//------------------------------// // 23 - Roll for Charisma // Story: Battlestations: Equestrian Seas // by Shadow Quill //------------------------------// For several moments after his proclamation, silence hung over the gathered beings, his gaze never wavering from the piercing rose glare of Celestia. The alicorn’s emotions were impossible to read behind her regal mask, although Kepler did notice her tail lash once before falling still. Tension grew as the mighty mare remained quiet, with even the Element Bearers shifting from nervous energy in the lingering silence.  Finally, after seemingly an eternity, Celestia spoke, “Why?” Kepler was caught off guard by the simple question, having expected a tirade or barrage of pointed accusations. His head tilted slightly as he replied, “Pardon? I don’t understand.” Celestia stepped forward, her height dwarfing the stallion as she glared at him through the cell bars, “Why are you here? What could you possibly gain from surrendering yourself to us? I know what you told the Bearers,” she interjected as Kepler opened his mouth to retort, “but I know Chrysalis would never allow you to leave the ship alive if you planned to betray her. So, I ask again, why are you here?” Kepler bristled at the alabaster mare’s words but calmed himself a moment later. He knew that what he had done seemed illogical and foolish in the extreme, so why wouldn’t the Equestrians suspect a trap or plot behind his actions? He hardly believed it himself and yet now he had to convince the ruler of his enemies that he was on their side. Kepler’s mind raced as he held the larger pony’s gaze, trying not to show how hard his heart was pounding within his chest. He had just opened his mouth to reply when his ears perked, having caught a ruffle of feathers and metal from his left. Gloria had shifted where she lay, a quiet squeak having escaped her restrained beak as she sat up to press herself against the wall. Kepler broke the staring contest that had captured his attention, turning towards the quivering hen and feeling his heart break when he noticed that the shivers of fear from before were back with a vengeance.  The barbed retort that had been brewing in his mind died swiftly as he walked away from the bars, doing his best to ignore the burning stares on the back of his head as he climbed onto the wood bench beside Gloria, his wings enveloping what he could of the shaking gryphon in a hug. He gently turned her head and pressed it against his chest, hiding the ponies from her sight in hopes it would calm her panic a little. “It’s okay, my love.” He whispered the words just loud enough for her to hear, “You are safe. I won’t let anything happen to you; I swear it on my life.” Kepler turned back towards Celestia as he continued to hold Gloria, thankfully feeling the shakes and shivers of fear fading away, if not entirely. The mare’s hard gaze had softened slightly, her eyes shifting from him to Gloria and back again as he comforted the hen. “You want to know why I’m here?” Kepler’s reply seemed to surprise the alicorn, her head shaking once before her regal mask reasserted itself over her expression, “I am here because I could not stand by and let innocents be murdered when there was a chance I could do something about it. That insect,” Kepler felt his blood rise in anger at the very thought of the changeling queen, “was going to murder the Bearers in cold blood because of her personal grudge against them. She had promised that Gloria would be safe if the gryphon command demanded I hand her over for punishment, but I could never condone the killing of innocents, of any race, nor could I trust her to keep her word if she was willing to go that far for a vendetta.” “And yet,” the heat had returned to Celestia’s voice as she spoke, her mane and tail flaring red and orange in her anger, “you waged war against my little ponies, and for what?  Two of my cities are under siege, thousands of civilians are being chased from their homes and fleeing inland from the terrors that you unleashed, my sister is being held hostage in the Dream Realm where I cannot assist her, and Twilight has been poisoned with changeling magic.” A very horse-like snort escaped her muzzle as her glare bore holes in Kepler’s head, “You and the hen will be tried before a royal tribune, so that the ponies you have wronged may decide your fate.” The pastel colors returned to her mane and tail as her head rose again to her full height, her expression hardening as the regal mask stared down at them with contempt, “Your trial will be held at noon tomorrow. Ruminate on your actions until that time.” Kepler stood and walked over to the bars as the ponies turned to leave, “That’s it?! You aren’t even going to listen to what I have to say?” His temper rose as the mares continued to walk away without turning back, “I came here to help you, betrayed my vow of loyalty, and put my life on the line for your citizens!” Still, they did not look back, even as Celestia’s magic enveloped the dungeon door to allow them to exit. Kepler’s fury boiled over as he screamed at the top of his lungs, “You are a fool, Celestia! A God-damned moronic hypocrite!” The heavy slam of the dungeon door was his only reply as the echo of his words bounced several times off the cell walls. A snort of contempt escaped his own muzzle as the stallion turned away from the bars, his head hung low and his breathing sharp as his anger vented itself to the uncaring stone. He was moments away from punching the wall in his barely restrained fury but was brought up short by a large wing resting over his withers.  Kepler’s gaze snapped up to find Gloria’s cool expression mere centimeters from his own, her calm a soothing wave to wash over the fires of his anger. Kepler took a second to breathe deeply, tempering the inferno within until he could think straight once more.  A gusty breath escaped his mouth in a rush, “Thank you, my love. I’m sorry you had to see me lose my temper like that.”  Gloria obviously couldn’t reply with words, but instead held him close to her body, mirroring the hug he had used mere minutes ago to calm her fear, now returned to sooth the spite and frustration in him. Kepler sighed as his muzzle pressed against the fluff of his lover’s chest, “I’m sorry this has happened the way it has.  I never expected the ponies to outright ignore me. Now I don’t know what I can do to rectify the situation.” Gloria pushed him back slightly and lifted his head with a talon under his chin, her smile still shining through the muzzle clamped over her face, her eyes alight with pride and hope even while fear ran an undercurrent in her gaze. A smile of his own lifted the corners of his mouth, a soft chuckle escaping as he flashed a fanged grin, “Heh, even without words, you always know what to say to keep my head on straight.” And there was the fluff again as Gloria pulled him close once more, “Thank you. I don’t know what I would do without you.” Gloria only held him tighter in response, but that was all that he needed.   The time leading up to the trial passed both in a blink and seemed to drag on for eternity, simultaneously driving the duo mad with impatience but also providing the needed solitude to plan out what was going to happen once the trial began.  Kepler had no idea what kind of court they would be subjected to, but with the small hints Celestia was able to provide in her anger, he suspected that they were going to be presented to the ponies of the nation in a grand spectacle, which worked in his favor perfectly if proven true. At the appointed hour, not that there was much way to tell time’s passage in the windowless cell, a contingent of no less than twenty guards in royal gold armor marched into the cell block, opening the door and wordlessly escorting them up and into the halls of the castle proper. There were no other ponies in the corridors leading to what Kepler presumed was the courtroom, giving him the ability to take in the gilded architecture and the overly flamboyant trappings that seemed to clutter the castle like an interior decorator’s worst nightmare.  There was so much color and overly dramatic patterns every way the stallion looked that he ended up just staring at the back of the guard in front of him to tune out the overstimulating mess. A large set of double doors, carved into intricate patterns and at least thrice his height, loomed before them like the gates to heaven, or hell, depending on your perspective. Above the entranceway, inlaid with bright gold paint, were the words ‘Verum in Harmonia’, which felt very ironic to the stallion after he thought about it.   “Hmph,” he muttered to himself as the doors were swung outwards by the magic of two guards, “the only ‘truth in harmony’ is that the people will never be free if no one can disagree with the established rules.” A hoof smacked him on the back of the head, “Quiet, prisoner.” Kepler endured the blow with dignity as he simply lifted his head again, holding it high as the group was escorted into the courtroom itself, his gaze the only part of his body to move about as he took in the gathered beings around them. Grandstands on either side, sectioned off from the main floor by low metal rails, seated what appeared to be the general population, with ponies of every color of the rainbow watching his entrance with guarded eyes. A long, red carpet divided the room down the middle, leading to a semi-circular rail that had anchors in the floor to secure restraints too, leaving the accused standing alone, surrounded by those that wanted to see them suffer. In the corners of the room, turned to face the stand, were two smaller sections of seating, gilded with jewels and other finery.  Given the aloof and overly dressed status of those seated here, Kepler was under no illusions that the nobility had come in droves to see his punishment.  Directly in front of him, raised above the floor on a large marble slab, was the judge’s stand, wherein a weathered mare with cold, green eyes looked down on him with disdain. Her shorter, dark blue mane contrasted with her slate gray fur, and the black judge’s robes that covered most of her body added even further to her imposing figure. Seated on a balcony above and behind the judge’s stand, Celestia sat upon a mahogany throne while the Bearers watched on from her sides.  Two other ponies that Kepler had not met before were seated in the Royal Box as well, the duo consisting of a bright pink alicorn with a long, multicolored mane, and a white unicorn stallion with two-tone blue for his mane.  Both looked at him like he was the scum of the earth, and had Kepler given a damn about their opinions, he might have felt intimidated.  Now, he was just bored by the pomp and ceremony that was turning this court into a circus. The guards brought both Kepler and Gloria over to the stand, securing their chains to the fasteners behind the railing before moving out of the way to stand post by the various walls.  A short, lanky stallion with a much-too flamboyant coat and vest, stepped forth from a side door and lifted a scroll in his amber magic. “We now call this court to order.” The poor boy’s voice was barely past what Kepler would call a foal’s squeak, although given the professional air about the lad he guessed that the young stallion was probably trained for this.  Still, it made his head spin that they would have a child announce the proceedings of a grand trial, but who was he to question the stupidity of those around him. “Today the accused before you will be judged by the ponies of Equestria, for their crimes committed against the citizens of Manehattan and Fillydelphia, as well as the unprovoked acts of war they have performed against our nation as a whole.” A breath to fill his lungs paused the colt before he continued, “The accused are charged with conspiracy, second- and first-degree murder, wanton destruction of property, foalnapping, assault of royalty in both physical and metal…” Kepler tuned out the rest of the long list of charges, his gaze locking with Celestia’s as her royal mask bore down on him from above.  He knew what was going on, and he knew just the right way to get out of it.  He just had to wait for the perfect moment. “…and finally, the overall destruction of the nation’s peace and harmony.”  Finally, the poor colt looked like he was about to pass out, “The Honorable Judge Case Closed presiding, with Princess Celestia, Princess Cadence and Prince-Consort Shining Armor as royal witnesses.” So those were the names of the other ponies.  Kepler made note of the other royals before the judge’s gavel slammed down thrice, “Everypony has heard the charges levied against the accused, now, we shall ask for their response.”  The judge waved a guard forward, the clink of keys echoing in the quiet courtroom as the mare reached up and removed the muzzle silencing Gloria, the hen working her jaw a few times to get the stiffness out as the guard moved back to her post by the right-side noble’s seating. “You stand before the houses and citizens of Equestria,” Case Closed continued, “accused of many terrible and heinous things.  Assaulting and performing dark magic on Princess Twilight as an example.” Murmurs passed between many ponies at that, nearly making Kepler roll his eyes at how rigged this trial was, “We ask you now, before the might of our Princesses, how do you plead?”  Kepler glanced at Gloria, who nodded in return, before turning back to the judge, “Guilty.” Shocked whispers followed his statement, even cracking the regal mask on Celestia’s face for a moment as the judge reeled in surprise. “Y-You mean that you admit to doing all of those things?”  Case Closed was apparently having a hard time processing this turn of events. Oh, if only they had a clue. Kepler raised his voice to be heard across the entire space, “Let me clarify, so that there is no misunderstanding. I am pleading guilty, not because of whether or not I actually did all those things, but because I know that no matter what I say, you all have made up your minds regardless.” His gaze lifted to match Celestia’s in a firm glare, “All because your perfect Goddess sees to watch me burn for hurting her daughter.” Cries of outrage rang out, taking several impacts of Case’s gavel to quiet, even as Celestia’s mane and tail flickered with hints of red and orange, “You will address Her Highness with the respect she is due!” “Why?” That single word brought the entire court to a dead quiet where Case’s gavel had failed, “What respect do I owe to a pony who has done nothing but put her own citizens in danger, blatantly ignored a potential ally, ignorantly caused the near starvation of not one but two nations, and then has the gall to put the blame on the only being who can provide Equestria with the means to protect itself. I don’t see a perfect Goddess like all of you. I see a flawed, bitter, arrogant old hag who is so wrapped up in her ideals of harmony and obsession with her ‘little ponies’ that she would happily watch the rest of the world burn. She doesn’t deserve my respect, and frankly, the fact that you all blindly follow her because of what she is has made me question my offer of aid. If you can't see that your Princess is anything less than perfect, then I don’t need to wait for a verdict, I’ll have Gloria rip my throat out right here and now, just so you don't have the satisfaction of drawing out this farce to please your so-called ruler.” The silence that hung over the court after his speech was so thick, one could hear the soft clink of Gloria’s chains across the grand space, so shocked were the ponies present. Finally, the silence was broken, not by Case, nor by Celestia, but by the most unassuming pony Kepler could have expected. “Do you really think that?” Kepler’s gaze was drawn upwards again, as a butter yellow pegasus softly floated down to the courtroom floor, her single visible eye watering with unshed tears as she looked up at him from behind her mane, “You would really go so far, because you think that ponies aren’t worth saving?” Kepler’s expression softened in an instant, his head shaking side to side slowly, “No, I don’t believe ponies are beyond saving. Neither you nor I would be here if that were the case.” The court watched on in silent fascination, although Kepler noted some confusion in those around them as his words registered. Good, he hoped that they would notice his little hint. “Then why did you do all of those things?” Fluttershy pressed, her head lifting as a firm light ignited in her one teal orb, “Why would you attack Equestria when we never did anything to you?!” Kepler paused before replying, letting her words sink into the crowd before he spoke, “Because Equestria isn’t the perfect place you think it is. The world isn’t so black and white that ponies are the good ones and everything else is the enemy. I fought with the gryphons because their kingdom is starving, they have barely enough food to feed their people and the necessary magic stones to help balance their economy are only available from Equestria.” “But why not just ask for help?” Her head tilted sideways in confusion. “Because that is not our way.” Gloria spoke up for the first time, the weight of her words carrying through the court with ease, “We are a prideful race, we know that, but to ask for help would be admitting weakness. I understand that there are better ways to get what we need, but simply put, anyone who suggested such a thing would be laughed out of office at best, or outright killed at worst.” A couple gasps met her explanation, “We attacked Equestria not because Kepler told us to, but because we had no other option. We are starving and our kingdom is falling apart, but the prices of magic stones are so high and so tightly controlled by the few suppliers that we cannot afford to import more, else we force our citizens to go hungry.” “Why does it matter what happens to a few feathered hybrids?” One of the nobles spoke up from the left side, “Ponies are the superior race and you lot should be honored to accept whatever magic we choose to share with you, regardless of cost.” Kepler bristled and noticed several commoners do the same at the idiot’s wording. “Said the pony whose coffers get filled through the suffering of another kingdom. I can see now why Celestia has such an inflated opinion of herself and her nation, it’s because of pompous fools like you clogging the court with your moronic ideas and greed.” Kepler lifted his head to see that Celestia’s mane was beginning to spark much more frequently, and the corner of her mouth kept twitching downward. Perfect, “I came here, betraying my vow of loyalty to the Empire, rescuing not just Princess Twilight but also saving the lives of the other Element Bearers from execution,” more gasps followed his proclamation, further cemented by Fluttershy’s nod of agreement, “offered my knowledge to level the playing field between Equestria and the Empire, and even provided valuable information concerning the foes you face and what they plan to do next.” Kepler let that sink in for a moment, “And what does your Princess do with that? Throws it back in my face, drags me before this farce of a court, disregards the fact that her own ponies are to blame for the situation they are in, and seeks to push all the blame onto my shoulders, just to save face and to maintain her illusion of a perfect nation.” Kepler pushed on, even as Celestia’s mane ignited, causing the other ponies around her to jump back from the heat, “Your nation is at war because of her pride, her arrogance, and her inability to face the fact that all of the strife, all of the suffering, every little pony that has gone through hardship, everything is her fault!!!” “SILENCE!!!” Celestia’s voice echoed like a thunderclap, bouncing off the walls several times as those nearest to her covered their ears. A flash of magic and Celestia disappeared from the Royal Box, reappearing directly in front of Kepler, causing Gloria to fall over with a squawk of surprise. Kepler slowly lifted his head, ignoring the blistering heat that radiated off the alicorn’s mane as it whipped back and forth in a frenzied wind of its own creation, “Can I help you?” The mare’s eyes were like diamonds as she glared into what seemed to be Kepler’s very soul, “You dare to put the blame on me?  I have lived a thousand lifetimes compared to you. I have seen more suffering and more pain than any creature that has walked this planet, done more for my nation than anyone could ever know, watched as those I loved withered and died while I stayed young. You have the gall to lecture me on how I choose to run my nation? You don’t know the first thing about what it is like, or what must be done to ensure that my citizens can live the peaceful, happy lives that they deserve.” Kepler lifted an eyebrow, “Even if the rest of the world has to suffer to make it happen?” “It doesn’t matter! Not if my little ponies can prosper!” Celestia’s lips pulled back into a snarl, her wings flaring wide and magic sparking on her horn. “I-Is it true?” Celestia spun around, her gaze falling onto Fluttershy, who squeaked in fear and hid behind her mane as the alicorn’s fury was directed her way. In an instant, the anger in Celestia disappeared, snuffed out as she realized what she had just said, “I, I didn’t mean…” Her gaze lifted to the Royal Box, where the other Element Bearers were staring at her in shock, Princess Cadence and Shining Armor’s surprised expressions slowly shifting over to anger. The nobles, while still maintaining their arrogant bluster, were also shaking badly in their gilded finery at the raw fury and power the alicorn had just displayed. The common pony, who had all moved as far away as their seating would allow, were all staring at their princess, shocked, afraid, and most importantly, ashamed. Checkmate. Kepler didn’t say anything, didn’t move as Gloria picked herself up and hid behind the smaller stallion, didn’t turn to look at anything or anyone else, only stared at the alabaster mare as she fully realized what she had just done. “I’ll be in my cell, should you have need of me.” Kepler stated plainly, turning his head to one of the guards, jerking it for them to approach. At first the guard didn’t move, her fearful gaze shifting to Celestia before returning to the stallion. Kepler jerked his head once again, this time followed by the mare slowly approaching, even as her gaze flickered to the shell-shocked alicorn standing next to Kepler multiple times. The mare, along with several of the other guards, quickly undid the latches keeping the two secured to the floor, escorting them out as the other Bearers and Royals made their way down to the central floor, wherein Celestia was still standing. Alone.