//------------------------------//
// Episode 1: "Judgment at Canterlot, Part 1" 
// Story: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Season 14 
// by twilightsparkle3562 
//------------------------------//

…

…

"Just a small pinch, Twilight."

"Go ahead, Blood Drop. I'm used to it by now."

Twilight felt the pinch of the butterfly needle that she had felt many times before by now as she sat at a table in her royal suite at Canterlot Hospital. At her left, Spike watched as his big sister had her blood drawn.

"All set, sweetheart." Blood Drop replied as she bandaged up the puncture site on Twilight's foreleg. Just as Twilight's foreleg was bandaged, the sounds of a loud scream were heard coming down from the hall. The screams made Spike shiver in anxiety.

"Must they do that?" Spike asked, looking over at Twilight. "It's been going on since we've been here!"

"There aren't enough operating rooms to perform surgeries in, Spike," Twilight reminded her royal advisor and little brother. "There is very little choice."

Rising from the table, Twilight walked over to the door and peeked her head out to hear the source of more screaming coming from down the hall from the royal suite. Immediately, Twilight couldn't help but feel sorry for the pony being worked on in the other room.

"It's going to be like this for a while, Twilight," Blood Drop sighed. "Part of me doesn't even want to put them through more pain, but I have to. The war may be over but the pain and suffering will linger for weeks, maybe months."

Twilight walked over to her phlebotomist and placed a hoof on her shoulder, giving her a sympathetic look. "All you can do is do what you have to do," Twilight reminded with a tired smile on her face. "Never forget that."

Feeling slightly better by Twilight's words, Blood Drop left the royal suite with the vial of Twilight's blood in her aura.

No sooner did she leave than did the sounds of more screaming come back. Having heard enough, Twilight shut the door to the suite, leaving only herself and Spike inside.

"That's the third pony to have an amputation today," Spike bitterly remarked. "How many more must suffer like this?! I mean, hasn't Grogar done enough damage?"

"He has," Twilight sighed as she walked over to the window of her suite. "But even if he is locked up and awaiting trial, I have a feeling that this is going to take time to heal."

Twilight then turned her attention to a tall cart as a pair of orderly ponies carried a dead pony soldier and placed it inside.

"Yeah, and you're in here for a mental health break, Twilight," Spike pointed out. "So, you might want to focus on that."

But Twilight couldn't just focus on her mental health session following a battle with Equestria's most feared enemy. She knew that a trial was coming up with an extended healing process.

"STOP IT!" The male voice shrieked again, causing both Spike and Twilight to shiver! "STOP IT! NO MORE, PLEASE!"

…

…

In the dungeons of Canterlot, the losers of the battle for Equestria had been placed in cells that were heavily guarded. Each and every survivor was herded like cattle into their detainment areas.

"What are you looking at?" A royal guardspony said to a captured donkey soldier!. "SIT DOWN!"

"GET INSIDE!" Another guardspony barked as he shoved another donkey soldier! "GET IN!"

From down the hall at the further cell from the entrance, Tirek was peeking his head out and could only imagine what was in store for him, his girlfriend Queen Chrysalis and their daughter figure, Cozy Glow. Although they had defected from Grogar, their actions in helping and enabling him were not likely to be forgiven or overlooked.

"You might as well get used to hearing this," Tirek sighed as he turned to his captured comrades. "Even though we helped defeat Grogar, we are still enemies in the eyes of Princess Twilight. And who can blame her?"

"Really I only helped defeat him because we all agreed he had to be stopped," Chrysalis replied, looking up at her boyfriend. "And besides, I was hungry."

"That doesn't matter right now," Tirek somberly declared. "All that matters is that we do the sensible thing…we admit our responsibility to Princess Twilight and beg for her forgiveness."

Naturally, Chrysalis was against the idea, but remembered that her love for Tirek was on the line, so she had no choice but to agree.

"Tirek," Cozy Glow asked meekly and nervously. "If…if we admit our responsibility to Twilight and the others, what do you think might happen to us? Could we end up being turned to stone again? Or worse?"

Tirek could sense the anxiety in his daughter's voice and couldn't figure out how to respond to Cozy's question. "I don't know, Cozy Glow," He sighed, bending down to her level. "I just don't know right now. All I can hope for is that Princess Twilight and her friends show mercy on us, even just a little."

As the sounds of another cell door were heard being slammed, the three villains could only wonder just what Twilight had planned for them, despite their heroic actions.

…

Back at Canterlot General Hospital, Twilight waited until the screaming simmered down a little before she summoned Tempest Shadow into the suite. Her royal guard captain saluted as she entered.

"Yes, Princess Twilight," Tempest reported. "Many ponies have unfortunately had to be amputated, due to gangrene."

"That's what I thought, Tempest," Twilight replied and hung her head. "I want to see them at some point, give them emotional support if the doctors say that it is okay."

Just then, Twilight saw another pony being rolled past the royal suite with a sheet covered over him.

"That's the twentieth pony to die today," Tempest sighed. "Many more are close to death already. Should last rites be performed?"

Without hesitation, Twilight gave her order. "Yes."

And Tempest turned to leave, but not before getting one last order from Twilight.

"And Captain Tempest," Twilight instructed. "I want every next of kin notified as quickly as possible. The sooner the better. They will need time to grief and time to heal, as we all will."

"Of course, princess." Tempest replied, saluting Twilight once more before leaving the royal suite.

Once Tempest was gone, Rainbow Dash flew into the suite, removing a facemask that she had been wearing. "Her royal highness," A herald cried out. "The Princess of Loyalty…"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I hear you," Rainbow interrupted, silencing the herald and hugging Twilight. "You doing all right, Twilight?"

"Better than I would have been, Rainbow," Twilight sighed as they broke apart. "How are the Wonderbolts who were injured?"

"Thankfully, they'll be okay," Rainbow remarked with a hint of relief in her voice. "More or less, given the circumstances of course…although I can't help but think of how very few Wonderbolts were not killed. They were right on the front lines, why did they live while others didn't?"

"Maybe luck was on your side?" Spike suggested.

Turning her attention back to the table, Twilight looked down at the latest intelligence, displaying the recent moving of Grogar to a secluded part of Canterlot castle. "Looks like Grogar is being secluded," She commented. "And he should, given the possibility he may have tricks up his sleeve."

"Yeah," Rainbow Dash commented and then questioned. "Twilight. This trial, how is it going to go?"

Twilight looked up. "Like a traditional one, why do you ask?"

"I mean, what if there aren't a whole lot of ponies that would be willing to talk about Grogar's actions?" Rainbow spoke up with concern. "I know Applejack would say the same thing."

"What does Applejack have to do with anything? She's going to be on the bench with us, right?" Twilight questioned as she suddenly found herself with reason to worry about the trial. "I want this to be a trial that is moved as swiftly and fairly as possible, Rainbow Dash," She declared while tapping her forehooves on the table. "Are there any witnesses unwilling to serve on behalf of the prosecution?"

"How should I know?" Rainbow asked, levitating into the air slightly. "I'm a Wonderbolt and a princess, not a lawyer."

"Of course you are," Twilight pointed out. "And you needn't worry. Equestria's chief attorney is going to be prosecuting the case."

"Jack McColt? The old guy?" Rainbow questioned.

"He's not old, Rainbow!" Twilight angrily remarked. "He's actually the best that Equestria has to offer. He was the one who prosecuted Instant Justice's case, remember?"

"Seems to me like you need to have an education on the laws of Equestria, Rainbow." Spike sighed, much to Rainbow's annoyance.

…

…

Back in the Canterlot Dungeons, Tirek, Chrysalis and Cozy Glow continued to sit in silence wondering what was going to happen to them. They had already been criminals even before joining Grogar and his ranks, but it seemed the events of recent were starting to plague heavily on their minds. As they sat around and thought about what was to come, Cozy Glow began to lower her head and tears began to stream out of the young filly's face.

"Cozy, you're crying again." Tirek remarked while walking over to his daughter figure.

"It's…it's nothing, Tirek," Cozy replied in a shaky voice. "Just another one of my…emotional breakdowns."

Tirek then noticed a large marking on Cozy's back that up until recently he had noticed. "I'm…I'm still having those nightmares. Ever since we came here, they've just been…"

Right away, Tirek had every intention of believing what was wrong with Cozy Glow. "Cozy, did he really do this to you or was it something you got during the battle?"

"Yes, child," Chrysalis pondered. "This isn't like you at all. If you were crying over a battle injury…"

"It's not, Chrysalis!" Cozy audibly sobbed. "Don't you get it?! Grogar did this to me!"

Both centaur and changeling backed up in surprise at their daughter figure's confession.

"I…I kept it to myself for such a long time, but I can't now! Not anymore" Cozy Glow cried, burying her face in her forelegs.

Giving each other a worried look, Chrysalis and Tirek decided to get right down to the truth about Cozy's situation.

"Re…remember when those clones of Twilight and her friends threatened to rip my wings off?" To illustrate her point, Cozy Glow extended her tiny wings to her parental figures. As she extended them, Cozy felt a sharp pain. "Well, there's…there was more to that."

The more Chrysalis and Tirek listened, the more angered they became that Cozy Glow had been harmed without their knowledge.

"He…he harmed me many times when we were living in your kingdom, Tirek. Every time he lost, he needed a punching bag and I was the only one for him," Cozy confessed. "At first I didn't think it was so bad, that he was holding back. But then I went to bed with pain, and over time the pain grew worse with every beating."

"Cozy, how long has this been going on?!" Tirek asked, remembering the time that he'd been forced to punish Cozy Glow after their plot to overthrow Grogar had been uncovered.

Overcome with emotion, Cozy couldn't answer, much to the dismay of her parental figures.

As he listened to his daughter's cries, Tirek began to understand that they had no other choice. Cozy needed help and there was only one way for them to get it.

…

At that moment, the sounds of hoofbeats were heard and a guardspony stood in front of their cell.

"Lord Tirek, Queen Chrysalis and Cozy Glow," A female guardspony spoke up. "The assistant district attorney for Equestria is here to see you."

Standing aside, a brown coated stallion wearing a black sport coat, red tie and white shirt entered the cell.

Standing to his feet, Tirek turned to face the stallion and already he could sense intimidation was brewing.

"Lord Tirek," The stallion bowed. "I'm Jack McColt, and on behalf of the Equestrian legal system I've come to offer you and your associates a plea deal."

Chrysalis kept Cozy Glow protected while Tirek stood toe to toe with Jack.

"Mr. McColt," Tirek stammered. "What is this plea deal?"

Putting down his briefcase, Jack hoofed Tirek the terms of the plea deal. "The deal is based on what you revealed during your initial questioning upon arrival here. You said that you would testify against Grogar in the impending trial. Is that still correct?"

"Yes," Tirek answered as Cozy Glow continued to cry softly. "Take a look at Cozy Glow. My child. She's…she's been like this ever since we arrived, and both Chrysalis and I think that Grogar might have been abusing her without our knowledge."

Walking over to Chrysalis and Cozy Glow, Jack bent down and saw the markings and scars on Cozy's back.

"That's why I wish to plead guilty to all the charges against us," Tirek declared. "Grogar needs to be shown for what he is…a monster! A monster with no soul at all, not even one as black as night! Only one with no soul could do the things he did!"

Chrysalis turned her attention to Jack with a somberful expression. "Do you agree with the plea bargain, Queen Chrysalis?"

"In this case," Chrysalis quietly replied. "Yes. I don't care anymore about conquering Equestria, none of us do. There's no point anymore."

Having heard what was said, Jack stared down at the three villains. "Unusual choice of words from the three enemies of Equestria who not too long ago turned ponies against one another and were petrified as a result."

Taking the plea deal away, Jack thought of what he could say next, but found nothing else aside from the legal jargon that he was about to dish. "If you choose to plead guilty, you will be placed on probation and sentenced to time served in Tartarus. However, you can take your chances and…"

"-We're pleading guilty!" Tirek immediately declared. "Cozy Glow cannot go through more of what she is going through now!"

Cozy then turned her tear filled face at Jack, trying to earn his sympathy.

"Please, Mr. McColt,! Cozy whimpered both mentally and physically. "I may have…been a bad filly…but I know what I did was wrong and none of us can take it back! I was abandoned as a foal and…and I became what I did become!"

"Our daughter needs help, Mr. McColt," Tirek said in a defeated voice as he stroked Cozy's light blue mane. "Just like what Princess Twilight is doing."

Jack took in what was said as Tirek walked over to a table and handed the ADA a written confession of all their crimes, both independent and as a group. The three villains awaited nervously as Jack read the confession.

…

Meanwhile, back at the hospital, Twilight noticed that the screaming and sounds of death were quieting down. She began to consider the possibility of going to visit the wounded. By now, the sun had gone down

"The screaming is stopping." Spike remarked.

"That's why I think we should visit our warriors," Twilight declared as she put on her yellow bathrobe. "Cheer them up, if you will."

"Shouldn't we wait for the morning when the others get here?" Spike asked, but Twilight remained steadfast in her decision.

"I think we may need to act now, Spike. Besides, it may do us some good to visit."

Just as Twilight was about to leave, Rainbow stopped her. "Wait a second, Twilight," She advised, passing facemasks to Twilight and Spike. "You're going to need to wear these masks to protect you from any germs that come out of the wounded."

"Good point." Spike said, placing his facemask on his face.

Once their face masks were put on, Twilight, Spike and Rainbow Dash proceeded out of the suite and came down to the room where most of the screaming had been coming from.

Peeking inside, the trio saw a white coated stallion with his right rear leg no longer attached to him. Silently, Twilight and Spike made their way inside and looked down at the badly injured colt. Looking closely at his face, Twilight could see the deep tear stains that were plastered on his face as a result of crying so hard.

Placing a hoof on the pony's face, Twilight gently stroked it and could only imagine what was going through this young pony's mind. He had been badly injured and as a result, had to lose a part of himself to infection from his wounds. Whispering an old ponish prayer, Twilight could only wonder just how many ponies were in this young colt's position.

"I have a feeling he may not live, Twilight. He's lost a lot of blood." Rainbow Dash whispered., looking deeply at the amputated leg that was once on this pony.

"Even after the battle of our lives, we still have to pay," Twilight sighed. "I really hope he lives, because if he doesn't…"

Not wanting to finish her sentence, Twilight stepped back and could only reflect on what was going through the mind of this young pony, and any of the ponies who'd served under her and her friends for that matter.

…

…

Back in the Canterlot Dungeons, Jack had read the confession that Cozy, Tirek and Chrysalis had drafted, pleading their responsibility in the crimes committed against Equestria.

"This seems a legitimate reason for you to plead guilty," Jack remarked. "Are you aware of…?"

"-I am aware, we are all aware, Mr. McColt. All of us are guilty for our actions and you know it." Chrysalis declared.

"Of course, knowing you three, you wouldn't plead guilty," Jack began to say. "You would take your chances in trial."

"-Our child needs help, Mr. McColt," Tirek replied. "There is no other way! This is what's best for all of us!"

Jack then hoofed the confession to Tirek and gestured for him to sign the bottom of the confession, declaring that he and his comrades would plead guilty and confess to their crimes. "Sign here, if you wouldn't mind." He instructed, passing TIrek a quill for him to use.

Sure enough, Tirek signed the confession and proceeded to comfort Cozy Glow once more as Chrysalis looked on.

"Very well then," Jack declared. "You shall all meet with Princess Twilight and the other princesses in the morning at Canterlot Hospital."

"Why there?" Chrysalis asked as she hugged Cozy Glow tightly.

"Because that is where she is residing during her much needed mental health break, I'll have you know, because of all the stress creatures like you put on her. Just be thankful that she is still alive and not like all the others who died!" And Jack departed the cell, leaving Tirek and his comrades alone.

"Canterlot Hospital?" Chrysalis wondered. "Is he out of his mind, Tirek? Does he want us to be killed at the hooves, claws or whatever it is that lives in Equestria right now?"

"I don't know and I don't think that I want to know, Chrysalis," Tirek sighed as he laid down next to Cozy Glow. "Now let's get some sleep. Who knows what Twilight and the others will do with us?"

…

So, the three villains reluctantly went to sleep and the next morning, they were all awakened by the sounds of banging on their cell door.

"Lord Tirek, Queen Chrysalis and Cozy Glow?" A commanding voice cried out as they all groggily woke up. "The princesses are waiting for you. Get up!"

With cuffs placed on their forelegs and claws, the three villains were placed in a cart and were taken to Canterlot Hospital.

Upon arrival, the hospital found itself under lockdown, much to Tirek's surprise. "They must have known we were coming," Tirek said as he was helped out of the cart by a pair of guardsponies, followed by Chrysalis and Cozy Glow. "Now remember, you just let me do the talking, alright?"

Not saying anything, the two females agreed and they were together brought with Tirek into the hospital (which had been temporarily deprived of ponies and creatures).

Soon, they came to the entrance of Twilight's hospital room with two guards flanking either side of it.

Coming down the hall, Tirek saw Tempest Shadow as the broken horned mare opened the door and stepped into the royal suite where Twilight and all her friends were waiting, all gathered around the table.

"Your highnesses," Tempest Shadow declared. "The accused have arrived."

Waving her left forehoof, Twilight gestured for the three villains to be brought into the royal suite and at that moment, the entire room fell silent as the legion of doom could only fear whether or not their pleas would be accepted

"Cozy Glow, Lord Tirek and Queen Chrysalis?" Twilight asked, looking down at their plea. "Is there anything that you wish to say to us before we declare the terms of your plea?"

All the three of them could do was take a deep breath and only wonder just what was about to transpire. Would they live or die? Would they be in Tartarus or not? Would they never see the light of day again?"

Those were the questions that would be answered in this impromptu meeting.

…

TO BE CONTINUED