Author's notes

Welcome back! Thank you guys for being patient; I know the long wait must have been grueling for you readers.

Shout outs:

Stache38: Yea, I noticed that the amount of fanfictions published seemed to have jumped when this thing began to take off. It wasn't just me that inspired those readers, there were others in here that inspired those readers as well. I wish to tell those inspired readers, though; is to stretch those talents to not just to fanfiction, but to storytelling in general. I've learn so much writing this, and I'm about to tackle the publishing industry to see if I can get some of my non-fanfiction works off the ground. I've seen writers that do fanfiction with enough talent that would blow this little boat right out of the water, But I never heard of any of them going beyond just fanfiction, though... Which is sad. I know that writing talent means nothing when there's no passion behind it, but passion isn't just limited to a fascination, though. A passion could be an idea, faith, or anything in that manner and that can be enough to expand their horizons, not just being a fan of a T.V. show or game. I was writing this because I was a fan of MLP and Sonic, and crossing them over was just too good to not try... But later... I found myself writing this thing because this thing inspires people, and along the way (not related to this story), I found a passion that'll hopefully get me in the publishing industry.

WTF: Well you might hate this chapter... Might. Anything can happen, right? :p

Better late than never, here's the final arc.

---

"Sonic! Sonic!"

Tails was running as fast as he could towards the Library, with his tails spinning frantically behind him as they propel him forwards; so fast that his feet were barely touching the ground. He didn't even care to break when he approached the door, his whole body slammed into it. The door gave way as Tails fell in, rolling on his back and landing back up on his feet.

The force caused an avalanche of books to pile on Twilight, but that was the least of Tails' concern.

"Sonic!"

He rushed to the kitchen to find Sonic, Knuckles, and Amy in the kitchen. The three were interrupted from their friendly chat when Tails bumped the table and slammed something on the table.

"whoa!" Knuckles shouted in surprise as his fists went up, "Chill dude!"

"Guys!" Tails nearly screamed, shuffling to push a stack of papers in front of Sonic, "We have a situation! I was justwalkthoughtownandIsawsomethinginthe-"

"Tails, take a deep breath" Sonic interceded, putting his hands on his friend's shoulder. Whatever has him so panicked must be serious… In fact, this was just a few times that Sonic saw him in a complete mess, "Tell us what's going on."

It was at this moment when Sonic and the others noticed the grim expression on Tail's face. His eyes were dilated with his breathing so incoherent that they thought he was having a heart attack. The fox tried to calm himself down, but only slammed a newspaper on the table.

Puzzled, the three leaned over to see the paper in question and reared back when they saw Shadow being escorted by a whole platoon of soldiers with a massive mob marching right behind them.

"Why is Shadow arrested?" Amy gasped, "Scratch that, how did he end up in their custody to begin with?"

Frantically, the three began to read.

Equestria's killer faces death

Just yesterday, Shadow the Hedgehog, a member of Sonic's team that has tried to assassinate the princess and nearly destroyed the Kingdom of Equestria, has been found in custody of the Royal Guards. According to the soldiers, Shadow was found approaching the castle gate, simply handing himself over to custody.

"It was one of the most bizarre thing my stallions has ever seen," A guard said to us, who was there during the arrest, "He just popped up at the gate and gave himself in without a fight."

There was a massive crowd of Canterlot citizens following the guards that were escorting the hedgehog to Celestia's temporary headquarters. They have made their position very clear that they want this killer to face death by execution. Although they were disappointed by Eggman's sentencing (which is life in prison), this crowd seems willing to not let this one slip by.

"That hedgehog murdered my son!" A Canterlot citizen shouted in tears, "I want to see him pay for what he did to me and to the rest of us! I'll fight the very throne to make sure we get justice!"

Although we have tried to get an interview with Princess Celestia or Luna about the current situation, they are currently unavailable at this present time. We have, however, managed to question one of Celestia's advisors, who was hesitant to speak with us.

"Everyone is demanding that justice is carried out," He said to us, "They're right to think so, and I want to see this justice be done more than anypony, but it's not that simple. We can't just go around and start killing sapient beings, they have to be tried like the rest of us."

We will continue the coverage, and update our readers whenever we can.

The newspaper was found abandoned on the kitchen table. The room itself was completely void of life as soon as the four read the article. They dashing out of the library as fast as they could to make a mad dash for Canterlot.

---

Princess Celestia, yet again, sat on her chair in her makeshift building with dozens upon dozens of the most high classed ponies stood anciently and patiently before her. Outside of her building were thousands of angry ponies, every single one of them screaming the same thing they have been shouting since a trial was demanded… Death. This crowd only grew as ponies from other towns began to trot in. When was the last time that her majesty ever saw an angry mob? The time when her kingdom was just getting started with her first generation of ponies?

Her adviser was beside her; nervous, just looking at the mob outside was enough to tremble her.

"If I would make a suggestion, you're majesty," She whispered, "Is it possible for you to work out a compromise? Is it possible to give this hedgehog a life sentence, and use the same argument as you have against Eggman?"

The princess only shook her head and whispered back, wearingly looking at the ponies below her, "Our subjects well understood Eggman's state of mind, he will be in a jail cell knowing he has failed," She quickly glanced at the hedgehog below her, who was on his knees with his hands shackled by steel shackles that glow with a powerful spell, "The high class here is aware of Shadow's state of mind too. The hedgehog made it very clear to the guards that he wanted to pay for his actions. I've been against taking a life under any circumstances save self-defense, and these ponies made sure to alert every publisher in this kingdom to make sure the public understands too."

"Yea, but aren't you the princess?" The mare asked, "Can't you just-"

"My crown won't mean anything against a riot," She interrupted, "Should I use military force to beat back an angry mob? What if someone were to be killed? Is one life worth a couple?"

The one thing Princess Celestia hated most about this was how quick it was. Being the co-ruler of Equestia has a lot of perks, but it's not absolute. The high society can exercise a bit of influence of their own. She and the nobles can cooperate extremely well when making society flourish under her and Luna's rule. When there's conflict of ideas, however; and the princess needs to have something done without an uprising, she can take measures to ensure that her plans get through; using under handing tactics that can crumble any objecting ideas.

For this case, though; she didn't have time. If there was a bit of a warning before hand, then she can have her publishers spread a bit of positive publicity about Shadow, about how he saved Ponyville and how he regrets what he did; even have Sonic's gang give some background on him. That would create conflicting ideas within her subjects, and she can let him go. There might be a bit of unrest, sure; but it'll simply dissipate as opposing opinions. She can take the side of the ponies that takes sympathy on him.

The nobles, however; beat her to it. They've alerted the publishers as soon as they saw him in custody, and she can't censor anything without the nobles creating uproar about it. As far as she knew, the whole kingdom wanted him executed, even Luna was for it. Even though she holds nothing against the hedgehog; the princess of the night respects his wishes and won't object to it.

Celestia, in no way, can hold anything against this hedgehog. As vicious and vengeful as Shadow may be, he doesn't deserve to be shot by a death spell. She wanted him to live, and she'll say and pull anything she could without risking her kingdom to give him that life. The nobles may have managed to get her in a tight fix, but that doesn't mean she's completely trapped… She is the judge after all.

"I want you to go and find Sonic and his friends, and bring him here as soon as you can," Celestia whispered to her adviser, "They should be somewhere in this city by now."

The mare nodded and galloped out the door as fast as she could, almost knocking over a soldier that stood in her way. Princess Celestia stood from her throne and spoke with a loud voice, "I may understand that we are in a rather uncomfortable place to be holding a trial, but we need to make sure that everything is in order before opening. Does the defendant have a lawyer?"

The nobles inside the room reared back, completely baffled as the guards quizzically looked at each other.

"Well?" Celestia persisted.

A nearby law maker spoke up, angry but trying to keep his voice leveled, "No, your majesty. He is a foreigner."

Celestia nodded, "In that case, the court will have to provide him with one-"

"I don't want a lawyer," Shadow suddenly spoke up in a low and groggy voice, "I-"

A guard suddenly struck him with the blunt end of a spear, knocking him to the ground.

"No one interrupts her majesty!" He spoke angrily, "Stay silent unless spoken to!"

A ting of anger burst in her eyes as she sneered at the guard, but before she could raise her voice, her mind caught up to her. Shadow wants to pay, and he's going to say anything he could to get the death penalty. If he were to have a chance to escape out of this alive, he has to stay silent. Opening his big trap means diminishing the chance she has to save him.

"Thank you," Celestia reluctantly spoke, clearing her throat before proceeding. She looked over her shoulder and saw a handful of law ponies standing by. She pointed at a young stallion, younger than most of the ponies in the building.

"Law Greenhorn," She called, "I call you to be his representative for this trial."

He nodded and trotted as the guards gave a little leeway for the pony to stand by his side. Celestia may not have known much about her legal team, much less anything about the colt taking Shadow's side (he didn't seem too thrilled), but this won't manner. His soul purpose is to fill in shoes until Sonic and his team gets here. They are his last chance of keeping him alive.

Celestia waits for her advisor's return with them… Nervously.

"Let's start this off," She began, finally beginning the actual trial, "May the prosecutor list the charges."

Another lawyer stood before Celestia, using his magic to summing a list; a very long list that trailed all the way to Celestia's throne.

"The charges against Shadow are: attempted murder, 3rd degree murder, 2nd degree murder, 1st degree murder, destruction of property, pony slaughter, assault, violation against the crown, conspiracy, attempted assassination, assassination, grand thief, acts of terrorism…"

Princess Celestia suddenly noticed the doors creaking open as the pony continued to read. She found, to her surprise, Shining Armor trotting in and quietly taking a spot near the back. This may be because he finally gets to see Shadow facing trail, but he looked pleased; if not smudged. He bore a small smile, but… There was something off. It was as if he's trying to hold back a grin.

"Assault with a weapon, assault with deadly magic, endangerment to the environment, deforestation without permission, disturbing the peace, and endangerment to wildlife."

With the long list of charges read, the pony quietly trotted back to his original spot. Celestia darted her eyes to the window and to the door. Where's Sonic and his friends? There's no way they couldn't have heard the news, that adviser must have brought them here by now.

She shook her head. This was no time to panic; she can't stall the trial without the nobles catching on and calling her out. She has no choice but to move on.

Celestia was about to call out witnesses until she heard an extremely loud yelling from the crowd.

---

"This is stupid!" Knuckles shouted in anger, with the castle gate coming into view, "This is so freakin stupid! Why didn't we keep an eye on that hedgehog!?"

He and the rest of the team were running towards Canterlot as fast as their legs could carry them.

"The trial should already be underway by now," Tails huffed.

"Yea, what's our plan when we do get there!?" Amy shouted in anger, "Just bust in there and pull him out? I'm sure Princess Celestia wouldn't mind!"

"We can't plan anything until we know what's going on," Sonic shouted, "Let's just get there first."

The two sprinted pass the drawbridge, knocking any guard over as they rushed towards the center of the city. They didn't have to pass too many buildings to see a large wave of ponies circling over one spot. It was almost like a wall when they approached.

From first sight, they can already tell that it wasn't just noble ponies in the mist; they can see ponies from their town to all the way to the country side in this crowd. It was when they stopped and fully observe the sight when they really grasped the situation.

It was quite, there was not a voice among the crowd save a faint whisper behind the walls of Celestia's makeshift court. As the two stopped behind this crowd, they a presence radiating from the crowd; a presence so thick and heavy that the group could feel it in their lungs and chest. Their bodies nearly turned stiff as their eyes cautiously darted from one side to another. Only one word came to their minds, and that one word screamed to the pits of their hearts.

Hate… Pure hate. Sonic and the others didn't have to think to know what this looming crowd wanted. Amy tried to speak, but her voice felt like sand paper from the thick air around them.

"Shadow," She choked, "Shadow saved their lives… They… They still want him dead?"

She cast her eyes to her friends and found their bodies stiff, with their eyes darting left and right with panicking caution.

"This is wrong," Tails whispered, "This, this is so wrong. Chaos, the air is so thick here."

Sonic shook his head, trying to initiate as any leader would, "We, we have a voice in this. We need to get to that court house. Tails, can you fly us over there?"

The fox took in a deep breath, keeping his mind on the task, "I'll have to make two trips; I can't carry all three of you at once."

"Then I can stay here while you carry Knuckles and Amy," Sonic approved with a nod, turning his attention to the echidna, "Knuckles, you don't min-"

His words were cut short when he suddenly noticed the echidna's twisted face of anger. His fists were shaking as a low growl slipped from his throat. His eyes stared dead into the crowd, and they were ignited in growing, furious flames.

"Knuckles?" Sonic quietly called.

His call goes unanswered as the echidna suddenly shouted with a deep and growling voice, screaming so loud that Sonic instinctively covered his ears.

"What are you ponies doing!? Do you bunch have any idea how many lives he saved when we knocked some sense into him? He slew a giant mechanical bird made by Eggman himself! Everyone in this crowd would be dead if it wasn't for him!" He stopped when he was just a foot away from the crowd, "And you bunch are going to have him executed!? I should go ahead and beat every single one of you to a pulp; it'll be more honorable than what you're doing to your hero!"

The echidna was left panting, breathing in and out so heavily that Sonic and the other's swore that smoke was trailing from his nostrils. When the gang turned their attention to the crowd in question, they were suddenly face with a wall of sneering eyes, accompanied by an eerie silence.

One mare spoke up; her sole voice violated the silence around them. There was no edge to her voice; no anger, no sadness, only a statement so cold that Knuckles felt a chill trail against his back.

"Your friend killed my only brother… I loved him, I loved him as he was my flesh and blood. That hedgehog took him away; and I have to wake up every morning not seeing him," Faint tears began to drip down her cheeks, "I don't care what amount of good he's done… I want him to pay. I want him to face justice just like every pony here does."

Knuckles and the others noticed that the crowd, with their attention on them, slowly trotting towards them.

"What makes you think any good he's done will ever undo what he's done to us?"

Tails was taking cautious steps backwards until he felt his back side brush against Amy's, and she felt her back brush against Knuckle's and Sonic's. There were many times that they ganged up by robots, and they would always furiously face them, even to the point of routine.

But this… This was a whole other ball park.

The silence became heavier and heavier by each passing second. The team felt their throats running dry, their hearts racing as they found themselves surrounded. They could never describe the tension they felt; it was as if sheer hatred were blanketing them.

"Move! Royal adviser on a mission here! Step aside!"

The group nearly jumped when they heard a female's voice shouting within the crowd. Slowly, and grudgingly, the crowd was shifting until a mare came into view. Before Sonic and the others could ask any questions, she hurryingly introduced herself before facing the direction of the suddenly silenced trial in process.

"You're presence is needed in the makeshift courthouse," She said, quickly trotting towards the building, "I'll explain as much as I can along the way; Sonic, Knuckles, Tails, and Amy. Please follow me."

---

Never before did princess Celestia ever sighed so deeply when she heard a very familiar yell from the crowd outside. Fierce inherit yelling from a certain creature that resembles a rambling, outraged warrior. That has to be Knuckles. If Knuckles is there, then the others are here just as well. She would have yelled for joy if she didn't have eyes on her.

They're here, and the prosecutor didn't even start his accusations yet. She may have a chance to save Shadow yet. They can defend him, and their voices has to mean something more than what those nobles hired. A lawyer couldn't stand against four heroes who saved this kingdom. They can be his star witnesses. Even better, this may even start a conflict of ideas within the crowd. If that happens, she can take a side and pardon him without having a nasty riot.

She didn't even get the chance to move on with the trial when the doors opened. The four were being escorted by her advisor, and they looked absolutely shocked to see their dear friend kneeled on the ground in an absolute state of defeat. Knuckles looked like he was ready to tear somepony's head off as he sized up nearby guards… Some of them flinched.

"It's good to see you four again," She greeted formally, but with a sincere smile.

He kept his eyes on her while trying to keep a somewhat relax tone, "You too, Celes."

She nodded, "I would love to greet you more properly, but as you can see, this is far from a good time. Did my advisor inform you of what your friends will be doing?"

Sonic nodded back, and sat on the other side of the makeshift room. Celestia was now ready to call out the accusations by the prosecutor, and she felt a lot more confident now than she did just minutes ago.

The only thing that kept her nerves unbalanced, however, was her Captain. His façade of a smile did not once waver even when Sonic stepped through the door. She didn't know if Sonic is aware that the Captain is the one instigating the trial, but he seems to be taking it rather well if he was.

Twilight and her friends didn't make an appearance yet. They're not a part of the trial, but she has no idea what will happen if they voice their opinion. They're probably in the mist of the crowd right now, trying to weave their way in.

Cautiously, she continued the trial, "Without further delay, I will now call witnesses."

The prosecutor was hovering above Shadow, stalking over him like a predator as angry words spewed out of his mouth. The crowd outside was in a vicious roar of agreement as he continued shouting to the top of his lungs like an angry preacher.

"There hasn't been a day in my life that I've seen so many die! This abomination has proven that he has absolutely no regard to life."

Tails found himself printing his hand on Knuckles' shoulder to keep him from attacking the lawyer. Sonic, with his temper already boiling, shouted back as he jumped from his seat.

"He saved Ponyville! There were hundreds of ponies who saw him put his own body between him and the attacker. How can you say that he has no regard of life when he risked his own to save others? He could have left the town be engulfed in flames!"

"I know grand thieves whom has donated bits to dying fillies, you ignorant creature," The prosecute quickly shouted back, "You're saying he shouldn't pay for their crimes?" He boldly stared the princess in the eyes as he continued to shout, letting the whole audience inside and outside hear, "What do you say, your majesty? Should we pardon every thief who donated to charity?"

That question didn't help the princess at all; she could only shake her head to his question, "No. If I start implementing laws that favors over another, then how can I keep justice fair? The rules apply to everyone."

"Exactly," The colt reinstated, "And we're not talking about a thief; we're talking about a cold hearted killer. Everyone knows he's guilty, we had a tragic funeral to prove it," He cast his eyes on the kneeling hedgehog as if he was a corpse, "Why, by the sun and moon above, should the law show him any mercy?"

With his last remark, he trotted back to the group of guards. The crowd that was looming outside didn't burst out in a fit of cheers as Celestia predicted, but fell quite. She didn't know if there was something going on out there or they were quieting down to hear her continue the trial, but it caught her off guard.

Keeping her face blank, as true to a real judge, she continued, turning to Shadow's last minute lawyer, "Do you have anything to say in defense?"

The stallion fought back to roll his eyes, "No, your majesty, but I believe his friends have something to say on his behalf."

"Then I permit them to speak," She said with a nod, "May they take the stand."

Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Amy immediately stood up and walk towards Shadow's side, standing where the prosecutor was just seconds ago. They dart their eyes from one end to the room to the next, stopping when they looked out the window. Every single eye, save for Shadow's, was on them, and those eyes weight upon them like a thick blanket.

They didn't have time to rehearse, no time to pull their thoughts together when they were suddenly called. Whatever they say will determine if Shadow, an ally… no, a friend who has complicated allegiances and rivalries with them in the past, will either live or die. That played through their minds since they stepped up, and for just a few times since they've been together, fear has gripped them.

With a gulp and a very quiet cough, Sonic spoke first. He knew his 'comrade' better than anyone in here. He should set up the speech and pave the road for the others to chime in. His mind raced back since they first fought, when he sacrificed his life to save his own planet.

The crowd hushed as they hear his voice.

"Now…" He paused, struggling to let his mind collaborate with his tongue, "Shadow has committed crimes here that could never be undone. I understand that many of you already know that he was under Discord's spell-binding illusion when he committed these crimes, but I also know that it doesn't excuse it; that's like justifying murder when a pony is angry."

Sonic received several firm nods from the crowd.

"I would like to point out a few things before Princess Celestia passes judgment," He put a hand on Shadow's shoulder, looking at the crowd, "Has any one of you seen him during his attacks? Eye to eye? Raise a hoof if you did."

Several ponies from the crowd immediately raised their said hooves. A couple inside the building also put their hooves up, as well a handful of guards, including Shining Armor, also raised their hooves. Sonic then turned to Shadow.

"Can you turn your body around and look up at the crowd?" He asked.

The question immediately raised eyebrows in the court. Shadow, with his kneeled body still limp, threatening to fall over, shook his head and answered with an extremely dry voice.

"No."

Sonic gave a glance at Celestia, and she simply nodded; very curious of what the hedgehog was doing.

"Shadow, turn your body and face the crowd. That is an order."

After a long standoff between the hedgehog and the princess, he slowly, and reluctantly, shift his knees to let his front face the crowd. He raised his head, and open his eyes.

---

"Tails owes me for whacking me with the door earlier." Twilight grumbled as she rubbed her snout. She and her four friends were weaving through the crowd, while Dash was hovering above them.

"Oh, you'll get over it," The pegasus chuckled, "All he has to do is give you a hug and you'll forget it."

"Aw, he won't havta say nothin'," Applejack chimed in, "All he hasta do is give her those googly eyes and she'll go straight to tha kitchen and fix im' a sandwich."

Rainbow burst out laughing while Twilight gritted her teeth.

"I am not a house wife!" Twilight shouted.

"Oh please," Rainbow snorted, "You've been pampering him ever since he got here. You've cooked for him, you've cleaned after him."

"I was being a good host," She retorted.

"Ah had Knuckles workin for him to stay at mah place," Applejack stated, "Amy helps Fluttershy with er' animals, Sonic assisted Rarity if he's needed. What did you had im' doin' exactly?"

Twilight was about to say something, but was interrupted by Pinkie's sudden shout as she was peeking through the crowd.

"Everypony! The trial is starting!"

The other five immediately hushed, listening intensely as Celestia began the session. The six weren't exactly close to the building, so unless someone was shouting, they couldn't hear what was going on. Rainbow snickered when Shadow was struck with a spear.

"Served the two timing bit right," Rainbow shouted, "Give him another one while you're at it!"

"Quite," Twilight shushed, "I don't want you getting arrested too."

The group listened as the prosecutor began his deliberations. The crowd around them that were once cheering when Shadow was corrected silenced themselves once again. They hung onto every single word the lawyer was spewing, adding on cheers and shouts during mid sentences. Rainbow was shouting as loud as she could to cheer him on; Twilight and Rarity couldn't help but give him a couple of claps.

"Shadow isn't going to have a chance with him as the prosecutor," Rarity commented, "The nobles brag about him constantly."

"He's that good?" Twilight asked.

"Oh, yes! The very best in the business," The unicorn cheered, "He was Fancy Pants' prosecutor when he pressed charges against one of the more unruly nobles for character assassination. Not only did that mare paid fines, she was also forced to work under him for a couple of months."

"… Um."

Twilight's ear perked when she heard the distinct sound of Fluttershy's voice behind her.

"You wanted to say something?" The unicorn asked.

She nearly jumped when Twilight gave her the unexpected attention. She shook her head, but her expression told a different story. Against her better judgment and her nerves, she softly spoke.

"Do you think… Um… I'm not implementing that Shadow doesn't have issues, but… Does this seem wrong to you?"

Twilight's eyes cocked in complete shock, nearly gasping, "What are you talking about? He's finally getting what he deserves."

Fluttershy recoiled, as if she's been scolded, "W-what I meant is that…" She closed her eyes to gathered her thought, reinforcing herself in boldness, "Can you look around please?"

Curiously, she lift her head and took a good look of the surroundings, more specifically at the ponies around her. It didn't take her long to notice a sudden weight bearing down her back, like a thick smog rolling over her. It was hot, steaming mix of hatred and anger so intense that her breath was caught short. Every face she saw had some form of anger, and that energy only grew and manifested with each minute passed.

"Feels wrong, don't it?" Fluttershy asked.

Twilight couldn't help but nod, looking around her cautiously, "Yea… I-it does."

Fluttershy took in a deep breath before continuing, trying to push her feeble nerves aside, "It seemed like I was the only one who noticed. I wouldn't have come if it wasn't for Shadow being put on trial," She cast her head down, "Please don't hold this against me, but… I can't help but feel sorry for him."

The unicorn did a double take, "You actually sympathize with him!?"

Fluttershy closed her eyes and gave her a simple nod, "Yes."

Twilight gazed at her blankly for a solid second before looking away from her with absolute disgust.

"B-but only because I know he doesn't mean these things," Fluttershy continued, "I know he's not the monster you and the rest of your friends make him out to be. None of you ever gave him a chance."

Twilight stayed quite, but the pegasus continued.

"Why would he even turn himself in, Twilight? If he is a monster, then he wouldn't have come anywhere near here."

Fluttershy knew she drove a point when she saw Twilight's ears twitch. It was only brief, but it's enough to give it away.

"Can you turn your body around and look up at the crowd?" Sonic asked Shadow, with everyone else hearing him.

Suddenly she, and everypony else, saw Shadow shift his slump body to point in their direction. To see something so infamous, so notorious, someone who has killed more than anypony ever conceived to be in such a state of depression and defeat. Ponies gasped as he slowly lift his head and peer straight at the crowd ahead of him. Sonic walked to his side, with his friends behind him.

"I want everyone to take a good look at him," Sonic began, "Look at him eye to eye, and I want everyone to ask themselves if this is the same hedgehog that rampaged through this city."

Tails, Knuckles, and Amy simply stared at Sonic in complete confusion as the crowd in front of them glared at the hedgehog. Even when Shadow was nearly completely broken down, he begged to Chaos that he could look away. He felt his lips quivering, his body trembling as those eyes bore straight into him… He even felt tears. He felt his entire mind and soul being completely exposed for the entire world to see his pathetic state of weakness.

"Does everyone see him?" Sonic asked the crowd, "Because to me, this isn't the same hedgehog that you ponies saw," He puts a hand on his shoulder, "This is the hedgehog that saved my planet from being blown up to a million pieces."

It was at that moment that his other three friends caught on what he was doing. They stepped up and stood on the other side of Shadow.

"This is the hedgehog that stopped an alien invasion from taking over ours," Tails added.

Knuckles spoke up, "Let's not forget the Soleanna incident. Even after saving our planet, the human race captured and imprisoned him. He was given an opportunity by a dark being to take vengeance on the ones who defiled him. This shadow refused."

"And where would we be today if Shadow didn't defeat Eggman's prized bird," Amy chimed in, "He threw everything on the line to stop that thing."

The prosecutor was trying so hard to not chuckle. Just what were they getting at? That's not going to excuse him from his crimes; this may be the easiest case he would have of his career.

"I will ask this one more time," Sonic concluded, "Is this the Shadow you want to condemn?"

---

Applejack couldn't help but bore straight into Shadow's eyes as Sonic and the others tried to defend him. This was the first time that she could truly read him for what he was. Her ability to see honesty and truth no manner what cover it may have, screaming at her that this hedgehog was truly regretful. She couldn't say about the others, but her element spread out everything that was inside that hedgehog right in front of her. She simply shook her head, but her conscious clawed at her until she could no longer deny it.

This was wrong; the whole trial and everything involved, it's all wrong. This shouldn't be; he shouldn't be up there to begin with. She has to say something, her tongue refused to keep still, these ponies have to know.

When she look to her friends, though; she was completely caught off guard. They were having second thoughts themselves. She knew that Fluttershy and Pinkie weren't thrilled about this trial from the start, but it was such a shock to see a conflict in Rarity. She looked hurt seeing him up there.

"Guys,"

Applejack shot her head up and found Rainbow staring through the window with such uncertainty on her face. The rest of her friends looked up to her as well.

"Do you guys think that… This may be a bit too much?"

The cowpony was about to rally her friends in agreement until Dash was immediately shot down.

"Not a bit," Twilight snarled, with her eyes sneering straight ahead, "He deserves nothing less."

No one said anything to her for a second. It turned into an awkward standoff between the five, waiting for someone to challenge her. Only Applejack was aware of her friend's reaction. The others seem to be pretty oblivious of each other.

Rainbow Dash suddenly flew down and land on her hooves; facing Twilight with a hint of worry when her glair didn't once leave Shadow.

"You seem pretty intent about this, Twilight."

"Yea?" Twilight spat, with each second staring at that hedgehog driving her anger further, "I knew a couple of soldiers that were killed by him. You don't think I won't be looking forward to this?"

Applejack simply shook her head and took in a deep breath, bracing herself as she bravely but cautiously made herself known to her.

"Ah ain't goin' to say that this isn't the right thing to do, But… Ah don't know; it just seems wrong fer some reason."

The question was outstanding enough to make Twilight sway her sneer off of Shadow and onto a nervous cowpony.

"You too!? Am I the only one here who wants him to pay?"

Now, Applejack knew that Twilight can be a bit irrational if her emotions gets to the better of her, but she saw nothing but anger when she glared at her; she couldn't see anything rational in her. She figured at this point that arguing with her will be completely hopeless. The unicorn was about to spout something until she heard Fluttershy call her. Her soft, subtle voice was just enough to at least catch her attention.

"Twilight… Can you stop for one second and… Look around you?"

With her temper still boiling, she snapped her head around and quickly gathered her scenery, quickly scanning the ponies around her. Her anger radically morphed into a complete state of shock.

---

Princess Celestia was close to simply standing from her throne and knocking the hedgehog on the head for choosing an argument like that. That was the most mooshy and doinky argument ever recorded in court. She was expecting him to say anything with at least a little logic behind it. Anything behind Discord's spell, his state of confusion, uncontrollable anger; heck, even insanity would have stood ground in this case.

That's not the hedgehog? Then it wasn't Celestia that ruled Equestria. No, that was Princess Celestia that ruled Equestria… Dumbest thing she heard in her life. She would have to execute the hedgehog that literary went out on a limb to save her kingdom thanks to that statement

As soon as Sonic finished his deliberations, she slowly and subtly cast a glance at the crowd outside. She would have just simply facehooved if it wasn't for her curiously overriding that urge. She was surprised when she didn't see anypony facehooved like she almost did.

In fact. A chunk of them… Looked intrigued?

She cast another glance, this time in confusion. She felt a gasp slip her throat when she noticed ponies within the crowd mumbling among themselves. There was no way she could hear what they were saying through that window, but whatever it was, it was heated. As each second passed, the crowd grew more and more divided. She could even see what pony is sided with.

She coolly turned her attention back to the court in session, but sighed so deeply in relief in the inside. What he just pulled is about to spare an honest to the sun and moon hero. She can side with the ponies that are against this trial and not be faced with a nasty riot. She'll have to deploy her guards to make sure no pony gets hurt, but still; she and that hedgehog can walk away from this scotch free. She's giving Sonic a well-deserved kiss when this is over.

With a newfound confidence, she continued the trial. Her captain is going to lose that smug of his when she gives the verdict.

---

Twilight frantically looked around her as she began to comprehend exactly what was going on. She could hear words here and there, heated and fierce words from stallions and mares as they began to size each other up into a debate. There were ponies around her, from that simple speech, are convinced that Shadow, Equestria's most notorious killer in known history, should walk free.

"Are you kidding!" She yelled in complete disbelief.

Her friends were now gathered together in front of her as they faced the element of magic... They know that this is more personal to her than most ponies in this crowd. Fluttershy and Pinkie may have been against the trial from the very beginning, but the rest still want to see Shadow be punished. Rainbow would love to see that monster behind bars to rot, and Applejack is fond to the idea of putting him in hard, physical labor. Regardless of what they thought; they know now, without a doubt, that the intent of this trial isn't about justice. Justice was the last thing on everyone's mind when the trial began.

"Twiliy," Applejack began, "We didn't say that Shadow shouldn't be punished fer wut he did. It's just dis trial that we're thinkin' about. We think that… dis isn't the best way ta do it."

The unicorn stared at her as if she was mentally handicapped, "Oh, you too? You want him to simply walk away after everything he's done!?"

The uproar around them grew louder, but the six mares paid it no heed.

"Ah'm goin ta tell you this plain and simple," Applejack continued, "When I saw im', I didn't see da monster I was expecting."

Twilight became flustered, "How can you even say that?"

Rainbow cut in, "Applejack is the element of honesty, remember? Her horse crap detector would have went off if it wasn't the case."

"The feller is more confused dan anything else," Applejack persisted, "Ah don't think that the feller deserve sympathy but… But…"

"You're giving him sympathy," Twilight said.

"… Ah guess ah am, but clear yer head for uh second and answer me this." She locked eyes with the lavender unicorn, "Are ya here for justice, or vengeance?"

Twilight felt her head boiling as her face began to twist in anger. She was about to answer Applejack question with the loudest and angry voice she could muster. Applejack held her gaze; ready for the unicorn's honest answer. Before Twilight could retort, she felt her voice suddenly break. Those eyes pierce right into her heart, and she felt the raging bull being lassoed as she froze all together.

At that moment, she knew what her answer was going to be if she answered her question, and there's no way she was going to admit it. Instead of answering her question, she simply held her tongue. After a solid minute of awkward silence between the two, she answered her with a simple huff.

"This is the right thing to do. It doesn't manner if it's justice or vengeance; the law is the law."

Applejack sighed in disappointment. There was nothing she could do to change her mind, and pointing the fact out that she couldn't answer her question would simply do nothing. Rarity and Pinkie wanted to say something, wanted to give her any kind of reason to show the error of this trial. As they came to realize as Applejack realized, however; they remained silent.

Rainbow Dash, on the other hand, had other ideas.

"What kind of answer is that? You know you're in the wrong here, just admit it."

Twilight didn't even care to answer her question. She simply shook her head and looked onto the trial ahead in disgust.

"You know he wants to pay for his actions," The pegasus continued, "You know he threw his life down to save Ponyville. I don't think you want to admit he has good in him."

Again, Twilight ignored her. Rainbow was about to open her mouth again until she realized that arguing with her will do no good. She simply huffed and looked ahead.

"Fine, Be a vengeful jerk. We can get Celestia to at least put him in jail with Eggman."

Twilight again paid her no heed and continued to look ahead in disgust and anger. The crowd, in hushed and heated mumbles, continued to listen as the trial continued. Celestia was just about to close, and only the eldest servants of the kingdom can see her hidden smile.

---

"Does the witness has anything else to add?"

Sonic simply shook his head, "No, your majesty."

He turned face and walked back to his friends up front. As soon as he came into whispering distance, Tails immediately leaned towards him.

"You honestly think that's going to work?"

"It's the only thing we have," Sonic whispered back, "I figured that I can get Shadow to show his guilt by facing the crowd. I didn't come up with any better ideas."

Knuckles huffed, "Whatever. I don't care about this trial. These ponies have no sense of honor or justice anyways. If she pleads guilty to save her own butt; we'll just grab him and make a run for it. It's not like the princess will make a real attempt to stop us; she's been against this ordeal from the beginning."

"Then I hope you're ready to kidnap a fighting, teleporting Shadow while passing through mountains of guards in the middle of the capital." Sonic said.

"Then run and grab the emeralds when she sentences him," Knuckles said, loudly whispering, "They're in the library, aren't they? It'll be a jog down the block for you."

The echidna felt two fingers gently press against his shoulder. He turned around and found Amy subtly pointing at the window outside, "We don't have to do anything, Knuckles; the ponies outside are too busy fighting among themselves. Celestia was hoping that our argument would cause a division. If she were to give him anything less than death with the crowd wanting one thing, they'll be a nasty riot on her hooves, and the crowd is big enough to force the guards to use extreme measures. They'll do anything to protect the princess; and I don't think Equestria has ever handled a real riot. Not the kind that we have back on our planet anyways."

Sonic huffed in frustration, "Then why are the nobles pushing this if they know this might get ugly?"

Tails sighed, casting a quick glance at the infuriated high society ponies at the back of the court, "People don't think when they're angry; this is no exception."

The blue hedgehog could only pinch the bridge of his nose and cast his head down, "I should have been more persistent on him. I knew he could be a bit over the top with his sense of purpose, that's literally the only thing he lives for."

Amy put a hand on his shoulder, "Once this is over, you can go talk to him. I'm pretty sure Celestia can let him go at this rate. It wasn't just you that failed him; we all had a part in this."

They quite down as the princess began to bring the trial to a close, "Has both parties made their deliberations?"

The element bearers, and the whole crowd, hushed when Celestia spoke. Everyone was well aware that the princess will give the final verdict in just a few short minutes. The heated arguments that once covered the crowd instantly vanished when Celestia's voice echoed throughout the entire crowd.

---

Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow, Pinkie, and Applejack were dead quiet when the princess began to speak. Twilight, whom was still in front of the group, was tagged with a random colt that was standing beside her and overheard what her friends said earlier. They were whispering back and forth with scrawled frowns.

"There's no way she'll let him go," Twilight whispered loudly , "There's just no way. She's too good to simply cut him off."

The colt gave her a quizzical glance, "Of course she's going to execute him. Why wouldn't she? Literally the whole kingdom saw him; heck, I saw him fight the princesses."

"And that argument Sonic used," Twilight grumbled, "Can you still believe that he'll still stick up for him after everything that's happen? He'll rather put his friends over us than let us have justice."

The colt paused for a moment he pondered on her statement, "…Yea. That's exactly what he's doing."

They hushed when Celestia continued to speak, getting ready to move to the final stage of the trial. Again, she was speaking with a loud voice, loud enough for everypony in the audience to hear. As Twilight continued to listen, she noticed that she was having a hard time picking up what she was saying. She was hearing other ponies behind her, and it was annoying that she couldn't hear the princess, even though she was fairly close to the building. With a very heavy huff, she spun around and shouted to the crowd behind her.

"Don't you ponies know that it's illegal to speak over the princess? I'm trying to hear her here!"

It was at this moment that her mind began to process what was going on. The commotion wasn't immediately behind her; it was at the very back of the crowd, and there were shouting. The crowd was way to dense to see what was going on, but whatever it is, it's loud enough for even for her to hear.

"She's going to let him go," A deep voice rang out from the back, "She's been planning on letting him go from the very beginning!"

Now, she could have sworn that she heard that voice before. She saw her friends in front of her glancing at each other, as if looking for an answer for a question they couldn't answer. She saw Rainbow hover higher in the air to look further back of the crowd. She shortly touched back down.

Twilight galloped towards them and stopped in front of Dash, still casting glances at the back, "What's going on?"

"Somepony is creating an uproar back there," She answered, "I saw several nobles marching up here with a growing crowd behind them shouting about how Celestia is planning to let him go. It almost looked like an uprising."

The mares gasped.

"An uprising?" Twilight asked, "Did you see who was leading it?"

"Uh," Rainbow stuttered sheepishly , "no-"

"Then get up there and see who's leading it!" Twilight demanded.

Dash threw her hooves up disapprovingly before hovering up, "It wouldn't hurt you to ask nicely."

The pegasus flew over there this time, disappearing from their view when she touched ground. After a minute, they saw her airborne again, but returning much faster. She touched ground with a face of shock clearly written all over her face.

"Well, who's causing the commotion?" Twilight and the others asked.

Rainbow shook her head, "You guys will not believe this… I was flying over there and I saw more and more ponies tagging along with the crowd in the back, like the back half of this crowd is in a frenzy right now."

"Who's leading it?" Twilight asked

Rainbow took in a deep breath, "You won't believe me if I told you."

"Who?" She and the rest of her friends pressed.

"… Fancypants."

---

Princess Celestia was about to open her mouth to give the verdict when she notice the crowd outside suddenly escalating in noise. She took a subtle glance outside, and her head immediately swished to the window in total attention.

The crowd in the back was pushing their way up front, and she saw ponies around it joining the crowd. She heard them shouting, demanding something that she couldn't quite make out. She casted a spell at the beginning of the trial that transfers and amplifies her voice outside the building, but she couldn't hear what the crowd that were making their way up was saying. There were a couple of obvious ideas why they're marching mad, but it was pretty obvious to her that the whole thing was being organized.

She would never think that a pony would stoop this low to get their way.

She opened the window with her magic to fully hear the crowd, but even then; she couldn't make it out. This spectacle already put the trial on hold, and there was no way she could continue without addressing them first. With her magic still amplifying her voice, she put on a poker face and calmly, but firmly calm the crowd.

"Peace, my little ponies! There is no need for unrest; I am judging the trial according to our law."

That did managed to quiet the unruly crowd somewhat. She could see a clear division among the crowd. The unrestful crowd now made up of three quarters of the ponies there; only the ponies at the very front seemed to be completely civil. It was at this point she could make out the Six Elements of Harmony. They were in the back, but it looked like they were trying to slink away from the mass.

Suddenly, she saw a spot in the crowd being devoid of anypony except for one. As this pony trotted, the crowd made way until this lone pony was at the center. The ponies in front of him cleared, as if they wanted him to be seen by the princess. She was able to make out whom it was at this moment, her eyes liked to bulge out of her head when she recognized the stallion that stood before her.

"Our law?" Fancypants shouted at her, making his voice crisped and clear, "You mean yours. You judged our lands for as long as any of us can remember, but I say that, just once, that your own emotions has gotten to the best of you. We all knew that you were planning on letting that beast go, and I, as well as many of us here, say otherwise."

There was a roar of agreement. Celestia put on the best poker face she could muster as she faced her once trusted noble pony. How could someone as Fancypants, one of the best examples of high society, one of the few ponies that were responsible for the capital's wealth, and a born leader that's only rivaled by her best soldiers; including Shining Armor himself, would be the leader of an angry mob that wishes to overturn the justice system. She still couldn't believe what she was seeing.

Her faith in that stallion never plumped so low as it has now, but she had to stay focused, "What made you come to that conclusion, Fancy? I never knew you took rumors like that seriously."

"No rumor," The stallion sharply replied, "We know how much you value life. You kept that blasted Eggman caged up when you well knew he should have been executed. I came to respect your decision because of his mental state of defeat, to let the man suffer for the rest of his miserable life, but why is the death penalty even implemented into law when you don't even have a back bone to sentence it?"

Celestia cocked an eyebrow, "Do you know how old some of those laws are? Do you remember me carrying any kind of death sentence? The last death sentence I carried out was before even Luna's uprising, and it was that or Tartus for the pony."

The angry mob was quiet at this point. Fancy pants continued, "Well, now it'll be a good time to sentence it than ever. Don't tell me the Princess of Equestria is too feeble to carry out a simple death sentence. Think of what the other nations will say, for peep sake. We'll be the laughing stock of the century if you give him anything less than death."

It's a wonder how this stallion can face his superior in anger and still act like a supreme gentlecolt. Celestia could tell that this pony was angry; his thick façade he developed over the years won't fool her. He looked completely calm and collected to everypony else, though.

"Then I'll promptly remind them who exactly raises the sun every morning, "She said, "We shouldn't let opinions of other nations influence what we do here-"

"What you do here," Fancypants lashed, with anger very clear in his voice. His tone died down as he continued, but there was still an edge to his tone, "This trial isn't about what you want. This is about what we want; the civilians of this country wants," The crowd roared in a frenzy, "the ponies that are responsible of building this great empire; making sure that you and Princess Luna has a very conformable bed to sleep in every morning and night. I say that we have a voice in this, and I say that the hedgehog gets death!"

The princess could feel a bit of anger boil within her from hearing his baseless accusations; but she kept it in check by taking a deep, subtle breath. There was a plan forming in her mind that might can turn some of the ponies against him. The idea was still abstract in her mind; not even fully formed when she spoke, but it was the only thing she had, "Well, I hate it when my subjects and I can't come into an agreement," She bit her lip when she realized that this argument will involve a gamble. She'll have to give her position away in order to make a point, "And you're right, Fancy Pants; I do hold every life dearly," She sighed, "To be completely honest with my subjects, I was planning on letting him go from the very beginning."

She heard gasps throughout the entire audience. Before the crowd could go into another uproar, she loudly cleared her throat.

"But I made on that decision according to what was best. Those soldiers that were killed meant just as much to me as to everypony else. What was done to this kingdom will never be undone; I cried for every soldier that lay down their lives for us."

She took in another deep breath before continuing, "Let me ask everypony a question before I continue… What is justice?"

The question caught the ponies off guard, earning her several quizzical looks before Fancy Pants huffed in bewilderment.

"W-what kind of question is that?"

Celestia looked him dead in the eye before continuing, "A question I want honestly answered before I make any decision regarding Shadow's life."

There was an awkward second of silence as the crowd blankly stared at her.

"Well?" She persisted, giving Fancy her attention.

He rolled his eyes, "The administration of law. Other words, righting the wrong and punishing criminals... What we've always been doing."

She nodded, "Correct, but I know you and the rest of my subjects are very well aware of Shadow's predicament. I know everypony saw his guilt," She still wonders about Sonic's argument, "He had the power, even after he's been free from Discord's grasp, to continue to destroy. He's very well aware of everypony's opinion; and because of the amount of scrutiny he's face, he couldn't even show his face in public."

Or because he's completely anti-social, Sonic thought.

"But regardless, he still chose to save this kingdom; still chose to put his life on the line so that the rest of you can continue to live. Even under Discord's influence, he still tried to do what was best. He was spellbound into thinking that the guards were persecuting my citizens; and he did all he could to alleviate them. He had no bad intention ever since he got here, he was trying to fulfill what he believes to be his destiny by putting his life on the line for the best of life… And my citizens still want him dead? What kind of good will justice do here?"

Fancy Pants closed his eyes and quietly count to five to keep his temper in check, "It doesn't manner how good he is. He destroyed half of Canterlot, he killed dozens upon dozens of our guards, and he tried to kill you and your sister. He's perfectly capable of committing evil!"

"My point still stands, my royal subject," Celestia said, "His intentions were good from the start. Think about what would happen if he wasn't under Discord's influence. None of this would ever happen, because Shadow would never dare do something as horrible as this."

The noble pony's temper began to slip away from him, "He's guilty!"

Celestia nearly like to lash out at him, but she kept her emotions in check, "Then answer me this. Would Shadow still rampage here if he wasn't tricked by Discord?"

He didn't answer, but only stare at the princess dead in the eye, "Don't think I'll answer that trick question. Either answer would be in his favor."

"Exactly," Celestia deadpanned. She realized that she's gaining the upper hand on him; the only thing she has to do is keep pushing, "Because he was innocent before the crimes against him were ever committed. He was good when he arrived here," She casted a quick glance back to see Shadow still hunched over in a daze… But she did notice his ears perked up, as if he was listening, "And he's been good even as now. He had good intentions when he attacked us, and his intentions are good now."

"… He's a monster." Fancy Pants growled.

Out of ammo, aren't we? Celestia thought, "Then can I ask everypony a question before I give the verdict? What were your intentions before you came here; Justice, or vengeance?"

She banked that her question might cause a division again. Much, much to her relief, she once again saw pockets of ponies arguing among themselves. Fancy Pants was about to shout something to the princess, but quickly bit his tongue when he found himself among a mist of arguing ponies that now doesn't agree with him. He could only cast his head down in bitter disappointment and defeat; knowing that Shadow can now be let go.

---

Sonic, Knuckles, Tails, and Amy felt so much weight lift off their shoulders when they saw the crowd in a dispute among themselves. They let out their breaths they were holding for so long as Princess Celestia spoke.

"I have made my final decision. Shadow the Hedgehog, due to the circumstances concerning his actions, is not guilty of all charges."

Everyone inside the makeshift building felt the foundation shake as an uproar erupted outside. It was like cannon of voices and shouts going off. One glimpse outside can reveal ponies bickering, complaining, and shouting at either at the courthouse, or at each other. The princess's heart skipped a beat when she heard the commotion. She waited for a long, grueling minute watching the crowd.

Thankfully, the whole thing stayed disarrayed.

"Captain Shining Armor."

The said captain nearly slunk when she spoke his name. She, as well as everypony else in there can see the total shock on his face; as if someone froze him.

"Go round your stallions and have them gradually and peacefully disperse the crowd."

His face slowly thawed as a face of resentment and anger was revealed. The princess simply put on her sincere and calm façade when she saw him pouting.

"That's an order."

---

Three hours later

"Common Shadow," Sonic huffed as the hedgehog dragged his feet, going at a very sluggish pace to follow the group, "Thanks to that little episode, we're never letting you out of our sight again."

His head was still hung down even after a couple of hours of walking back to Ponyville. He spoke with a low voice, almost a mumble.

"I deserve to die."

Sonic was about to say something until Tails beat him to it, "You're innocent, Shadow. Everyone saw it as soon as you faced the crowd. They excepted to see a monster, but they only saw you're guilt. Every bit of it you have."

The ultimate lifeform didn't answer.

"Besides; we wouldn't let you go through a death sentence, anyways," Knuckles said, "All Sonic had to do was grab the Chaos Emeralds from the library and rescue you; whether you cooperated or not."

Shadow shook his head; still mumbling, "Shining Armor had possession of the Chaos Emeralds during that time."

The four immediately stopped and turned around.

"He ordered his guards to teleport to Twilight's library and hide the emeralds before the trial started."

Sonic felt a vessel pop, "You're kidding."

"I overheard him briefing a handful of his close soldiers about it," He explained, slowly approaching the group, but keeping his turtle pace, "They expected you to take manners into your own hands."

"And how did he found out about the Emeralds' location?" Sonic pressed, now angered.

"I told him."

Sonic threw his hands up in the air and kept walking at a turtle pace, which was seriously getting on his nerves, "Great, now we have to find them. I thought we could trust you, Shadow."

"Trust would have meant nothing if I were dead," Shadow simply answered, still dragging his feet, "Besides, I'm sure those guards smuggled those emeralds back in at this point."

Amy huffed, "You need to stop moping, Shadow. I know you're still beating yourself up for everything you've done, but that doesn't mean we need to drag our feet all the way back to Ponyville.

'Thank you!' Sonic thought.

"We're going to have a very long talk when we get back to Ponyville," Amy continued, "We're not giving you a single moment of privacy until we're sure that head of yours is straight again."

"I can teleport."

His question earned a very loud grunt from the female hedgehog, "Well, fine. If you don't want to be helped, then don't be helped. If you want be pathetic, then that's fine by me."

Sonic leans towards her with a disapproving frown, "A little harsh, don't you think?"

"Well, we can't help him if he's going to run away from us," Amy retorted, "It's up to him if he wants to open up."

With a sigh, Sonic glanced back with Shadow still dragging his feet, "Well, she's right. We can't force you into anything, but I can't imagine you saving anyone else in the state you're in now. Let us help you, and we'll make sure you get back on your feet."

Shadow disgustingly glanced away.

"Or you can mope. I don't take you to be someone that's willing to commit suicide, but believe me; I'll make sure you don't if you refuse our offer."

The black hedgehog glanced back down; thinking. He remained silent for a couple of minutes before glaring at the hedgehog, "Fine, but don't expect me to be happy about it."

"Good enough for us."

The five were approaching Ponyville as Sonic nervously observed when a few, scattered earth ponies on the outskirt of the town noticed their presence. The ponies blankly watched as they passed them, and Sonic noticed them casting murderous daggers at Shadow, whom was still indifferent to his surroundings.

As the group entered the town, the ponies on the streets that were routinely carrying on their daily lives suddenly stopped when they noticed their presence. Some gave Sonic a few seconds of recognition, but all were staring directly at Shadow. The group could only stare straight ahead as they continued on the road to the library, not wishing cause any uproar. While they were walking, they couldn't help but notice the amount of mix emotions these ponies expressed. To their surprise, most of them were giving Shadow a sincere smile before continuing their day. Although there were ponies that looked ready to rip his head off.

'They did see him save this town' Sonic thought, 'lease their opinions of him didn't change much'.

They continued in silence; taking a turn on the road that lead to the library. As soon as it came into view, however; they noticed a large, white fur stallion in a suit of golden armor just closing the door behind him. It only took the group a split second to recognize him.

"What's Shining Armor doing at the Library?" Tails asked.

Sonic glared at the captain and immediately charged at him with full speed, forming his palm into a fist and rearing it back as he approached. Before the Captain knew what happened, a punch struck the side of his cheek so hard that it slammed against the door with a loud bang and swinging it wide open. His body was thrown through the doorway and before he could stand up, something pounced on him and grabbed his horn with a death grip. He shouted with sudden pain; the next thing he saw was Sonic mounting him with fire in his eyes.

"What did you do with the Chaos Emeralds?" He demanded.

Shining Armor tried to channel a quick spell to blow him out, but Sonic's grip on his made it impossible. Instead, he quickly tucked his front hooves underneath he hedgehog and kicked, pushing the hedgehog out. The captain simply stood with a relaxed poster and faced him as the hedgehog crouches in a battle stance. He also noted his friends lingering behind him in shock.

"Nothing," He simply answered.

Knuckles snarled and marched towards him, passing Sonic and standing just a couple of feet away from the captain.

"We know what you organized when we were gone; you had a couple of your guards snatch the emeralds away from us."

Shining Armor simply rolled his eyes; there was no use of hiding anything at this point, "Well, it doesn't take a genius to figure out that you four would take manners into your own hands if that thing got the death sentence. I was going to make sure he didn't get away from his punishment."

"Do you have any idea how powerful those emeralds are?" Amy shouted as she stayed beside Shadow's side, "You had them out in the open for any inspiring villain to nab."

"For your information, miss Amy," The Captain retorted, talking down at her as a child, "I had my top stallions quickly transfer those things to a secret location."

"Where are they now?" Sonic demanded.

"Back inside the library," He quickly answered, unimpressed by the hedgehog's threats. He turned his attention to Tails, who looked less angry than the others, but was stilled peeved, "The sooner you make a portal to send yourselves and that murderer away, the better."

Tails shook his head disappointingly, "I actually looked up to you."

He simply snorted, "I honestly don't know how you out of all of them can still be behind him. I personally know you have more brains than the four of them put together. I hear my sister bragging about you every time I see her."

"Because we personally saw Shadow commit more acts of heroism than you will ever do in your lifetime."

Shining Armor liked to have snorted at the fox's comment. Instead, he only raised an eyebrow at him, "And what will Twilight think of your decision to be behind him? She knows he's every bit of a monster as much as I do."

Tails felt his blood freeze when the thought came to him; like a punch in a gut. Knuckles stood before him and snarled, "I think you better leave."

The captain nodded in agreement and began to trot away from them. While trotting away, he took one more glance behind him to glance at the hedgehog that has claimed so many of his brothers… He was going to miss them, every single one of them.

"Murderer."

As he looked forward, he suddenly felt a sharp blow to the back of his head; sharp enough for him to yelp in pain. He found a settling rock on the ground.

"Thief!" Amy shouted.

He didn't even care to look back.

---

One month later

Hours has passed, and the time of the moon to rise was almost at hand. There has been unease tension throughout the kingdom ever since the trial. This has been the first time in such a long time that a debate as divided and heated would literary split the ponies in half. Princess Celestia hopes that her subjects could get pass it, but she's just thankful that she was able to spare the hedgehog's life. She has been hearing bits of rumors here and there about their opinion of her, and no doubt; her decision regarding Shadow's life has shaken the faith of many of her subjects.

As for Fancy Pants… She never wants to see that colt again.

"Do you think I should run things until this business settles down? Maybe a couple of days?"

The princess glanced behind her and saw her sister approaching her, standing beside her as Celestia ponders on her temporary throne.

"You don't hold this decision against me, do you?" Celestia asked.

Princess Luna put a comforting wing on her sister's back and gave her a reassuring smile, "I think you went full blown retard when you gave the sentence."

She chuckled when Celestia gave her a confused look.

"But your intentions were better than theirs."

Celestia could only give her a half-hearted smile in return. Her mind has been plagued with her conflicting emotions and it's making it hard for her to think straight.

"On a serious note," Luna continued, "I knew Shadow had a good heart just as much as you did, but I wouldn't deny letting him serving others justice for their lost loved ones."

"He wasn't in his right mind when he turned himself in," Celestia said, "He keeps telling himself that he's bad, and according to the stories that Sonic and the others had told me, he's a life more than worth saving."

"There's another aspect you're not getting," Luna said, "You've shown him mercy when he thought he didn't deserve. You spared him when he thought he shouldn't pay. He's going to carry that weight with him for the rest of his life. I couldn't tell you what was absolutely right or wrong here, but-"

She stopped mid-sentence when a nervous servant humbly creped through the door.

"I-I hate to interrupt, you're majesty, b-but you have a letter."

The stallion quickly lay the letter down before them and scurried off. The two alicorn cocked their eyebrows in confusion for a second before shaking their heads.

"It's a shame that newcomers get so nervous around us." Luna said.

Celestia levitated the letter and began to open it, "They usually warm up to us after a couple of years, but I see him almost daily though."

The two opened the letter; the first thing they saw was the signature at the bottom.

"A letter from Shadow?" Celestia asked, astounded to find his signature.

Intrigued, the two read on. The letter were not cursive as most letters would be. This was printed; so clearly that a filly could read this without any trouble.

Princess Celestia and Princess Luna

Please keep this confidential. I would have Spike mail you this letter, but I would fear of Twilight or Tails catching me, or for Spike to inform anyone that I've sent a letter to you two. This is something that needs to be kept between you two and me.

I know that I've caused so much pain and suffering to you two and to your subjects. There's nothing I could do that can make up for the damages that I have done. I know that Sonic and the others hold my pass deeds with Earth and the humans as if it defines me of whom I am, but even after so long of being with them, they still have no idea whom I am… Deep inside. Every good thing I've done was nothing more but a duty; nothing more. My purpose is to do good, to benefit life. I was doing something that I was created to do. Even I don't know who I am half the time. A monster? A hero? You're decision to spare me had me thinking of my own identity.

Even though my purpose is to benefit life, for such a long time I thought I didn't care about the lives that I saved, but after the events that took place here… I was wrong. I never told anyone about this, but there wasn't a single day I don't think about the lives that I took on this planet. They faced me, even though they knew they didn't have a chance. They were brave soldiers, more brave than anything I've seen. In my rage in Canterlot, I needlessly slew them. I even saw you die in the hospital; and I felt tears… There was only one person in my life that I've mourned for, and she was closer to me than anyone will ever be.

I may have discovered my pass and my creation on earth, but I never learn what it was like to be truly alive. I made a decision that my allies, and many of your subjects will be very unpleased with. Earth will no longer has to fear Robotnic, and I know Sonic and the others can handle things if trouble were to arise.

I'm not going back home; I'm staying here. More specifically, I wish to serve under you two, Princess Celestia and Luna, to not only pay back what I've done, but to learn what I was truly missing all of my life. What it's like to truly live.

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Author's notes

Hope you readers enjoyed that tidbit.

So sorry for the long wait. This chapter DID NOT want to get finished. This was going to be longer, but I was just ready to get this thing completed. Besides, I think it's good enough already. What do yawl think?

…

I'll go ahead and say it. The next chapter is going to be the last. It's been a long ride, and I'm ready to finish it.

Let me take a moment here to say that you guys have been just wonderful. This is about to be my first complete work that I've published, and I have to say that it's been a very bumpy road for me to complete this (I came close to quitting at one point).

When I see readers from, like… Years ago still following this story to this day just astounds me. I've never expected readers to be that committed to read on and see this thing to the end, and to have so many followers and favorites just completely blows my mind.

Even though this fanfiction is not even close to achieving what I aimed for, this thing gave me a kind of confidence that nothing else but God himself has gave me. I was so unsure of myself before writing this thing, but now I feel like I can take on any challenge. I am forever in you guy's dept for giving me that.

And, just to get this out of my chest. I can recall putting stuff in this fanfiction that may not be appropriate (say, that second bonus for example). I got a hunch that it's coming back around to bite me. I now look at it and regret typing those things, but I'm not going to take it down; what's done is done and a lot of readers liked it. I'm a bad example of Christ. :/

I'll go ahead and get to munching on that last chapter. See yawl then!

Harry

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Here's a verse that'll come in handy when surfing the internet.

Make no friendship with an angry man, and with a furious man shall you not go… Least you learn his ways, and get a snare in your soul.

Proverbs 22: 24-25

Again, I can't stress this enough. These verses has nothing to do with the story. I picked this verse to share because I noticed that the internet has a tendency to be extremely opinionated. There are countless of movements that are trying to rally support (Feminism, Black Lives Manner, ect...), and these movements will always have a bunch of bad apples that's ready to lash out at anyone that disagrees with them, regardless if their motives were good or not. Just... I don't know, this seems to be good advice when dealing with those type of people.

And you can only imagine that any kind of leader has to deal with opinionated people. This verse came out of the mouth of the second king of Israel, and many bragged about the amount of wisdom he had. He must have knew what he was talking about.