The Ballad of Flash Sentry

by Z-blade Gracin

Chapter 6: The Baltimare Trial Part 2

“Ms. Fleur de Lis,” Mr. Defense inquired the white and pink mare sitting at the witness stand, “you are from Prance, is that correct?”

At first, the mare was hesitant. She looked towards Fancy Pants for some support and, in response, he smiled and nodded at her reassuringly.

“Yes, Sir,” she replied to the defense attorney with a nod.

“And your family. Could you tell the court a little about that?”

Fleur de Lis shifted in her seat.

“My family has lived in Prance for many generations. However, it is true that we have never been wealthy.”

“So, you and your family were relatively poor farmers throughout your childhood, is that correct?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“And yet, as I understand it, you have become quite wealthy…seemingly overnight, in fact. May I ask how this came about?”

Fleur de Lis looked at the attorney with a puzzled expression.

“I became famous through fashion designing and being a model for Mr. Fancy Pants’ company. Surely, you have known this from your supposed 'research' about me.”

As she said this, she nodded towards Fancy Pants’ direction. Mr. Defense nodded in agreement.

“Ah, yes. There is no denying that working for Mr. Fancy Pants indeed contributed to your wealth and status in Canterlot,” he remarked. “However…I wonder if there was yet another factor that also contributed—something that you are not telling us.”

The mare looked back at him, confused.

“I beg your pardon—?”

The attorney went to his briefcase at the Defense’s table and took from it another document.

“I have here a portion of your financial records from five years ago, Ms. Fleur de Lis.”

He returned to the witness stand and glared directly into Fleur de Lis’ lavender eyes.

“Guess what we found in one of your little transactions….”

He looked at the document and began to read aloud a summary of its contents.

“One hundred and fifty bits for clothing from Mink’s Antique Wears, fifty bits at the Canterlot Café, one hundred and twenty-five bits at Sally Shores, one hundred bits for—”

He stopped reading mid-way and retorted as he promptly lowered the document, “You clearly get the picture.”

After a moment’s pause, he asked, “May I inquire as to your unusual spending habits around the time that this financial record was made?”

Fleur de Lis almost stood, her face red with rage.

“Unusual spending?! Sir, I am a famous designer and a model for fashion in Canterlot! Of course I would usually spend bits like that! It is not unusual when other ponies in Canterlot do so! So, why is it suddenly an issue with me?”

Mr. Defense seemed unfazed by her exclamation.

“Of course, you are quite right. It could be just a coincidence…”

He suddenly spun around and stared at her with eyes like a hawk’s.

“…or could it be that you had acquired an unusual sum of bits five years ago?”

At this, Fleur de Lis straightened.

“What?! I would never—!”

The defense attorney maintained his serious demeanor.

“Ms. Fleur de Lis, may I remind you that you promised to be honest and forthright with this court!”

The mare gradually calmed herself and sat back in her chair, her head raised high with dignity.

“I have not forgotten, Sir. And I shall tell you again, I have done nothing wrong.”

“And yet, I remain unconvinced,” the dark tan pony retorted. “There is one thing, in particular, that remains unclear.”

Fleur de Lis’ eyes looked upon the defense attorney.

“Whatever do you mean, Sir?”

“I mean, you may be right about your spending habits being connected with your high status in Canterlot. But…it is most interesting that your financial records dated before and after five years ago indicate that you were actually a careful spender. Yet, your financial records five years ago indicate otherwise.”

He looked at her challengingly and inquired, “So, I must ask you, Ms. Fleur de Lis…why is this the case?”

The mare made no response. Instead, she only looked away.

“Very well, Ms. Fleur de Lis of Canterlot,” he declared. “Then, I shall tell you why. It is because you stole those two hundred fifty thousand bits from your employer and used it to buy expensive things to impress your family and friends back at home. You did all of this as a statement to the ponies you knew back in Prance—the ones who doubted your success as a fashion designer in Equestria—to show them just how wrong they were about you.”

Meanwhile, Night Light at the Prosecution’s table looked as if he was about to stand and make an objection. However, before he could do so, Fleur de Lis looked back at Defense with pleading eyes and exclaimed, “No! I did not steal anything! You have to believe me!”

The defense attorney shook his head.

“I’m sorry, Ms. Fleur de Lis, but statements are not good enough to sway this court. Facts are! And from where I’m standing, all of the facts seem to be pointing directly at you.”

As he turned to trot away, he stopped and added, “Unless, you can prove your innocence…?”

The unicorn mare struggled to come up with an answer, but sighed instead and said in replied, “No…I cannot.”

The attorney nodded satisfactorily.

“That’s what I thought.”

At that moment, Night Light stood and pounded his hoof on the table as he exclaimed clearly and powerfully, “Objection, Your Honor! The Defense is—!”

At that point, the defense attorney cut him off by exclaiming as he waved his hoof and stomped away, “Ah, nevermind! I have no further questions for the witness, anyway!”

As he was about to trot away, Fleur de Lis called out to him from the stand, “Wait! May I just say one more thing, first? Please!”

The defense attorney turned and looked back at her for a few moments. Then, he nodded, signifying that she was given permission to continue.

“I—I know I cannot prove my innocence…but I would like to, at least, explain why I spent those bits. I—I didn’t want to reveal this because of my past but now…it seems that that doesn’t matter anymore.”

Her chin quivered as her starry, lavender eyes became moist with her tears.

“Five years ago, somepony discovered what I did in Manehatten and threatened to reveal it to the authorities unless I paid him a certain sum of bits in increments each week in order for him to keep quiet. At that time, I was a careful spender, as you clearly observed in my financial records dated before and after that time. I did not know what to do. I did not have that kind of wealth at that time. So, I turned to Mr. Fancy Pants for help because I could think of no pony else that I could trust. He gave me the bits that I needed each week and told me to pay that pony the bits that he demanded. He then told me to disguise the entries in my financial records so that no pony else would become suspicious. After I had sufficiently paid all of the bits that the pony required of me that year, I never heard or saw him ever again since.”

She brushed her light pink hair and looked up at Golden Rocket seated at the Defense’s table.

“Is this what you wanted, Mr. Golden Rocket?” she exclaimed. “Is this what you wanted to see—two unicorns from Canterlot standing humiliated before you? If so, I do hope you’re satisfied! Not only have you crushed all our hopes in proving your guilt, but you have also exposed our greatest secret for all in this courtroom to hear!”

She shook her head with hurtful disbelief and tears in her eyes.

“Why? Why are you doing this? All that Fancy Pants wants is for justice to be done! But…there’s something else that you’re probably too stubborn to see! All this time, he has wanted you…to remember!”

The mayor was about to rap his gavel on the Bench to silence her but Golden Rocket raised a hoof towards him, signifying that she was to be allowed to continue. Afterwards, he looked back at the mare with a puzzled expression.

“Whatever do you mean by that, Ms. Fleur de Lis?”

“When you and Fancy Pants were young,” she explained, “you both were like brothers! But then, this…cursed incident five years ago happened and you both somehow became bitter enemies. He has since been filled with regret about what had happened between you. He wants you to remember the time before all of this—the time when you both were friends! Do you not remember, Sir?”

There was a period of silence in the courtroom as all eyes turned to Golden Rocket, awaiting his response. To the surprise of all who saw, the golden pony’s expression was grave and…sad. He sat and swallowed with his eyes lowered in thought. Clap, who was sitting on the balcony with his mother, was also surprised by the scene. His father looked so quiet and melancholy at that moment. Rarely had he ever seen him like this since the Rocket family had become wealthy three years ago. What could have caused this? What was Ms. Fleur de Lis talking about? What exactly was going on between his father and Fancy Pants to make him so sad? The entire situation didn’t make much sense to him.

"Yes," the golden pony finally said in a thoughtful tone, "I remember.”

“Then, you know what you must do, Mr. Golden Rocket” the Canterlot mare said to him.

Golden was silent.

“Please, Sir…!” she pled, her eyes reaching out to the golden stallion. “Only you can undo this hurt that has been done…to all of us!”

In that instant, Golden’s head rose as he looked at Fleur de Lis with a surprised and narrowed expression.

“Only I can make everything right again?” he chuckled sarcastically. “Forgive me, Ms. Fleur de Lis, but it seems that you are implying that I am responsible for these events! From where I am sitting, I would have to conclude that it is you who can make everything right again, not I!”

The pink-haired mare immediately stood and exclaimed, “You know that that’s not true!”

The mayor’s gavel slammed onto the Bench multiple times.

“Order!” the mayor bellowed. “Order, I say! I shall have order in this court! Ms. Fleur de Lis, you will sit back down this instant!”

With a heavy sigh, she sat back in her chair and remained silent. Mayor Bottomhoof then turned his attention to Golden Rocket.

“Mr. Golden Rocket,” he said with a hint of irritation, “will that be all?”

The golden pony nodded and replied as he adjusted his glasses, “Yes, that will be all, Your Honor.”

“Good!” the mayor snorted.

He turned to the defense attorney and said in a calmer tone, “And now, back to the trial at hand. Mr. Defense, it would appear that Ms. Fleur de Lis' story may be credible after all, even without adequate proof on her part.”

The defense attorney raised an eyebrow.

“What do you mean by that, Your Honor?”

The mayor held out the two documents (the news article and the investigation report) in his hoof and looked at them through his small spectacles.

“Well,” he explained, “according to Ms. Fleur de Lis’ testimony, she was threatened by a certain pony to give her the bits. Therefore, it is possible that the stolen bits were given to this unknown pony who, then, disappeared with them. Would you say so, Mr. Defense?”

The dark tan pony thought for a moment.

“Well…” he finally replied, rather hesitantly, “I cannot deny that that is…plausible.”

He shook his head and added in a huff, “But—but that does not explain why she or Mr. Fancy Pants could not have revealed this to us sooner!”

Fancy Pants stood and used his magic to set his monocle in his eye.

“Forgive me for speaking out of turn, Your Honor,” he said, “but is it not obvious? Ms. Fleur de Lis and I could not have done so because it would have also revealed her well-kept secret about her past. We wanted to forget about that and move forward with her new life. But now…”

He sighed sadly as he looked down.

“…it seems that that is no longer possible.”

With that, he sat back down.

“Regardless,” Defense pointed out, turning to the mayor, “neither Ms. Fleur de Lis nor Mr. Fancy Pants has any evidence that can prove this claim. All we have are their words. And even if their words proved to be true, there is still insufficient evidence that my client had anything to do with these events.”

He approached the Bench and added, “Your Honor, as I see it, all evidence at this present time seem to point solely to Ms. Fleur de Lis as the potential culprit and, therefore, to my client’s innocence in this case.”

The mayor’s head lowered, a solemn look spread across his face. After a moment’s pause, he finally lifted his head to the defense attorney’s awaiting gaze.

“Very well. Do you have any further questions for the witness, Mr. Defense?” he asked after he had cleared his throat.

Defense looked at the Canterlot pony and then back at the mayor.

“I have no further questions, Your Honor,” was his reply as he turned and walked to the Defense’s table.

The mayor gave the documents in his hoof to a security pony nearby and turned his gaze towards the Prosecution’s table.

“Mr. Night Light,” he inquired, “do you have any questions for the witness?”

There was a period of time in which there was no response from the blue unicorn. He had risen from his chair and wore a sad expression on his face as he quietly said something to Fancy Pants who was seated next to him. From where Clap was sitting, it appeared as if Night Light was saying, “I am sorry, Fancy Pants. I have done all that I could do but I cannot save Fleur de Lis without sufficient evidence. I am very sorry.”

Afterwards, Fancy Pants nodded and sighed sadly as he appeared to reply, “Thank you, Night Light…for everything.”

Clap’s heart began to break inside of him. He didn’t like what he was seeing. He felt like going down there and putting a stop to it. But he knew that there was nothing that he could do at this point. The trial was nearly over and it was becoming increasingly clear who would become the victim of this ordeal in the end.

“Mr. Night Light,” the mayor repeated, “do you wish to question the witness before she is dismissed from the stand?”

After finishing his conversation with Fancy Pants, the attorney turned to the mayor and replied, “I have…no questions to ask, Your Honor.”

He sat back down and the mayor nodded to the security pony standing nearby. The pony, in turn, walked to the witness stand and escorted Fleur de Lis to the area next to the Evidence table, where he stood guard next to her throughout the rest of the trial.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

“Based on the evidence hereby presented,” the mayor declared, “I am ready to make my declaration and my verdict. This has become a long and rather notorious case—a case so complex that even I do not have a solid conclusion, as yet. However, what has been found is that there is insufficient evidence to claim that the Defendant, Mr. Golden Rocket, was indeed responsible for the theft of a quarter of a million bits from Mr. Fancy Pants’ company. In fact, it would appear that all of the evidence that has been presented today point to Mr. Fancy Pants’ confidant, Ms. Fleur de Lis, as the pony truly responsible for the crime. Unfortunately, the evidence that we have does not provide a concrete conclusion regarding this claim. In the end, further investigation is required.”

Fancy Pants shook his head in distress and Fleur de Lis became increasingly nervous as she stood next to the burly guard and swallowed hard.

“This court hereby releases Mr. Golden Rocket from all charges and accusations in connection with this case, forthwith. This court also hereby confines Ms. Fleur de Lis for further questioning regarding her connection and her involvement in this case.”

The mayor picked up his gavel.

“Thus, I declare this case closed until further investigation is finalized!”

He was about to give a sound tap with his gavel onto the Bench to signify an end of the trial when there was suddenly a loud smack coming from the roof above them. In response, all of the ponies in the courtroom immediately looked up and were caught off-guard to see an orange-yellow pegasus stallion practically plastered onto the window pane of the glass-domed roof. He must have flown so fast that he couldn’t slow down enough in time before hitting the glass-domed roof in the process.

When Clap recognized who the pegasus was, his mouth dropped as he rolled his eyes and buried his face into his hoof.

Seriously, Bro? Again?! Stallions, you must be the clumsiest pony I’ve ever met! Well, at least you’ve gotten here just in time….

“What…the…hay…!” the mayor breathed out as he lowered his spectacles to make sure that he wasn’t just seeing things.

The wide-eyed pegasus plastered onto the roof was trying to say something but, because his lips were stuck onto the glass, all that the ponies below could hear was a loud mumbling sound. Then, with a prolonged squeaking sound, he slowly slid off the roof and out of sight.

The mayor leaned towards one of the guard ponies standing nearby and said, “Could you go and see who that pony was and if he’s all right?”

The guard ponies nodded and made their way through the aisles of ponies sitting in the Gallery and out the courtroom doors. About a few minutes later, the security guards returned with the orange-yellow pegasus stallion following close behind. Though he had recently crashed onto the City Hall roof, he didn’t appear to be injured, except for maybe his pride.

“Young stallion,” the mayor inquired with an expression of confusion on his face, “I demand to know exactly who you are and what made you disrupt this court by impacting on the City Hall roof!”

The young stallion breathed heavily, a bit weary of the speedy flight that he had recently undertaken.

“So sorry, Your Honor,” the pegasus explained, looking around the room with a look of embarrassment written on his face. “I’m Solstice…Solstice Rocket.”

The mayor straightened in response.

“Solstice Rocket?”

His eyes widened in recognition.

“Ah, yes! You must be Mr. Golden Rocket’s son!”

He sat back in his chair.

“Well, you are a little late, Mr. Solstice Rocket,” he said with a bright smile. “I was just about to end this trial. I have good news for you, though. All charges and accusations against your father have been dropped! You and your family are free to go!”

To his surprise, there was a look of hesitation on Solstice’s face as silence followed for several moments.

“Actually, Your Honor…” he finally replied, “I didn’t come here to watch. I came here…as a witness.”

The courtroom was instantly filled with shocked gasps from the other ponies in the Gallery.

“You—you’re here as a witness?” the mayor exclaimed in surprise. “Well! I did not see this one coming!”

Apparently, neither did Golden Rocket; for he was now standing and staring directly at his son with an expression of horror on his face. He knew exactly what his son was about to do.

As Solstice crossed the rows of ponies and passed the Bar and into the Well, Golden came and stood in his path between him and the witness stand. Just as he reached his father, the golden pony earnestly looked into his son’s eyes.

“Solstice…!” was all he said. Solstice got the message—one last plea not to go through with this.

Solstice swallowed as he hung his head in remorse.

“I’m sorry, Dad…” he replied, his voice choking, “but I can’t stay silent any longer. I have to do this!”

He didn’t want to disobey, let alone testify against his father like this. However, he felt that it was equally wrong (if not more wrong) to let other innocent ponies get hurt or convicted for his father’s past mistake. He would not stand for that!

As Solstice took his place at the witness stand, Night Light approached him.

“Mr. Solstice Rocket,” he began, “you have obviously exhausted much of your energies to get here, so I shall get right to the point.”

The young stallion nodded in appreciation.

“You said that you have come here as a witness,” the attorney continued. “Could you please present your testimony to the court?”

Solstice again nodded.

“Yes, of course, Sir,” he replied.

He took a deep breath and began.

“I was out doing errands yesterday at the marketplace downtown when I bumped into a good friend of the family. He had stopped working at the mansion that morning, so I asked him why. At first, he didn’t want to talk about it, but after I persisted, he finally told me. He said he had stopped working at the mansion because he had been keeping a secret about my dad for a long time. He was planning to quit and, then, write a letter to the whole family, revealing his secret. His secret was that my dad had repeatedly asked Mr. Fancy Pants and his other friends to help save my dad’s business, but they said ‘no’. After that, my dad felt that he had no other choice but to take the bits that he needed from Mr. Fancy Pants’ company so that we as a family could survive. That’s all he said to me.”

There was a moment’s silence. Then, Mayor Bottomhoof exhaled.

“Well…that was surprisingly elaborate,” he commented. “However, I would have to ask as to why this pony that you had spoken with did not come and testify about this himself.”

“He said he couldn’t make it today to testify himself because he would be out of town,” was the pegasus’ reply. “So, he asked me to testify in his place.”

“Yet, why did you not come and testify about this sooner?” Night Light further inquired.

Solstice hung his head.

“I—I didn’t want to testify against my dad…since he’s done so much for me, for my brother and for my mom. I didn’t want to believe it, so I tried to ignore it and run away. But then, I remembered something important…”

He looked up at his brother and his mother sitting at the balcony above.

“…that doing the right thing sometimes isn’t as easy as it sounds—but, in the end, it’s worth to just do it anyway.”

He gripped the Flash Sentry necklace around his neck as he nodded towards Clap seated on the balcony and Clap grinned back with pride. Night Light looked at the stallion pegasus with an impressed look on his face.

“Well said, young stallion!” he declared with a bright smile.

Just then, Mr. Defense stood.

“Objection, Your Honor!” he exclaimed, pointing his hoof at Solstice. “This stallion has no proof of this so-called ‘story’ other than the word of another pony who happened to work for Mr. Golden Rocket and was a supposed ‘friend’ of the family! For all we know, this other pony could be conspiring against my client and has sent this naïve stallion to speak in his place!”

The mayor took his spectacles off and rubbed the area between his eyes.

“I’m afraid that the Defense may be right about this one,” he said as he turned to the young stallion seated at the witness stand. “Young Stallion, though I would incline to believe your story, your word alone does not hold enough weight in this courtroom. I’m afraid to say that unless you have sufficient and liable evidence that supports your story, I will have to dismiss your testimony.”

Solstice straightened as his wings unfurled.

“But—but I do have evidence, Your Honor!” he exclaimed.

He reached into his saddlebag and took from it Golden Rocket’s financial report that Mr. Spot On had given him. He raised it in the air and declared, “Here is the evidence!”

Golden’s eyes widened and the defense attorney’s jaw dropped.

“May I see it, Mr. Solstice?” Night Light asked, extending his hoof towards the orange-yellow pegasus.

Solstice nodded in agreement and gave him the document. Night Light held the document out in front of him using his magic and examined it. Afterwards, his eyes widened.

“Your Honor…” he announced, turning to the mayor, “I believe that this will resolve this case once and for all!”

Intrigued, the mayor quickly put his spectacles back on, leaned towards the prosecuting attorney and took the document. After carefully examining it, his eyes also widened and he looked up.

“I say…!” he declared. “This document certainly helps explain many things…including…”

His eyes narrowed as he turned to Golden Rocket.

“…who bribed Ms. Fleur de Lis in the first place!”

The ponies in the room gasped and muttered among themselves as Golden Rocket swallowed and gritted his teeth. Glitter Rocket put her hooves to her mouth in astonishment and Clap leaned over the balcony rail in disbelief. He had his suspicions about his father but he wasn’t expecting them to actually turn out to be true!

As he saw his father’s reaction, Solstice swallowed as he hung his head. Did he truly do the right thing?

Just then, he felt a strange sensation come over him, as if his body was being filled with light. When he looked down, he stiffened in shock as he noticed that his Flash Sentry necklace had suddenly disappeared.

H-hey—! W-where’s my necklace—?

He looked around frantically, hoping that it had somehow loosened from his neck and had dropped onto the floor somewhere around him. When he couldn’t see it, his heart began to quicken.

Where in Equestria did it go?

Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a glow and turned towards it. His eyes widened as he saw that the side of his flank was glowing. When the glow faded, an image of a blue shield with a bright yellow lightning bolt on the front remained.

Flash Sentry’s Cutie Mark—! It’s—it’s my Cutie Mark!

He smiled as he remembered his brother saying to him a few days before, “Don’t worry, Bro! You’ll get one soon! And when you get it, it’ll be the best! Trust me!”

“Well…” he breathed almost in a whisper, “whatdeya know. You were right all along, Clap.”

“It would appear that everything has now become clear!” the mayor declared. “I shall hereby change my verdict!”

Just as he was about to pick up his gavel, Mr. Defense’s voice exclaimed with a loud, “objection!”

At this, the mayor let out a long sigh and put a hoof onto his face as he shook his head.

“Mr. Defense…” he breathed out in irritation, “this had better be for a good reason that you have interrupted me like this; for if it is not, I shall personally—!”

“My apologies, Your Honor,” Mr. Defense’s voice quickly said, “but may I be allowed to cross-examine the witness before you change your verdict?”

The mayor stopped.

“Oh. Well—why, yes! Of course, you may, Mr. Defense! Proceed!”

The defense attorney traded places with Night Light and began his inquiry.

“Mr. Solstice Rocket, where exactly did you find this…document?”

“A very close friend of the family gave it to me as evidence for his testimony,” came the reply from the young stallion. “I’d rather not say his name, if that’s all right?”

Mr. Defense rolled his eyes and let out a sigh.

“I guess that’s all right for now. So, where exactly did he find it?”

“He said he found it among my dad’s business’s financial records.”

The dark tan pony nodded.

“So, tell me, young stallion…why should we take this pony’s word for it when he could very well have fabricated this story in order to convict my client through you?”

Solstice immediately stood.

“He wouldn’t do that, Sir!” he exclaimed. “I mean, why would he do that, anyway? He’s been practically a part of the family for many years! He just wouldn’t do that!”

Defense’s expression showed little signs of acceptance of the young stallion’s explanation, but he nodded anyway.

“All right. Though I would have to disagree with you on that point, I am willing to believe that what you say is, indeed, the case. After all, he did take the time to provide evidence to reinforce the credibility of his testimony. So, let us just suppose for a moment that what you say is true. Let us suppose that this evidence that you have brought before us today is, indeed, genuine.”

He moved closer to the witness stand and stared directly into Solstice’s eyes.

“What makes you think that this document proves that my client is guilty of this crime?”

Solstice looked puzzled as he motioned towards the document in the mayor’s hoof.

“W-well…it says ‘G.R.’ under ‘recipient’ on the bottom, Sir….”

“‘G.R.’” the defense pony challenged with a swift nod. “G.R. And…naturally that proves my client’s guilt, doesn't it? Well, allow me to point out something to you, young stallion (Solstice thought this as a bit funny, considering that this pony appeared to be not much older than he was)…‘G.R.’ could mean many things! Those initials could belong to many ponies throughout Equestria! Do you want me to relate to you how many ponies we can find with these exact initials in their names? Quite a few! So how does this explanation of the evidence that you have brought today adequately prove my client’s guilt, Mr. Solstice Rocket?”

Solstice looked back at the pony’s orange eyes with an equally challenging expression. By now, he was feeling a bit threatened by this attorney’s tone of voice—undoubtedly implying that he was stupid for assuming that his father was guilty for this crime based on the document and on what Mr. Spot On had said to him. But he knew that Spot On would not lie to him about this or that what he had brought him wasn’t linked to his father in any way.

“But—but it was found in my dad’s business building!” he protested.

Defense nodded again, this time in a calmer way.

“Well, if that's the case, Solstice Rocket…” he stated, “then, why don’t we ask your father what he knows about it, shall we?”

He turned to the golden pony seated at the Defense’s table and inquired, “Mr. Golden Rocket, do you know anything about this document that your son has just described?”

After a moment’s pause, Golden nodded and replied, “Yes. As a matter of fact, I do.”

The ponies in the courtroom uttered their exclamations of surprise and the defense attorney further inquired, “Would you kindly explain to the court about this?”

“I would be most happy to,” was the golden pony’s reply. “Yes, I do indeed recognize this document and it was kept in my office in my company’s building downtown. That much is true. However, the G and the R listed under ‘recipient’ are not my initials, but are somepony else’s.”

“And what pony’s name has these initials?” Defense asked. “Please, explain.”

“A certain pony by the name of ‘Gusty Rain,’” came the reply. “When I had received word that Mr. Fancy Pants had been scammed of a quarter of a million bits, I decided to conduct a little investigation of my own. Through my private investigating, I discovered that somepony had been secretly stealing the bits from Mr. Fancy Pants’ account through his secretary at the time, Ms. Fleur de Lis.”

He motioned towards the pink-haired Canterlot pony standing with a security guard off to one side.

“When I further investigated about this pony…this ‘G.R.’…I discovered that he was called ‘Gusty Rain’ and that he was living somewhere just outside of Fillydelphia. However, when I began my investigation there, I discovered that this pony had mysteriously vanished without a trace.”

He hung his head and added, “Sadly, Your Honor, that was the end of my investigation regarding this matter. I could find no further clues regarding this ‘Gusty Rain.’”

The mayor nodded, seemingly impressed.

“This does clear up many things about the case,” he said. “Though, there is yet one question that I wish to ask you, Mr. Golden Rocket….”

Suddenly, he slammed onto the Bench and boomed, “Why in Equestria did you not reveal this before things got out of hoof?!”

In response, Golden stood and exclaimed back, “Because, Your Honor, I was not even aware that I so much as had any such document in my possession until now! I must have stored it somewhere in my files and forgot about it over time—a simple mistake, really! But now, I am glad that my son has brought this piece of evidence because it has brought to light this one important fact: That Ms. Fleur de Lis’ testimony is, indeed, true after all!”

Night Light and Fancy Pants exchanged doubtful glances and sighed as they shook their heads at Golden. Although most of the ponies in the room believed the golden pony’s story and explanation, Night Light and Fancy Pants still remained unconvinced.

After Golden Rocket had finished his testimony, the courtroom was instantly filled with gasps of surprise and of muttering. Then, the noise was promptly silenced by the mayor’s gavel tapping a few times on the Bench.

“Order!” he bellowed. “Order!”

Then, he turned to the attorneys and the other ponies present in the Well.

“I must say,” he declared, “this has been enlightening indeed! Thanks to this young stallion’s evidence and subsequent testimony, it would appear that the culprit was not Ms. Fleur de Lis at all, but a mysterious pony by the name of 'Gusty Rain'. Unfortunately, further investigation of this ‘Gusty Rain’ is still required, which forces me to conclude that this case, as yet, remains inconclusive. However, that does not mean that I must detain all of you any longer!”

He smiled as he raised his gavel.

“I hereby dismiss this court and declare that all ponies, including the accused, may be free to go until further investigation of this ‘Gusty Rain’ is complete!”

He was about to tap his gavel onto the Bench when a voice exclaimed, “Your Honor!”

Mayor Bottomhoof had officially reached the end of his rope. He immediately threw the gavel across the room and growled, “Confound it! What is it now, Mr. Defen—?!”

He stopped as he realized that the defense attorney was looking back at him with a confused look on his face. Night Light, meanwhile, could not help but silently chuckle at this moment.

“W-wait—! That—that wasn’t you?” the mayor sheepishly said, timidly pointing at him with his hoof.

The attorney sighed and rolled his eyes in irritation, shook his head and, then, motioned towards the pony standing next to him.

“Mr. Golden Rocket…? Was it you who said that? I—I apologize! P-please, what is it?”

Golden stood with respectful dignity as he replied, “With your permission, Your Honor…before you dismiss the courtroom, I would like to submit one request to this court.”

The mayor, who was now sheepishly trying to retrieve his missing gavel with the help of a security guard nearby, immediately turned back to Golden Rocket.

“Yes? Oh, yes!” he quickly replied with a wave of his hoof. “Of course! Uh, please…proceed with your request, Mr. Golden Rocket!”

Golden nodded and continued, “I wish that this case not be brought up again until the court has finished its investigation of this ‘Gusty Rain’…and only then. All that I want is for me and my family to be left alone regarding this case. Please, Your Honor…this is all that I ask of this court.”

As the security guard handed the gavel back to the mayor, the plump stallion nodded towards Golden.

“That seems reasonably fair to me…”

He then turned to Fancy Pants and motioned towards his direction.

“…if Mr. Fancy Pants does not object.”

In response, Fancy Pants turned towards the golden businesspony and gave a nod of approval.

“I believe that that request is indeed fair, Mr. Golden Rocket. I accept.”

With that, Mayor Bottomhoof beamed as he exclaimed, “Splendid! Then, I hereby dismiss this court until further investigation is finalized!”

With one last tap of his gavel, he quickly made his way off the Bench.

“Whew! Finally!” he muttered dryly, “I thought that that trial would never end!”

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Solstice stepped down from the stand, feeling a twinge of guilt. He was glad that it all worked out in the end, but he still didn’t like it that his purpose in going to the trial was to testify against his father. And yet, he knew deep inside that he did the right thing in doing so. However, he also knew that he would have to face the consequences that would surely follow, particularly with his father.

He cringed. He dreaded having to face his father now, but he knew that it was the right thing to do—he still needed to be brave and face him about the whole thing.

As he was crossing the Well towards the Bar, he felt a hoof on his shoulder and an authoritative-sounding voice saying, “Solstice Rocket, was it?”

He turned and saw the prosecuting attorney, Mr. Night Light, standing before him with his black briefcase floating in a yellowish magical aura by his side.

“Mr. Night Light!” Solstice exclaimed, giving a slight bow of his head. “I’m—I’m so sorry I was late, Sir! I—I was just—!”

The blue unicorn held out a hoof to silence the young stallion and said, “Actually, I came to commend you for your courage today.”

Solstice raised an eyebrow.

“Courage? For what?”

“For coming here and speaking out the way you did,” the attorney replied. “I could tell that it was not easy for you to testify against your father like that. It took courage to do that.”

Solstice sighed and commented with a wave of his hoof, “Oh, that—that wasn’t ‘courage.’ I just did what every other pony would’ve done.”

The prosecuting attorney shrugged.

“That may be,” he replied, “but I just wanted you to know that you did a good work today. Not only did you stand up and present the truth, but you also saved Ms. Fleur de Lis from potential imprisonment. It is good to be humble, but give yourself some credit, too!”

Solstice let out a soft chuckle. Night Light did have a point. He did do something great today—something that he could be rightfully proud of.

“Thank you, Mr. Night Light,” he said with a slight bow of gratitude. “I’ll certainly try!”

Night Light nodded.

“I do hope that we have the opportunity to meet again sometime in the future.”

Solstice smiled and nodded back.

“I hope so, too, Sir.”

With that, the prosecuting attorney picked up his briefcase with his magic and made his way out of the courtroom. As Solstice was about to continue his way towards the Bar, he was interrupted by another well-known pony.

“I dare say, young stallion,” a distinguished, English-sounding voice behind him said with praise, “that was quite a show you put back there!”

He turned and saw Mr. Fancy Pants and Ms. Fleur de Lis standing there, smiling brightly.

“You were absolutely brilliant, to be sure!” Fancy Pants added.

Solstice was confused. Didn’t Fancy Pants just lose the trial anyway?

“But—but you kinda lost in the end, despite my help,” he pointed out. “How was that a 'good show'?”

“I was not referring to the outcome of the trial, young stallion,” the blue-haired unicorn replied. “Rather, I was referring to your decision in doing the right thing today.”

Solstice cocked his head.

“Huh?”

Fancy Pants’ expression turned solemn as he said, “I understand the importance of doing the right thing, regardless of the consequences…and I also understand the pain and regret of not doing so.”

As he said that last sentence, his eyes and voice trailed off, as if a past memory was haunting him. At this, Fleur de Lis put a hoof on his shoulder to reassure him.

“What was your name again, young stallion?” he finally asked, looking up to meet the young stallion’s gaze.

“Solstice Rocket, Sir,” was the young stallion’s reply.

The distinguished Canterlot business pony smiled a little sadly.

“You, Solstice Rocket, have a unique perspective on life. Never lose it.”

Solstice felt a shiver up his spine as Fancy Pants said those words. It was as if he was somehow speaking based on past experience.

“I’ll try, Sir,” came the reply.

Fancy Pants smiled.

“Take care of yourself, Solstice Rocket.”

With that, he walked away to exit the courtroom while Fleur de Lis stayed behind for a moment.

“Solstice Rocket,” she said with tears of gratitude, “thank you for all that you have done for me and Fancy Pants!”

She suddenly came, gave him a quick kiss on the forehead and left to follow Fancy Pants out of the courtroom. For a long moment, Solstice only stood with his mouth wide open. Then, a goofy grin appeared on his face.

Well…shucks!

Just then, he heard a familiar voice chuckle behind him, "Yeah...and you said I was good with the fillies? Ya Old Smoothie!"

He sighed as he turned to face Clap.

"Hey, now...that wasn't me, I swear!"

Clap only nodded with a big grin on his face.

"Sure...."

At that point, his mother stepped in behind him. Upon seeing her, Solstice’s expression turned solemn as he lowered his eyes in shame.

“I don’t blame you for being mad at me, Mom,” he said. “What I did was a…pretty jerk-ish thing of me to do, testifying against Dad like that.”

When he heard no response, he looked up and saw his mother’s thoughtful expression.

“Honestly,” she replied, “I don’t know what to think. I was surprised that you came as a witness to testify against Dad, but…knowing you, I knew that you would never do anything like this unless it was for a good reason. Luckily, it seems that everything turned out all right in the end.”

She came to him and lovingly put her hoof under his chin.

“It seems that your evidence made the court even more convinced that Dad’s not guilty!”

She gave him a big, warm hug.

“I’m so proud of you, Dear!”

Solstice sighed a little sadly. How was he to reveal the truth to her? He couldn’t! And even though most ponies thought Golden Rocket was innocent, he knew the real truth. He had heard right out of his father’s own mouth that he was responsible for the events in Canterlot five years ago. Yet, he knew that he couldn’t prove this, especially after the trial.

At that moment, he noticed that Clap was staring at him, still with a big grin on his face.

“What?” he said with a cocked eyebrow.

Clap’s grin grew wider.

“Come on…teach me your ways of flirting, O Wise Master of Wooing!” he exclaimed with a graceful, sweeping bow.

Solstice rolled his eyes and chuckled as he stepped away from his mother.

“Oh pony feathers, Clap!” he exclaimed. “That wasn’t flirting by any means!”

Clap’s eyebrow bounced up and down.

“Didn’t look that way to me.”

Solstice laughed as he shook his head.

“Whatever.”

Then, he grinned. There was another surprise in store for the little foal.

“Hey, guess what, Clap?”

Clap looked up at him.

“What?”

“Guess who finally got their Cutie Mark…!”

Clap instantly beamed.

“No…way...!”

He stepped to the side to see his brother’s flank and his eyes gleamed.

“No…way…!”

He leaped in the air with his hoof in the air and exclaimed with a loud “ah, baby!”

Solstice’s eyebrow rose.

“What does that even mean?”

Clap shrugged.

“I don’t know.”

Then, he was instantly back where he had left off.

“But, Dude! You’ve got a Flash Sentry Cutie Mark! That’s just awesome, Bro! Does this mean you have superpowers or something now?”

Solstice laughed.

“I doubt it. If I did, I would’ve felt it by now. I guess, I—”

He suddenly felt a firm pressure on his shoulder as a hoof slowly but decisively forced him to turn around. His smile quickly faded as he saw his father standing over him, his expression serious and authoritative—more than ever in any other time in his life.

"We need to talk...now," his father said with a low tone of voice that demanded no further argument.

Solstice swallowed. He knew what was coming next.

Comments

[Godslittleprincess]

Clap’s heart began to break inside of him. He didn’t like what he was seeing. He felt like going down there and putting a stop to it. But he knew that there was nothing that he could do at this point. The trial was nearly over and it was becoming increasingly clear who would become the victim of this ordeal in the end.

Darn Golden Rocket! He is so busy playing the victim card that he can't see how disproportionate about this whole thing he is being. It's gotten to the point that his own kids empathize with his so-called enemies more than him. All his redeeming qualities are slowly being erased, and he can't even see it!