Minor brainfart of an idea: Understanding the Charges. · 7:32pm Jan 21st, 2016
So I'm doodling text for Trip Down Memory Lane, thinking of nasty things for Luna and Discord to discuss, and this kind of stuck out as its own idea. It also meshes kind of nicely with the rousettes from the Blue Moon Bloom canon, but it's not necessarily related. I have been wondering what it would be like to have Rin tag along during the S5 opener, though. Hint: she only needs two words to make Starlight Glimmer's world collapse. It's a bit too mean-spirited for my tastes, though. This one's more of a random little blurb.
I'm sure I'm not the first person to think of this, but here goes:
The bat ponies moved as one unit, swooping down on Twilight and Starlight. They were dark, they were quiet, they were everywhere.
The princess was taken aback by what had all the signs of an attack. "Umm, may I help you, gentlecolts?"
"You are Princess Twilight Sparkle?" One of the stallions, presumably their leader, asked.
"Yes."
"And this is Starlight Glimmer?" He nodded towards the mare next to the princess.
Starlight shivered and nodded. "Yes, I am. And I was pardoned, just so you know."
The captain let out a low gruff and a snort. "Miss Glimmer, you were charged with the intentional tampering with Equestria's history, violation of the Code of Magical Medicine, and the theft and destruction of a priceless artefact on loan from Princess Celestia. Correct?"
Starlight Glimmer nodded meekly as the stallions spread out their bat wings. "Yes, that is correct, but I don't see why you'd bring that up. I have a royal pardon for all that. I'm a law-abiding citizen now."
"She's right. Starlight Glimmer has made amends with me and my friends. She's been cleared of all charges."
"All but one. Starlight Glimmer, you are under arrest for attempted murder via magical assistance. As for your pardon, Princess Twilight Sparkle-"
"What?" Twilight exclaimed. "But she didn't mean to kill me. She's been pardoned for her crimes against me."
The stallion sighed, annoyed at the interruption. "You misunderstand, Your Highness: I am not here regarding any wrongs committed against you. There is another that this mare attempted to kill. And one who, I might add, she did kill in the alternate timelines."
"How would you even know?"
"We of the Night Guard have the gift of prophecy, taught to us by Princess Luna. We have determined that this mare attempted a premeditated murder against a member of the royal entourage."
Twilight groaned. "But I keep telling you: I pardoned her! She didn't try to kill me."
"She's right. I was angry, but I didn't mean for her to just die at any point. I never shot her for real." Starlight smiled nervously, looking to back away but surrounded, still. The sound of metal rubbing against metal tickled her ears, and to her horror she realised that was just the Night Guards rubbing their bare wings against their armour.
"Begging your pardon, Princess Twilight, but the matter is beyond your authority."
"It's perfectly within my authority. It's my life she risked, and I chose not to press charges."
"I know. As I keep trying to explain to you, it is not your place to pardon."
"Then who-"
"Starlight Glimmer was informed of how the Sonic Rainboom affected your life. She was well aware of the consequences, at least her intended consequences. All of the intended consequences. Including those for your assistant, Sir Spike the Dragon."
Twilight felt the blood drain from her face. "Oh. Uh oh."
"She tried to undo everything you have done in your lifetime, Princess Twilight Sparkle. She admitted to studying your life and finding the best point to strike, which means her actions were all premeditated and carefully prepared. That you pardon her for that is your own business. But she also tried to snuff out the life of the dragon you helped bring into this world. And that, Your Highness, constitutes attempted murder of a child under royal protection. Something you would have considerably more trouble pardoning, I believe. So, seeing as Sir Spike is still technically a child of the state, it is my duty to see to it that any threats to his wellbeing are properly dealt with. If you'll follow me, please."
Starlight sighed. "I guess if I must."
Twilight shook her head. "Don't worry, we'll work this out. We can get Spike to drop the charges."
The captain twitched his ears. "Won't help against yours, I fear."
"What?"
"You are under arrest too, Your Highness."
"For what?!"
"Criminal negligence."
"Of all the... what could possibly make you think I'm criminally negligent towards Spike?"
"Evidence, of course. Mostly reports from Princess Celestia."
"You think I abuse Spike? I love him, he's family."
"I know. But perhaps you should ask your new friend where exactly she got that old time travel scroll in the first place. And while you are at it, ask her how hard it was to enter your castle, or where she did the bulk of her research."
"I beg your pardon?"
"Honestly, I'm as surprised as you are. I'd have thought the sister of a Royal Guard would at least think to lock up the more dangerous items in her house."
So, there. Little blurb, some implications about Twilight not locking up her 'guns' and actually getting some consequences. Not sure if it's the proper legal term, and I know gun laws aren't the same in America as they are here, but err... the point still stands. Twilight's castle has zero security, and a lot of dangerous stuff in it. More dangerous stuff than Golden Oaks ever did, at least before those 'advanced studies' when she undoubtedly got some questionable material from Celestia.
Whoa... Tirek may have actually made Ponyville safer by blowing up that place. Mind. Blown.
It's weird to consider that Spike may not have been born at all because of Starlight's meddling... somehow. At the very least, it's an illegal abortion, sort of?
I mean, technically it is still preventing a life from coming into the world, a destiny we know has a big impact on Equestrian history (Crystal Empire, all those freak-outs, the fact that the S5 opener could have ended with horse steak if Spike had been there). What if Starlight did get sued for that, separately from everything else? They got Capone on tax fraud, if I remember correctly. Not that big a stretch.
I'm pretty sure Celestia would just tell Twilight to lock the doors, or passive-aggressively assign some guards to treecastle patrol duty without telling her, not have her arrested.
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That's the thing though: suppose it's not Celestia who's in charge of that? Suppose there are other officials? Oh, and even if it is: everyone equal to the law and all that.
Edit: also, it puts the pardon of Starlight Glimmer in a different light. If word of that got out, along with the implications for Spike, it would look like Twilight's trying to hide her own mistakes. Still, just something to consider, no biggie.