The Judgment

by Gabriel LaVedier

The Verdict

“So... here we are again,” Twilight said, with an air of heavy gravity. She was back down in the main area of the library, the other girls arranged around her, all of them looking seriously at a blue vase, into which they had just put their stamped slips of paper. “This is it. A very august and critical-”

“Cake!” Pinkie interrupted, wheeling out a decently-sized cake, a two-layer step-type cake covered in pink and purple buttercream frosting.

“Pinkie...” Twilight glared at Pinkie for a moment, her expression softening on seeing the cheery smile on Pinkie's face. “At least wait until we have some kind of answer. Then your party will make more sense.”

“Oooh! Yea, that makes sense!” Pinkie chirped, hopping over to the assembly and taking a seat.

“Come on, let's get this over with!” Dash clopped her hoof on the desk, wings repeatedly flexing in agitation.

“Calm yer jet stream, sugarcube,” Applejack chided, lightly nudging Dash's side. “Ah'm about as worked up as a one-legged hare in an alligator pond, but ah can wait it out.”

“Oh that poor hare...” Fluttershy said softly, snuggling in against Rarity. “I know I'd sure be nervous about that. I know I'm always nervous, but this is even more nerve-wracking.”

“There, there, darling, do no fret,” Rarity said, nuzzling against Fluttershy's ear. “All Twilight need do is read off our votes and then we may enjoy one of Pinkie's delightful soirees.”

“Right...” Twilight levitated the vase over to her and took a deep breath. “Remember... it has to be unanimous. Even a tie is a 'no.' It all comes down to this.”

“Then do it already!” Dash cried. “The suspense is killing me!”

One paper slowly lifted out of the vase and unfolded, visible to all of them. Six heads crowded in and Twilight read the word printed out loud. “'Aye.'”

The paper sped away into the fireplace, quickly consumed by the blaze within. “What was that for?” Dash asked, her wings twitching all the faster.

“We can't let them remain, not if some forensic trace or other indications could reveal who cast it,” Twilight replied, lifting out another slip and opening it up. “'Aye.'”

The fire consumed the second slip and Applejack pushed down Dash's wings. “Y'all got yerself all worked up. This ain't no big thing.”

“Then why is your hoof twitching?” Dash retorted.

“Because yer makin' me nervous, sugarcube,” Applejack replied.

Twilight had already removed the next slip. “'Aye.'”

Rarity fell back onto her fainting couch as the paper burned, in the most melodramatic pose she could muster. “Goodness, the suspense! What are the odds we would draw such a sequence?”

“Does it look like mah sister-ta-be 'r mah brother 're here?” Applejack grumped, seeming to be failing in her mission to keep Dash's wings still.

“I was only asking a simple question,” Rarity said, with a bounce of her mane.

“'Aye,'” Twilight said, ignoring the bickering and going on with her reading. She sent the paper into the fireplace and wiped her brow.

“T-twilight, do you need me to get you something to drink?” Fluttershy asked, nervously stepping from hoof to hoof, barely showing half of an eye from behind her mane.

“It's almost over. Almost over...” Twilight said, lifting out the fifth paper. “'Aye.'”

“Looks like I know what kind of cake we need to have,” Pinkie said cheerfully, whipping a few pastry bags from seemingly nowhere and starting to write out positive messages on the surface of the cake.

Twilight burned the fifth paper and lifted out the last one. “You never know. The odds are vanishingly small that this will be negative. But improbable things happen all the time.”

“Like the banana incident?” Pinkie asked.

“Err... yes... like the banana incident,” Twilight responded, a huge blush coloring her cheeks.

“The... 'banana incident?'” Applejack asked, eyes quickly passing from the smiling Pinkie to the blushing Twilight.

“That's not important right now!” Twilight asserted, trying to speak with a normal tone, but with far more volume than was necessary. “Ahem... I mean, that strays from the point. We need to resolve... this.” She unfolded the last paper and showed it off. “'Aye.'”

The six mares stared as the last paper was consumed by the fire. The die was cast. Serious looks rested on five faces. Pinkie was her usual unperturbed self. She was putting the finishing touches on her celebratory cake. She had embellished the top tier with, of all things, marzipan figurines of her and her friends. All of them were dressed in carved marzipan wedding gowns, and snuggled up together in proper couples. “Don't look so sad! This is a party! We all agreed on this!”

Twilight slid over to Pinkie's side, looking at the figure of herself and Pinkie. They were quite lifelike, and painted nicely in food coloring. Marriage and babies, coming soon. A very exciting and delightful proposition. A smile grew on her face. Pinkie, as ever, had that mysterious and wonderful power over all ponies. “Pinkie's right. This is a party. We should all smile!”

Rarity rose off of her couch and softly nudged Fluttershy. “Twilight is correct. Come, darling, we should get a slice of that delicious cake. We have made a decision. And however it may come out, we must never be afraid of decisions that we have made and cannot undo. We would only be filled with fear.”

“I already have enough of that,” Fluttershy said quietly, pressing into Rarity's side, sheltering herself in her marefriend's confidence. “I know that whatever happens, we have each other. That's enough for me.”

“They're all right. We sweated it out long enough making the decision. Now we get to relax and enjoy it,” Dash said. “We need some tunes in here. Hey Twilight, can you still get DJ Pon-3 or did you lose that ability when you stopped being a princess?”

Applejack whacked Dash across the flanks with her hat and shook her head with an exasperated expression. “Sugarcube... what am ah gonna do with ya? Can't ya ever be civil, fer once in yer whole life?”

“You love it and you know it,” Dash teased, slipping in for a kiss.

“Ah love it, but ah ain't gonna like it,” Applejack said, pecking Dash on the lips. She then pushed Dash away with a grin. “Now ya go put some music on. Ya wants it, ya does it. That's how we do on the farm, and yer sure gonna learn how it works before ya join up with the Apples.”

“Right, right, I know..." Dash said with a slight scowl, mirth twinkling in her eyes.

While the impromptu party began behind her, Twilight took up a quill and a scroll, scribbling out a letter to be sent in the morning.

Dear Princess Celestia,

Summary of findings on the question of non-standard Filly Fooler reproduction: The vote was 'Aye.' The decision reached was unanimous and not contentious. The decision was reached independently with private considerations and no pressure form any side. After marriage and some period of time we will be needing some kind of combination. I thank you for letting us be aware of this, and for offering the opportunity. We will all be looking forward to this chance.

Your faithful student,

Twilight Sparkle

Giving the matter some consideration, and with the party atmosphere putting a smile on her face she finished off the letter by adding, -Pie.

Comments

[Noble Cause]

Well well... unanimous. I was worried there'd be a 'nay' somewhere. Good to see progress!

[Gabriel LaVedier]

2823875

I toyed with "One dissenting vote and paranoia over who" or a "Lady or the tiger" open ending after five ballots. I went with the happy ending.

[Noble Cause]

2823970

Yay, happy endings!

[Kagitaar]

twilight. Twilight.

While it at least ended with enough reason to exist, stretching it out did it no favors. You made a government pamphlet entertaining, yet here it just drags and drags.

[Gabriel LaVedier]

2831440

It was mostly a character study, showing how the Mane Six think of and process things, like Pinkie's manic multitasking or Applejack's semi-conflicted mix of tradition and progressive ideas. Also, the end was me trying to stretch my writing muscles doing the text version of the tense part of a drama, with the added bonus of having them speak in the order of the chapter as each ballot is read. It would appear the experiment was not quite as successful as I had hoped.

[Kagitaar]

2832372

It might have been how you released it that hurt it the most for me; nearly 3 months from start to finish with very little in between does not do you any favors at all. If this had been released all at once I think it would have worked better, but who knows now.

[Gabriel LaVedier]

3141642

Please see "Forging Iron Will."

Iron Will is a kidnapped prince named Asterion from a place called The Aegeman Sea, the hybrid son of King Minos XXVII of Concrete and Queen Pasiphaë of Concrete, a Diamond Dog and a Cow respectively. By tradition the regnal name of the kings of Concrete is Minos. Iron Will now rules as King Minos XXVIII. He's seen again in Dames of the Tea Table 5, married and enjoying being a king.

[Yami Vizzini]

I was so afraid that Pinkie had jinxed it near the end there. All's well that end's well, though... even if it's really just another beginning. And I look forward to however many weddings you plan to show on-page.
That said, no, the odds were not "vanishingly small" that the last vote would have been "Nay"; it was 50/50 like any other ballot. Did Celestia not provide any lessons in probability?

[Gabriel LaVedier]

3760159

It's true that the actual odds never change. However, the perception does change. It seems like it's not 50/50 when a coin flip approaches ten heads. There was also some calculation anxiety. Like looking at a probability tree and being stunned by the outcome.

I honestly should show some marriages. I already implied a marriage between Pinkie and Twilight.

[Yami Vizzini]

I'd also like to note that, as cool as this all sounds, it underwhelmed me just a bit because I had thought something like it was already in play, thanks to Bad Apple's comment way back in "The Discarded Son" about the possibility of AJ & RD having a foal via "magical telekinetic means". I can only assume that that was another way of referring to sperm donation? (And also that the first choice for donation is traditionally a brother-in-law, hence that brief discussion about siblings? It makes sense, but it's tricky when you only allude to it in passing.)

[Gabriel LaVedier]

4962050

Yes, that refers to sperm donation. The "Telekinetic means" as the Equestrian equivalent of in vitro.

Also, yes. Siblings or near relatives are the traditional donors.