One of the Best

by YukoAsho

One of the Best

My Little Pony is TM & © 2012 Hasbro, Inc. This is a non-profit work of fan-fiction. No IP ownership is implied.

One of the Best

By YukoAsho

The sun rose on Equestria on a day like any other. This, however, was not a day like any other. It was silent today; the town of Ponyville was robbed of its usual cheer and life.

Fluttershy heard a knock on the door. I wonder who it is? She thought as she set Angel’s bowl to the side, walking over to the door. “H-eello?”

“H-hello?” Another timid mare’s voice whimpered from the other side, quivering in distress. “C-can I come in?”

“Oh! Of course!” Fluttershy pulled open the door to reveal a soft, powder blue earth pony mare with deep green eyes and matching green mane in curls. Her body was covered in welts from head to hooves, her cutie mark obscured by blood. “Oh my! Come inside so I can take care of you!”

The birds were silent, and the small woodland critters that shared this town with the ponies today marched in lock step with the sad ponies, some of them trying in vain to comfort the especially heartbroken ones.

Fluttershy finished bandaging the poor mare up. “I’m sorry if I messed up,” she said warmly, trying to comfort the poor pony laying on the table. “Now, why don’t you tell me what happened?” She kept her voice soft and reassuring, trying to hold her nerves for the sake of this clearly hurting mare.

“It’s... Oh god, it’s Carnegie,” she replied. “We’d been having troubles for a while. I told him I was going to break it off with him, and then... then...”

“Shhh...” Fluttershy shook her head and draped a wing over the mare. She’d heard more than enough.

In Canterlot, Princesses Celestia and Luna looked across from the table. Neither smiled and, for the first time since before her banishment, Luna’s face was a mask of rage.

“Today’s the day,” Celestia said, desperate to break the silence somehow.

“I know,” came the younger sister’s terse reply. Luna hadn’t touched her food, simply sitting in place and stewing, fighting back a torrent of emotions.

“You know it’s just a formality,” Celestia told her, desperate to bring even the slightest comfort to her younger sister. “The evidence is quite overwhelming.”

“I know.”

Sighing and shaking her head, Celestia took a sip of her tea. On any other day, she’d be able to truly enjoy the lemon and jasmine tea. Today, even it seemed bland, as though it too were depressed by the day. “We’ll be done with sentencing with plenty of time to attend.”

“I know.”

Celestia remained silent for the rest of the meal. Time would have to heal her broken sister.

The tree shuddered violently as heavy hooves bucked against the door violently. “Serenity!” the voice at the other end of the door was clearly enraged, and that anger carried into each and every cruel buck against the door.

“Oh shit!” the injured mare whispered from under Fluttershy’s wing. “It’s Carnegie! He followed me!”

“Shh!” Fluttershy hissed at her charge. Serenity simply nodded fearfully, afraid to say any more. Fluttershy was feeling frightened herself, and her closet was looking mighty tempting right now. However, one look at the battered Serenity on her table helped to ease her nerves, if only somewhat. The poor thing needed her! This wouldn’t be too hard; just tell this angry, strong, angry, vicious, angry, unhinged, angry stallion a white lie or two, then the two of them can go to the nearest police station and get some proper protection for her injured charge.

“H-hello!?” Fluttershy called out. Thankfully, the bucking stopped before her door got smashed in.

“Where is she!” The stallion on the other side growled, rage oozing from his voice.

“Wh-who?” Fluttershy asked, trying not to sound scared even as she shivered from the force of his voice.

“Don’t lie to me!” he roared. “I saw the bitch run out of town headed here! Now where is she!?”

“I don’t know who you’re talking about!” Fluttershy wailed. She looked over at Serenity and mouthed “upstairs” to her. Miraculously, the mare was able to suppress a pained moan as she slowly rolled off the table, fighting off the pain in her already tired legs as she made her way to the rear door.

The bucking once more started, and the house resumed shaking.

The first phase of the procedure was unusually swift. Between testimony of the police and hoof-prints on the corpse and scene, there was never any doubt as to the verdict.

It was the second phase that proved long and heart-wrenching for Princess Celestia. Watching the victim’s friends walk up to deliver their impact statements was akin to having an ice pick jabbed into the heart. Or rather, most of the victim’s friends. One had to have her testimony written and narrated by one of the others so she could prepare the arrangements. The other had to recuse herself as she was Princess of the Night and might prejudice the proceedings.

It was times like this that Celestia hated her position. Yes, she was able to protect her ponies, and yes, she did wield great power. However, when one pony slipped through the cracks, when her power failed to protect the ones she held highest amongst her subjects, the feeling of impotence was overpowering. Only the thought of meeting the victim in Elysium gave her comfort.

One last pony stepped up to the stand – a blue earth mare with green eyes and a curly green mane, her cutie mark obscured by medical tape.

Celestia simply closed her eyes and forced her ears to stay straight up. She and Luna shared rule over this court, and they would hear every word of every statement, regardless of how much it hurt.

A loud, thunderous crash echoed from downstairs, followed by screams, whimpers and breaking wood and pottery. There was no way that timid yellow pegasus would stand up to her boyfriend’s wrathful assault. Already, she could hear his hooves hitting the pony with the same cruel ferocity he’d used to wound her. She wanted to help her savior so badly, but she would almost certainly be killed as well if she tried to come down. The only hope either mare had was for her to get some help.

Making her way to the window, she took a deep breath. She only had one shot at this. If she messed up, ti was over for both her and the pegasus who’d offered her help when none else would. Still, it was a long way down, and she’d be no good with broken legs. Her salvation came when she saw what looked like a decent-sized set of hay bales. With any luck, she’d land on there and still be well enough to run into town, cause enough ruckus to get some other pony to help them.

Saying a prayer to the Princesses, she jumped.

“Lest there be another who wishes to speak, the trial is concluded!” Princess Celestia decreed as she stood on all four hooves before the assembled ponies, the Royal Canterlot Voice proving especially thunderous in the confined courtroom. Silence. Even the accused sat with his head hung low. “In our standing as Princesses of Equestria, we now announce the sentence!”

“The punishment is death by public beheading, to be carried out at the earliest opportunity!” Princess Luna followed. Hearing a spiteful growl in the Royal Canterlot Voice was a unique thing indeed.

The court fell silent as Celestia’s Solar Guard hauled off the accused and led the assembled spectator ponies out. Later, the Lunar Guard came to lead the jury out, leaving the court empty save the princesses.

“Luna,” Princess Celestia whispered softly, looking over at her shaking sister.

“I’ll be fine.” Luna’s response was terse, laced with the sort of anger Celestia had not heard from the younger princess before her banishment.

The older sister shook her head. She knew that her sister was not fine. “I did not grant you executioner's rights so that you can take personal vengeance.”

Silence. Luna simply stared vacantly into the empty court, stewing in her anger.

“It won’t bring her back.” Those words stung Celestia, forcing her to close her eyes.

Clearly, it wasn’t enough for Luna, who violently turned to face her sister, eyes glowing with hatred. “You know nothing of it!” she spat. “You shall see her again on your next trip to Elysium! I shall be forever denied! Do not deny me at least this one pleasure!” With that, the Princess of the Night teleported away, leaving Princess Celestia alone in the cavernous oaken court room.

It was times like this Celestia hated her position.

Serenity ran full-bore into the town square, her hooves aching and her whole body itching from her impact into the hay bale. At least she wasn’t noticed by Carnegie. It wasn’t long before she found another pony near the town’s water fountain – a purple unicorn stallion with an oiled back black mane and a shiny black tail, his black eyes wandering the houses in search of any trouble. The badge on his powder blue shirt was all the comfort Serenity needed.

“Sir!” she shouted, getting the officer’s attention.

Immediately, he noticed how severely bandaged she was. “What’s the matter, ma’am?” he asked in a curt, professional tone.

She knew the pegasus in that house didn’t have much time. “Th-the cottage house at the edge of town!” she stammered. “The poor p-pony’s being attacked by by ex-boyfriend right now, you have to help her!”

There would be plenty of time for officers to ask why Serenity didn’t just go to them in the first place, but right now, it was time for action. Using his magic, the unicorn shot off a piercing white flare in the direction of the cottage house, presumably to alert his colleagues, then ran after said flare. Serenity hoped the stallion would make it in time, and that her newfound friend would be okay.

As the sun slowly made its way down into the horizon, Twilight entered Sugar Cube Corner solemnly. The normally happy den of all things sweet was bleak today. The colors around her were muted, and the treats seemed less appetizing than ever. Especially the yellow ones with the pink butterflies on them.

“Hello?” she called out ruefully.

A pink earth pony with a flat, smooth red mane stepped out from the kitchen tiredly, forcing a smile as she looked at her old friend. “Hiya, Twilight,” Pinkie Pie said lifelessly, not even trying to hide her grief.

Twilight gulped hard as she tried to talk. Only Rainbow Dash had taken the news harder, and the toll of actually preparing the funeral was clearly taking its toll on the normally boisterous pony. “Hey,” she replied softly. “It’s almost time. Are you... Are you ready yet? W-with the catering and stuff, I mean.” A pang of guilt jabbed at her heart. Here she was, barely able to think straight, and she was pushing one of her friends to get on with it.

Pinkie didn’t seem offended, at least. She looked down at the pastries she’d made that day, all sharing the same motif – yellow with pink butterflies – and sighed sadly. “I love parties,” she declared flatly, her voice barely above a whisper. “You have all kinds of ponies talking and singing and eating and... And being happy.”

Saying nothing, Twilight simply leaned her head over the counter and listened, the purple unicorn using her magic to search her saddlebags for tissues in case they’d be needed. Not that she had many left – Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle took a whole box of them up to their clubhouse to cry with one another earlier today.

Whether or not she noticed Twilight, Pinkie just kept going. “There’s an air at parties, you know? Just so much love and life and laughter.” Sighing, Pinkie wiped her eyes with her hooves. “Funerals, though... I never understood those.”

Twilight looked up at Pinkie, biting her lower lip as she fought back tears of her own.

Undaunted, Pinkie kept going. “You have all these ponies, they come to funerals, but they’re so sad. They all have their heads down. Every pony’s crying. Every pony wears black. If they’re lucky, they get to look at the... The body... and then they cry even more...”

Nodding, Twilight took out a tissue with her magic, wiping her eyes, already puffy red from crying much of the last few days. “It’s terrible, isn’t it?” Twilight remarked sadly. “Kinda makes you wonder why we do it...”

“Yeah...”

The two ponies looked down at the floor for a moment, both of them clearly at a loss for words. What was there to say? One of their friends died only a few days ago, and the wounds had proven slow healers. Perhaps they’d never heal.

Pinkie took in a sharp, deep breath. “When I... When I go,” she whimpered. “I want every pony to be happy.” Fighting sniffles and sobs, she kept rambling. “I want balloons and cake and laughter, and games, and everything! Don’t even have my body around! You all could talk about the Pinkie I was before, when I was still hopping around and happy and all that, and every pony would remember me as I was and... and...” Suddenly, she leaned over and wrapped her forehooves around Twilight, bawling desperately into the unicorn’s shoulder. “Oh Twilight, it’s terrible! I hate funerals so much! Why can’t ponies be happy!? Why can’t we remember what she was like and be happy to have had her!”

The two of them simply cried together, holding each other for dear life as they cried into one another’s shoulders.

The sight that greeted Six Shot upon reaching the cottage house was like something out of a horror film. China, vases, chairs and tables were smashed and splinted all over the living room, and yellow feathers were strewn about all over the place. The worst of it all was body of a yellow pegasus mare with a long pink mane and tail, her legs broken, her wings mangled, her head severely bruised. Whoever this was, she died a terrible death.

And whoever had done this was still here, judging by the sounds of even more stuff breaking and the growling coming from upstairs.

“Boss!” a whisper came from behind him. He turned around to see a pegasus stallion, white with a yellow mane and tail, nearly as large as the farmhand over at Sweet Apple Acres and sporting a badge as his cutie mark. Six shot simply pointed upward. The pegasus nodded and flew back out. A moment later, he flew back and nodded, confirming an open window.

Perfect.

Once again, Six Shot pointed upward, tilting his head upstairs. The pegasus understood immediately and flew out again, readying up. It was a tried and true strategy; Six Shot would get the assailant’s attention while his partner, Long Wing, would ambush from behind. If needed, he’d be much better able to chase the assailant than Six Shot would be – teleportation was never his strong suit – and the rest of the precinct would almost certainly had caught the flare by now.

Making his way up the stairs, Six Shot cleared his mind. Images of the broken pony below were creeping into his mind, and he needed to push them aside if he was to be effective. Still... There was something about her, like he'd seen her somewhere...

Finally, he made it to the second floor, where a giant of an earth stallion, a musical note for a cutie mark and a coat stained in blood, was rummaging through personal effects.

“Freeze!” Six Shot called, his horn beginning to glow.

The suspect turned to face the officer, rearing back as though ready to jump on the unicorn. With the sudden crashing of a window, Long Wing swept in and tackled the suspect, pinning him down while Six Shot cuffed his hooves.

A few hours later, Six Shot stayed with some of the detectives to catalogue the scene while Long Wing took their suspect off to be arraigned. Gathering evidence was a pain in the ass, slow and tedious, but it had to be done.

“Sir?” He was shaken from his thoughts by a scrawny little earth pony mare with thick-rimmed black glasses and a royal blue mane and a baby blue coat.

“What do you need, Seek?” Six Shot asked. “Got a cig, mabye?”

“It's the victim,” Print Seek replied. “She's one of the Elements.”

Six Shot groaned. “Celestia damn it.” He hung his head low. “Now we gotta deal with the royal guard.” He made his way out the door. “Finish up here, I'm gonna go to the guard house.”

“And so, we commune this pony, a friend in life, and a hero in death, to the soil. Let us see her soul off to Elysium, that she may know eternity basking in the warmth of Celestia's sun.”

As the priest droned on and the simple, wooden casket was lowered into the dirt, the attendants were simply left to wonder why. Fluttershy was a gentle pony, one who cared for all creatures, even when others were consumed by fear and prejudice. Of all the ponies that this could happen to, that it was Fluttershy that suffered so greatly seemed the greatest of injustices.

And yet, there was a sense that Fluttershy would never have died any other way. She gave her life because she cared for another. That was Fluttershy. Offering help and trying to lift up others, even as they tried to put her down. For one so easily spooked, Fluttershy showed a rare courage in standing up against her killer in defense of another.

In the future, ponies would wonder, if it were them, would they do it? Would they lay down their own lives for another in need? In the months and years ahead, many would resolve to live in Fluttershy's example.

For now, however, all they could do was grieve in silence, and lean on one another for strength. Ponyville had lost one of its best.