Trotting Blackout

by AlwaysDressesInStyle

The Ponies Of Equestria Vs Peppermint Jessica Wintergreen

Minty looked outside her bedroom window. Everything had a pinkish tint to it, a side effect of being encased in one of Shining Armor’s protective bubbles. In theory, nopony would be able to get in or out. Regardless, outside the bubble an entire battalion of Royal Guards stood at the ready. The longer she stayed under house arrest the less sure she was that they were there to keep her in, so much as keep everypony else out. An angry mob of ponies and other creatures stood on the other side of the barricades the guards had set up. They were carrying signs that she really didn’t care to look at. None of them were very positive messages as far as she was concerned. And she was pretty sure the giant effigy of her they’d made was going to be set ablaze at some point.

She broke down in tears as she watched her entire world crashing down around her. Her trial was scheduled for the next day. None of her former friends had even attempted to reach out to see how she was doing. Her parents had publicly disowned her. She’d not be receiving the best lawyer money could buy with her parents’ fortune. Instead, her public defender was, well, Minty had been on the receiving end of being called ‘incompetent’ enough times that she really couldn’t find it in herself to use the term on anypony else, but he was certainly inadequate. Yes, that was a good word to use. She had no idea how he’d passed the bar exam.

Minty spun around as a flash of light and popping sound indicated a teleport directly behind her. She prepared for the worst. Any unicorn powerful enough to get through all the wards placed over her house would most likely be an undefeatable opponent for her. But she’d go down swinging, welcoming her inevitable defeat and the oblivion that would follow. Regardless of the outcome of tomorrow’s trial, her life was for all intents and purposes over. Even if she ‘won’ there was no way the ponies of Equestria would ever forgive her.

But it was no unicorn that stood before the mare. “Star Catcher?” Minty blinked at the pegasus duchess in confusion. “What are you doing here?”

“Righting a wrong. Several wrongs.”

Minty lowered her head. “At least they sent you. I… I can accept justice coming from you. You know I’d never do anything to intentionally hurt anypony. Whatever you need to do to me, go ahead. Send me to Tartarus, I won’t fight it. I…I did what I had to do.” Tears streamed down her cheeks but she no longer cared. The happy-go-lucky Minty everypony knew was dead and buried.

Star Catcher wrapped a wing around her longtime friend and nuzzled her. “I know, Minty. And I’m here to prove it. I’m your new lawyer. Why don’t you tell me what really happened?”

Minty poured her heart out to her friend, and Star Catcher levitated tissues to her as needed. Minty was prone to rambling, and more than once Star Catcher had to steer her back on track by asking relevant questions. But after a few hours she was satisfied with what she’d heard. When they were done, Minty had one of her own.

“What happened to the gizmonks?”

“Their assets were frozen and they’re currently confined to the dungeons under Canterlot Castle. Their trial will take place after yours. If you’re found guilty, the prosecution will drop all charges against them. If you’re exonerated, however, their case moves forward. And we’ll be seeking the maximum penalty against them.”

“And that is?”

Star Catcher sighed. “You’re not going to like this.”

“Try me.”

“Attempting to overthrow the government happens so frequently it’s now classified as a misdemeanor. If found guilty, they’ll be sent to the School of Friendship for rehabilitation. The charges against you are far more serious than the charges against them. You destroyed infrastructure in an act many ponies are calling an example of domestic terrorism. You claim to have been on a mission authorized by the princesses and had the documentation proving it, but neither Celestia nor Luna has memory of sending you, which would constitute treason. And that’s not even including the little stuff like assault, fraud, and arson. I can’t emphasize just how serious this is. Even if you’re found not guilty, there’s a strong possibility the gizmonks will launch a civil suit against you, assuming they’re also exonerated.”

Minty gulped. “And if I’m found guilty?”

“I’m not sure. Normally I’d say Tartarus, but there was a breakout recently, and we’re not entirely sure it’s as secure as we thought it was. If it comes to that, I’ll do my best to get you sent to the School of Friendship for rehabilitation. But I wouldn’t count on that being an avenue open to you. Twilight Sparkle is one of the ponies angriest about the loss of information and communication. She’s looking forward to working with the gizmonks to restore their technology, whether it be part of their rehabilitation via her school or acting as a consultant should they walk free.”

The futility of her actions hit her like a ton of bricks. “So basically, no matter what happens, I failed?”

Star Catcher nuzzled her again. “I wouldn’t say that. You’ve opened my eyes to the problem. I have a confession. You know how everypony thinks I’m omniscient? While you were in Fillydelphia, I was notified you were in trouble. But I ignored it. I could’ve been there. I could’ve helped. Instead I was too caught up in designing a webpage for the Duchy of Cloudsdale.” Star Catcher hung her head in shame. “If you’re convicted, I’ll never forgive myself, Minty. And I’ll keep the fight against the gizmonks going with all the power of the duchy behind me.”

Star Catcher wrapped both wings around Minty and pulled her in for a tight hug. “Some of your friends are still supporting you. We believe in you, and you’re fortunate to have so many friends in high places. We won’t let the worst happen to you. Trust me.”

“I always trust you, Starry. My fate rests in your capable hooves.”

---

The next day Minty was escorted into Canterlot City Hall by the Royal Guards. Pinkie Pie was seated as close to the defendant’s table as possible. Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, Applejack, and a very reluctant Twilight Sparkle were alongside her. Flitter and Cloudchaser were there, as was Thistle Whistle, and most of her friends from Canterlot University. Toola Roola was notably absent. The temperamental artist might not be as quick to forgive as her other friends. Sitting in the back row were her parents, their lawyer right next to them. They were all doing their best to look everywhere but at her. Trust her parents to protect their own interests instead of their daughter. They were using her cutie mark as the logo on all their products. If this trial went poorly for her it would force them to rebrand, assuming they hadn’t already. Minty took her seat next to Star Catcher.

“All rise.”

Everypony stood up as Princess Celestia strode into the room.

“You may be seated. Now hearing The Ponies of Equestria versus Peppermint Jessica Wintergreen. Will the defendant please rise?” Minty got to her hooves as Princess Celestia read the list of crimes she stood accused of. Her knees buckled under the weight of the princess’ words, and it was only the intervention of a few of Star Catcher’s ever-present butterflies that kept her standing.

Opening statements were a blur to Minty as she struggled to focus. Her mind was everywhere but on the trial. Today could be her last day of freedom. She could be banished from Equestria. She could be sent to jail or even Tartarus. She wanted to go outside and roll in the grass in case she never had the opportunity to do so ever again.

“The prosecution calls Gonk to the stand.” The gizmonk was sworn in and the prosecutor, Trotter III, continued. “Gonk, it says here you’re the founder and CEO of Gizmonks Communications. Is that correct?”

“Not entirely. I’m the co-founder with my sister Glouda. But I’m the CEO and she’s our current president.”

“Describe the events of the night in question.”

“Glouda and I were working late coming up with new features for the next phone release. You know how quickly we like to introduce new products to keep things fresh. Or I should say, how we liked to. Past tense. We had twenty-seven new games to offer, but that wasn’t the big news. Glouda had just come up with a filter for selfies that would allow you to manipulate the images right there on your phone. Googly eyes, big grins, cartoon effects. All kinds of neat little things. We were about to release it for beta testing when a mare broke into the room and screamed ‘eliminate gadgets’ at the top of her voice and then completely thrashed our lab in a few short minutes.”

“Is that mare here in the courtroom today?”

“Yes. Her!” Gonk pointed to Minty.

“And had you ever seen this mare before? Was there possibly some kind of grudge between you?”

“We’d never seen her before. It was almost midnight, and we weren’t in the habit of locking doors. Equestria’s a lot safer than our homeland. At least we thought it was.”

“Do you have any idea why she did it?”

“No. I’m hoping to get that answer before she goes to jail where she belongs.”

“No further questions, your Highness.”

Star Catcher stepped up for cross-examination. “Mr. Gonk, the actions of the defendant aren’t in question today. She fully admits to doing everything you said.”

“Then she admits she’s guilty!”

“Which leads us to why she did them. Minty believed she was acting in the best interests of Equestria at the time. Are you aware of just how addictive your products are, Mr. Gonk?”

“Objection! The witness isn’t on trial.”

“Yet,” mumbled Princess Celestia. “Relevance?”

“To establish the motive of why my client acted as she did.”

“Overruled. Please answer the question.”

“We never did any research into that.”

“As a former owner of several Gizmonks products, I can say without a doubt that I was unable to put them down. It seems the only pony in Equestria unaffected by your products was my client. And she came to your place of business to ask you some questions and then she overheard a few things. Would you please explain what ‘PHONE’ stands for? It’s not short for telephone, as some ponies think.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“No further questions.”

“The prosecution calls its second witness, Sales Pitch, to the stand.” Sales Pitch was sworn in and he continued. “Mr. Pitch, you interacted with the defendant earlier in the afternoon of the day in question, is that correct?”

“Yes. She came in to purchase a phone.”

“And while she was in the store did you notice anything unusual?”

“Yes.”

“Such as?”

“Every piece of electronics she touched stopped working. She fried two phones and one of our display stereos.”

“No further questions, your Highness.”

Star Catcher looked at the witness. “You work for Barnyard Bargains in Ponyville?”

“That’s correct.”

“When my client spoke with you that day, was she alone?”

“No. She was with some pretty twins.”

“Are those pretty twins in the courtroom today?”

Sales Pitch looked around and spotted them a few rows behind the defendant’s table. “Yes.”

“Is it possible you may have been more focused on the ponies you just admitted strike your fancy than my client?”

“I don’t mix business and pleasure.”

“In your line of work, have you observed any malfunctioning gadgets that originated from Gizmonks Communications? Stereos, phones, tablets, anything at all?”

“No.”

“And why would that be, Mr. Pitch?”

“Ponies tend to replace their phones every few hours when new ones come out.”

“So defective phones would most likely be discarded long before a defect was found?”

Sales Pitch scratched his head with a hoof. “I guess. I’m not sure what that has to do with anything though?”

“No further questions.”

Trotter III stood up once more. “I could call more witnesses. I could call Glouda to the stand, but all she would do is corroborate Gonk’s story. But there’s no reason to. What we have here is a clear case of a jealous mare deciding that if she can’t have technology, nopony should have technology. A delusion that should be punished to the fullest extent of the law. The prosecution rests, your Highness.”

Star Catcher stood up. “The defense calls its first witness. Cloudchaser, please take the stand.” Cloudchaser was sworn in and Star Catcher continued. “What’s your relationship with my client?”

“My sister and I live next door to her.”

“Is it true that you accompanied the defendant to the store on the day in question?”

“Yes.”

“And why did you do so?”

“Minty had purchased a new stereo, and we showed her our phones and told her to forget about hooking up the stereo and just go wireless instead.”

“At any time during that afternoon did either you or your sister look up from your phones?”

“Well, no.”

“Not in your house, not on the way to the store, not even at the store itself?”

“I don’t think so.”

“Would you go so far as to say you were addicted to your phone?”

“I…I…”

“It’s okay to say ‘yes’. It’s not illegal to be addicted to technology. I’ll fully admit I was addicted to my own devices.”

“Then yes. Yes, we were.”

“And did that perhaps hinder your interactions with the defendant in any way?”

“Possibly.” She paused and reconsidered. “Probably.”

“Did the defendant maliciously destroy any electronics at the store?”

“No.”

“No further questions.”

The prosecutor stood up. “But you admit that electronic devices stopped functioning in her presence?”

“Yes.”

“No further questions, your Highness.”

“The defense calls its second witness. Peppermint Jessica Wintergreen, please take the stand.”

“Wait, am I supposed to stand or sit? I mean there’s a seat there, but it’s called a stand. I’m so confused.”

“Just sit down. I’m going to ask you some questions, and you answer them to the best of your abilities. Did you destroy the Gizmonks Technology Center?”

“Yes.”

“Why did you do that?”

“Because I went there to get answers as to why devices explode around me. I also wanted an explanation as to why everypony suddenly found their devices more fascinating than interacting with friends and doing the things they loved. While I was there, I overheard one of them refer to phones as ‘Project Hypnosis: Ongoing Nationwide Enslavement’. I’m not the smartest mare in the world, but it wasn’t hard to put two and two together when all my friends were acting like mindless zombies. Even the princesses.” She looked over to Princess Celestia. “Sorry, your Highness.”

“And breaking their devices and destroying their technology snapped everypony out of it?”

“Yes. It was the only thing I could think to do. I’m not a unicorn. I don’t have an easily manipulated magical field that could just grab them without breaking anything. I’m an earth pony. I’m built rugged and my magic gives me great strength. I don’t know what I would’ve done if that hadn’t worked. If Surprise hadn’t been so distracted with her own device, maybe she could’ve overwhelmed them with speed. But I couldn’t get her to come in with me.”

“Did you deliberately set the fire?”

“No. It started when one of the gadgets started sparking.”

“Knowing what you know now, and knowing how much trouble this has caused you, would you do it again?”

“Yes.”

“And why’s that?”

“Because it was the right thing to do. Even if my friends never forgive me, they can at least live their lives again. Even if I’m exiled or banished or imprisoned, it was worth it to rescue my friends.”

“No further questions.”

“So you admit to your crimes, Miss Peppermint Jessica Wintergreen?”

“Please just call me Minty. Every time I hear my full name I assume I’m in trouble. And now everypony in Equestria is going to know my full name, so instead of saying ‘Minty, Minty, Minty’ they’re going to start using it and then it’ll be like when I was a filly and Mama would yell at me for doing something wrong.”

“To be fair, you did do something wrong.”

Minty whimpered.

“Do you have any idea how much trouble you’re in, young lady?”

“Kinda. I mean, arson’s pretty bad and my lawyer dismissed it as a minor charge compared to the rest. I’m not sure what most of the rest means, but I get the feeling it’s not good.”

“My next question is really more for your lawyer, but she’s not on the stand. Why in Tartarus didn’t you plead insanity?”

“I’m not insane. At least I don’t think. Then again I don’t think about a lot of things.”

“Obviously, or we wouldn’t be here today.” He paused. “Wait. Are you intentionally feeding me set-up lines?”

“What now?”

“You know what, I’m not getting anywhere here. No further questions your Highness.” He grumbled as he took his seat.

“The defense would like to call its next witness: Sunset Shimmer.” The orange pony swayed unsteadily on her hooves as she approached the witness stand. Once she was sworn in, Star Catcher continued. “Sunset Shimmer, could you provide some background on who you are, where you live, and your qualifications as to why you’re here today?”

“I was once Princip…Princess Celestia’s protégé. I was her star pupil, but being young and stupid, I decided I knew more than my teacher and decided to go my own way. A way that involved going beyond Equestria to an entirely different world. A world not unlike ours, but where the dominant species is a primate, much like Gonk, who you heard from earlier. If I seemed a little unsteady on my hooves, I assure you that’s not because I was hitting the cider too hard, but rather because I’m used to standing on two legs most of the time. The portal from our world to theirs transforms you from pony to human or from human to pony when you cross it. The point is, I live in a world where the technology the gizmonks have recently introduced you all to is common.”

Sunset pulled a phone and a tablet out of her saddlebags. “My phone has limited capabilities in Equestria. Since there are no cell phone towers, I can’t phone home.” She chuckled. “Sorry, that’s a reference to a movie none of you have ever seen. But the neat thing is I can play that clip for you on my tablet since I saved the video before coming here.”

”E.T. phone home.”

“My world’s had this technology for decades. We have things the gizmonks haven’t even dreamed of. What that means is that an entire generation has grown up using these devices. And I go to school with many of them, and in the years I’ve spent there, I’ve become quite adept at using them too. I’m going to manipulate the video I just showed you.” She held up her cell phone. “With the princess’ permission, I’d like the defendant to trot from her seat, to the window, say what’s on this sheet of paper, and then trot back.”

“I’ll allow it.”

“Thank you, princess.” She held the phone up and recorded Minty as she walked in the specified loop. She fumbled a bit with her hooves as she manipulated the footage. “Forgive me, this is taking a little longer than normal since hooves are a lot harder to work with than fingers. Sadly, unicorn magic is useless with touchscreens.” She sighed. “Now that Equestria has been exposed to these devices, I feel it’s only a matter of time before somepony incorporates magic into this technology. From what I’ve seen of the gizmonks’ devices, they’re not magic-compatible.”

Star Catcher motioned to the witness. “While we’re waiting, I’d like to point out that Sunset is both manipulating a device and carrying on a conversation. She’s also looking up from the device. Sunset’s not looking at the outside world as a distraction from her phone.”

Sunset looked up. “Of course. Technology is supposed to make life easier. Yeah, even where I come from there are those who immerse themselves in it as an escape from the realities of the world. But they’re the exceptions, not the rule. Most of us manage to balance out the time we spend on computers or phones with time spent doing other things. For example, you go to an amusement park and you use your phone to take a picture of your friends on a roller coaster. Or you’re driving late at night and your car gets a flat tire. Oh, right, no cars here. Bad example. Uh, you’re out of town and your wagon breaks a wheel. You can call someone to come and repair or replace it.”

She passed the phone to the bailiff and instructed Princess Celestia on how to play the video. She watched Minty trot to the window, and then E.T. was spliced in with his line about phoning home. This was followed by Minty’s ‘reply’, “I hope you’ve got a really good long distance plan!” Then finally Minty trotted back to her seat.

Celestia turned to her former student. “You managed to do all that in a few minutes, while carrying on a conversation?”

“To be fair, that’s a really simple edit. I’m a bit limited without fingers, and I don’t think the court has all day to wait for me. Besides, these devices tend to make you really good at multitasking if you use them enough. Especially if you grow up with them.”

“So not mindless zombies then?”

“Well, there are a few people. It’s amazing how quickly some skills decline without use.” She laughed. “Sort of like trying to walk on four legs again. It’s a little disorienting at first, but it comes back to me. For a technological example, thanks to GPS, I never use maps anymore. I almost got lost just walking through Canterlot today. It’s been years since I last lived here.”

“GPS?”

“Global Positioning System. Imagine, if you will, a wagon that you don’t pull, but rather drive. Inside that wagon is a GPS unit.” She did her best imitation of a GPS voice. “In…two hundred feet…turn left onto…Hitchmond Way.” She giggled. “And then when you miss the turn the voice gets all grumpy at you: Recalculating.”

Rainbow Dash nudged Twilight. “That GPS voice sounds just like you!” Twilight just rolled her eyes.

Star Catcher once more took control of the courtroom. “Now that Sunset Shimmer has demonstrated some of the things she’s learned, I’d like to submit her testimony as an expert witness on advanced technology if there are no objections.”

“I’ll allow it.”

Star Catcher beamed. “So Sunset, how long have you been in Equestria?”

“About three days now.”

“During that timeframe, what have you been doing?”

“I’ve been reverse-engineering the gizmonks’ technology.”

“And what have you learned?”

“It would probably be easier to show you. Does anypony present have a Gizmonks Communications device on them?” About a dozen hooves shot up. “Princess, normally I’d ask you to select a pony at random, however, I think under the circumstances it would be more appropriate if the prosecutor does so instead.”

“I would agree.” The princess turned her gaze to Trotter III, who in turn pointed to a purple mare in the middle of the courtroom.

“Objection!”

Star Catcher facehoofed as the entire courtroom turned to look at Minty. “That’s Razzaroo. She’s a friend of mine.”

“Minty, Minty, Minty. I appreciate your honesty, but do be a dear and leave your defense to me.” She turned to the ponies gathered in the courtroom. “My client raises a good point. Would anypony who knows the defendant please put your hooves down. We want an unbiased sample.”

Princess Celestia levitated her own phone to Sunset Shimmer. “Would I count as unbiased?”

“I certainly hope so.” Star Catcher grinned.

“No objections.”

Sunset cracked the princess’ phone open and started tinkering with it. She sighed as she cracked her own phone open too. “I’m glad I got the warranty on this one. Looks like it’s about to have an ‘accident’.”

She held up the cases from both phones. “The external casing that protects all the important parts on the inside. Very similar shapes and sizes, and I have suspicions that at least one of the gizmonks has spent time on the other side of the mirror.”

She held up a pair of lens’. “For the cameras. They’re for all intents and purposes identical.”

Next she held up two tangles of wires. “These are kind of important. Neither of these phones is going to work without them.”

Eventually she held up the screens from both phones. “Identical, right?”

Ponies in the courtroom nodded.

“Nope.” She motioned to the one on the left. “This one’s mine. It’s a standard liquid crystal display, or LCD for short.” Then she motioned to the one on the right. “And this is Princess Celestia’s. It’s just a crystal.”

“I know this is rather unorthodox, but the defense would like to call another witness while the current witness is on the stand.”

“Objection.”

“Sustained. One witness at a time, please.”

“We need to demonstrate what this crystal is capable of, and we specifically need a pony trained in the arts of illusion to do so. She doesn’t need to be a witness, just a demonstrator.”

“Objection.”

“Normally I’d agree, but I’m curious to see where they’re going with this. Overruled.”

“Objection!”

Celestia banged her gavel. “I’ve made my decision. Don’t make me find you in contempt of court.”

“Will Trixie Lulamoon please step up to the stand. Trixie is a magician specializing in illusions, sleights of hoof, and tricks of the eye. Including hypnosis, is that correct?” Trixie nodded. Holding up the screen from Celestia’s phone, Trixie started moving it slowly back and forth. A number of ponies concentrated on the screen as Trixie moved it. She put it down and their attention was still on her. “Snap out of it.” Almost everypony in the courtroom jumped as Star Catcher broke into the Royal Canterlot Voice. Trixie picked up the LCD screen and started swinging it back and forth. Ponies watched it, but without the rapt attention of the other screen. When she set it on the table, everypony looked up.

“The ideal distance for an item used to hypnotize is eight to fifteen inches from the face. About the same distance most ponies keep their devices. If you’ll recall my client’s testimony on what PHONE actually stands for: Project Hypnosis: Ongoing Nationwide Enslavement. Thank you, Trixie. As you can see, the crystals used in the phone are entrancing. What else did you discover, Sunset?”

“A lot of the games use compulsion loops. The player performs an action and is rewarded, opening up another potential action and reward. The cycle continues endlessly. It’s repetition, but it’s so simple it’s addictive. To be fair, a lot of the video games in my world do the same thing. Yet, what we have here is a case of too much of a good thing. Water, for example. It quenches your thirst. It waters your garden. It cools you off on a hot day. It cleans you after a hard day’s work. In moderation, nopony’s going to argue against water being a good thing. But on the other hoof, drowning and flooding would be two examples of what happens when you have too much of that good thing.”

“So in your expert opinion, would you say the Gizmonks Communications phones are more addictive than a standard phone from your world?”

“Objection! Speculation.”

“Sustained.”

“Perhaps a demonstration is in order?” Sunset held up the innards of her phone. “I could put my phone back together and have a volunteer use it for a period of say ten minutes. It’s got limited battery life and I’ve got no way of recharging it while here in Equestria. Then I’ll replace my standard screen with the Gizmonks Communications’ screen and let the same volunteer use the phone for ten minutes.”

“I’ll allow it. Trotter III, does the prosecution have any volunteers?”

“I’ll do it myself, your Highness.”

Celestia called for a half hour recess while Sunset put the phone back together. Trotter III stood behind Sunset as she worked, while the rest of the gathered ponies took a break.

“Yay! Recess!” Minty and Pinkie Pie rushed outside to roll around in the grass.

Trotter watched the two mares zip past him to play outside. “You know, if you wish to enter an insanity plea, I won’t contest it.”

“She’s not crazy. And she’s not guilty, either. We’ll prove that when court resumes.”

“We’ll see about that. Enjoy your break, Duchess.”

---

When the trial resumed, Trotter III took Sunset’s phone and started using it. The controls were designed for fingers instead of hooves, but he quickly got a grasp on how it worked. “How much longer?”

“Nine more minutes.”

He grumbled and continued playing with the phone. Eventually the time was up and he hoofed it back over to Sunset. He watched her like a hawk to make sure she only changed the screen and nothing else. Satisfied, he took the phone back to his table. Moments later he was enthralled by the screen.

“Trotter III?” Princess Celestia tapped her gavel, not particularly hard. He didn’t look up. She looked to Star Catcher, to Sunset Shimmer, and finally to Twilight Sparkle. “This isn’t normal behavior, is it?”

“It shouldn’t be, no.”

Princess Celestia banged the gavel, causing Trotter III to jump. The princess’ corona glowed and she removed the cell phone from Trotter’s presence. “I think we’ve seen enough.”

Trotter reached for the phone as it was being pulled away and then stopped himself. He took a breath and composed himself the best he could. “In light of this demonstration, the prosecution drops all charges.” He turned to face the gizmonks. “I hope the two of you have a good lawyer. You’re going to need one.” Gonk and Glouda gulped.

“After reviewing all of the available evidence, I rule in favor of the defendant.”

“Before we wrap things up, there’s just one last thing.”

“Minty, you’re a free mare. What more could possibly need to be said?”

Minty hoofed a slip of paper to Celestia. After reading the note, Celestia had a single word. “No.”

“Please?”

Celestia snorted. “It’s not too late to sentence you to jail, Peppermint Jessica Wintergreen.”

“I’m not leaving this courtroom until you say that!”

“Case dismissed.”

Ponies came up to congratulate Star Catcher and Minty, but Minty just sat there dejectedly.

“What’s wrong with her?”

Star Catcher sighed. “She’s disappointed that Princess Celestia never said ‘order in the court’ the whole trial. Yes, she wanted to make that tired old joke.” The others groaned.

---

Minty’s parents sheepishly made their way towards her after her friends left. “Forgive us?”

“Why should I? With your support I could’ve had the best lawyer money could buy.”

“Instead, you had the best lawyer money couldn’t buy. I’d say that worked out better for you.”

“Your mother and I may have pulled a few strings behind closed doors. But if you want a fortune to inherit, we needed to do what we did.”

“It was the single hardest decision we’ve ever had to make. Love you, my little Mints.”

Minty hugged her parents. “Okay, okay, I forgive you. I can understand why you did what you did, even if I’d’ve gladly traded our entire fortune just to have had you there with me. I was so scared and all alone.”

Her mother pulled her tighter. “We’re never going to leave you again.” She kissed Minty on the forehead. “It’s not over yet. You’re going to have to testify against them so those horrible gizmonks will get what’s coming to them. But right now, you’ve got an image problem. And if you’ve got an image problem, so does Wintergreen Mints, LLC.”

“And that’s why I’m here. Now it’s time for the best lawyer money can buy to do his job. We have much to discuss on how to reintegrate you into society.”

---

Later that evening, after her family and the rest of her friends had finally gone home, Minty finally had a chance to chat with Star Catcher.

“Thank you.”

“No thanks needed. Like you, I was only doing the right thing. I knew you were innocent. Celestia knew you were innocent. The problem was you had already been tried and convicted by the court of popular opinion long before your official trial. We had to go through with the trial or you would’ve never been able to stay here in Equestria. And it set things up for Gonk and Glouda’s trial. It was your word versus theirs. In order to proceed with their trial, we had to establish that you weren’t guilty of any wrongdoing.”

“How did you know?”

Star Catcher sighed. “The butterflies, Minty. The ones that follow you and the rest of my friends and acquaintances around everywhere? They’re not insects, they’re bits of my magic. I can see and hear what they see and hear. And I can review them at a later date if I need to. The problem is try getting that considered as permissible evidence in a court of law. ‘The magic butterflies told me’ is a great defense, but only if you’re entering an insanity plea. Nothing stopped me from alerting the princesses though. And of course, since a princess had to hear the case, and all the princesses already knew you were innocent, the outcome was never in doubt. But we had to prove it. Not to Celestia, but to the ponies of Equestria. That’s who our audience was today. Now the media reports the events and the truth comes out. You’re a hero, Minty. You saved Equestria in your own unique way.”

“I’m no hero. I just did what I had to do. I was the only pony who could do it.”

“And you did it well. I also owe you a big apology. Had I been paying attention to my butterflies, I would’ve seen you were in trouble. I would’ve teleported in next to you. I could’ve brought the princesses. Or Twilight and her friends. And then we could’ve avoided all this. There would’ve been proof. There would’ve been witnesses. As it stands though, I think you were right. I think their equipment needed to be destroyed, otherwise none of us would’ve ever snapped out of it. We can rebuild the infrastructure – and this time, we’ll make it so it isn’t all-consuming.”

Minty chuckled nervously. “That’s gonna get expensive.”

“You have no idea. Stars above, Minty, trust me when I say you don’t want to know what the property damage bill comes to. The former Gizmonks Technology Center wasn’t owned by the gizmonks or Gizmonks Communications. They rented the space, and considering they had all the space in the tower aside from the restaurant and gift shop in the lobby, the real estate company that owns the building named it after them. The paper trail goes back years, Minty. They took their time and planned things out. The part we’re still trying to figure out is how they got the money to rent a skyscraper before they had a single product to sell. We’re hoping that comes out at their trial, but if not we may never know.”

“Who’s going to pay to rebuild it?”

“If they’re convicted, the assets of Gizmonks Communications will be liquidated, and in turn, that will be used to pay for the damages. The rest will come from the building’s insurance company. Anything past that will come straight out of the royal treasury.”

Minty nuzzled Star Catcher. “Thank you for everything.”

Star Catcher nuzzled back. “Thank you for saving Equestria.” She stood up. “I hate to go, but I really need to get back to my duchy.”

---

“Sunset.”

“Twilight?”

“You know, there’s an opening here in Equestria for a pony with their hooves on technology.”

“But my friends.”

“You have friends here too, you know. And don’t forget your family. You’re graduating high school soon. It’s an opportunity to come back home and live here. More than that, it’s a chance to make a real difference in the lives of ponies. Time to bring Equestria into the Information Age.”

“Give me one last summer with my friends. Twilight and Rainbow both have full scholarships… to different schools.”

“Rainbow Dash got a scholarship?”

“Athletics are rewarded far heavier there than they are here in Equestria.”

“Makes sense, I guess. What sport?”

Sunset laughed. “All of them. Soccer. Track & field. Basketball. Swimming. Even hockey. She turned down full rides at three other schools specifically because they didn’t have teams for all the sports. Rarity and Fluttershy are attending colleges specializing in their respective fields of interest. Pinkie Pie’s apprenticing at a bakery. And Applejack’s skipping college to run the family farm. Like it or not, we’re splitting up in another few months. Maybe not forever, but we’ll be drifting apart nonetheless.”

“And what about you? What have you been planning for yourself?”

“Well, I was kinda hoping to come home. It’s been years, Twilight. I miss Equestria. I miss my family. I miss Princess Celestia. She’s mellowed a bit from what I remember. Or maybe she’s always been mellow and I couldn’t see that way back then.”

“Maybe it’s a combination of both. Princess Celestia said you were headstrong and the two of you butted heads on a number of subjects.”

“Honestly, I took the opposite side of most debates just to get under her skin.”

“All right, Sunset. Take the summer to say ‘goodbye’ to your friends and your life in the human world. And while you’re doing that, start acquiring as many different examples of your technology as possible.”

“May as well spend my savings. Human money’s no good here.”

“You’ll be reimbursed in bits, of course, once you move here. And of course, any books you can buy on technology would be great. How to build it, how to repair it, how to use it, everything. We’re going to reverse engineer it and give Equestria a brighter future.”

Comments

[Mystic Sunrise]

Why disable the ratings? The story isn't on the level of horrible. I like it.

[AlwaysDressesInStyle]

9656736
Thank you! It's just a quirk of mine - I don't like the idea of ratings in general. I know that means some people hit the back button as soon as they see 'ratings disabled', but I like to think those who go through with it get something better than they were expecting.

[Alex Warlorn]

her inevitable defeat and the oblivion that would follow.

An afterlife is hardly the most unlikely thing in Equestria.

[Alex Warlorn]

For Sunset there's the reality that she and the others were basically chosen as Earth's magical protectors whether they like it or not.

[AlwaysDressesInStyle]

9680740
Never said it was. But with no canon religion for the ponies that I'm aware of, I felt it best not to tread into the territory of either creating one, or adapting one of fanon ones to fit the bill. I mean they use hell Tartarus as a maximum security prison... Had I instead used whatever the afterlife had waiting for her, it would beat this it would make it seem as if she weren't sure of her own religion.

In theory, the way Hasbro recycles names and personalities from generation to generation could be viewed as reincarnation.

Minty's thought there was simply meant to show how well and truly broken she was at that point. Whatever religion she believes in, she's forsaken it at that moment because she doesn't feel worthy. She thinks she's a bad pony. She doesn't think she's worth saving. She wasn't even willing to put up more than a token resistance to the intrusion, instead welcoming the embrace of death. Fortunately for her, that isn't what happened.

Religion and politics are the two topics I try to avoid in my writing, and that goes for casual discussions as well. Please note that the characters aren't necessarily atheists (nor am I). They're just topics that don't come up, so they don't talk about them (and they're topics I avoid, so I also don't talk about them). It's less controversial that way, and that's the way I like it.

[Raine_Lionheart]

“Yay! Recess!” Minty and Pinkie Pie rushed outside to roll around in the grass.

Thank you for an emotional recess as well.