Family Begins With You

by Jmaster49


Arc XXVII Episode IX: Apple v. Pear

The next morning…

The court case was set to begin at City Hall with the Mayor presiding as judge of course. Keiji, being a natural morning vamp, had already gotten himself up bright and early to get ready. In fact, he was intent on being the first one there before anybody else!

“This should be easy,” he thought to himself as he sipped from a blood vial as he walked down the street, “But why’s my heart beating out of my chest? I feel like something really bad is about to happen.”

Just then, Aria turned the corner and started walking with him. She could immediately tell something was off by the way that she tilted her head. “Sup, Kei? You feeling alright?”

“...Hey. I’m…a bit concerned? Nervous?” he replied with a shudder, “Today’s the court case involving Applejack’s parents’ murderer and I’m not really sure how to feel.”

“...I know,” Aria sighed as she took out an envelope, “I got called in for jury duty for this very case. Beats having to talk to Starswirl all day about my personal experiences in this world. Think Applejack is gonna try and do something?”

“I don’t know--and that’s exactly the problem,” Keiji explained, “There’s absolutely no telling what she might do, and I honestly don’t know if I’d be able to blame her. I mean, there’s some people I’d love to get revenge on, but the laws here are way different from Equestria’s.”

Aria scoffed as she folded her arms. “Tch. Got that right. Can’t exactly do whatever you want or seek vengeance in any way you please here. Witch-hunts pretty much gone and it’s disappointing. Loved seeing them every now and again.”

Keiji raised a brow. “Seriously?”

“I’m kidding, bro,” Aria replied with a chuckle as she nudged him with her elbow, “I just watch old horror flicks to get my fix of that stuff. I don’t actually wanna see that happen to anyone.”

The vampboy hissed in response. “Ugh. Don’t screw with me like that. I don’t feel very good. I think this is the first time in a long ass time that I can openly admit that I’m genuinely, 100% scared.”

“...Yeah, I feel that,” Aria replied earnestly as she shoved her hands in her pockets. “Takes a brave man to open up about his fears. You’re not alone though. I’ve seen what Applejack can do and I’m kinda…not ready to see more of it. I once saw her lift a boulder the size of like, three cars or something. She could easily kill someone if she wanted to.”

“Yeah, not helping,” Keiji narrowed his eyes and rubbed the side of his head with his hand. “Argh…let’s just get this over with so we can all go home. I don’t wanna see a friend end up in prison for manslaughter.”

And soon enough, they’d arrive in the courthouse where they would be directed to a specific room by a man and a woman who both wore black suits and sunglasses. The man had dark blue skin, green hair, and a prosthetic arm and the woman dull crimson skin, black hair and two prosthetic legs that were hidden by her pants. Their badges indicated that they worked with some form of law enforcement.

This was then backed up by the arrival of Officer Pale Vestige and his crewmates--Quick Draw and Corkscrew. The three of them would approach the two standing near the doorway and Pale would speak first.

“...They called us all down here, huh? They must think it’s going to be a nasty situation.”

“You’re tellin’ me,” the woman replied, “Neon’s brother Flash Drive is already inside and giving the judge the rundown.”

“Guttersnipe’s right,” the man--Neon--replied, “Whatever this case is, it’s gonna be a right shafty one I’ll tell you that much, bruv.”

Quick Draw would speak up, “We need to secure the perimeters. Corkscrew--you man the door with Neon. Guttersnipe, with me.”

Pale dusted off his hat and sighed. “Let’s just hope this goes better than the Fidel Canto case.”

As the law enforcement agents split up, Keiji and Aria muttered to each other.

“...Goddamn. This is bigger than we expected if they got six officers down here to make sure nothing goes wrong,” Keiji shakily spoke through his teeth.

“I know,” Aria replied as she took a breath, “But there isn’t much we can do for the time being except to deal with things as they come. No matter what happens, I’ve got your back little brother. Got it?”

Keiji replied with a spontaneous hug as he threw his arms around her. “I’ll hold you to that. Literally. I don’t plan on ending up in the hospital today.”

“No prob. I promise that won’t happen,” Aria replied confidently as she patted him on the head before letting go so that she could take her seat in the jury pew. “Alright. You might wanna take your seat. It’s about to start in a bit.”

Keiji did just that. And soon enough, the pews of the courtroom would be filled with various citizens who were also called to serve with many of them joining Aria in the jury booth.

It wasn’t long until the plaintiffs--represented by Applejack would walk down the aisle. Her expression covered by her hat, leaving her mental and emotional states unknown to everyone in the room. Her brother and sister would soon join her, as would Granny Smith who took their seats next to her.

And a few moments later, Pomme was brought out in handcuffs. Escorted in by two officers. The woman was wearing a typical orange jumpsuit befitting that of a prisoner with an eerie, unhinged smile on her face as the officers sat her down.

Flash Drive stepped forward to announce the start of the case. “All rise, mates. Judge Vera Infernium presiding.”

The judge, a young woman with gray skin, red eyes, and long black hair approached the bench and sat down as she reviewed the documents related to the case.

“The case of Apple vs Barlett will now begin. Does the plaintiff have an opening statement?”

Applejack, who had been bouncing her leg on the floor with her arms folded for the last two minutes, would eventually respond in a hushed, coarse tone that cut through the air in the room and echoed quietly.

“I do, Your Honor.”