Passing On

"A prosecutor is one who guides justice and seeks the truth."

Those were the words of Edgeworth, Chess Checker's mentor during his legal education. Words that Chess had taken to heart for his time as a prosecutor. Words that provided the foundation of his entire life's philosophy.

Words that would drive him to tears, as he discovered his mentor was dying.

Chess Checker, a young, green pegasus stallion and ace chess player, was now 27. 10 years had passed since he had started pursuing law. 10 years had passed since he had met Edgeworth, a prosecuting attorney at Canterlot. He was now in his 3rd year as a prosecutor, and he was an ace. Nopony could best him in court unless the defendants really were innocent. He would never go for the guilty verdict unless he was fully sure that the authorities had the right pony.

Now he was faced with his biggest challenge: Life and death.

Edgeworth, a crimson unicorn and Prosecutor Checker's old mentor, was lying in the Canterlot Hospital, kept on life support. Doctors and nurses kept checking up on the old pony. One of the doctors had Chess waiting in the waiting room, who had come to see his mentor one last time. When Edgeworth was ready to see him, Chess entered the room.

"Hello, sir!" Chess greeted on his way in, still nervous around his teacher. This was the pony who taught him everything he knew about prosecuting. He hadn't seen Edgeworth in 2 years. He wanted to make sure he made a good impression.

"Hello, Chess Checker," Edgeworth laughed weakly. "Goodness, calm down! I'm not your teacher anymore, I'm your friend!"

"Y-Yes sir!" Chess replied.

"And please, stop calling me sir!" Edgeworth insisted. "You've called me that ever since your education started. It's time you called me by my name."

"Yes sir! I-I mean..." Chess choked, and took a deep breath. "Okay... Edgeworth."

"That's better," Edgeworth chuckled. "Now, I wanted to give you something. Before I did that, however, I wanted to make sure you were doing as I had taught you. The philosophies of being a good prosecutor. The skills in court. The risks you have to take to ensure the truth is found and justice is served..."

"I've done as you had taught me, Edgeworth," Chess nodded. "To the letter."

"Now that's impossible," Edgeworth said.

Chess was taken aback. Why was it impossible?

"There are certain liberties one must take to ensure the truth is found, at times," Edgeworth began. "Sometimes, this includes bending rules, or doing things that you normally shouldn't. This is generally frowned on, for obvious reasons. Certain lines even I wouldn't cross to get a guilty verdict on somepony who is clearly guilty beyond my doubt."

"But doesn't that make us the bad guys?" Chess asked.

"Legally, perhaps..." Edgeworth answered. "But only to a point; Naturally, I discourage these courses of action if a legal alternative can be found. I learned the hard way that, in the face of cheaters and liars who will do anything to evade the justice they are due, sometimes you have to get your hooves dirty. If they really are guilty, there is a chance they might commit another crime, as well. Perhaps even the same one. Simply because they did not learn from their first mistake."

"But what if they don't?" Chess asked. "What if they want to make up for their misdeeds? Atonement?"

Edgeworth smiled. "Those defense attorneys are rubbing off on you. I suppose that's a good thing; obtaining the viewpoint of the other side is useful. It gives you new insight on what you might be doing to the pony you're prosecuting."

"You have a point," Edgeworth continued. "There are ponies who seek atonement. Usually, however, they plead guilty, and both sides ask for what they think would be a good sentence for them. But we are not talking about these ponies. I refer to the ones who go out of their way to ruin as many other lives as possible, all for personal gain or mere entertainment. Those who would take every measure they can to prevent the truth from being revealed."

"Edgeworth..." Chess shook his head. "Nopony would be able to completely obscure the truth. It's impossible."

Edgeworth looked at Chess. "What do you mean?"

"Something you told me, the first day we started. A sort of speech," Chess replied.

"I'm listening," Edgeworth nodded.

"'It doesn't matter how many underhanded tricks a pony uses,'" Chess began. "'The truth will always make itself known. The only thing we can do is to fight with the knowledge we hold and everything we have. Erasing the paradoxes one by one. It is never easy. We claw and scratch for every inch, but we will always reach that one single truth'. You said these words to me that first day. I've come to realize what you might have meant. No matter how hard a pony tries to hide the truth, something will be off about it. A paradox. It is our job to eliminate these paradoxes. One by one, they fall. When only one final possibility remains, it must be the truth. We don't need to resort to unlawful conduct to find this. You always said the law was a tool. That there was no limit. Any limit that exists was set there by ponies. When a pony goes beyond that limit, then the law, too, crosses into new territory. If this was true, then so long as I keep going toward the truth, there's no way the guilty can win."

Edgeworth smiled. "Very good. You have been paying attention to my lessons," he congratulated. "I believe you are now ready to receive what I have for you."

Chess looked blankly. He knew something was up when Edgeworth was saying all that stuff, but he didn't expect a surprise test of character. Now he was wondering what this thing was that Edgeworth was going to give him.

Edgeworth's horn glowed crimson, like his own fur. A small object nearby started glowing the same color, and it floated in front of Chess.

"Please, Chess," Edgeworth said. "Take my prosecutor's badge."

"I can't do that, Edgeworth," Chess shook his head. "That's your badge. You told me it's one of the most important tools of the prosecutor."

"I insist," Edgeworth pressed. "I'm dying, boy. This badge is no good to me anymore. You're my student, and ward. I pass this onto you, in hopes that you use it as I have, and continue the legacy of prosecutors that seek the truth, even when things are looking bleak. It was an honor to pass my knowledge on to you. Promise me that you will continue to pursue the truth, even when going against all odds."

Chess sighed. He really didn't want to take away something that was very important to this pony, who had been like a father-figure to him. But he seemed like he really wanted Chess to keep it...

"I'd be honored to continue the legacy of the truth-seeking prosecutor," Chess said, taking the badge with his forehoof and attaches it to a collar he had somepony make so he could wear his original prosecutor's badge. "Thank you, Edgeworth... For everything you taught me."

"No, thank you," Edgeworth replied. "If it weren't for you, we'd probably have a little more trouble with innocents possibly being punished, or guilty ponies getting off. Then most likely we'd both be in serious trouble!" They laughed.

"This is goodbye, Prosecutor Checker. May the sun and moon shine for your future..." Edgeworth said. And with that, he drew one final breath, and Edgeworth lay, at peace.

"Goodbye, Prosecutor Edgeworth," Chess replies with a mournful bow, "It's been an honor, learning from you. Everything you taught me... Every case I prosecute from this day forward, in my pursuit of the truth, I dedicate to your memory."

Chess quietly leaves the hospital room, informing the doctors of the late Edgeworth's condition. He then left the hospital and took flight, heading home with the heavy heart of losing a close friend, but also with a feeling of purpose, knowing that he was going to find the truth, and possibly make the world a better place for everypony in doing so. This was the task passed down to him from his mentor, and he was going to complete this task, even when the odds are in the favor of injustice and untruth. Nopony is going to stop him, he decided.

This is a new beginning. Chess Checker was going to make it count.