//------------------------------//
// Swarm of the Century: Property Damage 
// Story: Trial 
// by Even Evil Has Standards 
//------------------------------//

Diesel blew his horn. "Court is now back in session. Call the next defendants."

"I call Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy for Property Damage." rasped Mok.

Mr. Smith and his clones dragged the 3 aforementioned mares to the eight of the stand. 

Anon started with Fluttershy. "Now you come to meet a Parasprite. However, you've never seen one before so you're first reaction is to take it home?"

Fluttershy nodded. "It looked so cute and I love cute animals."
"And the only reason you couldn't return it was for that reason."
"That and it was hard to tell which one was the original after they multiplied."
"I'll give you that last one," said Anon. "But the fact remains that the whole incident could've been avoided if you knew what happens when you take an animal from it's natural habitat."

Not giving her chance to answer, he slid over to Twilight and said, "And now you, Celestia's former lapdog-"

"Hey! I am not her lapdog!"
Anon looked Kubrick -aly at her. (For you read on, did you ever hear about the Kubrick Stare?) "What would you do if a human being punched Celestia in the face?"
"I'd teach him a lesson, alongside my friends!" answered Twilight.
"Until he went unconscious and nearly died?"
"Well uh-"
"Or never minding the fact that Celestia can take her of herself and suffer VERY minimal damage?"
"Well uh-" 
"OR taking into consideration of what said human was going through, i.e being forced from his home, his friends, his family, and having no way to go back."

Twilight's ears folded back. "Well uh, when you put it that way..."
"So when you heard that Celestia was coming for a visit, you, a mere student at the time, decided to use a spell on them without considering the consequences...at all."

Twilight opened her muzzle to object...and Anon literally zipped her...lips shut. Twilight could still breath through her nose, but couldn't undo it with a muted horn. 

Anon grinned. "I've always wanted to do that. Now you know how it feels to be on the receiving end." After channeling the laugh of the woodpeckers, he scooted over to Pinkie Pie and said, "And last, but not least, we have the skewered priorities pony."

"My priorities were NOT skewered!" snapped the pink pony. "My priorities were to get the Parasprites out of Ponyville! I tried to tell my friends but they wouldn't listen!"

"True, but did any of your statements involve any hint of knowing how to get rid of the Parasprites? Like 'Hey! I know how to deal with Parasprites!' or 'I've dealt with these bugs before so I know what to do!'" 

Like Twilight, Pinkie Pie started to say something...but this time, she decided against it and her mane deflated a little. Anon smirked. "No further questions."





"Has the jury reached a verdict?" asked Diesel. 
"We have, Your Honor," answered the foreman. "We find all 3 defendants guilty." He levitated a paper over to Mok.

Mok read, "The defendants Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy are hereby sentenced to cleaning up Ponyville every Sunday for the rest of their lives."

Diesel blew his horn. "Case dismissed."
Anon turned to Mr. Smith and his clones. "Leave them up there. Bring the dragon, the other 3 and Sunbutt. We're going to find out just hit slipped Twilight's sparkly mind about not having to send weekly reports."