Chapter XV
Celestia had permitted her disloyal guards to escort her to the nation’s ‘new ruler’ without a fight, but only on the condition they left both Twilights be. The frightened ponies had been all too happy to accept her terms. She had wondered at the time what made them so willing to go after her in spite of their terror.
Standing before the thing that loomed hugely over her throne, she understood why. The princess had been expecting to lock horns with a mere upstart; somepony staging a coup who erroneously thought the stolen Element of Magic would grant its holder irresistible power. A new draconequus was something else entirely. When polluted spirits like this one were abroad, there wasn’t much an ordinary stallion could do but keep his head down while the great powers fought it out.
For that matter, there wasn’t much an alicorn could do either. This new draconequus seemed as immune to ordinary magic as Discord had been all those years ago. Only the Elements of Harmony had won the day that time, and now one of the bearers was out of commission and Magic itself was missing. Still, long experience permitted her to cling to hope. Harmony would be restored once again. The elements would come through... somehow. For now, it was her duty to resist this spirit’s influence with all the strength she had. By surrendering she at least had fixed its attention on her, buying her sister and the other bearers time to work something out.
It wasn’t much, but it would have to be enough.
Whinnying a battle-cry, Princess Celestia reared and charged her horn for yet another attack. The turncoat royal guards supposedly holding her captive ducked and scampered out of the way of enormous surge of power. The entire throne room was thrown into stark contrasts of brightness and shadow by the radiance of her magic.
The traitors were not her target, however. Celestia’s blast of magical power flew over their heads to strike at the looming monstrosity towering at the end of the room. Multicolored explosions blossomed across the misshapen creature’s body.
She’d lost count of how many times she’d tried this already, and always with the same result. At least it brought her a moment’s relief from the poisoned words.
When the smoke cleared, the enormous draconequus still slouched, unharmed, on Equestria’s throne. “Miss Celestia, you know that I am right,” Just Deserts calmly reiterated. “Do not add wasting everyone’s time to your rap sheet; it’s already far too long. We cannot proceed until you accept that your rule has been an unmitigated disaster from the start.”
The alicorn at the foot of the dais was quickly re-surrounded by the cadre of terrified guards. She glared defiantly up at the draconequus. When she spoke, her voice was steely, but she was panting from exertion and a drop of perspiration slid from beneath her mane. “I’ve dealt with your kind before, spirit. There is still room in the statue garden for one more. Unless you want to join your predecessor, get off of my throne, get out of Equestria, and let my ponies be.”
Just Deserts wiped a spot of ash from her face with a blue, gnarled lobster claw. Her other upper limb, warty and webbed like a toad’s, clutched an overflowing manila folder. “Your attempts to change the subject back to me are childish and unworthy, Miss Celestia. But since you raised the issue, let us consider my distant cousin. He calls himself a spirit of chaos, yes?”
“He was an evil spirit, just as you are, but all his power was useless against the magic of friendship. It will be the same with you unless you stop this.”
“And did his deeds match his claims? Did he cause chaos?”
When Celestia refused to answer, Just Deserts continued; “I call myself a spirit of justice. Ask any of your ponies whether my verdicts are just. Do you have a problem with justice, Miss Celestia?”
The usurped princess shot off another, weaker salvo of magic bolts at the spirit. Again, they impacted harmlessly on the draconequus’s patchwork hide. “This is not justice! You’ve twisted their minds! I’ll have justice when I make you pay for what you did to these ponies; and I will, even if it’s the last thing I do!”
“Do not pretend to put them before yourself, Miss Celestia,” Just Deserts retorted with a snaggle-toothed sneer. “Your theatrics may play well to the crowds, but your record tells another story. You don’t make anyone pay. You dealt with cousin Discord, Queen Chrysalis, King Sombra, even your own sister in precisely the same way. You make the minimal effort needed to remove them or bottle them up, and then sit back and wait, for centuries if necessary, for another pony to come along who will actually fix the problem. Every time, the easy way out, not even sparing poor Luna. Why, you’re even doing it right now, excusing your own cowardice and laziness by calling it a ‘diversion’. Now I ask you, is that any way for a ruler to act? You haven’t helped your ponies or anyone else. This world has become a minefield of your unfinished business, to say nothing of the worlds-wrecking monster you personally created.”
The princess knew she shouldn’t rise to the bait, but curiosity got the better of her. “I have done no such thing!” she shouted back. “If you have an accusation to make, quit beating around the bush and say it. Who is this monster you think I made?”
The draconequus clicked her tongue. “Discarded and replaced, I see. How callous of you. You’ve become so enamored with your latest student that you have forgotten those who came before.”
Celestia’s breath caught in her throat. For a moment, concern replaced defiance. “...Sunset Shimmer. You’re talking about her! But she is no monster, just a prideful, ambitious pony. What do you know, spirit? Where is she? Is she well?”
“She is not a pony anymore, but she was always a monster. In your arrogance, you thought you could mold her nature to your will, but all your lessons did was empower her. She who would have been a petty tyrant now has the downfall of two worlds within her grasp, all thanks to your meddling.”
“She is responsible for her own behavior,” Celestia insisted, telekinetically lifting a damaged pillar to swing like a club at the spirit.
Just Deserts caught the blow on her claw and shattered the improvised weapon. Her lopsided head nodded solemnly as shards of broken stone clattered down over the room. “All your subjects are, and I will correct each and every one of them. However, as their princess, you also bear a share of responsibility for their actions. This is the weight of a crown. Do not pretend you were unaware.”
Celestia found herself starting to nod sadly in agreement before she caught herself. The effect of the draconequus’s powers was accumulating. From the moment the alicorn entered the throne room, even as she struck at Just Deserts with every deadly spell she could muster, the spirit had been calmly, methodically picking her life apart, just as it had already done to so many of her poor ponies. The accusations echoed in her mind.
She had no right to rule ponykind, the spirit had said. She had used her dominion over the day to overawe the ponies’ legitimate rulers, forcing them to bow to her overwhelming power.
She had infantilized the ponies. When her time at last came, they would be cast adrift, unable to govern themselves and utterly at the mercy of the world’s evils.
She had been false. She wore a mask for her subjects, a mask for every ambassador, masks for her enemies, even a mask to hide secrets from her sister. She was a flesh-and-blood mare play-acting the part of the culture-hero. Was the pony behind these disguises the all-wise, all-gifted princess that the others saw? She didn’t know. She didn’t dare find out, lest the edifice come crashing down.
All this and more the monster had said. Some of the charges were ridiculously far-fetched, and some even contradicted each other. She was both too harsh and too lenient; simultaneously a proud, self-aggrandizing egotist who demanded worship and a flippant pleasure-seeker who did not carry herself with the dignity her position required. She ought to have laughed it all off. She ought to have been able to ignore everything that came from the spirit’s mouth.
She couldn’t. They were all her own words; all fears and doubts and regrets that had hounded her throughout her long life. There were so, so many and she remembered them all so clearly. Why wouldn’t any of the ponies here speak up for her? Were they too scared of the draconequus, or... or did they agree with it, and they were too scared of her to say so before?
Discord had proudly named himself the spirit of chaos, and chaos was indeed what he created. This one claimed to be a spirit of justice. What if it was true? What if this was justice at last?
No. No! It was getting to her. She wanted to flee, only for a minute, only to clear her head, but that she couldn’t do that either. Even if she got away, this spirit would just go back to tormenting more of her little ponies, thrusting them into personal hells to satisfy its twisted sense of justice. She had to stay. She had to fight. She had to resist, even if she didn’t think she ought to, even if every rebuttal she mustered tasted like a lie in her mouth. The ponies had to be protected. There was a reason, greater than everything else. As the draconequus droned on from atop her throne, Celestia struggled to recall the truth that had made all her choices so clear and right before. It seemed to flit just out of reach of her thoughts. It was because... because...
And then something came to her, not exactly what she wanted, but she clutched at it like a drowning horse biting a rope.
“Spirit,” Celestia said at last, “the Elements of Harmony have defended and guided these ponies for ages. If you are right; if we all deserve to fall in guilt and madness for the things we’ve done... why? We know they aren’t just magic tools. Only the virtuous can wield them, and only for a righteous cause. If we ponies do so much wrong, if we are in such need of punishment, why did they keep saving us?”
Just Deserts reared out of her seat. “You want to lecture me about the elements?! Don’t you dare profane the Big Six!” she screamed, losing her cool disdain for the first time since her ascension. Other ponies, still queued up at the far end of the room awaiting their turn, cowered or flattened themselves against the floor as the giant creature’s bellow shook the room. “The bearers you foisted them upon were awful! I interviewed them shortly before you arrived. Not a single one was worthy.”
The alicorn’s heart sank. This spirit had attacked the bearers piecemeal, just as Discord had, but this time Twilight wouldn’t be able to rally them again.
“The Elements of Harmony belonged to them! Where are they?” the princess said. Her voice sounded small after the spirit’s roar.
In a single motion, the draconequus stuffed Celestia’s overflowing permanent record beneath a wing and withdrew a fistful of shining golden jewelry: all six Elements of Harmony. “I am a spirit of harmony!” Just Deserts declared. “By definition, the elements and I are united in purpose. I will find new bearers for each, and I will not settle for any less than paragons, even if that means no pony touches them for another millennium!” In the dimness of the moonlit hall, the artifacts seemed to quiver in her grasp, as though they were alive and trying to escape.
The very sight of them was comforting, even in the possession of a polluted spirit. Celestia felt a surge of hope. “But I had little to do with it. The elements themselves chose those ponies. You have no right!” she shouted back.
The thing on the throne cracked a smile. “Then why did I find them locked up in your treasure room, Miss Celestia? But let us set the issue to rest.” She placed the elements reverently on the ground before her throne. “If any think themselves worthy to wield these emanations of the Big Six, let them try! If they can use them against me, I will accept the reproof. That will not happen, however. I and they are of one accord.”
Celestia’s eyes widened as she stared at the jewel-encrusted crown and necklaces laid before her. There was still hope! The spirit was certain it was doing right and that the elements couldn’t be used against it, but had never actually put the matter to the test. Just Deserts had used her powers against the bearers while they were separated and unequipped. The princess’s own right to use them had ended with the banishment of her sister, but if she could reunite them with the current bearers once again...
“That is just, o spirit,” she said, reverently lowering her head, “Thank you for allowing us to prove ourselves. I see you still have many more ponies to... to judge. I have been looking for promising candidates among my subjects to bear the Elements of Harmony for generations. I know of certain prospects that could shorten the search.” It was the truth. She had chosen her words carefully; no doubt justice spirits, even corrupt ones, could smell falsehood. Celestia took a cautious step up the dais toward the necklaces and the crown, keeping her expression ingratiating but her eyes averted from those of the throne’s occupant. “I can help you. If you will only allow me to take—”
A scorpion tail with the diameter of a moderately-sized tree trunk crashed down scant inches in front of the princess’s nose. Just Deserts withdrew it slowly, leaving a crater of shattered stone, hissing venom and pulverized carpeting in the middle of the dais steps. “Oh, you’ll help me all right,” the spirit said, “but not that way. I haven’t even passed sentence on you yet.” The monstrosity thoughtfully stroked its chin with the toad-limb.
Her time was running out. Celestia tried to grab the elements with telekinesis, but Just Deserts’s tail flicked again, forcing the princess to dodge and breaking her concentration.
“No need for that, Miss Celestia. I have reached a decision.” the spirit announced. The draconequus leaned down to the alicorn’s level. Its huge eyes rippled with polychromatic light, growing brighter and brighter until nothing else was visible.
Celestia quickly stepped backward and hid her own eyes behind her auroral mane. She still felt the spirit’s gaze burning into her.
“Since you are so eager to help, you will begin making restitution for your crimes by helping me with your sister.”
In spite of everything, Celestia smiled. That meant that Luna was still out there somewhere! “Do what will with me, but I’ll never harm her! Go and do your own dirty work,” she said.
The blazing eyes looked at her with bemusement. “But I don’t want to harm her; this will be her reward,” they said. “After all, justice flows both ways. You’ve been hiding something from her. All I ask is that you give her what she’s been searching for.”
Celestia’s blood ran cold. “No! Not that. I won’t. It’s... it’s just a pretense. She wouldn’t understand!” She searched about for some way of escape, but there was nothing left in the world except herself and those horrible eyes.
When the spirit spoke again its voice seemed to come from everywhere around her. “What is there to understand? Do the same thing you’ve always done. Wear the mask you wore for them for her instead. That is what you do, is it not? You worked on that image for so long, and just think how happy she’ll be...”
As she stared into the eyes, the princess’s panic faded away, replaced by a cold determination. Without another word, she turned and galloped from the throne room.
Just Deserts gave a sigh of satisfaction, settled back into her seat and snapped her claw twice. “Bailiff, bring forth the next pony.”
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...I really don't like that spirit. Hmph, she is the biggest hypocrite I have ever read. She judged other and frown at their flaws, and yet, she has never bother to judge her own self and her own flaws. Everyone has flaws, we are all guilty of that, but that creep never thought for once that she too has flaws. Oooh, how I can't wait for karma to pay her a visit soon.
I hope poor Luna can handle whatever Celestia is about to tell her...
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What's more, she's lying. She'd never accept reproach from the Elements because she'll never believe anypony is worthy of wielding them against her.
Can't wait for this bitch to get her own just desserts. :V Stay strong, Dawnmother.
I have a bit of a problem with the Justice spirit. All the others make sense - truth in the wrong place can hurt and you can be so peaceful you don't care to do anything, but Just Deserts isn't taking justice too far, she isn't being just at all. Being too just would mean that every crime would pay it's proper penalty, which I imagine would mean endless menial labor. That time you hit your cousin? Ten minutes of healing. That time you called someone a terrible name? an hour of compliments. Every little action adding up, so that ponies are compelled to do small, meaningless things and unable to get out of the loop.
Her motivations for taking the Elements away could easily be the same - the Bearers should embody their Elements. What about that time Applejack lied? What about the time Rainbow Dash abandoned a friend to hang out with the cool kids? What about the time Fluttershy yelled at her friends? When Rarity charmed Spike into giving her that gem? Her reasoning is logical, but taken to the extreme.
Just Deserts is the only one who has been completely opposite of her nature from the beginning, and it irks me a little.
Aside from that, the story is really good. I can't wait to see where it goes next! I hope you tell us what Discord used to be
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I think you are possibly misunderstanding what exactly justice can mean, like any other idea it can be mean anything you desire. Justice can mean; fairness or equality (everyone get the same amount of money no matter how hard or long long they work for instance), keeping to a moral code (Set of laws) or revenge for an act you have committed (punishment or Revenge of the state). We're talking about an idea given flesh here not a fully rounded character, that is what you have to remember when understanding the spirits of harmony if they are hypocrites it only because the idea they represent is so.
The justice portrayed fits each of it's main implications as stated above; it judges all to the same moral code without mitigating factors (fairness and equality, what does it matter if one killer did in as a state sanctioned soldier during battle and the other in a dark alley for money, they have committed the same crime). Judges all by the same moral code, one independent of other actions (Celestia's crimes appear contradictory but that doesn't make them less valid, after all they were committed at different times just with different methods leading to the same problem ineffective rule/abuse of power). Finally you are punished for your crimes by your crimes or the root cause as it were so to teach you the "error of your ways", giving everyone the same punishment would normalises crime, but different ways of correction changes it into a personal experience increasing it's effect.
But why does justice allow others to serve while punishing others? Punishing them by guilt I would imagine. Another reason is that justice is trying to recreate the ideas that are associated with it, it's trying to become justice in it's broadest and simplest meaning, which means it needs servants to create a hierarchy of justice, so it can be the judge or justice (the final meaning) at the top.
I think your representation of Justice makes sense, go for it!
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justice also should consider the good not just the bad
that's what's wrong with this justice spirit she's corrupt by only seeing the bad not the good that ponies have done
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I ain't saying what justice is doing is right (as blates she's being corrupted) I was simply trying to defend the authors portrayal which I think makes sense while others do not. I imagine I could have put it better.
Nice avatar by the way, very adorable.
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No, I know about what you are implying and I get you. I also know that any intelligent person can twist an idea to his or her own desire. I know far too well about this concept, so you don't have to worry about me not understanding, and you don't need to go defending over something that isn't being attack in the first place (at least on my side, since I cannot speak for Hadithi or anyone else). I think the author is doing a great job with Just Deserts and I am just stating an opinion over the situation itself (again, I cannot speak for Hadithi or anyone else). So, relax.
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First, let me thank you all for commenting. I definitely didn't expect to log in today to find meditations on the nature of justice,* but it's a pleasant surprise!
As I'm writing about ponyfications of big ideas, it's inevitable that the characters will seem more or less accurate to different readers. People really don't agree on what justice looks like, or peace either, and imagining them existing as separate individuals is an exercise in very abstract thinking.
In addition to this, I have lots of room for improvement in my writing. Sometimes I write things into a story simply because I think they're entertaining or because they help move the plot along, even if they ultimately detract from the story being a narratively or philosophically coherent whole. I hope what I'm doing with JD's character won't be an instance of this, but it can happen.
I really wish I could say more to explain my intentions and thought process for why JD is acting the way she is right now, but it would definitely spoil what I'm planning to do. All I can ask is that you bear with me and my way-too-slow writing, and I will do my best to bring this fic to a conclusion that makes sense of things. Ultimately, the story's gotta speak for itself.
And if that doesn't help I'll write an afterword or postmortem or something.
* I actually expected someone would have already guessed what Celestia's penalty involves.
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I'll say first off that I agree with you - Just Deserts is an awesome character, no doubt about that.
It's just that I genuinely can't imagine how her actions can be "justice". I don't know where you're getting your definition of just from, because justice is either a person (a judge), or just behavior or treatment. Just is behaving to what's morally right and fair. And fair is behaving according to a set of rules.
Now, this set of rules can be many things. It can be religious rules, rules of the state, or a internalized set of rules. JD clearly isn't' following religious or state rules, which can only mean she's following her own internalized rules.
This means that she literally CANNOT use justice incorrectly. She's following her rules. It shouldn't be able to turn her. If her moral code says, "Hey, if a pony breathes to loud they should be put to death", putting mouth-breather ponies to death is justice. She can't go too far with it, because she defines what's too far.
The fact that the spirits are changing indicates that there is a moral standard outside of them - there is a standard of these spirits that they are being judged by as well, which turns them into draconequii if they cross the line.
So, that's basically what it comes down too. Either JD is following an actual law - one agreed upon by numerous ponies - and breaking it with her punishments, or JD has her own internal law, in which nothing can be wrong.
And apparently there's some kind of magic law that turns them into draconequii.
I really do love this story, and I think the characters are awesome. From what it sounds like, I may have hit on something that's going to be important later with my comment, so I'm very excited about that. I never judge a story until I hit the end! These are just my thoughts, for now. Just fun speculation!
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Thank you 
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Gasp... you mean Celestia's an alchemist! Or more likely she summoned Discord.
Is this it?
discord - laughter
verity - honesty
conrade - kindness
Just Deserts – loyalty
verse – generosity
fortuna - Magic
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Sorry guys my language wasn't as well thought out as it should be and I treated your comments as a single one rather than as separate for some silly reason (en plus très impolite), it appears I was mainly responding to so Hadithi anyway, I'm going to have another go while taking what you've just said into account.
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I was attempting to explain why I don't think she's a hypocrite, amazingly poorly I not sure I even tried to write a proper response sorry. A being commits a crime which causes her punishment. She is punishment embodied, her actions cause harm only to those who have forced her to hurt them or as she could see it chosen punishment by their actions. Without a reason she cannot punish, but punish she must because that is what she is Justice, she has no choice in the matter as she is a fundamental part of their world. Her only true flaw is that she lacks choice in that she must be "cruel" (i.e. punish and judge others), but that is inherent in her nature (i.e. Verity must witness) and it if that is the case she cannot be truly punished for it as it can't be overcome by her own decision, so that doesn't make her a hypocrite. Or perhaps turning herself into a draconequus is itself a punishment?
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They aren’t turning into draconequus because they are being opposite to their nature, as a spirit that would be impossible, rather it is because their actions are contrary to the idea of harmony. I.e. Just Deserts’ punishments do not cause the world to be harmonious, they actively cause chaos (I imagine that discord is in fact the missing sixth elemental spirit), which causes corruption/allergic reaction whatever you want to call it in their corporal bodies as they diverge from the ideal they as a whole uphold. Separated from each other the elemental spirits are unbalanced and cannot maintain harmony within them-selves (I imagine that’s the conclusion). What is justice without truth or love? It’s cold, efficient and unyielding.
(Second post)
The rules base she uses is probably from a being’s internal guilt/failings, a lack of personal harmony she enhances through punishment.
A word means more than just its definition (which I get from an English dictionary while in England), you also have to consider what it means in practice and the idea’s that have become associated with it. As justices’ root definition is adhering to a set of rules, if you break a set of rules that carry a punishment in reality you have revenge taken against you. Punishment is revenge occurring from following a set of rules to their conclusion when one has erred and defied those rules, so is a part of justice (When someone wants justice for being wronged what they mean in reality is revenge).
Fairness and equality are inherent in what people currently believe justice to represent so it becomes part of the definition.
Hopefully that’s everything in some kind of semblance of order, I believe I’ve responded to everything in a some manner or other and i respect you opinion whatever it is.
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Justice is difficult even among humans. Almost everyone disagrees on some detail. Just Desert probably had the hardest task of all the spirits, so it makes sense that she turned bad most quickly.
Fortune's a bitch.