Awakening Fluttershy's Dark Sky

by Misty Shadow

...In Court

"The prosecution calls forth Twilight Sparkle as a witness." Rarity said.

Twilight took the stand and gave her testimony as such…

I honestly don't know what to say regarding this murder.

Yes, Fluttershy was my friend. My heart was broken when I learned that she died. But talking about it is just...hard for me.

Having to witness it again was hard for me too. What scared me the most was not finding out who the killer was, but that card…I recognize it...

That card is a business card from the Phoenext Corporation, a place that hires mercenaries like Edward Miles to do various deeds...and the name on the card...it said Raven Denouve…

It doesn't matter that the killer is a robot pony...what matters is that the name clearly incriminates the real murderer!

"The prosecution calls forth Noava Falling and Arc Rising as witnesses." Rarity said.

Bailiffs Myra Michaels/Maud Pie and Edward Miles brought in Noava and Arc. They were the two assailants who Myra and Edward were after, and they were apprehended and brought here after Myra and Edward caught them engaging in suspicious activity at the mirror funhouse in Jelly Rockets.

Yeah, for the record, you killing Twilight was just a little plotline we thought of that went nowhere, so we scrapped it.

Rarity said in their minds.

We only kept a slight remnant of it in because it made for easy exposition. Yeah, we screwed you over and we're proud of it. Deal with it.

Discord said in their minds.

Despite being angered by such pomposity, Noava and Arc were forced to take the stand and give their testimony as such…

We may we Twilight's children, but we don't know what that has to do with Fluttershy's murder.

Twilight has always known that the killer's name is Raven Denouve. What can we possibly add?

One of us is a demon, the other is a robot. We smell a courtroom drama?

We're even talking like a hive mind because Arc's systems determined that it would be faster and more efficient than talking separately. That shows how little we have to say.

It's true that you know little about us, but there's no evidence that our backstory will have any bearing on this case.

"The prosecution calls forth the Goddess of Death, Prince Luna as a witness." Rarity said.

Luna took the stand and gave her testimony as such…

I'll start by confessing that, yes, I did have a part in Fluttershy's murder.

Shocking, huh? After all, I'm only the Goddess of Death.

After Fluttershy died, I devoured her soul. It felt great to have her as a part of me.

But Fluttershy's soul escaped from me after I died back in the Mortal World. I did nothing to her after that.

Any bearing I have or could have on this case is already known. I played my part in this story. Whatever continues from here on out, I'm doomed to just be lost in its shadow...

"The prosecution calls forth the members of Fluttershy's band, the Dark Sky, as witnesses." Rarity said.

Going up to the stand, the Dark Sky members wondered how they would all fit on there. Derpy suggested that they could do it without Ghost Rainbow Dash, saying that they could all stand on top of each other without slipping through G.R.D., but Hoops proposed that they just each give their testimony one at a time instead. And so they did. This was Dumb-bell's testimony…

Hi, I'm Dumb-bell. I play for the Dark Sky. That's my testimony for my name and occupation. And I like Hawaii.

Then Hoops took the stand and gave this piece of testimony…

Regarding our actual testimony, we don't know much about this case besides that our boss killed someone and there's a riddle about her boss.

After that, Score took the stand, and communicated this bit of testimony silently…

The quiet ones know much more than we think. Maybe someone who has said little, mostly remaining in silence will be the key to solving this case.

Following him, Ghost Rainbow Dash took the stand, and testified to this…

Just for the record, we're not accusing our boss of anything. The pony she killed tried to kill her, and she's risen again too. Besides, it's the one who raised our boss' fault if you really think about it! She called the shots!

Finally, Derpy stepped up to the stand, and spoke the following testimony…

Our boss is an awesome dude! She helped us solve a puzzle! She teaches us valuable life lessons in her stories, and she's friends with the Goddess of Death!

"The prosecution calls forth Judge Discord to the stand." Rarity said.

The court fell silent as Judge Discord snickered to himself.

"Is that alright with you, Your Honor?" Rarity asked.

"It's FANTASTIC with me," replied Discord, "what better witness to call forth than the judge himself? The god of the courtroom sees all! You won't regret this…"

Discord snapped his fingers, and teleported himself to the stand. He began his testimony…

Being the God of Fantasy who helps Ninja Time God write the story for this world, I believe it's clear who I am and what I've done. But I had no motive to kill Fluttershy.

Rarity and I are good friends with Fluttershy. Just ask her. We had a chicken picnic the day of the murder!

Sadly, it was after that picnic that Fluttershy's mortal incarnation was killed. What a tragedy…

How overjoyed Rarity and I were to learn that she had escaped from the clutches of Prince Luna!

We celebrated with perfectly prepared tea made with Rarity's special blend that day, just like Fluttershy had on the day she died. Oh, I'm just so glad that our Flushie returned to us…

Time to accuse the killer now...

"The defense has come to a conclusion, Your Honor!" Fluttershy declared. "One of these witnesses is the real murderer!"

The courtroom fell silent...and Rarity began guffawing.

"Oh Fluttershy," said Rarity, "you should not be so rash and hasty in your judgement call. I will remind you that this trial is your one and only chance to find the real killer. One baseless accusation is all it should take to provoke Your Honor to end the trial and close this case for good."

"She's right Fluttershy…" Judge Discord said with a smirk. "Even in the Immortal World, accusing someone of murder under unsubstantial grounds is a severe offense I will not hesitate to penalize you for. Those who do not understand what they are doing do not deserve to be in this courtroom."

"I...got nothing." Fluttershy said in thought. "I'm...personally more interested in seeing how others would react to that last line."

"I'll be honest though…" Fluttershy continued talking in thought. "I really don't know. I'm not feeling a huge burst of confidence inside about this...should I really go through with accusing a witness right now?"

Decision #10: Continue to accuse a witness?

A. Of course! I have the perfect evidence!

B. No! Rarity's right...I need to think through this more.

C. Discord did it! The judge is guilty!

Of course! I have the perfect evidence!

"I do understand what I'm doing Your Honor," Fluttershy claimed, "and I have the perfect support for my claims!"

"Oh, ho dear…" Rarity said as she chuckled to herself.

"Well, let it rip them!" Judge Discord exclaimed.

"The testimony…" Fluttershy began her foolproof argument. "...contradicts the evidence!"

DUM DUM DUM

Dramatic silence dawned on the courtroom...until Discord said…

"Um...no. It does not."

"Fuck." Fluttershy swore. "I knew I should have said that the evidence contradicted the testimony…"

"I warned you…" Rarity said. "And now, our little murder mystery play has been given an abrupt denouement."

Fluttershy knelt her head in defeat.

"Sorry Fluttershy," said Discord, "you missed your only chance. The trial is over…"

Discord banged his gavel to signify that court was dismissed.

The doors of the courtroom were shut...followed by the closing of red curtains.

No! Rarity's right...I need to think this through more.

"The defense would like to revoke its accusation and humbly requests that it be stricken from the record." Fluttershy stated.

"Though I didn't put it on the record," said Discord as he was looking at a "court sheet" that was actually just a flyer for a record store, "sure, why not."

"Calm down," said Fluttershy in her mind, "think. It's not Noava and Arc or the Dark Sky members. Their testimonies are only meant to provide clues as to who the real killer is. It's either Twilight, Luna, or Discord. That seems to be the case...but I just have this bad feeling inside...what should I do?"

To be continued...

Discord did it! The judge is guilty!

"You are the culprit Your Honor," Fluttershy claimed, "and I have the perfect support for my claims!"

"Oh, ho dear…" Rarity said as she chuckled to herself.

"Well, let it rip them!" Judge Discord exclaimed.

"The testimony…" Fluttershy began her foolproof argument. "...contradicts the evidence!"

DUM DUM DUM

As dramatic silence dawned on the court, Discord just started to laugh.

"Ha ha ha ha ha!" he laughed. "I...I can't hold it back. I have to come out and say it. That is hands down the best argument you could make for me being guilty! You know, just...you deserve to win the trial just for that. I confess. I'm the real killer."

"So am I!" Rarity yelled. "There is just simply no way I can just sit back and not confess to my part in the crime either after hearing such an astounding argument! Bailiffs, take us away!"

Bailiffs Myra and Edward escorted Rarity and Discord out of the courtroom as Fluttershy and everyone watching the trial just looked upon the scene in shock and awe.

"...That went well." Fluttershy said to herself, feeling very unnerved. "...Too well. Like...this can't be the truth. I feel like I've made a terrible mistake…"

The trial was over.