Ponyville Fire Department

by Rescue Sunstreak

37 - Resolutions

The sun hung low in the sky, just starting to crest up over the hills, as the moon sat low, about to set. Ponyville was a quiet place, save the few quiet sobs and crying of ponies. Flanked by eight day and night guards, and with the sound of chains dragging, Point Break walked with his head down, unable to make eye contact with anypony. The reality of what was about to happen had set in.

He had his last meal, the last he would ever have for a thousand years. Now, they were walking him to the town square. No foals were out, parents and others had made sure none would see this. This was a bit of history only the mares and stallions should see, and even then a few were missing. Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie were unable to watch this, and as such, they sat with many foals, locked away in Sugarcube Corner.

Four alicorns stood tall as the prisoner was walked before them. He looked up some and kept his ears low. His lawyer made one final emotional plea. It was clear to all Affidavit was affected deeply by this too.

“Please, my princesses, your honor, Princess Twilight. Do not do this to a fellow pony, lock him up in the castle prison for life. Lock him away in a mental institution, but do not do this.”

Twilight’s ears lay back, but she stepped forward. “The sentence has been given, I am sorry,” turning her eyes to the convicted unicorn. “Does the defendant have any last words to say?”

Point Break had been pondering this all night. He looked up at the four princesses before him and then back to his shackled hooves. “N-no. I do not. I…” he paused, gulping. “I... never meant for that filly to be hurt, let alone killed... not that it matters.”

Four heads turned, as a tiny voice soft as can be from a heartbroken earth pony mare. “I... I can not forgive you, not—not yet,” as she and her husband stepped forward. It was their right to face him one last time.

The broken unicorn gave a slight nod. “I am not asking for it.”

Twilight looked up at her mentor, who gave a slight nod of her head. Turning back, she cleared her throat and spoke loud enough that the gathered ponies, a good eighty of them, could hear.

“While the accused shows no remorse for his crimes, he does show the promise of learning. As such, the crown has decided this. Every ten years, you will be released from the stone for the period of twenty-four hours. You may eat, talk, visit, then you will be returned to your prison.”

Twilight looked into Point’s face as he lifted it up. “I will be the last face you see, and the first face you see every ten years. That, is my burden to carry to the end of your sentence.”

Archer’s mother stepped up closer, the mare said in that same, soft, almost broken voice. “I have not forgiven you, but I will come and talk to you. It may be a while before I come to visit, but I will. If only to keep reminding you of a little filly and your obligation.”

The shackles were undone, and the accused was escorted up onto a small platform. “You will be transported to Canterlot, where you will rest in the royal garden with a view of Ponyville,” Celestia herself spoke.

Each princess took up a place, to the north, Cadence. To the west, Celestia. To the east the moon took up station, the dark blue alicorn with a soft and almost melancholy look on her face for she knew what a thousand years awake but unable to move or talk was like. Lastly, to the south, a smaller, younger, alicorn of Friendship took up her spot, facing the prisoner and looking him in the eyes.

“We will talk in ten years,” she said, and then gave a nod.

All heard the broken-horned unicorn whisper. “Will it hurt?”

From a place not quite anywhere and yet everywhere, Discord's voice rang light and edged with emotion. “No, that is my gift to you, the only one I can offer.”

All four alicorns lifted their ears, and then nodded once. Just because he was to serve a sentence did not mean they should be callous or cruel about this.

Twilight's voice lifted. “By the order of the crown and the court of Equestria, you are hereby remanded to stone for the duration of your sentence. May the powers that be have mercy on you.”

Then. all four alicorn horns lit up. Yellow, blue, pink, purple, the flow of magic reached out and flowed around the stallion in the middle. It was nothing to watch. One moment he was flesh and blood, the next, as the magic faded, a statue stood in his place. All four of the alicorn princesses slumped a little from the exertion of magic that powerful. Cadence was worst of them all, still a little weak and out of practice after her childbirth and the sleepless nights with a new foal. She was caught by her husband in her fall. The snow-white unicorn looked over and gave a nod to his sister to show how proud of her he was.

Princess Luna spoke up. “Citizens of Ponyville, citizens of Equestria, citizens of the world,” speaking to all there. “The sentence is carried out. Go home now, speak with your children, your friends, your families. Tell them of what you observed here. Not vengeance or retribution, but a punishment for a crime most foul. A true punishment, that offers a tiny glimmer of redemption if this pony chooses to spend his time reflecting on what he did.”

Softer, she said, “And may the powers that be forgive him one day, as they did Discord and myself,” feeling her sister's wing slip around her at that comment.

---

The remainder of the day was idle. Many ponies spent time with their families or reflecting on what had happened. Rescue had found himself at odds with what was done and spent most of the day just holding Pipsqueak and talking with Ailan on the sofa, together as family.

The next day, he found himself at the cemetery. In truth, he didn’t even remember walking through town, but here he was, standing before a small tombstone. Some place he had stopped and picked up some flowers, setting them on the top of the stone, looking at the shape of a badge etched into it with the number JPV0005 on it. He touched his hoof to the name under it, Archer.

Lowering his head some he spoke softly. “Justice is done, Archer, but knowing you as I did, I think you would be unhappy with how it turned out. Many are, but then again, what was right to do? It's so confusing, it really is.”

He breathed out slowly. “I... I am sorry Archer. I failed you. I was not there to protect you as I promised. I failed in my oath, I failed in my duty as a chief and a leader. Then, to top it all off, I failed Applejack and the whole town with that little slip,” sitting down on his rump.

“I don’t know, perhaps I am getting too old, perhaps I am slowing down. I don’t know that I have anything left to teach or offer. What if I fail again, what if I am unable to save the next foal?”

He felt someone behind and to his right a bit, and turned to see a butter-yellow, purple-maned mare. He had not expected her mother to show up right now.

Seeing his face, she gave a soft nod. “I come every day, Chief,” looking at the flowers. “She would have really liked that, thank you,” looking over at the older stallion once more.
“I was angry at first, I blamed you for not saving her.”

His ears fell and he turned to look at the stone, and not the mare next to him.

“But I was wrong, Chief. I saw it in how you were at the funeral, I saw how much pain you were in. You held it all in while the rest of us grieved out loud,” resting her hoof up on his leg. “You did everything in your power, perhaps more than any other could have. Don’t carry that weight anymore, Rescue. Archer would have never wanted that.”

He could not look at her as he said in a quiet voice with his head hung low. “I don’t know how to let it go.”

She gave a soft smile. “Then let us help you learn how,” she gestured behind him.

Turning his head, he could see the Elements of Harmony in all, and behind them, what must have been a good half of the town. Ailan stood shoulder to shoulder with Archer's father. There was Mr. Rich behind Diamond who had her head up and a determined look on her face. His son at her side, looking worried and at the same time proud. So many ponies here, but why?

“What…” looking back to her. However, it was Applejack that spoke now.

“We are all here because y'all were the rock for us. Now, it’s our turn to be yer rock.”

She walked over as Mrs. Archer backed up some to stand next to her husband. Rescue turned so he was facing everypony.

“You have got to be the most stubborn, hard-headed stallion ah ever met. Ya think we all would let you face this alone? Ya got friends Rescue, ya got family,” she gestured up.
Looking up, the big stallion could see perhaps ten, twelve of the local pegasi, including Thunderlane, looking down from clouds with the same look everypony else had. Moving back down, he took note of the grey walleyed mare holding her little filly unicorn close to her.

“If you give up, who is going to keep watch over my little muffin?”

He took a hard swallow trying to make the lump in his throat go away. Applejack shook her head as she lifted a hoof up and removed her brown stetson.

“Twi is right, you are an idiot, but you are our idiot—” gesturing behind her to all the folks. “—this town’s idiot, and y'all ain’t got to go at everything alone no more.”

He turned his head looking down at the stocky built, dark pink, purple maned filly that stepped forward. A small stallion and his wife looking on, as the young lady with the hedgehog cutie mark looked up at the draft stallion. "Ponyville needs its chief, and its chief needs Ponyville."

For a long time he stood there, just looking at everypony around him then gave a little nod of his head. “Okay.”

A pony of few words, the large draft stallion let his eyes drift over the town behind all of the folks gathered here. He made a promise to himself, and to Saint Luna when he came here. Perhaps it was time to hold himself to that once more.

“Alright,” he said with another nod.

Author's Note:

And so ends Arc 3.

Arc 4 is going to start a few years down the line from here.

Comments

[Thunderman1984]

As the ending to this arc should be. All other instances, the guilty party sought forgiveness, in his, he was guilty because he felt no guilt over what he did. And very fitting punishment as well. I applaud you on your unique creativity in this entire arc. Not once have I seen something like this, with the trial, the crime (not the arson part, just the way it was portrayed), the crime rate (not having a murder in 300 years, and the fact it was a domestic thing, that was priceless.), nor the punishment, in any other story. I would actually like to ask your permission to maybe have something similar in a book I'm creating at the moment. It is a very unique look at the equestrian judicial system, and I quite like it. Also the portrayal of Twilight during the trial was quite shocking if I do say so myself.

[Rescue Sunstreak]

8822791
absolutely you are free to use the idea. Thank you for the kind words, my first story here, this one, was kind of a labor of love. I am happy people still go back and read it once in a while