A Princess's Trials
by Present Perfect
Part 2: Mount Aris
By the time they reached Mount Aris, Celestia was lowering the sun. The guards were relieved immediately upon their arrival, and the senior one flew ahead while the junior, weariness showing through his stoicism, retired to his quarters. A further contingent of six hippogriffs met Twilight and Tempest, escorting them into Mount Aris proper.
The last time Twilight had been here, it had been like stepping into the ruins of a forgotten civilization. She hadn't had time to explore, but part of her had made a note, later discarded, to return and see what she could discover. The civilization may have since returned, but 'ruined' still applied.
Old statues had been righted, the streets were free of rubble and dust, and houses and other buildings were being restored by busy hippogriffs that bounded and flew every which way. Granted, the hippogriffs were using chunks of old coral in their repairs, no doubt retrieved from Seaquestria below, so the city would be restored to a new beauty rather than its old glory. It was like trying to cover up the state of one's dilapidated hovel by laying down new carpet, and the whole city was half grey stone and half mismatched color. Rarity would have been appalled.
Twilight couldn't help but be surprised at how surprised she was to see so many hippogriffs and no hippocampi. Few faces turned their way, mostly those of the younger hippogriffs and their caretakers. Those who watched them proceed to the central hall exchanged half-hidden whispers amongst themselves. The looks sent their way were neither disparaging nor encouraging, but Twilight nevertheless couldn't keep her ears from falling.
A glance at Tempest showed the Captain comported as ever. She spared a glance back to Twilight, along with a small uplift at the corner of her mouth.
Well, if Tempest was weathering this walk of shame with dignity, then Twilight could, too! Tempest possessed just the strength Twilight needed to slough off the sense that she was being judged, the reminder that she was here to be punished. Who knew what sorts of penalties her crimes might incur? No reason not to walk with her head held high...
Well, unless that might be seen as arrogance by the hippogriffs. Yes, definitely arrogant, better to keep her head just a bit lower, try to come off as meek. Or at least humble. And hopefully not humiliated, because she was definitely feeling humiliated at that very moment, and no amount of half-smiles stingily rationed from Tempest Shadow were going to make her feel any better.
She hung her head. So much for that, then.
"Princess Twilight!"
The cheerful outburst rocked Twilight out of her self-pity just in time to see a pair of yellow claws touch down in front of her. They rushed out and gripped her in a crushing hug.
"It's so good to see you again!" Princess Skystar exclaimed, whipping Twilight back and forth in her embrace.
"Princess," said one of the guards, "please step away from the prisoners, they are--"
"Oh, piffle," said Skystar, releasing Twilight so she could make a rude gesture at the guard. "Twilight's my friend! And I'm the Princess, so I can talk to her if I want. So there!"
The guards gave each other concerned looks, but each took a half-step to the side.
"I'm so glad you're here," Skystar continued to babble. "Did you bring Pinkie with you? I really wanted to see Pinkie again!"
"It's good to see you too, Skystar," said Twilight with a light chuckle. "And no, Pinkie's not here. Only Tempest came with me."
It was clear at the mention of Tempest's name that Skystar either hadn't noticed her or had been pretending she hadn't. All of her bubbly exuberance evaporated as she gave Tempest a wan smile.
"Yooooooou're friends with Twilight now, right?" Skystar mumbled, eyebrows knitted.
"I am," said Tempest, expression unchanging.
Skystar sat back, playing with her braid for a few moments.
"You're really scary up close," she whispered.
Tempest gave her a warm, friendly smile and inclined her head. "Thank you, Your Highness."
Apparently done being intimidated, Skystar sprang back into Twilight, claws on her shoulders. "Okay, but Pinkie's coming, right? Your friends will be along later? Because I was just really, really hoping Pinkie Pie would be here."
Twilight sighed and gave Skystar a sad smile, taking her claws in her magic and setting them back on the ground. "Skystar, we all talked about this before, remember? Pinkie doesn't like you that way. She just wants to be your friend, and you should be okay with that."
Skystar frowned and took to the air, which the guards took as a signal to continue their procession.
"I know, I know," she said, scrubbing at her beak. "I-I'm a big girl. I just want to see my friend again, right?"
Tempest gave Twilight an inquisitive eyebrow.
"Right," said Twilight, rolling her eyes.
"The central hall" was what Twilight had been mentally calling the great edifice built into the side of Mount Aris proper. It had been where she and her friends had first seen Princess Skystar, before being sucked under the waves into Seaquestria what seemed like ages ago.
Back then, it had been in good repair. Now, she could see that even this hall had undergone major renovation. What before had been a stately stone gathering place was now a vibrant palace, filled with all manner of tapestries, coral murals, and spheres of what looked like the thinnest, most delicate glass, filtering and reflecting light all across the walls. It was not just a hall, but a grand capitol building, befitting a living, breathing society. Twilight was glad the hippogriffs could make use of it again.
They were led up a staircase to a narrow corridor with arrow-slit windows overlooking the town below. Sunlight through stained glass painted the marble tiles in all the colors of the rainbow. Hoof and claw echoed off the flooring before being gathered up into the high ceiling and dissipating into dignified silence.
The further they went, the more Twilight felt a yoke growing heavy around her shoulders.
"Halt," one of the guards finally said, and they stopped before a treble of arched doorways. "Wait here. I shall announce us."
There was only the barest glimpse of darkness as the door opened and closed around the guard. After a moment, the guard opened the door and beckoned for them to pass through.
Twilight and Tempest moved into a pitch-black room, the guards fanning out behind them. Nothing was visible beyond a single spotlight shining from a ceiling that must have been stories high. Between that and the sound their hooves made off the walls, the place must have been huge. Twilight certainly couldn't tell how far they had walked when a boisterous voice announced,
"All rise for the honorable Queen Novo, presiding!"
A periwinkle and grey hippogriff appeared suddenly, above them, flourishing a claw toward the spotlight. A moment later, the Queen emerged on a platform that lifted her above a judge's bench that had been completely hidden in the gloom. She towered above the guards, Twilight and Tempest, who all bowed respectfully.
"Princess Twilight." Novo's voice was calm and sonorous. She was not hiding her disappointment. "I wish our third meeting could have been more pleasant."
Her throat suddenly dry, Twilight croaked, "Me too."
At a nod from Novo, the guards dispersed, blending into the darkness. All that was left was Twilight, Tempest, the bailiff who had made the announcement and Queen Novo. The latter turned a critical eye on Tempest.
"As for you," she hissed, icy vindictiveness dripping from her beak like venom, "I'm amazed you had the guts to show your face here after what you've done."
The breath hitched in Twilight's chest. She was certain Tempest was going to do or say something to make the situation worse. She couldn't even muster the wherewithal to chastise herself mentally for thinking so poorly of somepony she'd vowed to be a friend to. But all Tempest did was bow silently and keep her head low. Twilight let out a long breath and hoped it hadn't been audible.
"She your lawyer?" Novo asked, eyes flicking to Twilight.
"The Captain of my guard," Twilight bleated.
The Queen sucked a breath in through her teeth. "I'll deal with you later. Lucky for you, this is a sentencing hearing."
She turned her full attention back to Twilight. "On that note, I am sure the condemned is aware that she has been found guilty of attempted theft of Mount Aris's greatest treasure during a time of crisis."
"I..." Twilight felt tears sting at the corners of her eyes as she remembered the failure, humiliation and heartbreak which has followed that desperate attempt. "I'm not surprised."
"Your guilt was never in question," Novo said, examining her claws. "Everyone saw you tangled in the Guardian Jelly. It's only a miracle nothing was harmed beyond the goodwill between our peoples."
For a long moment, Novo did nothing but stare at Twilight as she wilted further and further. Tempest was wisely keeping to herself.
"But," Novo continued, "as you were tried in absentia, this court sees fit to ask the condemned if she has anything to say on her own behalf before sentencing begins."
She leaned over her bench, and Twilight was struck by the similarity to an anaconda slithering down from a tree branch to ensnare a hapless animal.
"Well?"
Twilight felt hapless indeed.
She glanced to Tempest, who was eying her sidelong. When their eyes met, Tempest gave her the tiniest nod. It was just what Twilight needed to muster her resolve.
"I deeply regret my actions," she said, her voice ringing out clear and somewhat louder than she had intended. Novo sat back, motioning for her to continue.
"In the moment when I tried to steal your pearl, I was desperate. I had convinced myself it held a great power that was Equestria's only salvation from the Storm King." She frowned, her eyes turning down. "But I was wrong. And despite my desperation, I knew that sacrificing another kingdom's safety for that of my own was wrong. Yet I did not act on that knowledge, and in doing so, I made perhaps the gravest error of my life."
She looked up to Novo again, and did nothing to stop the tears flowing down her cheeks. "I damaged not only the goodwill of the hippogriffs toward Equestria, but my own friendships. This is a weight I will have to bear for the rest of my days."
Her voice grew hoarse. "I kno-- I know that words may not be enough to mend what has been broken, but I would like this court to know that I am truly sorry for my actions. I throw myself at your mercy."
She hung her head, and did not raise it until she heard three sharp raps from above. Queen Novo was clapping, slowly, looking at her with perhaps a modicum more respect than she had before.
"Princess Twilight," she said languidly, "I have good news and bad news."
A dark pit hollowed its way into Twilight's stomach. "What's the bad news?"
Novo regarded her with a level stare. "Your words, though spoken with great emotion, will hold no sway over your sentence."
Twilight looked away. "And the good news?"
"Paper doesn't last underwater too long!"
All eyes turned up to Novo. That had been a considerably more enthusiastic statement than anyone present had expected.
"You may have noticed we're still in the process of rebuilding our above-ground society," Novo said, with something like a smile on her face. "When we were driven underwater, it was sudden, and we kind of lost a lot of our important documents. Like, say, our laws on how to punish criminals? So you're getting the only punishment we've had available to us for the last hundred years."
As Novo's smile grew wider and wider, Twilight could only think that she never wanted to see a smile again. "Which is?"
Novo picked up a gavel and said in a bright tone, "Banishment to the abyss!" She slammed the gavel atop her bench.
"Bring forth the pearl!" cried the bailiff, with far more enthusiasm than was called for.
Twilight gave Tempest a panicked look. "The abyss? What abyss?"
Tempest looked uncharacteristically helpless before everything kicked into high gear. She tried to take a step toward Twilight, but was apprehended by a pair of guards from behind. Her horn sparked as she whirled in their grip, and Twilight yelled, "No, Tempest!" before a sudden shock knocked the wind out of her.
Someone had thrown a bucket of cold seawater over her.
The pearl she had once tried to abscond with appeared out of the corner of her eye, but Twilight was most concerned for Tempest. She had heeded Twilight's call, or at least it had distracted her, because though she struggled as more and more hippogriffs piled atop her, she wasn't directly fighting them. There was a bright flash, but nothing else.
"I once said you didn't deserve to be one of us," Novo mused from atop her bench. "How fortunate we've shed our aquatic forms."
Dazed, Twilight could only watch as Tempest loosed a bellow, throwing three hippogriffs from her at once.
"You'd better banish me too, hippogriff!" she shouted. "If anything happens to my Princess, I--"
"Order!" Novo banged her gavel. "Hush up!"
Tempest did as told.
"Your crimes against our people are too numerous to list." Novo glared at Tempest. "But this court is not convened to discuss them. I am, however, happy to let you share in her punishment, since you seem so eager. Remove her armor."
Tempest snarled at the guards who reached for her. Twilight could only whisper, "Tempest, please, don't make this worse..."
It must have been enough, as Tempest relented, though she kept a death glare locked on then Queen. "And what will you do with it?"
"Return it to Equestria, of course," Novo said, a hint of smugness in her smile. "We're not thieves, after all. Unless, of course, you'd rather spend an eternity trapped beneath it on the ocean floor."
Tempest was stripped of her armor, which was bundled together and ushered out the doors by a pair of guards. Then she, too, was soaked with a bucket of water and the pearl brought to bear.
Novo watched the proceedings unflinchingly. "A shame that it will likely be the last time we speak with my cousin's realm for the next hundred years. Take them to the pool!"
"Wait," Twilight gave Novo a shocked look as her words sank in. "You're... Celestia's cousin? But I saw you two talking and hugging at the Friendship Festival! I thought you'd made up!"
Novo waved a claw, and the guards began hauling the two of them out of the room. "Yes, we were talking," she said unhurriedly. "I was asking her permission to extradite you. Celestia was rather peeved at me, pardon my language, but then she always has been soft." Novo stretched and stood. "But we haven't had relations with Equestria in a hundred years as it is. What's a hundred more years between friends?"
The courtroom doors slammed shut behind them.
Twilight spent the trip from the courtroom down to the pool with her head down, sighing. Tempest, on the other hoof, kept her head held high, seething inwardly.
If Twilight hadn't stopped her, she'd have given these hippogriffs a name to fear more than 'Storm King'. The guards were soft, still unused to life on land, and all they had on her was numbers. She'd have bucked every last one of them, then blasted the smug grin off the judge of that kangaroo court who dared call herself 'Queen'.
But there was nothing Tempest could do.
Inwardly, a small part of her wondered if maybe this wasn't a good thing. If maybe standing up for Princess Twilight and accepting her punishment as well meant she was doing something right. That part was being shouted down by the part of that missed her armor and really wanted to kick these guards' beaks in. Maybe it had a point. She couldn't say for certain, and Princess Twilight likely was in no mood to give her a straight answer.
They were marched to the edge of the large pool that had greeted them when they first entered this place. Massive waterfalls spouted from stylized hippogriff busts along the walls. Tempest didn't have long to contemplate the area before one of the guards shoved her from behind, with a shout of, "In you go!"
When she and Twilight hit the water, their bodies released a blinding light. Tempest writhed as her rear legs fused together. Her body felt hot and wet, inside and out, as hair became scales. Her mane lengthened down her back, thinning into a long fin, and more fins sprouted along her back and sides. For a split second, her body told her she was drowning, and she gasped on thin air, hooves at her throat.
The soft hoof of Princess Twilight rested against her shoulder, and Tempest immediately calmed. She looked over to Twilight, who had undergone the same transformation and was smiling sadly up at her.
"It's all right," she whispered, though the wisp of a smile died on her face the moment after.
The two guards had climbed into the water after them, now both seaponies. They wasted no words, motioning them under the water's surface, tridents prodding them onward.
Not even Tempest's mood could withstand beholding the wonders of Seaquestria for the first time. She soon found herself lost in admiring the glowing corals, colorful fish, and natural architecture abandoned by the hippogriffs as they reclaimed their former home on the mountain.
"These forms are remarkably easy to adapt to," she said as they made their way past hippogriffs gathering building materials and what looked like personal effects.
"Something something high level transformation magic," Twilight said in a low moan.
Unsure how to respond to such a mopey nothing of a statement, Tempest fell behind until a trident poked her rear fin. It was such a strange sensation to experience, she didn't even complain about the small jab of pain.
They went on like this for a while, none of the workers nearby paying them any heed. In fact, it seemed as though the way was always open for them, hippogriffs moving aside without being asked and closing ranks behind them to continue their work. She had to wonder if it was them, or just her.
The only one who approached them was a pink octopus with a frill on its face reminiscent of a dapper mustache. It got their attention, which finally was enough to perk up Princess Twilight.
"Oh, hello there!" she exclaimed, as though waking after a long sleep. "You're... Jamal, right? How nice to see you again!" She gave a short-lived smile. "It's a shame I'm not exactly visiting on good terms..."
The octopus waved its tentacles, swimming along beside them, occasionally making popping noises.
"I wish Fluttershy were here," Twilight said softly. "I'm sorry, but I don't understand what you're trying to say. It's good knowing you're doing well, I suppose."
The octopus seemed to sigh and shake its head. Tempest realized something then.
"Could it be the fish?" she ventured.
"The fish?" asked Twilight. "What about them?"
Tempest swept her hoof at a small school of reef fish half-hidden in the corals around the edge of the underwater city. If she didn't know better, she'd say they looked like unhappy foals who wanted to join in a game but were too shy to ask.
"Is it my imagination, or do they look... sad?"
Twilight studied the fish for a moment. "You're right... They do. Jamal, is this what you were trying to tell me?"
The octopus nodded.
Twilight let out a long sigh. "Well, I'm sorry to say, I can't help. We're being banished to the abyss right now."
The octopus let out a tiny squeak, accompanied by a small spurt of bubbles. It released a cloud of ink and vanished, leaving them coughing.
"What was that about?" groused Tempest. She even hazarded a glance back at their guards, who seemed unperturbed.
They resumed their slow journey until one of the guards announced, "We are here."
The four of them stopped between two tall cliffs, before which spread a yawning void. The continental shelf, which had held the sand-and-shell path they had been following all this time, simply dropped out from beneath them at a sharp angle. Below was only blackness, fathomless and cold.
Tempest felt something grip her heart.
"Your sentence has been served," said the guard. "We shall wait here to ensure that you have left. If ever you return, there will be consequences." His eyes narrowed.
Tempest looked at Twilight, who had deflated some time ago.
"I understand," Twilight said softly. "Thank you for your service, gentlestallions. We'll go now."
She took off at a slow pace, out over the great chasm that seemed like it could reach up and swallow her whole at any moment.
Tempest gave the guards one last searching look. They glared back at her, tridents held crossed as they floated between the cliffs. It was a hopelessly impregnable entrance to the kingdom.
With a nod to them, she followed her princess.
How long the pair swam, Tempest could not tell. They simply meandered above the deep, deep ocean waters before they found a small shelf along the cliffside. Twilight settled down onto it, and Tempest followed suit. Twilight dragged her hoof through the light covering of sand, staring blankly at a starfish which clung to the rock beside some kind of fern-like growth.
"We're leaving, right?"
Tempest's own voice actually startled her. Everything was strange underwater.
Twilight lifted her head slowly. Her gaze might have been questioning if not for the princess looking like she'd just given up on everything.
"What I mean is, we're in open water." Tempest did her best not to look down at it. "So long as we do not return to the hippogriffs' domain, we're essentially free to go. They don't seem to have anyone watching us, anyway."
"Huh." Twilight swung her head around, gazing out across the water. Silhouettes large and small swam by in the distance; none seemed interested in bothering them. "I guess you're right." She sniffed. "But we should probably spend the night here, right?"
She gave Tempest a smile that taught her the meaning of heartbreak.
"I mean, we're being punished and all. We should at least pretend like we're completely miserable for one night before we... before..."
Twilight gave a wretched sob and buried her face in her hooves. Tempest froze, unsure of what to do. She could only marvel at how, instead of tears, Twilight's eyes released a stream of bubbles into the waters around them. A little crab came down the rock face to investigate, popping one of the bubbles with its claw before scurrying away.
Everything was weird underwater.
Well, Tempest, she said to herself, you're underwater, in a different body, with your princess and charge an emotional wreck. You have no armor and no idea where you are. How do you get out of this one?
If they were going to spend the night on a piece of 'land' just big enough to hold the both of them, it would be up to her to make sure it wasn't a completely miserable experience.
Slowly, she reached her hooves out to Twilight. Hesitating every step of the way, she gathered the princess into her forelegs, drew her in close to her chest, and squeezed. Twilight buried her face in Tempest's coat. Or scales. Whatever was there now.
They stayed like that for rather a lot longer than Tempest would have preferred, until Twilight's crying slowed and she was able to breathe normally.
"Was this an appropriate response to the situation?" was all Tempest could think to say.
Twilight looked up at her, bubble-tears rimming her red eyes and a look of utter bafflement on her face.
"I... Yes, Tempest. Thank you for the hug."
"Good." Tempest tried to release her, but Twilight latched onto her, entwining her tail in Tempest's. It was surprisingly warm, if smooth and slick.
"Please," she whispered. "I just need a friend right now."
Tempest hesitated. It was a guard's duty to protect her princess. And right now, her princess was in grave distress. Even if there was nothing to fight, she had to do something to save her.
"Very well," she said, the words hitching in her throat. "I'm here for you... Twilight."
The two of them sank to the floor of the shelf, and there they remained for the duration of the night.
Third*, they were all in Canterlot celebrating together.
Was there any attempt to serve Twilight with a court summons before this occurred? There's procedures and due process that most civilized nations adhere to in order to be recognized by other nations as lawful and just.
Illusion of legitimacy completely shattered. "You've committed crimes against us, we won't hold a trial for you but will punish you anyway because I feel like it, but it's okay because we lost the papers that detail what our laws actually are so I'm just making everything up as I go." Considering Twilight said that Celestia 'renewed those extradition treaties' or something similar, why doesn't she have an attorney with her if she was tried in absentia? If there's a formal treaty of extradition, then it spells out the procedures and laws that must be followed in order for a nation to take custody of a citizen of another nation, and this whole thing is a rotten mess. No summons, no representation, no due process, no legitimacy; Twilight has shown she is smart enough to recognize all of this and conclude the court has no standing to order her to do anything and therefore to resist it as unlawful and evil.
9779624
Oh, shoot, good catch, thank you.
Why? They're pretty far up the slopes of the mountain. Not exactly a lot of reason to favor fish tails over, you know, legs.
As for the court and punishment... Ironically enough, this doesn't hold water. If no one laminated the hippo(griff|campus) legal code, who says theft is illegal? (The answer, of course, is Novo, because royal fiat.) The whole thing really does feel like a farce, down to what appears to be imprisonment based on the honor system.
Of course, given the state of the non-seapony residents of Seaquestria, I presume you're going somewhere with this. Looking forward to seeing the deeper layers.
(Also, Celestia and Novo being cousins raises so many questions...)
9779627
Happy to help, although I was hoping that wasn't the only thing you took from my comment. If you want to write the hippogryphs as having this completely illegitimate court system that adheres to no laws or procedures but still has the power to demand the arrest of foreign royalty on their home soil and try them without an attorney or jury or even a defendant, then you can, but Twilight's reaction to it doesn't fit at all. It's way out of her character to not be questioning this entire thing from the start. She's just going along with it and I can't understand why.
I'm curious to see how it goes from there.
I can't see Novo being Queen for much longer. As soon as Celestia gets wind of this, s*** is going to hit the fan at supersonic speeds.
9779624
Or it's just a show trial that was a precursor to a show punishment. Tempest is right; they're in open water, and no one is watching them to make sure they stay. Unless there is some kind of magic effect in place that prevents them from leaving the water, all Novo has really done is made them stand in the corner and not leave it until their time out is over, and then went next door to watch her stories.
Either there's something else going on here we can't see yet, or the "punishment" Novo decided on was to just throw them out the front door and tell them not to come back.
Well celestia is not going to be happy about this at all and love it we just getting things together from the last war lets banish the princess from another notion and start another one
Ever seen an underwater volcano erupt?
Yeah... Thats gonna be Daybreaker...
9779704
Show trial for who? And why? "Let's put on a sham trial convicting and sentencing the foreign royalty who defeated our conquerors and liberated us from occupation! That'll impress...uh, someone, and show my relative, the ruler of the nation whose royalty liberated us, that we're a serious power to be taken seriously and that we really embody the ideals of the land!"
9779637
Faust was a strong, independent mare that needed no (one) stallion! Or griffon, drake, donkey, zebra, cat, butterfly, Manticore...
9779704
I'd guess it's pretty much that. They need to save face, and throwing out the thief with a "and don't come back until my daughter bothers me enough or give years, whichever comes first!" Is a pretty tame compromise. Hell, I bet Celestia thinks it'll be a good lesson for Twiggles even.
i dunno. granted i haven't seen the movie in a long time, but maaan do the hippogryphs seem fascist. and dumb. in absentia when you also got extradition permission from the head of gov't seems.. stalinesque. while i certainly do like this story, and reaaaaallly like edge horse I'm just having a few issues with this particular arc. i mean celestias hooves off approach aside, this pseudo banishment is just petty and serves no purpose beyond hurting twilight. which will piss off edge horse...which I'm kinda down for as angry tempest wrecks a looooot of faces
Unless this was some silly non-punishment set up by Novo to save face, Generally, the abduction and trial of an acting head of state would not only cause massive international outrage, it would also lead to a war in almost all circumstances.
Huh, good point. I wonder if this was on purpose. Like a "we officially sentence you, you're free to go" kind of.
Although getting legs again without the Pearl is going to be a hitch, so I guess this isn't just a nonpunishment for the sake of official/tradition/saving face reasons 🤔
What will happen next? Will skystar get a piece of that (pinkie) pie? Will the SparklePop ship finally set sail...underwater? Find out next time! on dragon Ball z!
9779736
I kind of feel like you're being deliberately obtuse.
If given the choice between looking like a tyrant and "damaging" relations with Equestria for 100 years, or civil war that would completely dissolve the government, damage the economy severely, result in hundreds or thousands of casualties, and invite rogue forces like the Storm King in to carve out whatever fiefdom they want at the expense of my own citizens, I know exactly which of those two awful decisions I would make.
9779641
Because she feels guilty and welcomes punishment. It's not that hard to figure out.
Again what actual standing does Novo has? She fail to ask for help or warm Equestira of the Storm King so alot of this is her fault.
At this point I'm not sure if I'm more unimpressed with Novo's sham of a legal system or with Celestia for re-upping an extradition treaty with someone who has a sham of a legal system. Particularly when that treaty apparently includes carte blance to make arrests on foreign soil. Wars have quite literally been fought over that sort of thing.
Honestly, this is about what I expected with a little less oversight.
Something like
>Gotta hold the trial underwater, so fishify
>Do magical weapons research for us or get banished
>You can go back any time you want to suffocate on the shore
>try and get access to the pearl, we think up something worse
9779637
I'm not sure I'll get too deeply into it, so I'll say now the whole 'cousin' thing is more ceremonial than biological.
9779641
She's still hurting a lot from the events of the movie, and extremely unconfident when it comes to just about everything. She's mostly in shock right now.
9779951
I'm assuming Celestia has just done what she habitually does; toss Twilight into the (horribly dangerous) shit and prepare to be amused and enlightened by how she gets out of it. I can just imagine her thought process when Novo asked for extradition powers. "Have you even met Twilight?"
Novo's legal system operates on nothing but royal fiat*, which would suit Celestia just fine. I'm sure Equestria's version of the Magna Carta is quite an irritation to her.
----------------------
* Even in the 21st century there are many nations where the sovereign's word carries the force of law.
9779846
Aside from that being rude and petty of you to start off a response with, I kind of feel like you're reaching too far for a justification to make this work.
But none of which she was charged with. Queen Novo very clearly and specifically says:
You're trying to invent charges that the queen and author did not put in the story, which rather supports my above suspicion that you're reaching too far for a justification. Also, "high crimes" to who? Queen Novo says their legal system got washed away.
No...? No...what? What question do you think you're answering with this "No"? Also, you're completely wrong about the rest of what you said. In the movie, Twilight is the last surviving member of the Equestrian ruling class; Celestia and Luna are both in stone, Cadence rules the Crystal Empire and thus is not in line for succession in Equestria and is also stone, Twilight is the last alicorn and last princess. She is the de facto head of state in this situation; we saw this as well at the start of season four, when the guards go to Twilight and tell her she's in charge.
So yes. Yes. Yes she was a foreign dignitary, a foreign head of state. She was not traveling for her own pleasure and under her own capacity, she was looking for allies to help free her nation from hostile occupation as a ruler in exile. And again, you're saying "it only in applies in cases where...", that is a very specific and enumerated piece of law, which again, Novo says has all been washed away. Yes yes yes yes yes.
You're ignoring that those very same people also freed their nation from hostile occupation and liberated them. Also, a government's power does not come from punishing every single person that the ruler feels like taking action against, especially when that government has been displaced and conquered by a hostile power. I would think that if queen Novo is worried about her people's view of her, she would put more resources into securing her border and preventing another hostile invasion and occupation rather than hosting a sham trial to punish the person responsible for their liberation and ability to exist above-water in the first place. You're reaching really, really hard here, and it's not supported by anything.
What? Where is it even suggested that the citizenry of Seaquestria are in such a state? Are we even reading the same story anymore?
9779849
Yeah, she obviously feels guilty, but nothing she's doing fits with her character. She didn't research the extradition treaty to understand the rules and laws in place, she didn't research the laws of Seaquestria, she didn't investigate the situation and bring allies and appropriate resources with her, she didn't react to the obvious and glaring contradictions that Novo says, she's not thinking at all. She's just being a doormat, and it doesn't fit with the rest of the story or her character overall. "It's not that hard to figure out."
9779981
Okay, but in the very first chapters of this story, you have her running a huge research project on the other Sacanas artifacts. She's still Twilight there, burdened though she clearly is by recent events. She's being herself. With this particular arc, it just doesn't feel like Twilight. Fluttershy might act this way, be too afraid/shy/etc. to question anything, but Twilight with Tempest? It just doesn't feel right.
I hope Novo gets nuked from orbit.
Yeah, they are free to go, but without the Pearl they are (for now) permanantly seabound
Well, I’m certainly eager to learn what’s going on with the sea ponies and why Queen Novo is willing to do this. I suppose when you’re immortal you do get a little blasé about the passage of time.
9780107
I will agree that Twilight not reading up on the treaty seems out of character. But that being said, I can totally buy her throwing herself at the mercy of the court and accepting any punishment that comes her way.
This seems like a neat conversation overall and one I want to get in on, but I’m at work on my phone and so not in a good position to. More to come tonight or tomorrow, basically.
9780116
Ehh... hard to say. Transformation magic is available in a lot of places. Plus, Novo didn't really seem all that incredibly hung up on precedent or procedure - possibly 'being banished to the Abyss' is the equivalent of having to spend a night in the pokey. 'Consequences' of returning might be having to say you're sorry and won't do it again, or some other thing entirely which just happens to be useful for Neo-Sequestria, either politically or culturally, and which Novo either doesn't want to do herself or is culturally/personally constrained from doing for some reason. Or maybe showing comparative leniency to Celestia's prize pupil could give Novo grounds for some other political purpose, like being an excuse to request additional rebuilding resources from Equestria. And maybe Celestia has already predicted all of this and deemed it relatively acceptable in the greater scheme of things. Seaquestria being back on its fins economically would return a stable economy, trading partner, and potential ally to Equestria, even if only via proxy. Better the devil you know, and all that.
Novo genuinely doesn't seem to like Tempest, to be fair, but she does seem politically astute enough to not let that affect her dealings with Twilight. It might be useful, though, at some point, for her to pretend that is the case, which may be why she's giving Tempest the frosty treatment publicly.
9779989
"Magna Carta" is used without a definite article, even when the definite article would make sense in modern English syntax. It's a way of signifying antiquity and giving gravity to the ancient thing.
*The More You Know*
9780229
Awesome! Thank you!
BTW, the same is true when referring to ships: You should say, "I'm going aboard Enterprise," not, "I'm going aboard the Enterprise." (For the same reason you wouldn't say, "I'm going to meet my friend the George.")
9779624
It's not about legalities. Twilight here is operating on principles of friendship. Which, to be fair, may not necessarily be the 100% smartest option, but Twi's still not exactly a masterclass practitioner of such principles despite being Princess Of - she's only just getting an idea of the basics. Legally, she may not have to recognize Seaquestria's claim or Novo's authority, but she can spot that Equestria and Seaquestria have international relations, that Celestia and Novo have a personal interaction and history, and that she herself feels guilt for her actions (and for potentially degrading the first two). She won't really feel she's done her time for that until she's convinced that some actions of hers have improved Seaquestria in some tangible way (and perhaps secured the Pearl better), improved international relations, and possibly improved the Novo/Celestia relationship.
It's not what Twilight is obliged to do by treaty or authority. It's more the national-scale version of having kicked the neighbor's cat once, and feeling you have to make it up to both the cat and the neighbor until they both trust you again.
Hmm, I suspect twilight could have gotten better justice from Caligula than the 'honorable' Queen Nova and her court.
If I were Tempest I think I would sneak into the palace in the next night or two and headbutt Novo just for my own amusement.
9780107
I will concede to you the counterpoints raised, as my own arguments were either weak or not applicable.
I will not concede that this was not a show trial for a show punishment, because both of those are clearly true. I suspect we'll find out what the thrust behind it actually is in the next chapter or two, because this whole thing is fishy.
9780197
I can see her doing that as well, as long as the court was legitimate and the rule of law was being observed. Most definitely. At several times in the show, Twilight goes full stop and throws herself in front of Celestia to be punished for something, whether she deserves to be or not, because she respects Celestia's authority and position over her. An Equestrian court, presided over by ponies in suits and with all the usual trappings? I could totally buy Twilight just going along with it. Here's my take on it:
Looking forward to the conversation.
9780238
Alright, all of that is fair enough, but it's operating on one false assumption: that Equestria and Seaquestria have international relations. There is no evidence at all that supports this. There's apparently an extradition treaty from a century or more ago that got renewed specifically so Novo could abduct Twilight from her home, and...nothing. Seaquestria got wiped off the map and conquered by a hostile power, and not a single pony in Equestria noticed. Not Celestia, not Luna, not random Joe Trader merchant pony, nobody. Twilight didn't even know their country existed; she spends a small chunk of the movie looking for the queen of the hippos until Capper advances the plot for them. Queen Novo also doesn't seem enthusiastic in helping Equestria resist the Storm King, even though that would fall under self-interest. Oh, and apparently Celestia and Novo are related now as cousins but not biologically, but even that detail didn't come up until they were at the end of the trial.
In season five episode eight, The Lost Treasure of Griffonstone, Twilight gushes about Pinkie and Rainbow going to Griffonstone. She goes on at length about the history of it, citing from a book she has titled "Bygone Griffons of Greatness". She's demonstrating she's a history nut, and Equestria and the Griffon Kingdom have very little interaction. She's willing to put in the time to learn. But here, she doesn't.
Well, I've just realized that color scheme of Queen Novo's head is surprisingly similar to Twilight's castle and forementioned castle has a lot of spikes. Although, that's unrelated notice. Probably.
9780315
That is an interesting observation! O.o
9780267
Thank you. It may well have been a show trial, that's certainly possible. It just doesn't make enough sense for me given that Novo would then be making a show of punishing her liberators. In the eyes of her citizens, she would start off appearing weak from failing to protect them from the Storm King; going on to punish and harm the pony chiefly responsible for their freedom wouldn't improve her standing in their eyes and would just raise doubts in her judgment. Perhaps Novo is simply incompetent, and that's just the way Seaquestria works; so be it, but Twilight's reactions to it all are really the biggest issue for me.
9780233
GSV The Enterprise would like a word with you.
9780398
It doesn't count if the name is 'The Enterprise.' Then you'd have to avoid saying, "the The Enterprise."
EDIT: And that would be just like a GSV, wouldn't it?
9780408
Names a ship "The The The Enterprise"
So, basically, Celestia has utterly betrayed Twilight for zero benefit to Equestria. Good job, Celestia.
9780646
goddamnit
Okay, NOW IT'S WAR!!!!
You know, I am up for a crusade, a public execution of Nova and Celestia, inplimenting Luna as head of state, abolishing the noble court, and overall pure war that would follow. Let the crusade against heresy commence.
9780679
That IS what this feels like...
I can only imagine how Celestia is handling all this...probably not well...And Twi's friends. Especially poor Spike.
Okay done. Got half way through this chapter and gave up. This is one of the most asinine things I've ever read. Fuck off with this trial BS. And like I said in the last chapter, if Novo is so concerned about holding rulers of foreign nations accountable for their actions. I demand Novo be dragged to Equestria to stand trial for 7 counts of attempted murder on its citizens. Eat all the dicks with this contrived bull of a story.
You said last chapter that not everything is as it seems. I'm holding you to that, because so far, as excited as I am for more well-written Tempest, the whole extradition/trial thing has left a bad taste in my mouth.
Here I was hoping tempest would just kill novo. I hated everything about her even in the movie, queen coward the chicken hearted
Yeah, nah, this whole “trial” plot is just... bad. Got about halfway through and started skimming, it was a farce and ham fisted. A foreign nation just showed up and spirited a leader of another nation away and forcefully changed their species. Frankly this should be a war with Equestria that stomps the shit out of these hippogriffs. So much for being Celestia’s favoured student and saviour of Equestria.
9783724
Good thing that part's over, then! :)