//------------------------------// // Subject 34: Trial Preparations // Story: Interviews With Equestrians // by Jmaster49 //------------------------------// I couldn’t get a wink of sleep that night. The messages I received at the fast food restaurant combined with Quick Draw’s odd behavior threw me for a loop. I needed to make proper preparations for the trial so I could make a case for Cozy Glow. Enough with the distractions. So for the next two days, all went to plan. No craziness, no insanity. I took both days off to ensure that my mental state would be in proper shape come trial day. And it finally did. I was excited, but concerned. As always, I fell out of bed and showered yet again. I put on a decent suit and tie, and got ready to attend the summons. I skipped breakfast with the intent of grabbing a donut from Joe in Canterlot. But then, there was a knock at my door. “Coming.” I answered it to find a friendly, blue alicorn. “Huzzah, dear Pale! Today is the day. Are you excited, scared, both?” she beamed at me. Today she had on a blue suit of her own. “Yes.” Luna came in, and put a hoof around my neck. “Princess Twilight herself has asked me to accompany you on this trip. She would also like to inform you that she got your letter.” “Oh? What did she say?” “That’s just it, my friend. We have to leave earlier. She expressly wants to meet with you in private about the contents of the letter as well as the state of other affairs before the trial begins.” Damn. Guess that means I had no time for breakfast. “I see...do you think she’ll--” “She’s preparing a nice breakfast for you as we speak, young one. Do not be afraid. Her cooking is better than it seems.” Once I had my suit on, I shut my door and locked it tight. “Well shit, let’s get on over there!” “Oh my…” Luna was surprised to hear my enthusiasm. Why? I had no idea. I just knew that I was hungry. We got on the train, and thankfully I was able to have an easy time. I didn’t feel any strange sensations or oddities. Well, I was nervous but that much was to be expected, given how much weight this situation carried. I sat on the train next to the blue alicorn as she read the newspaper. She giggled at the comics section. “Hehehe! I love the ones with the cat that likes lasagna, don’t you?” I didn’t reply. My mental circuitry was off the wall. I suddenly felt her hoof tap on my shoulder. “Ah! Oh...sorry. I didn’t get much sleep the night before last. But I’m ready.” “I can tell. Sometimes I may have trouble sleeping as well,” Luna explained as she recounted her moments in life, “Now that I’m retired, the adjustment to a diurnal schedule has been...difficult. But I manage. But beyond that, you are a wise stallion, Pale. Do not be afraid.” I exhaled. “You’re right. Even so, I can’t help it. If I fail, then it’ll all have been for…” “Shhh...no matter what happens, know that you did your best. Even I have moments where I wished I could have done more. But in the end, it was something that I had to deal with. My corruption as Nightmare Moon, watching as my subjects feared me for it, fighting alongside Tia, arguing with Tia, the list goes on.” That put a smile on my face. The image of two alicorn goddesses fighting was still ever so humorous to me. Luna noticed this and snapped back at me. “Hey now! I am serious. What you must do is believe in yourself. Because no matter what happens...you have dear friends behind you every step of the way.” “And enemies,” I added with a chuckle, “Don’t forget the enemies. At this point, I must be on several hit lists.” Luna raised an eyebrow at me. “Oh I am more than knowledgeable in that department. I have had dozens of enemies over the centuries. Even still, I focus on who I have with me to support me. Do not take it so lightly, understand?” She was right. Life was too important to just throw away. Focus on those who matter most were my top priority. Even if it was hard. That’s how family worked. “Of course, Luna. I wouldn’t dream of wasting all that I have.” “Excellent!” She raised a hoof with a shout, “We will arrive in Canterlot momentarily. Stay calm, and focused.” More like, ‘stay focused, stay alive.’ But that was beside the point. We arrived in Canterlot, and Luna escorted me through the castle. It was much...calmer than the night of the Gala. How relaxing. It was much easier to deal with. Even if it was a bit awkward hearing our hooves echo as they clopped. “Wow...it’s almost alien to be in such a quiet castle.” “Indeed,” Luna snickered, “Heh. I must admit, I have gotten used to the excitement in Silver Shoals. I will go check to make sure Twilight is ready to see you. Would you mind waiting patiently in the garden outside?” I was already feeling myself become more jittery. So I gratefully accepted the idea of going outside to wait in the calming garden. “No problem. Take your time, Luna.” So I trotted down and out of the steps of the main hall to the garden. It was extremely serene. Almost too much. There was a...nice sort of calming sensation as I sat down among the flowers. They almost looked good enough to eat. One of the garden tables was open, so I sat in one of the chairs to gather my thoughts. “Ahem.” My thoughts were interrupted by a somewhat aged mare. She was a distinctive burnt orange color. About the same age as Spoiled Rich from what I could tell. But if that number in my head was accurate, then she had aged like the finest wine around. “Yes?” “Ah, so you’re the stallion who is about to go to the trial that begins in a few hours?” she asked and took a seat with me at the table--right across from me. “I remember now...he was telling me about somepony that wanted to set Cozy Glow free. Is that you?” So this was Stellar Flare. Sunburst’s mother. The leader of Sire’s Hollow’s Research and Development. In the past few years, the small town had grown to the size of what Ponyville currently is thanks to her actions. She was charismatic, daring, and always up for solving problems with a plan. Planning was key. “Correct. Though there’s a lot more to it than that. The name’s Pale Vestige, but I assume you already know that.” “Certainly.” She replied with a nod, and shot me a sort of teasing smirk. “I’m Stellar Flare, dear. But I’m sure you already knew that as well, didn’t you?” What was she getting at? Yeah, there was some time before the hearing would take place, but a distraction was not something that I needed at present. “Yes, I did. Forgive me for speaking so bluntly, but what exactly have you approached me for today, madam?” “Oh don’t say all of that.” She waved her hoof in a snide fashion. Guess she wanted to be seen as ‘cool.’ “Just call me Stellar. And as for why I came to you today, I wanted to get your opinion on a thing or two. You wouldn’t mind giving this old mare who has political experience her time, would you?” she said with a wink to get my attention. I had to admit, it worked. I was ready to listen. A nice, calm chat in the middle of the garden is exactly what I needed to ease my nerves. “Alright. Fire away, Stellar.” “Oh, good.” With her magic, she levitated a piece of rolled-up parchment out, and unfurled it. She read silently, then closed it again. “Ah. Here we go.” The mare leaned forward on the table. Her chin rested on her hooves. “So, first thing’s first. Do you happen to know what your plan is?” That was a fairly general question. Something that I couldn’t answer out of the blue. “Plan?” “Oh, come now dear. Everypony needs a plan when they start taking on big and hard jobs. For you, this must be one of your biggest and hardest, I’m sure.” The way she spoke in tandem with her casual, half-lidded expression made me wonder if this was how she spoke to all of the folks she interviewed. It felt strange, but I wasn’t going to question it. “Now just what do you have in mind for Cozy if she is to be released, hm?” “That? Easy. I intend to watch over her for a while and make sure she adapts to the culture of society once again. It’s going to be rough on her initially, given how many years have passed since her banishment. But I think it’s going to work.” There was much more to my answer, but I didn’t want to display all of my cards to the mare. I had already known that if she was here in attendance for the case, then she would be prepared to listen to everything that I had to say. Shockingly enough, this savvy mare already knew. “Ah, I see now. You’re holding back on me.” “Huh?” “That can’t be the sole point you intend to present to the Court,” she commented, and shot me a domineering sort of smirk with a raised eyebrow. “I can already see it in your eyes and how long it took you to respond. You have far more you intend to say. I like that.” I wasn’t nervous, but her gaze made me hesitate on my next set of words. “...Huh. Well, thank you, I suppose?” “I only wanted to ask because I found out that my son, Sunburst had actually spoken to you a while ago regarding the issue. He’s going to be in attendance of the trial today, so I figured that I would observe. After all, something like this affects all of Sire’s Hollow, you know.” Her face changed to more of a snarky sort of grin. As if she challenged me. Was it possible that she was against my stance? Of course, I didn’t expect her to reveal that right away. “And to tell you the truth, I somewhat needed to get away from home.” How candid. I tilted my head as I listened. “Oh?” Rather surprisingly, she leaned back in her seat with her hooves behind her head. “My job is so darn boring nowadays, that I needed to not only come see my baby boy, but also involve myself in something. So I figured why not see what this little case is about? Hmhmhm…” she chuckled, a wide smile formed with her shiny teeth on display. “Do you know what that feels like, sir?” “Hm?” “To be so bored of your job that you just want to seek out some adventure, some fun,” she listed things off and leaned forward once more. Yet again with that sultry sort of smirk. “Some spice. You know?” I nodded. Though I wasn’t entirely sure if she had another point to her words compared to the face value of what she stated. A different motive, perhaps? “I can understand that, yeah. Though, probably not to the extent of someone your age--er, experience level.” Never mention how a woman was older than you. It would only cause problems. Thankfully, Ms. Flare wasn’t so easily disturbed. “Pff. Quit being such a coward, young man. I know I’m a bit over the hill. Ever since Sunburst upped and moved away, I’ve been desperately searching for some sort of...validation, if you can call it that.” Her face turned somber as she spoke about this. “I only want the best for Sunburst...but he insists he’s doing just fine on his own, for instance.” I remembered back to when he and I spoke. It was brief, but I could gather that he was a calm, collected sort of intellectual. Someone who you would always want close in case things went awry. “Well, for what it’s worth, I believe you raised a wonderful child. You and your husband should be proud.” The mare let out a tired exhale. The kind you give in response to hearing something you have heard dozens of times. Oh dear. Just what could be the issue? I had to ask. “Did I say...something wrong?” She shook her head, and laughed it off. “Ahaha. Don’t fret, dear. My husband and I broke off quite a long time ago. In fact, the last time he visited home, Sunburst wasn’t even concerned over the whereabouts of his father.” Oh...it all made sense now. Stellar was hung up over the fact that both her son and husband left. Granted, the latter was permanent, but it was very telling. This mare was in a situation that was somewhat similar to Spoiled, except of course, she was not happy. As a result, she seemed to have taken a shine to being overbearing towards her son despite the fact that he has proven himself capable. Heck, he was even the Vice Principal of the School of Friendship in Ponyville alongside Starlight. With Trixie’s assistance, there was no way that stallion hurt for a good life. “I see...even so, you shouldn’t let that get you down. Your son is living a great life now. As for your husband, well...” I shrugged. That bit of the conversation was something I had walked into without being prepared for it. “I’m sure you’ll recover from that loss someday. You’re a resilient mare. I can sense it.” The sadness faded, and her sensual sort of smirk returned. “Hm...maybe…” “Er, maybe what?” She levitated a pocket watch to get a glance at the time, and put it away. “Would you perhaps like to assist me? It won’t take very long.” There was about three hours before the trial began. I suppose it couldn’t hurt to assist Stellar with her problems. Though, her overly smug demeanor rubbed me a certain way. “Sure, I’m here until Luna comes to take me to Twilight. So I think I can help. What do you need me to do?” “Oh just keep talking to me, that’s all. You’ve done a great job already…if this works, then I’ll know I’m still doing well with my magic. Won’t hurt a bit.” I saw her horn light up. Just what was she planning? “Let’s see if this little spell I’ve been dabbling in works out for me.” I suddenly felt a twitch. Not a painful one, but a spell was cast upon me. Was she using me for some sort of test? I couldn’t sense any malicious intent within her or the spell itself, so I didn’t comment on it for the moment. “Okay then...well, in short. I know what I need to do as well as the case I need to present to the court. Whether you’re in support of me, or against me, I respect your opinions all the same, Stellar.” She gazed at me with her casual smile. Her horn no longer flashed. “Ah, well it’s not every day you come across somepony who has a different opinion than you but still accepts it. Back in my day, we teenage fillies used to sabotage each other for that. Even our closest friends,” she giggled. Sabotage? What an odd thing to mention. But given that anyone was capable of obstructing the work of those whom they were close to, it was a very scary thought to have. Especially in my line of work where anyone within could turn on you. “That’s...true, heh. But hopefully...you have friends you can...trust now, right?” Her magic cast a strange feeling upon me. I started to feel loads of hard pressure build up in my muscles. Just what was the purpose behind such a spell? Even so, I’d meet her challenge. As we talked, the magic she cast would only pick up intensity. I felt the muscles in my legs flex, and relax at will. She worked something upon me that caused me to feel an insane amount of pressure. But I managed to keep a straight face through it all, even as we continued to speak. At last, once the spell wore off, I felt sweet relief. A massive weight had been removed from my body. It was like heaven. Even if it was a bit messy, I managed to overcome Stellar’s magic, much to her smug enjoyment. “Oh yes...that’s perfect.” I cricked my neck. “Ah...okay...mind telling me what the purpose of that was?” Stellar started to scribble down some notes with her magic. “Let’s just say that a little birdie told me about your special earth pony magic. And I just had to...get a feel for it myself, if you know what I mean, hmhmhm!” The aged mare laughed to herself. I blinked with a stare. “Oh...that was all?” I scoffed, “All you had to do was ask and I would’ve been more than happy to endure your little experiments. To be honest, it actually felt good. No pain whatsoever.” “Hm...if you’d like, once this trial is over, I’d be happy to run more tests on you,” she offered with her easygoing smile, “It’s one of my hobbies. I run these sorts of magical theories a lot in my spare time. It’s one of the things I’ve taken to do when I’m not working.” Good. She had something else to focus on that wasn’t work. If that was the case, then it would be an honor to work with her. Although, I had to remain focused on my goal. “I see. It’s always nice to have hobbies. I tend to enjoy puzzles myself.” We talked for a few more minutes, and she bid me goodbye. As Stellar walked away, Luna finally re-appeared via teleportation with a bit of a charred mane. “My apologies for taking so long, Pale. Twilight insisted on making pancakes ‘by the book,’” she said with air quotes, “so it took longer than I expected. Oh, I see you have met Sunburst’s mother. Stellar Flare.” “Yes. She said she’ll be attending the court case, right?” “Indeed. In fact, many important individuals are going to be present today. I do hope you are prepared.” I got up from the garden table. “Heh...I’m always prepared.” Luna escorted me back into the castle, and I went up to the same private reading room that Twilight and I met in before. The purple alicorn waited for me with a plate of pancakes at the tea table and a forced smile. Thankfully, she was in her regular-sized mare form once again. “Hi! I mean--ahem. Greetings, Pale Vestige. Have a seat,” she greeted me with her forced smile that went away and became all business. I sat with her. “Salutations. The trial begins in two hours. But you wanted to speak with me, yeah?” She nodded. “That’s right. Just to go over some things I would like to discuss with you.” That very same notebook from before was levitated into the air with her magic. Pages flipped and turned until she landed on the correct one. “Here we go. Alright. First thing’s first. You’ll be happy to know that both Starlight and Fluttershy talked to the batponies.” I looked up at her as I bit into the pancakes. I somewhat envied magic users, but stuffing one’s face was still nice. “Oh? What are the results?” “Long story short, they’ve gotten the batponies to agree to be more sociable and share their fruits. In exchange, we’re all encouraged to see what their culture is like in Hollow Shades. And bats will be treated no different than anypony else.” Alright, good progress so far. But onto the other matter. “And the griffons?” More pages flipped. “After a series of tests and tribulations, Gallus and I concluded just who the prime candidate for the griffon’s new leader should be.” “And that is?” The purple alicorn smiled in a secretive manner. “You’ll find out soon enough. Lastly. In regards to your letter.” The smile went away. She lowered the notebook and took out the letter I had mailed off a few days ago. “Are you certain this is all true?” “For sure. If someone is trying to cause destruction for me by eavesdropping, I wanted you to be aware of it.” “Don’t you worry, Pale. As Princess of Equestria, it’s my job to be fair and impartial with all cases,” she proclaimed with a confident grin, “If somepony is utilizing underhooved tactics in order to gain an advantage, I’ll know, and bring them to justice. You have every right to call for a trial and make a case. If they dare try to attack me or any of my friends over the final decision, it won’t end well for them.” That grin of hers became a stern frown. “Nothing gets past us.” I appreciated this more active role she took compared to the previous two alicorns. Maybe there was a bright future ahead for all of us yet. “Thank you for listening, and thanks for the pancakes. They were delicious.” “Oh, you’re welcome. I knew I could do it if I followed the book,” she replied with a smile. “Now, is there anything else you wanted to speak to me about? The trial is set to begin soon. So I hope you’re ready to make your case for Cozy Glow and present it to the jury, Pale. It’s almost time.” I nodded. That hearing was set to start soon. This was it. My final stand. Everything I had worked for built up to this. It would either make or break the chances of that child having another chance at life. But I was prepared with everything I needed. Nothing would stop me from an attempt to reach for my goals. “Ready as I’ll ever be, Princess.”