You Murdered My Brother

Princess Celestia sat in her quarters filled with exhaustion over the events of the past few days. She, along with her sister, had executed a pony who had gone behind her back in the wake of unforeseen circumstances. She had given her minister of justice, Instant Justice, an order to find and bring to justice, the organizers behind the Storm King's attack on Canterlot. In her mind, Celestia was going to try and punish those responsible in a legal and ethical manner.

But, that was not to be.

Her minister had betrayed her and she was left with no choice: she had to bypass the trial and execute Instant Justice since he was too dangerous to be put on trial. Now, he was dead, and she wanted to move on and focus on helping her subjects recover from the Storm King's attack on Canterlot.

Then, the sounds of pounding were heard on her door.

"Get your hooves off of me!" barked a gruff voice as the sounds of grunting and struggling were heard. "Princess Celestia! Open up!"

In a calm manner, Celestia got up and walked to the doors of her quarters, opening them to reveal two of her sister's guards restraining Chancellor Neighsay, the head of the Equestria Education Association. Almost immediately, she had a suspicion of why he was here in front of her.

"Let him go," she said to the guards.

"But, your highness…"

"Let him go," she said again and the guards did as they were told, releasing Chancellor Neighsay from their bonds. The angry stallion advanced towards Celestia as she shut the door behind him, growling menacingly. "What can I do for you, Chancellor? I must warn you that if you came to try and…"

"No, Princess Celestia," he interrupted sharply, stamping his foot down. "I've come here on behalf of a pony that you executed for treason."

"Instant Justice? I'm sorry that we had to execute him, but…"

"My brother was trying to avenge this kingdom over what had happened," Neighsay snapped. "Tell me something, Princess Celestia, why would you kill him? I've asked myself this question repeatedly since he was executed. This was a pony who was doing what nopony else had the guts to do and that was to avenge Equestria for what happened in Canterlot!"

As Neighsay spoke, Celestia couldn't help but feel a little sympathy for him. But, she was the ruler of Equestria and a pony that had to live by a code to protect Equestria according to fair and honest judgment.

"Tell me something, Princess Celestia," he said. "Princess Luna went behind your back, so why didn't you execute her?"

At that moment, any sympathy that Celestia had for Neighsay went right out the window.

"You watch yourself, Neighsay," she seethed, knowing that Neighsay was crossing personal boundaries. "Leave my sister out of this!"

"Oh, don't tell me what to do! I have a right to say anything I want!"

"No…you…don't! Perhaps you have forgotten the fact that I am the princess and you serve under me! How dare you drag my sister into this conversation when this is between you and me! Your brother flat out murdered creatures without mercy, my sister tried to bring eternal night to Equestria. Even when we were apart, I knew that her actions didn't warrant execution, even though I sent her to the moon!"

Neighsay merely rolled his eyes in disgust at this statement.

"I can tell you right now, Neighsay, that Luna's actions didn't warrant an execution unlike Instant Justice's! I'm sorry we had to execute your brother, but if he hadn't done what he did, then things would have been a lot more different than they came out to be!"

"He did what had to do to avenge Equestria! He had guts unlike you and your fellow princesses! Why else do you think I shut down Princess Twilight's school? Because those 'students' she was trying to bring in were unpredictable and dangerous!"

"But, you assumed that every creature other than ponies is dangerous when there are some who are not dangerous! That's called racism and prejudice, Chancellor Neighsay! Something that I figured out your brother was and what motivated him to commit the crimes that he did commit! At first, I had sympathy for him over the loss of his wife and son, but then he committed the crimes he committed and defied all of Equestria!"

"But, this isn't also about just those Storm Creatures, you know. It's about showing sympathy for a pony who betrayed us all and you kept her alive!"

"Fizzlepop Berrytwist? Even if she led the attack on Canterlot, she didn't deserve to be executed! She deserved another chance and she is going to get that second chance, unlike your brother!"

Neighsay snarled at this and realized that talking to Princess Celestia was like talking to a brick wall. In Celestia's mind, Neighsay was nothing more than a servant who was responsible for accrediting Equestria's schools. But, he did it by his rules, not Celestia's.

"Before I go Princess Celestia," he seethed, walking to the doors. "I want you to know that you not only destroyed my family, but you put an entire nation and kingdom to shame by sparing the life of the instigator and killing the pony who tried to avenge this kingdom! What's more, you killed a pony who was close to me, my own brother! Now, you'll live with that for the rest of your miserable life!"

Celestia had enough of this and motioned for Neighsay to leave her quarters. Once Neighsay was gone, Celestia was left alone again and walked over to her bed and laid down.

"Your brother wasn't a savior, Neighsay," Celestia thought to herself as she went to sleep. "He was a murderer and I hope you realize that one day. If you say talking to me is like talking to a brick wall, then that's how I feel about you. Then again, you always were nothing more than a brick wall while your brother was a shady character who showed his true colors when he tried to exterminate a race of creatures because some of them chose to follow a conqueror."

Sighing heavily, Celestia went to sleep, her mind filled with disgust and displeasure over what had transpired.

…

THE END

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PonyPuffy 2012

PonyPuffy 2012 #1 · May 30th, 2018 · 16 · 1 ·

Well that was... interesting.

As much as I hate to say it, Neighsay does raise some valid points about Luna and Tempest. While it can be argued that Luna was possessed by the nightmare both Tempest and Instant Justice did what they did of their own free wills. The fact that Instant Justice was executed without trial also doesn't help Celestia's case.

That said however, Celestia is also right. Instant Justice went behind hers and Luna's backs to carry out a campaign of personal vengeance and when they tired to stop him, didn't think twice about attacking and injuring(with intent to kill) the rulers of Equestria. The fact that his wife and son died in the Storm King's invasion does not justify his actions just Tempest's horrible childhood didn't justify hers. She also has a point about the school since even though Neighsay raised some valid points in regards to Twilight and company's qualifications as teachers and the students cutting class, he seemed more upset at the fact that non pony creatures were attending the school at all rather than any dangers they might present to ponykind.

Dreadknight garen

Dreadknight garen #2 · May 30th, 2018 · · ·

Indoctrination is some heavy stuff

ScyBlade

ScyBlade #3 · May 30th, 2018 · 3 · 6 ·

Let me get this straight:
Luna’s mind was effected by fel magic. Regardless of where it originates, this made Luna a victim that needs treatment at the earliest possibility. It was only a combination of factors that made that possible, but what made it possible also made treatment feasible.
Since Tempest Shadow is no longer a Clear and Present Danger, she is supposed to get a Trial by Peers. Oh look, that is what she is getting from Twilight Sparkle and the Bearers of Harmony. Where does the Law say she must get a Court Trial?
Instant Justice was a Clear and Present Danger, and not a victim of anything that can alter the mind. He needed to be dealt with swiftly. Sadly, Lethal Force was the only option to stop him from committing murder. And, in a way, he did get a Trial by Peers. It just wasn’t the one he’d prefer.

Loki777

Loki777 #4 · May 30th, 2018 · 5 · 6 ·

Sorry Neighsay...you arrogant and stupid dumbass, but your brother was doing something illegal and that the fact he was willing to murder the Princesses who wanted to stop him makes him a monster.

HunterBrony101

HunterBrony101 #5 · May 30th, 2018 · 1 · ·

I hope there's a crossover story where Doctor Strange faces Neighsay.

LadyofSorrows

LadyofSorrows #6 · May 30th, 2018 · 1 · ·

8957257
Crossover, I'd pay money to see that in theaters

HunterBrony101

HunterBrony101 #7 · May 30th, 2018 · 1 · ·

8957272
I meant in fanfiction.

Veylon

Veylon #8 · May 31st, 2018 · 9 · 2 ·

8957061
Clear and present danger has to do with restrictions on speech. Like if Instant Justice gave a bloodthirsty speech against Yetis and Celestia arrested him for it despite whatever right to free speech he might otherwise enjoy.

Also, let's be blunt here: Celestia is a tyrant in this set of fics. Her sister gets off scot free for her crimes. Tempest grovels for mercy and is spared. Instant Justice holds his head high and summarily executed for his defiance. The storm creatures and mercenaries are mere objects to be played with. The former are tortured endlessly and the latter casually murdered without any thought of them as individuals. Celestia spends an enormous amount verbiage narcisstically lamenting that she "has no choice" but to do such awful things when there's absolutely no hurry whatsoever. Justice is entirely arbitrary and punishment a matter of how Celestia feels at the moment of judgment.

Soron

Soron #9 · Jun 2nd, 2018 · 2 · ·

¨"But, you assumed that every creature other than ponies is dangerous when there are some who are not dangerous! That's called racism and prejudice, Chancellor Neighsay! ¨

Can anyone tell me why people use the words ¨race¨ and ¨racism¨ when talking about other species? Shouldn't the term ¨Speciesism¨ be used here?

Comment posted by Ellington deleted Jun 2nd, 2018

xd77

xd77 #11 · Jun 25th, 2018 · 1 · 1 ·

I really can't believe Neighsay would even defend an evil monster.

Golden Fang Ryu Shenron

Golden Fang Ryu Shenron #12 · Sep 11th, 2018 · · ·

Wow, that was intense....

Nighlocktheawesome00

Nighlocktheawesome00 #13 · Sep 13th, 2018 · 2 · ·

8958117
Not to mention she is a weak leader.

Veylon

Veylon #14 · Sep 14th, 2018 · · ·

9169360
In what way? She certainly didn't hesitate to kill Instant Justice once she got her hooves on him. That's something a strong leader would do, albeit in a lawless, dictatorial way. She didn't have to negotiate with anyone or obey any laws. She had him crammed into a noose and strangling to death before you could say due process, much as he himself was wont to due.

Nighlocktheawesome00

Nighlocktheawesome00 #15 · Sep 14th, 2018 · 1 · ·

9169666
But what about people like Tirek? At some point, he's going to break out again. Or what about Cozy Flow. Sure she was taking the magic away from Equestria, but she was still just a kid. That's on a whole bunch of levels, even by the Devil's standards. She hangs out with nobles, people who never even appear to actually be noble, so it's no surprise why Luna and Sunset went to the dark side. She cared more about what the nobles had to say. Luna's job is a lot more stressful, she to protect ponies dreams all night. Not to mention the Tantabus.

Veylon

Veylon #16 · Sep 14th, 2018 · 1 · ·

9169857

But what about people like Tirek? At some point, he's going to break out again.

There's a case for executing Tirek out of hand. He genuinely is dangerous as an individual in a way that Instant Justice never was.

She hangs out with nobles, people who never even appear to actually be noble, so it's no surprise why Luna and Sunset went to the dark side. She cared more about what the nobles had to say. Luna's job is a lot more stressful, she to protect ponies dreams all night. Not to mention the Tantabus.

I'm not sure what you're getting at with this. Celestia is not responsible for Sunset and Luna's slides into darkness. They made those decisions themselves and must live with the consequences. Luna's job may well be more stressful, but nobody is forcing her to do it. It's a job that she's taken on herself. In any case, it's not Celestia's fault if it's hard, nor that she made the Tantabus.

If you're looking at from a punishment angle, sure, Luna and Sunset have done some pretty bad stuff. They've been treated with kids gloves when they deserve far worse.

But on the other hand, they have useful skills and abilities. If Luna gets tossed in the dungeon, then who plays dream protector? If Sunset is locked up, then who deals with the Sirens or whatever crap is going on in the EG universe? If Celestia is going to throw the book at them, then she'd better have some replacements lined up. A ruler has a higher responsibility than ensuring that justice is served; they have to make sure that their people are protected and that stability is ensured. There's probably a hundred lawyers that could be dropped into Instant Justice's shoes without significantly damaging the workings of whatever ministry he was running. He's disposable. But Luna and Sunset can't so easily be tossed aside.

ponybird21

ponybird21 #17 · Mar 14th, 2019 · 2 · ·

At first I thought this was just going to be a silly little story, ridiculous and badly written.
But then I read it and... Wow.
Neighsay raises very good points. Yes Nightmare Moon/Luna only tried to bring about eternal night, but in doing so was essentially attempting to overthrow the ruling monarch. Execution would be appropriate for these situations, according to historical instances like this.
Tempest aided the Storm King in attempting to conquer and rule Equestria, and lost. Bam, she executed, according to historical instances like this.
And yes, murdering, even in the name of protecting the land, is warranted for execution, but Celestia should have been CONSTANT in who she executes, not protecting those who somehow have gained her favor.
Neighsay raises valid points, and Celestia does as well, but in my opinion Celestia is showing her incompetence as a ruler with this entire story.
So thanks for this wonderful story! <3

ponybird21

ponybird21 #18 · Mar 14th, 2019 · 2 · ·

9005547
Sorry this is SUPER late comment, but even when family absolutely sucks, you probably love them and want to defend them. After all, as the saying is, Blood is thicker than Water.
Besides, from Neighsay's perspective, if his brother was executed for 'protecting' Equestria, should not Luna be executed for attempting to overthrow the monarchy and establish herself as a new ruler?

ponybird21