Princess Celestia stood in resplendent finery. Bedecked in jewelry with a carefully etched frown, she was everything anypony could expect from an angered ruler, ready to dispense judgment. With wings spread, she leaned forward slightly, looking over the room.
Trembling before her was Samantha in the stand of the accused. Her hooves were secured to the floor. A thick band was secured around her horn, also bolted to the floor. There was no escape for the guilty.
It was all.. archaic. There was a time when such proceedings were far more common, but Celestia had been successful in banishing most of them. Her nation was a peaceful one. It was because of that peace that she had to rise that day. That she had to hold her wings out and gaze down at the trembling unicorn before her. "We will begin the proceedings. As is customary, we will hear all sides before rendering judgement."
Silver was there, beside Night. They were married to the accused, but were not permitted to approach her, or lend any support beyond being there. Despite the grimness of the situation, both held their heads high and didn't cause a stir. Silently, she made a promise to show her thanks to them later. The little coos of their young occasionally caused one or the other's eyes to dip towards them, but even they, little ones, could feel the gravity and didn't make too much fuss.
There was a large contingent of lunar ponies, their eyes on Luna who sat behind Celestia. Luna, her sister, just as helpless as Silver. She was the alleged victim, but she could only speak when called on. This was her show... Her display. She would make it a good one. "Before we start, is the accused aware of the crime placed on her head?"
"I... attacked..." Samantha shrank before Celestia's withering glare. "I..."
"You allegedly assaulted my sister. The weapon was that of potentially lethal injection." Celestia raised herself higher. "Are you aware of the gravity of this crime?"
Samantha's trembling only grew worse. She glanced over at Silver and Night, pleading silently for them to do something, but they couldn't do anything.
"A common pony who assaults royalty can be sentenced to many things." She leaned in over Samantha. "Including death. You stand accused of one of the most grave crimes we have name for."
Samantha's lower jaw trembled as she choked out, "I'm sorry!" She collapsed where she had stood. "I'm sorry!"
Celestia raised a hoof and a guard stepped forward, silencing Samantha and holding her until she fell still.
"Before we decide on such sentence, we will hear all sides. Let us begin at the source. Will the victim, my sister, take the stand?" She gestured with a wing at the empty space beside and in front of her.
Luna rose stiffly before she stepped down from the royal section to the witness stand. She cleared her throat before she nodded. "Present."
"Luna, do you swear on harmony itself to speak the truth, unvarnished and naked, so that justice might be done this day?"
A soft tremble ran through the Princess of the Night. "I do."
"Then tell us, in your words, the events of that day."
Luna gathered herself up. "I had spoken hastily to the accused's partner, leaving him shaken. It was an unkind statement. The accused demanded to know the exact nature of what I said. When slow with revealing the precise nature, she threw two darts at me. I deflected the first, the second struck true. I was robbed of consciousness soon after."
Celestia nodded slowly. "Very well. Were you aware of the danger of the attack leveled on you?"
"I... was not."
Celestia waved Luna away. "That will be all."
"Wait!" Luna leaned towards Celestia. "I have mo--"
"That will be all." Celestia frowned. "You have given your testimony. Unless there is more to be learned about that precise event?"
"... No..." Luna rose and stepped slowly from the stand as Celestia took in a slow breath.
It promised to be a trying day. "We summon the presence of the attending physicians."
The familiar forms of the nurse and doctor who had seen to Luna rose from the crowd and approached the bench. Celestia nodded to each of them. "Do you swear on harmony itself to speak the truth, unvarnished and naked, so that justice might be done this day?"
They did. "Starting with the doctor, will you give your description of the events of the day in question?"
The doctor nodded at Celestia. "As you wish. Luna was hurried in, carried in the field of Ambassador Silver Watch. He arrived with the accused and we began immediate triage. The physical wound was small, barely of note, but it hardly needs to be large to deliver a toxin." He took a breath. "The accused provided the list of the ingredients used in her attack, allowing us to concoct a counter-agent as quickly as possibly. We believe there is no long-term damage."
The nurse nodded. "That about covers it. The accused was not pressured or coerced into saying what she did." She gave Samantha a hard look. "She might learn something from this. I be--"
"We are asking for what you have seen, not your opinions. Do you have any other facts to share with the court?"
"No, Your Highness." She bowed and the doctor was moments behind. They were dismissed and departed.
Celestia called forward the guards that performed the arrest. "How did the accused behave?"
One of the lunar guards dipped his head. "Your Highness. She came with us willingly and without complaint."
The next were the guards that watched her in the jail. Many sneered at her. "She's loony, crazy... She would stare at nothing and mumble to herself. She kept asking for paper," insisted one of the guards. "I don't get it..."
Another guard stepped forward hesitantly. "She's... She was a model prisoner, besides her requests, Your Highness. Even... presented with an opportunity for escape, she remained still and compliant."
Celestia called forward Nefertari. "Ambassador, it is your right to refuse this call. We can't make you testify or even appear in this room against your will. Do you understand that, and do you consent to it?"
Nefertari nodded. "I am aware of my rights, but thank you for making it clear."
"Good. It is known that you and the accused are aware of one another. As a neutral third party, will you speak of her character?"
Nefertari raised a brow even as her claws dug into the soft wood in slow curls. "She is as my people would call 'touched by the sun'. As an unformed infant, she gazed into the bright face of the source of all life, and it dazed her soul. She is blessed, having seen what few others do, but it has left her rattled and malformed of mind. She is of pleasing temperament, despite her insanity."
Murmurs spread through the crowd. Was that damning or not? What a curious character witness that was...
Nefertari was allowed to return to her seat, for Silver to be called forward. "Ambassador. The accused has obvious relation to you. Despite that, I insist that you speak the truth, even if you feel it damages her chances. If you have any faith in harmony, in myself, you will trust us with it. Do you agree to this?"
Silver gave as firm a nod as he could, even if he was trembling faintly. It was nowhere near as bad as the almost-jangling shaking of Samantha. "I swear."
"Good. Tell us what happened that day, in your words."
Silver took a slow breath. "I saw Luna, in my dreams. She did say something that left me shaken, but I tried to put it out of mind. I was awake, the foals were crying, so I went off to check on them. I heard a thump, came back, and there was Luna on the ground. Night and Samantha were there... She was surprised and said what she did, using far too much even for a pony of Luna's size and power, so... I ran off with her and took Samantha with me to the infirmary."
Celestia nodded. "You said she seemed surprised?"
Silver licked over his lips. "She--"
A pony rose in the crowd. "He should only say what he saw!"
Celestia nodded. "There will be order in the court, but they are correct. Thank you, Ambassador."
Silver was excused, and returned to sit beside Night.
A guard advanced and placed a dart before Celestia. Her horn glowed as she hefted up the small thing in the air. "This is the weapon used to injure my sister." She looked down at Samantha. "Do you argue this?"
"N-no..."
"You used it. Do you argue this?"
She shrank towards the ground. "No..."
"It seems a matter of guilt hardly needs to be reckoned. Let it be known to all that the accused is guilty. Guilty of assault, of attacking my sister." She frowned at Samantha even as she withered in place. "Do you have anything to speak in your defense?"
Samantha pushed up, even if she was shaking like a leaf already freed from its tree. "I'm sorry..."
"I don't think you are."
Gasps and murmurs spread through the crowd.
"I don't think you even can be. You don't know remorse." Celestia pointed at Samantha with a mighty hoof capable of demanding the end of her life. "In your own words, what did you do wrong?"
Samantha blinked softly. "I should have used truth serum, given the si--" She was drowned out by a sudden chorus of hisses and boos. A rotten tomato was hurled from the crowd at Samantha's back and she yelped in surprise.
Celestia's magic wiped the mess from Samantha's fur. "Let it be known that I, and I alone, shall render judgment. Samantha, you are guilty. Do you argue this?"
"N-no..."
Celestia gave a slow nod. "The fault cannot be yours."
Samantha blinked softly.
"You are guilty, but you cannot accept responsibility."
The crowd blinked with her. What was Celestia saying?
"You are mad. Insane. 'Touched by the Sun.'" Celestia spread her wings even wider. "You are a menace to others, and yourself. Do you argue this?"
Samantha's lower lip trembled as tears ran freely from her eyes. "I didn't mean to..."
Celestia extended a wing and gently brushed tears from one of those eyes. "Of course you didn't... No mad pony does. You cannot be trusted. For your own good, you must be watched over and kept from harming yourself or others. Ambassador Silver Watch has failed in this task." She cast a withering look at him and he jumped in surprise. "Sister, this pony is sick, and a danger. Who would you trust to keep her from harming others?"
Luna blinked out of the daze she was settling into. "I-I accept this."
Celestia raised a brow. "Do you understand what you accept?"
"I will keep her from harming herself, or others." She drew herself to her full height, seated on her haunches as she was. "I accept her as my ward, and understand her mental condition."
Celestia's eyes returned to Samantha. "You are hereby ward of Princess Luna. You will obey her every command, to keep yourself and those around you safe." She thrust a hoof suddenly, inches from Samantha's face. "If she declares it, your life is forfeit. Those touched with lunacy are to be cared for, but there are limits."
Samantha began to shake less despite the direness of the declaration. "I'll be good, promise." She turned to Luna and dipped her head. "I'll do whatever you want." At that moment, she would have even agreed to remove the trackers from Luna... but only if asked specifically.
Celestia snorted softly. "I would see you punished for your crimes, but even I cannot order such against the improperly handled mad. Sister, she is now your responsibility. This case is complete." She brought down a hoof with a loud clang, closing the book on the matter.
whelp. this saddens me. calling her mad when she was getting better.
really? really this, what is evening going on here, celestia could have called everything off and evening go as far as to say that she was controlled or lied. in itself it is a lie that Samantha is mad.
Poor Samantha.
Lets all take a moment to appreciate that Celestia just chained up an insane pony and went so far as to allow other ponies to throw things at her in order to put on a big show for her "good" little ponies (you know, the ones who like to throw rotten fruit). Because Celestia is not an evil dictator.
7269587
Samantha is as mad as a hatter. She is, in fact, incredibly dangerous. She did, in fact, take down an alicorn with almost no effort, merely for the "crime" of disturbing Silver. None of this can be argued. If we didn't actually know Samantha half the readers of this story would be howling for her head, especially Luna fans.
Of course, having said all that, Luna absolutely deserved it. She's been an ass to Silver's herd, singly and collectively for the entire story and caused him numerous injuries, some of them quite extensive. She's guilty of assult, abduction, wrongful imprisonment and more. If this particular incident didn't deserve an attack previous incidents certainly did, especially considered cumulatively.
Of course, Equestrian politics being what they are, and Celestia being who she is, she couldn't just shrug it off. So she made a show of it--and in typical Celestia style actually punished Luna in the bargain. And Luna knows it, if nobody else does.
On the other hand Samantha got a sharp curbing, which she definitely needed. But now that judgement has been passed Samantha is pretty much off the hook and immune to retribution by Luna's overenthusiastic guards and anybody who might try to get to Silver through her will be having second thoughts about it.
Also, anyone catch the fact that Samantha is now Luna's ward? That means Celestia basically had Luna *adopt* Samantha...meaning again that Samantha is pretty much untouchable. Even by Luna, because Luna is very much aware of her own culpability in the whole affair...because Celestia put her on notice.
So, the whole ugly situation got handled about as gracefully and gently as could be hoped for. After all, the Sisters don't want to encourage attempted regicide, even by accident, right?
Legally speaking, this was probably the best outcome for Samantha seeing as how attacking a person of Luna's station in our world would see said attacker in prison for life and or executed for high treason. Celestia really didn't have a choice in this matter, if she let Samantha off the hook then ponies would lose faith in her, and might see her as playing favorites, seeing as how Samantha is Silver's wife. Not too mention the whole mess with the Lunar Guard and how it would be seen by them as an insult to Luna that "justice" wasn't met. However, by declaring Samantha insane, Celestia neatly sidestepped that whole mess. And let's be honest here, Samantha is mentally unfit, and is therefore a danger to herself and those around her. Though the rotten tomato being thrown was quite uncalled for.
7269662 she is not mad persay, just misplaced, she is in the persute of knowledge and she never really had a family to teach her how to be a person.
married to the accursed - married to the accused
held their head high - held their heads high
Celestia rose herself - Celestia raised herself
Will the accused - Will the accuser/plaintiff
That promised to be - It promised to be
nurse and doctor that had - nurse and doctor who had
to put out of mind - to put it out of mind
*****
And this is what happens when one cannot clean up their own messes and Mom has to step in. Justice is done and nobody is happy with what they received, even though everyone arguably has what they need now.
In just a few words the nature of Samantha's deficits have been made clear, all shadows burned away on the light of the sun.
I certainly didn't see this turning out the way it did, but feel that it makes inevitable sense as it's been presented. How will this new twist affect events from here?
7269676
She is mad, objectively she is outright psychopathic, she doesn't have the capacity to feel empathy and neither does she really understand it. She apologised for things as she sees it as a way to avoid conflict but she doesn't feel remorse for the actions. She instead feels remorse that the actions got her in trouble not the effects it has on others.
Well, the rumor mill is certainly going to be running wild in Canterlot in the coming days. I mean, getting a more lenient punishment due to being declared insane isn't good for a mare that's part of a herd with foals. I know it's better than the alternative but going by how some ponies still remember Silver as the colt who 'blew up' the school, Samantha is going to have a tough time if she let's the rumors get to her.
Also, that nurse seriously needs to let go of that grudge.
7269697 can't really blame her for that, she was neglected and never learned of friendship, that being said. it does not make her a phycopath, phycopaths are crazed people who attack others at random, yes what she does is bad but she is not really crazy
7269695 It was an especially heavy chapter. I'm glad it came across the way I wanted it to. Celestia was as gentle as she could be, and she did not agree with the rotten tomato either. Her anger is a show. Were it entirely under her control, she would be speaking in gentle whispers to the obviously damaged pony, luring her towards the light with the gentlest of touches, not the cruel display that was required to keep her from being imprisoned forever or simply killed.
Luna was trusted with a pony wrongfully declared mad once. Perhaps she can redeem some of her wrongs by handling this one correctly?
7269587 ... ... Is it? She's... pretty definitively sociopathic even if not psychopathic and she's likely never been treated for it before.
Sociopath, (n): A person with a personality disorder manifesting itself in extreme antisocial attitudes and behavior and a lack of conscience.
While Samantha isn't entirely against socialization, she appears to lack anything beyond an academic understanding of the idea, and the lack of a conscience (as understood by others) is illustrated by her claiming she should have used a truth serum.
...Incidentally, where the hay did that rotten tomato come from?
7269724 the true question is why celestia let weapons into her court room
7269726 A tomato is hardly a weapon. Somepony packed 'lunch', which had a nice soft tomato within.
7269729 still. in court rooms thy should at least check what people bring in, least a psychopath brings in poisoned needles and starts throwing them
7269752 This pony has a tomato...
7269722
As long as Luna does not try to fix her using the same method she employed with Silver Watch nee Lining.
I can only imagine how it would turn out if she creates yet another temporary demiplane and becomes another goddess among ponies. The Goddess of Science!
7269701
Have to disagree with you here, Samantha may indeed be feral (i.e. not raised in society) but she's as crazy as a bed bug. Celestia throwing a good scare into her may go a long way into having her reconsider her basic mental underpinnings and that can only help her in the end.
After all, she still doesn't really understand why what she did was wrong--and objectively speaking--she's correct in that confusion. Luna is a proven threat to Silver but what Samantha literally cannot comprehend is that life isn't fair, nor follow logic. And thus, she is by definition insane. Not because she doesn't get it, she literally can't get it. She refuses to acknowledge that Luna is entitled to special consideration because (logically) that is a stupid position to hold.
Almost a literal "I reject your reality and substitute my own" situation. And in those situations, the majority wins...
7269724
7269587
7269610
Just imagine if the tomato throwing pony and the legal heckler were both Celestia's sock puppets to help manipulate the mood of the audience.
7269701 Actually psychosis is a state of disassociation from reality. It is associated with numerous mental health conditions. Psychosis does not by any means make you violent in and of itself, although a person affected might harm themselves or others because of decisions they made that were not in fact associated with reality. I.e., a schizophrenic might "defend" themselves against someone who wasn't attacking them. In the case of poor Samantha, her anger was legitimate, but her reaction was exaggerated. She was unable at the time to differentiate between a social and a physical confrontation.
Given the collective psychosis rumbling in Lunas guards, that went about as well as can be expected, although Celestia better find that one or two disturbed guards who Truely Know and Beleive that Samantha is now just where she wanteed to be after manipulating even Celestia in order to turn Luna into her full puppet.
And in another story set in another time and place, they would be perfectly correct, with no other change in circumstances or situation.
So Celestia puts Samantha on trial, and puts on a show while she does it. I have quite the complicated array of feelings about how this entire process went.
From a strictly utilitarian point of view, I suppose that Celestia did the right thing, though I admit that with some hesitancy. Strictly speaking, she's correct about Samantha not being of sound mind...though there's a lot of room to argue exactly what "insanity" constitutes here (for example, there's a considerable amount of difference between the medical and legal definitions of insanity in the real world). Moreover, she isn't wrong to say that Silver has failed to keep Samantha in line...but again, that strikes me as a very technical indictment. Samantha is quite clearly better than she was before, and still improving, so Celestia could very well be said to be blaming Silver for not having "fixed" her overnight.
I do have to applaud this fic for keeping to its own internal continuity in terms of placing someone "insane" under the total authority of another (in this case, exactly the same pony that Silver had), but again, I'm not sure I see the point. Other than the fact that Celestia just called Silver out for not keeping his wife in check, he would have been perfect for this job. I'm honestly not sure what Celestia thinks that Luna will do that Silver couldn't do better, in this regard.
Of course, all of that dances around the main point, which was that this entire proceeding was a spectacle. The logical question that follows from this is to ask whom this show was meant for, and I believe the answer was Samantha herself. Namely, that all of this was meant to try to frighten her into modifying her behavior. But that's rather paradoxical, since if Celestia does believe that Samantha is truly insane - something Samantha seemingly confirmed with her "truth serum" comment - then it should be self-evident that this sort of approach isn't going to work. Samantha quite clearly hasn't learned anything from this, because this kind of lesson simply doesn't reach a mind like hers. Given that, I have to wonder what Celestia thinks she's accomplished here.
Moreover, I worry about the potential fallout. While placing Samantha under Luna's care is presumed to protect her from any reprisals, it won't change the fact that she's just announced that Samantha is dangerous. While I understand that Silver came back from almost this exact same situation, it's not quite the same. Saying that someone misused a deadly weapon is one thing; saying that someone else is insane and dangerous to those around them is something else. This is especially true with regards to the lunar community in general, and the warlocks in particular. Samantha might just have been made a target for lunar pony extremism.
Beyond that, I can't help but grouse a little at just how much of a kangaroo court Celestia presided over. The entire point of a trial is that it's the venue by which the law is upheld, as an vehicle by which justice is delivered. The problem is that Equestria is not, and has never been, a society of laws. "Justice," as the safeguard of harmony, isn't something they've ever had much need for, and so they haven't developed the laws that serve to abet justice very much at all. As such, this entire trial could very well serve to showcase the heavy-hoofed parts of an autocracy, no matter how much libertarian laissez-faire ruler Celestia usually is. I doubt that this will ever come up, since most ponies don't seem very invested in the legal process enough to care - let alone imagine how this trial could have been more fair - but it's something I felt was worth noting.
Having said all of that, I do have to wonder what effect this will have on Luna's relationship with the herd. Is this Celestia trying to back-door another scheme whereby Luna marries into Silver's group? I suppose that depends on what Luna does next, but I can't help but wonder...
7269697 I think you mean a sociopath not a psychopath.
I'm quite honestly in love with this story, twists and turns must be your master plan right? Seriously though I can't wait for the next chapter, episode thingy that you put out for us to devour, I haven't been this hooked on a story since Griffin the Griffon. Loving your work keep it up!
Your Faithful reader,
Arax
P.S. Love your little speals about typos in the author's notes, always gives me a giggle
7269947 Do the lunar ponies in the crowd not count as someone this would be 'for'?
7270082 I wonder. There's arguments to be made either way as to whether this should mollify them (e.g. there was a guilty verdict) or enrage them (the punishment was to get to be by Luna's side for the foreseeable future, which is practically a privilege).
Well great, boxes were tipped over and new ones formed.
So proper boundaries weren't set because "common sense" doesn't exist for a pony like Samantha. Sure Silver can be blamed for this, but merely switching the handler doesn't train the monkey....
Keep going! ;)
7269701
Ummm, she did.
Stuffing people in closets.
7270390, yes... but thats just because she does not know any better, she does not talk too herself and she does not hear voices or see things that are not their
calling Samantha mad is not far from the truth.
Luna coming forward to watch her, hum some how I see a plan here this was just to convenient.
7270482
Not all people suffering from a mental illness are delusional. Look up personality disorder for an example.
....Plead of Insanity...
Damn, Celestia...You are a snake...Hehehe
It occurs to me, after pondering for most of the day, and after reading the commentary, that the pony in most need of a hug and a kind word after this affair is Princess Celestia herself.
She's had to clean up after a very public and distasteful mess with an even more public and distasteful trial that required that she present herself in a way that assures that even more than before she will not be allowed to relax and enjoy being with her little ponies as a pony. In Silververse cannon, it's something that she has been longing to experience for even a short time on rare occasions, and now her goal is even farther away.
Speculating from the canon revealed so far in the Silververse, leaders are isolated and insulated by their position more often than not and this trial has likely set her back years of effort to be accepted and loved as a pony first and a Princess second.
She's been doing this for a long time and has her mask firmly in place, stiff upper lip and all that, but I hope that somepony realizes that the person most in need of comfort after the trial is Celestia and offers their support. Preferably a lot of someponies.
7269758
Just call her "Little Washu" and get her a shadow computer already. Free banana from my sister's stash for any who get the ref.
7271349
Dude! I'm an old school fan of Tenchi Muyo! I watched it when it was fresh back in the early 90's and Pioneer Entertainment was still a company.
But she is not sun-touched. She blinded me with SCIENCE!
And if she is sun-touched how can she have lunacy?
7271361 Same here. That was back in the day when a girl could bathe naked in a hot spring without conspicuous steam clouds covering everything (instead, they had badly-painted-on bathing suits).
7269697 I think she does care about the physical effects her actions have on others but doesn't comprehend any emotional effects they might have. So she'll stuff people in closets because it doesn't physically hurt them, ignoring their discomfort and boredom and fear.
She was genuinely afraid and remorseful that she might have killed Luna. "I should have used a safer drug."
Harmony?
7269701
7269724
7270031 Psychopath and sociopath are synonyms, and refer to a person without empathy. Neither inherently means a violent person, though a person afflicted with such would probably be less affected by performing acts of violence.
No idea what you are saying here.
729168 she is saying she wont judge the insane