Judge Luna

by Aegis Shield

Intermission

Judge Luna
Intermission

Steel Wing was wandering the throne room, a few hours before that evening’s Judge Luna was to be filmed. The majestic hall was quiet as the grave and as oppressive as an old temple. Ruffling his wings a few times, he made triple-sure he was by alone. Checking that his armor didn’t clank too loudly, he went to the little sectioned off area where the cameras stood. Leaning up into one of the raised chairs, he seated himself and fiddled with one of them.

The back panel of the camera popped open, revealing the hollow inside. The tapes had been taken out of course, but the rest of the mechanics of the camera itself was still there. Perking his ears, he peered inside. The power crystal hummed idly, and he reached to pluck it out. Holding it in his hoof, he squinted. It was an ashy sort of grey, cracked and used-looking. Not quite dead, but far from its prime.

The soldier scratched the back of his neck, scowling. Luna had not started becoming ill until all this TV business had started. Being a Lunar Stallion, he’d of course decided to investigate. Leaning to one side and flipping the lid from a little box, he found an array of new power crystals lying in plush velvet. Awfully fancy for technical equipment, but they were pretty brittle.

Steel Wing winced when the crystal came apart in his hoof. He must’ve been holding it too hard. It burst into tiny little motes, disappearing into the air as he watched. Looking quickly around, he grabbed a brand new crystal and shoved it in the slot. It clicked into place, humming idly. Reaching back and forth, he fiddled with all the knobs and dials for a while, leaning around the camera and looking at the throne. A little red light flicked on, and he leaned to see. A tiny red spot had appeared on the back of the seat of power. Ah, that must’ve been a tracking light, so the camera pony would know exactly where the camera was pointed.

The Lunar Stallion turned it off with a frown, looking around himself. Hopping down from the raised seat, he gave the whole set-up another once over. Turning his ears back, he put a hoof on another camera, as though expecting it to be hot, or magical, with no pony operating it. The other Lunar Stallions were very concerned, they’d only known their princess for a couple of years, and they’d never seen a sickly alicorn before. Rumors were flying about, ponies talking about growth-spurts, plagues, wasting sicknesses and the like. Nopony had thought to connect her majesty’s sickness with the camera crew and all this television business though. Steel Wing turned back to look up at the throne, frown deepening even more. It couldn’t be much more than a hunch, but that was all that had changed in recent memory. He scratched himself nervously. TV was new to Equestria… but it was having adverse effects on the Princess, he knew.

=-=-=-=

Luna sat at her vanity, leaning on steepled hooves. Her eyes looked rather baggy, and the cloak strewn about herself covered her from the neck down. Her mane, once flowing with stars and the shimmers of the cosmos, had turned dull and pasty-blue. She looked like she had when she’d been freshly freed from Nightmare Moon’s influence. Small. Weak. Snuffing another candle so she was in near darkness, she gave a start when there was a firm tapping on her bedroom door.

“Just one hour till showtime, Princess!” A mare called. “Hope you’re all set!”

“Verily,” Luna called back, over her shoulder. She lifted the flap of her robes, revealing the slight lines of ribs emerging on her barrel and breast. She looked positively ragged. The dark alicorn heaved a sigh, feeling heavy and ill. Leaning forward, she rested her forehead on her ankles and moaned slightly.

The door opened. “Princess?” A Lunar Stallion said, sticking his head in the door. Luna grunted that she’d heard him. “Are you alright? Should I send for a doctor?” he sounded rather eager when he’d said that.

“Send for my sister instead.” Luna bade him. “We are clearly not well.” She saw the stallion smile at her command, nodding and turning.

“Aegis Shield.” The guard turned to a scrappy, long-legged colt sitting on a bench nearby. The squire leaped upright, wide-eyed and dancing on his hooves. “Go and fetch Princess Celestia, by order of her Majesty.” The guard said. The colt took off like a shot, his trainee bandanna flapping around his withers.

It was less than half an hour later when the daytime Princess came sweeping into the hall. Her mane was a little matted on one side, saying she’d been roused from bed. But, she was not one to deny her twin’s call. Celestia nodded to the guards as she walked past them, pushing the door open with her nose and entering.

“Luna?” Celestia whispered at the dark. The door shut behind her, and the white alicorn lit her horn to see better.

“Not so bright!” Luna rasped, rising from her vanity stool and shielding herself with a thinly-feathered wing. Celestia gasped, eyes widening. She lowered the light in her horn, coming close and rubbing her muzzle along Luna’s body. She looked awful! “I’m ill, sister, very ill…” Luna grumbled.

“What’s happened to you?” Celestia whispered, letting the velvet of her nose explore what her eyes could not see in the dark. Her younger sister whimpered a little, leaning into her.

Luna was missing a lot of feathers, her fur had lost its sheen, and her ethereal mane was just gone. A mortal mane and a rather sweat-smelling pelt replaced her normally radiant body. She looked like she was wasting away. The quiver in her long legs was telling, and the solar alicorn quickly took her to the bedside. “I’ve been feeling worse and worse these past weeks.”

“We must get you to bed, I’ll send for a doctor.” Celestia turned, flipping the covers back and pulling the sheets with her magic. Luna squeezed her eyes shut against the light, turning her head. The sun princess eased her sister down into the bed and pulled the covers up around her.

“We art ill, Tia, not dying,” Luna grumped a little, before breaking into a fit of coughing. Groaning, she turned on her side as he wings stuck out at odd angles. Horrifically, another feather simply broke off as she did so. Celestia winced, tucking her in more firmly so she wouldn’t twist and hurt her poor wings any further. “My court this night…” Luna breathed, looking up at her sister.

“Your court can wait, Lulu…” Celestia leaned to nuzzle her tenderly. She flicked a signal on the other side of the palace with alicorn magic. Doctors and nurses on call whipped into a frenzy, igniting their mobile hospital and rolling it down the halls of the palace to Luna’s bedroom.

“My little ponies,” Luna said, looking up at her weakly, “I can’t let them down, Tia, I can’t.” she lost her royal ‘we’ in her moment of weakness. Celestia continued to nuzzle her cheek and withers, closing her eyes as her eyebrows bunched together with worry.

“If… if I stand in your stead tonight, will you promise to stay in bed?” the white alicorn finally offered, trying to soothe her. Luna looked up at her as though measuring if she were telling the truth or not, then finally nodded. Celestia let out a relieved sigh as her sibling finally surrendered to relax and quiet herself.

The firm knocking on the door said the doctors had arrived. Celestia turned to let them in. She found the fanged Lunar Stallions sniffing them, patting them down, and intimidating them with their open bat-like wings. “Let them in.” Celestia said soothingly. The Lunar Stallions looked at one another, not sure if they should obey Celestia.

“Do it.” A deep voice floated over the crowd of ponies, and a few of them turned. Steel Wing, her Majesty Princess Luna’s bailiff, was walking down the hall. “She’s your Princess as much as Luna, why’re you hesitating?” he said sternly. The Lunar Stallions almost fell over themselves to obey. “Your Majesty, I apologize,” Steel Wing bowed and spread his wings upon the floor, submissive to the crown. “Princess Luna has been getting sicker and sicker, and it’s got everypony on edge.”

“All is forgiven. It is not every day an alicorn takes ill,” Celestia said gently. Her tone eased the tension in the room, just as it always did. The doctors and trio of nurses made their way into Luna’s bedroom, into the dark. After a time, Celestia heard her sister squawk when a light was shined on her so they could have a better look. “Soldier, I’ve promised to sit in Luna’s stead this night for the Midnight Court. Can you make preparations?”

“Uh?” Steel Wing looked caught off guard. “Er, yes. Yes of course your Majesty. I’ll inform the Lunar Stallion corps.”

“Won’t my guards suffice?” Celestia cocked her head a little.

“No solar guard has ever set hoof in the midnight court, begging your Majesty’s pardon.” Steel Wing said, a little miffed. “We’re just as effective, I assure you.” He bowed again, saluted, turned, and was away. “’Sides, your guards are all asleep this time of night,” he chuckled.

Celestia’s muzzle wrinkled in mild disapproval at his casual-speak to her. Perhaps Luna was a little lax in her discipline with her soldiers? Hrm, well—it was of no matter. It was just for tonight. Luna had promised just the one night, so if she was sick for a week, the Midnight Court would sit empty. Easy enough.

=-=-=-=
Later that night…
=-=-=-=

Dun dun dun duhhhhhhn!
Real cases.
Real ponies.
This—is Judge Luna.

The music startled the solar diarch, making her look around a bit. The cameras turned, swiveling about and focusing in on the milky-furred creature. The audience murmured back and forth in confusion. The show was called ‘Judge Luna’, shouldn’t Princess Luna be up there being the judge? Ponies were exchanging curious looks, swapping rumors and scratching their chins.

Celestia sat on the throne in the dead of night, surrounded by candles and starlight and nervous Lunar Stallions. There was a good deal of tension in the room, seeing the white alicorn upon the obsidian seat instead of Luna. They didn’t like it, they didn’t like it at all. But, word had spread quickly that her Majesty was ill, and her sister had agreed to sit in for the Midnight Court.

A camera pony stage-whispered to Celestia from afar, drawing her eye, “We’re recording live in three, two…” he made a gesture and the red lights turned on. The white alicorn flinched a little, like she’d been struck. She’d not really paid much attention to the advent of television. Running a nation kept her busy, so she’d never had time for such things. Luna had delved into the TV world to gain public exposure so their little ponies would not fear her anymore. So, it was not surprising that Celestia’s first broadcasted words to the ponies watching all across the nation was, “Uhm…” There was an awkward silence, and somepony in the audience coughed.

Steel Wing saw Celestia’s plight and quickly wheeled around, folder under his arm. “Psst, tell them why you’re here,” he whispered.

“Oh? Of course,” Celestia cleared her throat. “I know you are all expecting my sister Luna, but she has taken ill tonight so I am sitting in her stead. I’m not used to the cameras and such, but I assure you all everything will be fine.” She offered her normal motherly smile, and the audience finally seemed to settle itself.

The Lunar Stallions posted near every column in the room eyeballed Celestia. It wasn’t that they didn’t like her, not at all. It just made them nervous to see anypony other than Luna on the black throne. It was like spying a sunflower in the darkest of abysmal caves— unsettling. But, they steeled themselves and assumed their normal posts to protect the Princess for the evening.

Steel Wing smiled, nodding his confidence to the white alicorn. Coming closer, he lowered his voice for privacy as the Midnight Court began. “*ahem*… Your Majesty, this is case number 1221141 in the matter of Mare versus Hooves. Parties have been sworn in, you may proceed when ready.” Celestia took the folder carefully, scanning the contents.

A mare from Ponyville was suing another mare from the same town. Hrm. The white alicorn looked up— then squinted into shadow. “Forgive me,” Celestia smiled a little bashfully. “I cannot conduct law in such darkness,” she turned idly, looking for a torch or something to light. Then, her eyebrows went up and she looked over her shoulder and out the grand window behind the throne. “Oh dear! My sister didn’t raise the moon!” she said. “She’s sick. I’ll do it, one moment…” Celestia closed her eyes and hunched a little, furrowing her brow in concentration. The moon was normally at its apex by that time of night, but it would be no big deal for the white alicorn to pull it into the sky.

The audience murmured with interest. Nopony had seen Princess Celestia raise the moon before. The sun, sure, but not the moon. (She’d always been very private about it during Luna’s banishment) The camera ponies gestured harshly to each other, zooming in and framing the Princess just right. Ponies would wanna see this, what a way to start an episode!

Celestia’s bountiful wings rose and she reared up on her hind legs, lifting her front hooves high. Her horn hummed, flaring with a powerful white light. The unicorns in the room shuddered, feeling her god-like magic wash over their senses. The silvery lip of the moon crested over the horizon, white and pure and… what was that noise?

The smell of burning plastic and a peculiar buzzing filled the air. The audience turned their heads, for the normally silent camera crew were hunching over their equipment in confusion. Pop! Crackle! Pop-pop-pop-pop---sssssssssizzle---

Ka-booooom!

Every camera and recording device in the room suddenly went haywire and blew out their back panels, knocking over a dozen ponies out of their high seats. Black ash filled the air and screaming ponies flailed about, holding their burned faces. Celestia froze, looking down just in time to see Steel Wing leap at her bodily. She yelped as she was tackled out of the throne and he kicked it onto its side, turning it into a shield.

Lunar Stallions leapt out of every corner, out of every shadow, dog-piling on the entire camera crew section. Hooves and sharp teeth and armor crashed back and forth as the whole room went into a frenzy of wild shouting and wrestling. “Stay down, Princess!” Steel Wing roared over the fray, covering her body with his own. After thirty heart-pounding seconds of battle, an inky calm settled over the throne room. Steel Wing peeked over the lip of the overturned throne.

Celestia lay still, ears perked. “What happened?” she whispered.

“Clear!” called one of the Lunar Stallions. Each of the camera crew ponies was laid out on his or her back, knocked out. They were covered with bite marks from the savage fangs of the Lunar Stallion Corps. The cameras and equipment had been smashed to little bitty pieces. The normally pristine-white marble floor was black with an ashy-grey substance. Bits of wood and twisted metal pieces lay in a wide-radius around them all. The grey ash refused to settle, but instead floated up and around the room like so much cloud. A few of them flapped their wings to herd the stuff out the windows before somepony breathed in something bad. “Area secured,” said the same soldier, saluting Steel Wing from where he stood.

Steel Wing nodded slowly, helping Celestia to her hooves. “It seems as though there was some sort of… eh, malfunction, your Highness,” he said.

“Is everypony alright?” Celestia peered out over the crowd to make sure nopony had been hit with shrapnel or something else of the sort. Everypony seemed okay. She breathed a sigh of relief, turning and lighting her horn to set the obsidian throne upright again. Luna would kill her if her black seat was scratched, or worse, broken. It seemed intact as well.

Steel Wing peered down over the mess. “Captain! Haul all of those ponies in for questioning. If there is even a slight hint of foul play, I want them all arrested and tried for treason!” he commanded.

“Yessir!” one of the more decorated Lunar Stallions bobbed his head. The Lunar Corps began gathering up their unconscious prisoners, sweeping the camera debris to one side, and bearing them out on pony-back.

Steel Wing wheeled back around, “Are you sure you’re alright, your Majesty?” he eyed her up and down as though she might have been caught in the explosion.

Celestia had a light sheen of sweat on her shoulders and haunches, as though she’d been running for ages. “Just… a little out of breath,” she panted. “Like I raised the moon three times instead of once,” she chuckled. “I’m just fine, I assure you.” She patted his shoulder, making the guard smile a little. The white alicorn suddenly remembered she had an audience, and a court case to listen to. “Ah… a short recess, my little ponies. Ten minutes, and I will return to hear your case.” She offered her most winning, if winded, smile and turned to exit towards the judge’s private chambers behind the throne.

A grey, wall-eyed mare was standing behind the defense table and looking around wildly. She’d not moved from where she stood during all that chaos, so she knew it hadn’t been her fault. “I just don’t know what went wrong…” she mumbled, her muzzle wrinkling in confusion.

End of Intermission

Comments

[Mother3Forever]

Wha-?

Now I'm curious as to Why Everyone's favorite Mail Mare was in the court room...

[RomanCandle]

Equestria Daily headline:

Power Crystals cause Cancer! Royal Alicorns Ail! Newspaper Sales Returning to Previous Levels!

[Changeling-Drone]

ill say what everyone is else is thinking

weknowmemes.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/dis-gon-b-gud.gif

[Naveron]

I do! (I think I do at least)
The camera's absorb the alicorns power, making Luna sick and Celestia extra tired. The camera's blew up because they coudn't handle the power output of raising the moon.
2747853 Perfect comment, have a 'stache
~N

[Miner Hieroglyph]

2747853

That is good! We need no silly TV anyway. After all, what does it give us?!? Some sort of way to send information from one location to another simultaneously? Utterly useless.

[Razalon The Lizardman]

YAY! Derpy!

Mysteryception. lol.

[DarkDMan]

A plot on the clown?! Those bastards!
Poor Derpy thinks it her fault.

[meto30]

2747840

I think it's related to when Derpy nearly destroyed the City Hall, or a similar incident...

[Demic]

the case is about mayor mare vs derpy hooves (or ditzy doo depending on what you call her) about her damaging further the town hall since she and dash weather repairing it

[Tatsurou]

I have my own thoughts.
The power crystals were somehow syphoning power off of Luna while they were running, and that's why the TV company can send them out for free.
However, when a fully charged one was placed in the camera, it caused a chain reaction when the camera tried to absorb magic into a fully charged crystal.

[Cog Archival]

I was wondering when Aegis was going to appear in person. Nice to see he's been doing well. Well, better than the princess right now...
2748342
I also theorized that the crystals were sucking Luna's energy, and that Celestia's was too much for the crystals, causing the explosion. I hadn't gotten as far as it being a deliberate attack on her though, more like an unfortunate and unforeseen side effect. Although if you're right, then the question that naturally arises is: which dumb motherbucker thought that they would get away with siphoning Luna's life force, and why?

[Jolot]

and this story takes an interesting turn. i thought this was just going to be a story about the different trials but now an underlining plot with maybe an villain or evil group. should have expected something like this from Aegis. like it's been said before this is going to be good.

[Arnjol]

Lunaaaaaaa, wwwwwwwwhhhyyyy?!?!!?!

[Metemponychosis]

I just love the way you describe the "alicorn magic". Awesome. Mr Aegis here is one of my favorite authors.

Blueblood is going to stage a coup d'etat armed with TV cameras

[Cpt Celti]

LOL. I think either Philomena or Discord had something to do with this

[La Vallett1]

At first, I suspected that it was radiation poisoning which affects alicorns, but now I'm thinking it might be the crystals sucking alicorn magic.

[Multithread]

2749230
same thought, maybe she's ill from this grey dust, from when they are burned out.

[MythrilMoth]

Still think this story could've done without the metaplot, but at least it's engaging.

Nitpick: Luna and Celestia aren't twins. Celestia is older.

[meerkat8472]

The grey dust seems to be enchanted to leave the room, possibly returning to it's owner (the TV company) in a similar fashion to spike sending letters to Celestia. I would like to think that the syphoning of Luna's magic is accidental, but maybe the filming of the show is what's allowing the TV company to recharge their crystals, this means the entire camera crw would have to be in on it cause they'd need to be changing out power crystals all the time, unless the cameras aren't the collectors, they could be beaming the power somewhere else. Either way it was a good idea to arrest the camera crew for the time being anyway.

[Firebirdbtops]

I find the irony in a character from a popular television show being unused to being on TV. Meanwhile, couldn't the mayor have settled out of court?

[MissPegasis]

2748454
I agree. It's not just a consequence of using the crystals either. Rarity's been obsessed with soap operas and things but, from what we know, those ponies haven't been hurt at all Perhaps there are still ponies who dislike the return of the Lunar Princess from Nightmare Moon. Maybe those same ponies are the ones who asked the broadcast Luna's midnight court. Maybe.
Excellent story Aegis!

[Whitespace Only]

Ah, a plot emerges! Perhaps the "Random" tag can be removed.

[Veryveryfluttershy]

Ooooh, when Luna learns what those crystals are doing to her...

[Haunted Toaster]

<--- read the card in my mouth...

[Aegis Shield]

2750356 True. This story has evolved a bit from its original intentions. Lemme clean up what we've got..... what do you think now? :3

2750665 Yah...

2749849 It did kinda strike me as funny. I'd love to see Celestia holding a news conference.

2749305 One twin is always older than the other. I like the idea of them being the same age anyways, even though Luna has said "big sister" before.

2749135 I pulled a muscle!

[Whitespace Only]

2750814 Adventure? That was unexpected. I think just "Slice of Life" is more accurate: "Adventure" implies that there is some journey to be made (perhaps there is? Only you know that). Here's what I think each tag is for:

Adventure: Stories that involve a journey that takes the cast to new places.
Alternate Universe: Something that cannot slot into canon anywhere, or that involves travel to an actual AU. Recently has been underused quite a bit in favour of picking one of the Unicorn/Alicorn Twi character tags, which is admittedly better for the sake of the archives.
Comedy: Contains elements designed to make the reader laugh.
Crossover: Obvious.
Dark: Featuring actual (not pie) violence. Minor characters may be killed without making this Tragedy.
Human: Anything with a human main character.
Random: Things that are outlandish and sometimes confusing (relative to Equestria, that is), with either with no real plot, a plot that makes no sense or a plot that plays second fiddle to "being just plain weird". Pretty much anything starring Pinkie Pie can be safely allocated a Random tag.
Romance: Any story featuring a non-canon romantic pair, or centered around a canon pairing.
Sad: Upsetting or melancholy stuff.
Slice of Life: Ponies doing whatever it is that they do. The big all-encompassing "other".
Tragedy: An important character dies (or worse). By these definitions, Sad and Tragedy are not synonyms: a sad tale need not involve tragic happenings, while a tragedy need not occur within a sad story.

[Aegis Shield]

2750918 What would YOU tag this as, then?

[Whitespace Only]

2750951 Probably just [Slice of Life]. The original tags were, if I recall correctly, [Slice of Life] and [Random], which I'd say was accurate until the storyline really started to emerge (which is why I suggested removing [Random] in the first place).

[maxthedralf]

[Dragon Turtle]

It just made them nervous to see anypony other than Luna on the black throne. It was like spying a sunflower in the darkest of abysmal caves— unsettling.

I'm glad you put this part in here, and not just because it's a fantastic and original way of demonstrating the distinct presences of the Princesses. Up until that point I thought the Lunar Guards were being massive pricks for being apprehensive towards Celestia.

[Lucky424]

Oh......................that's where Aegis is. And yet Stalwart Hide is in the courtroom...as a Lunar Stallion...

Did she get annoyed with him and turn him in to a colt for a while?

[Fleeting Song]

Crap. I really wanted to see Ditzerpy DooHooves put up a defense, and maybe even make a good case to justify the destruction of town hall.
In regards to what you were thinking when you wrote the chapter in a way that cuts out before we get to the case, I guess I can only say...
*puts on sunglasses*
I just don't know what went wrong.

[WorldWalker128]

2747840
probably for theft of muffins.

[Smoker]

Very interesting. I genuinely did not expect the whole "TV is new, experimental tech in equestria" thing to actually be a plot point. Now i'm even more intersted as to see where this story goes.

P.S. Not sure what it means in your hometown, but where i come from, in terms of body parts, "withers" is slang for "genetalia". Needless to say, i began to question this when the story apparently claimed that Celestia nuzzled into her sister's genetalia.

[frostfiresnow]

2845916
2748107
th04.deviantart.net/fs70/PRE/f/2013/245/e/1/e1042eeac87f32188cdfb83289a24645-d6kt8a3.png
Name: Ditzy "Derpy" Doo (Hooves)
Species: Pegasus
Gender: Mare
Age: 24
Kin: Dinky Whooves (Daughter)
Charged with:
12 counts of G.T.M (Grand theft Muffin) (Due to the most heinousness of the crime, this crime has been elevated to treason)
6 counts of Public Disorder (reduced from inciting a riot) Charges Dropped
1 theft of a "TARDIS" (Owner refuses to describe and/or explain what was stolen.) Charges dropped
12 pending counts of Public Negligence (leaving no less then 12 Typhoon-grade Storm clouds unattended over populated air-space)
69 pending counts of Vandalism (the results of said storm clouds being activated by 3 unknown fillies crashing their hang-glider into one. Bodies have yet to be identified)
and 3 cases of involuntary ponyslaughter.
---------
!!! Okay. Derpy the best you can receive is only 10 years of hard labor...
But I don't know what went wrong!!
or 12 months as personal hoof servant.

A certain some-pony "convinced" me to give you a alternate punishment as my personal maid.

[Grey Ghost]

3385387 Withers are the space between the shoulders of a horse.