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// SP/02- Daylight May Care 
// Story: Sun Never Sets 
// by CrownofDissonance 
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    "Regardless of her intentions, Your Grace, Twilight Sparkle, a Holy Knight sworn to uphold the rules and protocol that keep our Order safe, has broken her oath."

    In this chamber of trial Twilight Sparkle stood in shame, facing up to the Order's High Priestess as an Inquisitor served to declare her crimes to the court of judgement. Such matters were held publicly, and so her friends and family would be watching her as she went through this moment of darkness. The High Priestess would have the final say of Twilight's fate, but it would be this Inquisitor's job to outline Twilight's guilt for her. 

    "Not only that," The Inquisitor continued, "But she released an incredibly dangerous monster, with full knowledge of what it was. It's clear that not only has her faith been compromised, but also, unfortunately, so has our trust in her."

    The look the Inquisitor gave Twilight was beyond disappointed, she looked personally hurt. Of course, Twilight and Inquisitor Cadenza were close, of course she'd be hurt. She didn't want to be leading a case against her.

    The High Priestess shook her head.

    "There seems to be no mistake here, Twilight Sparkle. What you've done is unacceptable, but if you have anything more to say in your defense, please, do so now."

    Twilight nodded, but she'd been here for several hours discussing her trespassing and subsequent arrest. She had no more energy to plead, or sound desperate. "I went to stop it. The Tantibus, I went to stop it. I knew how dangerous it was."

    The Inquisitor asked. "Did you summon it?"

    "I..." Twilight didn't reply for a moment. "All I know is that it escaped. I failed."

    "Then, how did you know about it?" The Inquisitor continued. "How did you know of it's danger? Detailed knowledge of the creature in question is not readily available. How did you know unless you'd accessed information you shouldn't have?"

    Twilight denied anyone speaking in her defense. Normally, a Paladin could elect to speak on behalf of an accused, as they operated independently of the Inquisitors, but here Twilight refused. Twilight would have nobody speak for her but herself.

    "I..." She started, ready to recite the same excuse she'd been reciting for the past hour, but... something broke in her. The questions she'd had, the way this was all framed, she was being treated like a criminal when the fate of the world might be in danger. So instead of explaining herself, she asked a question of her own.

    "Why was the information hidden to begin with?" Twilight asked, her tone taking the slightest hostile slant with everyone in the room. "Did any of you have a plan to stop that thing when it escaped? How are we supposed to protect anything if we don't have knowledge of what we're fighting?"

    "Had you not interfered it would still be contained." The High Priestess said, keeping a calm voice despite Twilight's outburst. "But you don't deny that you've accessed restricted information?"

    "I-" Twilight choked a little, then her voice broke. Arguing was feeling pointless. "No. But please, tell me, are you really prepared for the Dark Sister to return? Is anyone here truly ready for what may happen? Or do we all want to just pretend she's just a legend?"

    The High Priestess was silent, both she, and Inquisitor Cadenza, and everyone watching seemed to not want to answer that question.

    "Our faith in the Sister of Light is strong, Twilight Sparkle," The High Priestess finally said. "If yours is not, then perhaps you should've spoken to us sooner about this."

    That answer only served to irritate her. Faith? The Sister of Light disappeared nearly a thousand years ago and left her followers to pick up her slack. What good did faith do when your goddess didn't have faith in you?

    "That doesn't matter." Twilight finally said, both resentful and in despair. "What matters is that I broke your rules. If you're going to punish me, then do it. I admit my guilt.."

    "Twilight-" The Inquisitor's professional and serious mask broke for a moment. She clearly wasn't expecting such an admission from Twilight. "I mean- the accused has spoken, Your Grace."

    "It appears she has." The High Priestess nodded. She too was reluctant to follow through. The High Priestess was known to be kind and gentle but... it was time to hand a punishment down. "Very well. Of the crime of trespassing and the accessing of forbidden knowledge, the Order of the Sister of Light finds Appointed Knight Twilight Sparkle guilty. Inquisitor Cadenza, this arm of judgement will defer appropriate punishment to you."

    "I..." The Inquisitor nodded, looking very uncomfortable with this task. Twilight tried not to think about how much she was hurting everyone present. Before, they loved her, they trusted her, she was one of them. Even though Twilight possessed demonic magic, they accepted her. 

    As the Inquisitor prepared to speak again, Twilight was just trying not to care.

    "Very well." The Inquisitor sighed. "Accused, the severity of your transgressions warrant only two options for punishment. Permanent exile, or... execution."

    With closed eyes, Twilight responded. "Exile. I guess I never really had a place here to begin with."

    Trying not to care, trying not to care...

    The way they were so reluctant, the way they hesitated, it made Twilight wonder for a moment...

    Did they really care? Did they pity her, or were they just too weak-willed to be harsh with her? Was this all an act? Or... was she really walking away from a family?

    As the trial concluded, to Twilight it no longer mattered.

    For she no longer cared.