Lawful Eye's face was seething in anger, with her teeth gritting, and her eyes glaring through her glasses.
"Do you think it matters now that you believe Abacus is innocent?!" Lawful Eye said. "You town ponies are so pathetic!"
The crowd was shocked and confused at Lawful Eye's anger. It was not long before they saw Twilight and the others glaring at them. The confusion of the crowd only made Lawful Eye more irritated and enraged.
"Confused, are you?! Well, then let's jog your memories with what you did!" Lawful Eye turned to Celestia and Luna. "Your highness's! Can you show them the certain parts of Abacus's memory?!"
Celestia and Luna nodded for they each knew what Lawful Eye wanted them to show, and mildly shared her anger. Luna levitated the jar with Abacus's memories, and shot another lightning bolt like magic stream at it. The jar began to glow around the town hall, and a bright, blinding flash of light that engulfed the whole room. The crowd found themselves looking a many scenes.
The first was when Abacus first came into town with Lawful Eye, Twilight, Spike, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Scootaloo.
"It's... It's... HIM!"
"Hey, Fluttershy! Who's your new pet?!"
"Get out of town, you murderer! You aren't welcome here!"
"If you didn't have those ponies with you, believe us, you'd be sorry!"
"You may of fooled the courts, but we all know you did it!"
"Enjoy your undeserved freedom while it lasts, you scum!"
"Yeah, Abacus Scum!"
"Just look at his face! Pure evil!"
"So hideous! Tiger Lily's evil husband has shown his true form."
"The horror, the horror!"
"Mommy, Daddy, make that scary pony go away."
The next memory was showing the incident involving Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon at Sugarcube Corner.
"The only way prisoners like him are going to survive is on the charity of others."
"When they locked you up, they should've threw away the key...Abacus Scum!"
The next memory was showing the incident involving Buttercup and Honey Blossom in the park, followed by Storm Dasher and Coco-Nut at Fluttershy's cottage soon after.
"Get away from my baby, you monster!!"
"THERE HE IS! That's the pony who hurt my daughter!"
"Scootaloo! What are you doing?! Get away from that pony! He's dangerous!"
"I want to press charges on Abacus for assaulting daughter!"
"And arrested for assaulting my daughter too!"
"Mr Storm Dasher and Mr Coco-Nut. Your accusations towards Abacus harming either of your children is unfounded. Scootaloo claimed that Abacus didn't assault her, and that it was from her hitting her head on the door of Apple Bloom's club house that gave her the black eye. And with Cheerilee having witnessed what had really happened to your daughter, it is good enough evidence put against your wife's version of events. Therefore both of your accusations are not backed up by evidence."
"What?! How could you stand up for that monster for what he's done to both our children, not to mention what he did to his own wife and unborn child?!"
"And on the account of how he tried to harm another two other children in a murderous rage yesterday at Sugarcube Corner, and those poor fillies were thrown out!"
"That "monster" wouldn't hurt anypony, unless he was provoked first! And those kids were thrown out because those two rude, little brats taunted and provoked him! Twilight, Spike, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, your daughter, and I all saw it, and handled it."
"How can you justify that murderer's actions with a straight face?!"
"Because I've known him for years! Longer than anypony here in this town! I'm practically family to him! And he is NOT a murderer! He didn't murder his wife and unborn child! I cleared his name, and proved his innocence!"
"From bribing and corrupting the judge no doubt!"
"And now you brought that scumbag upon us!"
"What?! You both have NO IDEA what prison did to him, and what it's STILL doing to him! He was beaten, abused, tortured, starved, and even raped by not the prisoners, but by the guards themselves whilst inside!"
"Which is what that scumbag deserved!"
"How dare you?! Nopony like him deserves to go through what he went through! His poor mother passed away from terminal stomach cancer before not seeing him again! I, along with Twilight and her friends are the only things close to family he has lift in life that keeps him from breaking apart forever!"
"If this is result, then you make for an AWFUL excuse for family!"
"GET THE HELL OUT OF MY SIGHT! AND YOU CAN FORGET ABOUT PRESSING ANY CHARGES ON ABACUS!"
"What?! You can't let that scumbag get away with this! Who do you think you are, lady?!"
"I'M Investigator detective Lawful Eye! I'm also a lawyer, and I am the only one presently in town with any police authority to MAKE any arrests or press charges. And guess what? I REFUSE to arrest or press charges on Abacus! And tell your wife...she could EXPECT to face charges in court for ASSAULT on Abacus!"
"Very well then! My brother-in-law's best friend is a police officer in Cloudsdale. If you won't arrest and charge that dangerous scumbag, then we'll get somepony who will!"
"FINE! Bring your cop friend! We won't let you get your hooves on Abacus for as long as any of us has breath within us!"
"So be it! And you! If I ever see you near my daughter again...you WILL regret it...Abacus Scum!"
The next memory was showing the incident involving Storm Dasher and Coco-Nut in the cemetery.
"I warned you what would happen if you ever went near my daughter again!"
"You're not just a murderer, and a foal hurter, but you're a pedophile too! That's for hurting my daughter, you scum!"
"How does it feel to feel the pain that you caused to our kids?!"
"You're going to be put back behind bars where you belong, Abacus Scum!"
The next memory was showing the incident at the hospital where he was refused treatment.
"Excuse me, nurse. We need some help."
"Can't you see the poor darling's in pain?!"
"What happened?"
"That scum, Abacus, attacked us."
"He bit me! And nearly tore a part of me off!"
"Let's take a look at that. Right. Put pressure back on it. I'll get a doctor straight away."
"Hey, wait. What about Abacus? He needs to see a doctor too."
"I'm sorry. But we're full and closed."
The next memory was showing the incident involving Abacus trying to take his life, and was being restrained by Warden Rehab, and Lock Down.
"No! Let me go! Just let me die! You can't take me back to prison! I knew I shouldn't have trusted any of you! I never should've come to this stupid, fucking town! You've wanted to destroy my life! Everything was a lie! You gave me nothing, but false hope, and lies! You lied about my mother! I have nothing to loss! Nothing to live for! Everything I once had, everyone I once loved and held dear is gone! I have nopony who loves me! Nopony who would love me like Tiger Lily did, because I'm scum! Abacus Scum!! I HAVE NOPONY!!!!"
And then the final memory was showing what Abacus said to the others before he left with Sapphire Shores and Princess Luna.
"Abacus. We're confident that your problems with the ponies in Ponyville will be over soon."
"Yeah. And when they get it through their heads that you're not a murderer, everything will be cool again."
"We'll all be happy to have you back with us in Ponyville again."
"...I'm sorry...but I'm not coming back."
"Abacus please. I know almost the whole town has been bad to you-"
"No! You don't understand, Twilight. ...I'm not welcome here...I never was. Even before this."
"What do you mean "Before"?"
"I use to be respected and loved by everypony in town. But I see now that the reason I was, was because of Tiger Lily. She was the one the town truly loved and respected, not me. Especially since there were two in town who secretly didn't like me, and they were responsible for my suffering. Mayor Mare and Lady Justice. They secretly hated and were suspicious me, and when Tiger Lily died, they suspected me of killing her."
"And that's how the corrupted Canterlot police force were called to Ponyville? Because Mayor Mare and Lady Justice called upon them?"
"Abacus. I'm sorry that happened. But you can't let that keep you away from Ponyville. I mean where would you go? You've got friends here."
"But not as many as enemies. I once had so many friends. But now...I have almost no friends, because they believe I'm a murderer of my own wife."
"But what if they apologized to you if they realized they were wrong? Would you come back?"
"After what they did to me? Never! I'm not welcome here. I should never have come to this town full of dumb townsfolk. They wanted me gone, and that's what they're going to get. As for where I will go...I'll most likely go back to Fillydelphia to start all over again. My mother left me her apartment back there, so that's where I'll go. I don't have friends there, but I don't have enemies either. Anywhere is better than here, as long as nopony knows me. Maybe I'll give you and some ponies in town the address so that you can visit me. There's nothing but pain and heartbreak for me here."
"Abacus. ...no."
"Goodbye...forever."
The memories evaporated like smoke, and in a blinding flash, the crowd found themselves back inside the town hall once again. The crowd looked at one another with the looks of concern, and realization. Lawful Eye scowled at the crowd's silence, thinking they did not realized what they had done until one in the crowd spoke out.
"Did...did he just...?"
"He did." Warden Rehab came up and stood next to Lawful Eye with a look of anger, disgust, and disappointment towards the crowd. "You residents of Ponyville made Abacus Sum's life so miserable that he contemplated and attempted suicide."
"And now he's gone," Lawful Eye said. "And he's never coming back!"
Applejack came over. "So it don't matter now whether y'all believe in Abacus or not! Abacus don't believe in y'all no more!"
"...I think I'm going to miss you most all."
Apple Bloom's eyes began to tear-up with sadness as she recalled Abacus's words. "So that's what Abacus meant when he said he'd miss me the most. It's cause he's never comin' back."
Luna looked at the crowd with the same angry, disgusted, and disappointed look. "After how you treated that poor stallion, since almost all of you chose to fear and hate Abacus Sum rather than love and support him, and dishonor his good name with your openly insulting, loathsome acts, I don't blame him! And from the very ponies who he thought once loved, and respected him as much as he did with you! I am absolutely disgusted! And Tiger Lily would be too, if she was alive to see it!"
The crowd began to slowly drop their heads in great shame and guilt at the harsh, but true words of Luna, Lawful Eye, Warden Rehab, and Applejack. Lawful Eye then turned her attention to Storm Dasher and Coco-Nut.
"That reminds me!" Lawful Eye approached Storm Dasher and Coco-Nut with an angry glare as she then turned to Chief Cloud Patrol and his other two officers. "Police chief? Arrest those two stallions!"
"Yes, Detective." Chief Cloud Patrol said as he turned to his two other police ponies. "Cuff'em, Corporal."
One police pony nodded. "Yes, Chief."
The two police ponies came over to Storm Dasher and Coco-Nut, and put handcuffs on them as well as throw a lasso on each of there necks. Lawful Eye stopped as Storm Dasher and Coco-Nut looked at her with surprise.
"Storm Dasher and Coco-Nut," Lawful Eye said. "You are both under arrest for unlawful, aggravated assault and battery, and recklessly cause of injury on Abacus Sum."
Storm Dasher and Coco-Nut eyes widened in shock at them being arrested, with Coco-Nut's wife and daughter looking equally shocked. Scootaloo came over towards Storm Dasher with an angry scowl.
"Serves you right, you asshole drunk! That's what you get for what you did to Abacus! And for hitting me! I told you he never hit me, and wouldn't hurt me, but you wouldn't listen! Abacus is gone, and it's all your fault!" Tears began to form in Scootaloo's eyes. "I hate you! And I hope you go to jail! And I hope you suffer, just like Abacus did! That's the least you deserve! And if you die, I'd be happy, because I wish it was you that was dead, not mom! YOU ARE SCUM!"
Storm Dasher was greatly shocked and speechless at what his daughter had just said to him. Scootaloo turned around at rushed away to Rainbow Dash's side crying.
"Scootaloo, please!" Storm Dasher tried to go after her, but was held back by one of the police ponies.
Scootaloo started crying on Rainbow Dash shoulder, as Rainbow Dash put a comforting wing around Scootaloo. Rainbow Dash turned and looked at Storm Dasher with a look that was mix of anger and pity. Storm Dasher then dropped his head, but not out of anger, but of sadness and heartbreak.
"I'm sorry," Storm Dasher said. "I didn't mean to hit my daughter. I was just so angry. And I was wrong to blame and confront Abacus. And I even dropped the charges I was going to lay on against him."
Lawful Eye groaned in frustration. "You don't get it, do you? You both had done a malicious act towards another pony by assaulting him, and sicced two rogue police ponies on him to get him arrested at any cost."
"But I...It's true that I wanted him arrested...that I let my anger get the best of me..." Storm Dasher look back up to Lawful Eye. "But that was before I found out the truth of what happened. I didn't know Strike Law and Rogue Order were so crooked. And I didn't realize that they would still try to charge him, even after the proving of his innocence. And I can't believe I did all this. I'm sorry."
"I'm sorry too." Coco-Nut said.
Luna and Celestia came off stage and came over to Storm Dasher and Coco-Nut. "Being sorry isn't going to put things right. Abacus Sum lost everything. His home, his money, his good life, and worst of all, his wife and unborn child, and his beloved mother" Luna turned to Storm Dasher. "But you would know all about loosing somepony dear to you, wouldn't you, Storm Dasher? You have been taking your anger and sadness of the loss of your wife, Firefly on the innocence of others. Including your own daughter, who you have failed to care for properly and spent time with when she needed you most. And the way you hit her was truly outrageous, whether or not it was intentional, and whether or not you were under the influence of alcohol! I just hope you'll realize this mistake, and learn from it."
Storm Dasher's head dropped his head sadly as a tear escaped from his eye. "But I...I...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hit Scootaloo. I love my daughter. I want to make things right."
"You are still going to face trial for the charges against you and Coco-Nut, and you'll be punished accordingly." Lawful Eye said.
"But may it be kinder to you, than it was for Abacus Sum." Celestia sighed. "And I hope you will try everything you can to earn your daughter's love, trust, and forgiveness back. And I expect you and Coco-Nut to try and earn Abacus's forgiveness too."
Chief Cloud Patrol turned to his two police ponies. "Right, take them away."
"Daddy!" Coco-Nut's daughter, Buttercup tries to run to Coco-Nut to protest on the police taking her father away, but was held back by her mother, Honey Blossom. "Don't take my daddy!"
Coco-Nut turned to Buttercup. "Sweet heart. Stay with your mother."
Buttercup tearfully watched as the police ponies took her father, and Storm Dasher away out of the town hall, with Storm Dasher and Coco-Nut being sad and guilty as they went with the two police ponies. Lawful Eye and Chief Cloud Patrol turned to Honey Blossom.
"And you will be facing charges of assaulting Abacus in the park." Lawful Eye said.
Chief Cloud Patrol cleared his throat. "But you won't be taken into custody for now, due to you needing to care for your child. But only for now. Do you understand?"
Honey Blossom nodded sadly. "I understand..."
Mayor Mare and Lady Justice came over to Honey Blossom from on stage to give her comforting advice. "Don't worry. I'm sure you'll get off easy."
"That right," Lady Justice said. "You were only protecting your daughter. So the courts will take that into account. And I'll have Tall Order to represent you, and your husband in court."
Lawful Eye turned her attention to Mayor Mare and Lady Justice with an angry glare that pierced through her glasses. "And you two! You two are the worst for what you two did to Abacus!"
Mayor Mare and Lady Justice frowned and dropped their heads in shame at Lawful Eye's words as she continued speaking.
"Abacus saw and thought you were his friends before Tiger Lily died. He respected you. He trusted you!" Lawful Eye growled. "And through all this time, you secretly hated him, and suspected him of killing her because of the high life insurance for Tiger Lily's death. And you harshly sentenced him completely out of hatred."
"But that's was before we realized the truth, and found out now about his innocence," Lady Justice said. "We've changed our minds. Blue Ward and Cover-Up lied to us. All of us."
Mayor Mare sighed. "If only you knew and understood from our past experiences from married couples involving mares married to stallions who seemed like they were perfect."
Lawful Eye glared at them both. "I don't think I want to know or understand! There's no excuse for what you did! And I don't believe anything you say now! You both contributed for Abacus's suffering! And he lost his money, money that he worked so hard for and earned. And for your information, Tiger Lily was the one who put the high life insurance for herself, I even organised it. Because of you two, his good name, his friends, if you could call them that at this point, are lost! And most precious of all, his own mother! Arithma is dead! She was diagnosed with terminal stomach cancer, and died five months later. And all while Abacus was in prison being tortured, beaten, and raped! And as her dying wish, she asked to be buried next to Tiger Lily, who had a horrible, hatred-filled headstone on her grave that you and the whole town created. Abacus was really upset to see all that!" She adjusted her glasses. "Unfortunately, there's no way you can be charged with anything, because you two did nothing illegal. But I sure wish there was punishment for what you did to him."
The shame and guilt Mayor Mare and Lady Justice were feeling was very great. They too thought that they should be punished, for what Lawful Eye said about them being somewhat responsible for what happened to Abacus was true. Misjudging a stallion as badly as they did, it was the most awful feeling they had ever felt. Warden Rehab and Lock Down walked over to Lawful Eye's side to speak their thoughts.
"You two may not be going to prison or facing charges," Warden Rehab said. "But everypony in Equestria is going to know what you've done. What the whole town had done. And you're going to have to live with that fact."
Lock Down glared. "Before Abacus ran away from the prison on the day he was released, he said he had no home to go home to, no friends and family waiting for him, nopony at all. And it seems like he was right. Just like he was right about the whole town loving him because of his wife. What is it the town calls him? Abacus Scum? As far as I see, you and the rest of the town are scum! And I know scum when I see it! It looks like Blue Ward and Cover-Up was right about one thing: you are dumb fools! Your reputations as a mayor and a court judge will be ruined after this, but not as ruined as Abacus's life has become because of you. I suggest you both make the most of what's left of it while you can."
Mayor Mare and Lady Justice stayed silent, with their eyes and head down, sad and ashamed, with the crowd behind them feeling the same way. Celestia and Luna came forward and began to speak to everyone in the crowd, with each baring a look of anger, and disappointment, looking more furious than any of them, including Twilight herself had ever seen them before.
"I see all of you are ashamed," Luna said. "And you should be for all the heinous actions you have said and done toward one innocent pony."
Two ponies in the crowd spoke out. "But, your highnesses, we were all tricked!"
"Yeah! The crooked Canterlot investigation force framed him, falsely charged him, and tricked us into-"
"It does not matter!" Celestia bellowed, almost into a traditional, royal Canterlot type voice, with a tone as cold as an arctic wind.
The crowd cringed fearfully, for they had not heard the sun princess yell so angrily before, especially Twilight and Spike who had known her longer than the others. Celestia cleared her throat and continued at a lower volume, but still keeping the same cold, angry tone.
"Abacus Sum considered all of you his friends. He trusted you, he respected you. And you turned against him just as quickly without giving any second thought." Celestia glanced at the Main Six, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, Spike, Warden Rehab, Lock Down, Granny Smith, Big McIntosh, Derpy, Cheerilee, Dr Stallion, Hondo Flanks and Cookie Crumbles, Cup Cake and Carrot Cake with their twins babies, and the two donkeys, Matilda and Cranky Doodle Donkey standing together close by behind her while talking to the crowd. "These ones behind me are the only exceptions that were true to him, who truly believed his innocence, and were willing to help him."
Cranky spoke out. "Umm...Excuse me, your highness. I actually didn't help, but it was because I knew nothing about this Abacus Sum." He looked at Matilda with a smile. "But Matilda told me all about him, and if she believed he was innocent, then I guess I'm willing to believe it too."
"And we believed he was innocent too." Hondo Flanks said.
Cookie Crumbles came up next to Hondo Flanks. "Be we didn't know about him being released and coming back here to Ponyville because we were on vacation."
Celestia nodded understandingly before turning back to the crowd. "It really, truthfully disappoints us on how this whole town has behaved towards just one pony. It is clear now that this town did not truly love or respect him, and that it was only his wife that got the true love and respect."
"Indeed," Luna said. "After how you treated him, I wouldn't have high hopes for him ever returning here again. Abacus's suffering and losses were just as much your doing as it was the Canterlot investigation force. For now, he will be in our care, until he gets mentally well enough to return to wherever else he desired to start his life again, with his 120,000 bits in companion he recently received at his retrial."
Celestia closed her eyes in pity. "A very small comfort. I admit that offer would hardly begin to cover what he went through, or what he had lost, but it's a start at least."
"So it matters not whether you now believe and truly respect him or you're sorry! Because you're too late!" Luna scoffed. "After all, you wanted him gone, and you got your wish. It is like that old saying: Be careful what you wish for. You have marked him with a monstrous stigma that he will have to carry and live with for the rest of his life!"
"This whole town treated Abacus Sum so badly to the point of him nearly taking his own life," Celestia said. "And that itself is a serious thing. It will be very hard for him to get his good name back."
"That reminds me." Luna walk by eyeing every child, except for Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle in the town hall, giving them a serious look. "As I am aware, somepony broke the hospital window of the room Abacus Sum was staying in yesterday with a brick that had a threat note on it. Dr Stallion saw briefly that it was a group of children, but he didn't get a proper look as to who they were. But from coming into the dreams of others, I already know which children are responsible for it."
The children all looked at each other with a curious, confused, and worried looks. Luna stopped and glanced at them all.
"Fortunately for them, I won't be mentioning any names. But I do advise for them to turn themselves in willingly sooner. After all, breaking a window with a brick, or any solid object, and with a threatening note on it is very serious, and not at all humorous. They would be still punished, but believe me, it would be far less than if they didn't turn themselves in. I will let you think about it, but do it because it's the right thing to do, not for the lesser punishment. I hope you will chose wisely."
"And now we must leave," Celestia said. "We must return back to Canterlot. And we will be telling about this whole ordeal to everypony in Equestria when the hoofstrong ring case is presented in court."
"But your highness...” Mayor Mare started, but Celestia held up a hoof to silence her.
"That's enough, Mayor!" Celestia lowed her hoof back down. "I will hear no more of it." She turned her back coldly as she and Luna began to make their way towards the town hall door with the royal guards escorting them. "You and the rest of Ponyville have a lot to think about."
The two alicorn rulers of Equestria walked right out of the town hall in great disappointment, with Twilight and the others following them, leaving the whole crowd inside with feelings of great sadness, guilt, and shame for what they had done. With the reality that Abacus Sum, one of their most beloved residents that they had turned against on a lie and conspiracy was now gone possibly forever, and had no one to blame but themselves.