//------------------------------//
// Grounded 
// Story: The Conversion Bureau: Judgement Day. 
// by Magenta Cat 
//------------------------------//

	-Eleven years ago.

Nobody knew what to think about this.

Fifty two weeks, almost a year after a whole new earth mass of the size of Brazil just appeared in the middle of the Pacific and nobody had nothing to say. Sure it caused quite of an impression at first, some people tough that is was an incredibly complex lights show or just a new urban legend but after a year of sightings the people were getting nervous about it, then the governments started to discuss about it, with no official contact from the inside, the nations had it rough before taking any decision, after a year of debating the consensus was to send an committee to the island consisting on emissaries from USA, France, England, Russia and China to clear things up.

Then they encountered the barrier.

It was a circular solid transparent dome made of some kind of violet light. If the stories where true then no living human was capable of surviving within its limits and no taking any chances the stopped the ship at is edge waiting for any sign of life coming from inside.

The signal came in the form of another ship that looked like a small caravel from the colonial age, when they were close enough the five ambassadors couldn't believe what was in front of them. The caravel was being operated by a group of creatures that seemed to be small horses. After the ship was in range a white flag was hoisted on the central mast and a figure took fly from the ship to theirs. When the figure got closer they could see that it was white winged horse with a horn and adorned with golden jewelry, it landed in front of the very confused group and did something that almost trigger a heart attack on the five ambassadors.

It spoke.

"Greetings, I am the Princess Celestia, ruler of the land of Equestria." Nobody felt capable of saying a single word. "Our world was destroyed and I formally ask for asylum here in yours."


***



-The Ultima Thule, The Twelve Thrones.

Doubt, it was all in the mind of a Princess.

The doubts started with that first human, that one who was the first person to say one single word, 'no'. No to the potion, no to the conversion, no to salvation and no to life.  No. Since then, every time she was alone and only with her ghost to give her company these only had on form. Doubt.

Now she had a different kind of doubt, this time it wasn't because a group of creatures refusing being saved. This time it was about her position in the universe. Since she was a filly she was told she was great and for her greatness her sacred duty was to protect those who couldn't do it for themselves, to instill hope in the heart of her subjects with the promise of a new day everyday, that was her power, that was her responsibility, to be great for for her sister, for her ponies, for her world.

But she wasn't feeling that great right now.

Sitting in the middle of the semi circle formed by the thrones she had her head low completely still, lost in her toughs until a voice sounding like thousands of voices talking snapped her out of her reflections, it was Rama Kushna who broke the silence.

"We understand that you didn't had knowledge of the existence of this tribunal, do you have any questions before we start?" Her chorus voice was calming but her facial expression was severe enough to broke a diamond.

"I--" But Celestia didn't knew what to say. After a thousands years long life of being adobe every other one and being treated as a goddess by her ponies and as a superior by everyone else now she was on presence of beings that looked her as an equal at its best. 'And they claim to be actual gods.'

"Don't be afraid little wing." Shazam said trying to calm the Princess. "We just want to clear tings up about all of this."

But Celestia stood still without saying a single word, in his seat Darkseid smirked at the view, after a time that could have been years she barely muttered. "Why?"

Odin directed his gaze to the alicorn. "You will have to be more specific if you want a proper answer." Every word charged with scorn.

The Princess raised her head to look a them, with every piece of will she could gather she asked again. "Why now?"

The northern warrior kept his glare at her while replying. "What do you mean by now?"

"It's been five years since--" She interrupted herself, the sole memory of those who died tormented her since then, every night she remembered how many took the decision of dying rather than living even when she did everything she could to save them. 'But they didn't wanted to be saved.'

While she was lost in her own mind Odin was ready to answer her but Fate was quicker. "Your majesty, as you can surely understand we all had our own responsibilities and some of us made a vow to not intervene in others realms beyond ours."

She looked a him as Zeus added. "That's the Doc's way to say that some us didn't wanted to help or didn't really care." That commentary made the Princess to glare back at them with fire in her eyes in the realization.

"You could have done something?" The same rage that exploded in a burst of fire and light moments ago was forming again inside, the ruler's heart was playing a war drum inside her, sensing her anger Shazam raised his hands in a calming gesture.

"Calm down, rage is not going to drive this anywhere. The thing is--" But he was cut off.

"The thing here is that it was your mess, your responsibility. If someone is here to blame that's you." If Celestia's rage was a sun then Odin's was a supernova.

Celestia calmed down, letting her emotions to take over was not what Star Swirl taught her neither it was the behavior of a Princess so she took deep breaths and asked again. "But you could, don't you? You could have stopped the barrier."

"That's not the point here--" But again, somebody interrupted Shazam.

"Yes." Darkseid had his hands together without looking anywhere in particular as Shazam glared at him. "What? Isn't truth part of your domain, Guardian of Magic? She wants the truth after all." He directed his gaze toward the alicorn. "Granted, that barrier was a very strong magic but for beings like us, breaking it would take no more that a proper effort."

"But the Elements..." But the phrase died in her mouth as a tear poured from her right eye. 'So many dead' She felt sick, lost, just like when her sister was lost inside herself, just like when Discord attacked her ponies, when Chrysalis defeated her. She felt powerless. But her will was stronger than her doubts, she needed to know, no matter the answer.

"And the Great Disaster?"

This time Shazam looked down, the same did Fate and Highfather as Darkseid smiled again but it was the Doctor Manhattan who spoke.

"The Great disaster is bound to happen in every universe, manifested in different ways. In one place is a Hate Plague driving every living being mad, in another it takes the form of a being calling itself the Anti-Monitor and swears to destroy the very existence." He sounded like a human but completely striped from emotions and hearing him talking about the death and destruction that represented the Great Disaster with that ease made Celestia feel uncomfortable. "Through time some universes managed to got hold on their particular disasters and even to stop them for happening so yes, your Great Disaster, it could have been prevented."

With those words she put a hoof over her eyes in complete despair, in the last fiver years the only way she found to sleep was to repeat herself. 'It was inevitable... there was nothing else to do... it was the best...' till her conscience yielded to fatigue every night to the dark embrace of dreams. Now she was hearing something completely different '...it could have been prevented,' she knew he wasn't lying, she refused to open her eyes again till she felt a hand on her shoulder. Shazam was trying to comfort the broken mare but she didn't raised her face nor moved her body so the Guardian of Magic looked back as his equals and said.

"She's not in condition to face this right now."

"So? Justice doesn't wait for those who aren't ready, justice must be absolute." Odin never showed any mercy on those who threatened life in front of him before and by Asgard he wasn't going to start now.

"But Shazam has a point." Zeus added. "It's not fair if she can't defend herself and I know you hate an unfair fight." The thunder god was smiling at him.

"This is only delaying the unavoidable." Unicron smashed his fist in his throne. "Even if we don't have a consensus we all made out our minds, lets what has to be done be done."

But Odin seemed calmer now. "If you have a better idea I would like to hear it."

"I'm just saying that this is like eleven against one and without giving the little girl a chance to explain herself first. I thought that the wisdom of the universe would give you more perspective about fair play." Rama Kushna and Highfather reacted to that statement too, she just looked again at the alicorn with less severity this time as he put his hands together in front of him barely blinking, the thunder god made a point.

"I'm not defenseless." A soft voice replied from behind Shazam. "I did nothing wrong, just what was needed to be done to save all those I could." Even if she was out of place Celestia was still royalty, if she had to face beings more powerful than her for her actions then so be it, the last time she faced somebody bigger than her he was reduced to stone. "Knowing that I devoted my life to helping others and that I never harmed no innocent I know that I have nothing to fear if your judgement is the fair one."

"Even you Odin, with all your rage, have to admit that the young sun has some determination for herself." Darkseid pointed out.

"Her determination does not justifies her actions." Then looking at Celestia. "I don't care if you say that you are right. You were in charge and everything went to hell under your command." Celestia opened her mouth to reply but he ignored her. "But to force you before a tribunal you never knew is not fair."

"I think I have the solution. Back when my predecessor died." Everybody indirectly looked at the Spectre knowing too well that the original Wizard died by his hands. "I had to take his mantle so my former title of Champion of Magic as the Captain Marvel had to be passed to another person, but before he could claim my old powers he had to pass through a series of trials and judgments to prove himself worthy..." That made Celestia remember when the Elements tested her and her sister and then again when she let that legacy to her student. For a moment her mind drifted to her family 'how were they doing? do they know that I'm gone?' She felt the need to know how her land was doing without her.

'Don't worry, the Phantom Stranger is now explaining to them whats happening' A voice assured her in her mind, she recognized it as the Doctor Fate's so she looked at him noticing that his eyes inside his helmet where shining in gold, she thought again.

'But if they don't believe him? Luna can be mistrustful sometimes and Twilight and the others may suspect if they see a human after five years since they died'

'They will believe him, I can give that peace to you for now. But I'm sorry to point out that the matter at hand requires your attention again.' His eyes ceased to glow as Celestia put attention again to what Shazam was saying.

"...so I propose that each one of us judge her under our own terms giving her a chance to explain herself till a majority is expressed." Immediately the place busted in an discussion of who was going first and who would decide the order of the interviews, everybody giving they own reasons for doing his way except for the Spectre who stood silent for a while till it seemed that he decided that the discussion where going nowhere.

"Silence." He calmly said as he raised from his seat.

It wasn't an order nor a plead, it was just a word that became a fact when all of them fell silent without even questioning, the Princess asked herself who could be this being that inspired such respect in others that assured where gods but instinctively she also felt that the self proclaimed 'Angel of Death' was something to fear.

"Its decided then, the Princess Celestia will be put under trial of each one of us, the trial will take place in the judge's realm and under his terms." Darkseid and Unicron looked pleased with that comment making Shazam to worry. "But also I will put my own conditions for every trial." He raised his gloved hand glowing in green, Celestia felt the embrace of a coldness as an aura of the same color surrounded her but she didn't dared to move. "First, she is innocent till a collective decision say otherwise. The individual verdicts can only be guilty or innocent, nothing else." The aura pulsated. "Second, do not harm her if she can't defend herself." Another pulse. "Third, if the judge need to know about her realm an herald can be sent but he can not intervene. Until the decision s made her realm is under the Spectre's protection." A final pulse and the glow dissipated, Celestia felt a inner peace knowing that her ponies weren't being menaced for now. "Everybody agree?"

There were no response except for a collective nod.

"Since he proposed this, the Guardian of Magic will be the first judge and to prevent any foreign intervention the trial will take place in his realm at the Rock of Eternity till he emits a verdict." And he disappeared in a green mist, the others left the place in similar ways as they came, all of them except for Shazam who stood in front of the Princess.

She took a moment to look around first, now that the gods left the place was in an absolute calm contrasting with Celestia's mindset, it was said that a being who lived long enough was capable of feel everything in it's purest state, if that was true then the alicorn's mind was a storm of feelings; doubt, fear, resolution, anger and some that only immortals could feel and understand but adobe all was a complete loneliness that she didn't felt since the Elements sealed Luna her own moon.

"Ejem."

The sound brought her back from her thoughts, she looked to Shazam who was calmer now that they were alone.

"Look, I know how is to meet gods for the first time and I know how you're feeling."

"You, you do?"

"Yeah, I mean." Shazam put is hand behind his neck. "Is not like you are alone in this, we all were small once."

That comment didn't improved her feelings but to know a sympathizing being was good enough to put her back on her senses. "Can I ask you something?" Shazam nodded. "Who are you?"

"Well, that's very complicated to explain, just try to accept that for now I'm an ally and, if you allow it, a friend."

That last word hit something inside the Princess, 'Friend.' she knew exactly how powerful could be a concept like that but she was still unsure to befriend one of her prosecutors.

"Come on that can't be all, when I first meet the Wizard I bombarded him with questions at every chance." He was now smiling at her which gave the alicorn the confidence to keep asking. She tried to remember all that she saw as a question appeared.

"That being, the last to appear, who is he?" 

"The white scary guy dressed in green? That's the Spectre, the very spirit of vengeance. Think of him as the personification of every innocent that ever cried for vengeance. As far as I understand, when the blood of Abel cried for the Lord it was the Spectre who marked Cain forever." Shazam clearly didn't liked speaking of the Spectre but the Princess needed to know.

"You can really judge me? Do you have the authority to do it?" She didn't show any fear now, just a calm and collected desire to understand better what was happening.

"I can't speak for the others but I just want to keep things right, it's what I've been doing since I got my first title and a friend showed me how to fight for truth, justice an freedom. I believe in those things as I believe in what is fair, and what happened to you wasn't so I take as my sacred duty to fix that." When he said that Celestia could feel a real conection between them, she knew how it was to fight for a belief and for what Shazam said he too.

"But you are only one, what happens if only you are on my side? Can you help me?" She didn't liked to ask for help, that made her feel small...er even smaller of how she was feeling right now.

"I'm really sorry but if the others said that you're guilty there isn't much I can do stop them, I know that it looks very dark right now but there's always hope." But she didn't seemed really sure, Inside her mind there was a battle. One side was screaming that she was innocent, that all that happened was a tragedy but that she wasn't to blame for all of that 'You did the best you could, what happened was too big for you to stop it. That makes you innocent.'. On the other side was a complete guilt of not being able to do more, of not being strong enough for everybody, the guilt of failing. But it wasn't enough, you failed. That makes you guilty.

"Look, Princess, now I need to do something before we start so I'm gonna give you the location of my home where we can continue with this." Celestia just lowered her head in agreement as Shazam stepped closer to her to touch the tip of her horn with a finger, he calmly said. "Shazam." And an electric bolt traveled through her horn. "There you go, now you should be able to find the Rock by yourself. Go and we will meet there in a moment."

Celestia could now feel the path to follow, like a trail revealed in front of her as if the whole existence was speaking to her now, pointing where she needed to go. She opened her wings but before following the path she turned one last time to ask the only question she felt that counted.

"I am really guilty of what happened?"

Shazam just looked at her with a face that showed only good. "That's what we will have to find out." And he waved her as she took fly to the Rock of Eternity leaving the Guardian of Magic alone. "You can be visible now, she already left and you're not fooling me."

A golden glow in the form of an ankh appeared from behind him as the Doctor Fate emerged from it. "What do you think?"

He lowered his sight in defeat. "I think that she's lost Kent and I don't need the wisdom of Solomon to tell you that. Why you didn't told me before?"

"Her fate was sealed until this point Batson, even if we knew about her before we wouldn't be able to help her more than now."

"I truly believe that everybody has the benefit of doubt, but her? Unless that there's something that you're not telling me I find really hard to believe what she did."

"You said it yourself, there's always hope." And he disappeared again, this time for real as the Guardian of Magic just sighed.

"Let's see how this turns out."