“Applejack. Hands up where I can see ‘em,” Pale grumbled with a sigh. “Though given how strong she is, this probably won’t do much. But the law’s the law.”
“Sis…?” Applebloom muttered in a concerned tone.
“...Hmph,” Big Mac simply scoffed at the situation that played out in front of him. The young man opted not to let his opinion show.
“Yeah…she’s just like her pa,” Granny Smith said to herself as she watched Applejack get restrained by the officer.
Even though she could easily break out of them, Applejack sat down, accepting her position in the restraints. “I don’t regret what I did. Ya’ll all saw it. I ain’t got no excuses.”
Pomme was placed back in her seat by Flash Drive and the case would resume.
“Ahem…now that order has been re-established. Is there any other evidence to bring forth before the jury reaches a verdict?”
Keiji had taken his seat next to Aria. The latter immediately held onto him with a tight hug.
“...Dammit, little man. You almost gave me a heart attack when you did that,” she huffed with a rare, worried tone of voice. “Don’t you ever approach a dangerous criminal like that again, okay?”
“Yeah…it was a risk, but I took it,” Keiji replied as he put his hands behind his head.
One of the jury members, Cheerilee, spoke up.
“...Your honor, please review the courtroom’s camera footage,” she requested, “I’ve got eyes like a hawk, and I saw something happen between those two right before Applejack kicked her.”
“...You what?” Pomme gasped with a nervous tone. “...You didn’t see nothin’.”
Cheerilee raised a brow. “I’ve been a teacher for twenty years. I’ve trained myself to watch everything in a room more closely than you could ever hope to imagine. Unless you’re trying to hide something from us…?”
Pomme looked on in confusion with a thousand-yard stare. “...”
“Order,” Vera called out, “If it can be used as evidence, then we will review this room’s footage. Mr. Drive?”
Flash Drive would retrieve one of the CCTV tapes from the cameras, and put it into the VCR. There, they would see a playback of the events that had just transpired moments ago.
“Slowing it down,” Flash Drive commented as he played the video frame-by-frame. “...well I’ll be damned.”
It would reveal that, somehow, some way, Pomme had a syringe needle in her jumpsuit that she was about to stab Keiji with, but it was stopped by…a silver shuriken flung by what appeared to be Silver Spoon in a flash of white light so fast that it didn’t register as Pomme’s hand was struck by it, saving Keiji from being stabbed right before Applejack kicked her to the floor.
Everyone in the room went dead silent. As if the air had been sucked out into a void. All eyes were on Pomme, glaring with utter contempt and hatred.
“...That wasn’t mine--”
Judge Vera felt no mercy, “Officer Quick Draw, strip search her.”
Quick Draw held Pomme down as she performed a search around her body. Sure enough, she found the needles that she was going to stab Keiji with. “An attempted murder weapon. A used one at that. What’s wrong with you, woman…?”
“Ain’t nothin’ wrong with me!” Pomme screamed from the floor, “What’s wrong is them bastardized half-breed retar--”
“The shit you sayin’ about us?!” Applebloom had cut her off and leapt out of her seat. “Resortin’ to the R-word is hella immature ya damn witch!”
“Order!” Judge Vera slammed her gavel to get everyone’s attention. “There’s one more thing I need to clarify before I hear any closing statements. That little…what was that a star-shaped dagger?”
Silver Spoon stood up and admitted to it. “Yes. That was me. I didn’t mean to get involved, but I wasn’t just gonna let her stab my boyfriend in the back!”
Keiji clutched his chest with a relieved smile on his face. Her swift actions had saved him from being infected with an unknown number of bacteria and/or parasites.
“...she’s finally got her own power now,” he thought to himself, “That makes the both of them. Guess I don’t have to worry for their safety too much anymore…”
With all of the information presented to her, Vera was ready to draw the case to a close. “Has the jury reached a verdict?”
After some deliberation, Aria took it upon herself to announce their findings. “We find her guilty of all charges. It kinda goes without saying, but she needs to be kept off the streets.”
“And so she shall,” Vera had her sentencing in writing and slammed her gavel down. “Lifetime imprisonment without parole. Adjourned. As for Applejack, you may release her, Officer Pale.”
Pomme was hauled away by Quick Draw, glaring daggers at the Apple Family as she was taken away. Her father, Grandpear, had left without a word.
“It’s over…” Applejack muttered as she was set free of the cuffs. “...it’s finally over.”
“Unfortunately, no,” Pale sighed, “We still have to consider what you did to her, miss.”
Applejack leaned back in the chair and folded her arms. “...Understood. I’ll face whatever punishment ya give me.”