//------------------------------// // Punishment Enough // Story: World of Ponies: A Collection of Days // by ShadowWalking18 //------------------------------// Blueblood was miserable. No miserable could not even begin to even come close to how he felt. He was tired. Exhausted. Dirty. Smelly. His hooves were chipped and dirt and mud was stuck under them. His mane was frizzy and unkempt. And his pristine white coat and matching suit were ruined with grass stains! He looked like some dirty farmer pony in some backwater town. How could his aunt do this to him!? Him!? He was a noble of canterlot! He was one of the wealthiest nobles in all of canterlot and Equestria, next to Smarty Pants himself. He was Duke of Golden Hills, the main supplier of gold and other rare metals in Equestria. Yet here he was, working in the mud and dirt like some poor plebian! Blueblood could only wonder what sort of reason for this unbearable torture his own aunt was putting him through. As the Pegasus chariot came to carry him back to Canterlot, after another day in some muddy fields in the hot sun. He would be glad to be home and in a hot bath, with some imported bath salts and a hooficure. With the wind at their back, they made good time and Blueblood made his way quickly to his manor. He was only half way into Manor Row, where all the top nobles of Canterlot lived, when he heard somepony call his name. "Blueblood. What a delightful surprise." Blueblood stopped, and turned to see three ponies approach him from behind. Two were stallions and the third was a mare. The two stallions were twins, Lucky Star and Golden Star. The mare was Crystal Dancer. Blueblood felt embarrassed and angry that these three had to find him on his way home. "What do you three want? I have a bath to get too and a plate of some freshly picked exotic fruit, so I don't have time to humor you." Blueblood turned to move off, but the three stepped up beside him and followed. "Oh, whats wrong, don't you want to walk about a bit. Maybe we can find a nice mud pit for you to frolic through." Crystal Dancer said with a snicker. "Oh do leave him alone Crystal. But Blueblood, my gardener is off on vacation for a week. Perhaps you can stop by my mansion and see if you can do a little work here and there." Lucky Star snickered and he and his brother burst into laughter. Blueblood gritted his teeth, but choose to ignore them. Standing up to them would only make things worse. Once he was safely in his manor he could forget these three. So he kept walking, enduring their jibs and snickering remarks on his working in the fields like some commoner. He finally had enough and ran, their laughter following him as he burst through the door of his manor. He ignored his servants, and did not stop running till he was in his room and slammed the door. Ruined! He was ruined! His whole image as the top of Canterlot nobility, dashed to pieces by some smelly apes. It was not how he had planned at all when he had agreed to going to war. Frankly, he had never wanted too in the first place. War was smelly and just a bunch of mares beating each other with sticks. He was far too superior for such a thing, but the chance to finally get his aunt off his flank on his required military service and earn some social points and standing in ponies eyes as a hero had made him choose the path of war. It should have been so simple, beating those primitive pink monkeys. He should have been a hero. Instead he was branded as a failure and at worse a criminal! Forced to work hard manual labor without magic, like...like...like some dirt farming earth pony! His allowance was cut, and he was cut off from nearly all his assets as punishment. Blueblood spat, deciding that first he needed a bath. He ordered his maids to make his bath quickly, at least the ones that remained. Most had left for better jobs when he could not afford to pay them all. Only his family held servants had remained, but only a few were in the manor at Canterlot. First he would get a bath and then he would write to his aunt. It was time he stood up to this barbaric punishment. Before his image in Canterlot was ruined forever. Celestia sighed as she read the letter her nephew sent not a few days ago. Once more complaining on his punishment for his crimes during the war between the humans and Equestria. "Something up?" Celestia looked from the letter to her guest. The Ambassador Castus. The two of them sat in the Royal Garden having tea, something they did ever other two weeks as an agreed upon meeting where they could talk and discuss policies between the two nations they represented. It was also a way that they could learn to coexist, even if they did often argue more then they discussed things. Still, neither of them ever struck at each other, so even when things grew heated they were at least respectable. Perhaps it was the start of a friendship. Or at the least a mutual understanding. "It is Blueblood again. He complains constantly of the punishment I gave him. Frankly I am tempted to tell him it was farm work or face the gallows." Celestia sighed, rubbing her head. Castus smirked, "I take it he isn't like his predicament." "Of course not," Celestia said with a roll of her eyes, "He hates farm work. He has always spoken ill of farmers, despite the fact they grow the food he eats during one of his lavish parties. And like so many of the younger nobles in Canterlot, his image and standing are important to him. And his work in the fields is, in his eyes, ruining that. Frankly I have heard some of the nobles snicker at him in passing." "Good." Castus said, sipping his tea with a smile. Celestia frowned, "I must ask something Castus, why do you take such delight in my nephews social suffering?" "Because its the best way to hurt him." Castus said, setting his cup down. "I am rather curious why you accepted such a punishment as being forced into hard labor alongside you. A few officers faced court martial, and some were required to go off duty for a few years. All as punishment for their roles in the atrocities against your kind during the war. Frankly, the Council Laws label the death penalty for any convicted of war crimes. Yet you argued for lesser, but still harsh punishments in their favor. Why?" Celestia asked. Castus sighed, "Because who am I to judge? My people did similar things. Hell, we've done worse in the past both in this world and my own." Castus took another sip of his tea before continuing, "On my world, the nation where I lived did something similar, called the Wounded Knee Massacre. The soldiers slaughtered hundreds of innocent women and children. And in this world, my peoples Valhruan ancestors committed atrocities that would make you white with horror. We exterminated entire cultural and ethnic groups." Castus sighed, "So...who am I to be a judge of what Blueblood and your military did. Hell, in my past life I did similar things. Demanding they die won't make up for it." "I see." Celestia said with a frown. "There is a debt of blood between our nations Celestia," Castus said with a serious tone, "But paying blood with more blood will not level the debt. So I will not demand Bluebloods death, even if part of me wants nothing more then to tear the flesh from his body, strip by strip and tendon by tendon before igniting the marrow in his bones." Celestia went a little white at the hot, viciousness in Castus words. "However, I still desire to see him suffer. And I know individuals like Blueblood. I've dealt with them in the past. The Valhruan Past anyway. Blueblood builds his entire existence and standing on the perception of others have of him. Ruining that and making him do something he hates is a great way to make him suffer." Celestia hummed, "I see. There is some wisdom in your words. Still, if blood cannot repay the debt between our people, why did you slay half of your own after their own atrocity?" Castus sighed, "Celestia. Your soldiers were just military men following orders of their generals. We know the changelings had some hand in it, and we both know now how they manipulated the reports you received. Otherwise I feel you would not have allowed such a vicious attack." Celestia nodded, remembering the horror of learning after a difficult search and a even more difficult purging of the ranks of the changeling infiltrators; some who had managed to escape with documents. To learn that some of her trusted advisors had been replaced by changelings was horrible. They still were unable to find the real ponies; and they were assumed dead or kept in the changeling hive as food. "They were just following their orders in a time of war. I won't demonize your soldiers. But what Krul and his clans did.....I never order such a thing. he did it on his own accord and did not have any regrets. In fact....he had enjoyed it. I could not allow his presence to corrupt the other tribes and in doing so corrupt the culture that I was trying to build for my people. Krul was a stain on our culture that had to be purged." Castus finished. "I suppose I can see your logic." Celestia said. "Even if you didn't, you don't have too," Castus said, "We humans are building a culture along side a nation. What we do will be how all other races and nations see us. I want to make sure that in the future to come, that this image is a good one." Celestia and Castus were silent for a time, sipping their tea. Finally their meeting was over, and Castus and Celestia stood up to leave. "Oh yes. I trust you and the Emperor will be at the Grand Galloping Gala?" Celestia asked. "Of course. We are honored guests. Not sure if its a good idea though." Castus said. "You invited me and my sister over, surely we can do the same." Celestia said. "I just hope it doesn't turn into a disaster." Castus said. "I doubt it can match having my entire castle flooded with green slime." Celestia said. "We'll see. Till then." Castus offered a bow to Celestia, and she gave him a curtsey.