//------------------------------// // Sentencing // Story: Hero from Tartarus // by Sollys //------------------------------// Everything hurt. She was tired, and didn't want to move. The whole world was white, white noise, and white pain. There was a ringing in her ears, blinding the outside world completely. Only then did she start to remember. The crown, the demon, the crimes, everything made sense. Sunset Shimmer slowly opened her eyes, taking in her surroundings. The walls around here were gray, and the floor she was laying on was hard. Her body felt, smaller and sore from pain. Sunset struggled to stand up, but after a few tries, she leaned herself on the cold stone wall and got a better look of where she was. One, she was not human, she was back in Equestria. Two, she was in what looked like a cell. Three, other than a stack of hay where she had been laying, and herself, the cell was empty. Memories began to flood back to Sunset's mind. Princess Twilight Sparkle had taken her back to Equestria, Twilight didn't tell her why, she did seem pretty angry. A voice broke Sunset's thoughts. "The prisoner has awoken!" Sunset limped to the bars of the cell. "What's going on?" she murmured as guards with stern looks on their faces moved towards her cell. They were all clad in golden and crystal like armor their horns a glow as they carried spears in their auras. The door of the cell opened with a metal sound, and before Sunset knew it, chains had locked themselves around her hooves. One of the guards, who wore a special star on his chest grabbed Sunset's shoulder roughly, causing her to grimace and suck in her breath in pain. Turning her head to face the area of conflict, she saw a rough red, and might she say half-assed stitched cuts. It felt as though they would fall apart at any second if she stretched too much or ran to fast. The guard pushing her forward scowled, and leaned in close in Sunset's ear. "You tried to kill my sister, and her friends, try to resist and I'll bury you in the ground myself." Sunset's ears folded back as she walked forward, fearing if what the guard said was true. Sunset thought for moment before something clicked in her brain. If this guard said that she tried to kill his sister...His sister had to be Twilight Sparkle! That would explain why he wanted to end her life so much. Great. They walked through the halls with tense and awkward silence. The horn inhibitor ring on Sunset's head added a suffocating feeling, like she was under a blanket. But that's not what was bothering her the most. Sunset had a huge hole of guilt carved in her chest. Anything and everything she had done in her past came back to her. Sunset felt the pain that others felt when she bullied and blackmailed them. The depression they went through, the embarrassment, and shame. Sunset choked back a sob as the squad of guards led her to, she guessed, the courtroom. She had never been in a palace like this before, she had never been in this palace at all in fact. Everything seemed to be made out of crystal, even the guards had a crystal gleam to them. Finally the squad and their prisoner reached two large doors, the guards on either side of the door tapped their spears on the crystal surface, causing the door to open slowly. Bright light filled Sunset's eyes and she blinked and looked away. Slowly she turned her head as she was once again lead to the large courtroom. The first thing Sunset noticed was that the room was full of ponies, noble ponies of course. Further down she saw more guards, and four large thrones. Each one occupied. Sunset looked up and met the eyes of all four princesses, and instantly regretted it. Especially Celestia's commanding gaze. Sunset hung her head in shame, she didn't want to be here, she didn't want to hear what the Princesses had in store for her. She was in enough pain already, physically and emotionally. Sunset couldn't stop herself from crying, letting painfully silent tears slide down her muzzle. Murmurs and whispers ran through the courtroom for a few seconds before a loud banging noise shut off their chatter. Sunset flinched with each bang of the mallet, after three bangs, all chatter ceased and strong silence filled its place. "Sunset Shimmer." She flinched at her name. "You are being charged with regicide against Princess Twilight Sparkle of Friendship, and attempted overthrow of Princess Celestia." One of the princesses voiced, Sunset wasn't familiar with this one. "What do you plead?" Sunset looked up at the navy coloured Princess who glared down at her, and stuttered in fear and guilt. "I-I-," Sunset stopped her stuttering and choked back a sob. "Guilty." The Princess's glare did not waver. "The crimes you have commited have a high price to pay, Sunset Shimmer." The navy-colored mare spoke. "I Princess Luna of the Moon and Night, Diarch of Equestria sentence thou to be punished by death" Ponies in the crowd began to mutter, shocked expressions on all of their faces. But the face Sunset wore was one of fear, guilt and shame. Her head snapped up and looked at the Princesses, almost begging for them to choose a different punishment. All of them looked down, but she met one lavender alicorn's gaze. Twilight's eyes widened when she saw Sunset's face. "Wait!" Gasps resonated through the courtroom. All heads turned their attention from Sunset Shimmer, to Twilight Sparkle. Sunset looked up as well in shock at the Princess of Friendship. She was wide-eyed and stared at Sunset before turning to face the rest of her fellow rulers. "Can we discuss this in private?" Twilight said in a low whisper. The other Princesses looked at one another and nodded, walking out of the courtroom through a pair of curtains. Minutes passed before conversation arose again, some ponies pointed hooves at Sunset while she sobbed quietly to herself. All she wanted to do was collapse. "Princesses, I know what Sunset has done is bad, but she doesn't deserve to die! I'm alive, I am alright, it's wrong to put somepony to death." Twilight yelled, her wings flaring out in anger. Shining Armor moved by his sister's side, trying to calm her down. "Twily, that mare almost killed you! You and your friends." Her head snapped towards her brother. "I know that Shiny but I didn't bring her to Equestria just to kill her!" Twilight fumed. Princess Cadance moved beside Shining Armor and wrapped a wing around him. "I agree with Twily, Shiny. I grew up with Sunset, and even though she was a brat—and a jerk, she would never kill somepony." She pointed out, and looked in Princess Celestia's direction, who had not spoken a word yet. "Even ask Auntie Celestia!" They all turned their heads to look at the Princess of the Sun, who's strong gaze wavered for a second at the mention of her former student. "No, she wouldn't do anything like that." she muttered, her voice barely audible. Luna wasn't buying it. "She still needs to be punished, and if it isn't going to be death then it will be the next step down from it." Twilight gave her a confused look. "Which is?" "Tartarus." The whisper and murmurs gnawed at Sunset's mind. She couldn't take it anymore, but she didn't want to die. The death penalty was given to the worst of the worst of ponies and creatures. Sunset would do anything else but be the first ponies in centuries to be sentenced to death. She was so deep in thought that she did not even notice the four princesses come back into the courtroom. "Order, please." A calm but commanding voice ordered. Sunset snapped out of her thoughts and looked at the Princesses, eyes red. Princess Luna stepped forward and looked at Sunset Shimmer, scowling. "After discussing Sunset Shimmer's crimes, the princesses and I decided to...adjust her punishment." Whispers spread among the nobles once more. "Silence! We have decided, instead of the death penalty, to have Sunset Shimmer, exiled to Tartarus...for a lifetime."