//------------------------------// // Act V: Love Will Keep Us Together--Scene 1: Law and Disorder // Story: If You Give a Little Love... // by Quillamore //------------------------------// It’d been over six hours since the distressing news had made its way to Coco and plunged her into yet another sleepless night, but this time, even she could tell something was different.  Instead of tossing and turning in bed or turning in early for the night, her first instinct was to trot into Bambi’s study in search of any legal texts she could pore over.  She figured it was only a matter of time before she started looking into them, as she knew next to nothing about how the court system actually worked, but she couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief once she realized what she was doing. Research, not despair, had been Coco’s first reflex, and judging from Bambi’s proud smile as she watched her roommate study, the relief was mutual.  Occasional flashes of fear or nerve still interrupted Coco once in a while, but for the most part, she’d been able to tune them out.  And, when she really forced herself to think about why, the answer came to her within a few seconds: deep down, she’d always figured Mosely would pull something like this. Staring at paragraph after paragraph of data, she figured he wasn’t really that smart after all.  After a few attempts at pulling the same tactics, in fact, he’d gotten pretty easy to figure out.  Even though she’d never been the most studious pony in Equestria, it was that fact that got her through a night of dry and overwhelming reading. That, and learning that she wasn’t even legally required to be Mosely’s witness.  It had been a request on either his lawyer’s—or, more likely his own, considering his controlling nature—behalf, and the most she’d have to deal with if she refused was a rich and desperate pony throwing a tantrum in Manehattan’s most hallowed courthouse.  Which, really, considering the risk she was about to take, was going to happen anyway, no matter what she did. The more she thought about it, the more she realized it was the perfect irony.  The whole thing had started with him forcing Coco into something she didn’t want to do, and now that he was up to his tricks again, she knew her rights and he’d see that he’d never had any power over her to begin with.  That was, assuming he hadn’t already thought of some new way of manipulating her into doing it.  Still, the case was only six days away, and as one of the most instrumental ponies in it, she found herself having to prepare in every way possible. Finally, after hours of going over her rights, Coco retired to a short sleep and was already out on the streets at six in the morning.  Work wouldn’t start for another hour and a half, and she barely even gave it an afterthought as she buzzed past her theatre.  There was someplace else she needed to be, the one place she could collect those small sparks of doubt that were still inside her.  Or maybe even find a missing piece that would guarantee her victory. Manehattan’s industrial district. **** It’d cleaned itself up since Coco had last seen it, that was for sure.  The various factories and plants had all received major renovations, something she’d heard about in the papers multiple times, but had never really registered to her.  There were even a few shopping centers dappled in between the industrial areas, the result of several companies leaving Manehattan for other manufacturing hubs.  Politics aside, it was about as far from the dilapidated part of town that Coco remembered as the Dragon Lands were from Vanhoover. As much as she would’ve liked to have seen a complete change in the landscape, though, something told her that a very important part of the past was still there.  Willing herself to remember the delivery route she’d done for Suri so many years ago, she eventually stumbled upon it just like she had before. It was hidden in a collection of older-looking buildings on the outskirts of the district, too far to have been updated yet.  Most of them still seemed to be in fairly good condition, but one was utterly dilapidated and bore a “condemned” sign on the front door.  Against her better judgement, Coco approached the condemned building and nudged the door open slightly. True to her expectations, there hadn’t been any signs of civilization inside for several years, and all the light fixtures had been removed from the walls.  After seeing this, Coco took care to prop the door open, partially to keep the area lighted, partially out of fear that it would lock, and partially so nopony would know that she was trespassing in dangerous territory. Though, as soon as she walked into it, she knew that it’d once been a far more dangerous place.  She could imagine the scene almost as if it’d happened just a minute before: a factory packed to the brim with the most sickly bunch of ponies she’d seen, and her daughter had been among them.  Needless to say, this was the first time since the incident that Coco had felt particularly compelled to come back. But it was already gone, only a few years after she’d intervened.  With any luck, Mosely would prove to be a similar story, and she could look back on her memories with him with as much distance as she used staring at the factory now.  She thought about how, a few years from now, the building she was standing in might not even exist.  Another memory torn apart into something new, a better place. Lost in her thoughts, Coco barely heard the sound of hooves hitting the ground, but once she realized they were approaching her, she ducked under one of the few remaining pieces of equipment.  Oddly enough, she now found that being pursued by a stranger in an abandoned factory had managed to unseat Mosely himself as her number-one fear. Any progress is good progress? she thought doubtfully as she cowered under the huge object. By the time the hoof reached out towards her and touched her fur, Coco had already jumped, screamed, and created as large of a spectacle as she could.  However, when she took a closer look at the figure next to her, she couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief. “Scene,” she muttered, “you could have just told me it was you.  I was scared out of my mind, you know!” “Sorry,” the stallion replied, brushing his hoof into his mane, “but still, you’re one to talk about scaring ponies.  Try watching your marefriend trot straight into a condemned building without a care in the world sometime.” Of course, Coco realized, he had every right to think something like that.  She hadn’t gotten far enough in her plan to recognize that she’d have to tell Scene about the trial sooner or later.  The last time she’d checked up on him had been just last night, while Babs was out spending time with her extended family and while Bambi was trying to coax her into going out on a date.  But, just like things usually tended to turn out in her life, a few hours often meant the difference between peace and drama. Keeping the utter irrationality of her actions to an outside party in mind, she finally answered, “I figured I had some time before work, and I got some bad news last night.  So instead of moping about it, I figured I’d come here and remind myself of what I’m fighting for.” “A dump that could fall apart at any second?” Coco almost couldn’t tell from the way Scene tried, as usual, to hide his true emotions under a joke, but she could still pick up a flash of pride in his eyes.  She still couldn’t make heads or tails of why he’d turned out to work so early, or followed her in the first place, but he seemed every bit as aware of her progress as she was. She’d grown used to this inner strength of hers crumbling when she needed it most, but somehow, even in one of the most traumatizing places she’d ever been, she could feel it burrowing into her heart for good.  It wasn’t even that she knew how to win, but rather that the information had given her a new drive that none of the past drama had before.  Or, by some shadow of a possibility that Bambi’s advice had actually helped more than Coco thought. “This is the place it all began,” she found herself saying.  “I figured it’d be the best place to think about what happens next.” Any shadow of humor on Scene’s face quickly vanished with that sentence.  He was already becoming the serious, determined fighter that’d helped Coco out of many a difficult situation, and at times like this, she wasn’t quite sure which side of him she really preferred.  However, every moment with him seemed to foster a greater admiration—and perhaps even love—for both halves of him.  In any case, all it took was a flick of a hoof against his chin, and he was already in detective mode. “Wow,” he whispered, taking the place in.  “I had no clue time had been so rough on this place.  Poetic justice and all, but still.” “To be fair, it was never Canterlot Castle.  But even if this place falls down in the next few months, I still need to make sure Babs doesn’t end up anywhere like it.” Until Coco said that, she didn’t even realize how much that fear still reigned over her.  She was able to push it away, unlike before, yet it was still there, even though she knew there was no longer a place for foal labor in Manehattan.  There was no logical way history could repeat itself, but images of her losing dappled throughout her mind.  Once again, painful reminders pierced through her, telling her she was not the only pony at stake in this case. The thoughts invaded her mind yet again, except this time, they were all of Babs, sometimes drenched with rain, other times covered in wounds, and all times calling out to her.  Wondering why she hadn’t done more, even though she was doing all she could. She didn’t even know they were false fantasies until she felt a swatch of fur rubbing at her own, and from there, she could see that Scene was no longer yelling at her from the opposite side of the factory.  Instead, he was by her side, curled against her with a closeness she hadn’t felt since the first time she’d ever confided in him. Looking back, Coco couldn’t understand the way she’d hesitated a few months ago, not anymore.  Especially considering that, if she hadn’t told Scene about Babs in the first place, she certainly wouldn’t be in anypony’s warm embrace now. “You know that’s impossible,” Scene finally spoke.  “With the way everypony practically burned Mosely at the stake, nopony would dare try anything like that with foals again.” With a shrug that betrayed the gravity of the situation, he added, “If somepony isn’t an easy target anymore, villains won’t want to hurt them anymore.  Reputation’s practically their currency.” “I know,” she spoke, staring into his eyes as if they’d explode at any minute.  “I know, but…shouldn’t you know?” It’d taken her a few minutes to pick up on it, but once she figured it out, yet another stream of questions appeared.  If Scene had volunteered himself as a witness—and before Coco herself, in fact—shouldn’t he be in on the date change, too?  If that was the case, then why did he seem so unaware of everything happening around her? It wasn’t until Scene pointed it out, though, that she realized how utterly dumb her question sounded. “Shouldn’t I know what?” he questioned.  “I know what I know, y’know?  So what do you know that I don’t know?” He’d said it all with an exaggeratedly accusatory tone, enough to pierce through the fear in Coco’s heart.  As the mare laughed, she could practically feel it melting away, possibly even for good this time.  True to her prediction, coming here—and accidentally stumbling upon one of her most trusted allies in the process—had given her the will to fight tenfold.  She could practically feel herself waiting expectedly for more to fill her, like a changeling feasting on love, like an addiction that would fill her heart until it burst at the trial. “I got a letter yesterday.  The trial’s been moved, and now it’s only a week away.  But actually, if you really want to know…I think I’m ready.” Scene cocked his head to the side, and in that moment, Coco honestly wasn’t sure what part of the statement confused him more—the contents of the note, or her reaction to them. “Weird,” he finally muttered after a few seconds of silence.  “I haven’t gotten anything yet, and I just checked this morning.  In fact, I’d just gone to look at it when I saw you heading away from the theatre.  I figured something had happened, so I thought I’d check it out.” “You just can’t leave me alone, can you?” If it’d been somepony like Mosely, she might’ve actually meant that.  But as she placed her hoof over his and gave him a knowing glance, it took everything she had not to laugh at her own sentence.  Flirting seemed so weird and unfamiliar to her, especially in the setting she was in, but somehow, it just flowed from her effortlessly. Still, she figured it wasn’t exactly right to lay it on too thick in a place like this, considering Babs’ memory, and she quickly turned away from the stallion. “Not when you’ve just come back into my life.  I mean, not that you were gone from that long, and not that we didn’t see each other then, but..” “I get it,” Coco said.  “Trust me, I know what that kind of separation’s like.  When I really make myself think about it, that’s what made Mosely so powerful.  He was able to separate all of Spellshock and my family without breaking a sweat.  And hopefully, that’s what I think we can use against him.  He may have lost ponies left and right, but we’ve stayed together.” Almost as if to nail in the whole act, she flashed Scene a surprisingly confident smile, one she knew he hadn’t seen in several months. “You know I still worry about you.  Are you really sure you can handle this?” And, just like that, he’d already brought Coco’s confidence into question.  Granted, it was close enough to the real thing, almost enough to convince her otherwise.  Almost enough to convince her that she’d actually changed from the mentally weak pony she’d been just months before. Every piece of hope she had, clouded by a single question.  If that was how delicate her heart really was, she wondered to herself, how could she possibly handle a case like this?  The answer, it seemed, came to her far more quickly than she thought. My heart may be weak, she told herself, banishing her last few thoughts of doubt, but it’s not just mine I’m fighting for anymore.  Everyone’s hearts will push me through, even if mine can’t. “Maybe not as much as I think,” she finally admitted.  “But enough to know that this needs to end here.” She placed a hoof on the ground, imagining herself stomping all her worries away with it. “Because this isn’t just about me, or Babs, or anypony else.  It’s about everypony who’s been separated from their family, who’s ever had to make up for lost time with the ponies they love.  Even if they’re conponies, or villains, or outright criminals, everypony deserves to know their real family, only if it’s for a little bit.  That’s what I’ve chosen to fight for!” She pressed her body against Scene’s, and the intimidating atmosphere of the condemned factory melted away.  Coco could almost imagine herself slamming against it with enough impact to shatter it forever and reduce it to dust.  And, with any luck, she’d do the same to all the other memories it’d brought. Even if this week would bring her drama not even she could anticipate. **** A few days after her last visit to the factory, Coco went off on another morning stroll, this time towards the courthouse.  As she passed it, she surveyed it with the same sort of intensity a hero would towards their latest battlefield. The news crews, it seemed, had already congregated around the building, as if the trial could begin at any minute.  For a moment, she wasn’t quite sure why so many ponies were gathering when nopony relevant to the case was around, but all it took was a few quick glances to change her world. Coco forced herself to breathe as she took in the whole scene, knowing it was just another trick.  It had to be.  She’d seen that very same pony several times before, and while she’d never directly met him, she’d always assumed he’d never stoop that low. But there he was, delivering a clear message.  However Mosely had managed to acquire a decent lawyer, it couldn’t have been through legitimate means.  And somehow, even that thought was better than the several others that coursed through her mind.  That somehow, the Oranges had pulled themselves back into Mosely’s game. Coco turned away from the courthouse before giving it one final glance, hoping against hope that what she’d seen before hadn’t been an illusion.  But, sure enough, it was there, pure as day. Torte Framboise, Valencia’s husband, the pony who’d never let the Oranges use his legal position to their advantage, was standing just across the road from her.  Either Mosely had managed to intimidate Valencia himself into going back to his side, or Torte was working on his own. Maybe it’s a mirage, Coco told herself yet again.  Another pony who looks like him.  He could even be here on other business. Yet, for once, Coco was sure of one thing: none of those options could really be true.  Not if all this had been orchestrated specifically to keep her on Mosely’s side.  To let her know that she could lose allies, too. Sure enough, that moment was enough to make her realize.  She didn’t even need to know a pony for them to betray her in the end.