//------------------------------// // Ruminations // Story: The Result of Absolute Power // by SvenFoxx //------------------------------// Celestia sat in her bedroom, bags under her bloodshot eyes, and several letters spread out on the floor in front of her. Regret and sadness shook her soul. Outside her window she could hear the roar of the ponies, and see the flicker of red that could only come from the light cast by fire. Ponies were rioting, and the few left that were still loyal to Celestia simply could not handle it. Equestria had fallen. Everything had fallen apart. Where had it gone wrong? Celestia knew. She knew only too well. It started with a single mare, with a large ambition and the wrong idea of how to accomplish it. Cozy Glow. No, Celestia told her self. Cozy Glow may have beeen the start, but it was not her fault everything had gone the way it had. No. The true reason everything had fallen apart had been Celestia’s decision to sentence a nine year old filly to Tartarus, right next to Tirek in fact. From there, everything began. It started with, as it rightly should have Celestia supposed, Cozy Glow’s parents. They had been outraged that their daughter had been thrown into the most severe prison in Equestria, when the law clearly stated a minor could not be judged the same as an adult, and such judgments must be approved by their parents. Celestia had not consulted Cozy Glow’s parents. Celestia had seen that the Elements of Harmony had acted, without the input of their bearers, to save Starlight Glimmer and restore magic. Celestia determined based on that alone that Cozy Glow could not be redeemed, and could only be imprisoned to protect Equestria. She had forgone the usual methods, and imprisoned the nine year old. If Celestia had stopped to think, she would have realized that the Elements had done nothing to Cozy Glow herself, only saved magic and Starlight. However, Celestia had not realized that until it was too late. She had made clear that her judgment was final and that the parents would not sway her. Criminals would be punished as they should be. The parents had left, furious, and vowing to save their daughter from Celestia’s tyranny. Then the newspapers had somehow gotten ahold of the story, from the parents, Celestia suspected. Celestia looked at the first piece of paper in front of her. A newspaper clipping. The headline was as blunt as it could be. FILLY SENTENCED TO TARTARUS. THE RESULT OF AMBITION? It went on to describe the imprisonment of Cozy Glow, why she was imprisoned, and how Celestia had ignored due process based on the actions of artifacts that were not even sentient. When Celestia saw that newspaper, it had been followed by nearly all of the castle staff turning in their resignations and leaving Equestria entirely, the vast majority going to the Crystal Empire. Luna had stormed into her room as well and began reading her the riot act, going about how she had warned Celestia that this had been too extreme of a punishment. The argument had been long, and the end was not clean. Luna had thrown her crown at Celestia and stormed off. To this day Celestia had no idea where her sister had gone, only that she still moved the moon. A few days later led to Twilight coming in and demanding to know what had possessed Celestia to lock up a filly. Celestia remembered that conversation only too well. --- “This is unacceptable.” Celestia looked up from her paperwork, and found the puzzling sight of her former student, Twilight Sparkle, staring at her pretty harshly. “Twilight?” Twilight pulled a piece of paper from the saddlebags she was wearing, and handed it to Celestia. “I will not abide by this, Princess,” she stated, perhaps a bit more angrilly than she intended. Celestia, curious and concerned over what could possibly upset her fellow Princess this much, took the paper. It was a newspaper clipping, and the headline made her pale. FILLY SENTENCED TO TARTARUS. THE RESULT OF AMBITION? “I will not deny that Cozy Glow was very much in the wrong,” Twilight started, sounding far calmer than Celestia now believed she was. “But Tartarus is not the place to put a nine year old filly, regardless of the severity of their bad behaviour.” “Twilight…” “The Want-It Need-It incident,” Twilight interrupted, making Celestia wince. “Should have landed me in Tartarus. I took from ponies their ability to reason, a crime far more severe than a lack of magic in the world. Humanity on the other side of the mirror proved magic isn’t necessary to survive and thrive, so Cozy Glow’s actions can, at best, be described as extremist.” Celestia wilted under the scrutiny of her fellow Princess. “I understand how you feel, Twilight, but…” “No!” Twilight snapped off loudly, startling her once mentor into silence. “You seem to not understand the consequences here, Celestia! The most minor result of this is Cozy Glow’s parents lobbying to have the Diarchy removed from the throne for clear abuse of authority and disregard for the law! Do you have any idea how many parents across Equestria now believe us to be dictators that will do anything to maintain the status quo?!” she roared. Celestia wilted further. “And that’s only the minor thing! Ponies who once happily tried to accomplish their dreams are now terrified of stepping out of line, thinking if they get too ambitious they’ll be locked up as well! And then there’s the diplomatic repercussions!” Twilight pulled out more newspaper clippings. EQUESTRIA LOCKS UP FILLY FOR AMBITIOUS DREAMS. DIARCHY OF EQUESTRIA NOT TO BE TRUSTED. TRADE WITH EQUESTRIA SUSPENDED. “Cadence has sent a formal letter to the Diarchy that the Crystal Empire is no longer permitting interaction with Equestria. She’s terrified you’ll lock up Flurry Heart because of her powerful magic outbursts. Nevermind the furious letter Shining sent me!” Twilight once more reached into her saddlebag, and pulled out a scroll. She tossed it onto Celestia’s desk. “And I’m in agreement. You need to fix this Celestia, and until you do Ponyville is officially separating itself as a micronation until then. I will be having the town relocated to the edge of the Crystal Empire within the next week. Luna has already signed all of the necessary paperwork.” Twilight turned to leave, but stopped at the door and looked at Celestia over her shoulder. “I once respected you as a kind and righteous ruler. I didn’t think you could do any wrong. I’ve learned since then that you aren’t perfect, but that you are at least trying. Or I thought you were.” Twilight shook her head. “Goodbye Celestia. Do not contact me or my family.” --- That had perhaps been the moment that Celestia realized she had made a grave mistake. Twilight was the living embodiment of Friendship, and she had forgiven quite a lot. To have Twilight so thoroughly up in arms over this pointed out to Celestia that the Elements of Harmony did not approve. Worse, Twilight had succeeded in her promise. Not a week after Twilight’s visit, the town of Ponyville had simply vanished. It was as if the town had never existed. Not even the apple orchard was there anymore. It nailed home to Celestia, not for the first time, just how ludicrously powerful Twilight was. And, as Twilight said, the town of Ponyville now sat on the other end of the Crystal Empire from Equestria. Celestia had tried to visit, but had been confronted by three Alicorns, an entire royal guard, and many Thestrals that were willing to go to war if she tried to interact with anyone from the Crystal Empire. Celestia sighed, wishing not for the first time that she had not skipped due process when it came to Cozy Glow. As for Cozy Glow herself, Luna had taken the filly from Tartarus and, with her parents permission, instead made her the first inmate of a softer jail, where doctors would attempt to determine the cause of Cozy’s maniacal behaviour. Celestia had tried to visit, to understand what they were doing, but had once again been chased away. Not long after the rift that formed between the Princesses, Equestria began to revolt against the throne in outrage. The demand was that Celestia step down and enter banishment from Equestria, allowing a council to take over. Nopony wanted that kind of power in the hooves of only one pony, not after this. That’s what led to today. Canterlot was empty, there were very few soldiers who remained with Celestia, and a mob stood at the entrance of the castle. A choice must be made. Celestia eventually stood and made her way from the room. It was time to put an end to this.