//------------------------------// // A Big Waste // Story: Phoenix Down // by GJT_Productions //------------------------------// The day of the board of inquiry arrived, and both reporters and curious citizens of Canterlot packed the High Court building. Princesses Celestia and Cadance were silently perched in the royal box - Canterlot elite such as Fancy Pants in other boxes beside that one, all engaged in gossip and speculation - and could see Lieutenant Captain Shining Armor in fulldress below in the defendant box, looking around nervously at all the buzz around him as polished buttons and medals gleamed reflections of the sunlight outside. The bench with seven chairs - normally filled by the members of Equestria's High Court - instead had three stallions in military fulldress, each perched in one of the central three chairs. The one in the middle was the current Captain of the Canterlot Guard, Gibraltar, who headed the board of inquiry. To his right was Gibraltar's predecessor, the now-retired Captain Castile. To his left was the Northern Field Division Captain, named Scopum, who had been recommended to fill the third position by the Canterlot Guard afternoon shift Lieutenant Captain Fidelitas. The objective of these three stallions was to determine whether Lieutenant Captain Shining Armor was guilty of "professional and procedural negligence" in failing to stop the anti-pegasus riot during the abortive Wonderbolts performance. Lieutenant Captain Shining Armor sat in the defender's box with only one stallion - Lieutenant Scriptor, acting as his secretary during the trial - beside him. He would speak in his own defense, despite much public speculation that this would be a huge mistake. The prosecutor's box was strangely empty - Lieutenant Troilus, who had filed the formal motion for the board of inquiry and thus had right to prosecute, had not yet shown up. Lieutenant Biro, who was acting as the prosecution secretary, had left the courtroom to look for him, and the emptiness of the prosecutor's box was beginning to draw the attention of the gossiping upper class. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Princess Cadance dares a look at the looming clock behind the bench with seven chairs - the time for the board to begin proceedings had arrived, and she was both confused and concerned over the whole affair. This was not just applied to her beloved Shining Armor, but to the fact that the "prosecution" did not seem to have shown up for the "trial". She was about to share her thoughts with her adoptive aunt Princess Celestia when she noticed the latter fixed on something at the back end of the main hall. Cadance follow Celestia's gaze, and notices with some alarm two different sets of protesters: one group of pegasi demanding justice for relatives or friends hurt or killed in the anti-pegasus riot, and a counter-protesting group of unicorns in a faceoff with the first group. Some of the Royal Guards posted at the doors leading into the main hall of the building had had to abandon their posts in order to keep the two groups apart, and the significance of the presence of these groups is not lost on Cadance - or Celestia, for that matter. "I sense something else is planned here." Cadance gives in a stage whisper (due to the noise around them) to Celestia. "We'll find out once Lieutenant Troilus arrives." Celestia answers in the same stage whisper, her glare becoming darker as she speaks. Cadance returns her attention toward the front of the main hall, and she notices Shining Armor had turned around and was looking back at the two groups of protesters. She concludes based on what she can see of his expression that he may have figured out the same thing she did, but any further speculation is interrupted by the opening of the great doors into the hall, which also draws the attention of everypony else and abruptly cuts off the buzz that had filled the room previously. Two stallions walk through the opened doors, both unicorns but one wearing a Royal Guard dress uniform and the other wearing the standard Guard armor. Cadance recognizes the stallion in the dress uniform - Lieutenant Biro - but not the one in the Guard armor, other than assuming he was a Lower Class member of the castle guard contingent. The speculation buzz initially quieted by the doors opening begins to resume, and Guard Captain Gibraltar has to bang the gavel in front of him loudly in order to quiet it again as the two stallions enter the prosecutor's box and take seats inside there. All eyes are focused on the duo as the stallion wearing armor uses his unicorn magic to pull out a sheet of parchment. The armored stallion in the prosecutor's box briefly looks up at the three high-ranking stallions looking down at him in confusion, then begins his statement, reading from the parchment hovering in front of him: "I am Guard Lower Class Petronius, speaking on behalf of my squad leader Lieutenant Troilus. The Lieutenant has ordered me to inform the board of inquiry that he has withdrawn his acceptance of role as prosecutor and will not be attending this inquiry board meeting today." --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A short message on the parchment, but enough to send a shock of disbelief and irritation throughout the entire crowd present in the courtroom. Princess Cadance in the royal box only just stopped her jaw from dropping open in shock, completely aghast at what had just transpired. "Can he even do that? Is that even legal?" Cadance whispers over to her aunt, who doesn't seem to hear her. Instead, Celestia's attention is again focused on the two protest groups in the back of the courtroom, her eyes darkly glaring as she speaks only one sentence: "I hope the Lieutenant is happy with the time and money he's just wasted for all this..." Cadance again follows Celestia's gaze, and she sees the pegasi protest group's agitation begin to increase as the shock of realization that Lieutenant Troilus had simply walked away from his promise to speak on their behalf at the board of inquiry. The emotional pressure begins to boil over, angry and insulting shouts coming from the pegasi toward the unicorn counter-protesters, who in turn start their own round of angry and insulting shouts. The Royal Guards between the two protesting groups are now hard-pressed to keep them apart - this was vital as it seemed certain the two groups would come to blows if they weren't - and the prospect of a brawl causes the upper-class observers to begin exiting the courtroom as quickly and discretely as they can manage. Cadance can only stare speechlessly, and the thought crosses her mind that Troilus had done all this on purpose, to light the fuse on another potential riot in a packed courtroom. The desperate banging of the gavel proves futile, and the three stallions abandon their seats behind the high bench to help the beleaguered guards. Cadance looks away from the scene for a moment - just in time to see Celestia slip out of the box heading back down toward the ground level. The younger alicorn realizes she must follow her aunt, and only dares one more glance down - to the love of her life, now also heading to help the guards keep the protesting groups apart - before also abandoning her seat and following Celestia down into the crowd... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MEANWHILE, IN CANTERLOT OPERA HOUSE... As far as Lieutenant Troilus was concerned, he had better things to do than stand in that courtroom. Instead, he was standing on a stage - the same one where the traitorous Aten had rallied the Agents of Chaos into open rebellion and depravity several months before - and preaching to a crowd of converts, about 100 strong in the seats of the opera house, all of them unicorns. The most notable members of this group were Prince Blueblood, silently and uncomfortably standing beside Troilus on the stage, and Moon Dancer, in the crowd with a very worried sister by the name of Java Jive beside her. "Mares and gentlestallions, I stand before you today on the very same stage where the traitorous Agent Snake called for death, destruction and depravity!" Troilus was thundering out. "I am here to call for revenge and retribution in the name of justice, fairness and the natural order of the superior unicorn!" Several from the crowd shout affirmative replies, Moon Dancer among them. Java Jive just watches from her seat, too worried to feel embarrassed about her lack of enthusiasm. Meanwhile, Troilus continues railing on: "The Wonderbolts collaborated with the Agents of Chaos, and deserved every bit of pain and suffering they endured in that stadium, as did those that share the trait of wings they possess. I was supposed to proclaim this argument in court today, but the alicorns are corrupted by the favor of the one they chose to protect the Wonderbolts, and their minds are already made up against me! I ask of you, mares and gentlestallions: Is this a fair or equitable outcome, as our justice system requires?!" The crowd responds to this with a mixture of loud "NO!" and booing, Moon Dancer joining in the latter as Java Jive begins to sink into her seat out of fear. Troilus pauses briefly to relish in the support of the crowd, enjoying every moment as if it were a sumptuous meal. The renegade Guard Lieutenant then continues on: "Fellow horn ones, our system is blind and broken! We cannot trust the Princesses or their words! The rebel Agents of Chaos are still out there, and by our own hooves and horns we must deliver justice, fairness and the correct order to the world! The night we start our glorious campaign is coming soon, and all must be ready! Who among you is ready to join me in delivering justice in cold steel?!" At this, the crowd erupts into a mighty cheer, continuing to shout and make statements such as "For Justice!" and "For the Natural Order!" reverberate across the opera house. Moon Dancer is among the many standing on hindlegs, shouting at the top of her lungs, while Java Jive slowly sinks down to the dirty, carpeted floor between the opera house seats. Java Jive is worried. Very, very worried. Very worried about what is going to happen next. Very worried about the change she has seen her sister undergo. And worried most of all what will become of her family and everypony caught up in this demented unicorn's sway...