Final Judgment sat in her chambers, reviewing for the fifteenth time the case of the murdered girl. With each pass, she felt more and more regret for letting the murderer go so easily. A pony was dead, and her murderer was going to walk. The only thing she could think was that it was her fault. Not only that, but something seemed fundamentally wrong with the case. She skimmed over the file one more time, trying to find some fallacy, some trace of uncertainty, but the case was airtight. Every single fact checked out, but doubt veiled her mind.
Final opened the bottom drawer of her desk and poured a glass of Applejack Daniels, downing it in a single gulp. She turned to pour another shot, seeing the statue of Celestia holding the scales of justice on either wing. As she looked upon Celestia’s marble visage, she felt her heart sink even further. Celestia had personally appointed Final Judgment to the position of Supreme Justice after a particularly difficult trial, not dissimilar to the one she’d presided over a few hours previous. A young stallion arranged for the untimely death of his wife, but didn’t know the time or place it would happen. Within the next week, the body was found in a lake outside Canterlot. Somehow, the stallion managed to use a memory spell to convince himself it was an accident, and his cutie mark remained unchanged. Final wasn’t fooled, though. She questioned him repeatedly, demanding he tell the truth. During the fourteenth day of the trial, the letter written to the assassin was found and presented to Final. She showed the stallion the note. As the memory spell dissolved, the shocked courtroom was treated to the sight of a cutie mark changing. Soon after, the stallion was exiled. What had changed since then? Why hadn’t she kicked the foal out of Equestria like she’d done forty-two years ago?
She shook her head, trying to clear the doubt from her mind. The world was different now. There was a new princess, after all. With Celestia and Luna in power, every decision made by the court was black and white, but Cadence upset this balance with myriad shades of grey. She knew the mind of a pony like no one else, and her surprising ability was evident. With her acting as a marriage counselor, the divorce rate in Equestria was slowly declining. It wasn’t just the work she was doing, but the hope she represented. Final Judgment knew that mare was going to change the order of things in the world, which is why she’d opted to have her attempt to rehabilitate a murderer. Final took a sip from her glass of whiskey, hoping the risk she’d taken would pay off. She glanced back at the statuette, her eyes darting to the wall behind it. Though she couldn’t read the note framed there, she knew what it said by heart.
Final Judgment—
I’ve observed your work first hand, and I’m proud to have you as an executor of my law. You have wisdom well beyond your years, and you share my sense of justice. Any decision you make in the courtroom is mine, and I will uphold your rulings to the end.
~Princess Celestia
She closed her eyes, repeating that final line to herself. Oh, Celestia… I think I’ve made a terrible mistake….
***
Sly Fox approached Judge Final’s chambers with a smirk on his face. Sure, she’d made a fool out of him in court today, but he was about to knock her off her high horse. He knocked on her door, wiping the smile off his face.
“Come in,” he heard the judge call weakly. He opened the door, seeing Final’s stoic expression sour. “What the hell do you want, Sly? I’m not going to waive your fine.”
“Oh, this isn’t about the fine, Judge Final. This is about the girl whose murderer you let walk.”
“Come off it, Sly. If you think you know better than the highest law in the country, think again. Besides, that murderer was your client. You should be thanking me.”
“I think you should take a closer look at the name of the girl my client killed.”
“Who? Daisy Duke? What’s the big de—oh, damn it.”
“That’s right. She was the daughter of the Duchess of Trottingham. I think she’s probably going to want to have a word with you about this whole situation. Knowing the Duchess’s influence, she’s probably going to lobby Princess Celestia to have you removed from office.”
Final looked back down at the file, aggravated she hadn’t seen the connection earlier. Even so, there still remained the issue of addressing the smug jackass standing in her doorway. She knew Sly hadn’t chosen to deliver this message out of the kindness of his heart. He was hoping to watch her fall apart in front of him, and she wasn’t going to give him the pleasure. “You know what, Sly? I’m going to save the Princess the trouble. Tomorrow morning, I’m resigning.”
She stood up and walked out of her chambers, knowing they’d be cleaned out the next day.
“I’m too old for this shit anyway.”