The jury, those twelve mares selected by lots to choose his fate, largely ignored the young pony in the grey jumpsuit. Was he waiting for someone? If so, no one came. No one cared. It didn’t matter any more, because time was up. One by one they stepped out the door, and then all at once the jury box was empty.
What happened that night? Would this young colt, a displaced refugee from a bloody civil war, really kill his own mother? After all, the Everfree terrorists no older than this colt had done worse things to better ponies. Had he? Between passion and prejudice, it certainly seems so — but one mare disagrees.
Though Twelve Angry Mares stands alone, it is probably best enjoyed as a sequel, of sorts, to a previous story of mine, Blackacre. You don't need to have read it to appreciate this — certainly the styles and tones struck are vastly different — but it does contextualize some of the prejudice and gut reactions of our cast of characters.
For those of my faithful readers coming from Blackacre: this is not a straight sequel, so if you come at it like one you'll probably be a bit disappointed. There's no sequel proper . . . not yet.
In 1957, Reginald Rose wrote a screenplay about a murder trial. It has since been adapted many times, and the story you're about to read draws from many of those adaptations. Twelve Angry Mares is, however, something entirely different, located in a different world, with different concerns. Though similar on the surface, you are about to read a very different story than the one with which you might be familiar.
And yet — there is a resonance here that goes beyond space and time, beyond one story or another. You are about to read a pony fanfic, but there's more here than just that. The basic elements of this story are ones that should be familiar to all, for this isn't a story about ponies. It's a story about me. About you. About the very heart of the notion of justice, of fairness, of what is right.
I greatly enjoyed telling this story, and sincerely hope you enjoy experiencing it.
Alright, I'm hooked.
Love the movie; can't wait to see what you do with the story.
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Oh man — thanks! If you have half as much fun reading it as I did writing it, you're in for a great time!
Ooh, this looks interesting!
I played Juror #3 in a highschool production of this story; I'm looking forward to seeing who you cast as whom,
Or maybe he never had fingers to begin with!
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Someday I'll post a chapter and get it right the first time: no stupid mistakes, no dumb typos. Clearly that day is not today. (Here's hoping Act II goes better....)
And yeah, Three is a barrel of fun! Big ol' juicy moments.
I found this story by accident, didn't read the prequel although considering the quality i might. But rarely do i find such a good story and now i wish to watch the movie, somehow. Keep writing, I want see how this ends.
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It's not so much a prequel as it is another piece set in the same universe, a few decades before the events of the show. And I should probably give you a heads-up that it's significantly different in style and content. So, you know, be aware. That said, do give it a shot! I mean, I like 'em both; you might too!
Interesting. Long ago I read a story linked through Equestria Daily entitled 'Six Angry Mares' taken almost directly from the original play with the Mane Six playing six Jurors instead of twelve. None of them are referenced by name, but you can subtly pick out the clues of who is who as they go through the entire emotional spectrum from the original story. It was a masterpiece and I still look it up to reread it on occasion.