Puppets of Tragedy

by Iridescence T Wind

To Defend By Attacking

It was early morning in the day court of Celestia's time of office. I had snuck in several eyes as I awaited the trial of Sharp Opera, the former tyrant of the underground kingdom of Sirens. He was a bit less worse for wear after I had last seen him, bandaged to the point where he was half a fish, and half a mummy in my eyes. The arm that Amber had shot to make him release me near the end of our scuffle was in a cast, the crossbow bolt probably having broken a bone in his elbow, or at least severed enough muscles to warrant the cast. His colors were muted from the magic drain I had done to him, magic which still coursed through my veins, after having captured what he had in terms of mana regeneration and storage reserves. He looked depressed, and rejected as a result of my actions, and it was a punishment in itself to no longer have even the semblance of magic. I watched as Celestia had her guards escort the Siren, who was now barely smaller than one of her guards, escorted in and to the front. From here, I could already critique what was wrong in this court room.

For one, it lacked the basis any good court room had. A jury, as well as a lawyer to defend the accused, as well as a lawyer to try and push that the client was guilty. She rambled off a long line of dialog that had barely anything to do with the case but to relist her title, as well as her present attending guards and politicians, as well as those names of the audience attending her court before she laid down an elegant version of what I myself had told her about Sharp, and some grievances and law breaking that he had committed in the distant past before he had sunken his kingdom underground. Past that, however, my blood broiled. She was going to go straight from the accusations, without any evidence mind you, to sentencing the tyrant with her biased view point of him. While he did deserve to suffer, it was an injustice to just how things were ran, especially after I had learned the truth about petrification. Sharp didn't even have the chance to head to a stand and testify his actions, not that such a stand existed in the first place.

It was abominable enough that I took action as Celestia started to say, as if she had any right to say after this mockery of a proper court room, "Now if there are no objections, I princess Celestia hereby proclaim that Sharp Opera is hereby guilt-"

A loud noise from outside the court room interrupted her, and she was puzzled. Her guards and the others watching this court hearing, also turned their heads to face the front door, rather than watch their princess continually like a bunch of puppies waiting for a treat. I spotted a number of crystaline cameras and pads of papers with pens, reporters, oh joy. Once more one of my puppets knocked on the giant doors that guarded the court room from the central courtyard of the castle. Before pushing it open with another puppet of mine. Revealing not only Aku, but myself as well as Nox and a few other puppets that had made my entourage as well as several Sirens who trailed behind me like they were ordered to. With my door opening, I yelled, "OBJECTION!" in the most lawyer like voice I could muster.

If Celestia was surprised, she didn't show it, her calm demeanor returning in place of curiosity, "And what do we have the pleasure of your company, Puppet Master?" she asked.

"Well besides you making a mockery of a court system that is?" I stated bluntly, in my arms I held the keys to my success, striding forward as my legs had recovered over the past week, I continued, "Besides from the laws stating clearly otherwise, your history with the accused leaves you biased. This is grounds for a rejection of your judgement alone, as well as several other key factors that make this court room a failure to even try and resemble a lack of the proper term, 'justice'."

If anything, Celestia was as much poker faced as ever, "Go on."

"You also leave a basic lack of a fair trial by not including a defense or prosecution to this case, and leave the basics of law jurisdiction by article 12, which I quote, is "Evidence ultimately determines the truth in court. The fact that you laid all these accusations at the fins of-" I was cut off as Shining Armor and his goons tried to send spells to try and arrest me, only to get deflected back at the guards from the Rosarie I carried that was being boosted from the magic supplies I currently had, "And for the love of Pete, Shining Armor, wait your turn." Aku chuckled.

"As I was saying, the fact that you laid these accusations at the fins of a former tyrant of another kingdom, which is also a jurisdiction you do not technically have in a court of law, but also lack any evidence to back up your claims."

"And what, pray tell, does thou plan to do about this?" That was Luna, having joined the court room from a side hallway, I wondered if she was just watching from the shadows or if she had been awoken by my intrusion, or if the Alicorn of the night had been curious to the individual that was being punished today.

I smirked, "Simple. create an unbiased court room with a new judge, and act as prosecution with actual evidence that I have gathered against what you claim is a legal defense for the accused."

The diarchy now were both curious, and Shining armor sputtered, "The princesses aren-"

"Please, Captain Armor, let us see how he wishes to proceed, if anything this will certainly spice up this morning." Celestia said, taking a sip from her coffee.

I had been expecting resistance of some sort, but apparently not. They were really going to let me go through with this? Huh. "I guess with your permission, its time to readjust the court room."

Without further ado, I whistled for cosmetic effect, as a pair of tables and chairs appeared near the audience, and my group of villains moved off to the side, giving paranoid glares at the guards until Celestia waved them down and caused them to back off. In front of the raised thrones of the sun and night, a smaller raised chair and table that had been made during the week before arose, with a gavel that could be gripped in a hoof. Alongside this, a row of chairs for my witnesses arised and i gestured for the sirens to take a seat. Off to one side of the court room, a jury booth was also dropped down via portal, and without further ado I started to pull ponies at seeming random from ponyville to fill the jury booth. As for the judge and defense...

"Luna would you please step forward, and act as the judge to this case?" I asked aloud.

That caused some surprise from the court, and I asked, "During our short meeting a week previously, you expressed both surprise and no past ill will towards the accused when we met. I would like to nominate you as the judge for this case as Celestia has far too much of a history with said accused that it would impair her judgement."

"My sisters judgement is just fine, thank thou very much." but at a glance to Celestia, who nodded and gestured for Luna to take a seat inside the judges table.

"Uh, what's going on?" one of the jury ponies I had grabbed, Roseluck if I remembered her name properly, asked.

"How in Equestria did we get here as well?" Applejack spoke, darn it. Meant to of grabbed Big Mac instead of her, but she'd do.

"Pardon the events, my little ponies." Celestia said to the jury, moving herself off the throne and trotting aside the jury booth, "It seems that we are in need of an jury to fulfill the role that this... experiment requires."

"Why does it require him?" Applejack pointed at me, and I held back a chuckle as Celestia explained

"He was the one who proposed this event to spice up the morning. Though I do not know where he is going with this."

"Nor do I..." Shining armor also added in, for what he was worth.

"Now all that is remaining is the defense. and I can't see a mare better qualified than..." Okay this was a dirty trick, even after the jury. I could spy the lavender mare eating breakfast with her young dragon secretary, and in a burst, a portal had opened beneath both her and her assistant and dropped them along with their breakfast onto the waiting hands of Aku, who brought the surprised duo to fill the chairs next to Sharp, who was eyeing me with a look akin to actual fear.

He was afraid of me, that I could see. In less than a day I had already taken his kingdom from him, as well as his magic and lead him through a fight that was ultimately deemed pointless against me, as he failed to kill one actual living being and instead destroyed nothing but toys.

Twilight Sparkle was enjoying pancakes that her assistant Spike had made for her, the young dragon himself enjoying a cup of coffee to wake himself up for the morning. They were talking about what they were planning to do for the day, before suddenly they found something odd. For one, their floor had vanished, and instead had turned into open air, and the second was that they were falling. A fall that started with a gasp of surprise, and ended with Aku catching the startled duo and their breakfast and depositing them, chairs, table and all next to the tyrant. Who shifted not so subtly away from Akus large hands.

"Wha-?" Spike muttered, rubbing his eyes, as he took another drink from his coffee, looking almost completely unphased by the sudden scenery change, "Am I dreaming or did we just fall through our floor, into Canterlot?"

Twilight, however, was a lot more freaked out, not just by the scenery change, but by everything that was going on around her in this courtroom.