//------------------------------// // Famous Last Words // Story: Mercy, Celestia // by Ice Star //------------------------------// Celestia had always thought of herself as kind. For a long time, there had never been a doubt in her mind that she wasn't a cruel or wrathful individual. It was she did everything needed in order to get along well with the society she had discovered — the three pony tribes — and the one she had helped build: present-day Equestria, the treasure of a kingdom she gave to her ponies. She had always tried to help as many ponies as possible, generously spending so little time on herself. It was kind to live a life of service, which was the ultimate generosity, and were charity and self-sacrifice not the ultimate acts of kindness in turn? She prided herself on the little thought of trying to place herself as 'Princess' first and 'Celestia' second. That was the order that she always had to think of herself in, and now it was automatic. It's why she gladly lent a hoof to the attendants at Canterlot's courthouse clean and sort through all their old records. The courthouse of Canterlot was not far from the castle. It had been established after Luna's banishment when Princess Celestia got the idea in her head to let unexperienced and common ponies judge many of the crimes that could not be resolved with a quick meeting from the princess. Though, in the days of the past, it had always been the princesses, plural, who acted as judges for all. Those kinds of crimes were brutal and incredibly rare in Equestria. It also involved a visit to the princess, but it was one that they didn't return from if their crime was heinous enough. Such a trip was only after the trial took certain turns and ended with a guilty verdict. For hundreds of years, ponies had become used to a system that had neither experienced and educated monarchs judging them or twisted and easily bought tribal nobles from days past the dual court before even Discord knew Equestria. Technically, Celestia could use her power to override the juries that were selected and any verdicts that she felt were erroneous. She rarely chose to, leaving that fact unreleased to all who didn't study law and never acted upon her ability. For the most part, as she had faith in her ponies to make the right decisions. Today, in a couple of hours between lunch and breakfast, Celestia was going to look through the results of many overworked secretaries and even a few qualified volunteers sorting through records of every trial in Equestria, along with its verdict and corresponding evidence files. After the exchange of pleasantries, it was settled to who would go through what and re-sort everything under the new organization system that had been implemented. Celestia took at least a dozen boxes in her magic easily and trotted over to one of the many offices in the regal building. She would occupy this one for the next few hours. She kept a cup of tea next to her and a schedule tucked into it, along with any other necessary papers detailing updates that might have to be made to the documents and varying seals that only the princess would have the authority to apply. Each case was familiar and she felt herself give a faint bob of her head in recognition each time she saw a name and result. Celestia sighed after flipping through a few files, wishing that her lot hadn't gotten so scrambled. Even under the old system, these files had gotten very mixed up. She was on the second box where it appears the last pony to attend to the case records couldn't even sort them alphabetically. She clicked her tongue and withdrew another file with her magic, glancing at the list under her teacup quickly before returning to the folder floating in front of her, gasping at the title. Silent Flight, a name she had almost forgotten when most of her country already had. Even for her, it had felt like a lifetime ago. She frowned and opened the folder, flipping through the trial records, the notes from the scene, the uniquely carved set of wingblades, and the alibi that had never checked out. The princess flipped through another page detailing the fall of a pony she had once pitied. There, lying in front of her was a hoofwritten confession by the guard who had interviewed his former captain, and behind that was a timeline of what was said actually happened, adapted from Silent's own words. The grim forensics — then in their infancy — only served to hammer in the senseless tragedy. Celestia looked at the rim of the desk where she was sitting. They had never found the body of the filly anywhere on the grounds of Silent's own property or the gardens of the manor. Such a cruel act robbed a grieving family of the right to lay their child to rest in the family tomb. That day, there had been whispers of theories among the Royal Guard — that the rivers of Canterlot were likely used as a disposal method. The sheer heartlessness of the thought — how anypony could act so — had Princess Celestia's mane simmering at the time. She recalled the day she stared at the face of a former friend, thinking only of a filly who would never grow up. Mercy, Celestia. Those had been Silent's last words before she lived up to the first half of her name. But for her, there had been none. Silent has showed none. Celestia closed the folder, jotted her notes, and moved on.