Interview with an Unexpected Mage

by musicluvr1974

Chapter 7: Litigation Part III: Trials, Negotiations, and Consternations

Mutually deciding to fly to Appleloosa rather than teleport, if only to give the townsponies time to get up and around and increase the chances that the sheriff's office would be open for business by the time they got there, Twilight and her friends landed in town and proceeded once again up the main street toward Silver Star's office. Twilight knocked on the door with a hoof.

"Sheriff!" she called. "It's us, Twilight Sparkle and friends! We're here to negotiate Jason Clavoli's early release! Something's come up we need his help with!!"

"Yer Highnesses," Silver Star replied, bowing in respect as he opened the office door, "I did already tell ya that Appleloosa needs ta see justice done here, didn't I? The trial has to go forward as planned, if'n ya don't want ponies thinkin' you're tryin' ta play favorites 'r somethin'. What's the big rush all of a sudden?"

"He may have information which will prove crucial to Equestria's national defense," replied Twilight intensely. The look in her violet eyes caused Silver Star to back up a few hooves.

"That could be a pony of a different color, there, yer Highness," the sheriff mused soberly. "But, if'n ya don't mind some friendly advice? Let the trial proceed as planned. If'n he's innocent, thar's no harm in the truth comin' t' light, is there? An' if he's guilty... incitement ta riot is one of the least harshly punished offenses in all o' Equestria. Don't worry, he'll be fine. I c'n see to it personally, if that'd set y'alls minds ta restin' easier on this here matter."

"We'd greatly appreciate it, Sheriff," Rarity put in. "Thank you ever so much."

"But--" Twilight objected. "We don't know how imminent this threat to the nation is, or even quite what it is, specifically! We might not have time to wait for him to serve a sentence!!"

"Land sakes, yer Highness, if'n ya need his advice that badly," Silver Star exclaimed, "why not interrogate him here?! I c'n set guards at the doorways, if need be..."

"And we could always soundproof the doorways and windows ourselves, dear," Rarity put in. "Not many noises have any chance of getting through an alicorn-level soundproofing spell, you know." She smiled at her friend and sometime leader.

"I suppose you're right..." Twilight replied. "He wanted to do this back at the library, but with what Luna's told us, this situation has become too unstable to wait just for the sake of comfort." She took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly, engaging in her sister-in-law's (by now well-practiced) calming ritual. "Let's do this, girls." She turned and led them down the hallway to Cell 3A once again.

"The rest of us will see to the soundproofing effort while you chat with him, darling, then you can come along later and give it an extra layer, just to 'seal the deal,' as dear Applejack might put it," Rarity told Twilight, as she turned to lead the others back up the wooden corridor.

"Back again, your Highnesses?" Jason called in greeting. "I see you've managed to retrieve Rainbow and Fluttershy. Mission accomplished, then?" he asked, smiling.

"Not exactly," Twilight replied. She teleported to the street outside Jason's cell window, zapped it with the strongest soundproofing spell she knew, then returned to the doorway in the same fashion. "Princess Luna has been helping us with the aftermath of a personal attack we suffered at Old Magical while finding Fluttershy. And she mentioned you might know something about the attacker."

"A personal attack?!" Jason jumped up from the bunk, alarmed. "What kind of attack? Did you see who was doing it?!"

"We didn't," Twilight's face became grim. "It consisted of some kind of... disembodied voice speaking inside our minds, condemning us for failures we, all and each, thought we'd outlived, gotten past, or dealt with already. Ring any bells?"

"Unfortunately, yes." Jason scowled. "Given this is a different universe from my home one, he may go by a different name here... but the modus operandi is unmistakable. You're dealing with someone my homeworld calls by a lot of different names... but the one he's most often identified by translates into both my native tongue and Equestrian as 'the Accuser.' Fitting, isn't it? I don't know how, why, or even who's responsible... but somehow you girls have fallen afoul of the Maker's personal foe himself."

Twilight gasped. "You mean... Tirek?! The Soul-Drinker?! But... that's impossible! He's locked within Tartarus, the Inescapable Prison that houses all of Equus' worst enemies! The only possible way he could have escaped is if Cer--" She broke off suddenly, facehoofing. "Oh no. Tell me that's not--" She said to Jason, "Would you excuse me for a minute?" then turned and galloped back up the hall, yelling, "FLUTTERSHY!"

"Yes, Twilight?" The butter-colored alicorn turned to her friend. "Oh my...! What's got you so upset?"

"Do you remember, about..." Twilight paused. "...three or four years ago, during that week right after we used the Elements to petrify Discord for what turned out to be the last time?"

"The week you were trying to 'disaster-proof Equestria' because you'd met yourself from the future?"

"Yeah, that week." Twilight grimaced. "And you and I returned Cerberus to guarding the gates of Tartarus?"

"Yes, what about it, Twilight?"

"Remember how we were hoping none of the monsters in there had escaped while Cerberus was away?" She grimaced again. "I think we missed one."

---

"Hear ye, hear ye..."

The bailiff's traditional call for attention rang out over the gathered crowd in Appleoosa's courthouse. The whole town had turned out today. Nopony would have risked missing what was sure to be what the Equestrian news services were (somewhat sensationalistically, Twilight thought) calling "THE TRIAL OF THE MILLENNIUM"--the day Jason Clavoli, alleged draconequus, would face justice for his crime of "willfully spreading panic and despair among our fair populace," as one of the Appleoosan newspapers had put it "after an interview with a trusted source close to the Mayor's office." "Trusted source", my left hindquarter, Twilight thought scornfully to herself. If that quote wasn't from the Mayor himself, I'll eat my CSGU diploma. Her dark thoughts were interrupted as the bailiff continued.

"All rise. The Fifth District Court of Equestria is now in session, the Honorable Judge Soy Bean presiding." As the gathered crowd, including the six Bearers of the Elements of Harmony, rose to their hooves, Twilight quickly glanced over to the defendant's box, where Habeas Corpus and Jason Clavoli were standing. Jason looked a bit nervous for a moment, but Twilight saw him bow his head, close his eyes, and whisper something too softly for even her enhanced alicorn hearing to catch at that distance. After about five seconds or so, he opened his eyes and faced the front of the courtroom with a determined expression--which completely faded into chagrin once the judge came striding in from his chambers. Judge Soy Bean was an Earth Pony who wore a black judge's robe (1) with a clear patch at the hip, almost like a window, that showed off his Cutie Mark: a gavel crossed by a noose. Twilight saw Jason cringe and facepalm. Her ears just so happened to be pointed in exactly the right direction at that moment to catch what Jason muttered to himself: "Oh, boy."

"You may be seated," Judge Bean told the crowd. As Twilight and her friends settled back into the Royal Box up at the front of the spectators' section, Twilight saw Swift Justice move from her right to the stand at the front of the courtroom. The pegasus mare flared her wings.

"Jason Clavoli, you stand accused of creating a disturbance in the streets of Appleloosa." Soy Bean turned and stared at Jason. "How do you plead?"

Habeas Corpus stood. "We plead Not Guilty, Your Honor, because my client did not create the disturbance. Two colts did, from being where they shouldn't have been. The defense calls to the stand Jason Clavoli." Twilight saw the human rise and make his way to the witness box. I hope, for all our sakes, that this works out right, Twilight thought.

The bailiff stepped forward. "Jason Clavoli, do you swear before this court to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you Honesty and Its Maker?" Jason affirmed this, and Habeas began his questioning.

"Mr. Clavoli. Could you please describe for the court the events you saw take place on the afternoon of the twentieth of July in Appleloosa's drinking establishment, the Salt Lick?"

"Certainly. I had stopped there for a refreshing drink and a cool spot to think and plan out a way to get in touch with the Octarchy, when I saw two colts try to scam their way past a bouncer and buy beer. I didn't believe, from the way they looked, that they were of legal drinking age, so, just to be on the safe side, I removed the beer from their glasses and replaced it with water. The older one became angry and started looking around the bar for whoever had changed his drink and his friend's, namely me. Odd thing, though--once they spotted me, they didn't confront me or anything. They took one look at me, screamed "Draconequus!!" and ran out of the bar like they were being chased by manticores or something. That's when I knew changing the beer they'd been about to drink was probably a mistake--more so because they went on to cause a riot in their panic. At that point, I decided it was best to just wait where I was until an authority figure got in touch. I figured I could work my way up their chain of command until I got in touch with the Princesses, who are the ones I really came here to speak to. I was relieved when the ones who came for me were the very mares I'd been hoping to speak to--the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony themselves! The rest, I think you probably know."

"Thank you, Mr. Clavoli." said Habeas Corpus. "Are the two colts you saw that day present in this courtroom today?"

"Why, yes, they are. Right over there--third row of spectators, fourth and fifth seats from the right."

"Let the record show that the defendant has indicated Crosses-the-Line-Twice and Trotsthe Line, the sons of Dotted Line and Aspiring Skies. Now, Mr. Clavoli, you say that you 'changed' the alcohol you saw them purchase into water. How did you do this?"

"Where I hail from, we call it performing a miracle, but you folks around here would more commonly call it magic. Odd reaction on the part of the colts, like I said, especially if magic is as common around here as I've seen."

"The court will please strike any speculative remarks in the defendant's last statement from the record," Soy Bean stated flatly. We're here simply for the facts. Mr. Clavoli, you say that the Line colts were the ones who instigated the riot?"

"Yes, your honor. They did."

"Thank you, Mr. Clavoli. Cross-examine?" Corpus offered to Swift Justice, who trotted up to the area before Judge Bean's bench and the witness stand. She looked the human over grimly.

"Mr. Clavoli. You claim that you used magic, yet also that you are not a draconequus. You are clearly bipedal. Equally clearly, the only known bipedal creatures capable of using magic on Equus are draconequi. Therefore, either something unprecedented is happening, or... you are lying. I don't know about you, but I would tend to go with the simpler explanation of the two, wouldn't you?" She smirked haughtily at the human.

"With all due respect, ma'am, this is Equestria... where things that would be called impossible by most of the people where I come from happen with such regularity you could set a clock by them... and often do, from what I've seen. Moving the sun and moon manually while the planet they shine on stays stationary? Levitation? Teleportation? Crops sprouting from the soil in seconds to minutes? Ponies using clouds to build furniture?? Were I in your position, I wouldn't give so much credence to logical axioms when faced with things like that." Jason spread his arms, gesturing around himself as if to indicate the entire country of Equestria.

"You say that you have seen these things happening, yet none of us have ever seen you before last week. What was it, Mr. Clavoli? An invisibility spell of some sort?" Swift Justice looked honestly curious.

"Simple. I'm not a draconequus--I'm a human, a Watcher."

All the ponies in the room (except the Bearers and the judge) drew a sudden involuntary gasp of breath at this statement. Twilight quietly exulted to herself. HA! I knew something was strange about him... how else could he have known all our names, much less which Elements we bore? Grinning smugly, she turned to share a winged high-five with Rainbow, sitting next to her in the royal box. Rainbow looked startled. Leaning over to Twilight, she whispered fiercely, "That still doesn't explain how he knows magic, much less how he was that fast at raising that darned shield! He still owes me...!" she grumbled.

Rarity quietly shushed Rainbow, pointing down at the witness box with a hoof. Swift Justice, composing herself, continued her questioning. "So... you come from the same world as Counselor Arcturus, then?"

Jason nodded. "Yes, I do. He was an author of comic books back home... I have fond memories of many pleasant hours spent reading the stories he wrote..." He sighed in remembered pleasure. "Although since he was dragged here, his own life got a heck of a lot more dramatic than almost any story he ever wrote, I can tell you," the human grinned.

"Never mind that!" Swift Justice scowled. "Counselor Arcturus' history is not at issue here! How long have you been 'watching' Equestria?" Her tone of voice, particularly on the word "watching," suggested that "spying on" would not have been an inappropriate synonym.

"Depends on which timeline or alternate universe you're talking about, Counselor," Jason replied.

"This one will suffice, thank you," she said icily.

"Since Arthur's first audience with Celestia, as a matter of fact." The majority of the courtroom erupted into panic. Judge Bean banged his gavel stand with a hoof. "Order! Order! By the Sisters, I will have order and decorum in this court!" The bailiff, another hulk of an earth pony, inhaled.

"QUIET!!!"

This fair approximation of the Royal Canterlot Voice at least got the ponies to quit shouting, though many of them still cast fearful looks Jason's way. Swift Justice resumed speaking.

"When did you decide to move from watching to intervening?"

Jason paused, a thoughtful look crossing his face. "It would have been... about a year and a half ago, roughly, during the Grand Opening of the new Wing of the Humanities at the Canterlot Museum of Natural History. Originally, I thought of just coming for a vacation--Ponyville and Canterlot seem downright restful, compared to some of what Terra was going through at the time--but the catch was, there's also another timeline I've been keeping an eye on, and in that one, things weren't going nearly as well as they have been here."

Several of the ponies sported expressions of disbelief that Judge Bean soon vocalized. "'Well'? You call getting attacked by what seems to have been Discord's entire extended family and barely getting out of it alive 'going well'?"

"Compared to the kerfluffle surrounding only having one new Princess ascend, losing the Elements of Harmony to suppress the Everfree Forest, and having a half-reformed draconequus pulling pranks around Canterlot, Ponyville, and the rest of Equestria? Yeah, I'd say this one has it pretty good, by comparison, your honor. No offense meant," Jason said, standing and bowing to Judge Bean. "The important point is that I saw events play out in that timeline that are still in your future, and given how they turned out there, I saw that Arthur's Equestria, to call it so, could probably use an extra 'corner being,' so to speak. So I decided to volunteer my services. If, that is, their Highnesses--the eight of them--accept." He bowed again, this time in the direction of the Royal Box.

The Bearers, rather than looking stunned at this statement, all wore looks that, while surprised, amounted to "Oh, so that's it...!", a phrase Twilight whispered to herself soon afterwards. Judge Bean turned to them, as did both attorneys.

"Your Highnesses, do you have anything to say to this? Can you provide proof that what this creature, this 'human,' is saying is true?" Both attorneys, prosecutor and defender, nodded vigorously in agreement. "Yes, I think we'd all like to hear this--wouldn't you, Swifty?" asked Habeas Corpus, with a wink.

Swift Justice grimaced. "I thought I told you never to call me that when we're in public--Boddy," she hissed under her breath. She glared at her opposite number, while Jason, still at the witness stand, looked on curiously. "No further questions at this time, Your Honor, but the prosecution reserves the right to recall this witness," Swift Justice told the judge.

"Very well, you may step down, Mr. Clavoli. The state calls to the stand Princesses Twilight Sparkle, Applejack Apple, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Rarity Belle, and Fluttershy Posey, Bearers of the Elements of Harmony, Redeemers of Luna, Defeaters of Discord, Ousters of Chrysalis--"

"Your Honor," interrupted Habeas Corpus, "In the interest of saving the court some time, the defense moves that we accept the Bearers' titles into the record as read, and the stenographer can add them to the official transcript later."

"Does the prosecution concur?" Soy Bean asked.

"Very well, your Honor." Swift Justice nodded, attempting (and failing) to surreptitiously wipe her brow with the back of her hoof.

"So ordered. Steno Pad, make a note to that effect. Now then, your Highnesses. Can you provide support for Mr. Clavoli's claims?" Judge Bean turned to Twilight.

"Certainly, your Honor. If the court will agree to enter a magic re-creation of our testimony into evidence?"

"It's a bit irregular, but you are Princesses... Go ahead." Swift Justice and Soy Bean nodded in unison.

"So, then," Twilight began, casting a magic screen (2) up on the wall of the courtroom, "the first inkling we had that any of this was happening was when we heard Spike--my assistant, your Honor--shouting my name as we left the Canterlot Museum of Natural History last Monday..."

---

As the Bearers' testimony (3) proceeded, Dotted Line and Aspiring Skies grew more horrified with every sentence that passed the alicorns' lips. "You colts," whispered Skies fiercely, "are in so much trouble when we get home! Your father and I raised you better than this--you know better. Cross, what were you thinking, dragging your brother into something like this?! And you, Trotsthe, you're supposed to be a stabilizing influence for your brother! Why didn't you try to talk him out of this mane-brained scheme?!"

"But Mom--" Trotsthe interrupted. "I tried, but Cross just stampeded right over my objections! He called me 'negative' for trying to talk him out of it!"

"Talk me out of it?!" Cross shot back. He snorted derisively. "Yeah, right. All you did was stand there whining like some little coward!" His voice went high-pitched and nasally as he began to mock his brother. "'Oh, Cross, Sheriff Star's gonna get us! Oh, Cross, that earth pony bouncer looks like he's gonna stomp us flat! Oh, Cross, we're dead if the Bearers of the Elements catch up!'" He rolled his eyes, looking as if he'd like to spit on his brother, but didn't dare in front of their mom and dad. "Gimme a break, you pathetic little freak...!"

"Cross...!" said his father, in a warning tone. "Obviously, I haven't been keeping a close enough eye on you. Whatever the judge decides, that's going to change as soon as we're all home."

"But Dad, it was that draconequus guy's fault!! He was the one who scared everypony in the bar by changing the drinks--"

"Which you weren't even supposed to be there to buy in the first place--with money you stole from my wallet, no less," Dotted Line replied sternly. "Now boys, if the attorneys call on you, you will go up there and own up to what you've done. Is that clear?"

Both Cross and Trotsthe gulped discernibly. "Yes, sir," they answered in small voices.

---

"Thank you for your time, your honor," concluded Twilight. "I hope we've done our part in seeing to it that justice is done here, rather than letting innocent creatures be railroaded."

"Thank you, Your Highnesses," replied Judge Bean, rising to his hooves from the bench and bowing in the Bearers' direction. "It's all become much clearer to me now. Have you anything further to add?"

"Jest this, yer Honor," Applejack said. "I gave Mr. Clavoli over thar a test t' see whether or not he'd be willin' ta break jail t' join in our search fer Fluttershy or not--an' he passed with flyin' colors! Wouldn't budge." She gestured in Jason's direction with a wing. "I've seen fer myself that he's an honest critter, an' I don't believe he's guilty o' anythin' but a bit of poor judgment."

"Thank you, Princess Applejack," the judge stated. "Counselors, have you any further evidence or testimony to bring to bear in this matter?"

"One more thing, your Honor," Habeas Corpus replied. "The defense calls to the stand Crosses-the-Line-Twice and Trotsthe Line."

The two colts in question walked nervously up to the witness stand, eyeing both their father and Applejack with furtive glances that spoke eloquently of their fervent wishes to be anywhere else on all of Equus than there in the courtroom at that moment. Nevertheless, the bailiff approached them anyway.

"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you Honesty and Its Maker?"

Trotsthe nodded solemnly as he said, "Yes." Cross sneered and tossed off "Yeah, sure, whatever, chunky." The bailiff glared at him until he subsided, silent.

"Well, young stallions?" asked Judge Bean, expectantly. "Have anything to say for yourselves?"

"Uh... we really didn't mean it, your Honor?" offered Trotsthe timidly.

"Yeah, and besides, it was all that draconequus guy's fault in the first place!" insisted Cross.

"Was it, now?" asked Habeas Corpus. "May I remind you both--not only are you under oath, but Princess Twilight has presented to this court information that clearly shows that even you, Mr. Crosses-the-Line-Twice, are significantly below the legal drinking age--to say nothing of your younger brother Trotsthe. What were you even doing in the Salt Lick in the first place?"

"We just wanted to taste some beer, to find out what it's like!" blurted Trotsthe. "Dad never lets us near his stuff!" Cross shot his brother a glare that, if it were a physical object, would have skewered him on the spot, then clouted him upside the head with a hoof.

"Shut up, you moron! We won't break their dumb oath if you keep your blabbermouth shut!"

"But, Cross," insisted Trotsthe fearfully, "there's the..." He gestured toward the Element of Honesty, glowing bright orange from the torc around Applejack's neck, "...right over there! For real! She's gonna be able to tell if we lie!"

"Don't tell me you still believe in those old Breezie-tales Mom used to tell us?! Come on...!" Cross snorted.

"Do you really want to take a chance that she was wrong?! Under these circumstances?" Trotsthe shook his head. "Not me, stallion--I like all my limbs right where they are, thanks very much." A low rumble of laughter arose from some of the ponies in the gallery upon hearing the colt's insistent statement.

"Getting back on track here," interrupted Habeas Corpus, "what happened to you in the Salt Lick?"

"Well, we were just about to take a taste of the beer we'd bought, when all of a sudden, there's this flash of blue magic around our beer glasses, and there's nothing in them but water! Naturally, I got ticked off--we'd just paid a good three bits each for the stuff, after all--and started yelling for whatever cowardly unicorn who'd done that to show himself, but nopony did, so I started lookin' around for the guy--and there he was, as big as life, this tall, skinny beanpole of a guy sitting like Ms. Lyra does a lot, but more natural, y'know? I could tell he was used to it. But then I noticed something about him that really freaked me out--his claw was glowin' the same color as the magic aura around our beers! After that it was easy to guess--two legs, unicorn magic--or that's what it looked like then, anyway--after what we've all been through this last year, who couldn't put two and two together?" Cross looked smug.

"Then, we panicked," Trotsthe put in. "We yelled, and ran for our lives... or we tried, anyway. There were too many other ponies in town who had the same idea. We got caught up in the crowd, and just barely managed to stay together. When we were by the general store, and saw those new projection-boxes with the newsponies blaming us for the riot..." He gestured helplessly. "We just ran." He blushed. "Until those blue and pink Princesses caught up with us, anyway..."

"Hay, yeah! Who's awesome? We're awesome!" Rainbow whispered, sharing a quiet wing-five with Pinkie, while Twilight and Rarity merely rolled their eyes.

"Thank you, gentlecolts," replied the defense attorney. "Cross-examine, Ms. Justice?"

The pegasus mare cleared her throat. "Thank you, Mr. Corpus. Now, colts, could you please tell this court why it took the efforts of the Bearers of Laughter and Loyalty to track you down, rather than you coming in to the police yourselves to present your side of the story? If you were so sure of your innocence, why flee from law-enforcement officers?"

"We were scared, all right, lady?? Same as everypony else in that bar. You would be too if you'd been through what we have this last year!" Cross said.

"I can certainly understand that," Swift Justice replied. "However, the affidavits from Princesses Rainbow Dash and Pinkamena Diane Pie stated that you two looked like you'd been running for a while longer than the..." She riffled through pages in a thick brief. "...estimated thirty minutes it took them to apprehend you. Several hours, in fact. Care to explain?"

"We'd also been hiding from the cops, because we didn't know who we could trust with our own side of the story," Trotsthe put in. "It was a madhouse out there...!" He shivered at the memory.

"A 'madhouse' that we are trying to determine who was responsible for inciting, Mr. Line. Anything further to add?" Swift Justice quirked an eyebrow.

"Yeah. Cross made me steal the bits we used to pay for the beer from Dad's wallet. He kept going on and on about how Dad's always so tight-hoofed when it comes to money, and said stealing it was our only chance to get enough money to do this, yadda yadda..." Trotsthe rolled his eyes as Cross' face went livid. "You little fink...!" Cross hissed at Trotsthe under his breath.

"Look, Cross, I'm tired of lying to everypony about this! Beat me up if you want when we get back home--I'll still sleep better than I have this week!"

"Well. Quite the surprise, but the ancients do say confession is good for the soul," remarked Swift Justice. "Something it seems you may want to consider for the future, Mr. Crosses-the-Line-Twice," she added with a reproachful stare at the earth pony. "No further questions for these witnesses, Your Honor."

"You said 'two more things,' Counselor. What's the other?" asked the judge. Swift Justice looked on, curious as well.

"The defense calls to the stand Stone Wall, bouncer for the Salt Lick," Habeas Corpus announced. The earth pony dwarfed most of those around him as he rose, lumbering forward down the center aisle to the witness box.

"Mr. Wall," asked Habeas Corpus once the earth pony had been sworn in, "could you please describe your view of the events that took place on July 20th at the Salt Lick?"

"Sure. I wuz doin' my usual job of watchin' the doors an' the patrons, t' make sure nopony got in who wasn't legal, when those two colts"--he gestured at Cross and Trotsthe--"came in an' demanded I get them a table. I wasn't sure they wuz old enough t'be drinkin', but their ID said they wuz 21. Funny thing is, they sorta looked like the ID's, but they looked a little funny, kinda... well, wavery, if ya know what I mean," he rumbled.

"'Wavery?' How so?" asked the defense attorney. He spoke carefully.

"Well, the edges of their bodies looked sorta... blurry-like, y'know," Stone Wall continued. "Like they wuzn't all there all the time."

"I see. Thank you, Mr. Wall. No further questions at this time, but stay in the courtroom, please. Your Honor, the defense reserves the right to recall this witness. Cross-examine?" Corpus offered to Swift Justice.

"Thank you, Counselor." Swift Justice approached the witness box. "Mr. Wall, do you have any vision problems?"

"What, me? Nah. Couldn't do muh job as a bouncer if I couldn't see ponies' faces clear, now could I? My boss insists we get our eyes checked once a month, matter of fact, ma'am."

"I see. And how long ago was your last checkup, Mr. Wall?"

"On July 17th, ma'am. The doc gave me a clean bill o' health, too--20/20."

"I see," replied Swift Justice. "Then there is simply no chance this 'blurriness' you experienced was due to any physical impairment on your part?"

"Not accordin' t' muh doc, ma'am."

"Thank you, Mr. Wall," said the pegasus prosecutor. "No further questions, your honor."

"Your Honor!" called Habeas Corpus. "In light of these new developments, may the defense call an expert witness to consult?"

"You said one more thing, Counselor," reminded Soy Bean. "I will allow this irregularity, because I'm curious to see where you're going with this, but be aware this is the last surprise this court will tolerate. Any more of these shenanigans and you will find yourself in a cell near your client's, for contempt of court. Clear?"

"Very much so, your Honor. I promise, last one. The defense calls to the stand Princess Twilight Sparkle, the Bearer of Magic."

Surprised, Twilight made her way from the Royal Box to the witness stand. What's Corpus up to? she wondered.

"Your Highness, as the Bearer of the Element of Magic, would it be fair to say you're an expert in all types of magical effects?" asked Habeas Corpus.

"I have a Master's degree in Magical Theory," replied Twilight. "I was considering going for my doctorate, before Discord's demise last year. What's this all about, Counselor?"

"Would it be fair to say you're familiar with diagnosis of when a magical effect has been used on somepony?"

"Oh, that. Well, yes, if the trace is fresh enough, I can sense what type of spell has been used on somebeing. But it doesn't last more than a month, at best. The more recently the spell has been used, the better."

"Can you describe for us the effect of being under an Illusion spell?"

Aha, so that's why he asked. Clever stallion, this guy, Twilight mused to herself. Aloud she said, "Yes, I can. The more skillfully a spell of the Illusion school is cast, the less way there is for an untrained pony to see it isn't a real image being projected. Less skillful castings will result in a lensing effect, producing blurred or out-of focus edges to the image."

"I see." Habeas Corpus turned toward Judge Bean's bench. "Your honor, based upon the testimony of this expert witness, it is the contention of the defense that Stone Wall was subjected to an illusion spell at or shortly before the time he had contact with the Line brothers. May I speculate, your Honor?"

Judge Bean motioned with a hoof for him to continue. "I'm all ears, Counselor. Please proceed."

"Thank you, Your Honor. It is the supposition of the defense that Crosses-the-Line-Twice somehow obtained the help of a unicorn, or perhaps a scroll written by a unicorn, to deceive Mr. Wall into believing that he and his brother were of legal drinking age. This, if true, clearly indicates that he and his brother fully intended to obtain supplies of alcohol illegally, but were halted in the commission of said intent by my client. As such, it is our contention that my client deserves not a sentence, but the thanks of everypony involved with the Line siblings' attempt to make themselves delinquent. No further questions, your Honor."

"Thank you, your Highness. You may step down." As Twilight returned to the Royal Box, Judge Bean turned to eye the Line brothers in the gallery. Prudently, they weren't saying anything, even to one another, but he saw that Cross had broken out in a sweat. "I think we can all see what's coming next. Ms. Prosecutor, would you do the honors?"

"Gladly, your Honor." She scowled. "The state recalls to the stand Crosses-the-Line-Twice and Trotsthe Line." As the two colts shakily rose to their hooves and made their way to the witness stand once again, Twilight heard Swift Justice growl under her breath, "Try to make a fool out of me, will you?! Not blasted likely..."

"Mr. Cross. Is this true? Did you use an illusion spell on Stone Wall to augment your false identifications?"

Faced with the truth he had deemed any non-earth pony too stupid to uncover, Cross did nothing but nod wordlessly. Twilight saw Trotsthe slump to the surface of the witness stand and heard him mutter with weary sarcasm, "Foolproof, huh?"

"Let the record show the witness has answered nonverbally, in the affirmative," stated Swift Justice. "I believe this clinches it, Your Honor. No further questions for these witnesses." She turned her back on the witness box. "Cross-examine?" she offered.

"No need, I think," replied Habeas Corpus, with an ill-concealed grin. "No further questions for these witnesses, your honor."

"Very well. Then if there is nothing further from any respondent, I will retire to my chambers for ten minutes to consider the verdict," responded Soy Bean. "Court is hereby in recess." His hoof came down on the gavel stand with a resounding CHOK that echoed throughout the courtroom. He rose and swept from the bench, heading towards a side door through which the Bearers of the Elements could see, thanks to the correct angle and alicornically-enhanced eyesight, a lavishly appointed suite of offices. The judge entered a solidly built, polished wood doorway, and the door closed behind him with an echoing boom similar to the one the courthouse door had emitted behind Fluttershy the previous Wednesday.

The ponies all began stretching, standing, and heading for the restrooms, vending machines or the outer steps for relief, snacks or fresh air, respectively. Twilight, remaining seated in the Royal Box with her fellow Bearers, looked worriedly at the rest of her friends. "Please, Maker of Equinus Sapiens, let this turn out all right...!" she prayed. Her friends nodded, seconding the motion. Applejack, however, turned quizzically to Twilight.

"Sugarcube, I think we all know why ya said that; with what Luna's revealed to us, Jason's advice is too important ta Equestria's future security ta let him slip out o' our hooves... but what are ya worried about? That there was some o' the fanciest footwork I've seen outside o' Apple Family Reunion squaredances... an' the best part is, t'was all in the service o' the truth bein' brought ta light." She grinned. "I jest might hafta give both attorneys a royal commendation after all this hootin' an' hollerin' dies down."

Fluttershy slipped a comforting wing over Twilight's withers. "Don't worry, Twilight. We can still use the time of Jason's sentence the way Sheriff Star suggested. Besides, look on the bright side--it'll give us more time to make friends with him."

"Yeah, Twilight! Plus it gives me and my future party partner more time to plan out his "Welcome to Equestria" party!" Pinkie grinned as well. "So... many... ideas...!!" She somehow managed to sigh eagerly.

"And maybe the mystery of his freaky-quick shields will finally be mine!!" threw in Rainbow. "Oh, wait--did I just say that out loud?" She blushed, scratching the back of her mane with a hoof. "Heh, sorry, girls--just got a little carried away there..."

"Don't worry, Twilight--whatever may come, to us, to our friends old and new, to Equestria itself, you can at least trust in one thing: we're with you and for you, no matter what may come--even the worst! Possible! Thing!" declared Rarity, after which all the Bearers shared a laugh.

"Thanks, girls," Twilight breathed a sigh of relief. "We can only do what we can do, I guess. The rest is in the Maker's hooves." (4)

---

"All rise. The Fifth District Court of Equestria now resumes session, the Honorable Judge Soy Bean presiding." The bailiff's words echoed over the silent courtroom. The entire crowd of ponies seemed to be holding its collective breath to hear Soy Bean's verdict. He seated himself behind his bench in a swirl of dark fabric, and at last spoke.

"Jason Clavoli, step forward." The human, looking chagrined, did so. Judge Bean cleared his throat, then continued.

"Because by your own testimony, you have been a Watcher of this world since Counselor Arcturus arrived, you ought to have known the sociopolitical climate or mood of the populace before coming here. Therefore, I am inclined to impose some penalty upon you. This, however, will be mitigated by the evident fact that Equestrian citizens are easily panic-prone, as well as the fact that you are not directly responsible for instigating the riot. This court hereby sentences the alien visitor, the stallion calling himself Jason Clavoli, to two weeks' imprisonment in the Appleloosa correctional facility." He pounded his gavel stand once with a hoof. "Court is adjourned."

"Two weeks?! Aw, man! What a gyp!" yelled Cross. "That's so unfair!"

"Hey, look on the bright side, Cross," responded his brother. "At least it's over." The two colts each felt a hoof grasp their earlobes.

"Over?" came their father's ice-cold voice, sending chills through them both. "Oh, no, young stallions--this is far from over, I think you'll find. We're going home and have a nice long chat about just what constitutes proper behavior for our household..."

Author's Note:

(1) Tailored for quadrupedal wear, of course.

(2) Similar to what Celestia reviewed Twilight's life with in "Magical Mystery Cure;" also similar to what the stallions in this excellent story by Rouis use to show movies.

(3) Covering the events recounted in the Prologue (both parts) and Chapters 2 and 3. Look there again if you want to know what they'll be discussing.

(4) Every creature conceives of the Creator as being like themselves, don't they?

Well, new chapter's up! (Finally, huh?) Comment, rate, like, favorite, etc., etc., etc. See you next time! I have plans...

Comments

[Storyteller27]

An' if he's guilty... incitement ta riot is one of the least harshly punished offenses in all o' Equestria....

WHAT?

Why, if you don't mind my asking, would this be the case?

[musicluvr1974]

4756331 Have you seen how easily and how often these characters panic--particularly the background ponies?

The defense rests, fillies and gentlecolts...

[RealityCheck]

The judge's decision is not legitimate. Clavoli did absolutely nothing to instigate the riot. "Watcher" or not, the law does not have the authority to expect supernatural precognitive abilities of a defendant, aka they can't expect him to predict irrational responses to perfectly peaceful and law-abiding behavior.

You've wasted all these chapters on a "legal case" that should have been over in one paragraph-- the moment the sheriff found out who'd hollered "draconequus". You have SIX princesses, rulers of an entire nation, walking around with their hooves tied in a two-bit municipal court, and you have a judge administering a decision so unjust and unlawful that would have been donkey-laughed out of court the moment it left his lips. And you STILL haven't gotten to the meat of the story!