Chapter Five: All is Forgiven?
Derpy was almost done with her route and was heading towards home to deliver her own mail. “It’s regulation to deliver to every house in Ponyville. Dumb regulation if it is your own house. It wouldn’t be so bad if Whirl wouldn’t have brought home that… THING! Augh! He never tells me anything anymore…” she thought angrily as she walked up to her house.
“Derpy!” a voice sounded out in the far distance.
Derpy turned her head to find the source of the voice and saw a yellow pegasi running alongside a green pegasi. She squinted and put a hoof over her eyes to block the sun. The two pegasi were getting closer and she gave grunt of frustration as she recognized the two running towards them. She turned around and put on her best happy face. “Hey guys! How was the sp—UGH!” Derpy started before she was bear hugged by Whirl.
“Derpy! Something wonderful has happened!” Whirl said as he hugged her.
Derpy took in a deep breath as Whirl stopped hugging her. “What? What has happe—UGH!” she started again before she was bear hugged by Sunny. She looked down and saw his normal eyes, his lack of horn and his smile. “You… what happened?” she asked in a shocked voice.
“I am cured! My horn was the curse! It is so great to be free! Now we are going to Canterlot to apologize to Luna!”
“WHAT?!” Derpy exclaimed angrily. “You just got here and you are leaving again?!”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa, I want you to come with us!” Whirl said happily. “Can’t you get a few days off?”
Derpy was livid. “I can’t just drop work to go on a random trip!”
“I didn’t think so… that’s why I came up with a plan to let you do your work and come with us to see the princess. If you want to that is. I mean… you deserve a break after everything I put you through…”
Derpy lightened up a little but was still a little flustered. She put a hoof between her eyes and began to rub. “What’s the plan?”
Sunny smiled. “So you can request your own trusted carrier for package delivery right?”
Derpy nodded. “Yeah, and?”
“So that means I can request that you deliver this package to Princess Luna right?” Sunny said as he picked up a rock and dropped it into a box.
Derpy giggled a bit. “You want me to deliver a rock to Princess Luna?”
“No, we want you to come with us to see Luna, delivering the rock is just a bonus opportunity.” Whirl explained with a chuckle. “Why a rock? Shouldn’t we deliver some grass or something?” he asked jokingly.
“No, it’s my package.” Sunny said in a huff. “Let’s get going before we laugh ourselves to death.” He said with a laugh.
The three started to walk back toward the post office. “I am glad you decided to include me in your scheme this time.” Derpy said as she wrapped a wing over Whirl’s back. “I was pretty upset after you left me alone in the hospital and after you brought him back with you.”
“Yeah, probably not my best move.” Whirl said with a nervous chuckle. “That’s why I am trying to make it up to you now.”
Derpy bumped her flank into his. “Yeah, by making me work!” She said jokingly. “You’re doing alright so far.”
Whirl let out another nervous chuckle. “Don’t worry, there is more than just this; I promise.”
Sunny laughed a bit loudly. “I know what he is planning! Oh gosh, this is going to be good!”
Whirl hushed Sunny. “Quiet, you are going to make her overly curious.”
“I am a bit curious, so I am going to bug you until you tell me!” Derpy said as she poked his chest over and over. “What are you planning, huh? Huh? Huh?”
Whirl sighed as Derpy continuously poked his chest. “Derpy, it will ruin the surprise. I am not going to tell you. Oh look, we are here! Go inside with Sunny and get your package to deliver.”
Derpy narrowed her eyes. “Alright, but when I get out I am going to poke you until you tell me.” She walked inside with Sunny and whispered. “What does he have planned?”
Sunny laughed. “He doesn’t have one yet, but he is working on one. He just wants you to think he has one so you won’t get upset.” He said with a wink.
Derpy let out a loud laugh that Whirl heard outside. “Oh great, he told her I didn’t have a plan.” Whirl thought as he face hoofed.
Sunny walked up to the mailing counter. “Excuse me, I would like to commission a special delivery and I would like Ms. Ditzy here to deliver the package.”
“Special deliveries have special prices. Where is the package being delivered?” the mailmare behind the counter asked.
“Directly to Princess Luna.” Sunny said happily.
“That will be ten bits per gram. If you would kindly put the package on the scale.”
Sunny put the package on the scale and it stopped on ten grams. “Oh wow, this is going to be expensive. But I am glad to help the local post office.” Sunny said as he pulled out his hag of bits. He counted out one hundred and placed them in a separate bag that was hoofed to the mailmare. “Here we go.”
“Well Derpy, it looks like you are working over time.” The mailmare said as she tossed the bag to Derpy. “But at least you get to keep the profits as a bonus.”
Derpy let out a giggle. “Indeed so; I hear Canterlot is great this time of year.” She said as she picked up the package. “I will make sure your package is delivered safely and swiftly.” She said as she trotted out of the post office.
Sunny smiled and followed her out. When they all met up outside they all laughed at their brilliant plan and started to walk towards the train station. “I am keeping the hundred bits by the way.” Derpy said jokingly.
“Hundred bits?! It cost that much?!” Whirl asked in shock.
“Yup, because you are delivering to royalty.”
“Crazy, but at least you get to keep the bits.”
“Well, they were your bits Whirl, I kind of stole them from you.” Sunny said with a nervous chuckle.
“What?! You stole my bits?!” Whirl said as he check for his bag. Sure enough, it was gone. “I guess you technically stole from yourself.”
“My thought exactly. I promise not to do it again.”
“Darn right, because if you steal from him you are stealing from me.” Derpy said as they wrapped their wings over each other. “I just noticed that we walk a lot for pegasi.”
“Do you want to fly?” Whirl asked with a smile.
Derpy nodded happily. “I would love to.” She said as she tripped Whirl and Sunny at the same time. “Last one there is a foal!” she said as she rocketed off.
Whirl and Sunny stood up and dusted themselves off in perfect unison. They looked at Derpy and then looked at each other. “Does she really think that she can fly faster than us?” Whirl asked.
“I think she does. Want to just let her have her head start before we actually try?”
“Yeah, let’s just do our stretches before we fly.” Whirl said as he started to stretch. Sunny joined in and chuckled. After only a minute they both took off like jets and flew as fast as they could. They quickly caught up with Derpy and snatched her up. “Hey Derpy, if we carry you to the finish does it still mean we are foals?” Whirl asked jokingly.
Derpy was shocked at how fast they were flying. “Wow! This is amazing! I have never flown this fast before!”
Both Sunny and Whirl let out a chuckle. “We fly this fast every time we train.” They said in unison.
“Wheeee!” Derpy exclaimed happily.
They soon arrived at the train station and they quickly bought their tickets and got on the train. They found a nice overnight room and settled in. Derpy jumped onto one of the beds and snuggled in with a content sigh. “Ahhh, it is so nice to finally rest, today was exhausting.”
“Same here…” Sunny said as he settled in.
Derpy sat up straight and scoffed. “You two went to the spa, how could that have been exhausting?”
“Well, Sunny here had to ruin it by having a magical mental breakdown.” Whirl said with a chuckle.
“I don’t care about that, I am just so glad to finally be free. Free, just like you two. Free, just like I was before the war. So… I guess we are exactly the same now.”
“No, we are both unique. We are more like twins now.”
“Twins, just like Flare’s foals huh? That is pretty awesome. I always wanted a brother who was more like me… oh… I just made myself sad. I just remembered what happened to our family… oh Celestia… What have I done?”
“No, no, no! Don’t even start that! I had to beat up Whirl the last time he started this and I will not hesitate to beat you up too!” Derpy said in a stern voice.
Sunny looked at his hooves. “I can’t help it… I can see their faces and hear their voices… Augh… I know it isn’t my fault but… I can’t help but think of them and what they saw when it happened… Did they look at me or did they look at Sombra through my eyes?”
“They say him, don’t worry. I am sure that they are looking down on us right now with a smile. We aren’t alone, we have a place to live and we have great opportunities and friends.”
Sunny nodded slowly. “Yeah, I guess you are right. I think this is probably the last thing they would have expected though.”
“True, but it is one of the best things that could have happened. Top bunk!” Whirl said as he jumped up to the top bunk above Derpy. “Now we can work together and hang out together and do all kinds of stuff!”
“Right… well let’s get some sleep while we go to Canterlot and we can discuss it more later.” Sunny said as he laid on his back and closed his eyes.
Derpy curled up and snuggled under her blankets. “Goodnight everypony.” She said happily.
“Goodnight.” Whirl said as he curled up as well.
****
The train rolled into the station around midnight and Derpy was the first awake. “Come on everypony, time to wake up and find a place to sleep for the night.”
Sunny stirred and hopped out of bed. “Nu uh, I couldn’t sleep the whole time because I am excited to see Luna again.”
Derpy rolled Whirl over and shook him. “Come on Whirl, wake up.”
Whirl opened his eyes slowly. “I didn’t dream…” he said sadly.
Sunny looked over to Whirl with a look of sorrow. “I’m sorry I cause all of this for you Whirl, but we are going to fix it right now.” He said happily.
Whirl got down from his bunk and looked at Sunny. “Yeah, I know.” He said as he started to slowly walk out the door. “You don’t have to apologize to me, I made the decision.”
Sunny and Derpy followed alongside Whirl as they stepped off the train. “I am surprised that you two didn’t get sick on the train.” Derpy said with a giggle.
Whirl shrugged. “I guess we didn’t think about it. Maybe we were too excited or something.”
Sunny nodded in agreement. “I forgot it was a train to be honest.” He said with a chuckle.
“You two are impossible to figure out… I am just going to stop trying to fully understand you two.”
“Hey, do you think we could get a room at the castle?” Whirl asked suddenly.
“Yeah right, Luna is just going to roll out the red carpet for us after we told her to stay away from us.” Sunny retorted.
“I am sure she will at least let us in. She doesn’t hate us or anything and I am sure she is not mad at us. Let’s just give it a try.”
“Alright, but I am not optimistic about this…”
“No pessimism.” Derpy said with a smile. “All optimism here, I say let’s give it a try.”
“Then it is settled, let’s get to Canterlot cas—“
“Halt! Who goes there?!” a voice sounded from the sky.
Whirl looked up and saw one of the night guards descending towards them. “We are here to see Princess Luna.” Whirl said with a smile.
“There is a curfew in place and you are violating it. It is my duty to take you in for questioning.” The guard said in a voice of authority.
“I guess that is fair, we didn’t know there was a curfew though. Well, we will follow you then.”
“The curfew was put into place by Princess Luna last night. She has been cracking down a lot on the ponies of Canterlot ever since the return of Shadow Wind. This last law was to ensure that no unauthorized ponies roamed the streets when it is unsafe.”
“Oh, yeah… I guess that makes sense.” Sunny said nervously as the guard started to escort them to the guard’s headquarters.
Derpy was shaking a bit as they walked along the dark streets of Canterlot. “Are you okay hun?” Whirl asked in a concerned tone.
“F-fine… just nervous about being questioned by the guards…”
“No need to be nervous miss, it is just a routine questioning and then you are free to go.” The guard informed her. “Unless you have something to hide of course.”
“N-no, of course not… Oh the package! I have to deliver my package to Princess Luna!”
“What package?” The guard said as he came to a halt.
Derpy was shaking as she took out the package and hoofed it to the guard. “J-just this one…”
The guard examined it with his eyes and shook it lightly. “What is in it?”
“A rock…” Sunny said with a chuckle.
“A rock? Who would send the princess a rock?”
“Somepony who wanted his fiancé to come with him to Canterlot to see Princess Luna.” Whirl said happily.
“Very clever, but I will still need to open it to verify its contents.” The guard said as he opened the box. He lifted the rock out of it and chuckled a bit. “Yup, it’s a rock.” He said as he dropped it back in the box and hoofed it back to Derpy.
Derpy quickly sealed the box shut again and continued to follow the guard nervously. They soon arrived at the castle where they were escorted to the guard’s station. “Make sure that sector five is covered by somepony tonight please.” A familiar voice sounded from the other side of the door.
“Ohhhh Luuuunaaaaa!” Sunny shouted playfully.
The door slammed open and Luna came running out. “Whirl! It is so good to… oh… you brought him? Well, let’s get this over with. Sunny, I’m sorry I hurt your feeling in your dream and…”
“Whoa, wait a moment. I am here to say sorry to you for over reacting and taking you away from your friend. That was wrong of me and I am sorry.” Sunny said apologetically.
Luna raised an eyebrow in confusion. “Where is your horn? And why are your eyes normal?”
“I’ll explain everything later, just tell this guard to skip the curfew questions and we will go somewhere a little more discrete.” Whirl said with a smile.
“Guard, you have done your duty well but I will take them from here.” Luna said in a soft voice. The guard gave a quick salute and flew off into the night. “If you three will follow me I will escort you to quarters.” Luna said as she started to lead them back to the castle.
“So, you aren’t mad at me for asking you to stay out of my dreams?” Whirl asked sadly.
“Of course not, I was a bit hurt though. I nearly skipped night court that night because I was so distraught.”
“I am so sorry Princess Luna, I really am. I was just in a bad frame of mind when you visited me.” Sunny explained.
“There was error on my behalf as well; I should not have called you a monster. I apologize for that.”
“All is forgiven.” Sunny said happily.
“So, what happened to thine… your horn?” Luna said as they walked along.
“Twilight Sparkle tore it out along with the last remains of Sombra’s dark magic. It was amazing.”
“Ah yes, Twilight is an exceptional pony.”
“Indeed! She saved my life! I owe her so much!” Sunny said as he bounced a couple of times.
Luna let out a small giggle. “I don’t think I have ever seen you so happy, either of you.”
“It has been quite a while since we had an excuse to be so happy.” Whirl whispered to Derpy.
“Here we are, let’s go inside and we will talk in more detail.” Luna said as she stepped through the door.
Whirl and Derpy followed directly behind Luna and Sunny behind them. When Sunny walked through the door there was a clank of metal. “Hey, what are you mmph!” Sunny exclaimed as the day guards struggled to hold him down. They cuffed his wings down, his hooves together and they put a muzzle over his mouth.
“Luna, what is this?!” Whirl asked angrily.
“I do not know. Guards, what are you doing?” Luna asked in a voice of authority.
“Orders from Princess Celestia your highness. We are to take him to the dungeons immediately.” One of the guards explained as the others started to drag Sunny out of the room.
“Sunny! I’ll get you out! I promise!” Whirl said as the guards held him back.
“I will go and talk to my sister at once to find out why she had a sudden change of heart.” Luna said angrily as she flew out the window. She quickly ascended to Celestia’s room and landed on the balcony.
“I know why you are here Luna, allow me to explain why Sunny is in the dungeons. Princess Cadance put a warrant in our kingdom for his arrest; he is to be tried for war crimes against the Crystal Empire.”
“But we can deny his extradition! We can refuse to release him from our custody!” Luna said defiantly.
“You know we cannot do that. Princess Cadance has every right to do this and I will not stop her from doing so.”
“But sister…!”
“I’m sorry Luna; there is nothing we can do at this point.”
“We can defend him! We can go to the Crystal Empire and help him in his trial!”
Princess Celestia raised an eyebrow in confusion. “I thought you hated him; this trial would make sure he would never see the light of day again.”
“You are right, that is what it would mean. But… he has changed… anypony that is that kind could not have done what he did on his own free will. We have to help him.”
“Then we shall help him. We will go with him to the crystal empire and be his defense council.”
Luna’s ears perked up and she looked at her sister with a surprised look. “You mean it?”
Celestia smiled softly. “Of course I do. I will go inform Sunny of what is going to happen, you go and tell Whirl.”
Luna nodded with a smile and took off again. She quickly reached the room Whirl and Derpy was in and Whirl had a fresh black eye that Derpy was tending to. “What happened to Whirl?” Luna asked with a concerned tone.
“One of the guards decided to neutralize me with a kick to the face. Effective, but unnecessary.” Whirl said angrily.
“I’m sorry Whirl, but Sunny has been imprisoned to await trial in the Crystal Empire on orders of Princess Cadance.”
Whirl jumped up in anger and started to pace. “How can we stop this from happening?”
“We can’t, all we can do is help defend him when he gets there.” Luna explained.
“Then that’s what we do! We defend him the best we can!”
Derpy pulled out the package and held it up to Luna. “This probably isn’t the best time, but I have a job to do. Here is a package from Sunny. It’s a rock.”
Luna took the package and opened it. “It is a rock… is it from Ponyville?”
“The outskirts near my home, why?” Whirl asked curiously.
Luna’s horn started to glow and the rock cracked in half revealing a rather large diamond. “Because Ponyville has rocks that are rich in rare minerals…” she explained sadly. “This really means a lot to me… Diamonds remind me of the stars I place in the sky at night.”
“All the more reason to help him; I am going to go see him right now.” Whirl said as he quickly walked out the door.
“He is so headstrong; I wish he would discuss things with me before he just leaps into things.”
“You should tell him how you feel. He seems to not know how impulsive he can be.”
“I think I will, but I have to tell him that I have to return home for work in the morning first.”
“You cannot go with him to the Crystal Empire?”
“I would love to, but if I don’t return home I could get fired. I still have three more days of review to go before I get my promotion.”
“I could pull some strings, shuffle things around to make sure you get to go.”
Derpy looked up to Luna with a sad expression. “Why are you and your sister so nice to me?”
“Well, because you are our friend now. It is no problem to help out a friend.”
“What if I wasn’t engaged to Whirl? Would we still be friends?”
“I… I do not know. But that is not important now, what is important is that you two go together on as many adventures as possible.”
Derpy looked away. “I’m sorry if I have been disrespectful your highness. I should address you with more respect than I have.”
“It’s alright.” Luna said as she put a hoof on Derpy’s shoulder. “You are a very kind pony who is dedicated to her work and future husband; those are wonderful qualities to have.”
Derpy looked up to the princess with a smile. “I would like to go with Whirl to the Crystal Empire.”
“Then I will send the Ponyville post office a notice letting them know you are a special assignment given to you by me. They can’t argue with that.” Luna said with a wink.
Derpy smiled widely. “Well, I will get rested up for tomorrow then.”
“Have a restful sleep Derpy.” Luna said as she flew out the window gracefully.
Derpy curled up on the bed and fell asleep quickly.
****
Celestia descended the spiral stairs that lead to the dungeons with a frown. She never liked walking through the dungeons, where it was only dimly lit by torches that hung from the walls. When she reached the bottom of the stairs she was looking down a long hall with prison cells on either side of it. She saw Sunny in one of the cells sitting on the floor and drawing circles with his hoof. When she walked over to the cell Sunny’s ears perked up and he turned to face her. “NO! NO PLEASE!” Sunny shouted as he scrambled to the back corner of the cell. “DON’T BURN ME PLEASE!”
Celestia was confused and concerned with Sunny’s behavior. “Sunny Plains, I have come to inform you…”
“I DON’T WANT TO DIE!” Sunny sobbed hysterically.
Celestia’s horn started to glow and Sunny’s mouth was forced shut. She levitated him to the front of the cell, sat him down and held him there. The fear in Sunny’s eyes was apparent as she held him there. “I am not here to punish you Sunny. I am only here to inform you that you are going to be extradited to the Crystal Empire where you will be tried for war crimes. Your defense council will be comprised of, Whirl Wind, Princess Luna and Princess Celestia.” She said as she released Sunny.
Sunny quickly scrambled backwards. “Yo-you’re lying! You wouldn’t defend me!”
Celestia gave a soft smile. “Why wouldn’t I? I understand the nature of the magic that enslaved your mind more than anypony else in this world. I know for a fact that you were not acting upon your own free will.”
Sunny wiped away some tears and pushed his back against the wall. “Y-you… you are serious…”
Celestia gave a small nod. “I will do my best to convince Princess Cadance that special considerations need to be taken into account.”
“Thank you… I… I’m sorry for freaking out…”
“It’s okay, but might I ask why you thought I was going to burn you?”
“Before… before Twilight… helped me get rid of my horn… I had a vision of you burning me in the dungeons… you were laughing… laughing… like it was some kind of game… I could feel the fire against my coat… I could feel the pain… and when I was taken down here I was so afraid I would feel it again…” he said as he continued to cry.
“I would never harm one of my subjects in that way and even if I had to I would never laugh. Cruelty like that should be pitied, not enjoyed.”
Sunny nodded slowly. “I hate that I even felt joy for pain for even one second of my life, even if it was against my will. I was a mon…”
“No, don’t say that word. You were a strong pony who was controlled by Sombra and nothing more.”
“Sunny! Sunny!” Whirl shouted as he scrambled into the room.
“I’m okay Whirl! I’m over here…”
Whirl ran up to the cell and smiled. “Thank goodness… Are you hurt at all?”
“No, I’m not. It looks like you got a nice kick to the face.” Sunny said with a chuckle as he wiped away more tears.
“Sunny, I want you to know that I am going to do everything I can to defend you.”
“I know you will, but you need to get some rest if you are going to do that effectively.”
“Yes, we should both retire for the night. Sunny, don’t worry.” Celestia said as she started to ascend the stairs.
“I love you brother, see you in the morning.” Whirl said as he followed her out.
****
Sunny couldn’t sleep on the hard floor of the dungeon and was exhausted in the morning. One of the guards banged on the cell door. “Wake up, it’s time to go.” The guard said as he opened the door. Sunny didn’t resist as they chained him up like they did the night before. They escorted him up the stairs to a prison chariot that had a cage mounted on the back. He saw Whirl and Derpy waiting next to it with smiles on their faces. When he climbed inside he took one last look at Whirl before they closed the doors. The only light in the cage was from the small opening at the top of the back door which was barred. The wagon lurched as it started to move and Sunny let out a sigh.
“Don’t worry Sunny! We will see you again soon!” Whirl shouted as they boarded a chariot with Celestia and Luna. Their chariot followed along behind the prison wagon in a convoy. “What do you think the best hope for Sunny is?” Whirl asked Celestia in a concerned tone.
“Worst case scenario is he is imprisoned for life, best case scenario is he goes free without consequence.”
“There seems to be a big middle ground there.”
“While that is true, I am confident that we can get him off without consequence. But know this, I cannot overturn any decision Princess Cadance makes.”
Whirl nodded. “Right… then we need to be sure our defense is solid.”
“Just speak your heart Whirl, the jury will respond more to that than something that is planned ahead of time.” Luna interjected.
“Everything will be fine Whirl.” Derpy said as she cuddled up against him.
When they took a sudden right turn Whirl got confused. “Are we not taking the train?”
“The train is too slow. We will be flying to the Crystal Empire.” Celestia explained.
“Won’t it be hard on the guards to fly through such weather?”
“Cadance will make sure that we have a safe path through any snow that might be in our way.”
Whirl nodded in understanding and leaned his head against Derpy’s. “I just hope Sunny is doing okay…”
It had been a few hours, but Sunny hadn’t heard a train. He assumed that they were either flying or walking to the Crystal Empire as they went along. The wagon suddenly jostled violently and sent Sunny flying into the back of the back doors. He could feel a small trail of blood leak down from the top of his head and he grunted in pain. Shortly after the doors opened and Sunny was blinded by the light of the sun as he was dragged out of the wagon. His eyes adjusted to the light quickly and he beheld the Crystal Empire in all its beauty. He felt something smack the side of his face, a rotten tomato. The sound of the crystal ponies shouting jeers and boos filled the streets as they started to walk. A barrage of rotten produce hit Sunny in the face as he was escorted to the castle. Sunny saw another tomato heading straight for him and he closed his eyes, but it never hit him. Whirl had managed to block the tomato with his own body and did his best to block as much as he could just before they arrived at the castle.
As they entered they were greeted by the Crystal guards who took over custody of Sunny. Whirl followed them to the dungeons and waited for them to remove the chains off of Sunny and put him in a cell. “Can I get a rag and a bucket of water to clean myself off?” Whirl asked one of the guards. One of the guards nodded and shortly arrived again with a large bucket of water and a rag. Whirl beckoned Sunny to the front of the cell and started to wipe off Sunny’s face. “Looks like you took a good hit when we landed. I would have been there to help sooner, but we got delayed by the welcoming party.” Whirl said as he tended to Sunny’s wound.
“It’s okay; I appreciate what you did for me.” Sunny said with a half-smile.
“The trial is set to begin in an hour. The princesses and Derpy are getting ready while I get you ready. It is going to take about that long to get us both cleaned up.”
“Why don’t you just give me the rag and I will clean myself?”
“The guards won’t let me give you anything; they will take the rag from both of us. It’s okay though, I don’t mind.”
Whirl noticed a bar of soap at the bottom of the bucket and he picked it up to clean Sunny some more. After about forty five minutes, they were both clean. “Thanks Whirl. I want you to know something before we go to the trial… if I get a life sentence; I don’t want you to worry about me. You have your own life to live and I don’t want to delay that life anymore.”
“I won’t allow you to get a life sentence. I promise.”
“I can’t hold you to that, but thanks for the gesture.”
“Alright, time to get going.” A guard said as he opened the cell door and started to chain up Sunny again, without the muzzle this time.
Whirl followed alongside Sunny as they walked to the courtroom. When they entered they were greeted with jeers and boos from the crowd. The loud bang of a gavel quickly silenced the audience as Whirl and Sunny settled down into the defendant’s chairs. “This court is now in session, the royal Princess Cadance residing.”
Princess Cadance levitated a piece of paper in from of her and read it aloud. “This court has been called to try Sunny Plains, aka Shadow Wind versus the Crystal Empire.” A loud roar of boos came from the audience again and Cadance banged her gavel. “Order in the court! Now then, the charges are as follows, mass murder, assault on royalty, wide destruction of properties of all types and aiding an enemy of the Empire! How does the defendant plea?”
“Not guilty!” Sunny announced loudly.
“Then let the trial begin. We will now hear from the prosecution.”
A crystal pony in a business suit stood up. “Thank you your highness. Ladies and gentlecolts of the jury, we have all been waiting for this trial for a long time now. The trial that will put this stallion where he belongs, behind bars.”
“Objection!” Whirl shouted.
“Sustained, they prosecution will refrain from making absolution pertaining to how the trial will end.”
“As you wish your highness. Let us instead look at the evidence in question.” The prosecutor said as he opened his suitcase. He pulled out a bunch of slide show pictures and another pony wheeled out a projector. “Now the pony that you are about to see in these pictures is the same pony you see sitting here today, it has come to our attention that the defendant used dyes to disguise himself from the common eyes. Now then.” The prosecutor dropped in the pictures. The first one was of Shadow Wind leading a battalion against the crystal army. “In this picture we can clearly see Shadow Wind leading troop under orders given by Sombra himself.” A clicking noise sounded and the next picture of Shadow Wind stabbing a crystal pony with a spear. A loud set of gasps came from the audience and jury.
“Order please!” Cadance called out as she banged her gavel. “Prosecutor, I think you have made your point.”
“Indeed I have, that monster has committed heinous crimes against our empire as we have clearly seen.”
“What about the other one?!” A random pony from the audience shouted. “Yeah, what about the one that looks just like the pony from the pictures?!” An uproar from the audience sounded.
Cadance banged her gavel down again. “ORDER! ORDER IN THE COURT! The pony in question has been absolved of any affiliation with Sombra after the war. The pony in question was the pony that killed Sombra and ended the war. The accused however was the one who controlled said pony to commit the war crimes in question.”
“Objection your honor, no evidence has been presented that this particular pony controlled my actions.”
“Explain yourself.”
“While it may have appeared that I was being controlled by the accused nothing could be further from the truth. I was in fact being control by Sombra’s dark magic. Now the prosecution would have you believe that Sunny here is the embodiment of that dark magic, however I have somepony here that can tell you otherwise. Princess Celestia, if you would explain further.”
Princess Celestia stood up and walked towards the projector. She summoned some pictures that she placed in the projector. The first one was of when Celestia was separating Sunny from Whirl. “In this picture you can see me casting a spell that is pulling Shadow Wind from Whirl’s body.” A click and the next picture was up. It was of Shadow Wind holding Twilight hostage. “As you can see, the accused eyes are exactly the same as when he was under the control of Sombra. This is the sign of dark magic controlling a ponies mind, forcing them to see and feel what the control wants them to.” Another picture popped up on the screen of Shadow Wind and his horn. “In this picture you can see that the accused has a horn, which we later determined was where the dark magic manifested itself. Once the horn was removed, the dark magic controlling Sunny was taken with it. He was then capable of thinking and feeling on his own and has since then felt the guilt and sorrow of what he was forced to do. You can also see that these two ponies are exactly alike; that is because they are the same pony. Since Whirl was already absolved of all crimes, I move that Sunny was as well.”
“Objection your highness, there is no evidence to prove that these two ponies are the same.”
“Sustained, Princess Celestia, can you provide evidence to support your claim.”
“I will ask Princess Luna to explain.”
Princess Luna switched places with Celestia. “Your highness, the fact that these two ponies are the same is irrefutable. My first piece of evidence is their cutie marks; they match exactly. As do their blood types, mane length, coat length, tail length, wing size, body size, eye color and body type. You have all seen this pony in the papers depicted as the pony that saved all our lives when he defeated Sombra. The defense rests.”
“The jury may now begin its deliberations.”
The jury stood up and shuffled out of the room. They were only gone for about five minutes before they shuffled back in and sat in their respective seats. “Your highness, we have reached a decision. We find the defendant…”
“Wait! Before the jury announces their verdict, I have something to say!” Sonic Flare said as he walked into the court room. Needless to say, Whirl and Sunny both had the same dumbstruck looks on their faces when they saw him fully dress in his military uniform. He trotted in front of the judge’s seat. “That is if you will allow it, your highness.”
“I will, but only because this Empire owes you a debt of gratitude.”
“Now then, I have known the defendant for a long, long time now and I have certain questions that only he could answer to prove without a doubt that he is the same pony as Whirl Wind. Now then, Sunny Plains, how did you kill Sombra? I would ask that you answer in unison with Whirl Wind please.”
Whirl Wind stepped up next to Sunny and nodded. “I snuck into the throne room while Princess Luna was out on the balcony with their guards and while Princess Cadance was out getting the crystal heart. I flew up to the chandelier with all of my strength and watched as Sombra came in. When the time was right I jumped down from the chandelier and pierced his heart with one of his own spears.” They said in unison.
“What is the name of my wife?”
“Air Mail.”
“What is the name of the pony that helped you distract Sombra while the elements of harmony snuck in?”
Both of them smirked. “Sonic Flare.”
“Alright, I have heard enough. Given the overwhelming evidence that these two ponies are the same, I have to throw the case out as a mistrial.” Princess Cadance said before she banged her gavel.
A large uproar came from the audience and one even tried to jump the barrier to attack Sunny himself. “ORDER! ORDER!” Cadance yelled as she banged her gavel. Nopony stopped even for a second, the guards were doing their best to keep them from jumping the barriers and the princesses were escorted out the back way. Sunny, Whirl and Sonic tried to head out that way too but they decided to stay behind and hold back the masses on their own.
“Get inside Sunny, you’re the one they are after!” Whirl shouted over the angry cries of the crowd.
“I can’t leave you behind to deal with this on your own!” Sunny replied stubbornly.
“Yes you can! Get out of here now!” Flare said as he pushed Sunny through the door.
Sunny banged on the door to be let back in but the door didn’t open. “Come with us Sunny, we will take you back to the carriages to be taken home.”
“I don’t want to leave them to deal with all those ponies going crazy.”
“Don’t worry, the crystal ponies will calm down with time and realize that you didn’t deserve any punishment.” Princess Cadance said sternly. “They are just looking for somepony to throw their frustration and anger at.”
“Whirl and Flare can handle those ponies just fine. But we do not have much time before they find another way around, so let’s go.” Luna said softly as she pulled on Sunny’s shoulder.
“Alright…” Sunny said as he started to follow the princesses out of the castle through the back exit. When they got outside they saw that the entrance was overrun by angry ponies trying to get in. Shining Armor and the guards were blocking the path between them and Princess Cadance.
“There he is! Get him!” A random pony shouted. Shining Armor and the guards braced themselves just before impact. The crowd nearly overran them before Shining could get his shield spell up and block the crowd. Luna, Celestia and Sunny boarded the carriage and turned to Cadance.
“Thank you, for letting me go… I owe you one.” Sunny said happily.
“I never got the chance to repay you for killing Sombra, let Whirl know that I am even with both of you now.” Cadance said with a smile.
“I will, just let me know if you need anything from me at any time.” Sunny said happily.
The carriage lurched forward and they took off soon after they got going. Meanwhile Whirl was holding off the crystal ponies as best he could. “Thanks… for coming Flare…” Whirl said as he took down another pony. “STOP TRYING TO GET PAST!”
“No… problem!” Flare said as he pushed back a couple of stallions. “They are gone! Just go home already!”
One rather large crystal pony broke through the lines and shoved Flare to the ground. Whirl yelled out and lifted the pony into the air and spun him around before throwing him back into the crowd. After five or six of them were on the ground the crowd started to thin out and go home. Whirl had himself a pair of black eyes and one of them was extremely swollen. Flare escorted him to the infirmary where he slapped an ice pack on Whirl’s swollen eye. “Looking good there Whirl.” Flare said with a chuckle.
“Thanks, how did you manage to find out I was here with Sunny?” Whirl asked curiously.
“Word travels quickly to former guards. Once I found out I asked Air if it was okay if I went to help out and she didn’t say no.”
“Did she say yes?”
“Well, she said ‘can you get me the foal’s bottle?’ and I took that as a yes.”
“Ah, Flare… you didn’t have to get into trouble with your wife to come help me.”
“You’re darn right he didn’t.” Air Mail said as she trotted into the room with her two foals hanging from her sides. “He could have just asked again when he realized I didn’t hear him ask.” She said as she gave him a love tap on the nose.
“Air, what are you doing here? How did you even know I was here?”
“I read the letter that your general friend sent you and I knew you would find a way to get here when you found out Whirl and his freaky clone twin thing needed help.”
“I prefer you call him twin, because that is what he is to me.”
“Well, I just saw your twin fly off with the princesses as I got here.”
“That’s a relief, I am glad he wasn’t hurt.”
“Looks like you took quite a beating for him.” Air said with a giggle.
“Yeah, I took a couple of hits, but it’s okay. I am not really hurt in my eyes.”
“That’s the only place you are hurt.” Flare said sarcastically, which made the foals giggle. “Good to see somepony enjoys my jokes, isn’t that right Star? Yeah you like daddy’s jokes huh?” he said in a babyish tone as he picked up Star from Air’s holders.
“That’s because they aren’t smart enough to realize how lame they are.” Air said with a giggle.
“Your foals are so cute, I think this is the first time in a couple of months that I have gotten to see them.”
“And they have grown so much.” Air said as she sat down and took Solar from her holder. “Carrying them both around is getting that much harder.”
“It might be easier if I were there to help more often…” Flare said guiltily. “Wouldn’t you like to see more of daddy, huh? Wouldn’t you?” Flare said as he nuzzled Star.
Air scoffed loudly. “The problem isn’t you being at home, it is not talking to me before you go off on some crazy adventure.”
“Stallions seem to have that problem collectively, or maybe it’s just Whirl and Flare.” Derpy said as she walked into the room. “Did Whirl tell you that he left me high and dry at the hospital for almost a month to go and randomly reform Sunny into a model pony?”
“Hey there Derpy! How have you been since you were put up for review?” Air asked kindly as she gave Derpy a hug.
“Review? You were up for review at work and you let me talk you into coming along with me?” Whirl asked with a concerned tone.
Derpy nodded. “Of course I did, I would quit my job if it meant I got to spend more time with you.”
“Oh my, you didn’t skip work to come here did you?” Flare asked worriedly.
“No, Princess Luna sent them a letter telling them I was on special assignment. That is why I am still wearing my uniform. This will be a great way to wrap up my review.” Derpy said happily.
“Does that mean you are going to get your promotion?!” Air asked excitedly.
“You are up for a promotion too?! That’s great!” Whirl said happily.
Derpy and Air both turned to their respective ‘other’ and shook their heads. “You two need to communicate with us more…” Air said in a disappointed tone. “You can start by telling me why you left without making sure I knew you were going. On the train home.” Air said as she out the foals back into their holders, grabbed Flare’s ear and started to drag him out of the room with him yelling in pain as she drug him along.
Whirl couldn’t help but chuckle and wave goodbye to Flare just before he was out of the room. However he suddenly felt the long hoof of the law grab his ear and start dragging him along the same path. “OW! OW! OWWW!” he shouted as Derpy dragged him to a waiting chariot outside.
“Princess Cadance made sure that we had a ride home, now get on before I tear your ear off.” Derpy said sternly.
Whirl hopped up on the chariot and rubbed his ear when he sat down. “That hurt Derpy…”
“Good, now that your ear is a bit more open maybe we can talk about what has been going on. Do you realize how much you scared me when you left me like that? Then when you brought him home without a word I was worried he would kill you in our sleep. Then you suddenly want to go to Canterlot to apologize to the princess and he ends up getting chained and tried for war crimes and you get your eyes blackened by a bunch of crystal ponies and you don’t even flinch! Now I want you to tell me something right now, do you love me?”
“Of course I do! I love you so much…”
“Then why do you take so many risks? Do you even care about how I feel about you risking your life so much?”
“I do care… It’s just… I have had to clear a few things up so that we could live happily together. Do you think I could have lived happily knowing that Shadow Wind was on the loose? Who do you think he would have come for first? If you guessed me you’re wrong, he would have come after you to get to me. I knew that he would have made our lives miserable until he felt satisfied. As for coming to Canterlot, that was Sunny’s idea and I came and got you first because I didn’t want to spend any more time away from you. And when Sunny was put on trial I had to come and help him because he is like a brother to me now, but even that means less to me than the love I feel for you.” Whirl said sincerely.
Derpy looked at him with a smirk. “Okay, because you said I mean more to you than Sunny does I will forgive you for what you have done. But I want to be a part of your life too and that means you have to include me more in it. Starting with helping me plan our wedding.” Derpy said as she nudged his shoulder.
“Of course! Where do you want it to be?” Whirl asked with a smile.
“Ponyville of course, is that okay with you?”
“It’s perfect. Getting married in the first real home I ever had, who would have thought.”