Case #12: Finale
Judge Luna
Case #12: Finale
The crisp dawn was a cold one for all of Canterlot. News had spread like wildfire that Princess Luna was in the hospital, hanging on by a thread. Ponies gathered in droves around the hospital holding candles, mounding flowers against the outside walls, and eagerly watching all the windows in case an alicorn should wander by.
Celestia had gently lowered the moon, sent the sun upward, and had forsaken the rest of her royal duties since then. The world could wait when a goddess lay dying. Now and then the solar diarch would glance out the windows and the crowds and crowds of eagerly waiting ponies. They looked so frightened. She could understand it. Luna and Celestia were the two things in the world that never changed, never faltered, never moved. They were the rocks of the grand kingdom they’d built centuries ago.
A worn paperback novel lay on a sitting pillow next to Celestia, but she could not concentrate on it. Her gaze kept sliding to Luna. The layers and layers of gauze around her rump and midriff hid the whipping welts. Seventeen stitches had been laid over her breast where a knife had been plunged between her ribs. She had an oxygen mask pressed over her muzzle, which rhythmically fogged with her labored breathing. She was worse than a mess. If Luna was anypony else, anypony else at all, she would be dead. Not even Celestia was sure she could survive such a beating after being ill for so many months.
Sombra’s plan as Machiavellian—slow, careful, and complete. Thankfully he had let go of his puppet-golem pony long enough for it to question why it had to take orders. Celestia felt no love for the strange, artificial pony, and had had the pieces swept up and placed in a crate for study. The black stallion had created new magic, perhaps Twilight Sparkle would like to study it or some such later.
Celestia put a gentle hoof over Luna’s, hunching and looking at her tiny face. Not even Luna’s whispy alicorn mane remained, she’d been so weakened. The day Princess had, of course, sent orders to the four corners of the nation that all televisions were to be destroyed. Entire platoons had been deployed to towns to hunt them down, smash them, confiscate their crystals, and relay medical information for any sick unicorns. It was quite an undertaking. All of Equestria had been played for fools.
Leaning, Celestia stroked her poor sister’s brow as she lay there unconscious. The doctors weren’t sure what to do other than dress her wounds and give her bed rest. Until she woke up, if she woke up, there was little they could help with. Alicorns didn’t get sick. Alicorns didn’t get poisoned, or beaten down, or harmed. They were supposed to be immortal. They had no context to work with other than a normal unicorn’s, and that wasn’t enough. “Oh Luna,” Celestia whispered, bowing her head. “If only I’d been faster, or realized sooner. It was right under my nose the entire time.” She flinched when a nurse entered.
“Pardon me,” the brown stallion murmured softly. He made his way across the room, checking the chart on the bed. He offered Celestia a pained, trying-very-hard sort of smile. She knew the poor thing didn’t know what to say. Leaning, he checked the hanging vitamin bag. They’d been giving Luna fluids since she’d gotten to the hospital, praying nature’s call might wake her. Celestia studied the bandaid on the stallion’s flank as he moved quickly and gracefully to see to Luna. He scribbled a little on a chart, leaning and checking her wraps, stitches, and machine-fed patterns. No changes thus far, but it had been less than a day. “Your majesty,” he bowed, turning to let her be alone with her sister once more.
Celestia offered the warmest smile she could conjure, then settled back to her sitting pillow next to her sister. “I’ll not leave your side, Lulu, I promise,” she whispered softly. Then, like a great white swan, she tucked her head under her wing to see if she might find sleep. It took ages, but she managed a light and fitful rest. Outside, Equestria held its breath.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Many days later…
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Even weeks later the newspapers flew off the stands as more and more details began to emerge. Ponies traded rumors about the health of the Princess, guards constantly having to assure citizens that she was still alive. They traded rumors about Steel Wing, the not-pony monster that had shown up in the Midnight Court. They whispered fearfully for their Princess’ health, holding candlelight vigils and even standing in the rain when it came. The newspapers didn’t help:
Princess Takes the Whip for Equestria!
Judge Luna Judges King Sombra!
Golem Guards Ponies: Mere Mares or Mammoth Myths?
Princess Luna Still Comatose, the Wasting Disease that Shocked Celestia!
All of them were decorated with violent scenes of Luna’s broken body, the palace in ruins, and blurry shots of a golem-pony smashing through a wall. Canterlot all but shut down in the rebuilding efforts.
Unicorns gathered in droves not to break the massive crystal structures, but to move it. This meant destroying a few walls of the castle, but they soon found the strength in numbers. Gathering from all over they heaved at the impossible weight to lift it away. Royal guard stood arm-in-arm with noblepony who stood arm-in-arm with the common unicorn. Even Celestia called it a miracle as they moved the massive piece of black rock off the mountain, into the valley below, and then dropped it in the Everfree Forest where it wouldn’t cause any harm. Some ponies speculated its evil magic might spread through the forest, but Celestia assured them it wouldn’t. After all, if one dropped a shield in the woods, it would not get up and start hurting animals. That was the sort of magic at work here.
As soon as the intruding crystal was gone rebuilding efforts were underway. If nothing else the ponies of Equestria adored the Royal Palace. It was part of the Canterlot skyline after all! Monies, workers, and supplies came pouring in from all sides to aid in the rebuilding efforts, and soon the palace was surrounded with scaffolding and working ponies. They swarmed over the structure like so many brightly-colored ants, clearing away debris and making ready to start anew with stone and metal and glass.
Celestia would not be pulled from her sister’s side, though, outside of complete necessity. Ponies got into the habit of sending Royal paperwork and the like to the hospital. Celestia was given a little collapsing desk so she could read and do a little bit of work while she waited for Luna to make even the slightest sound. Otherwise, she would see nopony.
She watched the fur grow back around Luna’s stitches, and even saw the medical ponies change her bandages several times over. The welts and lacerations slowly began to recede into scars. When Celestia asked about them, the rather embarrassed doctors told her she would probably have them for the rest of her life. But, since her fur was dark and the scars faded, nopony would see unless she outright shaved her rump. (That had gotten a rare smile out of Celestia.)
Meanwhile, the medical staff installed a feeding tube, kept Luna on watch at all times, and even had a pony to come in and help her stay clean. It was a little bit amusing to see Luna get her mane washed and styled while she slept. It was all very painful for the white alicorn to watch, but slow and steady progress was being made. Even if it was one point on one chart each day, Celestia felt good about it. Luna’s brain activity was normal, and her bodily functions were fine, she just… didn’t wake up.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Many Days After That…
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Luna’s eyes snapped open when she felt a cold rag pressed on one side of her face. She gave a loud, mare-ish shriek and sat bolt up as the oxygen mask came tumbling off of her face. The stallion-nurse whinnied wildly, cartwheeling backward over himself as all four legs bicycled into the air. The rag went flying. “Where are we?! What is-?!”
Celestia’s desk overturned itself as the alicorn ran it over, “Doctor!” she cried. “Doctor! She’s awake!” Luna looked up at her trembling sister with a sleepy-eyed expression. “You’re going to be okay, Luna. I promise.” She hugged her as gently as she could, tears suddenly rolling down her cheeks.
“Mrrrph-mrm-uhrm,” Luna said into Celestia’s breast, squirming on the hospital bed. A trio of medical ponies piled into the room, running over the poor nurse in the process. The dark alicorn was surrounded instantly, being poked and prodded and asked if her pinions hurt. Luna looked around blearily, not sure what to make of much of anything around her. “Tia?” she said in a small voice.
“Let her be for just a moment, she’s only just awakened,” Celestia said gently.
“How long…?” Luna said, touching her forehead and furrowing her brow.
“A little over a month, sister.” Celestia said softly, settling on her belly next to her. “You’ve had surgeries, stitches, bandages, and so much more…” she bit her lip a little. She watched Luna slowly trace a hoof over the knife wound in her breast. The stitches were still there, black and shiny like a beetle’s back. Then she saw her lip begin to quiver and she hugged Luna again.
“Sh-sh-shhhh… it’s alright, you’re going to be alright.” Celestia said, curling her wings around her sister in a wing-hug as well. They nuzzled tenderly, Luna’s cheek resting on Celestia’s chest. “Can she be moved home? To the palace?” she asked the doctors.
“If you take a full medical staff with you,” the doctor told the Princess, cocking his head in an unsure way. Celestia made a face.
“We could not take so many ponies from the hospital, we’ll stay here,” Luna whispered, lying back against her pillows. Seeing her sister’s look, the Princess of the Night smiled weakly, “This bed is just as comfortable and—” Her stomach burbled, turning and frothing on itself. “Restroom!” she whined, clutching at herself. Celestia helped Luna to the little sideroom. As soon as they emerged, “We are hungry,” she said. The doctor’s smiled. That was an excellent sign on the road to recovery.
=-=-=-=-=
Two and a half months after her admittance to the hospital, Luna emerged of her own willpower. Celestia walked next to her in case she might fall or strain her legs so much. The dark Princess had lost a bit of weight and was a little on the skinny side from lying in bed all day. “Are you sure you’re ready, Luna?” Celestia said softly. “You can stay another week if you like.”
“Neigh,” Luna said softly. “I belong out there, with our little ponies,” she smiled affectionately as the double doors opened. A roaring, cheering crowd was there to greet her. The shorter of the two alicorns smiled shyly, almost hiding under Celestia’s extended wing. The Princess of the night looked to one side when her sister gestured. The flowers and get-well-soon cards were still mounded around the hospital. The bouquets had spread their seeds and pollen, and had erupted into a vast garden of wildflowers. Luna smiled again, somewhat shyly. She hadn’t known so many would care when she was so sickly. It filled her heart with joy.
“Princess! We’re so glad you’re better!”
“Princess Luna! I can’t believe you stood up to that Sombra guy all alone!”
“Princess, look this way!”
“Princess Luna’s back!”
The crowd was pushed back by armored ponies of the royal guard, both solar and lunar, to make way for the two Princesses. An enclosed chariot awaited to take them both home. When the door closed and the crowd of happy ponies was muted, Luna looked at Celestia. “What became of Sombra? And Steel Wing?” she hadn’t thought to ask, having been so busy recovering and trying to knit for so long.
“I sent King Sombra’s remains to the Crystal Empire,” Celestia said gently. “Cadance promised to bury him on the tundra so he wouldn’t be disturbed.”
“Why?” Luna said, frowning.
“Well, legally speaking he was the King of the Crystal Empire for a time,” Celestia admitted. “It seemed only fair he be buried there.” Luna was silent for a time, then nodded her agreement. Vicious and evil though he had been in the throne room, he had not been wrong. Justice and vengeance were not the same, though, and that had been his downfall. Well, that and trying to kill her and usurp control of Equestria. Luna harbored no sympathy, but in her heart of hearts she did not deny his half-legal reasoning. There was a line, though, and he’d crossed it. “As for Steel Wing,” Celestia said softly, cocking her head. “I had to ask a lot of ponies plenty of questions to find out about him.” Luna touched her stitches sorely, frowning and lowering her gaze. “It wasn’t me he guarded, Luna, nor me that he betrayed and stabbed in the chest,” the white alicorn lit her horn. A rather large urn that clanked with shifting, broken glass inside levitated out from under the cushioned seats. “But it was not me whom he saved, either. I could not decide what to do with him.”
“He was some sort of golem, yes?” Luna leaned and pulled the lid off the bulky urn, looking inside. “Can he be restored?”
“Maybe, I don’t know,” Celestia said. “I’ve never seen an artificial pony before. It was new magic.” Both sisters looked at the broken, shattered bits of Steel Wing glittering before them. “Do you want to bring him back? He almost killed you, Luna.”
“I don’t know,” Luna admitted softly. “He saved me as well. I would be dead if not for him,” she murmured, staring intently at the shards before closing the lid again. “It would take ages, and magic quite powerful to put him back together and animate him the way he was, with all his memories.” She sank back into her chair. “I am still recovering, sister, I can do no such thing.”
“Then I leave him in your hooves,” Celestia said, gently setting the urn next to Luna. The palace could be seen slowly coming into view outside the chariot. “We’re almost home,” she smiled.
Luna nodded, eager to rest in her own bed. Her TV show Judge Luna was over, more than over, but the palace still called. When she was back to her full strength, she would sit on the throne and continue to hoof down justice.
=-=-=-=
The mane six stood huddled around Spike, who looked positively ill. He’d been haulking and groaning and holding his belly for almost twenty minutes now, and they weren’t sure what to do. To be honest, the poor thing looked constipated. “H’oh boy…. H’oh boy here it comes *BRAAAAAPPP!!!*” Everypony backed up when a massive shape of fire blasted out of Spike’s mouth. It swirled, frothed, then poof’d into a big wooden crate. Spike moaned dizzily, then flopped over on his side. Fluttershy and Rarity leaned over him worriedly.
“What’s this?” Twilight Sparkle stared. “The Princess should know better than to send packages through Spike, they give him tummy aches!”
Rainbow Dash zoomed over, checking the tag, “Eh, it’s from Princess Luna,” she pointed with a hoof, turning it over to show them. Sure enough, the night Princess’ spidery handwriting was all over the label, tag, and shipping information.
Lighting her horn, Twilight took the envelope attached to the side and unfurled the note, “To Twilight Sparkle. I’ve a bit of a puzzle for you,” she read aloud. “Please be very gentle with him.”
“Him?” Applejack wondered, waiting for Twilight to nod so she could pry the box open. A bit of grunting and earth pony strength later, the wooden planks had been pried open and the straw tossed aside. “It’s an urn,” Applejack made a face. “Ah hope you ain’t learnin’ how to bring dead ponies back to life, Twilight?”
“I don’t think so,” Twilight said, coming close to take the lid off. Hundreds of crystal shards glittered at her when she did, and she pulled a photograph from the top of the pile. “Huh,” she mumbled. It was a picture of Steel Wing and Princess Luna, doing the Judge Luna show. There was a big red arrow pointing at him. On the back, in a few short sentences, Luna tried to explain. Twilight’s eyes were getting wider and wider as she read. Pinkie fished into the urn and got a disembodied hoof out. She gave it a hoof-bump, giggling loudly before dropping it back inside. Now it was only a matter of time and magic.
THE END
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Yay, happy ending
Hope to see more of this setting and the return of Steel Wing
maybe as a oneshot or something haha.
GREAT story, I enjoyed it.
You don't know how lucky you were that Luna lived. I was ready to get in my car and come find you!!
Only Pinkie....
no... NO.... NOPE
One day, Steel Wing....one day...
Didn't Princess Luna received get well gifts?
Twilight Sparkle: Re-animator
Make it happen.
Why didn't they use the Elements to give Luna a jump start?
Come to think of it, why didn't the Mane 6 ever go to Canterlot after Sombra was killed?
Was the brown stallion working on Luna Bandaid?
*sniff* *Sniff* *SNIFF*... do I smell a sequel?!
While this is title finale, I hope an epilogue chapter - where Steel Wing is put back together and Luna then judges him for his actions and behavior - will be forthcoming. It could be Judge Luna's last case.
2881515
Probably because Rarity was also in the hospital.
Happy end get.
Good to see Luna is well again, though left with scars and pain that will last a lifetime, as stabbing wounds usually cause nerve damage.
Perhaps some day, Steel Wing's hooves will once again thunder across the halls of Canterlot Castle, protecting that which he was conceived to destroy.
2881515 We don't exactly know exactly what the elements of harmony can do. For all we know, they might either purge Luna of evil spirits (i.e. do nothing), turn her to stone (probably not what we're after here) or send her to the moon (equally undesirable). We can't necessarily assume that they can power a healing spell, and evidenced by Rainbow Dash's stay in hospital in Read It and Weep, it is reasonable to assume that healing magic is either non-existent or very limited.
2881368
Not really. They destroyed television! Now the XBARN 360 and Haylo will never be invented!
-
Sillyness aside, as usual, you never fail to deliver, Shield. *Salutes*
Is this one directly part of your other Luna fic universe, or is it separate?
2881841 Seperate as usual. Only stories that end with numbers are sequels.
Steel wing, steel wing, steel wing...
*the golem groans* I have awaken... To serve again...
[youtube=www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecB6Eh7f3l8]
Liked the Bandaid cameo. Didn't like the"television is evil"message. Maybe someone will invent an alternate power source? One that doesn't power drain unicorns?
Leave it to Pinkie Pie to hoofbump a dead body
Even in death, he still serves.
2882553. Not just any dead body, a dead body that WAS NEVER ALIVE!!!
(I can't tell you how many mistakes I had to correct in this comment cause for some reason I can't spell.)
Satisfying ending. I, like so many others, await a potential hypothetical sequel.
Or a sidestory where Pinkie Pie goes around digging up dead ponies to hoofbump them.
Cool story as usual. Aegis, you never cease to amaze me.
2881922 Except Affection of Nightmare Moon.
Aww i wanted too see Celestia kick Sombra's ass at Chapter 11's end.
Great stuff, Aegis, another enjoyable read. Keep on doing what you do!
Oh Steel Wing! Come back!
Also, love this story so much! It also explains the name; STEEL wing
2884124 Yes!
2881922
TF2 Sniper: Okay!
I think it's a bit unrealistic that tens of thousands of unicorns are watching TV, getting sick, and no one's making the connection. Aside from that it was fairly good.
P.S. If I had a large box made of an impenetrable material with only one small entrance, I would put a big door over the entrance and then have an awesome vault to store my treasure; or panic room assuming I could get air into it... was it letting in air when Sombra locked everyone in it?
Looking at this, Aegis....I was wondering...Could you make a sequel..? With less of a complete plot twist, of course..Perhaps has a side project for fun?
3385387 the whithers where I come from means "where the mane is, along the back of the neck."
3387208 lol, my bad.
Just finished reading the story. Well done indeed!
Wait is steel wing made of diamonds
I guess TV will be banned...or someone will figure out how to connect it to electricity or something.
It is a very efficient way of distributing information after all.
Hey Aegis, have you read the Luna microseries comic yet? Judge Luna is all but canon now!
3060410
Post hoc ergo propter hoc, then? Connecting "they started watching television" with "at some point in the future they got sick" is not even remotely obvious. How many of them also read books, or ate certain kinds of food, listened to a new kind of music, drank from certain water sources, were outside at night during some astronomic event, etc.? All of these are potential vectors for mundane or magical maladies, and I'm just getting warmed up. Isolating a single factor from among thousands of possibilities, with no concrete reason to suspect one in particular, and then actually demonstrating that it is the cause rather than a coincidence, is not a simple task. It only seems obvious to the reader because it's the only possibility that's actually relevant to the plot.
People in real life do make these kinds of connections all the time, and it's for this very reason that there are so many worthless fads passed off as legitimate medical advice. "I started doing X, and at some point in the future I had problem Y! So obviously X caused Y!" "I got treatment Z and afterwards I got better, so obviously Z cured me!" Well, maybe it was X, maybe it was Z, or maybe it was A, B, C, D, or E. Or some combination thereof, or something entirely different.
4028322
Statistics on same-sex relationships
About 40-50% of same sex relationships report domestic violence compared to about 2.5% of heterosexual marriages and about 20-25% of cohabitation heterosexuals.
On a statistical whole, gays are a at least twice as likely to be attacked by their partner, than by anti-gay harrassers.
Not that I'm endorsing a mob beating up a gay person, but it's something to think about.
Un-sa-tis-fac-to-ry.
After the shit Sombra pulled out, the ending feels like a slap on the wrist and leaves me steaming with anger.
The aftertaste after reading this story is so terribly bad I just can't give thumbs up despite all the quality writing, the build-up and the tension. What is the lesson here? Murder opponents, steal their power, enslave a nation, torment the one who stopped you, and be buried with honors?
No, just no. Fuck this ending and fuck you. I hate this story.
4569569 Name one time where a nation changed hands, anywhere in history, without serious bloodshed and upheaval. You can't, because it never happened. I killed him off, what more do you want?
4569619
My own? Poland?
There was some bloodshed. Minor. Some of the "security service" higher-ups got a bit overzealous in pacifying protests, there were some victims. Then there were arrests, that held back the opposition, squashed the uprising and - most importantly - prevented the Soviet Union from stepping in, which would have led to major bloodshed.
The leaders of opposition were detained - not in high-security prisons. In recreational resorts of the government, most luxurious facilities the country possessed. The government paid extreme attention that they received all the best they had to offer. No shortage of quality foods and liquors.
And then the heads of the government got in talks with the leaders of the opposition, organized a big meeting of negotiation, established the process of passing control over the country, a period where the president would be of the old establishment, but the head of parliament, along with parliament majority (chosen by the society in genuinely honest elections) would be from the opposition. Within some 8 years the "People's Republic of Poland" transformed into "Republic of Poland" and the old establishment remained as one of less significant minority parties in the parliament. Outside of the few early casualties in some skirmishes, the complete transfer of power went without bloodshed and major upheaval.
And that was only the start, in the Eastern Bloc. Other countries followed, and without a single casualty, without any serious upheaval. Germany got reunited, Czechoslovakia splt up, Soviet Union fell apart with republics gaining independence without bloodshed, in more liberal countries of the eastern bloc, like Hungary, that went completely without a hitch - multiple transfers of power completely peaceful. Yes, there were bloody cases too. Romania did have its own bloody revolution with quite a bit of fight due to a dictatorial rule. Without menace of soviet intervention aggravated ethnic conflicts in Yugoslavia tore the country apart, a major war between Serbia and Kosovo ensued, Croatia not remaining impartial either. But for every armed conflict you'd find one smooth transfer of power. All it took was good will on both sides, and desire for peace outweighing desire to remain in control. So - yes, peaceful transfer of power is absolutely possible.
Want an example in the MLP universe? Oh well, Celestia's monarchy turning into diarchy with Luna?
Now what you could have done? Well, give Sombra a due process. Recount his own crimes. Invalidate his whole status as a monarch for claiming the crown without, or with coerced approval of contemporarily ruling body. Serve him with a lawful punishment matching his crimes Multiple accounts of murder, countless unlawful imprisonments and forcing a slave labor, a case where his villainy is dissected, put in the open, and punished accordingly. Possibly, with an impartial judge and a lengthy persecution witness line.
I believe public hanging would be quite right.
4569708
You are one hell of a hypocrite you know that.
You applaud the way Poland transformed from Communist Totalitarian regime to Republic and at the same time demand blood for Crimes of a tyrant? Hypocrite.
"There was some bloodshed. Minor." Tell that to millions of Pols deported into Siberia by communist. Tell that to families of officers that died in Katyń and other places of slaughter that communist prepared for people that disagreed with Communist doctrine. Tell that to 3 generations of Poles that were oppressed, manipulated and corrupted by the Communist occupation. For 45 years they polluted and corrupted, for that they SHOULD hang.
That would be Justice. But they didn't hang for their crimes. Many people today cry out for this kind of justice. I'm not one of them. Poles had enough death and destruction in previous Century done too them and their country. In my opinion that was the only reason why people in Poland didn't execute this kind of judgment on their previous Tyrants.
There are people in Poland alive and free who deserve death for their crimes against Polish nation. They are free because Poland don't need blood to be the "cornerstone" of its new beginning, but that does not mean that they don't deserve condemnation.
4642173
You are only confirming my argument.
No matter how you look at the part, at crimes of the Stalin era, at later oppressions, you must admit the transition of power was as smooth as they get.
And yet, despite that, to most, the effects of the transition were unsatisfactory. While I believe Jaruzelski was a great patriot, I think Kiszczak should serve a sentence for his crimes. The way he got away with hardly a slap on his wrist, is precisely the same way this story fails.
Yes, let me repeat: My grandfather got several medals for deeds for defense of PRL. My father was in the Party. I was a member of SDRP, and later SLD. And I claim Kiszczak and his helpers should serve a long prison sentence. It's not just the bible-thumpers of PiS who don't feel him getting away is not right.
And I feel the same way about this story.
Great work as always, Aegis Shield.
4642871
This story is good. Ending gives a feeling of closure and accomplishment. It is not a masterpiece but is a good read.
I admit that Aegis Shield view on the law and how it should work is well ... naive, but it does not make this story bad.
You RandomBlank on the other hand are a hypocrite.
First you demand Historical Judgment, public condemnation of for all to see, then you exonerate similar evildoers based on you personal view on the matter. Hypocrite.
And don't even try to bullshit me that some of the communist's were patriots, that supposed to justify their crimes?! This one was bad communist and this one was good communist so its ok. Again Hypocrite.
It is nice if you have someone to be the "main villain". Someone to blame for all the evil. Someone whom we can point and yell: "It was him! He did all of it." While the rest can pretend that their are innocent.
Aegis Shield made a story. A good story. In your frustration you brought arguments on the table that should not be brought, because they cant be compared with the situation in the story. Your argument is invalid.
*When I say you are a Hypocrite its not to offend you. I merely try to show you what is wrong with your line of thinking and where your arguments contradict one another.
4645122
Oh well. You talk in absolutes. Would you rather have Poland as one of republics of the Soviet Union? Because that's what it would be, with puppet government, if not for some wise management, some deep compromises, which some see as bending over to the oppressor - and others see as bidding time and keeping the little we still had, in the political scene as it was back then.
Jaruzelski was not happy that Poland was a part of the Eastern Bloc, but he bought Poland as much freedom as was to be obtained in that situation. More importantly, when the opportunity presented itself, he yielded his power to the opposition, first assuring smooth transition of power. He had to serve two masters with opposing interests: The soviets, who would more than gladly annex Poland if the local government appeared too weak, and the polish nation, which desired freedom. It was a precarious act, with many difficult choices to be made. Then - when the opportunity presented itself - he made the move that brought down the whole Eastern Bloc. Do you think he was not capable of snuffing the protests entirely? That he wouldn't be able to get the leaders of the opposition sentenced, to get the Soviet Army to just return the status quo, or bind Poland with Soviet Union even closer?
He took the system apart, made it collapse - right from the center, from the position of power. He was as much of a "communist" as Wałęsa, but he approached the change in a smart way, transformation and reforms, not yelling on the streets and poking the bear with a stick.
If you're saying I'm a hypocrite, then please, be my guest and suggest a better scenario, tell me what he should have done instead, go back as far as you like - to his early youth if need be. Suggest, how Poland could have gained freedom with someone fully loyal to the Soviets at the helm instead. Earlier, more fully and with less victims.
...and if you didn't notice, this whole argument was a counterargument to Aegis Shield: "Name one time where a nation changed hands, anywhere in history, without serious bloodshed and upheaval." As his justification why Sombra is not supposed to be accountable for multiple murders. Because they were to be expected, and normal, the situation concerning.
Sombra acted in absolutes. He was loyal only to himself, and he choose any means available to gain more power. This is what defines him as the villain. No redeeming features. And this is why - unlike some more ambiguous historical figures, commonly vilified nowadays by people only capable to think in absolutes - his death doesn't deserve honors after his death.
Simply put, the excuse "it's all right, what he did is the norm, so his end is the norm" is not true. It's not the norm; there are all shades of gray to authoritarian rule, and respective range of outcomes that are fair. What Sombra did was pure tyrany with zero regard for means and only selfish ends. This is the far end of spectrum, squat in the black, so picking an outcome which is *average* in the range of the grays simply doesn't feel right.
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1. Sorry but NO. I refuse to dry national laundry here. Its not place for this kind of discussion. It's is disrespectful to this site and Aegis Shield. Sorry that I even got baited into it.
2. Every one deserve a funeral. Even villains. Not only heroes had to be remembered but also the evildoers. Especially the villains should be remembered by the history so that their crimes would never be forgotten and/or committed again. To be honest i don't know what do you expect more from Aegis Shield? To make Sombra grave into public urinal so that every one could make a piss on him? Seriously.
"Forgive and ask for forgiveness. Forgive but never forget."
This is the saddest argument ever...in life we punish evildoers, that I can back, but in death...punishing them still is not our place for one and two you should always respect the dead and not humiliate them just to feel better about yourself...
I am sure Vilwind agrees with me on this, but seriously RandomBlank your argument is just sad and pathetic...
You should also remember this "An eye for an eye, leaves the whole world blind..."
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You treat his sudden unexpected death as a simple historical fact, and the story bound by historical integrity to report the event and the follow-up faithfully.
You seem to forget, that this story's goal is not educational, historical accuracy, but entertainment, and that all its events, including Sombra's death and all circumstances surrounding it, are in hands of the author, to change them freely, in a way that maximizes the reader's satisfaction. Yes, if the author got the tyrant killed quickly, painlessly, without shade of fear or shame, there's little to be done, the resulting treatment only matches that death. But dammit, there was nothing keeping Aegis from letting Sombra survive the attack, and then the story could have taken a very different turn - something to soothe the hate, rage, bloodlust of the readers, which Aegis very efficiently aroused when Luna cried for her mother - and then left us hanging, with that bloodlust unsatisfied - bam-bam, thank you madam, the villain gets a nice burial, everyone is happy, except Luna and me.
Writing stories is a lot like writing music. It's all about flow and harmony. Everything you write is meant to elicit some feeling in the readers, and your goal is to carry them through the story leaving them better off than they when they started. You account for every feeling your actions elicit, and respond with a matching counter-action. Each point of sadness should be answered by a touch of cheering. Each fear should be answered by strength overcoming it. Solitude meets warm company. And if you elicit wrath, satisfy this wrath with a matching punishment. Missing this - giving the readers a deeply negative feeling, and then failing to make up for it - may be done for artistic purposes, to force the reader out of their comfort zone and make them think of dangers, of fate, of risky subjects we tend to shut off. Tragedy, drama, these thrive on the negative flow, good intentions going awry, false hope, slippery slopes. But if you take a deep dive into the negative emotions, pump the readers full of hate and wrath, and then just skimp on punishment, for no better reason than unwillingness to develop that part of the story - that's just a serious error of the writer craft, a crime against the storytelling far worse than "telling instead of showing," "making a mary-sue protagonist" or "abusing a worn trope."
I made a mistake of delving into the excuses of why, or what is the norm in politics for treating a dead tyrant, and trying to pull examples from real life. That's all irrelevant. A good author must find a way to keep the story in balance, to complete the arc - answer the plunge with a matching rise - by any means necessary. If they are completely unable to create a rise strong enough, they should reduce the plunge - for example making the scene of Luna's torture less graphic, less heart-wrenching. Whatever. Any means necessary, to keep the balance. In stories with happy ending the only purpose for creating the negative feelings in the reader is to cash on them later, giving a matching positive, one which not only fixes the evil, but, by virtue of being closer to the end, with nothing left to spoil it, gives a pleasant aftertaste. If you don't cash on these negative feelings, but just sweep them under the rug, they are still there at the end - and stay as the aftertaste of the story - a very bad aftertaste.
Seriously, for me this story read as if Aegis Shield really hated Luna and wrote this with only purpose to hurt her as much as possible, for no good reason at all.
You know, there's a whole genre based on this trope - take a commonly liked character, and make them as hurt as possible, then leave them damaged beyond repair. That genre is called "trollfics".