Chapter 11: He Knows His Name
"But Tia!"
"No buts." Celestia walked down the hall outside her throne room, Luna following behind her, distraught.
"Sister please, he was trying to save me from-!"
"I know, Luna, but I have to do something about this." Before Luna could object again, they entered the throne room, where a gathering of ponies sat on benches and, near the throne on a small wooden box sat Lewis, chained to the floor. Princess Celestia swept past him without so much as a glance in his direction, and took a seat at the throne. Luna reluctantly took her seat as well. She noted that Bourbon was absent.
"Lewis," Celestia said, getting straight to business, "When you came here, I gave you three very simple rules. Easily remembered, easily followed. One: that you would go about in disguise, so as to prevent a panic. Two: that you refrain from harming anypony while you were here. Three: that you treat the nature of your origins as a matter of national security, protecting them until such a time as I was able to decide how to handle the matter. You disobeyed all three of these instructions, each of which was a direct order from a co-ruler of Equestria, and therefore law within this country." She paused here, looking around the room. The assembly was made up of the witnesses from the incident in the entertainment district, a number of movers and shakers with political influence, and a selection of her most trusted advisors.
It had been two days since that incident. Upon returning to the castle, Lewis and Bourbon were promptly put under arrest in two private rooms, and entry to anypony, Luna included, was denied. Luna had tried to figure out what her sister was thinking, and explain exactly what had happened, but Celestia had simply responded that she had to find a way to handle the situation. Clearly, she had come up with something. Luna hoped it was good.
Lewis, in spite of the heavy chains, was unbowed. He knew that he had done the right thing. Any cost he had bear in exchange was worth it. He would not show weakness or remorse when he felt neither. To do otherwise was disingenuous and beneath him. Either they would see that he had acted justly, or not.
Celestia cleared her throat and continued. "To address your first offense, you removed the enchanted cloak given to you so as to disguise yourself, in full view of the public. This is correct to your knowledge?"
"Yes ma'am," said Lewis.
Luna butted in, "But he was only trying to . . . ."
Celestia shot her a glare that silenced her objection. "The reading of these charges will not be interrupted." She returned her attention to Lewis. "Second, you used a weapon, previously unheard of in Equestria, to disable several ponies. One of them is still in the hospital, and has suffered sever neurological damage. Most likely, Brisk will never be able to walk, or reproduce again." Lewis didn't even twitch.
"Lastly," Celestia continued, "by doing these things, you put this government in a position whereby we were forced to explain your presence to the public without being properly prepared to do so. By this token, you have broken my third and final edict." She looked around the court. "Of course, it must also be mentioned that, aside from disobeying my orders, the brutal beating dispensed by yourself and your companion Bourbon, was against the law. You had neither the right nor authority to enforce any of the laws of this country."
Still, Lewis looked utterly unconcerned. Luna was in a state fit to panic, or grab her sister and shake her to end this madness. Lewis was a hero! Then, she noticed that Celestia's hoof was on hers, and a beneficent smile on her face in place of the stern glare she had worn previously.
"However," she went on in a milder tone, "as my sister has no doubt been trying to blurt out, there are extenuating circumstances. You saw a horrifying crime about to be committed, and prevented it. In doing this, you saved my beloved sister from an unspeakable fate, which most likely would have culminated in her death. For this, you have my undying thanks." Lewis reacted at last, nodding politely to acknowledge Celestia's statement.
"The fact remains that you committed several criminal acts, and there must be a punishment of some kind. Since there is no doubt of your guilt, or the circumstances surrounding it, it falls to me to decide your fate." She stood tall, seeming to grow to fill the room. Luna covered her eyes, ready to cry. Lewis would be punished for saving her?
"Let it be known, that it is my judgment, having heard all evidence related, that you Lewis, shall serve for no less than three years, as an Equestrian Federal Marshall."
Luna uncovered her eyes and blinked. "Federal what now?" She looked up to see that Celestia's small smile had turned into a wide grin.
"In this way," she went on, "you may put your skills to use upholding the law, and serving the public good, this time with the authority to do so legally, so we don't have to do all this court-hearing nonsense again. During this three year period, I will commission my student Twilight Sparkle, to investigate some method of sending you home, which you may do once your sentence is up. Do you understand?"
Lewis stood. "Yes, Princess. I accept my punishment, and understand what it is you wish."
Two royal guards stepped forward and removed his shackles. "Thank you," Luna whispered to her sister. Celestia just smiled that much wider. Luna looked at Lewis and he finally returned her gaze. She blushed, hiding her reddening cheeks behind her hair. The last time he had seen her, she had been outright hysterical. Of course, that was excusable given the circumstances, but it was still embarrassing. Before she could get a chance to speak to him, the guards escorted him from the room. Luna shot a questioning glance at Celestia.
Celestia caught the look. "You can talk to him later. Right now, we need to clear everypony out of here so we can take care of some business."
Applejack lugged her load of apples down past the rows of trees to the barn in the evening sun. Applebloom trotted along beside her, chatting cheerfully about school. The sisters were close, they always had been. They talked about everything. Well, almost everything. Sometimes Applejack told Applebloom there were things that she was too young to know about, promising that they would discuss such things when she got older. It got frustrating for the filly. She understood more than either of her siblings believed, and sometimes she had questions. Still, Applejack refused, and if Applejack wouldn't, there was no way Big Macintosh would be open to a discussion.
Lewis had been gone for several days, and no word had reached them from Canterlot. Even the friendship report that Twilight had sent in the previous day, (something silly about not trying to blah blah blah none of the Apple family really cared) had not received a response. They found the silence disturbing. It wore on their nerves and left them irritable. None of them were willing to admit it, but it felt like there was somepony missing. Applejack was especially affected, spending every evening at her spot on the hill, going to bed late. Sometimes, Applebloom heard the small soft cries that her older sister made in the wee hours of the morning, and she could occasionally make out a name. "Lewis."
Of course, this had a pronounced affect on Applejack's work. She worked hard, but there was a decided sloppiness to it, as though she were working just for the sake of it, without concern for actual productivity. Just to keep her mind occupied. Applebloom walked with her some after school, and it seemed to help a little. The conversations tended to be one-sided, which irritated Applebloom. Finally, she decided that if Applejack continued like this, she was going to drive the whole family insane. Somepony had to get a rise out of her.
"Applejack?" Applebloom asked, stopping in front of Applejack to ensure that her sister heard her.
"Hmmm?"
"Do you have a very special somepony?"
Applejack rolled her eyes. "Aw cumon sis, yall know the answer tah that. I ain't got time fer that nonsense, and there ain't no stallions that ah like."
Applebloom snickered, "Yer lyin' Applejack."
Of course, being the element of honesty, Applejack took some offense at this. "Now wait just one apple-pickin' minute. Yall can get off with a lot, but what's this 'bout me lyin'?"
Applebloom danced around her sister and the cart, giggling as she said, "I know, I know, I know who you li-ike!"
"What are yah talkin' about?"
Applebloom stopped and looked her dead in the eye, frightening her older sister as she caught a glimpse of exactly how much her little sister really noticed. "You're in love with Lewis," she said, a teasing grin on her face.
The grin vanished as Applejack put a hoof over her mouth. Looking around, she carried her little sister out of sight. When they were well off the path, she put Applebloom down. Now it was the little filly's turn to be frightened. The expression on Applejack's face was a thunderous blend of fury and self-loathing. It lasted all of two second before Applebloom's image of her older sister as a tough, gritty pony that never let things get to her, was shattered as Applejack collapsed into a sobbing heap.
It took several minutes to calm her down enough to talk. "So ah was right," Applebloom said.
"Ah know," Applejack sniffed, "Ah'm a freak. Ah don't know how it happened. He was just so nice, and . . . and . . .
Applebloom stiffened. "D-did he h-hurt you?"
Applejack shook her head. "Then why . . . ?"
The older sister looked down at her hooves. "Cause ah . . . cause ah . . . ."
Applebloom leaned in and hugged her. "Ya'll really miss him too, huh?" The sisters cried together for awhile, one missing an older brother, the other missing the one she loved.
After that time passed, Applejack sat up. "Don't tell Big Macintosh. Or anypony. I'll tell 'em mahself, but ah need to do it in mah own time."
"Don't worry Applejack, ah'll-!" Applebloom was interrupted by a small cough. Followed by another. Followed by several more. Soon, she was suffering full-blown coughing fit. Applejack held her as the coughing became rapidly more violent.
"Applebloom, are yah alright?" Applebloom tried to nod, but her head merely gave a weak wobble before she passed out. Applejack looked down at her chest. It was covered in blood.
Luna wore her best gown that evening. She felt a little ridiculous, but Celestia insisted that Lewis would like it. The moon princess had learned to let go of the fact that her older sister seemed to know everything about what she thought and felt. She couldn't prevent it, and Tia always used her insider knowledge for good reasons.
So, when Celestia had teased her for falling for Lewis, she didn't bother to argue. She had accepted that fact from the moment he stepped between her and five violent sexual offenders. She wanted him, to be around him, and tonight he would receive a great honor for his efforts, couched as a punishment but an honor nevertheless. He would be a personal agent of the royal family. That meant he would have to report to Canterlot with some frequency. She would have the chance to see him periodically, and that made her happier than she could say.
It was only a few minutes after the raising of the moon, and while that often left her drained, Luna felt energized now. It was time for Lewis to officially receive his position as an Equestrian Federal Marshall. When she asked Celestia why she had never heard of one before, Celestia chuckled and admitted that she had made the title up on the spot.
"You WHAT?" Luna exclaimed, shocked.
"Well, I needed to do something, and I picked the words 'Federal Marshall' out of his head when he was looking at the Royal Guard that arrested him. I intended from the start to put him in a law-enforcement position, but I wanted him to understand exactly what he would be doing. Also, when I understood the concept, it actually fit better with what I had in mind."
Luna looked more confused than before, giving Celestia cause to chuckle. "Sister, you have to know by now that I can read the minds of others." Luna huffed, her suspicions confirmed.
"At any rate," Celestia continued, "a Federal Marshall is a law enforcement officer with comparatively broad discretionary power. I will take this a step further. Lewis will essentially receive his authority directly from you and I. Nopony except us will outrank him, although he won't realize that at first."
Luna grinned. "You are a genius, sister." Celestia actually blushed at the compliment. She cared very much about her sister's opinion.
At last, it was time. They stood once more in the throne room. The witnesses were gathered again to see the "sentence carried out." Lewis and Bourbon entered together, walking down the isle towards the two princesses. When he arrived, he bowed deeply. "Lewis," Celestia acknowledged.
"Princess Celestia. And Luna. Wow, yah look stunnin' like that," he told her, making her blush furiously.
Louder, Celestia pronounced. "This human has come to our land in a time of great need and crisis. We are surrounded by new and growing dangers, and there will be those who are swept up by the ensuing chaos. To protect and serve, that is the oath of every law enforcement official in Equestria. Do you accept the responsibility that comes with that oath?"
"I do, Princess Celestia," Lewis responded.
"Kneel," she said. He complied.
"From this day forth, you will enforce the laws of this country, until your term of minimum service expires. I name you Equestrian Federal Marshall Lewis . . . ."
She stopped. Everypony looked at her, and Celestia blushed. "I'm sorry Lewis, but um . . . nopony has told me your full name."
Lewis looked up at Celestia. He thought about Bourbon and his relationship with Fluttershy. He thought about Luna, whom had become a fast friend as well. He thought about the Apple family and Sweet Apple Acres. He especially thought about Applejack. He knew his name. "My name is Lewis of Equestria."
Hello hello hello again! Its a beautiful day and I've gone ahead and produced this new chapter purely out of self-preservation, because somepony threatened to send me to the moon! Okay, okay, I'll admit, I did have fun writing it. I always do! WolfxxBrony45 sent me a lovely PM and this is now my friend. This is how I treat my friends: CHAPTER DEDICATION! OOOOOHHH YEAH! Didn't think you'd get one so soon after your first review didya? Surprise! You earned it Wolfe. I'd like to mention a couple of awesome stories, one entitled "At Her Side," by C. M. Spinks and another called "A New World," written by one of my most loyal readers, Bearie. Here's to my fellow authors :)
-Silas Grimm