//------------------------------//
// The Trial of Spoiled Milk (Part 3) 
// Story: As a Family 
// by Dashzilla93 
//------------------------------//

Twilight's castle was silent. Not a whisper; not a step of any hoof; not a shift in movement; not even the sound of mice scurrying around the halls. While outside the castle looked bright and alive and bustling, the inside felt haunted, in a way, with this caged silence. Yet, at the same time, it wasn't. For the eerie silence was for purpose terms. And the biggest reason resided in the main room of the castle where an important trial took place.

What was once the centerpiece for the map of Equestria now had turned into a semi-courtroom for one specific soul and for others to determine its fate. What would usually be a place for peaceful times among friends or to answer a call from the Equestrian map for some who were in need of assistance was now rendered a room full of dread and judgment.

Spoiled Milk sat shoulder to shoulder next to her husband and shook a little in fear like how a frightened foal would be when their parents took them to go see a doctor or a henhouse of frightened chickens being corned by a very hungry fox. 

Filthy never budged but he and his wife looked up and faced the six judges before them that sat in front of their respective benches. From the first and second left sat Applejack and Pinkie Pie, the middle sat Fluttershy, and the second and first right sat Rainbow Dash and Rarity. And the large podium behind them helmed the leader of them all: Twilight Sparkle.

Small jury boxes from left and right only held two or three residents. From the left sat Ember, Discord, and Bon-Bon. The right sat Big Mac, Drift, and Gilda.

It was twelve verses two but Filthy was not phased in the slightest. He sat strong as he faced Twilight, and only Twilight, with firm, focused eyes. He never looked away from her and ignored everyone else within the room -- including his friend Drift. He knew Drift wouldn't chew him out for what happened yesterday; how could he? He knew that Drift knew he had nothing to do with it. He never intended for any of this to happen. And yet, it did. He hid that whistle for so long that he thought it would be put behind him; lost and forgotten in time. But, no, his drunken self had to spill the beans about it to Spoiled.

Now, that bloody whistle was brought back into the light and used by his own wife for petty reasons. That fact still hurt him to his core but here he was, with her on trial. He may as well feel just as guilty for not just destroying it sooner instead of hiding it. He never should have bought it, to begin with. To him, in this courtroom, this was his punishment and he was going to take it like a soldier ready to endure the challenge. He knew Drift held nothing against him, but he didn't know anything about the others. The Apple siblings could be a problem and Rarity could share some of that anger, but he was gonna find out once it was about to begin.

Spoiled, however, was shaking like a puppy in front of everyone. She was scared; more than she ever thought she would. And she had a good reason to be. All eyes leered at her like sniper dots aiming precisely at their target. Anxiety and fear crawled all over her and the hammer of guilt didn't make things any better for her either. But, it wasn't just the eyes from everyone torturing her; it was the stare Twilight was giving directly at her. If there was any stare that scared her more than the judging looks or looks of disapproval, disgust, or anger like those in the room and those who watched her head for the castle with Discord and Filthy minutes ago, it was quite possibly hers.

Spoiled looked at her nervously, gulping lightly to herself. Twilight sat at her desk calmly and professionally, not saying a word until the time was right for her as she gave a calm, almost serene look-over of her, as if to size her up. Spoiled eyed Twilight's stare cautiously. On the outside, to a common pony, Twilight looked like she was relaxed and level-headed, ready to start the day with no hint of stress whatsoever; it was a great way to persuade other ponies to let them know she was doing just fine with her life and that nothing was bothering her. But, on the inside was a different story. Spoiled could see it clear as day and she secretly wondered if anyone else noticed, too. There was no mistaking it, because behind those calm eyes was a glare so venomous that it might as well poison her soul – if anything, Spoiled felt she should've been the one to have gotten stung by Marabunda and left poisoned and paralyzed. She looked down and took her eyes away from the princess. That professional behavior was just a disguise for what she actually felt about her.

And she had no clue how this trial will turn out in the end. She didn't bother to look at everyone else. She already knew what they must've felt based on how Twilight felt. Anger, disappointment, disgust, greatly offended, filled with shame; it was just like outside with all the others.

"So," Twilight said in a piercing tone, breaking the haunting silence and making Spoiled flinch a little from the tone, the princess keeping her eyes on the two before her like a lioness waiting to strike. "I assume you know why you're here?"

"We do, Twilight," Filthy replied.

"That's Princess Twilight to --" Pinkie Pie was about to say, glaring at the two like they had no right to call her that. They were in the presence of the fourth princess of Equestria and she should be treated as such in this case.

"Pinkie, it's fine," Twilight said, stopping Pinkie Pie right there. "There's no need for formal introductions when we all know who we are."

Besides, Twilight was in no mood to be called a princess right now. That ship set sail once this trial started and the fact that mama bear mode was still active.

Pinkie Pie ceased her babbling and nodded to her friend, crossing her arms as she scowled at the couple standing in the middle of the courtroom.

"Now then, as I was saying," Twilight resumed as she glared down at Filthy and Spoiled before she took a soft breath. She said in a restrained but professional tone, "I get that we have fights. Friends, families, and acquaintances alike get into fights about anything and everything -- usually, it would end peacefully. And rarely, would physical conflict solve the issue."

The last bit caught Filthy and Spoiled by surprise. Twilight must've been informed about what happened that caused this to begin with. They look over to Fluttershy who had a distained look to her; that fight between Scootaloo, Diamond Tiara, and Silver Spoon should've been water under the bridge. Filthy already punished his daughters for picking a fight with Scootaloo and now it was brought up, again? Why would Fluttershy bring that old scar back up when it was already --

"However, even with that notion, physical contact can still be resolved. Though, I think it's highly unnecessary."

"Uh, Twilight," Filthy spoke up, although a bit cautiously. "Pardon my interrupting but, what exactly are you implying here?"

"This is a recap of how all this started," Fluttershy took over, having a soft sour disappointing tone. "Your daughters picked a fight with mine all because she doesn't have a cutie mark. Then they, along with three other children I assumed they persuaded, one of which happened to be Gilda's little sister, came over to my home to continue that fight." She glared firmly at the fact that Filthy's daughters not only came barging over to her home to further torment her daughter but that they couldn't get over that. It sickened her to know that those fillies held such a grudge for so long.

"And you two should consider yourselves so lucky that my little sister didn't get hurt because of them," Gilda added to them with a slight snarl on her beak. "I don't know what made your kids think it was okay to convince her to go with them but she is not fit to be in a fight, or any fight for that matter." She glared as she cracked her talons, her talons popping as she got quite protective and was willing to beat down these two just as a warning to stay away from her little sister with whatever her daughters tried to poison her little mind with. "And if she had gotten hurt, this whole thing would've been the least of your worries…"

"Wait, what?!" Filthy said, backtracking right now. His daughters were trying to pick a fight on the home-grounds of Fluttershy, even after he punished them for their bullying months ago? "I was not informed of this. My daughters never told me-- " 

He paused as if a click sounded off in his head, his eyes widen as he made a realization. He was not aware of that moment Gilda and Fluttershy brought up; Diamond and Silver never mentioned anything about gathering other kids to start a fight with Scootaloo. He never raised them to do that. If that were true, then he was more than likely very busy that day when that moment occurred. He didn't want to believe it; He would rightfully reject all of that and call them all liars for accusing his daughters of behaving as such.

But then again, he mentally punched his fatherhood mentality out cold when the realization dawned on him that it might as well be the case. Then, it all came back to him; he never raised Diamond and Silver to persuade others. 'I didn't raise my children to do something so violent… Then it had to be –' He turned to look at his wife with a light scowl. Who else would it be?

"-- They never told me a thing about this."

Spoiled shook a little in fear and winced lightly at her husband's small scowl. That was definitely a blunder on her part and she knew it too well. She was guilty of it and she had no way of talking her way out of this one. She looked at everyone cautiously and explained her reason as best she could.

"W-Well, I... may have had something to do with that." She sheepishly admitted.

"Oh, there's a big surprise," Rainbow Dash said sarcastically. "This outta be good coming from you. Better yet, how do we know you're not just gonna lie out of that plothole of yours?" She looked annoyed as she also added in a snide tone. "Like you usually do."

She had a point. Rainbow Dash was quick to point that out and everyone was on board to agree with that. After that whole ordeal with Marabunda, they're inclined to not trust and believe a word Spoiled had to say. As far as they were concerned, her words were gonna be white noise to them. 

At least, that was what Spoiled thought when a saving grace spoke up amongst the crowd.

"Hold on there, Rainbow Dash," Applejack intervened, not in the least bit riled up like the others. "I doubt she would lie around us after what she did." 

Everyone was unsure about that. It didn't make much sense since Spoiled was in a situation that could definitely rile that manipulative tongue of hers. So, what did Applejack mean by that?

"Uh, I don't mean to be that stallion, Legs," Drift said, unsure about what Applejack meant. "But, Spoiled has a tendency to -- "

"Trust me, Drift, I know," Applejack stopped him before he could say anything else and she kinda snapped at him for that little nickname since she already named those well-toned legs of hers. "I may not have been around Spoiled for a long while since I was pretty young at the time, but her attitude was more than enough to give me an idea of what she's like. I may be the element of honesty but before I even got that title, I had other 'hobbies' than just gathering apples. I won't go into too much about it, so, all I can say is that I can tell when a pony is lying to me." There was something about her calm tone that sent a message secretly to Spoiled, that if she wanted to save her skin, she has to tell the truth; the whole truth and nothing but the truth. "And right now, I want to hear her out. I'm curious to hear what she has to say. So, no interruptions, please?"

That was a clear-cut jab at the other five and the witnesses. Applejack had a keen eye that everyone was pissed at Spoiled right now, but if she wanted to hear her side of the story, she had to have everyone simmer down.

With that being said, the room got quiet, again. Not because they wanted to hear Spoiled but because what Applejack said out loud had them moderately curious and a tad bit uncomfortable. This whole time, she had the ability to know when a pony was lying? Carefully listening in on vocal tones and pitches, picking up on certain facial features like muscle tensions and wrinkles, knowing when a pony's eyes are dilated, and who knows what else. She had this secret precise ability under her belt and she used it to determine, without any of them knowing, whether or not they were lying or telling the truth. Forget uncomfortable and curious, that actually scared them. If Applejack was able to read their faces like a book then why would she hide it from them after so long? On second thought, her reasons would've made sense.

Even still, they all were happy she was on their side because if Applejack were to use her hidden ability on any of them, the mere ideas would've been unpleasant. Honesty may be the best policy but never underestimate an honest pony who might as well be a living lie detector. For now, it seemed like they had an anti-manipulator on their side and they were not gonna ignore that. Twilight made a mental note, 'I'm so glad Applejack is on our side. Hopefully, she can teach us this stuff'. Hearing this was quite a bonus if she was gonna be ironically honest.

As uncomfortable and scary as that was, Spoiled smiled just a little at Applejack for fanning the storm away, "Thank you, Miss Applejack. You won't hear a lie from me, honest." She spoke gratefully.

"Now don't get the right idea, Spoiled," Applejack barked at her, frowning softly yet firmly down at her to remind her that while she wants to hear her out – that doesn't mean she's taking her side on this. "I do wanna hear your side of this farce but don't you forget why I'm here, too -- and why my brother is here." She pointed to Big Mac who leered down at Spoiled for the same reason as Applejack.

"Eeyup!" Big Mac said very sternly at her with a firm nod.

While it's true that Applejack was willing to hear Spoiled out, her defense for her was paper-thin and her trust was as equal as everyone else. However, she also believed in fairness, and Spoiled had the right to talk -- even if no one wanted to hear her out. And that was clear when she noticed one of them on the verge of acting out.

"So, if you want my advice here missy, y'all better spill the truth out right now, or else one of us, specifically one in the witness booths, will take over," A warning was all she had for Spoiled, and nothing else.

Spoiled looked confused about what Applejack meant by that. Who in the witness booth had more vendettas against her than Fluttershy, Twilight, and -- the moment she gazed over to Bon Bon was when she got her answer clearer than any clean water out in the world. Spoiled flinched heavily when she locked eyes with a death-hungry glare aimed directly at her. Bon Bon looked eager to tear her hide twice over and make a bloody coat out of it. That mare scowled at her and pounded a hoof into her other one, making a subtle hint that while she had to hold back for now since she was in a trial room, but rest assured – she will get justice for her Lyra.

Spoiled was scared out of her wits. Out of all the ones here, Bon-Bon looked the most genuine about her feelings; she was shaking with rage, trying so hard to keep herself under control but her presence made it a challenge for her. Spoiled could feel Bon Bon's rage oozing out of her and it wasn't pleasant. If she had her way, that woman could snap her neck right here, right now. She now understood what Applejack meant and she had to pick her words wisely.

"Right," Spoiled said as she continued after she took a deep breath to settle her frazzled nerves. "Okay. I approached my daughters first. Diamond told me everything that happened that day she had gotten a black eye, that it was from Scootaloo's hoof, and I suppose that due to my pride – and not the mother in me at that moment, once I heard about this - it got me riled up." She felt ashamed and foolish, especially when she remembered this clear as day and the guilt hit her when she thought of her poor little Silver. And her little diamond, she should've been the bigger pony and taught her to move on instead, yet here they are now. "Instead of telling her to move on like any bigger reasonable pony would – like any parent would, I... encouraged her to keep the mentality I gave her. And that was --"

"Selfish Entitlement?" Rarity calmly chimed in, looking just as disappointed as she guessed the word she was going for. "Wanting to get even?"

Spoiled cleared her throat, blushing in shame as she rubbed the back of her head. Rarity nailed the word she was looking for on the head. "Yes, that."

"Rarity, do you have anything to say?" Twilight asked, curious to know what her fashionista friend had to say about all this.

Indeed, Rarity had her piece to say but it wasn't very much. Granted, she wasn't involved in any of this whole tomfoolery but she always had Sweetie Belle come home feeling down almost all the time when she came back from school. It worried her that somepony was out to bully her little sister and that there wasn't gonna be any consequences to this, but after hearing that it was Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon bullying Sweetie Belle and her friends, that didn't really go too well with her.

"I don't have much to say as much as everyone else here does other than now I know why Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon act the way they do. Sweetie Belle would always come home in near tears after heading back from school all because some fillies have been bullying her for not having a cutie mark."

The mere fact that unwarranted prejudice fell upon her little sister and friends sickened her to her core. She longed to see Sweetie Belle achieve her cutie mark one day. She would go out of her way to support her when she needed it -- even having friends build that support was great news for her to hear. Now, her antics with Scootaloo and Applebloom, granted they have sometimes been a little too much but she was happy to learn her sister had others behind her back. But, it wasn't until she heard about some other ponies had belittled and name-called Sweetie Belle for not having a cutie mark.

Why? What was their purpose? What did they gain from it? Rarity was appalled by the very act. If she had the time she would've stopped her duties to go help her little sister, but...

"I've been trying to find a way to get justice myself for how hurt Sweetie Belle was but I've always been too busy to do so. I feel bad for not doing something sooner, but now I feel worse knowing that it was my business partner's kids bullying my little sister."

Just like his business with the Apple Family and reselling their zap apple jams for good profit and sharing that profit, the same applied with Rarity and her business. Rarity and Filthy Rich had made a deal long ago that would allow her dresses to be sold in high societal locations -- and it worked with no hint of retaliation from customers. Her dresses sold for a good while and she and Filthy gained a fair amount of bits from it; splitting it an even fifty-fifty. All seemed fine up until this moment.

If guilt didn't hit him harder than ever, it sure did at this very moment. Not just Applejack and her family but Rarity, too? There was never meant to be any prejudism in his family and now he's hearing his own daughters have been expressing that with other kids? Sure, they had behaved irrationally before around him but he set the record straight with them. 

"Rarity, I'm deeply sorry about that," Filthy said with a great amount of regret in his voice. "I will set that right with my kids. If they haven't apologized to Sweetie Belle, I can -- "

"Filthy, it's okay," Rarity said, actually in a calm tone for a good reason regarding him, a tender smile being sent in his direction, surprising him greatly. "This isn't about them, at all. I know you'll set them right, anyway." She had faith in him as their father that he can successfully get his daughters to see right from wrong – and especially get rid of this mentality that took over their little minds for so long. "The last thing I need is to be at odds with a business partner who has been good to me and my folks for a long while. You're alright, darling."

That pushed the stress off of him when she said that. Filthy thought Rarity was gonna cut ties with him for this whole thing. But, she was right, this wasn't about his daughters and his business. Like he thought earlier, no one here had any ill will towards him. That was good news. But, there was still the matter of Spoiled's case.

"Well, I beg to differ, Rarity," Pinkie Pie spoke out aggressively, which was out of character for her. She glared at the stallion and mare before her, "You may be fine here, Filthy, but I'm not."

"Pinkie Pie, do you have something to say?" Twilight asked, off-put by her usually quirky friend's new behavior.

"Yeah, I got something to say," Pinkie Pie said as she kept her leering eyes on the Rich family. "That fight with that cruel monster released possibly from the fiery depths of Tartarus… He and that fight nearly destroyed Sugar Cube Corner. Out of all the buildings in Ponyville, that bakery was hit the hardest. Spike crashing through the front door, lightning and wind when Twilight went ballistic, and who knows what else. But, more importantly, that place isn't just a bakery, it's a home for the Cakes... my bosses!" 

She stamped a hoof, glaring as she preached this out, but she looked sickened as she reminded that it wasn't just home to the Cakes, but to their own little ones and her as well. "And their little foals – two innocent little babies who are barely 1-2 years old!" She stressed to the Riches that there were two babies in this mix. "And speaking of, those two haven't had a lick of sleep ever since Marabunda stormed his ugly face in Ponyville. They're too terrified to even stay asleep for more than a few minutes!" She took a deep breath and frowned firmly. "But… worst of all… the second home that I have in my life was nearly taken away from me."

She was irate and it showed. She'd normally be all happy-go-lucky even under depressing times. But, today was not gonna be that day and she was gonna let Filthy know. The twins couldn't sleep, Mr. And Mrs. Cake were under stress because of their home being damaged, and she couldn't think straight after that whole fight, especially since Sugarcube Corner was home to her as well due to the kindness of the Cakes' hearts. Of all the fights she got into over the years, this one literally hit home.

"You wanna be on my good side again, I want the damages to that bakery paid for. You two owe the Cakes so much after what happened. And don't expect a cookie when all this is done... Spoiled."

Spoiled couldn't argue. She had that coming and she had a feeling that was gonna be brought up at any given moment. She deserved it and she accepted it. Truth be told, she was just happy the Cakes made it out of that alive, and if there was anyone who deserved a huge apology from her, it was Chiffon after what her actions with her daughter had done. That sweet, beautiful pudgy mare never did anything to her to deserve what had happened, and to fix this, Spoiled's going to have to work her butt off to make amends with not only Pinkie Pie, but the Cakes as well – especially to show Chiffon that she's willing to do anything to earn her forgiveness, or at the very least to let her know she's really sorry. 

"I can pay for the damages, Pinkie," Filthy said genuinely to her. "You have my word."

"And at this point…" Spoiled let out a regretful sigh but stood tall with her husband, placing a hoof on his own to show she was going to help him – he can't shoulder all of this by himself. "I will do what it takes to hopefully make amends – not just with you, Pinkie… but with the cakes… especially Chiffon." Spoiled looked down slightly, "I haven't treated her like the friend she deserves… and after what happened yesterday, I don't blame her if she doesn't want to speak to me again. But…" She breathed softly and gazed up at Pinkie Pie, keeping eye contact with her as she made a promise herself. "…I hope to change that. It will take time to even think of forgiveness, but I will do what it takes to help rebuild Sugarcube Corner…" She gazed to her husband who gazed an eye at her. "My husband can't shoulder the stress alone." She gave him a little tender smile, earning her a small but grateful smile from him for her considerate promise. 

Pinkie Pie never smiled at those responses and never said a word back to him. Instead, she looked over to Applejack for confirmation.

"Applejack?" She gazed at her honest friend, to make sure she was not being lied to.

"Oh yeah, he's telling the truth, Pinkie Pie," Applejack said casually, having looked at his form, facial features, tone, and attitude. No tension and stiffness, just calmness and bravery. She gazed at Spoiled, a bit judgmentally, to see if she can spot a lie in her words. But looking closely at her form, her tone, and the honest vibe from speaking from her heart, she gave Spoiled the benefit of the doubt because she seemed honest about wanting to make amends with the Cakes and Pinkie. Perhaps this event has finally knocked sense into the snob's head. 

"And amazingly… so is she," She uttered cautiously, she gazed at the mare. So far, she hasn't lied to defend herself yet, but she's still keeping an eye on her.

That brought a small smile back on her face. Casual and quick on the draw, she appreciated Applejack for that and was secretly amazed at how well she picked up on Filthy's behavior. It was amazing, "Good. I can't wait to tell the Cakes the good news." She pouted lightly at Spoiled though, considering her words after getting Applejack's green light. "And Mrs. Cake will be expecting a very big apology from you, missy – no lying, no weaseling out." 

Spoiled simply gave her a nod, understanding she has a lot of work to do.

"Alright," Twilight said. "Anyone else?" She was willing to wait until her turn came. She peered over to Bon Bon who still had that rip-and-tear look in her eyes and wondered when she was gonna say her piece, the mare didn't even seem to buy what she spoke of when Pinkie had her piece. She did recall offering that to her.

"If it's okay with you, Twilight, can I say something for everyone in here?" Spoiled said, wanting to say her piece to everyone in the room she had wronged. Twilight nodded to her and granted her the opinion to speak. 

With a soft sigh and a few calming breaths to settle her racing heart, she spoke out in guilt, genuine guilt, "I made a mistake. I know what I did was wrong and I shouldn't have done what I did." She held her heart, gazing aside with a look of shame. "And what happened yesterday, is really all my fault – and I got all of you involved in my pettiness." She gave a small sighing breath before gazing back up to those around her, to speak honestly. "I know I can't fix what happened but I just wanna say I'm sorry for causing so much -- "

"Oh, spare me the crocodile tears!" Bon Bon shouted loudly as she got up on her hooves, causing everyone in the room to flinch in shock from that outburst.

Spoiled looked up in fright once Bon-Bon lashed out like that. She watched on worriedly as she marched past the other witnesses, down the stairs, and towards them to meet them face-to-face.

"You think, for one second, I'm gonna buy any of that from you? That a simple 'I'm sorry' will work?" Bon Bon said, aggressively as she walked up to Spoiled, ignoring Filthy and giving Spoiled that exact same death-dagger glare like before, jabbing a hoof into her chest as the mare winced under her glare. "You really expect me to believe that you're telling the truth in being regretful for this shit?!"

Spoiled backed up a bit, caught off-guard by Bon Bon's interruption, "But, I ...I am." Spoiled said, pleading to Bon Bon to believe her that she truly was sorry and that what she did was unjustifiable. "I'm sorry for bringing that monster to Ponyville, I really am. And I truly do feel terrible for what I had done."

Bon Bon snarled and slowly shook her head, "No. No, you're not. You're not sorry for any of it. You don't even know what that word means, nor do you know what regret is. You wanna know what sorry means you entitled, petty, bitch?"

She gestured to her broken self as she sat down and showed Spoiled and Filthy the pain inflicted on her after that whole fight happened. Outside, she had no injuries to speak of; she looked fine and uninjured. But, the duo could see that she wasn't mentally well. Her red eyes roared pain, anguish, sorrow, and anger. The bottom of her eyes nearly wallowed with tears. Her mane, though slightly combed, still looked like a mess. There was no denying it, Spoiled and Filthy saw how much grief Bon Bon was in and it broke their hearts to see her in this condition.

They knew why she was like this, but with how piercing her eyes were at Spoiled alone, something else was also held in that Bon Bon wanted to bring out. And now the opportunity was given to her.

"Uh, Twilight, should we stop her?" Rainbow Dash asked while looking to her friend, worried this could get ugly in a second.

But, Twilight simply shook her head, "No, I promised Bon-Bon she would have her piece. And now she will." A promise was a promise and she was not gonna interfere unless it lead to violence. Even if Bon-Bon walked down in the middle of the main room, Twilight never moved a muscle and so everyone followed her motive.

"This... This is what sorry means!" Bon Bon said, her pain and sorrow coming back to her and pouring out after she held in till this moment.

"B-Bon Bon," Filthy said to get her attention. "I know you've suffered a lot and I'm so sorry for your loss, but, you gotta understand that my wife wants to redeem herself."

Try as he might to calm the grieving mare from a possible meltdown, he wasn't doing anything good. And that struck hard once she heard him say that one certain word.

She let out a cross between a scoff and a gasp, almost choking on that kind of word. "Redeem? Redeem!" Bon Bon snarled again at Filthy for even uttering that one word that doesn't even fit a mare like Spoiled. Did he not know? That was gonna change real quick. "That bitch isn't worth the redemption! That may have worked for others like Discord," She motioned to Discord who leaned his head back and tried to nonchalantly avoid eye contact by making little mini cotton candy cloud animals to entertain himself – to keep from interrupting her. "But Spoiled…" She glared at his wife angrily.

"This goes back far more than that, Filthy! Did you really not notice the whole time what your wife was doing behind your back? Are you really that blind and oblivious to what she has done to me and the rest of Ponyville?! Are you not aware of the rest of the damages she caused on all of us?!"

She swung her left arm around and motioned to the mane six and the rest of the witnesses and then pointed outside of the castle, "Look at them, look at the ones outside this bloody castle, look at me! All of Ponyville has been miserable all because of Spoiled! You think your pampered little brats are the only bullies in your family? You're married to one! This is way before your 'darling wife' brought that monster here all because of some stupid, petty fight your kids and Fluttershy's kid got into."

Filthy saw the pain in Bon Bon's eyes. She was right. They had a story behind them and he never noticed. He wanted to object but something about what Bon-Bon said made him want to know more. And everyone else knew about this, too? Why did no one speak up? Was Spoiled really that scary to them? He sat in disbelief as he soaked up what Bon Bon was talking about. He never noticed until now. Now it made sense to him. This was unacceptable but it was far too late to do anything right now. He glanced over to Spoiled and glared, teeth flared in a snarl of his own.

"There's more to this?" Filthy said in a soft yet furious tone, asking Spoiled who looked ashamed once more. He looked to Bon Bon, questioning her. "But why didn't any of you tell me before?" He could've prevented it if they simply told him, but Bon-Bon continued.

"Yes, there's more. There always was. No one said anything because none of us worked up the nerve to say anything to her for fear of being sued and harassed by you and her -- not anymore. I'm not gonna bite my tongue anymore." She wanted to let Spoiled have it and her husband was there to hear it.

"You have given us hell for so long, Spoiled Rich. The moment you moved to Ponyville, we tried to be friendly and welcoming, to make you feel welcomed and safe here. The day we heard you and Filthy were getting married, we all embraced the fact that we believed you two would be very happy together, some of us even tried welcoming you into our lives with open arms -- Minuette, Amethyst, Roseluck, Derpy, Donut Joe, me, every last one of us!" She took a sharp breath before looking tremendously hurt, despite the glare on her face as she finally spoke out the pain she had been holding back, to get Spoiled to finally understand just how much she had hurt others. 

"Our kindness, our hospitality, our generosity, we tried offering our friendship to you and you shot all of us down with hate, prejudice, belittlement and so much more. We've given you so much and yet you never once returned the favor. We tried, so many years, to be nice to you, to befriend you… hoping that yours and Filthy's marriage would loosen you up, hoping you'd open up to us. But it was never enough for you." She glared as she motioned to Filthy Rich. "The only reason we endured your constant cruelty and snooty behavior… was for that man, who would've moved the Canterlot Mountains to please you." She sniffled and hiccupped but continued her emotional tirade. "We saw how happy he was with you… and we didn't wish to ruin that, so we simply took every last bit of your attitude – praying that one day, you'd come to your senses on your own."

Spoiled said nothing. She sat there and listened to Bon Bon pour her pain and rage onto her. What could she say in this moment? Bon Bon was so right about her; she was a hateful pony that only cared about herself and the wealth she married into. She was so blind to see the positivity that she damaged so many for so long, those who didn't do anything to her but offer her their hooves in friendship. She wanted to help Bon Bon, truly she would but it looked like she was too late to help her, and now she's gonna suffer for it. There was no doubt everyone outside felt the same.

She looked over to her husband and saw the sheer disappointment on his face. He didn't know what to say right now. With how Bon Bon was, Filthy could see the truth pouring out of her. Spoiled and Filthy gave their attention back to Bon Bon as the poor mare stood on twigs to keep herself steady but looked like she was about keel over at any moment.

Bon Bon nearly hyperventilated and her heart raced a mile a minute from what she was doing. But, Bon Bon didn't care, and so she continued her verbal onslaught, "And now, here we are, where we stand... here I stand, suffering from what you caused. You could've resolved this if you'd just pulled your head out of your ass and talked things out. But, no, instead, you had to make all of us suffer – if your little sniveling brat had to suffer for something, then you had to bring not just them down…" She motioned to Fluttershy and Drift, who were holding one another as they looked worried for Bon Bon's state. "…but take all of us down with them… and for what?"

Everyone in the room listened quietly to Bon Bon and watched her speak out her troubled soul to Spoiled. No one said a thing; they never realized just how much pain Bon Bon was holding back. They felt so bad and they wished they all could offer to help their friend. But, right now, they had no idea what to do. They know the reason for Bon Bon's pain but they didn't expect for this to go further back -- well, maybe Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Rarity who had encounters with Spoiled before and experienced how evil she could be. When all this was said and done, they had to try and figure something out; They had to try and figure out how to help Bon Bon.

"Bon Bon…" Spoiled spoke softly, horrified as the sheer weight of her actions came crashing down on her. The guilt was eating her alive now that her eyes were open at last. "I…" But she flinches as her head was suddenly jerked to the side as a loud clap of a hoof connecting with fur and flesh filled the room.

Those in the booths gasped a bit, their eyes wide in shock. Yes, they couldn't blame Bon Bon for feeling this way, but wow! 

The Mane Six were almost ready to act on Twilight's order, but the princess – despite her wince and almost reaching to stop Bon Bon – she saw no further violence coming from Bon Bon other than that slap as the mare stood before Spoiled, breathing heavily. She held them back because she knew there was still a little more to be said, even if she herself wanted to help Bon Bon so badly and comfort her.

Yet, Bon Bon kept going, her hyperventilating quickly turned into heavy breaths of rage and pain as she looked to Spoiled with foaming tears in her eyes, glaring those destroyed eyes at her – they only held hurt, anger, and heartbreak, "My Lyra is gone, because of you."

Spoiled could only look at her with heartbreak. What else could she say to her? She tries to reach for her, but the destroyed mare wouldn't allow it as Bon Bon took a step back from her and her voice changed into pure grief as she coughed out to her. "Are you happy now? You got to take something from someone. Because of that monster, its actions reflect on to you. Everyone here got to keep what belonged to them, but I had my girlfriend taken from me – the one special mare I wanted to spend the rest of my life with?" Then Bon Bon's lips started to quiver and her body began to ache and weaken. She was about to burn out but her eyes never left Spoiled and she wanted her to know that the unbearable pain finally burst out as she motioned to her in agony.

"Spoiled Milk, you murderous, psychotic, bitch… What the fuck did I ever do to you?!" Bon Bon shouted in raw pain and rage before collapsing as she started crying out in front of the Rich family and everyone around the room. Her rage fit was over but the pain still remained as she plopped on the floor, arms covering her head and sobbing her grief away.

The room went silent, again – only this time, those in the room were looking at Bon Bon with sorrow, with heartbreak that she had kept this in for so long, and the fact that it took losing Lyra to finally let it all out. She really needed help, and they could see that clear as day. Despite what just happened, the trial still had to go on. So, someone had to escort Bon Bon out of the room. Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Big Mac, and Fluttershy were about to offer to take her home but Discord stepped up.

"Don't," Discord said, feeling slightly awkward doing this but he was free to do as he pleased and he was able to take Bon Bon home since she was done with her turn. He will not deny that after hearing her complete and utter meltdown, he felt a strong grip of disbelief yet sadness in his heart. This mare had carried so much inside – and after letting out so much grief, chances are her strength had depleted. "You guys continue doing what you're doing and let me know how it goes later. I'll get Bon Bon out of here and take her home."

"Please do," Applejack said, feeling uneasy about how Bon Bon acted. She was grateful for her to let all her emotions out but that was a lot to soak in. "I think Bon Bon needs more than just therapy too."

Discord walked up to Bon Bon while he noticed Spoiled was shocked, horrorstruck, and yet undeniably feeling horrible by the trauma she created in front of her. While he appreciated and commended Spoiled for accepting redemption – while he would offer his hand himself as one being who accepted redemption to another, he was still ashamed to even be around her at the moment. It was clear that she had a lot to fix and how she was gonna do that he didn't know -- and it wasn't his concern right now. She's gonna need to work her plot off big time if she wanted him to forgive her as well after the fact that this had concerned those he cared about and he got hurt in the middle of it.

He placed a paw on Bon Bon's shoulder, causing Bon Bon to snap out of her funk with a sharp little gasp and looked up at him with those red, teary, puffy eyes of hers.

"Come on, Bon Bon," Discord said in a soft and caring voice to her as he gingerly helped her to her hooves. "I'll take you home."

Bon Bon sniffed a bit and wiped her tears as she got up and said to him in a hesitant tone, "W-Wait, I still need to talk to Filthy about something. And... wait..." She looked at Discord thoroughly and realized something she hadn't thought of before, her eyes slightly widen.

Discord raised a slight suspicious brow at why she was looking at him like that but replied to her, "Yes?"

"C-Can I talk to you outside, Discord? I want to ask you something important... alone," she said heavily on that last part. If what she had in mind was true, then maybe she had a chance.

Discord was unsure of what Bon Bon's request was but he shrugged it off since Bon Bon was going through so much right now. He'll play along with her and try his best to comfort her as much as possible. He just had to figure out what it was that she wanted and he'd see what he could do from there.

"I suppose so," Discord said. But, as he did, he looked back to Twilight who nodded at him to do so – a soft tender yet commending smile directed towards him for stepping forward to help. Like him, she wanted Bon Bon to recover and she trusted Discord to help Bon Bon. With that go-ahead and a nod in acknowledgment given back to her, Discord looked back at Bon Bon, snapped his talon fingers, and teleported both her and himself out of the room.

"Gosh," Ember said, softly and heartbroken from what she heard, breaking the silence after what felt like minutes. She had no idea that ponies like her could go through so much. Before, she had thought they were overly sensitive, mushy, and soft creatures, but after hearing Bon Bon's piece, she realized that they're more than that. Ponies like her had limits to how much they could take, and this proved it. "I... I got nothing to say here. Does anyone else?"

"Eenope," Big Mac replied, feeling bad himself about Bon-Bon. She said what he was thinking and spoke for him so he didn't have to.

"I got nothing, either," Drift said, feeling sorry for Bon Bon. "I think it's clear she said what all of us had been thinking for a long time."

He was right. Bon Bon had said what everyone in the room had been thinking for a long while. That being what Bon Bon said, there was one other thing that itched in the back of some of their minds. But, they didn't know if Spoiled or Filthy will comply.

Spoiled felt her whole being torn apart from that huge wake-up call. Bon Bon was right the whole time. Marabunda's actions were like a reflection of her own. She had Diamond use that whistle to call him over and he went on a rampage. But, not only that, even before that whole ordeal, she had treated everybody in Ponyville with hate and bitterness, acting as if she was superior around everyone else because of how rich she was. She never realized it until now and there was no way for her to fully fix the pain she put everyone through. She looked at her husband who shared the same guilt as she did. She wouldn't blame Filthy if he never wanted to speak to her, again.

"There's one thing I want to know, Spoiled," Applejack said as Spoiled looked up at her with guilt and shame in her eyes. "What exactly do you see in Filthy? It's obvious he loves you to bits but you acted like you don't want anything to do with him? Do you really love him?"

"Hey, yeah," Rainbow Dash said, chiming in. "What's the deal here? Don't you care about your husband, at all?" 

And there it was! There was the question that no one else ever thought of asking her. Spoiled widened her eyes in surprise as everyone who heard Applejack agreed with her statement, softly chattering their agreement. That question had been on their mind for so long, but they just couldn't find the right moment to ask such a thing. She looked at them briefly before she glanced over to Filthy who looked at her firmly yet curiously, a brow raised at her. He wanted to know right now if she actually loved him or not; that what he gave her mattered and that what his love brought her meant anything. Filthy was hurt enough as it was; the least he asked for was the truth.

Spoiled had trails of tears roll down her cheeks. It was obvious that a simple answer wasn't gonna be enough. She looked down at where Bon Bon had collapsed in tears, then she looked at Twilight and everyone else and spoke truthfully to the best of her ability about herself, "I... I do love him. But, before... when I first came into this town… I was just using him for his wealth. My parents came from a line of... well, gold diggers. Lying, manipulating, you name it. We would do anything to get into a wealthy life and not have to lift a hoof for ourselves." 

And she would go into detail about it but she knew she had to make it quick for them. So, she saved them some time and got straight to the point regarding her. And she deeply regretted it now that her eyes were open.

"By the time I was born, my parents were not very well. They raised me to think that life of wealth and power was all that mattered for a perfect life; they never taught me how to love, cherish, and support those who came into my life – they never taught me to need anybody in my life just as long as I had a way to have the bits. I grew up thinking of and wanting to live a life of luxury. That manipulating an oblivious pony would be my ticket into wealth and having a luxurious life from there on out. No one I met before Filthy had the kind of expectations I was looking for – not a one, none of them even remotely interested me in the slightest. And then, one day, I met Filthy Rich."

She remembered that moment like it was yesterday and how he approached her was rather funny and cute now that it came to her, but, even so, she continued to explain, "And I didn't even have to do anything big to grab his attention. The moment he saw me, he was just all over me like I was some kind of treasure." She smiled briefly at them, a blush coating her cheeks as she now realized with open eyes that Filthy had fallen hard and believed she was the one he wanted to spend the rest of his days with. She was unaware of smiling and blushing before everyone, the moment she and Filthy met was playing in her head right now and it was causing her heart to flutter.

Hearing that kind of got a faint blush from Filthy, almost shyly gazing away with a sheepish smile as he rubbed the back of his head bashfully with a shy chuckle when she described that part of him falling so hard, he treated her like a goddess, a treasure that he wanted to shelter and protect. He recalled that moment, as well. Her eyes, soft adorable little smile, and soft appearance made him want to have her by his side and cherish the love he had for her. There wasn't a time a day when he wouldn't keep his eyes off her and how happy she made him feel.

Drift blushed lightly, too. In some way, he felt that same love with Fluttershy, and that love he had for her was coming back every second. But, the moment he first met her was love at first sight. Hearing Spoiled made him think back, how a wave of euphoria struck him when he looked at Fluttershy. His heart beating like a drum, a goofy smile on his face, and even a wobbly dance in his step. Seeing Fluttershy be all timid around him and how she always hid her face behind that fluffy pink mane of hers was the cutest thing he had ever seen. When he was around her, he thought he'd always drop to his knees because of how cute she was. He looked over to Fluttershy with a soft smile -- she was still cute. But now, she was the most beautiful mare he's ever seen in his entire life.

Catching her coltfriend's gaze, she blushed a bright pink and smiled adorably at him with an adorable 'squee' emitting. 

…And he had regretted running away from her. When this trial was over, he had to pop the question. Scootaloo would likely want that, too.

But, Spoiled's smile slowly dropped to a disappointed frown, "I saw the love he had for me and he asked me out right then and there. At first, I wasn't interested to be near him because I thought he was a total dork that wasn't worth my time." She knew this was going to no doubt hurt her husband once she confessed it out loud but with Applejack as her living lie detector, she knew she had to tell the truth. "But after I overheard some mares say how rich he was, I jumped on that opportunity and I was making it big. The whole time up until recently, I never once cared about him; whatever happened to him meant nothing to me because the money was just so good. The act worked like a charm and he never caught on."

She looked over at Filthy, expecting what his reaction would be once she finally told the truth. And as such, she saw the deep hurt in his wide shaking eyes, his jaw slightly dropped in disbelief and the tears rolling down his cheeks. She felt a mental blow to her soul and she felt a deep crack in her heart from how he looked at her like that. She knew that would hurt him greatly and she regretted ever doing that – in fact, she wanted nothing more than to hug her husband close and tight, to tell him that from here on out – she and him were a team, partners who will love one another and that she would never hurt him again. But, today, this was gonna change for the better and she wanted to work hard to earn Filthy's love and trust back.

"This whole time, I lived a great life. I married a loving husband that loved me so much. I lived in a mansion with maids and butlers that took care of me and had great patience with me just as he did. I made a family for myself. I had a great life and I was too greedy to notice it or even cherish it in return for how much they cherished me. I didn't know what I had until I nearly lost it," She sighed deeply and looked at Filthy, again, with loving eyes this time and an apologetic smile.

"But, I realize that now," She then looked back at everyone in front of her, "Instead, I let my greed get the better of me. And that's the funny thing: there should be a better version of me. Yet, you guys get a gold-digging bitch that only cared about herself and her wealth. I want to say I'm sorry but I know that's not enough to fix the years of hurt I inflicted on all of you. I want to redeem myself in any way I can and I am willing to do whatever it takes to earn your forgiveness… your trust… and maybe, hopefully… your friendship. If there's a punishment fit for a spoiled mare like me, I'll take it. No resistance."

The room got quiet, not even a cricket would dare sing its song in this room. Everyone took a moment to sink all that in as they look at one another, perplexed and amazed. This explained so much about her. Spoiled grew up in an entitled home, she was raised into believing that leeching off other pony's wealth was the way to live. That kind of life was not the right way to live and it never goes well for anyone. Yet, Spoiled admitted to it all and she didn't seem like she was half-assing what she was saying.

Ember felt a hit hearing that. She can relate in some form or fashion. Dragons had a tendency to let their greed get the better of them once they have eyes on something that they want to hoard, and they let that greed turn them into a selfish, hoarding, unstable, monstrous version of themselves. It would usually take other dragons to snap a greedy dragon out of it with combat. At least, that was the easy way. But to hear a pony act the same way felt a little poetic to her.

Ember shrugged and calmly said, "I think a light punishment is in order."

"Yeah, I agree," Drift said. "She does seem genuine with what she's saying. Maybe therapy or something like that can work? Hey, Legs, is Spoiled telling the truth?"

From what she's seen of Spoiled's tone and form and how weak she looked, it was clear to Applejack that this mare was, in fact, telling the truth this time, "Yeah, she's telling the truth. I don't see a hint of acting coming from her." She nodded at the suggestion of therapy, it was plain to see that most of them, including the Rich family and Bon Bon will be needing therapy for quite a long while. 

"Yeah, I think therapy's good." She then pouted firmly at his snickering face when she realized he once again slipped that nickname in there. "And consarnit boy, stop calling me 'Legs'!"

Fluttershy looked at Twilight for the final word on Spoiled's punishment, "What do you say, Twilight? What should her punishment be?" she asked curiously. With how honest she was in wanting to change, she was on board with Ember's idea.

With all of the info gathered and the genuine tones thrown out, Spoiled no doubt wanted to amend for her actions. And with this info regarding how she admitted that her old lifestyle when she was younger was outright atrocious, it held a few key reasons why she acted the way she did. Twilight commended Spoiled for choosing to break the branch off her rotten family tree. However, there was still the fact that her son got hurt during that fight. The mother side of her wanted to slam this mare behind bars or give her any form of heavy punishment like Bon Bon asked her before. The many ideas floating around seemed too good not to pass up, but her princess side came crawling back and it wanted to put her in a peaceful punishment – especially after what they all went through within the last few hours. Something therapeutic, maybe?

Wait? That's it! It may not be the punishment Bon Bon wanted to be thrown on to Spoiled but what Fluttershy mentioned earlier held some ground.

"Actually, I agree with Ember's idea," Twilight said with a bright smile, having an idea in mind. "I think a light punishment would work just fine." She gazed knowingly toward Fluttershy, knowing just where to start. "And Fluttershy, I think I'll have you take part in this. Does that therapist you know want to have a few new clients?"

Ember perked her head a bit, genuinely surprised everyone in the courtroom was on board with her idea. She curved a small excited smile and held in her joy, but in her thoughts 'Oh yeah! I'm on a roll today! Score one for the Dragon Lord!'.