Royal Rewrite - The winner wrote the history

Celestia’s interrogation was interrupted as the doors to the throne room flew open. The ponies in front of her, already nervous and agitated from the questioning, trembled in their hooves at the sudden sound. Some of them turned to look but most didn’t dare to turn away from the Queen.

Luna was in full Royal appearance. Gone was the blue pony and in its place was a Goddess swirling in dark energy. Her appearance was appropriate for a court session but it was very different from how it used to be. Instead of regal, it was intense, with her powerful aura flaring across the throne room, much like how Celestia used her bright aura to fill up the hall.

Celestia noted her sister’s bad mood but couldn’t care less. She patiently waited for her sister to approach her, as she knew she would. And she waited for her sister to speak her mind, as she knew she would.

Celestia would then tell her to calm down or something to that effect, because court protocol required it. Her sister would then throw a tantrum. And while the assembled ponies would be in shock, history itself would soon forget the incident as quickly as it had all the previous.

Luna floated the bundle to the empty space between Celestia and the assembled guards. She put it on the ground and let it slip open for all to see. Gasps could be heard from the all the guards. The only one who didn’t blink an eye was the Queen. She just waited.

Princess Luna floated the scroll over to Queen Celestia whose magic unfolded it. She read it quickly.

"It would seem that Princess Luna has found the traitor," Queen Celestia declared.

Celestia looked out over the assembly as she continued, "What is troubling is how Lieutenant Ladyhawk was written off as a suspect from the investigation. Wasn’t it Captain Quicksmite who said it was impossible for Lieutenant Ladyhawk to be responsible? Did you not also personally vouch for her and assured the investigation that she was innocent?"

Captain Quicksmite had been in a catatonic state looking at the corpse since it was revealed on the floor but as the Queen’s voice addressed her she slowly came to attention, trying to process what was said.

"Yes, it was I who insisted that she’d be written out of the investigation," Captain Quicksmite said, struggling to find the words as she continued. "And my guarantee about Ladyhawk has proved to be lies to her Divine Queen Celestia."

Celestia didn’t pay much attention to Captain Quicksmite. Deceived ponies weren’t really anything new for someone who had been around for as long as she had. As soon as it was discovered, an action needed to be taken so it would never happen again. But currently she had other things on her mind.

Celestia’s main focus was on Luna. Celestia was wondering why Luna hadn’t thrown a tantrum yet. The logical explanation was that she had troubling news from the Dragons and that kept her from getting distracted by this incident.

"Princess Luna, what can you contribute to the current situation?"

The dark energy from the princess blazed in her fur as Luna’s royal voice filled the throne room. "Contribute? Contribute!? Our Queen asks what can be contributed to this horrible situation. A tragedy above all else has taken place and our Queen wants me to contribute?"

Oh boy, here it comes, Celestia thought but her stoic appearance didn’t reveal any of it.

Luna trotted up to Celestia, putting her nose close to Celestia’s ears as she quietly threatened, "Your harsh punishments continue to rip apart, not only the kingdom, but even the court itself. It must stop!"

"VOICE!" Celestia shouted back at her. "Nopony should ever have to wonder what the royals are saying. We do not whisper and susurrate leaving ponies in doubt of our thoughts. The royal will shall be done, and must never hide behind the rules of privacy."

"THEN LET THIS PRINCESS SPEAK SO EVERYONE CAN HEAR," Luna screamed, loud enough for everything inside the castle walls to hear it before she continued. "The harsh punishment from the Queen must cease immediately. We will no longer accept it. This has gone on for too long, and it’s wrong!"

"Manners!" Celestia shouted, although not as loud as Luna. "We are glad your voice is restored, but you still need manners. Do not pretend you know the intrinsic difficulties of ensuring peace in a kingdom as large as Equestria."

Celestia having Ladyhawk’s scroll floating in the air, suddenly pushed it towards Luna, "Here you can find your next assignment. It would seem that the source of all this trouble is the Minotaurs you recently brokered peace with. Perhaps our princess should ask them about the hostile behavior that caused the current situation? If it’s war they want, I can personally eradicate their little tribe from the surface of this world, but you brokered peace, did you not? You didn’t want their hostilities to be met with violence. Isn’t that so?"

Luna was shaking with anger as she grabbed the scroll with her magic. Her first thought was to destroy it as an act of contempt for her Queen’s assignment, but she reminded herself what it was. The final testament of a loyal pony who worked hard her entire life to satisfy the will of the crazy royals in Everfree forest. Her legacy deserved better than being torn to pieces in a petty squabble.

Luna turned to look at Ladyhawk’s remains. She used her magic to wrap it up in the blanket as she lifted it up to levitate the bundle by her side.

"It’s our intention to go out and give the Lieutenant a funeral. Anypony here who wishes to attend may do so."

Luna stood still and waited for the ponies to react. The lieutenant may not have been the most popular pony around, but Luna knew she had at least some close friends. If Ladyhawk had been the assistant of a less fanatic captain she surely would have had lots of friends, even if all of them would now officially disown Ladyhawk due to her being branded as a traitor.

Nopony dared to move, so Celestia decided to speak.

"We have found the traitor, and we know who caused the investigation to fail. Anyone who wishes to oversee the dispatching of the corpse is welcome to do so."

Several of the assembled guards decided to bow down and back away. It was difficult to know if they really wanted to pay their respect to Lieutenant Ladyhawk or if they just wanted to get away from the Queen, but they did move towards Luna who started to trot out of the throne room.

~*~*~*~*~

The castle and its garden was surrounded by a big wall with a single gate. The main road led through the Everfree forest but there were also smaller paths along the outside of the walls. One side had a path leading towards a settlement where all the ponies working in or at the castle lived. Since ponies weren’t allowed to share roof with the divine royals, they all had their homes in the settlement outside.

The settlement was further away along the wall, obscured by trees, and not visible from the gate. This was by order from her majesty the Queen. She didn’t like the aesthetics of a town huddling next to the castle wall.

Opposite the path to the settlement was a smaller trail leading deeper into the Everfree forest. It was mostly unused since it was quicker to exit the forest through the main road and then use roads leading around the forest. At least if you were pulling a cart or a wagon, which was the customary way to bring what you needed during travels.

The smaller path also led to a cemetery where ponies could be buried. The ponies following in Luna’s hoofsteps knew the rules regarding that cemetery. Traitors weren’t allowed to be buried there. They had to be buried or burnt someplace else. Someplace where an honest loyal pony shouldn’t have to go.

As Luna was levitating the corpse towards the official burial ground she could sense the unease in the ponies following her. This may be a good time to tell them that the harsh punishments must end and the burial of Ladyhawk marks a new era. Then again, with all the poison polluting the lieutenant’s body, it may be prudent to bury it a bit on the side.

Luna figured a bit outside the official graveyard would be fine. It was probably closer than allowed, but Luna didn’t care about that. She didn’t know how the poison worked but she considered it wise to bury the body away for the sake of future undertakers.

The ponies following in her hooves then saw something they’ve never seen before. Princess Luna using her magic to dig a hole in the ground. Luna using her magic wasn’t anything new, but for a royal goddess to dig a grave for a regular pony, was shocking.

If Luna had turned to look she could have seen the unease in their faces, but she didn’t. Even if they had said something she wouldn’t have cared. Luna didn’t really care much for protocol. Her sister nagged her about how very important it was. Not because the royals had any use for it but according to Celestia the clear rules and regulations made the life of a pony easier. Thanks to rules and protocols they wouldn’t need to worry about doing it right or fearing they made a mistake. As long as they had a protocol to follow.

Luna didn’t care for any code of behavior during her nightly court and wished the day would adopt the same policy. Let different ponies greet royals in a different way if they like. Celestia’s notion that ponies that did it differently would start worrying that they did something wrong or worse than the other was ridiculous.

~*~*~*~*~

Back in the throne room the commotion after Princess Luna’s revelation had settled and the Queen had taken charge of the situation. She had given out instructions. Guards had been dispatched to uphold different duties or to spread the word of what happened. Celestia made sure that every citizen who wanted to know what was going on had a full transcript of the Queen’s interpretation. After all the tasks were arranged, she looked at the miserable pony in the throne-room.

"Captain Quicksmite, can you tell us what the appropriate punishment is for your crimes against the crown?"

Captain Quicksmite took a deep breath before she answered, "For a royal officer deceiving her Divine Majesty, with fatal outcome, the punishment is execution."

"You are correct, but the fatality was self-inflicted and not a result of deceit. However, as a Royal Captain you hold one of the most influential positions in the land, and with additional mandate comes additional responsibility, and stricter punishment when failing to stick to what you know, and not what you believe. In accordance to our laws you should be punished and ostracized from the court, but in this case we believe our Royal Guard can learn from the experience. By our authority as Queen and ruler of Equestria, I hereby sentence you to hobble, but you will not be discharged from the guard. In fact, you will remain a captain, so everyone can see the aftermath of your mistake and learn from it."

Barely a voice, a hoarse whisper, Captain Quicksmite spoke. "Yes your Highness, may your divine will be done."

"You’re still a captain, so go ahead and make sure the order is carried out. We give you the choice of leg. Dismissed!"

Captain Quicksmite was shaking in her hooves as she performed a formal bow and backed away. She slowly rose and looked around, still reeling from shock and acting in slow motion. She selected a guard known to wield the axe with good proficiency, and commanded her to follow. Again, with a voice barely more than a whisper.

Celestia looked on as the jolted Captain stumbled away so destitute of the powerful authority she usually wielded. It was a pity really. Celestia would never play favorites. All ponies in her Kingdom were equally valuable and any punishment of a single failed pony only served to guide the rest.

That Quicksmite was allowed to remain a captain wasn’t because she was a favorite. It was because she was good at explaining to others the correct way of how to be loyal and how to serve the crown. Yes, that’s it. That was the reason she was still a captain. Not because the Queen valued her more than the others.

~*~*~*~*~