain of the Equestrian Secret Service is not so easily forgotten, or forgiven.

"...Ahem," Twilight cleared her throat, and the anxious rumblings of the room slowly quieted. Everyone turned their gaze over to her; Spike and members of the council straightened themselves out, the guards snapped to attention in near unison, reporters with their equipment prepared to capture the moment all waited with bated breath for what she had to say.

"Good afternoon, everyone," she began. Brushing away her bangs she rose from her seat and swept an expectant gaze across the room before explicitly turning to face the cameras. "My fellow colleagues, esteemed representatives of this hallowed council, and respective members of the free press. Today is..." she paused, choosing her words carefully.

"Well, today is not a day I was hoping would come, nor do I find any particular pleasure in dealing with our immediate issue given the circumstances that gave rise to them in the first place," she admitted with a long sigh. "Before I continue, allow me to preface this speech by saying that I speak these words not as Ambassador Twilight, a citizen of Equestria or even as a pony. I speak these words as one of the many people living on this Earth, as an inhabitant who has well and truly come to call this place home."

Her words seem to resonate with the crowd; she can see a good few nod along, feeling her preamble a tasteful way to ground herself in understanding of the plight of the common man and pony.

"It has been four years since the folly that was the Conversion War came to its rightful conclusion, and in that time we have toiled tirelessly in order to rebuild our fractured world after plunging it into unnecessary devastation. The wound heals, albeit slowly, it heals all the same.

Recently, however, a new threat has arisen in the midst of the post war era.

I am of course referring to the Equestrian Freedom Fighters, a dangerous and misguided organization of renegade ponies who have taken it upon themselves to enforce the will of Celestia in her absence. Their mission is clear; they want to finish what she started, regardless of the monumental price that must be paid to make that dream come true.

Make no mistakes, these ill-named 'freedom fighters' are nothing more than terrorists desperately clinging onto a past that has all but died and have chosen to make it everyone else's problem. They will be dealt with in due time, but for now they remain a persistent threat.

I have spoken on this matter already, I will not repeat what has already been said. If any members of the viewing public are curious about my thoughts on the matter please refer to the interview I did at the UN headquarters earlier this year. It should prove sufficient in explaining my thoughts and feelings on the EFF.

I bring them up because their abominable display sent shockwaves across the nation and have galvanized a fringe minority of Celestia loyalists into taking action in order to disrupt the new government."

Twilight grimaced and slammed a hoof on her desk with a satisfying thwack.

"Let it be known far and wide that this will not stand!" she seethed hotly, shocking even her colleagues with her passion. "I had previously overlooked those who still harbor old world beliefs because I felt for them, I understood their loss and the need to hold onto something familiar in times of uncertainty! I had hoped these individuals would eventually come to see reason, to see the reality of our new existence that we must take every opportunity given in order to foster its growth, but, alas, I was sorely mistaken."

She paused and seated herself, her passionate expression steadily easing into a one of measured neutrality.

"There is growing unrest in our cities and townships all over Equestria. Over the last few weeks protests and riots have cropped up in not so minor quantities, all espousing the same backwards rhetoric in one form or another: Equestria for ponies, conversion for humans.

While I don't see this escalating further beyond reckless endangerment and incitement, if left unchecked these pockets of rebellion could very well erupt into a full blown insurrection. Which is exactly what the Equestrian Freedom Fighters want.

But it is not the rabble shouting out in the streets or the crowds of disillusioned ponies disturbing the peace that bring me disquiet.

No, it is those within this very government itself, the government I have been entrusted with by our allies overseas and by my own citizenry, that think themselves so sly as to undermine the country in the vain hope of currying favors with terrorists through their subterfuge. Ponies who I know personally and charismatic personalities who think they are above the law.

It is they who are most dangerous of all, and it is they who will face judgement this day."

Twilight concluded, and as she did the doors to the audience chambers swung open wildly, revealing a well dressed stallion with white colored fur and a cutie mark with the image of a humble paddleball toy struggling under the hold of two burly guards.

The gaggle of reporters all shifted their cameras over to the scene unfolding before them, watching with rapt attention as he is deposited (somewhat roughly) onto the podium situated in the center of the room. They all begin to mutter rapidly in multiple languages, narrating everything as it happens in real time.

"You-you can't do this!" the stallion, haggard and nervous, yelled, his eyes darting to and fro looking for a way out. "You can't do this! T-this is tyranny! A gross mismanagement of power!" he brayed fearfully, jabbing an accusing hoof towards Twilight.

Twilight lifted a gavel in her telekinetic hold and banged it against her desk several times, silencing the stallion with a piercing glare that would’ve left him in a smoking crater.

"You will have your chance to speak and defend your case, Mr. Paddy," Twilight said evenly as she set the gavel down. "In this court we strive to be impartial and fair to the defendant at all times in the name of truth, justice and progress. We will explain to you the nature of your charges and if there are any errors or discrepancies you have the honor of enlightening us to the truth. Realistically, you should have no reason to worry. That is, unless..." her eyes narrowed upon him and he shrank beneath her gaze, "you truly are guilty."

"I-I'm not!" Mr. Paddy cried, making a placating gesture as he broke out in a cold sweat. "I'm just a-a humble civil servant studiously working to ensure this governing body functions with all due haste and efficiency. I'm an innocent stallion unjustly persecuted by a paranoid government! This is a witch hunt, that's what this is!" he spoke to Twilight and to the cameras, hoping to garner sympathy from anyone watching.

"Do you stand by your statement, Mr. Paddy?" Twilight queried, raising a brow.

"Of course I do, I stand by that indefatigable fact!" Mr. Paddy declared, wiping the sweat from his brow.

"Then, there should be no reason to dally any further," Twilight nodded, speaking with a disarming tone before declaring,

"Court is now in session. Let the Canterlot Trials commence!"