Chapter 12: The Trial for Danny's Welfare
(Danny's Point of View)
Tomorrow's the day of the trial. Solar Eclipse and the others went to my aunt and uncle's house to get some evidence to let Mom's side of the trial win, and I would stay with her. Mom and I stayed in our hotel room, and waited for the others to come back.
We heard a knocking on the door, and Mom walked over to the door. She opened it and in came the others. Solar Eclipse then said, "All that searching, and they covered it all up."
"What do you mean?" Mom asked.
"Apparently, they planned on you girls coming here to get Danny back," said Solar Eclipse. "Apparently, they had made some fake memories that makes Danny look happy when he was staying with his aunt and uncle. Basically, Nightmare Moon helped covered up all the bad memories in the time Danny has been here, and replaced most of them with happy memories."
"So, we're screwed," said Applejack.
"No, no, no!" Mom said. "This can't be happening!"
"Mommy?" I asked. "What are we going to do?"
"I don't know, Danny," Mom said.
"It's going to be really tough," said Twilight. "These guys are real professional at covering up the truth."
I hugged Mom tight, and started crying into her chest. I don't want to go back with them. They're going to take me away and I can't do anything but allow it. I could feel mom rubbing the back of my head. I'm basically doomed.
"No!" I heard Mom said. "I won't let Danny be taken away by those cruel beings that are his aunt and uncle. There's gotta be something to prove those disgusting human beings that they're not as nice as they seem."
"Rainbow Dash!" Twilight said. "There's nothing we can do for him tomorrow! We lost before it happened!" I cried even harder. I felt Mom hug me even tighter. "Danny's chances are coming back with us are extremely slim. I'm so sorry, Rainbow Dash. But we just can't win like this."
I felt Mom lean her head onto my head, and I could feel her tears coming onto my head. Then I felt the other girls come in and give me a group hug. I knew that this was the end for me.
(Rainbow Dash's Point of View)
We arrived at the courthouse where the trial was going to be. But this might as well be the end of me and Danny being together. It's over before it began. We were incredibly doomed.
Since we were going to court, we needed some names that sounded human. I was given the name Rachel Dashan. Twilight was given the name Theresa Sparks. Applejack given the name Athena Jackson. Rarity was given the name Rosemary Belle. Fluttershy was Faith Sheep. And Pinkie Pie, she was given the name Penelope Pastry.
We walked into the court room and we were brought to our seats. Twilight, Solar Eclipse and I were sitting at one table while Danny's aunt and uncle with an attorney of their own.
"All rise for the honorable, Judge Stanford Reigns," said the bailiff.
We all stood up, and saw the judge come up to where the judge usually sits. He then said, "Alright. This case is for the custody of Daniel Phillips. The case that stands against Rachel Dashan against Natasha and Reginald Regal. May I get the names of the attorneys and who's side they're on?"
Then Solar Eclipse stood up and said, "I go by Geoffrey Merlin, legal attorney for miss Rachel Dashan."
Then the attorney for Natasha and Reginald stood up and said, "I am Devon Stark, attorney for Mr. and Mrs. Regal for the custody of their rightful nephew, Daniel Phillips."
"You may take your seats," said Judge Reigns. We all sat and then said, "And now, for our prosecutor, we have Jason Quill coming in."
Then another human in a suit comes up. He had a blue suit, a white shirt, and a red tie. He walked over to the front and said, "Will Daniel Phillips take the stand?" We watched as we saw Danny go up to the stand, sitting in the seat where everyone has his attention. Then Jason Quill walked up to Danny with a book and said, "Daniel Phillips, do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help you god?"
"I do," said Danny.
"Alright, Daniel," said Jason Quill. "Tell me why you are here today?"
I could see that Danny was tense. He looked at me, and I motioned him to take a deep breath. He did and then he said, "Well, it all started when I was living in Bend, Oregon. I lived there my whole life. My parents and I were living in one of the friendliest places in the country. But then, when they were on their way to pick me up, they died in a car crash. I was then picked up by social services who wanted to know if I had any family left. I told them I did, but they took me to them without giving me the chance to tell them that they're not very nice to me or my parents."
"Objection!" came Natasha's voice. We all looked over at her and said, "I'm afraid that my nephew has been delusional ever since his parents have passed. It's a phase he's in."
"I can understand that," said Jason Quill. "Most young minds get a little delusional when they're mentally distressed about something. Now, how about we have miss Rachel Dashan to the stand?"
I stood up and headed to the stand. I sat down and was given the same question Danny was asked first.
"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help you god?"
"I do solemnly swear," I said.
"Do you remember when you first came across young Daniel Phillips?" Jason Quill asked.
"I do," I said. "I was going all over town, helping those who got themselves stuck in the storm outside, and then I saw Danny out there. I noticed that he was struck by lightning, so I took him to the hospital to get him patched up. The next day, he told me everything on what happened from when his parents died to before he ended up to where I was."
"Interesting," said the judge. "And what exactly did he say?"
"I could tell that he wasn't making anything up, or shown any sign of delusions," I said. "He was abused by his own aunt and uncle, and hasn't been getting any education when he was staying with them."
"Objection!" came Natasha's voice. "She has obviously gotten tricked by my nephew's delusions." She then pulled out a photo album, and showed it to the people of the court. "I have some evidence that proves that he has been happy here. Although, I have no idea where his delusions were coming from. They come in left and right whenever he is around strangers when he has been here."
Jason Quill took the photo album and looked through the photos. He was believing all of the photos. I couldn't believe that we were actually losing. I couldn't believe that this was happening. Danny was going to be taken away.
"Well, Miss Dashan, it looks like the odds are not in your favor," said Jason Quill. "Do you have any other things to say?"
I couldn't think of a way. But then I said, "Can I get some time to come up with a proper argument?"
"Of course," said the judge. "We'll take a fifteen minute recess. We'll come back then."
My friends and I were outside the court room, and I was really upset about what they were getting at. I could actually lose Danny. But then we heard Natasha and Reginald walking towards us and laughing with a tone.
"You honestly believe that you could beat us in this case?" asked Natasha. "You basically are just giving us the case without any evidence."
"Because you covered up all of the real evidence!" I shouted and started to move to punch her, but I was pulled back by Applejack.
"Whoa, there, sugarcube!" said Applejack. "If you hit her here, you could be sent to jail immediately!"
"Why are you doing this?!" Twilight asked. "With your attitudes, and all the lies, you shouldn't even be watching over Danny. He's a good kid, and you know it."
"But, with our plan from the beginning, we were able to make it look like that we've been treating him nicely," said Reginald. "But sometimes, for the good of our family, we have to do whatever it takes. Even if it means telling very convincing lies. And right now, the truth... it's overrated."
"Why Ah oughta..." said Applejack, but was stopped by Rarity and Fluttershy. I watched as they were restraining her. But I also saw that Solar Eclipse was thinking of something.
"Good luck on trying to beat us now," said Natasha. "Daniel will be staying with us from now on."
I couldn't help but cry. She was right. Danny was going to be stuck with them for the rest of his years as a kid. I felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked up and saw Fluttershy. She said to me, "Don't cry, Dash. We'll try our best to get the truth out of them."
“It’s no use,” I gave out to my friends, “it doesn’t matter how much we tell the truth, Natasha and Reginald always manage to make it look like Danny seems happy with them.”
Solar Eclipse thought about the last session for a long time, thinking about what Natasha and Reginald just said to him before they retrieved for a short break. “The truth... it’s overrated,” he muttered to himself, repeating it over and over again. “The truth’s overrated. The truth’s overrated. The tr-EUREKA!!!”
We all startled by his sudden outburst.
“Solar Eclipse,” I exclaimed, “what the heck?!”
“Sorry,” said Solar Eclipse, “It’s just that I finally know how we can get the truth out of them.”
“You do?” asked Twilight, “How?”
“It’s simple,” said Solar Eclipse, “It kinda involves a movie that I saw back in 2002.”
“Ooh,” said Pinkie, getting really excited, “What was it called?”
Solar Eclipse chuckled a little evilly, but revealing the title: “Big Fat Liar.”
“Big Fat Liar?” We were all rather confused.
“You see,” explained Solar Eclipse, “it was about a young boy who tried to expose some guy as a fraud after that guy stole his essay, titled Big Fat Liar, and turned it into a script for a motion picture, also titled Big Fat Liar.”
“But what has this got to do with what you have in mind?” I was really starting to lose my patience with Solar Eclipse.
“It’s quite simple,” said Solar Eclipse, “You see... during the climax of the movie, the antagonist, Marty Wolf, finally confessed that he stole the essay of the protagonist, Jason Shepherd, and turned it into Big Fat Liar, during which he mocked Jason about it, claiming that he would never ever infinitely tell the truth, with the opinion that the truth’s overrated. Little did Marty know, he confessed his crime in front of 12 various cameras at the same time. By the time he realized what he has done, it was already too late for him to turn things around for himself. Long story short, Marty lost his deal with a movie producer and his career.”
Twilight gasped. She seemed to get the picture. “You mean... we just lure Natasha and Reginald from the court, get them to tell the truth, thus turning the court against them?”
“Close,” said Solar Eclipse, “but no cigar, Twilight. My idea is to lace them with a very strong spell, moments before the division calls them to the witness stand.”
“From there,” I realized, “they’ll tell the truth and nothing but the truth. Solar Eclipse, you’re a genius!”
“What can I say,” replied Solar Eclipse with a smirk, “Nobody, or in your case, nopony, treats their family like slaves and gets away with it.”
"That means we have a chance to win the trial!" said Rarity.
"But what if the people get suspicious about their change of mood?" asked Fluttershy. "The people would think that something is wrong with them."
"We'll have to bare with this one problem at a time," said Solar Eclipse. "Now, let's get back in there. We got a trial to win. And I also took some photography classes, and I could tell if a picture is photo shopped. I've also looked in that album, and the pictures are photo shopped. I can get them to blurt out the truth."
"Hope this works, sugarcube," said Applejack. "We can't let that boy suffer any more."
We all nodded, and put our hands in. This was our only chance to get Danny away from his aunt and uncle. We can't mess this up.
We all got back in the court room, and I was called back to the stand. I then was shown the photo album.
"Miss Dashan," said Jason Quill, "have you come back with a proper argument so you'll have a chance to win this case?"
I looked over at Natasha and Reginald. They were giving off smirks, making them think they had won the trial. But then I said, "Actually. I do. I believe that there was some work on these photos."
"Are you saying that these photos have been photo shopped?" asked Jason Quill.
"I believe you can ask our lawyer that," I said with confidence. "He happened to take photo classes and can tell a true photo from a photo shopped photo."
"Alright," said Jason Quill, taking the photo album to Solar Eclipse. "Mr. Merlin, can you tell us what kind of photo shopping you have seen in one of these photos?"
"Of course," said Solar Eclipse. "In fact, it's this one photo right here, where it shows Reginald teaching him some math. But there's just one problem with that."
"And that is?" asked Jason Quill.
"Check out the shade of his arm and the shade of his head," Solar Eclipse said. "This photo is actually a photo of when Daniel was doing some homework with his father, and not with his uncle."
Jason Quill had his eyes widened and said, "Great god! He's right! This photo has been photo shopped!"
"NO! It wasn't!" shouted Natasha. "Objection."
"Sorry, Mrs. Regal," said Judge Reigns. "But this time, you're overruled."
"Have you been lying about anything else?" asked Jason Quill.
"I think they should be taken to the stand," I suggested.
"Good suggestion, Miss Dashan," said Jason Quill. "Mr. and Mrs. Regal, take the stand."
I got out from the stand seat and then Natasha and Reginald came up to the stand. I then whispered into Solar Eclipse's ear, "It's time."
He nodded. He then had his hands under the table, glowing, making sure that no one else sees him doing magic.
"Do you two swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?" asked Jason Quill.
"We will from now on now that we've been caught lying," said Reginald. But then he realized that he just blurted out something he clearly didn't mean to say. "Why did I just say that?"
"What is wrong with you?!" asked Natasha.
"I don't know," Reginald said. "It just came out."
"Now, will you please tell me why you have been lying to everyone here?" asked Jason Quill.
"We had no choice but to win the trial for Daniel because he'll be our ticket to being rich again," said Natasha, but then she covered her mouth, trying to say more.
"What's this about being rich again?" asked Jason Quill.
"We were once a rich family," said Natasha, uncovering her mouth. "We lost everything after we disowned our sister, who happened to be Daniel's mother."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," said Jason Quill. "Your sister was disowned? Go on."
"She did something she wasn't supposed to do," said Natasha. "She was having fun with friends, but I caught her and showed it to our mother, and we had disowned her. She wasn't supposed to have fun, and we moved from Oregon to Tennessee and left her there. I then married into Reginald's family to help with our family's funds, but years later, we lost everything. So we had to try to get a child to eventually get married into another rich family. But there was one problem."
"Both of us haven't had the proper equipment to make a child of our own," said Reginald. "But her sister did, so we had a plan. To get custody of Daniel, so we can eventually marry him off for money of another rich family."
"So, you planned this?" asked Jason Quill. "But how did you know that your sister and her husband had died?"
"Because we are the ones who killed them!" said Reginald. "Daniel was our key for being rich again!"
"So let me get this straight," said Jason Quill. He looked towards Natasha. "Your family disowned your sister. Then went broke. And then you married this man," he said pointing at Reginald, "and years later, you became broke again. And when you heard that your sister was married and had a child, you killed your sister and her husband, and took custody of Daniel for your plan to get rich again."
"That's right," said Natasha.
"Well," said Jason Quill, laughing a bit, "I'm afraid that you never had the rights to take in Daniel, since he's not really your nephew since your family disowned your sister. Would the jury like to think about this to decide whether these two are innocent or guilty?"
"No need," said one of the jurors. "We find Natasha and Reginald Regal guilty of murder, lying to the court, and lost all rights to have Daniel in their custody."
"Case closed," said Judge Reigns before pounding the gavel. We won.
Then my friends and I started celebrating. Then Danny ran over to me, and he hugged me. I picked him up and then hugged him happily.
"As for you two," said Judge Reigns. "You two shall be locked up in prison for 40 to 60 years. Bailiff, take these two to jail."
"With pleasure," said the bailiff. He then grabbed Natasha and Reginald, and pulled them towards the door.
"This isn't over!" said Natasha. "I shall have you, Daniel!"
The door closed after Natasha and Reginald were taken through the door.
I was then tapped on the shoulder by Jason Quill. He then put some papers on the table and said, "For you to have full custody of Daniel, you are going to have to sign these papers."
"Okay," I said. I then grabbed that pen of his, and signed the proper papers.
"Congratulations," said Jason Quill. "You have full custody of Daniel Phillips. Making you, his official mother."
"Even though I already am," I said in my head.
"Take good care of this young man," said Jason Quill. I nodded my head, and then I carried Danny out of the courthouse with my friends and Solar Eclipse following me.