67 - Queen's Judgement
Pinkie curled up where she had been struck with a fine beam of energy. She began to kick out her hind legs as she rolled around on top of the stand Sonata stood behind as Pinkie's laughter echoed through the courtroom, only interrupted with an occasional snort.
"Now then," said Queen Iliana, "I believe your friend is well intentioned, so I want the answer from your own lips. Sonata Dusk, what will you use your gifts for?"
Sonata shuffled on her shackled hooves, "You're not banishing me?"
The Queen slowly shook her head, "Not yet. I need your answer. One of your former allies begged for forgiveness for their crimes, the next vowed to serve the crown as atonement. What will you do?"
"Well, I..." said Sonata haltingly, looking unsure. "I don't know. I don't want to take over the castle again, that was dumb." Her words were hard to hear over the continued laughter of Pinkie, though the Queen did not seem to mind it. With a loud thump, Pinkie rolled off the railing surrounding Sonata and continued flopping about on the ground. "Is she going to be OK?"
The Queen gestured dismissively and Pinkie was hefted up by the bailiff easily, thrown onto the mare's back and taken away from the stand. "Please continue."
Sonata gave an unsure nod, "The Seekers said they would give me a place to work, um, once we got past all this. That sounds fun, and I'd get to hang out with my new friends."
"And what," said Iliana, "Of those harmed by your actions?"
Sonata shrunk in place, "I'm sorry, really. They can yell at me if they want? I'll be their super slave for a day each until we're even? I can throw a huge party for everyone at the castle?"
Suddenly Pinkie recovered, shouting from the witness area, "I'll help!"
The Queen nodded, "I have decided. You volunteered to serve the crown, and I will take this offer. Your heart is lost, but it doesn't ring with the malice of your leader, or the blase loathing of the banished one. You will serve within the city of Viljatown for a period of one year, where you will show those you've wronged that you are capable of goodness, or show your true colors. After that, provided you have done well, you are free to do as you wish, provided it does not involve harm to my people. Do you accept?"
Sonata nodded quickly, "I can do that. Will I be able to meet with my friends?" She shuffled in place, chains tinkling with the motions, "I mean, if that's OK."
"Of course it is, when you are not on duty," explained Iliana.
Twilight suddenly spoke up, "Your majesty? A question, if I may?"
The Queen held up a hoof, "Your questions will have to wait. This session of court is now closed. Bailiff, see that miss Dusk is taken to the barracks and introduced. I expect her to be well treated unless she proves otherwise needed."
The crowd began to disperse as Sonata was led away. Sonata managed a last wave once her shackles were undone, then she was gone through a door.
Twilight rose to join the others, but something made her stop. She looked around until her eyes locked with the Queen's, then she settled back where she started, captivated by the powerful gaze. Suddenly the Queen's voice spoke in her mind clearly, "They are not the only ones that know tricks of the mind. Hello, traveler. I have heard much of your journey."
Twilight tried to blink, but it seemed impossible to do. She opened her mouth and no words came out. Finally she replied the same way she was spoken to, through the mind, "I hope they were good things, your majesty. I wanted to ask about that banishing spell. If you could send us home, that would be fantastic, especially if Spike would remain how he is now."
The Queen dipped her head towards Twilight slightly, watching her even as the room continued to empty out, "He is not as he was before travelling to our world? Curious. The magic you used to travel is not one I know then. Is he truly a dragon then, or a pony wearing the guise of one?"
Spike softly shook Twilight, "Hey, Twilight. They're waiting for us."
Though Twilight could hear him, she couldn't respond, "He is a dragon, a young one. He became stronger and larger here. Can you send us back?"
The Queen nodded faintly, "I could, but that spell carries risk. There is a small chance you will arrive in an entirely different world, which could be very immediately dangerous. Your friend worries for you. Come to the castle tomorrow at noon and tell them 'The Queen Demands Me' and they will bring you to me to speak more personally"
The connection abruptly broke and Twilight reared up with a snort, "Huh, Oh Spike, let's go."
Spike nodded as he guided Twilight towards the others, "Shocked that we won, huh?"
Twilight made a soft noise, her mind whirring too quickly to give a good answer.
Long Road moved beside Spike, "I've been wanting to ask. Why did you take all the blame for attacking the guards? Didn't you say you had help?"
Spike quickly nodded, "Yea, Swift Strike actually did most of the fighting, but that was a favor for me. I wasn't going to throw him to the wolves to get out of it."
Long Road looked Spike over, "That is a very noble sentiment, Spike. You'll become a worthy knight yet. You realize she was probably aware of all this, right?"
Spike looked baffled at the idea, "She was? Why didn't she say so? Why wasn't she angry?"
Long Road gave a soft chuckle as he padded Spike on the back, "She was seeing if you'd throw all the blame on him and try to get out of it. The Queen knows Swift Strike and already forgave him. If you had blamed him, it would have looked very poorly on you."
Soft Mane was pouting when the group reformed, "It's nice she didn't just banish Sonata, but I'm going to miss her a lot. She was fun to hang out with."
Pinkie was in agreement with this with a firm bobbing, "I was sure the party idea would work." She clopped her fore hooves together loudly, "I was sure I gave a good report."
Long Road raised a brow at Pinkie, "You must have said something right, the Queen didn't outright banish her afterwards. I would wager she was testing you with the spell she did cast."
Pinkie stuck out her tongue, "It was like I was being tickled everywhere at once! I never laughed so hard in my life." She leaned in towards Long Road, "Think she could do it again?"
Soft Mane giggled as they emerged from the castle, "I bet if you asked her really nicely, but she's the Queen. She doesn't spend a lot of time with random people, and you're the most random person I know, Pinkie."
"Darn tootin," agreed Pinkie.
Spike gave a soft chuckle, "Maybe Twi could learn that spell for you, Pinkie."
Pinkie bounced beside Twilight, "Well, couldja couldja?"
Twilight snapped out her thoughts as she looked at her bouncing friend, "What? Sorry, I wasn't paying attention, Pinkie. What was that?"
Pinkie hopped over the distracted Twilight, "I was asking if you could learn that tickling spell the Queen used and throw it at me when I least expect it."
Twilight looked baffled before it turned with a soft smirk, "I'll figure something out, Pinkie. When you least expect it."
Pinkie's thrilled squeal reached for the sky as the group made their way back to the Seekers.
Twilight returned to the castle the next day, leaving the others behind save Spike. Spike she surrendered to the tender mercies of the gate guard. "Please return him in one piece."
The guard saluted. "We'll be friendly with him," he said in a somewhat menacing way. Spike swallowed heavily, but Twilight was already heading up to the castle before he could reconsider things.
Twilight approached the guards just in front of the castle and spoke, "The Queen demands me."
Both guards, a mare and a stallion, got strained looks on their face as if struggling not to react. Twilight became baffled at this, "Was that not what I was supposed to say? Queen Iliana said to say it."
The stallion guard nodded, "That is the correct phrase, but it has... specific connotations. Follow me." He turned and walked into the castle proper with Twilight trailing after him.
"What connotations are those?" asked Twilight, still perplexed.
"The last time the Queen bade her consorts say that," explained the guard. Twilight went cherry red at the implications as the guard continued, "I think she was having fun at your expense. She has a joking streak. I wouldn't take offense by it."
Twilight shook her head, the blush feeling hard enough to set herself on fire, "No! No, I'm not... offended." Twilight scarcely paid attention to the turns and stairs the guard led her past, until they arrived at a small room. The room had a hanging chandelier that gave generous light, and the round table within it was low to the ground. There were cushions strewn around it. From nowhere in particular, soft music played a relaxing tune.
"Wait here and she will be informed you are here," said the guard. He saluted before departing and closing the door behind himself.
Twilight looked around curiously. It had some similarities to Celestia's waiting room. This made sense to her, being a room with a similar function. She looked at the various trinkets that lined the shelves of the room, stopping when she reached one that was just a white box. She reached up a hoof and tapped the box. Whatever it was made of was hard, more like wood, but it sounded off. She could see where a hinge rested and curiosity began to overwhelm her. Her pink magic wrapped around it and brought it down to the table with Twilight right behind it. With a deft twist, she opened the box in her mental grasp, revealing a... bone?
"Put that back," came Queen Iliana's voice, stern and commanding. The Queen's golden glow wrapped around the box, snapping it shut and quickly putting it back on a shelf, "That is not for your eyes."
Twilight began quickly stammering an apology when the Queen held up a hoof, "You could not have known. Please, sit. We have much to discuss."
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It appears Iliana does not know gate. It's probably for the best; I don't want the story to be over so soon.
5560489 She did not say she does or does not, only that using dismissal has risks.
Great Chapter happy to see everything worked out.
5560525 Does Gate need a tuning fork the way Plane Shift does? It says it needs material components but doesn't specify what they are except for the expensive ones to summon a specific creature.
Ooh, Plane Shift is way easier for Oracles than for Wizards. Can Soft Mane get to level 10 before Twilight can get to level 14? It's a race!
5561056 It's a bit muddled, but I get the feeling it does. The Queen has tricks, however.
I wonder what that bone is about the Tribe of Bones perhaps?
When Pinkie laughs, it's never hideous!
Sonata's performing community service; it'll be interesting to see if and how she comes back to the party. And the queen continues to find humor where she can... though she didn't account for Twilight's inquisitiveness. Their conversation promises to be very interesting.
5563785 The Queen is limited at times by public appearance. She'd like to be gentle on the reptentive Sonata, but she can't just say 'water under the bridge!'(pun intended). Of course, the duties Sonata will have will be quite different from Adagio's.
This queen seems very much like Celestia, in terms of personality.
5607656 An eternal optimist that is undermined by an uncaring bureaucracy that supposedly works for her, laboring under the guilt of unintended genocide against an innocent people?
And so Twilight and Illiana meet face to face. Figured it was only a matter of time.
5876031 But is it turning out the way you thought?
I have to say, I hate the Queen in this. Aria had the potental to go good, she truly believed she would have died and would have went good if proven wrong. But she didn't have a chance and instead had been violated in a very deep and personal level, and will now live forever without her destiny, talent, and what makes her, her. Most likely, right after the spell banishes her, she will kill herself, and the queen knows this.
To me, that makes the Queen far more cruel than anything the 3 sirens have ever done.
5906429 She is a Queen. She has to make judgements to affect a nation, not to the empathy of one dangerous foreigner. Responsibilities, she has those, a lot of those. Celestia, she is not.
5607664 And the sort-of intended genocide of a different innocent tribe?
Will we ever see Twi talking with Princess L....(forgot her name already)?
8175271 Luminace. Yes, though in a future story if I recall proper.