Fitting In Is Hard To Do

by origami


Part III, Chapter 26 - Jury Deliberation (aka Twelve Little Ponies)(BONUS CHAPTER)

As many of you may have guessed, this chapter is quite heavily influenced by the stage play and film 12 Angry Men (hence it's subtitle 12 Little Ponies).

During the deliberation, a "scoreboard" will pop up, showing the current vote on a verdict. Just as in 12 Angry Men, the jurors will have designations, either Stallion or Mare, and with numbers to further differentiate.

That said, enjoy!


During the trial...


"Mares and stallions of the jury," Judge Iron Gavel said with authority, "you have been presented two arguments in a case against a changeling named Thorax, who stands accused of attempted foalnapping and assault on three stallions, as well as assault of, and endangerment of a filly. In these arguments, you have been presented testimony by witnesses for character of the defendant, experts witnesses in the field of forensic science, and direct eyewitnesses to the crime. There is also evidence you've been shown that was collected from the scene of the crime, as well as results from forensic tests run on said evidence."

"With all of this provided to you, you will now enter into deliberation. This deliberation will only conclude when one of three decisions has been reached: Guilty, Not Guilty, or Cannot Decide. Once you have that decision, you will return and present it to this court."

"At no time during this deliberation can you be allowed to exit the jury chambers. You may make requests for food and water, as well as clarifications on matters relating to this trial if you need them."

"You are also not allowed to discuss this trial with anypony besides your fellow jurors until a verdict has been given. What you discuss in deliberation is between you and your fellow jurors."

"Those are your instructions. Now, I dismiss you to enter into deliberation. This court will reconvene when you have come to a unanimous decision."

With a loud bang of his gavel, the judge dismisses the entire courtroom. As everypony stands to leave, the jurors begin to file into a conference room with a table and twelve chairs seated around it. The twelve ponies begin filing in. Once the majority have entered, the guard stops the last, a mare with a grayish-tan coat, white hair, and grey eyes. On her flanks is a mark of a piece of white crystal.

"Foremare of the jury," the guard says to her, "when you enter this chamber, nopony will be allowed to leave until a unanimous verdict has been reached. When you need something, say a meal or water, simply knock on this door and the guard will accommodate you."

"Thank you" the mare responds. "I will keep that in mind."

The guard nods and allows the mare to enter the room. Once inside, the guard closes the door and locks it, leaving the twelve ponies in the room to begin the process of deliberation.

"Let's not take too long with this" one of the jurors, a stallion(Stallion 1), says. "I have tickets for a hoofball game tonight and I don't want to miss it."

"I agree" a mare(Mare 2) said while nodding. "My filly gets off from school in a few hours and I would very much prefer to pick her up from school myself instead of leaving it to my husband."

"Is it that big a deal for him to spend time with his daughter?" another mare(Mare 3) asks.

"She's not his" the mare answers. "Her father passed during an incident against a manticore near the Everfree. She was too young to know him."

The second mare winces. "I'm sorry."

"Nothing to be sorry about" the first mare says. "He wanted to protect Equestria, and sometimes the very unfortunate happens. Fortunately, my new stallion has wanted to be a dad for a very long time. I just don't want to burden him because he has to work night shift currently."

"Mares and stallions," comes the voice of the foremare(Mare 1), who takes her spot and the head of the table, "I am sure that we all have things we would much rather be doing right now, like getting a tooth pulled or a tax audit or a rather uncomfortable dinner with in laws, but as of now, we have a job to do, and we are going to see to it that that job gets done."

"Then what are we waiting for?" another stallion(Stallion 6) asks. "Let's put this changeling in the dungeon where he belongs."

"Now, hold up a minute!" the foremare says with annoyance. "We are going to do this right. To start with, we are going to have a preliminary silent vote. There's pieces of paper and some quills and inkwells in front of you. Write down your verdict on the paper and fold it in half, then pass it up to me so that I may collect them all and read them out so they can be counted."

The ponies agree and all reach for a piece of paper and a quill. After some scribbling, the twelve ponies all turn in their verdict. The foremare takes the paper and organizes them so she can read them off. Once finished, she goes to a nearby blackboard and writes the words GUILTY and NOT GUILTY on it with lines under each.

"I am going to read these off," she begins, "and I will make a tally under whichever one I call out. If we have a unanimous verdict after this, we will go around giving our reasons for this verdict. If we haven't, then we will deliberate and vote again until we have a unanimous verdict."

The ponies all nod, agreeing this was a fair process. The foremare began reading off each vote, placing a tally mark under the correspond verdict.

"Guilty, guilty, guilty, guilty, not guilty, guilty, guilty, guilty, not guilty, guilty, guilty, guilty."

Several of the jurors look around in surprise, clearly expecting the decision to be unanimous. The foremare puts the papers down and addresses the jury.

"We have ten guilty and two not guilty" she announces. "This is obviously not a unanimous verdict, so we will be required to deliberate further. To begin with, I would like to ask the two jurors who chose not guilty to please stand."

A few moments pass where ponies begin to look around at each other, but then two stand up to be recognized. One is a stallion(Stallion 5) with a pale blue coat and darker blue mane and tail. The other is a mare(Mare 7) with a pale pink coat and a straight mane and tail an orange color.

"You two have voted in favor of not guilty" the foremare continues. "I would like for you to please give us your reasons for your decision."

The two look at each other for a few moments before the mare makes a gesture for the stallion to go first. He takes a breath before speaking.

"I chose not guilty because of the little filly's story" he tells the other jurors. "She had a clearing spell used on her and admitted that the changeling was saving her. The way she spoke about it, it had me convinced he wasn't the one that tried to take her."

Another juror goes to chastise the stallion, but the foremare stops them. "The mare will be allowed to speak," she says, "and then we will hear from the rest of the jurors as to why they feel the defendant is guilty." Once she's said her peace, the foremare looks to the mare on the jury and gives a nod. The other juror returns the nod and prepares to speak.

"I chose not guilty because I don't believe the stallion's stories add up" she explains. "Those three are walking along and just happen to come across a group of changelings preparing to abduct a filly, and they also decide to fight back and manage to capture one? It sounds a little far-fetched to me to be honest."

The mare and stallion both sat down. The foremare nodded as she heard the stories that were told to her.

"I understand your viewpoints, both of you," she says, "but now we will go around the room and ask why those of you who voted guilty chose your verdict. I will start us off since that is my verdict as well."

The foremare takes a drinking glass and pitcher from the table and pours it full. After placing the pitcher back down on the table and taking a steady pull from the drink, she sets the glass down and begins speaking.

"I chose guilty because I felt there was enough physical evidence present to show the defendant was doing what the stallions claimed he was doing."

The foremare then went around and pointed to various ponies, indicating that she wanted them to speak.

"I voted guilty because I believed the stallion's testimony" said Mare 2.

"I voted guilty for the same reason you did - evidence pointed to him committing the crime" said Mare 3.

"I voted guilty because I don't believe that the clearing spell worked and that filly was still under the changeling's control" a third mare(Mare 4) said.

"I voted guilty because I don't think the defense has a case and was just wasting our time" came the annoyed reply of a stallion(Stallion 1).

"I voted guilty because the evidence of the prosecution convinced me" another stallion(Stallion 2) said.

"I voted guilty because I think the stallions were telling the truth" a third stallion(Stallion 3) answered.

"I voted guilty because I feel confident that the changeling did it" a mare(Mare 5) said with a bit of venom.

"I voted guilty because the evidence convinced me" the last mare(Mare 6) of the group answered.

The final pony, the last stallion(Stallion 4) in the jury, gave his reason. "I chose guilty because I believe both the stallions and the evidence."

The foremare placed her hoof back down. "We have all heard the reasons for why we voted" she said to them all. "Now, the two who chose not guilty said they did so because they didn't believe the stallion's story and the believed the filly was telling the closest account to the actual events. So, let's begin by going over the transcription for the testimonies of the three stallions and the filly."


Voting on Verdict

Mare 1: Guilty Mare 7: Not Guilty
Mare 2: Guilty Stallion 1: Guilty
Mare 3: Guilty Stallion 2: Guilty
Mare 4: Guilty Stallion 3: Guilty
Mare 5: Guilty Stallion 4: Guilty
Mare 6: Guilty Stallion 5: Not Guilty

Guilty - 10 Not Guilty - 2


The jury all have copies of the testimony of the three stallions and the filly in front of them. As they read over each one, some of the jurors start asking questions.

"Does anyone else feel like they're reading the exact same thing on each of the pages for the stallions?" Mare 4 asks.

"Of course they're saying the same thing!" the annoyed Mare 5 responds. "That's why their testimony is believable! They all agree that that's what happened!"

"Yeah, but why do they all agree on that?" Mare 3 asks.

"What are you talking about?" Mare 6 asks as she faces Mare 3.

"Well, I teach at one of the schools here in the empire," Mare 3 responds, "and I've often caught ponies lying because they all had an alibi worked out that they all agreed on. They agreed on it so much, they even agreed that all of them would say the exact same thing."

"So?" Mare 5 retorts. "That doesn't mean they're conspiring. They all saw the same exact thing and they all said they saw the same exact thing. What's that prove?"

"It doesn't," Mare 3 agrees, "but it's the fact that even after that much time, they all still remember it so clearly. With everything going on and the mind being overwhelmed with information, little details are bound to get remembered incorrectly. These stallions told the same story practically verbatim from when they were giving statements to the guards only moments after they showed up."

"I do have to admit that it's starting to look suspicious, even for me" another pony, Stallion 2, admits to the mares. "Perhaps their testimony isn't what it's cracked up to be."

"Oh, come on!" Mare 5 says in annoyance as she throws her hooves to the air. "You're all dismissing them so quickly now when you said you believed them before?"

"Looking over these transcripts more closely, I'm seeing a pattern that I'm not too fond of" Mare 4 says as she places the transcripts down. "Foremare, I change my vote to not guilty. As I sit here rereading the transcripts, I'm now under the impression that the testimonies the stallions gave were fabrications."

"I agree with her", Mare 3 chimes in, "and I would like my vote changed as well."

"Oh, come on!" the annoyed mare shouts again. "Three stallions witness a changeling try and steal a kid and you all think that's a load of hog wash now?!"

"I don't doubt that changelings would abduct a filly," Stallion 2 interjects, "but doing so in broad daylight, and that close to the market? It does sound pretty darn suspect."

"Besides, the lawyer for the defense said that we shouldn't make a judgment based on prejudice, and honestly, I'm starting to question how much my dislike of changelings played into my vote. Looking at these transcripts again, I see a point that the defense has made either deliberately or unintentionally; If I was going to frame somepony for a foalnapping, a changeling sounds like the perfect creature to pin it on."

The annoyed Mare 5 looks at Stallion 2 with disbelief. "You're changing your vote too?!"

"I am" the stallion replies, then looks at the foremare. "If I might change my vote to not guilty?"

The foremare nods. "Very well. We have three ponies changing their vote to not guilty. That makes it 7-5 in favor of guilty. Are there any others who would like to change their vote now?"

The remaining ponies shook their heads.

"Very well, we've looked over the testimony of the three stallions and the filly. Does anypony want to read any of the other testimonies?"

"No, we don't" the annoyed Mare 5 says aloud.

"You can't make decisions for all of us" Stallion 3 says in indignation. "If I can be honest, I would like to read some of the testimony from some of the other ponies that took the stand."

The annoyed mare looks at the other ponies and throws her hooves up in the air, letting out a scream as she then bangs her head on a table.

"Ma'am, please calm down" the foremare says as she goes through the stack of testimonies. "I'm sure this won't take much longer."

Mare 5 doesn't even raise her head. "We're not gonna be leaving anytime soon."


Voting on Verdict

Mare 1: Guilty Mare 7: Not Guilty
Mare 2: Guilty Stallion 1: Guilty
Mare 3: Not Guilty Stallion 2: Not Guilty
Mare 4: Not Guilty Stallion 3: Guilty
Mare 5: Guilty Stallion 4: Guilty
Mare 6: Guilty Stallion 5: Not Guilty

Guilty - 7 Not Guilty - 5


The jury continues discussing the testimonies of the witnesses. Nothing much is gleaned from them, though the jurors are unanimous on one detail: the way the guards handled to filly was gross negligence. The foremare makes a note to speak with Princess Cadance as soon as possible and address the matter of this massive oversight, if it could be called that.

As the deliberation turns towards the expert witnesses, the physical evidence and forensic tests come into play.

"The testimony from all three stallions seems suspect," Stallion 3 says, "but this forensic evidence looks pretty damning to me."

"As it does to me" Mare 2 agrees. "I mean, the changeling was found at the scene of the crime with the filly's tail hairs in his mouth. Hard to get more damning than that."

"Yeah," Mare 6 chimes in, "but that Dr. Prion said there wasn't any evidence of damage to the hair from pulling or biting."

"So?" Stallion 3 counters. "He was still found with the hairs in his muzzle. Besides, Prion was a witness for the defense. Whose to say the results of her tests weren't doctored?"

"There's an easy way to find out" Stallion 4 interjects. "All we need is a microscope to see if there is any damage to the hair."

"Really?" Mare 5 looks at him skeptically. "You're some kind of expert on hair that you can tell if it's damaged or not?"

The stallion looks at her blankly as he gestures to his flank, where a pair of scissors and comb adorn it. "I believe having that makes me more qualified than most of you to judge that kind of thing" he says to the other jurors.

"Very well" the foremare announces. "I'll request they give us a microscope so we can examine the hairs for ourselves."

She moves to the door and then turns around. "Do you know how to use a microscope?" she asks the stallion with the scissors and comb mark, to which he nods.

She taps on the door and the guard opens it. After telling him her request, the door closes and locks, and the foremare turns to face the group. "They're bringing us one" she tells them.

About ten minutes later, a microscope is brought in to them. Once set up, the stallion looks into the aperture and examines the hair.

"Well?" Mare 5 asks, her impatience growing.

Stallion 4 looks for another few seconds before he finally leans back.

"No signs of damage from chewing or pulling," he announces, "and there's no traces of saliva either."

"There probably wouldn't be any saliva" Stallion 1 says in a matter of fact way.

"How would you know?" Stallion 4 asks.

"I was a former guard" Stallion 1 replies. "We were close by while the scientists studied the captured changelings we had. According to what they wrote in their study, changelings have a sac of water in their body that they use to simulate saliva when eating regular food. This is all an act, of course, since changelings gain little to nothing from actual food."

"Little to nothing?" Mare 3 questions.

Stallion 1 nods. "According to their research results, the food is processed into a resin they use in either construction or as way to trap prey. Of course, they still require water, so that sac isn't just to simulate eating."

"Well, faking or not," Stallion 4 continues, "I see nothing to suggest that the filly was grabbed and held by the changeling, so I am no longer convinced of the changeling's guilt. Foremare, I would like to overturn my verdict."

"You can't be serious?!" Mare 5 says in disbelief as the foremare marks down his change of vote. "They were in his mouth!"

"And it looks to me like they were placed there" Stallion 4 counters. "I don't know what you have against the forensic test, but from what I've seen, the results are conclusive and accurate. The changeling did not grab and hold the filly."

Mare 5 has no counter for the stallion's statement, and elects to just huff and walk over to a nearby chair and plant herself into it.

"Well, that's 6 to 6, guilty to innocent" the foremare announces. "I would just like to point out that, while we don't have a specific time limit, most of us would appreciate some brevity on the matter and would also prefer to avoid a hung jury."

Mare 5 huffs as she takes a seat in frustration. Several of the others converse among themselves as they consider what Stallion 4 has told them.

"Should we take a look at the hairs from the dumpster then?" Stallion 4 asks the foremare.

"I'm not sure we can really glean anything from them" the foremare responds. "For all we know, those hairs may not be actual evidence. They could've ended up there after the original evidence had been collected before."

"Finally!" Mare 5 says in relief. "The foremare starts talking sense!"

"How exactly is she talking sense?" Stallion 4 asks.

"The hairs may not, and probably didn't, come from that earth pony stallion!" she answers. "For all we know, they could've just come from some drunkard who randomly stumbled through that alleyway after the fact."

"I doubt that" Stallion 1 interjects. "Even before the empire returned, the protocol of guards investigating crime dictated that the scene be closed off from as much outside interference as possible until the investigation was considered resolved. That hasn't changed since the empire returned, so if there was a pony that found their way into that crime scene, they would've had to have snuck into it somehow."

"What do you mean somehow?" Mare 5 asks him.

"They place specially constructed amber crystals in a square formation on the ground around the scene" he replies. "A unicorn then casts a combination barrier/electrocution enchantment that will shock a pony that tries to get into the barrier."

"How bad is the shock?" another pony asks.

"It scales up and down based on intent" Stallion 1 responds. "Brush up against it by accident, and it's like static electricity. Try to run through it, and you get enough of a jolt to make you pass out."

"So you're saying you believe that the hairs from the dumpster were definitely there around the time that alleyway was closed off as a crime scene?"

Stallion 1 nods. "I do. Can't see a way for anypony to have broken through without a unicorn assisting them."

"What if there was one?" a mare asks.

"They'd have to be an ex guard" Stallion 1 replies. "The ambers are also enchanted with anti-tampering spells. They put security runes on those and change them any time a guard is released with unfavorable letter to ensure there isn't any tampering after the fact."

"Then I suppose we could look at the hairs" the foremare concedes, and presents a sample for Stallion 4 to look at in the microscope. After a few minutes, he sits back into the chair he's seated on.

"So?" Mare 5 asks sharply. "Find anything new out?"

"It's my opinion, which you can take with a grain of salt," Stallion 4 responds, "but I do think that the hairs came from that stallion."

The foremare looks at the stallion with confusion. "What makes you think that?"

"A few things" he answers. "First, the color of the hairs looks spot on for his coat color. Second, I see evidence of where the hair caught on something and was pulled out. Lastly, I can also see several of the hairs have the root attached, which could only have happened if they were caught on something and pulled, like the corner of a dumpster."

"That still doesn't mean they came from him!" Mare 5 points out rather harshly.

"And I said that this was my opinion" Stallion 4 counters. "If you don't want to believe it, then you don't have to. You can go by other information and evidence available."

"Oh, believe me, I will." Mare 5 responds with venom.

"What is your problem?" Stallion 5 asks her. "I'm making my decision about the verdict based on what I see before me, same as everypony else."

"And YOU want to pretend like this insect is some goody-two-horseshoes that wouldn't harm a fly!" she spits back.

"Enough!" the foremare shouts, bringing the conversation to a halt. "I think everypony in here could do with a bit of a break, so why don't we all have a snack and some tea and just calm down?"

The ponies in the room discuss and agree. Mare 5 resumes her usual pout but does admit to wanting a cup of tea and some biscuits.


Voting on Verdict

Mare 1: Guilty Mare 7: Not Guilty
Mare 2: Guilty Stallion 1: Not Guilty
Mare 3: Not Guilty Stallion 2: Not Guilty
Mare 4: Not Guilty Stallion 3: Guilty
Mare 5: Guilty Stallion 4: Not Guilty
Mare 6: Guilty Stallion 5: Not Guilty

Guilty - 5 Not Guilty - 7


"Okay," the foremare says after everypony has had a cup of tea and some biscuits, "before we took our little break, the voting was 7 to 5 in favor or not guilty. Before we begin, is there anypony that would like to change their vote?"

Mare 6 raises her hoof. "I thought about it real hard," she begins, "and the evidence isn't as strong as I first thought. If there wasn't any damage to the hair when it was clearly in the changeling's mouth, then he wasn't grabbing her to stop her getting away."

"So you're going not guilty too?" Mare 5 says while glaring at her, venom in her voice.

Mare 6 glares at Mare 5 and nods her head. "Yes, I am. I'm not convinced anymore, and it's making me doubt my original verdict. I'm changing it to not guilty."

The foremare makes a mark on the chalkboard. "The voting in the verdict has swayed, with not guilty having the majority" she says. "Now, we have looked over the evidence and reread the witness testimonies-"

"No we haven't."

The foremare looks up at the pony who interrupted her- Stallion 5.

"What do you mean?" she asks him.

"We haven't seen all of the evidence yet" he replies.

Confused, she asks him "What did we miss?"

"The ring" he points out.

"Of for f-" Mare 5 begins to say before stopping herself. "Who cares about the ring?"

"I do," Stallion 5 answers, "and so should you. That ring was destroyed, remember?"

"The changelings broke it when they freed this one!" she spits back.

"Supposedly" Stallion 5 counters. "In truth, I don't think there were any changelings involved in this besides the one being charged with crimes."

Mare 5 scowls. "How in Tartarus could there not be other changelings?!"

"Maybe because the stallions didn't give a true testimony?" Stallion 5 says with his own glare.

"That doesn't answer the question" Mare 5 points out. "How do we know there weren't other changelings involved?"

"She does have a point."

Both stallion and mare turn to face the speaker, Mare 3.

"Just because you don't think this changeling committed the crime doesn't mean there couldn't have been other ones that were trying to free him."

"I doubt that" Stallion 5 responds. "The princess gave him asylum, which means he came here to escape either persecution or unlawful punishment. If there were changelings here, I believe they'd want to capture him, and what better way than with his magic blocked?"

"How about when he was more restricted?" Mare 5 counters. "The princess said in her speech that he was more restrained then than when he had just the ring."

"I don't know about you," Stallion 5 begins, "but it seems to me it would be far easier to take somepony off the street than having to get past all of the guards and other ponies in the palace."

"Everypony, please!" the foremare speaks up. "We're getting off topic!"

The other ponies settle down, the conversation effectively brought to an abrupt conclusion.

"Now," the foremare continues, "I do believe we should examine the ring, but I have to first ask if anypony here has experience with magic-blocking rings?"

Stallion 1 steps forward. "I do. I was a mage in the guard. Making rings like these was part of our training, and there were a few instances where I had to make them for use in restraining prisoners, so I understand the enchantments that would be used rather well."

"Okay" the foremare says in acknowledgment. "You are effectively our impromptu expert. Now, what do you need to examine this ring?"

"Just the ring itself" the stallion answers. "The nature of these enchantments is meant to disrupt magic, so there's no machines that can perform this job for us; just good old fashioned unicorn know how."

The foremare retrieves a sample of the ring and hands it to the stallion, but he refuses it. "I need to piece with the serial number on it" he explains. "There are runes etched very finely into the numbers that keep the enchantments."

The foremare returns the piece to the bag and brings out the one with the serial number inscribed into it. Taking it, the stallion then begins to clear his mind in preparation for examining the ring. When he's ready, he takes the ring in his magic and starts dissecting the enchantments.

"Strange" he says after a moment.

"What's strange" a pony asks him.

"This metal" he replies. "If I'm not mistaken, this is gold."

"What does the metal matter?" Mare 5 chimes in, the usual annoyance ever present in her voice.

"A good bit, honestly" Stallion 1 responds. "Gold is a softer metal, and would be easier to break. If it does get used in magic blocking rings, it would often be used as an inlay band for the enchantments to be applied to."

"Inlay band?" a stallion questions.

"Gold is a good conductor," Stallion 1 explains, "both for electricity and thaumic energy. Using it as an inlay material allows the caster to place all of the enchantments on the gold while they use another metal, such as the significantly tougher titanium, to allow the ring to be much more durable. The caster can also add a durability enchantment to the gold that would cover the other metal and make the ring virtually indestructible."

"Then why didn't they make that ring they way you just told us?" Stallion 3 asks.

"If the enchanter was new and not completely trained, then they may not have thought about making the ring that way" Stallion 1 offers. "Or perhaps there wasn't any other metal around that was a good candidate for making a ring like that. I know that combat steel is very poor for holding enchantments. The most anypony does with those is a durability enchantment to keep the edges of bladed weapons sharper for longer."

"If it can hold durability, then why not use it for rings?" Stallion 3 asks.

"Unfortunately, inscribing enchantments into steel doesn't work nearly as well as for other metals. That's why when they do enchant steel, they hammer the runes into the metal."

"Still doesn't answer why it can't be used for rings" Stallion 3 points out. "You said gold could be used as an inlay band, so why not do that?"

"Nopony has quite figured this out, but steel will begin to oxidize when active enchantments are ran over it."

The other ponies don't quite accept the stallion's answer, until Mare 6 speaks up.

"He's right" she says. "I used to work in a restaurant kitchen. The knives they used for vegetable cutting had that kind of durability enchantment on them. We had to make sure to wipe them down with oil and clean them every night to keep them from rusting. If you kept up with it, you'd never need another set of knives again."

"That's right" Mare 2 adds. "I have a set like that. They work fantastically, but keeping them clean is a pain. That's why I only really use them for holiday cooking where I'm making for more ponies than just my immediate family."

Having heard supporting claims, the other ponies accept what Stallion 1 has told them. Mare 5, however, is still not convinced. Without warning, she takes the ring from Stallion 1.

"Who cares about the kind of metal? All that matters is if it can be broken, so let's break it!"

"No! Don't do it!"

Stallion 1's warning comes to late, and Mare 5 casts a spell with enough force to cleave the metal in two. However, the metal begins to glow red, and Mare 5's horn quickly releases a surge of magic, making the mare cry out in pain and drop the ring from her magic.

The other ponies gasp in shock at seeing Mare 5's brazen actions. Stallion 1 rushes over and examines her.

"As I thought" he says as he looks at the group. "She didn't think about any tampering enchantments that the guard would've placed on a ring like this. I should've started with those so she would've known."

"I doubt she would've listened" Stallion 5 responds. "She seems dead set on proving that the changelings could've broken that ring."

"But, why would they?"

All the ponies turn to Mare 6.

"I mean, all they had to do was take the ring off, right?" she elaborates. "So, why go to the trouble to destroy it when they could just toss it away?"

"Or why they wouldn't keep it to study or use on another unicorn?" adds Mare 7, who has an uncertain look on her face.

"Yeah, it doesn't make sense for them to destroy something that could be useful to them, or would be so dangerous and time-consuming to destroy" Mare 2 adds.

"I would like to overturn my vote to not guilty" Mare 7 adds.

"Mine as well" Mare 2 says with a head nod.

Mare 1 goes over to the board and updates the tally.


Voting on Verdict

Mare 1: Not Guilty Mare 7: Not Guilty
Mare 2: Not Guilty Stallion 1: Not Guilty
Mare 3: Not Guilty Stallion 2: Not Guilty
Mare 4: Not Guilty Stallion 3: Guilty
Mare 5: Guilty Stallion 4: Not Guilty
Mare 6: Not Guilty Stallion 5: Not Guilty

Guilty - 2 Not Guilty - 10


The ponies look in confusion to see the tally having changed to include one more vote. The foremare clears her throat in preparation to speak.

"After consideration of all the facts presented to me now," Mare 1 announces, "I have decided that I am changing my vote to not guilty as well. There's too much evidence for me to say that this changeling did indeed plan to abduct this filly, and based on the information pointed out by Stallion 5, I don't believe he has had any contact with other changelings since coming here to the Crystal Empire."

Stallion 3 then clears his throat. "I'm..."

He hesitates for a moment before he steels his resolve.

"I'm changing my vote to not guilty as well" he finally says. "I've been trying to come up with reasons that this evidence presented by the defense is a fabrication, but I just simply can't find any, and there's a whole bunch of things I've been thinking about as well."

"Why would the changelings only come here to abduct one filly? It makes more sense to me that they would sends scouts to probe for weaknesses. Plus, if they're so greedy and desperate for love, why wouldn't they just stay in hiding here? I don't know how then feeding on love works, but I'd wager a guess that there could be a few doing that and nopony would notice."

"There's all sorts of reasons, but to sum it up, I just don't see the changelings taking such a huge risk for just one filly. I'm voting not guilty."

Mare 1 takes the chalk and changes the tally to reflect the now nearly-unanimous verdict.


Voting on Verdict

Mare 1: Not Guilty Mare 7: Not Guilty
Mare 2: Not Guilty Stallion 1: Not Guilty
Mare 3: Not Guilty Stallion 2: Not Guilty
Mare 4: Not Guilty Stallion 3: Not Guilty
Mare 5: Guilty Stallion 4: Not Guilty
Mare 6: Not Guilty Stallion 5: Not Guilty

Guilty - 1 Not Guilty - 11


"The vote is now 11-1 in favor of not guilty" the foremare announces.

"TRAITORS! ALL OF YOU!"

Everypony turns to look at Mare 5. She is livid and appears to still be suffering from the effects of the anti-tampering enchantment on the ring.

"You all are acting like there's any room for doubt, but there isn't!" she continues. "They probably staged this whole thing to trick all of us into thinking that they aren't guilty all the time."

"They aren't guilty all the time."

The comment from Mare 2 catches her and everypony else off guard. She steps forward to address Mare 5 more closely.

"I've heard plenty of stories where creatures other than changelings have abducted ponies. Hay, I remember one where one of the elements was taken by Diamond Dogs because she knew a spell to find gems underground."

"Just because there's an abduction doesn't mean it was changelings."

"BUT IT IS!" Mare 5 continues protesting, frustration appearing on her face. "It's all a trick! It's what they do!"

The foremare looks at the exasperated mare with concern. "I can understand your displeasure with changelings, but I don't understand your continued refusal of what the majority of us now agree are reasonable doubts."

Mare 5 is nearly to the point of tears as she begins to feel ganged up on. "You don't know what they're really like" she says quietly.

Nopony says anything for a moment, unsure of what exactly to say to the mare.

"You were there, weren't you?"

The voice of Stallion 5 causes all the other ponies to look at him. He walks ahead while looking at Mare 5.

"You're not a crystal pony" he continues. "You likely moved here shortly after the empire returned and Sombra was banished."

"You lived in Canterlot before here, didn't you?"

The ponies look at Mare 5. The mare doesn't say anything, but the truth is written on her face.

"You were there during the wedding" Stallion 5 continues. "You might even have been in the chapel."

"I've heard stories about what the changelings did, but you've seen it first hand, haven't you?"

All eyes now turn to Mare 5. She's not looking at anypony else now. Instead, she looking at her hooves, and the sniveling sound she's making tells others plenty enough about how she's feeling right now.

"T-Th-They're all monsters!" she spits out quietly, then looks up at them as she continues. "They pinned ponies down, spat this green gunk on them so they couldn't get away. They turned into ponies and ushered them into houses before changing back and sealing them all inside."

"I... I saw a royal guard get fed on."

A few mares and even one of the stallions gasp upon hearing the last remark. Mare 5 can be seen shaking as the memory replays in her mind.

"That's the worst thing I've ever seen" Mare 5 continues. "One moment, he was fighting with all the tenacity a guard defending his princesses and kingdom should have. The next, he looked as though he couldn't care. It was like all the life in him had been sucked out, and seeing that pink energy getting absorbed by those... things!" she breaks off as she fights to maintain what little composure she has left.

Stallion 5 moves up to her and places a hoof on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry we made you remember that" he tells her. "None of us want to see what you saw happen again."

"Then why won't you convict him?!" she asks tearfully.

"Because it would undermine all of our values."

Mare 5 looks at him for a moment with surprise before he continues.

"The changelings deserve to face punishment for the horrible things they've done," he continues, "but they should only face the crimes they actually committed."

"Now, please be honest with me. If a pony were on trial for this very same crime, and all the evidence was the same, would you convict them?"

Mare 5 doesn't say anything. She looks away from the stallion, hoping he won't press the issue. Unfortunately for her, he does.

"I think we all know the answer to that, and that's exactly my point. If all the evidence is saying that the defendant is not guilty, why should what he is play a part in it?"

"B-But he's="

Mare 5 is silenced by Stallion 5's hoof on her muzzle.

"He's on trial," he continues, "and you're deciding his fate. Please, don't punish him for this crime just because you want to see him punished for another. You wouldn't do that to a pony, so why do it to him."

"He's right" Mare 2 adds. "Be better than those monsters. If they caught one of us and put us on trial for sentencing him and killing him, it would be as much a kangaroo court as the one you'd be trying to make here today."

Mare 1 steps up. "I know that what you experienced was horrible, but the princess and prince have went through much worse."

"If they can see past the pain they experienced on their wedding day and make peace with one of the changelings, then I think you can too. Please, don't act out of spite. It isn't worth it."

Mare 5 looks at all the ponies around her. She looks confused, but most of all, scared. "B-But..."

She trails off as she meets all of the eyes in the room. She sinks back onto her flank. Her expression has now changed. Where there was fear, there's now defeat.

"...not...guilty."

The foremare adjusts the chalkboard to now reflect the unanimous vote.


Voting on Verdict

Mare 1: Not Guilty Mare 7: Not Guilty
Mare 2: Not Guilty Stallion 1: Not Guilty
Mare 3: Not Guilty Stallion 2: Not Guilty
Mare 4: Not Guilty Stallion 3: Not Guilty
Mare 5: Not Guilty Stallion 4: Not Guilty
Mare 6: Not Guilty Stallion 5: Not Guilty

Guilty - 0 Not Guilty - 12


All the ponies except Mare 5 breathe a sigh of relief. The foremare clears her throat before addressing the group.

"Since we have now decided on a verdict for the foalnapping, we must now decide whether this verdict is a unilateral one for all charges or if we need to decide on verdicts for the other ones."

Everypony in the room looks to one another before Stallion 5 steps forward.

"The way I see it," he begins, "the filly's story seems to be exactly what happened. The changeling approached and demanded the stallions let her go, avoided any kind of physical altercation, and did what he could do within reason to keep the filly out of harm's way, save for convincing the stallions to let her go. I'd say by all accounts, all the charges against him are unfounded."

Everypony in the room looks to each other and either voices their agreements or nods in the affirmative. All except Mare 5, who has resumed examining the floor beneath her hooves.

"Do you agree with the assessment as well?" the foremare asks her.

Mare 5 looks up at all of them. She's clearly been shaken by the events that have happened in the deliberation room, and is now too exhausted to continue arguing. She gives a single, solemn nod to the foremare.

"Then our deliberation is complete" the foremare announces. Retrieving a blank piece of parchment and envelope, she writes down the verdicts and folds up the paper, placing it inside the envelope.

As she knocks on the door to inform the bailiff outside that their verdict is in, Stallion 5 moves to address Mare 5.

"I really am sorry we made you relive those bad memories" he tells her.

She looks up at him, and he can tell that she feeling drained of energy.

"What's your name?" he asks her.

"Honeysuckle" she answers, voiced a bit strained.

"Honeysuckle" the stallion says with a chuckle. "I'm Diorite."

Honeysuckle doesn't say or do anything. Diorite continues talking.

"What do you say after this trial is over, we go out and get a drink? I know a few of the others are probably gonna hit up a bar or a restaurant after here. We can all go as a group. Sound good?"

The mare looks at him for a moment before a small smile crosses her muzzle.

"I'd like that" she tells him as she stands up to leave the deliberation chambers.