My Little Ponys' The Count of Monte Cristo

by kahnac


A Trial of Lies

The carriage eventually came in front of the courthouse where the prosecution was being held. A bunch of unicorn guards in the black armor of Tirek's regiment were present to escort their prisoner inside. The barred door opened, and slowly stepped out a rightfully glum Shining Dantes. This time, he wasn't dragged inside, as he figured it was best to just cooperate until this whole thing was dealt with. However, that didn't mean he was going in scott free: a pair of cuffs were placed over his front hooves before he was walked in. Armored Gargoyles hovered in the air to ensure he wouldn't attempt to escape. And fortunately for Spike, who had just flown in on top of a roof of a building standing before the courthouse, they were focused SOLELY on the saddened unicorn walking into the building. It hurt Spike having to see his own brother treated like this. He was a hero, and didn't deserve to be treated like a criminal. Yet after hearing that exchange between Tirek, and Guild, he began to suspect something else was happening. Something which was conspiring against Shining in order to make all this bad stuff happen.

Thankfully, he wasn't alone in family - Spike would always have his back, no matter what happened.

Leaping off the side of the building, he slunk to the side in an alley to avoid the view of the guards. Eyes were on the ground, and in the sky. If he was going to get inside, he would need to find an opportunity which would work for him. At first, it didn't seem like there would be one........but then the sound of a loud, trumpeting series of roars arose from the right. Just as the prison carriage drove off, another one took its place. One which made Spike's blood boil a great deal: Tirek's Chariot. And there was the armored centaur, standing in the center of it. Though Spike was now beginning to see him as a demon, now. But even with his resentment for the devious centaur growing every minute, he was soon found to be grateful to him for unwittingly providing him a way in. As soon as his chariot pulled in, the Gargoyles exited the skies, and went to the walkway leading into the building. The pony soldiers did the same, all lining up in rows of two. As Tirek began to stroll through the entryway, Spike made his move. Taking to all fours, he dashed to the side of the wall which surrounded the courtyard. He looked over, observing the scene. He knew well he couldn't just climb the wall, and risk getting seen. But then he remembered another useful attribute he had: his own claws. Smiling with determination, he scaled the wall until he was above the peripheral vision of the creatures below. Climbing in between the windows, and making his way to the pillared balcony above the entrance to the building. With Tirek unaware, and the guards none the wiser, he listened as the Lieutenant General ordered his men to guard the entrance. They did, and began returning to their previous positions. Not much time left now. Just as Tirek passed through the doors, and they began closing, he crawled as fast as he could under the balcony, and through the doors, just in time before they had closed. He silently sighed in relief, and followed Tirek from the ceiling.

If Shining really was here, he would know where he was.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Shining found himself being led into a large room, with an open fire to the right-side of the room. A strange thing, he thought, since he assumed he was going to be on trial for his accusations. Yet, he was here, in what he assumed was the office of the unicorn who sat at the desk in front of him. He recognized the Unicorn as Neighsay Villefort, Chief Prosecutor of Mareseilles. His father, Spell Nexus, may have been Crown Prosecutor of Prance, but his son was still adept at the job. One of the best in the business. He soon noticed he had company, and looked up from whatever he was writing, and saw Shining with two guards next to him. A nod later, and he was led to a seat in front of the desk. Viilefort observed with an analytical stare. Scanning the white unicorn's body like a vulture. It was honestly unnerving to him, as he only squirmed a bit in his seat. Finally, the unicorn noble spoke in a monotone voice which carried little emotion aside from simple logic. "So, you are the one named Shining Dantes. The one I have heard much about."

"You've....heard of me, sir?"

"Well, when one strolls about the streets of our city, one tends to hear certain......rumors. You would be surprised at the kind of rumors i've heard of you."

Shining grew further uneasy, and only showed confusion. "I.....i don't understand? Who would spread rumors about me? I haven't done anything to cause gossip.......have I?"

"Well, Mr. Dantes, if you hadn't before, i'm sure you will now. Though that is NOT what we are here to discuss, Mr Dantes. As of this moment, you officially stand accused of treason, conspiracy, and even murder. And although this is not an official courtroom hearing, I am still the prosecution. Thus I am inclined to ask how you plead."

Shining had already gone over this before with Tirek. He sighed heavily, already knowing what he was going to say. "Honestly? Not Guilty."

Neighsay raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?"

"Your honor....I don't know who it is that accused me, or who might have set me up for this, but I swear on all of my honor that I am innocent. I serve the Equestrian Military - and in turn the princesses - with only loyalty, dedication, integrity, and conviction. Iron Hoof was my General, and I always remained loyal to him, even in his final moments. If it meant giving him a chance to live, i would've gladly have given my own life. That's why I swear to you now: I did NOT murder him, and I am not an agent of Empress Moon. I am an honest stallion who was raised on the foundations of our nation, and the elements which give it strength. My only hope is that you have the wisdom to see that i'm telling the truth, and know that i've done nothing wrong."

"Hmm.......that was quite inspirational, Mr Dantes. And yes, I agree with the notion that you are, perhaps, an honest stallion. I've heard much of you from my own father's interactions with your general - and clearly, you are a stallion after your own father."

"They both taught me everything I know, and made me who I am today." Shining said proudly.

".......and yet, here you stand, being accused of a crime. Tell me precisely how that entails the concept of honesty?"

Shining tilted his head in confusion. "I'm not sure I understand."

"You say you are an honest stallion, and yet here you sit before me. No honest stallion would ever find himself standing before a member of court to plead his defense unless they were guilty of something. And someone truly believes you to be guilty."

Shining's eyes narrowed. "Well, they're wrong. I'm not guilty of anything....and I don't think you have a very fair opinion, or viewpoint of me, sir."

"How is that?"

Another sigh escaped Shining's lips. "A ponies honesty, and his own character should never be judged simply by his placement in court. Or because he is accused of a crime. If you want to pass any kind of judgement, you should at least wait until you learn all that you can about the pony first. Understand what makes them who you are, and then decide how they should be treated. Nothing should ever stand in the way of such fairness. Besides, all I am is accused. Not innocent. Not Guilty - simply accused. So until proven otherwise, you shouldn't be so quick to let prejudice get in the way of doing what's right."

Neighsays eyes widened in genuine surprise. And for the first time since meeting him, Shining could see that he may have impressed the prosecutor with his words. "That is......a most wise concept, Mr. Dantes. Such a wisdom is not often to be found in a pony of your years. And, pray tell, how old are you, precisely."

"I'm 24, sir. My sister's four years younger than me, in case you were curious."

"That actually is quite interesting." He then showed off a series of documents he held on his desk - which Shining recognized as his dossier in the military. "According to these, you are the youngest stallion to have obtained the ranking of Colonel. You must truly be skilled in many ways to have earned such a rank in so short a time."

"Thank you." Shining smiled in appreciation.

"But do not take this as any sort of flattery, Colonel Dantes. While your resume is impressive.....there are still implications that claim you may be a secret agent of Empress Moon. One who may very well have been ordered to murder the general of the equestrian military in order to ensure the Lunar Empire has a position of power within our nation they can control. And one who could aid in her forces successful escape from the Isle of Eldibar."

Shining looked at Neighsay with an incredulous expression. "But...that's ridiculous! Are you actually implying i've been some kind of plant all this time? You just talked about my file a few seconds ago, and it has all of my information on it. Unless you're trying to say I somehow faked all of that, too?"

"It's not exactly as if it were beyond the realm of possibility....for a spy."

Both Unicorns turned around to see Tirek enter the room. HIs expression neutral, though he was clearly showing disdain for Shining. All Shining could think, however, was what he said next. "What are you doing here, Tirek?" The centaur stood beside the chief prosecutor, placing both his arms behind his back. "Lieutenant General Tirek has come forth as a witness to testify against your crimes."

"What?" Shining asked in disbelief. "Tirek, this is insane! We've served together for 3 years, now: why are you turning against me like this now?"

"There is no room for hypocrisy here, Dantes. I had my suspicions of you since I first met you. And yet..... somehow I never actually believed they could be true until now. Eldibar certainly showed that."

Shining glared. "How many times do i have to keep saying this: I DIDN'T kill the general! He died from a sudden brain tumor! You know this!"

"Even if you were right........how exactly do you explain THIS?" he immediately pulled out the same dagger from before. Spike, all the while, was still hanging from the ceiling, to avoid being seen by anyone in this room. And he was absolutely livid. Shining, however, was able to take a moment to consider the possibility. "I don't know. However, I DO know that somepony - or someone - could have planted that on me in order to frame me for this. Look through my records again, Mr Villefort: you'll see that I have barely any experience with a blade, so I don't keep one on me. My specialty is with using shields, and defensive weaponry."

Neighsay looked through the files thoroughly, and hummed. "It would appear so. And it would seem your skills with shields, and protection spells are almost unparalleled, Shining Dantes." He then looked to the unicorn. " Much of what you say does have a ring of truth to it. And there is an off-chance that you might be telling the truth." This comment made Tirek's eyes widen only a margin. But he could most certainly feel a growing sense of fear. A fear that perhaps Neighsay really wasn't about to go through with this plan because of his soft heart. He needed to be careful, or else Neighsay might allow his better judgement to escape, and find favor with the accused. "Though.......that begs the question of if you are telling the truth. Did you actually see General Ironhoof die?" He turned to his right. "Tirek?" Shining also looked to the centaur. All he could feel was relief. He knew TIrek would attest to his words, because he was there when Shining was called by the general to go and see him alone. He certainly wouldn't lie about such a thing.

But that's where he was proven wrong.

"No, I did not. In fact........it was Colonel Dantes who told us of his death the day after it happened. I was busy seeing to our wounded - who were wounded because of he deliberately attacked the enemy the moment they were in view."

"That's a lie!" Shining exclaimed. "I tried speaking with the lunars before they attacked us. I at least convinced them to help us take care of our wounded. You were there when their doctors told us Iron Hoof was going to die. They called you, me, and Sombra to his ward, but he only asked for ME to see him. You hear the doctor say that!"

Tirek's eyes narrowed. "Actually, no I didn't. As I said, I was in another part of the Lunar's fortress, overseeing the recovery of our soldiers with Lieutenant-Colonel Sombra. Those who were still able were either there, or had been sent down to secure our life boats. Anypony could assume that you had the opportunity to sneak into the general's keep, and slay him while he was under. After all, it's not as if anyone could have known what you were doing."

"No." Shining shook his head. "No, that's not true! That's not true, and you know it, TIrek! Why are you saying these lies?"

"HAH! YOU accuse ME of lying? And yet you never even had the courage to tell anypony else about the letter you received....
from Empress Moon, herself."

Shining's eyes widened at the mention of that letter. He then looked over to Neighsay, with a pleading, and a growing desperation tone in his voice. "Neighsay....I know there's probably nothing i could say to convince you otherwise, but I swear on my own life that what he said is NOT what it seems like. Just give me a chance, and I can explain why I kept quiet about the letter - which i'm assuming you already know about."

"Indeed. Our anonymous individual made reference to that. And just before you both arrived, Tirek had called me ahead of time to inform me, and confirm that claim was true." He then stroke his little beard. "Accepting an item such as this from a well-known enemy of Equestria.....and then maintaining secrecy of its existence. You DO understand this could be considered part of an act of treason, don't you? And yet you continuously make claims of being an honest stallion?" He then rose out of his seat. "Tell me exactly how you expect me to trust anything you say at this point?"

Shining sighed. "That's just it: you don't. I can already begin to see that. But if you would just give me a chance to explain, then maybe you can understand why." Once again, Neighsay found himself taken aback by Shining, and just how humble he seemed. He made no actual attempt to justify himself: he accepted the reality, yet was still offering to tell the the truth. Perhaps he really WAS making a mistake with this. There was only one way to find out. After all, he still needed to confirm what he suspected about that letter, and if his suspicions were correct. "If that is so.....then you may do so."

"What in the hell are you-?!"

"Cease, and desist, TIrek. The accused has the right to defend himself. Perhaps this may shed some light on a few details." And now Tirek was growing continuously frustrated. He was beginning to regret his decision to allow Neighsay to be added to the conspiracy. The fool always was a soft-hearted ingrate. At this rate, all of his plans could end up being ruined. All the same, he remained silent, and allowed Neighsay to speak. "Now, Mr Dantes, if you wouldn't mind shedding some actual details in regards to this Letter from the Empress?"

A tiny smile appeared as Shining armor stood up in his seat. "Yes, sir: it was late into the night, and after Empress Moon had agreed to offer us temporary sanctuary, and aid our ailing general, and our injured. After the doctor gave us the grave news of his terminal case, all of us split off for different parts of the fortress. I was wandering around with my lieutenant, Sombra. We were relaxing, and talking in their wine storage room, hardly having a care in the world when she found us. For some reason, she wanted to talk to me, specifically."

"I see........what precisely did she want to discuss?"

"Not that much. We just shared some causal talk for a little while before she asked me for a small favor."

"The letter." Neighsay answered, already beginning to understand.

"She told me it was the price for allowing us sanction in her dominion, and the use of her doctors. She informed me that it was a simple letter of concern to someone who she considered a friend. Someone she wanted to check up on, but couldn't. And because the Princesses created that barrier to halt all forms of long distance communication, even her magic couldn't teleport the letter to her friend. And she also knew i'd be suspected of treason if anypony saw me with it - and the Equestrian Military, along with the princesses, would come down hard on her out of fear. So she asked me to deliver this under promise of being sworn to secrecy. And I kept that promise up until this moment."

Neighsay hummed in thought. "Interesting. And why did you not simply reject this request? If you are truly not in league with her, then surely no harm could come from this."

"It's because i'm a stallion who likes to keep his promises. That, and I didn't want to risk the lives of my fellow soldiers by refusing Empress Moon in her own domain. I went with my instincts, and did what I thought was right to protect my friends. All of them." He looked to Tirek, who seemed a but surprised by this. Neighsay, however, was even further impressed by this ponies character. "My, oh my. It seems I truly have underestimated you, Mr Dantes. You are honest, loyal, AND quite brave if you were willing to risk your own freedom to preserve the lives of your troops."

Shining smiled an bowed his head. "It's what should be expected from a soldier, sir. His duty is to fight for, and protect the lives of others. And i'm always willing to pay any price for protecting others." Spike, of course, could only smile in pride for his brother. And somehow, he had a feeling that Shining would convince the prosecutor just yet. "Indeed so. And I commend you for such an act of bravery, Mr Dantes."

"Thank you, Mr Villefort."

Tirek merely rolled his eyes in annoyance. Things were starting to go south, and despite the fact he kept a calm face...his heart was fuming with red hot anger. No way was he going to allow his only chance at revenge to be denied him because of the sympathy of an idiot. If he declared Shining innocent, then he would just kill the both of them, and be done with it. He could just say Shining was so desperate, he ended up killing Neighsay in the escape, and Tirek was forced to put him down. It was a simple enough explanation, and a perfect alibi for plan B. Neighsay continued. "Now, before we move any further, I have one further question: did you know who the letter was addressed to? Who were you supposed to deliver it, too?"

Shining brought a hoof to his chin. "I....don't really know. Empress Moon said he would stay anonymous, and find me in time. But I haven't seen anypony, or creature, who could possibly be it. My only indication was what I saw on the envelope. I couldn't understand any of it except for one name: Villefort."

Neighsay's eyes snapped wide open. And his blood ran cold. "C-....come again?"

"That's what it said, sir. At least, that's what I think it did. I had a hard time understanding what was there. But HE should have the letter, too. Just ask him for it, and you'll see." Neighsay did so in response, and Tirek pulled out the black envelope. He looked to the front initials, and to his growing fear, he was right: his own name was place on the front of the letter. But as he read the Ponish, he saw that it wasn't him, exactly. His worry increased when he opened the letter, and read its contents. From that point on, his tone carried an analytical one, that seemed to be for probing further information. "So you've confirmed you've told nopony of this, correct?" Shining nodded. "And.......you say you haven't read this letter yourself because you can't understand it?" Shining seemed a bit disappointed before he spoke. "I'm afraid not, sir. I can't read Ponish." To this, Neighsay raised his eyebrow in confusion. "Can't read ponish? But....it's one of the most basic languages aside from Equestrian."

"I know. It's a pretty shameful thing, but.....we couldn't really afford much of an education. I learned some of the basics, but I dropped out so I could join the military. Since we've been in wartime, even during Empress Moon's exile, the policy for volunteering was lessened immensely. I mostly did it so I could support our family after Twilight left to join Princess Celestia's school for gifted unicorns. So....i don't know that many languages, and I can't read them at all." His ears fell as if to show the hint of shame he felt at this.

"Hm.....well, in your defense, such knowledge isn't inherently required for Equestrian Military." He then raised the parchment in the air with his horn. As he did, his horn suddenly began to blink brightly in a series of flashes which seemed to blink at random. Tirek was at first confused by this display, until he REALLY looked at it. A few seconds later, and he actually understood what he was seeing. And a devious smile appeared on his face. Shining, meanwhile, while also confused about Neighsay's horn glows, didn't pay it any real mind. Though he was curious about the sudden departure of one of the guards in the room. The same went for Spike. The teenaged dragon getting a bad feeling about this. Finally, Neighsay spoke. "Now, I know for certain you may truly be innocent, Shining Dantes."

Shining's ears perked. "R-really?"

"Oh, yes: mostly because of the fact if you you could read this, you would have found the pony whose name this belongs to. And you had no knowledge of Villefort until this moment - or perhaps you did, but let it slip your mind?" Shining nodded in response. "Then I regret to inform you that you have been deceived, my young friend." Shining's confusion grew into shock as he inquired what the pony meant. "This is, in fact, not a letter to a friend: it is an order for a Lunarist spy hiding in Mareseilles, instructing them to prepare for Empress Moon's inevitable return to Equestria."

Shining's eyes widened in abject horror. "What?!"

"And it appears somepony was using my families name in order to pass off suspicion." He then gave shining a grave look. "She has used you, Mr Dantes - and what's more, attempted to use my family as a scapegoat for her loyalist's actions. She attempted to use us both as pawns in her grand scheme."

"But that's....." Shining's anger rose for a decimal at this revelation. "That malicious witch! She actually tricked me?!" He then raised one of his hooves to his forehead as his eyes clamped shut. A sigh of regret, and anger being released. "How could I be so stupid? I should NEVER have trusted her - I knew her words were too good to be true."

"Unfortunate.......but it WAS to be expected, i'm afraid. Those who place trust in those who do not deserve it, often find themselves the one taking the fall for that others' actions." He then made a sympathetic expression towards the stallion. "Do not feel to terrible, Mr Dantes: it could have happened to anypony."

"Yeah......but it still happened to me. And I almost risked the safety of equestria for my own stupidity!"

"You have no stupidity, Mr Dantes: you are simply a kind soul who likes to see the best in others. I gathered that much from you already." Shining shot him an appreciative smile. But to his surprise, he then saw Neighsay hold the letter over a candle on his desk. He let it catch flame, and burn in his magical hold until it was only ashes. "Still, this is most dangerous information. Too dangerous for anypony to see, lest a Lunarist should discover it. You understand, don't you?"

Though unsure, Shining still agreed.

"Good. Then, in that case, I believe we've drawn this debacle on for long enough. This revelation far exceeds anything brought before me at this time." He then stood up for Shining to seem him better. "As for your sentence......I feel that after getting to know you better, that you seem not like a conspirator, and a murderer. Odds are these WERE somponies attempts to due you grievance. Therefore, I will find you not guilty, and allow you leave to go."

Shining's eyes threatened to wet with tears of relief. But he managed to hold them in, and breathed a heavy sigh of relief. "Oh, thank you. Thank you, Mr Villefort. You're a very wise, and considerate pony, and I think I might owe you alot for this." Neighsay raised his hoof in dismissal. "Think nothing of it. Though I tend to take my duties seriously at times to an extreme, I do believe in fairness within the justice system. That means allowing the accused a chance of their own. And my only regret is the trouble I may have caused you this night."

"It's okay, sir." Shining smiled. "I'm just happy this is over, and done with."

"Indeed, yes." The door then opened, revealing the guard who had left before. "Now, if you please, you may follow the gentlecolts outside. I took the liberty of having a carriage prepared for you, just in case. They will escort you there, now." Shining got out of his seat, and bowed his head one more time. "Of course. Thank you again, Mr Vilelfort." He then began trotting out towards the door when Villefort stopped him. "And, Mr Dantes?........I suggest you treasure those closest to you. They may be the only source of light, and hope to guide you through the world should you ever lose your way." Shining stood in silence for a few moments, only slightly confused by what Neighsay said. he was even more confused about how Tirek had been so far. And why he seemed so calm, and relaxed about this whole thing when he seemed to intent on seeing him found guilty. Yet here he was, as chilled as an ice cube. He decided it wasn't worth questioning, and simply said to Neighsay, "I appreciate that, Mr Neighsay. Have a good night." and he left the room. Only Neighsay, TIrek - and Spike on the ceiling, remained in the room. But it didn't last long as they got up from their seats, and headed towards the door. "Most interesting, neighsay. I had no idea you knew how to use Morse code. Much less in visual form." Spike was insure what Tirek was talking about. But the unease he had felt before slowly began to return. Instincts warning him of danger approaching. "Let's simply say that, in my line of work, you use what you must in serving the law. Now, shall we see our dearest friend off?"

Tirek hummed villainously. "Indeed. I can't wait to see his face when he realizes the truth." Horror crossed Spikes face before he began crawling across the ceiling through the doors. He raced as fast as he could to catch up with his brother before it was too late. Sadly, this proved to be the case, as he saw Shining enter a different carriage from before. But to both Dantes' siblings horror, it was just another kind of prison carriage. And as soon as Spike exited the building, it was locked behind the confused unicorn. "What.....what's going on?" he asked one of the soldiers. But he was ignored. He then began pushing against the walls to find they were reinforced. Growing frantic, he ignited his horn to escape with a teleportation spell. But nothing happened. That's when he realized, to his growing fear, that this was a carriage meant to hold unicorn prisoners. There was no way out. With lack of understanding, Dantes rushed over to the barred opening, seeing both Neighsay, and Tirek, whose arms were crossed in front of him, standing at the entryway to the southern entrance of the courthouse. "Mr Villefort? Tirek?" He called out, to get no reply. He repeated himself, and began struggling against the bars. But he just couldn't break through them. And when he continued calling out to them, all they gave him was both a blank expression........and one of sinister triumph from the centaur. Moments later, the carriage drove a tear-filled Shining away to an unknown destination. Even as he cried out in protest, he was still on his way away. Spike, all the while, was feeling an even deeper hurt when he realized that Shining was betrayed. Both Tirek, and Neighsay lied to him, and it seems they had condemned him anyway. Only proven further by their next brief conversation. And as he listened, his rage towards them only grew. "I'll admit, you had me worried for a second back there. If I didn't know any better, I would think you actually planned to go back on our deal." He then pulled out another of his insidious cigars.

"You assume correct, TIrek." Neighsay said, making Tirek almost choke on his own fume. "Up until he had shown me that letter, I most certainly WOULD have released him. I already had doubts about condemning him so, and his most respectable character only added to my shame. Perhaps if the addressee of that letter was not to my own father, this could have been avoided." Neighsay then sighed a regrettable sigh. "But unfortunately, it was him or me after all."

"Oh, stop being so dramatic, Neighsay. If it hadn't been you who did it, I would've found someone else with more of a spine to do it. Just be thankful you came to your senses, and played that oaf like a fiddle." His horn suddenly ignited, and it opened some manner of window-shaped portal to a location Spike couldn't see. "Either way, our business is concluded. Take care, old friend. I'll be sure to deliver a handsome sum to you once Shining Dantes is secured in the Chateau D'if Le Tambelon - forever." Then he disappeared through it, with his gargoyles seemingly following after wherever it was Shining had been taken. Once they were all in flight, he also took to the sky, and followed after them. He would NOT let this happen to his brother. Not when he could do something about it. Had he stuck around a little longer, he might have seen the look of guilt on Neighsay's face, and the regretful tone he carried as he spoke to himself while walking back inside. He cast a final glance behind before entering.

"I only pray both of us can learn to forgive me for what i've done this day."