//------------------------------//
// Tribunal 
// Story: Shadows of the Heart 
// by Scribblestick 
//------------------------------//

Flurry paced just outside the courtroom. Her saddlebags burst with loose papers and notes, yet she still felt unprepared. The antechamber teemed with creatures of every shape and size. Most were visiting for the Crystal Faire, but news of Sombra’s capture spread quickly, and they all wanted to see what fate held in store for him. The low, constant chatter made Flurry’s ears twitch. Fragments of conversation muddled her thoughts. It has to be enough. They’ll see. Only the hopeful part of her believed it.

The doors opened then, and creatures poured into the courtroom. Flurry fluttered to the royal balcony that overlooked the crowded room. At the far end sat the Council of Friendship, who wrapped up their private discussion and took their seats. Mom smiled as Flurry sat beside her. She didn't bother making herself comfortable.

"Order! Order!" Aunt Twilight pounded her gavel, and silence fell across the room. "This emergency session of the Council of Friendship is now convened to discuss the matter of King Sombra." She banged his gavel again to silence the murmurs. "Bring in the prisoner."

No fewer than twelve unicorns, Dad included, stepped forward, horns aglow. A circular section of the floor slid aside, and a platform rose to take its place. The crowd gasped as Sombra came into view. Flurry had to squint to see him through the multicolored haze of magic. When she did, her heart snapped. In addition to the previous battery of wards, he had also been inflicted with a silencing spell, which covered up what she suspected to be screams of rage. Thick steel manacles bound his legs and neck to the floor. He panted under their weight and, Flurry suspected, potent enchantments.

An eerie quiet settled in the room. "Now," Twilight said, unfurling a scroll. "The most recent charge against him is the kidnapping of Princess—"

"I OBJECT!"

Flurry’s harsh shout took the entire room by surprise. They stared up as her as she soared across the room and landed between Sombra and the council table. "I object!" she said again.

"Okay…" Aunt Twilight frowned at her. "To what?"

"To the blatant mistreatment of the prisoner, of course!" Flurry retrieved a copy of the Rules of the Council of Friendship from her bags. "Section six, paragraph four clearly states that a prisoner must not suffer undue distress or discomfort during the proceedings. Furthermore, paragraph five states that the prisoner is permitted to speak in their own defense." She closed the book and pointed to Sombra’s hunched form. "I don’t know about the rest of you, but he looks pretty distressed to me, and that silencing spell is the exact opposite of letting him defend himself."

Aunt Twilight’s eyes widened. Surprise? Irritation? "It was decided that, given his dangerous nature and unique abilities, that we would use every method at our disposal to contain him," she said.

"Oh. It was decided." Flurry tossed the heavy book over her shoulder. Its thud echoed through the chamber. "Well, since we’re just deciding which rules count, we might as well get rid of all of them, huh?"

The Council members looked around at each other. "She does have a point, Twi," Applejack said.

"Indeed. I can’t imagine he’ll be able to mount a proper defense in his current state," Rarity agreed.

"We are talking about the same King Sombra, right?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"The king of party pooping?" Pinkie Pie stared at Flurry with a quizzical brow. "No way we should take any chances with him."

"You don’t have to." Flurry retrieved a set of notes—the recipe of wards she’d employed when she called him. "These spells will suffice, if you think they’re necessary. I don’t," she added, "but we’ll come to that later."

Twilight took the papers and reviewed them. Fluttershy leaned forward. "Flurry Heart," she said, "do you mean to say you’re defending King Sombra?"

"I am."

Flurry risked a glance back at the tittering crowd. She feared seeing their many eyes would break her courage. Mom’s mouth hung agape, eyes as wide as Flurry had ever seen them. Dad wore a slight frown but retained his composure. A pit settled in Flurry’s gut. She ignored it and turned back to the Council, which had started a discussion of its own.

Twilight banged the gavel before she spoke. "The Council will vote. All in favor of changing Sombra’s confinement." Flurry held her breath. Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, Spike, and Twilight raised their hooves. Twilight counted the votes, then nodded at Dad, who gave orders to the unicorns. Sombra’s shackles fell away, as did the silencing spell and several layers of barrier. Only Dad’s vibrant pink remained.

"Hmph. Better not try anything," Rainbow Dash muttered, hooves crossed over her chest. Pinkie leaned forward and stared at him intently.

"Now," Twilight said, "unless there are any more objections, we'll proceed." Flurry nodded and stepped to the side. "We will now discuss the kidnapping of Princess Flurry Heart. King Sombra, what do you have to say for yourself?"

Sombra shook his head as he straightened. "I did not kidnap her," he said.

"Riiiiight. You and Flurry just happened to disappear from the castle at the same time, and you just happened to be hiding in a cave together." Pinkie Pie snorted. "There's an awful lot of happening going on, and it smells like stale frosting to me."

Flurry wanted desperately to answer, but she held back. It wasn't her turn to speak, and if she expected the Council to follow the rules, she would have to do the same. Fortunately, Sombra had their practiced response ready. "When Flurry Heart summoned me, she was well-prepared for any malice I might throw her way. Among other precautions, she enacted a retribution spell, with which I'm sure the Princess of Friendship is familiar. Naturally, when Flurry Heart attempted to teleport away at her parents' request, I was caught in the spell."

"Where'd y'all end up?" Applejack asked. "And how come it took you so long to get back?"

"We were caught in the mountain passes," Sombra answered. "I never learned to teleport, and Flurry was too weak to cast the spell again, so we walked until nightfall and made camp in the cave where Shining Armor found us."

"Those passes can be very dangerous," Fluttershy said. "How did you survive?"

"We took shelter in an abandoned village," Sombra replied. "My hometown, as a matter of fact. I was thinking of it when Flurry's teleportation caught me by surprise."

"I've never heard of a village in the mountains," Rarity said. "How can we be sure this place really exists?"

Flurry stepped forward, another stack of papers floating in her magic. "As his advocate, I can answer that," she said as she passed the papers to Twilight. "Yesterday, Sombra marked the village's location on this map. I had some pegasi guards investigate. Here is their report."

The Council took a moment to read her evidence. Dad's frown had turned to a kind of half-smirk. Proud? Confused? The assembled creatures whispered occasionally, but otherwise remained silent. Mom, sitting alone on the balcony, wore a frown and a furrowed brow. Her ears flicked left and right, and her tail twitched. Annoyed? It was her best guess.

"Looks like everything's in order," Rainbow Dash said at last, though she scowled as she said it. The other Council members nodded. Flurry felt a weight lift from her chest. "Guess we better vote. Guilty of kidnapping Flurry Heart?" Each member of the Council shook their head. Flurry couldn't resist beaming a smile at Sombra. He nodded at her, but remained silent. Flurry's grin faded as well. This is just the beginning.

"Now, to the larger issue at hoof." Twilight's horn glowed, gently drawing an enormous stack of papers onto the table. "King Sombra, you are accused of many crimes against Equestria and its ponies, including, but not limited to, the hostile takeover of a sovereign state, enslavement, terrorism, kidnapping of an infant, destruction of the Elements of Harmony, and attempted coup d'etat." Twilight glanced through her papers as she read, then stacked then neatly on the table. "Considering the members of this Council were directly responsible for putting a stop to these crimes, it seems silly to ask, but how do you plead?"

Sombra took a deep breath, then spoke in absolute silence. "I am guilty of all that you say."

Although they had agreed to this response, Flurry's heart still pounded as he said it. His confession stirred the assembly into gasps and muttering. Even the Council of Friendship glanced at each other. Twilight banged the gavel and called for order. "Very well. The Council accepts your confession of guilt, and we have determined that there is only one punishment that will end your evil for—"

"I object!" Flurry stamped her hoof for emphasis. "He must be given a chance to defend himself!"

Applejack put a hoof to her forehead. "He already confessed, sugar cube. There's nothing more to say."

"He must be given a chance." Flurry spoke slowly, emphasizing each word. "Those are the rules."

"Flurry, I'm sure you're just trying to be noble, but this is King Sombra we're talking about," Rainbow Dash groaned.

Flurry's heart raced as she stared them down. Her mind floundered for an answer. Her knees shook. She had to force herself not to hyperventilate. "Please," she said. "He deserves to be heard as much as anypony else."

Fluttershy leaned forward, staring at Flurry with her bright blue eyes. "I can tell this means a lot to you," she said. Flurry nodded. Fluttershy turned to her fellow Council members. "I think we should honor her request."

"I second the motion. It's about time we found out what drove this creature to commit such atrocities," Rarity said.

Twilight held up a hoof. "Let's take a vote, then. All in favor of hearing what King Sombra has to say." Flurry's eyes raced to count the votes. Twilight. Pinkie Pie. Fluttershy. Rarity. She let out a rattling sigh. Barely enough, but enough is all that counts.

"All right, then." Applejack leaned back in her chair. Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. "Reckon we might as well get this over with."

Flurry stepped back to make sure they all had a clear view of Sombra. Rainbow Dash slumped in her chair. Spike leaned his chin on a clawed hand. Twilight gave him the thinnest of smiles. "Proceed."

Sombra began with the exile of the shadow ponies from the Crystal Empire. He spoke of his kin's enudrance in the face of insurmountable odds, and his personal struggle with the responsibility he carried. By the time he told of his attack on the Crystal Empire, even Rainbow Dash seemed to be paying close attention. Flurry felt something swelling within her chest, something warm and bursting to be free. They're listening.

Sombra's story continued through the Empire's return and his subsequent banishment to the ether. He explained that he had not been aware of the time factor, and so when Discord brought him back, he intended to continue the mission he'd started. His ill-fated attack on Canterlot was meant to prevent another defeat, an effort that ultimately proved fruitless.

"You know the rest from there," he finished. "I know that this does not change what was done, nor does it bring peace to those I harmed. But understand that I acted from a place of love—for my people, and for all I hold dear." He glanced at Flurry as he finished and, for the first time during the trial, he smiled.

The room was silent for a moment. Then, Twilight herself spoke. "This story does shed new light on your actions," she said. "I have only one question. How can we be sure it is true?"

Flurry's heart raced. She'd expected this question, and prepared for it as only she could. "I will speak for him," she said. "I believe what he says is true. You may rely on his word as though it were my own."

"I object."

Flurry nearly leapt out of her skin. Mom stood across from her, facing the Council. The crowd began to mutter again. "I must object," Mom repeated, "for the good of Equestria."