I looked at the pair of ponies before me with a small frown. Neither of them would look at me, both of the pegasi looking down and away from each other. The one on the left had a white coat and blue mane with a cloud cutiemark. The one on the right had a light grey coat and a pale green mane with a fish cutiemark. Both were bruised, both mares were in an absolutely horrible state, bent quills and all.
It was rare that ponies got into physical fights. But for some reason Zephyria and River Mist just absolutely hated each other.
So far, I have been unable to figure out why. No stallion or mare, no love history between them. No history between their families or anything like it that anybody could find out..
Zephyria moved to Nocturnis with her bat sister last year. River Mist arrived alone a couple of months later and from everything I have been able to find out, they just ran into each other one day and it was hate at first sight.
This was the second time they were before me. The first, and smaller, half dozen times dealt with by the guard on the spot.
Last time they broke some expensive bottles in the local bar. They had paid for the damages and promised to stay away from each other.
But here they were again. And this time it was more damage. I glanced at the scroll laying on the throne next to my foreleg for a second before I spoke up, “Two wrecked market stalls. Approximately eight hundred bits worth of lost produce,” I said and looked at them, “You’re lucky you didn’t knock over the stand next to it. It was full of spices, not grains,” I said and returned to reading, “And three ponies were injured, not including you two. Orange Slice broke a rear leg when she fell to a lower platform,” I continued before I raised my head to look at them again, “That could very easily have been her neck.”
Both of them flinched, not meeting my eyes.
“I don’t know,” I said quietly, “What is between you two. And quite frankly, at the moment I do not care. But it ends. Now.”
“You’re majesty, I-” River Mist said before trailing off into silence as I met her eyes. She swallowed and took half a step backwards.
I looked at her for another couple of seconds before I turned my gaze to Zephyria as well before I sighed softly, “You two had a chance last time. In fact, as I understood it, you had half a dozen chances to clear this out between yourselves before I even heard of any of them. I have already been involved in this once. Now you have dragged me into this a second time. There will not be a third.”
I sighed softly and shook my head, “We do not have a prison. We have a small jail for when a pony gets too drunk and needs to sleep it off. So you will not be incarcerated. Orange Slice will be given reparations for three hundred bits for her injuries. One hundred to each of the other injured ponies. The damages of the two merchants will be reimbursed with twenty percent markup. You will pay a fine to the crown of five hundred bits. In total, you owe a total of 1960 bits. Split evenly between the both of you, thats nine hundred and eighty bits each.”
Both flinched. I doubted either of them had anywhere near that amount of money.
“In addition,” I continued, “You are each to do six months of community service with the Nocturnis Guard. Basic training followed by whichever duties suit you.”
That got sounds of protests from both of them, “Your majest-” Zephyria exclaimed, breaking off as I met her eyes..
“You will both do this,” I told them quietly, “And you will do it side by side. You will share a room. You will train side by side. You will help each other, support each other. And you will do it peacefully. Because if I hear anything more has happened between you other than raised voices… I do not care who started it… because trust me, ladies. You will not like the results.”
Both glanced at each other before they bowed, “Yes your majesty,” they said quietly.
“Sergeant,” I said and looked at the guard that brought them inside, “Please show them to their new quarters and get them geared up.”
He saluted and turned to them, “You heard the Prince! Move it!”
They almost scrambled to stand up and leave the throneroom. I looked after them as the doors closed before I sighed and rubbed my eyes with my forehoof, “Ah buck.”
Sunset walked up next to my throne, “I’m not sure that’s going to work,” she said, putting a hoof on it, looking up at me.
“No,” I admitted, “It might not. For all I know, they’re back here tomorrow and I have to do what I really don’t want to.”
“Banishment?” Sunset asked with a frown, glancing towards the closed doors.
“Banishment,” I said quietly, “Because what choice do we have? We don’t have a prison here. We… even now we can’t afford ponies sitting around in cells. What’s the alternative here? Forced labor?”
Sunset frowned, “Isn’t that what we just did?”
“...If you look at it like that,” I admitted, “Calling it conscription is just a nicer term. But… yes. But the alternative is banishment. Even if it is back to Equestria. Hopefully this will let them work out whatever is going on.”
“Deep breaths and try to calm down, you’re close to shimmering, Wingboy,” Sunset said and jumped up onto the throne next to me and nosing up beneath my chin as her side pressed against mine.
I closed my eyes for a second, taking a deep breath before slowly letting it back out again. If I was that close, I must have been angrier than I thought.
Sunset settled down and looked up at me, “I know. I don’t like it, but… I know.”
Sighing, I rested a wing across her back as I nosed on her ear, “It won’t be the last one either,” I said quietly, “Will it? Ponies are generally peaceful, but… things happen. Tempers flare. Ponies and creatures get hurt.”
“Greed exists here,” Sunset said quietly, resting her nose against my neck, “Jealousy. Other things as well. And we don’t only have ponies either anymore.”
“Mhmm,” I agreed with a small sigh.
We were big enough now to need a justice system. The one in Equestria wouldn’t work in this environment I think either. Not as a one to one continuation anyway.
What I said was true. We just didn’t have the resources to lock ponies away. Nor did I want to go that way if at all possible. Being locked away didn’t help anypony.
At best it kept them away from everypony else for public safety. At worst, it made things worse.
I believed, I had to believe, that… at their core, ponies were ponies. Creatures were creatures. Nopony woke up in the morning and wanted to hurt the ponies around them without something being seriously wrong.
And often the fault was with the society around them, not with them. Or they were sick and needed help.
I wanted a society where that didn’t happen. Celestia had mostly managed that. I wanted to keep it going.
I shifted my hooves on my throne and bared my fangs for a second as I shifted my wings before once more feeling Sunsets nose touch against my chin, once again causing my fury of the actions of those two to dissipate.
Letting a sigh out, I rested my head against the top of hers, my nose against the base of her horn.
Maybe I should have let Twilight handle this. It was more her thing.
But it was my town. My ponies.
My responsibility.
While it is your responsibility ultimately, as Celestia said before: DELEGATE HARDER!!!!!
While you do at times go Oh Woes is Me many times, which while keeping you humble. You also know that others in the upper management here in Nocturnis can help with setting up a justice system.
11585497
The portal still opens for 3 days every 30 moons naturally, they had planned to go through so Page could show Luna a world like his and to pick up some human stuff not in Equestria, it just never happened
One more straw on the hubaticorn's back....
Damn deep chapter, the darker side of ruling and its responsibilitys.
Hate on first sight? Huh... That new, very unexpected!
I wonder if the ponies have a unofficial fighting ring and the two mares are payed fighters?
Interesting to think about things like that.
In most games one cannot even build jails or police stations.
No clear indication why they hate one another?
Because that is rather unusual.
Mentioned mental illness emotional compromised individuals as cause to lead to violence is a complicated matter. I doubt they could fix that as well.
Page first murder case eventually will be very harsh...
Angel Bunny: "I failed to ride and tame a Raptor but next time... There is always the next time!"
Fern: "Pack has not submitted yet, but next time i will dominate and pollinate!"
Alicorn statue in the jungle:
"I will get my chance to shine...
Even if i have to wait for another 1001 years!"
Discord: "Some ponies love to hate, mayhap it is to late to fix them. Unless we can Cadance laser them into loving them to pieces?
Seemed to work on Sombra."
Spike: "Greeting recruits! I am your senior in guard service and let me tell you, you will work together or die trying. I am serious! The occationaly parameters breach is a matter of life and death.
Even survivel don't mean you don't lose a limb!
Better become battle buddys fast or this jungle will literally eat you up.
If you will not be good guards ponies by the end of this, than you will be fertilizer after the predators are done with your remains.
DISMISSED!"
Right, since if that doesn't work out, there is only one left.
11585785
Yes, and he might even be responsible for it.
Sergeant: Commander Tempest! I have private Zephyria and River Mist here to begin their basic training!
Tempest: Wait wait what?! Zephyria is with you? White coat with a blue mane? Cloud cutiemark?
Sergeant: Umm yes ma'am. I had them both set up in the barracks last night. Is there a problem?
Tempest: If Zephyria is here...then who the buck was in my jail cell overnight?!
...MEANWHILE IN JAIL TIME...
Windy Prance: I'm innocent! INNOCENT I TELL YOU! All I done was try to play matchmaker to ponies! I swear! LOVE IS NOT A CRIME!
Yikes. Page needs Luna time hasta pronto.
Anyhow, hope we hear from Skitter and the changelings soon. Would love to see them visit another hive or see more on the efforts to better integrate with ponies.
great chapter
Yeah. Page you should have delegated it to Twilight. You know The Princess of Friendship! The one that made Starlight Glimmer into a goodpony. If anypony could fix this problem it would be her. Part of being in charge is saying to the subordinates "handle it." Page you handle large scale problems. This is not that. It's minutia and shouldn't have filtered up to your desk.
This is a lot more useful, both for the community and themselves, than simple imprisonment
What if things get, passionate, between them
11585954
Absolutely priceless ♡ I didn't even made that connection 👍
Comment section love/hate relationship
11585958
Would be a great substory 👍
11586000
The problem with blooming civilizations, many problems and challenges. Yet a 'Civilization V' approach would be indeed needed... but worse than not going for delegation, is to choose the wrong one to do so.
11586153
I'm just trying to figure out if River Mist has a counterpart in the comment section..
I want to be properly introduced to my supposed enemy!
11586315
I actually searched for 15 minutes. Didn't find it, yet...
Nice
Yeah, this was inevitably going to be rough on someone like Page, but reigning as a feudal vassal will bring that sort of thing to your door. He did well though, and made if not the right call, then at least a just one.
11585765
I assume it happened off-page (no pun intended), though something might have happened to get in the way of it at the first opportunity. Possibly Tirek? You would probably remember better than me, being fresher since last reading.
11586000
Admittedly, in an isolated town of only a thousand people or so, a violent altercation which results in three bystanders being injured and a fair bit of property damage is pretty serious, especially in the relatively closed environment enforced by the shield. That said, delegating early is better than late, particularly with the workload Page has to deal with already. A police constable and deputy empowered to deal with things on a semi-ad hoc basis and furnished with a couple of holding cells would be a solid start in civilising the society away from effective military police enforcement.
Jackbooted grammar corrections of the day:
Your majesty,
Incidentally, unless they're part of the independence movement and Page isn't realising (which is understandable and bravo if so), this ought to be 'highness'. 'Majesty' is an address specifically for sovereign rulers, e.g King Charles III or King Carl XVI Gustaf. Celestia and Luna qualify, Twilight and Page do not.
Double full stop.
feeling Sunset's nose
11586576
The Your Majesty thing is very much intentional from my part.
Page on the other hoof, has no clue.
11586592
Excellent, splendid even! Have some moustaches!
In in-universe terms, Page clearly needs more study time with Celestia, asap.
11585821
11586315
Well, there is still one alternative available to Page. He could start collecting lawn ornaments, like Celestia does.
And now I'm looking forward to all the new chapters in the Stories In Stones Series....
11586318
Hmmm.... maybe try using a mirror?
When did the shimmering first happen to page?
11826555
It happened in the previous story, after Midnight mentioned the 2% chance that a rift could have opened up and swallowed up Ponyville or some other catastrophe.