//------------------------------// // Blind and blinding // Story: To protect the society // by TwiwnB //------------------------------// “Your majesty…” the guard said, trying to wake Twilight up. The alicorn ignored the voice, the warmth of her sheets being way too comfortable. “Mister Fairy is here and is waiting for you.” the guard continued. “You majesty?” But to the guard surprise, Spike entered the bedroom, went to the bed, and shook Twilight to wake up her up. “Time to get up!” the dragon said with some pleasure. His duty done, he went away to prepare the comb she would use and a glass of milk to make her wait for a proper breakfast. Twilight looked at the guard who, not knowing if he should arrest the dragon, just repeated that the judge Fairy was waiting for her in the hall. Understanding the situation, Twilight immediately got up, drank the glass of milk, combed her mane and went to the hall. “Ah, your majesty!” the judge happily greeted her. “I was told you wanted to see me?” Twilight had in fact sent a guard to summon him to her as she wanted to discuss the case with him. “I’m sorry I had to rush you like that…” apologized Twilight. “Absurd.” Fairy replied. “It’s an honor to be summoned here. I’m entirely at your service.” Twilight smiled. The good mood of that judge was somewhat infectious. “I need to know why you came to the conclusion that Fire Anthem is guilty.” she asked him. The judge smiled. “A wise choice. It means you are still considering he might be innocent. I’m happy to notice I’ve chosen well to let you judge that case.” “Even if I were to decide he isn’t guilty?” Twilight asked, surprised by the judge’s reaction. “Of course.” he answered. “I’m only interested in seeing justice prevail. I may be convinced that this young stallion is guilty, I can accept that I was wrong and I would more than gladly recognize I was wrong if I’m corrected by your majesty.” Twilight blushed. She was blown away by the fact some ponies could trust her so much, when she herself doubted her own judgment in a big way. “So what convinced you he is guilty?” Twilight asked again. “It’s quite simple actually. He has the motive to do it, he has a violent personality, he had already hit the victim and had threatened her. Also, if I were to believe his story, I would have to imagine he would have stayed into a bush just long enough to stay away from his home until the arson had been committed and to be back home before the guards had arrived to question him. In my experience, it is the most plausible scenario. Given that he will simply be thrown into jail, which won’t kill him, I think it’s the safest to lock him away.” “Maybe somepony else lit the fire.” Twilight proposed. “Who?” asked the judge, not really asking, but just agreeing to pursue the pleasant debate they were having and that he was quite enjoying. “The neighbor could have done it.” Twilight said. “Diamond Prism could have gone there and lit the fire.” “He could have.” admitted the judge. “It’s just unlikely, as he has lived near miss Full’s house for years, since before she had begun to go out with mister Anthem. The motive seems quite weak.” “Miss Full could have done it.” Twilight proposed. “She could have.” confirmed the judge. “But such ponies usually forget to break the glass in the correct direction. Also, she had been attacked by the suspect that night, so she had already enough to make him pay. Sacrificing her house seems too extreme.” “Maybe the fire was an accident.” Twilight argued. “I won’t deny it is a possibility, even if it implies a big coincidence, as the accident would have happened the very same night as the fight with mister Anthem.” Fairy debated. “Also, if we go through all the possibilities, the fire could have been caused by the mother to incriminate her daughter’s boyfriend that she hates, or by an arsonist that just happened to have chosen that very house for his bad deed, or by one of the former lover of miss Full. None of those possibilities are totally impossible.” Twilight looked down. She was being schooled by that judge she had summoned, but she was glad she was being schooled. In a way, she was hoping he would decide she wasn’t fit to decide what the truth was and would demand for Celestia to pass the judgment. At least the sun princess would know what to do. In fact, Twilight didn’t have to wait for the judge to demand it. She could put her pride on the side and just ask her mentor herself. “Oh, I was about to forget.” the judge said. “The director of the jail institution has asked me to give you that file. He said you needed it as soon as possible and he is hoping he wasn’t too late.” Twilight saw the file, which was Rainbow Blaze’s case, and smiled. The director might have worked that fast just to look good in front of the princess. But she didn’t need facts to know the truth there. He had just thought the princess needed an information, didn’t know if the information was vital or not and had assumed it was. There was something about ponies that made them believe in the perfection of the princesses. “Would you excuse me if I quickly glanced into it?” Twilight asked. “Of course.” Fairy replied, as he could have been able to wait the whole day if asked to. Twilight went through the file, ignored the nature of the crime that was way too terrible and went to the arguments of the judgment that had been passed. She found them. And she came out of her reading with a very pale face. “Is something wrong?” the judge asked, suddenly worried, almost ready to call for the guards help. “Yes. No. Maybe.” Twilight replied in a mechanical way. Rainbow Blaze’s case had been a very complicated one. The proofs were indicating, at the time, that he was guilty, but there had still been a remaining doubt. The same doubt that had been confirmed recently and had led to his liberation. No judge had sent Rainbow Blaze in jail. The order was signed by another pony. Her royal highness, princess of Equestria, Celestia, princess of the sun. As I have no other word to say it, know that Twilight threw up and, called by a very worried judge Fairy, the guards put her back in bed with one of them going to summon a doctor.